A Different Type of Hero

Communication is Key

The moment Katsuki walked back into his and Izuku's home, he instantly relaxed. The familiar scent and feel of the space made his jaw relax and his shoulders drop. Izuku placed his things on the counter as he always did, not forgetting to slip off his shoes at the door. Katsuki did the same, but unlike Izuku who was rushed and a little panicked, he took his actions slowly. He slipped off his shoes and placed them neatly next to Izuku's. He didn't kick or shove them out of the way. He took them off, picked them up, and placed them back down where they belonged.

" You okay, baby?" Izuku walked over to the door where his partner stood and watched his careful motions. " Huh? Oh yeah... I'm alright." the blond mumbled. The other nodded and waved his hand as a gesture to follow him into the living room where they sat on the couch, sitting so close they were practically glued to one another.

They sat silently for a few moments, neither one knowing how to start the conversation. That was until Katsuki cleared his throat, grabbing the attention of his partner. He turned, gingerly taking hold of Izuku's face. The two made eye contact, holding it for a beat or two until Katsuki finally spoke. " Izuku, I'm so sorry for what I said to you. I didn't mean it, honest. I swear on All Might, you are the best thing to ever happen to me and I don't know what I would do if I lost you because of my stupid temper."

He took a breath, not breaking his intense stare. " I know I hurt you and you have every right to be angry with me, every right. But I will do anything to make it up to you. Anything you ask, I'll do. I can't lose you, baby. I can't." he begged. Izuku knew long before this moment how sorry Katsuki was. He knew the second the venomous words slipped from his lips. But he had to make sure he knew he was hurt and that he wouldn't tolerate such behavior.

" I know you're sorry, Kats. I forgive you. I know you didn't mean what you said but it still hurt and I had to make sure that was understood." Izuku smiled and kissed Katsuki's nose. He didn't want to have an in-depth conversation about this. Katsuki was sorry, he forgave him. That was that. But there was something else he wanted to have an in-depth conversation about.

" Now that that's out of the way," he started, pulling back a little but scooting his body impossibly closer to his partner's. " tell me all about what happened in that bar tonight."

...

Katsuki spilled every possible detail of the night's events to Izuku. He told him about the conversation before the kiss, about how Todoroki grabbed him, he even told him that his lips were half hot and half cold. Of course, that detail wasn't relevant, but Izuku asked. He'd always been curious about that.

" And that's everything that happened before I got there? Nothing else?" Izuku asked. He was writing down the entire story. At first, he was going to report it to the police but what good would that do? Todoroki had daddy's money, nothing would've happened to him. So instead, he wrote it to give to the media. They both knew damn well they'd eat that story up and publish it the second it was handed to them.

" Yeah... yeah that's all. You're sure you're not mad at me for kissing another guy?" Katsuki fidgeted with his hands, an unfamiliar look of fear in his eyes.

Izuku finished up his writing, quite literally crossing Ts and dotting Is, and looked up at his partner. " Katsuki, look in my eyes," he said, staring blankly at him.

Katsuki did as he was told, holding eye contact with Izuku as they'd done not too long ago. " Did you kiss Todoroki on purpose?" the blond shook his head.

" Did you enjoy the kiss?" again, he shook his head.

" Did you want the kiss?" Katsuki, without any hesitation and in the most serious and genuine tone possible, said no. Being kissed by a 'hero' other than his Izuku was not something he ever wanted.

" Good, as long as you didn't initiate, enjoy, or want it, I'm not upset. It wasn't your fault, you tried to stop him but you couldn't. I'll believe you over anyone else any day." the blond sighed in relief. Of course, he was aware that Izuku would believe him over anyone else but his anxiety was still at an all-time high.

Izuku set his pen down and stood from his seat on the couch. He outstretched his hand towards his partner, offering it to him. Katsuki took hold of it and stood with him. " I think it's time for some well-needed rest, don't you?" Katsuki nodded and allowed himself to be tugged along up to bed.

...

Before the couple went to bed, they decided to let themselves relax a bit with a nice warm bath. Katsuki would deny it to his grave but Izuku knew how much he loved having that time with him.

They filled the bath with warm water, lots of bubbles, and a lavender-scented bath bomb. The bath bomb was mostly to help them both relax but also because they're two gay men who love lavender-scented bath products.

" Here let me wash your hair for you, love." Katsuki grabbed the shampoo (no, not a three-in-one, he's not a monster) and began to wash the green curls. Izuku leaned into the touch, humming in content. Katsuki always gave the best scalp massages when he washed Izuku's hair and he knew how much his partner appreciated them.

Izuku let himself be pampered for the moment, returning the favor shortly after. They'd both had a very stressful week so they took turns caring for each other as they knew the other liked. Izuku washed Katsuki's hair as well but also made sure to massage his shoulders after he did so. He was always so tense so Izuku did his best to help relieve that tension when he could.

...

" Feel any better now, honey?" the men had just gotten out of the bath and were dressed cozily in their favorite pajamas. Izuku laid down on the bed, Katsuki slipping in under the covers next to him. The blond sleepily nodded his head, enjoying the feeling of his partner's arms wrapped securely around his waist.

They stayed like that for a while, enjoying each other's presence. Izuku couldn't sleep. He'd thought Katsuki had slipped into dreamland a while ago until he heard him mumble something. " What was that, Kats?" he asked.

Katsuki groaned, he didn't want to repeat himself. " I said thank you. I appreciate you still taking care of me even if I severely fucked up. I don't deserve you." the comment made Izuku's heart hurt. He knew Katsuki already felt horrible for how he treated him when they were kids, this whole situation probably brought all those feelings back up for him.

" Of course, handsome. We all make mistakes." Izuku's grip tightened a little around Katsuki, reminding him of his presence. Contrary to popular belief, one of Katsuki's biggest love languages is physical touch so little gestures like this often help ground him.

" We just have to be mature enough to recognize and take responsibility for them. Which you have done a great job doing. We're human, we're gonna have fights. But loving someone isn't not fighting, it's coming back together and making sure we get passed it together. And I don't know about you, but I'm passed it already. I love you and that is never going to change, Katsuki."

The blond turned around in his partner's arms and looked him in the eyes. He wasn't always great with words and Izuku knew that so he didn't take offense to his silence.

They both smiled at each other, giving small kisses here and there. The silence was comfortable, not awkward or forced. It was nice to just be together again. The bed gets awfully cold when the other side is empty.

" You wanna... go on a date tomorrow?" Katsuki asked, hopeful of a yes.

Of course, he got the answer he was hoping for. Who was Izuku to turn down a date with the love of his life after being apart for so long? He could never.

The couple made loose plans for the next day, too tired to set anything in stone. " We should sleep now," Izuku said. In all honesty, he felt like he could pass out any second, he just didn't want to leave Katsuki awake by himself.

" Yeah," Katsuki cut himself off with a yawn. " You're right." he finished, his eyes already slipping closed. Izuku chuckled at the action, closing his eyes a moment later.