Izuku had always hated sleeping in hospitals ever since his first time having to do it back in high school. It had always felt so cold and lonely to him, and the air seemed to carry with it waves of despair. Hospitals were a place of healing, but they also housed death too and that fact seemed to seep in through Izuku's skin and chill his bones more and more with each visit. They hadn't always been so bad. In the beginning he had merely been bored and lonely having to sit about in a flat bed and wait for sleep to come. Sometimes hospitals were just too quiet and that never felt right when Izuku had been so used to living with apartment neighbors he could hear through the walls and then in the dorms at school. The little to no background noise outside, the distant click-clack of shoes down an empty hallway, or beep of machinery never filled that void of silence. Beforehand, hospitals had just made him uncomfortable more than anything but after being at Sir Nighteye's bedside when he passed and several others since – both heroes and civilians – hospitals felt colder to him. So to be stuck alone in one yet again made sleep hard to come by.

Izuku really did hate hospitals. They reminded him of death and his own mortality, and he wondered how many more times he would enter through their doors before he wouldn't get back out again.

As much as he didn't want to be a burden to others, he had wished that either Kacchan or his mother could have stayed. Preferably Kacchan seeing as the blonde wouldn't push questions, get emotional or make him feel as guilty as his mother did. Comfortable silence was all too easy to come by now with Kacchan these days and Izuku enjoyed it, just being in each other's company without feeling the need to fill the silence between them with words or action. Kacchan had been like that long before he had lost his hearing though, back in their later years of high school together it had seemed so easy and peaceful compared to their professional hero career years. Prior to that though, the being-in-each-others-presence-without-speaking had carried the extra weight and anxiety that something as little as Izuku's breathing could have set off the blonde. Looking back, they really had come a long way and that was enough to put a small smile on Izuku's face and he squirmed around under the thin hospital sheets again, hoping to find a more comfortable position.

Izuku could have thought himself into the grave when he tried to distract himself further from his general discomfort of being in a hospital in the gloom of the night. Rather, his mind had begun to play on loop the horrible event that had led him to his current position. His mind ran laps inside his skull with what-ifs.

What if he had just ignored the knocking on that door that morning.

What if he had politely turned them down.

What if he had just left Kacchan to sleep and gone out to help on his own.

What if he and Kacchan had joined the other half of the search and rescue team and ended up in the woods on the other side of the slope.

What if he had leapt for Kacchan without activating his quirk.

It wasn't so much that he had intended to do it, but when he had heard the telltale snap of a branch above and seen that it was right above Kacchan, his body had just reacted as quickly as it could and that meant bringing his quirk to the surface to give him the extra speed to cross the expanse between them in time. There hadn't been time to rely on their smart watches and the instant thought of the branch striking Kacchan and the snow turning red with the blood from his head after he had hit the ground had made Izuku's body ripple with electricity and his legs move before he could even stop and contemplate how his own body would handle it after going so long – the longest ever since he had received the quirk from All Might – without using it.

The answer: Not well.

The spike of panic, adrenaline and the extra demand of awakening and using his quirk had been more than his heart could take in that moment and he had felt the knife-like pain pierce his chest before he had even reached the blonde and had more carried him to the ground with him than actually pushed him out of harm's way. The pain flaring up in his chest was some of the worst Izuku had ever felt and he had actually been stabbed in the line of work before. After that had been a blur. A series of events shrouded in the haze of pain and the feeling that he couldn't get enough air into his lungs. He could recall Kacchan's concerned face hovering over him. The sensation of being carried by many hands and being lifted into the air but after that there was nothing till he had awoken in the hospital.

His brain hadn't been in the position to absorb information after he had awoken. Doctors and nurses attempting to speak with him while all he could hear was the occasional word.

Heart Attack.

Almost Died.

Lucky.

Your mother is here.

That last one had made him blink really hard to make his mind focus because they couldn't have possibly have meant his mother. Surely he had heard them wrong and they meant Kacchan. But no, it was a green haired woman who had stepped into the room holding a tissue close to her chest with both hands as though her world would fall apart if she didn't hold onto it with dear life. That had made him come back to his senses real quick.

At first his mum had been gentle, hesitant, almost scared that if she came any nearer Izuku would fall apart before her, but after a moment of standing there and being encouraged closer by nurses, she burst into tears and words spilled out, Izuku's brain doing a better job already at picking things up.

"They called… You almost died… Pre-existing condition?… Why didn't you tell me… Izuku….. I'm your mother…. How could you….. Why? "

Her words seemed to go around like a merry-go-round. On loop and each time getting more and more upset till it began to turn into something worse. Tearful anger. And it was only about the fourth time around where her tone changed that Izuku had started to wake enough to reply.

He tried apologizing, but each time he couldn't get more than a couple of words in before she would swoop back in with another wave of the merry-go-round of words, dipping back into sadness as she did. Izuku was struck with guilt, seeing how upset she was. He knew he would have had to have done the right thing at some point and tell her the truth about his declining health, but he hadn't wanted to do it so soon. He had wanted to keep putting it off for as long as he could have, which was selfish of him. He had convinced himself that he had been putting it off for her sake because he knew how much it would upset her and would make her worry about him all that much more with each passing day and he hadn't wanted to do that to her. That was still very true, but he had avoided it for himself too. No matter how many times he turned the scenario over in his head, it was impossible for him to figure out the best time and way to tell her. But at the end of it all, he just hadn't wanted to face this. He didn't want to hurt his mother like that. Didn't want to upset her. And now here she was, crying at his bedside and practically being inconsolable.

He let it continue a while longer, shutting his mouth and letting his mother cry until she seemed to be running low on steam before he tried to apologize again.

He let his words spill out, apologizing for not telling her sooner, that she had found out this way and that he had only meant to spare her the worry and stress while she looked back at him with teary green eyes and a running nose. Izuku had been in some horrible life or death situations before as a hero and a hero in training, but this, this made him feel utterly helpless to soothe his mother and it only deepened his guilt.

She asked who else knew in a whispered voice and Izuku couldn't lie to her anymore.

An uncomfortable silence feel between them when Izuku had nothing more he could say and his mother sat there in a numb state as her tears finally began to dry.

A welcome interruption from the stagnant air filling the room, a nurse sticking their head in to announce that Kacchan had arrived and asking if he was welcome to come in. Izuku had perked up at that, heart fluttering in his chest at knowing that Kacchan had finally made it down the mountain safely. Izuku replied that Kacchan was welcome inside but his smile dropped when his mother rose silently and headed for the door. Izuku watched her move across the room with questioning eyes but let it be. He couldn't see his mother's face as she made her way to the door but the nurse had, blanching back like they were about to be burned if they didn't move out of her way. His mum stepped out and then there was a sudden sound like a smack and Izuku was hurriedly trying to get out of the bed, throwing back the thin bed covering, swinging his tired legs over the side. He almost lost his footing trying to stand his legs felt so heavy but he held into the metal pole on wheels that held the IV bag attached to his arm and made his way to the door. He could hear his mother's enraged voice beyond.

Izuku pushed the door open the rest of the way. It took more effort than he had thought and the moment he stopped in the doorway was enough for his fatigue to wash over him anew and he leaned against the frame. Before him stood Kacchan. Red eyes wide with shock. His cheek red from where his mother had hit him, her hand raised to do it again and he was suddenly filled with anger and annoyance towards her.

"Mum!" Izuku called out and it was enough for her to turn back and face him, her hand dropping and as she did, he could see a good amount of her anger wash away.

"What are you doing?" Izuku hissed, brows coming together at her actions.

"Izuku, you shouldn't be out of bed" she stepped closer to him, but he refused to be coddled in that moment. Izuku put more effort into standing straighter, getting off of the doorframe to show that he didn't need to be led back to bed like a child.

"What did you just do?" he pushed back with another hiss and it made her stop in her tracks. She looked lost for words for a moment before she seemed to remind herself why she was mad in the first place and began to push back that Izuku should have never have kept his health a secret from her. Izuku pushed back himself. He was an adult after all, he would have told her eventually and that was no reason to be hitting the one person he had been relying on. His wording had been a mistake and things quickly blew up into a tearful argument.

The nurse hurried away.

At some point, Kacchan had slinked away too.

Izuku got no sleep that night, but that didn't stop him from pointing out just how tired Kacchan looked too when he saw him next in the late morning.

His mum had arrived back and taken up residency at his bedside as soon as visiting hours allowed her and one of the nurses came by to give Izuku his newest prescription. His regular doctor had arranged it for him before leaving back for his own hospital first thing that morning. Izuku's mother was brimming with more questions on Izuku's health after she had rested and calmed from the night before and that only left Izuku to answer them for her. It was grueling and more than once his mother cried, but after the nurses brought him breakfast, she quieted again, either satisfied with his answers or had fallen numb from it all.

When Kacchan walked into the room Izuku lifted his head to smile a welcome to him and let his eyes scream out how grateful he was for the blonde's arrival, but that all dropped away in an instant when he saw how flat Kacchan looked and the bags under his eyes.

Kacchan, you look awful. Didn't sleep? Izuku signed his way whilst the blonde crossed to room to come to a stand by the foot of his bed. Rather than offering a reply right away, he instead glowered at Izuku and raised a single hand to flip him off. Izuku smiled at that.

"Like you can talk" Kacchan mumbled back as he lowered his hand again.

I admit, I didn't, Izuku signed in reply. Kacchan only offered him a huff in return before his red eyes turned to Izuku's mum at his side and offered her a small nod. She rose to her feet and quickly began to sign an apology. Kacchan raised a hand to signal for her to stop.

"You already apologized. It's fine" he replied flatly and she sat back down quietly.

Kacchan came around to the other side of Izuku's bed, eyes on the tray of half-eaten breakfast in front of him. He scoffed at it with displeasure.

"This the shit they feeding you," he grumbled a bit too loudly, "when can you get outta here so you can eat some real food?" he asked with a frown as he leaned over, reaching for the separated food items, and looked them over more closely. His inspection ended with poor results judging by his disgusted scowl. He stood back up straight.

It shouldn't be too long now, Izuku signed up to him, the nurse said the doctor here was on his way to formally discharge me.

Kacchan hummed at that. Satisfied.

You got your new pills yet? He lifted his hands to sign. Izuku gave a nod in return.

I went and got our shit from up the mountain, Kacchan went on to explain after a moment had passed, once you're done here we can go home.

You mean back to yours?, Izuku went to clarify.

"That's what I said ain't it" he mumbled back in return, still unsmiling. But regardless of Kacchan's lack of a smile, one touched Izuku's lips but rather than letting himself beam up at the blonde, he instead lowered his face to the sheets as heat touched his cheeks.

The moment the doctor came by to have a final listen to Izuku's heart and gave him the all clear Izuku was ready to get the hell out of there.

Kacchan had brought a change of clothes for him, the clothes he had arrived in having been cut open in the medics rush to reach his chest. Once Izuku was changed the next thing on their to-do list was to eat, according to Kacchan. Izuku's mum came with them to a buffet restaurant where Kacchan took it upon himself to pick out Izuku's proper meal – as he put it – avoiding salt as much as possible. Izuku hadn't realised what that had truly meant until Kacchan dropped a plate down in front of him that only had fruits and vegetables. He mumbled something about not trusting the other options because he had no way of knowing what their salt content was without having the list of ingredients to read, which was fair, so Izuku ate it without complaint.

Rather than catching the train back, they instead opted for a coach this time, shoving their belongings underneath and the three off them taking their seat inside for the long trip back. Izuku sat beside his mother in a silent attempt to give her more comfort that for once he felt helped, whilst Kacchan sat in a seat across from them with eyes closed and arms crossed over his chest. Even Izuku managed to catch some sleep on the trip home which was pleasant.

The coach dropped them at a main station and from there Izuku called a cab to take the three of them back to his place. Getting out of the cab out front, he offered an invite for his mum to come inside for some tea, but she politely declined, looking tired and Izuku paid for her fair to get her home and let her go with a big hug and promised to keep her in the loop now which she tearfully appreciated. Kacchan stood back silently and waited patiently before picking up Izuku's belongings as well as his own and leading the way up to Izuku's apartment.

"Pack what you'll need and then we'll go" Kacchan announced as they finally entered Izuku's place. The blonde kicked off his shoes and practically slithered to the sofa where he turned and fell back into it with a sigh. Izuku didn't bother him with questions, leaving the blonde sitting there with his head tilted back to the ceiling and eyes closed, as he got about unpacking the items from his trip and repacking an abundance of more basic clothes. In fact he packed an extra bag too, making sure that he had plenty of changes of underwear, shirts, pants and grabbed up his toiletries also. With two bags packed he placed them down by the front door before moving to the sofa to let Kacchan know he was ready. But he stopped there. With his head still tipped back against the back of the sofa, Kacchan's lips were parted as the lightest of snores, more akin to loud breathes, escaped him as he slept. Izuku stepped back with a warm smile, happy to see Kacchan resting and decided that rather than wake the blonde – something that was never pleasant to do – he instead would give his place a quick clean and pack a third bag while he was at it, this one taking in even more clothes and some more personal items such as his laptop, notebooks, and a few smaller items. He figured that if Kacchan didn't get sick of him after a week or two and was still serious about them moving in together, that he should make his place as presentable as possible for any inspections if he did decide to end his lease there.

When Kacchan did finally wake, he announced it with a grunt and gazed around till he spotted Izuku in the small kitchen smiling his way. Kacchan's red eyes narrowed at him with annoyance. Annoyance at what exactly, Izuku wasn't sure.

"Ya done?" Kacchan grumbled out as he rose to his feet and stretched his arms high up over his head. Izuku offered a nod when Kacchan glanced his way again before grunting a "good" and rolled his shoulders and headed for the door, bending to slip on his shoes and scooped up two of Izuku's bags in each of his hands after throwing his own bag from their trip on his back. Izuku came forward, putting his own shoes on in a hurry before picking up his remaining backpack and reaching forward to take one of his bags from Kacchan. The blonde narrowed his eyes but allowed it before opening the door for them both. Izuku flicked off the last of the lights, grabbed his keys and out they went.

Kacchan's place was nothing new to Izuku, having visited it many times since they had partnered up. It was a much nicer single bedroom apartment than Izuku's was with a large, combined kitchen, dining and living area right at the front door and a large bedroom complete with a queen bed and ensuite at the rear. In the past when they had stayed at one another's places, the guest would always take up residency on the sofa, but not this time it seemed as Kacchan walked right on through to his bedroom where he shed his and Izuku's bag. Izuku didn't follow, taking his time to shed his shoes in the entryway and gentle placed down his bags at the edge of the living space before Kacchan marched back over, picked up Izuku's two remaining bags and took them back to his bedroom. Izuku would have raised his voice in complaint if it would have been of any use. As it was he had to wait for Kacchan to finish dumping the bags and turning back to look his way before he could communicate anything to the blonde. Kacchan already knew what Izuku was going to sign his way though and spoke up before he had the chance to wave his hands about in disagreement.

"You take the bed," he told Izuku flatly, "I'll sleep out here" he finished as he stepped back out into the living room. Izuku approached him with wide eyes and hands at the ready.

I can't take your bed Kacchan, I can sleep out here. I've done it plenty already.

Kacchan's eyes hardened, narrowing slightly and that alone was enough to make Izuku press his lips together with dissatisfied defeat and lower his hands. He knew that face and it wasn't one he could argue against.

"Besides," Kacchan's expression relaxed back into something more neutral, "it's only till we get a proper place"

Yeah, sure, but that will take time and- Kacchan stepped forward and gently swatted Izuku's hands back down.

"We're checking out three places tomorrow so make sure you get enough sleep to pay attention alright" It was hardly a question.

Izuku didn't lift his hands to match the shocked "Kacchan" that escaped his lips as his eyes quickly racked the other man up and down as though he was wondering who the stranger standing before him was. Kacchan scoffed with a smirk at his mocking.

"I'm gonna shower and then you can take the room," he spoke up again, taking a step back towards his room. He rose a hand as he passed, pressed it to Izuku's face and gently shoved him a step back.

"And don't you dare try to take the sofa while I'm gone," Kacchan paused to narrow his eyes Izuku's way again, "or I'll make you regret it" and then he was gone, closing the bedroom door to shower and change in peace. Izuku let out a huff to himself before moving to the sofa to innocently sit and wait till the blonde was done.

Izuku hadn't realised just how tired he had been till he had laid down in Kacchan's soft bed and was out like a light. The other and much greater indication of just how tired he had been was how he hadn't heard Kacchan up and about before him for a change and most likely would have kept on sleeping on if he hadn't been woken by a pillow being thrown into his sleeping face. He shot awake with an embarrassing squeak only to be met with Kacchan laughing in the doorway before turning on his heel and calling a "get up already" as he went. Izuku could only flop back down onto the bed with a groan yet found himself smiling at the sweet sound of Kacchan's laughter.

Izuku rushed about getting ready, jumping in the shower which felt a little odd at first being Kacchan's shower and all – sure he had stayed at Kacchan's before but had always gone home to shower after waking in the morning – until the hot water soothed him inside and out. He kicked back into high gear once out, making sure to leave Kacchan's bathroom as pristine as possible and threw his towel into the washing hamper in the corner of the room before rushing about through his many bags to put on some clothes. When he stepped out he found that Kacchan had already made them breakfast and put it down for Izuku to sit and eat whilst the blonde remained leaning against a counter with a steaming mug in hand, sipping it before he turned to the dishes, having already eaten. Izuku looked down to his bland looking porridge with a frown. He was not a fan, but he knew Kacchan was taking the whole avoid salt thing seriously.

"Suck it up and eat it," Kacchan scolded from the sink after only a quick glance over his shoulder, "I know it's shit but we'll stop at the shops on the way back" he continued as he stacked the dripping clean dishes onto the draining board. Kacchan never had been one for an actual drying rack – unlike Izuku – the blonde hated dishes being left out to dry and then eventually forgotten, opting to dry them himself once he had finished washing everything.

Izuku took a deep breath before shoveling the bland porridge into this mouth as quickly as he could, rising to meet Kacchan in the kitchen, placing the bowl down onto his right, next in line to be washed. Kacchan's hands in the soapy water froze as he narrowed his eyes dangerously Izuku's way, but before the blonde could growl at him, he spun around, snatched up a tea towel and practically spun past Kacchan again to stand on his other side, picking up the wet clean dishes to dry. Kacchan's head turned to follow him, relaxing some when Izuku shot him a smile before going about their respective chores. The moment the dishes were put away and the table wiped down, they were pulling on their shoes and heading out the door to their apartment hunting appointments.

The first place was in a tall and rather fancy apartment building, up on the twenty-seventh floor and featured a modern style, luxury looking bathrooms – yes, multiple – large kitchen and dining, two bedrooms and floor to ceiling windows in the living space. It came with all its appliances already and sported features such as its own gym, pool for the entire building to share and a manned lobby, but not once did Katsuki smile at any of it. Izuku himself only smiled somewhat awkwardly each time the real-estate agent looked his way expectantly. It all felt a bit too much for Izuku, used to living in much smaller and cozier spaces all his life by choice or not, but he assumed Katsuki had decided it was worth looking at for some particular reason. Perhaps the gym Izuku thought but didn't ask.

The second place was much smaller and less fancy than the first, though still very nice in its own ways. It sported a shared living and kitchen space, the dining area practically nonexistent and instead replaced by the kitchen island that stood between the two spaces having the space to house stools beneath it to be used as an eating bar. Further in was a little hallway that led into two bedrooms, storage cupboard and a laundry, leading into a traditional style bathroom. This place was only six floors high, this particular apartment being on the top floor with an elevator to reach it and open corridors leading to it. Izuku liked this place much more, always a fan of the cozier space and traditional wet room style bathrooms.

The third place was similar in size to the second yet narrower, sitting on the first floor of its apartment complex. It housed a separate living room right after the entry before delving in deeper to reach the kitchen and dining space and then finally back further to the two bedrooms and shared traditional bathroom. The washing machine and dryer were tucked away nicely into a cupboard which looked neat and housed a little nook opposite the living room for a desk or bookcases which intrigued Izuku too. This apartment seemed well aware of its narrow dimensions but made excellent use of its limited space.

Each and every place they visited, Kacchan made no effort to interact with the realter at all, just wandering the place with hands stuffed in his pockets and a scowl on his face. Izuku knew that look to mean that Kacchan was just assessing the places with his own personal criteria, but that left all the talking to Izuku when the realters asked questions.

"What's the reason for your move?"

"How are you feeling about the place?"

"Do you like it?"

"Are you interested?"

Izuku's spine would stiffen each time they turned to him with a question and expectant look and without Kacchan making any effort to ask what they were saying, wandering off and not making any remarks of his own, Izuku felt out of his depth which felt odd seeing that he had been in much tougher situations being a hero and all, but this, this was hard and all he could offer to them was a "we'll have to get back to you on that" and a smile before they would move on. He'd be lying if the realters didn't make him feel like he was being judged. Whether they knew who they were or not – unlikely – he had felt their eyes rake them up and down each before starting their tours. One of the realters even looked mildly disgusted by them to which Izuku tried to ignore, but the faint growl rippling from Kacchan as he stepped past him didn't go unnoticed and the realter seemed to put more effort into plastering on a pleasant smile after that.

"Like any of 'em?" Kacchan asked as he sat down opposite Izuku, sliding Izuku's hot drink his way. They had stopped in at a café after their third appointment was over with, planning to hit up the grocery store on their way back to Kacchan's place. Izuku nodded his thanks for the drink, enjoying the warmth that seeped into his hands as he brought it closer to himself.

I didn't like the first one, Izuku signed, lifting his eyes to Kacchan, seemed a bit much for just the two of us and expensive. I'd be worried about us affording it with what we've got currently.

It wasn't some surprise that without working, money wasn't exactly flowing in for them and with the adventures they'd been having, what they had would be going down much faster than it should have. If things kept up the way they were, they would find their savings depleted and would have to find some other work, or get back into being heroes, something that would be complicated considering Izuku's declining health and Kacchan's inability to work without him. A fact that stung.

Did you want to look at it for the gym? Izuku asked, lifting his drink to have a sip while he waited for Kacchan's reply. He knew the blonde wasn't exactly a fan of going to the gym alone since losing his hearing.

"I was more interested in the security" Kacchan replied, resting one arm across the table as he drank his own drink. Izuku gave a hum to himself at that, the way the corner of his lip tweaking up enough to let the blonde know of the sound he had made. He felt a bit bad about it all. He knew that even outside of hero work Kacchan liked to stay fit and go to the gym, even if his drive had been fluctuating since losing his hearing and even as things were, Kacchan still liked to go a couple of times a week, usually with Izuku coming along, but with his latest decline in health, workouts weren't exactly something he could do alongside Kacchan anymore which would only make the blonde less likely to go.

Kacchan placed his drink down, lifting his arm from the table to sign instead.

The gym would have just been a bonus, he signed with a neutral expression, what about the other places? He went on to ask. Izuku took another sip of his drink before freeing his hands to reply.

I liked the bathroom, Izuku smiled. Kacchan gave a "knew it" grumble to himself and rolled his eyes before looking back Izuku's way whilst having more of his drink. Izuku shook his head lightly to the blonde with amusement before continuing.

It was cozier and an alright size.

Kacchan gave a hum, red eyes still fixed to Izuku. The greenette felt a touch of heat creep up his neck at Kacchan's intent gaze, watching and waiting for him to continue. To defuse his sudden touch of nervousness, he shifted his legs beneath the table but accidently bumped his shoe into Kacchan's ankle. The blonde's eyes narrowed and Izuku immediately turned his gaze off to the side, focusing instead on a waitress passing by whilst he got his hands moving again quickly.

The last one was alright too. Narrow but the layout made good use of the space it did have.

Kacchan just gave another hum at that, looking unimpressed from Izuku's responses.

Do you have a clear favorite then? He asked.

A/N:

The realter that had looked disgusted by them had done so beause they had thought that perhaps they were a gay couple...
Love that Kacchan woudln't stand for that though 3