Thread by @0rabid_rabbit0

The schoolbell rings and Katsuki picks up his things without bothering with his lousy classmates moving in bands to whatever they had to do after.

Extras, all of them. Noisy and fucking annoying. A couple of them had tried to become his friends in the beginning of the 1st year,

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as if the blond would need them.

He didn't need friends. Katsuki didn't need anyone else. What would he gain fooling around with people after all?

He had tried it already and it had sucked. Both for him and for the people around. He would not do it a 2nd time.

"Wow, now /that/ is just pathetic..." A familiar voice he never thought he would hear again called out to him. Katsuki couldn't help but to turn and watch in /shock/ as fucking Monoma Neito waited for him with that infuriating smirk by the school gate.

"I always knew you were antisocial but people are moving out of your way, Kats... It's the scowl I bet. Scary~"

He stares at the blond guy and his former friend, frozen for a second, before snapping his mouth shut and passing by him without a second glance.

"Oh, ouch Kats that one hurt! Come on, don't be like this. Aren't we friends?"

Neito is following him but Katsuki doesn't look back rushing his step. "Leave me alone. I have not a fucking thing to say to you"

"Really? Don't you want to rekindle the old flame of our friendship?"

Neito was trailing behind, closer at each word. "Don't you want to remember the old times? We had so many memories the three of us!" A pause. "Don't you want to know how he is?"

Katsuki stops. Hands curled into fists by his sides as he grits the words out. "No."

Neito laughs at this. Katsuki can see from the corner of his eye his former friend resting against a wall and lighting a cigarette. "You've always been a bad liar, Kats." Neito takes a drag. "He is good you know. Happy. Happier than he was in middle school."

The words are a sweet relief as they are a fucking gut punch. He is better, then. Katsuki had not break the light from the boy, but that didn't mean it was easier to know that Izuku was better because he had /left/.

"We are dating too." Neito adds and Katsuki rolls his eyes.

He knows that. The whole fucking neighborhood around the Midoriya's household knows. Inko and Mitsuki are still friends, despite their sons not talking anymore. Inko was always fucking sing praises to the Monoma family name, and how her son-in-law was sweet

caring, and able to provide for her young boy. How he was happy in making all in his power to make sure Izuku's dreams came true.

A fucking prince charming this Monoma Neito, so different from Katsuki who was only able to make Izuku cry.

Katsuki scoffs, finally turning to face Neito. "So what? Do you want my blessing or some shit, my congratulations." Neito chuckles, shaking his head in amusement, taking another drag, which only pissed Katsuki further. "Or did you only came to rub salt on my wounds, bastard?"

"Nope" Neito pops the last syllable as he flickers the cigarette on the ground before stepping on it. "I came here to give him up to you, Katsuki."

For a furious moment, Katsuki sees red. Shoving Monoma against the wall hard, ready to punch that smug smile out of his face.

"Is this a fucking joke?!" He spits out venomously. Neito flinches as his back hits the wall. "Did you forget what I did?! He is not a fucking prize you can just throw away like this." God he is furious, he is so fucking furious it's almost maddening

but Neito only smiles triumphantly as if this was /exactly/ the reaction he had been looking for.

"So you still love him, huh? Good, that makes it easier."

The words die on his mouth. The bastard had gone insane. That's the only explanation. Katsuki lets go of him and Neito

rubs the sore spot on his collar were Katsuki had forcefully grabbed.

Katsuki takes a step back, watching Neito who had just offered Izuku up like this, unbelieving. "I can't believe he chose you."

Neito laughs, letting his head fall back "Believe me, Kats. Most days I can't believe it either."

"You're fucking crazy" He mumbles out. Grey eyes met the ruby ones, and Katsuki saw something behind the amusement. Hurt.

"No Kats, I'm not crazy." Neito smiles. "I'm dying."

There are a few things a 16 years old never actually expects to hear from his strained childhood best friend.

"I'm dying" easily made the top of the list.

Neito continues talking with shocking ease, almost as if talking about his grocery list of the week. "The doctors

discovered it last year. Zuku and I went on a hiking trip. We had barely begun when I fainted." Neito laughs. "I gave him quite the scare at the time." Katsuki could see the love gleaming in Neito's eyes. "He cried, the big baby. Told me I should go see the doctor,

ordered actually. You know how he is. I told him it wasn't anything serious, probably just exhaustion, but he refused to talk with me until I went." Neito shrugs. "Turns out he was right."

Katsuki blinks, looking for any telling signs that this was a fucking twisted sick joke

from the bastard but found none.

Neito smiles at him, knowing that Katsuki had finally understood. "It's a congenital heart condition. It began with puberty... my heart is just too weak for my body. It's beginning to fail."

Katsuki opens his mouth but no sound leaves him. What was he supposed to say? Neito was fine! He looked fine. He was taller than Katsuki remembered but he was still the same.

Same infuriating grin, mischievous grey eyes, blond hair... He was taller but still was the same /boy/.

Fuck, they were 16. Neito couldn't just /die/.

Katsuki bites the inside of his cheek, swallowing the sand dry clog "How long- fuck, how long will your treatment take?"

"There is none, Kats" Katsuki's blood runs cold on his veins.

Neito pulls the collar of his shirt down and he can see the hint of the surgery scars on his chest. "They tried /everything/, Kats. all the treatments that the Monoma money could buy and /nothing/ worked." His voice had an ironic bite to it. "My only chance is a transplant but

the waiting list is too big. My body will fail before I get the chance."

The wind blows in a sharp cold breeze by them, but Katsuki barely felt it, his skin too numb and a high-pitched buzz on his ears.

"How long?" His voice came out in a small sound.

"They gave me a year."

Katsuki's eyes widened. That couldn't be... a year meant Neito would not finish high school, he wouldn't even turn 18.

The adoring green eyes flashed on his memory.

"What are you doing here, Neito? Fuck, we haven't spoken in years, and-"

/And I was an asshole, a jerk, I made him cry, I made you angry and I don't deserve a second chance./ "-fuck, what /are/ you doing here?"

"I have a last wish, Katsuki. And, selfishly, I am going to burden you with it. My bad."

Neito smiles at him, apologetically, and Katsuki holds his breath. "After I'm gone, can you look after him for me?"

---

/Izuku walks through the hospital corridors with the familiarity he had acquired over the months of visiting Neito. He opens the door to his boyfriend's

room, only to find the bed empty. He sighs, unsurprised. Leaving the fruits he had brought upon the bedside table, he makes his way to the rooftop where he finds the blond sitting by the railings with a cigarette between his lips./

/Neito looks up and sees him. A handsome smile painted his face. "Hey there, love."/

/Izuku puffs his cheeks and crosses his arms over his chest. He wants to be mad at him, he really wants to. "I can't believe you're killing yourself with those! The doctors told you to stop!/

/The blond cackles, throwing his head back. "Hah! I'm dying, either way, at least let me have the small joys of life before I go!"/

/Izuku feels the tears prickling in his eyes. He didn't want to cry not here, not in front of him, not when he already cried too much./

/Neito sees it. Of course he does, it doesn't matter how hard Izuku tries to hold it all in, Neito always reads him like an open book./

/The blond gives him a soft smile, putting down the cigarette and opening his arms towards the greenette. "Come here, Zuku."/

/Begrundgly, the greenette walks to him. Soon as he reaches the man, Neito grabs his arm, pulling him down to the floor with him, between his legs./

/Neito is a solid wall on his back and Izuku can't help but snuggle up against the comforting and loving embrace./

/Neito rests his chin on the curve of Izuku's neck, planting a soft kiss on his cheek and wrapping his arm around his boyfriend's waist. "See? I'm fine, baby"/

/Izuku's arms wrap over Neito's. His thumb brushing over the IV connected to his wrist.

Neito had been smelling like hospital for the last couple of weeks ever since he was confined on his bed, but today he smelled like cigarette smoke. The greenette sighs in annoyance. "I hate this smell"/

/Neito sighs happily, burying his face on Izuku's skin. "Too bad, because I love yours." Tears found their way back to Izuku's eyes again. Unfair, Neito-kun was so unfair saying and doing those things with him./

/"This is going to kill you." He mumbles out staring at the pack of cigarettes like it was his personal enemy./

/Neito chuckles behind him, his laugh rumbling on Izuku's back. "Zuku, I'm going to die way before those can do any harm."/

/Izuku bites down his lip. Grip tightening on Neito's arm. "You're not going to die." His voice is resolute. He believes it. He had believed it for more than two years now. There are still surgeries, the transplant waitlist. Neito shouldn't be smoking because when became his turn

for the transplant he shouldn't-/

/"Izuku." Neito tilts his head to meet his and Izuku is not going to cry. He is not. But the way Neito looks at him, just so accepting of his fate is almost enough to tip him over the edge. "I'm going to die. We all are." He chuckles.

"I'm just going to go a little earlier than most."/

/Izuku glares at him. "This is not funny, Neito./

/Neito's eyes are soft. "I know. It's not funny." He caresses Izuku's cheek wiping down the tears Izuku hadn't realized were there. "But it's the truth, love."

Neito kisses the wet eyelids. "We're running out of time. Let's... not fight okay? Let's be happy. I don't want your last memories with me and our last moments to be bitter ones./

/Just like that, the dam breaks and Izuku cries his heart content, he cries for the man he loves, he cries for the future they won't have, and he cries for himself that will be left all alone in the end./

/Neito doesn't ask or say anything. He just holds Izuku through all of it, until the sun sets on the horizon./

/When his tears finally dried out, The sky was already dark./

/Neito's fingers twist and brushes between the wavy and fluff curls. "You're better?/

/Izuku sniffs. Eyes and nose puffy and red from crying. "I am. Sorry about that, Neito-kun."/

/"Don't be, baby. You've been with me through all of it..." He boops Izuku's nose with a smile. "It's surprising you didn't break down before, honestly."/

/Izuku sighs, letting himself rest against his boyfriend's comforting presence and checking the time on his phone. His mother had called and Neito's mother too. "We should go. The visitation's hours are over."

/Izuku raises to his feet as Neito groans, refusing to move from the spot. Izuku grabs his arm, forcing him to get up. "Neito-kun! Come on, the nurses are looking for you!"/

/"No~..." Neito lets his body fall forward weight over the greenette./

/"Stop being lazy! You need to go

back to bed!"/

/Neito stares down at him and Izuku stares right back. The blond raises a suggestive eyebrow as a sly smile blooms on his face. "Do you want to sneak up to my room tonight too?"/

/Izuku turns bright red. "N-NO! PERVERT!" He hits Neito's chest out of embarrassment

You need to rest! You've been out of bed for too long already!"/

/Neito laughs out loud, before kissing his boyfriend's cheek. "You're adorable."/

/Izuku ignores him, still blushing, marching towards the door. God, he loved Neito but sometimes the boy would drive him insane./

/"Izuku./ Neito calls, and the greenette stops, turning back to find the man looking up at him with an indescribable look in his eyes. Izuku waits but Neito doesn't say anything, just keeps watching him./

/Izuku raises an eyebrow. "What? What you're doing?"/

/Neito only smiles. "Remembering this."/

"Midoriya?" Izuku blinks, his head had been resting against the table. He had fallen asleep. "Class is over are you okay?"

He blinks. Iida was talking to him. He was at college now. It had been a dream of the past.

"Midoriya?"

Izuku touches his collar, finding the familiar weight of the necklace beneath, taking a deep calming breath. He turns to face Iida with a smile. "Yes, Iida-kun, I'm fine! Sorry, I must have been more tired than I realized at first."

"Don't worry about it! At least the teacher didn't catch you. I can lend you my notes later if you like."

Izuku packs his things as his friend waits for him. "That would be great! Thank you."

Izuku and Iida walk together out of the classroom. They were going to meet Ochako and some other students at a bar for a small get-together.

"Midoriya, can I ask you something?" Iida asked after a few minutes.

"Sure what is it?"

"You were talking in your sleep...

where you dreaming or something?"

His hand again moves over the necklace hiding under his shirt. He hums, happily. "Something like that..."

Iida chuckles. "Was it a good dream at least?"

Izuku nods. "It was. A good memory." /One of the best ones I have/

They finally get to the bar. Ochako had been the one to come up with this. She had friends across the departments and her classmate, Mina, also had them. They became fast friends and joining the groups together seemed like a good idea.

It was easy to find the lousy and crowded table.

It was nerve-wracking, sure, but Izuku was really excited about the prospect of meeting new people, making friends.

Ochako looked up and saw them approaching. She waved at them, smiling. "Midoriya! Iida! Here!"

All the eyes on the table turned to meet them, Izuku greeted them all with a warm smile.

That is, until the green eyes saw him, making Izuku freeze on the spot, smile faltering from his face.

The ruby gaze stared back at him with equal shock mid-sip of his drink.

The words left him unbelieving. It couldn't be. Not him, not here, not now.

"Kacchan?"

---

(TBC - qrt, rt and comments are adored!)

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---

/The doors of the hospital slid open, welcoming him to the familiar antiseptic-filled air. Izuku finishes filling the visitation papers at the reception desk. Adjusting his school bag over his shoulders, a procedure he had grown used to in the last couple of years./

/With the visitor access wristband just under the cuffs of his uniform jacket, Izuki makes his way to the elevators. A nurse greeted him. ”Midoriya-kun! I thought you had club activity today!”

/“Oh, Hasegawa-san, Hello!" Izuku politely bows.

She was the one that accompanied the volunteers at the pediatric ward. If Izuku wasn't mistaken they had a dress-up party today, right? One of the kids was going to be discharged soon. "I had but Neito’s mom texted me so-”/

/The nurse nods. “Ah yes, of course, I heard that Neito-kun’s surgery last night was really hard. You've must be so worried! Came straight from school, I see."/

/Izuku feels his whole body wince, rejecting her words about Neito’s surgery. He doesn’t want to hear it from just anyone's mouth, just because works here, but still, he kept the polite smile on her face, nodding along./

/”Yeah, that’s why I came today. I asked to be released earlier so I could be here as soon as visitation hours were open.” Truth be told, the text Mrs. Monoma sent him had clutched his heart with anxiety. She just told the greenette that Neito had been released from intensive

care earlier that morning. Izuku had been in the middle of class and couldn’t concentrate for the rest of the day./

/Was Neito okay? Why couldn’t she have given him any more information than this?!/

/Rationally, Izuku knew, that the woman had probably just shared with him what the doctors had told her at the time, and was probably just as worried as he was with her son’s condition to keep remembering to text Izuku every update, but still./

/He could have just texted her asking for it, he knew, but he didn’t want to take on a tool o the woman who was already dealing with too much on her own./

/Instead, he asked to be released from his club activity so he could, as fast as he could, get to the hospital and find out by himself how his boyfriend was./

/The nurse sighs, giving him a good intending and yet pitiful look, Izuku grips the strap of his bag tightly. Then her expression lights up. “Oh, I know! Let me check his medical record for you already!”/

/Izuku feels his heart up in his throat and his words clogged there./

/The nurse was already moving and he couldn’t just say no, trailing behind her to the nurse station looking and feeling the panic rising inside./

/As she typed away in the computer, he felt his whole body tense up. He wasn’t ready to hear any bad news. He knew that soon would

come the day they would be inevitable, and Izuku was terrified that it was already here. He was supposed to have that elevator ride first, where he would be able to steel himself to see the Monomas crying and the Doctor heavily saying his “I’m sorry.” to them./

/He wasn’t supposed to discover it now. Not like this. He wasn’t ready yet. Please, please, don’t let today be the day./

/As the nurse stopped, clicking on the file and reading it, Izuku’s heart felt like stopping with her.

The second stretched for what felt like forever, then the nurse looked up at him smiling. “He is stable. The doctors just cleared him for visits just a while ago./

/A relieved breath escaped him as he felt every muscle in his body relax. Neito was okay. He was okay./

/The nurse chuckled, delighted at the brief and happy relief she had just been responsible for, shooing Izuku teasingly with her hand. “What are you waiting for? Go see him, already!”/

/Not needing to be told twice, Izuku thanked the nurse with a sincere smile and made his way to the elevator, pressing the button to Neito’s floor way more times than necessary./

/He made his way to Neito’s room, only to find the Monoma’s sitting just outside of his room

with coffee cans in hand. As the boy approached them, they gave him a sincere but tired smile./

/”Izuku? Oh, sweetheart, I thought you had your club activity today!” Auntie said, pulling the teen into a hug./

/Even when the woman was tired beyond herself, had spent the night outside of the surgery room, and was wearing comfy clothes, she still had that exuberance and class in her beauty. When Izuku was little, he asked her if she was an angel,

the woman laughed prettily making her soft golden curls bounce, before she corrected him, telling him that she was french./

/Both Neito’s parents were gorgeous people. People usually noticed how the boy had inherited lt from his mother’s side but Izuku had always been bewitched

by how Neito’s eyes and bone structure were so similar to his father, who even now being in his forties was a very attractive looking man./

/As he pulled away from Mr. Monoma’s hug, Izuku noticed the bags under his tired eyes and the heavy stubble on his face./

/Neito was still to have his facial hair to start showing up, and Izuku intrusive thoughts couldn’t help but wonder if he would ever see Neito with one before-/

/He smiled at them, shaking this line of thought away.

“I asked them to release me today. I just needed to know how the surgery went.” He chuckled awkwardly. “I don’t think I would be able to do anything useful today if I didn’t come here.”/

/Monoma’s mother gasps, looking apologetically. “Oh Izuku, I’m sorry! I forgot to text you the updates when-”/

/He waves it off, smiling. “Don’t worry about it auntie, I know you’re too tired right now. You both spent the night here, right? It’s okay.”

Izuku looks at the closed door of Monoma’s room. “How is he?”/

/”Still sleeping.” Neito’s father answered, showing Izuku a chair so they could all take a seat. He offered his son-in-law the unopened can of coffee, but Izuku shook his head.

“His heart was weaker than the exams had shown. It stopped two times last night.”/

/Izuku ignored the sinking feeling at the base of his stomach. “But the pacemaker is working right?”/

/”Yeah, the doctors think it can buy us some time as we wait for the transplant.”/

/Izuku nods. “Did they tell anything about when he will be cleared to come back home?/

/Not yet Izuku, he’s still under observation, but don’t worry, I’m sure he will be back home soon, okay?” The man smiled at him, tired, strained, trying to be comforting for the boy, and yet

deep down there was a reluctant sparkle of hope shining behind it. Hope that the time they had bought would be enough./

/Izuku knew that smile too well, it was the same one he offered to them countless times./

/”Can I stay inside with him?” He asks. “I know he is sleeping, but I just want to be there for him if he wakes up./

/Neito’s mom looks like she is about to protest, but stops herself, smiling at Izuku instead, eyes shining “I think he would love that.”/

/Neito’s father chuckles, amused. “Who wouldn’t like to wake up and see the love of their life by them?” Izuku blushes as the man winks to his wife. “I know I would.” She rolls her eyes in a very Neito-like manner, but yet with a smile threatening to show up. The man gets up.

“I think it could be good. We need to go back home, take a shower and sleep a little. I have to be back at the office tomorrow, and you have to sleep, honey. Neito would hate to know we’ve been here all night.”/

/The woman sighs. “You’re right.” As they hug the greenette goodbye she whispers “text me when he wakes up, okay?” To Izuku, who nods with a gracious smile on his face./

/As the Monoma’s leave, Izuku makes his way inside switching the light on, illuminating the room. Neito had a private and spacious room, the best the Monoma’s money could buy, and that said a lot./

/He walked to the bed, feeling his breathing getting lighter as he finally saw

that Neito was okay. The intimidating and beeping machine monitoring his vitals, and the I.V connected to his arms were no longer the scary things that would make Izuku’s heart clench with fear in his chest just at the sight of them. Now, they were friends./

/Because as long as that ominous beeping continued to sound and Neito’s chest moved up and down as he breathed, that meant he was alive./

/Izuku reached Neito’s hand, squeezing it. Still warm, still present, still here./

/God, he couldn’t help but smile at Neito’s peaceful sleeping face, so different from the usual infuriating smirk he wore, and even if he would never admit it to his boyfriend out loud, how he wanted to see it already./

/“Wake up already, dummy.” Izuku whispers as he gently brushes Monoma’s hair out of the way kissing the boy’s forehead./

/The greenette notices the flowers at the bedside table,

Mrs. Monoma’s never failed in bringing fresh ones every day, and this time she had brought daisies, Izuku really loved those./

/Pulling the chair close to the bed, putting his bag against it on the floor he picked the vase and went to find a sink bigger than

the one on the adjacent bathroom so he could change the water without making a mess./

/As he made his way through the halls of the ward, he greeted the nurses, doctors, and staff who already knew the gentle and kind greenette by name and heart. Of course they would.

All free time Izuku had, he spent it here. The boy did his best to remember them all as well./

/That overall familiarity and niceness, even if it came naturally to Izuku, also had its perks, for example, Sekijiro-san, one of the cleaning staff members, letting him into the

cleaning deposit so Izuku could use the big sink there to fill the vase with new water./

/Humming happily, back inside Neito’s room Izuku puts the vase back in place, he made himself comfortable as he possibly could on the chair by

Neito’s bed, crossing his legs on top of it and picking his and Neito’s notebooks, so he could copy the content they had in class that day for his boyfriend to study when he felt better./

/At first, Neito’s parents thought it would be a bad idea, for Neito not to stop with school to focus on his treatment. Izuku had agreed with them at first, but Neito insisted on it, now Izuku realized it had been for the better./

/When Neito was back home, he went to school like any normal kid would (with Izuku naturally keeping his eye out like an eagle so the blond would follow all the doctor’s instructions, but somehow, Neito still found a way to keep smoking those disgusting cigarettes), and when

Neito treatment or worsening condition demanded him to stay at home or back at the hospital, school work somehow kept him sane. The shred of normalcy his teenage years had./

/As Izuku finished with all the notes for Neito in his neat, clean, and very easy-to-follow written notes

he slid today's notebook back in the drawer of Neito’s bedside table, picking the notebooks labeled “THURSDAY” So he could do tomorrow’s notes as well./

/With nothing else to do, Neito still asleep and still at visitation hours, Izuku picked a book from his bag to pass time,

being startled by the door sliding open after a while, Nurse Tokage raised an eyebrow at him. “What are you doing here yet, Midoriya-kun? Visitation hours are over.”/

/The greenette looked at the time on his phone. Shoot, he hadn’t noticed it!

“Sorry, Setsuna-san, I think I lost track of time with this book.” He mumbles out apologetically/

/The Nurse walks to the bed, checking Neito’s vitals, changing his I.V, and scribbling something down on his medical record.

She eyes the book on Izuku’s lap. “Oh? Majo no Takkyūbin? I haven’t seen this one in years!”/

Izuku nodded, smiling. Meeting Hasegawa-san at the reception had been good for more reasons than one. “It’s a classic! I loved it when I was little and

I think the kids here will like it too."/

/”Right, you’re still volunteering at the pediatric ward?” Izumi nods, it was his turn to pick the storytime book this month. The nurse let out a dreamy sigh. “You’re such a sweetheart, Midoriya-kun! How can you stand this brat?!”/

/Izuku chuckles at this. While he was the sweetheart of the hospital staff, Neito was their nightmare. Escaping from his room and treatment with such ease it drove the medical team insane./

/He did it for the most ludicrous reasons, like smoking on the rooftop and never once getting caught, sneaking out of the hospital going to a late-night concert of a band he liked, or wandering down the park, still wearing his hospital gown to top it off!/

/He also did regular trips to the convenience store across the block buying ice cream for the children patient's delight and to calm down the nurses, bribing them to not tell on him./

/Neito was always scowled to death because of it, but it was hard for the nurses and doctors

to stay mad at the blond, as his charismatic nature and easy smile were able to catch them off guard more often than not/.

/It drove “tough-love” nurses like Setsuna crazy, but it was undeniable how Neito had managed to turn himself into a soft spot in her heart.

All of their hearts, honestly./

/Such an infuriating fella as he was a charming one. It was impossible not to fall in love with him./

/There was only that one time when he was not able to charm his way out of trouble. For Izuku, his parents, and the staff absolute horror,

Neito had escaped to play soccer with some other teens at the nearby park, despite knowing full well he was absolutely forbidden from doing so./

/The worst did not happen, but his father was livid at the disregard the boy had shown for his own life and hurtful words

were exchanged between the two of them and the most shocking admission escaped Neito’s lips, making his mother cry outside of the room listening to everything with Izuku at her side, too shocked to even speak./

/He had expected for the worst to happen./

/Izuku had been so angered by it! He could stay by Neito’s side until the end, but he wouldn’t see the boy he loved killing himself like this. He didn’t visit Neito in the hospital for a whole week, ignoring his calls and begging texts with a heavy and guilty heart.

But he just couldn’t bring himself to answer it, not if this was how things were going to be./

/When the blond was finally able to go back home, the first thing he did was march towards Izuku’s house, promising he would never do something like this again./

/True to his words, he never did. Neito was still a wild patient, never stopped with those damned cigarettes, but never again did something so purposefully challenging to his life, even starting therapy at the hospital to work on his feelings surrounding his condition and life./

/Now, to the staff’s absolute delight, every time the boyfriend visited him, Neito was in his best possible behavior, which only made Izuku’s respect among the hospital staff become even bigger as he was the only person able to keep Monoma at his bed./

/They even asked him, only half-joking, if Izuku was not considering breaking an arm or a leg so that he could stay at the hospital a little longer than usual and keep Neito under control./

/In their eyes, Izuku was the model visitor, always paying attention and respecting

instructions, fully aware and follower of the hospital rules, just as someone who fitted into their community offering his time and care for those who needed it as a volunteer./

/Not that they needed to know about all the times Neito sneaked Izuku into his room at the dead of night, though./

/Now with the nurse asking him how he put up with such a troublesome guy, Izuku merely shrugs. The answer is easy. “Because I love him.”/

/Nurse Tokage blinks, clearly not expecting such a sincere answer, and absolutely not expecting the sincere answer to be this one./

/The initial shock washes out of her face and she gives Izuku one of her warm rare smiles, before turning back to the usual snark,

checking her clock, before walking back to the door. “There will be a change in rounds in 20 minutes if you promise to leave discreetly, I won’t tell that you’re still here.”/

/Izuku gives her a blinding smile, not knowing what to say. “Thank you, Setsuna-san!”/

/She points her finger at him. “Don’t think this is for free, boy. Your mom cinnamon buns you brought for the staff last Christmas, I want a whole batch just for me.”/

/Izuku nods. God bless his boyfriend and his institutionalization of bribery with food amongst the staff.

“I’ll make sure she makes it this week, I promise.”/

/”Hm, you better.” Before she leaves, without turning she calls out, just before closing the door behind her. “And you! Stop pretending you’re asleep, brat! I can see your vitals.”/

/As soon as she leaves the room, Neito groans, opening his eyes. “Finally, the witch is gone.”

/Izuku’s mouth hangs open, he cannot believe that boyfriend of his. “You were awake this whole time?!”/

/“Not the whole time love.”

Neito smirks down at him and god, how Izuku had missed it. “Just a few minutes before she came in.”/

/The greenette gives him an unbelieving look, wearing the cutest pout.“Why didn’t you call me out? I wanted to talk with you.”/

/"Zuku, you have not the slightest idea how adorable you look when you’re immersed in a book. I miss seeing you doing those things.” He shakes his head, considering. "Then she came, and nurses are insufferable when a patient is awake with all those

‘In a scale of 1 to ten how much discomfort are you feeling?’ or ‘Do you feel when I touch you with this pen here’?” He does a high-pitched nasal impression nowhere near Nurse Tokage's tone, leaving Izuku unimpressed. Neito sighs.

“Who in their right mind would prefer to be continually stabbed with a pen then watch his adorable boyfriend scrunching his cute nose stubbornly refusing to go get glasses?”/

/Izuku rolls his eyes, still pouting, which only makes Neito’s grin grow even larger.

“Too bad the visitation hours are over, and you spent the last of it, pretending to be asleep, huh?”/

/Neito blinks, pretending to be confused. “Oh, really? Because as far as I can tell I feel we still have 20 minutes to enjoy each other's company, instead.” Neito pats the bed.

“Now bring your cute butt here.”/

/Oh, if he had not just spent the night inside of a surgery room, Izuku would most definitely have slapped him. Izuku gets up walking to the bed. “You are a bad influence, you know that?”/

/Neito’s usual smirk and the gleaming eyes, never fail to make Izuku’s heart skip a beat. “But you love it don’t you?”/

/He does, Izuku so does, desperately so./

/Neito begins to move, trying to scoot over, but Izuku stops him.

“Don’t. You’re still recovering I'll fit just fine like this."/

/Izuku was of a smaller build than his boyfriend so he does his best of making himself small as he possibly can, not putting any part of his body or weight over Monoma, staying at a weird side-angle where he could

rest on his elbow watching Neito's face and with his free hand, being able of caressing the teen's face./

/As he finally makes himself comfortable, hearing Neito’s satisfied sigh, Izuku can’t help but ask while gently messing with the blond’s bangs. “How you’re feeling?”/

/Neito closes his eyes enjoying the touch. “Like someone cut my chest open and put a metronome inside my heart.”/

/Izuku makes a pondering sound from the back of his throat before speaking in an easy tone. “Well, technically, it’s not inside...”/

/The blond teen snorts, softly. “Oh, right, of course, they put a metronome over my heart. Better?”/

/”Very much.” Izuku continues to play with his hair. “But seriously, Neito-kun, do you remember anything from the surgery?”/

/”Not really. they pumped me full of top-notch drugs.” Neito jokes, but it falls flat as he sighs. “But I don’t want to talk about this, right now, okay?”/

/Rarely Neito asked them to change the subject surrounding his heart condition, so when he did, Izuku usually complied.

“Okay.”/

/They were silent for a moment before Neito spoke again. “Why do you like this book so much?” He points to the book lying forgotten on the chair. “You both always liked it better than the movie.”/

/”Eh?” Izuku blinks, confused./

/Neito explains. “You and Katsuki, you always like the book better.”/

/Right, Katsuki. Oh wow, it’s been a long time he and Neito talked about him./

/Honestly, it has been a long time since Izuku thought about him at all./

/”Oh, right, Kacchan liked the book too. I forgot about it.” Izuku shrugs, not giving it too much thought “I don’t know, I think our mothers liked this book when they were children. Auntie Mitsuki must have read it for him too...

We both end up liking it, I guess. Did your mom read anything for you?”/

/Neito chuckles. “No, I was too much of a brat to let her read me a story without interrupting, I usually ended up making the stories and telling them myself, she sang to me though.”/

/'Auntie’s voice is really beautiful.” Izuku says as he lowers his head, brushing his lips over Neito’s cheek.”/

/”It is.” Then, he adds after a moment. “Have you talked with him?”/

/Izuku pulls back, frowning, trying to understand what Neito was talking about. “With who?”/

/"Katsuki, have you talked with him after middle school?”/

/Izuku feels his body defensively tensing up at the memories. “No. Why would I?”/

/Neito insisted. “I know it was ugly, and I was royally pissed at that idiot too, but have you guys ever tried talking about it?

You were friends way long before I-”/

/Izuku cuts him, tone way drier and final than he had intended at first. “You just said it. We were friends. Past. He and I are not friends anymore. There is nothing to talk about.”/

/Neito doesn’t say anything at first, and Izuku bites the inside of his cheek, annoyed. Why was he bringing it up right now?/

/”Sorry Zuku, I got you mad, didn’t I?”/

/Izuku sighs. “No, it’s nothing, I promise. I’m not mad.

I just don’t want to spend another second thinking about him or what he did, okay?” He smiles at his boyfriend, sincerely as he possibly can, hoping to convey that he wasn’t mad at him, just at this whole “Bakugou Katsuki” deal popping up out of nowhere.

"Especially not when I have you all to myself." Izuku's smile grows bigger and brighter as Neito melts into a soft lovestruck goo at his words. God, how he adored him./

/How could he even entertain thinking about Kacchan's awful change back at middle school when he had such a lovely moment to live at the present?/

/They had been friends once, sure. Best friends, even. And all of it way before meeting Neito. He and Katsuki had been together

since birth. Then, during middle school, something changed as the boy he always thought he could always count on turned into his worst tormentor./

/For a long time, Izuku stayed silent, taking all of Katsuki's cruelties towards him, waiting, hoping things would turn better,

go back to how they were. For almost two years he tried to understand what he had done to provoke such a change./

/Now, he honestly didn’t care, Katsuki had just been a bully, there was no need for any reason whatsoever, and Izuku owned him nothing. Not a single thought./

/Especially not after what he had done./

/Izuku blinks the forming tears away. With everything going on in their lives right now, there was not a chance, the thing that would make him cry would be Bakugou Katsuki, of it all. “Can we talk about something else, please?”/

/Neito stares at him for a couple of seconds, an unreadable expression on his face, before it melted away giving place to the usual soft smile reserved to Izuku. “Sure, love.”/

/"Thank you.” Izuku then brushes his lips against Neito’s feeling the curl of the blond’s smile into their soft kiss. He reaches down tangling their fingers together between their bodies before slowly and softly pulling away.

“Oh! I just remembered something Shinsou-kun told me this week at class!”

/Neito scoffs. “What did emo-boy tell you this time?”/

/Izuku has to contain his reflex response of slapping Neito’s chest.

“Don’t call him that! But anyway, apparently, his uncle bought a beach house last summer!” Izuku is almost trembling with glee. “He invited us to go there with him next time!”/

/"'Us’, huh?” Neito says in a weird, almost mocking tone./

/”Yes, us? Is there a problem with it?”/

/”None... that’s so generous of him, Shinsou is such a pal…” Again, the weird tone./

/Izuku frowns. "Why are you saying it like this? I thought you guys were friends."/

/"Oh, we are." He says before mumbling under his breath.

"Believe me, it's the only reason that makes me able to sleep at night. He wouldn't dare doing it to his dying friend."/

/Izuku thinks Neito is being cryptic as he usually is from time to time, and decides to ignore it, instead, he lets his head fall to the mattress,

resting against the curve of Neito’s shoulder, snuggling up to the boy the best he could, letting out a content sound escape him as Neito now - finally - speechless, only tights his grip on Izuku’s hand, enjoying the physical and comforting contact./

/”I can’t wait for you to get better, so we can go there.” Izuku whispers, not expecting to hear an answer, but Neito, as usual, surprises him with a sincere and earnest one./

/He can even hear the hint of the smile on his voice breaking and melting his heart a little bit all at once. “I can’t wait to make you happy.”/

/You do, you already do./

---
The last bump on the road up to the cliff shakes Izuku awake.

He blinks, rubbing the sleepiness away from his eyes and yawning behind his hand.

Looking through the window he could see the familiar landscape leading to Aizawa’s summer house.

The last time he had been here was almost four years ago in his 3rd year of high school. Shinsou

had brought them here as promised, to what would become some of Izuku’s most cherished moments with Neito.

He smiled to himself at the memories, moving his hand up to find the familiar bump over his chest, hidden and protected under his shirt.

Then, Izuku realized Bakugou Katsuki was watching him through the rearview mirror and the smile died on his lips. He let his hand fall, looking away from him, back to the window, not risking to peek at Katsuki’s way, until he was sure the man was watching the road instead.

It had been Ochako’s idea, naturally.

She and Mina had successfully merged their groups together as planned with mostly everyone hitting off pretty well. This meant that Bakugou Katsuki had somehow become a constant presence in Izuku’s college life.

At study sessions, at hangouts, bars, restaurants, cafeteria, everywhere he went with his friends he was bound to meet the blond he least wanted to see ever.

To make things worse, was the fact that Izuku didn’t want to leave this newly founded group.

It would be easier if they were nosy, overbearing people that tried to force him and Katsuki to become closer. But no, they were all just really /really/ cool people.

Kirishima was gentle, Kaminari was funny, Mina was fun, Sero was a great guy to have around and his boyfriend

Todoroki Shouto hit off with Izuku incredibly easily, like they had been made for each other, in a very platonic way.

They had all, obviously, after that first encounter, realized that Katsuki and Izuku knew each other from before college,

but they never pried Izuku for anything, which the greenette was super grateful for, and they never tried forcing the two men to interact, so Izuku just ignored the blond's presence most of the time and had his fun with his friends, who happened to be Katsuki’s friends.

He wouldn’t bad mouth Katsuki to these people, of course. Their fallout was none of their business and none of them could have prevented it in any way.

Maybe Katsuki was a better person now than he was before, he probably was.

Having a nice guy such as Kirishima was, as one of his closest friends was a pretty good sign he was not the same person from middle school, to be true enough, neither was Izuku.

The most their friends knew, at least from his end, was the time Mina asked him why he and Katsuki

had not yet exchanged contact information and Izuku only smiled, saying that his number was still the same from middle school, so Katsuki probably already had that information somewhere at his house.

Later that night, just after leaving the shower he noticed a message on his phone from this unknown number.

/That’s my new number/
-Bakugou Katsuki-

He saved the number on his contacts and that was it. No one ever brought it up again or tried to force them both to talk about anything beyond the casual group conversation.

With one major exception.

Bakugou Katsuki himself.

Izuku could feel the ruby eyes always lingering over him, just lurking, waiting for the right opportunity to catch Izuku alone, so he could say whatever those intense eyes were holding behind it.

The thing was, Izuku did not want to listen to him.

He honestly wanted nothing from Bakugou Katsuki at this point in his life.

So Izuku did his best to avoid being alone with Katsuki for too long or staying out with the group too much, keeping their relationship casual and borderline stranger-like was the way to go.

But Ochako had this amazing barbecue at the beach idea that everybody loved, but she didn’t have a place where a whole lot of broken college students (the exception being Todoroki)

could stay to make it happen, and Izuku knew Shinsou who was now a 3rd-year med student at their college and who could borrow his uncle's place for free.

But Ochako could not invite Shinsou without Izuku, the only person in the group he knew. That would be just plain rude.

So there the greenette was. On his way to Aizawa’s beach house in a car with Bakugou, Mina, Ochako, and Iida, following the car with Denki, Sero, Shouto, Hitoshi, and Kirishima.

The plan was to stay a week, and Izuku was almost too sure he would not be able to ignore Katsuki

for this long, especially with the blond actively seeking him out.

The cars came to a stop, just outside this beautiful, white wooded, two-storey, American style, beach house.

He remembers clearly, the excited glee bubbling inside him when, years ago, holding his hand, He rushed Neito inside the place.

As Izuku exited the car, the salty sea air hit him straight on.

He closed his eyes, letting the refreshing and energizing breeze wash over him, welcoming it with open arms, waving his fingers, feeling the air dance through the space between them, and feeling his clothes pressing against his body with the strength of the wind.

Neito had done the same thing at the barrier to the cliffside behind the house, screaming at the top of his lungs "I’m the King of the World!'' in a Titanic reference, the movie nerd.

Then, he brought Izuku to his side, holding him close and forcing the giggling greenette to be the Rose to his Jack, recreating the famous. “I’m flying scene”. The memory made Izuku smile.

Satisfied, he turned back to the group, only to find Katsuki staring at him.

The red gaze, intense as always, almost blurting out whatever he was trying to tell Izuku, but this time, there was something more. Something almost beautiful as it was /hurt/ flashing behind his eyes.

Izuku stood there, frozen, unable to look away.

Something definitely had changed in Katsuki, he realized now.

Because the Katsuki Izuku knew before would have never let anyone see him, this /vulnerable/ and not lash out or turn away.

They stood there, green on red, so familiar and yet so foreign eyes. Years passed since the last time they had met, didn't it? Katsuki's red had been blazing fury and hate, and Izuku's green were hurt, terrified, and /confused/.

Now, the red and green are older, weighed down by time and life, wary of each other, but still unable to look away.

Izuku couldn't help but be curious. He knew what weight he carried with him.

But what weighed on Bakugou Katsuki's eyes?

Maybe this week he would find out.

---

TBC - ty so much you all! comments, rts and qrts are very appreciated and I love reading them all, also here is my ko-fi link feel free to tip if you want/can, anything already makes a huge difference 💚💚💚

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