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"Izuku, I'm telling you, damn it. It's not as spicy as it usually is."
The oddly collected voice of Izuku's husband echoed in the otherwise empty street, and Izuku simply ducked his head and shook it rapidly, staring down at his own bowl of steaming noodles. It was a quiet evening in the usually bustling, hectic part of the Shizuoka Prefecture, now filled with the timid sound of cicadas, crickets and stray dogs that barked mindlessly at the full moon. Izuku's phone was placed haphazardly on the plastic night table with the radio station app playing on the screen, a soft pop song filling in the background noise. The air had a light aroma of summer wild flowers, detergent, and the unpleasantly strong smell of spices that clung to Katsuki's bowl of noodles. As the pair sat on their balcony, their damp clothes drying on some convenient wires tied above the metallic railing, they had a lighthearted argument over Katsuki's extremely high spice tolerance.
"Kacchan, I'm not trying them." The jade eyed male mumbled and curled in on his chair, his back leaning against the plush pillow behind him. "You know what happened last time." Izuku grimaced at the memory, but Katsuki's grin only seemed to widen with amusement.
Much to Izuku's discomfort, Bakugou pressed on. "Oh, right. You mean when you were so sick that you couldn't handle some spicy noodles, so you—"
"Kacchan, stop."
"—threw up all over the floor, and I had to clean it all up for you?" Bakugou finished despite Izuku's whiny protests, his crimson eyes gleaming with mischief.
"Kacchan, it's not funny!" The boy complained, covering his face with his free hand, the other one holding the bowl in his lap. "I couldn't feel my tongue!"
Bakugou cackled wildly, his lungs filled to the brim with the fresh evening breeze that drafted in between them. "Yeah, and you ended up chugging—"
"Kacchan!"
"— three bottles of water! Three!" The blonde male poked fun at his husband, still laughing and snickering as Izuku's face burned with a bright blush.
"You're so unfair!" The shy male poked at his noodles with his chopsticks — albeit a little aggressively — his pink nose wrinkling at the spices that floated in the air. "It's not my fault you gave me something to eat while I had a stomach virus. It was a matter of time before I started vomiting."
"Don't use your shitty immune system to protect your dignity, nerd." Katsuki drawled playfully, his smirk only broadening. "We all know how much of a wuss you are when it comes to spices, even if you're sick or not. It's so fucking funny."
Izuku sipped the broth in his bowl, the frown on his face deepening. Once he finished, he wiped away the dampness on his lips and retorted. "Alright then, Kacchan. Wanna hear something even funnier?"
Katsuki's excitement seemed to burst through the roof. He leaned in close, his elbows resting on his knees as he spoke. "Oh, yeah?"
With a determined inhale, Izuku replied. "Remember when you got sick, and I decided to give you some chocolate bars to make you feel better?" The smallest smile quirked up on Izuku's lips as he noticed Katsuki's face drop, pride swelling inside the nerd's chest. "And then you ate all of them, and—"
Bakugou exploded, his eyes big and wide. "No! Shut up!"
"— proceeded to curl up next to me while absolutely BAWLING—"
"I hate you!" Bakugou exaggerated a loud sigh, letting the bowl of spicy noodles sit on the night stand as he threw himself back against the chair. He covered his eyes with the heels of his palms, groaning. "I told you not to bring that up!"
Izuku laughed loudly, his giggles echoing into the quiet evening like a gentle melody. "Come on, it's not even that bad!"
"I sobbed in your arms because of a tummy ache!"
"It was cute! You were all curled up like a child, Kacchan—"
"Shut up— Just— Oh my God. I'm going to explode you into space."
At that, Izuku giggled even louder, a contagious little sound that seemed to somewhat uplift the blonde boy sitting across him. Katsuki uncovered his face, now all scarlet and warm from experiencing such a shameful flashback, and glared at Izuku with the strength of a thousand soldiers. Izuku gave him a sympathetic, cheeky smile and leaned in.
"Okay, alright. Don't be mad at me."
He knew Katsuki was bluffing. They both knew. But he loved playing this game of tug of war, constantly poking and prodding at the other and then pulling them back in with a playful remark and a teasing comment, just like they always did. It was a routine, a well known habit of theirs that regularly showed up in their conversations. Teasing each other was their own made up language to show affection.
"Kacchan, come on. I see you peeking at me."
Izuku whined, staring back at the blonde boy who turned to stare nonchalantly out the balcony. He had his elbow resting against the railing and his chin nestled on his palm, covering his mouth to conceal and smother a grin that was definitely stretched across his handsome face. Bakugou scoffed and shifted his gaze back at the view across their building, his eyes absentmindedly dancing across the city lights.
And finally, Izuku huffed and shrugged, giving in.
"Okay, alright. I'll try the noodles."
Bakugou all but beamed as Izuku took his spicier bowl of noodles, an unsure look plastered on the nerd's face. Katsuki's arm rested back down against the armrest of the chair as he leaned in, the grin on his face returning once again. Katsuki looked so ethereal underneath the dim street lights. His ash blonde hair was disheveled and spiky, yet the lighting casted this warm glow against the strands of hair that was brighter than heaven itself. He gazed at Izuku with love in his eyes — when did he not? — his pupils blown wide and big with pure adoration.
Now bashful and self aware, Izuku stared at the broth in his hands like it was the most interesting thing in the world. The nerd poked at the oily noodles with a confused frown, his senses overwhelmed by the chilli sensation in the back of his throat as he sniffed the dish. He gulped down his uncertainty, picked up a good amount of red noodles that glistened with oils and spices, and pressed the chopsticks into his mouth.
And of course, he immediately regretted it.
A sharp pain bloomed across the surface of his tongue as he chewed on the thin strips, his mouth burning. Izuku placed the bowl down in a panic, immediately shaking his head at the amount of heat the inside of his cheeks was being assaulted with. And Katsuki instantly burst out laughing.
With a relieved groan, Izuku swallowed the bite and gasped for air, all the while his evil husband just clapped his knee and cried out tears of joy at the sight. "Kacchan!" Izuku yelled, his hand flapping around in front of his half open mouth to somewhat null the fire on his tongue.
"You should've seen your face!" Katsuki roared, his eyes squeezing shut as he continued to cackle mischievously. He materialised a bottle of water and handed it to his husband, still laughing. "Here, nerd!"
The helpless male wasted no time and snatched the water from his husband's hands, gulping down half of it. Bakugou kept laughing and gasping for air, unable to calm himself down after the hilarious incident.
Izuku finally places the bottle down with a loud thump, still slightly heated and gasping for air. "Kacchan, I despise you." He mumbled and licked his numb lips. "I knew they were spicy. You did that on purpose." The boy tried to pout, but his lips felt tingly and completely non existent.
"Yeah, I kinda did. Sorry, nerd." Bakugou apologised half-heartedly, not exactly being truthful. Which Izuku noticed, because of course he did, and leaned back in his chair lazily, disappointment and betrayal etched in his expression.
"Come on, 'Zuku." Bakugou leaned forward towards his pouty husband, his scarred hands already reaching for Izuku's own. And Izuku tried to resist the tempting pair of palms reaching for his own, because he liked the attention, and the warm sound of Katsuki's raspy apologies made his chest bloom with love. He hummed and crossed his arms firmly over his chest, the crickets and the radio humming in the background.
But Katsuki wasn't backing down. He hummed, amused by Izuku's behaviour and pressed on, his voice gentle. "Izuku. I'm sorry. I ain't gonna do that again, 'kay?" The blonde tried to lure Izuku out of his playful sulking, and eventually, Izuku tilted his head up higher to gaze back at his husband.
And of course, Izuku caved in, sighing out of defeat and leaning in to take Katsuki's hands in his own, the familiar texture of Bakugou's scarred palms grounding him.
"Yeah." Izuku smiled, bashful. "I forgive you, baby."
... Silence.
Izuku froze.
Everything went dead quiet.
Bakugou's crimson eyes, which were previously full of mischief, banter and playfulness were suddenly round and big with shock. It was obvious that he didn't expect that affectionate nickname. They never called each other any romantic pet name — since the start of their relationship, they only called each other short nicknames for each other's name, like Izu, or Tsuki. Never anything sappy with sprinkles and whipped cream.
Never something like "baby".
"Baby?" Bakugou stuttered before he could stop himself, his wide eyed gaze full of wonder, surprise and maybe a little curiosity. Maybe Bakugou wasn't as disgusted as Izuku thought?
Izuku's face was burning. His freckled face was on fire, his cheeks dotted with soft freckles now heating up with a maroon blush. Big splotches of red peppered his ears, nose and neck, his heart beating wildly in his chest like an inexperienced drummer was banging against his thorax. The flustered nerd wasn't even thinking when he said the nickname. Hell, it wasn't even in his mind, honestly. It just felt right, and it slipped past his tongue without any hesitation, as if it was always meant to be heard by his husband.
And then finally, Izuku began to stammer his life away.
"I— what? Did I actually— Oh, um." Izuku laughed nervously, his cheeks tainted with an even brighter blush, like he was on the verge of exploding. "I didn't mean it— I mean! I do... mean it? Somewhat? Kacchan, it honestly just slipped out—"
"Zuku, did you just call me baby?"
The raspy voice interrupted his ramble, and Izuku thanked the starry sky above for ending his god awful babbling. He watched his husband with a shy expression on his face, but his green eyes soon widened at the smile that slowly stretched on Katsuki's face. Izuku sat there, tense and quiet, listening to the sound of the wind whistling and another Japanese song that played gently on his phone next to them.
"Um." Izuku began, unsure of how to explain himself. His tongue felt like cotton — mostly because of the insane amount of spice that damaged his taste buds — and started to speak again, his voice small. "Yeah. Yeah, I did."
But despite the tense atmosphere that settled among them, Bakugou's smirk widened, which only confused Izuku even more. Katsuki's grin softened into a genuine, broad smile, his eyes wrinkled and small from how big his smirk was, and eventually, it developed into a soft chuckle. Izuku jumped out of his skin at the sound of amusement coming from his husband, his mind running a mile per second. Was Katsuki preparing another taunting remark for his stupidity? Izuku wasn't so sure anymore, but he waited, his hands sweaty and his cheeks burning with the force of the Sun—
"Holy shit." Katsuki eventually spoke, his voice light and airy, and Izuku raised his brows. With another melodic chuckle that punched Izuku in the gut, Katsuki shook his head. "Wow, I— I thought you couldn't get cuter than you already are, nerd. But nah. You're fucking adorable."
And Izuku burst into flames once again.
With a bashful squeak, the nerd protested again, his hands slightly antsy in between Katsuki's firm palms. "Kacchan!"
"Baby? Really, nerd?" Bakugou drawled teasingly, bringing back that playful, comfortable spark of taunts and jokes that Izuku really desperately needed right now. "Didn't think you were a romantic at heart, Zuku."
"It slipped out, I swear!" The greenette tried to defend himself, his forehead falling down onto their interlocked hands. "Stop teasing me."
"Nah, I'm holding this over you forever." Bakugou nudged Izuku's head back up and stared right through Izuku's jade eyes, still grinning. "I don't think a nickname like that just 'slips out'."
"Kacchan, I'm serious... I didn't mean it."
"Oh? You didn't?"
"I— I did! But, you know— I— We don't use those kinds of nicknames at all!"
"Who says we can't start using them from now on?"
"Kacchan...!"
"What?" Bakugou pressed on with a big grin and released Izuku's sweaty hands, reaching for Izuku's phone on the night table. Izuku sighed momentarily at the gesture, his head pounding with shame. "You think I can't be as romantic as you are, hah?"
"Kacchan?" Izuku questioned with furrowed brows as Bakugou pressed the volume button on Izuku's phone, the song playing now becoming a little louder than before. It was a gentle, upbeat melody that had a cheerful rhythm to it, making Izuku's cheeks flare up with a blush. The ash blonde cleared his throat and stoop up, the legs of his chair scraping against the concrete of their balcony floor.
The song stretched on with a romantic, pop beat that uplifted their mood, and Izuku wanted to scream out of embarrassment. He watched with big eyes as Katsuki grabbed his hand and yanked the nerd to stand up now, and Izuku forgot how to breathe.
They were so, so close. The smell of cologne and spices invaded his nose as Bakugou chuckled at their proximity, the gentle wave of Katsuki's exhale drafting against his face. Bakugou's hand travelled down across his back, leaving a trail of shivers everywhere his fingers grazed. Izuku straightened his posture out of nervousness as the blonde boy pressed them closer, the hand now resting against Izuku's lower back. The skin underneath Katsuki's palm bloomed with warmth and shivers of unease, and Izuku's eyes glanced up at Bakugou's crimson stare.
"W—What are you...?" Izuku didn't finish his sentence as Bakugou took his other hand, cradling the scarred palm in his bigger one before outstretching their interlocked hands to the side. Izuku recognised this position almost instantly.
And finally, after waiting for too long, Katsuki retorted playfully, his voice quiet and raspy. "What? Never danced with someone before, baby?"
The blondie was using the nickname against him. Jerk.
"I—I, um. Kacchan." He tried to stop the blonde boy by calling his name, but Katsuki was quick to shush the nervous nerd.
"Don't question it, baby. Just trust your gut."
He was going to punch Katsuki in the gut.
Izuku immediately looked down at their feet, noticing just how close their chests were, and then shifted his gaze back up at the taunting male that held him close. And eventually, Katsuki began to move along the melody of the song playing in the background, guiding Izuku with a slow, deliberate step.
Everything else melted off into the background as they moved along the lyrics of the song, and Izuku eventually caught on. After a few nervous steps and shaky sighs, he managed to follow his husband's lead and to properly fit his foot in the empty space of each and every move, their bodies pressed close together. If he focused hard enough, he could feel Katsuki's heart beating wildly, signifying just how nervous the blondie was, as well. And as they swayed to the beat and managed to gain some sort of rhythm in their movements, Izuku started to smile. Slowly but surely, his lips twitched, which Katsuki immediately noticed with a huff, and then the jade eyed boy smiled unabashedly, his cheeks heating up underneath his husband's gentle gaze that always stirred so many feelings inside his heart. And eventually, after minutes of clumsy dancing, swaying and laughing to the stupid pop song on Izuku's phone, Izuku finally admitted that the moment was truly magical.
Their hiccupped giggles and playful jokes filled their balcony with a domestic atmosphere, the dead of night long forgotten thanks to the love their bond emitted with a steady stream. Izuku let go of Bakugou's hand and sneaked his calloused palms up to Bakugou's cheeks, cupping the face of the person he was so devoted to all his life. The male's cheeks fitted perfectly in his hands, which Izuku knew all too well. It was regular for them to hold each others faces, were it be a good morning kiss, a gentle assurance when the other silently wept, or just a warm touch that spoke louder than words, a presence that held more love than any earthly being could muster with their mortal heart.
And Katsuki blushed at the touch, his smirk softening into a dorky smile as Izuku cupped his face, and all Izuku wanted was to frame that smile in the museum of his memories.
"Do you really not mind it?"
Bakugou hummed. "Mind what?"
"The nickname." Izuku mentioned ambiguously, too flustered to repeat the actual word. "Is it... okay with you?"
And then, despite the millions of teasing words he could spit, the taunts and jokes he could throw at the nervous nerd just to catch him off guard and initiate another laughing fit between them, Katsuki paused instead. He reconsidered the intimate moment between them and realised that yeah, he wanted to keep this engraved in his mind forever.
"Izuku." He started, catching Izuku's entire attention with a simple name. Bakugou continued after a brief pause, letting the proximity between them linger in the silence for just a moment more.
"I love you." Katsuki said without missing a beat, throwing Izuku off guard. And then, he continued, his voice quiet and sweet. "Nothing you say could ever make me love you less than I already do. Got it?"
And Izuku's heart soared all over again, reminding him exactly why he fell in love with the blonde boy.
"Yeah." Izuku agreed sheepishly, still nervous and timid. "I love you too, baby."