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“Deku!”
“Come on, Kat, don’t yell at him. He had a rough night last night.”
Izuku groaned as his eyes fluttered open. His awareness of the world around him didn’t last long as the morning light peaking through the curtains left him squeezing his eyes shut tighter than they had been before. Izuku tried to take a deep breath to help him join the land of the living but sniffled when he realized it was difficult to breathe through his nose.
Slight panic set in as he threw his eyes open once more. He tried to take another deep breath through his nose but startled when his efforts proved to be in vain. Forced to breathe through his mouth, he took calming breath after calming breath while he tried to figure out what was going on around him.
He was in the bedroom, alone in bed. It was clearly morning. He could hear Katsuki and Eijirou talking from the direction of the kitchen as well as the sound of something sizzling on the stovetop. Directing his gaze downward, Izuku turned his analysis towards himself. He was wearing pajama pants and a long sleeved t-shirt, yet he felt chills running through his frame. He tried to pull the comforter closer around his head but hissed as an ache he hadn’t yet noticed protested in his muscles.
Based on his extremely short analysis, Izuku could only come to one conclusion: he was sick.
But he couldn’t be sick. He’d just taken down a massive gang the night before in the midst of a turf war. There was so much paperwork and prisoner transfers and other typical post-takedown things he had to do today. There was no way he could miss it or offload those responsibilities onto someone else. It wouldn’t be the heroic thing to do.
Taking a deep breath through his mouth once more, Izuku tried to calm his racing heart. He’d be fine. He just had to get some cold meds in his system before Eijirou and Katsuki found out he was sick and kept him from going into the agency today. Everything would be fine.
“Achoo!”
Dammit. Izuku needed to get this damn sniffling under control, stat. If anyone found out he had a cold, it’d be–
“Izu?”
Double dammit.
“Yeah, Eicchan?” Shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot. Izuku most certainly was not sweating. Wait, actually he was. He suddenly felt way too hot with his long pants and shirt. He was choosing to blame that on the cold, though.
“Did you just sneeze?” Eijirou’s voice lilted sleepily from the kitchen where he was most likely helping Katsuki make breakfast. Izuku almost had trouble hearing the groggy man’s words over the sound of sizzling on the stovetop and the loud swearing coming from Katsuki as he was no doubt in the direct line of fire from the grease.
Pulling the comforter further over his head, Izuku yelled back as clear as he could through the stuffiness in his nose. “Uh, n– no…”
Nailed it. No one would ever suspect a thing.
“The fuck did you just say? Deku sneezed?”
Katsuki’s swearing began to migrate from the kitchen towards the master bedroom, footsteps stomping hurriedly towards him. Before Izuku could will his cold away, the footsteps paused outside the door. Likely a sign Katsuki was taking a moment to calm himself before entering their bedroom to accost him lovingly.
After the moment had passed, the door creaked open slowly, bleeding light from the hallway into the dark space. Izuku receded further under the covers, shying away from the bright light and the worried look most likely marring his boyfriend’s beautiful face.
“Zuku, baby, are you not feeling good?” Katsuki’s steps neared the bed, causing Izuku’s shoulders to creep towards his ears in shame.
He couldn’t be sick. He refused to acknowledge the reality of the situation. He couldn’t let it get in the way of his morning patrol and everything else. If he missed his morning patrol then that meant that someone would have to cover for him and if someone had to cover for him then that meant that Izuku was stealing someone’s free morning when they probably already had plans of sleeping in, spending time with family, going on a date, meeting up with some friends–
“Come on out, Zuku. I just want to check your temp.”
“No…” Izuku whined, pulling the comforter tighter around his body as he curled his legs up to his chest. “I’m fine, just tired. I’ll be up soon for breakfast. Then we can head out for patrol.”
“There’s no way in hell you’re leaving this apartment if you're sick. Come’re, lemme feel your forehead.” Katsuki’s words were spoken gruffly but soft, trying their damndest to break through Izuku’s obvious deflecting.
“B– but–”
“No ‘buts’,” Katsuki interrupted shamelessly, wiggling his hand under the covers in search of Izuku’s face. “Forehead. Now.”
“What’s going on in here?”
Oh thank goodness, Izuku thought, my knight in shining armor to the rescue!
“He won’t let me check his temp, Ei. He sounds like he’s got two cotton balls shoved up his nose.”
Damn. So much for trying to speak clearly.
“I’m not sick!” Izuku whined, scooting under the protection of the comforter and towards the other side of the bed. Away from where both his boyfriends stood dripping concern from their very presence.
“Izu, if you’re not feeling well, you shouldn’t go out on patrol today,” Eijirou spoke calmly, chasing Izuku’s form over the covers as he rubbed his hand along the length of his back soothingly.
No, no nonono! First Katsuki, and now Eijirou? Betrayal. This was a complete and utter betrayal from the both of them. Flinging up from under the comforter with wild eyes, Izuku looked between both of his boyfriends as he pleaded with his eyes.
“Please! I’m fine, I swear! Just a tiny head cold! I’ll be fi– achoo!”
Izuku sneezed so hard he nearly went flying backwards off the edge of the bed. Thankfully Katsuki and Eijirou were prepared for whatever dramatic antics he may have pulled and were able to catch him by the arms. Together they pulled him back towards them onto the bed before laying him down into the fluffy pillows and comforter. Their touch was so gentle. Izuku felt guilty accepting their kindness.
“No way in hell, nerd. You’re keeping your ass in this bed all day and sleeping this shit off before you make it worse.”
“But I have paperwork and–”
“Don’t care, the police can wait. That gang ain’t going anywhere while they’re still in lockup.”
“But, patrol–”
“I’ll cover it.”
Izuku looked at Katsuki with wide eyes filled with unshed tears. He shook his head from side to side as his sniffling began to worsen. “I’m sorry,” Izuku whispered. His shoulders shook with despair as he realized what Katsuki’s words meant.
Katsuki’s words meant he’d be patrolling by himself that morning, likely having to give up his lunch break to ensure he covered enough ground during the day. The amount of city they needed to cover during the span of a single shift was typically only feasible with two people, meaning Katsuki would have to keep constant vigilance while moving swiftly through the usual route.
Izuku had no doubt Katsuki would be more than capable of doing so by himself. Afterall, Kacchan was the best. But that knowledge did little to ease his mind when he thought about how tired Katsuki would likely be when he got home later that night after his shift ended.
“You’ve got nothing to apologize for, nerd. Just get better. That’s all I care about.” Katsuki said softly, brushing his fingers along Izuku’s hairline to swipe away the hairs stuck to his sweaty forehead. Izuku definitely had a fever.
“And I’ll stay here this morning to watch over you! I don’t have to head in until this evening, so I’ll be right here if you need anything,” Eijirou said, smiling lovingly down upon the achy form of Izuku’s body.
“I Just don’t want to be a burden to both of you.” Izuku’s voice shrunk as he spoke, yet that wasn’t enough to stop his two loving other halves from knowing how his mind worked in moments like this.
“You’re never a burden to us, Izu,” Eijirou crooned sweetly, tucking the comforter back around his body and up under his chin.
“What he said. We have every right to worry about your self-destructive ass. Just get better, okay? That’s all we want.” Katsuki’s voice was gentle as he carded his fingers back through Izuku’s hair for the second time that morning.
Izuku squeezed his eyes closed as his heart pounded in his chest. A lump was quickly forming in his throat and he wasn’t sure how long he could keep it from bursting and boiling over. He didn’t feel like he deserved such kind and understanding people in his life. He didn’t feel like he’d earned it. Especially not after worrying them countless times and now having to make them work harder for his sake. Izuku was a terrible boyfriend.
Eijirou and Katsuki’s movements around the apartment picked up speed after all was said and done. Nothing Izuku could say or do could convince either of them that he was anywhere close to being fit for the field today. Before long, an ice pack had been softly wrapped in a washcloth and placed on his forehead, cold medicine had been left in a shallow dish next to a cup of water on the nightstand, and the curtains had been drawn even tighter to keep the morning sun from reaching Izuku a bit longer.
After taking the medicine provided to him, Izuku laid stagnantly as shivers racked his body with a vengeance. He could hear Eijirou and Katsuki saying their morning goodbyes in the hall, punctuated by the soft sound of lips smacking against each other. What Izuku wouldn’t do right then to feel both their lips on his own, desperate for any kind of reassurance that he hadn’t just ruined their relationships with his cold.
“Keep an eye on him. Don’t let him exert himself.”
“You got it, Bakubabe! I’ll take good care of him!”
The sound of another kiss ricocheted around Izuku’s mind before the front door opened and closed. Footsteps grew closer to the master bedroom once more as Izuku waited for his boyfriend to return. Before long, Eijirou was opening the door and quickly closing it behind him to keep the hallway lights from bleeding in more than necessary. Izuku squinted tightly as he felt the beginnings of a headache bloom over his right temple. Great.
“How’re you feeling, Izu? Not too hot or cold?” Eijirou’s brows were scrunched together, offsetting the warmth of the smile gracing the lower half of his face. Izuku mused ruefully that the worry left him looking older than he really was. It made him look tired. Izuku was the cause of that look.
“M’fine,” Izuku mumbled, struggling to keep his eyes open. He felt so drained, yet he’d only been awake for about half an hour at most. He didn’t want to go back to sleep. He wanted to go to the agency. He wanted to go on patrol. He didn’t want to disappoint his partners.
“You look like you’re barely awake. Try to get some rest, okay? I’ll be right out in the living room if you need anything.”
Eijirou leaned into Izuku’s space, gently pecking his lips against the top of his head before straightening his back once more. He ran his fingers through Izuku’s green curls a couple times before letting his face fully succumb to the feelings of worry he was clearly trying to suppress for Izuku’s sake.
Izuku finally relented in the battle against his consciousness, letting his eyes slide closed and his breathing settle before he heard the bedroom door open and close again. Eijirou’s steps moved down the hall and towards the living room. After another moment, the sound of the morning news drifted in from under the bedroom door. Sleep took Izuku just as he’d begun formulating which shifts he could cover and what meals he could cook in the near future to make it up to Katsuki and Eijirou.
⧫⇍─────────⇜⥈⧫⥈⇝─────────⇏⧫
When Izuku awoke later in the morning, it was with a pounding sensation in his brain and his throat feeling like a desert. It took great effort just to swing his head towards where he’d left his glass of water before falling asleep, only to remember with dismal reverence that he’d drained the glass entirely when he awoke for a brief moment in the middle of his morning nap.
He tried to call out for Eijirou, but between the weakness he felt in his body and the lack of moisture coating his vocal chords, the only thing he was able to manage was a pitiful whimper.
Izuku grit his teeth in agitation, upset more than anything at how useless and pathetic he’d been rendered by a little virus of all things. Someone who was capable of leveling a city block without breaking a sweat, only to meet his match at the hands of a fever and headache. He would never forgive his body for this great betrayal.
Resigning himself to the reality that if he needed more water, he’d have to get up himself to get it. Izuku used all the strength he could muster to sit up and swing his legs over the side of the bed. His head immediately began to swim, his vision growing blotchy at the edges. His headache roared behind his temple, making itself known in the most dramatic and unappreciated way possible. Still, Izuku lifted himself from the bed with his arms before stumbling his way towards the door.
Finally free from the confines of the bedroom, he slowly angled himself towards the direction of the kitchen before trudging his way down the hall, supporting his entire body weight on the wall as he went.
As he approached the end of the hallway, he could clearly make out the sound of snoring over the low hum of the morning news on TV. Eicchan must have fallen back asleep, Izuku mused. He’d had a late shift the night before, so it only made sense that he’d still be exhausted the morning after. The last thing Izuku wanted was to wake him up when he clearly needed the rest before his shift in the evening.
Izuku resolved himself to the fact that if he needed water, he needed to be a big boy and retrieve it himself. Maybe a couple Advil too, if he was capable of making it to the ensuite bathroom before collapsing back in bed. Just walking this far had already exhausted him, and he was already struggling to keep his body upright.
Steeling himself, Izuku switched his focus to the kitchen island. He aimed himself as best he could before launching off the wall of the hallway to catch his body weight on the corner of the counter. Unfortunately, he projected his landing incorrectly, face planting on the floor of the kitchen while taking a barstool down with him. Perhaps the fact he’d seen two kitchen islands in his fuzzy vision should have deterred him from making such a stupid decision, especially when he knew damn well they’d only ever had the one island.
The clattering commotion of the barstool hitting the floor alongside Izuku’s now extra sore body sent Eijirou flying from his seated position on the couch. Izuku’s vision was still fairly fuzzy, but not enough to avoid watching horror dawn on Eijirou’s face as he realized where the source of the sudden sound had come from.
“Izu!” He rushed toward Izuku, easing him up from the floor before settling his butt in the now righted barstool.
Izuku’s stomach dropped as he watched Eijirou rake his eyes worriedly over his face and body before running his hands tiredly through Izuku’s hair, finding their resting place on the back of his neck.
“Are you okay? What were you doing up?”
Izuku found the ability to form words, or even intelligible thoughts, impossible in the wake of the lump growing steadily in his throat.
“I’m sorry, Eicchan,” Izuku hiccuped past the lump, needing to breathe immediately after to keep it from fully rising up his throat.
“No, no, hey, you have nothing to apologize for. I shouldn’t have drifted off like that when I promised I’d be up if you needed anything.”
Eijirou wiped the pads of his thumbs under Izuku’s eyes, bringing attention to the fact that he’d begun crying at some point. So much for his efforts in keeping that lump down.
Izuku shook his head vehemently, desperate to wipe away the guilty look blooming in Eijirou’s eyes. “No! I’m sorry. I should have been strong enough to get a glass of water on my own. You shouldn’t have to worry about me for something so small.”
“Izu…” Eijirou breathed painfully. “I’m always going to worry about you.”
Apparently the worsening anguish clearly visible on Izuku’s face was more alarming than he thought it was, because Eijirou continued speaking almost immediately.
“That’s what partners do, Izu. They worry about each other because they care. I worry because I want to make sure you come home at the end of the day. I worry because I know you push yourself too hard, so you sometimes need someone to remind you to take breaks. I worry because I love you, Izu. That’s just a part of being partners.”
“But, I don’t want to burden you and Kacchan.” Izuku hiccuped as his tears turned into sobs, his shoulders shaking before being enveloped by strong, comforting muscles. Eijirou stroked the back of his head in soothing circles before allowing his hand to travel down to his back.
“Izu, you will never be a burden to us. We love you so much, and that isn’t going to change because you got a cold. Partners are supposed to care for each other; it’s what we both signed up for when we decided we wanted to risk everything to reveal our feelings to you. I promise.”
Izuku finally allowed his own arms to cling to Eicchan’s back, afraid that if he let go, the man may change his mind. Izuku knew, logically, that that was a stupid thing to consider, but he wasn’t entirely in his best mind at the moment.
“I love you,” Izuku cried, burying his face in Eijirou’s shoulder as he wept. Eijirou just continued his same ministrations on his back, cooing softly to help guide his breathing towards something a bit calmer.
“I love you too, so so much.”
They stayed like that a while longer, before Eijirou gently pulled away, only to return shortly after with a glass of water and more pain meds. Izuku smiled softly before accepting the offerings. After all was said and done, Eijirou helped support his weight on his body while they moved back towards the bedroom.
Once Izuku was situated back in bed, Eijirou shifted his weight towards the door, clearly prepared to let Izuku go back to resting. Izuku, however, didn’t want to do anything of the sort if it meant it wouldn’t be with the other man. Reaching out, he grabbed hold of Eijirou’s hand, grip unrelenting as his eyes pleaded up at the taller man.
“Can you stay, please? I don’t want to be alone right now…” Izuku’s voice wobbled, emotion thick on his tongue as he looked longingly into Eijirou’s widened gaze.
A small smile bloomed along the red head’s lips before he nodded gently. Izuku watched as Eijirou circled the bed before climbing under the covers at his back. Strong arms flexed around his stomach tantalizingly before pulling Izuku firmly against the chiseled chest of his boyfriend. Izuku sighed softly, smiling as he felt Eijirou’s nose nuzzle in the crook of his neck, beyond content in the feelings of love and comfort surrounding the both of them.
It wasn’t long before they both found themselves asleep once more.
⧫⇍─────────⇜⥈⧫⥈⇝─────────⇏⧫
Katsuki sighed, pulling the apartment’s front door closed behind him as he dragged one foot in front of the other towards the kitchen. The lunch he hadn’t had time to eat during his shift was promptly put away back into the fridge before he moved towards the living room to check in with Ei.
Except, when stepping into the living room, Katsuki was surprised to find it barren. His brows furrowed in confusion before looking down the apartment’s hallway towards the master bedroom. If Eijirou wasn’t waiting for him to get home in the living room, Katsuki figured he must have been doing something to help Izuku in the bedroom. But, when he’d first entered the apartment, he hadn’t heard a welcome greeting from either man.
Katsuki’s steps were quick when moving towards the bedroom, needing to ensure everyone was safe and sound as soon as possible before his mind could manage to work itself up into worst case scenario thinking. He wasn’t the nerd, he didn’t need to be so paranoid all the time. However, when it came to the two men he loved more than anyone else on this planet, his mind never seemed to abide by his usual expectations of it.
He stopped dead in his tracks at the sight that greeted him on the other side once he’d managed to open the bedroom’s door. There, snuggling and drooling together like a couple of young kids in love, were Izuku and Eijirou. Katsuki released the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, shifting his weight to lean against the bedroom’s door frame before crossing his arms over his chest.
They really did look cute like this.
Katsuki was quickly startled out of his silent reverie by the sound of a sneeze. Shifting his focus to the nerd, bright green eyes looked back at him in surprise.
“Sorry.”
“Why the hell are you apologizing, Zuku?” Katsuki asked, approaching the tired looking man at the edge of their bed. He knelt down when he was finally close enough to rest the palm of his hand on the warm freckled cheek closest to him. “You still feel pretty warm. Ei take good care of you while I was gone?”
Izuku nodded, looking up at him with so much fucking love and adoration. It was too much for Katsuki to take as a tender smile spread across his lips whether he wanted it to or not. He rubbed his thumb slowly back and forth over the cluster of four freckles he’d never admit to being madly in love with.
“How was patrol?” Izuku asked, grogginess slurring his words between breaths. No matter how tired he was, though, Katsuki could still make out the slight lilt of worry in his voice.
Katsuki sighed, closing his eyes to keep himself from snapping in his response. “It was fine, Deku. You don’t need to worry about it. I’m just glad you’re doing a little better from the looks of it.”
Isuku leaned into the hand still cupping his cheek before letting his eyelids close once more. “Will you please stay with us for a bit? I missed you.”
“Yeah, nerd,” Katsuki chuckled, thankful Izuku seemed to be in a better mindset than when he’d left him earlier that morning. He’d have to thank Eijirou before he leaves for patrol. Whatever the hell he did clearly helped pull Izuku out of his downward spiral, and Katsuki was endlessly grateful for it. “Just let me change quick, I’m all sweaty.”
“S’fine,” Izuku slurred, reaching out like the drama queen he was to hold tightly to Katsuki’s wrist so he couldn’t stand back up or pull away. “I am too. Just come lay down for a bit. Please?”
Fuck. Katsuki was so weak. Then again, he never did half ass anything. If he was ever going to love the two people he did, he was going to do so with everything he had.
Katsuki chuckled again before crawling over top the sheets, draping his body around his boyfriend from the front and reaching far enough behind him to softly card his fingers through Eijirou’s hair where his face cuddled into the back of Izuku’s neck.
“Go back to sleep, nerd. You need more rest.”
“Okay, Kacchan,” Izuku sighed dreamily, burying his face into Katsuki’s collarbone. “I’m so lucky to have you both.”
“I know,” Katsuki agreed, hiding his widening smile in soft green curls.
Sure, he’d agreed, but he knew deep in his heart that Eijirou and him had been the lucky ones all those years ago when their feelings had been reciprocated after confessing. Katsuki felt lucky every day he had the honor of waking up with two strong, brilliant men by his side. It was with that thought that Katsuki finally let all the pent up stress and tension from his patrol release from his muscles, letting the short nap that awaited him greet him with open arms and a freckle or two.