A/N: Yes, it is about rape and recovering from that. Being a fic, the recovery is a lot quicker and smoother than for many who have experienced such abuse first hand and some of this does branch from my own experience and how I recovered from it mentally. My path is not the same as many others but it still got me to where I am today so I do apologize to any readers who read this fic and think "this is utter bullshit" that is fine but please do keep any and all negaticity from the comments because I am small inside and will cry - not literaly, but it does have a large impact on motivations to continue posting.
For any and all that this fic may offend or does not sit well with, please just put it down and walk away. If it is not to your taste that is fine, we all like different flavours.
For those who stay, enjoy and keep in mind that this is of course all fictional.
"Yo, Midoriya!" called a cheerful call across the cacophony of music and voices that filled the bar. Izuku looked Eijiro's way to find the toothy red head standing at a table and waving him over from the entryway. Izuku beamed back and headed his way. At the table off to the side against a wall sat Eijiro, Denki, Mina, Ochaco, Shoto, and Kyouka all with drinks sitting before them. Izuku had been one of the last to arrive to their increasingly becoming common get togethers.
All of class 1A had come together to build their own agency some years after graduating U.A, so having the entire class together was practically impossible with a handful always on rotating shifts. In fact Izuku had changed and showered at the agency before heading straight over, having stayed back several hours to do even more work than necessary. Usually he wouldn't have bothered coming out on the Thursday night as his shifts wouldn't allow it, but this week due to Tenya being unwell Izuku had done a double shift that day rather than his usual morning one and earned the next morning off so he was not needed into the agency until nine the next morning. He welcomed the idea of a sleep in, his usual shifts covering three till nine in the morning. So he decided he would still only drink lightly for the night.
Ochaco shuffled across the booth seat to make room for Izuku on the edge and he thanked her with a nod and smile before turning his attention to the table. Ochaco turned back to her conversation with Mina across from her and Kyouka discussed something beside Shoto who nodded along.
"Is anyone else coming tonight?" Izuku asked with a smile as Denki slid an untouched beer across to him. Izuku took a grateful sip after such a long tiring day.
"Nah, just us" replied Eijiro with a huff.
"No Kacchan?" Izuku dared to ask. Last he had checked on the agency roster, Katsuki had been free and usually Eijiro was pretty good and dragging the grumbling blonde along to social events.
"Not tonight" huffed Eijiro.
"I got him to swap shifts with me" admitted Denki with a sheepish grin. Eijiro pointed a look his way.
"What? I didn't want to miss this. I never get to hang with you guys outside of work unless something happens to the rosters" Denki pouted and tipped back his beer. Seated opposite him and Eijiro, Izuku could glimpse the pinkish hue on Denki's cheeks as his eyes flicked towards Kyouka for a moment and away again. Izuku grinned to himself and took a more substantial mouthful of his own drink.
Denki was not wrong though. Most of their shifts stayed the same week to week, each grouped together with the same people with slight crossovers between shift changes. Every three months the rosters would be rotated to freshen up the working groups and there were enough of them at the agency to allow a two day break each week. Izuku took pride in memorizing everyone's' shifts when he could. Eijiro, Kyouka and Ochaco were all currently on their days off and Mina and Shoto didn't have work till the next afternoon. Izuku and Denki were the odd ones out for a change, not usually able to attend these get-togethers with this group. Katsuki himself usually worked the afternoon shift Thursdays, with his two days off being the Friday and Saturday so Izuku figured the explosive blonde would usually come along if Denki hadn't urged him to swap shifts.
Izuku shook himself. His shift was done for the day. He could have a relaxing morning tomorrow before heading in again so he should shut that part of his brain off and just enjoy spending time with his colleagues outside of work. Ochaco nudged his side with her elbow to get his attention and with a bright smile she jumped straight into a rant about a cranky man she rescued the other day who kept giving her a hard time. Despite her annoyance and pouts she enjoyed telling the story and Izuku laughed along when she told him how the old man's wife had scolded him for 'berating the nice hero lady'.
After a while everyone was in need of drink refills and Izuku stood to take everyone's order and shout them all since he felt blessed enough to have been invited along in the first place. Eijiro had practically pounced on him when he heard Izuku had the following morning off and invited him out. The drink orders were simple enough. Everyone except for Mina was happy with a jug of beer to share, Mina requested a fruity vodka drink and Izuku himself decided something like a coke and rum suited him best.
While he waited at the bar for the drinks to be made he felt a light touch on his shoulder and turned to see a small woman blushing up at him. Being asked for autographs and photos while on patrol was common place but when out as a group Izuku found that most heroes were left along. He figured the woman had seen him alone and decided to approach him. He smiled and offered her a few words and signed a napkin for her while his tray of drinks was placed beside him. Finally after the woman had thanked him a million times and turned to leave happily, Izuku turned back to the tray on the bar, called his thanks and cleanly balanced it to the table. Everyone erupted into cheers at his return and their joyful chatter enveloped him again.
Katsuki rudely woke to his phone vibrating against the wood of his bedside table and with a growl he reached for it, rolling over across his large bed to answer it. He didn't bother to even check the caller ID. He had worked Denki's shift long into the night before the next group came in to take over and Katsuki had gone straight home to collapse on his bed after changing. Whoever dared to wake him had a death wish.
"What?" he barked into the receiver as he rolled to lay on his back.
"Sorry man, did I wake you?" asked a regretful Eijiro on the other end. Katsuki could practically picture his winced face at the thought of pissing Katsuki off. That pleased him at least a tiny bit.
"What do you want Shitty Hair?" Katsuki hissed.
"Sorry," he apologized again and Katsuki grit his teeth, "I was just gonna ask if you could do me a favor and check in on Midoriya for me?"
"What, why?" grumbled back Katsuki, "It's my fucking day off. Do it yourself"
"I know man and I'm sorry to ask but he hasn't come in yet. He covered Iida's shift yesterday too so he didn't have to come in till nine but he hasn't showed yet which is unlike him and he's not answering his phone. You live the closest to his place, can't you just duck in and make sure he's alright?" Eijiro asked kindly and patiently over the phone and Katsuki could feel his puppy eyes from where he lay.
"I would go myself but I'm on patrol on the other side of town and Tokoyami is already staying back to cover for him till he gets there. He seemed a little out of it last night so can you please just go check on him. I'll shout you drinks next time we go out. Please"
"He was out with you lot last night?" asked Katsuki with a hint of a sneer. The green haired idiot had just worked a double shift – twelve hours straight – and then gone out to socialize. What an idiot. Katsuki rolled his eyes at the ceiling just thinking about how he was going to chew the nerd out for the trouble he was causing already.
"Yeah," answered Eijiro, "it was good. Shame you couldn't make it. Midoriya was fine until his second drink and then," he paused, picking his words, "he just kind of zoned out after that. I guess he must have been pretty dead on his feet. He left to catch a cab home after that"
"The nerd works too damn hard as it is and you idiots still decided to ask him out" Katsuki clicked his tongue. They were all idiots.
"Fine," he grumbled finally, sitting up in bed, "but you owe me ramen too"
"Deal. Thanks man" Katsuki could hear Eijiro's beaming smile through the phone before he hung up rather than listening to the red head spout his thanks any further and with a groan Katsuki got up and set about changing before heading out, slamming his door behind him with annoyance.
Izuku's apartment was no more than a ten minute walk from Katsuki's but despite the closeness the pair hardly ever spoke or saw one another outside of an arranged weekly sparring match, a tradition they had picked back up since their practice sessions with All Might back in their U.A days. But that was all physical training. There was no room for talking there, both too focused on beating the other and Katsuki looked forward to their Tuesday matches. Izuku was the only one who could really hold his own against Katsuki and he enjoyed the thrill of the challenge. Eijiro was good too, but his movements were slow and heavy compared to Izuku's light and quick ones.
Izuku and Katsuki's shifts hadn't overlapped in months and they had only been on the same rostered group for one three month period but even then they hadn't always patrolled together as the shift of five heroes changed positions regularly during their shifts, some patrolling with changing partners or alone, patrolling different routes and others stayed at the agency ready to answer calls, relay information and to fill in reports as needed. It felt like an eternity had passed since Katsuki had walked the streets with Izuku at his side, both of them playfully bantering back and forth with one another as they went.
With their current schedules, Izuku being 0300 to 0900 in the morning and Katsuki having 1500 to 2100, outside of their weekly sparring Katsuki rarely even glimpsed Izuku at all unless the nerd had lingered back for some ungodly reason or popped in for another. With Izuku covering Tenya's shift yesterday Katsuki may have crossed paths with him briefly if he hadn't swapped with Denki and taken the night shift instead.
Katsuki finally reached Izuku's apartment and marched up the stairs to the fourth floor with his hands deep in his pockets and his shoulders hunched with annoyance at the stupid errand he had been sent on. For all he knew Izuku had slept in, woken and rushed out before Katsuki had even reached the place and he hoped that is exactly what had happened. The thought of facing Izuku made Katsuki's stomach twist uncomfortably. When they sparred, Katsuki's mind was focused on the task at hand. He could easily ignore the smirks Izuku sent his way, ignore the feeling of their bodies colliding and taking turns pinning the other down. The smug smirk Izuku would throw his way when he had won a round, egging Katsuki on. He could look past the way that expression made his insides squirm and instead give in to his anger at being beat but outside of that he interacted with Izuku so rarely that it had grown almost awkward between them, or at least for Katsuki.
As much as he hated to admit it. After their three month period of being in the same shift group, Katsuki had learnt to enjoy his patrols with the nerd. His heart raced when they battled side by side. He started to feel almost soothed by the background lull of Izuku's mumbling while he evaluated their latest takedown or when he was engrossed in his reports. Katsuki had actually begun to feel close to the nerd in a sense, being able to interact and watch him in ways that he hadn't since graduating U.A and he hadn't realized how much he had missed the nerd while Izuku had gone abroad to the US to train as a sidekick.
To Katsuki it felt like all the work he had been putting into rebuilding an actual friendship with Izuku had fallen between his fingers for the almost two years he had been away. He hadn't returned until their old class had decided to start their own agency and asked him to join. When Izuku had returned his body was more muscled and toned than before, his jawline more mature, his hair shorter, yet he still wore the same bright smile that made Katsuki's chest ache. He had forgotten what that felt like but they had been apart so long and Izuku was swarmed by the rest of the class that Katsuki had no time or space to try to rekindle that friendship they had developed years before.
Now he almost feared facing Izuku alone. Afraid of the swirling feelings in his gut that left him confused and angered. In the heat of battle, nothing could get in his way but when there was no threat demanding his attention, he had nothing to distract himself from it.
Katsuki steeled himself and raised a fist to knock on the door, ready to pound it down with his annoyance at being called out to wake someone but when his knuckles touched the wood of the door, it swung inwards a fraction and Katsuki grit his teeth. For someone who had only had two drinks the night before it was pretty damn pathetic of Izuku to not have even closed his door behind him properly. He was a hero and could take on anyone as far as Katsuki was concerned but it was still an idiotic drunk mistake that he was already readying himself to chew him out for when something else crossed his mind and his irritation drained away to something akin to concern.
In their brief interactions since Izuku returning from overseas Katsuki had seen him drinking and he knew that it took more than two measly drinks to knock Izuku around. Four to five maybe, but two, no. Katsuki pushed the door the rest of the way open and stepped into the dark apartment. He kicked the door closed behind him loudly before stopping to listen. Nothing. Perhaps he was worried for nothing and the idiot had rushed out of his apartment to the agency so fast that he had forgotten to close the door properly behind him.
"Deku?" called Katsuki but he was only greeted with silence.
The Apartment looked deserted but still Katsuki kicked off his shoes at the entry before stepping in deeper. There were no haphazardly discarded shoes of Izuku's there which only supported the idea that the nerd had woken and rushed off already. If Katsuki had come all this way for nothing than he was going to make the nerd pay one way or the other. Evil plans started to fill him mind. Maybe he would swap out his sauce in the fridge with something more spicy, swap out his toothpaste for something nasty tasting, fill his shampoo bottle with water, put a fake spider in his bed, rearrange his All Might figures just enough for him to know that someone had touched them. Maybe he would even pocket one just to see how long it would take Izuku to know it was missing and watch him panic. All very childish ideas but enough to make a wicked pleased grin cross Katsuki's lips. At the very least he would help himself to some of the nerds food considering he had passed on his own breakfast just to come by for Eijiro's sake.
Katsuki crossed to space to the fridge but scowled inside it when he saw nothing worth taking and instead decided to stalk through the apartment for more ideas of how he could mess with the nerd. His hot sauce, fake spider and toothpaste ideas couldn't work unless he left and came back. He may be a dick at times but he wasn't one to leave Izuku's apartment unlocked. He knew how valuable some of his All Might collectables were and he would hate for them to get stolen even if they weren't his – unless he was the one taking them that is. He had every intention to give them back. He just wanted to mess with Izuku a little first.
Katsuki came to Izuku's open bedroom door, peered in and froze.
Izuku was there, lying diagonally atop his bed covers, red shoes hanging over the edge and fully clothed. Katsuki rolled his eyes with a sneer. Eijiro must have been lying about him only having two drinks if he had been out of it enough to come home and collapse on the bed fully clothed, sleep through his alarm and leave his door open. Katsuki flicked on the light to the room, hoping to make Izuku groan with discomfort or shoot awake but he did neither, leading Katsuki to stomp closer. Only his footsteps slowed to a stop when he reached the edge of the bed. Izuku was sprawled across it on his front, the back of his shirt rolled up partially and there were deep purple bruises there that made Katsuki's breath catch.
Katsuki leaned forward, one knee on the edge of the bed and carefully lifted Izuku's shirt to reveal a collection of more bruises and marks running up his back and he knew something was wrong.
"Deku? Oi, Deku?" he grasped his shoulder and shook him. Izuku groaned under the movement but hardly stirred. Katsuki shifted across the bed to meet Izuku's half turned face, his cheek pressed against his covers and his lips slightly parted as he drooled.
"Deku, wake the fuck up" he pried a hand under his shoulder to turn him onto his back. Izuku groaned again sleepily. Under the greenette's shirt collar, more bruises were visible. Katsuki grabbed Izuku's chin in his hand, turning his head to face him and pressed his fingers into his freckled cheeks on either side. Izuku's eyes cracked open slightly, barely visible through his dark lashes.
"Oi, oi" Katsuki leaned in close and shook his face from side to side trying to wake him further. Izuku groaned lightly again and his eyes fluttered slowly, opening half way. His eyes were glazed and unfocused, his pupils unnaturally dilated.
"Deku" Katsuki called again and his barely visible green irises turned his way. He blinked up to Katsuki's face slowly, trying to take him in.
"Kach'n" he slurred slowly in a husky whisper and Katsuki clenched his jaw, reached forward to touch Izuku's forehead. There was no fever but it was clear something was terribly wrong and the bruises only made Katsuki's stomach clench with concern. He pulled away, Izuku making no move to reach after him as he turned his back to the greenette and pulled out his phone, calling a cab to Izuku's address before calling Eijiro. He told the red head Izuku was unwell and that he was going to care for him for the moment. The call was brief and Katsuki turned back to Izuku who hadn't moved an inch from where he had been left. He tried to coax the man from the bed but Izuku's body was weak and limp and he couldn't even keep his head upright so Katsuki scooped him up bridal style and carried him from the apartment, making sure to pull Izuku's keys from his pocket after some rummaging to ensure he wasn't locking him out when he closed the door behind them and headed downstairs to meet the cab to the hospital.
A/N: Because I am excited about posting a new fic I will post the second chapter come the weekend as a special present for those who have picked this story up :)
From there on it shall be weekly Saturday/Sunday.