Thank you so much to everyone for your love and support for this story, and for me! I'm incredibly flattered and comforted by every comment, bookmark, subscription, and kudos. There's more for me to endure still but I know it can't last forever and I have hope it will be over soon. In the meantime, I hope you can find enjoyment and comfort in this next update!

Chapter 12: Rescue Me

Shouto barely had time to cover the bedroom in a dome of ice. The cloying smell of gasoline and a thin veil of smoke penned them in between thick walls of ice.

"How many did that bastard bring with him?" Katsuki's voice was muffled from the arm he'd thrown across his face. They were both coughing against the acrid intrusion to their lungs.

"I don't know." Shouto's fingers tapped furiously against the screen of his smartphone. "Katsuki, I need—"

"If you're going to tell me to run and hide like a fucking civilian you can goddamn forget it!" Orange, red, and golden light danced through the rippling translucent walls around them.

Shouto grasped Katsuki's shoulders until his knuckles turned white. "Getting seriously injured now could keep you from returning to pro hero work ever again. Your body can not handle this." He pressed his phone into Katsuki's hands. "Help is already on the way. If you have to engage anyone, use hand-to-hand combat and get away as soon as you can. As is this is going to set you back."

Ominous scraping and crackling noises pressed close around them. It was impossible to tell how many assailants they were facing until they left their temporary sanctuary.

"I'll head out first," Shouto declared, "I'll keep as many of them busy as I can."

"I'm not leaving you here," Katsuki insisted.

"Katsuki I—" Whooping and more pounding echoed from the other side of the ice. Was that one of Wrench's talons slicing it's way inside their temporary sanctuary? Shouto seized Katsuki's face in both hands, pulling him close. "Please, you need to get away from here."

Katsuki didn't try to pull away; his thumbs caressed small circles against Shouto's skin. "I won't use my quirk unless I have to."

It wasn't the answer Shouto wanted, but it was all they had time for. Deep cracks spiderwebbed across the walls of ice around them. Bracing himself in from of Katsuki, Shouto fired at the center of the fissures, blasting an opening with concentrated projectiles of ice.

The air stank of gasoline. An ominously dark figure stood waiting by the opening. Shouto charged, keeping a consistent barrage of ice projectiles firing. The figure darted away and Shouto followed scanning the new landscape that greeted him on the other side. The house was rippling with flames, large gashes tore through the paint on the walls, and the hallway floor was a mess of broken glass and bent picture frames.

Shouto concentrated, using just enough of both his quirks to send a spray of icy water into the fire. The bright flares of light made it hard to scan the deepest shadows. Shouto pressed his back against the ragged drywall at the edge of the living room and glanced over his shoulder. Katsuki was glaring angrily into the darkness, his hands curled into tight fists.

"Katsuki!" Shouto hissed. "Go!"

Katsuki stubbornly shook his head. "I can still fight. I'm not leaving you here alone."

"Ah!" Shouto had opened his mouth to argue when hot pain lanced through his side. He pushed his assailant away with a sudden explosion of ice. He just barely stopped himself from firing another barrage into Katsuki's face when the other hero pressed close to his other side.

"How bad is it?"

Shouto pressed his hand against the laceration in his side, willing himself not to wince. "It's just a scratch. Get out of here!"

"Not gonna happen!"

Hands reached out from the darkness and grabbed Katsuki by the elbow. The blonde's whole body stiffened. Shouto readied another attack but was forced to redirect it at the last moment when someone else rushed Shouto's injured side.

"This might be over quicker than I thought…"

That was definitely Wrench's voice. Shouto shot a volley of icicles towards the voice and the shadow, but none of them seemed to land. Had he even grazed Wrench?

"They're so distracted it's almost too easy!" And that was Kazue.

Shouto could hear the sounds of a scuffle behind him. He wanted to turn and assist Katsuki, but he could barely keep his eyes on Wrench. The villain knew how to hug the shadows, even as he brought forth new licks of flame for Shouto to smother. A rush of air was Shouto's only warning before he felt the tingling slide of a blade across his cheek. The wound burned, and Shouto had no doubt Wrench had poured gasoline into it. A breath later the skin near the cut was crusted in ice, too cold for fire to catch.

"You can't keep this up forever, hero," Wrench taunted.

He was right. Frost was creeping down Shouto's right side and puffs of chilled breath were visible in the dim air in front of his face. He was just barely able to balance the effect of his right side with minor activation of his left, but it was too risky to summon any actual flames.

Thuds and cracks echoed behind him. Shouto shot a concentrated burst of icicles at the dark shadow that was Wrench. The villain's silhouette twisted like smoke, apparently dodging all of them.

"Why are you fighting so hard?" A flash of teeth gave Shouto his next target. "If Ground Zero can't return to pro hero work, doesn't that open up a slot for you?"

Katsuki's breathing was ragged with more than exertion. Kazue must have had his hands on him. Whatever emotion Kazue was forcing on Katsuki, it had to stop. Shouto caught a slip of movement in the corner and unleashed an onslaught that broke at least one window. Wrench was deathly silent. Through the smoke, frost, and flames, Shouto couldn't tell if he'd been hit.

"Or perhaps this isn't about career advancement?"

Shouto turned and fired towards the sound, trying not to absorb the words. Wrench, like most formidable villains, wasn't afraid to use psychological tactics. If he could say something that threw Shouto off he would have the advantage, but Shouto wouldn't let him.

A bang that sounded an awful lot like an explosion sounded behind Shouto. He couldn't stop his head from jerking towards the sound, but he just managed to keep his eyes trained on Wrench's smudged profile. "Katsuki?"

"I'm good!" Katsuki replied with a grunt and a growl. "Busy, but good."

"Ah…" Wrench started to move. Shouto wanted to go on the offensive immediately, but between the attention needed to track Katsuki's status by sound, and the energy of maintaining low-grade snow to combat the fires he was starting to shake. He hadn't been this overchilled since the sports festival…

"It's your quirk, not his!"

Shouto blinked and forced his attention back to Wrench. As much as Shouto wanted to smother him like the flames he'd created, it wasn't a risk worth taking. The frost and ice creeping across Shouto's skin would cost him accuracy. He needed to wait for the right opportunity to launch his next attack.

"I think I understand." Wrench's voice was a low murmur. He was getting closer. "Katsuki's married to the number one hero, but…is there trouble in paradise?"

Shouto's soulmate bond writhed like a living thing in his chest, like a caged beast that demanded freedom. He let Wrench's words, and the pain of his bond wash over him and away. Holding onto them wouldn't help save Katsuki.

"Does dear Deku know you were in bed with his husband? That might hurt more than what we were planning to do with him. Maybe we should keep you alive long enough to take responsibility!" Wrench charged, but Shouto was ready. Instead of blocking he slipped under the strike and grappled with Wrench's shoulder and elbow. He needed this villain subdued now so that he could help Katsuki.

Wrench twisted and thrashed in Shouto's grip, pouring more stinging gasoline over Shouto's cuts. He wasn't unmarked, however. Shouto could feel the warm wet pull of a laceration across Wrench's shoulder. At least one of Shouto's shots had grazed him. Ice inched across Shouto's skin and onto Wrench's, stealing his warmth. Wrench jerked hard, almost pulling away from Shouto's grip. Blood and gasoline made it hard to find purchases. Their feet started to slip over the smooth surface of the floor beneath them.

Shit. Another few seconds and Wrench was going to pull away. They were too fucking close to Katsuki; Shouto could not let Wrench through! He cast his senses out, trying to find an unexpected weapon or tactical advantage he hadn't seen before, but he couldn't see anything clearly besides Wrench, couldn't smell anything but blood and gasoline…

Blood.

Shouto clamped his right hand down hard over Wrench's injury and concentrated. He'd only ever used his quirk to heal, but every push had a pull to counter it. Instead of bringing cells into alignment he scattered them, crushed them, twisted them out of form until they were unrecognizable. The maleficent energy roared through him like a wildfire and Wrench buckled under the onslaught with a strangled cry of pain. Shouto didn't relent. He followed Wrench's gasping, crumpled body all the way to the ground.

"Shouto!" White gloves that crackled with green bolts of energy brushed across his wrist. The next words were murmured right against his ear. "It's time to let go. I'll restrain him. The police are right behind me. It's okay."

The flesh underneath his hand was a mess, worse than some of the patients Shouto had worked so hard to heal. Shouto pulled his arm back and clamped down on his powers so hard that shudders racked his body.

Shouto stayed huddled on the ground, staring at a wet patch of Izuku and Katsuki's living room carpet while he listened to the rustle of the standard-issue restraints. They weren't at all like the metal handcuffs police often used, they allowed for greater range of motion, less risk of injury, or worsening injury in this case, and they kept villains from leaving the spot where they were restrained. The villains could stand, sit, or lie down, but at least one part of their body had to remain on the ground within the same square foot of space. Hatsume-san had explained the mechanics of it to him, but Shouto couldn't recall the specifics at the moment.

Warmth and pressure—the kind that had nothing to do with the dying remnants of the fire Wrench had started—invaded Shouto's senses. Izuku was hugging him. Shouto's arms tightened around Izuku's ribs, pulling him closer with an intensity that forced a rush of air from Izuku's lungs. Izuku didn't complain; he just held him tighter.

A firm leg pressed against Shouto's side, and a calloused hand gripped the skin of Shouto's shoulder. Shouto leaned into the touch instinctively, before the familiar timbre of the voice registered. "You got him. Good work."

"Kacchan!" Izuku shot to his feet alongside Shouto and wrapped himself around his husband. "Are you okay? Did you have to use your quirk? Are there any of them left?"

Katsuki's chuckle was a low rumble in his chest as he nuzzled the side of Izuku's head. "Don't forget to breathe, Deku."

Shouto should step back, wanted to step back. This reunion wasn't his to be part of, but Katsuki wouldn't let him go. Crimson eyes opened and regarded Shouto with a narrow, searching gaze. The hand gripping Shouto's shoulder slid up the sensitive skin of his neck and caressed the side of his face. Shouto sucked in a breath. He should move back, out of reach, but Katsuki's touch soothed and burned at the same time. Shouto leaned against the calloused palm, only barely managing to keep his eyes from fluttering closed.

Katsuki's thumb pressed against the edge of Shouto's jaw, turning Shouto's head to the side. "Your cheek's still bleeding; we need to get that looked at."

Another shot of air escaped Shouto's lungs. For just a moment he'd thought… But that was foolish. Too much time spent around Katsuki and Izuku every day had worn away his resolve like dust in the wind.

I knew there would be a price for this…

"Shou, he got your side too!" Izuku ripped off his gloves and brushed slim fingers across Shouto's ribs and hip, framing the laceration with his hands.

"It's been too long since I've been in a real fight with a villain. I've gotten sloppy."

"Bullshit! Between the smoke and the frost, I could barely see past my goddamn face! Any hero stretched too thin is fucked."

"Did Kazue get to you? Are you alright?" Shouto blinked at his hand, which was currently pressed against Katsuki's cheek. He'd meant to reach for Katsuki's shoulder.

Katsuki smiled and leaned against Shouto's palm, nudging him the same way he'd nudged Izuku's temple with his own. "I'm fine. I used our spare hero restraints to pin down Kazue and another goon Wrench brought with him." Katsuki's eyes narrowed to happy slits when he looked back to his husband. "It was a good thing you stored the extra hero gear in the closet. Don't worry; the kid isn't badly hurt. A few bruises and scuffs are the worst of it." Katsuki leaned forward to press his forehead lightly against Izuku's again. "Kazue's going to the Freedom Program once the hospital clears him. I've already checked with the officers on scene."

"Wrench brought a whole team with him?" Shouto bit back a wince as he leaned around Katsuki's shoulder, trying to get a look at the Kazue and the other villain Katsuki had subdued, but then his eyes snapped sharply back to Katsuki's face. "Did you use your quirk?"

Katsuki rolled his eyes. "I didn't use my quirk. I have some small grenades in my hero suit filled with reserves of my sweat. I used those."

Shouto started scanning Katsuki's body and reached for Katsuki's torso.

Katsuki caught Shouto's hands by the wrists, but his grip was gentle. "I'm fine," Katsuki insisted. "I'm a hell of a lot better than you look right now." He glanced over Shouto's shoulder then back to Shouto's face. "Look, the cavalry is finally fucking here. Let's have one of the paramedics look you over."

"Just let me check your wound first." Shouto strained to reach the hem of Katsuki's t-shirt, but Katsuki's grip tightened.

"No dice, Shou. Medics now."

"Kacchan, a quick look won't hurt," Izuku protested. Both of Izuku's hands shot up to his shoulders in mock surrender under the weight of Katsuki's glare. "I'm just saying. You're both fucking stubborn, and I'd like you both to be looked at."

Katsuki drew in a slow breath in through his nose. "What's your pain level."

It took Shouto a minute to realize that Katsuki was talking to him. "Five."

Katsuki's eyebrows lowered ominously. "Your real pain level, Icy Hot."

"Maybe a six, but I'm fine. I ache but he didn't hit a vein or anything major."

"You have thirty seconds," Katsuki warned. His grip loosened slowly, almost begrudgingly. "If you don't stop on your own, I'm throwing you over my shoulder and dragging you to the medics myself."

Shouto nodded only because he thought it would get Katsuki to let him go sooner. He could break Katsuki's hold if he really had to, but they weren't sparring, and he didn't want to hurt him any more than he already was. The instant Katsuki freed his wrists Shouto's fingers dove under the fabric of Katsuki's shirt and settled on Katsuki's wound.

It wasn't a proper wound anymore. It hadn't been for a long time. Rippling scar tissue was maturing over what had once been almost a gaping hole. Shouto probed gently, relieved to see no new breaks in the skin. He engaged his quirk slowly checking the tension and inflammation of the muscle tissue. It was a bit more aggravated than he'd like, but nothing devastating. Nothing a few days of rest couldn't fix.

"You're out of time," Katsuki warned.

"You're in good shape. Let me heal you tomorrow before the doctor's appointment and they'll probably let you start pro hero physical therapy as we planned."

"I don't give a shit if they make me wait two weeks, two months, or two years; you're not healing me again until you're cleared by a medic." Katsuki's hand closed around Shouto's wrist and he started moving forward. Shouto walked close beside him, and Izuku flanked Katsuki's other side.

The medics met them at the edge of the property and started to work on Shouto right away. The old scrub top he'd been wearing was soon abandoned as gloved hands washed soot and blood from his overchilled skin. It wasn't until the late-night breeze ruffled Shouto's hair that he realized he was shaking. Probably a mixture of adrenaline and chill.

Izuku stayed close, moving this way and that to make room for the medics, but he never backed away. "Do you need anything to combat the chill?" Izuku's fingers and thumbs were rubbing warmth back into Shouto's hands, just as Katsuki often did after a healing.

"It will balance out with time." Shout looked up to the smoke he could still see drifting out of Katsuki and Izuku's windows.

"Hey." Scarred, crooked fingers turned Shouto's face back to freckled skin and worried green eyes. "Focus on me. The police and other first responders are securing the scene. You've done your part. Just focus on me now."

"I'm not a shell-shocked civilian."

"I didn't say you were." Izuku's fingers smoothed across Shouto's uninjured cheek in a way that could only be called a caress. "You were fantastic. Very quick thinking, sending me the exact coordinates of my own home to the coms device in my hero suit."

The corner of Shouto's mouth twitched, brushing against Izuku's thumb. "You're the one who started that particular code."

"I guess I did." Izuku was wearing the softer version of his usual sunny smile, the one the cameras didn't get to see, the personal one.

"All finished, Tosoroki-san." That was one of the medics. Their partner was judiciously sweeping used supplies into the appropriate bins.

Shouto looked down at himself. A neat line of butterfly bandages lay across the wound at his side.

"They used a few on your cheek too," Izuku murmured. His fingers brushed across Shouto's injured cheek close to, but not quite touching, the bandages.

Shouto lifted his gaze back to Izuku's kind green eyes. "See? No stitches required."

A smile crinkled the freckles across Izuku's cheeks. "Let's let the doctor give a second opinion tomorrow morning." Izuku's fingers shifted to Shouto's lips when he parted them to argue his point. "Kacchan isn't going to take no for an answer." The light sweep of Izuku's fingers became a firm press against Shouto's lips, like a kiss. "And neither will I."

Did Izuku think the rush of heat in Shouto's cheeks was temperature dysregulation? Shouto hoped he would, it was his only excuse…

"Yeah, what he said."

"Kacchan, you didn't even hear me."

Katsuki leaned close and pressed a kiss to Izuku's temple. "So? I trust you." His arm wrapped around Izuku's side and pulled them together. Izuku reached for his husband with one hand, while the other slid back to Shouto's hand and held it. "Besides," Katsuki continued, "It's not hard to tell what's going on. Icy Hot wants a pass on talking to the doctor, doesn't he?"

"I did not say that," Shout protested.

"You're not gonna convince me you weren't thinking it." Katsuki settled his hand on Shouto's shoulder. "The doctor can give us both a once over tomorrow, and if they say you're good to go you can heal to your heart's content."

The doctor. Tomorrow. Fuck. Katsuki was still going to get his approval to start pro hero physical therapy. They'd push it back a few days, but not much more…

"Ready to go when you are, Katsuki-san." A young black-haired officer stepped close to their small group and bowed.

Izuku frowned. "Kacchan, where are you going?"

Katsuki visibly squeezed Izuku's waist. "We, Deku. We'll go together. This was a deliberate attack. Wrench and the others aren't saying too much, but it's obvious this was a strike on me meant to get to you. I don't know if he thought Shouto wouldn't put up a fight or what, but it's not safe for us to stay here tonight. After we see the doctor tomorrow, I'm going to reach out to our support team and have them assist in the repairs. We need an upgraded security system."

"Yeah…" Izuku frowned up at their gently smoking windows.

"It'll be okay." Katsuki squeezed his husband again. "Officer Yamato," he nodded to the waiting young woman, "helped me pack a few bags for each of us. We can grab a hotel suite for the duration, or at least for the night. They want us all to lay low and stay together while the task force wraps up the investigation." Katsuki's fingers tightened around Shouto's shoulder. "Looks like you're stuck with us for a little while longer."

"Okay." Shouto's heart tripped violently against the wall of his chest.

…for a little while longer.

Shouto knew his time with Izuku and Katsuki would be temporary. He'd always known it. Their…arrangment had already lasted longer than it had any right to, but every touch, every shared look stoked a fire that burned deeper than any flame that had ever touched him before.

Izuku leaned his head onto Katsuki's shoulder. "Sounds like a good plan."

"You're not mad about the task force finishing up alone?" Katsuki asked.

"They're a strong team, and I'm ready for a break. Especially if I get to spend it with you."

"Good." Katsuki pressed a kiss into Izuku's temple, then looked between his husband and Shouto. "What hotel do you want to go to?"

Izuku leaned his head against Katsuki's shoulder and closed his eyes. "As long as they have a bed I don't really care."

"We could go to my place."

Wide green eyes and narrowed crimson ones locked on Shouto's face.

Shit! He'd said that out loud… Every part of Shouto's body was bound and determined to betray him tonight. Especially his brain.

Izuku's thumb started rubbing small circles against the back of Shouto's hand. "Is that alright with you, Shouto?"

"You've already gone above and beyond," Katsuki agreed. "You don't need to put yourself out like that."

Now was the time to offer a dignified retreat, but the idea of sharing his home with Izuku and Katsuki was in Shouto's head he couldn't shake it free. "It's smaller than your place, but closer to the hospital. You don't have to stay long if you'd prefer not to, but it wouldn't cost you anything extra, and I have some of my own hero equipment stored there already."

Izuku and Katsuki shared a look that held a silent conversation that Shouto couldn't read. Izuku was the first to look back to Shouto. "Are you sure we aren't taking advantage of you?"

I wish.

"I'm sure."

"Don't even think about it, Icy Hot!"

"It's really no trouble I—"

"Stop being stupid. This wouldn't be the fourth time we've—" Katsuki's eye twitched when Izuku held up his hand to silence them, but he stopped talking instantly.

"Kacchan, just give me a moment, okay?"

Katsuki shrugged and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Izuku turned to Shouto and took his hand. A shiver rippled up Shouto's arm and along every nerve ending in his back. Izuku was very giving with physical affection, and lately, Katsuki was almost as bad.

"Is your temperature still dysregulated?" Izuku asked. He stepped closer, pressing their foreheads together.

Shouto closed his eyes and fought to even his breathing. "I'm fine."

"What is that, your fucking catchphrase?" Katsuki grumbled

"You don't seem to have a fever," Izuku murmured, stepping back at last. He still wouldn't let go of Shouto's hand.

"I don't. The only thing I need is time and rest."

The ride to Shouto's place had been short, or it had seemed short. Despite the fact that Izuku and Katsuki had never been there they'd moved confidently throughout the space, checking in with Shouto verbally as they completed the bare essentials of settling in. They'd each had a shower, or in Shouto's case, a self-given sponge bath, and Katsuki had put together some tea to help everyone relax. The only snag in the remnants of their evening was an argument about sleeping arrangements. Shouto only had one futon, plus the sofa, and he was trying to hold onto the shreds of common sense by letting the married couple share the futon while he took the sofa alone. Izuku and Katsuki disagreed, vehemently.

"That's exactly why you should be able to sleep in your own bed." Izuku squeezed his hand and Shouto's fingers reflexively squeezed back. "I don't mind sharing, neither does Katsuki."

"That's what I've been fucking saying!" Katsuki's voice was more a wine at this point than anything aggressive. He badly needed to rest.

Izuku smiled fondly at his husband before his eyes settled back on Shouto's face. "It's been…an unsettling night. I would feel better knowing where everyone was, but your comfort matters too. Why don't you want to share?"

It was impossible to put into words that Shouto's belated sense of self-preservation was trying to spare him some small fraction of the pain that was coming for him. "You deserve to have your own space with your husband. I shouldn't intrude any more than I have to."

"Bullshit!"

"Kacchan, I know your tired. Why don't you—"

"I don't need to lie down, Deku. This isn't about fucking propriety. Icy Hot knows we're not about to fuck in his bed!"

Izuku jumped and a violent blush painted his pale skin bright red. "Kacchan!"

"That's not—" Shouto started.

"I get it now," Katsuki's voice was a low and full of gravel. This is about Wrench and Kazue."

"What?!" Izuku's head snapped around to face Katsuki, and Shouto felt his own eyes widen slightly.

"You're feeling fucking guilty about how things went down at the house, and you're trying to stay up so you can pick yourself to pieces about it," Katsuki accused.

Fuck. Shouto hadn't actually given Wrench and Kazue much thought since Izuku pulled him off Wrench, but damn if there wasn't a gnarled barb of his conscience waiting for him. It hadn't been Shouto's plan, but now that he stopped to think, it's exactly what he would likely spend hours churning over in his head. When Wrench had started to buckle under the devastating effects of his quirk turned to cellular destruction, Shouto had felt a sick twist of satisfaction…

"I'm right, aren't I?" Katsuki had stepped closer, and his hand was back on Shouto's shoulder. Izuku wasn't far, and Shouto was getting too used to the comfort of being hemmed in by two people he trusted enough to let too close.

"I—"

"Don't waste time denying it; let's just fix it."

Izuku sighed softly and pressed his forehead against Katsuki's shoulder. It was a gesture of familiarity, like he knew Katsuki was going to speak his mind regardless of what anyone else said, and Izuku understood it would be easier to let it happen than try to reason with his husband.

Katsuki reached forward and held Shouto's face in both hands, fingers resting just on or under Shouto's jaw. "Can everything you did to that fucker be fixed?"

"Yes."

"How long will that take?"

Shouto drew in a breath and tried to calculate. Destruction always seemed to happen faster than creation or healing… "A week if I healed him."

"Which you're not going to fucking do because we need you here, but I like that you calculated it based on your power."

"I'm the one who hurt him."

"And how long would it have taken me to heal if he'd gotten to me again? Especially now before I'm fully healed?"

Shouto's pressed his own shaking fingers to the back of Katsuki's hands and closed his eyes for a moment. He really didn't want to think about the answer to Katsuki's question. "Your abdomen is going to be vulnerable even after you return to pro hero work."

Katsuki nodded. "I've been working with the support team about adjusting my body armor, and I'll definitely work on my fighting style to keep myself safe. But I didn't have anything to help me tonight except you. Don't waste your time feeling shitty about it."

A tension rooted deep between Shouto's shoulder blades gave way. Katsuki must have felt it because his thumbs began brushing Shouto's cheeks in a rhythmic, coaxing pattern. "Are you ready to come to bed now?"

Shouto felt himself leaning closer to Katsuki and the bed but couldn't quite manage to stop himself. "I-if you're sure you don't mind?"

Izuku's smile was warm and welcoming, pulling Shouto in with its own gravitational force. "I don't mind."

"Get in the goddamn bed."

Izuku's hand trailed across the thin fabric of the t-shirt that covered Katsuki's back. "He gets grumpy when he's tired."

"Fuck you."

Izuku grappled his husbands shoulders and pressed machinegun kisses into his neck and up into his hair until Katsuki's arm encircled his waist and pulled Izuku down into the corner of the bed. He pressed a lingering kiss to Izuku's laughing mouth. "Go to sleep."

"Goodnight Kacchan…" Izuku's eyes were already fluttering shut.

Shouto was fairly certain he wasn't supposed to see the tender smile that curved across Katsuki's lips as he caressed the side of his husband's face. "'Night Zuku."

Katsuki settled down on his back beside his husband. Izuku cuddled into Katsuki's shoulder and draped one arm across his middle. Katsuki threaded his fingers with his Izuku's and pressed another kiss into disordered green hair. "Are you gonna get the light?"

It took Shouto a minute to realize Katsuki had been speaking to him. He reached across to the light switch. The faint glow from the edges of his bedroom window wasn't really enough to see by, but Shouto could still tell where his guests were by the sound of their quiet breathing.

Shouto eased onto the futon and drew the covers up to his ribs. It was too warm to wrap the blankets all the way under his chin, especially when he had…bed partners.

Would this be the only time someone shared a futon with him? Probably not. It wasn't the first time he'd shared sleeping space, but it had always been platonic before. It still was platonic now. The only people in love, reciprocal love, were the married couple to his left.

The ever-present ache in his chest pulsed hard. Shouto rubbed the heel of his hand across the pain, trying to soothe it.

In that same moment, fingers slid through the bicolored strands of his hair and rubbed hypnotic circles across his scalp. Shouto lifted his eyes to Katsuki's face and caught the barest glint of his watchful eyes in the darkness.

"This helps Deku, sometimes, when he can't sleep." Katsuki's voice was a low rumble. "Is this okay?"

Shouto sighed and leaned into the touch. "Yes…" Pleasant tingles rippled from Katsuki's fingertips, drawing Shouto closer to the welcoming warmth of Katsuki's body. Izuku's fingers flexed, hooking across Shouto's wrist and settling in the hallow of Shouto's palm. Shouto squeezed Izuku's fingers and, asleep or awake, Izuku squeezed back. Shouto leaned against Katsuki's shoulder, exposing more of his neck and scalp to Katsuki's questing fingers. The monster of a soulmate bond that normally rumbled in Shouto's chest was purring now. He was so beyond fucked that it didn't matter anymore. "Thank you."

He felt Katsuki's breath ghost across his skin. "You're welcome."

Thank you so much for spending some time with my story today. I hope you enjoyed this update. See! They can have nice things! …for now. :) If you enjoyed this update you won't have to wait long for the next one; I update every Friday afternoon/evening PST. I hope you'll come back next week!