Archive of Our Own

“Alright, little listeners! Last call for the grocery list for the week!” Present Mic bellows in the dorm common area.

It’s been 2 weeks since Class 1-A finished their move into the dorms. 14 whole days of fumbling around and awkward adjustments as everyone gets used to living with each other full time. Tensions were high, to say the least, after Kamino, and even higher once the provisional exams came around, but now? Things were finally beginning to settle. That was, until Izuku and Katsuki nearly leveled Ground Beta.

Just thinking about the memory makes Izuku’s face ache all over again.

God. Did Kacchan have to grab my face so hard on that last take down? I was already pinned.

Izuku pushes his lip out as he shifts his jaw around, slowly testing the pain. Yup. Still hurts. The deep ache pulls a groan from him while he tries to rub the soreness out. Who is he kidding? When would Katsuki ever pull his punches in a fight? Ugh. Some tiger balm would be great right about now.

Yet, even through the fresh bruises and welts, their relationship’s started to carry a different air afterward. It was as though a fog of bitterness and resentment was finally lifted. Izuku could finally understand what was really hiding underneath it all, swept under the rug for years.

All this time, the pain and tension festered between them, unattended and neglected, but with every exchange of blows and adrenaline-fueled confession came a cathartic release of pent-up emotions. It was like someone threw a can of white paint on their tarnished and dirtied canvas. Their foundation and history was still underneath it all, but it was a chance to start over again.

And it really did feel like starting all over. Kacchan was still the same Kacchan that Izuku grew up with. His childhood friend. The boy next door. But now that all their dirty laundry was aired out and on the table, Izuku didn’t really understand where he stood with him anymore. The rigid line that Katsuki burned into the ground was suddenly blurry, and left in its place was a muddy gray area that Izuku was hesitant to explore. But it didn’t mean he didn’t want to.

“Alrighty! We’re heading out! See you later, players” Mic waves to the rest of the students in the common area. Aizawa quietly shakes his head and buries himself deeper into his scarf as he trails after him. His eyes are half-open and threatening to shut completely by the second. Clearly, he’s not awake enough for Mic’s antics. The two heroes make their way out the door and head out together to the AEON.

“Oh crap,” Izuku mumbles to himself. Of course he’d be so caught up in his head that he misses the chance to add tiger balm to the list.

“Ughhh,” Izuku lets out a deep sigh and massages his sore arms, yet another consequence of his brawl with Katsuki.

“Deku? Are you okay?” Uraraka looks over at Izuku. His pained groan catches her attention.

“Oh! Yeah, yeah. I’m fine,” Izuku quickly covers up as he waves his hands out in front of him, “It’s nothing. Don’t worry!”

“Are your injuries from your fight with Bakugou causing you trouble?” Iida asks, “I know Aizawa-Sensei said for you to find a way to heal yourselves.”

Of course Aizawa told the class rep about what happened between Izuku and Katsuki. As if the house-arrest wasn’t already bad enough.

Izuku lets out a sheepish chuckle and rubs the back of his neck. Avoiding Iida’s gaze, his eyes dart to the side and happen to land on Katsuki. He’s across the living room, mid-conversation with Kirishima and Kaminari in the kitchen. He’s got his signature scowl plastered on his cheeks and is in the middle of what looks like yelling at Kaminari while Kirishima laughs and tries to calm him down. A small pang of jealousy flashes through Izuku’s chest at the ease that Kaminari and Kirishima can interact with Katsuki. It was just another Tuesday for them to be with Katsuki while Izuku could only watch from afar for years.

As if Katsuki could hear Izuku thinking about him, he turns over to Izuku and the two make eye contact. Izuku starts and quickly faces back towards Iida and Uraraka. His cheeks heat up from being caught.

“Um. Yeah…” Izuku admits slowly, dropping his arms to his side, “I’m the tiniest bit achey. That’s all. I meant to add tiger balm to the list before Present Mic left, but I got caught up thinking about something and missed the chance. But I’m good, I swear!”

“Oh! I think I have some left if you’d like?” Uraraka offers happily, flashing him a smile, “I’ll double check and let you know!”

“Are you sure? I’m sorry to be such a bother.” Izuku beams back at her, grateful for her generosity, “Thank you so much! You’re the be— oof!”

Izuku stumbles slightly, bracing himself on Uraraka’s arm and caught off-guard from the sudden impact. He looks up and finds that the culprit is none other than Katsuki. Izuku didn’t even hear him make his way over.

“Quit standing in the middle of the walkway, nerd,” Katsuki grumbles, looking between him and Uraraka before he keeps on walking, continuing to the elevators.

“Sorry, Kacchan,” Izuku looks over at Ochako and quickly pulls his arm back, blushing at the contact, "And sorry, Uraraka! I didn’t mean to grab you.”

“It’s fine, De—”

“Bakugou! I must ask you to be mindful of your classmates! Apologize!” Iida interrupts, his arms wave around wildly in the robotic way that it does when he’s flustered.

“Whatever, 4-eyes! His fault he was in the way!” Katsuki calls back over his shoulder, not even sparing a glance back as he walks through the open elevator doors. Izuku and Uraraka scan around and as it turns out Katsuki was right. The three of them were in fact in the middle of the hallway.

“Agh! How inconsiderate of us! How could I have missed the fact that we are inconveniencing our classmates!” Iida gasps. Izuku and Uraraka share a quick look and burst into laughter at Iida’s reaction.

“Don’t worry, Iida. It was just an accident. We can scoot over,” Uraraka gently offers, tugging the boys to the side a bit by their sleeves.

“Still! It is unbecoming of a class rep to be so blind to my surroundings. Especially in a communal area!”

Izuku lets out another small chuckle and pats Iida on the back. “I’m sure Kacchan will be fine,” he sighs before continuing, “Actually guys. I think I’m gonna head up and get some work done. Gotta try and get going on the paper I’ve been putting off!”

Izuku gives a small wave to Iida and Uraraka who nod in understanding. He turns and heads towards the elevator.

“Goodbye, Midoriya! Best of luck on your paper. I’m sure you will produce impeccable work!”

“See you later, Deku! I’ll let you know if I find the tiger balm!”

“Thanks! See ya guys!” He calls back, just as the elevator doors open.

He throws his friends one more parting wave as he steps inside. Izuku clicks on the button for the second floor and leans back against the elevator wall. He’s been putting off this paper for a few days now. It was too much to think about on top of everything that’s happened recently. Especially his intense fight with Katsuki. Yet, here he is facing the consequences of his procrastination. On top of his consequences for every other decision too.

Ding!

The doors open to the second floor and Izuku drags himself over to his room. He trudges his feet and stares holes through the floor. He lets out a deep groan as he thinks about how much work he has to do tonight. Research. Outlining. Writing. Editing. Citations. He definitely should’ve chipped away at it earlier in the week.

Right as he makes it to his door, he spots a small container sitting at the base of the doorway. Izuku bends down and picks it up, inspecting the glass jar in his hands. It’s tiger balm. He turns it over and finds that the seal is completely in tact. The jar is brand new.

Izuku looks down both ends of the hallway for Uraraka, but there’s no sign of her anywhere. He has no idea how she got here so fast and before him. Or why she dropped it off instead of handing it to him and talking to him in person, but he just shrugs and decides to let it go. His mind is too full with the stress of his essay to try and reason it out.

He shoves the door with a grunt and makes his way inside.

“Hm. Might as well apply this now before I sit on my butt for a few hours,” Izuku mutters to himself.

He twists the seal off of the tiger balm and scoops some out between his fingers. He starts up and reaches under his sweater, working it from the tops of his shoulders and down the rest of his arms. The cold weather and old injuries makes the new ache that much deeper. He feels the strain of the fight deep in his bones. As he continues to massage it in, the warm menthol smell fills his room. Both the massage and tiger balm work seamlessly in tandem, and Izuku feels some of the pain alleviate immediately.

He’s in the middle of rubbing it into one of his wrists when a soft knock interrupts him.

“Coming!” Izuku cries out, standing up from the edge of his bed. He takes the jar with him as he walks over to the door, wiping off the excess tiger balm from his fingers on any open skin on his arms.

Izuku unlocks the door and it swings open to reveal Uraraka waiting for him.

“Oh, Uraraka! Thanks for—”

“Deku! I found—”

They both pause for a second before bursting out in giggles. Izuku lifts his hand and gestures at her, motioning for her to go first.

“Guess great minds think alike,” Uraraka’s bright brown eyes crinkle from her laughter. She glances down at something in her hands and looks back up to Izuku, “Anyways! I have a bit of tiger balm left from my last spar. I hope it’s enough.”

She holds her hand out and offers it to Izuku.

Izuku’s eyebrows furrow as he looks down at the tiger balm that’s already in his own hand. He slowly raises it up and shows her the new glass jar sitting in his palm. Uraraka’s eyebrows shoot up at the sight. She tilts her head as she looks the jar over.

“Wait. I was just about to thank you for bringing it over so fast. This isn’t from you?” Izuku asks.

“Nope, not mine.” Uraraka shakes her head as she eyes the jar Izuku is holding.

“I don’t use that brand, but I’ve heard it’s super good, just way more expensive and you have to order it from overseas!”

Izuku’s mind immediately starts up at her words. Who on earth is this from then? The only people who knew he needed some were Uraraka and Iida. How did this end up at his door?

“How weird,” is all he says as he rolls the jar back and forth in his palms, “But thank you still, Uraraka! Sorry to trouble you and make you come all this way!”

“Don’t worry about it, Deku!” she responds in her cheery and bright voice like always, waving off his thanks, “It’s no problem at all!”

She gives him a big smile and he smiles cheerfully back at her, thankful for her selfless friendship. Ochako leans into get a closer look at the label of the jar. Her head tilts side to side as she looks it over.

“It’s just, this brand of tiger balm. I swear I’ve seen it at—Ah!” she exclaims suddenly, eyes widening as she snaps and points to the jar, “I remember now! I’ve seen someone use this tiger balm before actually! Just once.”

“Really? When?”

“After one of our trainings at the summer camp, I swear Bakugou was the one who I saw using that brand after our individual sessions that day!”

Izuku gawks at the information. His jaw drops to the floor and his eyebrows shoot to his hairline. There’s no way.

“Yeah! Yeah!” Uraraka doubles down, “I was asking Mina about how her training went that day when I looked over and saw him using some while he was talking to Kirishima!”

“Kacchan? You’re sure?”

“Yes, Deku! I swear I’m sure! Mina was the one who pointed out how expensive the brand was before I looked it up and saw it for myself. I had never even heard of it before then.”

“May-Maybe it’s just a coincidence because Kacchan would definitely not be the one to leave this for me. He didn’t even know I needed it!” Izuku stammers as he shakes his head, refusing to believe it.

Uraraka narrows her eyes at Izuku and gives him a funny look for a few seconds.

“Ehhhh,” she draws out and it’s all she says before she shrugs. The corner of her lip pulls up the slightest bit and a mischievous glint appears in her brown eyes that Izuku knows all too well.

“What!” Izuku cries out, “I’m serious! He would never.”

She does nothing but squint her eyes further at Izuku.

Her smile grows sharper on her lips as she takes a deep breath. She looks at Izuku, glancing back and forth between his big green eyes.

“Urarakaaaa,” Izuku whines as he throws his hands up.

“You know, Deku,” she says simply, “Bakugou’s been surprising us all lately. Maybe this is him turning over a new leaf. Never say never here.”

Izuku’s pinches his nose bridge as he tries to work through her words, but his face must show he’s still at a loss. Uraraka giggles again in front of him and shakes her head gently. She turns and begins to walk back to the elevator.

“Or maybe I don’t know anything and I’m dead wrong. Who knows,” she gives a quick glance back at Izuku who is still stupefied and frozen in his doorway. It makes her laugh all over again before she turns back towards the elevator, “See you tomorrow, Deku! Good luck on your paper and don’t think too hard.”

Izuku sighs deeply at his doorway as his head drops to his chest, but he waves her off.

“Too late. Goodbye, Uraraka,” he says, drained from thinking so hard.

He looks back up and watches her enter the elevator as the numbers climb higher while she makes her way back up the dorm building. Why do girls always have to speak in riddles? They’re so cryptic sometimes.

Izuku lets out a deep breath. He reaches for the handle and shuts the door behind him. He turns back around to face his room, staring absentmindedly at the space before him. Too many things to think about. Not enough brain space for it right now.

“Kacchan might’ve left this for me?” He looks back down at the jar again in his hands. Top of the line tiger balm and a full new jar of it. It was exactly what Izuku needed and more. When would Katsuki have even put it there? How did he even know Izuku needed it? Izuku looks it over one last time before he sets it down on his desk.

He trudges over to his book bag in the corner of the room. A grunt escapes him as he hauls it over his shoulder and drags it back to his desk and dinky table lamp. Izuku plops roughly into his rigid wooden chair and braces himself as he lugs his laptop, textbooks, notes, and every other paper under the sun out of his backpack. They dump out all over the desk in front of him. He steels himself to grind out the tedious essay, but all of the shuffling knocks the jar over and it rolls back into his lap.

Izuku lets out a scoff as he carefully sets it back down in the corner of the desk. The idea that Katsuki would not only notice Izuku, but also do something about it for him is so foreign. It makes Izuku’s stomach flip. Anxiety and curiosity wrestle in his brain and the intensity of their match makes Izuku the real loser.

But it’s not all bad. Somewhere in the mess of questions and thoughts is a tiny piece of hope that peeks its head out. A glimpse of excitement as timid as a deer in the forest, ready to flee at the first sign of danger. Yet, Izuku can’t help and wish that this is the first step for him and Kacchan to be okay again.

Izuku yanks open his laptop and shakes himself out of his head as the screen boots on, sinking deeper into the stiff chair. Homework waits for nobody and he’s spent too long thinking about everything else but his assignments today.

The spinny wheel of internet death pops up as the log-in page loads and Izuku watches it swirl. His reflection looks idly back at him in the black screen. It’s been a weird day.

29 days. 14 hours. 35 minutes. Almost a month since Izuku has been back to UA. Almost a month since he last saw his mother, his friends, his teachers. Two weeks since he’s seen Endeavor, Hawks, or Jeanist. And nearly a week since he’s seen All-Might. The last time before he went completely off the grid.

Izuku sneaks from rooftop to rooftop, mindless and instinctive, hidden by the darkness of the night and the blanket of rain. Not like anyone could see him right now anyways. The city is dark and deserted. All the people are gone, having fled for safety at UA or Shiketsu or any other shelter that would take them in.

All because Izuku is too weak. Everything he is isn’t enough and it will be never be enough unless he hunts down every last villain that wreaks havoc on the country.

It’s his fault that they’re terrorizing Japan anyways. This is nothing but his duty and responsibility. To clean up the mess he made and the blood he’s spilled. It’s why he was given such power in the first place.

Izuku continues to leap between the shadows as his body screams from exhaustion, begs him to stop. He’s fueled by nothing but adrenaline and grit, but he can’t stop now. Not when he feels it, deep in his gut, that he’s on the cusp of finding Shigaraki and All for One.

The last hired gun was strong, a bit more informed than the one before. Got a good hold on Izuku’s arm before Izuku took him down though. But it’s okay. He can push through. He has to. Not for himself, but for the people he loves. For the sake of everyone else to have a brighter future.

Izuku can bear it.

There is no stronghold left for him to go to. Not after telling All-Might he doesn’t need him anymore. Not when he decided to abandon everything and everyone he knows, pushing them away from the fire that consumes everything around them. So he keeps moving.

It was too risky for them to keep following him around. Danger and failure track Izuku down no matter where he goes. They nip at his heels and bare their fangs in hopes he’ll finally succumb to their claws. The other heroes, the innocent people, his friends, and his family. They don’t need to be in their reach alongside him. So if leaving them keeps them safe. Even if they hate him for it or can’t understand why. Izuku will choose to be the bad guy in their eyes. Yet another burden he must shoulder because he’s proven he can’t be their hero anyways.

Although, it’s all starting to catch up to Izuku. His stomach gnaws at itself as he swings between buildings, and the hunger migraine won’t stop pounding away against the walls of his skull. His vision blurs and he folds into himself when a particularly sharp pain stabs at his stomach, forcing him to take a moment of reprieve. He looks around and launches his body to the highest rooftop he can see.

Izuku pants, nauseous and weak as he kneels on one knee by the edge of a roof and shakes off his hood to get some fresh air. He tucks himself into a corner to avoid being caught, but stays close enough to the edge that he can leave at a moment’s notice if he feels Danger Sense go off. He goes to dig through his supplies.

The rain continues to pour down and wash over him as he does. It’s cold. Izuku looks up to the sky, letting the water run down his cheeks and drip off his face. He closes his eyes for a moment, and succumbs to the rain. He hopes it’ll wash his sins away. He wants to scrub at his skin until it’s raw and fresh and new, leaving no trace of the scars that brand him. But it’s okay if it doesn't. He’ll be absolved eventually once he finds Shigaraki and takes him down. He will be forgiven then, and the weight of his cross will finally be lifted.

He can’t feel anything through his gloves so he yanks one off between his teeth. Trying to fumble through the pockets of his belt. The dirt. The sweat. The blood. The violence. Layered upon each other to the point that they bury his hero costume underneath. They cast a thick film on his tongue. The bitter taste of it all coats Izuku’s mouth.

Izuku ignores it. He swallows it down and keeps searching for a protein bar. He flips over pocket after pocket after pocket.

Empty. Empty. Empty.

“Crap,” Izuku mumbles around the glove.

He sighs and takes it out of his mouth. He must’ve finished the last one yesterday. The day before? He doesn’t know anymore. Time’s starting to blur together at this point. All he knows is it’s been over 2 days since he’s really slept besides a quick nap here or there, but the anxiety and fear never let him truly rest.

He exhales deeply again, resting an arm on his knee as he scans over the city, haphazardly wiping rain out of his eyes. He doesn’t even know where he’s at. He just knows he has to keep moving. Keep going if he wants to find Shigaraki before he finds Izuku.

Izuku peers over the edge to try and figure out which direction he should head to next when something glints in the moonlight and catches his eye. He squints to get a better look in the dark.

Somehow, in the middle of desolation and destruction and despair, a metallic blue slide has managed to stay erect. It’s surrounded by bent rebar and crushed remains of a playground. It survived, charred but standing against the desolation that Shigaraki has left in his wake. Izuku feels the guilt wash over him, colder than the rain falling from above. To think, countless innocent children could be playing, learning, growing, but no. Izuku couldn’t be strong enough to stop him. He let it all be uprooted. He ruined the lives of so many people who never asked to be a part of it all.

His appetite vanishes and the nausea crashes back over him like a tsunami. The tears well up in Izuku’s eyes as he abandons his search for food and yanks his glove back on. How could he be so useless and waste time on something trivial like eating when the situation is as dire as it is. He flexes his fingers and looks down at the grime dirtying his fist. His head continues to pound but his heart pounds harder. Faster.

He needs to leave. His body buzzes as he prepares himself to flee from the proof of his failure and drag himself back on the path of repentance. He tries to push himself up on his feet, but his vision is blurred from the tears and his body is heavy from hunger and the rain is making him so, so very cold. It’s as though there’s no warmth left inside him.

Too much. It’s too much.

Izuku stumbles back down to his knees, as his breathing becomes more labored. His body is crying for rest, but it goes unheard.

Off of the roof. Off. Get off. Now.

His mind is fuzzy and heavy, and the tears start to spill over and run down his face, but he won’t allow himself to cry. Not when there is so much to do. Not when the job isn’t done. His hood hides the tears, buries them so he can still put on a facade of courage to keep going.

He fires up Full Cowling and Blackwhip and shoots for anywhere else but here.

He lets his quirks pull his body, releasing control and leaving them to lead the way because he can’t trust himself to do so right now. But the fatigue and lack of food are still fighting against him. He falters mid-air and it costs him. Izuku misses the corner of a building on the next swing and down he falls. This time straight to the ground.

It happens so fast. In the blink of an eye he goes from existing high up in the air to free-falling into the earth below. He manages to brace himself with a few tendrils of Blackwhip before he crashes, but he still hits the pavement with a bang.

“Oof,” the air is knocked out from Izuku’s lungs as he smacks onto the concrete, but he rolls into the momentum to try and soften the blow.

He lands on his stomach, sprawled out between pieces of broken cement and metal. Izuku lets out a pained groan as he lifts himself to his elbows and looks around, trying to gain his bearings once again.

Fate has a way of being cruel. And like everyone else, Izuku is her favorite target. He comes face to face with the blue slide, only five feet away from him. The light from the moon reflects off of it and shines straight at Izuku, spotlighting him on the stage in his performance to an empty theater.

Izuku’s chest tightens further. The guilt, the shame, the sadness, all weigh down on his lungs and he can’t fill them back up. The rain continues to pour around him, drumming against the ruins and echoing in his ears, chilling him to his very core. His body aches and his brain just won’t. Shut. Up. It’s too much.

Izuku weakly crawls forward, aching from the fall. He needs to get it together, but his strength fails him again. With nowhere else to go and not enough power to move back to the rooftop, Izuku decides the least he can do is get out of the rain. Get dry so that he can think enough to recoup.

He pulls himself forward and forces his way under the slide. It was meant for elementary school kids, so he has to stay low to the ground, but it’ll do for now. Izuku drags himself fully underneath and breathes a small sigh of relief now that the rain is no longer soaking into him.

He moves to sit upright when he bumps a small muddy container. It looks like a kid’s lunch box.

Shame. Shame. Shame.

It tears Izuku apart as the bile rises at the back of his throat from yet another sign of the life that the people had. From back then before he let it all be stripped away from them. His heartbeat picks up before something else halts his breath entirely and shocks him out of his thoughts.

He actually recognizes this lunch box.

Izuku swipes to clear away the cover design and the reveal makes him gasps.

He’s right. It really is a limited edition All-Might lunchbox. The authentic merch from the 12th anniversary movie re-release in theaters. Kacchan used to have one back when they were kids. Izuku remembers the day he brought it to school and showed it off to him, one of the last memories he had before middle school.

Izuku carefully grabs for it and is even more surprised when he realizes it’s heavy and full. He gently sets it in his lap between his crossed legs and flips the metal switch holding it closed. It pops off with a click and opens to reveal water bottles, protein bars, a few rolls of gauze, and energy gels.

Izuku’s eyes widen behind his mask as he runs his hands slowly over all of the items. He pulls them out and looks them over, making sure that what he sees is real and not some kind of pain-hunger-fatigue-induced illusion. The shock doesn’t leave him as he finds that they’re not a figment of his imagination but completely intact and new and exactly what he needs. He immediately rips his hood off over his head and opens a water bottle, downing half of it in one go.

Izuku gasps as he pulls it away from his lips. It drips down the side of his mouth, mixing with the rain drops that cling to his cheeks. He swallows deep breaths of air, immediately feeling the relief of water in his system. His stomach doesn’t fail to remind him of his hunger and growls again, so he rushes to satiate it with a protein bar. He frantically digs through the lunch box when something falls out of the side, knocked out by his search. Izuku looks over and spots something small on the floor. A dirty piece of paper, folded up neatly and worn on the edges. It’s slightly wet from the rain seeping through the lunch box but mostly unscathed.

Izuku picks it up and tries to clean off the mud a bit, rubbing it carefully on his pants. He slowly unfolds it with his shaky hands, curious as to what he stumbled on. He opens it and his heart sinks like an anchor in the open sea when he recognizes the handwriting.

“I don’t know why I thought of it, but figured there’d be a chance you’d come back to the shitty park we went to as brats. Like the damn idiot you are. No rice balls this time. Don’t know how long this will sit here. Or if you’ll ever find it. Get your ass back to UA, Deku. And if you don’t listen then maybe these will be useful. Don’t do this shit alone, dumbass.

- Baku. Dynam. Kats. Kacch .”

A shaky breath leaves Izuku as he turns and lowers his head to look at the bottom of the slide, close to the ground. At an eye-level he can no longer see from anymore. There, worn down from curious little hands and faded by time, is the “K” and “I” etched in horrible writing from unpracticed strokes. Left behind by hands that were too small to be steady. Before quirks and duties and responsibilities that they now have to carry. Izuku trembles as he raises his hand and gently brushes over the letters that he and Katsuki left. An ode to their future hero agency: the “Kacchan and Izuku Hero Agency.” An undeniable proof of their existence. A promise to the future they believed in with each other.

Oh, Kacchan. Izuku’s eyes well up again.

Izuku can’t help but remember when the two of them were small, little legs with skinned knees carrying them far. Big hearts full of dreams to soar in the clouds and be heroes just like All-Might. When the villains they battled were just their mothers chasing them around the playground to go home for dinner. Izuku remembers running as hard as he could after Katsuki while he raced off into the trees, unafraid of the older kids or the scary tales of children that ran off too far from home.

But Izuku remembers the slide most fondly. He and Kacchan trying to ride down as fast as they could, hoping the momentum would shoot them high in the air so they could touch the sky like All-Might. The blue slide was much taller back then. It was the perfect home base for the “Kacchan and Izuku Hero Agency” that they ran together.

“Izuku!” Kacchan calls, running up to where Izuku was waiting for him, dangling his feet off the bottom of the slide, “Look what I got!”

His pauses and slowly pulls a shiny tin lunch box from behind his back. Kacchan’s smile is as big as the one that All-Might has. The one that’s plastered over the lid of the box. Kacchan places his hands on his hips in the same pose that All-Might stood in too, copying it to a T.

“What do you think, Izuku?”

Time feels like it freezes as Izuku’s absorbs the moment. The stars twinkle in his eyes while he looks at Kacchan in awe and wonder. He feels it all. The warm metal under him. The bright sun and clear skies. It’s the first time that Izuku ever truly felt that Kacchan could grow up and be a hero. Would be one. Just as great as All-Might.

“Oh, Kacchan!,” Izuku yells, jumping to his feet excitedly, “You’re so cool! You look just like All-Might when you do that! I can’t believe you got the limited edition lunch box! Can I see? Can I see? Pleaseeeeee!”

“Wait, Izuku,” Kacchan yells, holding Izuku back with an arm, “I’ll show you what’s inside in our home base. It’s top secret!”

He runs forward under the slide, trusting and believing that Izuku would be right behind him. And Izuku does, because where could Kacchan go that Izuku would not follow?

They settle into the wood chips, knees bumping and elbows brushing because their spatial awareness is nonexistent, especially when excitement takes over their tiny bodies.

Kacchan turns and looks over at Izuku, grinning with excitement, “Ready?”

Izuku shakes his head fervently, “Ready, Kacchan!”

Kacchan’s big smile somehow grows even bigger at Izuku’s and he pops open the lunch box. It’s bursting at the seams with juice pouches, rice balls, candies, and a little note signed by Mitsuki and Inko wishing for them to enjoy their meal.

“Jackpot!” Kacchan yells as he fishes out the rice balls. There’s three of them, still warm and lumpy and so clearly shaped by a mother’s hands. He shoves one over into Izuku’s palms before he takes one out for himself.

They greedily bite into them, stuffing their cheeks full of seaweed and rice.

“These are so yummy, Kacchan!” Izuku squeals, swallowing down the last bite of his own.

“Ma makes them with furikake and a sprinkle of sugar. That’s the secret,” Kacchan puts a finger up to his lips to emphasize the point, “You can’t tell anyone.”

“I promise, Kacchan,” Izuku nods seriously, swearing on everything he knows.

“Pinky-promise me.”

“Pinky-promise,” the two hook pinkies and nod once at each other, eyes locked and full of sincerity.

There’s one more rice ball left in the bag and they both reach for it, flinching when they notice that the other wants it. They pull back their arms quickly into their own laps.

“Um, you can have it,” Kacchan says sheepishly, he reluctantly offers it to Izuku but he can’t take his eyes off of them, revealing that he doesn’t fully want to give it up.

“No! You have it Kacchan. It’s yours,” Izuku pushes it back into Kacchan’s lap.

“Hah? I eat it all the time and you want it. Just eat it!” Kacchan’s head jolts back in shock before he shoves it into Izuku’s hands.

“No! It’s Aunty’s secret recipe! I can’t!’ Izuku yells back, placing them into the tin instead.

“Take it!”

Shove.

“No!”

Push.

“Yes!”

“No, Kacchan!”

“Why won’t you listen to me!” Kacchan grabs the rice ball bag and throws it at Izuku out of frustration, hitting him square in the nose before he even realizes what he’s done. Izuku’s hands fly up to cover his nose as they both freeze.

They stare at each other in silence, eyes wide until Izuku’s eyes start to turn glassy.

“Kacchan,” he warbles, sniffling his tears back as best as he can, but he can’t help it and they fall anyways.

“That hurt,” Izuku whimpers, rubbing his tears out of his eyes while he continues to cry.

Kacchan just stares at him. He has his scowl on and his hackles raised at Izuku while he huffs, but there’s worry in his eyes. Fear in his eyelashes. He’s scared. Izuku continues to sob while Kacchan is still frozen in his spot, watching him try and stop himself from crying anymore.

“I-I didn’t mean to,” Kacchan says softly through his teeth as he tries to keep his scowl steady. He doesn’t stop staring at Izuku, “I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“B-but,” Izuku hiccups from his sobs and he shakes his head, “But i-it still did, Kacchan.”

Katsuki doesn’t respond. He hangs his head in shame, retreating into himself as he fidgets with the lunch box in his lap, peeking at Izuku from the corner of his eyes every so often. The silence continues as Izuku starts to try and dry his eyes with his shirt.

“Stop crying, Izuku. I’m…” Katsuki gets stuck on his words before he glances at Izuku through his bangs, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it,” Katsuki repeats, trying to get Izuku to understand his anger. To understand what he means when he explodes and forgets his hands are capable of hurt. To be in his brain when the words don’t come out right and his actions burst from his body before he can stop them and all he can do is watch as Izuku gets caught in the blast.

“Do-Don’t do it again please, Kacchan. It’s okay,” Izuku says as he sniffles through uneven breaths. The apology makes him feel better and his nose hurt a little less. He tries to smile through the sting. It’s a shaky and warbly thing, but he still tries anyways, “Thank you for saying sorry.”

Katsuki still avoids looking at Izuku, refusing to lift his head. His cheeks are flushed and he won’t stop picking at the plastic on the juice pouches. Izuku starts to feel guilty for making Kacchan feel bad. He already said sorry, so it’s okay now.

Izuku slowly picks up the rice ball from the ground and takes it out from the bag. He takes it in his shaky hands and rips it down the middle as best as he can. He looks over at Katsuki.

“Here. I forgive you. We can share it, Kacchan.” Izuku places the smushed and wonky half-of-a-rice ball into one of Katsuki’s hands, not letting go until he feels Katsuki take a hold of it, “Heroes have to eat a lot to grow big and strong.”

Katsuki looks into Izuku’s eyes, wide with shock and confusion. Izuku looks at him, hoping he understands that he is still Izuku’s future hero partner. His playmate. His best friend.

Izuku turns away and faces forward, looking out to the world beyond their hideout. The kids running around, chasing after each other, and laughing hard and bright while they play. He looks back down at the rice ball in his hands and brings it up to his mouth, chewing it slowly this time. He wants to savor the rice ball instead of rushing through it like earlier.

“Izuku,” Izuku pauses mid-chew and looks over to Katsuki who is now standing up and is holding his pinky out towards Izuku, “I have another pinky promise to make.”

It’s trembling ever so slightly but he has his big All-Might smile on, so reassuring and so determined to little Izuku. He takes the bit of rice ball Izuku gave him and shoves it all in his mouth in one go.

Izuku gasps as his jaw drops, “Kacchan! You’ll choke!”

Katsuki yells at him around the rice in his mouth, grains flying out as he does, “I promise that once I’m big and strong, a hero like All-Might, you won’t ever get hurt again. Okay?”

Izuku’s eyes sparkle in awe as he gasps softly. Kacchan is so amazing. He is so strong and gets back up so fast. He really is going to be just like All-Might.

“Okay! I promise too, Kacchan!” Izuku says back, jumping to his feet and raising his pinky up to meet him, “We’ll save each other and we’ll beat them together! We’re gonna be the best heroes ever!”

How did their dream end up like this?

Izuku refused to allow himself to think about Katsuki the entire time he has been on his own. Denied himself the memories he wishes to find comfort in. Can’t. Not when his brain replays the moment Katsuki dove in front of the spikes for Izuku, impaled and bleeding and on the brink of death because of Izuku’s shortcomings in a permanent loop behind his eyes. Why couldn’t Izuku have been stronger? Been sharper? Powerful enough or fast enough or smart enough or anything enough to keep him safe. To keep anyone safe. And here Katsuki goes, saving him again and again when Izuku can’t get up on his own.

Izuku’s face crumples and he finally sobs, all-encompassing and guttural, but completely silent. He doesn’t wail because it’ll give away his position but still, he sobs. He holds the note close to his chest as the pain splits his heart in two and the emotions he’s pushed away for so long come crashing down. He chokes on his sobs and hiccups through breaths that aren’t enough and will never be enough for his lungs.

He curls in as his shoulders shake from how hard he cries, cradling the lunch box in his lap, so desperately trying to protect it from the rain. From the evil and the destruction that tries so hard to tear it all down. Izuku can do it. He can’t save everyone, but he can do this. Protect this precious gift from the world for a little bit. Give his body to keep it safe. It’s the least he can do.

Eventually, the full-body sobs slow down as Izuku tires himself out. He trembles through shallow breaths as he pulls his knees to his chest, enveloping the lunch box in between as he cradles himself. His hunger, once again forgotten, as the pain of guilt and grief for what once was takes over his body. He slowly rocks back and forth, trying to soothe himself as the rain drowns out his tears, still clutching onto the lifeline Katsuki left for him.

Izuku trembles in his own hold. Small, oh so small. The same way he used to when he was younger: lost and scared and finding refuge under the slide until Katsuki comes to save him. Until he takes Izuku’s hand and walks him to better adventures. And years later, he finds himself here again. Still a boy. Still lost. Still scared. And still under the slide, but no one to hold his hand this time.

“Izuku! Get your ass moving or I’m leaving without you!”

“Coming, Kacchan. Sorry!” Izuku scrambles to put on his winter-coat as he runs into the common area. He looks over to the kitchen where a fluttering white note catches his eye from the communal fridge.

“Wait! You forgot the list!” Izuku calls out, making a pit stop to snag the grocery list from the magnet on the fridge.

“If the extras didn’t tell me to my face then I ain’t grabbing crap,” huffs Katsuki as he turns around and strolls out of the dorm building, “They want something so bad they can do the grocery shopping then.”

Every weekend, two members of Class 3-A would handle the task of grocery shopping for the rest of the class. It’s only for non-necessities or additional food outside of the meals that Lunch Rush offers. The errand was originally one that their teachers took care of, but as the students grew older it was decided that they could take it over. Initially, the school implemented it as a practical lesson to reinforce the importance of budgeting and financial responsibility.

However, in their final year at UA, it’s evolved into more than just an errand. Post-war, it became a routine that gave an illusion of normalcy for the veteran students. A chance to step into the civilian world and live like regular people for a brief moment. It was a taste of the simple life after the horrifying battle that aged them well beyond their years.

Of course, with it still being a school-sanctioned task, Iida and Yaoyorozu established a fool-proof system for their shopping endeavors. If you want something to be bought, it must be written down and added to the communal grocery list in the kitchen. Everything on the list would then be picked up by the shoppers on the Saturday trip.

“Yeah, but it’s our turn to go shopping this week, Kacchan,” Izuku argues back, slowing down to match Katsuki’s pace, “We’re responsible to get everything on the list. You know this.”

Izuku yawns as he catches his breath, “But I still don’t get why we have to leave so early in the morning.”

He inhales slowly as his pace evens out, but the cold makes his breath hitch in his chest. The frigid winter air makes Izuku snuggle deeper into his coat and scarf. The snow has been relentless lately. He’s got ear muffs, a beanie, gloves, and every other piece of winter apparel you can imagine, but the chill still hits bone-deep. Izuku peeks at Katsuki who is bundled up just as bad. He looks like a giant fluffy orange and black blob against the stark white landscape around them.

“That’s because the only thoughts in your head are about hero nerd crap,” Katsuki starts, his breath puffs with every word, “We gotta get there early when they put out the fresh food for the morning sales. Those damn old geezers are probably foaming through their dentures for the half-off pork and beef already. Fuck, walk faster nerd.”

The unexpected explanation makes Izuku burst out laughing next to Katsuki who speeds up his pace.

“Kacchan!” he squeezes out between laughs as he trails after a speed-walking Katsuki, “You’re like an old man! Why do you even know that?”

Katsuki looks over at Izuku incredulously and curls his lip, “Hah? Why don’t you know that, you nerd? No wonder you eat all that processed crap. Shit’s all gone by the time you get there.”

“Hey! I eat them because they’re fast and convenient,” Izuku argues back, leaning in to nudge Katsuki in the shoulder, “The All-Might noodles are the best! And they always come with a sticker in the packs…” he grumbles, but he’s still all dimples and teeth.

“Liar. You eat them because you can’t cook,” Katsuki fires back, shoving his head away with no intention other than pushing Izuku over, “And I’d bet good money that you already have all the stickers ten times over considering how often you eat that shit.”

“I can cook! And I will not confirm or deny the stickers,” Izuku arms flail about as he tries to catch his balance, trying to avoid falling into the snow bank, “I mean maybe they’ll have the new limited edition pack. Probably not though, they’ve been sold out everywhere.

Katsuki looks over at him completely deadpan, not even bothering to stop his stroll, “Really. You think you can cook?”

Of course. Katsuki only heard that part of Izuku’s ramble.

“Okay, so I can sorta cook,” Izuku mumbles as he frowns and wrinkles his nose at Katsuki, but it comes out as more of a pout than he means to.

“Pinocchio, your nose get any fucking bigger and you’re gonna poke people in the eye with that shit,” Katsuki rolls his eyes, but his signature smirk grows bigger on his face.

Izuku lets out a snort, “You’re the actual worst, Kacch—Oh! We’re here!”

The bright pink AEON sign comes into view as the two make their way through the front doors. The hustle and bustle of the early morning crowd in the grocery market fills the air as they step inside. It’s a familiar and warm welcome for the two as the rickety heater blasts dry air down their necks in the doorway. Workers are busy stocking up shelves while old men and old ladies are perusing through the aisles, hunting for the next best bargain.

“Told you,” Katsuki says as he grabs a cart and nods ahead at the elderly shoppers, “These old folks are basically sharks and there’s blood and guts in the water, nerd.”

“So dramatic, Kacchan,” Izuku snorts as he grabs his own cart as well. There are so many students in 3-A that one cart is nowhere near enough for all of the items, even if these are just extra supplies they’re shopping for.

“Whatever,” Katsuki waits for Izuku before he makes his way to the meat section, “Buckle up. This is gonna make the war look like child’s play.”

Izuku genuinely laughs, full and bright. The war was still a heavy topic, and the scar it left was a deep one. Yet, it was nice to think that they were healing enough to be able to mention it without feeling like the world will crumble down around them. Izuku looks over at Katsuki and nods, his eyes full of conviction. He waves for him to lead the way. Katsuki smirks and nods back and off they go. Soldiers heading into the frontline for premium pork belly.

4 arms of snacks, 2 full carts, and 1 fiery argument with a particularly aggressive old lady that Izuku had to physically drag Katsuki away from later, and the shopping is finally complete. There were so many requests on the list that the two of them had to eventually split up at one point to try and get out of the grocery store in under 2 hours.

“What’d I fucking say, Izuku. These old people are ruthless. Hiding nothing but anger and bitterness under each wrinkle,” Katsuki’s arms completely full, bags held to his chest and dangling from his wrists, “Swear on the hag that if you didn’t pull me away from that last old lady I would’ve blasted her ass to beyond.”

Izuku laughs at the sight, but he’s not any better off. He’s got about 6 bags of groceries in his own arms too. Both of them are huffing around in their winter gear as they make their way back to the dorms.

“Don’t threaten the elderly, Kacchan!”

“The elderly can suck my—”

“Kacchan!”

Katsuki mutters something along the lines of “whatever, fucking old people” but Izuku ignores it for the sake of getting back home in one piece and keeps on talking.

“I don’t know what you guys were fighting about, but I’m glad I showed up when I did,” Izuku pants as he balances all the bags, “You know, let’s ask Yaoyorozu to see if she can make us a wagon or cart next time.'“

“Or everyone can chill out with the orders,” Katsuki huffs, his usual graceful self absent as he wobbles and teeters under all the bags.

As per usual, it was a competition of who could carry the most bags. They bickered the entire time they were loading themselves up after checking out. Technically speaking, Katsuki has more bags in quantity: seven total. But, Izuku has the heavier liquid items in his six bags. They begrudgingly settled on a draw out of the principle of it all.

However, the cashier did eye them nervously while the two argued their way out of the store. Both with more in their arms than what should be humanly possible.

“I mean seriously,” Katsuki goes on, “Did we have to get even more lip balm? I thought we just bought 4 big-ass packs last week! What’re they doing? Eating them?”

Izuku giggles, “It’s cold, Kacchan! We’re going through them like crazy because of the snow and wind.”

“Okay then. Explain the 2-gallon bottle of soy sauce.”

“Sushi Wednesdays! Duh!”

“We a fucking sushi restaurant?! Whatever. The big-ass tub of butter?”

“Sato is making Eri’s birthday cake tomorrow. It’s caramel apple flavored so it needs a lot of butter.”

“And a fucking bakery while we’re at it. For fuck’s sake. 3 whole-ass watermelons? They’re not even in season!”

“I like watermelon?” Izuku asks weakly, sheepish smile aimed at Katsuki.

“I’ll kill you,” Katsuki says flatly as he pauses for a second. He hikes all the bags up, shifting them higher in his arms before he continues walking, “Of course, when we’re in charge of shopping everyone has to order the whole store.”

“I mean look, Kacchan,” Izuku wobbles, his laughter is throwing off his focus to not face plant into the snow-covered sidewalk, “I do feel like we have more bags than normal, but think about how happy everyone’s gonna be that we got it all!”

"Yeah, yeah. Shitting rainbows and butterflies outta everyone’s asses. C’mon, nerd. I’m freezing my balls off,” is all Katsuki says as they make their way into the gate to UA. The two pad over steadily to the dorms, heavy footsteps muffled by the snow. Katsuki kicks the door open with his foot and it swings against the wall with a bang. Izuku winces a bit. Iida is totally gonna flip if they dent the wall a third time.

“Oi!” Katsuki yells gruffly into the building, “Come help us put away your shit!”

“We’re back, everyone!” Izuku cries out as bright as always.

A few students begin to pop out from all corners of the common area. Iida and Ochako make their way over from the dining table with Todoroki in trail as Kirishima, Mina, and Jirou walk in from down the hall.

“Sup, bros!”

“Midoriya. Bakugou. Glad to see your efforts were fruitful and you returned to us safely.”

“Blasty! Midoriya! Did you guys find my conditioner?”

“Did they have soba noodles?”

“Enough yapping,” Katsuki barks but there’s no real bite in his tone, “Grab your crap.”

With all of them working together, the unloading process goes by much faster. They split up the bags, organizing through perishables for the fridge, canned goods and snacks for the pantries, and all the personal items that people ordered by floor for delivery. In less than twenty minutes, the kitchen is back to its spotless and organized state. Thank goodness because Katsuki would have blown a gasket if anyone messed up his (the class’) kitchen.

Everyone else starts to trickle away with their goodies, dropping off the personal orders to their rooms while Izuku and Katsuki finish up the last part of their shopping: prepping all of the ingredients. It’s an unofficial task that nobody else does because a.) Katsuki doesn’t trust anyone else not to mess it up and b.) Izuku protested Katsuki doing it by himself.

Because of Izuku’s stubbornness, they agreed on Izuku being responsible for washing and cleaning all of the ingredients. No knives for him though. Had to learn that one the hard way.

Izuku is currently on round 3 of hand-washing the rice for dinner tonight.

“Hey, nerd,” Katsuki calls, not removing his eyes from the cutting board before him.

Izuku peeks over his shoulder and the sight amazes him, even if it’s the thousandth time he’s seen it. Katsuki’s skillfully chopping up yellow onions, pork, and green onions galore for the curry tonight. His eyebrows are pinched in focus but his expression is soft and he has the smallest smile on his face. He’s completely in his element.

Outside of battle, there’s rarely anything that holds Katsuki’s focus and intensity like the heat of a fight. The only exception is cooking. It’s just another one of the ten million things that Izuku admires about Katsuki. How his grace and precision transcends the battlefield and bleeds its way into the kitchen too.

And sometimes, when it’s just the two of them in the kitchen together, Katsuki gets to a point where he is completely focused and unguarded, and Izuku gets to really see his favorite part of when he cooks. Hidden behind Katsuki’s perpetual scowl and furrowed eyebrows is the softest glimmer of ease in his ruby-red eyes.

To any other person, he looks exactly like how he normally does: frowning and focused. But it’s Izuku. And Izuku has about 12 more years on anybody else when it comes to looking at Katsuki. So he knows that when Katsuki is furiously chopping away at vegetables or beating the ever-loving-shit out of a chicken breast, that when the light catches at just the right angle, he can see Katsuki completely at peace in the routine of cooking a meal. Izuku holds these moments close to his chest, knowing he is the only soul who gets to bear witness to his serenity. It’s a privilege he didn’t think he’d ever get.

He and Katsuki have been doing so much better lately. Their friendship was finally stable enough to start piecing itself back together after the war. Guess dying will do that to a relationship.

Having Katsuki in his corner makes crooked bones ache a little less, the fear of embers burning out a little smaller, and heavy nightmares a little lighter. They joke freely and hang out more often and it feels like a dream. To know that if Katsuki snarks at him, Izuku can dish it right back without worrying if he’ll be mean or ice him out. If anything, Katsuki eggs him on, trying to pull reactions out of Izuku unlike anyone else.

Ever since the war, people started to treat Izuku different, like he’s made of glass whether consciously or not. Treat him as something fragile and delicate and dancing around him like he’ll shatter at the slightest touch. As though they forgot he once possessed unimaginable strength and gave it all up in a war at only 16 years old. As though that version of Izuku, the hero, never existed.

Only Katsuki refused to coddle him. He’d spar with Izuku with everything he’s got, never pulling his punches or offering pity. Even if people told him to go easy, he’d just cuss back and go even harder against Izuku. He gave Izuku the exact same treatment he’d give Kirishima or Todoroki, which obviously meant trying to kick Izuku’s ass as hard as he could.

Yet, that expectation. The normalcy. The routine. It’s a buoy that kept Izuku afloat all this time as he grapples with the loss of One for All. Like grocery shopping, it’s a sense of normalcy in his life as a war veteran at 18 years old.

The ache of it all is still there, a low murmur in his ear every time he watches his classmates accomplish unfathomable feats he can only dream of now, but knowing that at least one person sees him. Really sees him. That was enough. It’s just even better that the person is Katsuki.

It’s taken a long time for them to get here. Izuku never dared to even hope for half of the friendship that they had before middle school. What they have now? The days they spend together. The training. The rivalry even though Izuku is essentially quirkless again. The quiet moments in between. It’s a dream Izuku never wants to wake up from.

“Oof,” Izuku blinks as something plops from his forehead onto the floor, “What the—.” Whatever it is didn’t hurt, just startled the hell out of him. Izuku looks down at his feet.

“Kacchan, what the heck!” Izuku bends down and picks up a green onion root from the tiles. He dangles it in the air between the two of them, “Did you just throw this at me?”

“Pay attention to me then!” Katsuki responds shamelessly, “I was calling you over and over, but you were lost in that big-ass head again.”

“I’d say sorry, but now I smell like green onion,” Izuku rolls his eyes, resting the pot of rice down in the sink and shaking the water off his hands. He wipes them dry on the kitchen towel next to him and tucks it back onto the oven handle, “So how can I serve you, your majesty?”

“Wanna be a smart-ass, hah?” Katsuki chuckles as he smirks. He points the end of his knife over at Izuku and waves it at him, “See if you get any Katsudon tonight then.”

“Kacchan, c’monnnn,” Izuku whines, pouting slightly, “You know it’s my favorite.”

“Then quit being a brat and grab me the panko from the cupboards,” Katsuki swings his knife over to the storage area before he goes back to his cutting board and prep-work.

“Chef, yes chef!” Izuku goes into a salute. He laughs and ducks as an onion stem flies over his head. Izuku runs to the pantry while Katsuki shouts colorful profanities at him, and it feels like they’re kids playing in the playground all over again.

Izuku’s cheeks start to ache from his laughter as he walks over to the pantry.

Izuku lucked out. When Katsuki showed the weekly meal plan before they left that morning, he noticed that Katsudon was scrawled across the open line for dinner tonight.

His mouth is watering at the thought of it. Kacchan’s Katsudon is the best even if it may be too spicy sometimes. Although, the spice has gotten way better over the years. Either that or Izuku has finally built up some tolerance for it.

Izuku starts to dig around the grains and rice for the panko. Behind the dusty bags of flour and starch, a familiar colorful packaging sticks out to him. He chucks the ingredients to the side and drags out a huge cardboard box of All-Might noodles.

No way.

It’s the latest release: the limited-edition and sold-out pack. The very pack he was yammering about earlier to Katsuki on their way to AEON.

The theme for this release was All-Might in his nano-tech suit from the war. The sticker pack had poses of him using different moves from Class 1-A and was highly sought after ever since their popularity boomed. Of course, the students assumed there would be talk after the battles were live-streamed across the globe, but the attention they got on an international-scale was simply unprecedented. It took almost a year for the fanfare to even begin to settle down.

Izuku flips the cardboard box over in his hands as he inspects it further. He desperately wanted the one of All-Might using a mock-version of Katsuki’s gauntlets. It would be the coolest piece in his collection. His two favorite heroes in official merch together? To die for.

Who on earth got these? Izuku wonders.

Nobody else in their class cares for these brands of noodles besides him, let alone even knows of their existence, honestly. In a hurry, Izuku looks for the panko in the shelves, grabbing it from its place and tucking it under his arm. Using his other hand, he carries the box of All-Might noodles out to the kitchen where Katsuki’s at.

“Took forever, nerd,” Katsuki says. He’s no longer prepping the veggies and is instead whisking a bowl of eggs with some chopsticks, making an egg wash for the pork cutlets, “Thought you fell and brained yourself on the cans or something.”

“So kind of you to go and check on me then, Kacchan,” Izuku replies flatly, setting the stuff on the counter.

“If dried food takes you out then it’s natural selection,” is all Katsuki replies with. The thud of the box makes him look up from his bowl. He freezes, pausing his stirring as he spots the noodles. He looks at the box for a second before eyeing Izuku carefully, face blank and unreadable.

“Look what I found!” Izuku gestures frantically at the box. “This is the new release of All-Might noodles I was talking about! Can you believe someone got them? Who do you think ordered them? How did they get their hands on it? I’m so jealous, Kacchan. Do you think they’ll want to trade for some stickers? Or maybe I can buy some? I hope—”

“Dude, breathe,” Katsuki interrupts him, still clutching the bowl of eggs in his arms and looking at Izuku intensely, “I got them earlier.”

“What!” Izuku gasps. Never would he ever have thought Katsuki liked the noodles too. He was just shitting all over Izuku for eating them earlier that morning.

“How’d I miss that? When did you grab it? Why didn’t you tell me? You don’t even eat processed food!”

“Oi, chill out,” Katsuki says simply, completely unphased by Izuku’s frantic interrogation. He grabs the chopsticks and continues to beat the eggs, “I saw it as I was walking through the dried food aisle while I was picking up the panko. You remember that mean-ass old hag I was yelling at?”

Izuku nods, listening carefully and giving Katsuki his full attention, “Don’t call her a hag, but yeah. What about her?”

“Whatever. So I was walking and I happened to see one box tucked away under some of the nasty Endeavor noodles—you know, the weirdly sweet and spicy ones no one buys— in the corner of the aisle. So I picked ‘em up and added them to my cart,” Katsuki breaks into a grin as he looks back up at Izuku, “Turns out I found that hag’s stash. She argued that it was hers on principle since she put them there, and I said finders keepers. That’s how we got into the fight.”

“What! You stole these from that old lady?” Izuku's jaw drops in shock.

“Fuck no! She had 5 other boxes in a cart already and left ‘cuz she ran out of space so she had to get another. Probably just some shitty reseller who got got. Finders keepers counts whether you’re 18 or 100, nerd,” Katsuki shrugs nonchalantly, but his smirk reveals how proud he is of himself.

Absolutely unreal. Izuku is wholly in awe at Katsuki (nothing new there). There’s a little bit of guilt and pity for the older woman, but it’s easily overwhelmed by the sheer amazement Izuku has for Katsuki. If she really was a reseller like he said, then she didn’t deserve the noodles anyways. He can’t help himself but smile back at Katsuki while he shakes his head.

“You’re something else, Kacchan. Only you could pull that off,” Izuku scoffs in disbelief, but really he shouldn’t have expected anything else. He slams a palm on the noodle box and pats the top, “Okay. Name your price, I want to buy a few packs from you.”

Izuku needs these new sticker packs. Reminders of the war were usually painful and stung, like picking a scab that wasn’t quite ready to be pulled off. However, hero merch of his favorite hero and his classmates? Official merch that showed them giving their all and fighting using each other’s strengths? He had to have them.

“Hah?” Katsuki’s eyebrows pinch in pure confusion, “What the hell are you talking about?”

“You know I neeeed these stickers, Kacchan! They have different All-Might poses with each of our quirks. It’s the coolest collection so far,” Izuku waves his arms around as he gets himself worked up talking about the stickers, “I will do anything for them! So name your price.”

“Dude, just take it,” Katsuki quirks an eyebrow up at Izuku and snorts, “Like you said, I don’t eat that processed crap. Besides, I think you’ll wither away in a sad dramatic dweeb death if you don’t get your stickers, so you can have it. You were the one yapping my ear off about them earlier.”

“What! There’s no way I can just take it. They’re so hard to find and limited-edition. I can’t!” Izuku waves his hands out in front of him. He pushes the box of noodles towards Katsuki.

“I’m serious. Just take them already. What am I gonna do with it? It’s not a big deal or whatever.” Katsuki nudges them back over to Izuku with his elbow, still holding the chopsticks for his eggs.

“Kacchan. No way,” Izuku says softly, looking down at the noodles. All-Might’s signature grin stares back at him. They used his small-form in the suit, but his smile is such a sight considering the last memory Izuku has of him in the suit was bloody and soul-crushing. It may be a drawing of All-Might’s smile but it’s one Izuku would rather remember than the version he actually saw then.

“This really means so much to me. You have no idea,” Izuku looks back up to Katsuki, eyes full of gratitude. Izuku’s face is taken up entirely by his smile, eyes squinted fully due to the sheer force of it.

Katsuki’s eyes widen and his mouth drops open the slightest bit. Like a flash, his expression schools over and he clears his throat, “Yeah, yeah. I’m the best and found these when you and the rest of the world couldn’t yada, yada, yada. What’s new?”

Izuku rolls his eyes again but his smile is still as big as ever as he traces the edges of the packaging. A thought pops into his head.

He walks over to Katsuki and grabs a knife from the kitchen counter.

“Oi! What’re you doing?” Katsuki panics, backing up dramatically with his hands up, away from Izuku, “I thought you liked the damn noodles!”

“Relax, Kacchan,” Izuku gives him a flat look as he turns around.

“So dramatic,” Izuku murmurs under his breath and snorts as he walks past him again.

Izuku makes his way back over to the box and cuts it open carefully. He folds open the flaps and reveals the crinkly individual All-Might noodle bags. Izuku gently places the knife down on the counter and walks back around to Katsuki with the box in his arms, pausing in front of him.

“Pick one,” Izuku says and nods down at the box, “If you want me to keep it you have to take a pack and keep the sticker too.”

“I just told you, nerd. I don’t need ‘em,” Katsuki says, shaking his head.

“Take oneeee. I know you’re as big of a fanboy as I am when it comes to All-Might.”

“Getting bold saying that to my face, punk.”

“Just take a pack already. Oh my god.”

“Fuck it. Whatever,” Katsuki says. He puts his bowl of eggs down on the counter and turns to wash his hands. He meticulously dries them off on the kitchen towel and his t-shirt. Izuku bets that it’s so he doesn’t dirty up the sticker he pulls.

And people think I’m the bigger nerd between the two of us. Izuku scoffs to himself at the thought.

Katsuki looks through the packs, scanning up and down all of the rows meticulously.

“Any day now,” Izuku teases, smirking at Katsuki who is being oh so careful with his choice.

“Shut up, don’t tell me what to do,” Katsuki responds without missing a beat.

He lifts his hand and picks up 2 packs from the box. Both in opposite corners.

“One of these two. Dunno why, but both of these seem like winners.”

“How about this,” Izuku offers as he places the rest of the noodles on the floor between them, “I’ll open one and you open the other. If you like mine more you take it, and if you like yours more then keep it?”

“Mmm… feels like a cop out.”

Izuku looks at him completely unimpressed without a word, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Jesus. Fine,” Katsuki huffs. He holds out both packs in front of Izuku, “You pick first though.”

Izuku looks back and forth between the two. He brings his hand up to his chin, rubbing it slowly as he thinks carefully about which choice to make.

“Never mind,” Katsuki huffs impatiently and chuckles. He shoves the pack in his right hand into Izuku’s chest, “Never ask a nerd to think over anything.”

“Hey!” Izuku laughs as he fumbles around the noodles, “How do you think I felt just now? I’ll have you know I was gonna pick that one anyways.”

“Ha, whatever makes you sleep at night,” Katsuki cackles and looks at Izuku, “We gonna crack these open or what?”

Izuku smiles back excitedly, “Let’s do it! Okay on the count of three. 3, 2,—”

Katsuki starts to rip his pack open before Izuku finishes counting. Izuku snorts and laughs to himself. The day Katsuki listens is the day hell freezes over.

Izuku looks down at the pack in his own hands and plays with the corner a little, smoothing out the fold. It really is such a shame he has to rip the packaging open. He takes a quick breath and carefully tears down the side, trying to avoid ripping it as much as possible.

The barely-there smell of dry noodles hits his nose as Izuku gently shakes the pack, trying to loosen the crumbly bits to the bottom of the bag. He prods between the noodles and the spice packets and finds a small bag between them. A metallic blue foil with All-Might’s signature on it. It glints temptingly in the light. “Do not eat” is plastered all over its packaging.

Izuku carefully removes the pouch and sets the noodles down on the counter. He checks on Katsuki and sees he’s still got the unopened sticker pack in his hand. The noodles are, of course, haphazardly tossed besides him with the crumbs spilling out of the bag. He’s already looking at Izuku. Waiting for him.

“I thought you would’ve ripped it open already,” Izuku laughs a little, a teasing lilt in his voice, “Waiting for me to open it together, Kacchan?”

“Shut up,” Katsuki huffs, “I just didn’t want to miss your reaction when you see my pull is better than yours.”

Izuku shoves him gently and Katsuki shoves him right back.

“Alright, alright. Let’s get to it already.” Katsuki nudges him lazily with his hand. “Swear if I pull Mineta I’ll blow up the entire box.”

"I don’t even think you’d be overreacting,” Izuku says simply, “Ready. 1. 2.—”

Katsuki pops his pack open.

“Kacchan! Are you ever gonna wait for the full count?” Izuku scoffs as he throws his hands up, but his grin gives away his amusement. He shakes his head as he starts to open his sticker pack.

“You take too long to count!” Katsuki smirks as he flips the sticker pack, trying to shake it out into the palm of his hand.

“It’s a countdown. That’s the point,” Izuku snarks back, sticking his tongue out at him. He gently tugs the sticker out of the packaging and sees the white backing. His chest buzzes as excitement floods his body. He’s been wanting this for so long and now it’s finally in his hands.

Carefully, Izuku grabs a corner and turns it, revealing the sticker design.

Lo and behold, he pulls All-Might in his suit, posed in a crazy action shot, with mock-versions of Katsuki’s gauntlets. There are orange-red explosions in the background to represent Katsuki’s quirk and powers. It is everything that Izuku could have wanted. And on his very first pull.

“Kacchan! Kacchan!” Izuku gasps as he holds the sticker tightly and jumps in place. His excitement bursts out from his body, “I got it! I got the one of All-Might using your power!”

He can’t help but wave it around in the air wildly. He shoves it in front of Katsuki’s face to show him but Izuku pulls it back not even a second later so he can look at it again. He holds it way too close to his face as he tries to look at every imperceptible detail on the 3-inch sticker. Not a single pixel will go unnoticed.

“Isn’t is so cool! They did such a good job with his suit. It looks exactly like your gauntlets and everything. And look at the explosions! The orange is the same shade as your suit and they even put an ‘X’ like yours! The detail is insane!” Izuku rambles on and on about the sticker, “Wow it’s such good quality too. I can’t believe I got it on the first try. Your luck is so awesome! Wait—”

Izuku looks up from the sticker. Katsuki hasn’t said a single word but he has his own sticker pull limply in his hand. Yet, his eyes are fixed on Izuku. They aren’t sharp or intense like they usually are, but he has a soft smile and an almost gentle gaze as he watches Izuku nerd out. His mouth is slightly agape. It’s a look that Izuku hasn’t really ever seen before.

“Uhhh…sorry,” Izuku mumbles, flushing under the unexpected attention and a little embarrassed at being caught completely fanboying, “You probably want this one. Right, Kacchan?”

Hearing his name, Katsuki blinks quickly and shakes his head, “What?”

“D-do you want this one?” Izuku asks softly, lowering the sticker from his face and holding it out to Katsuki, “It’s you and All-Might and it’s super cool. It’s probably the one you wanted to pull I bet. So, uh, here!”

Katsuki doesn’t say anything. Instead, he looks down at his own sticker in his palm and then glances over at Izuku’s in his hand. He looks back up to meet Izuku’s eyes.

“Was that really the one you wanted?” is all he asks, still looking straight at Izuku.

“I-I mean,” Izuku says, looking down as he avoids Katsuki’s gaze. He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly as he feels it heat up again, “Yeah. I mean, I thought it’d be really cool to see you and All-Might in official merch together. Even if it’s just a sticker.”

Izuku swallows slowly and runs his finger along the edge of the sticker, “It’s your first official merch, Kacchan. And with All-Might too. How could I not want it?”

He looks fondly at it, rubbing it gently with scarred fingers when suddenly he’s hit with a pang of guilt. Izuku quickly looks back up at Katsuki and panics, “Ah! Sorry! It’s totally okay! I didn’t mean to sound greedy! Take it! It’s you and All-Might you gotta trade your pull with me!”

Katsuki looks at Izuku for what feels like eons. Red eyes narrowing slightly as he slowly goes back and forth between wide green ones. His gaze is so intense that Izuku feels like his brain is being split open and read on display. Like Katsuki can read his inner-most thoughts.

“Nah,” Katsuki finally says. He shoves his sticker into his pocket and turns back to the counter.

“Wah?!” Izuku lets his arms fall and they swing loosely at his sides, “Why not?”

“I like my sticker more,” Katsuki shrugs casually. He grabs the egg bowl and goes right back to it. He turns around and leans with his back against the counter casually as though he didn’t just shake up Izuku’s brain.

“But it’s you and All-Might!” Izuku pleads, “What do you mean you don’t want it?”

“Izuku. Don’t freak out on me you damn nerd. I like the pull I got. You can keep that one. That’s it.”

“Who’d you pull? Did you pull the same one too?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Katsuki has a shit-eating grin, smug like a cat that got the cream. He lazily mixes the eggs again.

“C’monnnn,” Izuku whines, sticker still in hand, “No way you’re not gonna tell me. Who is it?”

“Nope,” Katsuki says, popping the 'p’ aggressively, “Call it noodle tax.”

“Ughhhh,” Izuku groans before an idea pops up in his head, “If it’s not you then I bet it’s Kirishima, huh? Sero? Kaminari? Oh! Maybe Todoroki? His would be pretty cool!”

“Hah?! Don’t make dumb jokes like that, Izuku. Shit’s not funny.”

“What! I’m serious.”

“That’s even worse then. That damn Icyhot.”

“What about me?”

Izuku and Katsuki jump back, eyes wide and flinching at the unexpected addition to their conversation.

Todoroki strolls into the kitchen, munching on a bag of chips as he walks over. His face is as blank as ever as he shoves more chips in his mouth.

“Holy woah. You scared the living daylights out of me,” Izuku pants with a hand over his chest, trying to even out his heart rate.

“You need a fucking bell,” Katsuki says, scowling as he tries to go back to the eggs, “Like a damn cat creeping around.”

“Hmm,” is all Todoroki responds, “Are you two done with dinner yet?”

“You less annoying yet?” Katsuki says deadpan as he looks between Todoroki and the eggs in his arms, “Look at that! It’s a big fucking no for both.”

“Kacchan!” Izuku gently hits Katsuki in the shoulder, “That’s mean!”

“I hope so!” Katsuki says back mockingly, “35 minutes, half-and-half. 50 if the nerd doesn’t hurry up with the rice. Tell the rest of the leeches to come down then too.”

“Thank you, Bakugou. You’re the best friend a guy could have,” Todoroki says completely monotone before tilting the bag and shaking the last bits of the chips into his mouth.

“Don’t call me that. In your dreams,” Katsuki responds as he sets the egg bowl down while he walks across the kitchen to the fridge for the rest of the ingredients.

For a split-second, hearing Todoroki call Kacchan his best friend made something flash red-hot in Izuku’s chest, but Katsuki’s swift, albeit kinda rude, denial soothes the heat before it even gets the chance to burn. Izuku cheeks turn red, embarrassed by the inane childish jealousy that reared its head at Todoroki. A mini wave of shame washes over his stomach from the satisfaction at Kacchan’s rejection.

“Todoroki! Look at this sticker I pulled!” Izuku says abruptly, red cheeks and all as he tries to change the subject. He thrusts the sticker to Todoroki for him to look at.

“Is that All-Might in his nano-suit using Bakugou’s explosions?” Todoroki asks as he squints to get a better look at the tiny sticker.

“Exactly! Cool isn’t it?” Izuku smiles even bigger at him, peering around the sticker to look at Todoroki’s reaction, “I wanted this one so badly.”

He pulls the sticker back in front of his chest and looks at it fondly, “I think I’m gonna have to frame it or something. Maybe sleeve it and top load it with the rest of my collection! This has gotta be the coolest merch I own.”

“Really?” Todoroki asks curiously, He tilts his head slightly and narrows his feline eyes at Izuku with a barely-there smirk, “Even more than any of your other All-Might memorabilia?”

“Of course! It’s Kacchan and All-Might!” Izuku says easily with a genuine smile, not even bothering to look up, “What could beat that?”

“The 20th anniversary All-Might pin that featured David Shield from their time in the States?”

“So good, but nope.”

“All-Might’s poster that you inherited from Night-Eye?”

“Sentimental, but this is merch of our class, Todoroki!”

“The 1 of 3 Silver-Age All-Might figure we got for your birthday that All-Might signed and delivered to you himself?”

“Hard one. Very close call but still the sticker!”

“This sticker. Not rare or vintage, but a mass-produced All-Might sticker inclusion in a grocery market noodle pack?”

“With Kacchan!”

Todoroki looks thoughtfully at Izuku’s face before muttering quietly under his breath, “Interesting. Uraraka was right back then. I believe I owe her some money.”

“What was that?” Izuku asks, distracted by the sticker and missing what Todoroki said.

Todoroki’s eyes soften as he smiles gently before he puts a hand on Izuku’s shoulder, “Never doubt Uraraka’s intuition, Midoriya,” he nods to punctuate his message.

“Huh?” Izuku asks, extremely lost by Todoroki’s random mention of Uraraka out of nowhere.

“Oi, Icyhot! Swear I said something about you fucking off and letting the rest of the extras know about dinner, yeah? You’re distracting the nerd. This Katsudon ain’t gonna make its damn self,” Katsuki interrupts as he walks back over with a sheet tray of pork, throwing a scowl in their direction.

Another scandalized “Kacchan!” escapes from Izuku before he looks up apologetically at Todoroki, but all he gets is a gentle shake of his head and understanding grin in return.

“Sorry, best friend. I’ll go tell everyone right now. Enjoy your cooking time, you two,” Todoroki says with a wry smirk to Katsuki. He waves bye as he heads to the common room to start letting people know about dinner. Izuku waves back and sighs.

“He just wanted to hang out with us,” Izuku bumps his hip into Katsuki gently along his way back over to the sink.

“Not us, don’t mix me in with that. Coming in here asking about dinner when he’s already stuffing his face with chips. Calling me his best friend and being fucking annoying,” Katsuki grumbles under his breath but there’s no real bite behind his words. Everyone knows the two actually get along, well as along as oil and water could get, but along nonetheless.

“He riles you up because you fall for it every time, Kacchan. You make it too easy,” Izuku smirks as he gives a final rinse to the rice he abandoned earlier.

“Hah? You got something to say to me too, nerd?” Katsuki barks as he yanks gloves on to prepare batter for the pork cutlets. He doesn’t mix food with his bare hands when he cooks, wanting to avoid his sweat getting into the meal.

“Nothing, best friend! How could I ever talk badly about the bestest friend a guy could ever ask for!” Izuku says with a dramatic sigh while he drains the excess water from the rice pot.

“Wah!”

Izuku ducks as a box of black gloves goes flying over his head and into the sink.

Izuku lets out a long groan as he bumps and stumbles through the door. His last year at University has been a brutal mix of interning, studying, and preparing for job applications and it’s taken its toll on him. Probably doesn’t help that he’s snapped every other bone in his body and now even a slight breeze will make him ache too.

He kicks his shoes off at the door and flicks the light on in the entryway of the little kominka he’s been living in. It’s a small and quaint house in the countryside of Minpaku, hours away from the city and UA. Being part of his internship, the school made some slight renovations for him to be comfortable during the duration of his assignment. It’s no fancy penthouse in the city, but it’s cozy, and it’s been home for Izuku for the past 2 months.

In his last year of high school, Aizawa took one look at Izuku’s “future goals” planning worksheet, read his response about being a teacher, and he and Nedzu offered him a job at UA on the spot for after when he graduated college. And Izuku, being Izuku, of course didn’t want to accept what he saw as a pity offer. They were just being nice because they felt bad for him for losing his quirk. There was no way he was ready or qualified for working at UA as a hero course teacher.

When Katsuki and his mom first heard about him rejecting the offer, they worked in tandem to rip Izuku a new one. An unsuspecting but incredibly terrifying duo, may he add. After lots of reassuring words (mostly from his mom) and a few slaps upside the head (mostly from Kacchan), Izuku actually considered the offer for what it was. Of course, All Might was the final nail in the coffin by revealing that Nedzu had plans to appoint him as vice principal in the future. How could Izuku say no to working alongside his idol at their alma mater?

So, yeah. Izuku had a job lined up after graduation, but it didn’t stop him from wanting to fully explore everything that teacher has to offer. Working at UA is a dream position for any hero teacher; he wasn’t naive to that. So Izuku did what Izuku does and that’s his best. He resolved himself and made a plan to make sure that he would be fully prepared and equipped to handle the young talent that he knew he would face in the future. Lord knows he needed it at that age, and Aizawa set the bar higher than anyone could.

Now, in his final semester, Izuku has one last requirement for his credential: to intern in a full-time teaching position with a school of his choosing. After spending his junior year student-teaching at UA (under Aizawa, obviously) and earning the highest marks of anyone else in his program, plenty of elite hero high schools like Shiketsu sought him out with offers at their schools as well.

Yet, when Izuku’s big bleeding heart received a call from an unknown hero high school in rural Minpaku with a graduating class of 35 kids and a dire need for a hero history teacher, he couldn’t say no. He learned the city was still dealing with the effects from the war due to their lack of infrastructure, resources, and support since all of the focus was in the metropolitan areas.

Nobody understood the decision at first. They had no idea why he would pick some tiny no-name school instead of gaining experience at any of the other prestigious hero schools in the country. But, after four seconds of Izuku blubbering about providing once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for small-town kids to get a well-developed hero education, there were no further questions.

That’s how he ended up here: in a tiny kominka in the middle of the countryside. His only neighbors are some livestock and a far-too punctual rooster that wakes him up at the ass-crack of dawn every morning. There’s no one else who would give up such golden opportunities at name-brand schools. Only Izuku, the boy with a heart and body that move on their own for others could make the hard choice unconditionally.

And now, that choice is ever-so slightly kicking his ass. Yes, Izuku may be a selfless hero who would do anything for anyone, but he’s also just a 22-year old college senior craving an ice-cold beer and fat-ass bowl of tonkatsu ramen. Specifically the bowl from his favorite stall—down the street from his dorm in the city— with the little old lady that adds an extra piece of pork every time he tells her how young and beautiful she looks. He’s probably going to hell for taking advantage of the kind and generous Fuku-san, but goddammit he’ll do it with a warm belly full of ramen and a teaching credential in his hands.

He loves that ramen almost as much as Katsuki does. Izuku brought him to the stall way back in his second year of college, during Katsuki’s first visit to his campus. It was the first time Izuku saw him eat a meal, that wasn’t cooked by himself, Izuku’s mother, or his parents without any complaints.

The first time, Katsuki placed his order in his ever-gruff tone and Fuku-san actually told him to watch it and re-order with his manners this time. Izuku said his prayers right then and there. He accepted the world was going to end because Katsuki was going to blow them all up. Goodbye comfort ramen. Yet, to his surprise Katsuki just grumbled and actually re-ordered in a more polite tone (as polite as he could ever get).

When they got their food, Fuku-san gave them both a parting pat on the head and instead of detonating everyone, Katsuki just scoffed and dug right in. Izuku was jaw-dropped for a bit before Katsuki told him to shut his trap before a bug flew in. He watched as Katsuki truly enjoyed his meal, to the point that when he visited Izuku the next time, he admitted he wanted to eat at the ramen stall again.

Not in those words exactly. It was more like “Izuku, if you feed me any of your shitty college food I’m never coming back. Except, maybe the old hag’s spicy tonkatsu ramen. ”

He was totally begging to go back and eat there once more. And Izuku has been too. He’s been craving his go-to order for the past 2 weeks, even texting Katsuki out of the blue last night to reminisce about it.

Izuku flops belly first on the futon in the living room, oddly between the kitchen and his actual bedroom. He’s still in his teaching attire and all. Izuku worms in as deep as the worn-down cushions would let him, sighing deeply as lets the warmth encompass his tired body. He shuts his eyes and lets himself float into the relief that soaks into his tired muscles.

After 3 nights in the bedroom, it became too quiet and lonely for Izuku. Dorm life spoiled him at UA. Getting to hear his friends pitter patter up and down the halls, talk excitedly in the common area, rant about assignments over dinner. All of the background chatter became white noise Izuku didn’t know he needed until he made his way to Minpaku.

So after his final orientation, the night before his first official day of teaching, he dragged the futon out to the living room and promptly dropped it right in front of the windows. At least this way he could hear the sounds of nature and livestock and enjoy the view of the stars that he can’t get anywhere else. Sure, it might be a bit scary to sleep in front of the windows at night, but the only things in a 0.5 km radius of him are some cattle and his dreaded foe, Koke-san the rooster.

Izuku takes another deep breath and turns his head to the side to look at the view outside. It’s all rolling fields and fluffy clouds under the tail-end of the afternoon sun in the countryside. It’s only 4:30 in the evening. He has some time to finish some grading, do some lesson planning, maybe some light reading, but ultimately he dreads what he really has to do: cook dinner and meal prep for tomorrow.

Izuku groans at the thought of it and buries his face back into his singular pillow. The decision-making of what to cook or eat is exponentially worse than the actual act of cooking itself. He ran out of frozen meals and honestly it’d probably kill him if he ate it for the 5th dinner in a row this week.

Izuku’s cooking skills are, average, to put it gently (Katsuki would say that’s being far too generous). He’s been getting by with making simple fried rice and miso soup or grilling a plain chicken breast and vegetables. But, on long days like today, having to get up and make a meal is the last task he wants to do. At least today is Thursday. There’s only one more lunch to prepare this week before he can be lazy and neglect his responsibilities during the weekend.

Izuku blinks slowly as he thinks about cooking dinner, his eye-lids getting heavier and heavier the longer he lays prone on the futon. A short nap would be nice before dinner. Sunlight rolls over his chest. The futon is in a puddle of light where the sun hits in the living room. A cool breeze ruffles through his hair.

Izuku starts to breathe slower and slower, fully submitting himself to sleep as his eyes droop closed.

A PHONE CALL IS HERE. A PHONE CALL IS HERE. A PHONE CALL IS HERE.

Green eyes shoot wide open as Izuku’s ringtone echoes through the house. Izuku groans as he fumbles around his pant pockets for his phone, frustrated with the interruption of his perfect nap. He yanks it out of his back pocket and rolls to the side, facing the window fully.

A PHONE CALL IS-

Izuku answers it without checking the caller id. He rolls on his side and balances the phone on his cheek, tucking his arms under his head, curled up like a cat.

“Yes?” Izuku says flatly, short at the unexpected wake-up call. As if Koke-san wasn’t bad enough.

“Well fuck you too. That how you greet people, nerd?” a gruff, but teasing voice comes through the phone.

“Kacchannnn,” Izuku drawls out, eyes shutting again at the realization that it’s just Katsuki, “I was about to take the best nap ever when you called and woke me up.”

“Fine, I’ll hang up then. Go back to sleep, loser,” Katsuki says back, there’s a change in his tone, an edge of something that Izuku catches in his voice.

“No, no. Don’t hang up. I’m awake. I’m awake,” Izuku repeats as he sits up quickly, scrambling to hold the phone to his face as though he can physically keep Katsuki on the line.

“Forget it.”

“Kacchan. C’mon. I’m glad you called me so what is it?”

“Tch. Whatever. Why’re you taking a nap at 4:30 in the afternoon anyways?”

Izuku sighs, relieved now that he’s pretty sure Katsuki isn’t actually going to hang up on him. He flops back down onto the futon— flat on his back and star-fished this time, except for the arm that holds the phone to his face. Izuku stares at the ceiling as he talks to Katsuki.

“It’s been a long day. I’m absolutely spent. Remember the first-year twins I was telling you about a few days ago, with the toad-like quirks, kinda like Tsu?”

“Bug eyes and sticky fingers?”

“Shoyo and Sana?”

“What the fuck ever. Sure. What about ‘em?”

“Well, they managed to sneak in to the school farm and let out the chickens from the coop and into the halls during— Hold on, lemme put you on speaker- ‘Kay. Wait. What was I saying?”

“Chickens fucking around during—”

“Right!,” Izuku exclaims, “During lunch. Obviously it caused a huge commotion. And guess whose class had to chase them all down. And guess who had to help said class because they couldn’t get them all themselves. And guess who got their ass beat by chickens.”

Katsuki bursts out into a cackle over the phone. Hearing him laugh full and big makes Izuku crack a smile too. He shuts his eyes as he listens, and if he focuses he can almost see Katsuki’s face full of laughter.

“No fucking way you were on chicken duty and lost!” Katsuki laughs again, his evil laugh fills the air.

“Yes, Kacchan! I ended my prep period covered in mud, behind on grading, and I think I stepped in chicken poop too. I just bought these shoes before I left.” Izuku pouts with his eyes still closed.

“Ew, nasty. Bet you haven’t showered since you got home too.”

Izuku flushes hot, embarrassed at being caught, “Shut up.”

“Knew it.”

“Whatever. You’d do the same if you were me.” Izuku grumbles through his pout, “I changed, y’know!”

“You lying again, ne—Oi!” A honk echoes in the back of the call on Katsuki’s side, “Fucking idiot! Signal!”

“Wait. Are you driving?”

“If that’s what you can call it with how many dumbasses are on the road,” Katsuki grumbles as more honks pour through the speaker.

“Oh! Um, I can call you back later. Don’t wanna distract you,” Izuku tries to not to let the disappointment bleed into his voice. It was rare that Kacchan ever called him first and out of the blue, “Or you don’t have to call me actu—”

“Quit it, nerd. You saying I’m a bad driver?” Katsuki teases, trying to change the subject.

“But I just don’t want you to get hurt or—”

“Izuku.”

“Yes?”

“I’m fine. You don’t have to hang up.”

“Okay, okay.” Izuku knows Katsuki enough by now. If he doesn’t want to do something, no one in the world could force him to do it. So when he says it’s fine, Izuku knows not to waste his breath on trying to talk him out of it. Well, not as much breath. He’ll always double check to make sure.

“Hey, Kacchan?”

“Still here.”

“Do you remember Fuku-san’s ramen spot? The one by my school? Ginkatei’s?”

“Do I fucking remember? You mean the spot we eat at every time I visit your shitty dorms? Where you almost died trying a sip from my bowl even though I warned you that shit would burn? The spot you texted me about just yesterday?”

“Okay. Yes, yes. That one.” Izuku snorts as he interrupts, Katsuki’s rant “Sorry. You know what I meant.”

“What about it?” Katsuki lets out a gasp and Izuku’s heart drops.

“Kacchan! What is it?!” Izuku’s eyes fly open as he sits up. He cradles the phone to his cheek in panic as his heart races.

“Don’t tell me the old hag died or moved or something. Did that crappy stall close? Fuck! Our ramen!”

“No! Oh my god!” Izuku lets out a huge sigh of relief. He slumps back down. Katsuki is so not good for his heart, “Well, I don’t think so. Why would you say that?”

“Sue me, I’m worried about my spicy ramen by the only other chef in this country who could cook a damn,” Katsuki replies flatly. Izuku knows exactly the look he’d be giving him right now.

Izuku shakes his head slowly at Katsuki’s words. Of course there’s worry for Fuku-san, he’ll just never actually say it straight.

“Gosh. No, Kacchan.“

“Thank fuck. Don’t scare me like that.”

“You’re so dramatic.”

“I’ll kick your ass.”

“A-ny-wayssss,” Izuku scoffs lightly, “I was just asking because I’m craving it that’s all.”

“I could’ve told you that.”

“No, Kacchan,” Izuku yawns and proceeds to sigh dramatically as he brings his hand up to rest on his forehead like a storybook princess, “You don’t get it. I have been craving greasy ramen and cold beer for like an entire week! Especially Fuku-san’s. Imagine. Piping hot ramen in front of her stall. The people are walking around and chattering away. We take crisp swigs of her ice-cold beer to wash it down. Ughhh. Kill me now.”

“You’re torturing yourself thinking about it that hard, dumb ass.” Katsuki chuckles softly.

Izuku smiles again after hearing his laugh. It relaxes him further into the futon, “Yeah, yeah. Let a guy dream. All I’ve been eating is vegetables, chicken, and rice. I don’t even think my diet was this clean back at UA.”

“Good. You’re not slacking off then, Deku,” Katsuki replies simply, not missing a beat.

Izuku stills for a second. Deku isn’t an insult from Kacchan. Not anymore. At this point, it’s basically a term of endearment for their friendship. Izuku knows Katsuki isn’t saying he’s useless or quirkless when he throws “Deku” around like this. He knows it’s referring to his time as a hero, the bit that Katsuki insists on continuing no matter how many times Izuku reminds him he’s not a hero anymore. It doesn’t hurt necessarily, but it presses the permanent bruise on his heart a little every time.

Izuku takes a deep breath, “Mmm,” is all he hums in reply.

“Oi, talking to me bore you to death? I can hear you falling asleep over there.”

“Can you blame me? I’m exhausted and now I got white noise to put me to sleep.”

“Smart-ass. And I was just gonna tell you about this sick move I pulled off in training the other day.”

“Tell me! I’m listening. I’m listening I swear,” Izuku reassures. He really does want to hear more, but Kacchan’s deep timbre is smooth as caramel and so soothing he can’t help but melt into the cushions. The warm sun-spot and cool breeze are not helping his case either.

“Right. And IcyHot isn’t fucking annoying. Whatever. Earlier during training with Jeanist, Kirishima and FatGum stopped by for a 2 on 2 spar. Those 2 fuckers asked for us to go all out so they can work on their ultimate-defense-shit or whatever. Like I’d do anything but fully kick their asses. Anyways, Jeanist has been training with me on a combo move and I found out I could…”

Izuku’s breaths get slower and deeper as Katsuki rants on and on about his training session. He really does try to listen, giving little “mhms” and “uh huhs” whenever he could but sleep sinks its claws in him and pulls him under, gently lulled by a familiar voice in his ear.

—

BANG! BANG! BANG!

“WAH!” Izuku yells, scrambling up from the futon and looking around but it’s pitch black. The phone slides off his face and onto the blanket pooled besides him. He fumbles for it and clicks it on. The time reads 6 PM, and Katsuki is no longer on the line.

“Oh god, Kacchan is actually gonna kill me next time I see him,” Izuku says his prayers and drops the phone next to him. He drags his hands down his face, trying to physically pull the grog off of him.

He smacks his lips together as he comes back to the conscious world.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Izuku jumps from his skin again, whipping his head as he scans around the room. He scrambles from the futon towards the front door. He yanks it open and finds red-eyes staring right back at him.

Wait. Red eyes? Kacchan?

“Kacchan?” Izuku yells in surprise.

“You know any other kick-ass blonde with red eyes, nerd?” A familiar cocky smirk looks back at him.

“I mean. Your mom is pretty cool.”

“I will absolutely turn around and drive away right now.” Katsuki replies dryly and turns with his arms full to face the road again.

“No, no!” Izuku grabs his shoulder as he turns, “Stay. Please...”

Izuku blushes at how fast the plea comes out of him, but it really is so good to see a familiar face after so long. Katsuki looks at him over his shoulder with his nose scrunched in a faux scowl. It slowly turns into a smirk towards Izuku.

“That’s what I thought.”

Katsuki turns back around and walks straight into the kominka, as if he knows exactly where he’s going. He nudges past Izuku in the entry way and confidently strides in. Izuku scoffs and shakes his head, smiling to himself as he shuts the front door again.

“Dude, do you not have electricity out here? Why the fuck are we in the dark? And what took you so long I was banging on your door for forever. I was about to blast the damn thing off if you didn’t respond the second time.”

“Wow! Hello, Kacchan! So nice to see you too!” Izuku drawls out sarcastically as he flicks on the lamp in the living room.

“Let there be light,” Izuku waves dramatically over the lampshade, sticking his tongue out at Katsuki.

Katsuki rolls his eyes and shakes his head as he walks over to the kitchen counter to drop off the bags in his arms.

“Oh. And I’m sorry. I absolutely knocked out on the phone earlier—”

“Called it.” Katsuki interrupts smugly.

Izuku ignores him and continues on, “—Although, I’m glad you didn’t knock down my door. I don’t think it would’ve gotten fixed in the next 4 months I’m here.”

“Living the good life out here I see,” Katsuki teases as he sets down the bags.

“No kidding,” Izuku scoffs, “But it’s actually not so bad. Kids are good and it’s beautiful out here. Look.

Izuku points to the huge windows in the living room. The sun is setting and the skies are blue and orange and red. Beautifully clear and casting a warm tint on the lush fields outside.

Izuku smiles softly at the view, “The sun, the animals, the green. It’s so peaceful. Where am I gonna get this view in the city?” He’ll never get used to it no matter how many times he sees it.

It’s quiet for a few beats. Izuku turns back to check on Katsuki, confused at the lack of response, but he finds that Katsuki has his eyes fixed on him instead of the outside. His gaze is as careful and focused as always. It makes Izuku’s heart squirm in his chest every time. Something about the way he looks at Izuku is always so heavy and intense. Katsuki just shrugs softly and turns back to the counter.

“Yeah, guess you can’t find this in the city,” he says cooly over his shoulder and flashes a wink at Izuku.

“Uhh,” Izuku fidgets with his fingers a bit and chews on the inside of his now red cheeks. Stupid Kacchan and his stupid face and his stupid teasing. He always pokes fun at Izuku.

“What’re you doing here!” Izuku blurts a bit too loudly as he tries to shake off the fluttering in his chest. He cringes a bit at his volume.

“Take a look for yourself, nerd.” Katsuki steps to the side and pulls the empty grocery bags with him, revealing an array of food on the counter. He leans back against the counter and folds his arms over his chest as he watches Izuku.

Izuku walks closer as he scans over all the ingredients, “Groceries? Thank you, Kacchan!”

After a few seconds, the pieces click together in his head, “Wait. Are you making me Tonkatsu ramen?” Izuku yells excitedly, beaming as he looks over to Katsuki.

“I’m surprised you figured it out from the ingredients. Considering you can’t cook for shit,” Katsuki ruffles Izuku’s hair and Izuku goes pink all over again. He halfheartedly shoves Katsuki’s hand off of his head before he actually implodes, but he mourns the warmth and skinship as he does so.

“You came all the way out here just to make me ramen?” Izuku asks Katsuki nervously, trying to keep his cool. He avoids his gaze and looks down, keeping his eyes locked on the food in front of them.

“Don’t make it weird,” Katsuki huffs defensively.

“I’m not. I swear” Izuku replies quickly, “Just, thanks. I missed home y’know.”

“Yeah. I know you do,” Katsuki says quietly as he turns and steps flush next to him.

Izuku turns to look up at his face. He’s not looking at Izuku, but he doesn’t miss how the tips of Katsuki’s ears turn red, betraying his grumpy attitude. The nerves settle a bit in Izuku’s body.

Katsuki turns to look back at him. The soft warm light from the lamp illuminates his sharp features, making the red in his eyes glow a brighter color than before. His gaze is all encompassing and Izuku feels like he’s drowning and burning at the same time, smothered by rubies and fire. Some time in the past few years, between the visits and fleeting weekends they got to spend with each other in-between school and hero work, Izuku realized that his feelings for Katsuki shifted.

Friendly touches were suddenly scalding. The nerves before hangouts started to dance a little differently in Izuku’s stomach. Suddenly, he was looking for Kacchan in everything while they were apart. And the worst of it all. The looking. Izuku would steal glances for much longer than what was probably socially acceptable for a friend to, but he couldn’t help it. He’s been looking at Katsuki for all his life. It’s just that suddenly all he wanted was for him to look back at Izuku too.

And now. Finally getting to look at him up close again. He somehow looks so much older than the Kacchan that Izuku left back in the city, but at the same time he’s exactly the same Kacchan he’s known forever. There’s so much that Izuku has to learn about the boy before him, more than the lifetime of knowledge he’s gathered about him already.

The two stand frozen, faces inches from each other as Izuku clears his throat and breaks the eye contact, whipping his head back to the food, “Right! U-Um. Should we get started then, Kacchan?”

He risks a glance back at Katsuki in his peripheral. Katsuki stares at him impassively before he scoffs and drops his head to his chest. He takes a deep breath before he looks back up at Izuku and nods, straightening up again. He tilts his head as the corners of his lips quirk up.

“We, hah? You speaking French now ‘cuz I know a shitty cook like you’s not offering to make this.”

“Hey! I told you I’ve gotten better.”

“Yeah, you say a lot of crap.”

Izuku nudges Katsuki by the hip before he grabs some of the green onion stalks in his hands.

“I’ll just wash and chop these then while you handle the rest oh Great Chef Sir.”

“Watch it or I’ll throw an onion root at you again.”

Izuku bursts into laughter as he walks over to the sink, “I can’t believe you remember that!”

“Of course I do, I’m not senile, jackass.” Katsuki grins as he pulls the plastic wrap off the pork and sets it back down on the counter.

“Oohhh. Where did you buy the pork from. It looks so good! Like it’s homemade!" Izuku asks excitedly, peering over at the dish as he scrubs the green onions under the running water.

“That’s because it is homemade,” Katsuki smirks proudly as he sets out some broth containers.

“Wait. We aren’t making this from scratch right now?” Izuku furrows his eyebrows at the broth.

“Izuku,” Katsuki looks at him completely disappointed while his hands continue to prep the ingredients, “Do you know how long it takes to make a Tonkatsu ramen actually worth a damn?”

“Uhhh, a couple hours?”

“Try 12.”

“12?!” Izuku’s jaw drops. He shuts the water off and shakes the green onions out over the sink.

“Yup. See I knew you didn’t actually cook, liar,” Katsuki cackles in response.

“I cook simple food, not some fancy ramen. My ramen usually takes a kettle of water and 3 minutes.”

“A super villain couldn’t take you out but all the processed shit you eat might just do it.” Katsuki shakes his head as he opens a container of soy-sauce marinated eggs.

“You’re the worst.”

“Not for long,” Katsuki adds, “Grab me a pot.”

“Scoot over then,” Izuku pushes Katsuki to the side and swings open the cabinet he was standing in front of.

Wordlessly, he digs around then hands his only pot to Katsuki who takes it and walks to the sink to rinse it over quickly. He swiftly dries it and plops it on the stove. The burner clicks as it ignites and Katsuki turns the heat down to a medium-sized flame.

“Can ya hand me the broth?” Katsuki nods over to the broth containers and Izuku walks over, pulling off the lids before he hands them to him.

Katsuki hums his thanks as he takes them and pour the contents into the pot. He makes sure that every last drop makes it in before he chucks the empty containers into the sink.

Izuku comes to stand next to Katsuki with a wooden spoon for him to stir the separated layers up and Katsuki hums again in response. Izuku leans over the pot and takes a sniff of the aroma that is slowly revealing itself as the broth heats up.

“Watch out, dummy,” Katsuki pulls him up from the back of the collar, “It might pop as it boils and splash you.”

“Didn’t think of that,” Izuku laughs when his stomach suddenly grumbles at the smell. Right. He skipped lunch today before his nap. Izuku bites at the inside of his cheeks and faces away from the broth, trying to hide the noise.

“Izuku” Katsuki shoots him a look, nothing getting by him, “Did you eat yet?”

“Uhhhh,” Izuku says oh so eloquently, “Break—”

“Besides breakfast,” Katsuki interrupts.

“…No.”

“Why am I not surprised,” Katsuki rolls his eyes as the broth begins to come to a boil. He turns down the heat and gives it another stir before scooping some broth up. He blows gently on it and takes a sip with a satisfied grin. He looks back over at Izuku, “Come here.”

Izuku turns back to Katsuki, “Hm?”

“Closer, I ain’t gonna bite,” Katsuki snorts as he scoops another spoonful of broth.

Izuku scoots in, his body facing Katsuki who is still facing the stove. He doesn’t know if the heat simmering in his chest is from Katsuki or the stove anymore. At least he can blame the warmth in his cheeks on the steaming pot.

“What is it, Kacchan?” Izuku asks, looking up at Katsuki’s face.

“Try this,” Katsuki turns and holds the same spoon out to Izuku, one hand underneath to catch any drips. He blows softly on the broth to cool it and Izuku can’t help but watch his lips purse, shiny from the spoonful he tried just before. Izuku’s eyes dart back and forth between the spoon and Katsuki’s face that's still intensely focused on cooling down the soup.

Once he’s satisfied, he raises it higher and in the direction of Izuku’s lips and Izuku blue screens. He was fully expecting Katsuki to hand him the spoon. Is he actually going to feed Izuku himself?

“Uhhhh,” Izuku stammers and Katsuki takes the opportunity to feed Izuku while his mouth is open.

“You think too much,” is all Katsuki says as Izuku closes his lips around the spoon, trying not to spill it, but Katsuki’s hand is under his chin in case anyways.

The moment the broth hits his lips Izuku’s eyes widen and his eyebrows shoot up to his hairline. He swallows the mouthful and grabs Katsuki’s wrist without thinking. He wraps his hand around the one under his chin, causing Katsuki to still in his grasp.

“Kacchan! Is this Fuku-san’s ramen?” Izuku yells excitedly. It tastes almost identical to what he remembered, “How did you manage to get it to go? She never does take out!”

“I didn’t,” Katsuki shakes his head before he jerks his chin to the stove again, “But I think I almost got her recipe down to a T.”

“How?” Izuku gasps, still holding on to Katsuki’s arm.

“Took me a couple tries. Had to ask Pops to give it a go before we figured out it’s probably her boiling method. She most likely cooks it uncovered so the broth really boils down and is more concentrated and milky. That’s why that shit turns out so rich and flavorful,” Katsuki’s chest puffs up with pride as he brags about his successful recreation. A proud and confident Katsuki is Izuku's favorite sight.

“So what do you think?”

“What do I think?” Izuku repeats in disbelief, “Of course I love it! I don’t know how you managed to pull it off. It must’ve been so much work.”

Izuku grabs Katsuki’s arm with his other hand, wrapping both around his wrist and shaking Katsuki’s arm gently, “Thank you! You have no idea how much I missed this, Kacchan.”

“It’s all you’ve been yabbering to me about, nerd. Of course I know how much you’ve been craving it.”

Izuku chuckles, “Yeah, I missed the ramen, but I also missed hanging out with you and eating it together. It makes it taste better like that, and that’s the best part of it all!” Izuku smiles honestly, hoping Katsuki really understands how much he appreciates it.

Katsuki’s fingers twitch in Izuku’s hold, they graze under Izuku’s jaw ever so slightly. It makes Izuku’s breath hitch and he looks up at Katsuki’s face. It’s still neutral as he looks at Izuku. Katsuki runs his tongue over the front of his teeth slowly before he lets out a deep sigh. He gently removes his hand from Izuku’s hold and goes to flick him gently in the forehead. He cackles and puts his hands on his hips while he watches Izuku squirm.

“Ow?” Izuku whines as he rubs it out with his fingers. His nose wrinkles as he narrows his eyes at Katsuki.

“You’re a sap you know that?” Katsuki says matter-of-factly as he turns back to the broth, “Go grab some bowls. Let’s eat, nerd.”

Izuku pouts as he looks up from under his hand, but it doesn’t last long at the sight of Katsuki continuing to cook for Izuku. Working so diligently on the home-cooked ramen he drove hours to personally deliver without complaint, just because Izuku was craving it.

Izuku’s stomach flips at the thought and he has to physically shake his head to refocus before he heads off to get the bowls.

“You got it, Kacchan.”

“Get down!”

Izuku yells to the other heroes across the damage and debris of what’s left of a mall parking lot. Concrete slabs and pieces of cars are flying wildly through the air. He should’ve known something like this was gonna happen during his first solo patrol without Kacchan. And right as he was supposed to end his shift too. It was a perfectly calm day during his route, but he should have known better than to expect easy and simple.

“Hero Deku!”

Izuku tries to dodge but gets slammed to the floor as a chunk of a building blows into his shoulder from behind. His head bounces on impact as he slides face-down across the pavement.

“Ughhh,” Izuku slowly climbs back on to his feet, hands bracing himself on his knees as he tries to catch his breath from the blow. It’s days like today that he really misses Danger Sense in his ear. Mei tried her best to replicate it, but there’s only so much the tech AI can do when rocks are being hurtled at you at over 200 kilometers an hour with a villain who can redirect them in mid-air.

Something warm runs down the side of his face. Izuku raises a gloved hand to his temple, the right side that took the brunt of the impact. He pulls his hand back and takes note of the red all over his white gloves.

“Damnit,” Izuku pops open a pocket in his utility belt and grabs an anti-clotting agent and swipes it against the gash. He can’t totally feel it through the gloves so he just smothers it all over the side of his face hoping some of it ends up in the wound.

He tosses the empty tube to the side and turns back to the fight. Of course, it had to be an overpowered villain with an affinity for damage and lobbing concrete like a boomerang. It’s always the messy ones who just want attention and chaos, no actual evil plan for world domination in mind. Although, the alternative might be a Shigaraki wanna-be so Izuku sighs and accepts this is how his Friday is gonna go.

He takes a deep breath and steels himself before he blasts off into the air. He winces at the sting from the cut and the pounding in his skull. Yup, it’s a concussion. On top of his already battered and bruised body, it’s a bitch, but Izuku pushes through. He’s gonna have to go get it checked out and go through the whole stint where the hospital says “Oh! Hero Deku! Please try to avoid this in the future!” and then Izuku will have to do his usual nod and apologize saying “So sorry! I shouldn’t have tried to catch the floor with my face. I promise it’ll never happen again!” And both will walk away knowing it’ll be the same time next week.

Izuku stalls in the air, floating 40 meters above the villain who’s currently distracted by other heroes in the fight. He doesn’t seem to have noticed Izuku above.

Tendrils made of nanotech begin to appear from the sides of his suit. He can only summon 8 max, unlike when he actually had blackwhip, but it should be enough. He casts the tendrils as far out as they can reach, away from his body besides one, bracing his shoulder that took the hit earlier.

Izuku takes another deep breath and free falls out of the sky, contorting his body head-first in his descent, shooting like a missile from above. He begins to spin forward, using gravity and momentum to propel him even faster until boom! Izuku lands a powerful kick heel first as he swings down on the villains head. He knows it won’t be enough to knock him out, but it stuns the villain long enough for Izuku to take blackwhip and bind him tightly, finally restraining him on the ground.

The villain thrashes, but he’s already caught in Izuku’s trap. Izuku uses a tendril to manipulate his arms behind his back and manages to snag the quirk-canceling cuffs on the villain. The effect is immediate and the struggle is finally over. All of the remaining debris and metal drop out of the sky around them.

Izuku takes a step back and calls back most of the tendrils except for one, making sure the villain can’t run away or break out of the cuffs until the police arrive. He wheezes, short of breath, when a wave of nausea washes over him, causing him to double over as he fights it back down. Perhaps cosplaying a shitty beyblade wasn’t a great idea when he already had a concussion.

“Hero Deku!”

“Sensei! We’ll take it from here!”

Izuku looks up, trying not to wince as he does so, “Well done today, Shoyo. Sana. You guys did a great job protecting the civilians and keeping the damage within the boundary lines.”

“Thank you, but you should really go get checked out,” Sana looks at Izuku with her ever-wide eyes, “You took a nasty hit to the head, Sensei!”

“On top of everything else,” Shoyo adds.

“It’s fine. I’ll just hold him until the police come,” Deku argues back, but Shoyo sets a hand on his back gently.

“Deku-san, we got this. I’ll use my quirk to bind the quirk-canceling cuffs to him and stick his arms in place. Go! You’re bleeding really bad!” Shoyo pleads.

Izuku looks back and forth between his two interns, scanning their faces for any hesitance. Seeing their determined expression he sighs and straightens up, again wincing at the throbbing that is only getting worse.

“Alright, I trust you two,” he says softly, earning bright smiles from his students.

Shoyo steps over to the villain and uses the secretion from his hands to bind the cuffs tighter and pin the villain’s arms tight against his back. Izuku calls back the final blackwhip tendril and it retracts fully into his suit.

“You know, you guys have come a long way from releasing chickens out in the schoolyard,” Izuku chuckles as he beams proudly over at the two, bruised and dirty from the fight.

Sana flushes as Shoyo rolls his eyes but both are bearing big smiles on their faces.

“You said you forgave us, Sensei!”

“When will you let it go, Deku-san. That was ages ago.”

Izuku laughs and gives the two a pat on the head, “Great job today. I’m proud of you both!”

The three are interrupted by the sound of sirens wailing. Izuku looks over to see the ambulances and police cars racing onto the scene.

“Over here!” Shoyo waves down the ambulance that skids to a stop next to them.

Paramedics rush out of the ambulance and onto the scene.

“Hero Deku needs to get his head checked out! He took a nasty blow to the head earlier in the fight and he probably has other injuries too,” Shoyo explains to them, pointing over at the gash on Izuku’s temple. Izuku gives him a look, trying to silently tell him to “stop ratting him out to the paramedics,” but Shoyo just gives him a look right back saying “eat dirt, old man.”

“It’s okay, there are probably some injured civilians that need help instead. Please check with the police line. They need you more over there,” Izuku holds his hands up and tries to give them a smile, trying to urge the paramedics over to help any potential victims first.

“Hero Deku, there are no injured civilians in this fight. You guys managed to keep all damage behind the perimeter and any civilians were evacuated before the heavy fighting occured,” a police officer informs him, putting her hand on Izuku's shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze.

Izuku lets out a deep breath of relief. He usually is able to keep tabs on the people, but the situation escalated so quickly he had to trust that Shoyo and Sana could handle it all while he and a few others dealt with the villain.

“Thank goodness,” Izuku smiles back weakly. The relief is palpable and immediately the remaining adrenaline dissipates from his body.

“You did a wonderful job taking care of everyone,” a paramedic says, walking up to Izuku and immediately beginning an inspection of the head wound, “Now let me do mine.”

Izuku nods softly before he looks over to Shoyo and Sana. They nod in understanding and give him a thumbs up, smiling their big smiles with resolute eyes.

“We got this!”

“Leave it to us!”

Izuku gives them a small thumbs up back and walks over the ambulance. He’s forced to sit down on the back as the paramedic looks him over. She shines a flashlight into Izuku’s eyes which make him hiss and squint, trying to avoid the bright light.

“Looks like a concussion, sir. We gotta go get you to the hospital to get it fully checked out,” the paramedic informs him as she clicks the flashlight off of Izuku’s face.

“Deku is fine, no need to call me sir. But yeah, I figured it would be if the headache and head bleed were any indication,” Izuku chuckles weakly, trying to lighten the situation. It just makes his head hurt further.

The paramedic just smiles softly in response and begins to pack her bag back up, “Let’s head out then, Hero Deku. Thank goodness you’ve got the finest and fastest taxi ride in Japan at your service.”

Izuku manages a small smile back and off they go to Hosu General Hospital.

—

It’s another 3 hours until Izuku is finally left alone in his room. He thinks all the tests and consultations were overkill considering it’s just a minor (major) head bleed and a small (moderate-severe) concussion, but the hospital staff insisted he get the full work-up with how often he’s here for his injuries. There’s also his busted shoulder and the rest of his badly bruised body, but Izuku chooses to ignore them like usual.

He shuts his eyes and breathes in the filtered and dry hospital air. It’s finally quiet. Only his heart monitor (again, overkill) beeps rhythmically in the room. He will admit though, dealing with a concussion is much more bearable when he’s got some pretty great pain meds pumping through him.

Izuku turns his head to the side to look out the window. He relaxes in to the scenery as the sun sets in the horizon outside, casting his room with a warm glow that combats the sterile coldness of the stark white hospital room. Hues of purples and pinks and reds tint the fluffy clouds that move slowly in the sky.

The sound of the door opening interrupts his peace.

Izuku tenses for a split second before he closes his eyes and feigns being asleep, hoping the hospital staff will leave him alone. He’s had enough of being poked and prodded in his exams today and really doesn’t feel like putting on a fake smile right now.

“Ain’t ya too old to pretend to sleep like a brat?” a gruff voice pierces through the air as heavy footsteps get closer and closer to the bed.

Relief immediately pours over Izuku’s body like sweet syrup on pancakes. The corners of his lips twitch up at the recognition of his favorite person’s voice, but he keeps his eyes shut anyways like the brat he is.

A smooth finger pokes and prods his cheek repeatedly, warm and all-encompassing which should be impossible from how little contact is actually being made. Izuku feels the flush grow on his cheeks but refuses to budge. If all the pokes and prods in the hospital were like this then maybe he wouldn’t complain about it so often.

“I can see you smiling, dumb ass. Takes up half your freckled mug,” the voice says again in the same deep timbre, but lined with obvious amusement. Izuku still keeps his eyes closed, but his smile is growing bigger and bigger with every poke that shows no sign of slowing down. All of his teeth are fully visible now and his cheeks ache from it.

The finger moves from his cheek to his dimple, the single one he has right on the corner of his lips. The one that only comes out when Izuku’s smile is at its biggest and most genuine. The pokes continue there, as though the finger is trying to prod the dimple even deeper into Izuku’s face.

A giggle escapes from Izuku and the movement makes the next poke slip, missing the dimple. The warm finger grazes over Izuku’s bottom lip. Izuku’s breath catches as the finger hovers over it for a second.

The motion was so faint, so light it should’ve been almost imperceptible, but nothing Kacchan does will ever be unnoticeable to Izuku. His lips tingle where skin met skin. They buzz from the contact, and he wants to run his own finger over the spot so he can imprint the feeling in them forever. Feel the ghost of Kacchan’s touch for himself and never forget it. But he doesn’t dare to. Izuku won’t risk anything that could shatter the tension in the moment, so he remains still. Smiling wide and stupidly in-love in the bed.

After a beat the finger resumes poking on the dimple, somehow even more careful and tender than before.

“I made all this food and came all this way after I get a call about some nerd who got himself busted up on the job. Come to find out it's so bad he's knocked himself out completely,” Katsuki says and Izuku knows the exact look on his face without having to open his eyes. “Guess I’ll have to eat this bento all by myself then.”

Izuku finally peeks through a single eye and his favorite sight greets him, basked in an orange glow and civilian clothes. Katsuki has a sleek black cap over his signature yellow spikes and a black paper mask pulled under his chin. His hand, the one not resting on Izuku’s face, is at his side holding several plastic bags full of items. He’s so unbearably handsome it’d make Izuku jealous if he didn’t get the chance to see it all the time.

“Kacchan, don’t be mean,” Izuku says in a slight pout, unmoving from his spot, but not a single bone in his body thinks Katsuki could ever be such a thing. The Katsuki before him is not someone cruel, in fact he is so good it makes Izuku’s stomach turn and his heart fit funny in his chest. You’d think he has the heart problems between the two of them.

“Wake up then, nerd,” Katsuki sighs. It's all he says in response, so quietly that Izuku can’t help but feel a pang of worry creep up his spine. He gives one last prod to Izuku’s cheek before he pulls his hand away and Izuku mourns the loss instantly. He sets one of the bulging plastic bags on Izuku’s lap before he goes to pull a rickety wooden chair next to the bed. He sets down the remaining bag next to the chair, on the floor and out of Izuku’s view.

Izuku opens both his eyes and sits up slowly, curious and slightly worried at the subdued Kacchan in front of him. He was expecting the usual taunts. The yells to be more careful. The ones where he calls Izuku a dumb-ass out of thinly-veiled concern, but there’s not a sign of Kacchan’s usual reactions.

Izuku wiggles back to rest against the wall at the top of the bed, being careful not to topple the bag in his lap. He watches and waits for Katsuki to settle in his seat. Katsuki scoots in to the edge of the bed and takes the bag from his lap. Izuku shifts over, crossing his legs to make room for him to set the food down and reaches to open the bag. He pulls the containers out while Katsuki holds it open and out of the way. Both are moving through practiced routine, having done this dance in the hospital rooms far too many times in their lives. Although, Izuku is usually the one eating on the side of the bed on the occasion that Katsuki was badly injured from a mission or fight.

It’s silent through the shuffling and setting up. Katsuki is still surprisingly quiet and focused on the food, not quite looking at Izuku. His hands are working away at the bag in front of them, but the tension in his jaw and the minuscule pinch in his eyebrows give everything away to Izuku.

“Kacchan,” Izuku says softly, trying to get his attention. Katsuki doesn’t stop fidgeting with the food containers, arranging and rearranging, moving everything and nothing at the same time just so he has something to do.

“Hey. Kacchan,” Izuku repeats, stilling his own hands as he tries to get Katsuki to look at him.

A small hum is all he gets in response, but still none of those red eyes that Izuku needs to see right now.

“Kacchan, please. Where are you right now? Can I come too?” Izuku whispers like a plea, trying to get Katsuki to hear him through all the noise in his head. The hospital room is quiet, so quiet it makes Katsuki’s silence loud and roaring and it kills Izuku to see him but know he’s not all there.

Katsuki finally stills. His hands freeze over the chopsticks and napkins. He takes a deep breath and his head drops ever so slightly between his shoulders. They rise and fall slowly as he gathers his thoughts. He mutters something under his breath that Izuku didn’t quite catch. Izuku is about to ask him to repeat it, when Katsuki finally starts talking.

“It’s Katsudon,” Katsuki says abruptly, not looking at Izuku still, but he moves to the first big container. He watches as the tips of Katsuki’s ears turn the slightest bit pink, soft and rosy against his pale skin like the clouds in the sky outside the window.

“It was going to be a ‘congrats on kicking ass on your first shift back, nerd’ meal when you came back to our apartment tonight. But you didn’t make it home.” Izuku feels a slight tug of guilt in his stomach. He knows it’s not his fault, and there is no blame in the way Katsuki said it. Yet, it doesn’t make it any easier to know Katsuki was waiting for him to be there and Izuku couldn’t make it.

Izuku continues to watch him in silence, trying to work through his confusion as Katsuki opens the lid and reveals perfectly fried pork cutlets. They’re pre-cut into strips in exactly the size that Izuku likes them. This way, they’re big enough to load curry on top, but not too big that they’re messy to bite through. The golden cutlets are arranged perfectly, rows of them all lined up next to a heaping bed of rice. Everything is separated by a sheet of foil, each food on opposite sides of the container. Izuku hates when the bottom side of his pork gets soggy from the rice steam when they’re stacked on top of each other.

“The curry’s not too spicy this time. Thought I’d be nice to ya for once,” Katsuki lets out a scoff through his nose while he sets the curry container on the counter instead of on the bed between them. Izuku is clumsy and Katsuki knows it, so he handles the curry for him so they don’t have to deal with a spill today.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t forget the sides either,” Katsuki pulls off the lids to an assortment of Izuku’s favorite side dishes. Every single one is in different but perfectly measured portions. All depending on how much Izuku enjoys them paired up with Katsudon.

“Wow,” Izuku whispers breathlessly and in awe at the careful details laid out before him, but Katsuki’s not done yet.

“I also stopped by the farmer’s market this morning, after taking Yuuki to the vet. She’s fine by the way. We found those pears you love. The one that’s only in season for a month and gets mushy really fast. Y’know, when you cut into them too soon even though I warn you about it every time. But your forgetful ass—maybe stubborn, actually— ignores me and does it anyways,” he chuckles a bit. Izuku smiles fondly at the flood of memories of every squishy pear that he’s ranted about to Kacchan. The one who never forgets to remind him about not cutting into it until Izuku’s certain he’s ready to eat them. Who always listens without complaint as he watches Izuku fail to listen every single time.

Katsuki continues, “I got into it with the old hag that runs the stall. She tried to rip me off you know, said that it was 1,500 yen a piece. Haggled it down to 1,000 since I was buying 10 of them for you. She eased up after I said who it was for. Even tossed 1 in for free. I’m pretty sure that shit had a bruise on it, but free is free I guess. Damn old lady.”

Katsuki opens a container of whole pears. There’s a fruit knife tucked inside next to them. He didn’t cut into them yet so they’re perfectly crunchy still. The condensation on the skin reveals how cold they are, probably chilled in the fridge to make them extra crispy. Perfect for the hot weather they’ve been having with Summer around the corner.

Izuku’s heart races at every word. The heart monitor betrays him, but he can’t bring himself to care right now. Not when Katsuki is the one that’s rambling for once, talking about all the things he’s done to prepare his surprise for Izuku today. He looks down at Katsuki with wide eyes as his chest tightens. There’s absolutely no way Katsuki is getting to what Izuku thinks, what he hopes he is getting to. Izuku squeezes the bed sheets by his side until his knuckles go white. Deep, deep down, Izuku knows they’ve been teetering on something more, but doubt is not an easy feeling to shake off. Not when so much is on the line between the two. He can’t bare to risk what they have on a flimsy thing like hope right now.

One more, Kacchan. Give me one more reason.

“And then there’s the shitty fucking flowers. You and your stupid green thumb like a fucking disney princess. Yuuki wouldn’t stop trying to eat the ones on the balcony earlier while I was watering them. Had to hold her squirmy ass still so I could finish trimming the yellowed bits off,” Katsuki says as he pulls a bouquet from the bag on his side, wilted and slightly smushed, but the most vibrant and beautiful Izuku has ever seen. Izuku gasps softly as he sees the colorful sunflowers, orchids, roses, and daisies assorted together. The fiery reds, oranges, and yellows like explosions against the brown wrapping paper, all held together by a beautiful sage ribbon. It’s so incredibly thoughtful and so undeniably Kacchan it makes Izuku’s breath catch.

“I’m shit at picking them apparently. The guy at the stand down the street told me that none of them really go together, but I told him to shove it. Told him the person I was buying them for has absolutely horrible taste and fashion sense, so it didn’t matter much anyways. Not when they’re the only ones you’re not allergic to or when they’re safe for Yuuki to nibble on. The little fucker. And I… well I like what they mean.”

Izuku’s eyes water immediately and his lips warble, “Kacchan,” he all he can say, soft and full of admiration. Izuku says it with all the reverence and adoration he holds for Katsuki, hoping that he’ll feel it all just from hearing his name alone. It’s the only way Katsuki deserves for his name to ever be spoken.

He grabs the bouquet from Katsuki’s hands and rests them on his lap, choosing instead to hold Kacchan’s hands in his own. Izuku cradles them gently, rubbing scarred thumbs against Kacchan’s forever smooth skin because of his quirk. These hands that are capable of explosions and destruction and power beyond comprehension. The very ones that are trembling ever so slightly in Izuku’s lap. Seeing them in this state pulls at the heartstrings that are barely holding it together in Izuku’s chest. Katsuki is still trying to steel his emotions behind a schooled expression and averted eyes.

“You love me,” Izuku whispers, barely able to be heard as he looks right at Kacchan, unable to look anywhere else. Not a question. Not a request. But a fact, indisputable and sure. Katsuki stills in his hold, but Izuku does not let his hands go.

Izuku needs him to stay and know he’s there to bear the weight of Katsuki’s love. Needs him to know that Izuku believes—knows that Kacchan loves him. Knows that Katsuki’s love is tucked in everything he does for him, like fried Katsudon cutlets in foil. That his love is ready for Izuku to take when he wants to, like uncut pears chilled beforehand for him. That it’s messy and imperfect but blooms for nobody else but Izuku in mind, just like the mismatched flowers settled in his lap. Every action, every act, every decision that Katsuki makes has Izuku wholly in consideration. Everything he does is for Izuku, and Izuku finally sees it for what it is.

“I- I love you too, Kacchan.”

He can’t do any more than bare it all in front of him like how Kacchan has. To take his soul and splay it out in the open like Katsuki just did. He can’t make Katsuki look at him. He has to do that for himself. Izuku just hopes his offering of words is enough to get him to see that he understands. Not only does he understand, but he loves him back just as fervently as he loves Izuku.

“How could I not love you?” Izuku breathes out with all that he is, willingly suffocating and trusting Katsuki to breathe the air back in his lungs.

The air is thick between them, the silence permeates the room as Izuku’s heart monitor beeps quickly, loudly announcing the racing heart in his chest. Izuku calmly waits for Katsuki to respond. He won’t rush him. In this, he holds all the patience in the world. If Katsuki needs him to wait forever, Izuku will wait for him beyond that, ready for Katsuki’s love to be given to him at his pace, blindly trusting Katsuki with his heart to do with it whatever he chooses.

“Scared the shit out of me today, Izuku,” Katsuki says finally, “I don't think you get it. I really was happy with how things were. You were finally back out there on your own, with the suit, and back on the streets as the hero I know you're meant to be.”

Katsuki finally looks up at Izuku, desirous red eyes locking onto awaiting green ones.

“And I was content with that. If that was as much of you that I could get for the rest of our lives, I was going to accept it. Really. I was. Bite my tongue and die happy watching you be excellent from arm’s length away, just outside of my reach. Then you went down today and I realized it would never be enough.”

Izuku’s eyes widen at the admission. He might’ve gotten hurt during the fight earlier, but it was nowhere near as bad as he knew it could be. Hero work always came with the risk of injury, death, and everything in between. The two of them know it all too well, so Izuku’s shock is apparent at Katsuki’s reaction to a mere minor hospital stay.

“Kacchan, I’m okay,” he tries to reassure Katsuki, holding his hands even tighter, “It wasn’t that bad today.”

“Exactly,” Katsuki breathes out, another sigh as he tilts his head to the side while he looks at Izuku. A small but pained smile emerges on his face, “We’re heroes and damn good ones at that. We signed up for this shit knowing what exactly was on the line. But it’s been so long since I’ve seen you do it by yourself, seeing you get injured while I’m not there. While I can’t do anything but sit back and trust you’ll make it back to me. It’s been so long that even a shitty D-list villain actually scared me today. It was like someone ripped the air outta my lungs, Izuku.”

Izuku’s breath gets caught at Katsuki’s words. The symbol of victory, the incarnation of power, Izuku’s favorite hero, admitting that it is not death nor foe that scares him, but the idea that Izuku may be taken from him while he goes and lives his life as a hero.

“Kacchan, I had no idea. Why didn’t you tell me?” Izuku warbles. He can’t help the tears that threaten to fall from his eyes but he won’t look away.

“That’s ‘cuz I’m fucking selfish,” Katsuki smirks softly as he scoffs, but his eyes are still pained while he looks at Izuku. He finally tightens his hold on Izuku’s hands, breathing heavily as he works his nerves out, “I only do shit because I want you, Izuku. I do all the cooking because it means you’ll be there to eat it and tell me how amazing it is. I think gardening is so fucking boring, but I want to spend my days watching you talk to the plants while you water them, like the damn sun in the sky while our idiot cat eats herself stupid on the weeds. I spent years busting my ass and broke as hell to save up for your suit because I wanted you with me as a hero again as soon as I could. And I’d do it all over in a heartbeat. Knew the dangers it’ll put you in, but I still said fuck it anyways because I wanted to see you out there more than anything else in the world. All so I can chase after you for the rest of our fucking lives. Even if it scares the shit out of me to see you in the field. And right now?”

Katsuki flips Izuku’s hands in his so Izuku’s palms now rest on top of his own. He rubs the scarred skin gently with his thumbs, always making sure to take care of Izuku in every aspect of his life. He looks back up at Izuku.

“I want you for myself. I want you so bad I’m losing my damn mind. Especially in moments like these, when you end up in shitty hospitals for stupid injuries. When you make my chest go tight and my heart feel like it’s gonna fall straight outta my ass, I want you so I can take care of you in all the ways that I really want to. I want it so fucking desperately that I’m springing all this shit on a concussed nerd who’s all beat-up and busted in a hospital bed. That’s how much of a selfish asshole I am, Izuku.”

Katsuki’s voice is so unusually soft, thick with emotions and nerves. Izuku barely recognizes it. The contrast is so stark from his confident and cocky tone that it kills him.

“Oh, Kacchan,” Izuku says as he goes to remove his hands from Katsuki’s. Hurt flashes across Katsuki’s face, panic spreading across his wide eyes, and Izuku immediately rushes to soothe him from his misunderstanding. He raises his hands up to hold Katsuki’s face, making sure that he can’t look anywhere but right at Izuku when he says his next words.

“If that makes you selfish then I’m so much fucking worse,” Izuku says fondly, words so sweet it’s almost sickening. Katsuki’s eyes widen at Izuku cursing and his eyebrows shoot up further as Izuku carefully takes off his cap and sets it on the counter besides them. He brushes Katsuki’s bangs back, the ones that messily peek out of the top of his cap. He needs to make sure there is absolutely nothing inhibiting him from looking right at Izuku.

“I don’t want you to ever cook your Katsudon for anyone else, or buy someone else mismatched flowers, or fight the mean old ladies for anyone else but me. I’m so greedy for you, for your attention that I’ll do anything just for a second of it. So if loving me is selfish, then be selfish, Kacchan. Because I want to take anything and everything you’ll give me and more. I want it all until you have to tell me that you have nothing left to give. And even then, I’ll sit with you and give you every single piece of me so I can still have you, shining bright and whole like you’re meant to be. That’s how greedy I am for you.”

Katsuki stares at Izuku, frozen in shock and at a loss of words, going back and forth between Izuku’s eyes. Izuku smiles softly at him patiently, petting the bangs back soothingly as Katsuki takes his time putting his thoughts together. He clears his throat before finally responding.

“You—You gotta mean this fucking shit,” Katsuki pleas softly, “Because I can’t do this shit half-assed, Izuku. It’ll kill me. It’s all or nothing.”

He’s beautifully flushed in Izuku’s hands, as he looks up in his eyes, as though Izuku hung the constellations in the night sky for him (If Katsuki was the one who asked, he would find a way to). If his love for Izuku was barely hidden before, it’s loud and out in the open now, undeniable in the way he looks at him. And Izuku takes it all as he always does when it comes to Katsuki. People call him selfless and self-sacrificial, but Katsuki will always be his only exception. He will always be the greed that Izuku can never satiate no matter how much Katsuki gives him.

“I don’t want anything less than all of you, Kacchan,” Izuku replies steadily, knocking his forehead to Katsuki’s. Both of them close their eyes and relax in each other’s hold. Izuku gently rubs his thumbs on the side of Katsuki’s temples while Katsuki rests one hand on Izuku knee, softly squeezing it periodically while the other hand holds Izuku’s on his face.

Katsuki is the first to pull back, but he doesn’t let go of Izuku’s hand instead intertwining them as they speak. Izuku opens his eyes back up and sees Katsuki already looking back at him. His stomach flips at the sight and Izuku still somehow wants more.

“Hi, Kacchan,” Izuku says, eyes watery and a little stupid smile on his face from all the love and emotions he feels pouring out of every pore in his body.

“Hey, nerd,” Katsuki snorts softly and wipes gently at Izuku’s tears before he wraps his other hand over their intertwined ones, “You better mark your fucking words then because there’s no taking any of this back.”

Izuku beams as he tilts his head and dramatically rolls his eyes.

“Oh nooo,” he says sarcastically as he fake swoons, “I have to deal with a really hot guy who loves me and takes such good care of me for the rest of our lives. What ever should I do?”

Katsuki chuckles and shakes his head before he flashes a smile up at Izuku, “Hot guy, huh?”

Izuku flushes but grins back at Katsuki with a small shrug, biting at the inside of his lip gently, “A bit dumb, but yeah he’s pretty hot.” He shoots Katsuki a wink before he breaks out into giggles, high off his meds, high off endorphins, and especially high off of Katsuki.

“You’re such a fucking pain in my ass,” Katsuki says as he surges up to Izuku, cupping the back of his neck and it’s all the warning Izuku gets before he captures Izuku’s lips with his own.

For all that Izuku is, he would have thought kissing Katsuki would be (besides a distant dream) intense and rough like how he spars or fights. It’s Katsuki he’s talking about here. But this? The gentle way he holds Izuku. The plump softness of his lips. The relieved hum that buzzes straight onto Izuku’s lips. Never in a million years would Izuku have thought it’d feel like this. The contact sears onto Izuku’s lips. Like the all-encompassing warmth of a home-cooked meal. Like sunlight on the balcony during the summer. Like he was made to ignite Izuku’s soul. Not in a fiery explosion, but a building simmer that overtakes his entire being.

The warmth overtakes Izuku's body as it travels from his head to his toes, burning from the inside out. He relaxes into the kiss further and feels like he's about to melt when Katsuki pulls back first. Izuku's eyes remain closed as Katsuki kisses tenderly over Izuku’s freckles, dusting them with gentle pecks before he gives a final kiss to the dimple in the corner of his lips. He leans back further and Izuku can’t help but lean in and chase the warmth before he can get more than a couple inches away. Katsuki lets out a soft mmph at the impact of Izuku’s clumsy attempt to kiss him again but he smirks deeper into another kiss.

Izuku sighs against Katsuki’s lips now that they’re back on his. A delighted buzz at the feeling of coming home. He feels drunk on Katsuki. Those few seconds without his kiss felt like hell. It’s a feeling that Izuku has realized he’s quickly become addicted to. The heat of his skin under his fingers. His sweet, yet spicy cologne. The hair tickling at his cheeks. The taste of pure Kacchan on his lips. Izuku is suffocating in Katsuki in every sense, but there is nowhere else he’d rather drown.

Unfortunately, he does have to breathe so he begrudgingly pulls away. He is rewarded though with the sight of Katsuki looking back at him. Half-lidded eyes stare straight back at Izuku, a soft and content smile on his flushed face. He looks so beautiful like this and Izuku can’t quite believe he gets to be the reason why. It takes his breath away and defeats the whole reason of why he pulled back from Katsuki in the first place.

“Ughhh. I can’t look at you right now,” Izuku groans and drops his head onto Katsuki’s shoulder. The stupid heart monitor picks up all over again and its incessant beeping mocks Izuku unabashedly.

Katsuki laughs, genuinely and whole and Izuku feels a zing down his spine from how open his joy is.

“What’s wrong, nerd? Getting shy on me now?”

“Shut up,” Izuku buries his face deeper into the hoodie on his shoulder, turning slightly to nuzzle his face into Katsuki.

“Don’t hide from me, Izuku,” Katsuki says softly, rubbing his hand gently on Izuku’s back.

“Kacchannn,” Izuku whines, muffled by his face in Katsuki’s neck, “Stoppp. You’re killing me.”

“Well, we can’t have that now can we?” Katsuki says with a teasing lilt and snorts. He turns towards Izuku to give him a peck on the temple, “Come back, ‘Zuku. Wanna look at ya.”

Izuku lets out a huff through his pout but sits back up. Who is he to deny anything Katsuki asks for, especially when he requests for him like that.

“There you are,” Katsuki breathes out, as he reaches up to cup Izuku’s cheeks, squeezing them gently like he can’t help himself “Fuck, I’ve wanted to do that for so long.”

“Kacchan, please,” Izuku whines again and covers his completely red face with his hands but he can’t hide his smile and delight in his voice. He doesn’t actually want to either.

“If I knew you’d react like this I would’ve done it way sooner then,” Katsuki cackles again as he gently pries Izuku’s hands away. He presses gentle kisses to the inside of his palms as he pulls them from Izuku’s face and into his own hands again.

Izuku really can’t help his pout at this point. It is so unfair that Katsuki is able to fluster him so easily without even trying. It’s the best problem that Izuku has ever had to deal with and he will happily continue to deal with it for as long as he has it.

Izuku’s head drops to his chest and he shakes it gently, concussion be damned. He's unable to stop the splitting smile on his face or the giggles that come out from the depths of his very soul.

“What’s happening in that big head of yours, huh?” Katsuki asks gently, peppering the top of Izuku’s hand with gentle pecks, as though he can't physically keep his lips away from Izuku.

“I’m just so happy right now,” Izuku says, picking his head back up and looking into the eyes of the man he loves. His first love. His only love. The love of his life. His favorite constant.

“I love you so much I think I’m going dumb. My brain is all fuzzy, Kacchan,” Izuku laughs again from the happiness that bursts out of his lungs. It feels like his heart is going to pop like confetti and his cheeks are going to explode with how hard he’s smiling.

Izuku continues to laugh as Katsuki just watches on. Soaking up Izuku’s happiness like a flower in the sunlight, basking in the bright rays of his warmth. There is so much tenderness and love that bleeds from his eyes, you’d think Izuku was a god and Katsuki his most devoted follower. Izuku might as well be with how Katsuki loves him with his entire being. His feelings for Izuku supersede something as meager as faith or veneration in this moment. It makes reverence feel inadequate as a measure of his love for him. The universe did not have a word for the capacity of the love that Katsuki has for Izuku, and it will end before one could ever be created.

“I love you too, Izuku. So fucking much. For the rest of our fucking lives,” Katsuki says as though it was as easy as breathing. He leans up to kiss Izuku once more, unable to stop himself from trying to show Izuku what he really meant to him. Izuku wraps his arms around Katsuki’s neck as Katsuki’s hand rests on his thigh, his palms warm and heavy, rubbing them back and forth. It helps ground Izuku as he floats away and into Katsuki’s orbit.

“Izuku! Mitsuki and I are— OH! SORRY!” The door slams shut just as fast as it opens.

Katsuki and Izuku break apart like they’ve been electrocuted. Both of their eyes are wide and frozen as they do nothing but stare at each other. Izuku covers his mouth with his hand as if he could physically hide the evidence of what just happened. Katsuki's lips are swollen and pink as Izuku scans him over. Yup. They're screwed.

“Kacchan, do you think they saw us,” Izuku whisper-yells in desperation, panicking at being caught making out with his best friend like high schoolers by both of their mothers out of all people.

“Izuku, there is absolutely no fucking way they didn’t.”

“I know. I know. But still! How did she even know I was here? You're the top of my emergency contacts for a reason! Why’d she bring your mom?”

“I told them about your hospital stay before I came! You know like the damn good person I am,” Katsuki whisper-yells back as Izuku pouts and rolls his eyes, “Didn’t think they’d fucking show up.”

“This is your fault then, Kacchan! You go deal with it,” Izuku pats Katsuki in the shoulder a few times with the back of his hand, nodding to the door.

“Don’t hit me! This is your fault too! Take responsibility damnit! I wasn’t the one who was being all cute,” Katsuki raises his pitch and mocks Izuku, “talking like ‘Kacchan! I love you so much I’ve gone dumb. Oh, Kacchan, Kacchan, Kacchan!’ with your stupid bambi eyes and pouty fucking lips. And you expect me not to kiss you?!”

Katsuki is fully flushed from the top of his cheeks to the base of his neck with his eyes wide as saucers. There's disbelief etched in every feature as he throws his arms in the air. Izuku is so caught off-guard by Katsuki’s genuine complaint that he can't help the bubbling giggle from escaping his lips. The panic and worry rolls off his body in waves. At the sight of Izuku laughing, Katsuki can’t help himself and also bursts into laughter too. Just like that all the tension in the room is gone.

“Okay, okay, Kacchan,” Izuku gets out as he tries to settle himself down, swiping carelessly at the tears under his eyes, “Together it is. Always together, right?”

Izuku holds a pinky out to Katsuki, reminding him of the promise they made at 5 years old. To face every villain together as the unbeatable wonder duo that wins every fight and saves everyone. Katsuki pauses and scoffs. He glances back at the door before facing Izuku again.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever, you crybaby.” He wraps his pinky around Izuku's and drags their linked fingers to his face, gently pressing a kiss where they intertwine.

A knock on the door interrupts them and they both turn towards the sound. Katsuki looks back at Izuku, giving him a slight pout and huff as he silently asks one last time if they can just ignore it. Izuku snorts at how cute he's being, but just nods at the door with a lopsided smile, urging him to let their mothers in.

“Ah fuck,” Katsuki groans out, reluctantly pushing himself up from his seat and making his way over. Izuku watches Katsuki drags his feet off of the metaphorical plank and into shark-infested waters. Katsuki may have been onto something when he called old people sharks back when they were younger. And his mom and Aunt Mitsuki? The bloodthirstiest sharks of them all.

“Brat!” Izuku hears the moment Katsuki opens the door.

“Ma.” Katsuki says flatly as he tries his luck at closing the door back on Mitsuki, “Hey, Aunty!” he says with much more enthusiasm over Mitsuki’s head.

“You slam this door on my face and I’ll slap you upside the head,” Mitsuki threatens as she shoves her way into the room, holding Inko’s hand and tugging her in tow. Katsuki drops his head and curses under his breath before he shuts the door behind them.

“M-Mom! A-Aunty Mitsuki!” Izuku exclaims, all the blood returns to his face now that he’s forced to face them directly, “What’re you doing here?”

“More like what have you and my brat been doing here? Huh, Izuku?” Mitsuki wiggles her eyebrows suggestively and Izuku and Katsuki flush even deeper.

“Mitsuki, what’d we talk about! Don’t tease them,” Inko chides gently as she makes her way over to Izuku’s bedside.

“Oh, honey,” Inko says softly as she looks at Izuku on the bed, “Mitsuki offered to drive me here and visit you since I was at her house when Katsuki called. We were just gonna check up on you and see if you needed anything.”

She looks over her shoulder at Katsuki who is in conversation with Mitsuki. With how furiously Katsuki is blushing and how undeniably delighted Mitsuki is, she’s one hundred percent teasing Katsuki about the scene they walked in on.

“But, it seems that he had you taken care of, didn’t he?” Inko says, a knowing smirk and teasing lilt in her voice as she winks at him.

“Mom!” Izuku squeals as his hands fly up to his face, “Pleaseeeeee. Don'tttttt.”

“And you nagged at me not to tease them, Inko you sly dog!” Mitsuki cackles, patting Katsuki roughly on the back as she laughs boldly in his face.

“Hey, brat,” she turns her attention back to Katsuki “Don't think you're off the hook. Tell me, who confessed first between you two?”

“I ain’t telling you crap, Ma.” Katsuki scowls as he swats at Mitsuki’s hand on his back. He pouts and Izuku can't help but see little Katsuki pouting at Aunty Mitsuki whenever she tried to pull him away from the playground.

“Izuku, sweetheart,” Mitsuki turns her attention to Izuku. Uh oh. He gulps, feeling cornered with nowhere to run to in his prison of a hospital bed. Moms always know who the weakest link is and she has honed in on Izuku with full precision.

“Will you be so kind and tell me then since my dear son over here doesn’t want to share any of the good news with his mother,” she smiles at Izuku but it feels more like a death sentence than a warm greeting in this moment.

“Uhhhh,” Izuku tries to stall, looking at Katsuki who has his most evil grin plastered on and is relishing in every second that he leaves Izuku out to dry. Might as well be in the driver’s seat with how fast he threw Izuku under the bus.

“You are absolutely no help, Katsuki Bakugou,” Izuku shakes his head in disappointment before he sighs which only delights Katsuki further.

"Should've let me ignore the door then," Katsuki clicks his tongue as he shakes his head but he's obviously reveling in Izuku's suffering right now. Mitsuki is still waiting on an answer so Izuku delays his walk off the plank no further.

“I mean, it was kinda at the same time,” Izuku tries weakly until Katsuki raises an eyebrow at him. The look makes him take a deep breath and huff again knowing there's no way out of it, “But technically I said ‘I love you’ first.”

“Oh dear,” Inko goes pink and drops her head to her chest.

“Ha! I fucking called it!” Mitsuki howls as she pumps her fists towards her chest. Katsuki cringes and covers his eyes as she continues to yell, “Inko you owe me dinner! And so does Masaru. Woooo!”

“Hah?” Katsuki’s jaw drops as he whips his head back up. His eyebrows pinch together as Izuku’s jaw also goes slack and his eyes widen too, “You guys bet on this shit?”

“Oh you bet your ass we did,” Mitsuki smirks as she saunters over to Izuku too, gently petting the top of his head, “Ever since the day you brats came home soaking wet from the river and refusing to let each other go.”

“And you fucking bet against me?” Katsuki throws his arms up in disbelief and scoffs.

“Oh abso-fucking-lutely,” Mitsuki cackles again, incredibly pleased by his reaction. She turns back to Izuku, “I always knew it’d be you Izuku. My son is bold and brave in everything he does. But you,” her red eyes round out and soften, the warmth and roundness remind Izuku of Katsuki’s eyes whenever he talks to Izuku too.

“You, Izuku, will always challenge and defy the odds. Do an old lady a favor and stick with my brat, will ya please? You make him a better person,” she says simply. Smiling as she squeezes his shoulder.

Izuku’s eyes well-up at the unexpected praise, “Oh, Aunty,” he warbles as the tears start running.

“You’ve gone and done it now, Ma,” Katsuki complains but the fondness on his face is so evident as he watches Izuku, not the slightest hint of denial for any of the words she just said.

“And, you made me double the money by not only confessing, but also beating him to ‘I love you’ first,” Mitsuki adds, sticking her tongue out at Katsuki and cackling all over again, “A real golden goose, this one.”

“Alright, alright,” Inko smiles as she tries to settle Mitsuki down. She turns to Izuku and looks at him so tenderly Izuku starts to feel the tears well up all over again. Her own green eyes are glossy as she looks down at him.

“Izuku, sweetheart. I am so so happy for you and Katsuki. I always knew you two would find your way back to each other.”

Izuku smiles, bright and warm as she leans in to give him a hug. He holds her firmly, pressing all of the gratefulness and love he can muster into it as a thank you for her understanding and support.

She pulls back to gently caress the side of his cheek, both of them in full tears and smiles.

“You guys are gonna flood the hospital floor,” Katsuki walks over with a tissue box in hand for the both of them.

“Oh, Katsuki. Thank you, honey.” She takes a tissue and dabs carefully at the tears under her eyes before she turns to face Katsuki. She grabs his arm gently and he freezes, eyes wide like a cat who’s been caught where it shouldn’t be.

“You are extraordinary too, Katsuki,” Inko says softly, words full of warmth only a mother can provide, “Don’t you ever forget that, okay? I am so so proud of the man and hero you have become; the one I always knew you could be. Take good care of my baby Izuku, please? There's no other hands he's safer in than yours.”

Katsuki sighs and the soft smile creeps back on his face, “I promise, Aunty. You don’t gotta ask,” he says in reply.

“Oh you’re too good, my dear,” Inko sobs as she pulls Katsuki down for a hug, his 6-foot frame looms over her tiny stature but he goes willingly. She hugs him tight as he awkwardly pats her back, lips pursed in a thin line as he tries to soothe her tears and Izuku laughs at the sight.

Katsuki looks up at the sound of Izuku’s laughter, immediately drawn to the sound of Izuku’s joy and unwilling to miss it for even a second. His features soften up again as he meets Izuku’s eyes.

“I love you,” Katsuki mouths silently as he still awkwardly hugs Inko, trying to console the never-ending river of tears.

“I love you too,” Izuku mouths back and he gets to see the dreamy smile that Katsuki only ever puts on for him. Izuku leans back against the wall and sighs deeply, heart feeling so full but so light. He watches as Katsuki continues to talk to their mothers, trying to distract them so Izuku can relax. He knows Izuku’s drained without even being told, doing his best even though Izuku can tell that Katsuki’s social battery is depleting faster and faster with every word. Every time Katsuki gets especially tired, he sneaks a look over at Izuku. Just for a second like it physically recharges him before he jumps back into the conversations. After a few more minutes, their two moms finally leave, saying their goodbyes and walking out the door, Mitsuki yelling at Inko to cash in her dinner tonight while Inko tries to shush her in the hallways.

“Good fucking riddance,” Katsuki says as he slumps back into the chair. He drops his head onto his arms resting on the bed guardrails, facing Izuku.

“Our moms sure can yap,” Izuku automatically pets through Katsuki’s messy spikes, mussed from the hat and stress of their mothers together.

“Understatement of the fucking century,” Katsuki sighs into Izuku’s touch and closes his eyes, relaxing noticeably as Izuku scratches his scalp gently.

“Thanks for taking the brunt of the convo, Kacchan. Was getting kinda tired,” Izuku whispers softly.

“I know. Told you, nerd,” Katsuki responds, “I’m taking care of you how I want to.”

Izuku melts at Katsuki’s open affection, “I know. I’m so so lucky. I love you." He leans down to peck Katsuki’s forehead.

"My Kacchan,” Izuku whispers against his skin. The sudden claim makes Izuku giggle.

“Such a fucking sap. I love you too,” Katsuki sits up and pulls him in for a quick kiss, as if he couldn't let a drop of Izuku's joy escape him. He sighs against Izuku's lips before pulling away and scooting in to set his head down on Izuku’s lap this time. He closes his eyes again. His shoulders rise and fall in slow and even breaths. A small smile peeks out from his turned face as he fidgets with Izuku’s thigh. He trails up and down the bare skin with his fingers, soaking in his entire being. All these little things that Katsuki does bleeds with his love for Izuku, tainted by the deepest craving in his core. It soothes Izuku’s soul and warms him better than any sun could.

Izuku closes his eyes too and leans his head back against the wall. He also absorbs the moment, savoring every second of Kacchan and drinking in his warmth. To know and understand Katsuki’s love. To be greedy for Katsuki without guilt and to love him without restraint. Izuku takes in all of Katsuki’s affection and allows it to wash over his body from head to toe, excited for every moment that’ll come for the rest of their lives.