Work Text:
The first flower grew after Bakugou Katsuki, his rival, his crush, his.. kacchan.. walked away from him after they had finally, finally graduated highschool to talk with his family..
Officially taking their separate ways..
Izuku had gotten a small apartment near his mother’s place, while Bakugou was god knows where working all while getting so many offers from various colleges across the world.
Hah… Guess that’s pretty in line with Bakugou’s ambitious nature.
Together..
Izuku had naively thought that he and Bakugou would always be together..
Through the thick and thin..
Through sickness and in health…
But that was just wishful thinking, wasn’t it..?
There was no way.
No possible way that Katsuki would ever think about liking him back.
And that was what was destroying him.
The mess of fresh red Camellia blooms and the sprouts of Ivy clusters clinging to his lungs and making him wheeze randomly throughout the day.
Soon after the feeling of vines clinging onto his lungs and trachea began, he could barely hide it.
The way he had started running away from people any chance he got was beginning to get pathetic.
He had blamed it on everything.
His “allergies” were just making his eyes water.
His “simple cold” was the cause of his slight coughs and wheezes that came from the back of his esophagus.
And most people had bought those excuses.
Most..
Except for Bakugou Katsuki
Izuku would almost feel inclined to laugh at the irony of it all if he could get the damned noise out of his collapsing lungs.
The man that he was hiding from, purposefully trying to avoid, was the one person who was smart enough to not take any of his bullshit excuses..
Izuku almost hacked up another flower bud just at the thought.
The boy had looked up the flower's meanings of course..
Desperately trying to find out if he could kill them or something that wouldn’t end up in his own demise.
Shoving himself into his room to desperately research a way of survival and his chances of a good life afterwards..
Red Camellia was easy to figure out, yet so painful to realize..
You’re a flame to my heart..
Passionate and Romantic Love..
Izuku almost felt like vomiting right then and there at his computer as he typed questions that he almost didn’t want the answer to.
Ivy..
everlasting life, devotion, fidelity and loyalty.
Tears began to fall down his face and onto his shaking hands which were still glued to the keyboard without him even realizing it.
His heart began to pound mercilessly against his chest, causing a headache that stung all the way up and into his brain stem.
There was one way to remove the flowers before they got too bad, he had figured that out the first month he had coughed up a few stray petals.
But losing the memories and all the feelings that he had around Bakugou?
No..
That wasn’t a choice he was willing to make.
Izuku had not left the comfort of his home for a while now.
His now pale skin practically see through to show his veins that tried so hard each passing day to pass oxygen through his whole body.
Not many people with this…
Condition, had lasted longer than six months..
It had been five.
His poor.. poor mother had never been fully able to see just what his form looked like now.
His body shielded by the many layers of fabric he wore that never seemed to be able to dull the putrid cold that was becoming of his bones…
Surgery would not be an option now even if he changed his mind this very moment.
The roots had embedded themselves, no doubt digging into the delicate tissue of his lungs.
That was a stage that usually happened in mouth three.
Surgery would not be successful..
Here he was..
Trying so hard to figure out a way that he could not die due to this- this situation that was caused by his- his emotions!-
All the while Bakugou Katsuki was becoming a hero while looking for future colleges that would take him.
Saving dozens of lives by just showing up to the field.
This..
Was Hopeless…
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
He had started to write.
All the words that only he could think of in letters that he would make sure his loved ones would receive.
Writing was what he was best at after all..
”Come on..”
And now that is where he sat, at his desk while trying to will his shaking hands to keep the death grip he had on his pencil.
And the last letter he was writing?
The one addressed to-
“Kacchan..” he whispered to himself, coughing up another petal, this time of Cyclamen..
Goodbye…
He couldn’t help but sob again, though it was more of a sad weak wheeze, his eyes unable to shed anymore tears.
He was alone.
Izuku Midoriya, alone in his recently bought apartment with no one to discover his body.
Well that was the fact until-
“Hey! Izuku!!”
A rather annoyed shout with a corresponding bang from his door was heard.
Shit!-
What was he doing here???
He didn’t know if it was pure adrenaline or the fact that somehow his body could still find the will to move, but he was standing in seconds with his heart racing.
The sound of his real name coming out from Bakugou’s mouth sending a spark of joy through him despite the fear he had just been feeling ten minutes prior.
Fighting through the initial dizziness, he stumbled across his apartment to his door that led out to a hallway, already anticipating the annoyed expression from the blonde.
“Finally.” The hero said as soon as Izuku opened the door, his body leaning against the doorway, resting on his left side. The hanging belt of his costume scrunching up after being trapped on the weight of his hip.
“I’m back in town for a while and got word that I needed to come by.” He explained, eyes scanning him for a moment.
“You sure have learned to take your sweet ass time huh?” Bakugou teased, the smile on his face almost making Izuku cough up a whole bouquet right then and there-
“Sorry kacchan…” he somehow managed to smile sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head in an effort to look as nonchalant as possible.
“I was just-“
“You got some floral perfume on or something, dumbass?” Bakugou smirked, not even knowing how much those words made Izuku’s heart drop to the pits of his abdomen.
The blonde hero trying to peek into his room, as if to attempt to spot a new air freshener somewhere. But Izuku of course blocked the man’s sight with his own body.
Not wanting him to see even one speck of blood that probably was unnoticed by him minutes before.
Bakugou was perceptive..
Maybe even more than he was.
“No no..!- you don’t have to look inside kacchan..!-“ the sick man hurriedly explained, fumbling over his words which certainly didn’t help out his case.
His chest reflexively heaving as his diaphragm tried its hardest to initiate a cough and hack, but he quickly disguised it with a clearing of his throat.
Such action causes the back of his tonsils to flare up slightly in irritation.
But he was quick to ignore it.
Bakugou was not stupid however, looking him up and down, those red eyes of his spotting his pale skin which he tried to cover up with a rather large jacket.
”Are you sick?” He asked, moving closer before Deku could even think about an answer and placed a rough calloused hand gently against his forehead. Eyebrows turned down slightly in deep thought.
“I-“
“You don’t feel so good.” The hero interrupted yet again, now looking even more suspicious.
“Somethings wrong, nerd. Spit it out already.”
Deny Deny Deny-
“I am fine kacchan.” His voice rasped, “just a cold.”
Yet that response only made the man step closer while Izuku stumbled back, now inside his small apartment that the sick man had tried so desperately to hide.
“Kacchan?? What are you-“
That same hand was ungloved and gently wiped under his nose, pulling away as soon as it came and with it..
Blood…
“Your nose is bleeding idiot.” His love scolded, though his tone was softer than usual as he stepped closer again.
“Are you sure there’s not something going on and-“ he stopped, eyes widening slightly as they locked onto the new trail of blood running down Deku’s lips.
This making Izuku gasp and turn away quickly, covering his mouth as his eyes frantically searched for anything to wipe his mouth of with before-
Hhk..!
No no no!!-
He finally hacked, a full Red Camellia flower that shot from his lips and splattered onto the floor in a bloody mush.
And before he could even say any more excuses..
Nor even really comprehend what had just happened..
His body slammed into the wooden floor of his living room.
His vision going black..
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
“You think I know what happened to him?!! I told you! I went to visit after Auntie Inko called me! I didn’t know the bastard was hiding some secret love!-“
Izuku heard Bakugou’s voice hurriedly explaining something to someone on the phone, Deku’s body having been gently moved to be on his plush couch to be on his side with his legs propped up on a couple pillows.
What happened again..?
His vision swayed painfully as he tried to recall.
“What about Ochaco??”
All the while Bakugou kept arguing with someone over the phone, wringing his hands through his spiky blonde hair.
“I know that she doesn’t really like him that way but maybe if she can act like it then!-“
He thought..
I love… Ochaco..?
At the mere thought Izuku couldn’t stop himself from producing a weak laugh, though if he was completely honest it was more of a wheeze.
”Shit! Deku!” Bakugou seemed to hear that however and practically threw his phone, being at his side in a mere second..
Those red eyes he had grown quite fond of looking at him with a gaze he couldn’t really understand through his blurry vision.
“Why didn’t you tell me idiot??” The man then asked, barely holding back the urge to shake the disorientated man by his shoulders and scream.
“While I am off god knows where for work, you just chose to hide this??? What the fuck Izuku?!?”
“K-kacchan-“
“No!” Another shout, another spell of silence from Deku who winced slightly at the sharp tone.
“You will listen to me! What have I told you about being an idiot before huh??? About risking your damn life?!”
Katsuki continued on with his scolding, getting so worked up that his face was flushed and his palms crackled with power.
Well, that was until Izuku’s chest lurched once more, his throat producing a harsh gag sound before feeling Bakugou’s firm hands on his hip and back, keeping him from accidentally rolling over.
“Fuck, fuck fuck!” Bakugou swore, of course he did.
He was watching one that he begrudgingly admitted he cared for suffering from a illness that would be the cause of his death.
More flowers, some with even the stems attached, along with heaps of Ivy fell onto the wooden floor with a sickening splat.
Staining the air with the sickly sweet smell of iron and florals.
Izuku couldn’t even seem to talk anymore, too busy hacking to notice how Bakugou’s eyes watered..
That was before they then narrowed in pure anger.
“Who is it?”
What…?
Izuku was interrupted momentarily to stare at Bakugou whose gaze stayed the same resolved look.
He repeated himself, expression cold and rather… nervous..?
Kacchan was never nervous.
“Don’t you dare stare at me like you don’t know what I am talking about! Who broke your damn heart and left you here to rot?”
And Deku swore that he saw a tear rolling down the other man’s cheek.
It was almost sweet to know that Bakugou was going to be saddened by his death.
But still..
“H-he wouldn’t share the same feelings anyway, kacchan… it’s okay..”
He insisted it was okay, despite his body pinging with pain in its effort to protest.
Deku almost expected for his old friend to start yelling again. Cursing out his name for being an idiot and letting himself die for a small crush.
To his surprise however, Bakugou knelt beside him on the couch, eyebrows turned downward in distress.
This wasn’t how this was supposed to happen…
The Hero’s hand moved to grab onto Izuku’s, rubbing his thumb over the knuckles.
”…f-fuck you..” Bakugou’s voice bordered on a sob as his lips trembled, his red eyes now hidden by his hair as he faced down.
“Kacchan-“
“Fuck you..!” He finally snapped as Izuku anticipated, hands grabbing onto the front of Deku’s shirt and pulling him up slightly to face his wrath.
“Fuck you for giving up so easily! For- for giving your damn soft heart to someone who doesn’t care! I-…” he cut himself off, and oddly Deku found that he could breathe just a tiny bit easier..
“That bastard should never have crawled his way into your heart..” Bakugou finished, pulling the other man into a rather awkward hold seeing as Izuku’s limbs did not move when he wanted them to.
It was never your fault, Kacchan..
He wanted so desperately to say, to confess what he had been literally dying to say..
Come on!!- speak! Cry! Do something to tell him!!-
“L-love..” was one word he managed out of bloody lips, snapping his crush back to attention.
“F-Fuck, Deku…” Katsuki sniffled, pulling him ever so closer.
And that..
Is when Deku winced, the vines around his organs pressing on his heart harder and harder until-
They reached their goal and made it cease beating…
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
It wasn’t long after though until he felt lips against his and hands… desperate hands pumping his chest.
CPR…
Bakugou was just performing CPR..
And yet, his lungs felt free..
Free from the vines of ivy. Free from the petals of Red Camilla..
True love..
That was what cured this disease.
And that is what Bakugou had kept hidden from him all this time..
He gasped, full on gasped as air flooded his lungs before choking on flowers that had fully released off of his delicate organs to hit the ground.
Bakugou’s arms immediately tightening around him as the blonde yelled in shock as his ears rang painfully.
And finally.. after five full months of suffering in silence..
He sobbed in joy as his lover held him in his arms, not even needing to hear exactly what the blonde was saying to know that Bakugou had actually reciprocated his feelings and was scolding him severely for staying silent.
“You fucking asshole!!-“ being the first words after regaining his hearing that he could perceive. Almost making him giggle as Bakugou pulled his cheek as if he was a disobedient child.
“Kacchan-“
“Don’t you kacchan kacchan me! I thought- you were about to!- I!-“
Now though, it was Deku’s turn to interrupt him, kissing him sweetly as Bakugou let himself fall back against the couch, hands cupping around Izuku’s head before pulling away a minute later with a scowl.
“You’re such an idiot.”
“I can be that for you-“
“Ughhh- nevermind!”
Despite their banter, the two smiled sweetly at each other before kissing once more..
Their feelings becoming one.
“You’re so making this up to me.” Bakugou couldn’t help but smirk.
“Wha- Kacchan!!-“ and Deku groaned softly before tiredness finally caught up to him, his sore body slumping against The Hero who smiled and followed suit.