Izuku seems to be speechless at the moment while he lets it sink in that he had in fact gotten out of bed himself to find Katsuki.
He's staring into smirking crimson eyes with his mouth open in disbelief when he hears Katsuki chuckle.
" Oi, you alright nerd?"
The green-eyed hero finally gives the blonde a smile coming back to his senses.
" Yes, I'm just surprised I guess. I .. I hadn't even realized it till you said something."
The blonde grins.
" You see what this shit means right? You are definitely improving Deku."
Izuku takes a breath with a small spark of hope. He wants to believe that this is true, that he is definitely improving, but down deep he's scared to believe the words.
Katsuki studies him seeing doubt in green eyes. He sighs shifting his eyes to the clock then back to Izuku.
" It's late Deku. Let's get you settled back in bed."
Izuku nods as he pushes his chair back into his room with the blonde right behind him.
Once inside Izuku pauses at his bedside looking up at Katsuki as if he's waiting..
Katsuki eyes him then smirks.
" Well go on get into bed. I know you can do that I've taught you already, you just had a lot of trouble getting out but seems you can do that too. So climb your nerd ass in there then I want you to get back into your chair so I can see how you did and and so you can prove it to yourself since I can see doubt in those eyes."
Izuku bites his lip nervously, scared he won't be able to do the task again since he isn't really running on the adrenaline to get to the blonde he thought was upset. On top of that Katsuki is watching, and those crimson eyes on him always made him want to do any and everything without fail. He always wanted Katsuki to be proud of him, to see him as an equal, not a weakling who couldn't keep up.
A voice interrupts his thoughts.
" Go on Deku. You got this"
Green eyes glance up at the blonde who gives him a confident head nod of encouragement.
Izuku takes a breath then proceeds to get back into bed with little struggle. His gaze shifts up at Katsuki who grins at him. He gives the blonde a slight smile back while he feels his heart beat nervously again his chest while he tries to repeat what he had done not long before.
Katsuki watches closely, his own heart feeling an uptick of beats as he silently chants inside for this nerd to do this again.
Izuku positions himself so he can slide to the edge of the bed then the blonde sees muscles that haven't been used in awhile flex and move under the skin allowing the green eyed hero to almost effortlessly get back into his chair on those muscles alone.
Green eyes snap up to crimson ones that are smiling.
" Kacchan..I.. I did it! Again..I.. I really did it! By myself!"
Katsuki chuckles with an ache in his chest at the small action giving so much excitement.
" Hell yeah you did! You couldn't do that a week ago Deku, that's improvement."
Izuku flashes him a smile that will forever make a heart skip a beat in a built chest even if the other clueless hero has no idea.
" Yeah, I guess so. I mean it's not walking or anything but I guess it is something huh?", the greenett ask as he shifts himself and then gets back into bed.
The blonde sits on the edge of the bed after Izuku gets settled.
" It's definitely something Deku. It may not be walking but it's a step in the right direction. Small victories nerd, that's how you gotta see this shit. Step by step, inch by inch we're getting closer. Stronger Izuku, stronger means closer.", the blonde tells him his eyes steady on green ones.
Izuku nods with a smile as he leans against the headboard with eyes that Katsuki can see are getting tired.
The blonde clears his throat.
" Well, I'm gonna let you get some sleep nerd. We got more workouts to do tomorrow morning.".
As Katsuki gets up to leave he hears a soft sheepish voice again.
" Kacchan?"
The blonde turns at the doorway leaning against it.
" Yeah?"
Green eyes shift down to his blankets then back at the blonde.
" So.. you.. you aren't mad? I mean thats why I came out there in the first place was because after you got upset about the Uraraka thing I.. I wanted to be sure you weren't mad. You left the conversation so quickly."
The blonde at the door tenses. It's a tricky conversation this one, this one that would explain why he got upset and basically banished Uraraka from the greenett's door and hopefully if Katsuki is being honest from his life all together.
He clears his throat crossing his arms.
" I'm not mad Deku. I'm.. I'm just tired. But um if I'm being really honest here I..."
He pauses seeing green eyes hanging on every word he has to say.
" I just don't fucking like her ok? I never have really and it pisses me off how she couldn't be bothered with you after your accident but will walk around talking shit about how much she cares about you and what good friends you are. It's bullshit and I refuse to listen or watch it. All she was trying to do today was ease her own guilt because she knows she fucked up, and oh now that she hears that your improving she shows her face? Not while I'm here, she can fuck right off."
Izuku is blinking at the blonde with a surprised expression on his features. Katsuki studies him unsure what he's thinking since there's now a bit of an easy silence.
He takes a breath getting ready to leave again as he mumbles a kind of sort of apology.
" I'm sorry if that upsets you but it's the way I feel and I'm speaking my fucking truth. Night Deku."
Before he makes completely out the door the greenett speaks again.
" Wait. I'm not upset but.. I wasn't aware that you never liked Uraraka. I mean I know in UA you always seem competitive with her but.. but I always assumed that's because you are competitive and Kacchan has never liked to lose, but.. I.. I never knew you actually didn't like her."
Katsuki hasn't turned around yet, his back is still to green eyes that he can feel burning a hole in his back.
Yes, yes he has always been competitive by nature, but his competition with her was personal, same with Icyhot and that something personal was clueless waiting for an answer in the bed behind him.
The blonde finally turns around with a shrug.
" Well I guess now you know huh?"
There's a beat of silence as both heros stare at the other, as if Izuku is waiting for more of an explanation that Katsuki just isn't willing to give completely just yet.
Izuku nips the inside of of cheek wanting to know more but not wanting to upset the blonde who has always had a short fuse, but he takes a chance.
" Um. Ok. But.. I mean.. is .. is there a reason?"
Those crimson eyes look up from the floor where they had been looking to lock on to green ones.
For some reason Izuku feels his heart skip rapidly suddenly in his chest at the pricing look in intense crimson eyes that seem to want him to understand something without having to say it.
That look lingers without a word making the greenett flush but having no real idea why.
Finally after what feels like years not minutes Katsuki shrugs again.
" I dunno, just something about her I don't like, at fucking all. I'm not like you Deku, I don't hold a soft spot for everyone. I'm choosy about who gets my attention and who can stay the fuck away from me. Icyhot is another one who can take a hike with her, just because we all went to school together doesn't mean I give two shits about everyone we shared that time with."
Izuku has both brows raised. Yes he knows Katsuki has always been hard to get to open up to a point where he actually thinks you're worthy enough to share his life or time with, but he didn't know he held this much distaste for both Uraraka and Shoto who were two of his closest friends before he had ended up getting extremely close to Kirishima, Denki and Sero after school who had always been close to the blonde bomb in his doorway.
Suddenly a small realization begins to seep into his mind making his heart tick up. Katsuki said he was choosy about who got his attention and that was true Izuku knows that from growing up with him but he had chosen to come back home and give his time and attention to Izuku and seemed to be in no rush to return back to his current home, always reminding the greenett that him being here was going to take as long as it took. That, all that has to mean something, has to say something, but it couldn't be anymore then just some bond they still hold from childhood. Right?
Izuku finally clears his own throat.
" Oh.. ok. They aren't all bad Kacchan, but I understand what you mean about Uraraka... but um.. why Sho? He was actually at the hospital every day with Kiri, Sero and Kami."
There's that question, that question that seems to burn even hotter against Katsuki's skin then the pink cheeks one.
Truth is he hates them both, it's not just a simple distaste for the two other heros, it's a deep embedded, jealously fuled hatred.
Shoto had always climbed under his skin and stayed there like a festering wound that was irritating and bothersome. Every time in UA when he saw them walk together, eat lunch or laugh he hated it. And the fact that Izuku just told him that bastard was at the hospital daily burns a deeper hole in a jealous soul.
That green-eyed nerd might have been completely oblivious to the looks shoto gave the greenett when he wasn't paying attention but Katsuki certainly wasn't and just maybe that's because he knew those looks well since he was giving the same longing ones when he was sure no one was noticing.
But Katsuki was paying attention, always.
There's answer dancing on his tongue, the truthful one, the one he wants to spit out into the air and watch it hit its target and see what happens, but it's just not the time he thinks.
He plays it off like a pro, like he's done for years.
There's a shrug and a smirk.
" Because he's a spoiled little bitch with Daddy issues and his eyes creep me the fuck out. Go to sleep nerd, I'll see you in the morning."
Izuku gives him an eye roll at the answer that he's sure there is more to but laughs lightly anyway at the response that's so typical of the blonde hero.
" Fine for now. Good night Kacchan."
After Katsuki exits the room and heads back out to the living room he steps onto the greenett's balcony to get some air.
Crimson eyes gaze up at the night sky as he thinks about everything that just took place.
He's encouraged by Izuku's ability to get in and out of his bed alone, a sure sign he's gaining strength, there's a long way to go but at least it's enough for them both to keep building hope for now. There will no doubt be bigger and harder challenges ahead but for tonight it was a small win.
As he feels cool night air on his skin the conversation they just had swims around inside his mind.
He had told him the truth to an extent, definitely not the whole truth but enough for now.
There's conversations they probably need to have, that maybe one day Katsuki will have the courage to have. But for now one step at a time and most importantly the task of Izuku walking again comes first.
So he'll do what he has done since high school, push his feelings down or at least aside for now until he knows he has no other choice.
A/N
Our tale continues, stay tuned ♡