To Stand by Your Side (DekuBaku)

Chapter 36: To Stand by Your Side

Love you too, Kacchan. Love you too.

Hushed, barely even a whisper. Izuku couldn't manage anything stronger, though—not after hours of fending off the brutal assault on his psyche, not after so much time spent holding back tears and trying to channel his fear into strength.

I love you, he heard again through the phone, hardly conscious. I love you, I love you, I love you.

I love you too, Izuku repeated, matching Katsuki word for word. Love you too, love you too, love you too.

Not for the first time that night, the sheets felt scratchier than usual. Or was it the pants? Kirishima had let him borrow a pair of sweats while they ran his own through the wash, and while Izuku was grateful for every semblance of help they'd offered him—food, shelter, clothing—it was as if he was living in some tilted, slightly-distorted world. Focusing on Katsuki's sleep-induced mumbling was easier, but with it getting quieter by the second, Izuku knew he'd need a new distraction soon.

By this time tomorrow, I'll be done with the media.

He kicked the sheets back, favoring the chill of his friend's AC over sweating out under the mound of blankets they'd given him.

By this time tomorrow, I won't have to hide again.

He scratched at his legs again—for some reason, his scars kept tingling every time he started thinking about the interview.

By this time tomorrow, I hope they'll lay off of Kacchan for good.

Izuku pulled a pillow to his chest as he listened to Katsuki drift off to sleep; it was a poor substitute for his actual boyfriend, but if he closed his eyes, it was easier to pretend the thing in his arms wasn't actually a barely-used pillow, and that he wasn't just laying on a spare air mattress in his friend's living room. He told them he would've been fine with the couch, but they'd been insistent upon trying to do everything they could to make him comfortable. At least in this house, Izuku didn't feel like he had every pair of eyes watching his every move. Falling asleep in his own room had proven to be difficult over the past week, and just knowing that he was with trusted people helped to fuel his comfort level slightly more.

Even so, the silence was still deafening.

Maybe I should grab some water... yeah, that'd probably be a good call.

He muted himself on the call before standing up, not wanting to wake Katsuki in case he accidentally tripped and fell face-first in his friends' kitchen on the way to the sink. He kept the earbuds in, though—right now, that stupid, silly phone call was the only tie they could cling to, the only reminder that neither of them were alone.

Where are they, where are they...

Ghastly phone-flashlight white dripped from wooden cabinets and glistened off the tile floor as he stumbled into the kitchen, trying his best to remember where his friends had stashed the cups without waking them up. But god, he was exhausted—if Izuku had a say in it, he'd pass out for a week straight right then and there. For as much as his limbs ached with each and every step, his mind wouldn't shut off; numbing adrenaline coursed through his veins, and the idea of actual sleep was hardly more than a pipe dream.

Trembling hands wrapped around one of the cabinet handles and pulled it open; they'd turn up eventually if he checked each one, after all. Open, close, open, close. He struck out on the first few, but as Izuku stuck his hand out to the second cabinet from the end, he smacked something else—something hard, cold, and clattering to the floor with a loud crash as he jumped back and screamed.

What did I—shit, shit, what did I just—!

"Izuku!?"

"Midoriya, are you okay?"

The overhead lights flickered on in an instant, and Izuku was left to squint and blink as he tried to adjust to the shift. At his feet lie shards of broken glass—he'd knocked over a bowl, by the look of it—and just in front of him, the all-too worried faces of his friends.

"M'sorry," he said, voice cracking like the bowl on the floor. "I-It was an accident, I didn't mean to, I was just looking for the cups a-and I—"

"It's okay! It's okay, promise" Ochako assured him, hands flying out in front of her. "Shit, I'm just glad you're alright—you're not bleeding, are you? Did you get cut at all?"

He managed to shake his head, frazzled mind keeping him frozen in place as Ochako and Kirishima swarmed to clean around him. All he'd wanted was a glass of water, just a fucking glass of water, but apparently even that was too much to ask for right now. If his hands were trembling before, they were almost violently shaking now; tremors wracked his body, and stress-induced nausea had flooded back into his stomach. Izuku was doing everything he could not to break, but even something as inconsequential as breaking a goddamn bowl?

I can't take anything more right now, nothing at all...!

After Kirishima and Ochako managed to brush the majority of the glass bits from the floor, he was led back to sit at their tiny bar counter, an actual cup of water set in front of him as he tried to recover what little midnight sanity he had left. Half-melted ice cubes clinked against the glass as he brought it to his lips, cold water splashing over his them and dribbling down his chin, barely even making it into his mouth.

I'm a mess, he thought, cocking back his head in an attempt to suck down what little of the drink was left. Can't even get a glass of water for myself, much less drink it.

Someone sat down on the stool to his left, then another to his right. Familiar hands crept over his shoulders, doing their best to keep him grounded. And set firm in his ears were his headphones, the low, barely audible sound of Katsuki's half-snores still trickling through them. Izuku had never been more glad to have muted himself—the crash of that bowl would've woken Katsuki up in an instant, and then they'd have been back at square one.

"S-Sorry," he croaked, "didn't mean to do it. I-I didn't."

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It was an accident, I'm sorry.

"Hey dude, remember to breathe. You're okay! It's not a big deal, I promise!" Kirishima shrugged, and patting him a little harder than he would've liked. "Mistakes happen, it's all good!"

"Eijirou's right," Ochako echoed him. "We probably just left it in a bad spot, so don't worry!"

They're right. They're both right.

He set the cup down, fingers shifting to tangle in the wire of the headphones instead.

Mistakes happen. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay.

Izuku had wanted water so he could relax. Now, the chances of him actually going back to sleep were slim to none.

"I—I, y-yeah, you're right," he swallowed, shutting his eyes and forcing himself to nod. "Should've turned on the light myself. I'll buy you guys a new bowl if you want."

"That thing? Nah, man. It's cool," Kirishima assured him. "We probably needed a new one anyways."

Ochako hummed her agreement. "Trust me, that's the least of our worries. I'm just glad you're okay, Izuku—when I heard that sound, my first thought was that someone had broken through the window or something."

Oh. Someone breaking through the window. Guess that's another thing else to think about, huh?

Instead, he hunched over the bar counter and did his best to stay calm.

"You guys wouldn't happen to have any tea I could make, would you...?" Izuku asked, resigning himself to whatever the night would bring.

"Tea?" Ochako frowned. "I mean, yes, but do you really want to stay up all—"

"I don't think I'm gonna go lay down again," he mumbled, head drooping even further. "I'm too wound up to sleep, and sitting in the dark is..."

I can't open my eyes without thinking there's someone hidden around the corner, and I can't close them without seeing every other horror imaginable.

"...not great."

Thankfully, his friends didn't push it. Kirishima got up to brew the aforementioned tea, and Izuku let himself listen to the soft, almost unnoticeable sound of Katsuki's occasional half-snores through the mic while he waited. Ochako didn't comment either, for once, instead opting to rub light circles over his shoulders and let him relax. By the time the tea was slid in front of him, he was able to get out a quiet thank you and take a sip without dropping or spilling anything from the mug.

Progress. This is progress.

And the more he thought about everything, it really was. Despite the situation being shitty as hell, Izuku had run towards help instead of away from it. He'd talked, communicated, did his damn best to keep his head on straight until he was in a safe enough place to fall apart.

Two years ago, he'd wound up in the hospital instead.

Two years ago, I'd never have thought I was capable of living a life this good.

"Is there anything else I can get you, Izuku?" Ochako asked. "I know you said you don't wanna go back to sleep, but would you want an extra blanket or so just to have with you? Or, uh, maybe a pillow?"

Izuku shook his head. "I, ah... no, this is fine. Do you guys mind if I turn the lights in the living room on, though? I think I'm just gonna go over notes for the interview for a while instead."

Katsuki snored again through the microphone, and Izuku couldn't help but crack the faintest smile.

I'm so glad he's safe and resting, at least.

Then, with a grimace—

He'll need it for tomorrow.

"...if you say so." Ochako glanced him over once more, and for once, Izuku didn't mind the weary sympathy in her eyes. "You'll tell us if you need anything though, right? I don't mind if you wake me up."

"Same here," Kirishima said, a heavy smile on his face. "And if things go south tomorrow, you can camp out here as long as you need to."

For as tired as he looked, nothing but warmth rest in that toothy smile.

"You guys are too good to me," Izuku shook his head, cradling the mug in his hands. "I appreciate it. Think I'll be okay for the rest of the night, but if anything comes up, I'll let you know."

Promise.

Kirishima let him borrow his laptop for the night, and Izuku was thankful for both the resource and distraction as they disappeared back into their bedroom again. As he wandered back into the living room, though, he noticed that their door had been cracked open slightly more than usual.

Like I said, Izuku thought as he sat down on the couch again. Too good for me.

But he turned away, pulled the thin stack of papers towards himself, and felt that familiar numbness return as he skimmed his notes from earlier. Notes, though, may have been too kind of a term for it. Hashed out words and jarring scribbles streaked the pages, hardly even coherent to him. Izuku had wanted to compile some collection of ideas to talk about up there, but even just an opening statement had been difficult to brainstorm. After all, how was it that someone went about saying yeah, you can talk shit about me, but leave my boyfriend alone without inciting even more backlash?

Izuku wasn't sure, and at this point, almost too afraid to ask.

I'll talk about work, he added to the notes, talk about the facts. Talk about how Kacchan and I have only been together for a year. Talk about how I don't want media attention, and...

He stopped mid-thought to scratch at the scars on his legs again, and with a jolt, realized what he'd just done.

Talk about... talk about my...

Shaky hands tugged up his sleeves a little, and with the gentlest touch, he traced over the ragged scars lying there like Katsuki had done so many times before.

...oh?

Izuku grabbed the pen again, new vigor flush through his veins as scraggly strokes scoured the pages, more life and more meaning to them than anything he'd come up with before.

I need to give them a distraction.

Writing, writing, notes and more notes.

I will give them a distraction. I'll give them... I'll give them...

His hands were shaking, but at the same time, this was the first and only plan he felt sure about.

I'll give them something they've never seen before.

Izuku dropped the pen, stared at the blurring wall of words on the page, and from somewhere within him, breathed a sigh of relief. He knew Katsuki wouldn't like the idea, but for all intents and purposes, it was the best thing he could do.

With a nervous swallow, Izuku set the papers back on the table beside him. He needed to find something to distract himself now.

Shaky hands reached to open Kirishima's laptop, logging in with a tap of the button and pulling up the the browser window in one smooth, only slightly-stilted movement. Maybe an apartment search would do? He'd been looking at them on and off for months now, but after only a few minutes of rolling through webpages and rent numbers, Izuku closed the tab and lolled back against the couch cushions.

There had to be something else he could search for. Something other than reading wiki articles until his eyes burned, something other than watching videos till his headphones were cemented to his ears. Not like he wanted to take them out in the first place, not when Katsuki was still making those soft little grunts and sleepy noises that made everything bearable.

At least Kacchan's okay, he reminded himself. At least he's okay, and at least we're going to...

Suddenly, faint reminders of his sleep-induced memories returned.

We're going to the onsen again.

Fingers were on the keyboard in a flash, googling rooms and pricing and dates as fast as he could. What would he want? What would make Katsuki happy? What would make them happy, damn it? Searching, in and of itself, was easy to do—and the longer he scrolled, the harder it became to stay focused on the matter at hand.

Through his groggy actions, Izuku realized he was more tired than he'd thought. Eyelids drooped, searching became slower, and before he knew it, sleep crawled into his bones and pulled him away.

Tomorrow, Kacchan. Tomorrow, it'll be over.

———————

"You—you really want come with me?"

Katsuki stared in shock at his friends, sitting around him at the lunch table with determination in their eyes and a stubborn insistance on staying put.

"'Course we're going with you, Baku." Camie rolled her eyes, and stepped forward to flick him on the forehead. "Did you really think you invite us to that interview and have us turn it down? This news is everywhere, and I need to be there for the actual thing!"

Yaoyorozu side-eyed her girlfriend. "...well, I'd like to go with you for moral support. I know all of this has to be hard, and even if you're not the one being interviewed... I can't even imagine what it's like to be in your position. Plus, I'd like to be there for Midoriya too."

When he turned towards Todoroki, all he saw was a raised eyebrow and a really? streaked over his face.

"Do you honestly feel the need to ask?" he said, rolling his eyes in an even more dramatic fashion than Camie had. "Of course I want to be there."

Right. Right. Of course he would.

That morning, Katsuki had woken up in a panic; everything from the night before had come crashing down like an avalanche, so bad to where Todoroki had run into his room to check and see that everything was okay. He'd skipped his first class, made it to the second with only a little red around his eyes, and only had to run to the bathroom once to cry during the third. Lunch was a welcome relief and a stressor all the same—a break meant food, but a break also meant unwanted eyes boring holes into his skin and only the glares from his friends to keep nasty words away.

He'd kept count.

Six people called him a fake. Five told him he was a bitch. Four said he should be expelled, three tried to elbow him in the hallway, two spit on his shoes as he walked past. And when one slapped his ass on his way back from practice, all Katsuki could feel was numb.

I'm tired.

If Deku's interview didn't clear things up, Katsuki wasn't sure what he'd have to do. It was still the first semester of his third year (almost the second, he remembered), and if he this was what he was going to have to endure if things weren't resolved...

Don't think about that. Don't think about that. This will work, it has to—!

"So are you gonna act surprised any longer, Kacchan?" Camie said, pulling his attention away from those unwanted futures. "Or are you gonna tell us the details for the evening instead?"

Those ready looks of theirs pierced through whatever flaky barrier was left, and a worn, wobbly smile broke out over his face.

"Right," Katsuki nodded. "The details."

The interview would be held in a studio near the outskirts of town—despite being conducted by a major news network, the location wasn't anything to write home about. When he'd talked to Deku about it that morning (Katsuki had forgotten that he'd fallen asleep with his headphones in and scared his boyfriend awake with his sunrise meltdown), he'd learned that Red Riot and Uravity would be coming with him as well, but aside from them and Katsuki's own friends, there would only be the media staff on site.

"Do you think we should wear our hero costumes?" Camie asked. "I mean, I wanna go out there cute. What's Midoriya wearing? His costume? Something nicer? Ooh, man, I bet he'd look amazing in a white business suit..."

Katsuki shrugged. "He actually, ah... didn't tell me. I guess it's fine if you wanna wear yours? S'not a bad idea, but if I wear mine, I'd probably throw civilian clothes on top of it. Don't wanna attract more attention than we already will on the way there."

"That's reasonable," Yaoyorozu echoed. "I'd hope we wouldn't have to be involved in anything other than moral support, anyways. Not because there's anything wrong with helping, but ideally, our help shouldn't be needed in any other way."

But from the other side of the table, Todoroki only huffed. "You'll see me in sweatpants and a shirt at best. The media trash doesn't deserve anything better."

And out of all of the answers he'd heard, Katsuki found himself agreeing with that more than anything else.

He's right. They don't deserve our time.

Deku was putting himself out there to try to calm things down, not to appease the mocking cries and jeers. After all, if the media had their way, breaking up would be best solution.

But that was never even an option. Not now, not then, not ever.

He nodded. "That's fair. I dunno, I think I'll wear part of my costume just in case, but i'll throw a jacket on top. Maybe some sweatpants, too."

They could celebrate afterwards—it wasn't as if Katsuki didn't enjoy dressing up (especially when it came to Deku,) but the media didn't deserve them at their worst—much less their best.

Next subject.

"Deku told me to get there early. Just like fifteen minutes or so, so..." Katsuki frowned, thinking for a moment. "We'll need to be at the studio by six-fifteen, which would mean leaving here by about five-thirty. Five-fifteen if we wanna be safe."

"So, we'll meet up after classes, but we're going to have to skip the exam review session tonight." Yaoyorozu said, sighing. "Given the situation, I suppose it's alright, but I'll need to spend more time going over those subjects for the exams."

Camie draped an arm over her girlfriend, leaning up close beside her. "Aw, babe, don't worry. We can do a little special studying, you know..." she giggled, and kissed Yaoyorozu on the nose. "I'll make it worth your while."

"Save the flirting for after we're done planning," Todoroki groaned. "Get it together. This is important."

"Fine, fine. Party pooper."

As much as Katsuki wanted to scream something about it being anything but a party, the fact that Camie was willing to put on a smile and freely laugh even now was helping his spirits.

"Let's just go ahead and leave by five-fifteen so we're not rushing to get there," Katsuki said, wringing his hands and sneaking another glance behind him to check for stares and whispers. "We'll meet up with Deku, Red Riot, and Uravity at the studio, then go from there. I don't know how long it'll take or how well it'll go, but..."

Todoroki's hand clapped itself on his shoulder and squeezed. "We can hope for the best."

Right. We can always hope for the best.

"Agreed." Yaoyorozu dipped her head. "Do you think you'll be okay for the rest of the day since we're doing hero training, Katsuki? Or would it be better for you to head back to the dorms and mentally prepare for all this?"

A part of him wanted to do that—run back to his dorm, call Deku, curl into a ball in the sheets he'd forgotten to wash that week. At the same time, though...

"I'll be fine," he assured her. "I-I mean, maybe it'd be easier to go back to my room, but it'd probably make shit harder overall. I'd rather think about practice than this garbage, and as long as I'm fighting and moving, I think things should be okay."

"Makes sense!" Camie grinned. "I'll make sure to go extra hard on you during practice today, 'kay? If you start thinking about anything else, you're gonna be screwed—" she paused, winked. "And not in the fun way, baby."

Katsuki could only groan again, head lolled back over his chair as lighter banter returned to their table. He was more than ready for lunch to be over—for incessant stares to go away, for those stomach-turning whispers to die down, for the murmurs of fake, fraud, cheat, to leave him be.

They're wrong. They're wrong. But like Deku said...

"Pfft, I can handle whatever you've got." Katsuki forced a smile, blatantly ignoring the insults thrown from halfway across the room. "Give me your best shot."

...the hardest thing to change is someone's mind. All I can control is myself.

Lunch ended eventually and as he left the cafeteria, the shouted jeers turned to crackling white noise and crashed on his friend's shoulders, leaving only the faintest chants to hit his ears.

All I can control is myself.

Practice came. Went. Katsuki beat the hell out of a set of training dummies, blew down the side of a building, and did the best in the class during offensive training maneuvers.

All I can prove is myself.

He allowed himself an extra ten, fifteen minutes in the bathroom stalls to get rid of the lingering nausea building in his stomach.

All I can... all I can...

An hour later, Katsuki had thrown on the top to his hero suit, a pair of sweatpants, and part of his belt.

"You ready, babe?"

In the doorway, his friends stood ready and waiting.

All I can be is myself.

A worn, crooked half-smile tugged at his lips.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Katsuki said, stepping forward. "Let's show these assholes what's up."

The four of them got to the station and onto the train as quickly and quietly as possible, ducking past tall buildings and weaving their way through thick crowds. Walking past rows of TVs forecasting the interview was easier without the shock value attached to it, and despite his goddamn boyfriend being treated like a piece of rotten meat by every voice around him, Katsuki was able to find some solace in the fact that they didn't know Deku.

All they know is what he's shown, and that hardly counts for anything.

And, as Camie had pointed out earlier that day, the photo of them kissing wasn't as terrible as it could've been, either. At least they'd caught that on camera instead of something more risque.

In the back of his mind, Katsuki realized that even Deku's bedroom might have been tapped.

At least... at least they didn't get any pictures of his scars. Of us in bed. Of him touching me and me touching him.

Deku was a private person—one of the most private he'd ever met, especially for a pro hero—and the thought of the scars he worked so to hide being ripped open and shown to the rest of the world?

A shiver crawled down Katsuki's spine, and he scooted closer to Yaoyorozu on instinct.

It could've been worse. It could've been a lot worse.

"Hang in there," Camie murmured, and took his hand. "We've got you."

That's right. That's right. That's right, they... they've got me.

Katsuki would deny crying on the way there, but the way Todoroki held him as the nerves began to spark up again kept him grounded more than anything else.

"Our stop is coming up," Yaoyorozu alerted them. "The station is only a short walk, thankfully. We're meeting Midoriya outside, yes?"

"Yeah, that's—that's what he said."

Fuck, I wanna hug him right now.

The train slowed to a stop, and Katsuki was hardly able to get off without falling with as wobbly as his legs were. Camie almost reached to help him, but all it took was a minute of deep breathing against a stray column at the station to get his bearings back.

"You sure you're okay?" Yaoyorozu frowned. "It's not too late to go home. I'm sure Midoriya would understand if it's too much for—"

"I'm fine," Katsuki insisted, swallowing back the bile in his throat. "I'll be fine enough, anyways. I'd rather see this happen in person than on TV."

At least he won't feel out of reach like this. At least he'll be right there, right in front of me.

"Baku, you're pale as fuck." Camie frowned. "Say what you want, but you've been stress-sick since we picked you up yesterday, and it's hardly gotten better. It's an easy trip back—we could even take you by your parent's house if it'd be more comfortable, but this—"

"None of this is about me being comfortable!" Katsuki snapped, sharper than he would've liked. "You think I don't know how shitty I feel!? Last night and today have been fucking terrible, and between that and all the hiding I've had to do for months with my relationship, it's kinda hitting me! But it's not like it's just gonna stop if I go hide in my room till Deku deals with the media! I—fuck, I can't run away from this shit anymore!"

I... I-I...

"This is important to me," he croaked, throat dry. "Doesn't mean it's easy. It's hard for me, and it's hard for Deku. But neither of us are gonna go run and hide again. We can't. Not if I'm gonna be a pro hero, and not if I'm..."

Not if I'm gonna stand by—

"He's going."

Huh?

Todoroki had stepped forward, facing down Camie and Yaoyorozu with burning, steely eyes he hadn't seen in so long. "And I'm going with him. If you two want to go back, feel free. But I think it's pretty damn clear that Katsuki's made his choice, isn't it?"

Resistance turned to silence, turned to shock, turned to acceptance; even Katsuki was stunned by the sudden declaration.

My choice. This is my choice. This is something I can control.

"Right." The word didn't wobble, didn't shake. "I'm going, so come with me or don't. Just think about it," he paused, fixed Camie and Yaoyorozu with the most confident look he'd mustered all day. "What's the worst that could happen?"

He could nearly feel Todoroki's glowing pride behind him.

Thank you. Thank you.

"...well, I think that settles it." Yaoyorozu finally said, breaking the tense air between them. "I'll be coming with you, Katsuki. I feel better about going with you than heading home."

"Same here," Camie said, still worried but not about to pull him away. "You're right. Everything you said is right. But we'll support you all the way, babe! Just 'cause this is your thing doesn't mean you can't rely on us to help out when you need it."

And if Katsuki had a cried a little—oh, just a tear or two—upon hearing that, could anyone really blame him?

They've always had my back.

"Then let's go." He wiped his face with his sleeve, stood up a little straighter. "No time to waste, right?"

Yaoyorozu was right—the studio was only a short walk away from the train station. A small parking lot sat outside, chock-full of the studio's vehicles and an even smaller section for guests. Deku didn't own a car, but from afar, Katsuki could catch a glimpse of the sedan Red Riot had brought along during their internships on a number of occasions. Driving together would likely be safer than taking the train, Katsuki realized, and scanned the area for any sign of his boyfriend.

Where is he, where is he... Deku said he'd be right outside, didn't he?

But as they got closer, Camie was the one who saw him first.

"That's him, right?" she said, motioning towards Red Riot's car. "In the backseat? Huh, it kinda looks like he's talking to someone."

Upon closer look, there was no doubt the hunched figure was his boyfriend. Even so, though, Katsuki had no idea why he'd be talking to someone else right now.

It probably isn't a big deal. Probably just his mom or his friends or something.

Then, upon looking around the area—

Where are Red Riot and Uravity anyway?

He swallowed back the fear trying to creep back into his veins again. Chances are they were inside the studio already, or somewhere else in the parking lot, but as he walked towards the car, it looked as if Deku was half-yelling into his phone while sucking down some sort of convoluted drink.

The fuck?

"Hey, I'm gonna go see what's going on," he told his friends, and pointed towards the studio wall. "I'll meet you guys over there in a minute."

They did as they were told, giving Katsuki the freedom to run towards the car, grab the door handle, and pull it open without thinking—only to immediately hear shouting again. Deku didn't even appear to notice that he'd opened the door, staring down at the dirty car floor with his eyes shut and teeth clenched, free hand gripping the bridge of his nose.

"For the last time, I brought my damn hero suit. I'll take it inside, change after I'm done with the interview—I have a plan, I know what I'm doing—and I'll be back in sector twenty-two right afterwards."

Huh?

"You've got other heroes to handle the villains! Contact the agency that's covering the south side of town today or something, have them shift an extra sidekick or two to my area. I'm sorry, but I can't drop this interview! Look, it starts in fifteen minutes. I have to go," Deku grit out, clearly frustrated. "I promise I'll be back out on the field as fast as I can." A nod, a sigh, another reach for his drink. "Right. Thank you. Bye."

He watched as Deku hung up, cursed under his breath, and only then noticed Katsuki standing right beside him, his friends only ten, fifteen feet back. Those eyes shot open, partially bloodshot and entirely exhausted.

"How—how long," Deku stuttered, clearly surprised. "Shit, Kacchan, I didn't realize—"

"Just a minute or so," he said, the rasp in his boyfriend's voice all-too-telling. "Is everything okay? You sounded, uh... pretty irritated."

Deku shook his head, took another long sip from his drink—some sort of mocha, maybe—and leaned back against the seat. "Agency called. Apparently there's been some unusual amount of villain activity downtown, and while nothing has happened yet, everyone's on edge. W-When, uh..." he pointed a shaky finger towards the front seat. "When we got here, Kirishima and Ochako had to go over to help out patrols. We weren't totally expecting it, but with all the villain activity lately, it's not too much of a surprise," he sighed. "I'm mostly just pissed because I told them I was taking today off, but they're trying to get me down there anyways. Maybe I am one of their hardest hitters, but they can handle one more day without me...!"

Oh, shit... I see, I see.

"You're right. They can handle one day without you," he echoed, and nudged Deku's shoulder. "Put that sugary-ass drink back in the cupholder. I wanna sit down."

"Sit down? I mean, there's another seat—" his boyfriend started, but shut up when Katsuki plopped himself in his lap instead. "...I see."

"Close the door," Katsuki urged, leaning against Deku's chest and wrapping his around him on instinct. "Just for a minute. Promise."

"O-Oh, okay..."

No resistance, just compliance. Katsuki kissed him as soon as they were shut in the car again, wanting and needing and longing for that familiar comfort.

"We—we probably shouldn't..." Deku mumbled, but didn't do anything but reciprocate.

"What are they gonna do, take more pictures of us?" Katsuki scoffed, and cupped Deku's face in his hands, thumbs circling over his cheeks. "Baby, you look tired as shit. Thought you told me you slept."

"Since when did you call me baby, baby?" His boyfriend whispered, the faintest smile on his lips. "But, aha... what's your definition of sleep...?"

"Seven hours," a kiss, "a pillow," then another, "a blanket," then another. "And your eyes closed, not worrying, not panicking, but fucking sleeping."

Deku's hands wrapped themselves around his waist. "Well, in that case... guess not. Passed out for a bit last night, but I woke up a bunch of times afterwards. But, hah, that's what the coffee is there for..."

"Is that what this excuse of a drink is supposed to be?" Katsuki said, and kissed him again. "Hmm... yeah, tastes like chocolate."

"It's a triple iced mocha, mind you," Deku huffed. "And it's doing its damn job. Yeah, yeah, I know it's not healthy, but Ochako took pity on me earlier and picked it up for me." He shifted ever so slightly in the seat, allowing Katsuki to settle more comfortably on in his lap. "But do you really wanna make fun of my coffee choices when we could be making out instead?"

"The interview starts in ten minutes."

"And?" Deku's hands slid up under his sweatshirt to run along the skintight fabric of his hero costume. "The question still stands, baby."

Fuck it.

Lips on lips and hands on skin, and for the briefest moment, Katsuki could forget that they were in the backseat of a tiny car and pretend that this was Deku's room, Deku's bed, Deku's, Deku's, Deku's...

Don't stop. Don't stop. All I wanna feel is you.

Eventually, though, Deku did stop—only to bury his face in Katsuki's chest, to hug him even tighter than before, to let out a choked, muffled sob that wasn't allowed to come out anywhere else.

"Your hands are shaking," Katsuki whispered.

"It's—it's just the caffeine."

He's scared. I know he's scared.

They stayed like that for a long moment, just touching, feeling, holding like no one else was allowed to do. It didn't matter where they were, not really—as long as they were together, things would be a little more alright. Each second spent in that car, though, was stolen time, and sooner or later something would come to snatch it away.

So while we have it, we need to—

A loud, sudden knock against the car window snapped them both to a panicked attention, and Katsuki only allowed himself to relax when he noticed that Camie had made the offending sound.

"So," she started, opening the car door, "are you two going to keep making out in here, or are you going to get inside for the live interview that's gonna start in five minutes!?"

Deku sighed, and all Katsuki could feel was the same frustration he radiated. "I mean, I'd rather keep making out in here, but I suppose we should try and get this over with too."

Katsuki almost went to remind him that they could pick up where they left off afterwards, only to remember the call Deku had gotten from his agency only minutes before. This was the only time that they'd had, and now...

Time's up.

They reluctantly climbed out of the car, and upon standing up did Katsuki really take note of what Deku was wearing. An old jacket hung over his shoulders, coupled with a shitty t-shirt, sweats, and the ratty red tennis shoes he almost never seemed to take off. He hadn't expected his boyfriend to wear anything particularly nice, but intentionally dressing so poorly came as a bit of a shock to him.

"Are you really going to be wearing, ah, that up there?" Yaoyorozu asked, putting a voice to his thoughts.

"Not for long, don't worry," Deku answered, confusing him even more. But as Katsuki watched him pull the case containing his hero costume out of the backseat, he let himself settle on believing that he was just going to change into that instead.

Hero costume makes sense, that's fine. But the way he said that...

Katsuki wasn't sure what Deku was about to pull, and all he could hope was that he'd be okay.

Don't do anything stupid, he prayed, following Deku through the glass doors of the studio. I know you're angry, we're both angry, but please. Don't do anything stupid.

He and his friends followed him into the lobby, sticking close together as the other employees gave them confused and distasteful looks, staying verbally quiet but speaking every insult with their eyes. Katsuki was used to insults at this point, though. And those insults, especially—those based on lies and slander and hardly a shred of truth—didn't do more than scratch.

"So you finally decided to show up, Pro Hero Valiant," came the new, husky voice of an approaching reporter. "And you brought company, hm? I thought only Uravity and Red Riot would be accompanying you."

Katsuki could've sworn Deku flinched upon hearing that, but his boyfriend only raised his head and faced the reporter head on. "My apologies, but I think it's only fair that Katsuki should be allowed to watch in person when considering the situation."

The reporter met his eyes next, and Katsuki narrowed his own.

Yeah, bitch? Got something to say to me?

"...and the others?" the reporter finally asked, pulling his gaze from Katsuki to look at his friends. "Ah. Endeavor's son and a couple of others, I see... it's not preferred, but I suppose it's acceptable. Though what's not acceptable is this—ugh, whatever you're wearing, Valiant. I would have thought you'd attempt to at least make yourself somewhat presentable."

"I'm not changing," Deku said, firm and immovable. "And if you think this is an issue, I'll find another station to do an interview on. But knowing how you all work, I think the money you'll make off of me will more than compensate for my appearance. Need I remind you of my terms, after all?"

The reporter scowled, but didn't push it. "You're in the wrong position to be trying to negotiate right now, but follow me."

...holy shit.

He could tell that Deku was still nervous, from the way his hands still shook and the pinprick green sparks danced along his arms, but he'd stood his ground well.

If he shows weakness, he loses this game.

Yaoyorozu and Camie whispered amongst themselves as they entered the studio room, and their small group shuffled behind the cameras and onto the folding chairs set out behind them. Just before Deku split off to walk onto the set, though, he handed Katsuki the case with his hero costume in it for safekeeping. Why he didn't want to wear that over whatever he had on was still a mystery to him, but Katsuki had to trust him.

If I can't trust that he knows what he's doing right now, what can I trust?

"You can see him, right?" Yaoyorozu asked. "Nothing blocking your view?"

"Nah, I'm good," he said, watching Deku climb onto the set and greet the reporter conducting the interview in a curt fashion. "All good."

He's in reach. He's not on the other side of a TV for me this time.

"All right," he heard the cameraman say once the microphones had been set up. "We're live in three... two..."

Katsuki swallowed.

One.

Deku managed to pull off looking relaxed as the reporter began his introduction, sitting quietly as his reasons for being there were laid out in front of him. The whole world saw him as the center of the hottest drama right now, and despite being the other half of that so-called scandal, Katsuki wasn't sure he'd have the self-restraint to do what his boyfriend was right now.

He's pretty incredible, even being able to listen to all this...

"...and finally, apologies for the slightly-late start," the interviewer said, shooting Deku a mildly irritated look. "Pro Hero Valiant took his time getting here."

But Deku only shrugged. "Sorry. My boyfriend and I were making out in the parking lot. We were planning on spending the night together yesterday, but due to all the bullshit that happened, our anniversary celebration was taken away from us because I wasn't sure if it was safe enough to go home to my apartment. We're just trying to make up for lost time, you know?"

Katsuki's jaw dropped, and a part of him nearly screamed.

What the hell is he doing? Holy shit, he does realize he's on national fucking television, right!?

Even the reporter looked a little flustered upon hearing that. "...I see. Well, speaking of your boyfriend, there's been a lot of rumor circling in regards to your relationship. I'm sure you've seen the photo that was taken of you two kissing floating around—"

"Ah, yes, the photo that was taken without a shred of permission."

"—and considering your now former stance on remaining single in order to focus on your work as a hero, it came as more than a small surprise to see you with someone else, especially with that someone else being a U.A. student."

"You keep pushing this idea of me dating a student as a terrible thing, but please, realize," Deku started, crossing his arms over his chest, "Katsuki is eighteen, which makes him a fully consenting adult. Don't throw around the word student and act like it's something scandalous." His boyfriend cleared his throat, and Katsuki almost missed the slight cough at the end. "In regards to your first point, though, I made that statement over three years ago. You do realize that feelings change, don't you? I find it more than a little strange that you're attempting to use that as a point to make me look bad."

God, I love you.

"He's good," Todoroki commented. "Damn."

"'Course he's good. Wouldn't date anyone who wasn't." Katsuki mumbled, but couldn't help the swell of pride in his chest. "Now shut up so I can listen."

The reporter hesitated again, but didn't stop. "You say he's a consenting adult, but I do believe I heard you mention that yesterday was your anniversary—that in mind, I think it's reasonable to believe that you've been dating far longer than Bakugou has been eighteen."

Shit.

"Don't act like he has to be eighteen to date," Deku hissed, hands moving back to grip at the armrests of his seat. "Or would you like to admit that you're privy to even more of my personal life? If that's the case, I think it's fair of me to say that knowing what I do in bed constitutes an incredible invasion of privacy, considering I've never said anything publicly about it."

Katsuki's face burned, and all he wanted was to melt into a puddle and die.

Deku turned towards the camera again. "For the record, Katsuki and I did not do anything of that nature while he was under eighteen. All I can ask is that you believe me, and him."

We didn't, we didn't, we honestly didn't.

"Ooh, he snapped," Camie whispered. "Damn, boy. Go off on him!"

Tension was blooming even more intensely than before, and Katsuki could barely keep from shouting his own words into the fray. As much as he wanted that damn reporter to shut up, though, all he could do was brace himself when he saw that mouth open again.

"If it's an invasion of privacy you're concerned with, let's stick to the occasions when things have been inexplicably public," came the retort. "Aside from the photo, your behavior at U.A.'s third year sports festival recently appeared very odd; when coupled with the illusion of you that appeared in Bakugou's fight versus Utsushimi Camie, as well as Bakugou's strange victory in the finals, it seems reasonable to suspect that foul play was at work."

Beside him, Camie winced. "Yeah, um... that was a bad move."

"S'fine, you couldn't have known this shit was going to come out of it." Katsuki grumbled. "Not your fault."

Not my fault 'cause I'm not a cheater. And Shindou walked out of that ring completely of his own volition.

"U.A.'s faculty has cleared up whatever misconceptions may have come out of that win." Deku bristled, and Katsuki was relieved that another pawn against them could be taken out of play. "If you won't believe me when I say there was no foul play, believe them. I had no part in his victory."

"Then let's look at Bakugou's second year final exam," the reporter tried, only for Deku to audibly groan and roll his eyes. "It's semi-public, and it's widely known that you were paired up with him in the match. Based on what we've heard, it's—"

"Again, U.A. conducted the match!" Deku growled, each word spiked with venom. "As a U.A. alumni myself, I have a good, working relationship with the school. I had no interference in any of their activities beyond what they instructed me to do. All I've ever done with them is follow the rules. If you have any additional concerns, I suggest contacting the administration for more information since you clearly won't believe a word I say."

It hurt to even listen to all this. The pain in Deku's voice shone bright as fresh blood, and all Katsuki wanted was for it to be over, be over.

Leave him alone. Leave us alone. We haven't done anything wrong...!

The reporter seemed to understand that pushing that particular subject wasn't going to work anymore, so if nothing else, that was dropped. "In that case, would you like to tell us how your weekend trip a year and a half ago with Katsuki was innocent? I don't suppose you can muster up a good reason why you'd reserve a private onsen all the way in the mountains if it wasn't for some sort of tryst."

Every inch of Katsuki's body froze.

No. No. No.

Shock spread across Deku's face in an instant, and for the first time during the interview, his guard fell.

"Why the hell do you know about that trip," came the cracked, broken voice, and all Deku could seem to do was try and regain his composure. "This—this is an extreme breach in privacy, why the hell do you—"

"We also have reports of you and Katsuki repeatedly meeting at Dagobah Beach Park over the course of his first and second year at school," the reporter said, faster and more confident now. "This isn't even including all of his trips to your apartment at that age, and who knows what happens in there...!"

"Shut up, you're—"

"And finally," the reporter smirked, gazing up at Deku with a face that Katsuki wanted to punch ten holes through. "It's easily discoverable that Bakugou Katsuki was the middle schooler you saved at your debut as a hero, and the flimsy nickname you gave him during an interview—Kacchan, if I recall correctly—may as well be proof that you had feelings for him even then."

Deku faltered, and Katsuki's heart dropped to his stomach.

This isn't... no, this can't be, it can't be—!

But the utter shock swathed over Deku's face wasn't moving, wasn't changing, and all the confidence they'd built up before the interview was coming crumbling, crumbling down.

This can't be happening.

"Tell me, Valiant," came that voice, oozing with nothing but liquid malice. "Knowing all this, are you really qualified to be a hero?"

Katsuki stared—stared, stared, and hoped.

Tell me you have a plan. Tell me you know what to do. Tell me—shit, tell me...!

Deku's head crooked upwards, and despite the dark clouds rolling over his face, the faintest sliver of hope glimmered in his eyes as he met Katsuki's.

It's not over, they said. It's okay.

Running away would have always been the easier option, but—

I can trust him. I know I can trust him.

"This isn't an interview," Deku whispered, and shook his head. "This is a flimsy excuse for you to stomp on what little privacy I had left, and an attempt to shame me for being human. I've always hated the media—is that why you've been trying to harp on me for years? Because my priorities lie with myself and my work and the people I choose to surround myself with?" He shook his head again, but for some reason, rose from his seat.

What is he...

"I know you all—everyone watching, everyone listening to this—is here for a story." Hands reached for his flimsy jacket zipper, and for some reason, began to tug it down. "So, you want a story?"

The jacket fell from his arms, and the shirt was pulled up and over his head. Deku stared past the cameras—past the crew, past the equipment, and onto Katsuki—and smiled.

"Mark my words," thumbs hooked around the edge of his sweatpants, and only now did Katsuki notice he was wearing something different underneath. "I'll give you a story."

And before he could say a thing, Deku let his sweatpants fall away too. All he was wearing was a pair of shorts, and all anyone could see was his... his...

His... scars.

"Let's start from the top," he smiled, and Katsuki almost fell off the edge of his seat. "My name is Midoriya Izuku. I work as a hero, I raise plants as a hobby, I turned twenty-two yesterday, and I've been dating my incredible boyfriend, Kacchan, for a year."

"Deku..." The name dropped from trembling lips. "Baby, I-I..."

He looks scared, but he's still...

"I... I guess it's no wonder he always wears longs sleeves and pants," Todoroki remarked.

"Holy shit..." Camie whispered, honest disbelief in her voice. "His—those scars, they're..."

"Everywhere."

Even Yaoyorozu looked stunned.

Deku continued.

"People always look at me weird when I wear long sleeves in the summer, but they look at me weirder when I wear t-shirts or tank tops," he explained, rubbing his arm with another scarred hand. "Maybe some of you know with body-altering quirks know what it's like; what it's like to walk down the street and hear people talking where they think you can't hear, what it's like to buy groceries and have people comment on how gross you look, what it's like to be scared to take off your clothes in front of your partner because you're convinced they'll be disgusted with you, too."

Katsuki stood up, legs moving on their own.

"But there's always the flip side to that," Deku swallowed, and rubbed the back of his head. "When people are able to see you for who you are, and love you despite all the flaws. When you can show and be yourself and not feel like you have to hide anymore."

Deku... Deku, Deku, you...

"Around last Christmas, Kacchan and I took a trip to a private onsen," he admitted. "One of my friends had won coupons for a free trip, but wound up giving them to me instead. And, ah... I was excited, but that doesn't mean I wasn't terrified. Kacchan and I were struggling with our relationship, and while the trip gave us some opportunity to fix things, a part of me was afraid that he'd leave me after he saw my—" he gestured downwards, hands shaking even now. "M-My, ah, legs."

Never. I never would've left you because of that. Never thought bad of you because of your body.

"That was the first time he'd ever seen these scars," he said, and Katsuki could've sworn that even his voice was shaking. "I guess it's obvious that we didn't break up then, but I can't even begin to describe the relief I felt when he made it clear that he still loved me in spite of these. A-And, ah, for those who don't know, these are from the accident that left me hospitalized a few years back," Deku paused, swallowed. "That was the same accident that destroyed my name in the media. The same accident that those seven civilians died in. And it... w-well, it was the same accident that gave me a chance to fix my life."

I'm going to kiss you, I'm going to hold you, I'm going to love you like you've never felt it before.

Just behind the set, though, Katsuki could've sworn he saw a flicker of movement. But he hardly questioned it, choosing to watch Deku speak instead.

"Before that accident, all I let myself be was a hero." Another long pause, another long, long breath. "I was convinced that heroing was the reason I woke up in the morning, the reason I wouldn't sleep at night, the reason I even existed on this damn planet. It was the most miserable year of my life." That worn smile returned, and Deku shook his head again. "But I only realized after I couldn't do that anymore, in combination with actual counseling and medication and reaching out to my friends again, that there was so much more I'd missed. That it's okay to have friends, that it's okay to have hobbies, and that it's okay to love despite my job."

That thing behind the set moved again, and Katsuki took another step forward, warily eying it but still utterly captivated by his boyfriend pouring his heart and soul out.

"I've said before that I'm a hero before anything else," Deku whispered, so quiet yet so sure. "But that doesn't mean I'm only a hero."

Holy shit.

"I'm a hero, yes, but that's not all," he said, stronger and stronger. "I'm a son. I'm a friend. I'm a boyfriend, and I'm just as fucking human as everyone else."

...human.

And just as Deku shifted did that something flicker behind him again, shining with a sickly, metallic sheen that made Katsuki's heart jump to his chest and panic flood through his throat.

That's a—wait, what the hell is that!?

"Deku," he started, eyes blown wide. "Shit, Deku, behind you!"

Sharp, silvery, spiralling—and Katsuki jumped.

Pinpoint blast. Short range. I won't hurt him, I'll just—!

Deku stumbled and dropped to his knees, clutched at his head, and all Katsuki could see through the smoke of his blast was red, red, red.

"No!" Katsuki screamed, nearly tripping over his own feet as he sprinted towards him. "Deku—oh my god, oh my god, are you—!"

"I-I..." Deku pulled his hand from his head, slowly, slowly, and Katsuki nearly cried upon seeing that whatever had struck him only grazed his scalp. "H-Holy shit, did you—did I—"

A wall of ice erupted behind them, followed quickly by Todoroki's panicked shout. "There's someone back there! I think they've got some sort of spike-shooting quirk. Whatever was just shot out was way too big to be any normal bullet, so we need to get this neutralized as fast as possible!"

Katsuki nodded. "Camie, take reconnaissance! Momo, work with Shouto to get the fucker with the spikes out of here! There might be more around here though, so we need to get a full scan of the area!" Next, he turned to the reporter still sitting on the couch, who was somehow looking even more useless than before. "Do you have radio contact with the rest of the staff?"

"U-Um, y-yes?" The reporter stammered, and ran from the set to grab the small radio from behind the line of cameras. "W-What, um, s-should I—"

"Get the rest of the staff back here, dipshit!" Katsuki ordered, still kneeling by his boyfriend. "Whether you like it or not, we're the damn heroes you have right now! And you!" he pointed to the cameraman, who looked more terrified than anything else. "Keep broadcasting this fight. If you see anything, tell me immediately."

"A-Ah, yessir!" The cameraman squeaked, and Katsuki felt some sort of twisted delight upon seeing the once-haughty reporters willing to listen to him.

Then, and only then did he let himself turn back to Deku, who'd been struck by such a sudden shock that just seeing the blood on his hands and feel it sticking to his hair was enough to take him out of it.

"Relax, babe," Katsuki whispered, carefully moving his hair to look at the injury. "It's bleeding a lot 'cause it's a head wound, but this one looks shallow enough. Can you see alright? Are you dizzy?"

Deku shook his head slowly, as if trying to come to terms with whatever had just happened. "I... I can see okay. Hurts a lot, but I'm not... not that dizzy."

Perfect. Just gotta do first aid, then.

"That's good, that's good," Katsuki nodded, and turned around to look for Yaoyorozu. "Oi, Momo, I need a towel or something! He's bleeding!"

"W-Wait, Kacchan..." his boyfriend's voice cracked, and for the first time since he'd kneeled down, Katsuki let himself look at him face to face. "Did you... y-you just..."

Deku stared up at him with a vulnerability he'd never, ever seen before, something Katsuki hadn't even known was possible.

"I just, uh, pushed you outta the way a little," Katsuki mumbled, suddenly flushed all the way to his ears. "Sorry if the explosion hurt you at all."

Blood caked the side of his boyfriend's face, but brighter than any of that were his eyes.

"Kacchan, I think you just saved my damn life," Deku whispered, and just hearing that made everything all too real. "Holy—holy shit."

I... I just...

He could think about that later.

"I left your gear by the chairs, babe." Katsuki pointed, trying to stay calm. "You did an amazing job talking up there, but I'm gonna need you to help fight for a bit if you think you're okay enough. The villain probably wanted to get rid of you first because you're the biggest threat in the room, and if there's more, we're gonna need your firepower. 'Kay?"

"God, I love it when you talk strategy to me," Deku murmured, still gazing up at his face. "Just lemme grab that towel from Yaoyorozu and I'll get changed real quick. It'll only take a second, promise."

And sure enough, Deku steadied himself enough to stand, a bit disoriented but not totally out of it. The towel came quickly enough, and Katsuki watched as his boyfriend wrapped it tight enough around his head to quell the bleeding for now.

"Still stings," he bit out, grimacing, "but it's—s-shit, it's bearable. You've got this while I go change, right?"

Not a question, but a statement.

He trusts me.

"'Course I do, Deku," Katsuki grinned. "Just watch me."

And despite how goddamn terrible he looked, the blinding smile that broke over his face burned away Katsuki's every last uncertainty.

"I won't look away," Deku said, grabbing Katsuki's shoulders and pulling him in for a hug. "Not now, not..." he sucked in a breath, steadying himself as best he could. "Ever."

Something crashed behind him, and for as much as Katsuki wanted to stay there, stay hugging him, he was still a hero.

"You sure you're going to be okay?" he asked, pulling back to look Deku over again. "I'm gonna go ahead and call an ambulance in case the bleeding gets worse. Nobody's gonna blame you if you have to sit this one out, so back down if you gotta, okay?"

"I—I will." Katsuki's stomach lurched as he watched as Deku press a hand to the side of his pale, slightly-sweating head, and wince at the pressure. "P-Promise.

Another crash.

I can't afford to talk for any longer.

"Get changed, and meet me back out near the set!" he instructed, pulling off his own jacket to reveal his hero costume below. "The faster we get this done, the better!"

Deku called out some form of acknowledgement, and Katsuki ran. Towards the set, towards his friends, towards the crashing and banging and screaming, screaming, screaming. He yelled at one of the reporters to call an ambulance, grabbed an earpiece from Yayorozu's waiting hands, and shoved it in as he willed his shaky hands to leave for another time.

I'm in charge.

"Shouto, is the guy with the projectiles still standing!?" Katsuki yelled, rocketing himself up onto the ice structure his friend had erected to scan the area for himself. Debris littered the ground, a mess of metal beams and torn pieces of the set still scattered everywhere he could see. "Is that what that igloo-lookin' thing is?"

Todoroki nodded, and pointed ahead. "Yeah. I think his quirk has something to do with growing and firing those thorn-like projectiles from his body, so he's still been going. I've been layering the ice when it starts cracking, but we're gonna need something stronger to stop him soon enough. I could use my fire, but..."

"It's too dangerous for indoors right now," Katsuki cursed, and shook his head. "We need something different."

Something, something... oh, wait!

He slammed the button down on his earpiece. "Momo! Can you make anything to neutralize the fucker with the projectiles!? I don't wanna have to knock anyone out if we can avoid it!"

"Can you make that alloy that stiffens with heat again?" Todoroki said beside him, speaking into his own earpiece. "If it's just a little fire, I think I can run it through safely!"

Good idea.

When Yaoyorozu gave her approval, Katsuki nodded and left them to take care of that one together, blasting off of the ice structure just as soon as he'd jumped on it. Sneakered feet hit the ground, and with a jolt, he sprinted towards Camie's slightly-disguised form.

"Camie, report!" he said, flattening himself against the wall beside her. "Did you see anyone else? Villains, heroes, civilians..."

"Saw a few civs. Told them to get their asses back here with the rest of us." Camie said, peeking around the corner. "I think there's at least three, maybe four more villains? But, ugh, I didn't see any more heroes. Total bummer."

"Shit, you serious?" Katsuki cursed. "Are they close?"

"Mm, most of them were in the lobby? But they'll be here soon, I'm sure."

Soon. Soon. Shit, I have to—

"Throw up an ice wall near the doorway when you're done with the shooty fucker, Shouto!" he ordered through the comm, praying that the defense would hold up long enough for them to organize. "Momo, check for civilian injuries then return to me! And has the damn ambulance been called yet!?"

The ice wall went up, and Yaoyorozu's acknowledgement came through moments later. The ambulance had been called, yes, but it'd be at least five or ten minutes before it arrived.

One thing at a time. One thing at a time.

Katsuki dragged a hand down his face, sucked in a quick breath, and got back to the action.

"So, the villains," he mumbled, turning towards Camie. "Did you get any insight on their quirks? Strength?"

It's only us three defending right now, and against four more villains in addition to the one guy we just caught...

"Um... hm. Didn't get too close of a look at them, but I think one had this, like, badass looking lizard tail?" Camie frowned, finger tap-tap-tapping against her chin. "Oh! And another, like, looked like he was melting into the shadows or something—so cool! Then there was this one girl who had, like, a lot of hair. Like, a lot a lot of hair."

"Got it," he swallowed. "Anything else? Didn't you say there were four?"

Camie tilted her head, clearly trying her best. "Yeah, uh... oof, I'm sorry, I don't really—huh?"

Some strange, bat-looking shape fluttered overhead, and it only took Katsuki a moment of confusion to realize that the bat was definitely not a bat and definitely turning into a person wielding not just one, but two long, silvery knives. He dove to the ground in one direction as Camie split to the other—for as much as the ice wall was a good idea, he hadn't considered that someone could slip through that easily.

"Hey, blondie." The villain grinned, ignoring Camie entirely to turn towards him instead. "Make this easy for me, alright? I don't have all day."

Katsuki's blood pounded in his ears, and upon remembering that these were the people who'd tried to kill his goddamn boyfriend, found a new, brutal surge of energy sweeping through him.

Nobody touches Deku like that and gets away with it.

Shards of broken light glinted off those knives with a menace, and just as quickly as he'd ducked away, the villain leaped.

I need to—shit, I need to—!

Hands hit the floor, and pinpoint explosions rocketed out of them fast enough to hurl him from the ground and into the air. Below him, the villain still ran, nearly crashing into the wall in an attempt to swerve back towards Katsuki. One blast, two blasts, and away he went—only for the damn villain to turn back into a bat and swoop upwards towards him.

"The hell is your problem!?" he screamed, falling back to the floor and ducking as the fucker became human again and swung. "What the fuck do you want!?"

I need to hit him. I need to neutralize him.

His feet landed with the grace of a dancer's, lithe and avoiding every slice and slash in his direction. Up, over, down, below—with each practiced step, the rage in the villain's eyes grew, and Katsuki wasn't sure he'd be able to keep up this tango for much longer.

"What do I want?" The villain cocked his head, too smug for Katsuki's liking. "Heh. I mean, I'd like all the heroes dead. Valiant's a good first target—nobody would complain if he wound up with a bullet in his head after all this, right? And this hell of a country as been giving us the perfect opportunity, beating down your own heroes without us having to do it ourselves!"

For as much as he wanted to refute those claims, the villain wasn't... wrong.

"There's been a lot more crime spiking lately," he said, dodging another slash. "You telling me that it's just because you saw an opportunity? Is that really it?"

He's matching my movements... dammit, how am I gonna get a jump on him? Keep him talking, maybe!?

"Duh. It's been a walk in the park to make all you heroes cower when you're all bickering with the media." The villain rolled his eyes. "I haven't done it myself, but I've got a few buddies who've been leaking info to the news networks for cash. Never thought it'd be so easy to make the damn networks turn against the people protecting them!"

What!?

Katsuki's eyes shot open, and in a split second, a mid-range blast erupted from his palms and hit the villain square in the chest. No time to wait—he sprinted towards the him and threw out a few more explosions along the way, knocking him to his feet as one of the knives clattered from his hand and onto the floor.

They've been—shit, no, that doesn't matter now! I've gotta focus on winning!

"Momo!" he yelled, hoping she'd hear him without the help of the comms unit. "I need help with restraints!"

But the villain was climbing back to his feet as soon as the words left his mouth, and it was all Katsuki could do to blast the dropped knife out of reach and half-tackle, half-shove him back to the floor.

"Get down and stay down!" he shouted, trying to grab the knife still in play. "You're not gonna kill Deku, and you're not gonna kill me, and if you wanna get this over with so bad, quit fight—agh, shit!"

The villain's free fist slammed into his ribcage, and Katsuki was spun around to the floor in an instant. Legs bracketed his waist and that hand tried to pin his wrists to the ground, but he managed to jerk his knee up hard enough to smack the villain in the balls and roll away before that knife swung down where his head would've been.

Too close, too close! Shit, where's Camie? Where's Momo? Where's Deku, for fuck's sake!?

"Oi, kid. You're testing your luck," the villain spat, clambering back to his feet as Katsuki tried to ignore the blood trickling down where the knife must've nicked his ear. "This ain't a place for students, ya hear? I'm here for the heroes, but I'll take pity on you. You and your friends have one more chance to get out of here before you're dead."

Katsuki held his ground, doing everything in his power not to falter.

I can't leave. I won't.

"I'm no kid," he hissed. "I'm incoming hero, Ground Zero—" a smirk slid over bloody lips, battle craze fluttering over his face— "and you'd be damned to forget it."

No wobble, no waver; this was his territory now.

And like hell am I gonna give it up.

He darted forward, aiming for a blow on the villain's chest before he jumped up and turned into a bat again, that knife melding in with its tiny form.

Vulnerable. Weak.

Katsuki had run before. This time, he jumped. Lunged through the air with a scream that could be heard for miles, blasted the villain with a short, wide explosion to knock him off balance in the air, strong enough to let Katsuki dart in and grab him before he had a chance to transform again.

"Shouto!" he barked, arm cranked back like a baseball pitcher's. "When I throw, gimmie some ice around it!"

There might've been a small noise of confusion from his friend, but Katsuki whirled around to launch the bat fucker from his hand and against the wall before he had a real chance to question it. The villain hit the wall, and just before he had the chance to transform back into anything human, Todoroki threw up a bubble of ice around him.

Yes...!

He resisted the urge to throw more nasty words in the villain's direction in favor of attending to the rest of the commotion—if nothing else, Yaoyorozu and Todoroki had managed to detain the first villain tight enough, and with that second one down, only the few that Camie had seen earlier had remained.

Unless there's more, anyways—but, shit. I should go find her.

"Camie!" he shouted into the comms unit, dashing around the mangled set in search of her. "Where are you? What's going on?"

And where's Deku? He didn't pass out, did he!?

No, no—he had to keep his head on straight for now. Deku knew how to take care of himself in a fight.

I have to trust him. I will trust him.

When Camie still didn't respond, Katsuki tried again, frantically looking for wherever she might've gone off to without him. Rubble was still falling, though, and the crashing sounds near the entrance could only have been the work on villains trying to break into what little sanctuary they'd established.

"G-Ground Zero!"

Huh?

He spun around towards the unfamiliar voice, heart lurching in his chest when he spotted a terrified civilian trapped in the mess.

"Ground—please, G-Ground Zero!" The civilian cried out, trying to wrench herself out from the rubble. "I-I need help, and my coworker is bleeding!"

Shit. Finding Camie would have to wait; rescuing was top priority, after all.

"Hold on, I'm coming!" he said, changing directions. "Are you hurt too?"

"N-No, it's just my coworker," she blubbered, hands trembling as she gripped the broken scaffolding. "Part of the set fell on her leg, and I-I'm afraid it's broken!"

Broken leg? Shit...! That means I'll need to carry her to safety, and there's so much rubble here that I'm not sure I can clear myself!

"Alright," he started, throwing some of the smaller, lighter chunks of wood out of the way in an attempt to quash his worries. "I'm gonna see what I can do to move this scaffolding away, and we're going to work together to get you and your coworker to safety. Sound good?"

"A-Ah, yes, sir!" She nodded, marginally less terrified than before. "Just, um, tell me what you need me to do."

It was hard to believe that these were the very same people who'd spent the last few weeks stirring rumors about him and his relationships, but Katsuki knew that that couldn't matter right now.

Like Deku said, all I can do is my job.

But as he started pulling some of the bigger, heavier, more dangerous pieces away, Katsuki realized that there was no way he'd be able to clear the rubble with the extent of his abilities. Explosions could only do so much, and with someone in danger of getting hurt more because of his quirk?

I need help. Maybe Momo could help prop up these bigger pieces, or Shouto can push away some of the other ones, but that also might just make it worse, and—

"Kacchan!"

Deku's voice cut through his thoughts in a heartbeat, and all he could do was melt in relief as his boyfriend ran up to him and the trapped civilians. "Need some help?"

It was obvious he'd thrown his suit on quickly, and his hair still sat in some sort of wild mess, but it hardly mattered right now.

"Think you can lift some of this scaffolding for me?" Katsuki pointed, and Deku nodded. "There's one more civilian trapped underneath that piece down there, too. She's injured."

"Right, right..." Deku murmured, slightly weaker than usual. "So, you want me to lift this one?"

"Mhm. And I'll go and help her out while you've got it up, okay?"

I can't push him right now. I have to be in charge.

His boyfriend nodded, and Katsuki ducked inside as soon as the rubble was lifted up above both his head and the civilians. Deku's super-strength had never been more helpful—getting the first civilian out proved to be almost no issue, but Katsuki had to dig around the rubble a bit more to free the injured one. Getting her up proved to be the hardest part, though; once he had her draped over his shoulders, Katsuki was able to walk out into the clearing and breathe a sigh of relief.

"Thanks," he said, just as Deku set the rubble back down. "Let's get them back to the safe zone. Is everything still okay over there?"

Deku bit his lip, but urged him to keep walking. "It's, ah... well, I'm just trying to keep everyone calm. I think most of the station employees are there right now—it's like twenty, twenty-five people—but they're all understandably scared."

"I-I'm still pretty scared, b-but..." the uninjured woman started, "I'm sorry for everything we've done to you two. I... I-I didn't realize that you were both honestly... y'know, good people."

Good people.

"I'm just doing my job, ma'am," Deku said, and helped lead her towards the rest of the civilians. "It's all I've ever done."

Katsuki gently maneuvered the injured civilian off his back and onto an empty spot on the floor, and despite having been quiet all the way from the rescue to the safe zone, she looked up at him and stared.

"Ground... Zero..." she whispered, barely audible. "A-And Valiant..."

He got to his knees beside her along with Deku, checking her injuries and trying to listen to what she was saying.

"I-I'm sorry." Raspy, weak. "I-I'm sorry for... f-for everything I ever said... y-you didn't have to save me, a-and I would've understood why..."

Deku sucked in a breath and Katsuki looked at him, still confused. "You're the reporter that stopped me outside my apartment, aren't you?" he asked, and a sudden bolt of realization struck him. "And, uh, after that one fight with the whirlwind guy?"

A small, broken yes sounded from her, and despite the rage boiling in Katsuki's chest just upon being reminded of that, he stayed calm.

So did Deku.

"I-I... I-I made your lives hell," she coughed, each word thinner than the last. "B-But you two, you... you saved mine...?"

"It's our job," Katsuki said, just before his boyfriend had the chance to. "We're heroes. We win. We save."

"What kind of hero would I be if I didn't do my damn best to save everyone?" Deku shook his head. "You were in trouble, and I was able to lend a hand. Simple as that."

The woman stared up at them with some sort of shock, probably partly due to the injury but definitely also because of their words.

"Anyways, we'll direct help over here shortly," Deku continued, so much more professionally than Katsuki had learned to be yet. "Ma'am, will you keep an eye on her for a little bit? The cuts on her leg likely won't be bleeding much more right now, but I definitely think it'll be a good idea to get the injury checked out when the ambulance gets here."

The uninjured woman nodded, obviously still in a bit of shock herself, and the two of them left.

"I'll tell Momo to bring them some bandages," Katsuki mumbled, still shaken up by the conversation they'd just had. "We probably need to get back out to the front line. I think there's a couple people trying to knock down the wall Shouto threw up, and—" he stopped in his tracks, staring at Deku beside him. "Shit, are you okay?"

His boyfriend had stopped walking to clutch at his head, sweat beading on clammy skin as his chest heaved in an attempt to breathe again. Katsuki hadn't noticed it much before, but the towel he'd strapped around his head was clearly crimson, soaking through the fabric more than it should've.

"I-I, ah..." Deku winced. "I... I'm losing blood. Kinda dizzy. Might have a concussion, I'm pretty prone to them at this point, and... fuck, I-I guess that thing went a little deeper than I'd originally thought."

"You need medical attention right now, babe," Katsuki cursed, one hand moving to run along Deku's cheek. "This looks bad. And we don't know if those projectiles were laced with anything, either."

"I know, I-I know," he grit his teeth, faced screwed up in some terrible shape. "Five minutes. I can go five more minutes with no issues, I promise."

We hardly have any heroes right now, and he'll be better off helping than sitting with the civilians.

"Five minutes," he repeated. "Okay."

Deku shook his head again, and for as much as Katsuki wanted to see him sitting down and safe, their options were severely limited right now.

"Let's go ahead and head towards the entrance," he said, waving his boyfriend on. "Did you hear anything else when you were getting changed? I know we didn't have much of a chance to talk earlier."

"Oh! Yeah, actually, I checked my phone back there," Deku replied, a heady mix of relief and concern in his voice. "Ochako and Kirishima texted me. They're trying to head over here, but they got hit by the villains I was supposed to help with after the interview." His lip turned down, eyes clouded and gray. "Apparently, the villains they were sent to fight wound up over here instead. God, go figure."

Wait, that... "That's kinda what one of the villains was saying earlier," Katsuki's throat went dry, mind flooding with connections. "I heard that they attacked this place because you were an easy, uh, first target?"

Just saying that felt nasty in his mouth.

"First target," Deku scoffed. "Great. As if the media's bullshit wasn't enough to put up with already."

"Apparently, the villains had some part in leaking all that personal shit, too." Katsuki shook his head. "A-Anyways. Let's deal with that shit after we take care of the physical things first, right?"

His boyfriend nodded, and for just a moment, squeezed Katsuki's arm harder than usual.

He's scared. I'm scared. But we're not alone this time, right?

"You said Uravity and Red Riot were coming, right?" Katsuki swallowed, trying to formulate a new plan of action. "To be honest, I don't know how long the five of us can hold them off—especially if more of these villains decide to show up—plus, you're nearly out of commission."

"Don't count me out yet!" Deku scowled. "Five minutes, remember?"

"More like four minutes now, mister I-might-have-a-concussion." He leaned up, kissed Deku on the cheek. "No time to waste, right? Let's go."

They ran towards the entrance, spotting Todoroki still safely perched upon the hill of ice he'd created. But it was clear that his attacks were getting weaker—yeah, he was doing a decent job of holding off the rest of the villains trying to tear down the wall, but Katsuki recognized the spots of ice creeping over his body and the shivers he tried to hide.

He needs to take a break. He won't make it through another big encounter at this rate...!

"Shouto!" Katsuki dashed up to the base of his structure, yelling up at him. "Use your fire for a bit! We can't afford to have you using up all your strength right now!"

Todoroki looked more confused than anything, though. "If I stop with the ice, they're gonna break through. Are you saying that we should—"

"Are all the civilians safe?" he interrupted, mind racing a million miles a minute.

A pause, then— "Yeah, I think so." Thank god. "Momo's rounded up everyone she can find, and Camie—wait, where's Camie?"

"Whaddya mean, where am I?" came the familiar voice from behind him, way too smug for the situation. "Caught a baddie. Didn't get a chance to talk 'cause I broke the comms thingy on accident, but I thought it'd be okay as long as I was getting stuff done, y'know?"

Katsuki watched as she dropped a limp body at their feet, dark and tied up in the light jacket Camie had worn. "Gave me a little trouble, but I think they're done for now," she said, kneeling down and poking the villain in the nose. "This was the one that could like, melt into shadows? But we danced with my illusions for a bit, and it tired them out enough for me to go in and do a little sumthin' sumthin', y'know?"

"...I'll pretend I understood what that meant, but thanks," Katsuki said, a rush of pride flush in his chest. "You look a bit tired yourself, though. Need to sit down?"

Camie started to object, only to relent and slide down against the wall. "Um, well... maybe just for a minute or two? Hm, yeah... I'm gonna do that. Just for a little bit."

"Wait, Camie!" Yaoyorozu sprinted into their area, and knelt beside her girlfriend immediately. "Are you sure you're okay?"

And upon looking at Yaoyorozu, Katsuki could see just how tired she was too. She'd been making restraints and comms units and medical supplies nonstop; and as much as he hated to admit it, Katsuki doubted she could go much longer without more food.

Shouto's down, Camie's tired, and Momo needs a break.

Katsuki clenched his fists—his battle, his decisions.

It's just me and Deku now.

"Melt down that barrier, Shouto," he grit his teeth. "Deku and I are gonna take 'em out as fast as we can."

Worry was clear in Todoroki's face, but to his relief, he did as Katsuki asked. "Might get a little wet in a minute," he said, hopping down to the main floor. "Your boots were a good call."

'Course they are, my boots are great!

"'Course they're a good call. My boots are great," he said, and jerked his head in the direction of the entrance. "Anyways, you said there's two villains back there, Camie?"

"Mhm!" she chimed in. "One with big hair, and another with a bigger tail!"

"Big tail, big hair." Deku confirmed, just as the banging grew louder. "You sure there's only two?"

The ice cracked more, more, and it was all they could to do brace themselves for the impact.

"I mean, that's what—oh, shit!"

Chunks of half-melted ice flew with a fury towards them, and it was only Katsuki's quick explosions and Deku's gust of wind that kept the group from getting hit head on.

"Camie, Momo, Shouto, head back to the safe zone!" Katsuki shouted. "We'll take care of this, just protect yourselves and the civilians!"

Maybe the media team had tried to do them in, and maybe they weren't obligated to help them. But the best revenge wasn't violence—no, saving their asses would show them what was up more than anything else.

And if this is still being broadcasted, if we're still on live TV, then...

Katsuki grinned.

Suck my dick, doubters. We're hot shit.

But just as the confidence began to ripple through his veins again, a tall, shadowed form appeared in the half-melted doorway—despite Camie having told him that there was a dude with a tail, Katsuki had no idea that the guy would be towering over them at eight feet tall.

"I think that tail was the thing that was banging on the ice!" Katsuki yelled, scooting closer to Deku. "One hit from that and we're fucked!"

"Look at the other one too, though! I think the girl with all the hair can manipulate it or something!" Deku sucked in a breath, and backed up closer to Katsuki. "Where do you want me?"

We're cornered. We don't have spots to hide in like we did with the exam...! Quick, think, who's the bigger threat!?

While the tail definitely looked deadly, that hair would be able to pin them if they weren't careful.

"Hair first," Katsuki swallowed, trying his best to stay relaxed. "I'll keep her at a distance, and you'll go in once she's off balance. Got it?"

"Got it."

Mid-range explosions kept them both at bay, for now—while Deku pitched in with gusts of wind blowing back the (thankfully slower) tail guy, Katsuki focused on shredding the hair girl with sparks. Ten-foot locks braided themselves into menacing tendrils, and from the maniacal grin on her face, he knew that they were in no place for mercy.

Close-range isn't gonna work. The minute we step close, we're gonna get caught in all of that hair, too!

"Shit, do you think my explosions can burn away any of that hair?" Katsuki screamed, jumping in for another touch-and-go blow. "How the hell are we gonna knock her out!?"

"I mean, I can jump in close, and—"

"No!" Katsuki yelled, retracting whatever he'd planned before. "No, you're gonna get trapped if you go in there, and I won't be able to attack 'cause you'd be held hostage."

Especially since he's the biggest target right now... shit, shit, what can I do...!

He stole a quick glance at the strands he'd hit in the small explosion he'd let off earlier—it wasn't much, but it had destroyed some of her hair.

I need a way to set off something closer and bigger. If I can get rid of that hair, we win.

"Change of plans, Deku!" he called out, avoiding swings from that tail and blasting the small tendrils jolting at him to bits. "My quirk can get rid of that hair! I just need a way to get in close for a bit!"

He ducked as another tendril shot out at him, but unlike the bat dude, these attacks were more flexible. Just barely did he manage to destroy that one before it curled around his ankle, but even that hardly deterred the villain.

"You sure I can't punch her?" Deku yelled, just barely smacking the lizard guy away. "Kacchan, what if you get caught!?"

"Pfft, I won't get—"

Wait. Caught?

Katsuki stared at that writhing, stringy, giant mass of hair, and all at once, had an idea.

"I'll tell you when to punch!" he bit his lip, adrenaline pumping through his veins. "I-I'm just gonna—"

He dashed forward, blasting the hair off in every direction he could, but didn't stop when he felt it twist around his ankles and wrap around his wrists.

Just a little longer, just a little longer...!

Something squeezed his stomach, chest, neck, and every inch of him it could touch. He wanted to cry—wanted to yell, wanted to scream, wanted to beg to be put down, but for as much as his terrible claustrophobia was ripping its way through his skin, he had to... god, had to—!

Breathe. Breathe. I need to breathe.

"Baby boy," the girl crooned, and that hair shoved itself in his mouth as soon as she spoke. "Didn't think you'd make this so simple! You'll suffocate in no time as long as you relax, so hang tight, okay?"

Don't fucking talk to me!

Sparks tickled his palms, but the fireworks dancing at the edge of his vision were from anything but the ceiling lights.

A little longer, just a little longer...!

"Good, good... aww, you're being so good," the villain murmured, cocooning him with every last bit of hair she had. "It's a shame your little boyfriend isn't behaving nearly as well... I think we're going to have to make this hard for him, sadly. Oh well. At least he'll leave a pretty corpse, aside from those nasty scars!"

That's it.

Katsuki's hands lit up in a storm of white, orange, and red, dynamite in human form.

"Deku, NOW!"

Sparks, wind, fire. The hair around him erupted in a mass of charred fiber, and the sheer force of Deku's charged punch was enough to send even Katsuki to the ground in a heaving, coughing mess. It'd worked—distract the villain, blow up her hair, knock her out in the split second of distraction—and as he peeled himself off the ground, he tried to pretend the quaking of his limbs was from excitement and not terror.

One down, and... wait, shit, the other dude!

Katsuki yanked his head up to see the lizard guy taking his opportunity to stalk forward, and just as Deku was beginning to come back to focus did that massive tail whip out to strike.

No, no, not towards his legs—!

"Get down!" he shouted, knees digging into the ground. "DEKU!"

His boyfriend turned, stared, and stumbled as he noticed the tail flying towards him, and Katsuki almost cried on the spot.

He's gonna break his legs again. He's gonna need physical therapy again. He's not gonna be able to walk again, he's—

But bright electricity crackled into his vision, and Deku's hands—his hands, latched onto that massive tail—moved so fast, so smooth, and Katsuki could only watch as his boyfriend flung himself over the top and slammed the villain on his back for the landing.

"Holy shit," he breathed. "Holy shit."

"Kacchan!" Deku coughed, visibly wobbling. "K-Kacchan, I-I... f-fuck, I—!"

His boyfriend stumbled, dropped to his knees, and Katsuki burst towards him as fast as he could.

Those five minutes are definitely up, now.

Katsuki scrambled to his feet, grabbed Deku's hand, and let him lean on him for just a moment. The towel had fallen off in his flip, and all across the right side of his face was blood, blood, blood.

He needs to get to the ER. He needs to get in that ambulance as fast as possible.

Phantom sirens banged against his eardrums, and all he could hope was that they'd become a reality before it got worse.

"T-The villain..." Deku groaned, trying to get back to his feet. "S'getting up again, we've gotta... w-we've gotta..."

"Save," Katsuki whispered, and kissed him on the forehead. "Win."

If I'm by your side, I can do anything.

And despite the blistering pain scored over Deku's blood-speckled cheeks, something like hope shone on it, too.

"You got one more hit in you, baby?"

"For... for you?" Deku voice broke, and a stupid, stupid smile grew over his face. "Always."

The villain was getting back to his feet.

Fuck, it's now or never...!

Katsuki caught a glimpse of the cameraman still near the fight, and made up his mind.

"Throw me."

Deku stared at him—confused, but listening. "Like, towards his head?"

An awful, earsplitting roar was thrown in their direction, and all Katsuki could do was nod, nod and shove Deku's hand towards his shirt. "Yeah, that works! Fuck, just throw—ahh!"

He'd known his boyfriend was strong, of course, but the speed at which he launched Katsuki from the ground and into the air was unmatched. One second, two seconds; he latched onto the villain's head, swerving around to kick him in the chest and pop off an explosion near his face.

"Get the hell offa' me!" the villain snarled, one clawed hand digging into his back with pinprick spikes. "You're a real pest, pipsqueak. Just lay down and die already, would you!?"

No. No. Not today.

Katsuki didn't grace the villain with a reply, enduring the pain shooting through his back and landing a well-aimed punch towards his jaw.

"Deku!" A punch to the face, another, another. "Deku, the tail! Grab the tail!"

Fall, fall, just fall!

His attacks landed with swift precision, sparks tumbling off that scaly face and showering onto the floor. Katsuki's hands were just barely keeping him in place, swiveling around that snapping, spitting face and only letting go to sink his boots into those fanged teeth, knocking at least one or two out along the way.

Deku, get in here, get in—!

"You really think you can pull that move again?" The villain scoffed, claws raking down Katsuki's back and dragging a sharp howl from his throat. "Don't think I haven't noticed Valiant's little problem—it's a damn shame that thorn didn't kill him when it had the chance, but at least you two will get your happy ending and bleed out together!"

"Shut up, will you!?"

Deku?

Katsuki could hardly see, bloodstains and sparks speckling any vision he had left. But that was Deku's voice—and in an instant, he felt himself rolling, flying, momentum dragging him into the air and only his thin grip on the villain's neck keeping him in place.

What—what is he—?

"Kacchan!"

Raw. Desperate.

He's... he's spinning the villain around...? That's why I'm—

"Kacchan!" Deku screamed again, bright and blistering. "Kacchan, let go!"

Trust him.

Katsuki's hands fell away from the villain, and he flew. No explosions, no jumps—just falling, falling, and knowing that Deku would catch him on the way.

Thump.

Shaking, unsteady, but oh-so-stable all the same, and just as he'd expected, Deku set him back down on the ground with a relieved smile and a chaste, battle-driven kiss to the forehead.

"You got him off balance," he breathed, fingers wrapped tight between Katsuki's own. "I think we've got a ten-second window, so..."

Deku looked down at him, ran a hand along Katsuki's cheek. "You got one more hit in you, baby?"

Oh my god, you fucking dork. Repeating my own shit back at me...!

A squeeze of his hand was the only answer he offered, and Deku took it.

Watch us, media. Just watch us!

"Gonna throw you again," his boyfriend whispered, "and you're gonna let off the biggest blast you've got."

"Works for me." He grinned. "As long as you give him a nice punch to the stomach for me, yeah?"

This time, he was grabbed by the waist, gentle hands lifting him up into the air.

"Who do you take me for?" Deku laughed, that thin, breathy, perfect laugh. "Let's get him."

Three, two, one—!

Katsuki rocketed from his grip, utter ecstasy coursing through his veins as Deku's blazing form shot forward below.

One hand up. Grab the wrist. Charge, charge, and...!

White-hot power ripped through his arm, and as the glow of his hands became truth on the ground, a hoarse, victorious cackle tore through his throat—

...followed by another blast, one of greens and whites and crackling lights, topping whatever force the villain may have had left in him to the ground.

Deku. Deku. Deku, I'm—!

He fell again, and this time, he didn't need a reminder that someone was waiting below. Warm, waiting arms caught him, holding him up to his chest with a primal desperation for contact, that they'd both lived.

We... we...

"K-Kacchan," Deku started, voice alight with adrenaline and pure joy. "Got you. I've got you. We..."

A flurry of green bolts and gold sparks showered down around them, and all Katsuki could do was wrap his legs around his waist and kiss.

"We won," he managed, as if speaking any louder would break the illusion. "We... D-Deku, you, me, we..."

His boyfriend silenced him with another messy, spit-streaked kiss, and all Katsuki could do was cradle his face and kiss it again, again, again.

"They're still filming," Deku said.

"Let them."

One hand moved from his boyfriend's face, middle finger stuck up towards the camera, but Deku just laughed and kissed him once more.

"You're right, Kacchan," he murmured, and as soon as he saw a tear break on Deku's cheek, Katsuki felt his own start to water. "Fuck them."

Let them know. Let them see.

At some point, Katsuki was sure he heard one of the reporters say something about them really going at it, and he was almost positive his friends were taking pictures themselves. A part of him swelled with pride—this was their win, Deku was his boyfriend, and holy shit, did they love.

"I-I think we should... a-ah, pick this up again later." Deku mumbled, looking mildly embarrassed. "Kacchan, I love you, but I need to get to the ER as soon as—a-as possible."

Oh. Right.

Katsuki dropped down to his own two feet and helped his very-wobbly boyfriend navigate to where the ambulance had parked, a little ashamed that he'd forgotten about the head wound to make out with him. But just as they were on their way out

"W-Wait, Valiant, sir!"

Huh?

The nasty interviewer, followed by the cameraman scrambled to catch up to them as Katsuki kept hold on Deku's arm, refusing to let go.

"A-And, um, Ground Zero...! I-I, I-I just," the interviewer's voice shook, trembling like a leaf in the wind as his eyes darted between the two of them like a scared animal. "I-I'm sorry. From everyone here, we're... w-we're sorry!"

The two of them fell quiet, unsure of what to do. Katsuki didn't want to accept an apology only pulled out in the heat of the moment, but Deku—

"If you're really sorry, prove it," he murmured, using every last bit of strength to talk. "I'll believe you when you leave us be." Then, he tugged on Katsuki's arm. "C'mon, baby. Let's... let's go."

They let him up in the ambulance with Deku, and just as they were about to leave did his friends run up to wish them luck, followed by Uravity and Red Riot showing up after the fight had drawn to a close. They'd taken care of the villains outside of the studio, apparently, but promised that they'd meet them at the hospital later. The paramedics assured him that Deku would be okay—the projectile didn't appear to have been laced with anything, and the wound hadn't cut deep enough to do harm more serious than a concussion.

"I know injuries aren't a good thing, but..." Katsuki squeezed Deku's hand as he sat by him in the ambulance. "At least you're gonna have a badass scar to show off."

"Aha, true..." his boyfriend's eyes were falling closed, finally safe as the doors closed and the engine started up. "They're hot, right?"

"So hot," he smiled, a stupid, stupid smile saved only for him. "Get some rest, 'kay? I'll kiss it better after you get it checked out."

"We're gonna... we're gonna go to the onsen again," Deku mumbled, so soft, so quiet. "Gonna apartment hunt some more... gonna kiss you all over when I get home."

God, I...

"Love you," he whispered, beating Katsuki to it. "I-I... I love you."

Deku's hand relaxed in his own, exhaustion and blood loss and a sense of safety finally carrying him to sleep.

"Love you too," he kissed Deku's hand again, warmth flush through him. "And when you wake up again, we..." His thumb ran across those freckled cheeks, and a choked, vulnerable, happy sob tugged its way from his throat.

I love you. I love you. I love you.

"We... we won't have to be afraid anymore."