#/ let k.atsuki recollect n then ditch huh. lmao

[ofdetonation]

isn't that a familiar sight ? katsuki watches izuku sit up with care, half-smile briefly appearing on his face when he notices the tears ╱ he shouldn't make fun of it. they were both here. so then ...

the hand taking his is an oddly reassuring gesture ; while his dreams didn't have the same sorts of sensations, he could feel the warmth emanating, the texture, affirming his waking state. ( his mind is fogged, scattered. so many things from the before and the now were quickly circulating, trying to piece together the chain of events. he was awake, alive, but ⸺ he didn't wake long enough during ... )

izuku all but confirms it : we won the war.

then their fight against all the odds, everyone's close calls, his literal death experience and revival, it was all worth it then ? for them to be breathing, alive and warm and real, they won ⸺ and survived.

it wasn't a perfect win ... but even with the war carving its memory into them, they stepped through to the other side.

❝ don't go sheddin' tears now, you big crybaby, ❞ he manages, voice thick with fatigue, ❝ we made it. you won the damn war. if anything ... ❞ he stares at their intertwined hands for a moment, feeling the weight, his fingers adjusting to better hold and thumb grazing across the other's palm. ( a brief flash of that illusion crosses his mind ; he wonders if this feels familiar to izuku, somehow. ) ❝ ... i should be thanking you. you gave 'em a fighting chance to make this happen. ❞

A hand found its way into his hair. Izuku felt it - he'd been hyper-aware this entire time, waiting for this.

He sucked in a breath slowly, swallowing back down the gasp that rose in his throat. No sounds, not yet, lest he'd disturb this moment of perfection and render it unreal.

Izuku told himself that he'd count to ten, and started doing just that. His eyes started stinging by the time he reached count number five, and by seven, tears had overflown his eyes and trailed down his cheeks.

Ten.

And the weight was still in his hair, Katsuki was awake for real, and he was finally ready to believe it.

Izuku blinked twice, hard, just to put a stop to the waterworks before reaching out, gently taking Katsuki's hand with his own. He sat up, carefully, because a certain someone still had all sorts of tubes attached to him.

"Welcome back, Kacchan!" The joy of this reunion washed away the weariness and pain that still lingered in his bones. Izuku was grateful for this moment, glad that Katsuki was able to return. "We won the war." Because surely the other would want to know that first. It was a difficult battle and cost the heroes too many lives. The destruction of infrastructure would take months if not years to repair, and what could take even longer to remedy might be the faith of the people. Still, one step at a time, they must learn to focus on the positives. At least that was what his teacher said.

"Thank you," he added. For saving me, and for coming back.