[ Katsuki looks absolutely terrible. But in Izuku's eyes, even looking terrible like that he looks amazing. Izuku had been so afraid he wouldn't see Katsuki again. Right now, his heart is still almost beating out of his chest with the force of it, adrenaline still pumping through his system.
He's back, Katsuki says, and Izuku's lips tremble. ]
Where...did you go? Kacchan...what happened to you?
(What does he tell Izuku? Katsuki refused to lie to him. But he's almost certain of what had happened. How does he tell that to Izuku? How does he tell him that the worst odds...)
I lost. (The words come quietly. He's looking Izuku in the eye now, unwavering. If he was going to admit his own defeat, it was going to be to Izuku.)
You... [ The words don't make sense. How could they? Katsuki is the symbol of victory in Izuku's eyes. No matter what they've been through or gone up against, he's always had faith in his childhood best friend.
How could he have anything else? Izuku grew up with Katsuki. He knows him inside and out, even when they struggle to understand one another. ]
He knows that. But some losses you never come back from. Or at least that's what he was still believing at this point in time. How could he not believe it?)
I tried really damn hard. I gave that fucker my best shot. (And it was a good shot. It had scared the hell out of him. Katsuki's best just hadn't been good enough. He still wasn't at Izuku's level.)
Don't- don't apologize. I know you, Kacchan. You always give everything your best shot.
[ And Izuku wouldn't ever blame Katsuki for losing. Right now...right now he's just - he can't even contemplate a life without Katsuki in it. A world where Katsuki lost and didn't get back up later.
He sees the scars, realizes they were healed over by this place, and yet... ]
B-but...I can't give up on you yet, you know? It's not certain y-yet...
I do. (That much he knew. But that wasn't what he was sorry for the most. He looks up at Izuku again, his eyes wet.)
I'm sorry I couldn't keep up with you. I'm sorry I wasn't...
(Strong enough to find Izuku again and just tell him. Tell him what everything has meant to him over the years, and what has been proved between them the past few months in this place.
He stops feeling sorry for himself and pinches his eyes shut.)
I want to be good enough to stand by your side. (He opens his eyes again and gazes intently at Izuku.)
And...And that must be why I'm here with you, right? So I can.
(Katsuki sucks in a slow breath. If he was Izuku's idea of victory, then the same could be said for Izuku. At some point, his view on the world had dramatically shifted to Izuku being the person he wanted to catch up to. The person he wanted to live up to.
He wanted to be able to maintain that place by Izuku's side more than anything else. And hearing that feeling was mutual...It should have been obvious, sure. But everything always was so damn obvious in hindsight.)
Then that's where I'll stay. (He reaches his hand out to touch Izuku's face, sliding his palm against his face before he leans forward and presses their mouths together as if to seal the promise.)
[ Katsuki might be - Katsuki might be dying somewhere. Or dead. Izuku knows what the blond was getting at. He just doesn't know how to face that reality without losing his mind.
It's in the way he kisses back. A desperate promise, like they can fend off reality if they just hold on to one another as tightly as possible.
(There's desperation in his own kiss. He couldn't imagine holding anything back anymore. Even if they hadn't spent months making love and kissing each other on a regular basis, he couldn't keep himself from openly adoring Izuku. So much had gone down since he had first apologized to Izuku, and now, he knew the severity of what he had to lose.
He knew what he had to gain too though. And he knew Izuku wanted him in the way that Katsuki wanted him in turn. So, when their kiss ends, it's easy to rest his forehead against Izuku's and confess:)
[ Katsuki had apologized a second time, when they'd arrived in Folkmore. Izuku remembers both apologies. Since coming here, they'd fallen together. Considerations from back home - war and strife and what other people thought - that had kept them slightly apart. Time they hadn't been given to work themselves and their feelings out...
Izuku smiles, although the tears spill over. Of course they do. ]
I love you, too, Kacchan. [ Getting to this point has been so hard, but the words are so easy. ] I can't...I can't imagine life without you.
(Now that he had Izuku in front of him, he has no idea why he had waited so long in Folkmore to say anything. What they could have had to lose...And for what? Pride? Fear? They were always better together than apart.
When Izuku starts to cry, Katsuki can't help but smile fondly. He would have been more surprised if Izuku hadn't cried at all. The smile grows warmer.)
I know you do. (And he did. He has no clue why he had ever debated why he held back from talking about this before. He can't stop smiling now.)
Me neither. I don't want to. You're all I've ever focused on.
I...I never wanna give you up to anything or anyone. Kacchan, I...
[ He doesn't want to go home and have this all be a dream he can never have there. He wants to be hero partners. He wants to hold hands and go on dates. He wants their parents to get a chance to make fun of them for all of it. ]
(No one else mattered. Not like that. Katsuki didn't think there was even something for him to go back to anymore. Not if he had died. So why not commit to this world and this Izuku? He wants to wake up with Izuku in his arms. He wanted to be able to smugly kiss Izuku after crushing a villain. He wants to suffer their friends' inevitable obnoxious reactions to them becoming a couple.)
I want you to be my myth. (The red string between them glows and when the mental link opens up between them, Katsuki just feels...relaxed. Assured. There's another golden glow and a fifth tail manifests behind him. Red marks stick out on his cheeks and his fox ears prick up out of his hair. He looked more himself than he had just moments ago.)
(There would be a lot to cope with. On both ends. But at least they didn't have to do it alone. He can feel Izuku's emotions and tries to wash them over with his own: reassurance, love, and determination all the same. You won't lose me.
Not again.
He's starting to realize why Thirteen might have brought them here. So they could have a normal chance.)
Deku. (He smiles, rolling them slowly over so that he could cover him in kisses. His growlithe was yipping softly, licking at both of their faces. Katsuki snorts and looks up.)
Baby, can you give us a moment? I missed you too. (He kisses Ground Zero's snoot.) We'll all go for a walk later. Okay?
[ It's been days. ...Izuku hasn't fed in all that time, but he doesn't appear to even be thinking about it, just blinking away tears and kissing whatever he comes into contact with. Katsuki's brow, his jawline, his cheek... ]
(It hadn't occurred to him about Izuku's feeding just yet. His growlithe leaves the room to give them some privacy. He's relieved to feel those kisses. Even over scarred skin.)
I love you. (Again. He missed Izuku too much to not say it. For him, it had been a while since he saw Izuku and when he had, it had been climatic and terrifying. He hadn't known where Izuku had gone and had just needed to have faith in him.)
[ Izuku buries his face against Katsuki's neck, breathing him in. He smells familiar, but also not quite like he did at home. Here, there's always the scent of animal fur too.
It's soothing. ]
I love you so much, Kacchan. I was so - scared. When you were gone. I looked for you.
I'm sorry I scared you. I didn't mean to vanish on you.
(It wasn't something that had been in his control. If it had been, no way he would have left Izuku by choice. He cradles the back of Izuku's head and kisses the side of his head.)
I bet you did. I love you too. I should have told you sooner. But I'm just glad I told you now. I'm here now.
I-it's not you fault. You didn't choose to go...and...I didn't tell you sooner either. I thought - while we've been here, it feels like...we have all the time we need.
[ To go slow. To circle one another like they've been doing their entire lives, to find equilibrium. ]
I thought- yeah. I thought that too. (It wasn't something he would fault either of them with. That wasn't fair to blame on either of them. Katsuki would never willingly leave Izuku's side, and he has been dying to get back to him ever since he left him. In both worlds.)
I felt like we weren't lacking anything. I got to have you when I could, I could kiss you. I knew you were only with me. (He felt too comfortable in their new relationship to stop and realize he might still need to confess, need to clarify things. Like Izuku, he had thought they could take their time getting there.)
I...I always thought we'd have more time. To...figure out how to flirt with you and, um, to. To figure ourselves out. You didn't look at anyone else so I - I felt like it was safe to learn as we went and then you were gone and I -
(God. Izuku was too fucking cute. He grabs Izuku's face between his palms and brings their mouths together.)
Sh, Deku. I ain't leaving you anytime soon. You still can figure out how to flirt with me. (Even though Katsuki didn't really need it...It was cute to know that it was something Izuku stressed over.)
I was too. When I was...(Dying. But he can't say that. Not right now and not to Izuku.)
I just thought of everything I was losing. Then it was over. And I don't want to have that regret again.
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He's back, Katsuki says, and Izuku's lips tremble. ]
Where...did you go? Kacchan...what happened to you?
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(What does he tell Izuku? Katsuki refused to lie to him. But he's almost certain of what had happened. How does he tell that to Izuku? How does he tell him that the worst odds...)
I lost. (The words come quietly. He's looking Izuku in the eye now, unwavering. If he was going to admit his own defeat, it was going to be to Izuku.)
I went up against...
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How could he have anything else? Izuku grew up with Katsuki. He knows him inside and out, even when they struggle to understand one another. ]
It's...we all, sometimes we all...?
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He knows that. But some losses you never come back from. Or at least that's what he was still believing at this point in time. How could he not believe it?)
I tried really damn hard. I gave that fucker my best shot. (And it was a good shot. It had scared the hell out of him. Katsuki's best just hadn't been good enough. He still wasn't at Izuku's level.)
I'm sorry, Izuku.
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[ And Izuku wouldn't ever blame Katsuki for losing. Right now...right now he's just - he can't even contemplate a life without Katsuki in it. A world where Katsuki lost and didn't get back up later.
He sees the scars, realizes they were healed over by this place, and yet... ]
B-but...I can't give up on you yet, you know? It's not certain y-yet...
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I'm sorry I couldn't keep up with you. I'm sorry I wasn't...
(Strong enough to find Izuku again and just tell him. Tell him what everything has meant to him over the years, and what has been proved between them the past few months in this place.
He stops feeling sorry for himself and pinches his eyes shut.)
I want to be good enough to stand by your side. (He opens his eyes again and gazes intently at Izuku.)
And...And that must be why I'm here with you, right? So I can.
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Izuku never saw it that way. If anything, he thought he was the one trying to keep up. ]
Kacchan, you're- you're the person I want by my side. You're more than good enough.
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He wanted to be able to maintain that place by Izuku's side more than anything else. And hearing that feeling was mutual...It should have been obvious, sure. But everything always was so damn obvious in hindsight.)
Then that's where I'll stay. (He reaches his hand out to touch Izuku's face, sliding his palm against his face before he leans forward and presses their mouths together as if to seal the promise.)
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It's in the way he kisses back. A desperate promise, like they can fend off reality if they just hold on to one another as tightly as possible.
He's almost in tears when he pulls back. ]
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He knew what he had to gain too though. And he knew Izuku wanted him in the way that Katsuki wanted him in turn. So, when their kiss ends, it's easy to rest his forehead against Izuku's and confess:)
I love you, Deku.
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Izuku smiles, although the tears spill over. Of course they do. ]
I love you, too, Kacchan. [ Getting to this point has been so hard, but the words are so easy. ] I can't...I can't imagine life without you.
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When Izuku starts to cry, Katsuki can't help but smile fondly. He would have been more surprised if Izuku hadn't cried at all. The smile grows warmer.)
I know you do. (And he did. He has no clue why he had ever debated why he held back from talking about this before. He can't stop smiling now.)
Me neither. I don't want to. You're all I've ever focused on.
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[ He doesn't want to go home and have this all be a dream he can never have there. He wants to be hero partners. He wants to hold hands and go on dates. He wants their parents to get a chance to make fun of them for all of it. ]
I want you to be my familiar.
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(No one else mattered. Not like that. Katsuki didn't think there was even something for him to go back to anymore. Not if he had died. So why not commit to this world and this Izuku? He wants to wake up with Izuku in his arms. He wanted to be able to smugly kiss Izuku after crushing a villain. He wants to suffer their friends' inevitable obnoxious reactions to them becoming a couple.)
I want you to be my myth. (The red string between them glows and when the mental link opens up between them, Katsuki just feels...relaxed. Assured. There's another golden glow and a fifth tail manifests behind him. Red marks stick out on his cheeks and his fox ears prick up out of his hair. He looked more himself than he had just moments ago.)
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Maybe...maybe if they try to become the best versions of themselves, there will be a way to keep him. ]
Kacchan... [ Izuku ends up hugging him again. Clinging, really. ]
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Not again.
He's starting to realize why Thirteen might have brought them here. So they could have a normal chance.)
Deku. (He smiles, rolling them slowly over so that he could cover him in kisses. His growlithe was yipping softly, licking at both of their faces. Katsuki snorts and looks up.)
Baby, can you give us a moment? I missed you too. (He kisses Ground Zero's snoot.) We'll all go for a walk later. Okay?
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I love you. (Again. He missed Izuku too much to not say it. For him, it had been a while since he saw Izuku and when he had, it had been climatic and terrifying. He hadn't known where Izuku had gone and had just needed to have faith in him.)
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It's soothing. ]
I love you so much, Kacchan. I was so - scared. When you were gone. I looked for you.
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(It wasn't something that had been in his control. If it had been, no way he would have left Izuku by choice. He cradles the back of Izuku's head and kisses the side of his head.)
I bet you did. I love you too. I should have told you sooner. But I'm just glad I told you now. I'm here now.
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[ To go slow. To circle one another like they've been doing their entire lives, to find equilibrium. ]
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I felt like we weren't lacking anything. I got to have you when I could, I could kiss you. I knew you were only with me. (He felt too comfortable in their new relationship to stop and realize he might still need to confess, need to clarify things. Like Izuku, he had thought they could take their time getting there.)
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[ Izuku inhales sharply, realizing he's rambling, frantic. ]
...I was so scared I'd missed my chance to say anything.
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Sh, Deku. I ain't leaving you anytime soon. You still can figure out how to flirt with me. (Even though Katsuki didn't really need it...It was cute to know that it was something Izuku stressed over.)
I was too. When I was...(Dying. But he can't say that. Not right now and not to Izuku.)
I just thought of everything I was losing. Then it was over. And I don't want to have that regret again.
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[ Maybe not all at once. But...a promise. Izuku covers Katsuki's hands with his own, and at least they're not shaking as much now. ]
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