Face Me Like An Idiot

24

A dirt monster let out a roar as it melted back into the ground. Although he had incinerated many other things in the past, Izuku still saw brief flashes of his mother screaming as she gradually turned into ashes—the image was engraved into the back of his skull, despite him not actually witnessing such a gory scene.

A hand was placed on Izuku’s shoulder, causing him to tense. He whipped around, grabbing the wrist of the intruder.

“Midobro, are you okay?” Kirishima asked worriedly, eyes wide in surprise at Izuku’s quick reflexes. “You were spacing out.”

Izuku exhaled a shaky breath, loosening his grip on Kirishima’s wrist. He nodded, brows furrowed and lips pressed into a thin line as his emerald eyes wandered. “Let us focus on getting to the camp before sunset.”

“Hey, you don’t have to push yourself,” Kaminari, for once in his life, looked serious as he stared into Izuku’s eyes. “You’ve done too much already; it’s a miracle you’re not passing out from Quirk overuse.”

Trust me, I am close. Izuku sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose.

“We should not waste time bantering uselessly. Let us get moving,” he sauntered past the worried gazes of his classmates, quickly encountering another monster made of dirt and grime.

Even though he had disposed of its... friends, Izuku could not help but grit his teeth in a grimace. “Disgusting,” he muttered, raising his hand in front of the puppet. Not even a moment later, it was fully combusted.

Izuku hissed quietly as the familiar stinging of burns littered his palm, almost instantly disappearing by virtue of his regeneration Quirk. Just as he was about to sigh in relief, abrupt pain struck his mind like an arrow to the head, making him drop to a knee as he clutched his forehead.

“Midoriya!” A faint voice—more like a faint whisper—called for him in the distance. Being too out of it, he could not identify whose it belonged to, nor did he care. He just wanted them to rid the pain.

Grunting, he tried his best to stand properly. He stumbled and nearly fell on his face, when someone grabbed onto him. “Hey, hey, Izu!”

He recognised that voice—he could recognise it from anywhere. He inclined his head, barely managing to keep his eyes open. “K-Kacchan…” he noted the mild tremor in his voice and how soft it was. Damn, he must have looked extremely vulnerable at the moment.

“Hold on; you’re gonna be alright,” that was the last thing Izuku heard, before darkness consumed his vision.

-

Groaning in discomfort, Izuku forced his eyes open. He seemed to be in a dark room; too dark.

“...Mietto?” he called, unsure of his whereabouts. He wrapped his hands around himself, curling into a small, protective ball. “Mom, I’m serious; you know how bad I fend in the dark.”

So pathetic. Are you not the leader of a notorious group?

He was alone, in the dark. How could Mietto allow this? He had warned her about his phobias soon after she adopted him. Did he do something to anger her? What did he do?

What did he do?!

Izuku’s breath hitched as his ears picked up on footsteps closing distance, his heart beating rapidly against his ribcage.

The door slammed open, causing Izuku to flinch back at the loud noise. “Izu? Are you awake?”

Oh. It was just Katsuki. Wait, why would he be– oh. He… was not at the base.

“No, I am asleep,” Izuku sneered unintentionally. He must be high on Quirk overuse, because he did not mean to say that. Nevertheless, he persisted. “I appreciate you slamming the door open.”

“Uh… what?” Katsuki stammered, unable to hide his confusion. He scratched his chin, silently hoping that he did not incense his boyfriend.

Izuku slapped a palm over his mouth. “S-sorry! That was uncalled for and very immature of me!”

“...It’s fine. You passed out from a major headache earlier, you’re probably still out of it,” Katsuki went up to him and sat on the opposite end of the bed. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I drank three bottles of Vodka in one day,” Izuku quipped, laughing quietly at his own joke as he held his head in his hands.

“I’m not gonna question how you know that feeling,”

“I was hoping you wouldn’t ask,”

Silence filled the room after that. Having Katsuki in the same room relieved Izuku, so much so that he could not bring himself to be wary of anything; especially with the headache that felt strikingly similar to a hangover.

“Are you hungry?” Katsuki asked, breaking the silence between them.

“Am I,” Izuku chuckled, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. The moment he stood up, his vision swayed and he stumbled slightly.

“Take it easy,” his boyfriend warned, holding onto his arm to steady him. “Maybe it’d be best if you stayed here instead. You’re still–”

“I will be fine,” Izuku interrupted, staring into the blond’s ruby eyes, as if the action could verify his point. “I have dealt with far worse. It would take much more than a measly headache to kill me.”

Knowing that he could never win an argument against his lover, Katsuki sighed in defeat. “Fine. But the moment I see you so much as sway drunkenly, you’re going back to bed. Deal?”

“Only if you stay in bed with me,” Izuku jested flirtatiously, causing his boyfriend’s cheeks to flush.

Katsuki turned away falteringly, covering the bottom half of his face in embarrassment.

So cute, Izuku chuckled fondly.

-

“Midoriya!” Uraraka exclaimed, a relieved grin gracing her lips as she engulfed Izuku in a hug. “You’re okay!”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Izuku responded, refusing to hug back because of Katsuki’s presence. He still could not believe how easily his boyfriend gets jealous.

“Don’t do that again, bro! You gave all of us a heart attack!” Kirishima berated, palm on his chest as he exhaled a sigh of relief.

“Sorry, guys. It won’t happen again, I promise,” Izuku chuckled lightly as Uraraka finally pulled away from the embrace. Another pair of arms wrapped around him, causing him to tense momentarily at the sudden contact.

“Let’s go, babe,” Katsuki made sure to emphasise ‘babe’ as he glared at Uraraka, ruby eyes glistening with animalistic violence.

“Kacchan, you are being rude,” Izuku whispered, staring disapprovingly at his boyfriend. He forcefully pushed away Katsuki’s arms from his waist.

“I am protecting you,” the blond had the nerve to retort. Before an argument could commence, Jirou broke it off with a sheepish smile.

“Let’s continue eating! You must be hungry, right, Midoriya?” she asked.

Izuku stared at her for a moment, seemingly studying her for any ill intent. Finding none, he nodded and walked towards where the rest of his classmates were eating and engaging in conversation.

-

Thank you for reading! Remember to vote for the chapter if you liked it❤

1162 words