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Izuku’s heart was pounding so hard it was a miracle he hadn’t gone into cardiac arrest yet.
Never in his life had he felt so much fury, so much resentment, so much desperation as he did in that moment. He had lost control of himself a long time ago. As tears streamed down his cheeks and his body trembled unnaturally, he couldn’t stop thinking about Kacchan’s lifeless body lying on the asphalt. The blood –Kacchan’s precious blood– surrounded him like a cruel confirmation that he was gone forever.
The pain blocked out every part of his reasoning that tried to remind him he was a hero, a hero meant to save people.
Right now, that part of him no longer existed, because the only thing driving him forward was the need for revenge. His mind, clouded by hatred and pain, urged him to go faster, to push harder, to force his quirk beyond its limits… he was close, so close, to reaching the one responsible for shattering his world.
The villain, who called himself the Hero Killer, had captured and murdered Kacchan in the vilest, most cowardly way.
Revenge wasn’t an option, it was a goal, an imperative mission that consumed every fiber of his being, the only thing keeping his heart beating in desperate rhythm.
Izuku would catch him and tear him apart. He would destroy the hands that dared to touch his Kacchan. He would kill him. He really would kill him, slowly, taking his time, using every second of that bastard’s suffering to remind him that he should have never, never done what he did.
Izuku would make sure that bastard regretted every damn second he had left to live, and he would savor his slow agony; he would tear him apart in a thousand different ways while he begged, bleeding out from every wound Izuku wished to carve into him.
That bastard would beg for death.
He didn’t care if, after getting rid of that scum, he had to spend the rest of his life in prison. Without Kacchan, life would never have meaning again anyway.
The wind crashing against him made it almost impossible to breathe, but that didn’t stop him from going even faster, pushing Fa Jin to its extreme, rage boiling in every drop of his blood.
His hands began to tremble with need.
The need to kill.
His mind replayed the scene like a horrifying mantra, driving him deeper into madness, stripping away the little sanity he had left.
Everything happened too fast…
One second he was beside Kacchan, fighting to rescue those people caught in the attack and the next, the damn villain had captured him, nullified his quirk, and fired straight into his chest. A precise shot that made Kacchan stop breathing instantly.
“—He’s dead!” one of the heroes near Kacchan shouted.
And just like that, Izuku’s entire world ceased to exist. Darkness overtook every one of his senses; his heart shattered, leaving him at the mercy of pain and fear; he couldn’t even breathe properly.
Dead… Kacchan was dead… The person who gave Izuku’s world any meaning had just...
It was automatic.
His body couldn’t do anything else but push itself to its absolute limit in pursuit of a single goal: kill, kill, kill…
The villain had escaped in a car controlled by another quirk, it was obvious, since it moved far too fast to be an ordinary vehicle.
But even that unnatural speed was no match for Izuku’s furious velocity.
Finally, on the long, empty road, the car came into view. The desire for revenge began to consume him from the inside, forcing him –urging him– to make sure no one escaped. He overtook the vehicle in seconds and landed a few meters ahead of it, ready to unleash everything he had. Without a second of hesitation, he launched himself forward at full speed.
Blackwhip moved almost on instinct, extending as if it had a life of its own, helping him, protecting him, coiling around him in a way that would have been terrifying to anyone who saw it. His fists tingled with the power building inside them.
He met the car head-on with his most powerful Smash.
His fist struck the hood with brutal precision. It took only seconds. The metal gave instantly, crumpling inward before being sent flying backward. Pieces of it tore away under the sheer force of the blow as the car was hurled into a rocky hillside dozens of meters away, off the highway.
An explosion.
Fire engulfed what remained of the vehicle, causing destruction so severe that the villains inside might already be dead. But Izuku wouldn’t rest until he saw their bodies for himself.
If they were still alive, it wouldn’t be for long.
He shot forward at full speed toward the flaming wreckage, hovering a few meters above the ground thanks to Float. From there, his burning gaze locked onto the flames, searching, scanning, alert for any sign of movement.
His fury ignited again when he saw the killer crawl out of the wreck, dragging himself pitifully, leaving a trail of blood as his wounds tore open against the rocky terrain.
He was still alive.
Good. Then Izuku himself would be the one to take his life.
He descended and landed right in front of the useless, pathetic villain who was struggling to crawl away from his death.
If only he knew his seconds were already numbered.
The killer lifted his bloodied head and found Izuku standing in front of him, blocking his escape.
The man who hadn’t hesitated to shoot Kacchan through the heart, who had even dared to smile when he saw Izuku’s devastation, was now staring at him with pure terror on his face.
Izuku had never considered himself someone who enjoyed the look of panic in others, but this time, he relished the wounded man’s fear.
He wasn’t going anywhere. The crash had surely broken countless bones; too much blood poured from his mouth. Even his eyes seemed to be bleeding somehow. Izuku grimaced at the sight of the horrific open fracture in his leg.
Of course he wasn’t going anywhere.
Izuku smiled. A smile that had never once been seen on that always gentle face.
The man gasped, choking as he spat more disgusting blood.
A punctured lung? Most likely.
“I—I s-surrender…” the scum rasped.
Izuku stepped forward. Slow steps, heavy with fury.
And then, without mercy –without holding back– he drove a kick into his side that sent him flying, making him vomit at the same time. The man heard the sickening crack of his bones breaking; unbearable pain stole his breath and left him unable to move. Against his will, tears of desperation and agony streamed down his cheeks. He needed air, needed the pain to stop, needed someone to stop the damn hero who was about to kill him.
Izuku listened as that pathetic creature groaned in pain, choking on his own blood and vomit, trying to scream, unable to truly do so.
A trail of blood marked the villain’s now motionless body, several meters away.
The villain went still, but Izuku knew he was still alive, struggling to keep breathing, to stay conscious.
“P… p… please…” he tried to beg, his mouth opening uselessly for air. Bloody tears slipped from his eyes, and to Izuku, it was both a sickening and satisfying sight.
“I… I s-surrender…” he insisted, more blood and foul fluids spilling from his mouth.
Izuku approached again. He savored the trembling of the dying body.
“Y-you c-can’t kill me…” the villain pleaded. “Y-you’re a h-hero…”
At that, Izuku felt One For All burn from the very core of his being. Blackwhip lashed out further, as if blindly searching for something to grab, something to tear apart.
Izuku grabbed the man by the hair, gripping hard as he yanked him up just enough to force him to meet his eyes.
The villain gasped at the rough movement and began to shake. He looked into the eyes of Japan’s great hero, the boy known for his kindness and compassion, and saw those same green eyes, now blown wide with a hatred deeper than anything he had ever witnessed.
“You’re going to pay for what you did to Kacchan,” Izuku whispered, his voice icy in a way he never knew he was capable of.
“B-but y-you’re a he...” The words got stuck in his throat. He coughed up more blood, splattering it across the hero’s face.
Disgusting.
“I stopped being a hero the moment you killed my Kacchan,” Izuku spat, every second he kept that trash alive physically hurting him.
More tears streamed down the villain’s face, desperate for mercy.
“P-ple… please… d-don’t k-kill me…”
Izuku exhaled shakily, the knot in his throat tightening, making it hard to breathe.
“Are you going to give me back my Kacchan?”
A broken sob left the villain’s bloodied mouth.
“I—I’m… s-sorry…”
“Shut the hell up!” Izuku shouted, tears falling violently, washing away any trace of compassion. His grip tightened, making the villain howl in pain. “You took away the person I loved most in this world!”
“I—I d-didn’t—”
“I told you to shut up!” Izuku hurled him away.
The villain’s body slammed violently into a tree. This time, blood poured from him even more heavily. More bones cracking.
Spine shattered. Ribs broken. He would never stand again.
The villain went silent. Nearly unconscious.
But Izuku always knows what he’s doing. He knows that blow was strong enough to cause more pain, but not to kill him. Not yet.
He remembered Kacchan’s smile every time Izuku was too lenient with villains.
That hurt.
The villain moved. Barely breathing.
That trash was still alive and Kacchan wasn’t.
Still alive… and Kacchan wasn’t…
Kacchan…
With a surge of fury, he launched himself at the man and struck him again, breaking his jaw. Another blow to the side, shattering more ribs. A kick, breaking his arm, pulverizing the bones. He stomped down hard, crushing and snapping every bone in his hands and fingers.
He had to kill him… he needed to… he needed him to pay.
One For All was ready, burning in his fist. This final blow would end that despicable being.
That plague who took the love of his life from him.
Kacchan…
Kacchan… I should have done this before he killed you. I should have killed him before his filthy hands ever touched you.
With renewed hatred, he threw his final punch, the decisive one, the one meant to fully consummate his revenge.
But a strong capture weapon wrapped around his arm, stopping his fist just inches from the villain’s heart.
“Hero Deku!” Aizawa’s voice cut through, sharp and commanding.
“Midoriya!” If Izuku hadn’t been so desperate to kill, he would have recognized Kirishima’s voice.
“You have to come back to your senses!” Aizawa shouted again.
But Izuku wasn’t listening. The only thing he knew was that Kacchan’s murderer was right in front of him and he needed to tear his heart out with his own hands.
“Midoriya!” Kirishima again. “Listen to me! Snap out of it and listen!”
He didn’t care. Nothing they said mattered. Nothing would stop him, even if he had to fight his friends, no one would make him abandon his revenge.
Even with Eraser Head nullifying his Quirk, Izuku kept struggling with everything he had, his mind locked onto his target.
“Katsuki is alive! Katsuki didn’t die!”
Izuku snapped his head so fast it should have hurt, maybe it did, but he didn’t care.
“What?” His whole body began to tremble, flooded with fear and hope.
The villain stopped mattering.
“Katsuki is alive! He’s hurt, but he’s okay!”
Izuku stopped struggling. He stumbled back, then lunged toward Kirishima, grabbing the front of his suit and lifting him, shaking him violently in a threat.
“If you’re lying to me, I swear...!”
“Kirishima isn’t lying!” Aizawa cut in. “Bakugou asked for you!”
“Where is he?!”
“They took him to the general hospital downto...”
But Izuku didn’t wait to hear more. The moment Aizawa released his Quirk, he shot off at full speed.
His heart pounded wildly, lost hope surging back with overwhelming force.
He reached the hospital in record time, and anyone who tried to stop him was thrown aside without hesitation. At some point, the staff simply gave up and let him into Kacchan’s room.
And that’s when Izuku’s world began to make sense again.
There –sitting on the hospital bed, surrounded by white walls and wires monitoring him– was Kacchan. Breathing. His beautiful eyes wide open.
Izuku didn’t know what he looked like right now, but from Kacchan’s expression, he must have been a mess, dirty, disheveled.
“Izuku…” Kacchan said softly, and Izuku felt like he could breathe again.
He didn’t care about the dirt, the blood, or anything on him, he ran straight into Kacchan’s arms.
And Kacchan welcomed him. Just like he always did whenever something made Izuku cry.
“Kacchan!” he cried, breathless, unable to believe it. “My Kacchan!”
“You’re hurt,” Kacchan whispered.
“I’m not,” Izuku choked out through tears. “I’m just dirty.”
Kacchan stayed quiet. Maybe he understood that what Izuku needed most right now was comfort, so he didn’t say anything else.
They didn’t speak for a long while.
Izuku just cried –ugly sobs, thick tears–soaking Kacchan’s hospital gown. Kacchan held him close, gently rubbing his back, trying to calm him. But that only made Izuku cry harder.
He had thought he would never have this again. He had thought he’d lost his entire world. He had thought the love of his life was gone.
That thought made him cling tighter, as if Kacchan might disappear if he didn’t hold him hard enough.
Time slowed. The world outside Kacchan stopped mattering.
Resting his head against Kacchan’s chest, Izuku became hypnotized by every glorious beat of his heart. He breathed in his scent and it felt like coming back to life.
He would never let anyone touch his Kacchan again.
He would stay by his side, loving every part of the soul and body of the person who had been, and would always be, the love of his life, in this reality and every other one that might exist.
“Izuku…” Kacchan whispered again, his voice like a melody. A fresh wave of emotion broke Izuku into tears.
“Kacchan…” Izuku whimpered. “Kacchan…”
“Don’t cry anymore,” Kacchan murmured softly. “I’m here.”
But that only made Izuku sob harder.
Katsuki rubbed his back patiently, lovingly.
“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” Kacchan said gently.
At last, Izuku found the strength to pull back, just a little, from his arms. He looked into those crimson eyes, bright and alive.
More tears.
This time, Kacchan wiped them away with gentle fingers, full of something like reverence.
“Kacchan…” Izuku said, each syllable spoken like a prayer. “I’m sorry I left you alone. I couldn’t keep you out of danger…”
Kacchan smiled and Izuku trembled.
“Actually, you’re the one who saved me.”
Izuku didn’t understand, but he didn’t even need to ask before Kacchan explained.
“Do you remember the charm you gave me on our anniversary?”
Izuku nodded.
“Well…” Kacchan reached for the metal-and-wood charm on the bedside table and showed it to him. It had a deep dent, part of the metal caved in. Izuku had bought it because the seller claimed it was tied to the bearer’s health and fortune. He’d been skeptical back then, but now he was more grateful than ever. “I was wearing it over my chest today. The bullet hit it, and even though it hurt me, it didn’t go through. I passed out from the earlier blow.”
Izuku sobbed again. The aftermath of the pain and fear from that moment still haunted him.
“B-but they said you were dead…” he whimpered, fresh tears spilling down his cheeks.
“It was that damn intern,” Kacchan explained calmly, cupping Izuku’s face and gently stroking his cheeks. “The idiot panicked and said the first thing that came to mind. He didn’t check my condition like he should’ve before shouting that I was dead.”
“And the blood?” A dark feeling crossed Izuku’s chest as he remembered the blood around Kacchan. “There was so much blood…”
Kacchan frowned, as if he didn’t understand the question.
“You mean the blood from my wound?” he said, gesturing to his already bandaged leg. “It was nothing.”
Izuku buried his face in Kacchan’s chest again, crying even harder. His mind had played another cruel trick on him.
“I… I’m sorry… I should’ve made sure…”
Kacchan pressed a soft kiss to the top of his head. Izuku felt it through the tangled mess of curls he must have right now.
“I get it. I don’t blame you for anything, Izuku, sweetheart,” Kacchan said.
“I love you, Kacchan,” Izuku whispered carefully, as if he didn’t want anyone –or anything– else to hear the love in his voice. “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you.”
“I love you too. And I won’t leave you alone that easily. I promise.”
Izuku sobbed in relief at words he never thought he’d hear again.
They stayed like that for a long time, until Kacchan was the one to break the silence.
“Where were you?”
Izuku’s body jolted slightly. Now that Kacchan’s presence had brought him back, fear settled in his chest.
He couldn’t answer.
He didn’t want to look at him, so he stayed hidden in the crook of Kacchan’s neck.
But of course Kacchan noticed.
“Izuku?” His voice carried a warning Izuku knew well. He wanted an explanation Izuku wasn’t ready to give.
“I don’t want to talk about that right now,” Izuku said, clinging to him even tighter.
“If you don’t want to talk about it, then we definitely need to talk about it.”
“Kacchan, don’t... ”
“Izuku,” he said more firmly this time, “you’re hiding something from me.”
“Nothing important.”
Kacchan didn’t believe him.
Gently, he pulled Izuku back just enough to look him in the eyes.
“Tell me what happened. Now.”
Despite the authority in his voice, the concern was still there.
Izuku knew he couldn’t lie to him.
It’s not that he regretted what he’d done. The truth was, the only reason Kacchan was alive wasn’t because of that bastard. The man’s intentions had been clear and if the charm hadn’t intervened…
No.
He didn’t want to think about it.
He knew he had almost killed someone, if he hadn’t already. If someone like that could even be called a person.
But if that bastard ever laid a hand on Kacchan again, he’d do it a thousand times over.
Still, he was afraid Kacchan would be disappointed in him.
Kacchan was always reminding him to keep his emotions in check–to set limits, to avoid losing control of One For All and hurting himself.
And speaking of hurting himself…
Now that everything had calmed down, his limbs ached terribly. Before, he hadn’t even had the awareness to care, but using One For All had taken its toll—worse than it had in a long time.
Another reason for Kacchan to be angry.
“I couldn’t stop myself from doing what I did,” Izuku tried to explain.
Kacchan frowned again, more worried this time. He took Izuku’s hands in his and Izuku couldn’t stop the pained flinch that escaped him.
“You said you weren’t hurt. Let me see your hands.”
Izuku tried to brush it off.
“It’s nothing.”
“Izuku.” A warning.
“Don’t worry, it’s just... ”
“Take off the damn gloves. Now.”
Reluctantly, Izuku started removing his hero gloves, mentally bracing himself. The truth was they hurt. A lot. Something else was probably broken.
“What the hell…” Kacchan stared at Izuku’s hands, badly damaged clear signs of overusing One For All. “Izuku!”
A chill ran down his spine. Kacchan looked furious.
“I—I… I’m sorry! It doesn’t hurt as much as it looks!”
Kacchan shot him a deadly glare, but despite how angry he looked, he carefully moved Izuku aside, then turned toward the head of the bed and pressed a red button.
“Whether it hurts or not, which it obviously does, isn’t the damn problem!”
Izuku lowered his gaze. Tears of guilt slid down his cheeks.
“I’m sorry… I was an idiot,” he said honestly.
Kacchan’s stare made him feel worse.
He was always worrying him. Never doing anything right. And because of him, Kacchan had almost died, again.
If only he could learn...
“Izuku!”
Kacchan pulled him out of that spiral.
“Look at me.”
Izuku obeyed immediately.
Kacchan wiped his tears gently, his furious expression softening just a little.
“I don’t know what happened,” he said, “but I promise I’ll try to understand. We’ll talk after the doctor checks you and makes sure you’re completely fine. Got it?”
Izuku nodded.
Right on cue, the doctor walked in with several nurses.
They pulled him away from Kacchan to run tests, and even though Izuku resisted at first, it was Kacchan himself who warned him he’d sedate him if he didn’t cooperate.
The damage to his limbs was severe. Izuku would have to spend a long time bandaged and in absolute rest in a wheelchair.
When the doctors finally finished with him, after repeatedly warning him that he needed to follow every single one of their instructions, he asked to be taken back to Kacchan.
It was time to explain everything.
He wasn’t ready, but he had to do it.
But when he entered the room, Aizawa-sensei was already there, with Kirishima sitting on the couch beside Kacchan.
All three of them turned to look at him.
No one spoke until the nurse who had brought him in quietly left, leaving him alone under the expressionless gazes of three of the people he cared about most.
From the way Kacchan looked at him, Izuku understood, he already knew everything.
Izuku lowered his gaze, unable to meet their eyes out of shame.
“The villain survived,” Aizawa-sensei said, cold as ice.
Izuku’s eyes widened in surprise. He hadn’t expected that.
“You’re probably wondering how, after all those injuries,” Aizawa continued, his tone sharp with reprimand. His hard stare made it clear Izuku was in serious trouble. “Well, he’ll never walk again, that is, if he even survives the night. He’s in critical condition and will most likely end up in a coma. If he’s lucky, they might be able to reconstruct his face and he’ll be able to speak again.”
Aizawa’s voice grew louder with every word.
“And if that wasn’t enough, the driver of the car you chased suffered severe burns that would’ve killed him if no one had pulled him out of the wreck you left behind. A burning, destroyed vehicle you abandoned running, despite the risk to civilians.”
Each word sank deep, filling Izuku with shame.
“So... what do you have to say, Midoriya?”
He couldn’t lift his head.
But he glanced at Kacchan from the corner of his eye. He was staring at him expression unreadable.
Was he disappointed? Angry?
Or worse… afraid?
Afraid of what Izuku had done and of the fact that he didn’t regret it?
Izuku clenched his fists, trying to gather the resolve he needed.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly, voice weak with shame. “I’ll turn myself in. I’ll go to prison on my own.”
Aizawa sighed.
Kacchan remained terrifyingly silent, eyes locked on him.
“You should spend a long time in juvenile detention,” Aizawa said, and Izuku accepted it. He had known this was coming. And still, he didn’t regret it.
“But you won’t.”
Izuku looked up sharply.
“What?”
“The road was empty. No one, except those of us here, knows what happened. I convinced your agency to keep this incident quiet and classify it as self-defense,” his teacher continued.
“I’ve known you for years, Izuku. I know this was something that happened beyond your control. He threatened both your safety and Katsuki’s. Community service will be enough. Besides, your status as Japan’s top hero works in your favor.”
He fell silent for a moment, letting out a tired sigh, one Izuku had heard many times before during lectures.
“But this is the last time I cover for you, or for either of you problem children. You cannot keep losing control in high-stress situations. I understand Katsuki is important to you, but that should never interfere with your duty as a hero. That goes for everyone in this room. Was I clear?”
Everyone nodded.
Except Izuku.
“Now, promise me you won’t put yourself, or anyone else, in danger like that again. No matter what happens, you will remain calm and act according to... ”
“No!” Izuku shouted, surprising even himself.
Kacchan and Kirishima stared at him in shock.
Aizawa looked ready to strangle him.
But Izuku hadn’t spoken lightly.
It didn’t matter if his teacher killed him right there, he would never go back on what he believed. Not now.
“If anyone dares to touch Kacchan,” Izuku said, his voice barely above a whisper, but it echoed through the entire room, clear and unwavering, “I won’t hesitate to take revenge with my own hands.”
“Midoriya…” Kirishima spoke for the first time.
“I mean it,” Izuku replied. “No one will ever hurt my Kacchan again, because I’ll...”
“Enough, Midoriya!” Aizawa growled. He was furious –truly furious– but even under that glare, Izuku lifted his head and met it in defiance. “Don’t say such nonsense! Take it back. Now!”
“I won’t!”
Everyone in the room froze, eyes wide. They all knew confronting Aizawa, mentor, teacher, almost a father, would end badly.
“Midoriya Izuku!”
A chill ran down his spine.
But he didn’t back down.
Nothing, not even this, would ever be more important than Kacchan.
So he opened his mouth again, ready to argue, ready to push further.
“I...”
“Shut up, Izuku!” Kacchan cut in.
Izuku’s mouth snapped shut instantly.
Kacchan was staring at him, eyes wide, angry, anxious… terrified.
And that hurt.
“Leave us alone,” Kacchan said.
Aizawa looked like he was about to explode, but instead, he sighed, ran a hand through his hair, and nodded. He shot Kirishima a look, and Kirishima immediately stood and followed him to the door.
“When I come back,” Aizawa hissed, “I expect something you say to convince me not to lock you up for life.”
Then he left.
Kirishima gave them a small, encouraging smile before slipping out after him.
As soon as the door closed, Kacchan turned to look at him, wearing that same expression that didn’t show anything in particular, yet said a thousand things at once.
“Izuku…” Kacchan began, his voice soft and dangerous.
“What I said is true!” Izuku cut him off. Not even Kacchan could make him take it back. No one could take Kacchan away from him again. “I don’t regret anything! Don’t try to convince me not to do it again!”
“Stop being so damn stubborn!”
“I’m not!”
“Then how the hell do you explain what just happened? And what happened out there?!”
“I just gave that bastard what he deserved!”
Kacchan scoffed.
“You’re a damn hero,” he reminded him.
Izuku knew. Of course he knew who he was, but that didn’t mean being a hero mattered more than Kacchan.
“I am, as long as no one hurts you!” Izuku shot back, tears of frustration gathering in his eyes, on the verge of breaking down. “If anyone –anyone at all– dares to hurt you, I won’t hesitate to...”
“Izuku, stop!”
“It’s the truth!” he sobbed, unable to hold it back. Why couldn’t Kacchan understand how much he meant to him? “I love you, Kacchan! I won’t let anyone take you away from me or hurt you, no matter what anyone says, you’ll always be my priority! I can’t live in a world where you don’t exist, and I won’t let anyone hurt you again!” Tears streamed down his face, blurring his vision. “I almost lost you once! I won’t let that happen again! I… I…”
Kacchan’s firm expression softened, his rigid posture easing. He reached out his arms, and Izuku understood instantly. Despite the nurses’ protests, he got up and ran straight into his lover’s embrace.
Izuku sobbed as loudly as he needed to, unable to keep hiding the pain of almost losing Kacchan again.
“I know how much you love me,” Kacchan said, holding him gently and pressing a soft kiss to his curls, “but you need to breathe right now. I promise I won’t be so careless. I promise I won’t leave you alone. But you have to promise me you won’t do anything reckless like you did today.”
“Kacchan…”
“If I decided to hurt myself for you right now, how would you feel?”
“You shouldn’t hurt yourself for me.”
“How would you feel?” Kacchan insisted.
Izuku sighed, curling into himself.
“I’d feel… really guilty.”
Katsuki smiled.
“That’s exactly how I feel right now. Part of all this was my...”
“That’s not true! It’s not your fault! None of this is your fault!”
“You just contradicted yourself. If I do it, it’s not my fault, but if you do, it is?”
“I…”
Izuku didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want Kacchan to carry the blame. But he knew his boyfriend had a point.
“You have to promise me you’ll take better care of yourself. That you won’t do something that reckless again.”
Izuku sobbed helplessly.
“But Kacchan…”
“No. Promise me, Izuku. Do it.”
Izuku stopped crying and took a deep breath, squeezing his eyes shut as he gathered the strength to make a promise he knew would be incredibly hard to keep. If it was Kacchan asking… he could give in a little.
“I promise.”
Kacchan pulled back just enough to look him in the eyes, giving him a smile full of adoration. He wiped away the rest of his tears and pulled him in for a soft kiss, overflowing with love.
“I love you,” he confessed once they parted.
Izuku buried his face in Kacchan’s neck again, hugging him tightly.
“I love you too,” he replied through tears. “You have no idea how much.”
He felt Kacchan scoff softly, smiling.
“After today, I think I’ve got a pretty good idea,” he joked.
Izuku smiled.
“But you’re apologizing to Aizawa-sensei,” Kacchan ordered. “Leave the role of insolent asshole to me.”
“You’re not an insolent asshole!” Izuku defended.
Kacchan let out a laugh. They both knew he was.
A comfortable silence settled between them as they stayed wrapped in each other’s arms.
Kacchan was the one to break it again.
“You went overboard today. You hurt yourself, and you almost killed two villains. Anything to say?”
Izuku scoffed, worried he hadn’t escaped Kacchan’s scolding after all.
“I just taught them a small lesson.”
Kacchan snorted.
“God, nerd! I never imagined your self-destructive altruism could turn into this. Just how far would you go for me, huh?”
Izuku smiled again.
“You could decide to become a villain today, and I’d go with you. I’m not exaggerating.”
Kacchan burst out laughing. Izuku loved making him laugh.
“You’re such an idiot, nerd,” Kacchan said. “You shouldn’t say stuff like that in front of others, you know? They’ll think you’re serious.”
Izuku pulled back so he could look at the face he loved.
“I am serious,” he said firmly. “You’re the most important person in my life, and I’d kill for you without hesitation. Today wasn’t an exception, if Ei and Aizawa, sensei hadn’t stopped me, that idiot would be dead.”
Kacchan flicked his forehead, not hard, but the message was clear.
“Kacchan!” Izuku protested with a pout.
“I told you to cut it out,” Kacchan scolded. “You just made me a promise, and you’re going to keep it.”
“Of course, Kacchan! I’d never lie to you!”
“For your sake, I hope that’s true, nerd. I can lock you up for life if I have to.”
They both laughed. Being by each other’s side was all they needed to be happy.
They both knew what happened today wasn’t something to take lightly. But they were together, and they would face it. There were many wounds to heal, many things they needed to fix within themselves, but they would do it… as long as they could stay by each other’s side, showing each other all the love they had to give.
Because a life without love stops being a life at all.
Of course, Izuku apologized profusely to Aizawa-sensei under Kacchan’s stern gaze.