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Izuku scrapes the shovel against the dirt floor of the stables once more, grunting a bit at the work as he hefts it up and waddles it to the wheelbarrow waiting for him at the mouth of the stables. It’s grueling work, sure, but Izuku knows it needed to be done. It wasn't like he was going to have his mother do this, anyways. Besides, he’s happy to pitch in.
Kacchan is coming home, and Izuku's more than happy to make things perfect for when he arrives.
They've been best friends for as long as Izuku can remember, playing knights up and down the streets of their village, hiding out in between barstools in the Midoriya Inn when it rained, dozing off by the fire after drinking mugs of hot cider in the winter. Those carefree days have long since been replaced with hot and heavy nights scattered in between months of being away, but those childhood memories are still dear to Izuku anyways.
Izuku clears the last of the stalls, giddy in his remembrance and the promise of seeing Kacchan once more. He throws the last shovelful of horse mud into the barrow before wheeling it towards the back of the stable. He smacks his hands together, pleased, before heading back towards the Inn.
It was his father's inn, really, passed down the family line for generations, but when his father left for a meeting in the kingdom's capital and never returned, the brunt of work fell to Izuku and his mother. Staying behind in their village as Kacchan joined an adventuring guild hurt, of course, especially since they planned on joining one together , but Izuku knew they would be okay.
Why hold Kacchan back, too, if Izuku was the only one that had to be?
None of that matters, though, Izuku reminds himself with a shake of his head. There’s nothing he can do about the past, after all. Kacchan is coming back to their village after all this time, and Izuku is going to enjoy it while he can.
“Stables are done!” He calls as he slips through the back door of the Inn's lobby. It's a bar, really, but Izuku doesn't argue when his mother tells him otherwise.
“Already?!” His mother calls back, obviously surprised at the announcement. Izuku shrugs as he grabs the mop and a bucket filled with brackish water, stepping towards his mom. “You really should rest, Izuku,” his mother scolds, shaking her head, “you're gonna work yourself ‘till you're sick if you're not careful.”
“There's work to be done,” he says with a smile, letting the mop standing supported by the crook if his elbow as he pats his chest, his fingers hitting the pocket sewn to his tunic and, most importantly, the letter stowed there. He doesn't need to explain the movement, as his mother sighs once more. Instead, he takes the mop back in hand and holds the bucket up a bit higher towards his mother.
With a snap of her fingers, purple sparks fly from her hands and fall lacklusterly into the bucket. As the sparks touch the water, sending ripples onto its surface, the water turns from a dark, cloudy brown to clear and frothing with bubbles.
“Thanks,” Izuku says with a smile, leaning forward and kissing his mother's cheek before moving from around the bar counter and to the open lobby.
“I just hope you don't tire yourself out all too much,” he hears his mother sigh. He rolls his eyes at her before starting to mop the floors.
Izuku offers to stay up until they close the bar for the night. His mother scolds him, going on about needing rest and not being so eager, but Izuku waves her off and tells her he'll be fine. He knows he wouldn't be able to sleep anyways, the anticipation making his heart race so fast that rest is practically impossible.
He keeps himself busy as the night wears on, wiping down the bar counter and resorting the coin lockbox his mother stows away and pouring more oil in the lamps that keep the space lit. His hands itch , wanting to reread the letter in his pocket, but he stops himself from doing so. He knew what it said, nearly word for word, and reading it again wouldn't do much of anything besides wearing the parchment down more. So, instead, he drums his fingers on top of the bar counter and waits for any late night stragglers to come on by.
The boredom almost gets to him, weighing his limbs down and making his eyelids droop, until he hears voices just outside the Inn.
“--eally late, I don’t think--”
“ Just let me handle this !” Izuku snaps to attention at the familiar voice. “I know what I’m doing.”
The voice just barely dissipates from the air as the door to the Midoriya Inn opens. The name is on Izuku's lips even before he steps into the Inn.
“Kacchan!”
A smile immediately blooms on Katsuki's face as their eyes meet. Izuku scrambles out from behind the bar and practically launches himself at Katsuki in his excitement. He would have babbled an apology if Katsuki didn't catch him perfectly and held him close the way he did. Izuku feels Katsuki's lips press insistently to the side of his head, and something tells him it's not exactly a kiss but it's close enough because--
“Soo,” someone drawls, “I take it you two know each other?”
“Shut up , Sero!”
“Yeah, can't you see they're havin’ a moment?”
“ Quiet! ” Katsuki growls, pulling away from Izuku as he turns towards four others gathered at the door.
“Yessir!” a blond chirps, sounding rather sarcastic as he salutes Katsuki.
“S-sorry about that,” Izuku says, taking a step away from Katsuki as he rubs the back of his head. “I didn't know there were…” he cuts himself off with a shake of his head and draws himself up to his full height. “Will you guys be staying the night?”
Izuku can't help the way his eyes stray to Katsuki with the question, and can't help the blush that blooms across his face as the girl of the group sings a drawn out “Oooooh!”
“I think we should,” the blond pipes up again, looking at the others.
“Yeah, it's pretty late,” the redhead concurs.
“Plus, we've got a long road ahead of us!”
“ And you two probably wanna catch up-!” The black haired man is caught in the ribs by a thrown elbow, effectively cutting him off, and Izuku stifles a sympathetic laugh.
“Well, I'll go get a room ready--” Izuku starts to say, before Katsuki cuts him off.
“Two.”
“Two?”
“You know about the winter festival in the capital?”
“Yeah,everyone does but... what does…?”
“We were given the task of getting the prince there for the festivities!” The woman says, hopping a bit on her heels excitedly. Izuku points a skeptical glance at Katsuki.
“I thought you wanted to stay clear of the royals?”
“Yeah, well,” Katsuki immediately defends, and Izuku stares as his faces goes red, “I needed the money.”
“Perfection costs a lot, huh?” The black haired man says, a jeering smile on his face. Katsuki rounds on him, practically snarling, but Izuku catches his shoulder.
“It's a good thing family stays for free, huh?” He says. He loves the way Katsuki melts at the statement.
The cooing from the others, though, he could have done without.
Izuku hurriedly guides their horses into the stables and stores their carriage close by, before getting them two rooms, side by side. He’s a bit ashamed that he can't get the prince better accommodations but Katsuki tells him, roughly, to not stress about it as Prince Shoto is escorted to his room without complaint. The others, named Sero, Kirishima, Kaminari, and Mina, Izuku learns after a hasty introduction, take their places in the room next door to the prince. They say their goodnights with winks and more coos that, frankly, put Izuku a bit on edge.
“Are you not going with them?” Izuku asks, giving Katsuki a look as their door slams shut.
“No room,” he replies, shaking his head. “Mind if I share with you?”
His apprehension ebbs away as he smiles widely.
“Of course!”
Izuku scrambles to the front of the shop, snuffling out the oil lamp that meant they were open and locking the front door for good measure, before leading Katsuki towards the back of the Inn, to his own room.
It's not like Katsuki didn't know where his room was, but feeling him walking so close by that their hands brushed makes him feel giddy.
Gods, he missed Katsuki so much.
They get to his room without saying much, and Izuku isn’t exactly surprised when the door shuts and Katsuki presses him against it. Their bitten-back smiles come together hastily, the kiss melting them both, lips parting and tongues meeting, sucking, mingling, like an old dance being pulled from memory and back into reality.
Gods , how Izuku’s wanted this, wanted him .
Izuku tangles his hands into Katsuki’s hair, pulling him closer as Katsuki’s tongue slips into his mouth. He sucks on it eagerly, loving the way Katsuki’s soft moan fills the little space between them, loving the way his hands shift where they’re at on the small of his back. He lets his hands fall to Katsuki’s chest, sliding down his torso and rest at his hips. Izuku pushes the hem of his shirt up, feels the warmth of his skin underneath, before his fingers stray to the band of his pants.
With a strangled sort of gasp, Katsuki grabs Izuku’s hands and pulls them away, guiding them to his lips. Izuku stares as Katsuki kisses his knuckles and blinks when he meets his eye.
“Not tonight,” Katsuki breathes as an explanation.
“What…” Izuku replies, a bit stunned. What did Katsuki mean, not tonight ? Usually, Katsuki only stayed in their village for a day or two, at most, before heading back to guild work! And he was on a mission right now! It didn't make sense to him, but the protests won't leave his mouth.
Katsuki seems to know that the wheels are turning frantically in Izuku's head, because he sighs a bit too heavily, sounding oddly over-dramatic, before meeting Izuku's eyes once more.
“You wanna come to the winter festival with us?”
“I…” Izuku says, because what else can he say? He wants to, and Katsuki probably knows that, too, but… Izuku shakes his head. “I have to stay here…”
“I'll talk to Auntie Inko in the morning,” Katsuki says, squeezing his hands before pressing a soft kiss to his brow.
“You can't just force me to leave my mother alone here!” Deku argues, glaring.
“There's plenty of people that can help out when you're gone.”
“That's not the point !”
“I want you to come with me,” Katsuki says, the words rushed like they soared out of his mouth without permission. Izuku can't respond, the admission striking him dumb and sending Katsuki's shoulders up to his ears. “I just think you should go to the winter festival at least once,” Katsuki rushes to say. “And since we're shepherding that bratty prince you might as well…” he huffs, frustrated. “Forget it. You should come with. I'll convince Auntie Inko and…”
“And?”
“And then we'll take you back here, after the festival,” Katsuki sounds a but dejected as he continues, “if that's what you want.”
“I-it's late…” Izuku says, moving his hands from Katsuki's hold to frame his face. “You should get some rest.”
“Yeah, we should,” Katsuku says softly, kissing him once more before they move to the bed.
They kick off their shoes and shuck off their shirts before shuffling under Izuku's covers and slotting themselves next to each other. They lie there, perfectly intertwined like they were made for it, before falling asleep.
When Izuku wakes, he's dazed by the cold he feels all over him. It never bothered him before, but being reminded of Katsuki’s warmth made him especially aware of it.
That’s right, Katsuki . Izuku shuffles, and feels that he’s not beside him. He did say that he’d talk to Izuku’s mom and the morning… and he’s probably convinced her by now to practically push Izuku out of the Inn when Katsuki and his group leaves for the festival. And it wasn’t like he didn’t want to go to the festival, it was just… Izuku knew it was stupid, but he knew spending time with Katsuki, adventuring through the kingdom and picking up odd jobs, was something of the past. Izuku loved him more than anything, but they went their separate ways, and sure they see each other from time to time… but some part of him felt like he was holding Katsuki back. And to him that didn’t feel right.
Izuku pulls himself out of bed, and gets dressed before making his way to the front of the Inn. Their voices leak into the hallway as he approaches, and Izuku hears his mother’s tittering laughter as he enters the room. She’s pinching Katsuki’s cheek, clearly amused by what he said a moment ago, just like she did to them when they were kids.
Izuku’s heart clenches. He clears his throat.
“You two look like you’re having fun,” he says, pulling on a smile as he makes his way behind the bar. He presses a kiss to his mother’s temple and she waves him off. He ignores the small pout Katsuki’s grin devolves into by being ignored.
“You should’ve told me Katsuki and his friends arrived last night!” his mother says, laughter still in her voice. “And the prince , at that!”
“I had it under control,” Izuku says with a shrug.
“Yeah, Deku took good care of us,” Katsuki says easily.
“And I trust,” Izuku’s mother says, turning back to Katsuki and folding her hands over one of his, “that you’ll take good care of him, too.” She sounds a bit tearful, and Izuku blinks at the sudden change, and at the weird display.
“Uhh..”
“For the winter festival,” Katsuki says, drawing his hand away from Izuku’s mother. “You’re coming with us.”
“Kacchan…” Izuku sighs.
“Go live a little, Izuku,” his mother says, smiling as she paws at the corners of her eyes, like she’s rubbing away tears. “Winter festivals are always so… grand . You’ll have a great time.”
“But… what about the Inn?” Izuku starts to protest. He expects Katsuki to say something, to explode and refute him, but it’s his mother who pipes up at his words.
“Izuku!” she says, sounding severe as she turns to him and catches his shoulders. “You don’t have to worry about me! You never had to! I am so, so thankful for all your help but…” She takes in a hiccup of a breath before smiling and continuing. “You deserve all the things you want in life. I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll…” Izuku says, unsure of what to say. “I’ll keep that in mind… I don’t know how it connects to the winter festival, but…”
“Oh, so you’re comin’ with?” someone says, and when Izuku turns he sees a beaming Sero sliding up onto a barstool next to Katsuki, followed closely behind by Kirishima, Kaminari, and Mina.
“That’s great!” Mina cheers, smiling widely. Her gaze shifts from Izuku to Katsuki easily, and Katsuki rolls his eyes at her.
“We head out in an hour,” Katsuki says, giving them all a look. The four nod immediately in response. It takes Katsuki to shift his gaze onto Izuku for him to nod.
It's the first time Izuku's been to the capital, let alone with the prince of the kingdom , let alone being a part of an official chaperone. He sits besides Katsuki on the carriage bench as Katsuki guides the pair of horses along, the prince sitting safely inside. Mina, Kirishima, Sero, and Kaminari all ride their own horses, flanking the carriage and mimicking an official guard. Izuku has to admit, it's a little thrilling.
They reach the gates of the capital with little trouble and pass by with only a few words out of Katsuki. Izuku tries his best to not gawk at everything they pass by as they ease into the capital. The cobblestone, decorated streets are swarmed with people, strings of pine needles threaded in arcs across the sky-high buildings, the chatter and music swelling in his ears louder than anything Izuku’s ever heard before.
“Close your mouth,” Katsuki jokes, his hand coming up to press at the underside of Izuku’s jaw, shutting his mouth for him. Izuku pushes him away halfheartedly.
“It’s so… much! ” Izuku says, feeling the need to shout over the din.
“I knew you’d like it,” Katsuki says, barely hiding his laughter. Izuku pulls a face at him before turning his direction to the lively city once more.
There’s town squares, lots of them, filled with bands and vendor carts and people, all laughing and dancing and just… living . It makes something in Izuku swell, and he isn’t sure he has a name for it yet, but all he knows is that it sort of fills his stomach with a sort of bubbly excitement as they roll past.
It doesn’t take long until the people realize that their prince is in the carriage they’re pulling by, laughter turning to shouts of glee and “ Oh, is that Prince Shoto?! ” The four on horseback have a time with keeping the citizens back as they continue to ride towards the castle, but something tells Izuku that they were glad for the small bit of action; Izuku knows he would be bored out of his mind riding horseback nearly all day.
They pass with through the inner gates sealing off the castle, the royal guard keeping the people at bay as they continue onwards. Izuku stares long and hard at the kingdom’s castle, trying to commit every inch of it to memory, so much so that his eyes start to burn a bit for keeping them open for so long. He blinks hard, rubbing at his eyes to chase the sting away, and Katsuki scoffs at him.
“You really cryin’ ‘cause of the castle, Deku?”
“No!” Izuku refutes, embarrassed that Katsuki would think that of him.
“Of course not,” Katsuki sasses back, snorting when Izuku pushes at his shoulder.
Katsuki navigates the carriage to pull up right next to the huge staircase that leads up to the castle. A couple of severe-looking guards are waiting at the threshold for them, and they step stiffly towards them as Katsuki slows the carriage to a stop.
“I’m Bakugo Katsuki from the Guild of All Might,” Katsuki says stiffly. “My team and I are delivering Prince Shoto for the winter festival.”
“Very well,” one of the guards say, tersely, moving to open the door of the carriage.
“Pay up, first!” Katsuki demands, the bark harsh enough to almost make Izuku flinch. The second guard holds up a red velvet bag, and with a nudge from Katsuki, Izuku leans down and takes hold of it. He nearly drops it, not expecting it to be as weighed down as it was. “Royal bastards,” Izuku hears Katsuki hiss under his breath.
The guards make short work of maneuvering the prince out of the carriage, and the prince barely gives them all a brief wave before being whisked up the staircase and into the castle.
“Is there,” Izuku starts, just as Katsuki urges the horses to move once more, “a ceremony the prince does at the festival every year or something?”
“Nah,” Kaminari speaks up right next to him, nearly shocking Izuku into leaping off the carriage altogether. Apparently, the four fell out of their positions with the prince gone, pulling up leisurely next to the carriage as they made their way out of the castle grounds.
“It was just a ploy to get the prince here safely,” Kirishima says with a wave of his hand.
“Plus, free entry to the winter festival!” Mina cheers.
“It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, really,” Sero says, shrugging.
Izuku laughs at the objectivity of it all, knowing Katsuki probably weighed all the pros and cons of this mission and deemed it worthy. It was such a him thing to do.
They find a stable that could house their horses for the day and head into the thick of the festivities. There's street after street packed with people and laughter, and it takes Katsuki warm hand around his wrist for Izuku not to get lost through the throng of people they pass.
And it seems like he's the only one to get through, because by the time Katsuki lets go of him, the other four are nowhere in sight.
“Oh,” Izuku says smallishly, “the others…”
“Forget ‘em,” Katsuki replies roughly.
“But!”
“They know the way back,” Katsuki says, giving him a grin that anyone else would call malicious. Izuku only sees eagerness. “Let's have some fun.”
Izuku can feel himself go weak at the knees, and it's all he can do when he nods, intertwines his fingers with Katsuki's, and smiles.
The festival is a whirlwind of people, music, food, and laughter. There's a new food stand around every corner that Katsuki is pushing him over to try, a new crowd dancing to a new song that Katsuki pulls him to dance to. At one point, Katsuki buys him a simple, warm hat that he pulls over Izuku's head without an okay. When Izuku protests, Katsuki gives him a sun-powered smile and says something Izuku can't bring himself to fight against: “It looks cute on you.”
The sun was almost finished setting by the time Katsuki leads him to an old, gnarled tree stump in the middle of a square and sits down. Izuku is thankful for the break, taking the brief moment and the lack of people around them to lean on Katsuki, resting his head gingerly on his shoulder.
“Well, that was fun,” Izuku breaths, feeling his lips quirk upwards.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah…”
“What?” Katsuki asks, jostling his head, just a bit, with a small shrug of his shoulder, obviously picking up on the slightest bit of hesitation Izuku voiced.
“It’s nothing…” Izuku says, sitting up straight once more and shuffling an inch away from Katsuki.
“Bullshit,” he swears in response, turning towards Izuku enough to make their knees touch. “What are you thinking about, Deku?”
“It’s…” Izuku starts, before sighing, resigning himself to the fact that he wouldn’t get out of the conversation no matter how much he tried. “Kacchan, it just… I think we should stop… this,” he says, meeting Katsuki’s eyes. His expression slackens, dumbstruck, and Izuku feels the urge to explain himself. “I feel like I’m holding you back. You’re out here doing amazing things with the guild, and meeting tons of new people every day and… I don’t want you to think that you have to come back and see me every once in a while and-and be with someone who doesn’t know you completely--”
“You do know me completely,” Katsuki says, and Izuku’s heart squeezes as the words come out strangled.
“I’m holding you back!” Izuku says, shaking his head. “I love you but--!”
“If you love me,” Katsuki says, grabbing hold of Izuku’s hand and quickly pulling someone out of his pants pocket, “just stay.”
“St-stay?” Izuku repeats, utterly confused. “Kacchan, I--”
And then his eyes catch what Katsuki is holding out. A thick, metal ring studded with emeralds sits in Katsuki’s palm, and Izuku’s breath catches in his throat.
“I love you,” Katsuki says, voice small yet sincere, like Izuku was the only one who was meant to hear him, “so much. I’ve loved you before I even knew what it meant. And every time we part ways, every time I have to leave you behind, it…” Katsuki huffs before bringing his hand to Izuku’s cheeks. Izuku can barely see, unshed tears clouding his vision. “I just don’t want to have to say goodbye to you ever again,” he says, swiping a thumb just under Izuku’s eye.
A sob wracks Izuku’s frame. He can’t help it.
“D-don’t cry, Deku,” Katsuki says hurriedly before Izuku shakes his head at him.
“I don’t want to say goodbye either,” Izuku says through another sob, but he can't manage to say anything else. He moves to mop at his face with the heels of his palms, but Katsuki moves quicker, framing his face and squishing his cheeks softly. Izuku can feel the cool metal of the ring press to his skin.
“Then stay with me ,” Katsuki urges, sounding almost giddy. “Izuku, will you marry me?”
Izuku's nodding before the question can fully escape Katsuki's lips.
“Yes!”
The ring fits perfectly, Izuku learns when he and Katsuki stop kissing and laughing long enough to slip it onto his finger. Izuku also learns that Katsuki measured his finger the last time he stopped by the Inn, and has been preparing since then.
Izuku's never felt so in love.