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"Kacchan, face it. We are lost" Izuku whines stumbling over the same piece of root he also stumbled about four times before.
"Your teeth are going to get lost if you keep complaining!" Katsuki barks at him without even looking back.
Izuku rolls his eyes and continues trailing after the hero. Sure a nice hike through nature in a National Park seemed like a nice first date, but maybe they should have picked an easier path.
But when did they choose the easy path anyway? Falling in love with your childhood friend turned bully turned rival turned begrudging partner turned really close friend was not how Izuku thought his love life would go.
Honestly, he didn't even realize he could be into men before, in a drunken daze, Katsuki got brave and confessed to him. It was just another going out for drinks after work with some other heroes and former classmates that somehow become a group-therapy of dating is hard . Katsuki was strangely quiet during the whole night. So when it was just the two of them walking back to their homes, Izuku decided to ask, as one of Bakugou's best friends, why he never talked about dating or things like that.
'Come on, Kacchan. We are 25, surely you have been interested in someone at some point in your life.' Izuku said hoping to get something out of the closed-off man.
To which Katsuki replied, 'I am. It's the same someone since I was seventeen.'
Izuku felt his whole view of Katsuki change in that second. 'Wow! That is a really long time, Kacchan! How come you haven't asked her out yet?'
Katsuki looked him straight in the eyes and said 'because I know you are not into men' then turned around and walked away leaving Izuku stunned with his whole world changing axis.
During the next sixteen days and fourteen hours, Izuku was completely dumbfounded, not knowing what to do, where he stood. Until he got drunk again with Ochako and she made him try picturing himself holding hands with Kacchan, then kissing and finally having sex. And somehow Izuku was really excited about those thoughts. He found a piece of himself he didn't know was there but he liked it.
Katsuki was avoiding him during those days, but once Izuku got sober again he decided to find Kacchan and talk to him. He intercepted the other hero after a patrol and almost got an explosion to the face for that. But seeing Kacchan's face when he said 'I want to try it. Do you wanna go on a date with me, Kacchan?' was worth it.
Katsuki insisted on organizing everything for their date. Izuku would be fine with going out for dinner and a walk in the park, the usual stuff. But Kacchan could never do anything the normal way and decided to take him for a hike in a special trail.
And that brings them to their current predicament. They clearly have been lost for at least four hours, but Kacchan refuses to admit it and use their phones to call for help from the park administration.
Izuku has tried to keep his cheery mood on, but spending half the day running after Katsuki through the woods while slapping away mosquitos and listening to the other man snarl at him was not how he envisioned his day off.
"Kacchan, I'm tired. Can we please sit down for a while?"
"How can you be tired? Ain't you a fucking hero?! I've seen you spend over 36 hours working in a disaster zone, asshole. Tired my ass." Katsuki snaps at him and keeps walking.
You know what? That is enough.
"I'm taking a break, Kacchan. If you want you can keep going without me." And with that Izuku sits down on the floor to make his point. Katsuki clicks his tongue at him and trails off.
Whatever, they have been going around in circles for hours. Kacchan is bound to come back even if he doesn't want to. At least, that is what Izuku holds onto even when the minutes pass by way quicker than they should.
5 minutes.
15 minutes.
30 minutes.
69 minutes and Izuku gets up. Fuck, he screwed up, didn't he? He knows Kacchan has been hoping for a date for so many years, no wonder the man was so anxious. Izuku should have been more understanding. Besides, this is Kacchan they are talking about, he isn't that good at expressing his feelings and they have a history of miscommunication.
Izuku needs to find Katsuki, so he begins walking the way the other man went and calling out for his date through the woods: "KACCHAN!"
At this point it is getting late, the sun may be going down any minute now. This is actually getting dangerous, would Kacchan call for help if the night crept in and he was still lost? Izuku knows Kacchan isn't as bullheaded as he was in high school, but the man will always be prideful, that is just who he is and Izuku always loved him for that.
Wait, what? Where did that thought come from? Does he love Kacchan?
Somehow the answer is quite clear: yes, he does. He probably always have. Four-years-old Izuku's dream was to be Kacchan's best friend, it just took Izuku longer than it should to realize his adoration had stronger roots than simply 'he is really amazing'. Izuku got really desperate to find Katsuki now.
"KACCHAN!"
"DEKU!" He hears a raspy voice in the distance and runs blindly towards him.
"KACCHAN!" he stumbles again and falls on the ground. Damn, why is he such a mess? Kacchan must be embarrassed from ever thinking he had feelings for Izuku since he can't do anything right.
"You damn nerd, don't run in the woods. You gonna break your neck this way" Katsuki kneels down next to him to help Izuku.
"Sorry, Kacchan. I'm so sorry." Izuku begins crying. "I'm sorry it took me so long to reach you."
Katsuki gives him one of his rare small smiles, "It's ok, nerd. We found each other in the end".
And Izuku kisses him. Katsuki doesn't waste any time before hugging Izuku against his chest and kissing him back ravenously.
It's wet with tears and in the wrong position, but they have always needed a little extra time to find their pace with each other. As long as they don't lose sight of what is important, they will find a way.