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They say you should only wait ten minutes after you’re sure you’ve been stood up. If you’re generous, fifteen.It’s been forty-five minutes since Katsuki arrived at the cafe, and his patience was starting to wear thin. He wanted to do something entirely different for this date, but his partner won their bet fair and square, so it was cakes and coffee before the aquarium, exactly what Izuku planned.Who even went to the aquarium in the winter? Katsuki thought it was a rather strange request for a Valentine’s Day date, but Izuku insisted upon it. Plus, this was their first time celebrating together, and he was sure there would be others, so he didn’t mind caving this one instance.Katsuki waited longer than he ever had with flowers and homemade chocolates. He didn’t know if he should make them or not— they were both men after all. But he didn’t care too much about tradition. As long as Izuku was happy, he’d do whatever stupid, silly, embarrassing, and corny thing they wanted.Just thinking about the dorky smile that would come to the other man’s face when he saw the hero-themed treats was almost enough to make Katsuki forget about the tardiness. Almost.Their designated meetup time was 10:15 AM, though Katsuki came early. Seeing that it was now 10:45 AM, Izuku was thirty minutes late.It was odd.The green-haired male was just as punctual as he was, if not more. However, what really grated his nerves was the fact that Izuku hadn’t even bothered to call and say that he would be running late. Not even a text.“Would you like anything, Sir? You’ve been waiting for a while.” The waiter asked with a polite smile.Katsuki scoffed and waved them off before checking his phone once more.
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Nerd💍
Where the hell are you?
I’m going to kill you, get here now.
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The blonde texted furiously on his phone before slamming it down on the table and letting his focus shift to the mounted television across the room.Its channel was fixed on the news and featured a car crash just a few blocks away from the cafe. Two were injured and there were two confirmed DOAs at the site, making it the third crime scene that morning. The streets covered in ice and sleet made any car a death trap.Katsuki was relieved that he chose to walk, but since he and Izuku agreed to meet up, he couldn’t be sure that they did the same. So he texted just in case:
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Nerd💍
Be careful, and hurry up.
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Eventually, he couldn’t keep waiting. It wasn’t like Izuku to not answer his phone or check in with little updates here and there. Katsuki had never had to text this many times without a reply, so he put his coat back on and left the cafe to search for his partner.He only made it a few blocks before he decided to call and heard Izuku’s ringtone in the distance. Up ahead was… the crash.The police were ushering away all of the bystanders, and the paramedics were working on getting the body out of the wrecked car— luckily not Izuku’s. The blonde saw a crying child with a scraped knee run up to a pair of people that just arrived— most likely their parents, as more reporters made their way to the street. Presumably to get footage of the cars and the people in them. Two cars collided head-on, leaving both vehicles smoking with destroyed hoods, and the black smoke that spiraled toward the heavens only served to show that the day would only carry more misfortune. An omen.Katsuki sped up to retrieve his lover’s phone, only to be stopped by the police the moment he got his hands on it.“You can’t do that sir, it’s part of the crime scene.”“Crime scene? This is my boyfriend’s phone, what’s going on?” Katsuki snapped, taking another glance at the wreckage. Neither car belonged to Izuku, so the greenette had to be in the crowd somewhere and just dropped it. Yeah, that’s why they haven’t been answering.An officer spoke up, “Oh… you were with the deceased? Witnesses say he pushed a child away from the collision. He died before the ambulance came; it was the first confirmed casualty. We’re very sorry.”Katsuki dropped the cellular device and it was only then that he was able to notice the blood it left behind on his hand. Izuku was… no. That wasn’t true. It was impossible. Back in school, he was like a cockroach that couldn’t be exterminated. He can't be…A consuming black hole opened up in the pit of Katsuki’s stomach as he fought his way past the police and into the wreckage. And it wasn’t until he circled around to the other side that he saw Izuku lifeless on the cold cement ground, drowning in a sea of red that stained their gray trench coat and All Might scarf. The chocolate and flowers he could only assume Izuku brought with him were scattered over the road like dead petals, and bile rose in the blonde’s throat at the unnatural angle present in Izuku’s neck and limbs. Katsuki couldn’t believe that he was still there— they hadn’t even bothered to cover him up yet.The light had been snuffed from his Izuku; his bright… Izuku. His Izuku that would never come home again.He ran until his legs physically gave out under him, throwing himself at the body of his beloved and scooping them into his arms with a pained cry. Katsuki screamed Izuku’s name, quite possibly for the first time in his life.“Stupid… so stupid. What a fucking idiot. I told you…” he clammed up, a lump settling into the back of his throat as salty tears rolled down his cheeks, “…I told you to be careful… didn’t I? Stupid Deku…” Katsuki never thought he’d be stood up, much less by the love of his life. He thought back to the beginning, to where it all started, and he was glad that he dared to kiss Izuku in that crowded aquarium. He wished that they could have stayed in that moment for the rest of their lives; he loved aquariums. Izuku got up bright and early to start on his chocolates, but none of them came out how he wanted, and he spent so long on it that he was cutting it close on his date.“What should I… oh!” He exclaimed before diving for his phone and rushing out with the flowers.
Thankfully, Rikido accepted his last-minute request and the green-haired male was able to pick them up at the shop not too far from the cafe.“Thanks so much! I hope Kacchan likes them, I just had too much trouble doing it on my own. I really owe you one!” He beamed, checking the time to confirm that he was still on schedule.Rikido shook his head, “No need Midoriya, it was my pleasure. Hurry up before you’re late; you know Bakugou will bite your head off.”Izuku was on cloud nine as he made his way to the cafe.He was in shock when he won the bet of who would be in the 50th spot on the hero ranks last week, but he was really glad that he did. It was imperative that they went to the aquarium.He wasn’t sure if Katsuki remembered, but that was where they had their first kiss all those years ago. A spontaneous trip to the aquarium was where it all started. So naturally, they had to spend their first Valentine’s holiday there.His rapturous bubble burst once he realized that he was running slightly behind, so he pulled out his phone to give Katsuki a heads-up:
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Kacchan ♥
I’m on my way Kacchan, I’m really sorry.
It took longer than expected to get the
chocolate so I’ll be a little late to the cafe
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He never got the chance to send it.