Cold Feet

This fic is a commission for blossomshed, thank you so much for your support!

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Katsuki blinked his eyes open slowly, finding his surroundings blurred, and his brain full of a thick fog. The sun above him was blindingly bright, and he squeezed his eyes shut again, ducking his head to block it out. Whatever he was resting on was so damn warm, he just wanted to curl into it and sleep away his headache. 

It would be better if it stopped moving, though. It kept jiggling up and down, as if it were – no, wait.

Something was under him, wrapped gently around his thighs, and that kept moving too. Was someone carrying him??

He cracked his eyes open again, recognising the expanse of a wide back and broad shoulders beneath his body, wrapped up in deep blue cloth with a familiar red pattern.

“All Might?” he choked, wincing when his voice came out pathetically weak. 

“No, silly,” a familiar voice giggled. “It's just me, Kacchan!”

Katsuki groaned, but let his head fall onto the shoulder in front of him anyway. He wouldn't have been able to put a name to the voice at first, but there was only one nerd who would dare to call him Kacchan and carry him piggyback. 

“Put me down, nerd,” he grumbled. “I'm fine.”

“Nuh-uh, it's okay, we're almost home.”

With another wordless whine, Katsuki gave in. He didn't have the energy to argue, barely even had the energy to think.

“When the hell did you get so big?” he asked, his voice barely a whisper.

“Hmm? What was that, Kacchan?”

“You're... All Might.”

“I'm not All Might, Kacchan, I'm just wearing his merch!”

“I know that,” Katsuki growled, fingers clutching weakly at the soft fabric. “But you... Grew.”

One of the arms left him, but Katsuki didn't fall - didn't even move. Apparently the nerd could balance him with one arm. Ugh. 

“The hell happened?” he insisted, cracking his eyes open again to find off-white walls surrounding them. “I feel like shit.”

“I know. It's okay, just rest.”

“Answer me, nerd.”

“I will, Kacchan, just let me get you in bed first.”

Katsuki growled again, closing his eyes rather than protest. As much as he hated the idea of the damn nerd taking care of him, he wasn't sure he had another option. His entire body felt strangely numb, as if he couldn't support his own weight, and the warmth beneath him was... admittedly comfortable.

“I don't remember,” he complained, rubbing his cheek against the soft clothes just a little.

“I know, Kacchan.”

“Tell me.”

“I will, I promise. Just one more minute, okay?”

With the gentlest  –  and yet somehow also the strongest  –  grip, Katsuki found himself torn away from the strong body, whining pathetically as the warmth was ripped from his hands. Izuku giggled at him, and he cracked his eyes open again to look, relieved to find the room shrouded in darkness.

“Morning Sunshine,” Izuku teased. “Sit here for me, okay?” 

He squawked indignantly when Izuku set him down, the floor ice-cold against his skin, and Izuku's eyes widened in alarm. Scarred hands waved frantically around him, searching for a wound or bruise, but finally he seemed to catch on when he saw Katsuki wiggling from side to side, tearing his skin away from the tiles.

“Oh gosh, I'm so sorry!” Izuku picked him up again in a hurry, bracing him against one shoulder. “Hold on, Kacchan, I'm such an idiot.”

Katsuki felt his face burning – partly from the embarrassment of being such a wimp about the cold floor, but mostly about the fact that Izuku was holding him up with one hand. With the other, he filled the bath with hot water, and despite a few weak protests, he settled Katsuki inside.

“I'll clean the bath, it's fine,” Izuku assured him. “Just relax, I'll take care of it later.”

With the water soothing muscles he didn't even know were sore, he caved. He lay back against the edge of the bath, eyes sinking closed again, and when Izuku began peeling tattered clothes off his body, he didn't protest. 

He hadn't realised exactly how beaten up he was, with Izuku carrying him. He didn't even remember getting in a fight, if he was entirely honest. But his costume was torn to shreds, barely hanging on to his body, and his head ached. 

“It hurts,” he admitted, his lips barely parting.

“Sorry! Where? I didn't mean to-”

“Talk quieter,” he demanded. “Just... All of it.”

“Oh. Yeah, um, you got a little...”

“Beaten up.”

“Yeah.”

Izuku averted his eyes when he peeled off Katsuki's boxers, tossing them into the pile with his old costume – none of it was worth keeping, frankly. He knew Katsuki had enough clothing at home to not worry about losing one pair of underwear, even if the costume itself would be a bit of a sting.

“Tell me. Quietly.”

“What do you remember?”

“I don't.”

Izuku picked up a cup, scooping up some hot water to pour over Katsuki's exposed shoulders. He hummed to himself, contemplating, and Katsuki waited with a surprising amount of patience.

“There was no one else around, you were the closest hero by... A lot. So you engaged and said you'd hold them off until back up arrived.”

“I don't need any shitty back up.”

“Yeah,” Izuku chuckled, muffling it in his hand. “Miruko got there next, she said you'd already taken half of them out. By the time we arrived, you two had taken care of it, but you were out cold.”

“I don't remember.”

“I know. She said you took a hit from the last villain's quirk and went flying, so she quickly finished him off and found you knocked out on the concrete. You must have hit your head pretty hard.”

“Shit.”

“I know,” Izuku hummed. “I'm gonna do your hair, tilt your head back for me.”

Katsuki considered arguing, but when Izuku's hand touched his forehead lightly, positioned so carefully to keep water out of his eyes, he couldn't help but let it happen.

“I'll try to be gentle, but tell me if it hurts, okay?”

“S'fine. Doctor?”

“He said you'll be okay,” Izuku assured him. “We had to keep you awake for like four hours to get checked out, you were a nightmare. It was like every time I blinked, you tried to go to sleep. You kept yelling at me – or trying to, anyway – about how I should just let you take a damn nap.”

“Ugh.”

“I know. He said you've got a concussion, but there's no sign of brain injury or bleeding or anything, so that's good. You're allowed to sleep now, but I have to wake you up every couple of hours and check on you.”

“Why here?”

“My house?” Izuku clarified, tilting his head a little in confusion. “So I can keep an eye on you.”

“But why?”

“You don't remember that, either?” Izuku smiled. “Your parents were going to take you home with them for a few days, doctor's orders, and you kicked up a stink about it. They said the alternative was for you to stay in hospital for two days, and you refused that too.”

“Oh.”

“You said 'Deku will take care of me' and I could hardly say no.”

“I did?”

“Uh-huh!” Izuku grinned. “I'm happy you wanted me, Kacchan!”

“Shut up.”

Katsuki sank into the water, blowing tiny bubbles when his mouth slipped below the surface, and Izuku laughed at him far too brightly.

“I promise I won't nag too much,” he offered, washing Katsuki's hair with a stupidly gentle touch. “I just have to make sure you rest, and that you don't get worse.”

“You gonna cook for me and shit?”

“Uh-huh! I've gotten better since high school, I'll show you!”

“Fine.”

Katsuki sighed contentedly when Izuku rubbed gentle circles on his scalp, making sure the conditioner spread all the way through, and with a little smile to himself, Izuku continued. Even when he knew the job was done, that he could probably start rinsing it out, he continued stroking tenderly.

“I'm gonna go get you some pyjamas, okay?” Izuku whispered, waiting for the little nod of agreement before he took his hand away. “Stay awake, alright? I'll only be a minute, but I don't want you trying to drown yourself or something.”

“I'm awake.”

“I know.”

He rinsed the conditioner off his hand and stood up, smiling one last time at Katsuki's sleepy form before he left for the bedroom. There were plenty of fluffy pyjama pants in his bottom drawer, his preferred attire when he was lazing around home on his days off, but shirts were another story. Katsuki felt the cold way too much, he'd known the guy far too long to not know that, so he was going to need something warmer than a t-shirt to bundle him up in. Maybe a hoodie would do the job, though he knew anything he owned was going to swamp Katsuki – he'd spent years watching Katsuki's back, watching him stay the same size while Izuku grew taller and bulkier. 

He returned to find Katsuki rinsing out his hair in the dark, the sodden locks hanging floppy over his face. He was surprisingly cute and vulnerable, Izuku couldn't help but think. His eyelids cracked open again, turning to look at Izuku with dim, glazed eyes. 

“You got tall.”

“You didn't notice?” Izuku asked, smiling fondly. “Yeah, it's embarrassing.”

“Why?”

“Mm... I stand out too much. People look at me a lot.”

“You're a hero,” Katsuki snorted, turning away again. “It's nothing to do with your size.”

“People don't know who I am.”

“They do.”

“You ready to hop out?”

“Stop changing the subject,” Katsuki grumbled, sitting up all the same. “Fine.”

Izuku hooked his arms under Katsuki's, hauling him up to sit on the edge of the bath and handing him a fluffy towel. Katsuki snuggled into it immediately, pulling it around his shoulders and crossing it over his chest, holding it tight. 

“Cold?” Izuku smiled. “I brought you warm clothes, it's okay.”

He retrieved a second towel, letting Katsuki keep his one to hug and setting to work on his hair with a fresh one. He rubbed gentle circles again, watching Katsuki's hair pop back up into angry spikes as they started to dry, but unable to resist a giggle over the mess. Katsuki grumbled under his breath again, though he didn't actually protest, and Izuku smiled as he coaxed one arm out of the shroud to dry it off. 

When Katsuki was sufficiently dry, Izuku pulled a big hoodie over his head. To his surprise, though he didn't dare voice it, Katsuki cuddled into it like a kid with their favourite blanket. It dwarfed him, just like Izuku had expected, but that only seemed to make it even more cozy. He kept those thoughts to himself, though, averting his eyes as he helped pull the pants up, and then Katsuki was safely back in his arms.

“I can walk,” Katsuki protested. “Put me down.”

“You don't need to,” Izuku grinned. “I'm gonna get you tucked up nice and warm in bed, and you're gonna stay there and be good. I promise I'll bring you everything you need and do whatever you ask, so you've gotta rest, okay?”

“You're gonna be my slave?”

“Of course that's how you look at it,” Izuku laughed. “Sure, I'll be your slave, as long as you behave yourself and stay in bed.”

“What if I need to piss?”

“Okay, you can get up for that. Do you need to? Now, I mean?”

“No.”

“Alright, time to get cozy then!”

The curtains in the bedroom were already drawn, keeping the room dim for Katsuki's sensitive eyes, and Katsuki couldn't help but think that Izuku made a good caretaker. Apparently in his dumb concussion-brain state, he'd made a good decision. His mother would have been loud and overbearing, his dad too nervous and over-protective, but Izuku? Izuku knew him well, knew what he needed withut him having to say it.

“How long do you have to take care of me?” he found himself asking, as Izuku set him down on clean sheets. “Did you tell me before?”

“We'll see how you go,” Izuku shrugged. “At least two days, then we'll see how you're doing. It's not a problem though, Kacchan. I promise. You stay as long as you want or need, I don't mind taking care of you.”

Katsuki's brain was struggling to hold a thought for more than a few seconds, but in that moment, the three words that had tormented him for his entire graduating year in high school resurfaced. He'd tried so hard to block them out, to push them away, but here they were again, tormenting him while his brain was too weak to defend from them.

“I can sleep now?” he asked instead, shifting to get comfortable as Izuku fussed with blankets and pillows. “It's been long enough?”

“You can,” Izuku agreed. “Would you drink some water first, though? For me?”

“Yeah.”

“I'm gonna go get you a bottle,” Izuku nodded, tucking the blankets up over Katsuki's shoulders. “Do you want anything else?”

“It's cold.”

“I know, sorry, I haven't had the time to buy a heating unit since I moved in. I'll bring you a hot water bottle to curl up with. Do you want some warm socks?”

Katsuki nodded, and Izuku smiled slightly, brushing damp hair back from Katsuki's forehead.

“Use your words,” he instructed. “Try not to move your head too much if it's hurting.”

“I'm fine.”

“You already admitted you were hurting, Kacchan, you don't need to be stubborn about it. They said ice might help too?”

Katsuki shuddered, and Izuku couldn't help but laugh, reaching for a pair of fluffy socks by way of an apology.

“Yeah, I didn't think so,” he continued, reaching under the blankets to cover Katsuki's feet. “You're kinda cute like this, you know. All snuggled up in your blankies.”

“Shut up.”

“I know you hate the cold, you always did. It's nice seeing you vulnerable for once, even if it is just because of a head injury.”

“I said shut up.”

“Alright,” Izuku grinned. “Stay awake while I get you some water, I won't be long.”

“Wait,” Katsuki interrupted, the moment Izuku stepped away. “Juice.”

“Juice?”

“I want juice,” he grumbled, rolling over to hide his pink face in the pillows. “I know you always have apple juice, don't lie to me, nerd.”

“Okay, I'll bring you some juice,” Izuku giggled. “Anything else, Princess?”

“Shut up.”

“Okay, back soon.”

Katsuki dragged the blankets up over his head, rolling over to his other side as he attempted to get comfortable. He liked the blankets, they were soft and fluffy and comforting, but he needed more. Needed a thousand pillows to nestle himself in, maybe an electric blanket, or one of those mattresses filled with hot water. Yeah, that one would be good. The water would cradle him just right, and the warmth would be everywhere he went. Perfect.

“Still awake?” Izuku asked softly. “I brought juice.”

“I'm awake,” Katsuki confirmed, poking a hand out to find the drink. “Cold.”

“I brought the hot water bottle,” Izuku assured him. “Here you go, drink.”

The drink bottle Izuku tucked into his hand was one of the standard metal ones he carried on patrols, but Katsuki was surprised to find a cloth wrapped around it, keeping the cold away from his hand. He smiled to himself when he saw, keeping his head under the blankets to hide it, and took a long drink of the sweet fruit juice. He'd never been a fan of sugary drinks, even as a kid, but Izuku had been addicted to apple juice for as long as Katsuki had known him. It was always in the fridge at the Midoriya apartment, always in the school dorm kitchens, and just as he'd suspected, it was always in Izuku's new apartment in the middle of Tokyo. No matter how tall and buff and frankly talented the nerd got, he was still just the same.

“Coming in,” Izuku warned, lifting up the edge of the blankets. “Where do you want it, by your feet?”

“Arms.”

“In your arms?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Okay,” Izuku smiled. “Here you go.”

Katsuki set his drink aside, reaching for the warm rubber bottle cased in rough cloth and pulling it into his arms. He hugged it close, curling into a ball to spread the warmth, and through the blankets Izuku gave him a little pat on the head.

“I'm gonna go take a shower, okay? Get some rest, I'll come check on you after.”

“Did you fight?”

“With you? No. I was at another incident when it started, I wish I'd come sooner.”

“Didn't need your ass.”

“I know,” Izuku humoured him. “You did so well, Kacchan.”

“Damn right.”

“Get some rest, Kacchan.”

He shut the door quietly behind him, letting Katsuki settle in for a nap, but as he walked back to the bathroom he couldn't help but be nervous. Even though the doctors had cleared him to go home and rest, and two different healing quirks had been used on him in the meantime, Izuku was still so ridiculously worried. He wasn't himself, that much was obvious – he was like an oddly exaggerated version of himself, but without the anger. Considering that they'd warned him about irritability being a common symptom, it just felt wrong. 

He hurried through his shower and gave the bath a quick clean while he was there, just in case Katsuki asked about it later – perfectionist that he was, he would never accept that he'd made Izuku's bath dirty and it hadn't been cleaned since, he'd insist on doing it himself if he didn't think it was good enough. 

Clean and dry, he pulled on some pyjamas of his own, smiling a little when he remembered the hoodie that almost fell off one shoulder, the pants that still threatened to slip off even with the drawstring fastened as tight as it would go. 

When Katsuki had asked – or, demanded – to stay over, it might have been the happiest moment of Izuku's life. Even if he wasn't in a completely sane state of mind, still a little dopey on the painkiller quirk one of the nurses used on him, he had still asked for Izuku. He would savour that moment for the rest of his life, since he was pretty sure it would never happen again. And now, he had his gorgeous childhood friend curled up in his bed, wearing his clothes. It was a damn dream come true, Izuku was surprised he hadn't woken up from it yet.

When he poked his head through the bedroom door to reassure himself, he found Katsuki tossing and turning under the blanket pile, mumbling something quietly to himself as he tried to get comfortable. 

“Kacchan?”

The blankets pulled down a little, two brassy eyes peeking out at him, and Izuku's heart both swelled and broke at the same time. He was so adorable and yet so lost, like a puppy in a new home, and Izuku just wanted to hug him tight and give him all the belly rubs in the world.

“Can I help?” he asked, pushing the weird simile aside. “Want to talk?”

He knew the tension in that face, knew how much it took to get him so close to breaking, and he never wanted to see his Kacchan break down again. This was his childhood friend, his best friend, he sometimes thought. The person who knew him the best in the world, even more than his mother or All Might or all his old friends from high school. No one knew him better, and saw straight through him, the way Katsuki did.

“I'm fine,” Katsuki said softly. “Back off, nerd.”

“Let me sit with you,” Izuku said firmly, changing tactics in an instant. “I keep worrying about you, I'll feel better if I'm where I can see you, where you can tell me what you need.”

“Whatever, nerd. It's your bed, not like I can stop you.”

He could have. Easily. Izuku was at least fairly certain Katsuki knew that.

Rounding the bed, Izuku propped some pillows against the headboard and climbed up. He did his best to move slowly and steadily, to not shake the bed too much, but Katsuki still didn't move or complain.

“Are you warming up now?”

“Mm-hm.”

“Good, I'm glad.”

Izuku kind of hated himself for not realising what was going on right from the beginning. He'd seen it a handful of times over the years, seen Katsuki go all-in on the smallest of things for no apparent reason. A strict diet, despite being in peak physical condition; studying six hours a day, because he got one question wrong on an exam; and the most common of all, overheating himself when he felt even slightly chilly.

“You feeling anxious?”

Katsuki paused, denial waiting on his lips, but he couldn't quite bring himself to force it out. He hated lying to Izuku, felt shitty about it the moment it happened, even over the most minor of lies. They'd always been honest with each other, had always been so terrible at keeping secrets from each other even if they'd wanted to  – which they hadn't, as far as Katsuki could remember. Other than those three words, at least.

He swallowed the complaints down, instead conceding the faintest of nods.

“You're okay,” Izuku said calmly, reaching out to stroke his hair. “You did a great job, and you'll be back to normal in just a couple of days. Right now you just need to take care of you, and I'm here to help with that. You hear me?”

Another tiny nod, and Izuku wove his fingers into soft hair, tracing the lightest of scratches across Katsuki's scalp.

“I think the painkillers are still affecting you, it's making you not quite yourself,” Izuku continued. “And I know that must be scary. Your brain isn't working right because of the concussion, and your body isn't working right because of painkillers, it's gotta be the worst combination. But you trust me, right, Kacchan? You've always trusted me, even if you wouldn't admit it sometimes.”

“I do.”

“Then trust me now, okay?” Izuku smiled, heart swelling again at the admission. “Trust me to look after you, just for a little bit.”

“Don't stop,” Katsuki grumbled, when Izuku moved his hand away for a moment.

“I wasn't stopping,” Izuku assured him, grinning to himself. “I just wanted to move a little closer, is that okay?”

“Mm-hm.”

He shuffled over, to where he could reach Katsuki more comfortably, and his hand returned to the little strokes and scratches.

“I promise I won't tease,” Izuku whispered into the dark room, grateful for the expensive black-out curtains his mother had bought him when he moved in – for when he was on night shifts, she said. “I won't mention any of it ever again, just let me comfort you. Anything you want.”

“Feels better,” Katsuki admitted. “When you touch me.”

“Yeah? Like, more grounded or something?”

“Mm. Less dizzy and... empty.”

“Stay with me, then,” Izuku smiled, adjusting his position a little to get comfortable. “I'm not going anywhere.”

“Let me lie on you.”

“Sure,” Izuku nodded, hoping his tone didn't give away his surprise. “Want me to move?”

“No.”

Katsuki rolled over, resting his head in Izuku's lap, and Izuku smiled down at him even though the red eyes were firmly shut, avoiding his gaze. This time, he used both hands, rubbing gentle circles along Katsuki's head and neck just like he'd done in the bath. He half-expected Katsuki to snap out of it and yell at him, slam an explosive hand in his face, but he just lay pliant and comfortable in Izuku's lap.

“Don't want to be alone,” Katsuki admitted, his voice the quietest Izuku had ever heard it. “You'll stay?”

“For as long as you need, Kacchan.”

─────

Izuku woke up to a pitch-black room, groaning as he blinked sleep from his eyes. It had to be the middle of the night still, since the sunrise always hit at just the right angle to filter a little light under and around his curtains. He wasn't even under the blankets, he was just-

Oh.

As Izuku's eyes adjusted, he found the lump of a sleeping man sprawled across his chest, a peaceful face of smooth skin and blond spikes that squished flat on a weird angle where they pressed into Izuku's chest. Even in his sleep, his eyebrows sat low over his eyes, twisted into a permanent hint of a scowl, and his mouth hung open a little, drooling a damp patch across Izuku's shirt. Even so, Izuku thought he looked like an angel.

He wrapped an arm around Katsuki's back, hugging him lightly, and cracked a smile when he saw the hot water bottle laying between them. Even as he'd gravitated toward Izuku's warmth, he'd still dragged it over with him.

The clock on the bedside table read just after seven, and Izuku finally caught on when he glanced across at it. No, it certainly wasn't morning; he hadn't even had dinner yet. 

“Morning sleepyhead,” Izuku teased, when Katsuki reached a hand to rub his eyes. “You have a good nap?”

“What the fuck?” he groaned, pushing himself up on an elbow to investigate his surroundings. “How the fuck did I-? Oh. Ugh.”

“Feeling better, then, I take it?”

“Yeah,” he nodded, pulling a face. “I still feel shit, but I'm... Me.”

“Slept off the painkillers, I assume,” Izuku offered. “I have some normal headache pills if you want them, the doctor said they'd be enough to get you through.”

“Mm, maybe. Where are they?”

“I'll get them, you stay.”

“I need to piss.”

“I'll get them, you pee,” he amended with a laugh. “Be careful, okay? Take it slow.”

“Pissing?”

“Walking, dummy.”

“Piss off.”

Despite his words, he didn't complain when Izuku ran a hand through his hair one last time, wiggling out from underneath him to go find pills. Katsuki sat up with a groan, watching his broad back as he left, then pausing to look down at himself. He was dressed in Deku's clothes, sleeping in Deku's bed, surrounded by Deku's pillows and blankets. It was like a stupid dream come true, and he hated himself for it. 

His one chance for all those things, and it was because of a damn concussion.

He dragged himself to the bathroom, listening to rustling down the hall as Izuku hunted for the box of pills, and by the time he'd washed his hands, Izuku was waiting. He ushered Katsuki back to the bedroom, this time turning on a bedside lamp for a little dim light, and Katsuki could only stare as he fussed with pillows.

“Okay, sit,” he insisted, nudging Katsuki back onto the mattress. “Get comfy, Kacchan. Are you warm enough? I refilled your hot water bottle, it's in this pillowcase, it should be warming up the pillow by now too – I thought it might be nicer than holding on to the cover, since it's a little rough? And you kept hugging it anyway, so I thought... If it's silly you can take it out, obviously!”

Katsuki accepted the pillow wordlessly, honestly a little touched by the gesture even if he'd never admit it, and hugged it to his chest. It radiated warmth, as well as being soft and cuddly – it was sickeningly perfect.

“Warm,” he choked out, cursing himself for not being able to voice his actual thoughts.

“You're welcome!”

Right, he'd almost forgotten. He didn't need to voice them, the nerd understood what he meant.

“So it's okay for me to stay?” Katsuki asked, accepting a bowl of soup that looked suspiciously like the one his mother made when he was sick and she was in a good mood – rare as it was for those two things to coincide. “Even if it's for another day?”

“Stay as long as you want, Kacchan!”

“As long as I need, you mean?”

“Nope! If Kacchan wants to stay forever, he can stay forever!” Izuku beamed. “Kacchan is always welcome here!”

“Sickening,” Katsuki blushed, sipping at his bowl of hot, spicy soup – yep, definitely his mother's work.

“You know how much I like your company, Kacchan!”

“How do you say that shit?” Katsuki grumbled, eyes darting away. “Like it's not a big deal or anything, weird asshole.”

“It's not. A big deal, I mean. I only say them to Kacchan.”

Katsuki forced his eyes back, forced himself to meet Izuku's gaze, and Izuku was nothing but wide-eyed innocence and openness in return.

“I liked you in high school,” he stumbled, regretting it the moment the words came out. “Should have told you.”

“That makes me happy!” Izuku beamed. “I liked you too! I'm happy that Kacchan liked me back!”

“Why didn't you tell me?”

“Hmm... You know what you were like in school, Kacchan. Do you really think you'd have been okay with me saying it?”

“Maybe. Since I liked you, too, I mean.”

“But if you hadn't, you'd have pushed me away again. I'm just happy being able to follow wherever you go, I don't need more than that!”

”You always walk behind me,” Katsuki grumbled, blushing again but hiding it behind his soup bowl. “No wonder I didn't notice your growth spurt.”

“Kacchan doesn't let me walk in front,” Izuku teased. “And never looked back for long enough.”

“Then walk beside me, dumbass.”

“Gladly!”

Izuku rounded the bed finally, sitting down with his own bowl of soup, the spice balanced out by some cream and noodles, lightening the colour significantly.

“Are you still feeling anxious?” Izuku asked, keeping his eyes pointedly on his bowl to keep from pressuring Katsuki. “Can I help?”

“You do help.”

“Yeah?”

“Mm. I guess... You always did, in some way. Maybe I wasn't the best at dealing with it.”

“We were young, Kacchan, you don't have to keep beating yourself up over one post-curfew fight.”

“I should have just talked to you instead of yelling and beating you up.”

“But that's us. We were never very good at the whole communication thing.”

“I'll work on it,” Katsuki promised, swallowing hard. “I've been working on it, but I'll keep trying too, and then... And then, would you go on a date with me, just once? To try it?”

“You don't have to prove yourself to ask me out, Kacchan,” Izuku giggled. “You want to go out together?”

“Yeah,” Katsuki admitted, despite every cell in his body rebelling against it. “I can't do this mushy crap, just... Ugh.”

“I will,” Izuku smiled impossibly wider, eyes shining even though they almost disappeared in his smile. “I'd love to! As soon as Kacchan is healed, okay?”

“Okay,” Katsuki agreed, face burning. “And I can stay here until then?”

“And longer, if you want.”

“Asking me to move in already, huh?”

“If you want to. I'll happily give Kacchan everything!”

“Selfless idiot.”

“It's not selfless! I just want to see Kacchan happy! And being happy with me is even better!”

“Stupid nerd,” Katsuki snorted, reaching over to ruffle green curls. “Let's try dinner first.”

“Yeah! Eat up before it gets cold!”

“Huh? No, I meant- Christ you're an idiot. Let me take you to dinner.”

“What? Now? You don't like the soup?”

“When I'm better, you dolt.”

“Oh!” Izuku grinned. “Okay! I'd like that!”

“Good,” Katsuki nodded, setting aside his empty bowl and wriggling a little closer to Izuku. “Anything I want, right?”

“Anything!”

“I'm gonna take another nap,” Katsuki said firmly, leaning his head on Izuku's shoulder. “Stay here, alright nerd?”

“Good! Get lots of rest!”

He let his eyes sink closed, resting his cheek on a familiar shoulder, breathing in the familiar scent that was suddenly all around him. He was an idiot to not have picked it out right away – stupid concussion brain, thinking he was All Might? Just how stupid did the blow to his head make him? If his intelligence didn't come back soon he was gonna be pissed. 

A strong arm wound around his waist, holding him close and steady, and Katsuki's cheeks twitched a little – almost managing a smile of all things.

“Hey Deku?”

“What's up, Kacchan?”

“Thanks for keeping me warm.”