Welcome back for another installment of Marks on My Heart! Whether you are just joining us now, or have been here from the beginning, welcome! I hope you enjoy your stay. ^_^

Chapter 15: Surrender

Shouto's legs shook underneath him, but he managed to climb the stairs to his apartment. He had no idea how long he'd been running, but it shouldn't have been long enough to leave him this breathless. He might not have had the time to train on the same level as most full time pro heroes, but he still maintained his health. Maybe he was so used to the feeling of a gaping hole in his chest that he'd been ignoring real health problems? He should schedule a physical…

Running blindly had exhausted his body enough that he could start to focus on his to-do list: Get inside the apartment, find Izuku's phone, text Katsuki, shower, use his own phone to text Aia-san and let her know he was ready to return to work, then schedule a physical. It was important to take care of himself; he had a terrarium to look after.

The metal of the door handle was cold and wet under his fingers. Had it been raining? That might explain why his shirt clung to his skin and dripped small streams into his trousers. Where these even running pants? What kind of shoes had he yanked on?

"Shouto…"

Licks of flame and frost guttered in the air when he spun around. The outburst was there and gone in the blink of an eye, but he hadn't lost control of his quirk like that since he was three. What the hell was this day? "I-Izuku?"

A dark shape that had been huddled in the corner unfolded itself and stumbled towards him. Izuku was shaking when he fell into Shouto's arms. "I knocked. I thought you were ignoring me. We were just here…" Gooseflesh puckered at the edges of Izuku's sopping wet clothes.

"What's wrong?" Shouto smoothed his fingers across tangled, dripping hair, cupping Izuku's face. "Where's Katsuki?"

Izuku's fingers locked in the sodden fabric of Shouto's shirt. "He's h-home. He's s-safe, b-but…"

There was so much water, but Shouto recognized the salty warmth that touched him when Izuku pressed his face into Shouto's shoulder. He tightened his hold around shaking shoulders and pulled Izuku into the small entryway of his apartment. Izuku's legs gave out from under him and Shouto followed him down. There was a puddle underneath their crumpled bodies almost instantly, but they were out of the worst of the wind now.

Sobs wracked Izuku's body like they would shake him apart; it sounded like they might drown him. Shouto started to rock their bodies. It was a subtle, gentle movement, just enough to generate some warmth. "What happened? How can I help?"

It was a long time before Izuku had the breath to answer. "My…m-my mark…"

Shouto turned his gaze to the wrist shaking at his temple. Marks could and did fade if the bond that supported them started to fade, but Shouto had never seen it look like this. The color of Izuku's soulmate mark was still there, but the form was muddled to the point it was illegible, just a dark stain against pale skin.

"Kacchan told me to leave…"

Past the edges of the blurred soulmate mark Izuku's lips were almost completely blue. Shouto tightened his grip around Izuku's shoulders and pulled them both out of the dirty, icy, puddle that was the entryway floor.

Izuku offered no resistance, letting Shouto drag them both to the hallways closet, heedless of the wet trail they left in their wake. The fluffiest towels Shouto owned were also his largest, they wrapped almost completely around Izuku's body. Shouto rubbed his hands across Izuku's shaking shoulders, torso, then back up over the delicate curve of his neck. He worked his fingers in rhythmic circles over the towel, trying to force heat back into Izuku's pale skin.

"You should take a bath," Shouto murmured, brushing his thumbs across Izuku's cheeks. "You're still shaking."

Unsteady fingers curled around Shouto's wrists, halting his movement. Izuku's lips parted, his jaw worked, but no sound emerged. Izuku lifted Shouto's right hand off his face and held it between them. Shouto watched scarred fingers move in soft, swirling caresses across the different textures of his wrist. The bond inside his chest pulsed with something that wasn't quite pain, and his hand twitched in the embrace of Izuku's fingers.

"Kacchan said…" Green irises lifted to Shouto's face and pale lips brushed across the ruined skin where Shouo's soulmate mark had been. "Is this my fault?"

"No." The word was almost a gasp. Sensation rippled through nerves that should have been long dead as Izuku's lips dragged across his skin. "No, Izuku I—"

The heat of Izuku's body surged against him, pressing against his chest, up his neck, and close, so dangerously close to his lips. Shouto's thin fingers, so much like his mother's, framed Izuku's face, held him in place. His thumbs pressed against a sea of freckles, halting Izuku's forward motion with millimeters to spare. A jolt of something very close to pain rocked both their bodies. "Katsuki is scared, Izuku, not angry. He's always been that way."

Shouto's thumbs pushed back against the saltwater of Izuku's tears. Their foreheads brushed together, damp and trembling. "I've seen soulmate marks fade before, and I always knew it was coming because the emotions gave way long before the marks did. The bond is inside you, not what's written on your skin. Trust me I've tested that theory."

Izuku's eyes welled again. "Why didn't you tell me, Shouto?"

Scarred fingers curled around Shouto's wrists making his destroyed soulmate mark burn anew.

"I couldn't take away anything that you love." Shouto leaned past Izuku's expressive green eyes escaping their gravitational pull with a sideways surrender. "Close your eyes." Izuku's gasping breath sent fresh chills across the curve of Shouto's neck. "Concentrate on your soulmate bond and tell me what you feel."

Shouto leaned back slowly, trying to commit every movement, every sight and sound to memory. There couldn't be any going back from this. Izuku, his soulmate, was here, shaking in his arms. He was beautiful, and vulnerable, and—

"Kacchan."

The answer should have stolen the air from Shouto's lungs, but something warm and soft bloomed inside him when he saw Izuku smile. Shouto slid on hand over the curve of Izuku's neck and pressed his palm against Izuku's chest. "Katsuki's still connected to your heart?"

Izuku nodded, gasping as his eyes met Shouto's. Tears beaded along green lashes. "It's strong."

Shouto trailed his fingers across Izuku's cheek and hip. "It's strong because you built it that way."

A muffled burst of vibration, drew their gaze to the carpet. Shouto crouched and reached for the glow underneath the coffee table. He had the barest glimpse of Izuku's lock screen to confirm his suspicions before he held the phone out to him. "Your husband loves you, Izuku. He's waiting for you." Shouto surrendered the phone to trembling fingers and managed to press out the whisper, "Go to him."

Izuku's lips were on him, a blistering chill against his forehead, there and gone in an instant. When Shouto opened his eyes he made himself stare at the sprawled towel laying in the dirty puddles on the floor until he heard the front door slam shut behind pounding footfalls.

Katsuki couldn't see anything past the ghostly glow of his phone screen. He dragged his thumb back and forth across his last texts to Izuku.

I love you too.

Please come home.

They had only taken three hours to send. The instant there wasn't a sock or scrap piece of luggage out of place Katsuki had felt the emptiness of the rooms around him pressing in like a vice on his heart. They'd have to fucking talk about it. It would be a mess, but damn… he couldn't do this without Izuku by his side.

The front door open and closed. Deku sounded a little breathless. Damn nerd probably ran all the way back. Katsuki set his phone down on the coffee table and stared blindly into the gloom. It was early afternoon, but the rainclouds were so thick and dark across the sky that Katsuki almost expected the streetlights to come on outside.

"Kacchan?"

Izuku's voice, raw, eager, and tentative rolled across Katsuki's nerves like a balm. He had to close his eyes for a moment under the onslaught. "I'm here."

Katsuki blinked in the darkness, tracking Izuku's progress through the room by listening for the shuffle of his feet across the floor and straining to catch the movement of his body. A hand settled across his cheek. "Why are you sitting in the dark?"

Izuku was in front of him now. Katsuki could see the familiar curves of his face. He turned his head and pressed a kiss into Izuku's palm. "Because I'm fucking dramatic."

"Kacchan."

"Come here, Deku." Izuku's resonant smile was welcoming, and his skin was fever warm against Katsuki's arms and neck as his weight settled in Katsuki's lap. The damn nerd had definitely been running.

Deku gasped when Katsuki claimed his lips. He tasted salty, and warm, and perfect. Katsuki pressed into the familiar territory of Deku's mouth, pulling him closer with two firm arms around his back. Deku's teeth scraped Katsuki's tongue and lips. His hands slipped under Katsuki's black tank top and scarred fingers dug into Katsuki's shoulder blades until his nails bit the skin,

Katsuki groaned into their kiss. He tried to pull back, but still ended up murmuring against Izuku's lips. "Fuck, Deku, when did you get teeth?" He felt the curve of Deku's smile and then the nip of a bite against his lips again. "It's hot."

"Kacchan…" Biting kisses sucked a trail across Katsuki's jaw to a vulnerable pulse point just underneath his ear. "I love you."

"I love you too." Deku was shaking in his arms when Katsuki peeled sodden fabric aside and pressed his hands against more warm skin. He pulled Deku closer, rocking up into his husband's body. His lips and teeth grazed their own path to the shell of a freckled ear. "Izuku."

"Katsuki… Kacchan! Fuck…"

Hands slid under and around fabric, pulling back the barriers that separated them. Panting breath forced millimeters of space between gasping mouths. They pressed close anyway, breathing the same air and murmuring affection and devotion into jaws, necks, temples, and cheeks. The roll of Deku's hip sent sparks of pleasure and desire cascading along Katsuki's spine. His fingers tightened over the curve of Izuku's ass. "Please."

Izuku's hand caressed the sweat-damp surface of Katsuki's chest, brushing the seam where their bodies were pressed together.

Katsuki pushed up into the hard heat of Izuku's body, holding his husband tight against him. "Like this, please."

"Anything," Izuku breathed, kiss-swollen lips coming together over Katsuki's like a prayer. Damp clothes bunched and dragged across warm, slick skin as they moved together. There would be rugburns later. The sofa shifted under their rhythm, rocking against the carpet.

"Izuku! Mhhph, Zuku…" Katsuki's hand clung to the back of Izuku's neck, fusing them together in one breath until Izuku's fingers slid up a straining forearm and laced their fingers together. Their joined hands nestled against both their chests, beating like one heart between them as they came undone. Pressure built and burst, catching Katsuki up in unrelenting waves.

The world was reduced to breath, silence, and trembling limbs. Gasping exhalations ghosted across damp skin, cooling the fire of sensation that had just exploded across every nerve ending.

"You're so beautiful, Kacchan."

Katsuki turned his head to meet Izuku's kiss, smiling when one kiss became a small peppering of kisses across his cheeks, jaw, and eyelids. He squeezed Izuku tight against his chest. "I love you, Deku."

Another shaky kiss pressed against his lips. "I love you too." Weight shifted, and Katsuki opened his eyes to watch Izuku move to a sitting position, the rounded curve of his ass pressing into the solid weight of Katsuki's thighs. Izuku's hand stayed locked with his just over his heart. "God, I hate fighting with you."

Fingers traced the slope of Katsuki's cheek, and he turned his head to press a kiss against Izuku's knuckles. "You went to him." Izuku started to pull his hand away from Katsuki's cheek, but Katsuki caught it and pressed it against the others on his chest. "Don't run. Let's talk."

The muscles of Izuku's throat worked as he swallowed. "I don't want you to tell me to leave again."

Katsuki squeezed Izuku's hands in his. "I won't. We need to talk this out." He forced a full breath of air into his lungs and let it go in slow increments. "I'm not running either."

Tears glistened across Izuku's cheeks, dripping down onto their joined hands. "I freaked out when I saw my mark looked different. I love you and I know that hadn't changed." Izuku lifted two of their hands to his own chest. "I can feel it, Kacchan. Our bond is still there."

Katsuki tightened his hold on Izuku, trying to ground himself in the moment. "Is that all you feel?"

Izuku squeezed his eyes shut and a rush of fresh tears spilled across his cheeks. "…no."

Tightening his grip any further would risk causing injury, so Katsuki pulled their nest of hands closer to his chest, demanding with action that Izuku hold him down. "Me neither."

"K-Kacchan." Izuku leaned down until his damp forehead pressed against Katsuki's. "What do we do now?"

Deku's tears were flowing onto Katsuki's cheeks now, but Katsuki closed his eyes and endured the onslaught. He needed to feel close to his husband right now. "What do you want to do?"

"I want to be with you!" Izuku insisted, pushing the length of his body against Katsuki, head to toes.

Izuku refused to let go of either of his hands, so Katsuki caressed the side of Izuku's wet cheek with their connected fingers. "Only me?"

"Fu-fuck, Kacchan…" Izuku burrowed further against his chest, hiding his face in the crook of Katsuki's neck.

"I don't know what I'm doing here!" Katsuki protested. "You're the one that's good with feelings, I just…" Katsuki sighed and finally managed to wrap his arms around Deku, anchoring him in place. Deku's fingers curled possessively in the tangled wreck of Katsuki's half removed shirt, pulling the fabric even tighter. "I don't want to be caught off guard again."

"I wasn't expecting this." Deku sniffled loudly against Katsuki's ear. It shouldn't have been fucking cute, but nothing made any goddamn sense today.

Katsuki slid one hand along Izuku's spine until his fingers could tangle themselves in the messy green strands of his hair. "You think I was?"

"I almost kissed him..."

"Today?"

The heat of Deku's blush burned against the side of Katsuki's face. "That too…"

Katsuki kept his hand moving in slow, rhythmic strokes across Deku's back. He never wanted to stop. "When was the first time?"

"When he fought Wrench I think… You were safe, he was hurt, and he fought so hard to protect you."

Katsuki nodded. "Me too, I think. I had a hard time keeping my hands off both of you."

Izuku nuzzled the underside of Katsuki's jaw. He was still sniffling periodically, but he seemed a bit calmer now. "Was that the first time you wanted to kiss him?"

"When he sent his sister to bring my mother to dinner."

"I loved that," Izuku agreed. "And he helped me with my migraine afterwards… I never thanked him properly."

"I'm not sure he would want you to."

"What do you mean?" Deku adjusted his head so that he was leaning on Katsuki's shoulder and peered up at him with vulnerable green eyes.

"Shouto doesn't tell people how he feels; he's much more comfortable showing it."

"Hmmm. You're right." Izuku's murmur was low and thoughtful. Katsuki's hand strayed into Izuku's hair, rubbing soothing circles into his scalp. "I should have noticed before."

"Was translating Shouto's displays of affection on your radar at all?"

Izuku's fingers swirled loving patterns across Katsuki's skin, dipping under and around any fabric they encountered. "I feel like it should have been, and I also feel guilty for thinking that."

"This thing with him has been happening for a while. If we hadn't been dumbasses we might have been able to see it coming."

Deku folded his arms under his chin, propping his head up as he held Katsuki's gaze. "Shouto said something like that when I was with him."

"That we're dumbasses?"

Humor flickered across Deku's beautiful features. "No, stop. Listen. I was freaking out, telling him what had happened. I showed him my soulmate mark and told him I still loved you. He said that the bonds change long before the marks do; that he was able to tell when some of his patients or their family's marks would fade based on how he saw them treat each other. He said he knew our bond was still there by the way we acted towards each other."

Katsuki trailed his fingers across the curve of Deku's ear. He smiled when Deku leaned into his palm, but only for a moment. "I'm worried about him."

"Me too."

Green eyes met red in the dim light. "You should text him to let him know you're home safe."

"Right." Deku squirmed, wriggling himself into a sitting position while he wrestled his phone out of his pocket.

Katsuki sat close beside him and watched Deku type a quick message.

I'm home.

Kacchan's here too.

We're talking.

Thank you, for everything. 3

"Did you seriously just add a heart?"

Deku jolted beside him. The blush that stained his freckles was bright in the white glow from his cellphone. "Sorry?"

"No you're not." Katsuki slid his arm around Deku's waist and pulled him tight against his side."

"Kachha—" Deku melted into the kiss instantly, moaning softly when Katsuki skimmed pale lips with his tongue.

"Don't panic, Deku. Be honest."

"Like you always are?" The smile that had curved Deku's lips arched into a smirk.

Katsuki ruffled Deku's hair, making it lift up in disordered swoops. "I'm trying to get my head out of my ass here."

Deku opened his mouth to respond but stopped when his phone pinged. They both looked down. Shouto had replied.

I couldn't have done anything else.

"He's hurting…" Deku murmured. The tips of his fingers traced the texts as if he could offer physical comfort through the phone.

"He's been hurting for a long time." Deku looked up and Katsuki saw fierce determination in the set of his jaw and the spark in his eyes. It was the same look he wore when he was fighting villains. Neither of them could fight Shouto's personal demons for him, but… "What do you want to do about it?"

Deku's hands scrambled and his arms curled themselves tightly around Katsuki's torso. Katsuki lifted his free hand and pressed it to Deku's lips before they could go around this useless cycle one more time. "I know you want to be with me. I got that. Message received." Katsuki took his hand away from Deku's mouth when it started to shake and forced himself to take a breath. "I'm asking if you want to be with him too."

"What?" Deku's head tilted and the freckled on his forehead rippled in confusion.

"There's no point being stuck in loop, bitching about how sad Icy Hot is, and then complaining that you'd never leave me. It's time to decide what to do about it."

"I…" A pink tongue darted across Deku's pale lips. "I never thought about it?"

"Or we can pretend this never happened. Get on with our lives, let him get on with his. If we do that it'll be less confusing to all of us if we stop spending time together."

Deku's frowned deepened. "I don't want to cut contact." Green eyes met red. "I… really liked having him here."

Katsuki nodded. "He fits."

"Yeah."

"He could fit permanently if that's what we wanted."

"I… How would that work?"

"It's our relationship. Maybe all of ours. We could decide that together." Katsuki trailed the fingers of one hand along Deku's arm until their palms pressed against each other. "I know he loves you, and…." Katsuki shrugged. "The way he's treated me recently… there might be something there for him too."

"He's been spoiling you with those healing treatments," Deku agreed.

Katsuki chuckled. "Yeah, but I'm not complaining."

A moment of silence passed, and, somehow, breathing came easier.

"I want to give it a shot." Deku's hand shook in his, but his gaze was steady and direct.

Katsuki squeezed his husband's hand. "Okay." He wasn't in this alone.

"What's our next move?"

Katsuki flashed a grin at Deku. Now that he had a goal, he was fucking eager. It was kind of cute. "Let's give him some time to settle down. Today's been…intense. If we spring anything on him right now he's going to fly off the handle."

Deku nodded. "And what do we say when we do reach out?"

"We definitely need to communicate with him better than we fucking did with each other."

"Yeah." Breath rushed out of Deku's lungs in a nervous laugh and he lifted his hand, presumably to rub the back of his neck, but it never got there. Katsuki had reached out and snatched Deku's wrist before his fingers made contact with his hair. Deku peered up at him, but didn't resist when Katsuki lowered his hand and examined it in the dim afternoon light. Katsuki rubbed his thumb across the bumps and ridges of Deku's veins. Deku gasped. "That… that tingles."

"No shit." Katsuki slotted his wrist alongside his husband's and held them out for him to see.

"Kacchan…" Deku's eyes glowed with an excitement and tenderness that made Katsuki want to kiss him, so he did.

Thank you for spending some of your precious time today with my story. ^_^

If you've glanced at the chapter counter you know we're not far from the end now. There is one more chapter, then an epilogue, but that's not the end of this story. After I wrote the last words of the epilogue, I wasn't ready to say goodbye. I've written four one-shots that occur after the main timeline of this story arc. I'm going to continue to upload them on Friday's as scheduled until I've shared everything. They'll be attached to this story as the "My Heart" series. They'll be able to be read as stand-alone stories, however I do hope I'll see some of you there as well.

If your anxious to know what happens next, you won't need to wait long. I update every Friday afternoon/evening PST. I hope you'll join us again next week! ^_^