Stories have always been my safe place and I need that now more than ever. I have been faced with a grievous personal hardship that will keep me away most of this weekend. I will honor my commitment to upload on or before schedule as time allows; you won't see a delay in this story. Keeping my word is important to me.

I hope, wherever you are, that you are safe and surrounded by supportive people who love you. Thank you for stopping by to spend some time with my story. I hope it offers the distraction and/or comfort that you may also be needing. 3 Thank you for all the love this story has received. I'm holding onto that and every other positive thing I can keep right now.

Chapter 11: Strike in the Dark

"The access code for the communication device in my suit is—"

"Zero six one zero," Shouto finished for him. "It's not hard to remember. Even if I didn't know it, that would be one of my first guesses."

Izuku's lips puckered like he'd just eaten something sour.

"If you don't want to be predictable choose someone else's birthday!" Katsuki's gait was a bit stiff as he made his way into the tiny entranceway, but he no longer needed the assistance of a cane. His next follow up doctor's appointment was tomorrow, and he would very likely be cleared to begin more intense physical therapy. He was still a few weeks from transitioning to pro hero physical therapy, but he was making excellent progress.

This will be my last night here…

Katsuki slid his arms around Izuku's chest and pulled him close. "We're going to be fine, Deku."

Izuku sighed and leaned into his husband. "I'm sorry. I know I'm being silly."

"These changing shifts are fucking with your sleep schedule. They'd throw anyone off. What the hell does the task force think this will accomplish?"

"They're…" Izuku's fingers tightened in the fabric of Katsuki's old t-shirt. "I think they're grasping at straws. They say they're trying to keep Wrench from predicting who will be on patrol at what time."

"All they're fucking doing is running you ragged."

"I'll be fine," Izuku promised. He leaned up and shared a tender looking kiss with Katsuki.

Shouto glanced away and noted that there was more than enough room for him to back up. Katsuki didn't need anyone to prop him up; there was no reason for Shouto to stand so close, but he still didn't move. He'd been a close spectator to Izuku and Katsuki's casual affection for almost two months. If this was his last night here, he could be a little bit selfish.

A surge of warmth was the only warning Shouto received before Izuku pressed himself close. Shouto's arms encircled him automatically. The weight and heat of Izuku's body against him was familiar by now. How long would it take for the memory to fade?

"Thank you for being here." Izuku's words were soft, almost sleepy, and spoken directly into Shouto's neck. "I feel so much better knowing Katsuki isn't alone."

"I'm not fucking defenseless." The words were harsh, but Katsuki's tone and posture were almost lazy.

"I know you're not, especially not now. I hated leaving for patrols when you first came home. I want you back out there with me, and if anything had happened…"

"Hey," Katsuki caught Izuku's chin and lifted it. He was standing close and hadn't made any attempt to remove Izuku from Shouto's arms. "I'll be back out there before you know it. You heard the doctor. I'm on track for 100% recovery now. They'll probably start the paperwork to approve pro hero physical therapy tomorrow. If no one's gotten their head out of their asses before then and helped you bring in Wrench before I'm approved for return to active service then we'll get out there and take him down together."

"I love you." Izuku rocked up on his tip toes and pressed a sweet, chaste kiss to Katsuki's lips. The movement reverberated against Shouto's body. He should probably have let Izuku go by now, but Izuku hadn't let him go either. They'd all become used to close proximity, but Shouto knew he was the only one who cherished it.

Katsuki's expression softened into a rare smile. "I love you, too."

Shouto knew shouldn't be standing so still and entangled with his former classmate and current patient. If he thought maintaining strictly professional boundaries would do anything to loosen the tightness in his chest, Shouto might have had the energy to pull away.

"Get going, Deku. I'm not going to make excuses for you if you're late."

"I'm going." Izuku drew back with a sigh, skimming his fingers along Shouto's arms until their hands met in a tight squeeze.

"Come home safe, Izuku."

Another squeeze. "I will. Sleep well." One more kiss for Katsuki's cheek. "Don't give Shouto a hard time when he says it's time to go to sleep."

Katsuki's hand caressed the side of Izuku's face. "I think you're forgetting which one of us is most likely to sleep in."

"I'll see you both in the morning," Izuku promised. He didn't hesitate on the doorstep. Shouto felt the snick of the locked deadbolt in the center of his ravaged, useless soulmate bond.

"Do you want to watch a movie tonight?" That was Katsuki. It was obvious he didn't like seeing Izuku head to work alone, but he wasn't mooning over a closed door either.

Shouto took a breath and made himself face his patient. It was easier when he was looking at Katsuki. "That's probably better than board games twice in a row. Settlers of Catan isn't good for your blood pressure."

"I would have won if the fucking robber would have stayed away from my goddamn sheep!"

"Uh hu." They turned and started to make their way into the living room. "What movie where you thinking of?"

Shouto opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off by the jarring ring of Katsuki's cell phone.

When Katsuki lifted his phone and examined the screen his frown deepened. "I'll be right back." He lifted the phone to his ear and strode down the hallway towards the master bedroom. "Ma?"

Katsuki didn't close the door to the bedroom, but Shouto didn't try to listen in. He moved to the entertainment system, made a selection, and paused it just before the beginning of the opening credits. When he went to the kitchen to make tea and popcorn he allowed himself to focus on Katsuki's tone and volume. There was tension under the even pressure of Katsuki's voice, indicating the caller was Mitsuki-san and not Inko-san.

It was both mindless and comforting to set out two mugs ready for tea while the kettle heated. Mitsuki-san had been calling every other day since the dinner party. Despite the pattern Katsuki always seemed surprised to hear from her.

"She didn't come visit me."

Maybe it was foolish to hope for reparations between them given his own history, but he didn't want Katsuki to continue to sit in the pain of a fractured parental relationship. It was a heavy burden to carry.

When laughter rang out from the bedroom Shouto felt a flurry of happiness run through him. He almost missed the kettle boiling. Today's conversation was going well.

Shouto set the tea to brew in a small pot—it would stay hot longer this way—and used a tray to carry the pot, the two mugs, and a small bowl of kettle corn to the coffee table. By the time the tea had finished brewing, and Shouto was pouring his first cup, Katsuki stepped out of the bedroom. He was smiling.

"How's Mitsuki-san?"

Katsuki chuckled as he took a seat beside Shouto on the sofa. "You don't miss much do you?"

"I try not to." Shouto poured Katsuki's tea and passed it to him.

"Thank you." Katsuki drank from his mug, probably welcoming the almost scalding liquid. He liked his tea much closer to boiling than Izuku or Shouto. A moment of silence followed and Shouto was expecting it to be the moment of transition before Katsuki reached for the remote and criticized Shouto's movie choice… except he started talking again. "She's doing better. She's finally looking for office space to open her own boutique."

"Is that something she's wanted to do for a while?" Shouto watched Katsuki's adam's apple bob as he drank. When Katsuki pulled his mug away from his lips it almost looked like the steam was coming from his mouth.

"Yeah, but she never wanted to handle to business end of it. Dad always tried to convince her he could take that on, but she never wanted to make the leap until now."

"What changed?"

Katsuki blew out a long, slow breath. "I don't know. We've been telling her for years that working for her current company isn't good for her mental health, but she's stubborn."

"A stubborn Bakugou," Shouto paused to take a sip of his own tea. "Somehow I can't picture it."

If Shouto hadn't been expecting Katsuki's firm nudge he might have spilled his tea. As it was he swayed and jostled back against Katsuki's shoulder without losing a drop.

"The security of her benefits means a lot to her. I don't think she has confidence she'll be able to make a business work." Katsuki shook his head. "She still doesn't; I can hear it in her voice. But she said…" Katsuki hesitated. His eyes landed on Shouto's face and stayed there. "She said she has to change something big or the same shit's going to keep happening over and over."

Katsuki set his mug on the table. One hand rubbed distractedly across his mouth while his other arm was wrapped almost protectively across his abdomen. Shouto heard Katsuki swallow again, this time around air, or perhaps words he wasn't sure about voicing.

"She said…" Katsuki's voice was very quiet now, and Shouto had to lean closer to make out his words. "She said she's also going to start therapy, because I deserve a mother who doesn't take out her shit on the people around her."

"Your mother loves you, Katsuki." She may have been a flawed and struggling woman, but that much had been abundantly clear at the family dinner.

Shouto's fingers brushed the hand Katsuki laid across his stomach and he was instantly caught in a tight grip. "Of fucking course she does." Katsuki sucked in a breath that might have been a sniffle, but Shouto chose not to comment on it. "She also said she's knows what you're up to."

"Up to?"

"It was you that gave Fuyumi their address, right? Ma says she won't leave them alone now. She's inviting Mom out to go shopping, and exchanging recipes and shit."

"Fuyumi is responsible for her own audacity. I only deployed her to make sure they came to the dinner."

Katsuki's fingers squeezed Shouto's even tighter. "Thank you."

Shouto squeezed back. "You're welcome."

Katsuki reached for a few kernels of popcorn and threw them into his mouth. He didn't wait to stop chewing before he asked. "What shit movie did you choose?"

"See for yourself," Shouto gestured to the remote.

Katsuki rolled his eyes and pressed play. "Of course. It's a fucking Pixar movie. You and Deku are the worst." He didn't, however, make any attempt to select a different film.

The story played out on the screen in front of them, the popcorn bowl was reduced to unpopped kernels, and the tea in the small pot was depleted to a cold, leafy sludge. Shouto was aware of Katsuki's warm presence beside him, and their fingers, still lightly intertwined. He shouldn't be basking in the stillness of the moment, but he was so beyond playing with fire that it almost didn't matter.

When the pop song/dance party began to roll alongside the ending credits Shouto felt Katsuki's weight slump against him. Tufts of spikey blond hair brushed Shouto's neck and chin when Katsuki's head settled on his shoulder. Shouto leaned against the crown of Katsuki's head, welcoming any reaction or outburst the action might provoke. He wasn't expecting a soft snore for a response. He smiled and let his eyes flutter closed. If he concentrated hard enough he'd be able to hold onto the moment and summon its image, along with many others, during the long lonely nights he knew were coming for him.

The next time Shouto's eyes flickered open the television depicted the streaming service home page. Shouto blinked, yawned, and tried to stretch.

Right. Katsuki was still leaning on him. More than just leaning on him, actually. During the last… Shouto glanced at his phone to check the time. During the last two hours Katsuki had shifted onto his side and was half draped across Shouto's slumped body.

Shouto traced the line of the arm Katsuki had thrown across him up to the swell of Katsuki's cheek. His fingers stopped just shy of calm pale lashes. Katsuki looked so relaxed that Shouto was almost tempted to lean back and let sleep claim him again. Izuku would be mad if he found them asleep on the couch because that position would put unnecessary strain on Katsuki's back and not leave him well rested for tomorrow's doctor's appointment. Izuku would be right, too.

Long fingers slipped into surprisingly soft blonde hair. Katsuki sighed and nuzzled into the sensitive skin at the curve of Shouto's neck. A low rumble that was probably a groan of resistance to wake vibrated deep in Katsuki's chest. Shouto listen to it, and felt it continue for almost thirty seconds as he quietly pet Katsuki's hair. "You're like a cat."

"mmmh Fuck you. I am not."

"Izuku won't forgive me if I let us fall asleep on the sofa…again."

"Yes he will." Katsuki's eyes were thin red slivers as he squinted at Shouto. "He couldn't hold a grudge against either of us if his life depended on it."

"Come on," Shouto nudged the blonde in his arms gently. "The bedroom is just down the hall."

Katsuki grumbled and snuggled further into the sofa and Shouto's side.

Shouto knew he was perfectly capable of carrying Katsuki, but that wouldn't help his rehabilitation. "I will call Inko-san if you make me."

The tiniest slice of red glittered at Shouto reproachfully. "You play dirty."

"And you're not going to intimidate me into submission. Get up; I know you can."

Katsuki's sigh tickled Shouto's collarbone moments before lightly calloused hands pushed against his shoulders. Shouto kept his hands at Katsuki's waist until he was fully upright. Katsuki began shuffling down the hallway and Shouto tidied the dishes, then turned off the television and lights before he followed. Katsuki was changed into his sleepwear and pulling back the sheets to get into bed when Shouto paused at the bedroom doorway.

"Are you going to tuck me in?" Katsuki smirked, settling himself beneath the blankets.

"I could give you a healing if you want. You don't really need it, but it won't hurt, and it might help you fall asleep instead of pretending not to be worried about your doctor's appointment tomorrow."

Katsuki chuckled and gestured for Shouto to come into the bedroom. "Man, you have got a mouth on you when you loosen up, Icy Hot."

"All the better to subdue unruly patients."

There was a flash of a grin in the dim light. "I'm a model patient, and you know it."

Shouto wanted to reply, banter with Katsuki had become surprisingly easy and almost comforting over the past two months, but anything he could say now would speak to the fact that they'd all go back to their 'normal' lives after tomorrow. The air was too thick to speak those words, so Shouto sat beside Katsuki in silence.

Strong fingers curled around Shouto's wrist, making it pulse as he reached for the blankets.

"Thank you for helping me…and Izuku. This would have been a lot shitter without you."

"It was my pleasure." It really had been. Shouto felt how close he was to the precipice of a wrecking devastation, but he couldn't bring himself to regret anything he'd done. He'd do it all again a thousand times over.

Katsuki's hand stayed pressed on top of Shouto's as Shouto slipped under Katsuki's shirt, pressed against warm, lightly bandaged skin, and began a healing. Shouto watched crimson eyes flutter in relief and fought the urge to turn his hand over and slot his fingers between Katsuki's. He had a job to do, and he would do it. After tomorrow, when the worst of the reeling had stopped, he would have to think about how to go forward. Katsuki had been alarmingly accurate in his assessment of Shouto's life. Whatever revelation or last chance Shouto's unconscious might have been waiting for wasn't going to happen. How many times had he told his patients to move through uncertainty until they started to connect with what mattered again? It was beyond time Shouto take his own advice.

But that was tomorrow's problem. Tonight he still had the sound of Katsuki's even breathing, and the memories of every close moment he'd shared with Japan's top two heroes. Maybe he was a glutton for punishment, but he would take every borrowed second that he could.

Katsuki was already asleep. That was a good thing. He needed the rest. Five more minutes. Five more minutes couldn't possibly make things any worse.

Shouto's soulmate bond thrashed deep in his chest, but he refused to examine it. He'd felt it…shift these last few weeks, but it still hurt. Shouto knew he was inviting enough heartbreak into his life with what he'd already done. He absolutely refused to add more fuel to the fire when the solution was as simple as not looking, not acknowledging.

Katsuki shifted in his sleep, turning his head to the side and exposing the column of his neck. Now that he was a bit more mobile, Katsuki had been able to sleep on his side again, a position he apparently preferred as he had started to roll over at the end of his healings. Shouto counted his breath, slowly tapering off the healing. He was seconds away from pulling back when Katsuki rolled onto his side, bringing Shouto's hand with him.

Shouto smoothed his other hand down Katsuki's side and over his hip, hoping to soothe the sleeping blonde. As much as he wanted to stay, it would be a step too far. "Goodnight, Katsuki," Shouto whispered.

A grunt mumble was Shouto's only answer. The fingers around his wrist tightened for a moment before finally growing slack. With careful, deliberate movements, Shouto pulled his hand back. Katsuki didn't wake, he only sighed in his sleep and smacked his lips.

Does he think I'm Izuku? …Not important.

Shouto rubbed his chilled hand with his warmer left one, drawing out the seconds until he had to stand and walk away. He closed his eyes and allowed his attention to drift to the sounds and smells of the room, trying to imprint them to memory. He could hear the hum of the dishwasher in the kitchen, smell the citrus air freshener plug ins that Katsuki used mixed with the lingering smell of the cinnamon candles Izuku burned when he meditated before a shift. Shouto could hear the gentle rustle of the sheets as Katsuki breathed. It was past time to go to his own room and what he could salvage of sleep.

Shouto stood and his eyes burned. He blinked forcefully and sucked in a breath that was discordantly sweet. A chill raced down his spine when he sniffed again.

The air smelled like gasoline.

"Katsuki." It was barely a whisper, but the man in the bed stirred.

"Hm?" An almost silent yawn stretched the corners of Katsuki's mouth. "What's wrong?"

"We need to leave."

Shouto heard the rush of heat moments before he felt it. The house was already on fire and it was spreading fast.

Thank you for spending some of your time with my story today. Please remember to take care of yourself. If you enjoyed what you've read and would like to read more; I post every Friday afternoon/evening. PST