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Shouto and Izuku had gotten hurt many times in their budding hero careers, but sometimes nature was a more potent enemy than a villain. Not even the strongest heroes were immune to simpler life terrors. Izuku remembers every second of that day well. He remembers walking with Shouto to their favorite coffee shop after a long, hard day of training. He remembers worrying about a cut on Shouto’s arm and his boyfriend rightfully brushing off Izuku’s concern. It was a tiny scrape really. But Izuku also remembers his knee-jerk reaction of “it must be more than a scratch” when Shouto suddenly crumpled when walking down the street. The memory slows and sharpens from there.
Izuku was immediately at Shouto’s side, checking for other signs of injury. Shouto was still conscious, thankfully, but was groaning in extreme pain.
“Shou! What’s wrong?! Where’s it hurt? Do I need to call an ambulance?!” Izuku asked, still frantically looking for a visible injury.
Shouto took a deep shuddering breath before speaking, “I’m fine. There was just…a really sharp pain in my side for a second. I-I’m okay though.”
Izuku always knew when his boyfriend was lying. Over their few years together he’d come to learn his tells, to know when he was lying for the convenience of others. Shouto’s face was still scrunched in pain.
“Shouto, babe, don’t lie to me. You’re in pain! Can you lift your shirt so I can check for an injury on your side?”
Shouto’s face scrunched more in guilt and pain, lifting his shirt. There wasn’t any sign of injury—no bruise, no scratch, no blood, no nothing. Was the injury internal then? Izuku wasn’t sure how he would’ve gotten an internal injury during training without signs of it showing from the outside.
“I don’t see anything,” Izuku said, concerned. “I’m going to press around gently so please tell me if it hurts!”
Shouto nodded in understanding, keeping his shirt lifted. Izuku began poking along Shouto’s right side gently. He’d wondered if Shouto had a bruised rib but he showed no signs of discomfort when he’d pressed by his chest. A gentle press to his lower abdomen though had Shouto doubling over again.
“Hurts,” Shouto hissed.
Izuku’s eyes widened. Shouto wasn’t often vocal about his pain and he had a pretty high pain tolerance to begin with. For him to actually hiss in pain was not a good sign. Izuku immediately pulled out his cell phone and called for an ambulance. Shouto tried to protest, insisting he could walk to the nearest hospital, but was soon doubled over in pain again, disproving his point. The ambulance arrived and Shouto was loaded up into the back, Izuku holding his hand along the way. The paramedics fluttered around, taking Shouto’s various vitals as they started up an IV with some fluids and pain medication. Izuku chewed on his lip, watching, filled with anxiety as they worked. When they settled down, Shouto drifting off due to the pain and the paramedics sitting back, Izuku spoke up.
“What’s happening to him? What’s wrong?” He asked, voice coming out smaller than he expected.
The paramedics seemed to just now notice him. One of them sighed and gently informed him, “His pain is coming from his right lower abdomen, so he most likely has a burst appendix. We’ve given him some painkillers to reduce the pain but he’s going to need a doctor’s confirmation and will likely need surgery.”
Izuku took the news with a solemn sigh, gripping Shouto’s hand a little tighter. He pulled out his phone to text Aizawa sensei.
The news didn’t get much better from there. When they arrived at the hospital they were immediately rushed into a room and a doctor came in to examine Shouto. A few quick presses around Shouto’s abdomen and some rapid lab work was all it took to confirm it—Shouto’s appendix had burst.
“How did it get this bad so suddenly?” Izuku asked the doctor.
Izuku looked to Shouto, only to see his boyfriend avoid his gaze.
“Shouto?” Izuku asked, squeezing his hand.
The doctor cleared her throat, “There’s a few possibilities. Sometimes the pain does just immediately worsen out of nowhere. However it’s likely that it started small and grew as the infection worsened.”
Shouto’s head dropped even more and Izuku furrowed his brow.
The doctor continued, “Either way it will require emergency surgery. I’ll send the nurse in to prep you and we’ll get started soon.”
Izuku and Shouto both nodded in understanding and the doctor left to prepare. A nurse soon came in and began to get Shouto changed and ready. Izuku chewed his lip, wondering if he should even breach the topic at such a time. But he couldn’t stand not knowing.
“Shouto,” Izuku called softly as they began to wheel him to the hallway.
Shouto looked up at him, nose still scrunched in pain. Izuku’s heart clenched.
“How long were you in pain? Why didn’t you say anything?” Izuku asked, brushing some stray hair away from his boyfriend’s face.
Shouto grimaced, looking guilty. “I’m sorry…I—it didn’t feel that bad. I’ve had worse so I just didn’t think much of it…”
Izuku nodded. He’d thought that might be the case. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to Shouto’s forehead.
“It’s okay, Shou. Everything will be alright. I love you, I’ll see you soon.” Izuku said.
Shouto gave him a weak smile as they pushed him through the doors and began to put him under. Izuku watched him go with anxiety and a heavy heart.
Aizawa sensei arrived practically a minute later, rushing up to Izuku who sat in the waiting room.
“Problem child,” he greeted, although he looked more worried than exasperated. “What’s going on? Tell me everything.”
Izuku sighed and rubbed a hand through his hair.
“Shouto, he—we were walking to get coffee and he just collapsed. They said his appendix burst.”
Aizawa sensei nodded in understanding, taking a seat beside Izuku.
“I’m assuming he’s in surgery now?”
Izuku nodded.
After that there was a beat of uncomfortable silence, both of them tense with worry. Aizawa cleared his throat and spoke again, “You alright?”
Izuku looked up at his teacher, surprised at the question. He laughed a bit, scratching the back of his head, “I’m not the one with an exploded appendix, sensei.”
Aizawa rolled his eyes. “I’m aware of that. But I know how close you and Todoroki are. You did good calling for an ambulance. You’ll have saved his life.”
Izuku bit his lip—he knew that, but it definitely wasn’t what he wanted to hear right now. The idea of losing Shouto was still too close. He opened his mouth to speak again when the doors to the waiting room flew open.
And in walked Endeavor. Like he owned the damn place. Izuku’s blood was already boiling and the man hadn’t even said a word.
Endeavor looked around the room before spotting Izuku and Aizawa and stomping right up to them.
“My son,” he demanded. “How is he?”
Izuku was shaking in anger at the audacity Endeavor had to even show up, so Aizawa stepped in (although he didn’t look too pleased either).
“He’s in surgery as we speak. We haven’t had any further updates, but the procedure isn’t a complicated one so everything should be fine.”
Endeavor nodded and fixed the two of them with a mildly annoyed look.
“Thank you. I appreciate you bringing my son here. You are more than welcome to go now. I’ll be waiting for him when he gets out.”
Izuku snapped at that.
“I’m not leaving,” he snarled. “You should be the one to leave if anything. You aren’t going to be who Shouto wants to see when he wakes up.”
Endeavor looked mildly taken aback, looking back to Aizawa to see what he had to say. The teacher just shrugged, evidently a bit amused. So Endeavor sighed and took another approach.
“I didn’t mean you had to leave. Just that you could if you wished. I was just informing you that as his father I will be staying here until he awakes, so you are not needed.”
That was the wrong step to take. Izuku stood from his seat, glaring up at the current number one hero with all the venom he could manage.
“Oh so you’re trying to play the role of father now! You’ve never been much of one to him before, so I doubt he needs you now,” Izuku spat back.
Endeavor stiffened, matching Izuku’s glare, “You’re a bit out of line, Midoriya. You have no place in denying me access to my ailing son.”
Izuku puffed up even more—it was comical really, Aizawa thought, seeing him try to match the intense energy of the massive hero.
“I’m going to be even more out of line if you don’t stand down, Endeavor. I know your son better than you ever cared to. And if you want to be a supportive father then you’d better sit your ass down and wait to see if he even wants to see you. I’m not ‘denying’ you him. I’m telling you that seeing you will only make him more stressed when he wakes up from surgery confused and in pain.”
Endeavor winced a bit this time at Midoriya’s words—it seemed he finally got through the man’s thick skull. The hero sighed heavily but nodded in concession.
“Fine,” he conceded, sitting down with a huff.
“Because I care about my son I will wait here for word on his condition.”
Izuku finally backed down and took his seat once again. Aizawa sat there, shaking his head at the display. Izuku could’ve sworn he heard him mumble something like “stubborn children” under his breath.
When the doctor finally came out, Izuku was already on his feet. She smiled at the three of them gently, informing them that the procedure was successful and Shouto was in a room recovering. A collective breath of relief was shared between all of them. The doctor told them what his room number was and led Izuku and Aizawa there. Endeavor made good on his promise for now and stayed back, asking for Aizawa to inform him more on his condition when his son was awake. Izuku couldn’t help but feel a mean satisfaction when the door to the patient rooms closed, leaving Endeavor behind.
The doctor led them down numerous hallways before finally stopping at a door. She gave them a kind smile and told them, “He should be awake soon. I’ll have a nurse come back to check on him once he does. You are welcome to stay by his side as long as you wish.”
Izuku nodded hurriedly, pushing into the room the second she had gone. Shouto laid inside the room, stretched out on a hospital bed with an IV in his arm and wires attached to him monitoring his vitals. He was still out cold, but his brow didn’t appear to be furrowed in pain anymore.
He stood there for a moment, frozen as he took in the sight of his boyfriend. He felt tears rising in his eyes, dual sensations of worry and relief flooding him. He was only shaken from his doldrums when a heavy hand fell onto his shoulder, making him jump a little.
“He’s alright, problem child. Take a deep breath,” Aizawa said, squeezing Izuku’s shoulder reassuringly.
Izuku nodded, biting his lip and shuffling awkwardly in front of the bed. He wanted to be at Shouto’s side, but he was also afraid of hurting him. His boyfriend looked so fragile, lying there listless on the hospital bed. He knew logically he couldn’t harm him in any way, but still. The trauma of the day was still fresh in his mind. Looking back on the day left Izuku feeling even worse about the situation. Shouto had looked a little pale that morning, but he had insisted he was just dehydrated. His boyfriend had also been walking slightly slower than his usual cadence while they were walking to the coffee shop. Izuku had just assumed he was enjoying the weather and walking together, but maybe that wasn’t the case. Shouto was never great at voicing his pain or discomfort—Izuku 100% blamed Endeavor for that—so it was impossible to tell how long he’d been silently enduring it. Shouto had skipped dinner with everyone the previous night too, was he in pain even then? Had he lied about having a large lunch? Izuku’s brain would not stop going. He was pacing about the room, chewing his lip and running a nervous hand through his hair without even realizing. He should have said something, Izuku told himself. He should have noticed Shouto was acting off and pressed him about it. He should have—
“I can practically hear you thinking, Midoriya,” Aizawa said suddenly.
Izuku flinched and stopped in his pacing. How long had he even been doing that? He glanced briefly at his teacher before his eyes returned to the bed.
“The doctor said he’s fine and should wake up soon,” Aizawa continued calmly. “So take a deep breath. And stop pacing you’re driving me nuts.”
Izuku sighed heavily, reluctantly sinking into the chair next to his teacher. He still felt jittery, his leg bouncing up and down restlessly even as he sat. Worry still swirled in every corner of his brain.
He couldn’t stop the worry from spilling out of his mouth either. “Fine is a relative term, sensei. That could change with the flip of a coin. It did exactly that this afternoon. He seemed fine, I thought…” Izuku shook his head, legs still bouncing anxiously. “I hate this. I should’ve spoken up. I knew something was up.”
Aizawa sighed deeply as Izuku took in a big gulp of air. His teacher spoke before more anxious words could bubble out of him.
“You’re not a mind reader, kid. And I’m willing to bet Todoroki wouldn’t have taken it easy even if you had said something. He’s stubborn, just like you.”
Izuku smiled faintly at the thought—he could very clearly hear Shouto’s indignant dismissals in his head. If Izuku had pushed, Shouto still wouldn’t have budged.
“You’re probably right about that…” Izuku admitted. “But you know how I am, can’t help thinking about how I could’ve done things differently. It shouldn’t have gone this way.”
Aizawa sighed again, “Leaving it be in your head is easier said than done. But there's nothing we can do with regrets so we might as well leave them behind. Or try to at least.”
Izuku nodded solemnly. Aizawa sensei was right afterall; there was no point in beating himself up over something he couldn’t change. The two lapsed into silence for a while, simply watching over Todoroki and listening to the consistent beeps from his heart monitor. It had to be getting late now, probably around or after dinner time. Izuku hoped Shouto would wake soon.
No more than five minutes later his wish was granted—the beeping on Shouto’s heart monitor increased slightly and there was a small shift of movement from the bed. Izuku was out of his chair within a second, at his boyfriend’s side before he could even realize it. His hand immediately searched for Shouto’s, grabbing tight hold of it the second he made contact with cold fingers. The presence of his teacher was immediately forgotten with how quickly his attention snapped to Shouto.
“Shou? You waking up?” he asked, voice sounding small.
Behind him Aizawa stood from his chair, glancing over the stirring Todoroki before heading towards the door.
“I’ll tell the doctor he’s waking up and give you two some time.”
The door shut gently behind Aizawa but Izuku barely even noticed. He was solely focused on Shouto’s eyes which were slowly blinking open. Izuku felt himself let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding when those dual colored eyes finally peeled open.
Shouto’s pupils were wide and he immediately squinted against the bright light of the hospital room. He blinked multiple times, getting used to the brightness before his eyes began to trail around the room. When his eyes fell on Izuku they stopped. Izuku gave him a soft smile which Shouto just stared blankly at. He blinked slowly a couple more times, evidently confused.
When he finally spoke his words were slurred, “Where am l..?"
Izuku let out another small sigh of relief, giving him a gentle smile.
“Hey,” he soothed. “It’s alright Shouto. You're in the hospital but you're gonna be okay.”
Shouto’s eyes widened a bit, glancing around at the room again with confusion. He must not have remembered much from before. The anesthesia and pain medicine also seemed to be clinging to him quite a bit.
“Wha-wh-..why am I in a hopital?” Shouto asked, words garbled and eyebrows still furrowed.
The slurred words squeezed Izuku's heart. He gently squeezed Shouto’s hand. “Just breathe, Shou, it's alright. Your appendix ruptured so they had to take it out. But you're past the worst of it! All that's left is to heal. You did really well,” Izuku said, brushing a few errant hairs from his boyfriend’s face.
The look on Shouto’s face was comically confused. He was looking at Izuku like he had three heads.
“Wha?? My-my texbook exploded and now I’m in da hopital?” Shouto slurred.
Izuku just stared at him for a minute, trying to figure out high Shouto’s confusing line of logic. Textbooks have appendices, he quickly deduced.
Izuku couldn’t help but giggle to himself.
“No, no Shou,” he laughed gently, “Not your textbook. Appendix as in the organ in your body. Sometimes it can get aggravated in people and causes problems. Hence why you don't have one anymore.”
Despite what Izuku thought was a sound explanation, Shouto’s eyes widened. He tried to sit up fast but the drugs in his system hindered his movements and Shouto ended up half slumped in the bed instead.
“Th-they took it?!?!” Shouto asked with urgency. “Who-who made it mad?!?”
Izuku tried to stifle more laughter by biting his lip, but only somewhat succeeded. His boyfriend was very talkative and expressive in his inebriated state—and apparently still very confused. It was hard not to giggle at how cute he was.
“They had to take it, Shou. It was hurting you. There are several ways it could've gotten mad, but it wasn't your fault,” Izuku explained after composing himself.
Shouto blinked up at Izuku again, seemingly taking in his words for a minute. Once they finally processed he leaned back into his pillows again.
“Stubid appenix,” Shouto muttered.
The mispronunciation and tiny pout on his lips hit Izuku right in the heart. Adorable. He felt a bit like he was melting from the cuteness.
Izuku squeezed his hand again and said, “Yes, it was very stupid and mean to you. I'm glad it can't hurt you anymore, babe.”
The angry and confused look Shouto gave him threw him for a loop. He looked like a pouty little kitten. Izuku tilted his head in confusion, but Shouto spoke before he could ask.
“W-why you callin me dat? I-I hab a boyfrren,” Shouto pouted.
Izuku was confused for a second before he realized that Shouto must just be confused. His eyes did seem to be having trouble focusing in his drowsy state. He’s endeared that his boyfriend would be annoyed with someone else’s advances—even if that someone else is actually just him through sleepy eyes. Izuku gave him a sweet smile and kissed his boyfriend’s hand.
“I know,” Izuku softly assured him. “I am your boyfriend Shouto.”
Shouto’s eyes widened dramatically at that revelation. His head lolled against his pillow as he stared hard at Izuku, trying to focus his vision. Once his vision focused, Shouto’s face lit up in recognition. The heart monitor beeped a little faster as Shouto’s heart did a little dance at seeing his boyfriend. A dopey smile spread across his face.
“Oh…hi Zuzu.”
Izuku giggled fondly and reached up to brush some hair away from Shouto’s eyes. He was so in love with this boy that it almost hurt the way his heart squeezed. He gave him another soft smile.
“Hi Shou babe,” Izuku said. “ I'm glad you're not hurting like you were earlier.”
Shouto leaned into Izuku’s soft touch like a cat seeking warmth.
“Mm I-l feel preddy good,” Shouto answered.
“Oh I can imagine you do,” Izuku said with a light chuckle. “Enjoy it while it lasts, babe.”
Izuku planted a kiss on his boyfriend’s temple and sat on the side of the bed. Shouto followed his every motion carefully, eyes still wide in awe. His heart monitor still chirped happily.
He gave Izuku another dopey smile, “Yur-you're so preddy. I- lub you.”
Izuku smiled brilliantly at the compliment, heart clenching for the umpteenth time. Shouto’s hand made its way to Izuku’s head, sleepy fingers trying to card through his boyfriend’s curly locks. The touch ended up being more like a pat, kind of like he was trying to pet a cat or a dog. Izuku laughed to himself over the abrupt pats and leaned indulgently into the affection. The only thing he could think about was how adorable his Shouto was.
“I love you more, Shou,” he insisted teasingly.
They sat quietly for a minute, Izuku soaking up the affection and basking in his seemingly healthy state. Shouto definitely seemed to be doing better, which Izuku was eternally grateful for.
Izuku was interrupted from his thoughts when Shouto suddenly stopped playing with his hair. Izuku looked to see what was wrong, only to be met with worried heterochromatic eyes.
Shouto bit his lip and leaned in to whisper in Izuku’s ear, “Is my dad here?”
Izuku felt his face go stony immediately. This was exactly why he didn’t want Endeavor here when Shouto woke up. The asshole wasn’t even in the room and was already causing the boy anxiety. Not to mention his shitty “endurance training” was what got them to this point in the first place. Izuku took a deep breath to calm himself before answering.
“He is,” Izuku answered honestly, immediately regretting it when Shouto stiffened next to him. “But I’m not letting him in here,” Izuku assured him. “And if he tries to come in here I’ll beat his ass.”
Shouto slowly unstiffened as Izuku’s words sank in. He leaned into Izuku, head lolling onto his shoulder.
Shouto let out a drunken giggle, “Good. F-fug my dad.”
Izuku smiled in relief, happy simply seeing Shouto happy. He kissed Shouto’s temple again and brushed through his silky hair with his hand.
“Yes. He can fuck right off,” Izuku agreed. “You tell him.”
Shouto giggled again, cuddling into Izuku. There’s another comfortable silence as Shouto zoned out for a minute or two. The moment was only broken when Izuku suddenly became aware of the fact that Shouto was intently studying him again. His brows were tightly furrowed, and he spoke up before Izuku could even ask what was wrong.
“Zuku?” Shouto asked.
Izuku shifted slightly so he could face Shouto more directly, giving him his full attention.
“Yes, love?”
Red and white brows furrowed so intensely that Izuku thought they might merge in the middle and make pink.
“I'm s-still preddy sure you're all migh's segret lub child,” Shouto proudly declared.
Izuku couldn’t help it anymore, there was no way he could have held back his laugh. He broke into surprised laughter, falling gently into Shouto's shoulder. Shouto head butted Izuku’s arm, eyebrows furrowed in annoyance now rather than concentration. His scowl was over emphasized and seeing it on his usually stony boyfriend’s face just made Izuku laugh harder.
“M seerous!” Shouto insisted, scowl sliding into a pout.
Izuku wiped his eyes of tears before leaning in to whisper to his boyfriend, “Okay babe. I have a secret to tell you then since you're so serious about this.” His face broke into a grin as Shouto leaned impossibly closer. “Toshi isn't my biological parent but he's totally my step dad.”
Izuku thought Shouto's eyes might pop out of his head from how wide they got.
“I KNEW IT!” Shouto yelled with unexpected volume.
“Shhhh!” Izuku laughed and planted a kiss on Shouto's lips to quiet him further. “He and mom haven't made it anywhere near public yet, but now you know.”
Shouto looked utterly shell shocked. Not just from the news, but from the kiss too. He touched his lips in shock, apparently in awe that his boyfriend would kiss him.
Shouto whispered so quietly to himself that Izuku almost couldn’t hear, “I knew it.”
He seemed to zone out again for a bit, his foggy brain trying to keep up with everything happening.
Izuku had thought he’d fallen back asleep, but then he suddenly lifted his head up and blurted, “I’m hungry.”
Izuku jumped at the unexpected volume, and furrowed his brow.
“I don't think you can eat anything yet, babe, but once a nurse comes we can ask. Maybe she could bring you ice chips to chew on.”
Shouto made a pitiful whining sound and pouted, “But I'm hungry... I wan cold soba.”
Izuku rolled his eyes fondly. Ah yes, Shouto’s first love. He cupped Shouto's chin with two fingers to bring his attention up from the floor tile he was glaring at.
“Tell you what,” Izuku said softly. “Deal with the ice chips you'll probably get and I'll make sure you get soba for a whole week once you're cleared.”
Izuku thought that was a pretty good deal but Shouto just whined again and buried his face in Izuku's chest. Izuku could feel a slight chill and realized Shouto was half consciously activating his quirk.
“Don’ want it,” Shouto pouted. “I can make my own ice I don’t wan it.”
Izuku sighed, gently rubbing frost off of his boyfriend’s right arm.
“Love…” Izuku pleaded, giving him his best puppy dog eyes. “Please? For me?”
Shouto peaked up at him from his chest. The puppy dog eyes seemed to work—Shouto saw his expression and melted back into Izuku. His arm warmed back up a bit. He groaned dramatically into Izuku’s shirt.
“Fine…”
Izuku’s heart swelled. He reached over to cup Shouto’s cheeks, pressing kisses all over his face.
“Thank you, Shou babe. I love you so much,” he gushed.
Shouto hummed happily, soba seemingly forgotten as he borrowed impossibly closer into Izuku, so much so that he almost toppled out of bed. Izuku giggled, amused. Shouto seemed to be gaining a bit more clarity as he smiled impishly, soaking up all the attention his boyfriend showered upon him lavishly. He was still sleepy so he allowed himself to bask in the moment, cuddled up tight to the person he loved the most, safe in his arms.
He sighed sleepily, kissing his boyfriend’s chest right over his big sappy heart.
“I love you too, Zuku.”