*Katsuki*
His eyes opened feeling like gravel had fallen into it. He brought his hand to his face and found their movements were restricted by tubes that stuck into his forearm. He registered the sound of a steady beat, slowly increasing the more awake he became, and then the warmth on his arm, holding his steadily. The scent of spring and fresh water, forest and flowers, filled his lungs when he inhaled through his nose.
"Izuku?" Katsuki coughed. Izuku's dreary green eyes lifted to him, his hand released Katsuki's to grasp at a pink paper cup which he brought to Katsuki's lips. Katsuki felt it coat his mouth, soothing all the hard edges that came with breathing. "What happened?"
"You did something stupid, you dumb dumb." Izuku smiled weakly at him as he poured another cup, Katsuki shook his head and Izuku placed it on the table beside him.
"The last thing I remember was-" Katsuki's shoulder and abdomen throbbed as the vision of the knife slicing through him rushed into his mind. He winced and he heard the beeping become more urgent in his ears.
"Don't move, don't worry about it." Izuku took his hand again and Katsuki inhaled deeply.
"How long have I been out?" Katsuki grumbled, liking less and less the way the bags under Izuku's eyes sagged and darkened even as the sunlight blared through the window.
"Just the night. They gave you sedatives, stitched you up." Izuku's hand was very comforting in Katsuki's and he hated how much he wanted him to never leave. His fingers curled at the thought and Izuku gripped him fiercely.
"My stomach?" Katsuki looked down, his eyes only seeing a big patch of gauze taped in a neat rectangle.
"It was a hunting knife." Izuku's eyes swam, and Katsuki wished he could pull Izuku to his lap, into bed with him to stroke his hair and comfort him. "Hunting knives sometimes have serrated edges. The doctors said that tore into you, left a lot of damage. It narrowly avoided your-" Izuku swiped at his eyes and smiled, water and wide, "Intestines, so they just wanted to make sure you'd be fine since it was so jagged."
"Are you okay? Are you harmed?" Katsuki's eyes roved over Izuku's face and body, a body draped in sweats; his sweats.
"I'm fine, Kacchan." Izuku said to his bedsheet, his thumbs stroking each other's nails like they were the most important task right now. "You saved me."
"You saved me first, nerd." Katsuki whispered. "That purple headed guy alright?"
"Hitoshi?" Izuku squinted then rubbed his eye with the heel of his palm and yawned. "He's mostly beat up, and the police told him, and us, to come in and make a report. They have the two assholes in custody too."
"They better had, I did their jobs for them." Katsuki grunted as he readjusted himself in the bed, never letting go of Izuku's hand. "How long til I can get outta here?"
"Um-" Izuku looked around to the empty doorway, an empty bleary looking corridor and stood. "Let me find out."
"Stay." Katsuki gripped his hand before he could let go of him and Izuku hesitated, his eyes wide in surprise but happy nevertheless.
"Okay, Kacchan." Izuku settled back into his chair.
Katsuki would be kept under observation for one more day, the jagged edges of the stab wounds seeming to be fine and healing nicely. He was told to expect scars the size of his hand splayed across his shoulder and his abdomen from the violent nature of the stabbing but otherwise, he would be healthy.
"Your modelling." Izuku muttered after the nurse left.
"What about it?" Katsuki shrugged. "I don't model naked for all my photos, Izuku." Katsuki squeezed his hand, glad to find it still there even after what they had been through.
"But-" Izuku's eyes looked away from his exposed shoulder, bandaged and a little bloody where it seeped as it healed, the edges forcibly finding each other as they wove together to become whole again.
"Izuku. Hush. I would do it again." Katsuki wished he could kiss the crown of his head. "Come here."
Izuku froze. His eyes roamed over Katsuki's body that essentially filled the entirety of the small bed. Katsuki laughed. "I said get on here." Katsuki pulled at his arm forcibly enough that Izuku shifted off his chair and sidled onto the hospital bed.
"I don't want to hurt you." Izuku watched his body again, his eyes filled with broken things and hesitation.
"You can't, babe." Katsuki kissed his knuckles, unaware the word had slipped from his mouth even when Izuku had widened his already wide and innocent eyes. He shifted as far as he could to one end and Izuku climbed next to him.
It was fucking medicine, Izuku's body next to him in this too small bed. Katsuki buried his nose into the crown of Izuku's head and inhaled, once, twice, and then he was asleep.
They woke to the nurse nudging them, firm and chastising, but soft and sweet at the same time; she had seen this many times before.
"We're discharging Mr Bakugou. He will need to be taken care of at home. No movement of his shoulder, no strenuous activities" The night nurse explained as she eyed Izuku who stood nervously, clasping Katsuki's hand. Katsuki understood he was discharged already but appreciated the nurse looking out for him.
"I won't let him do any lifting ma'am." Izuku whispered. Katsuki chuckled.
Katsuki hadn't paid attention when Izuku pressed the button in the elevator, so when they stopped outside the door 715, he looked at Izuku who pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked the door.
"I'm sorry to bring you up here, your apartment is three floors down." Izuku peered sideways at him before guiding him into a near bare apartment, a futon unrolled in one corner and a kettle with one lone mug on the counter.
"This is yours?" Katsuki asked, putting together that the key belonged to Izuku, therefore so did the apartment.
"I got it and meant to tell you yesterday, a surprise." Izuku whispered, turning now to face Katsuki who slumped against the wall to hide the mild pain that thrummed through him.
"What about that half 'n half bastard." Katsuki narrowed his eyes as he remembered their conversation before they left for the club.
"Todo?" Izuku's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Katsuki nodded slightly. "Kacchan." Izuku sighed.
"Didn't he want to see you?" Katsuki asked, confused if he had misunderstood the side of the conversation he heard.
"Kacchan. I signed this lease a week ago." Izuku stepped toward Katsuki to pull him off the wall and guide him to his balcony. The wind whipped into their ears in a pleasant way that screamed freedom and newness. Katsuki could feel the blood in his ears crowding the sound of the wind, what it all meant, what Izuku was saying.
"A week ago?" Katsuki repeated weakly, even as Izuku sank into his side, fitting perfectly under his arm, his head turning and fitting snugly into his shoulder.
"I choose you, shithead." Izuku whispered, the words tossing with the wind like confetti. "I chose you."
Katsuki looked down to see his mouth say the word and Izuku looked up and smiled.
"I'm here to be closer to you. You're my future. There was no three months for me." Izuku explained, his mouth close enough to carry their warmth and sound to Katsuki's ear.
"But the phone call-" Katsuki frowned.
"Meant nothing. That was my past." Izuku murmured against Katsuki's neck, trailing his mouth along his jaw and breathing in the scent of him. "Can I kiss you?"
"Yes." Katsuki breathed, relieved he wasn't alone. Relieved he was three floors away from Izuku.
Izuku tiptoed and Katsuki lowered his head, their lips brushing softly against the other, warm and inviting. They opened their mouths as they met and pressed eagerly against each other, Izuku careful about his weight and Katsuki balancing on the hip that would be less painful for his healing abdominal muscles while pulling Izuku closer with his uninjured shoulder.
The sneak of Izuku's tongue invited Katsuki to do the same, and when he finally tasted something that tasted suspiciously like peach, his favourite juice, he pulled away and smirked looking at Izuku's sweats (his sweats) and his violently pink mouth.
"Hey Kacchan?" Izuku breathed, half laughing. Katsuki's eyes were wet, he didn't know when he started crying and began wiping his eyes away with the back of his hands.
"Yea?" Katsuki sniffled, too relieved to have Izuku here to think clearly.
"Are we friends?" Izuku peered up at him innocently, like a damned actor or some shit because the fucker kept a straight face.
Katsuki blinked. Then he stared. And a laugh burst out of him, so unexpected that he sputtered all over Izuku and wiped at the freckled blurry face before him, then his own wet cheeks and eyes and dribbling nose.
"Yea, nerd. We're friends." Katsuki grinned then lowered his mouth to Izuku's for a kiss.