Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Bakugo

"It's raining, Kacchan," Izuku said, sitting cross-legged on the bed in Kacchan's room, staring out at the balcony doors where raindrops streamed down the glass.

"I can see that, nerd," Kacchan muttered, tugging off his shirt and pulling on a thicker one.

Izuku frowned. "You're going to get sick," he warned, his voice firmer than he intended. He hated how Kacchan always brushed off things that worried him.

Bakugo just rolled his eyes like Izuku was being ridiculous. "Tch. No, I'm not. I'll be fine. I’ll run fast enough so that you won’t even have time to start worrying, mum," he teased, flashing a sharp grin.

"Ugh, don't call me that! It's weird!" Izuku crossed his arms, unimpressed, watching Bakugo lace up his trainers. "Seriously, Kacchan. You hate the rain. Why are you even going out?"

"Because if I miss today, it’ll screw up my whole routine," Bakugo said, standing and flopping down on the bed beside Izuku. "You know how important that shit is to me, De—Izuku." He caught himself, glancing away. "I won’t get sick, alright? And if I do, I'll take the heat. Aizawa Sensei won't be able to pin it on you."

"If you do get sick, I'll have to take care of you. You're the worst patient in the world, Kacchan!" Izuku didn't care about caring for sick Kacchan, it was more with having to put up with him. It was genuinely exhausting.

"Watch it." Kacchan warned.

Izuku groaned, "You're always so difficult when you're sick, though. It's never as simple as 'take some medicine and get some rest' with you. You just have to make your illness everyone else's problem!"

Kacchan huffed and got up off his bed, offended, and stormed over to the door. "Fine, then. Don't wish me luck before I go out to exercise in the pouring rain. I don't need it!"

"That's not what I meant!" Izuku leaped off of the bed, crashing into Bakugo's back, who didn't turn around. "Don't play the fake-angry card, you know I take it personally." He rubbed his nose, sore from crashing into pure muscle. Jeez...

Bakugo sighed and finally turned, ruffling Izuku’s hair with an awkward, fleeting touch before pulling away like he’d been burned. Izuku's heart sagged in quiet protest.

Seriously, when is he gonna figure out it’s okay to show affection for more than two seconds?

"I'll be back in a second. If you need something, Shitty Hair's next door." Kacchan then opened the door and walked out.

"I’ll be waiting at the entrance with a towel in five minutes! You’d better not be late!" Izuku called after him, leaning on the doorframe. Bakugo just waved him off without looking back.

Izuku sighed, watching the elevator doors slide shut. He knew exactly how miserable Kacchan got when he was sick.

Sure, they’d only been—secretly—dating for a few months, but they’d known each other since they were still in diapers.

He acted like the world was against him and refused to open up whenever he got sick. He didn't even eat properly. Then Izuku was left worried without any way to help except argue to distract the blonde from his misery.

--

Five minutes later, Izuku stood outside the dorms, towel and water bottle in hand, glaring into the sheets of rain. When he spotted the blonde sprinting toward the steps, chest heaving and drenched, Izuku couldn’t help but smile despite himself.

Bakugo grabbed the water bottle with a nod of approval and chugged most of it as Izuku draped the towel over his shoulders.

"Tsk. Iida’s gonna lose his mind if you track mud through the dorm," Izuku muttered. His smile grew as he realised Kacchan was letting him get close up and personal outside of one of their rooms. Small wins, small progress. 

"Let him," said Kacchan, completely unbothered.

"Come on, most of the class is busy watching some documentary, anyway," Izuku said, pushing open the doors. "Sato! Kacchan’s back so you can start dinner now!"

"If you say so," Sato called back. He was bustling about in the kitchen a moment later, always eager to create food for his friends. Izuku had no idea how Sato worked his magic behind a stove, but he did. Every meal tasted ethereal, he somehow even managed to get steak to melt in your mouth!

Izuku couldn't even chop onions or tomatoes properly.

They rode the elevator up together, and when Izuku got out on the second floor, Bakugo frowned. "You're not coming back to my room?" he asked, voice lower now, almost disappointed. Izuku wasn't sure he didn't imagine it.

Izuku shook his head, feeling his curls bounce. "I gotta start that homework Present Mic assigned. I'll join you guys for dinner in fifteen."

Bakugo shrugged, trying to look casual. "Don't work too hard, nerd. You'll hurt your precious little pea brain."

Izuku scoffed, rolling his eyes. "I knew I shouldn't have bothered with the water bottle," he muttered just loudly enough for Bakugo to hear.

The elevator doors closed on Bakugo flipping him off, and Izuku couldn't help the small laugh that escaped him.

Later, the dorm was buzzing. Kirishima and Kaminari were jumping around the common room, showing off while the rest of the self-proclaimed Bakusquad (which was really only what Kaminari and Mina called their small group) spectated eagerly.

Izuku and his friends were sitting at a dining table not too far away, finishing up dinner.

The rest of the class were mostly just floating around, but a few students had already called it a night and headed to bed. 

"You know what? I really don't think the world would end if someone were to get rid of the black and white view of heroes and villains." Todoroki said, pushing his food around his plate. "Just because someone, let's just say loses control of their quirk, doesn't mean they're some sadistic maniac who gets off on hurting others."

Izuku nodded his head, "I think about that all the time. In fact, when I look at Shigaraki, I see—" he cut himself off as a mysterious arm reached over his shoulder from behind him and snagged the half-eaten rice ball from his hand.

His head whipped around and he gaped, "Did—did you just take my rice ball, Kacchan?" he asked, perplexed.

Kacchan had the audacity to snicker at him, "It's not your rice ball, it's mine now. Plus, you'd been holding the damn thing without taking another bite for ages." He shoved the whole thing in his mouth and chewed extra loudly as if to make a point, never breaking eye contact with Izuku.

Sparks flew, though not the ones often described in fairy tales. Izuku felt the challenge in the air, and he narrowed his eyes at his lover half-playfully, half seriously. Just what was he up to, stealing Izuku's food?

"You've been watching Midoriya, Bakugo?" Todoroki asked, his eyebrows raised. 

Izuku suddenly felt a flush he tried to cool down at the implication. Kacchan, watching him just for the sake of it? That seemed unlikely.

Uraraka eyed the blonde suspiciously from across the table, "Why?" she asked. 

"None of your goddamn business." Kacchan snapped back as he spoke around the food and glared at them. He turned back to Izuku, who was now also eyeing him suspiciously. Bakugo rolled his eyes, "You better eat the rest of your food before I do." he said.

Then he promptly turned around and walked back to his friend group, still chewing on the food that had originally been Izuku's.

Izuku quickly turned around and set back to eating, not doubting for a second Kacchan was telling the truth about returning just to devour his food. He couldn't let that meanie win! Seriously, he'd already beaten Izuku in their spar earlier, why was he now targeting his food?!

If he were being honest, he wasn't hungry at all, even though he had missed lunch. But his competitive and petty nature wouldn't let the blonde have his way, so he practically inhaled the rest of his food.

Iida hummed, "It seems Bakugo knows a lot more about how to encourage Midoriya than I do. I should work on that." he said. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Izuku asked, shoving another piece of chicken into his mouth.

He glanced behind him, spotting Kacchan blatantly ignoring Mina begging him to join in with the jumping game. He laughed under his breath at his boyfriend's scowl, finding it endearing that his ruby eyes were soft even if his face wasn't. 

He was proud to finally be able to admit the both of them had come such a long way.

Iida watched this happen, a soft smile of his own on his face, "It doesn't mean anything at all. I was just thinking about how far you and Bakugo have come."

Izuku beamed at this, "I know, right?" It was like Iida had read his mind!

Asui made a confused sound, "What are you two talking about? Did Bakugo not just steal his food and threaten to take the rest, or did I imagine it?" she asked, genuinely confused. Izuku smiled at her.

Uraraka sniffed, "Don't worry, Tsu. Sometimes I feel like we're the only sane ones in the group." The girls giggled and high fived. 

Most of the students had already left the building to head to class, there were only five minutes left until the bell rang—except for Izuku, Kirishima, and Kacchan.

"Should I go up and check if he's coming down?" Kirishima asked, frowning in concern.

Izuku shook his head, feeling a mixture of frustration and reluctant sympathy bubble in his chest. "Tell Aizawa Sensei we'll be late, if we show up at all. I think I know what's happened."

"Are you guys going to be okay?" Kirishima looked uncertain, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

Izuku managed a reassuring smile, even though inside he felt anything but calm.

Kacchan gets sick, I clean up the mess. It’s a cycle older than time itself, he thought privately.

"Of course we will, Kirishima. I'll go check up on Kacchan and text Aizawa Sensei if we won't be coming. Otherwise, I can rely on you to come up with an excuse, right?" He gave Kirishima a thumbs up, hoping he would hurry up and leave so Izuku could go check on Kacchan.

"Well, sure! But, um... you look a little angry, Midoriya," Kirishima said, fiddling nervously with the end of his shirt. "You're sure everything will be okay?"

Izuku huffed, getting a little frustrated. "Kirishima. You have three and a half minutes to get to class and you're wasting it asking silly questions." he said, gesturing dramatically to the All Might watch strapped to his wrist.

Kirishima paled and bolted, calling out a half-hearted apology as he ran. 

"Now," Izuku muttered, turning sharply towards the elevator, "I told him yesterday. If he gets sick, I’ll be the one picking up the pieces. Of course, his friends would help, but nobody knows how to handle a sick Kacchan like I do. Even if I absolutely, positively hate doing it."

Muttering was a habit he was going to die before getting rid of, no matter how much Kacchan reminded him to stop doing it (well, screamed at him to shut it).

He stepped into the elevator, clicking the button to the fourth floor. "Not to mention I warned him not to go on that stupid run just so he didn't mess up his routine." He stepped out, stomping his way to Kacchan's room. "But no, Kacchan has to prove he's not a wimp."

He scoffed to himself.

He paused in front of the door that belonged to the blonde he was angry with, took a deep breath, then pounded his fist against it. "Kacchan! Wake up! Kacchan! You're late to school!"

He stopped yelling for a moment when he heard a groan on the other side of the door. Well, at least he's not dead.

"I know you're awake! I'm opening the door!" He placed his hand on the handle and turned it, slowly pushing it open. 

The room was dark, and he could see a lump of mass on the bed. He sighed, then let out a laugh, "Well, at least you're not standing in the middle of your room butt naked. I was a little worried that was why you were groaning."

"Izuku, ge' out," came the raspy grumble.

The sound of that wrecked voice sent a spike of anger straight through Izuku's chest. I warned you, you absolute idiot! Izuku scoffed. "I knew this would happen, Kacchan! So much for promising not to get sick, huh?!" Izuku stomped up to the bed and ripped back the covers without mercy.

Kacchan glared up at him fiercely, shivering, curled into himself like a miserable cat. He wasn't fooling anyone looking like that. Honestly!

Izuku clicked the light on, ignoring the pitiful yelp that followed. He planted his hands on his hips and scanned him, evaluating Kacchan's condition. Flushed face. Uneven breathing. Hoarse voice. Violent shivering. Yup.

Katsuki Bakugo, who had promised not even twelve hours ago not to get sick, had caught a cold. How the hell did he even manage that?

Izuku took a deep breath to settle himself and sat on the end of the bed. "Can you uncurl yourself, Kacchan?" he asked, keeping his voice low. "I need to check your temperature."

To his surprise, Kacchan didn't argue and turned his head so Izuku could place his palm to his forehead. Though he didn't look at all pleased to be doing so, as if he weren't in control of his body.

A hum, "You're a lot warmer than usual, Kacchan. Not to mention it hasn't even been a day since you were out in the rain. How does one even get sick that quickly?" he mumbled, already rummaging through Kacchan's bedside table to see if there was any medicine.

He found a bottle of benzodiazepines, but that was useless at the moment.

Not exactly helpful for a cold unless he wants to sleep for two days straight, Izuku thought. He checked the date on the bottle and smiled. It was given to Kacchan nearly a month prior. He was glad to feel the heaviness of the anxiety pill bottle because it meant Kacchan hadn't needed as much as he used to.

"Th's 's from yer stup'd rice ball." Kacchan grumbled, watching Izuku with a frown.

Izuku scoffed, "I didn't slobber over the rice ball enough for you to get sick from it. Even if I did, I'm not sick, which means you couldn't have caught anything from me. This, Kacchan, is the consequences of your own actions." He put the bottle of meds on the nightstand.

"Bullshit."

Izuku looked at him, the smuggest 'I told you so' look on his face.

Katsuki groaned and looked away. Izuku could have sworn the action indicated embarrassment. Jeez.

Izuku snickered. "I need to go downstairs and see if we have anything for your cold down there, okay? I'll be right back." Just as he was about to stand up, Izuku's shirt was tugged on and he was shoved backwards, falling onto Kacchan.

"Kacchan!" His heart raced in his ears, his face heating. "This—this isn't funny. Let me go, now."

Bakugo placed his face into the crook of Izuku's neck, breathing in deeply.

Izuku yelped, trying to shove his boyfriend's face back. "Look, this is nice and definitely a first, but you're sick, Kacchan! Save this for when you're better, and we can hug all you want." He was panicking. He didn't know what to do.

Should he get up, use force to get Bakugo off, or let him do what he wants?

Izuku had never ever known Kacchan to be clingy, especially when he was sick.

Usually, the blonde didn't like Izuku anywhere near him, even when he was the only one available to help Katsuki eat and take medication. Izuku was very, a hundred percent, certain his face was beet red. 

"It's so warm." Katsuki muttered. "An' sm'll clean. L'ke Auntie's home." He was clearly having a hard time pronouncing his vowels, and Izuku's nose would grow about ten meters if he said he didn't find it the most endearing thing in the world. 

"Well, you are shivering, Kacchan. And I'm not actually that warm, you just think so because you're cold." Izuku carefully peeled Katsuki's hands from his shirt, standing up but quickly turning to face Katsuki so he didn't think he was leaving. 

"Dunno wh't that means." The blonde said. He looked Izuku up and down, his red eyes pausing in Izuku's green ones. He frowned, "Get out of m' face, 'zuku. You're s' ugly right now. all red an' shit."

Izuku was however used to the mood swings that sick Katsuki came with.

He could feel his face cool down, his blush fading at the insult. "C'mon, Kacchan. Don't be mean. Also, lie back down and put the blanket back on, you're shivering like crazy."

Izuku knew it probably wasn't the best idea to let someone with a fever put on a blanket, but he needed a moment to sort out what he had to do.

Izuku pulled out his phone, glaring at Katsuki, who was weakly fighting the blanket, while dialling Aizawa's number. The dummy was sitting up further, smirking because he knew outright defying Izuku's wishes would piss him off. 

The freckled teen sighed deeply, throwing his head back in frustration as he put his phone to his ear. He mouthed to Katsuki, who was mumbling about behind cold, to put on his goddamn blanket.

Click.

"Midoriya? Why are you calling me? Class started fifteen minutes ago." Aizawa's gruff voice sounded exhausted, even through a phone call. 

"Kacchan! Lie down!" Izuku whisper-yelled to Katsuki, who snorted gleefully at his anger. "Sorry, I'm really sorry Aizawa Sensei, but could you please excuse Kacchan and I from school today? He's caught a cold."

"Midoriya, is or isn't Bakugo old enough to look after himself?"

"No—No, hey! Don't get out of bed! Um, well, about that, Aizawa Sensei. When Kacchan gets sick he gets really out of it. Like, right now he's trying to climb out of bed even though he's complaining about being cold just because he knows I don't want him to. No, let go of my arm!"

Katsuki latched himself onto Izuku's arm, then looked down at it, disgusted. "You lying pig! You're not warm anymore!"

Izuku sighed. Well, at least he isn't struggling to talk properly anymore. "No, Kacchan—Sorry Aizawa Sensei. I told you I wasn't actually warm!" 

A sigh was heard on the other side of the line, and Izuku could practically see the man pinching the bridge of his nose, "I can hear you trying to cover up your yelling, Midoriya. And I can hear him also yelling in the background. Just don't bother with school today, he can go see recovery girl in the afternoon."

Izuku let out a breath of relief, "Thank you, Sensei!"

"Get the fuck out of my room, Izuku! Liars can burn in—" A hand clamped over Katsuki's mouth, stopping him from saying anything else.

"Kacchan. Don't say things like that. And I'm not a liar, you just didn't listen."

"Is that all, Midoriya?" Aizawa asked, sounding impatient. "In case you've forgotten, I have an entire class of students in front of me waiting to be taught."

"You answered the phone in front of everyone?!" Izuku shrieked, surprised.

"Are you trying to tell me what I should and shouldn't do in my own class?" For some reason, Izuku got the feeling Aizawa was smirking sadistically on the other side of the line. 

"Of course not, Aizawa Sensei," he replied. "I just wasn't expecting that! But, um, if it's alright with you, would you mind sending down Todoroki? I think his fire might help Kacchan warm up a little."

A pause, "Todoroki? Is he that unwell?"

"Aizawa Sensei, he pulled me onto his bed so he could hug me because he thought I was warm." Izuku wasn't impressed.

Not to mention Kacchan was still rambling about how much he hates liars and also how healthy and definitely not sick he is because he eats his vegetables. 

"Alright, I'll send him down. Is there anyone else you need, Midoriya?"

"No, Sensei. But, because Kacchan loves to be difficult, we might need someone a little later on. Is it okay if I call or text you to send someone else in?"

"You're lucky I'm teaching you lot for the rest of the day and not some other teacher." Aizawa sighed. "Just let me know if I need to get rid of anyone else from the class."

Izuku gasped, "I didn't say it like—!"

Click.

"And he hung up. Spectacular." Izuku shoved his phone back into his pocket, smacking Katsuki's hand off of his arm. "I'm going downstairs for five minutes to get some medicine. So help me god, if I find you with even one foot off of the bed, Kacchan. You'll be wishing you were in class with Aizawa Sensei instead of me."

Katsuki made a noise in the back of his throat, sticking his nose up into the air. "Threats by weaklings like you don't work on me."

"Sure, Kacchan." Izuku leaned closer to Katsuki, neither of them breaking eye contact.

Izuku's heart sped up as he realised what he was about to do, his face going warm again. He leaned in further, gently pushing his lips against his boyfriend's cheek. 

It was a lot more soft and smoother, and... not-Kacchan-like that Izuku paused before he stood up straight again.

Katsuki grinned wildly at him, "I thought your lips got stuck on my face for a second." he said teasingly.

The freckle-ridden face went a deeper shade of red, almost the same shade of Kacchan's (gorgeous. Izuku has always thought they were gorgeous) eyes.

He quickly ran to the door, mumbling a small 'I'll be back' as he closed it behind him.

He could hear Katsuki's laughter all the way down the hallway, and it was as heartwarming as it was embarrassing.

--

Izuku’s heart was still hammering as he rifled through the kitchen cabinets, searching for something to help with Katsuki’s fever. He found a couple packets of pills, grabbed one, and then headed into the communal bathroom to fetch a small bucket and a clean hand towel.

Back in the kitchen, he filled the bucket with cold water, humming under his breath—anything to distract himself from thinking about Katsuki’s laughter earlier, how genuinely happy it had sounded. Every time he thought about it, his stomach would flip.

He was just about to step into the elevator when a familiar voice called out.

"Midoriya! I made it back to the dorms." Todoroki walked around the corner.

"Oh, hey, Todoroki! I was just about to get in," Izuku gestured to the open elevator doors, "Come in with me. We can walk to Kacchan's room together."

Todoroki complied, though his expression gave away his confusion.

Izuku laughed, "Kacchan is sick and complaining about how cold he is. I asked Aizawa Sensei if you could come and help warm him up."

"Why not just use a blanket?"

"Because Kacchan is as stubborn as a boulder when it comes to listening to me when he's sick. He gets a kick out of doing the exact opposite of what I tell him. Therefore, he has moved his blankets off and sat up, while he was shivering, just because I told him to lay down." Izuku rolled his eyes just remembering it.

Todoroki hummed, amused at his friend's frustration, "That does sound like a bit of an issue."

The two of them exited the elevator on the fourth floor, "You think? Honestly, it's like he loses ten years of age when he's—" Izuku paused, his jaw dropping as he opened the door to Katsuki's room.

"Kacchan!" he shrieked. He shoved the bucket, towel and medicine to Todoroki, running into the room. 

"I told you to stay in bed, dammit!" Izuku paled as he saw Katsuki taking another step onto his balcony. "I can see you shivering from here, Kacchan." He walked over to Bakugo as quickly as he could, then yanked him by the back of his shirt into the room, slamming the glass doors shut. 

He turned around and hooked his right arm into Katsuki's left, dragging him back to the bed. "Did I, or did I not, warn you that if I found you with even one foot out of bed, I would make you wish you were in class?" Izuku shoved the blonde down, tugging the sheets up forcefully. 

Katsuki groaned and yelled, but his sick body wasn't any help to him. His attempts at kicking the blankets were utterly pathetic. His legs were too heavy to move properly. 

"Fuck you, Izuku! Piss off!" he yelled, glaring.

Izuku leaned down, his mouth next to Katsuki's ear, "If you don't stop moving, I'm going to leave you in Todoroki's care. He'll freeze you still. And while you're stuck frozen, I'll go downstairs and cook something for you and make you eat it. Is that what you want, Kacchan?"

"Half and half isn't here! And your cooking is shit, Izuku!" Katsuki cried out, slowly stopping all movement in his body.

"Um," Todoroki said awkwardly from the doorway, "I don't think I'm allowed to freeze a sick person."

Izuku ignored him, "I know you hate my cooking, Kacchan. But I'll be sure to put in some medicine so you'll feel better, okay? Maybe even sneak in some vegetables, since you were bragging about eating them earlier. Sounds good, right?"

"Don't," The blonde had stopped having a wrestling match with his bedding, now laying perfectly still. He looked a little pale in the face as he glanced at Todoroki.

"I can. And I will, if you act up again." Izuku sighed. Satisfied, he turned to Todoroki. "Pass me the stuff?"

Todoroki handed over the bucket and towel, watching curiously as Izuku snuck a hand under Katsuki’s head and tilted it up carefully. Izuku grabbed a mostly empty water bottle from the nightstand, popped two pills from the packet, and slipped them into Katsuki’s mouth along with a sip of water.

There was a tense moment of silence.

Then Izuku smiled. "See? That wasn’t so hard."

Katsuki retaliated by attempting to spit the water back at him, but Izuku easily dodged.

"Stay still," Izuku warned, wringing out the towel. "I know you’re cold, but we’ve got to bring your fever down." He took the handtowel and dunked it into the bucket of cool water, rung it out, folded it neatly, then gently placed it on Katsuki's head.

"Ugh! 's too cold, Deku!" Katsuki tried to swat the fabric away, but Izuku caught his hand and tucked it back underneath the blanket.

"That's what Todoroki is here for. If you spit at him, I'll go downstairs and start cookin', you hear me?" He kneeled next to the bed, watching his boyfriend closely.

There was no reply except for exaggerated breathing as Katsuki showed his frustration through huffs. It didn't work out well for him though, as he went into a small coughing fit. 

All the while, Izuku gently pat his chest, watching with a concerned expression. 

He turned his head, "Todoroki," he called out softly. "Would you mind coming over here and warming him up a little? Not too much, though, because I don't want you to cancel out the towel."

Todoroki nodded and crouched beside the bed, slipping a hand under the blankets and pressing it against the mattress. A gentle warmth radiated through the bedding.

Instantly, Katsuki sighed, the tension bleeding from his body.

"Good," Izuku murmured quietly. "Just sleep, Kacchan. I’ll wake you later for lunch." He kept patting Katsuki’s chest, whispering quietly until Katsuki’s breathing evened out and he drifted to sleep.

By the time Izuku stood up, his legs were cramping painfully. He groaned lowly, stretching out.

"Thank you, Todoroki. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you," he said sincerely.

Todoroki shook his head, "Class was boring, anyway. Funnily enough, three teachers also called in sick today, so Aizawa Sensei is going to be teaching our class for all subjects rather than just homeroom."

He glanced over at the sleeping beauty, "Does he usually act like this? I mean, he's as stubborn as you said, but he also seemed a lot more calm than usual. He also... let you touch him like that."

Izuku chuckled. "Yeah. Kacchan doesn’t have much energy when he’s sick. He sticks to insults, spitting, and the world’s saddest attempts at kicking and punching. You get used to it."

"Used to it?" Todoroki asked, tilting his head.

Izuku smiled fondly. "Yeah. Auntie and Uncle were always traveling when we were kids. They'd call my mom to help out. Sometimes it was just me. I’d heat up leftovers, force him to take medicine. Whatever he needed. He knows now that I'm not going to think him weak for needing some help falling asleep."

Todoroki hummed, "Did he get sick often, then?"

Izuku chuckled, "All the time. It's part of the reason he hates the rain, since the humidity used to really get to him."

Todoroki looked at his friend's soft expression as he reminisced his past with Katsuki. Todoroki found himself agreeing with Iida. Izuku and Katsuki really did have a way of knowing each other that no one else could ever hold a candle to.

Katsuki woke up alone.

The hand towel on his forehead was cold, not frozen stiff but chilled enough that someone must’ve swapped it out recently. Probably Izuku. No way that nerd wouldn't be checking on him every few minutes; he was far too paranoid.

Katsuki's body felt like it weighed a ton, sinking into the mattress like dead weight, but at least his head wasn't swimming anymore. Things were a little clearer now, there was less noise between his ears.

He groaned under his breath and forced himself upright, miserable at the amount of effort it took. He felt fucking pathetic. Even peeling the towel off his forehead felt like a goddamn workout.

He placed it on the edge of the bucket next to his bed that had floating chunks of ice in the water. The water must have gone warm if Todoroki had to use his quirk to cool it down again.

How long had he been out, anyway?

Katsuki glanced around the room, sharp and quick. Nothing looked touched. His stuff was exactly where he'd left it—no signs of nosy extras messing with his gear.

Good. If someone had so much as bumped into his desk, he'd have known. Especially Icy-hot, who had been in his room earlier as well. Without Katsuki's permission. 

Had he heard me call Izuku his name? he questioned with a frown. Maybe not. Perhaps he only heard Katsuki call Izuku Deku, perhaps he hadn't been paying close attention to Katsuki's sickly rambling.

Hopefully.

Katsuki placed a palm on his bedside table, glancing at his anxiety meds that Izuku had grabbed out earlier. Stupid nerd must have forgotten to put them back.

Katsuki grit his teeth. Just another thing that would come back and bite him in the ass if Scarface or any of the others caught wind of it. Izuku better not have said a goddamn thing. All Katsuki could do as he used his nightstand to push himself standing was hope Icy-hot hadn't told anyone about it.

He shoved his feet into his slippers and dragged himself into the hall, half-staggering his way to the elevator. Katsuki leaned against one of the walls to hold himself upright as a wave of nausea slammed into him halfway through the descent to the first floor.

The doors slid open with a soft whoosh, and a blast of cold air hit him in the face. He shivered but managed to move out of the elevator without stumbling. For the most part. He cursed his own body for being so damn weak, but moved forward anyway, his pride guiding him more than strength. 

The sound of the TV echoed down the hallway, some nerdy announcer rambling about the newest batch of hero debuts.

Izuku was definitely down there, then. 

He kept walking, making his way to the kitchen. He spotted both Izuku and the half and half bastard in the area, both of them with steaming mugs on the bench in front of them.

They were in casual clothing now, looking fucking casual, too.

Todoroki seemed fully immersed in the show blaring on the TV. Meanwhile, Izuku seemed to be distracted by his own thoughts as he hummed a familiar tune, fiddling with the handle of his mug.

Katsuki walked up behind the two. The sight made something sour twist in Katsuki’s gut. He suddenly felt a lot shittier. He hated it. Hated feeling so goddamn useless.

"You shouldn't be out of bed," Izuku sang, keeping the same tune as the song he had been humming.

Todoroki looked at him, confused, before he spotted a blob of blonde in the corner of his vision and gasped. "Bakugo! You didn't make any noise." He groaned under his breath, breathing heavily for a moment before recovering himself.

"I made plenty of noise. Your shitty show was just louder than my feet, dumbass." Katsuki scoffed, crossing his arms and leaning against the fridge to steady himself. His legs felt like jelly after walking all of twenty feet, but he wasn’t about to show it.

Izuku, who still hadn't turned around, scoffed. "Go back to bed, Kacchan. Your hoarse voice is a clear giveaway you're not feeling any better."

The blonde glared at the back of Izuku's head, "Don't tell me how I feel, asshole." Irritation burned through his veins, familiar and all too welcome. Finally, a bit of goddamn normalcy. 

"I'm stating fact, not opinion." Izuku replied.

Katsuki made a low noise of warning, "You wanna fucking go, Deku?"

Izuku finally turned around, settling a disappointed look on his face.

The expression landed like a punch to Katsuki’s ribs. It made his chest go tight in a way he didn’t know how to fight off.

"So, you're going to pretend you didn't drag yourself here, Kacchan?" Izuku asked, his voice smooth but firm. "I could hear your stumbling from the moment you got out of the elevator."

"I'm fine," Katsuki snapped. He wasn't being defensive, Izuku was just being annoying!

"Then stand up straight." The idiot challenged. 

"Don't tell me what to do!" 

Izuku's gaze softened the tiniest bit, and he reached his hand out, "Let's go sit on the couch. It'll help you feel a bit better, Kacchan. Please?"

Katsuki eyed the scarred hand, glancing toward Todoroki, who was watching the whole scene unfold like it was a damn soap opera. Asshole. The hell was up with him and staring?

He looked back at his boyfriend—freckled, stubborn, hopeful, and against his better judgment, grabbed the offered hand.

The second he did, Izuku yanked him forward like he weighed nothing.

Katsuki let out a startled breath, caught completely off guard as Izuku picked him up by the thighs and started carrying him across the common room.

He would have kicked and screamed if he could, but his legs were already so damn weak from his journey there. He did send Izuku insults, though, which went ignored by the nerd.

Damn it.

The nausea that had been clinging to him faded with every step. Izuku’s stride was solid and steady, and Katsuki hated how safe it felt, like he could just shut his brain off and trust him.

Izuku freckled cheeks puffed up as he gave Katsuki a cheeky grin.

Katsuki’s face was burning red, furious at how easy Izuku had made him look. The fucker had walked so quickly Katsuki didn't have time to properly process what had been happening. His mind had gone completely blank for a moment.

Izuku just picked him up by the thighs like he was a child! In front of someone, no less! Fuck.

Izuku plopped down next to him, picking up the TV remote and turning down the volume of the show. "You're not so warm anymore, which is good." he said, still smiling like an idiot. 

Katsuki glared, "You should have asked. Poor Icy-hot is still frozen in the kitchen."

If Izuku noticed the extra disdain added to the nickname assigned to Todoroki, he didn't say anything.

"Don’t act like you care what Todoroki thinks," he said. "You’re just embarrassed he saw me carry you like that while you mostly complied."

Sure enough, half and half was still standing there, wide-eyed and looking shell-shocked.

It made the nerd snort. Katsuki eyed his upturned lips. "Todoroki!" he called out. "Could you bring me my mug?"

This seemed to snap half and half out of his trance. "Oh, um. S-sure thing, Midoriya." he said, picking up both of the mugs and walking over. He placed Izuku's on the coffee table in front of him, then sat on the other couch awkwardly as he cradled his own mug closely to his chest.

"What's in it?" Katsuki asked, gesturing to the cup with a raised eyebrow. He refused to show that the action made his head throb.

"It's some of Yaoyorozu's tea. She taught me how to make it a couple weeks ago." Izuku replied, picking up the mug and taking a sip. 

"As if you can make tea, Deku." The blonde said, scoffing.

Izuku mimicked him under his breath (which Katsuki mercifully decided to ignore), before returning the piercing glare he was receiving. "I'm not completely useless in the kitchen, Kacchan. I just haven't ever been taught how to make food."

Whatever, Katsuki thought, rolling his eyes. He was in a much better mood now that stupid Icy-hot had learned to keep his distance, and Katsuki smirked at the half and half bastard when Izuku wasn't looking.

Todoroki eyed him, and the explosive boy could practically see the gears turning in his head.

Said boy moved to flip Todoroki off, but Izuku whacked down his hand before he could even get his finger up. "Manners, Kacchan. You wouldn't flip Todoroki off if Aizawa Sensei was here, would you?"

Katsuki rolled his eyes so aggressively it hurt, "God, could you sound any more like a nagging junior high teacher?"

His comment went ignored, and the three of them sat in silence from then on as they watched the lame ass TV show.

"Kaminari, get that pencil out of your nose," Aizawa barked. "Mineta, eyes to the front. Mina, stop passing notes before I come over there and read them aloud. Aoyama, put that goddamn mirror away before I smash it. I'm not going to ask again."

Crossing his arms, he leaned back against his desk and waited for the class to finally settle.

"I get it," he drawled, voice heavy with sarcasm. "For whatever unexplainable reason, you're excited to have me as your teacher for the entire day. But that doesn’t mean you get to goof off. In fact, it’s going to be the opposite."

He grinned when a ripple of dread passed through the class, several students shrinking down in their seats. "It’s only midday. We've still got a few more hours to scrape some use out of those brains of yours." He pushed off the desk and grabbed the lesson plan off the podium. "Now, for Japanese, we’re going to—"

His phone buzzed in his pocket. Loud. Persistent. Aizawa sighed, already irritated, and pulled it out.

Click.

"Midoriya," he said flatly, putting the call on speaker. "Is something the matter again?"

Immediately, the class perked up, heads swivelling toward the sound. Aizawa caught Jiro's ear jacks discreetly snaking into the floor.

Real discreet, kid, he thought amusedly. She'd be getting detention for that.

"Um, good afternoon, Sensei." Todoroki's hesitant voice came through the other line.

Aizawa paused, before audibly groaning. "Yes, good afternoon, Todoroki. Mind telling me why you're calling me on Midoriya's phone?" he asked.

"Well, his phone was closer. I left mine in my room." Todoroki replied. "But, um, I called you because Midoriya would like a favour. He's... unavailable right now."

"...Why would Midoriya need a favour from me at eleven o'clock. And before you tell me, I don't wanna know why he isn't the one—,"

"Midoriya is currently wresting Bakugo." Todoroki cut him off. "Bakugo said he doesn't want to eat the leftovers from last night's dinner, and Midoriya is upset because he hasn't eaten anything all day so he's resorting to force feeding." 

In the background, there was a sharp crash and furious yelling, backing up Todoroki's claim.

Aizawa rubbed his face with his free hand, headache throbbing harder. "Just make sure they don’t strangle each other," he muttered. "And tell Midoriya to get some water into Bakugo. Last thing I need is dealing with Recovery Girl complaining about dehydration as well as a cold."

"Of course, Sensei. So, about the favour. We need Sato down here because Bakugo wants fresh food but refuses to eat anything Midoriya or I cook. Even as the two of them are fighting I can hear Bakugo's stomach, but he's stubborn. Don't tell him I said that. He'll get embarrassed."

Aizawa snorted quietly. "I won’t tell a soul, Todoroki. Sending the baker your way sounds like a fair trade if it gets him to eat something. Hell, maybe I’ll just dismiss the whole class and call it a day."

He scanned the room, ignoring all other curious gazes, until he found Sato, who looked like a deer caught in headlights when Aizawa pointed directly at him. He looked guilty and nervous, like he'd done something wrong and was about to be punished.

"Midoriya is also wondering what time Recovery Girl can come because he doesn't think it would be good for Bakugo to be around people. He said- wait, sorry. What else did you say about Bakugo, Midoriya? ...Midoriya said Bakugo can't even walk properly at the moment." Todoroki spoke fast, like he was trying his hardest to report back to Aizawa without forgetting anything.

Aizawa frowned slightly, concern tightening in his chest. "...Didn’t realize he was that bad off," he muttered. Then louder, to Todoroki: "If Bakugo’s got enough energy to wrestle Midoriya, he’s not dying. I’ll ask Recovery Girl to swing by the dorms if he can’t make it."

The man gestured for Sato to come to the front. The teen slowly stood up, looking at his classmates for some sort of reassurance that he wasn't about to get into trouble for, presumably, something to do with Midoriya and Bakugo.

There was a small, relieved sigh on the other side of the line, "You're right," Todoroki said.

Aizawa's irritation eased a little knowing Todoroki had been truly concerned for Bakugo. How far his kids had come. "As for the other question, I'll ask Recovery Girl to come by after school hours. She's likely busy tending other students."

"Am I allowed to call you again if we need anyone else?" The boy spoke quietly, like he was expecting to get scolded.

Sato reached the front of the room and stood there awkwardly as Aizawa gestured at him to wait a moment. "That's fine, kid. I'm pretty sure I just offered to send the entire class, didn't I? Just help Midoriya however you can."

Click.

Without waiting for a response, he had ended the call.

Did he care about Bakugo being so sick he needed three other people to help him? Well, sure. 

But he realised there was likely no need for him to be genuinely concerned. Based on what Todoroki had said, Bakugo was just being his stubborn self, but with a fever and heavy limbs.

However, Aizawa could use any excuse to lessen the burden of having to look after his whole problem class for the entire day. Sending a kid or all of them away wouldn't damage their learning too harshly considering Aizawa was likely doing a mediocre job at covering subjects he wasn't used to teaching, anyway.

Aizawa turned to Sato, his voice low. "I need you to take the rest of the day off and head back to the dorms. Bakugo is sick and Todoroki and Midoriya are struggling trying to get him to eat something. Just make him whatever he asks for. I don't want him getting worse than he already is because he's hungry, got it?"

The colour returned to Sato's face as he realised he wasn't in trouble. Though he couldn't mask the confusion at being allowed the rest of the day off, which was fine. "Of course, Sensei! I'll do my best." He grinned.

Aizawa smiled back. "Off you go, then." he said. 

As the door shut behind the teen, Aizawa's eyes locked on Jiro. "I saw you eavesdropping, Jiro. You'll have a ten minute detention with me during lunch."

The girl groaned and slumped.

Aizawa ignored this and turned back to the rest of the class. "I'm well aware you're all curious as to why I've been talking to Midoriya and Todoroki on the phone. And probably also why I mentioned Bakugo wrestling Midoriya and sending Recovery Girl."

A few nodded, while most others leaned forward in their seats. 

The man rolled his eyes, "Quite frankly, it's absolutely none of your business. And no, Kaminari, before you say anything, Midoriya, Todoroki and Bakugo are not goofing around having the day off. If you wanna know what's up, go ask them once school is over."

With that, Aizawa turned around to write something on the blackboard. 

"If I see a single one of you pull out your phone to try and text any of them, your device will be on my desk until the end of the day." he called over his shoulder, knowing his students would be worried. 

There were a few disheartened sighs, and Aizawa grinned at knowing he was right.

Todoroki placed Izuku's phone onto the coffee table and sat back onto the couch. "Sato's on his way now. Sensei also said he's going to ask Recovery Girl to come over later this afternoon."

Midoriya paused mid-grapple, dodging a sluggish punch from the blonde sprawled across the couch. “Did he say when Recovery Girl might show up?” It was quite fun to 'fight' with sick Katsuki. The poor blonde wasn't even able throw a proper kick because his limbs were heavy.

He spat a few times, but to his dismay none of them were able to hit Izuku in the face.

"No," Todoroki replied. "But he did say that if Bakugo has enough energy to wrestle you, then he'll be fine."

Izuku laughed, "Honestly, I'm surprised he's even managed to last this long. I thought for sure he would get tired a lot faster than this." He sent a sheepish grin at Kacchan. "I expected him to crash ten minutes ago."

Katsuki made a low sound in the back of his throat and pulled on Izuku's green locks, "I'll feed you to a pack of wolves."

"You are a wolf, Kacchan." Izuku replied, carefully peeling the hands out of his hair. "You literally just growled at me." He turned back to Todoroki, "Did Aizawa Sensei say anything else?" he asked. 

Todoroki nodded, "Yeah, he said to make sure Bakugo drinks water."

Izuku groaned, glancing at the untouched bowl of leftovers. “I don’t think that’s going to happen. We’ve been at this for nearly half an hour and he hasn’t eaten a single proper bite.” He scratched his head irritably. 

"Well, Aizawa Sensei said that Sato is coming. Would you mind waiting out the front for him, Todoroki? He should be here soon and I really don't want to waste too much time explaining... Kacchan to him."

The blonde scoffed and pinched Izuku's arm.

Izuku yelped, "Kacchan!" He grabbed the chopsticks furiously and picked up a piece of chicken. "You're going to eat at least two more pieces. Mark my words."

"I can't even taste the damn thing! You have no idea how disgusting it is to eat chicken when you can't taste it, Deku. It's gross, damn it!" Katsuki smacked Izuku's hand away, glaring at the chopsticks sitting in it. "You try eating wet cardboard with a dry throat, asshole!"

Izuku waited for Todoroki to leave the building to say anything else.

"Listen up. If I have to use my hands to pry your mouth open and shove it in, I will. I can hear your stomach growling for food, Kacchan! Let me help it!" His free hand grabbed Katsuki's jaw, forcing the blonde's face to stay still. Then he gave up and released his grip a moment later.

He remembered the first time he said something like that to Kacchan.

He'd gotten so frustrated at his boyfriend—of one month at the time—that he'd threatened to throw him over the balcony if he spoke another word. He'd immediately regretted it and expected to be blown sky high, but to his absolute surprise, Kacchan had laughed and pegged a pillow at him. 

"Not if I get to you first, Dek- Izuku!" Kacchan had said gleefully. 

Izuku had had tears in his eyes as he replied, "It's on, then!"

"Over my cold, dead body." Kacchan now said, looking as furious as ever.

"Mmh, very funny, Kacchan. If you were to ever die, you can bet I won't be caught anywhere near your body." Izuku aimed for the element of shock to try and catch Kacchan off guard.

For a moment, there was raw hurt in Katsuki's eyes. That quickly vanished to pure anger. "Really, Izuku? What a shitty thing to say to your own boyfriend."

Izuku's heart dropped at the sadness in his favourite red eyes, but he smiled sweetly anyway.

He let Katsuki take in his warm expression and watched as his anger faltered. 

"You wanna know why I wouldn't go near your cold, dead body, Kacchan?" He leaned in and gave Katsuki's cheek a peck with a flaming red face. Kacchan's jaw dropped at the sudden boldness that was a stark contrast against his earlier hesitance and embarrassment.

Izuku took that as his opportunity to shove a piece of chicken into his mouth.

“It’s not that I wouldn’t want to,” he said with a fond sigh, watching as Bakugo begrudgingly chewed. “It’s that I’d be too damn busy hunting down the bastard who killed you. Then I’d cry for days ‘cause I’d miss all your shouting and name-calling.”

"That's what I thought," Kacchan grinned widely around his food. "Because I'm just that damn important to ya, Izuku." He looked at him with triumph. 

Three months ago, Izuku never would have imagined that the Katsuki Bakugo thought having a shitty Deku as a boyfriend was something to be proud of, that Kacchan would brag about being important to him.

Izuku beamed at Katsuki and brushed a hand through his blonde bangs, his smile faltering the slightest bit at the fever Kacchan still had. 

The doors to the dorm opened, and in strolled the chief. "Hey, Midoriya! I heard we had a hungry patient in here." Sato said, walking over to Izuku.

"That's right," Izuku said. "I've managed to feed him a total of three pieces of chicken within twenty-five minutes."

Todoroki hummed, "Did you feed him another while we were outside?" he asked. Katsuki answered by throwing a cushion at him.

"What do you wanna eat, Bakugo?" Sato asked, leaning over the couch.

"Fuck off! I'm not hungry!" The blonde tried to stand up, put Izuku pushed him back onto the couch.

"I feel bad for your stomach Kacchan. It's crying out because it's so empty!" he teased, sending his boyfriend a cheeky smirk. Izuku was sure he imagined it, but it almost looked like Kacchan's ears went a little pink for a moment.

Todoroki laughed, sitting back on the couch. "Just make some soup. All sick people like eating soup, right?" 

Izuku was pretty sure that not all sick people wanted to eat soup, and that it was just something Todoroki saw in movies. But he didn't bother correcting his friend. Instead he nodded, "Not with too much spice, though. I don't think his stomach would be able to handle it."

"Sure thing!" Sato was already on his way to the kitchen.

Katsuki groaned, "I hate you, Deku."

"I know, Kacchan. But who else other than poor me would ever want to put up with you when you're like this?" Being able to tease Kacchan so openly was something that took a while getting used to, but it came so naturally to Izuku now.

And while Kacchan wouldn't ever admit it, Izuku had noticed that he seemed much more relaxed whenever Izuku insulted him back. Like the reassurance that Izuku was aware he was joking around, even when he sounded like he wasn't, made all his worries disappear.

This time, the spit landed.

Katsuki got a good laugh when Izuku shrieked and tried to wipe it off.

--

Sato was able to make the soup in fifteen minutes. He also brought a bowl out for Todoroki and Izuku, who took them gratefully.

Kacchan, however, sat on the couch scowling at the steaming bowel like it had personally offended him. Minutes passed, but no matter how much nagging Izuku gave him, he continued to refuse the soup.

"Kacchan. Open your goddamn mouth and eat!" Izuku was getting increasingly frustrated. He had finished his own bowl within five minutes, and yet Katsuki refused to touch his even ten minutes later. Todoroki had to reheat it two times already.

"It looks like shit!" Kacchan retorted. 

"That's rude, Kacchan!" Izuku sputtered, looking at Sato apologetically.

Sato gave Izuku a wary smile in return. He stood in the corner of the room, silently trying to not take offence to Kacchan's comments. 

Izuku groaned loudly, holding the bowl near Katsuki's face, "I'm doing all the work for you," he said. "All you have to do is swallow the soup!"

Bakugo tried to swat his arm away, but he failed. Not for the first time that day, he cursed his heavy limbs. "I'm not eating that crap. I'd rather eat a chewed-up handful of worms that's been slobbered on by a kid."

Setting the bowl down, Izuku leaned in and gripped his boyfriend’s shoulders, forcing eye contact. “Recovery Girl can’t help you if you’re running on empty. You know that. Eat a little, get some energy back, and then maybe she can do something. Then, you can go to class tomorrow!”

Katsuki scowled and tried to shrug him off. He only managed to dislodge one hand. “You can’t make me.”

“Then stop wasting your voice and everyone else’s time complaining about soup you won’t even taste!” Izuku sighed and rested his forehead on Katsuki’s shoulder. “I’m worried, Kacchan. What if you get worse? What if you end up with a high fever Recovery Girl can't break?"

Kacchan huffed, but let Izuku rest his head on him. "Stop acting like I'm dying, Deku."

"Ugh." Izuku lifted his head up, his exhausted eyes looking into Bakugo's angry ones. "Fine, then. I guess I'll have to ask Aizawa Sensei to bring in Kirishima." Before Katsuki could protest, Izuku grabbed his phone from the coffee table and was calling Aizawa.

Click.

"Who now, kid?" The man asked, sounding exhausted.

Izuku snorted, "Sorry, Sensei. Kacchan doesn't want to eat his soup. Would you mind sending down Kirishima and Uraraka?"

A sigh, "I can just send down everyone. I'm tired of looking after them anyway and it's not even the middle of the day yet."

"...Won't you get in trouble for something like that? Kacchan, you're not getting my ph—stop!" 

Aizawa tsked, "When have I ever cared about being lectured by that stupid rat? Just give me the word and I'll send them all away."

Izuku swatted away Katsuki's attempts at trying to grab his phone as he spoke, "Stop it! No, I don't think we'll need anyone else after that. Thank you though, Sensei!" 

Click.

Izuku frowned at the screen. No goodbye. Again. Honestly, if he didn’t know Aizawa better, he might've been a little hurt.

“You serious, Deku?” Katsuki barked with a scoff. “Stop wasting everyone’s time and just leave me be! This would be way easier if—”

Izuku slapped a hand over his mouth. “This would be easier if you just used those ears of yours when I say you need to eat your food, Kacchan! Or are these things just for show?” He tugged lightly on one of Katsuki’s ears to further enunciate his point.

Kacchan yelled out with frustration, lunging for Izuku's throat. Sato was able to grab Bakugo's arms and hold him back. "He's a little warm, Midoriya." he said, frowning.

"Is he now?" Izuku said, staring at Katsuki, unimpressed. “It’s not like he’s been running himself ragged while sick or anything. It's not like he knows better or anything."

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here." Bakugo growled, scowling at Izuku. Sick Kacchan sometimes was a bit slow to catch onto sarcasm. 

Izuku rolled his eyes, "Todoroki, do you mind getting some medicine for him? It should be in one of the cabinets above the fridge."

Todoroki nodded, hopping off of the couch and making his way into the kitchen. He was quieter than usual, as if he was lost in thought. While Izuku felt a little bad about it, he knew he couldn't use energy worrying about someone else when Kacchan was still being difficult.

The entrance to the dorms slammed open and Kirishima ran in, "Is Bakubro okay?!" He shouted, out of breath. His pants were shaky and he doubled over, bracing his hands on his knees.

Sato whistled, "Did you run all the way here?" He asked.

Kirishima huffed, looking mildly offended, "Of course I did! My bro is sick, and no one even told me!"

Izuku laughed and got off the couch. "Kacchan's fine, Kirishima. He just isn't eating his soup, and we need help convincing him. Really, if it wasn't for his fever, slow limbs, and sandpaper throat, I wouldn't even be able to tell he was sick. He's just as irritable as ever."

Kirishima’s face lit up. “I’ll get him to eat the soup, no problem! Oh, and Uraraka’s on her way. She tried to keep up but, uh... yeah.” He scratched the back of his head, looking sheepish.

Izuku nodded with a smile at him, "I'll go tell her what's happening." He walked outside and sure enough, Uraraka was running up to the building.

Her face was red and covered in sweat. "Man, Kirishima runs so much faster when he's worried compared to training." She spoke between huffs, completely out of breath. "Silly me for thinking I wasn't very far behind him in cardio."

Izuku chuckled, patting her back. "I'm sure you tried your best. Would you mind coming in and being there for moral support? I'm sure Kirishima will be able to get Kacchan to eat his soup, but just in case he can't..."

Uraraka snorted, "I wasn't aware sparky isn't eating. If Kirishima can't get him to eat, I definitely can." She gave Izuku a wink and walked inside. "Don't even worry about it, Deku!"

Izuku sighed and followed her. He returned just in time to catch the tail end of Kacchan's sentence.

"—get me to touch it if Deku can't?" Katsuki was barking.

Kirishima crossed his arms, frowning at the blonde. "And here I was thinking you wanted to get better. Guess you'll have to miss out on the special move training Sensei has planned for tomorrow."

Kacchan shrugged, "Guess so."

Kirishima gaped, "Seriously?! Not even training can motivate you into eating?" he plopped onto the floor in front of the couch in defeat. He looked genuinely distraught, looking at Sato and Todoroki for help. Unfortunately for him, neither of them had any idea what to do.

Izuku shook his head, "Training is what got him into this mess."

"Shut the hell up, Deku! I told you it was your fucking rice ball that got me sick." Katsuki's head whipped around and the two glared at each other.

"That's ridiculous nonsense and you're aware of it, Kacchan." Izuku raised his voice, throwing his arms out exasperatedly. “You ran around in the rain for five minutes straight! You know humidity makes you sick, what the hell were you thinking?”

"Why do you always wait until a bunch of people are around to lecture me like this? It's pathetic!" Kacchan huffed, shuffling further into the corner of the couch. He was trying to divert the attention away from his mistakes!

"Because you only ever actually listen when there are witnesses." Izuku walked over to the couch, leaning over the back of it. "Eat—your—soup." he paused between each word, enunciating his annoyance and little remaining patience.

"No."

Izuku groaned loudly. The others burst out laughing, which didn’t help his growing irritation. Uraraka pat his back reassuringly as she settled a glare on Kacchan, who returned it two-fold. 

"How should we do this, Bakugo? The easy way, or the hard way?" She floated over the couch and gently brushed his fingers of the bowl and the spoon inside of it. "We have all day."

Kacchan eyed the soup, then Uraraka.

He smirked mischievously, "I'm not eating that bowl of seasoned water."

The girl laughed whole-heartedly, "This bowl of seasoned water is about to force its way down your goddamn throat."

--

Five minutes went by and Izuku's jaw was on the floor as Uraraka actually managed to get Katsuki to eat two thirds of the soup. There wasn't a single spillage of the liquid, either. 

"She's like an angel sent from above," Izuku mumbled, watching as the brunette and blonde continued to hash it out.

"—kind of hero-in-training doesn't wanna eat his—,"

"I'm onto you! You aren't human, are you—,"

"—because you're embarrassed you're overpowered by a girl, doesn't mean—,"

"Piss off with that bullshit, you—,"

"—goddamn man cold is ridiculous!"

Todoroki nudged Izuku's shoulder lightly, "I think we should give Bakugo his medicine now. I'm starting to feel a little bad that he's so sick he can't fight back against Uraraka's wrath."

Izuku snorted but quickly sobered up as he remembered he was supposed to give Katsuki medicine and water before school ended. Which was only two hours away.

He gently took the pill packet he had asked Todoroki to get earlier out of Todoroki's hands. Izuku was already dreading what he would have to do.

"Kacchan. It's time to take your meds." he called out, walking into the kitchen to grab a cup of water was quickly as he could. 

Uraraka sighed as she released her quirk from the bowl, "Well, I tried. Sorry I couldn't get him to eat that last third of the soup, Sato." she said, turning to said teen behind her.

Sato shrugged, smiling. "It was really a miracle you were able to get him to eat any. Midoriya tried to get him to eat some for so long that Todoroki had to actually reheat it a couple times."

Bakugo scowled at her, crossing his arms over his chest. He was looking more miserable by the minute, and Izuku frowned at him. 

“Kacchan.” Izuku stood in front of him now, cup in one hand, packet of medicine in the other. “Please. You need this. It'll help bring the fever down.”

Katsuki didn’t even look at him. He leaned back further into the couch and sighed through gritted teeth. “I don’t need it. Just fuck off, Deku.”

Izuku's face went scarlet as a risky—no, borderline reckless—solution to Kacchan's stubbornness popped into his head.

Izuku took a steadying breath, then another, before setting the pill packet and glass of water carefully on the coffee table. "Uraraka, Todoroki, would you guys mind heading up to my room and grabbing my favourite All Might blanket? It should be folded in a green box in my cupboard."

The two looked confused, but headed off anyway.

"Sato, can you and Kirishima get about twenty or so flowers from around the building? Actually, could you make them daisies? Tsu and I have been growing some at the back of the building. She won't mind if we take some." 

Sato nodded and walked outside, holding the door open for Kirishima. Izuku hummed, "One last thing. You have to be extra careful when pulling out the daisies or else you might kill them all. They're very delicate."

Kirishima paled a little, "S-sure thing! Nothing a hero-in-training like me can't handle!" He threw his fist in the air. "But, um, what do you need the flowers for, Midoriya?"

Izuku shook his head lightly, "You'll see when you bring them back," he said.

And then, just like that, it was only the two of them.

Katsuki was watching him suspiciously, like he already knew something was off.

Izuku's blush deepened and his smile grew near hysterical as his nervousness went off the charts. “I had a feeling you’d refuse the medicine. You’re still way too lucid,” he mumbled, stepping closer.

"Why'd you send everyone away? I know damn well the bed doesn't die from someone pulling out a daisy or twenty too roughly." Kacchan openly scrutinised Izuku's expression, growing more suspicious by the second. His guard was a lot further up than moments ago.

"You can't get mad at me for taking advantage of your weak body, okay? I'm doing this for your own good." Izuku picked the pills back up and plopped two of them into his hand.

"What the fuck? What the hell are you planning to do?!" Katsuki watched Izuku's every move with hawk eyes. "Who the fuck says something like that without elaborating?"

"This isn't something I wanted to happen like this, either!" Then, a small mumble. "I would definitely enjoy it more if you weren't sick."

"The hell? You about to waterboard me or something with that glass of water?"

Kacchan's ridiculous suggestion made Izuku roll his eyes, before he grinned mischievously. He tried to calm himself down, but his hands were shaking even then.

Before Katsuki could throw out another stupid suggestion, Izuku pounced.

He shoved his left thumb into Kacchan's mouth, forcing it open wide enough to put the pills in. Then, taking complete advantage of Katsuki's shock, he grabbed the cup of water, took as big of a sip as he dared, and aligned his mouth his with boyfriend's.

There is absolutely no going back from this.

Water spilled everywhere. Into Bakugo's mouth, down their chins, onto the couch. The moment their lips touched, it was like the final two pieces of a massive puzzled snapped into place. 

I'm kissing him, Izuku thought, half thinking he was dreaming. The revelation had him going lightheaded. And while he was technically just shoving water into Kacchan's mouth, it counted.

Izuku's left hand grabbed Katsuki's chin, stopping him from trying to break the kiss.

His thumb, which had previously been smashed into the blonde's mouth, now gently stroked Kacchan's cheek reassuringly. He hesitantly climbed onto the couch, settling his knees on either side of Kacchan's hips. Izuku settled onto Kacchan's lap, straddling him.

God, it was... Izuku couldn't have ever imagined something remotely close to this.

They sat chest to chest, lap to rear, mouth to mouth.

Kacchan finally relaxed, giving up pulling away. He was the first to move because Izuku was too scared to, slowly properly locking his lips around Izuku's. From there, their lips mashed together messily, without any rhythm. 

Neither of them cared.

Bakugo swallowed the water that managed to make it into his mouth along with the medicine, slightly tilting his head to kiss Izuku deeper. Izuku smiled against him, pulling away for a moment to refill his mouth with water.

He wanted to kiss Kacchan again.

It had been strange feeling something move across his lips just as aggressively as he moved his own. But also... absolutely perfect. It was like their mouths had never been a part in the first place. Like they were made to meld together for all of eternity. 

Katsuki grabbed the back of Izuku's neck and tugged him forward. Izuku yelped against his open lips, the water spilling in. He swallowed it immediately this time.

Izuku kept one hand on his cheek, the other holding the mostly empty glass of water. Bakugo took initiative as he realised Izuku couldn't, grabbing his boyfriend's waist with one hand gently moving upwards as the other kept him in place against him.

Izuku sighed into Kacchan's mouth as his hand moved across Izuku's back, exploring. His hand was ridden with rough callouses that made his touch ticklish, sending goosebumps across Izuku's flustered skin.

The two of them eventually found a rhythm, gently sucking and nipping each other's lips. Katsuki was about to seriously get into the kiss when Izuku pulled back again with a grin. The blonde stared at him in shock and a little hurt as he watched Izuku refill his mouth with the last of the water.

Izuku could practically hear his boyfriend's thoughts just from his expression of disbelief. 

Does this fucker think feeding me water is more important than kissing me? The question reflected on Kacchan's face.

"What the hell is wr—" Katsuki was cut off as Izuku rolled his eyes and dove in for another kiss. 

This time, he didn't open his mouth straight away. He pushed Katsuki’s head back slightly with own, tilting it up, letting the water spill from his lips into Katsuki’s mouth.

The cup clattered somewhere forgotten. His hands found Kacchan's hair, tugging and threading through the strands.

Izuku pulled away for a moment, keeping his face close to Kacchan's. Their heavy breathing mingled. "Shut up and let me enjoy this. The rest of them will be back in a moment." he murmured.

Katsuki blinked, as if only now remembering they were in the common room. Anyone could walk in at any moment.

"Izuku," Katsuki's voice was low. His eyes were so bright and impatient that Izuku couldn't help himself any longer.

"Kacchan," He mumbled back.

Their mouths smashed together again, more desperately than before.

Izuku's fingernails massaged Katsuki’s scalp, dragging gentle shivers down the blonde's spine. Hands didn’t stay still—they wandered across backs, waists, into hair. Izuku sighed softly against him. Katsuki pulled his hand out from under Izuku’s shirt and placed it at the back of his head, tilting it to deepen the kiss.

And then, his lips left Izuku’s.

Only to trail fire down his neck.

Bakugo pressed hot, open mouth kisses onto Izuku's exposed throat. The panting teen groaned lightly in response. Katsuki took audibly deep breaths, greedily sucking in the scent of Izuku. 

He paused for a moment, as if to feel Izuku's rapidly beating pulse against his mouth, before continuing to gently nip and kiss the freckled skin.

"Don't—don't leave any marks," Izuku breathed.

Katsuki rolled his eyes but complied, pulling Izuku in for another kiss.

Then—ding.

The elevator.

Izuku let out a loud gasp as his eyes flew open and flung himself off of Bakugo. He grabbed the glass, which had been abandoned on the floor, and bolted into the kitchen. 

He stood there awkwardly and wiped off the water from his chin, catching his breath. He had forgotten to breathe through his nose for a moment, too distracted by Kacchan's soft sighs and groans against his lips, his exploring hands.

"—could always be something like..." Uraraka's words trailed off as she came out of the hallway with Todoroki. "Deku? Why are you so red?"

Todoroki walked into the kitchen. "Have you gotten sick as well?" he asked.

"O-oh, hey, Todoroki! No, um, I'm fine. Just a little hot." Izuku laughed nervously, refusing to face his friends. 

Katsuki snorted loudly from the common room, "Where'd all your confidence go, Deku?" he called out. His grin was heard in his voice.

Izuku's head whipped around. "Not another word from you." he said. He could feel his hands shaking, his body still a jumpy mess at almost being caught. Though, he could feel his cheeks cool down a little at the normality of his bickering with Katsuki.

Uraraka narrowed her eyes at him, "Oookay, something definitely happened but I'm not sure what. Nor do I want to know, actually." she said, shoving the All Might blanket at Izuku as he turned to face her. "This wasn't in a green box. Todoroki and I spent ages looking for the damn thing, only to find it in a blue box at the back of your cupboard."

Izuku grinned sheepishly, "Um, sorry? It's been a while since I looked for it."

Todoroki nodded understandingly, while Uraraka just rolled her eyes. "That's eleven minutes I'm never getting back, Deku. Just go and put in on the man-baby over there."

Izuku sputtered, his jaw dropping. "Eleven minutes? You were gone for that long?" He squeaked. Had he been making out with Kacchan for eleven whole minutes?

Apparently, Kacchan had the same thoughts. He gasped loudly, which sounded like it scratched his throat and it sent him into a coughing fit.

Izuku yelped and ran over to him as quickly as he could. He wrapped the blanket around Katsuki and rubbed his back gently as the blonde's coughs settled down. "Whew. That scared me, Kacchan." he said, chuckling lightly.

Kacchan didn't find it very funny. "It's your fucking fault, Deku." he snapped.

Izuku sighed, "I know. But it was the only way to get you to take your medicine."

Todoroki watched them with narrowed eyes, "How'd you get him to take his medicine, Midoriya? Also, why is Bakugo's shirt soaked?" he asked. Todoroki's eyebrows lifted as Izuku blushed so hard he almost went purple.

The multi coloured teen looked at his friend suspiciously, like he was trying to place a puzzle piece but was unable to find its rightful spot.

"T-Todoroki's right, Kacchan. Take your shirt off, I'll give you mine." Izuku took the blanket off of Katsuki's shoulders, placing it on the couch next to him. Then, with no hesitation at all, Izuku began to remove his shirt.

Kacchan rolled his eyes and took his own off with minimal ease. His arms must have still been weak. 

Uraraka shrieked and turned around, while Todoroki continued to stare at them like he was looking at some unexplainable phenomenon.

Izuku held out his shirt for Kacchan to take, who snatched it out of his hands while simultaneously pegging his own shirt at his boyfriend. He snorted when Izuku stumbled back a step.

Izuku just sighed and put on the damp shirt. 

Well, it is my fault it's wet in the first place, he thought.

But really, not that he would ever admit it, pretending to be concerned about Kacchan's fever getting worse was just an excuse so he could put on his boyfriend's shirt without getting yelled at. He was worried of course, but Kacchan fever was almost completely gone.

Not to mention, Kacchan looked super cute good in Izuku's bright blue shirt.

“I made it!” Kirishima yelled, bursting through the doors with the energy of a firework. Everyone in the common room jumped, startled—except Kacchan, who erupted into loud, genuine laughter.

Izuku bit back a smile, heart fluttering at the rare sound. He turned to Kirishima, eyes widening. “Why are you covered in dirt?”

The redhead was a mess—there was mud streaked across his arms, speckled on his cheeks, and Izuku was pretty sure a leaf was stuck in his hair. Kirishima looked like he’d tried to use the garden as skincare.

“Well, you said to be extra careful when picking the flowers,” Kirishima said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. “So I was being really slow, right? But then I panicked and yanked one out by accident, and I remembered you said they’d die if I wasn’t careful—so I kinda just… pulled all of them. As fast as I could.”

Izuku blinked. 

And then Sato stepped in.

Izuku choked. “You— I—,”

What even was the appropriate reaction when someone walked in holding enough daisies to stock a flower shop?

“What the hell? Did you seriously grab all of them?”

Well, probably not that.

Katsuki let out another roar of laughter when Kirishima deflated at Izuku's shock. "Hey, man. I tried really hard to only grab the twenty you wanted." He looked genuinely distraught.

Izuku quickly ran over to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, "That's okay! I'll explain to Tsu what happened. Why don't you and Sato sit on the couch?" he guided the red head over to Kacchan and sat him down next to the blonde, who side eyed him.

"Don't touch me," he said, looking overly suspicious.

"You don't have to worry about me!" Kirishima grinned and gave him a thumbs up, "I'm flower friendly now."

Kacchan rolled his eyes. Izuku reminded him of manners while nudging his shin.

Sato placed all of the daises on the coffee table and sat on the couch Todoroki and Uraraka were sitting on. "So what are you planning to do with all of these flowers?" he asked.

Izuku gave him a weary smile, "Well, I was gonna make flower crowns, but there are too many daises now. It'll take a lot longer to use all of them."

"There's still an hour left until school ends, Deku. Why don't we all make some flower crowns?" Uraraka leaned forward and picked up two daisies, twisting the stems together.

Todoroki watched her hands effortlessly move with confusion, "I've never made a flower crown before." he said.

The girl smiled sadly at him, "I figured as much. Don't worry, I'll teach you!"

Izuku watched the two interact fondly as he grabbed a handful of daises. He was sitting with his legs criss-crossed on the floor in front of the couch Katsuki was on. Said blonde's legs were on either side of Izuku's body.

He leaned against the couch, "Kacchan, are you gonna join? Even Sato's going to help." he said, pointing at said teen who was frowning as he struggled with his third daisy.

"Like hell I'm playing with flowers. I'm not five, Deku." Bakugo replied.

Izuku rolled his eyes, "He says as he's snuggled up in my All Might blanket." he mumbled. Katsuki heard and kicked him in the back of the head, then turned around to smack the redhead beside him who laughed at the insult.

The five of them managed to make a total of fifteen crowns, varying in different sizes, before they ran out of daises. There was about ten to twenty flowers in each one, but they sat on the top of people's head nicely.

Izuku, Kirishima and Uraraka wore theirs proudly. 

Izuku tried to get Kacchan to wear one, too. That didn't end well, Izuku was pretty sure he bit the inside of his cheek from Kacchan shoving his hand in his face so harshly to push him away.

Kirishima swapped spots with Izuku happily—now being the one sitting on the ground in front of Kacchan—because in the end, Izuku ended up settling on sharing the All Might blanket with him (much to Katsuki's loud dismay). 

They both had their legs up and tucked under their chins, the blanket covering everything from their neck down perfectly, the two of them swaddled like sleepy caterpillars.

Aizawa Sensei's inevitable influence.

From the outside, it looked like a casual share of material. But underneath? Their pinkies were tangled together, hidden under the soft fabric.

Todoroki ended up putting Frozen on while they all waited for the rest of their classmates to return from school. Uraraka and Kirishima shared a bowl of popcorn on the floor, while Todoroki and Sato watched it quietly from the other couch in the lounge area.

Bakugo let the background noise of the boring movie lull him to sleep. Izuku smiled gently as he felt the thud of Katsuki's head falling onto his shoulder.

Ten minutes later, Izuku's eyelids began to feel heavy. It was still light outside (obviously), but he was so tired from arguing with his boyfriend all day that the calm atmosphere made his exhaustion really catch up to him.

--

Todoroki was the first to notice Midoriya and Bakugo had fallen asleep.

Look at Midoriya and Bakugo passed out together—curled beneath a blanket, heads just about touching—made something click in his head.

All day long, he’d watched Bakugo fight Midoriya at every turn, refusing help, being a complete asshole and nuisance, for lack of better descriptions. And Midoriya had taken it all. With patience. With softness.

Uraraka paused mid-chew, "I can barely hear it now, Todoroki." she said, glancing at him.

"Midoriya and Bakugo are asleep," Todoroki whispered.

Everyone turned around and saw the two of them snuggled up. Kirishima gasped and immediately snuck up to their classmates, plopping a flower crown on Bakugo's head while silently laughing his ass off.

Midoriya head was half hanging off the back of the couch, while Bakugo's was on his shoulder. The blonde's face was angled so he looked like he was nuzzled into Midoriya's neck.

They looked peaceful, completely oblivious to the hundreds of pictures being taken of them by a certain brunette and her redhead partner in crime.

Uraraka had been stationed outside the dorms on watch duty—her main job was to keep anyone from bursting in and disturbing the peace inside. After a long afternoon of chaos (mostly from Bakugo being an absolute menace), the quiet was well-earned.

Although, hearing him bicker with Izuku over wearing the flower crowns was funny as hell and had her and Sato wheezing.

“Oh hey, Ochako! Cute flower crown!” Mina bounced up to her, Momo and Tokoyami trailing behind.

“Shh!” Uraraka pressed a finger to her lips. “You have to be as quiet as physically possible once you go in.”

Yaoyorozu blinked in confusion. “Is something wrong?”

Uraraka grinned. “Nothing bad. We’ve got a couple of sleeping beauties in the common room, and we’re trying not to wake them.”

Mina gasped. “Who? Oh my god, is it Bakubabe?! Please tell me it’s Bakubabe.”

“Quiet!” Uraraka laughed softly, motioning them inside. Once they slipped in, she repeated the same warning to the next wave of classmates arriving.

Before long, the entire class was packed into the common room, whispering excitedly.

Uraraka followed Kaminari and Mineta in, her expression turning serious. “Okay, everyone, back up. Just because you’re whispering doesn’t mean you’re being quiet. Give them space.”

Iida nodded sagely. “Clearly, Midoriya and Bakugo have had a long day. We should all resume our usual afternoon activities as if they aren’t here.” His voice was practically a whisper—an impressive feat for Iida.

“But seriously, what led to this?” Mineta asked, pointing toward the couch. “I mean, when did Bakugo start wearing flower crowns?”

Kirishima high fived Uraraka as they quietly snickered. "That was my doing," he said. "We took a bunch of pictures, too."

Todoroki fixed Izuku's flower crown, which was starting to slip off his head. "Bakugo kept going off about how stupid the idea of wearing the flower crowns were, so Midoriya argued that if Bakugo wasn't going to join then he was going to have to share Midoriya's blanket. So they did."

A round of 'oooooh' went around the room.

"I didn't want to say anything, but I'm still confused as to why Bakugo had Midoriya's blanket on in the first place." Sero whispered, staring at Bakugo like he was an exotic animal.

Sato groaned lightly, "Don't even get me started. Bakugo is sick and a major pain in the ass—"

"Language," Iida quietly scolded.

Todoroki crossed his arms, "Bakugo got sick and has acted like anything to do with helping him is poison. Midoriya must’ve tricked him into taking his meds somehow. When Uraraka and I got back with the blanket, Bakugo was already looking better—in fact, he looked frighteningly joyful."

"But his shirt was covered in water." Uraraka added.

"Yes, his shirt was covered in water and Midoriya's face was very red. Then Bakugo went into a coughing fit and Midoriya put the blanket on him." Todoroki said. Luckily for him, he didn't have to bother whispering. He was naturally soft spoken. 

"Is that why you guys were sent out of class? To help out with sick Bakugo?" Ojiro asked, a little envious.

Todoroki nodded, "I was sent down to act like a personal heater and help Bakugo fall asleep. Which I did once and it barely worked, Midoriya did most of the work."

Sato spoke up, "I was sent down because Bakugo didn't want to eat leftovers."

Kirishima jumped at the opportunity to chime in, "I was sent down to get him to eat the soup Sato made for him." He deflated again. "But I couldn't convince him."

"Deku and Sato told me that Deku had been wrestling with Bakugo trying to get him to eat his soup for so long that Todoroki had to heat it up a few times. I was first sent down for moral support, but when Kirishima wasn't able to help, I ended up getting Bakugo to eat the damn soup." Uraraka stuck her nose in the air, proud. 

Kirishima lightly laughed, "She practically shoved the spoon down his throat over and over again with her quirk until he ate most of it."

The entrance to the dorms opened, and in strolled Aizawa and Recovery Girl. "What's this about shoving what down someone's throat?" He said, already looking sick of seeing his students faces again.

"Kirishima was telling us how Uraraka managed to get Bakugo to eat his soup," Yaoyorozu whispered.

Aizawa nodded, leading Recovery Girl to the boys sleeping on the couch. "Why do they have flower crowns?" He asked. 

Kirishima showed his teacher his, "We made them while watching Frozen and waiting for the rest of the class to come. We have a few left-over ones as well."

Recovery Girl smirked, "Sounds fun," she said as she walked up to Katsuki. "He has a bit of a fever from what I can tell. How long ago did he take his medicine? Has he had food and water?" she asked to no one in particular.

"Two and a half hours ago, Ma'am. He's had a bowl of soup and about a cup of water." Todoroki said.

"Thank you, dear." Recovery Girl nodded to him. "He'll be fine after a good night's rest. Make sure he drinks some more water as soon as he wakes up." she said, kissing Bakugo's forehead.

Aizawa nodded, "Thank you, Chiyo."

She tutted at him, "Send him to me if he's still sick tomorrow." The man escorted her out of the building, leaving class A by themselves. 

"We won't be having any games or movies tonight, then. Let's all just wait for dinner and go to bed right after washing up." Iida gently brushed a strand of hair behind Midoriya's ear. "I don't want to wake either of them up."