Work Text:
It had been a quiet night.
Suspiciously quiet.
Katsuki never trusted these kinds of nights.
He was sat in his cruiser with his partner...and dare he say friend...Eijirou Kirishima. The radios had been silent for the past hour or so, and they were currently sat in a clifftop car park overlooking the local beach. Eijirou sat back in his seat with his feet up on the dashboard, sucking noisily through the crappy paper straw of his drink.
Katsuki glowered at him, taking a sip from his water bottle.
“Shut the fuck up Shitty Hair.”
Eijirou glanced over at him, his face a mixture of confusion and amusement. “I didn’t say anything.”
“You finished that goddamn drink ten fuckin’ minutes ago. Stop suckin’ on air.”
“It’s not just air! There’s still some liquid left in here. If I can angle the straw just right…”
Katsuki growled, grabbing the cup right out of Eijirou’s hands and holding it out of reach.
“No! No more fuckin’ sucking and gurgling on fuckin’ air and soda bubbles. The drink is finished – get the fuck over it.”
Eijirou sighed but settled back into his seat. “Fine, fine! No more cola for me.”
“Damn straight no more fuckin’ cola. This shit rots your teeth anyways.”
The pair settled into a normal, if somewhat awkward silence.
Eijirou was used to this by now. Katsuki was brash and rude and argumentative, but he was also the best partner Eijirou had ever had since joining the police force. The fiery blonde was insanely dedicated to his work, an absolute beast in the gym, and had a genuinely decent heart hidden beneath that fierce veneer. They'd met back at the police academy, and had been friends ever since. It had taken several months and a lot of meditation on Eijirou’s part, but the pair had eventually fallen into something of a good routine. They had each other’s backs, always. They trusted each other implicitly, and in this job, trust was worth more than its weight in gold.
“Can’t believe we’re stuck out on regular patrol,” Eijirou grumbled, pulling out his phone to check through his messages. “I’d almost forgotten how damn boring this is. Just sitting around waiting for a call to come in.”
“Yeah it sucks ass,” Katsuki agreed, taking another sip of water. “But I guess it beats being stuck on a pointless stakeout job or filing paperwork back at Central.”
“Good point,” Eijirou conceded. “Paperwork is the bane of my existence. There are way too many forms in my opinion.”
“Unfortunately, accurate paper trails are one of the best forms of evidence we can provide against suspects in court,” Katsuki pointed out, quoting their superior officers. “Record everything in real time, and it’s more likely the fuckers will get thrown behind bars.”
“Eurgh!” Eijirou grumbled, slumping further down into his seat. “I know, I know. It just sucks! I feel like we’re constantly drowning in red tape and bureaucratic bullshit.”
Katsuki grunted an agreement before his attention was diverted completely by their radio crackling to life. Both men instantly sat up, listening intently.
“All units on Musutafu east side. Armed bank robbery taking place at Musutafu Bank on Water Garden Plaza. Armed unit response en route. Approach with caution; all units required.”
“About fuckin’ time!” Katsuki growled with a smirk, turning the ignition and gunning the police car into first gear.
“Let’s go catch us some fuckin’ criminals!”
~~~
Izuku was enjoying a rare and surprisingly quiet evening in the emergency department. They’d had the usual litany of drunks, elderly falls, and kids having shoved something up their nose that really didn’t belong there, but on the whole it had been a relatively easy night.
That all changed with the arrival of what seemed to be an entire squadron of police escorting several men in handcuffs through the ER doors.
Izuku inwardly cursed himself for having enjoyed the few quiet hours they had been blessed with, then got to work and started triaging the patients/criminals that were being hauled through his ER.
Three men with non-fatal gunshot wounds.
Two men with possibly fatal gunshot wounds.
Four people with possible concussions.
And one guy completely off his face, ranting and raving at anyone who dared come near him. The fierce-looking and devastatingly handsome blonde police officer holding him tightly in handcuffs had clearly already had enough of this idiot, and was one breath away from knocking the stupid bastard out right there and then in the waiting room.
Izuku made a beeline for the guy clearly off his rocker on some kind of drug or hallucinogen. He could see the officer holding him was perilously close to exploding, and he’d rather not have some kind of physical dispute in his ER if he could help it.
“Tell me what you know,” he instructed the officer as he helped the blonde man hoist the cuffed criminal onto a bed.
“He’s been like this since the moment we stormed the bank,” the officer replied, quickly switching out the one pair of handcuffs for two. In the blink of an eye he had the man handcuffed to each rail of the bed, immobilising him.
“No fuckin’ clue what he’s taken, but he’s high as a kite and has no sense of self-preservation whatsoever. He rushed forward at the police barricade like we were nothing more than gnats.”
Izuku checked the man's pupils with a flashlight pen, pressing his fingers to the wrist to establish pulse rate.
“Elevated heart rate and dilated pupils. Most probably cocaine or some sort of methamphetamine. Where’d you pick these guys up?”
“Armed bank robbery on the east side,” the officer replied gruffly, rolling out his shoulders as he finally let go of the handcuffed man. “It was a fuckin’ nightmare. This guy was right in the middle of it all, shootin’ blind and completely out of control.”
“You’re not hit are you?” Izuku asked quickly, viridian eyes flicking up to meet raging crimson.
The blonde officer shook his head. “Nah, I’m all good. I’ll be feeling a bit stiff and bruised in the morning, but no gunshot wounds.”
“Good,” Izuku breathed out with a small smile before turning his attention back to the guy in the bed.
“Ok...we need to keep this chap restrained and under control. We need blood samples to determine exactly what he’s taken, and then we can try to counteract it.”
The nurses around him rushed into action, preparing needles and sample bags. Katsuki took a step back, not wanting to get in their way.
“Once he’s stabilised, we can take him into custody?” he asked the green-haired doctor.
Izuku nodded, using his stethoscope to listen to the man’s chest.
“Yes, absolutely. Let’s get him stable and under control, then he’ll be released to the authorities. He’ll probably be quite out of it for a while, and I can’t guarantee he’ll remember anything much of the last few hours. But I’ll make sure to keep him alive so that you can question him.”
Katsuki flashed him a smirk, giving a nod of approval.
“Sounds good to me doc. I’ll leave him in your capable hands, and will leave our details with reception so that we can be contacted as soon as he’s good to go. I’ll also leave a few officers behind to keep guard whilst he’s being treated.”
“That would be appreciated,” Izuku told him with a wry chuckle, stepping back so that a nurse could step in to take bloods. “Criminals on drugs are always the worst to deal with.”
Katsuki nodded in acknowledgement, already thinking ahead as to who he could leave behind in the ER.
“Don’t you worry doc – I’ll leave our best men behind to keep an eye on this lot. And I will personally come down to escort them to the police station once they’re fit for questioning.”
“I’ll bear that in mind Officer…” Izuku paused to look at Katsuki’s badge. “Officer Bakugo. I’m Dr Midoriya.”
“Alright then Dr Midoriya. I shall await your call.”
Katsuki smirked once more at the young doctor before stepping back from the bed, leaving the healthcare professionals to do their job.
Even as he moved back into the main waiting area, his eyes kept flicking back to where Dr Midoriya was overseeing the care of the drugged up criminal he had brought in. He was somewhat amazed that Midoriya seemed to be giving the same level of care and attention to the guy that he would any other patient that walked or was wheeled through the doors of the ER. He knew all doctors took a Hippocratic oath of course, but he’d never before seen it in action as much as he had done tonight.
The ER was chaotic, yet controlled. The nurses and doctors had seamlessly taken over from the police once the criminals and their victims had been brought in. The criminals were kept handcuffed sure, but they were still treated by the hospital staff the same as any other patient. Given the same medications, the same level of care and attention.
Katsuki had seen it before, but tonight felt different somehow. These robbers had had only one thing on their minds; money, and how much they could get in one fell swoop. Unfortunately for them, Musutafu’s Police Department were more than a match for their petty gang.
Plus Dr Midoriya was really rather pretty, he couldn't help but admit. He wouldn't mind being under his tender care, that was for sure.
Katsuki stepped out through the automatic sliding doors of ER, taking a deep lungful of the 3am air. Eijirou joined him a short while later, rolling out one shoulder as he released an equally exhausted breath.
“So much for a quiet night huh?” the redhead asked somewhat cheekily, flashing Katsuki a smirk.
The blonde merely grunted and rolled his eyes, feeling his own aches and fatigue catching up with him. “Yeah yeah, I know. Maybe we fuckin’ jinxed it or whatever.”
“Well, I suppose it was better than sitting in that car park all night long. I’d have been bugging you for more cheeseburgers by now.”
“Which I would’ve refused out of concern for your damn circulatory system,” Katsuki scoffed, kicking at a loose pebble as they started heading back towards their car. “It’ll be you I end up bringing into this place next, dyin’ of a fuckin’ heart attack or something.”
“Aww, you do care about me!” Eijirou laughed, neatly dodging Katsuki’s punch aimed at his shoulder.
“I care about making sure my damn partner is fit enough to do his job and watch my back,” Katsuki replied, rolling his eyes as he unlocked their car. “Now get the fuck in – we need to go back to the station and start filing this shit. I’m leaving Sato and Tetsutetsu on guard here with their teams. We’ll come back when they’re all ready to be shipped down to the jail.”
“Yessir,” Eijirou quipped as he got in the passenger seat, knowing there was absolutely no point in offering to drive. The last time he’d done that, Katsuki had gone on a ten minute rant about how much better he had done than Eijirou at all of their police driving courses, kindly reminding the redhead of how often Eijirou had ‘bumped’ into cones on the obstacle course part.
It just wasn’t worth the hassle.
~~~
Several hours and mountains of paperwork later, Katsuki and Eijirou were back at the hospital to collect their bank robbers. Sato had reported back to them that the guy on drugs had attempted to assault the medical team, but had been restrained again and then sedated.
“We’re adding assault to emergency workers to his litany of charges,” Katsuki told Eijirou as he stomped back into the now quiet ER department.
“Fuckin’ rat bastard, tryin’ to beat on the only people actually tryin’ to help him. They shoulda let him just rot in his bed the goddamn fucker…”
“Calm down bro,” Eijirou soothed, giving Katsuki a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “I’m sure the doctors and nurses are used to it. Unfortunately. They shouldn’t be, but I guess that’s the world we live in huh?”
“It’s bullshit is what it is,” Katsuki grumbled as they made their way to the bays where their criminals were being treated.
Dr Midoriya greeted them with a warm if somewhat tired smile. Katsuki was fuming when he saw the doctor’s hand bandaged up.
“You’re the one he assaulted?” he asked seethingly.
“It’s fine – just a few scratches,” the greenette assured him. But Katsuki was on a roll.
“He assaulted you, the one person in this place who was actually trying to help him? Nuh uh, I’m not havin’ this. You wanna press charges doc?”
“Oh, I don’t think that’ll be necessary…”
“Doc…” Katsuki positively growled. “I’m addin’ it to his rap sheet regardless. At least give us a statement and photographic evidence of the injuries. He’s already in trouble with the drugs, weapons, and robbery charges. Assault on an emergency worker is a serious crime, and I ain’t gonna let it slide.”
“You’re certainly persistent,” Izuku chuckled. “But fine. I’ll give you a statement. And you can take whatever photos you need. I do agree with you that attacks like this need to be dealt with properly. We see it all too often in ER.”
“Exactly. Come on – let’s find a side room and I’ll take some photos. Kirishima – round the boys up and get them ready for transport. The meat wagon is standing by.”
Eijirou gave him a nod and smirked to himself as he watched his partner walk off with the doctor.
Subtle, Kats. Reeeeal subtle.
Izuku led them to an empty office, inside which was a simple desk and chair setup with a computer and a few shelves around the walls. Izuku leant against the desk and started removing the bandages around his left hand and wrist.
“Thankfully he only got me with his nails and not his teeth,” he explained as he unwound the bandages. “Bite wounds are a pain in the ass to sanitise and heal.”
Katsuki chuckled, pulling out his work phone to take some photos. “Fuckin’ tell me about it. I got bit by a woman once. She was absolutely wasted, and was running up and down the main high street half fuckin’ naked. Again, absolutely off her rocker on somethin’. Think we found out it was meth in the end. Anyway, we managed to finally get her under control, and she proper chowed down on my arm. Didn’t hold back at all. It was gnarly as hell.”
Izuku winced in sympathy as he removed the last of the bandages. “That sounds nasty. Did it scar at all?”
“Sure did,” Katsuki chuckled drily. “I’ll forever have some goddamn teeth marks on my right arm. Had to get all sorts of shots and vaccines and stuff. Thankfully I didn’t catch anything nasty from her, but it’s definitely up there as one of the more unpleasant injuries I’ve ever had.”
He frowned as Izuku revealed his arm. There were several thin but deep scratches running down the inside of his left forearm, and the cuts on his wrist were already scabbing over. There were also several smaller scratches on the back of his hand.
Katsuki tutted and started taking photos, directing Izuku to hold his arm one way and then the other.
“That’s more than just ‘a few scratches’ doc. He was really goin’ for ya. You sure these don’t need stitches?”
“They look worse than they are, I promise,” Izuku assured him. “I’m a good bleeder, so any kind of scratch looks ten times worse.”
Katsuki snorted a laugh at that, rolling his eyes. “A ‘good bleeder’ huh? Bet the blood banks love you then.”
“Oh, absolutely. I always make sure to donate when I can.”
“You’re cute doc,” Katsuki chuckled, taking the last of the photos and switching his phone to record, ignoring the faint blush that had crept onto Izuku’s cheeks. “Ok, this is Officer Katsuki Bakugo interviewing Doctor Izuku Midoriya at 6:23am. Doctor – in your own words can you please explain the events that led to you obtaining these injuries?”
~~~
An hour and a half later, all the robbers that didn’t require an inpatient stay were loaded into the police vans. Katsuki had Izuku’s statement and photos, and they were good to go. The doctor watched as Katsuki not-so-gently led the drug-induced criminal to the police van, grinning a little too widely as he ‘manoeuvred’ the man into the back. The hospital staff had managed to either flush out or combat whatever drug he’d had in his system, so he was now a lot calmer and less aggravated than earlier.
Katsuki slammed the back door shut with a satisfying thunk, and turned his smirk to the doctor.
“Alright then doc – the wagon is loaded and we’ll get out of your hair. You’ve got my number now – make sure you let me know if any of those other bastards give you any trouble, ok?”
“I’ll make sure to,” Izuku promised, the faint blush reappearing back on his freckled cheeks. “Thank you for your help tonight. Let me know if you need anything further from me regarding the statement.”
Katsuki swaggered back over to him, fiddling with the watch on his wrist as he did so. “Sure will Freckles. Hope the rest of your shift goes a bit smoother and you can get on home soon.”
Izuku checked his own watch and nodded, letting the nickname slide for now. “Yeah...I can clock off soon. Just gotta do the handover for the day team and I’ll be good to go. You make sure you get plenty of rest today too Officer. We’ve both had a long night.”
“Indeed.”
Katsuki gave him another small smirk before smoothing out his uniform shirt and clearing his throat. “Guess I’ll see you around Freckles. Hopefully with less drama next time.”
Izuku couldn’t help the deeper blush that crept across his face this time at Katsuki’s casual use of the nickname ‘Freckles’. It was...almost endearing.
“Hopefully a lot less drama. Take care now.”
Katsuki gave him a nod before turning to head back to the van. He pointedly gave the side of the vehicle a whack with one fist before heading to his own cruiser, barking for Eijirou to join him. The other officer scurried across from where he’d been happily chatting with a pink-haired nurse, giving her a wave and small smile before jumping into the passenger seat.
The little convoy set off for the police station, with Katsuki’s car taking the lead.
~~~
“Sooooo... he was nice…”
“Don’t start Mina…”
The pink-haired nurse who had been talking to Eijirou smirked at Izuku. “Oh come on ‘Zuku! You were such a cute shade of strawberry the whole time you guys were talking. You matched my hair perfectly.”
“Mina!” Izuku exclaimed, slapping his hands over his traitorous cheeks. “It’s not like that!”
“Uh huh...sure it’s not green bean,” Mina chuckled, leaning back against a nearby desk and crossing her arms over her chest. “I know that look. You think he’s hot. And I’d be inclined to agree with you. Although personally I prefer redheads…”
Izuku snorted a laugh, shaking his head as he completed some notes and logged out of the ward computer. “Yeah, I noticed you cosying up to his partner over there. You get his number?”
Mina grinned wider. “Of course I did. I’m not gonna miss out on a prime opportunity like that. It’s not everyday a beautiful beefy redhead walks in through those doors. I plan on climbing him like a tree.”
“Jesus…” Izuku chuckled, shaking his head again at her shamelessness. “Go for it Mina. Have fun. Just remember that if he hurts you…”
“...You’ll kick his ass. Yeah, yeah – I know the drill,” Mina replied with another laugh. “I don’t think you’ll need to worry though. Surely he wouldn’t make a very good police officer if he was an asshole?”
“You never know,” Izuku replied, double checking everything was locked down and sorted. “Alright, I’m done for the night. Get yourself home soon Mina. You back in tonight?”
“Yeah I’ll be here,” she replied, yawning and stretching her arms. “See you tonight doc. Make sure you text that hot blonde.”
Izuku rolled his eyes and headed off to the changing rooms with a wave of his hand. He was not going to text Kats...Officer Bakugo, simply because he had his number. It was his work phone anyway; it wouldn’t be professional to do so.
Although…he had to admit the idea was tempting. The blonde officer was very attractive. Those eyes, that scowl...those arms…
Izuku shook his head as he went to his locker, quickly getting changed and grabbing his bag to head home. Flirting with a police officer should be so low on his priority list right now. He still had several weeks of night shifts to get through, never mind the research paper he was also trying to finish. Plus he was desperately trying to keep his poor little peace lily alive, as well as himself.
Oh yeah...and he still owed his mum lunch after having to bail on the last one midway through due to being called in for an emergency.
Life was hard sometimes.
Izuku popped his headphones in and started heading home, one of his chill-out playlists serenading his ears. Half a song in, and he changed it to some more upbeat pop punk, needing something more peppy to keep himself awake for the fifteen minute walk home. It wouldn’t look good if the local ER doctor was found passed out halfway to his house.
Once home, he put his stuff away and made himself a cup of chamomile tea. His fingers toyed over Katsuki Bakugo’s contact in his mobile as he sipped, but ultimately he decided not to go there. The man was a police officer, a man of the law. He was simply doing his job, that was all. It was not Izuku’s place to message him outside of professional limits.
Was it…?
No! Izuku’s internal monologue reminded him. Not at all! He’s an officer of the law...let things be. For now, at least. He’ll soon be in touch if he needs any more information about those robbers...
Izuku finally managed to fall asleep to the repetition of that mantra in his head. Officer Bakugo would be in touch if he needed anything.
~~~
The next couple of weeks passed by pretty uneventfully. Izuku didn’t hear from Katsuki, and presumed that the charges against the criminals and everything had been processed smoothly, needing no further input from him.
He ignored Mina’s pleas and continued to refuse to message the blonde officer. It wouldn’t be proper or appropriate, and Izuku even thought that maybe he had imagined the whole possible connection between them. That night had been frantic and busy and messy. Emotions had been all over the place.
After having such a manic and unusual night in ER, the following weeks felt weirdly quiet. Izuku knew he shouldn’t complain – a quiet ER was a nice ER – but he did find himself mourning the fact there was no excuse for the police to come in again.
He was even able to find the time to rearrange that long overdue lunch with his mum. Inko was most pleased.
As time went on, he tried to think about Katsuki Bakugo less and less. At least...that’s what he tried to tell himself. The crimson-eyed, blonde, sharp-tongued police officer was never really far from his mind. It felt almost inevitable. There was just...something about him that drew Izuku in.
Mina teased him endlessly, of course, but he knew she meant well. After his last absolute disaster of a relationship, she was really keen for him to find someone good and decent. She was his colleague, but she was a dear friend even more so.
As he sat with yet another drunken idiot one night, taking notes whilst the man threw up in a hospital sick bowl perched precariously in his lap as he sat on the hospital bed, Izuku once again found himself smiling softly at the memory of Katsuki. That sharp smirk as he cussed out the criminals, the red eyes glinting under the harsh fluorescent lights of the ER, his fierce but still gentle concern over the scratches on Izuku’s arm...
The splatter of vomit hitting the cardboard bowl barely registered in Izuku’s mind as he daydreamed about that night a few weeks ago. He couldn’t help but hope that he’d soon have the chance to meet Katsuki again. Maybe after a second meeting, he’d have a clearer idea of whether or not there really was a spark between them. Izuku really hoped he hadn’t just been imagining it.
He swapped out the vomit bowl for a clean one, handing the soiled one over to a nearby nurse with an apologetic smile.
The joys of ER on a Saturday night.
~~~
“Code Blue! Code Blue! All medical staff to ER!” came the announcement to all bleeps and phones over the emergency line.
Izuku fucking ran to ER, heart pumping and adrenaline racing. Code Blue was no joke – that meant they had a patient potentially on the verge of death. Massive heart attack, devastating injury, breathing issues...no way was he going to risk losing someone that could possibly be saved.
He burst through the doors of the ER department alongside a couple of other doctors, hands already shoving their way into latex gloves as he barked for an update.
“28 year old male – gunshot wound to the left chest,” Mina called out, eyes flicking up to meet Izuku’s briefly.
“Police officer...hit in the line of duty…”
Izuku’s whole world froze for a moment as he registered spiky blonde hair sprawled across the bed before him. Crimson eyes fluttered blearily at him before closing, making Izuku’s own heart stutter.
“Are his lungs or heart compromised?” Izuku asked, switching quickly into doctor mode and swallowing down his fear.
“Heart stable,” Mina confirmed, stereoscope round her neck and in her ears as she monitored. “Pulse fast and slightly irregular, but likely due to shock.”
“Lungs also stable,” confirmed Ochaco, another ER nurse on Izuku’s team. “No bubbling, crackling, or strain.”
“Good. Any other open wounds?” Izuku asked, trusting in his team to cover everything.
“Just the one gunshot to the chest,” Mina clarified. “Left side, but vital organs seem to have been missed. Probably few broken ribs.”
“Ok...let’s get him oxygen and blood transfer on standby if needs be. Do we have an exit wound?”
“Yes,” Ochaco replied quickly. “Left side – bullet has passed straight through.”
“Good,” Izuku repeated in a mutter, helping the nurses pack the wound. “Better out than in. Let’s get x-ray and CT lined up ASAP. Stitch him up and make sure no debris within the wound. I want CT to confirm no further internal damage. Move to MRI if needs be. We don’t want one of those broken ribs puncturing a lung.”
“Yes doctor.”
His team moved meticulously, every detail covered. Izuku could only watch as Katsuki - Officer Bakugo - was wheeled down the corridor on his bed to the scanners. His fists clenched into the pockets of his scrubs as he watched Katsuki be wheeled away. Every atom of his body wanted to stay nearby…..
“He’ll be back soon,” Mina reassuringly, squeezing Izuku’s arm reassuringly. “He’ll be ok ‘Zuku. We’ve got him. You gotta be strong, ok? We’re the Ultimate Green Team. Now go tell my redheaded idiot that his partner is in the best hands.”
“‘Your’ redheaded idiot, huh?” Izuku chuckled, already feeling a small modicum of relief at Mina’s usual teasing tone.
“Yeah...I think I can say we’re officially dating now,” she told him with a playful wink, momentarily lightening the mood. “Three dates in and he’s been the perfect gentleman. Never too handsy. A few kisses and cuddles...that’s all. I think he may be something special.”
Izuku smiled warmly, genuinely happy for his friend and colleague. “Well it’s about damn time. I suppose you’ve had to kiss a few frogs to find your prince.”
Mina snorted a laugh, but nodded in agreement. “Bloody frogs is right. But I’ve got a good feeling about this one.”
She shook her head, pink curls flying.
“Anyway, enough about me. Go see Kiri and the others and tell them their mate is gonna be alright. I’d better not go – conflict of interest and all that crap.”
Izuku nodded, his professional mask falling back into place. He was still worried sick about Katsuki, but he knew the blonde officer was in the best place possible. He subconsciously straightened out his scrubs and headed back out to the waiting area of ER.
The place was seemingly overrun with cops. Izuku spotted Eijirou easily – the 6ft plus redhead kinda stood out in a crowd. He was pacing the floor, chewing on one knuckle as he awaited news.
At Izuku’s appearance, Eijirou straightened up, his gnawed-upon hand falling to one side as he strode over to the doctor.
“Midoriya! Sorry...doc! Any news? Is he ok? Will he survive? Did we get him here in time…?”
“Slow down Officer,” Izuku chuckled, holding out his hands in a placating and calming gesture. “Officer Bakugo is ok. We’ve just sent him down for some scans to check on his internal organs. The bullet went clean through and seems to have missed both his lungs and his heart, although he’s probably got a broken rib or two. We just want to check on the rest of him to make sure we haven’t missed anything in the initial examination.”
Eijirou let out a long breath of relief and slumped into the nearest chair, running his hands through his red spikes. Izuku took a seat beside him, one hand resting reassuringly on his broad shoulder.
“These kinda things quite often look worse than they are. He’s young and strong and incredibly fit – that will be working in his favour. Plus the fact the bullet went all the way through is good as well – he won’t need surgery to remove it. He may still need surgery for the injury, but it’s not as serious as having the bullet still inside him. Recovery is still gonna be quite a long road, but he’s in a good position thus far. I’ll keep you updated, ok?”
Eijirou nodded, turning grateful eyes to Izuku.
“Thanks man. I appreciate it. And we know he’s in good hands with you. It just...tonight wasn’t meant to go like this…”
“I often find these kind of things are never really planned,” Izuku chuckled drily. “I highly doubt Officer Bakugo went out on patrol tonight with the intention of getting shot.”
“Detective,” Eijirou told him in a slightly choked voice, wiping away a stray tear. “Detective Bakugo, now. The bastard got promoted a couple of weeks ago. Tonight was our first major bust with him at the helm. He’s gonna be so pissed when he wakes up…”
Izuku can’t help but laugh at that, nodding in agreement. “I can well imagine. He seems like quite a prideful man. Being shot must seem like a damn inconvenience.”
“It’ll piss him off no end,” Eijirou assured him with a wet chuckle. “If he ends up benched for any significant amount of time, he’ll be impossible to deal with. But so long as he survives...that’s all I care about.”
Izuku nodded in understanding. “He’ll survive. He’ll be pissy, but he’ll be alive. And that’s the most important thing.”
“Exactly. Thanks, doc. At least I know he’s in good hands with you.”
Izuku gave him another warm smile, squeezing his shoulder. “It’s no problem – just doing my job.”
He glanced around the room briefly before lowering his voice slightly.
“Mina is due a break soon. I’ll make sure she comes and finds you.”
Eijirou flicked grateful and once again teary eyes up to meet his gaze, giving him a shaky nod of thanks. Izuku merely smiled and patted his shoulder before getting back to his feet and heading back into the ER examination bays.
~~~
Fuckin’ fuck that hurts...feel like I’ve been kicked in the chest by a goddamn horse...what the fuck…?
Katsuki groaned hoarsely as he slowly came back to consciousness. There were some bright lights in the ceiling above him, and he hissed with a wince as he covered his eyes with one hand. He vaguely registered a muted stab of pain in his chest as he moved his arm.
Quickly the lights were dimmed to a more bearable level, and a face appeared before him that he could only describe as angelic. Soft green curls cascaded over a slightly furrowed brow, and deep viridian eyes met his as the face seemed to observe and analyse him, gently lowering his arm back down to the bed.
“Katsuki? Detective Bakugo? Can you hear me?”
“Hnnnngh...yeah,” he managed to rasp out, still squinting against the painful fluorescent lights. “I can hear you angel…”
A soft chuckle came from somewhere nearby as he felt fingers on his wrist and a slight tugging sensation on the oxygen mask currently on his face. He scowled again and tried to lift a hand to remove it, but his limbs felt heavy and uncoordinated, like he was drunk or something.
“Nuh uh Detective...leave it be,” came the sweet, soft voice from before, instantly making him drop his hand back to his side.
“That’s better. Stay still for me Detective. You’ve had one hell of a night.”
Katsuki could only nod wearily as he let the green-haired freckled angel above him continue his examinations. He winced as gentle gloved fingers felt carefully across his chest, but he did as he was told and stayed still. He tried to focus his gaze on the crazy mop of green curls moving above him, and felt the indescribable urge to run his fingers through them. He even tried to lift one hand again, but his limbs still felt as heavy as lead, and all he could manage was a slight flop of his wrist against the bedsheets.
The smiling green angel above him chuckled softly, and he felt warm latex-covered fingers cover his for a moment in a gentle squeeze.
“Try not to move too much Detective. You’re on some pretty strong painkillers right now, and we don’t want to aggravate your wound. Stay still for me, ok?”
Katsuki forced his blurry eyes to focus on the kind and beautiful face looking down at him, and he did his best to smile in return. In reality, he looked half drunk and completely out of it, smile wonky and eyes glazed over.
Izuku merely chuckled and squeezed his hand gently again.
“That’s perfect. Stay nice and still Detective whilst I check you over.”
“Kas...ki,” Katsuki slurred out, frowning when he realised his voice wasn’t working quite properly. His saviour needed to know his proper name!
“Kas...Kats...Kaaats’ki…”
“Katsuki...I know,” Izuku chuckled, one gloved hand reaching up to brush blonde bangs away from Katsuki’s eyes and gently removing the oxygen mask from his mouth. “You want me to call you Katsuki rather than Detective?”
Katsuki nodded emphatically...at least, it felt emphatic to him. He held Izuku’s gaze, his own crimson eyes burning with seriousness.
“Yeah! M’Kats’ki. Kas’ki Baku’go. Y’r h’sband.”
Izuku had to stifle a laugh, one hand covering his mouth at Katsuki’s ardent declaration. He shook his head, squeezing the blonde’s hand again.
“I’m not your husband Katsuki – I’m your doctor. You’re in the hospital right now, ok? And I’m looking after you.”
“Thank fuck…” Katsuki rasped out, relief clear on his face as he gave Izuku a dopey, drugged-up grin. “I have a literal angel lookin’ after me. That’s gotta be a good thing, right? Although m’still gonna marry you…”
Izuku burst into another fit of giggles, making Katsuki grin and preen.
“You wanna marry me big guy?” Izuku teased, checking on a monitor next to Katsuki’s bed. “Well I expect an extremely romantic proposal – food, flowers, candles – the whole shebang.”
Katsuki nodded again, lips pursed an in imitation of something serious. “You’ll get it all Freckles. M’gonna give you everythin’. Only the best for my wifey.”
Izuku couldn’t help but laugh again, shaking his head. “You’re incorrigible Katsuki. Do you even know my name?”
Katsuki squinted his eyes as he tried to focus on Izuku’s ID badge. He knew he did know the man’s name, but his brain was so foggy with drugs and pain relief that he couldn’t quite remember it.
“...Deku?” he said slowly, pouting when Izuku gently pushed him back down against the pillows as he tried to sit up and see the badge clearer. “S’not Deku...somethin’ like Deku…”
“Izuku,” the doctor told him softly, a small smile on his freckled face. “My name is Izuku. Do you remember the last time we met?”
Katsuki pursed his lips again, trying to swim through the brain fog. Izuku could almost see the cogs turning behind his tired eyes.
“Bank robbers?” he eventually replied, although it seemed to take him a lot of effort to do so. “And that asshole hurt you.”
He gasped suddenly, eyes widening as he scrabbled to touch Izuku’s hand.
“He hurt you! Are you ok? That bastard hurt my wifey…”
Izuku snorted a laugh, calming Katsuki’s frantic gestures and showing him his perfectly healed left arm and hand. “I’m absolutely fine Katsuki, just like I told you I would be. Takes more than a few scratches to bench me.”
“Still,” Katsuki grumbled, pouting again and making Izuku’s heart flutter. “Bastard still hurt you. Don’t you worry though – I put him in jail. Kicked his ass straight into a cell. And I don’t plan on letting him out anytime soon.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Izuku replied with a smile, checking on the IV line currently inserted into Katsuki’s left arm.
“Now, can you tell me how you’re feeling? How’s your pain level?”
Katsuki pouted again, clearly unhappy at being sidetracked from the conversation about Izuku being his ‘wife’. But some distant logical part of his brain registered that he should do as the good doctor told him.
“Feel like I’ve been kicked by a horse,” he grumbled. “What the fuck happened to me? Why am I in hospital anyway?”
“You got shot Katsuki,” Izuku told him gently, checking on the bandages wrapped around Katsuki’s chest. “Do you not remember that?”
Katsuki frowned, glancing down at his chest as Izuku worked on the bandages. “Shot? Some fucker shot me?!”
“Yes, Katsuki,” Izuku replied patiently, happy with the bandages. “But it’s ok – you’re gonna be just fine. After lots of rest and some more painkillers. You had a little bit of surgery to help seal the wound and sew you back up. That’s why you’re feeling a bit floaty – the anaesthetic hasn’t completely worn off yet.”
“Some fucker shot me,” Katsuki repeated in a shocked and annoyed whisper, one finger poking the side of his chest curiously. Izuku gently and carefully stopped him, placing his hand back down on the bed. “That’s just fuckin’ rude that is.”
Izuku snorted another laugh. “Very rude indeed. Now I’m going to go check on a couple of other patients. I need you to stay here, nice and still for me ok? I’ll come back and see you in a bit.”
Katsuki whined and curled his fingers around Izuku’s wrist, pouting again and making Izuku’s heart melt. “No, Deku stay with me. I’m your husband and you’re my Dekuuuu…”
Izuku had given him some more pain relief through his IV line, and it was definitely starting to show.
Izuku simply laughed again and shook his head, gently extracting his wrist from Katsuki’s grasp. “No, Katsuki. I’m your doctor, not your husband. And I’ve got other patients that need my help. I’ll go see if Kirishima can come sit with you.”
Katsuki grumbled under his breath, but settled back against the pillows, eyes not leaving Izuku’s face for one moment. “Fine. But you’d better come back soon. Need my wifey to make me better.”
Izuku nodded with a smile and stepped out of the bay, leaving the curtain pulled across to give Katsuki privacy. He still couldn’t help but chuckle at Katsuki’s behaviour, it being so different from the gruff and domineering image he had presented at their first meeting. It was almost cute, in a way.
Izuku found Kirishima still in the waiting room with a few other officers. He led him back through to Katsuki’s bay, giving him a heads up that Katsuki was extremely dopey and may say some unusual things. Kirishima grinned and looked far too pleased at the prospect of seeing his best friend in post-anaesthesia delirium.
Katsuki looked up as Izuku brought Kirishima in, a wide and slightly grin crossing his face. “Wifey’s back!”
Kirishima immediately burst into laughter as Izuku sighed. “Wifey?! The hell dude?”
“He’s convinced we’re married and I’m his wife,” Izuku explained, pulling over a chair for Kirishima. “Just roll with it. He doesn’t know what he’s saying right now.”
“Yeah I fuckin’ do,” Katsuki replied with yet another pout. He pointed one wobbly finger at Izuku. “You are my Deku and you’re my wife. And you…” He paused as he squinted at Kirishima, finger still pointing. “You...you’re...Edgy...Eiji...Kiri...Shimmy...Shitty Hair!” he eventually announced, grinning ear to ear.
Eijirou burst into a fresh round of laughter, sitting down and running one hand through his dishevelled red spikes. “That’s right man – I’m Shitty Hair. And you’re Dynamight, remember?”
“Dynamight-teehee!” Katsuki crowed, making both men laugh now as he started a very bad rendition of the classic R&B song. Eijirou had actual tears running down his face as he watched his best friend and boss giggle to himself whilst fumbling over the lyrics.
Izuku couldn’t even maintain a professional demeanour now, clutching his sides as he giggled alongside Eijirou. “Dy...Dynamight?? What’s that from?”
Eijirou managed to calm himself enough to reply to Izuku, still wiping tears from his eyes. “It’s from when we were training at the academy. Everyone got nicknames. Most people called me Red, or Red Riot, but Katsuki here has always had an affinity for creating his own nicknames. He got Dynamight because he really wanted to join the bomb squad at one point. Wanted to ‘blow shit up legally’.”
“His hair’s not really red!” came an over-the-top stage whisper from Katsuki to Izuku. “He dyes it! I know, cos I have to help him sometimes. Otherwise he misses bits and looks patchy.”
“Stop giving away all our manly secrets!” Eijirou laughed, although he was not at all embarrassed by Katsuki’s ramblings. “Our Sunday bromance nights are for us and us alone!”
“Deku gonna be comin’ now,” Katsuki told him with a smug grin as he shifted in the bed a little to make himself more comfortable. “We can be the traffic light trio.”
“Traffic light…?” Eijirou blinked at him, thoroughly confused.
“Yeah,” Katsuki replied, pointing at him. “You’re red, I’m yellow, and Deku is green.” He grinned again, looking extremely proud of himself as he patted his tousled blonde spikes.
Eijirou turned wide eyes to Izuku, really struggling to hold back the laughter again. “How high is he right now exactly?”
Izuku sighed, rubbing one hand over his face. “I think we can safely say he’s very high. It’ll be the mix of anaesthetic leaving his system, and the strong painkillers. Everyone reacts differently. This is pretty tame compared to some people. Although I was hoping he’d just sleep…”
The pair looked back at Katsuki, who had lifted the blanket from over his lap and gasped dramatically. He flung it back down, gaping at Izuku and Eijirou.
“Someone’s stolen my pants! Officer Shitty Hair – I need to report a robbery!”
That was it for Eijirou. He howled with laughter, clutching his sides as he slid down in the chair. It was a mixture of both relief at Katsuki being ok, and absolute hysterics at his drugged-up shenanigans.
Izuku merely sighed again and facepalmed, chuckling to himself at the look of absolute incredulity on Katsuki’s face. This was gonna be a long night…
~~~
One week later, and Katsuki was finally being discharged from hospital. Once he’d come round completely from the anaesthesia, and Eijirou had reminded him in great detail with much glee the nonsense that had spilt from his mouth that night, the blonde was absolutely mortified. He’d barely been able to look Izuku in the eye when the young doctor had come round later on to check on him.
Izuku had reassured him that it was absolutely fine, and honestly hadn’t been that bad. He’d experienced much worse.
“Still...it’s fuckin’ embarrassin’’,” Katsuki grumbled as Izuku checked on his healing chest before getting the discharge papers ready. “I’m not usually like that.”
“I know that,” Izuku replied with a gentle smile, pleased with how he was healing and covering the stitches up again. “Like I said, everyone reacts differently when they’re under anaesthesia. And you had a lot of pain relief in your system as well. No wonder you were a bit out of it and calling me your wife.”
Katsuki snorted a laugh, leaning forward so that Izuku could examine the wound on his back as well. “Yeah well...s’pose I’d really need to take you on a date first before I can start callin’ you that properly.”
Izuku’s hands paused in their examination of Katsuki’s back wound, a fierce red blush painting his cheeks. “A...a date? W-well, yes...yes I suppose you would.”
Katsuki hummed, smirking to himself as he heard the shyness creeping through Izuku’s tone of voice. “How’s it lookin’ back there doc? Am I all good to go?”
Izuku cleared his throat and resumed his examination, humming approvingly. The exit wound had healed just as nicely as the entrance one, the skin neatly stitched together and with no signs of infection. “Yes...it’s healed really well actually. You’ll still need to take it easy for a couple of weeks. I’ll be very annoyed if you burst these stitches. As much as I enjoy your company, I really don’t want to see you back in ER.”
“I’ll do my best,” Katsuki chuckled, sitting back once Izuku had finished. “Hopefully I’ll only be back when I’m draggin’ in another bank robber or somethin’.”
He swung his legs over the side of the bed, stretching carefully.
“I’d better get dressed before Shitty Hair gets here. Think he’s seen more than enough of me without pants this week.”
Izuku couldn’t help the small giggle that slipped free. “Ahh yes...your stolen pants. Did he ever find the culprit?”
Katsuki narrowed his eyes at Izuku’s laughter, a small scowl on his face. “Shuddup Deku. You’re not funny.”
“On the contrary, I think I rather am,” Izuku replied with a grin. “Although the real comedian here is you, let’s be honest. Thinking someone had stolen your pants…”
Katsuki grumbled at him, carefully getting to his feet and retrieving his bag of clothes. “Laugh it up whilst you can, Deku. I’ll get my own back someday.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt it. But I’m going to enjoy this whilst I can,” Izuku replied, still smirking slightly. “I get the impression it’s rather difficult to get you on the back foot like this. Seeing the softer, funnier side of Detective Bakugo is really quite nice.”
Katsuki snorted but simply shook his head, a small smile playing at the edges of his mouth. “Yeah, well...don’t get too used to it Freckles. It won’t be happenin’ again anytime soon.”
“Shame,” Izuku mused, stepping forward to steady Katsuki as he pulled on the aforementioned pants. “You really were very entertaining. Even if you did keep calling me your wife.”
Katsuki chuckled, settling the sweatpants on his hips. “You laugh now Deku, but it’s gonna happen.”
He flicked crimson eyes up to meet Izuku’s green ones, a small smirk on his face as he carefully shrugged himself out of the hospital gown.
“I meant what I said. Wanna take you on a proper date. See you outside of this damn hospital for once. I was gonna ask you that first night we met, but everything was a bit hectic. Whaddya say doc?” he asked, pausing in his dressing as he waited somewhat nervously for Izuku’s answer.
Izuku was momentarily lost for words, an unusual situation for the young doctor. He gaped at Katsuki, clearly not expecting such a direct and earnest request. He could feel his cheeks burning embarrassingly bright, but found himself nodding as a small smile grew on his face.
“I...I’d like that. Very much.”
He glanced around the otherwise empty ward, the curtains around Katsuki’s bed giving them a little privacy. Stepping forward, he loosely and shyly curled his fingers around Katsuki’s. The blonde gave him a smile, squeezing his hand in return.
“When’s your next day off?” he asked quietly.
“Day after tomorrow,” Izuku replied, glancing up at him through long green lashes. “I’ve got the weekend off for the first time in weeks.”
“What perfect timing,” Katsuki chuckled, bringing his other hand up to rest on Izuku’s waist. “And I’m signed off for the next two weeks, so my diary is completely open. I’ll pick you up. Say 5 o’clock?”
Izuku nodded, his smile widening. “Sounds perfect. I’ll text you my address. Should I bring anything?”
“Just yourself Freckles. I’ll sort everythin’ else.”
“Ok.”
They stood and just gazed at each other for a moment. Izuku’s heart was racing and he couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. Katsuki was just grinning triumphantly, feeling smug and proud.
The sound of retching coming down the hospital corridor from a few rooms down broke the moment completely, and Izuku let his eyes fall shut with a sigh.
“Sounds like I may be needed,” he sighed, wincing at the pained groans coming from down the hallway. “Why is it always vomit…?”
Katsuki chuckled, leaning down to press a surprisingly chaste kiss to Izuku’s forehead. “Go be a hero, doc. I’ll finish getting’ dressed and wait for Kiri. I’ll see you Saturday.”
“See you Saturday.”
~~~
Izuku paced back and forth in his bedroom, occasionally glancing up at his mirror to check his reflection for the umpteenth time. He still thought the jeans were too tight, but Mina had assured him that they were just right.
He was so nervous about today. He’d barely slept last night, overthinking every little detail about his outfit and what Katsuki could have possibly planned. It had been so long since he’d been on a date, and he really didn’t want to fuck it up.
A knock at the front door interrupted his musings, and he jumped as he realised he’d managed to pace non-stop for the last half hour. Smoothing down his shirt, he grabbed his keys, phone, and wallet, and went to greet Katsuki.
The detective was stood with one hand in his pocket, whilst the other held a bunch of sunflowers. He held out the flowers to Izuku, the faintest of pink blushes highlighting his cheeks.
“For you,” he said gruffly.
Izuku felt his heart soar and his own cheeks flush as he took the bouquet in hand. He looked up to meet Katsuki’s gaze, a beaming smile on his face.
“Th-thank you Katsuki. They’re beautiful.”
Katsuki shrugged, rubbing one hand across the back of his neck in a shy gesture. “Figured you’d like ‘em. Wanted to make a good impression and shit.”
“You don’t need to try and impress me Katsuki,” Izuku chuckled, locking his front door and stepping down to join Katsuki. “You’ve already done that. But I love them – thank you.”
“S’no problem.”
Katsuki straightened up, offering his arm to Izuku. His confidence seemed to have returned full force, and the familiar smirk fell into place.
“Come along then Freckles. I’ve got one hell of an evenin’ planned.”
“Oh yeah?” Izuku replied, linking his arm with Katsuki’s and following the blonde’s lead. “I’m looking forward to it. Will you be keeping your pants on this time though?”
Katsuki’s cursing echoed in the late afternoon air around them as Izuku giggled his way to the car. Yes – tonight was certainly going to be plenty of fun.