Bakugou Katsuki is one of the greatest heroes the world has ever seen. Victory is what defines him, villain against villain, he always wins.
Wealth, popularity, love affairs, there is much he has.
There's just something he doesn't..
Someone.

Days go by quickly between battles and paperwork.
The idiots he regretfully recognizes as friends are always trying to take him somewhere or another, find him dates.
Tired of the same conversation: that he should not let his youth go, he may regret it.
He regrets just one thing.

If Katsuki had to describe him, he would say that Izuku is like that old song that you know by heart, but that every time you hear it... still gives you shivers.
Delicate notes that unfold in a climax of emotions that only the nerd could make him feel.

Izuku is sweet breakfasts, socks thrown all over the place, heroes documentaries in the warmth of the sofa, and slow dancing in the middle of the living room.

In short, Izuku is everything Katsuki wants and doesn't have.

The nerd had always walked behind him, always following, his shadow, the quirkless boy across the street that became his best friend, and years later his boyfriend.
Perhaps his biggest mistake was believing that Izuku was still walking behind him and not by his side.

How could Izuku be shadow if all he touched was light?
What he always mistook for admiration in those big eyes was actually love.
Katsuki always told him about his day and never asked about Izuku's, considered it unnecessary, there was nothing interesting in office life.

Izuku knew by heart the beer that Kirishima liked, Mina's favorite album, that Kaminari was allergic to shellfish and that Sero collected strange movies.
Katsuki could name a single friend of his boyfriend, and it was because Uraraka worked with them.

The top seemed more important at the moment.
More important than going to the movies for that film that his boyfriend had waited for a full year for, or the dinner that the old hag organized to celebrate the nerd job's promotion.
Never on time.

In his closet, there was still one of his shirts... after having all of him, all that was left was that ugly old sleeping shirt, that and the memory of seeing him cry that morning.
Izuku had told him it was because of a comic ... and he believed him.
What an idiot.

Still remembers coming in with the stupid ring, the fucking flowers, walking in to try to impress his boyfriend with a higher place in the rankings.
The lights were off, everything quiet, clean, too immaculate.
No sight of the All Might figurine in the living room.

"Maybe he's sleeping" he remembers thinking. Smaller signs around him wanted to scream the truth that he was trying to ignore.
A picture with his mother, an old suitcase, the damn red shoes. Just memories
There was no Izuku sleeping, or taking a shower, just a note

"I can't"

The song that was Izuku in his life...he could no longer hear it.
No one wanted to tell him where he had gone.
And Katsuki was left alone in a very large apartment, a ring becoming heavier and heavier inside of his pocket, and nobody to slow dance with.

A year had passed since that night.
A year without green eyes, counting freckles, and "I love you".
Three hundred sixty-five damn days of a cold bed, strange bodies, of searching, cheap beers, and pity.
How long does it take to forget someone?

Mina and Kirishima get engaged one night when they have all gone out to their usual place.
Beer tastes more bitter, and the ring around his neck seems to burn his skin.
His selfishness made him lose his person, and now it prevents him from being sincerely happy for his friends.

The truth is that now he is the shadow.
Between laughs and toasts, congratulations and selfies, he can't stop thinking about how happy Izuku would be for both of them ... probably cry and all.
The nerd has a big heart after all.

No one is waiting for him at home, nor did he take anyone to bed.
The movie Izuku saw alone that time is on TV that night. He left the bar early to be able to watch it.

Kirishima's wedding is a week away, and to reward the idiot for his bitter behavior he is covering his shift so his friend can do some errands.
The morning is cold, and it has passed calmly, it is almost time for lunch and Katsuki walks near an intersection.

His eyes move analyzing and studying all the civilians, focused on keeping everything in order.
Looking across the street, he sees him.
Izuku is looking at a window display with Uraraka, he is laughing and his nose is crinkled.
Memories are nothing compared to him.

How long does it take to forget someone?

In Izuku's case, Katsuki thinks of eternity.

There is no sound in the busy street anymore, other than that of a broken heart pounding against his chest as he looks at his soul's greatest longing.

Izuku used to tell him about how heroes' bodies moved on their own when they needed to save.

Maybe he needed saving because without noticing his body moved on his own, crossing the street.
The sound came back, someone was screaming.

Izuku's eyes found him and the car hit him.

----------
Opening his eyes hurts a little, and it is very likely that he has a concussion given that the first thing he sees is green pools of worry staring down at him.
"I'm always making him cry" can barely hear himself before losing consciousness again.

The next time Katsuki wakes he's in a familiar place. It's not the first time he's been in a hospital, most likely it will not the last.
Kirishima is sitting on the side of his bed, busy with pencil and paper scribbling when he notices that his friend has woken up.

"Kat, how are you feeling, do you need something? "his friend is quick to ask.
"What... villain?" apparently, his mind is taking a break as he feels very confused...he's at the hospital, a broken leg it seems.
"A car"
The confussion disvanish, a scream, a car, Izuku.

"I thought I saw him..." resignation takes its customary place inside his chest.

"Who? A villain?"

"Izuku," he says it softly, cheeks flushed, embarrassed that his friend might think him pathetic. A longing so strong it makes him see things.

"Oh yeah, Midoriya went home to take a shower"

"What? "Surprise leads him to try to sit up, only to be reminded by pain that... a car hit him.

Kirishima doesn't notice his existential confusion, stretching and looking at his watch "Thinking about it he must be back soon"

As If called by the same magic that characterizes him Midoriya Izuku walks in looking down at his cellphone.
"Deku"
He's sure his voice is just a sigh, but Izuku looks at him, eyes filling with tears, and real soon he's attacked by the arms of his ex-boyfriend hugging tight.

"Kacchan, stupid Kacchan" Izuku presses tighter, unaware that he has climbed onto the bed.
Everything is happening fast.
The heat that surrounds him at the moment reminds him of how cold life has been, seizing the moment, he hugs back and allows himself to cry.

Izuku is too good sometimes, more like all the time ... since he was little always sacrificing himself for Katsuki.
Here he is again asleep in the chair that Kirishima occupied earlier. The idiot left them alone, making things a bit awkward after the emotions subsided.

Despite his insistence, the nerd had wanted to stay, for his mental peace he had said.
The accident had been more serious than he imagined, and the nerd had witnessed it. Spent 3 weeks unconscious, internal bleeding, fractures, broken leg...resuscitated once.

Katsuki may be in a hospital bed, with his leg in a cast and bruises, but he can watch Izuku sleeping and be able to count freckles until his eyes slowly close.
Maybe this is why he can finally sleep peacefully after so long.
A treasure withing arms reach.

Spending another week in the hospital was not within his plans, but having Izuku visit every day had him thinking about bribing the doctor to extend his stay.
For moments it seemed as If nothing happened, that their split was a nightmare produced by his state of unconsciousness.

“I never expected a truck to send me to the hospital more days than any villain” Katsuki joked as Izuku arranged the pillows on his back, ever worrying with excess.
“That’s not funny” the other interrupted what he was doing, to look him seriously“I thought we were losing you”

At the seriousness in the nerd’s voice, he felt embarrassed “Sorry, don’t worry Deku, I’m fine ... it won’t be easy to beat Bakugou Katsuki, not if I fight”

“And you always give the fight”

At that moment he wanted to tell him he had not always fought, that he had not fought enough for him, that it was the only battle in which he had been defeated, the only one in his mind.
His parents’ arrival stopped him from doing so.

“The doctor told us you can go home today” his father came to his side and kissed his forehead. He may have protested, but he knew how much the old man had suffered.
“We’ll take you home, so Izuku will finally be free of taking care of your ass”.

The climate in the room froze for a minute. Perceiving this, the old man gave him an apologetic smile.
“Dear, we should go finish fixing Katsuki’s documents” he addressed his wife, taking her hand dragging her towards the door.

“You know Izuku, you are always welcome at home… we love you,” she added before exiting the room.
The quick visit only destabilized the fantasy Katsuki had constructed for himself, in which the two were still together. The kids that grew up together and fell in love.

“I always dreamed we would be like them” Izuku interrupts his thoughts facing the door as if considering the future that escapes them.
“I still do” the words fell from his mouth, his soul, from that need to get home and spend the afternoon on the couch theorizing about heroes.

Those green eyes locked onto his, the boy walking up to him to plant a tender kiss on his cheek. “I have to go”“I still love you” whispered, terrified as no other time has ever terrified him before.
What's scarier than letting go of his pride, than baring his all?

“I think I do even more now”“
"Kacchan ...” Izuku straightened up, looking at him sadly, begging him to stop.
“I’m sorry” swallows around the knot in his throat,” I’m sorry since the day I went through the door of our house and you weren’t there,” holding him by the hand to

prevent him from leaving.

“I am not ready”
“I’ll wait”
“Kacchan ...”
“I will, I will fight for you so fucking hard”
This makes Izuku snort “That mouth hasn’t changed at all”
“But I did, let me prove it to you”

He can see inside Izuku’s eyes the uncertainty, and then how it slowly dissolves crushed by the familiar courage that he loves dearly.
Izuku squeezes his hand, places another kiss against his cheek “don’t disappoint me, hero”

Katsuki lets go of him, feeling a dumb smile paint on his face as the boy goes to the door. Before leaving, Izuku turns and smiles at him.
“Your mom has my number, let me know when you get home”
“I will, I will not fail you Deku, I swear by All Might”

That beautiful smile only gets bigger “bye Kacchan”.

Minutes later the nurses arrive, worried by the rhythm of his heart.

His mother reassures them it’s just love.

Katsuki doesn’t correct her.

Doesn’t need to.

He texted Deku, texted him as soon as he was home, even added emojis because he knew that the nerd loved that stuff.
Within the walls of his child’s room, in a bed that is too small for him, Katsuki spends the night grinning like an idiot.

They talk about everything and anything. It’s like when they were teenagers and they had their first cell phone.
The morning arrives with sincerity in their messages.

“I’ve missed you”

“Me too, you can’t imagine how much”

Life has changed since the incident, in a sense he has Izuku back in his life, the relationship with his parents improved a lot, and despite how foolish they may be, he appreciates his friends more. Kirishima and Mina delayed the wedding for him,

and between rare tears he apologies for it, the group hug he receives lets him know that things we’ll be alright.
Healing takes longer than he would like, but with the encouragement of everyone, he loves the process is not as heavy on his shoulders.

Thanks to the insistence of Kaminari, a party is organized in his honor to celebrate his recovery and return to the hero life. His apartment gets filled with balloons and silly decorations, smiling faces he loves, and music.

Izuku gets there later. Walks inside the apartment placing his coat in the closet with such naturality; the nerd doesn’t even notice. Katsuki does. He’s rambling as always telling him about how his meeting was late and how sorry he feels.
Katsuki doesn’t care.
He’s there.

By that time just the Bakusquad is there, and he feels grateful then when his friends receive the boy as If nothing had ever happened. Stories are told around the dining table, and Katsuki doesn’t get mad, even if most of the stories are told to make fun of him.

Izuku is laughing, his nose is crinkling, and he is beautiful. Katsuki really wants to kiss him. Needs to.
At the end of the night, Izuku offers to help him clean up.
It’s just the two of them, in what used to be their apartment doing the dishes. Maybe it was the wine, the soft

music, perhaps the closeness, or the familiarity of the place but the night ends up with a soft kiss at the door.
Once he is in bed, trying to erase the smile on his face and fall asleep he gets a text from the nerd.
"Let's try again... just don't break my heart"

Fixing something requires a commitment. Katsuki has it clear.
He has always bragged about not giving up and being the best, then there is nothing left but to be the best for Izuku.
No more missed calls, no more being late to dates.

It's taking the train to visit because the nerd is living in another city. Waiting for him to finish work just to take him to the movies, even If he has to get up really early in the morning.
Cooking his favorite meals, listening to what he has to say, really listening.

It's going to Kirishima and Mina's wedding together, slow dancing to their song, because yes, now Katsuki remembers their song, and their special dates, and Izuku's friends, even though Shouto Todoroki is always looking at him weirdly.

It's fighting with Camie for the bouquet because Izuku wanted it and seeing him grin so big that Katsuki freezes, and Sero makes fun of his expression. Falling in love with him even more at that moment, and letting him know.

Is telling Izuku everything when he feels sad, afraid, frustrated, letting him see the real him, not the hero but the boy he knows since they were small and believed the world was all about All Might and ice cream for dinner.

Fixing what's broken, it's mending his heart, and with love, and patience, make their bond stronger, their roads a single one, their home just one roof again.
Asking Izuku to marry him after a marathon of movies in the couch.
It's him saying yes.