Collision; part 4 [BakuDeku]

Thank you for the feature!! :hearts: Really appreciate it after everything that went into writing this :'))

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Here's the fourth and final chapter of this story :tada:

This was a much bigger project than I                                          originally planned and I'm low-key glad it's                            finally done so I don't have to worry about it :sweat_smile: and while I did struggled throughout almost all chapters, as I read the epilogue of this I'm happy with the ending Bakugo and Midoriya get :')

Hate comments won't be tolerated!

if this ship is not your cup of tea, get

yourself some coffee and leave this post.

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             • Words :: 5.979

             • Credit :: Art // PSD (added extra effects)

             • Writing time :: 3-4 weeks

             • Reading time :: 20-30 minutes

             • Characters ::

                Bakugo, Midoriya, All Might, extras

             • Tags :: romance, fluff, psychological

             #writingmatters

☢ WARNING ☢

The story touches on the subject of abuse/

bullying, the trauma that comes with it and the traumas as a result of traumatic events // cursing

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Collision; part 4

Bakugo originally planned on taking Midoriya’s stuff from his new apartment into the rented van and driving them back to his place. But once he was finished and only one sealed box remained next to the couch, he laid down for a minute to rest a bit and sleep naturally came over him.

The light he left on was what eventually woke him up, the brightness irritating his closed eyes until he opened them.

“Ugh fuck…”

He cursed in a husky voice as he sat up, his bones cracking while he stretch, indicating that the small piece of furniture definitely wasn’t intended to be a bed replacement for someone of his built.

Still a bit sleepy he reached for his phone and, seeing that 5 AM ed a while ago, he considered laying back down again but he figured it would be bad to fall back asleep. Plus he didn’t feel like listening to his chiropractor bitching about his posture.

His focus went to the box next to his feet; unlike the other ones that were no longer there, this one was in a much more tattered condition, so it was probably important to Deku.

A hollow feeling spread from the middle of Bakugo’s chest as he thought of the green eyes he hadn't seen in weeks. He gritted his teeth, hating the emotional mess inside of him that occurred whenever he thought about Midoriya. And looking at the box was just making things worse.

As much as he didn’t want to, he should give the stuff to Deku’s parents seeing that once Midoriya wakes up he’ll probably need to move in with them since there’s a good chance he’ll be unable to take care of himself alone.

Another wave of nauseousness came over him as he ed the first time Deku’s parents came to the hospital to see him. Bakugo might have gone against the most notorious villains out there but he had no guts to face Midoriya’s parents, instead he waited outside the room until Inko’s cries eventually died down.

After that he only crossed paths with her twice and he was practically avoiding her at this point, having no courage to look her in the eyes after everything he had done. Or rather what he didn’t do at that crossroad, and what he did in the past.

He grit his teeth again, his face twisting into a grimace of torment as the images of the past filled his mind. He really could’ve used a good beating when he was a kid.

But there was no way to erase the past, he could only focus on making a brighter future. The thing was, will he be a part of Midoriya’s?

He was fully aware that he had no right to be by Midoriya’s side anymore and that letting him go was the best way to start making things right from now on.

The problem was that the selfish, clingy bastard within him had no intention of letting go. Really, there’s not a better substitute for coffee than self loathing.

Be it his curiosity or need to distract himself, he reached for the box and began opening it, struggling to remove the tape that sealed it.

The first thing that entered his field of vision were the familiar red, white, blue and yellow colors. He hesitantly reached for the worn out fabric, bringing the All Might themed hoodie closer to him.

A side smirk appeared on his face; he had the exact same one when he was a kid. Though it would be impossible to wear it now, and the same went for Midoriya’s, Deku probably just kept it for nostalgic reasons. Same as Bakugo.

He frowned as his hand traveled over the area above his heart, the scar tingling underneath his touch. Back then he was also too slow to react.

He’s been told countless times that there were many alternatives to how things could’ve played out, and yet those same people couldn’t deny that if Bakugo was just a bit faster, even for a split second, he could’ve taken the full blow instead of All Might and the guy could still be around.

But that’s yet another burden he’ll have to carry to his grave.

He clenched his throat as he neatly folded the hoodie and placed it next to him, continuing his searching. The box was filled with mostly All Might merch, Bakugo even recognized some of them, seeing them in Midoriya’s room back when they would still play together. It seemed only important things were placed in the box.

Putting down the last action figure next to him, Bakugo reached the bottom of the box that mostly consisted of newspapers and notebooks from what he could tell.

But he immediately recognised the notebook at the top of the pile. He reached out for the burnt pages, barely making out the faded writing; Hero Analysis for the Future, No.13.

His stomach turned as he recalled the time he burned that thing and tossed it out the window, enjoying the torment on Midoriya’s face the action brought. Again, he really could’ve used a good beating when he was a kid.

Bakugo skimmed through the old pages, reminded that Deku definitely had the brains that could get him far. Despite that he still stood firm on the fact that the quirkless Midoriya couldn’t make it as a Hero in the current state the world was in, and this wasn’t coming from a malicious standpoint but rather from the perspective of someone who had seen just how ugly the world could get. And that ugliness was sure to be what would eventually break down Midoriya.

He continued looking through the rest of the notebooks, placing them next to him until there were no more left and he reached for the articles and magazine pages at the bottom of the box. He immediately noticed that almost all of them had his signature on them and while he couldn’t when exactly he signed each of them, he was sure that he had seen them before.

As he continued looking he came across articles from the time he was still a student at U.A.

So Deku kept tabs on him even after they split.

Another thing caught his eyes; most of the signed papers that came from his Pro-Hero era were written by the same person, “Kedu”.

His eyes kept going over the name but in his tired mind the letters started moving around, changing their order.

K e d u

K u d e

D u k e

E d u k

E k u d

K u d e

D e k u

*    *    *    *    *

“And that’s how I got permanently banned from Mongolia.”

Toshinori’s laugh echoed through the room as Midoriya scratched his head in a nervous manner, blushing a bit.

The nurse in the room paid no attention to their ghostly figures sitting down and leaning on the wall, and once she was finished checking out the unconscious Midoriya’s stats she left the place.

Midoriya and Toshinori continued chuckling until their voices died down.

For Midoriya it was nice having company in this reality where his presence was invisible. But as much as he was enjoying the seemingly endless talks, whenever his eyes glanced over at his body he was painfully reminded of the situation he was in.

And there was the dark mist as well.

At first it remained somewhere deep in the white fog but it began moving little by little, until it eventually reached the room Midoriya was in. After that it remained there, not as something sinister but rather as a reminder that Midoriya will eventually need to face his past.

“Still no good?”

Toshinori asked, shifting his eyes to the dark mist Midoriya was eyeing.

“No...”

Midoriya brought his knees to his chest, curling into a ball. He just needed a bit more time to muster the courage.

He averted his eyes from the dark matter to Toshinori’s skinny figure.

“Sorry for dragging you into this.”

Toshinori just chuckled a bit, nonchalantly flickering his wrist.

“It’s fine young man, besides it’s not like I got anywhere else to be.”

Midoriya gave a small side smile, but it dropped as he thought about the said words.

“So, how's life on the other side?”

“It’s…” Toshinori paused, his eyebrows narrowing while he searched for the right word, “peaceful.”

And as if to back it up, a restful smile appeared on his relaxed face.

“That’s really the best way to describe it, it’s peaceful and full of warmth.”

His eyes watched the ceiling while his mind obviously went somewhere else.

“People there, they let go of the pain and the earthly desires that once chained them down, and now they get to just enjoy the infinity of time I suppose.”

“But there are those who return to an earthly life.”

He added.

“Like me?”

Midoriya asked.

Toshinori eyed Midoriya with a frowned expression.

“Hmm not sure in how much detail I can go in,” he spoke with caution, as if some higher force will punish him if he says too much, “then again” his face eased up “there’s no guarantee you’ll even most or any of the things here.”

Midoriya wasn’t really sure how to feel about that.

“No young Midoriya, not like you.” Toshinori began by answering his question. “There are those who truly suffered in life, and they carry such deep scars that they deserve to have a new chance at a life without them.”

His eyes wandered into the distance again, melancholy appearing in them.

“To balance out the suffering they endured in a previous life they are granted a new one; they are reborn into a different body and time, into a place where they don’t the past sorrows, so that they can experience a life of happiness and fulfillment.”

Midoriya didn’t say anything once Toshinori finished, he just let the words sink in for a moment.

A chance for a new life...

“I…” he heard his voice but it was like someone else was speaking instead of him. “I never had a quirk of my own, and I don’t think there’s anything I ever wanted to have more than that.” A painful smile appeared on his face “I wanted to be a Hero so bad, one that people could rely on,” he clenched his throat, trying to stop the tears from overflowing “one that would make people smile and put them at ease with just my presence alone."

His gaze focused on his unconscious, weak and quirkless body.

“I guess it would be nice to be reborn into such a life.”

“Shame we never crossed paths.”

Toshinori’s quiet tone broke the silence between them.

“What?”

Midoriya turned his head to Toshinori but he was gone. And so was the black mist.

Midoriya then shifted his attention to the steps in the halfway that were getting closer. They were heavy.

“Kacchan…”

And just as the name fell off his lips, Bakugo entered his room. Midoriya immediately got up, using the wall to himself, the pain in his hips becoming more severe.

Bakugo’s look faced the floor but after he closed the door, pulled up a chair and sat down next to Midoriya’s body he looked up, revealing a set of puffy eyes and a reddish nose, as if he was crying. Extensively.

A warm sensation traveled through the conscious Midoriya when Bakugo took his hand with both of his, holding it tightly but still careful not to cause any harm.

Bakugo didn’t say anything at first, looking like he had a thousand thoughts running through his head and he couldn’t catch not even one, opening his mouth and then closing it while he searched for the right words. The expression he had was one Midoriya never saw before, as if he was being skinned alive.

“Hey…”

Bakugo finally spoke, his voice coming out harsh and quiet.

“I… I went to your place and-” he paused to clear his throat when his voice cracked, “I picked up your stuff.”

He let go of Midoriya with his right hand and pinched the root of his nose, then he turned his head for a moment as if the sight of Midoriya alone was enough to shake him up. And yet he took Midoriya’s hand again, looking at him so desperately.

“You know, I was thinking , and how when you would chase after me it never worked out.” he didn’t even bother to wipe off the falling tear “And when I started doing that things got even worse.”

The conscious Midoriya that stood opposite of Bakugo was in such a state of shock he couldn’t even move, afraid whatever was happening in front of him might just fall apart.

“So since the whole chasing thing obviously isn’t working, I was thinking that, if you want,” both Midoriya and Bakugo turned into a crying mess “...can we just stop chasing one another and walk hand in hand?”

The last word broke whatever little composure Bakugo had, making him lower his forehead on the hand he held as he gritted his teeth, trying to conceal the cries from his throat, his eyes shut but that didn’t stop the tears from overflowing.

Midoriya on the other hand wasn’t even trying to hide his emotions; his legs gave out so he ended up falling to his knees, his torso leaning over the hospital bed while his hands gripped the covers. Bakugo’s figure before him became a blur as he cried out with a voice that couldn’t be heard.

“God I’m so sorry!” Bakugo’s bloodshot eyes focused on Midoriya’s closed ones, “I know it’s too late at this point but I’m sorry for everything I did!” He placed his forehead on Midoriya’s arm. “The way I treated you, for taking my issues out on you, for allowing you to get hurt!”

The emotions he wasn’t used to were starting to suffocate him, his grip switching from Midoriya’s hand to his medical gown.

“Fuck!”

Bakugo cursed out his frustration, staying put in his position while trying to control his breathing in order to calm down.

Meanwhile the conscious Midoriya felt like he was going to out into another reality, his face buried into the covers as he was unable to keep his head up. The words he wanted to hear for so long were finally said and the liberation that came with them was enough to make him start crying all over again.

And the fact that Bakugo put himself into a position that his past self would consider “weak” or “shameful” meant much more to Midoriya than the apology itself.

When Bakugo managed to collect himself he stood up and leaned over Midoriya to place his left forearm beside Midoriya’s head, his right hand found itself slowly stroking the green hair, the soft texture putting Bakugo at ease.

“You were right, it was always about me,” determination sparked in his eyes as he spoke in a serious tone “so now I’m making this about you. I’ll wait; days, weeks, even years if that’s how long you need, I’ll wait.”

He shifted his right arm in order to his body as he lowered his head, the temple of his forehead leaning on Midoriya’s, his left arm now being the one to stroke Midoriya’s hair.

“I know I don’t have the right to stay by your side, but” he softly whispered into Midoriya’s ear “I’m not leaving until you yourself tell me to fuck off.”

A small side smirk appeared on his face but the sweet intimate moment was disturbed by Bakugo’s phone that received a message. He lifted his torso a bit and reached for the device but still kept one hand in Midoriya’s hair.

His still sensitive eyes moved rapidly as he read the text and he sighed, putting away his phone and returning to his previous position.

“I’ll be back later, and tomorrow, and the day after. And I’ll be waiting for you, so just take as much time as you need, I’m not going anywhere.”

He allowed himself to enjoy the moment just a bit more before he left, his posture seeming a bit more firm than it was for the last few months.

When the last trace of the warm sensation left the conscious Midoriya, he slowly got up and in the undisturbed silence of the next few hours let Bakugo’s words sink in properly.

“Take as much time as you need” kept repeating inside his head, the tone in which they were said truly made Midoriya feel like the decision to wait a bit was alright.

And so he did wait until he was ready.

While Bakugo’s apology certainly was the starting point, there wasn’t a particular trigger that set off the final act.

Time went on, seasons slowly changed and people would come and go; his parents came almost every day, even Akuma and Todoroki paid him a visit now and then, but Bakugo made sure to drop by at least once a day, even if he could barely spare a minute to do so.

Toshinori and the black mist didn’t appear during this period.

When the signs of early summer began to show, Midoriya figured it was finally time.

And the black mist appeared before him, consuming him as he let himself go.

*    *    *    *    *

The memory that appeared was the same one Midoriya saw when he entered the black mist for the first time.

His younger self’s cries echoed around him, Bakugo’s face shaped into a malicious grimace and the ill words he spoke seemed to have no end.

But this time Midoriya felt no fear, or shame, or pain, nor was he held down by a grudge. Instead he felt the need to act, and to let go.

The spiteful red eyes of the past were replaced by those affectionate ones of the present, ones that always seem to light up whenever Bakugo came to visit him.

Despite feeling no change in the space around him, the memory in front of him vanished as if it was carried by a wind.

He continued moving until another painful memory appeared, and just like the first one it was carried away by the absent wind once Midoriya let go of it.

Memories of the past had appeared one by one, and they disappeared as such.

Midoriya continued moving for some time but nothing appeared before him, instead he found himself slowly being surrounded by trees that became fewer as he continued forward. A creek could be heard nearby.

He paused for a moment; the sound of the moving water was familiar despite it being years since the last time he heard it.

When he walked out of the forest he found himself below two hills that were connected by a large tree trunk, a stream ran between them. And in it a small figure with blonde spiky hair sat with his back turned to Midoriya. The kid version of Bakugo was trying to get up but every time he would fall back, as if the water wasn’t letting him go, making him extremely frustrated.

Midoriya watched for a moment, unsure of what to do but he decided on following his gut. He approached Bakugo and crouched down behind him.

“Hey, need some help?”

Bakugo turned around, making an irritated expression.

“Buzz off you lame Deku! I can get up by myself!”

As if trying to prove it he began getting up but he fell down again. And again. And again. With each try he got more angrier and Midoriya just let him do what he wanted until he eventually gave up.

“Here-”

Midoriya offered him a hand.

“I don’t want your help!”

Bakugo slapped away Midoriya’s hand.

“Well, I’m still going to offer it.”

Midoriya smiled a bit, offering his hand again.

“Why?”

Bakugo asked in a rather confused tone, his eyes focused on the offered helping hand.

“Because… I want t o help you out.”

“But you’re weak.”

Bakugo simply stated, eyes staring at the green ones.

Midoriya was taken back a bit but his reassuring smile quickly returned.

“I know… but despite that I’ll try to help you get up.”

“...Fine.”

The second Bakugo took Midoriya’s hand and got up, the world around Midoriya bursted into a blinding spark, forcing him to cover his eyes.

When the light began withdrawing and he could see again, Midoriya realized he was standing in the hospital hallway but there was something odd about it, like the white walls around him had a dim glow to them. In front of him the hallway seemed to stretch into what he would describe as glowing nothingness. And yet the warmth that radiated from it was tempting.

He looked over his shoulder and noticed the same situation was behind him.

As he turned his head the window to his left caught his eyes; it was snowing. So yet again time must have ed while he was “away”.

At that moment he ed to check on himself but there was no need for him to even move, the open door that led to his room was on his right. A warm fuzzy feeling spread through him as he watched the rhythmical movements of Bakugo’s back as he was sleeping, the warmth in Midoriya’s left hand indicating that Bakugo kept a hold on it even after falling into a slumber.

Be it due to some sixth sense, Midoriya instinctively turned his head forward, noticing a familiar figure approaching him from the white mist in front of him.

“So… what now?”

Toshinori gave a bright smile, his shoulders relaxed as he placed his hands in the pockets of his dashing dark grey suit.

“Now you choose what you want.”

Toshinori’s eyes glanced at Midoriya’s room.

“You can stay and live out your remaining life on this Earth.”

He then pointed behind him.

“You can me on the other side and truly put your worries to rest.”

He lowered his hand as his eyes looked behind Midoriya, giving him another reassuring smile as if saying ‘well done’.

“Or you can start over again, and live a life you always wanted.”

Midoriya frowned as he focused on the sight behind Toshinori, then on the space behind him, and finally on Bakugo’s back.

There really wasn’t such a thing as a wrong choice here. It truly was just about what he wanted.

The afterlife promised a restful existence judging by the way Toshinori carried himself.

The new life offered him an opportunity to be what he always wanted to be; a Hero.

And his current life consisted of people who meant the world to him. But it also consistent of struggles he’ll still have to face.

And it was uncertain, for the bright future he hopes for could get tainted again.

And he could be left with even more scars.

He took a step inside the room, making his choice. The world around him instantly began fading, his own body started feeling heavy as if something was pulling him closer to his own physical body.

“Ah, one more thing young Midoriya!”

Toshinori called out, making Midoriya step back and grip the door frame in order to stay put. It seemed as if Toshinori himself was starting to slowly fade away.

“To save only one soul or thousands of them, does the first choice make you any less of a Hero?” he gave a heartwarming smile. “To throw away your own happiness and even life for the sake of someone else, so that you may show them a brighter future, that alone makes you worthy of such a title.”

The world faded to white but Midoriya still managed to see the familiar figure shape of his childhood idol.

“So take this to the heart young man; you too can become a Hero.”

*    *    *    *    *

The moment Midoriya opened his eyes he immediately closed them, the light causing him a sting of pain. The groan he wanted to let out remained silent, his throat feeling like it was burning.

His body felt extremely sore and he couldn’t find any strength to move it, a sense of distortion spreading through him.

He just wanted to get back to sleep but the thoughts in his head constantly appeared and disappeared before he could make much sense of them; Do something? Make breakfast? Laundry. Car. Running. Hero. Bakugo…

The last thought seemed to turn on a switch in him and he managed to keep his eyes half-open a bit.

He couldn’t recognize the ceiling he was seeing.

And there was some kind of beeping to his right.

Where was he?

The only memory he could make was that of a blinding light and then nothing. The images that appeared in his head were vivid and he couldn’t quite make sense of them. But the voices and talks that came with them were more clearer.

A deep snore came from his left side.

Bakugo…

Midoriya couldn’t turn his head but he could sense the weight in his left hand. He focused on gripping it but it was no use, his body wouldn’t listen to him and remained motionless.

It felt like his consciousness was waking up then shutting down, this process seeming as if it was lasting for hours but it might have just been seconds. In the end Midoriya gave it one last try and then just gave up, unsure if he even made the slightest of movements.

But his struggle wasn’t in vain; the chair under Bakugo went flying back when he jumped up, immediately woken up by the small twitch of Midoriya’s hand. His heartbeat increased as he placed his hands on Midoriya’s face, intensely staring at the closed eyelids.

“Oi!”

There are moments one will always clearly, even when one grows old, with grey hair and wrinkled vein covered hands; for Bakugo it was the moment he saw the green color under the half-closed eyelids.

He wasn’t sure how he managed to keep himself up, feeling as if hundreds and thousands of emotions went through him at once; relief, joy, fear that this is a dream, excitement, euphoria.

But when Midoriya closed his eyes he started panicking, turning his head to the side.

“Oi! I need a fucking nurse in here! Now!”

He focused back on Midoriya, blinking heavily in order to clear his blurry vision.

“Hey, hey!” he tried to whisper his yells “It’s gonna be fine! Stay with me!”

The head nurse rushed into the room in the company of two other nurses, the young two immediately went to check Midoriya’s stats while the older experienced one pushed her way between Bakugo and Midoriya without any hesitation.

“What’s wrong with him!?”

Bakugo basically demanded an answer as he hovered behind the nurse.

“Sir he’s been in a coma for quite some time,” her tone was strict while she checked the pupils of Midoriya’s eyes “you can’t expect him to just wake up like he had a nice little nap.”

In the end Bakugo was forced to wait outside. He fought at first but after being told that he was doing more damage than good that way, he left the room with heavy steps. The next hour felt like an absolute torment, people kept going in and out of the room and nobody would tell him what was going on.

After an hour of sweating and shaking that felt like it lasted forever, Bakugo was finally able to see Midoriya. However he was told that, despite Midoriya being stable, he won’t be waking up at once and will be going through a period of unconsciousness every few hours. And this might go on either for days or weeks depending on how fast he’ll be able to regain his full consciousness and control of his body.

Not to mention there was no precise knowledge on what the effects of the brain injury will be, and they could be anything from amnesia, speech difficulty or complete loss of Midoriya’s understanding of his surroundings.

But all things considered he was still lucky to still be alive, and he should be getting better as time es.

In the next few hours Midoriya would wake up for a few minutes, then fall unconscious for up to an hour before waking up again. What made the situation a bit better, and even kind of gratifying for Bakugo, was that it was clear Midoriya would immediately panic after waking up but would relax when he realized Bakugo was beside him. And Bakugo stroking his hair made him feel even more at ease.

At one point Bakugo couldn't fight the tiredness.

He woke up when he heard a mumble from Midoriya and he was quick to stand up and place his hands on Midoriya’s pale face. His eyebrows narrowed as he watched Midoriya move his lips but no sound was coming out.

“What is it?”

He tried not to let his voice tremble as he panicked a bit, seeing that Midoriya was definitely in some kind of pain.

“I…”

The hollow whisper of Midoriya’s voice made Bakugo want to punch something, presumably the car that placed him in this situation to begin with.

“Take your time.”

Bakugo told him and tried to give Midoriya what he hoped was a reassuring smile as he lowered his head down so that he may hear the quiet voice better.

“I... can’t feel... my legs.”

*    *    *    *    *

Epilogue

*2 years later*

“Tell them they can go fuck themselves!”

Midoriya averted his eyes from the ocean view the terrace offered and looked over the beige couch he was sitting on, his eyebrows narrowing as he watched the topless Bakugo walk the open spaced interior barefoot, the white cotton pants hung loosely around his hips.

The subject of the phone call was certainly a minor but irritable one, judging by the expression spread over his face.

The sun’s light that reflected off of the glass window made Midoriya turn his head, leaving Bakugo to deal with this in his own manner.

As Midoriya placed down the fruity drink on the table in front of him, he caught a glimpse of the crutches on the floor. Despite the months of different therapies he attended, Midoriya couldn’t and never will regain his ability to walk normally again.

At the beginning he couldn’t feel anything below his waist but with treatment and each session the feeling gradually returned. He can currently move his legs with some minor difficulties but can’t stand up on them for too long without the crutches.

He usually had up to an hour of each day he could use to get himself from point A to point B before the pain in his hips became too strong and his legs would give out.

Despite that he was still extremely grateful that he could retain some form of self-dependence.

He of course couldn’t keep being a journalist that’s active on the field so, after going back and forth for what felt like weeks and getting tired of Bakugo’s nagging, he took a desk job in the management department of Bakugo’s agency.

Granted thanks to that he wasn’t skin and bone anymore and even had some muscle on him which made the doctors extremely happy. Turns out that sleeping for only five hours at night, an unbalanced diet and constant stressing wasn't exactly the greatest lifestyle to have.

And his current lifestyle was quite lavishing, though he tried not to carelessly indulge into it too much seeing that almost everything around him came from Bakugo’s work, and it felt kinda wrong to enjoy it without putting in any effort of his own that would make Midoriya feel like he deserved the things around him.

But seeing that they were on a vacation Midoriya let his guard down a bit and enjoyed the things the small private island had to offer. And it offered a luxurious two storey mansion with many glass windows and a white sand beach that circled the whole island.

Soon Bakugo ed him, throwing himself on the couch and silently placing Midoriya into his lap.

“Everything alright?”

Midoriya asked while shamelessly getting comfortable on the muscular chest.

“Yeah, the damn press wants a statement on something.”

Bakugo scoffed, reaching for a red ice popsicle from the bowl of ice on the table.

“We can go back if-”

“Hell no!” Bakugo’s accentuated canines bite off a good chunk of the frozen dessert. “The damn society ain’t gonna fall apart in three days I’m not there.”

Something of a sinister grin appeared on his face.

“Plus that Lemillion bastard gets extra work, I hope that smug smile of his crumbles from the pressure!”

“Kacchan stop being mean.”

Midoriya gave him a disapproving look while Bakugo let out a dark chuckle.

Bakugo munched on the popsicle while enjoying the quiet peaceful moment the two finally had for themselves.

A gust of wind lifted up the hem of Midoriya’s cotton tunic, revealing the scars that disappeared under the white waistband. Bakugo’s free hand traced over marks gently, feeling the rough texture under his fingertips.

The memories of that night still filled Bakugo with anxiety, making him regret that he didn’t react faster, even though Deku didn’t blame him for anything and just tried to make the best of his situation.

Though that wasn’t easy at certain times.

Apart from the inability to walk normally, Midoriya’s grip in his right arm wasn’t as strong as before, the sudden flashing of lights and near car honking would give him a panic attack sometimes. And when the weather got cold and rainy Midoriya would experience heavy migraines that would leave him feeling heavy and completely unmotivated to even get out of bed.

As much as the therapies and certain medicines helped out, Bakugo still worried about his lover’s struggles. But he wasn’t the only one.

Midoriya who leaned on Bakugo had one of his hands placed on the long scar that spread over Bakugo’s heart. As time went on the scars on Bakugo’s body increased, both physically and mentally.

Japan’s Number Two Hero might have looked rough and untouchable in the eyes of the media and the world but, once he was behind the closed door with just the two of them, he could show a softer side. He’d break down over the lives that couldn’t be saved, his sidekicks and civilians that got hurt during the missions and there were many nights where he’d wake up yelling and covered in sweat.

Unlike with Midoriya the treatments for this weren't working that well in Bakugo’s case, seeing that he constantly exposed himself to situations that kept triggering him. Midoriya was trying to give him as much comfort as he possibly could; silently letting him calm down while embraced by his shaking body, whispering words of comfort or staying awake until Bakugo came home.

“Whatcha thinking about?”

Bakugo’s question was whispered, Midoriya feeling the cooled breath on his neck.

“You.”

“What a coincidence…”

Bakugo mumbled as he left a trail of icy kisses on Midoriya’s neck.

Everything was worth it.

The suffering, pain and fear were all worth it for this moment of bliss and happiness.

While Midoriya might not everything that happened while he was in a coma, the memories involving Bakugo were still there. And some unconscious part of Midoriya’s mind kept pushing him forward in life as if that part ed everything.

A wave of tiredness washed over his bones and Midoriya closed his eyes, accepting the afternoon nap that was approaching him.

“Hey.”

Bakugo whispered again, trying to get Midoriya’s half conscious attention.

“Hmm?”

“I love you.”

Midoriya smiled, the taste of the popsicle spreading on his tongue.

“I love you too.”