Work Text:
If Katsuki found out, Ochaco was sure he’d blast her into bits.
But she went on anyway. Kept going, kept working. No matter how much it hurt, no matter how dizzy she was from the pain. It kept burning on the inside with no relent. She couldn’t sleep, and most of the time, she made up excuses not to eat.
Something was wrong inside her. Something that crept up her throat like fire. Though she wasn’t sure what it was, exactly.
She planned to ignore it until it went away on its own. That’s what poor people did when it came to health. Because even when healthcare is affordable, missing a day of work is not.
Even when you’re a pro-hero. Sick days just meant less exposure, less work going toward your popularity and other statistics that affected your income.
So Ochaco worked, and worked, and worked until…
Until she woke up in the hospital, the taste of blood metallic on her tongue.
Her body was hooked up to all sorts of cold tubes, poking needles, and sticky patches. And to her left, Katsuki held his head low on his shoulders, staring at the floor.
Ochaco raised a hand, grimacing at how heavy her arm felt. Her fingers grazed Katsuki’s cheeks, a small gasp escaping him as he looked up at her, his eyes wide and his jaw slack.
“Cheeks…” Katsuki’s voice was weak, completely uncharacteristic of him.
“What happened to me?” Ochaco whispered the question, her head pounding like a hammer against hot steel.
“What do you think happened?” Katsuki grumbled under his breath. His shocked expression dulled into an angry flame. “You worked yourself half to death, idiot. Why the hell didn’t you say anything? Doc said you were probably in pain for months with that ulcer.”
“An ulcer?” Ochaco tiredly dropped her hand. That would explain the burning pain in her throat, probably caused by using her quirk too much. To think something as simple as an ulcer would have caused all this… she never expected it, to say the least.
Katsuki caught her hand in midair, clenching it tight. “Three damn days, Cheeks. You were unconscious for three days after the surgery to fix it. You could have…” He didn’t finish his sentence, he just pressed Ochaco’s hand against his forehead. “Don’t you dare ever pull this crap again, you hear me?”
“Katsu…” Ochaco’s vision blurred with tears. “I’m sorry. I was just thinking about…”
“The money, I know.” Katsuki grumbled. “Damn it, Cheeks.” He ground his teeth before planting a kiss on the back of her hand. “I’m going to get there one day, just you wait. I’ll be number one. And then… we’ll have enough to do anything we want. Pay off your parents house, get outta the shitty neighborhood we’re renting in, all of that. But you gotta stay alive for long enough to see me do it. So you’re going to take care of yourself, or else. Got it?”
“I…” Ochaco squeezed his hand. “I know you can do it, Katsuki.”