Even As I Hold You In My Arms, We're Still Miles Apart

Even as Katsuki's heart stuttered painfully in his chest, he firmly believed that he would emerge from this victorious. It was a pitiful thought, really, a desperate plea and grasp at hope that was pointless. He knew what was happening, he knew that there wasn't a chance in hell that he was emerging from this alive, let alone standing tall and victorious. But he still held on to that dream. It was the only thing stopping the tears from spilling over. That unshakeable belief that Katsuki held was all that was keeping Shoto calm as he leaned over his partner (in life and sometimes in hero work).

"Why would you do that, Katsuki, are you stupid. Do you have a death wish?" Shoto croaked, as much as he may have wished to sound furious, he failed horridly. His voice was choked by tears and his eyes sparkled with fear.

"'Course not, Half-and-Half." Katsuki sneered, "But I couldn't let you take the hit, could I?"

"You could have!" Shoto shouted, he squeezed Katsuki's hand in his, "You could have..." he repeated in a quieter voice.

Katsuki gazed up at Shoto, his features softening ever so slightly. With great difficulty, Katsuki raised his hand to Shoto's cheek and ran his thumb under his eye in an effort to wipe away the tears that had started to slip over his waterline. Whilst he may have succeeded in wiping away his partner's tears, he had also smudged a streak of blood under his eye. Blood that was still warm from Katsuki's body.

If Shoto noticed the wet warmth of the blood being smeared onto him, he didn't say anything. He started down at Katsuki, a quiet resignation in his eyes. With reverence, Shoto laid a gentle kiss against the back of Katsuki's hand, like he always did when he wanted to fluster the blond man or attempt to seduce him (it rarely worked). Where Katsuki would have ordinarily blushed and chastised Shoto for embarrassing him, this time he simply smiled at his partner. A smile that Shoto would never deign to forget. A smile so sweet and unlike Katsuki that it burned itself into Shoto's retinas, determined to torture him for years to come.

"Why have you done this to me, Katsuki?" Shoto chokes. He doesn't care if he sounds selfish. He feels like he has every right to sound selfish. Thirty-two is far too young to die. Shoto knew that there was always the chance that either one of them could be unfortunate enough to die in the line of duty, but he never thought that it would actually happen. They were both good heroes, some of the best in the country, so why was Katsuki dying on him?

The two of them had been dating seriously for twelve years. They'd had an on again-off again relationship in their third year of UA, but it wasn't until two years later that they completely devoted themselves to one another. It was one of the best decisions either man had made, in their humble opinions. Twelve years of love and devotion. Meaningless arguments ultimately ended up with both of them struggling through an apology before they kissed it all better. Cooing over their cat. Buying their first house together. They had been perfect, but it was ending all too soon.

Katsuki's crimson blood stained the concrete below him. His entire costume was ripped to shreds from the waist upwards as a result of the villains striking him with their quirk before Shoto managed to encase them in ice. There was a massive gaping hole directly through Katsuki, it was a miracle that he was still alive, gasping for breath. It wouldn't be long until Shoto lost him, it wouldn't be long before his partner died in his arms. Even still, Shoto was in too much shock to cry properly, He wasn't balling over Katsuki's incapacitated body as others might have been. He was not shaking uncontrollably. Tears slid down his face and landed gently on Katsuki's pale skin, like raindrops falling from the sky at the start of a summer storm.

"This is really shitty timing, you know," Katsuki coughed, "I was going to propose to you tonight. I had it all sorted out, as well. We were going to go to that shitty hole-in-the-wall restaurant that you like so much. Then I was going to take you to the top of the mountain and propose to you under the moon..." Katsuki trailed off as he lost the steam to speak. Shoto didn't need to hear anything more, anyway.