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/ i’ll protect you from the hooded claw
keep the vampires from your door /
Two knocks.
Izuku gets up from the couch. A faint smile tugged at his lips. He must’ve forgotten his copy of the keys in the rush.
Three steps and he’s there. The doorknob is cold, and the door squeaks when he opens it. He really needs to oil it.
Smokey cinnamon with a taste of… pad thai? Katsuki’s carrying a take-out bag in the hand that’s not reaching toward him.
/ feels like fire
i’m so in love with you /
A very welcome weight crashes into him, enveloping him in this sweet, comforting warmth Izuku has come to love so much.
Izuku surrounds him with his arms, and notices they’re not trembling anymore.
Katsuki hides his face in the crook of Izuku’s neck. Izuku breathes for the first time in what feels like years.
Eventually, the pad thai drops to the floor as Katsuki holds Izuku with both arms.
Like if he weren’t using both, Izuku would break into tiny pieces and slip through the cracks between the tiles of his shitty apartment’s hallway floor.
He definitely feels like breaking.
/ love is the light
scaring darkness away /
They eventually move inside, and decide to forgo the take-out completely. Izuku is far from hungry.
Katsuki doesn’t ask questions. Doesn’t need them. After everything they've gone through, words aren’t really needed.
Izuku breaks, lets himself be held in the middle of his living room.
Katsuki traces figure-eights on his back, and whispers soft words that Izuku can’t fully comprehend. Although they comfort him just the same.
/ when the chips are down, i’ll be around
with my undying, death-defying love for you /
“I didn’t want to lose them.” Izuku sobs, struggles for air.
“I know.”
“It’s not fair.”
A kiss is placed on his forehead. Reverent, understanding, loving. Izuku sobs even harder. He always struggles with guilt, when faced with Katsuki’s devoting gentleness.
They still haven’t put a name to what they have. To what they are. Words have never come easy between them.
Katsuki is his, just like Izuku is Katsuki’s. There’s no doubt about it.
“I love you so much, Kacchan.”
“I love you too.”
/ purge the soul
make love your goal /
“What do you need?”
They’re in bed now. Izuku’s back flushed against Katsuki’s front.
“Huh?” Izuku blinks in the darkness.
“What would… make you feel better? How can I help?” Katsuki whispers. His soft tone so unlike his teenage years.
Izuku is more than used to it, now. “You’ve already helped so much. Just stay with me, Kacchan. Don’t leave, please.”
Katsuki kisses one of the freckles peeking through the collar of Izuku’s sweatshirt. Hugs him tighter.
“Of course. Never.”
/ envy will hurt itself
let yourself be beautiful /
“You deserve to feel like this, you know that, right?” Katsuki’s warm breath tickles Izuku’s ear.
Izuku’s lower lip trembles at the words. “I’m not so sure, Kacchan.”
“You’re still a hero, with or without the embers.”
Izuku’s mind floods with images of Tenko. His chest tightens. It’s hard to breathe.
“Hey, it’s okay.” Comes Katsuki’s soothing voice. His hand rests on top of Izuku’s heart, steadying it. “It’s going to be okay.”
Izuku closes his eyes and lets his tears run dry.
He makes sure to hold Katsuki’s hand, the one on top of his heart, while he does.
/ the power of love
a force from above /
When Izuku wakes up, it’s already morning.
He half-sits on the bed and checks his surroundings. The slightly open window, the cup with his half-finished tea. Looking for clues of his life having changed, of the world having flipped on its axis.
He finds none.
Katsuki is right by his side, lips parted and snoring like a baby. Izuku smiles at him. Caresses the scar on his cheek.
“Morning, nerd,” Katsuki says after a while. His voice deep with sleep. He looks so pretty like this.
“Morning, Kacchan.”
Izuku leans down and kisses his lips. “Will you stay a bit longer?”
“Of course,” Katsuki says before returning the kiss. “I’ll stay for as long as you let me.”
/ 'll protect you from the hooded claw
keep the vampires from your door /