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The soft breeze caressed Izuku’s waves in a way that exposed them lullingly, his forehead and freckles pushed bare. He had spent the entire afternoon marking finals for his homeroom class – it was about time he got a break.
Izuku had bought his own apartment not too long ago – teaching was…well… it didn’t pay particularly well. Most of his colleges only taught alongside working as pros, but for “Deku’”, he had lost his embers months after graduation, and with no other source of income, he couldn’t afford to move out of his neighbourhood.
He didn’t even have a car yet, or a license at that.
Usually, Katsuki picked him up, but he got called into a patrol at the last minute. Someone called in sick, apparently.
Izuku sighed and fished his phone out of his pocket, skimming through his notifications and overdue reminders.
His eyes darted back and forth, scrolling mindlessly through his phone.
Kacchann :) : Sorry nerd, last minute patrol. Go take a hike. - 4 hours ago.
Uraraka: Hey Deku! Wanna grab coffee later? - 2 hours ago.
Reminder: LAUNDRY!!!! - 45 minutes ago.
Reminder: Mark “What makes a hero” freshmen class essay - 24 minutes ago.
Class A, Kaminari: Sent one attachment. - 3 minutes ago.
Class A, Jirou: You look ridiculous. - Just Now.
4 heroes harmed fighting against villain at Musutafu central - Just now.
He tensed.
What?
4 heroes…? Hadn’t the crime rates gone down…? There hadn’t been any villians this serious for a while now…
Wasn’t Kacchan on duty?
Izuku felt his heart thud against his ribs as his breaths came out short and jagged. His whole body throbbed in pain. Nauseated – just at the thought of something happening to Katsuki – No no no no. Calm down. You need to breathe Izuku.
He was being dramatic. Izuku knew that. He always overreacted over this.
Didn’t Izuku know that overreacting now wouldn’t take Katsuki’s death back?
But he couldn’t help it.
Frantic, Izuku placed his hand against his chest and exhaled, attempting to temporarily calm himself down. It was something Katsuki often did for himself when he was overwhelmed.
But it wasn’t working – the sweat on his palms stuck to his suit. Izuku was sure that if he still had One for All, blackwhip would have gone far beyond his control by now.
Shakily, Izuku lifted his phone up, gripping it firmly with his palm while he dialled Katsuki’s number.
Please pick up. Please. Oh god. Please Kacchan, be okay–
“The number you dialled is currently unavailable.”
No response.
Okay, well Kacchan isn’t the best at responding to his phone even when he is okay. Just calm down. You need to breathe.
What was the quickest way to Central Musutafu?
Station? No, he had already walked past that.
Uber? Fuck, Izuku – with what money?
He would just have to run.
Izuku looked around distressed. He couldn’t see or hear anything over the tears in his eyes and the mild tinnitus in his ears.
Nothing seemed to have happened – if anything, the pros had taken care of everything.
Kacchan had taken care of everything.
Izuku inhaled acutely, gripping the straps of his backpack hastily before making his way down every street in Musutafu.
Why wasn’t Kacchan here?
Did something happen to him?
Did he go home?
Was he okay?
Why didn’t he call?
He focused in and out of every street, every road. Katsuki was never there.
Emetic, Izuku harshly latched on to the edge of a signpost.
“I hope you like your present.”
He wiped his clammy hands on his trousers and situated himself on the pavement. He needed a break, anymore running around and he’d pass out.
“That was a real toughie, huh, Dynamight?”
Izuku looked up.
”Don’t use such lax language. That was too close.”
He didn’t know how long he’d been sitting there. If anything - he was hallucinating.
Despite this knowledge, Izuku wobbled up and walked towards the conversation.
Blonde spikes, stiff posture and a black hero suit.
“Kacchan…” Izuku croaked.
“Kacchan!” Izuku huffed, brows laced in worry as he ran towards Katsuki, eyes darting up and down his frame scanning for injuries once Katsuki had turned around.
He didn’t seem to have any major injuries, a couple of minor wounds at most.
Immediately, Katsuki noticed Izuku’s wary expression. How could he have missed it?
“Hey. Hey, Izuku,” Katsuki whispered, their bodies brushing up against one another, his tone coated without the usual malice. “What are you doing here?”
The question, however, fell upon deaf ears, Izuku’s gaze was already tangled up with Katsuki’s fleeting breaths. Wearily bringing up a shaky hand, his index caressed the side of Katsuki’s temple where the small, hot pool of blood was threatening to drip.
Katsuki’s breath hitched at the touch, no matter how gentle it may have been. Sure, the wound on his forehead stung, but it was the proximity of Izuku, his care and the trace of his fingers that bit more.
The furrow in Izuku’s brows deepened, darting his eyes back and forth between the injury and Katsuki’s glittering iris, he slowly removed his hand before the blonde grabbed it, searching Izuku’s dull, yet emerald pebbles.
The blonde had crouched slightly, at eye level with Izuku, “Izuku. I’m here. I’m okay.” Katsuki pulled Izuku’s arm closer, reassuringly, in an attempt to wake him up from this eight year long nightmare.
Neither broke eye contact nor spoke, they simply stared into each other’s eyes, memorizing the mosaic of injuries and mistakes of the latter.
Kacchan’s here. He’s safe.
But then why did he still feel so…afraid?
Izuku’s breath came in shallow fragments, getting quicker and quicker until he was suffocating under his own sense of dread.
Curls draped and stuck to beads of sweat, soft hiccups leaving Izuku as he broke contact, pushing his hands up against his face.
It was too much. He couldn’t breathe. Walls which he had spent years building up after the war, collapsed beneath Katsuki’s transient touch.
He’s okay, Izuku. Stop crying, you’re embarrassing yourself.
If not for the heaving of his shoulders, Katsuki wouldn’t have been able to tell that Izuku was crying.
Katsuki looked at Izuku, blankly, as if he was trying to figure out where everything went wrong.
But Katsuki had always known where it went wrong.
What he had done wrong.
“I– I’m sorry. I’ve been– I mean…” Izuku stumbled over his words, “I’ve been so worried about you Kacchan.”
Simultaneously, Katsuki had so much to say, and nothing to say at all. Comforting Izuku was a short-term solution to the adversity he had faced that day. It wasn’t going to change. It wasn’t going to get easier. Both Katsuki and Izuku knew that.
“Breathe, Izuku.”
They had to carry the guilt and the pain with them, for the rest of their lives.
All Katsuki could do was be there for Izuku at that moment. One small moment, out of hundreds that had passed and a thousand more moments that were yet to come.
“I’m here, Izuku”, Katsuku settled on, “you see that, don’t you?” His eyes were glistening now, fuck he was not about to cry in public.
Katsuki’s hand found and caressed Izuku’s nape, pushing him towards his chest.
Izuku’s head now rest idly on Katsuki’s shoulder, a wet patch forming against his torn suit, not that the blonde cared.
“I’m right fucking here. And I don’t plan on leaving any time soon, alright?” Katsuki huffed cockily, as if he was speaking nothing but the truth, “We’re going through this shit together. It’s going to take a lot more than that to get rid of Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight, don’t forget it.”
His fingers flicked through Izuku’s curls, ruffling them soothingly, just as he’d done an uncountable number of times.
Katsuki’s voice cracked, he was convincing himself more than Izuku now, “I’ll always be here standing with you, nerd.”
Heavy sobs left Izuku, a reaction to the endearing nickname given by Katsuki. His right hand was pressed against Katsuki’s chest creating a division between both their hearts.
Izuku needed to feel that Katsuki was safe. Knowing would never be enough anymore.
Though he had never been one for physical touch, Katsuki wanted nothing more from the world than to hold Izuku like this forever. To remind him that he’s there. That they’re okay.
Katsuki hummed, twisting a handful of Izuku’s curls, whispering soft affirmations into the boy’s ear. “I’ve got you.”
Izuku's breath pressed heavily against the blonde’s chest, “I’m scared, Kacchan.” He tugged tighter at his hero suit.
“Look at me.” Katsuki pushed Izuku back, both hands on a shoulder each, “I’m always fucking scared.” He sighed, “You think it’s easy being on patrol everyday knowing your ass is lurking around making sure I’m okay?”
Izuku diverted his eyes.
Katsuki lightly lifted his chin back up, forcing him to make eye contact.
“Hell fucking no. It’s not always easy. It will never be easy, Izuku. Not after what happened to us.” Katsuki quickly blinked the tears forming in his eyes. “That’s why we have to be there for each other. That’s why I will always be there for you.”
Though Katsuki’s voice cracked, the sentiment was clear.
Katsuki felt Izuku’s breath against the crook of his neck as he calmed himself down.
“You’re doing so good, Izuku.”
Izuku blushed at the praise, inhaling deeply before shifting his head to look at the blonde.
“Are you okay Kacchan? Your forehead looks pretty bad.”
“You’re so fucking tenacious, you know that?” Katsuki scoffed, “Yes, I’m okay. It stings a little, but I’m okay.”
Izuku shifted his fingers back up to Katsuki’s cheek, cupping it lovingly, then moved down to Katsuki’s belt pockets – he usually had a portable first aid kit handy.
Katsuki’s face flushed, grabbing Izuku’s wrists, “What the fuck are you doing?”
Izuku pulled out the aid kit, determined, “Getting bandages.” He deadpanned.
The grimace on Katsuki’s features fell, “Wh–Izu–People are going to get the wrong idea.”
The bottle shook so a drop of saline solution fell on the cloth, and Izuku then continued to rub softly across Katsuki’s forehead.
“I don’t care, Kacchan. I need to stop the bleeding.” Izuku’s shoulders fell and his breathing finally caught up.
Katsuki scoffed.
Izuku bit his bottom lip, on his tiptoes, rubbing small circles with the cloth.
The sun was hitting Izuku’s face in a way that Katsuki could see every individual freckle plastered on his face. The blonde’s stomach churned looking back and forth between the scar on his right cheek and his unharmed left.
He reached up to Izuku’s free hand, grabbing the bandages and handing them to the boy, “You haven’t changed.”
Izuku simply looked back down at Katsuki and smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes.
“I’ve been looking for you for hours.”
“What?” Katsuki said in a manner, as if to warn Izuku.
”I-“ Izuku searched for the right words, “I got a notification on my phone about the fight, and then you weren’t picking up your cell. I couldn’t - I couldn’t just stand there.” He wrapped Katsuki’s wounds with so much love.
Katsuki’s body burnt.
He chuckled softly, “Couldn’t just stand there, huh?”
Izuku looked up proud at Katsuki’s treated forehead, then looked back down at his feet, swinging back and forth.
Katsuki lifted Izuku’s chin, holding his freckles, “Look at me.”
Slowly, Izuku met Katsuki’s gaze, which shifted from one of Izuku’s eyes to the other. He leaned into the touch.
Katsuki’s gloves were rough and probably dirty as hell, but Izuku couldn’t find a reason to care.
Craving Katsuki’s touch and being overwhelmed with the short proximity of the two, Izuku pressed their lips together, grabbing a handful of Katsuki’s soft hair, pulling him forward.
And the blonde melted into Izuku. It was clear he missed him just as much. He brushed his free hand against Izuku’s waist.
Izuku moved his hand from Katsuki’s head to his cheek, grazing it quietly.
Hints of rubber and blood from Katsuki ravelled up with Izuku’s sweet cologne. The scent wasn’t particularly nice, but it was intoxicating. To Izuku, it was all he ever wanted.
He pushed forward. He wanted more. He wanted it all. He moved his hand back, and his grip on Katsuki’s hair tightened, evident of the whimper earned from the blonde.
Pulling away, Izuku analysed Katsuki’s features.
“Where do you think you’re going, nerd.” Katsuki smirked, wiping his lips.
Izuku scoffed, placing his head on Katsuki’s chest.
“Hey,” Katsuki shook the boy lightly, not yet satisfied, “Don’t fall asleep on me.”
Izuku looked back up, not being able to register the touch before Katsuki pulled his tie forward and leaned back into his lips.
Katsuki bit down on Izuku’s bottom lip, recieving a squirm from the latter before he pushed his hand against the blonde’s chest, indicating that he wanted to stop.
Breathless the two boys pulled back.
Izuku grazed his bottom lip, flushed and breathing heavy.
“You’re cute, sensei.”
“Don’t call me sensei.” Izuku loosened his tie.
Katsuki shook his head teasingly, “What’re you gonna do about it, sensei, give me a detention?”
“Damn straight.”
Izuku snorted, holding his stomach as he squinted the tears from his eyes. He threw his head back, gasping for air. Green curls draped from his scalp, revealing his forehead as he leaned back.
Katsuki watched idly, admiring the view before laughing alongside Izuku.
“You’re pretty cute yourself, Dynamight.”