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katsuki’s day was going from bad to worse.
this morning his alarm never went off, making him too late to have a good breakfast and get to class early. when he came barreling down the stairs, hoping no one had taken the last protein shake, he tripped over some extra’s shit they left on the steps. obviously, he caught himself, throwing some small, steadying explosions from his hands so he didn’t go tumbling down the last five stairs and bust his ass. that would be fuckin lame.
it was only after he landed, heading to the kitchen while muttering curses under his breath, that he realized he had singed his fuckin pants. as if things couldn’t get any worse, dunceface stepped on his own untied shoelace and sent his bowl of cereal straight down katsuki’s front.
needless to say, he was late for class, and kaminari was now missing half an eyebrow.
surprisingly, the rest of his morning classes went fine. well— they were going fine, until they were paired up to spar, and fuckin izuku, like the little shit he’d become, decided to play dirty.
katsuki had managed to sweep his legs from out underneath him, getting him down and into a pin reminiscent of the one he had used during their fight at ground beta— except his hand was wrapped around izuku’s throat instead of his face so he wouldn’t get bit. because yes, izuku, like the little freak he was, had bitten him the last time he had his hand near his mouth during a spar.
izuku had merely arched up into his hold when he gave a warning squeeze around his neck, and moaned, “harder, kacchan.” just loud enough for katsuki to hear, and it went straight to his traitorous dick. he was pitching a tent while the whole class was around. great.
he couldn’t even respond before aizawa announced that class was over and told them to hit the showers. he waited until everyone but a giggling izuku was gone before heading to the showers— gym pants still feeling snugger than they normally did.
thankfully, from there, everything was actually going ok. aizawa was finally allowing them to try patrolling alone. or— well— alone with another classmate that he had paired them up with. he ended up paired with shitty hair, and while he would never admit it, he did actually like the redhead’s company.
patrol was pretty boring; they were one of the pairs sent farthest from the school. strangely, it seemed like a peaceful area with no villains skirting around in the shadows. the first couple of hours were spent walking around the area, shitty hair talking his ear off the whole way. he had finally manned up and asked pinky out, and that’s all he could talk about for the past two weeks. all— ‘mina this, mina that,’ and when he wasn’t talking about her, he was sticking his nose into katsuki and izuku’s relationship.
well— truthfully, kirishima’s nose had been in their relationship from the very beginning. he had pestered katsuki to confess for weeks after the fucker tricked him into admitting he did, in fact, have feelings for izuku. while katsuki didn’t do shit like pushing kirishima to confess to mina, he did always listen to kirishima gush about her. it was the least he could do after kirishima helped him and izuku get together a few months ago.
kirishima went on and on about mina until about the last ten minutes of their patrol when he was interrupted by a scream. katsuki was already blasting himself through the air as the villain took off down the road, rounding the corner.
it didn’t take him long at all to catch the idiot— some purse snatcher who was not only slow, but stupid too. the dumbass ran down a dead end alley, and when he realized he was cornered, he started blubbering and monologuing about his life story. pathetic, really.
in less than five minutes, katsuki already had him with his hands pinned behind his back. he was pulling out the quirk suppressing cuffs when kirishima finally caught up after checking on the victim.
“kats, watch out!”
the villain reared back, head butting him in the face, his hands twisting to grab one of katsuki’s.
“motherfucker!” katsuki hissed out, ignoring his bleeding nose in favor of slamming the villain back into the concrete, slapping the cuffs on before shoving himself up and away from the man.
he leaned forward so the blood wouldn’t trickle down his throat, gently prodding around his nose which, thankfully, wasn't broken. kirishima came to check on him, but katsuki just waved him off, swiping the blood away with the back of his hand. “just make the call and deal with him so we can go.”
there was a strange tingling in his lower stomach as he watched the police shove the scowling villain into the cop car.
“kats.”
he turn his attention back to kirishima, who was motioning for him to come so they could leave. the walk back to ua wasn’t too long, but each step, the tingling was getting stronger.
they were the last to make it back; all their other classmates were already back in their own clothes and piled up in the living room. he and kirishima reported back to aizawa before katsuki was sent to recovery girl. he didn’t say anything about the tingling to recovery girl when she healed his nose, but she didn’t mention anything else being wrong with him, either, so he figured it was fine.
he took a shower and changed into a pair of sweatpants, throwing on his aji fry shirt before heading to the living room— plopping down onto the couch and dropping his head into izuku’s lap. immediately, izuku’s fingers were carding through his hair, and katsuki sighed softly, relaxing into his boyfriend’s touch. the chatter of their classmates faded out as he focused on the fingers in his hair, eyes drooping with each brush. katsuki pressed his face into izuku’s stomach, letting the soft vibration of izuku talking and laughing lull him to sleep.
____________________
katsuki wasn't sure how long he had slept, but when he woke up, it was to pain. the tingling from earlier had turned to a painful, throbbing pressure right above his pubic bone. his stomach was in twisted up in knots. it hurt.
he groaned, curling himself up tightly and shoving a hand down against his lower stomach. his body ached— down his thighs was the worst— and he was hot, hotter than usual.
what the fuck?
a scarred hand smoothed down his back. “kacchan? kacchan, what’s wrong?”
“hurts.” katsuki grits out quietly.
“what hurts? what happened?” izuku’s hand paused in the middle of his back, gently nudging him until he could see the blond’s scrunched up face.
katsuki complied, turning so he was on his back but he didn’t move his hand from his lower stomach. “my stomach. i don’t know— feels like someone’s twisting up my insides with their hands like it’s ground beef, and it’s fuckin hot in here.”
izuku placed the back of his hand against katsuki’s forehead, a worried frown pulling at his lips. “you don’t feel like you have a fever, but maybe we should go see recovery girl.”
katsuki didn’t notice how the others had quieted down. it was mainly just a couple of the girls left along with kirishima and izuku. they were all listening in until mina spoke up.
“blasty, what exactly are you feeling?”
“my stomach— right here,” he huffed, pressing his hand down harder, trying to relieve the painful throbbing he felt. “it’s all twisted up. feels like my insides are trying to turn themselves inside out, and there’s this… throbbing pressure pressing down or some shit. it’s fuckin uncomfortable. it’s hot in here. my body aches; my hips and thighs ache. i keep getting random sharp pains.”
izuku looks more worried with each word, but mina was just staring at him with raised eyebrows.
“does your chest feel tender?”
katsuki just blinked at her, brows furrowing. “what?”
“does your chest—” mina paused, gesturing a hand in a circle in front of her breasts. “boobs— tits— whatever you wanna call them— feel tender?”
“i don’t have ti—”
“shut up, yes you do. now, answer the question.”
did his chest hurt? it didn’t feel like it right now, but what did that even have to do with anything?
“i don’t know.”
mina sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes. pushing herself off the couch from where she was cuddled up to kirishima, she reached over and grabbed a handful of katsuki’s pec, squeezing softly.
“ow! what the fuck?! hands off, don’t fuckin grab them!”
“mina!”
katsuki and kirishima yelled at the same time while jiro and uraraka snickered, and izuku’s mouth fell agape as he watched.
“congratulations, blasty! you’re experiencing what it’s like to have a period.” mina grinned as she let go and snuggled back into her boyfriend’s side.
ignoring that pinky had just fuckin grabbed and squeezed his chest, what she said left him dumbfounded. “what?”
“everything you described— minus the lack of blood— are symptoms of what people who get periods feel. some people get nauseous and even puke because their cramps are so bad. sometimes the cramps get so bad you physically can’t move. there are people who have endo, too, which makes it much worse.”
“but i don’t have the right equipment to have a period.”
mina shrugs. “you sure? we live in a society full of people who have quirks; nothing is impossible. i doubt it though— if you had a uterus, you would’ve had your first period before now. most people get theirs between ten and fifteen. plus, you probably would’ve synced up with one of us at some point if you had, unless you were on certain birth controls or had some medical condition, but that’s a whole other thing to get into. maybe you got quirked?”
“pretty fuckin sure i don’t. i’ve only been in contact with one person whose quirk i don’t know— bet it was that fuckin d-lister who headbutted me today. fuckin ‘sync up’— do yall bluetooth or some shit?” he curled back up when another sharp pain struck. “how the fuck do i get rid of it?”
kirishima grimaced while watching from the other sofa. “shit, kats, you’re right. i’ll go tell aizawa and have him check what the villains quirk was.”
he just waved the redhead off with a ‘do what you want’ look.
mina turned and patted kirishima on the thigh.“babe, can you bring the heating pad from my room on your way back?”
“will do!”
katsuki lets out an impatient huff, waiting for mina’s answer to his question.
“i guess you could call it bluetooth, and well— you can’t really get rid of it. you can take some ibuprofen for the pain, but it might not help much. ei will bring you my heating pad to borrow; don’t put it right up against your skin, but make sure it’s on the highest setting. hot baths help, but only while you’re in the water; as soon as you get out, they come right back. you might bloat, but don’t freak out— it happens. ummm… what else?” she looks over at jiro, who continued where she left off.
“you might have cravings, or not want to eat anything at all; i lose my appetite and don’t eat much. dark chocolate helps me a little, but it depends on the person; sometimes caffeine makes it worse, so be careful. you might have mood swings since it messes with your hormones. i get hot flashes, especially when i try to sleep; i’ll wake up from them sometimes. the first three days are usually the worst cramps and you’ll have trouble sleeping, but they let up some after that. curling up does actually help, so does pressure.” jiro nodded her head towards where his hand still sat, before continuing.
“i don’t know how long it’ll last for you; mina’s is only four days, but mine lasts seven or eight. mine's irregular, so sometimes it lines up in a way where i get two a month before it switches up again. it really just depends on the person; hopefully, it’s not permanent for you. while it’s nice for you to understand what we have to go through on top of school, hero work, and the teasing from men who don’t get it, i don’t actually wish periods on anyone— well, most of the time.”
izuku resumed rubbing his back and katsuki let out a groan. he hopes he lands somewhere on the shorter end because eight days of this… “anything else?”
“well…” mina trailed off, pursing her lips to hold back a laugh and looks at the other two girls. jiro snorts and shakes her head, and uraraka is turning red all the way down to her neck.
“you could— y'know." she makes a fist and lazily shakes it up and down.
izuku makes a choked off noise above him, and katsuki tilts his head up. “what?”
izuku doesn’t answer, spluttering when his boyfriend grabs the front of his shirt, pulls him down until they’re only inches apart, and demands that izuku tell him what’s making him cosplay a strawberry.
mina cackles at the confused look on katsuki’s face, and the way izuku is trying to cover his face with his hands, only for katsuki to wrestle one of them back into his hair and demand an answer.
mina takes pity on their little strawberry, and answers once the giggles are out of her system. “it helps if you get yourself off; gets rid of the cramps for a while. that is— if you can get through the pain to get there first. but hey, at least you’re not actively bleeding! changing pads, tampons, diva cups, or whatever you use is annoying and inconvenient when you’re busy.”
“how do you know i’m not bleeding?”
god, the pain must be killing his brain cells. he should’ve just stayed in bed this morning when things started off shitty.
kirishima chose that moment to step back into the living room, shooting katsuki a concerned look.
“stand up.” mina raised an eyebrow, pulling kirishima back into his spot and arranging him how she liked, before leaning against him.
katsuki glowers at her. he doesn’t like being told what to do, but he also doesn't want to let her know he’s not sure if he can get up. he really doesn’t want to move and find out the pain gets worse if he does. so, naturally, he forces himself up, ignoring izuku’s fretting.
“any warm gushing feeling?”
he waited a few seconds before answering, just to make sure. “no.”
“great, then you’re not bleeding. you were asleep on your side for almost two hours and you just stood up; if you were bleeding— assuming it works the same— then you would’ve bled through your underwear just then. plus, i’m not sure that you can bleed, again— assuming you’ve got all your… bits and bobs still attached down there.”
katsuki sucked his teeth, narrowing his eyes. “yes, it’s all still fuckin attached.”
kirishima coughed into his fist. “right, um, aizawa made a call to his police friend and had him do a quick search on the villain we caught. his villain name is code red—”
he snorts before kirishima can even finish. “of course he named himself code red.”
“—with physical contact he can create a uterus, or agitate existing ones into starting a period early. it takes a little while to show the full symptoms and it’s not permanent— it only lasts about two weeks before the one that was created disappears. um, congrats on your uterus? super manly of you, bakubro!” he gives katsuki a big grin and a thumbs up.
he said nothing, taking in this stupid and uncomfortable situation he’d gotten himself into before grabbing izuku’s wrist and dragging him towards his room.
“oh, wait! midobro, catch!” kirishima yelled after them, tossing the heating pad to izuku, who catches it with ease.
“thanks, kiri, mina! see you later, chako! bye, jiro!”
katsuki dragged him all the way to his room, only letting go to kick off his pants and crawl into bed. izuku stood next to the bed and watched his boyfriend for a moment. he’s got that look he made whenever he was uncomfortable or hurting, and it tugged at izuku’s heart. he plugged the heating pad in and turned it to the highest setting before grabbing two ibuprofen and a glass of water.
izuku hands over the water and pills, brushing the soft spikes out of katsuki’s face. “is there anything i can do, kacchan? i can get snacks and we can watch whatever you want; i’ll even let you have my all might cookies, if you want.”
katsuki swallows the medicine and leans into his touch, letting izuku take the glass once he was finished. “no, i don’t feel like eating anything. just want you to stay here.”
“of course, anything kacchan wants.” izuku pulls back the covers and slips in beside katsuki, letting the blond settle against him before grabbing the heating pad and placing it over his lower stomach. katsuki catches his hand before he could move away and presses it over the heating pad, holding it in place with his own, and sighs softly at the added pressure. ok, so ears was right; the pressure he was putting on it was helping.
izuku’s free hand finds its way back to katsuki’s hair, brushing through and playing with it the way he knows katsuki likes. he wishes he could do more, but if this is all he can do, then he’ll do it— anything his kacchan needs.
katsuki practically melted into izuku’s side, his head resting on the other’s shoulder, fingers tangled together where they rested over the heating pad. he hopes the ibuprofen will kick in soon, he feels like shit. the sharp, shooting pains were finally calming down, but the twisting knots and harsh pulsing were still there. he couldn’t stop fidgeting.
sure, he’d had broken bones, injuries, pulled or strained muscles, and had close calls, but this was a different kind of pain. this was something he had never experienced before, having no experience in how to deal with it or build a tolerance to it. it was new and continuous— it wasn’t something a healing quirk could just fix— and it made his whole body ache. he was absolutely miserable, and he hated it.
how did people do this every month? he was laid up in bed, but he knew people had to go on about their day like this; hell, there were even pro heroes out there somewhere fighting while on their period right now. he remembered back in middle school when those extras would make fun of the girls in class, saying shit like, ‘oh it’s that time of the month again,’ or asking if they were on the rag before snickering and saying they were faking their pain. ears might not wish periods on people, but katsuki thinks anyone who has the nerve to make fun of periods should be forced to go through one.
as time passed, he shifted and squirmed about, but he just couldn’t get comfortable. a few hours had gone by, and it was like the cramps were radiating down his thighs, making them throb. he couldn’t find a position to ease it. the heating pad was helping as long as he didn’t move, but now he felt clammy again. his shirt was beginning to cling to his sticky skin, even after izuku had helped him wipe down with a cold rag so he wouldn’t blow them both up by accident.
of course, izuku would notice his wiggling around; being plastered to his side, there was no hiding it.
“c’mere,” izuku mumbled into his hair, patting his belly softly before slipping his hand out from beneath his boyfriend’s. he grabbed the blond’s leg, hiking it up so it was draped over his hips where he could reach, and began gently kneading his thigh, trying to work out the invisible knots and throbbing.
katsuki let out something akin to a whine— which he’d deny if anyone ever dared to ask— and buried his face in izuku’s neck. he breathed in izuku’s scent— fresh laundry and a soft vanilla. he had asked izuku once, just after they started dating, why he chose vanilla. he was always curious, even when they was younger, assuming izuku would prefer something like mint or citrus. izuku had told him it was what aunty inko used when he was little; using it reminded him of home. he had also shyly admitted that ever since they were kids, he liked that katsuki smelled sweet— kind of like caramel— and that soft, sweet vanilla smell remind him a bit of the blond too.
katsuki’s eyes stung thinking about it. even when he treated izuku like shit in middle school, and some of high school— he had shoved him in the middle school hallways, tripped him in class, called him names to tear him down and drain his self worth, and told him he was useless and could never be a hero. he was the one who named him deku, burned his notebooks, and let the other kids write disgustingly cruel things on his desk and leave spider lilies. and… and he had told him to his face to— to kill himself. all because katsuki couldn’t see past his inferiority complex, thinking izuku was looking down on him or was going to get himself killed— and still… izuku thought about him.
he never thought katsuki was a bad person for how he acted, found comfort in something that reminded him of a person who had hurt him— wanted to hurt him— but still didn’t look at him any different from when they were starry eyed brats planning their future hero careers together. izuku was always katsuki’s friend, even when katsuki wasn't his.
hell— izuku was literally here taking care of him, resituating the heating pad or turning it back on as soon as the automatic timer turned it off. he was wiping katsuki down with cool rags every thirty minutes because he was clammy and overheating, and because it hurt katsuki to move. izuku hadn’t complained once; he was always so happy to take care of katsuki in any way he would let him.
izuku was always gentle with him in times like this— when he knew katsuki needed it, but would never ask or admit that he did. he was gentle and patient, even when katsuki wasn’t. when he couldn’t express himself and turned to yelling instead, izuku would wait and calm him down until he could. if it were anyone else trying to treat him this way, katsuki would’ve already torn them a new one, but he knew better now. izuku only ever loved and looked up to him, just wanted the best for his kacchan, even at the expense of himself.
katsuki sniffled, the first teardrop racing down his cheek and landing on izuku’s neck.
izuku didn’t think anything at first; maybe the wet feeling was just in his head. but more tears slid down his neck, leaving damp patches where they collected on his collar, and he frowned. “…kacchan?”
the blond’s breath hitched, and the first pitiful little sound slipped out as he gripped onto izuku’s shirt.
“hey… hey, what’s wrong? it’s it hurting bad again? what can i do?” izuku’s chest tightened as he whispered, cradling the back of his boyfriend's head.
“‘m sorry… ‘m sorry...” katsuki’s shoulders shook as he took a jagged, shuddering breath. god, he was pathetic. this stupid thing was turning him into a crybaby.
izuku’s brows furrowed in confusion and worry as he tried coaxing the blond out of the crook of his neck while he spoke. “why are you apologizing?”
katsuki let izuku shift him until he was lying half on top of the shorter boy, his face cupped in the other’s warm, scarred hands. “i never meant any of it… not— not really. it’s fucked up, but it felt like you were so far ahead of me and— and you could’ve gotten hurt, so i… i… but i didn’t mean it… ‘m sorry.”
izuku’s heart ached taking in his boyfriends tear stained face and wobbling lip, but face softened as he finally understood.
“kacchan… you’ve already apologized; i’ll always forgive you. i forgave you back then, too. it’s not just on you— you were just a kid, and all the adults and our peers encouraged it. i know you never truly meant it.” he reaches up, cupping katsuki’s face, and wipes the glistening tears away.
“don’t deserve you,” katsuki starts, letting out another sniffle as more tears slipped down his cheeks, and he nuzzles into izuku’s hands. “love you so much, zuku,” he sobs out, whole body jerking with the force.
izuku breath hitches. katsuki’s never said it before. izuku knows it— he can see it in the little things katsuki does, like cooking his favorite food or letting him babble on and on about heroes or just something random. izuku could also see it in the way katsuki’s eyes search for him first in a crowd, the way the blond softens and relaxes when it’s just them, or finds a reason to be touching— just to be close— but they’ve never said it out loud.
“oh, sweetheart,” the pet name slips out easily as he pulls katsuki into his chest, his arms wrapping him up and holding him tightly. “i love you too; i’ve always loved you, kacchan. no matter what happens, or where we end up, i’ll always love you.”
katsuki clings to him just as tightly, a choked whine catching in his throat as he heaved another sob. god, he really is a mess.
“shh, i’ve got you.” izuku presses a kiss to his forehead, hand brushing the blond spikes out of his face.
eventually, he managed to calm katsuki down. the blond was still letting out an occasional sniffle or shuddering breath, but it seemed the ibuprofen had finally kicked in, and katsuki’s cramps had dulled to an uncomfortable ache rather than full blown pain.
“don’t tell anyone i fuckin cried, or i won’t make you any more katsudon,” katsuki muttered after a while, still lying half on top of the other as he dragged one of izuku’s hands back down to his thigh in a silent demand. it felt nice, ok? sue him.
izuku chuckled softly and began kneading and rubbing his boyfriend’s thighs again. “ok, kacchan. i won’t tell anyone, i promise.”
he was thinking about what he could make to thank pinky and ears for the advice they gave him— he didn’t like owing anyone— when izuku spoke up again.
“hey, kacchan?”
he hummed softly, tilting his head slightly so he could see izuku.
“i love you.”
katsuki’s lip wobbled, his voice shaky but soft as he whispered back, “love you, zuku.”