Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Kissing Izuku was beyond what Katsuki had imagined, and when Izuku leaned up to kiss him? That was somehow even better. The small gasp that escaped Izuku as Katsuki claimed more of his mouth was like a fire in Katsuki’s mind, sending a flood of heat through his body, driving a need for more. His mind felt foggy, his thoughts sluggish, and when Izuku dragged his tongue against his canines, Katsuki barely suppressed a groan from slipping free.

Instead, he shifted them, pushing Izuku back against the railing and pressing them together with as little room between them as possible, feeling the contrast of Izuku’s cool body against the burning heat of his own. One of Katsuki’s hands clenched the railing so hard he thought the damn thing might splinter, the other on Izuku’s lower back. Katsuki’s thumb stroked the skin beneath the hem of Izuku’s shirt, eager to touch more of Izuku in any way he could. When their lips finally broke apart, Katsuki stared down at the mesmerizing sight before him—transfixed on the uneven breaths passing through Izuku’s swollen lips, his freckled skin flushed from under his shirt to the tips of his ears.

Katsuki was about to lean down to kiss Izuku breathless again when he realized he heard someone approaching the deck door from inside the apartment. He paused, hoping the steps would continue past—instead the handle rattled.

Katsuki thought that whoever it was had absolutely shit timing. He let out a string of curses as he moved to Izuku’s side, refusing to move his hand from Izuku’s lower back as his eyes locked onto the door.

Denki stumbled out as he yelled something into the apartment to the sound of loud laughter.

“Hey, Baku—” he started as he turned away from the apartment. His eyes widened as they shot between the pair before meeting Katsuki’s eyes, the expression of surprise quickly shifting to one of mischief.

“What do you want, dunce face?” Katsuki asked as he shot him a warning glare in the hopes he’d keep his stupid comments to himself for once. Katsuki should have known better.

“I was gonna ask you to make some grub but—” Kaminari said as his gaze drifted to Izuku.

“Fuckin’ fine—just keep Mina outta the kitchen.” Katsuki interrupted.

He knew he’d only be able to hide Izuku away from the group of well-meaning idiots for so long, and it appeared time was up.

Katsuki begrudgingly removed his hand from Izuku’s back and rolled his shoulders as he stepped towards the door. When he realized he didn’t hear Izuku’s steps following, he stopped and glanced behind him, his lips twitching into a smirk as Izuku absent-mindedly brushed his fingers across his bottom lip.

Damn it, Katsuki really wanted to kiss him again.

Instead, he settled for watching Izuku for a second longer before he said, “Come on, Nerd.”

Izuku seemed to snap out of his thoughts as his hand shot away from his lips, and he shuffled across the deck, standing behind Katsuki as he opened the door.

When they stepped in, Katsuki’s face twisted in disgust, the stench of something burning filling his sensitive nose. He didn’t know what was burnt, but he could guess who was at fault. The same two idiots who always created disasters in the kitchen.

Katsuki reached back and grabbed Izuku’s wrist, then walked them both towards the kitchen where it was coming from.

Sure enough, Eijiro stood in the middle of the kitchen, panting, while Mina was leaning against the counter, doubled over in laughter. When Katsuki looked closer he noticed what remained of a charred dish towel under Eijiro’s foot.

Katsuki’s brow twitched as he dropped Izuku’s wrist. He shouldn’t really be surprised—he knew exactly how hopeless his friends were in the kitchen, yet somehow he was still caught off guard. Their destruction apparently no longer limited to just food.

“What the hell happened?” he asked when he finally found the words, his fists clenched at his sides as he tried to contain his annoyance.

Eijiro—the one in the middle of it all, rubbed the back of his neck as he replied, “So I accidentally turned the wrong burner on and it kinda caught the towel on fire,” Katsuki glanced down at the counter where the soggy remains of what he assumed was once a frozen pizza sat, “and Mina forgot to turn the oven on.”

Mina was no longer giggling, and when Katsuki sent her a glare, she simply shrugged her shoulders. Katsuki scowled as he looked at the disgusting food again.

“Get. Out.” He said, his voice low like a growl as he pointed towards the living room.

Mina pushed off the counter and sauntered over to give Katsuki a quick peck on the cheek before rushing out with a quick, “Thanks, Kat!” thrown over her shoulder.

Katsuki roughly scrubbed the sticky lip gloss off his cheek in disgust. She’d gotten way too comfortable messing with him.

Katsuki remembered he’d dragged Izuku behind him when he’d stormed off to the kitchen. He turned to see Izuku hadn’t moved and stood there with his brow furrowed, his mouth forming a small ‘o’ as he stared at the chaotic scene.

The expression made Katsuki snort, easing some of his aggravation. “I’m gonna be stuck in here for a while. I’ll find you when I’m done.”

This wasn’t what he wanted to be doing, but it was easier to just do it himself than deal with another kitchen disaster. Plus, he guessed he could count this as an opportunity to show off his kitchen skills to Izuku.

“Do you need any help?” Izuku asked.

“It’s fine, just take this idiot with you.” Katsuki said as he jabbed his thumb in Eijiro’s direction.

“You didn’t get burned, did you?” Izuku asked as they stepped out of the kitchen—Eijiro may be sturdy, but Izuku was pretty sure he wasn’t fireproof.

“Nah, I’m fine.” He replied with his normal, easygoing grin.

Izuku breathed a sigh of relief, letting some of the tension he’d accumulated as he made sense of what happened in the kitchen ease out of his shoulders. Izuku thought that his friends got crazy, but compared to what he had just seen, they were pretty tame.

“Honestly, being kicked outta the kitchen isn’t unusual, though it normally happens sooner.” Eijiro nudged Izuku with his elbow as he said it, his voice teasing.

Izuku’s ears burned. So he definitely knew what they’d been doing on the deck.

“Ya know,” Eijiro stared straight ahead as he spoke, “you two seem to be a good match for each other. He’s my best friend—but he’s such a hard-head he doesn’t really let anyone in. It’s easier for him to push people away, I guess. But this past week, he seemed less…” Eijiro paused, “pissed off at life. I think you two are good together.” Though his words were heavy, Eijiro kept his tone light—as if discussing something as commonplace as the weather.

Izuku immediately slid into denial mode, the words tumbling out of his mouth. “I- I doubt it’s me. I mean, I haven’t done anything special! If anything, I’ve probably caused him more problems than anything. I think you are giving me way too much credit.”

Eijiro turned to Izuku, his brow arched, “If you say so, bro.” He gave Izuku a quick pat on the back and walked off to join Mina and a few others around the dinner table.

Izuku remained glued to his spot, his brain trying to make sense of what had happened. He’d been quick to deny Eijiro’s words in the moment—not wanting Eijiro to get the wrong idea. Yet the words ‘good together’ echoed in his head.

Together. with Katsuki. Izuku really wanted that—he’d wanted it so badly, in fact, that his dreams were filled with Katsuki.

But even now, Katsuki felt far beyond Izuku’s reach. He was a top student, popular, and came from a good family. Sure, Izuku did well in ranking too, but it was to keep the scholarship he depended on.

So Izuku tried to convince himself he was content with even getting to be friends with Katsuki. But that kiss—all heat and hunger—and that look Katsuki had given Izuku as they stood so close together they shared breath. It made it painfully obvious—‘just friends’ would never be enough when it came to Katsuki.

Before Izuku spiraled any deeper into his thoughts, Ochaco called out to him. “Izuku! I was wondering where you wandered off to!” she was sitting on the large sectional in the living room where most of their group was—excluding Shoto and himself.

Kyoka and a young woman sat on the loveseat perpendicular to the sectional.

Ochaco patted the empty cushion beside her, beckoning Izuku over. She grabbed his wrist with her free hand—the other holding a beer—and smiled up at him with a bright flush covering her face.

“Izuku, this is Momo. Momo, this is Izuku.” she said as she gestured to the woman next to Kyoka with her beer bottle.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Izuku Midoriya.” Izuku said as he turned and bowed to Momo.

Momo returned the bow with a friendly smile before speaking, “It’s a pleasure. I’m Momo Yaoyorozu.”

“Mina mentioned Kirishima had invited a few more friends, but I had no clue it was you guys!” Kyoka said.

Tenya, who sat at the end of the sectional, interjected, “Thank you for having us.” Then gave a quick bow of his head.

“I hope it’s alright that we joined?” Izuku asked from where he sat next to Ochaco.

Kyoka was a Siren; which placed her in the same small division as Tsuyu and Izuku. The three made up the entirety of their year’s division. Because of this, the three were friends—though they rarely had opportunities to hang out together. However, Izuku still worried that suddenly showing up at her apartment—even with an invitation from her roommate—might be awkward for her.

He was put at ease by the comfortable smile on Kyoka’s face as she waved the question off, “Of course.”

The group continued to chat and sip their drinks—Izuku had one shoved into his hands soon after joining by Ochaco, who insisted a drink was essential to relaxing.

“Where did Shoto disappear to?” Izuku asked Ochaco.

She turned to point behind them to where Shoto was leaning against a wall across the large room in conversation with someone. “He knows a lot of them because they’re in the same division,” she paused, her head tilting to the side, “I always forget he is actually kinda popular. I guess that having a nice face goes a long way.”

“By the way,” she started, a glint of excitement in her expression,

“Where did you and Bakugo sneak off to earlier?” she asked, her voice lowered to a whisper so the others wouldn’t hear.

He nearly choked on his drink. Had they really been that obvious?

“We didn’t sneak off anywhere. We were just on the deck for a few minutes.” He replied, refusing to make eye contact as he took a long sip of his beer.

She snorted, causing the others to look at her. “It’s nothing.” She assured them in her normal volume before turning back to Izuku with an incredulous look. “With Bakugo. By yourselves. I wonder what could possibly have happened.” She dissolved into a fit of giggles at Izuku’s flustered glare.

The two continued to bicker in whispers as Ochaco prodded Izuku for answers while he dodged the topic entirely. He’d tell her about it eventually, but that didn’t mean he wanted to do it in the middle of the same party!

They quieted when they heard Katsuki yell from the kitchen entrance. “Yo, idiots, food’s ready. You’d better eat it all.”

From Ochaco’s other side, Tsuyu asked if she wanted something to eat—derailing Ochaco from her line of questioning. Izuku slumped onto the couch, thankful for the distraction.

She nodded enthusiastically. “Really? Thanks, Tsuyu!”

Katsuki strode out of the kitchen with a plate—people shuffling past him into the kitchen. He methodically scanned the apartment—only stopping when their eyes met.

Izuku watched in awe as the scowl on Katsuki’s face shifted into a confident grin. Izuku’s breath caught at the sight—it wasn’t fair that a smile from Katsuki heated his blood and emptied his head of all other thoughts. How was he supposed to act normal now that he knew exactly what those red eyes looked like, filled with want?

Katsuki ambled up to Izuku, seemingly unbothered, and shoved the plate at him. Izuku blinked at it, then at Katsuki—who stared back expectantly. “Gonna take it or what?”

Izuku scrambled to take the plate with a massive amount of food balanced on it. “What’s this for?”

Katsuki dropped onto the couch next to him—shifting closer until their legs were pressed together. They were close enough Izuku smelled the increasingly familiar scent of Katsuki’s cologne and the sensation of his body heat seeping through their clothes, warming him where they touched.

“Hm, a plate of food, what could it be for?” Katsuki teased, his tone sarcastic as he reached out and plucked something off the plate and tossed it into his mouth. “Eat, and half the plate is mine.” 

It was silly—but this small action made Izuku’s heart squeeze in his chest.

“Thanks, Kacchan,”  he said with a small smile before popping a fried shrimp into his mouth. His eyes widened, looking like saucers as he stared at Katsuki with amazement. “That’s so good!”
 

Katsuki grinned at the praise, replying with a hum as he leaned back against the couch and casually stretched his arm out behind Izuku’s shoulders. Izuku stilled, worried about being so close with so many people around. If their friends saw them so close it would undoubtedly lead to questions later. Honestly, Izuku had no idea what he would tell his friends if they asked, because he wasn’t really sure what they were doing either.

Yet the opportunity to curl into Katsuki’s side was too tempting for Izuku to resist, despite his worries.

Katsuki studied Izuku’s reaction as he placed his arm behind him—his body went rigid before slowly easing back into the couch and Katsuki’s side. He found it endlessly entertaining how Izuku got flustered over each brief touch Katsuki initiated, yet could be so bold when he was the one to take action. It was this behavior that tempted Katsuki to tease him all the more.

He didn’t understand how Izuku had such sway over him. But he found it hard to resist when he saw he had just as much influence over Izuku—Katsuki figured he’d live with the trade-off.

The more time he spent with Izuku, the more a hunger grew in Katsuki—his teeth ached to bite into freckled skin and leave his mark—to claim Izuku and keep anyone else from even the thought of approaching him. The possessive thoughts clouded his head like a heavy fog, provoking urges in himself he wasn’t entirely familiar with. He snatched a croquette off the plate and shoved a bite into his mouth, trying to distract himself from the hunger that food had no power to quiet.

He glanced at the person on Izuku’s other side, where a brunette with full, flushed cheeks and wings on her back laughed with Izuku. Based on what he’d learned from Eijiro, this was probably the Ochaco woman he mentioned before. As he studied her, her eyes shot up and met his. He was about to turn away and pretend nothing had happened when she spoke.

“Hi, I’m Uraraka Ochaco!” she said with a little wave and a giant smile that squished her face.

Katsuki was silent for a moment; her brown doe eyes stared at him expectantly. He gave her a nod. “Bakugo Katsuki.”

“Oh, I know.” She replied, eyes flicking to Izuku with a growing grin.

Apparently, he wasn’t the only one who understood the appeal of teasing Izuku.

Katsuki noticed Izuku shift away from him with Ochaco’s attention now on them. Katsuki wasn’t having that—he slid his arm off the back of the couch, letting his hand fall to Izuku’s shoulder. He pressed lightly on Izuku’s shoulder to keep him from escaping his space.

Izuku blushed, but he stopped trying to wiggle away.

Ochaco laughed quietly when they made eye contact again, her brows raised. He returned the look with a small shrug.

Katsuki had no reservations staking his claim to Izuku, regardless of who was watching.

Katsuki thought she had something to say, but before she had a chance, a woman with long green hair approached carrying two plates.

“I grabbed what I thought you would like, so make sure you eat so you don’t end up hungover tomorrow.” the woman said as she carefully handed Ochaco a plate full of food.

“Thanks, Tsuyu!” Ochaco replied as she eagerly dug in.

Tsuyu sat beside Ochaco as Tenya came in a few steps behind her. He moved with precision, his posture perfectly straight and a carefully organized plate of food in hand.

He must have noticed Katsuki’s gaze on him as he turned to give a quick nod in greeting. “Bakugo.”

Katsuki grunted. “Glasses.”

Tenya’s brow twitched, but he said nothing about the nickname as he sat down further on the sectional.

Katsuki smirked triumphantly at the reaction. It was just too easy to piss him off.

From beside him, Izuku’s voice grew louder as he fretted, “Ochaco, you should really slow down.”

Katsuki looked over and had to press the back of his hand to his mouth to stop the beer from spewing out.

Ochaco’s cheeks puffed out as she furiously munched on the food in her mouth—completely ignoring Izuku’s concerns. She looked like a hamster who’d just filled its cheeks with as much food as it was able. Katsuki thought she looked dumb as hell, and while it was pretty hilarious to watch—Izuku had a point.

“Oi, Cheeks, slow the hell down; nobody’s gonna take your food.”

Her head snapped in his direction at the nickname, eyes narrowing as she chewed faster, a look of determination on her face.

But Katsuki’s comment had caught Iida’s attention, and before she swallowed her mouthful down, she was being chastised yet again.

“Uraraka! You should be more careful. You can easily choke with that much food in your mouth, even more so since you have been drinking. You must exercise more caution.”

With Tenya nagging someone else for once Katsuki had to admit—it was funny when he wasn’t on the receiving end. Katsuki shot Ochaco a smug grin over Izuku’s head.

She shifted her glare between the two men before continuing to shove food into her face out of spite. 

Slowly, more of the party trickled into the living room, some taking their seats on the couches, others settling on the floor as they ate their food and talked. Katsuki leaned his head back on the couch and listened to Izuku as he happily talked with everyone—not missing a beat.

Honestly, Katsuki was impressed with how Izuku could seamlessly integrate with the group as if they’d been friends for some time before the party.

It was almost two AM when Tenya asked, “Midoriya, we will head out now. Would you like to join us?” Behind him, Tsuyu stood with Ochaco slouched against her as she yawned.

“I’ll walk back with Shoto, thanks, Tenya,” Izuku replied as he leaned forward to wave to Ochaco and Tsuyu. “See you Monday.”

The three headed toward the front door, and Katsuki reached the hand that had been on Izuku’s shoulder to tug on a curl.

Izuku turned to him. “Hm?”

“Guess I’m not walking you back then, huh?”

“Oh, well—Shoto and I live together, so we just normally go back together, I-if you want, you can walk with us?” Izuku asked, his voice wavering at the end.

Katsuki wanted more time with Izuku, but doing so with the Lizard third-wheeling was a mood killer. He huffed and threaded his fingers through Izuku’s curls, roughly tousling them. “Nah, it’s fine. I’ll crash here. Text me when you’re back, yeah?”

Izuku smiled, his eyes soft as he said, “Sure, Kacchan.”

He let his hand drop as a new pang of want hit him as he stared at the expression on Izuku’s face.

Katsuki’s eyes stayed glued on Izuku as he stood and walked over to Shoto, asking if he was ready. They said their goodbyes to everyone and walked to the front door. Katsuki waited until it shut behind them, then he stood up and walked over to open it and lean out. Izuku talked quietly with Shoto a few doors down as they headed toward the stairs.

“Oi, Izuku, come here for a sec.” Katsuki called.

Izuku looked confused as he said something to Shoto before back-tracking. “Kacchan?” Izuku asked as he came to a stop in front of him.

Katsuki glanced down the hallway, making sure Shoto wasn’t watching before making his move. He grabbed Izuku by the nape of his neck and tilted his head. Katsuki leaned forward and kissed him deep and slow, with none of the urgency from the kiss on the deck. He wanted to memorize every detail of Izuku’s mouth, from the taste of his lips to the shape of his tongue. When he pulled back from the kiss, his lips curled into a devious smirk at Izuku’s dazed expression.

Katsuki whispered into the limited space between them, “Bye, nerd.” leaning back before he stepped into the apartment, letting the door close.

Half an hour later, he was settled on the sectional, the last of the party cleaned up, when his phone buzzed twice.

He grinned at the message before typing a reply.

With his message delivered, he tossed his phone to the side, a small smile not leaving his lips. He couldn’t wait to see Izuku again. With that thought, he let his heavy eyes close and his mind sink into sleep.