A/N: Wow! Late for like, what, the first time? My bad, life tends to get messy sometimes and between foster kitties needing attention and spending quality time with my family (because as an introvert I would probably never talk to them if they didn't reach out to me first - oops) the later half of the week kinda got away from me BUT FEAR NOT! I have stayed up till the early am's to bring you this chapter :3
P.S sorry if ant mistakes...1. I'm human and 2. I'm dead tired, almost falling asleep while reading this chapter over.

Also wow, this week I challenged myself to write a fic from start to finish and beta reader ready within 7 days and did it! Thank you to the wonderful Juniper (you know who you are) for reading said fic - I adore your feedback and can't wait for your reaction to the latest one. It needs some more love but even I'm pretty happy with what was accomplished.

Who knows, maybe that fic will end up on here some day ;)

Everything had been going so well until that moment, the moment Izuku had called out Katsuki's stupid nickname in that heated moment and all the pleasure Katsuki had been feeling inside drained away. Even now as they laid in bed Katsuki couldn't turn off his mind like he was being haunted.

So you're Kacchan.

That damn man.

Who would have guessed you were a pro hero too.

He hadn't known.

Did he make such sweet sounds for you too?

How had he known that name?

They're beautiful aren't they.

The memory of Izuku moaning out his name as he came had been something Katsuki had only ever fantasized about for years. But that man had heard them too. He had boasted about hearing the sounds of pleasure Izuku had made and that thought ate into Katsuki's mind like a maggot into rotting flesh.

He recalled Izuku's conversation with Eijiro in the hospital. Izuku liked someone, said it was complicated, asked how you knew if it was a strong emotion like love he was feeling. At the time Katsuki had been certain it was him the greenette had been talking about, but now he wasn't so sure and the thought made him taste bile.

Izuku had made those sounds for that man too which meant the greenette had enjoyed it. He had enjoyed that man's disgusting touch. He had moaned for him too. But when had Izuku said Katsuki's nickname. Katsuki's skin crawled at the thought that he had moaned out 'Kacchan' while that man was pleasuring him.

Katsuki stifled a growl and rolled out of the bed, leaving Izuku to sleep. The greenette let out a small groan at the mattress shifting but didn't wake up as Katsuki left the bedroom. He milled in the kitchen, having a snack to try to put a lid on his festering thoughts but couldn't shake them so went out for a run instead.

Being outside alone was stupid and he knew it but he needed the fresh air and the exercise to quiet his mind or else he may not be able to look Izuku in the face again which he knew was unfair. He had finally been able to cross a new line with the greenette and then he had suddenly put up a wall. And Izuku had noticed, he knew that but how was he to explain what was going on inside his head all because of that damn snake eyed bastard. Katsuki had wanted to replace those bad memories for Izuku with better ones but maybe the memories for the greenette hadn't been so bad to begin with. Maybe Izuku's main issue with the ordeal was being disgusted with himself that he had enjoyed it, enjoyed it enough to moan out Katsuki's nickname during it and that man had latched onto that. That meant Izuku had thought of Katsuki at least during it all but that didn't exactly do anything to comfort the blonde who outwardly screwed up his face at the thought.

It hadn't even reached midnight yet and Katsuki found a place to stop, bend over and breath. He considered himself lucky the other man had even fallen asleep so early to begin with. Izuku had never been one for an early night but the lack of sleep had been building up on him and this time that had worked in Katsuki's favor otherwise he never would have been able to get out of the apartment without an argument. Not that Izuku could really stop him but they both knew that with the snake eyed bastard still at large that neither of them were guaranteed safety outside. But Katsuki had found the bedroom stifling all of a sudden beside Izuku, the entire apartment to be exact and it was just so unfair.

Unfair on him but more so on the greenette who had pushed himself to interact with Katsuki on such an intimate level and then had it practically thrown back in his face. He would be lucky if Izuku would let him touch him again after being such a dick.

Katsuki stood up straighter and took in a long deep breath. He would have to face Izuku eventually. He would either have to shut his brain the hell up or explain his feelings which was the less desirable of the two options because words and feelings had never been Katsuki's strong suit and more often than not he made things worse while trying to explain himself thanks to his harsh tone, inner frustrations and habit of getting defensive. And everyone knew that Katsuki's best defense was offense which never went down well outside of hero work.

But Katsuki had never been a good liar or actor before either. He never pretended to be anything he wasn't all his life. The closest he had ever been to lying was when he put up a brave face to hide his inner turmoil but Izuku had always been able to see through that ever since they were young.

The blonde was suddenly struck with the desire to not go home for faking being alright or talking about his feelings both felt incredibly difficult. And after being so close to Izuku, to suddenly pull away from the affection would be like waving a red flag in front of a bull, only the red flag being Katsuki being off and the bull being Izuku forcing him to talk about it. Katsuki would rather face an actual raging bull or a super villain.

Despite his miserable feelings, Katsuki turned on his heel and headed for home. If Izuku woke to find Katsuki not there, it would only worsen things and Katsuki didn't like leaving the greenette alone to face his nightmares even if he felt like he couldn't breathe in the same room as him anymore.

"Can you just tell me what's wrong?" Izuku pleaded in the middle of the living space.

Katsuki had gone home and crawled back into the bed without Izuku being any the wiser. He had gotten up and made breakfast for them both before finding an excuse about having to touch base with Yaoyorozu to leave for the agency an hour early but when he had come home, his mood hadn't improved and Izuku had had enough.

"Nothing's wrong" Katsuki lied from the kitchen where he busied himself with making dinner or at least acting like he was. With Izuku breathing down his neck from across the room he hadn't even a recipe in mind, just pulling ingredients at random from the fridge and cupboards so he looked as busy as his mind was.

"Don't lie to me Kacchan" Izuku pressed with a touch of annoyance. Until then he had only sounded sad.

"I'm not lying," Katsuki threw back as he grabbed randomly at his spices, "It's just not you're problem"

"How is it not my problem," the greenette sounded even more irritable, "when I'm obviously the problem?" at that Katsuki froze, taking a breath before he finally turned to face the other man who was staring back at him with teary green eyes. Katsuki swallowed.

"Last night, I thought you wanted it, I was following your lead and then you just went all," he waved his hands about like he was searching for the right word, "weird" he settled for.

"I didn't go weird" Katsuki tossed back because it was the first thing that came to mind. He pinched the inside of his cheek between his back teeth to save cursing himself aloud. He could have said something better like confirming that he indeed had wanted it.

"You just got up and left and then you didn't come back or say anything" Izuku's eyes were wide, wanting to understand and it left Katsuki feeling cornered. He didn't want to have this discussion. Ever.

"Did I do something wrong?" asked Izuku and took a single step forward before stopping himself. Izuku knew Katsuki, he knew that getting closer would only make Katsuki feel more trapped and therefore more likely to react badly, but it was so badly in his nature to want to reach out.

"You didn't do anything wrong" Katsuki snapped back, irritated that Izuku even thought that but at the same time he could see exactly why the greenette would think that and he hated himself for it.

"Then tell me what the problem is, what happened last night?" Izuku's voice softened with the question, his eyes looking to dry a little as the threat of tears subsided. Katsuki bared his teeth and hissed, looking to the counter as he vented his annoyance at himself. It was his own stupid actions that had led him here. He had no one else to blame.

"Kacchan" Izuku pushed with a pleading tone. Katsuki looked back. Izuku looked desperate.

"You didn't do anything wrong," Katsuki repeated calmly, "I'm the one with the problem, not you so don't worry about it"

Izuku's head rolled from side to side with miserable annoyance.

"How can I not worry?" he asked.

"Look, just don't worry about it okay" Katsuki pressed a little more firmly.

"Was it because I came in your hand and that was gross?" Izuku tried.

"No" Katsuki pushed back.

"Then what?" Izuku pleaded. Katsuki raised a hand to rub across his face aggressively. He would do anything to avoid this conversation. Walking out crossed his mind but he knew that would only make things drag on.

He just had to rip it off like a band-aid.

"It's not you," Katsuki said for the final time, his eyes locking onto Izuku's across the room to push that point across, "some shit that bastard said stuck in my head and it messed with me last night, that's all"

"Some shit," Izuku screwed up his face, "like what?"

"He just said some shit alright, it doesn't matter"

"It matters, Kacchan, especially if it's what made you go all weird last night" Izuku waved his hands about, most likely the only movement he could do to prevent himself coming closer and invading Katsuki's space. Izuku's hands fell back to his side.

"Did you not like doing that stuff?" the greenette asked with a quieter tone, his eyes darting away self-consciously and it stung.

"No, shit, of course I liked it. I've been wanting to do crap like that to you forever" Katsuki shot back with disbelief – disbelief that Izuku would even think that.

"Then tell me what he said that got to you so bad" Izuku asked, "please"

Katsuki tore his gaze away, shutting his eyes tightly and rolling his head from side to side.

Like a band-aid.

"He said that you enjoyed it" Katsuki managed to get out.

"What?" Izuku breathed.

"He said you made such wonderful sounds for him" he put emphasis on the wonderful and shook his head like it was foolish.

Izuku took a step back. He looked disgusted.

"And you believe that?" he asked like he was wounded.

"Well, no" Katsuki's words hadn't been confident enough and Izuku jumped at it.

"What do you mean well no?" it was all in his tone and it stung, "I can't believe –" Katsuki interrupted just to stop Izuku's train of thought before it hurt either of them more but he chose his next words poorly.

"Then how did he know that you call me Kacchan?"

"Everyone knows I call you that" Izuku threw back.

"He didn't. He had no idea that I was Kacchan until he ambushed me in the alleyway"

"What's this got to do with anything?" Izuku pushed back, his green brows furrowing that Katsuki was changing the subject.

"How would he know it? You must have said it while he was with you" Katsuki pointed out.

"With me?" Izuku picked at the words with disgust, his eyes growing wet again, "You seriously think," he spat the words with hate, "that I moaned your name because he was touching me?" behind those wet eyes sat anger and Katsuki wanted to take back every single word that had left his mouth over that last minute.

"Because it felt good?" Izuku's voice rose, "Is that what you think?"

Katsuki had to pick his words more carefully but it was his weakest point.

"I don't want to think it" he answered but it had been the wrong answer.

"I can't believe you!" Izuku spat and the dam behind his eyes broke as tears started to roll down his freckled cheeks, his jaw tense with anger.

Seeing Izuku cry because of his stupid thoughts and words made Katsuki bristle but he wasn't mad at Izuku at all. He was pissed at himself for hurting him, for being stuck in his own head and creating this problem in the first place. After last night he should have been happy, thrilled, but he had ruined it. He had screwed it up.

"Then why did you say my name?!" Katsuki threw back with voice raised. He knew it was the wrong move but he couldn't stop himself in time before that had crawled their way up his throat and into the air between them.

"Because I wanted you to save me!" Izuku yelled back with enough hurt that he bent over himself as sobs got the better of him and in that moment all the anger Katsuki felt inside himself vanished like they had never existed as he was hit in the face with the painful truth.

For a moment neither of them moved. Katsuki's breath was trapped inside his chest and all he could hear was Izuku chocking back sobs.

"Izuku" Katsuki spoke his name, his real name because he knew it meant something to not call him Deku for once. He said it because he wanted to reach Izuku. He stepped closer; hand outstretched as he said the name but that had been the wrong move again. Izuku's body snapped upright and the man slapped Katsuki's hand away with a wet grimace, his eyes wide with hurt and panic.

"Don't call me that!" the greenette cried out and stepped back. Katsuki froze, realizing his mistake too late.

My Izuku.

Of course, that bastard of a man thought Izuku was his so he had called him by his first name like they were a real couple, like he wasn't some stalker freak who had drugged and abused someone. He had said Izuku's first name like he meant something to him and it was disgusting.

"Don't" Izuku stepped back again, hands clutching at his chest as his body was racked with barely contained emotion. All Katsuki wanted to do was hold Izuku, wrap his arms around him and comfort him, tell him how sorry he was but Izuku wanted none of that and he couldn't blame him.

"Deku," Katsuki corrected, "I'm sorry" he tried, a tentative step closer but Izuku bolted for the door.

"Deku!" Katsuki called, reaching for the door but Izuku had already fled, snatching his keys up as he went, leaving the door wide open and swinging in his wake. Katsuki froze on the spot, a hand still reaching after the vanished greenette before he slowly let it drop. He wanted to chase after Izuku, to right the wrongs that had been made but he knew better. Izuku was the sort of person who always wanted to sit and talk things out. Running from Katsuki only proved the level of hurt he felt and that burned inside Katsuki's chest more than anything. Giving Izuku space to calm would be the best course of action but at the same time Katsuki couldn't leave Izuku by himself outside when that man could be lingering around the next corner waiting to pounce.

Katsuki pulled out his phone after taking a long breath to calm himself.

"Hey man, what's up?" came Eijiro's bright voice as he answered the phone.

"Where are you?" Katsuki asked in a hurry.

"Uh, at the office why?" the smile was gone from the red head's voice.

"Can you let me know if Deku comes in?"

"Yeah, sure, but it's his day off, why would he come here? Did you both get into an argument?" Eijiro asked with more concern.

"Yes," Katsuki answered firmly, "look if he shows up just text me"

"First lover's quarrel?" Katsuki could hear the obnoxious grin to his voice.

"What?" Katsuki snapped.

"You and Midoriya are like a thing yeah?" asked the red head.

"No, we're not a thing" Katsuki hissed into the phone.

"Really, shame. Better hurry up and make that happen then. Arguing ain't gonna help"

"Just text me if he shows up" Katsuki hissed harshly.

"Yeah, alright man, will do"

Katsuki hung up before he grabbed his keys and pulled on some shoes, not even bothering with a jacket before he headed out. Even if Izuku showed up at the agency that was fine, Katsuki had no plan on chasing the greenette there, he just wanted to know if he showed up or not because at least he knew Izuku would be safe there. His second thought was that Izuku would head for his own apartment to be somewhere comfortable and familiar while he was upset. Katsuki could respect giving Izuku space but he couldn't leave Izuku there by himself. At the very least Katsuki would stand outside the door till Izuku was calm enough to try talking again. It was strange territory for Katsuki who was not used to having people storm off on him during arguments.

Katsuki left his place no more than a minute after Izuku had left through the door and already there was no sight of the greenette exiting the building on the streets below so Katsuki headed for the roof, just in case he had gone there instead of home. He had little patience for the elevator and by the time he had made it to the roof a couple more minutes had passed and he found it empty. To have traveled so far so fast Izuku must have used his quirk to get away which only dug the dagger or hurt deeper into Katsuki's chest and ignited the anger inside him at himself.

But it couldn't go on. He would find Izuku to make sure he stayed safe while he cooled down and then he would apologize and they could start to make things right by talking it out or whatever it was Izuku wanted to do because Katsuki would support that if it meant repairing the hurt he had caused, even if it meant never being able to touch Izuku again.

The moment Izuku had made it through Katsuki's apartment door he had let One For All flare up and made a beeline for the roof and from there made it back to his place. With his quirk it had taken no more than a minute to reach his front door and let himself in, long enough for his tears to stop. He shut the door behind him with more force than necessary and flicked on the lights, his place smelling a bit musty from being uninhabited and closed up for so long. He had no reason to be there other than to just get away from Katsuki and it was the first place he had thought of to come, which meant if Katsuki followed him, the blonde wouldn't be far behind. He only hoped that it would take a while for Katsuki to decide to come after him or better yet, Katsuki opting to stay at his own place and wait for Izuku to come back. But the greenette had no such plans. At least not for the next night or two or maybe more.

He stomped to his tattered room and pulled out a shabby backpack that hardly saw the light of day and started shoving underwear and clothes inside it haphazardly. He had his wallet and phone on him already and with a few days' worth of clothes he could set himself up in a secure hotel room for a couple of days, tell the receptionist that he wanted no calls or visitors while he was there until he decided what to do next. Sure he and Katsuki could talk things over but right now he didn't want to see Katsuki for a while. He may not be able to escape the blonde at work but he could avoid him easily enough by staying out of the office.

Izuku stomped around the small apartment, crossing from the bedroom across to the bathroom to snatch up some basic toiletries. It crossed his mind that he had left his collar and phone charger at Katsuki's and he let his shoulders sag with a sigh. He moved to cross back to his bedroom when he heard the front door open. Izuku let out a groan.

"I don't want to talk to you right now Kacchan" Izuku grumbled loud enough to be heard from the opposite end of the apartment and made a point of not looking the blonde's way. The blonde's footsteps came closer and Izuku let out an irritated sigh and moved to throw his backpack through his bedroom door and hopefully onto his bed so at least if he was going to be forced to finish this discussion with the blonde he could wave his hands about freely to relieve some of his stress.

But halfway through the movement, taking a step forward as he did, his body froze. The backpack fell from his grip to the floor and Izuku was left unbalanced mid-step as his body teetered forward. Before Izuku fell completely though hands grabbed at him, one at his throat and the other one at his wrist and he was pressed to the wall behind him.

"I'm so glad you're finally home" grinned the snake eyed man and Izuku's heart rate spiked, "I've been waiting for you for so long" came his smooth, velvety voice and he smiled to Izuku, his face coming in uncomfortably close, yellow eyes reflecting his delight that Izuku had showed up. Despite being paralyzed to the point of not being able to talk, Izuku's eyes teared up out of pure panic that he had been stupid enough to come back to his home of all places.

"I've missed you so much Izuku," the name was like poison from his smiling lips, "where have you been all this time? Not with that Kacchan of yours I hope" the man's voice turned to venom at the mention of Katsuki and the hand around Izuku's throat began to tighten.

"You have, haven't you?" the voice was a hiss as his smile fell away into a sneer, hand tightening still till Izuku was starting to not get enough air, yet he couldn't do a single thing about it.

"You let him touch you didn't you?" Izuku's lungs were beginning to burn and tears blazed a trail down his face, "disgusting, how could you let someone taint your beautiful skin like that. I thought we had something special, that you would only be mine"

Izuku could do nothing more than choke on his own gasps as spots began to dance across his vision.

"Don't worry," the man suddenly sounded calmer, happier, "I have a plan for us. I'll take you somewhere where it will be just you and me," his grip lessened and Izuku had the urge to cough but his body wouldn't allow it, "doesn't that sound nice?" the man was grinning again and all Izuku could do was curse his own stupidity.

The man released his hold on Izuku's wrist but under the effect of his quirk, his arm stayed pressed against the wall regardless as the man fished into his coat pocket and pulled out a little pill bag. He tore at it with his teeth, till he pushed one out of the opening and between his fingers, pinching the bag still with his lower fingers against his palm. He put the little bag back in his pocket and raised the single white pill towards Izuku's face.

"Open wide" he said with a smile as though Izuku could comply even if he had wanted to. But Izuku's mouth had been frozen already partly open and the man slipped the pill inside, Izuku shutting his eyes tightly against it but it was futile. Within seconds it had begun to dissolve on Izuku's tongue as the tears rolled down his cheeks. But those yellow snakes eyes only watched on with glee.

"You are going to love the place I've picked out for us," the man went on and Izuku opened his eyes a crack to see the man smiling to him, "we are going to have such a good time together, you'll see" he leaned in close enough for Izuku to feel his hot breath against his face.

Movement caught Izuku's eyes and he did everything he could to not react to it. The snake eyed man he had left the door open when he had let himself in and in the doorway stood Katsuki who had paused only long enough for his burning red gaze to take in the situation. A feral snarl tore across Katsuki's face before he came in. First one step, then another and then he was running, charging right for Izuku's attacker. The sound of Katsuki quickly closing in was enough for the man to begin to turn to face the interruption, his smile dropping as he did but before Katsuki was even halfway to them he had raised his hands, palms touching at their heels as they opened outwards like a blooming flower, light popping and sparking within them. Izuku had seen Katsuki in action long enough to know his moves like his own and he clamped his eyes shut as tightly as he could as the apartment filled with blinding light, bright enough to still be seen through closed eyelids. The hold on Izuku's throat was torn away and his body slid down the wall and hit the floor like a sack of sand before he dared pry open his eyes. Even with protecting them, dots danced across his vision again, resting wherever he looked and seemed to blink at him.

He felt a kick to his shin and gave a hiss, his body instantly pulling away from the contact and Izuku's eyes opened wider as he realised he was free from the paralysis quirk. The grappling men rolled away from him and Izuku pushed himself to all fours, spitting the half dissolved pill from his mouth and wiping his tongue across his shirt sleeve for good measure before jumping to a stand, ready for action as he assessed his surroundings.

In the moment of blindness Katsuki had saved himself from being paralyzed too – if the man could target multiple people at a time – and had tackled the man, no doubt awkwardly to avoid them both falling atop Izuku. But the snake eyed man, despite being blinded had lashed out at Katsuki upon contact and had managed to grab the blonde's shoulders and started throwing punches as the two of them rolled across the living space. It was like a fight between two feral animals from the snarls that filled the space. Katsuki pushed the man till he was on top and threw several fists towards the stalker's face which he covered with one arm while the other reached down to his side and pulled out a knife, the glint catching Izuku's attention. Words wouldn't be fast enough to warn Katsuki and with the blonde in a feral rage he wouldn't have seen it yet so Izuku sprang forward to intercept them.

The snake eyed man twisted the knife in his hand, ready to lash out blindly from behind Katsuki when Izuku was suddenly with them, pressing his body against Katsuki and forcing him off of the man, his body following to land atop him and they rolled across the floor till they collided with the back of the couch. The man turned on his front and hurried back to his feet, his face contorted as he tried to blink away the blindness and he must have had some success because his face was turning their way. Izuku and Katsuki were back on their feet and the moment the man faced them Izuku shoved Katsuki one way and sprang in the other direction to avoid the possible paralyzing gaze, though thankfully neither felt their body freeze from his quirk and Katsuki was quick to recover from the shove.

Yellow snake eyes fell upon Izuku and the greenette felt himself freeze, not from a quirk this time but from sheer confusion. The man's gaze was sorrowful, like he had just watched a loved one die but before he could utter a word or make a move Katsuki was on him from behind, grabbing the man's wrist and twisting it behind his back as he kicked in behind his knees, bringing him to the ground, the blonde straddling him with a snarl as he tore the bloodied blade from the man's hand and flung it across the room and far out of reach. And just like that it was over. Katsuki pinned him down with his weight and tore at his sleeve to create a blindfold while Izuku called upon Black Whip, thankfully mostly unaffected by the drug that hadn't had time to reach Izuku's system properly, to bind the man. All the while the man sobbed.

"Izuku," he called pleadingly, "you don't want to do this. We can be happy together" the man went on and on about how good a life together could be until Katsuki yanked off the man's own shoe, pulled off his sock and shoved the rolled up item into the man's mouth to silence him with a grimace. He called the police right after.

"Shit, you're bleeding" Katsuki hissed after he had ended his brief call and turned back to face Izuku, finally seeming calmed having captured the stalker. Now he rushed to Izuku whose eyes had been stuck to the man, watching his every move to ensure he didn't get away despite being wrapped up in Black Whip. Izuku was still so on edge he didn't dare take his eyes off of him until his vision was filled with Katsuki and he blinked up at the blonde from where he had sat on the floor.

"Huh?" Izuku asked but Katsuki didn't bother with a response, instead kneeling down and reaching around Izuku to pull at his top, only then with the soiled, sticky fabric being torn away did Izuku let out a hiss and his eyes turned to follow Katsuki's hands. The blonde sneered at the wound, a clean slice two inches long but thankfully shallow across the left side of Izuku's waist.

"Hold still," growled out the blonde as he reached for the nearest piece of spare material – a throw rug Izuku's mother had gotten him to 'liven up the room' as she had put it – and pressed it harshly against Izuku's side and he let out another hiss. Behind Katsuki the bound man made noises of distress from behind his sock gag.

"It's fine Kacchan" Izuku spoke quietly as he moved a hand to take over holding the wound, "It's not that deep" Katsuki lifted his gaze and it was the first time they had looked each other in the eye since Izuku had run out on the blonde.

"It's not fine," Katsuki bit back, lips pressed tight between each word and his red eyes hard, "you almost got yourself up shit creek without a damn paddle. What would you have done if I hadn't shown up huh? You'd be gone that's what! That freak wanted to take you away and lock you up like some damn princess in a castle," Katsuki ranted on and Izuku lowered his gaze slowly at the harsh words. Katsuki wasn't wrong, he had been utterly helpless and if Katsuki had shown up even a minute later or hadn't come straight to his apartment at all, Izuku would have woken alone in a small windowless room and been trapped at the mercy of the snake eyed man. Izuku shut his eyes tightly and tensed his jaw at how stupidly close he had been to being a victim again.

Hands slapped on either side of his face just enough to sting, pressing against his cheeks and forcing his head up only to open his eyes and find himself face to face with Katsuki, the blonde heart-stoppingly close.

"Don't you ever do that again" Katsuki hissed to him lightly, his red gaze still firm and fixed on Izuku's green eyes till he gave a tiny nod, bottom lip trembling as his body was flooded with relief that it was all finally over.

"Don't ever leave, okay?" Katsuki pushed again even lighter than before, ruby eyes softening. Izuku felt his own gaze growing wet as the sound of approaching sirens could be heard through the still open door. He nodded again.

Katsuki released his hold upon his face all at once and wrapped his arms around Izuku and pulled him into a tight embrace. Izuku's face was forced into the crook of Katsuki's neck and he had a mind to protest that he couldn't breathe properly before he stopped himself. Through the contact he could feel the Katsuki trembling ever so slightly and that was the final piece to break the dam walls and Izuku turned his face to bury it deeper into Katsuki's neck, not caring if he got the other wet with his tears, lifting his one free arm to embrace the blonde in return.

He was safe. They were both finally safe.

The police arrived only a minute later and took the snake eyed man away and the moment he was gone from view Izuku felt exhaustion weigh on him from the stress of it all and let out a hefty sigh as his shoulders sagged. Katsuki stayed beside him the entire time, never leaving him when the police asked questions and paramedics came up to clean and stitch up Izuku's cut. They insisted that Izuku visit the local hospital if the bleeding started again and to take time off of work for at least a day or two to let it clot properly. Izuku nodded along to their words but took very little of it in. Being a hero it wasn't the first knife to mark his body and it surely wouldn't be the last so he was familiar with the drill by now.

Shortly after, detective Ito arrived personally followed in by Tsukauchi of all people but Izuku was far too relieved to stop and wonder about that particular detective's presence, though Katsuki beside him stayed on alert and narrowed his eyes at the man who simply gave a nod in greeting and let Ito handle the questions. The police took the knife away as evidence and Ito scrapped up what remained of the half dissolved pill Izuku had spat out and once there was nothing more to say, they all cleared out, the last of them closing the door behind themselves and at last it was just the two of them alone on the couch.

Izuku let his body sag into Katsuki, their sides meeting and let his head loll to the side the rest on the blonde's shoulder. Katsuki turned his head to the side like wise and let it rest upon Izuku's head.

"It's finally over" Izuku breathed, letting his eyes close at the sense of peace that washed over him.

"Hardly," Katsuki replied flatly and the peace halted, "there will be more questions and formal reports and probably a private hearing. That shit could take a while"

Izuku let out a tired sigh at the thought.

"As long as he's not out there anymore, that's good enough for me" Izuku spoke his thought aloud.

They sat in silence for a moment.

"Now what?" Katsuki asked quietly.

"What do you mean?" Izuku lifted his head and pulled away enough so he could look to Katsuki properly. The blonde looked to him with an expressionless face.

"You've still got shit at mine so," he let himself trail off.

"Right" Izuku agreed and glanced away. He had run from Katsuki's apartment because he had felt hurt but that hadn't meant he had been ready to return to his own, not after knowing that man had been inside and after this evening's event, it just didn't feel like home anymore. It felt invaded, hostile and unsafe. A hotel room had been Izuku's next plan but now he wasn't so sure. Beside him Katsuki moved to stand, letting out a cross between a sigh and a growl as he did, straightened his back and rolled his shoulders before giving Izuku a look with a raised eyebrow from over his shoulder.

"So?" the blonde repeated and Izuku blinked up at him with sudden understanding and stood quickly to follow.

"Right!" Izuku said more firmly and a relaxed smile touched his lips, "let's go then" he gave the blonde a small smile and stepped ahead for the front door.

Once the snake eyed bastard had been arrested the greenette had returned to Katsuki's apartment with him and although they hadn't discussed him staying, the freckled man made no move to leave again that night which had been a weight off of Katsuki's chest. It hadn't been an easy night though, their argument still hung in the air above them like a dark brewing cloud the moment they came in through the front door, but for that night at least they let it go, instead the greenette coming in close to sleep beside Katsuki for comfort after almost being taken and Katsuki had no intention of letting go all night.

Izuku had to spend the next two days doing desk duty and being sternly lectured by Iida – the four eyes coming in specially to see him – for getting injured doing hero work outside of agency hours. Neither of them gave the full story, instead making up some crap about stopping a petty thief but Izuku could shrug most of it off with a wobbly smile, his whole demeanor relaxing some now that he didn't have to keep glancing over his shoulder every time he stepped outside and come the end of the working week everyone else in the office seemed to notice the subtle change and let out a collective sigh of relief.

It wasn't perfect though. Katsuki still had to apologize for the way he had acted and the things he had said that night that had led to Izuku running out. It wasn't easy but on that second night Katsuki had fumbled over his words and bitten the inside of his cheek several times over before Izuku finally gave him a small lopsided smile and accepted his apology – although Katsuki felt the greenette had mostly done it just to save him from his own embarrassment – and things started to feel a little bit lighter between them, though Katsuki was still not bold enough to make any moves. He knew that despite Izuku telling him he was forgiven that some of that hurt still lingered in the touch of sadness to those green eyes at times when pointed Katsuki's way, or the fact that it took a while for Izuku to build up being as physically close as he had been before with the blonde. It was gradual and without flinching but they ended up creeping closer again.

Katsuki and Izuku also gave Tsukauchi a call once they had resolved their own issues, to know why the detective had shown up at Izuku's apartment that night. The detective had very calmly explained that after hearing of Katsuki's stabbing he had become involved. It had been one of Toshinori's wishes before passing that he keep an eye on his two most promising yet troubling students, or so the detective told them and both men had glanced at each other knowing it was very likely the truth. Both had a knack of finding trouble, though both were also very well equipped to handle it. The detective went on to explain how he had discovered Izuku's assault after reaching out to detective Ito – from no fault of Ito's at all, Tsukauchi made a point of that. He was a detective after all and he would be a bad one at that if he wasn't skilled in finding out things that weren't meant to be known – who had also been in charge of handling Katsuki's stabbing due to the culprit and from there Tsukauchi had gotten involved in the case directly, being high enough of a position to not be denied by Ito. The detective very gently told them that since capturing and questioning the snake eyed man – Katsuki didn't care to remember his actual name – they had discovered the location of where he had been planning to drag Izuku off too and upon investigating the place personally Tsukauchi had discovered a plethora of printed photos from the assault. He assured Izuku personally that he had removed the images, destroyed all evidence of them and left them out of any reports. He expressed his sincere apologies that such trouble had befallen them both, Izuku primarily and the pair of men thanked him for his assistance in handling the matter.

After that final attempted attack from the psycho stalker Izuku decided to sell his apartment and move elsewhere after expressing that he just didn't feel comfortable returning to it. He stayed with Katsuki while he browsed other apartments, always within walking distance from Katsuki's place which the blonde poked at the greenette over. Izuku did nothing more than groan and push Katsuki away playfully but Katsuki took it as the sign it was: that Izuku still liked him and wanted to be close by which made his chest swell with warmth. The blonde did point out that Izuku could get a place at the same apartment complex but Izuku had pushed back on the idea jokingly saying that having him so close all the time might bother Katsuki. The blonde had bit back at that, growling out how ridiculous that was, especially considering that Izuku had been living with Katsuki for weeks on end now and he was fine with it. More than fine if he was being completely honest. If Katsuki could have it his way, Izuku wouldn't leave at all. Their relationship – if they could call it that – was far from the point of living together but Katsuki enjoyed falling asleep beside the greenette every night and picking on his diet and doing stupid mundane things together like grocery shopping and wondering who's underpants were who's when the wash load had dried. It was also not a coincidence that every time Izuku arranged for an inspection of a prospective apartment that it happened to fall on their shared day off.

After three weeks of being at Katsuki's again Izuku finally found a place, this one only a five minute walk from Katsuki's and it was even up to the blonde's standards which Izuku had rolled his eyes at during the inspection. The move was completed in one day and Izuku left Katsuki's with all of his things that same day so he could spend his evenings finishing unpacking.

Sleeping was hard for a while with the other half of Katsuki's bed being empty for the first time in what felt like a very long time. He would toss and turn and his mind would think only of Izuku sometimes with worry and other times with the thoughts of touching him and the sounds he had made, now no longer tainted with the haunting thoughts that bastard had implanted in him.

Four evenings later Izuku showed up late in the evening – luckily for him Katsuki was still in the habit of staying up later than usual to wait for him after work – looking pink cheeked and fidgeting nervously until he finally confessed that he missed Katsuki and the blonde had embraced him and dragged him inside his apartment where they curled up on the couch together and put on something that neither of them actually cared to be watching. It was just a moment of pure wholesome bliss with Izuku curled up between his legs and against his chest. Their hands interlocked and Katsuki just enjoyed the warmth and the scent of Izuku on him. An hour and a half later of laying together on the couch in near peaceful silence Izuku moved to leave. Katsuki had offered – hoped – for him to stay the night but Izuku declined with pink cheeks before they went their separate ways again. Katsuki missed Izuku even more that night.

Two days later Katsuki was finally allowed to visit the greenette's new place now that he had finished unpacking everything and he smiled broadly as he waited for the blonde's final nod of approval. The other man grinned with delight and together they made a meal and sat to eat. Katsuki lingered for a while longer while Izuku insisted on doing the dishes since Katsuki had handled most of the cooking outside of cutting up the meat and vegetables and when the blonde got up to leave for the evening, Izuku had followed him to the door, stood on his toes and pressed his lips to Katsuki's.

"Thanks Kacchan," the greenette spoke with a smile but averted his eyes as his cheeks warmed, "for everything" green eyes flicked up to meet Katsuki's and the blonde couldn't help but to smirk back. He threw an arm over Izuku's shoulders and pulled him in till their bodies were flush together.

"Shut it" Katsuki huffed out with a smirk. He didn't need the idiot thanking him.

Katsuki pressed a kiss to Izuku's forehead which only seemed to wind the greenette up more, before lifting his arm and stepping back with the intention of getting one final good look at the other man before leaving for the night, only he didn't get very far when Izuku clung to him with a fist-full of his jacket.

"Hey Kacchan," Izuku began quietly, his green gaze fixed to Katsuki this time, "I was wondering exactly, what are we?" he squeezed the words out like it hurt his throat to ask out of awkwardness. Katsuki narrowed his eyes.

"What do you want us to be?" he asked as he searched Izuku's face for a sign but the greenette only seemed to get more flustered having the question thrown back at him.

"W-well we both like each other and we've done some stuff now AND I know you wanted more than –"

"I wanted more?" Katsuki repeated back, "like you didn't?" he teased, leaning in close and Izuku tensed with wide blinking eyes as his cheeks flushed all over again.

"I know," the greenette replied, "I did – DO," he corrected himself, "I just mean, are we like dating?" he cringed at his own question. Katsuki stood straight again, watching Izuku closely as his amusement grew. The blonde shoved his hands in his pockets.

"I thought you didn't want to date me. You didn't even want to go on a date" Katsuki threw back with an eye roll just so the greenette wouldn't misjudge his tone for something harsher.

"We've been on a date" Izuku jumped the defend.

"Oh, so it was a date was it?" Katsuki's smirk broke into a grin and Izuku clamped his mouth shut. The blonde huffed a laugh through his nose and pulled his hands from his pockets and took both of Izuku's in his own.

"What do you want us to be?" Katsuki repeated gently. Izuku dropped his gaze timidly and mumbled some words.

"I can't hear you nerd" Katsuki rolled his eyes.

"Boyfriend!" Izuku spoke up more clearly, head turning up with determination as he forced the word out. They both stood staring at one another for a moment.

Izuku's face flushed.

Katsuki's smirk grew.

Izuku's lip wobbled uncertainly.

Katsuki broke into a grin.

"Say something!" Izuku demanded as he reached breaking point and Katsuki gave in.

"Fine. Yes. Sure"

"Geez, don't sound excited about it or anything" Izuku glowered with the hint of an embarrassed pout and Katsuki threw his hands up at chest level in surrender.

"You kidding me," he scoffed, "it's what I've always wanted" he said with a grin and Izuku rolled his eyes for a change but he couldn't hide the smile touching his lips and Katsuki couldn't resist coming in closer to kiss them quickly.

"That reminds me," Katsuki spoke up again, "how the hell did shitty hair know about us being a thing?" he narrowed his eyes and smirked but Izuku grinned back sheepishly regardless and looked guilty as all hell.

A/N: Previously the snake eyed man had hurt Izuku, beating him among other things but this time he was distraught because he hadn't meant to harm Izuku. The knife had been meant for Katsuki with the intent to kill, not his special person so when he realised that it was Izuku he had wounded - and he didn't know how badly/not badly he had hurt him - with the blade he was upset and that gave Katsuki the opening he needed to grab him.

Can you picture it? The blind rage Katsuki would have been in upon coming across Izuku's abuser again, Oh ho ho, and with Izuku pinned to a wall at his hand too... Boy oh boy that would be a sight to see.

Now this IS the final chapter. Sorry not sorry. But even I hoped there was more to enjoy so fear not! I have a bonus chapter in the works to check in with Izuku and Katsuki's budding relationship and some of what they have had to overcome/still working on together. I aim for a nice balance of wholesome and smut for that one, so stay tuned... just don't expect it in a week. It'll be a while.

And for all those that have enjoyed and commented on this fic THANK YOU! You have all made me feel so positive about my writing progress on my journey to one day write and publish my own work (writing hopefully amazing fanfics is a nice form of practice for me while I find my preferred style and hone my skills) and your support has been wonderful.
Thank you, you amazing humans 3