IN A WORLD and era of fickle bones

Your warmth is what calls me home

For there are no tears, no fears, no wars

If you live on, and rest in my arms.

In a world that pities and resents the weak,

I've learnt to love that part of me

My ties to mortality loosen and I let go,

Some cycles of pain are inevitable.

In a world of hatred, anger, and regret

It's an honor to not be dirtied yet

Because you have given me a clean slate, a bloom

We are entirely different, but entirely new.

Although the oncoming, creeping threat of the end of semester exams were steadily approaching, Izuku was generally optimistic. Katsuki had opened up to him, and even though it was just a little, the significance of it wasn't overlooked. Besides, now that they were dating, they hung out far more often.

Ochako and Iida were surprised but happy for their friend, and while Izuku didn't tell them about Katsuki's vulnerability (since that was between them alone), the duo could tell that something shifted. They understood the boundaries and never asked questions unless Izuku presented information.

It was a Saturday night, and the trio were seated inside a pub just off campus, along with Bakugou, Kirishima, Jiro, Kaminari, Sero, Mina, and Yaoyorozu. Ochako took it upon herself to introduce Iida to everyone she knew, which wasn't hard since he'd already met a few of them.

"My name's Yaoyorozu, but you can call me Momo," Momo smiled sweetly, strands of her dark hair falling over her shoulder as she tilted her head. In front of her was a plate of fries and a small burger. She looked over at Izuku and clasped his hands. "I never got to officially meet you last time. We should exchange numbers!"

Izuku smiled shyly and nodded. Bakugou rolled his eyes.

Kaminari, whose eyes were suspiciously lidded, pointed at Uraraka and Mina, who'd been sitting beside each other.

"I've been wondering for a while now, but are you two dating or something?" He asked before noisily scarfed down half of the fries on his plate. Jiro narrowed her eyes at him.

Mina grinned. "Maybe."

Sero adjusted the thick material of his turtleneck and sighed. "Anyway, who's up for helping me?"

"With what?" Ochako asked, taking a sip of her beer. Mina rested her head on her shoulders and sighed, idly stroking the mousy baby hairs on her nape.

"Just ignore him, he just wants answers for his assignments again."

"Hey, you don't know that!" Sero protested, shooting a glare at Kaminari, who'd been snickering. "Don't push your luck with me dude-"

Bakugou scoffed. "Do it yourself, soy sauce face. You're being a cum stain."

Izuku stifled a snicker and lightly slapped his partner's arm. "Don't be mean."

"I'm willing to help you with understanding the material, Sero." Iida adjusted his glasses and frowned a little. "But you must not depend on others to succeed. What courses are you having trouble with?"

"Mostly econ stuff." Sero frowned. Katsuki scoffed.

"We can exchange numbers later then." Iida turned to look at Katsuki for a brief moment.

Katsuki cocked a brow. "What?"

"The first time we unofficially met, your personality was what made me wary of you." Iida looked over to Izuku. "But, I will give you the benefit of a doubt. If you prove my skepticism to be justified, you can guarantee I won't forgive you."

Jiro whistled.

"Iida," Izuku chuckled nervously, waving a hand, "That's really not necessary-"

"I don't mean to cause a commotion. I'm only looking out for Izuku, since he's like a brother to me," Iida stated firmly, and Kirishima chuckled a little.

"Yeah, yeah," Katsuki muttered, a borderline annoyed scowl on his face, "I get it."

Izuku rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, and Kaminari leaned back.

"Oh man," he said, waving a hand somewhat frantically, "I think I'm gonna be sick."

Jiro rolled her eyes, placing a hand on his back and rubbing it comfortingly. "I told you you can't manage both at the same time, dumbass. Now you've eaten the whole menu and it's about to come right back up."

"Is he okay?" Izuku frowned, his attention now shifted.

Jiro sighed. "Yeah, he's just dumb. He's been sobering up from this brownie he took this morning, but now he's drunk too. He never learns."

"If you continue to tolerate his fuckery, of course, he won't learn," Bakugou cut in, and Izuku lifted a brow.

Jiro shrugged, still rubbing her boyfriend's back. "Fair enough, I guess."

"Cuck," Sero snickered, and Jiro chuckled. Kaminari only groaned, too sick to snap back.

The evening ended somewhat abruptly; Jiro decided to leave with Denki on his motorcycle (it was a good thing she knew how to ride it), and naturally, everyone else decided to retire for the night too. Iida left with Ochako, Mina, and Momo, while Katsuki left with Izuku, Sero, and Kirishima.

The night sky was bare and the air was cool. Izuku stuck a hand out the window, palming the passing wind as they traveled down the road.

The soft mutters of conversation between Kirishima and Sero inside the backspace of the car were muffled out by the soft orchestrated music on the radio.

"Hey," Katsuki said, briefly glancing at Izuku, "Wanna crash at my place?"

Izuku blinked once and smiled, feeling a little jittery. "I...well, sure. I don't know how I'd prepare for that, though. I don't have my stuff or anything."

Katsuki waved one hand nonchalantly. "I got everything you'd need, don't worry about it. If you want clothes to sleep in, wear mine."

Izuku reddened slightly and lowered his gaze. "Okay."

Bakugou wolfishly grinned, taking his eyes off the road for a second to glance at Izuku. "Good."

After dropping his friends off, Bakugou pulled into the nearby parking lot, and the couple got out the car before heading up the stairs. Nervousness bubbled in Izuku's chest, and his toes clicked as he waited for Katsuki to open the door. In the past, he'd been told that going to your partner's room this late was a discreet way of suggesting intimacy. Maybe he was overthinking, but he still felt like he was nowhere near ready for that.

The door finally opened after what felt like hours to Izuku, and both males stepped inside the room. Katsuki sighed tiredly and lied back on his bed, patting the empty spot beside him. Izuku sat there, his muscles tense and his breathing hitched.

"Okay," Katsuki began, looking up at Izuku, "are you gonna tell me why the fuck you're on the verge of a panic attack or some shit?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You've been in here before, haven't you?" Katsuki pointed out. "Twice, actually. So what are you nervous about now?"

"I don't know," Izuku muttered, feeling idiotic and childish, "I thought maybe we'd...do stuff."

"....Stuff?"

Izuku looked away, nodding once.

Katsuki sighed and sat up. He reached for the hem of his shirt, tugging the material up and flinging it off. Ignoring Izuku's squeak, he slipped his black jogging pants down, the waistband of his boxers tugging down a little with it.

"Kacchan, I-" Izuku sputtered, his face becoming redder, "Wait a second-"

Katsuki turned around and blinked once, grinning a little as he put on a new shirt. "You're the one who brought it up. Thought you wanted to do stuff," he teased.

"N-No, that's not what I-"

Katsuki chuckled, lying down again. "Man, you're a fucking dumbass. It's almost cute, though." He looked at Izuku, his tone now sincere. "You really think I'd force shit you weren't comfortable with? Have some faith in me, asparagus."

Izuku relaxed and placed his hands in his lap. "Sorry."

"Don't sweat it. I'm hitting the sack. If you need pajamas or some shit look in the drawers over there," Katsuki muttered, covering himself with the thick blanket. "g' night."

Izuku sighed and stood up, stripping himself down to his boxers before wandering over to the dresser. He looked inside and hummed to himself, eventually settling on a pale green, oversized t-shirt. He slipped it on and noticed how roomy it felt; the sleeves hung under his arms, and the hem ended at his upper thighs. Izuku climbed into the bed, ignoring his nerves, and inched closer to Katsuki, finding the warmth from his skin comforting.

He pecked Katsuki's jaw, his voice soft as he whispered, "Goodnight."

__________________

Silk. Silk, and the smell of cinnamon.

The bed was soft, and every nerve in my body was numb. I struggled to take in my surroundings. There was pink everywhere.

A halo of golden hair came into view, and a girl sunk herself onto me, into me.

I cried. I cried and cried and I could feel my body shaking with panic as it became clear what was about to happen to me.

Her eyes were wide; dilated and filled with sickening excitement for the control she had over my limp body. Her mouth was agape- she was practically salivating, and pants of anticipation filled the space and muted the horrible pop music that played in the distant background.

"You're so cute, you know that? Holy fuck, you're adorable."

She licked everywhere. Her tongue was cold, smooth, and wet as it slithered up my bare skin, leaving a thick stripe of saliva afterward.

"Stop," I croaked. A part of me wanted to faint just so I wouldn't have to feel everything I felt, but the drugs I'd been on delayed that.

"Shh. Calm down."

Her hands explored every part of me, every dip, every corner. She explored the parts of me no one had ever seen before. I shivered, willing every single sleeping muscle in my body to awaken.

Please. Let me go.

Let me go.

Let me go.

Izuku jolted, awake. He quickly looked around his surroundings, scampering off of the bed.

Katsuki shifted and sat up, rubbing one eye. "Izuku? What the hell?"

"Where am I?" Izuku's voice was small and fragile. Katsuki reached out to touch him, frowning when he backed away, like a wounded dog.

"What's up? Did you have a nightmare or something?" Katsuki asked groggily.

Izuku felt his chest caving in as his breathing shortened. A wave of nausea washed over him. "What happened? What happened that night, Kacchan?"

Katsuki frowned, a bit lost. "What're you talking about?"

"What happened the night of the party?" Izuku whispered.

Katsuki sighed. "Listen-"

"I swear to God, if you lie to me," Izuku breathed, clutching on to the dresser top. Realization washed over Katsuki, and he closed his eyes for a moment, breathing deeply before reopening them.

"You were almost raped."

Izuku clutched his chest, his body twitching and his lips trembling as he sobbed.

"Is this what you meant?" He asked, his voice cracking. "Is this what you meant by doing me a favor? Did you think I'd never remember?"

Tears threatened to sting Katsuki's eyes, but he kept his emotions at bay. "I was only trying to protect you."

Every single detail of that night crashed into his brain all at once, and he sank down to the cold floor. "I've seen her," he muttered to himself, "She said..."

"You're so cute, you know that?"

"I'm Toga, by the way. I've always thought you were cute."

"Shh. Calm down."

"Izuku please," Katsuki got up, approaching him with caution. "Calm down."

I'm weak. I'm incapable of doing anything. She was everywhere and I couldn't do anything about it-

"Why?" Izuku's voice was unrecognizable. "Why did she do that to me? You and your friends knew and none of you gave a shit. Were you gonna pretend nothing happened? Were you gonna just date me and continue to hide something so important from me?"

"That's not it, I swear," Katsuki pleaded, "I wanted to tell you, but I had no fucking idea how to. I asked them to let me handle it-"

"There's no right way to tell someone that." Izuku's head was pounding, and he felt his skin crawl.

"Izuku," Katsuki said, "I'm sorry you had to know this way. I wanted to give you the chance to digest it. In my head, I don't fucking know, it seemed a lot better than having everything etched into your brain for life forcefully."

"But what about her? Don't you know her? Why the fuck is she walking consequence-free?!"

"She isn't."

Izuku closed his eyes, defeated. "Whatever."

"I'm working on it. I promise. I need you to trust me on that, okay?"

Izuku sniffled, his eyes and nose red as tears still ran down his cheeks. "Okay." He looked up at his partner, his pulse racing. "I...I'm sorry for getting angry with you," he sniffled. "I know now, I know you saved me from her. I-I just have no idea what's okay to think right now."

Katsuki felt his insides twist, and he sank down on the floor too, holding a shivering Izuku in his embrace. "Don't apologize. You're overwhelmed. Take out everything you're feeling on me."

Izuku gritted his teeth as he clutched the material of Katsuki's shirt in a tight grip.

She had the fucking nerve to talk to me like that, to pretend she didn't do what she did-

"Breathe, Izuku. You have to breathe," He said softly as Izuku continuously hiccupped and coughed. Tears dampened his shirt as he continued to massage Izuku's scalp. "Breathe."

"Everything will be alright."