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Bakugou Katsuki was a lot of things, but one thing he wasn't was a goddamn quitter.
He owned Animal Crossing: New Horizons for a solid three months now, (no thanks to Shitty Hair who thrust the game into his hands and argued it was an "early birthday present,") and his island was presently in pristine fucking condition.
5-star rating. Terraformed to perfection. Completed Critterpedia. Golden tools. Completed museum— save for the recent art donation update. (Damn Redd can't seem to find the time in his day to visit regularly with his fake-ass paintings and statues.)
What would've taken the average person a whole month to complete took Katsuki a little less than two weeks. (He did have a life to live, y'know.) It wasn't that hard.
Golden flowers? Please, he's got a whole fucking field filled with them. Lilies of the Valley? Done. No time traveling- or time cheating, which is what he called it- was involved.
His beloved island, Ground Zero, was the exact opposite of its namesake— it was paradise. Eden. Valhalla. Whatever the fuck else you want to call it. To Katsuki, the only downside to owning a badass island was that his so-called friends just loved to mooch off of his success: begging for turnip prices every day, camping out on his island whenever he had a meteor shower, storming the Able Sisters whenever they could, raiding Redd's shady-ass ship— you name it, they've done it.
This, however? This was an all-time low.
So yeah, his turnips were selling for an unprecedented 753 bells that Tuesday, and yeah he was gonna open up the island to his squad via Dodo Code, but he didn't expect them to hand out his Dodo Code to goddamn extras like it was fucking Christmas! He thought they were better than that, but of course, he was proven wrong yet again.
It was the dumb-faced Pikachu kid who brought it up first.
"So, uh, Bakugou," Sparky began hesitantly.
At that moment in time, it was the Friday night before their summer break (their training camp was in a few days, so everyone had some time to breathe), so Katsuki was at home. They were all on a group call on Discord, as it was the most efficient way for them to communicate. They've been using this platform for a few months now ever since the game was released in March. Originally, Katsuki refused to be seen outside of his dorm room playing some domestic video game and he didn't want anyone in his room, so this was the only viable option. In truth, Katsuki would have never agreed to installing an app a certain Shitty Nerd™ used, but it couldn't be helped. He could only take Racoon Eyes's whining for so long.
"What." He gritted out, already on the defensive. His instincts were telling him something sinister was afoot, and they had never failed him once.
"We may or may not have given your code to a very near and dear friend to all of us so he could sell his turnips also…"
"Haah?"
"He swore that he wouldn't take anything!" Tape Arms interjected.
"And we told him that you were okay with it..." Pinky added sheepishly, only fanning the flames to his ever-burning hellfire.
Before he could ask just who exactly they distributed his code to, the notification that someone else was on their way to his island appeared on his screen.
Katsuki merely sighed in response, defeated. "Whatever. What's done is done." Anger was an old accomplice of his, but he was trying to keep it in check these days. No matter how fucking irritating his friends were.
"Thanks, Bakubro. That's really manly of you."
"You're the best, man!"
"Yeah, yeah. But if I find out he took anything from my island, I swear I'll fucking kill you fuckers dead."
Unfazed by his threat, his friends all cheered.
Skip to the present, and the person Katsuki's so-called friends invited was none other than the infamous shitnerd, Midoriya Izuku: the bane of his existence (and the target of his secret affections).
"You invited fucking Deku?!" Katsuki growled, knuckles turning white as he death-gripped the controller. Since when did he have a Nintendo Switch? For all I knew, he only wished he owned one.
As if sensing his confusion, Tape Arms explained, "He just got his Switch last week. And I thought you two were cool now?"
Katsuki only grunted noncommittally.
To no one's surprise, Deku's avatar looked like the nerdiest piece of shit to ever walk the earth. He named himself Izuku from the island Plus Ultra. Nearly drowning in All Might apparel, the nerd greeted Katsuki by Ground Zero's entrance with a smile and wave.
After nearly fifteen seconds of immobility, the newcomer sent out a typed out Thx 4 havng me here! :)
Using the Nintendo phone app to make typing messages significantly easier, Katsuki simply replied, Yeah, which earned him a sarcastic "Smooth one, Kacchan," from Dunce Face.
Deku bowed politely- since when did they have that reaction in the game?!- and took yet another damn millenia to reply. What an amazing island!!! :D
Thanks. Appreciate it. In-game Katsuki responded immediately, already losing his patience.
By this point, all of Katsuki's friends were swarming Deku with typed messages and physically bombarding his avatar with their own.
Seeing the shitnerd obviously typing things out with difficulty and trying his best to answer everyone, Katsuki was at his last straw.
"Hey, shitheads!" He yelled into his headphones. "Add him to the Discord call. I can't take another goddamn second of this fuckery."
"Okay~!" Judging by her overenthusiastic response, Racoon Eyes was obviously having a field day with this.
Now, the self-proclaimed Bakusquad members were very well aware of Katsuki's monster crush on Deku. Well, he never admitted to liking anyone in the first place, but his instincts were telling him they knew.
About a minute passed before Pinky said, "Okay, he should be coming on in a few seconds."
True to her word, a shy "Hello?" rang through Katsuki's headphones. Deku.
His friends called out their greetings, clearly excited that their friend was added to the group call.
Katsuki managed a reluctant "Hey."
"Hi, Kacchan! Your island is so amazing! I expected it would be decorated to this extent— you would never settle for anything less than perfect!”
And if Katsuki wasn't blushing, well, he certainly was now. Damn right about that, Deku.
It took him a while to get out of his old habit of thinking that Deku was constantly looking down on him, but it was obvious to anyone that Deku was nothing short of genuine and his words reflected exactly what he was thinking most of the time. His feelings were intense, passionate, just like Katsuki's. Katsuki knew this well, but the most difficult part was accepting his own true feelings towards the other. After that, everything sort of came into place. They were mostly civil with each other these days, and Katsuki would do anything to keep it that way rather than have their salvaged relationship go sour once again.
"Yeah, sure," he grunted. "Now enough small talk. You wanted to sell your turnips, isn't that right?"
"That's right!"
"Alright. Just follow me, then." Katsuki controlled his character to lead everyone to Nook's Cranny. "Wait until the others are done first. First come first served."
"Okay. Everything's so organized, this is amazing!"
Katsuki heaved out a sigh. "Can't let my island go to the dogs...though I think it already has."
"Hey, man! I can still hear you!" Kirishima's disgruntled voice rang through.
"I think he's talking about you, Eiji!" Pikachu interjected, cackling.
"He's talking about you both," Sero corrected.
At that moment, Kaminari’s character began shaking all of the trees and hitting them with his stone axe to get more wood. It seemed that Kirishima also started hitting him with a net. Seeing this as well, Deku laughed, which caught Katsuki off guard for a hot second.
"I'm gonna head into Nook's now if that's alright!" Alien Girl chirped happily.
"Same here," Tape Arms agreed, following suit with Ashido's character.
His friends, two at a time, entered Nook's Cranny and proceeded to sell their turnips. Afterwards, they each thanked Katsuki for his generosity and left in a rush to go back to their own islands. A few minutes later, it was finally Deku's turn.
"Oi, Deku. You're up," Katsuki reminded.
They were the only ones left on the Discord call. Like something came over them, his friends left abruptly with the excuse that they needed to do something.
What a load of shit. He knew exactly what came over them. It's not like it was difficult to figure out.
They were trying to set him up with damn Deku. How subtle.
Sighing to himself, he watched as Deku's character walked into the store. He could hear the nerd's excessive muttering through his headphones. It was oddly comforting, the implicit reminder that someone else was there. A minute later, Deku emerged from the store, a victorious expression emerging onto his character's face.
"Thanks a lot, Kacchan!"
God, Katsuki couldn't suppress the smile tickling his lips. "Whatever, nerd."
Giving extra information, as always, Deku exclaimed through Katsuki's headphones, "Now I have more than enough bells to pay off my mortgage! Think of all the possibilities with this power, I could-" he muttered up a storm that went in one ear and out the other. "...well maybe I could finally build a bridge too…and I could-"
This piqued Katsuki's interest. "Hold up," he began, effectively stopping Deku in his tracks. "You're saying you don't have a bridge yet? Not one single bridge?! How much did you even make on this trip?"
A pause. Katsuki could almost feel the embarrassment radiating off of Deku. "Well y'see, Kacchan, I've only started playing like a week ago and I'm trying to take things slow-"
"Fuck that shit! After a week I had all those bastards bowing at my feet."
"Kacchan, I don't think that's how the game is-"
Feeling his irritation boil over, he cursed, "Dammit, Deku! Stop fucking contradicting every single fucking thing I'm saying! Just listen to me!" After a second, one last exasperated "Shit!" of incredulity escaped his lips. He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to collect himself. Breathe in, breathe out. In a more even tone, he repeated his unanswered question. "How much did you make on this trip, Deku?"
"75,300 bells, why?"
Katsuki merely sighed, not gracing Deku's question with an answer. He didn't want to get too much into the details. "I'm heading over to your island this instant whether you like it or not. I want to see how much of a shithole it is right now."
"Y-you really don't want to do that," Deku tried to wave off the matter. "There's not much to see there, it'll be a waste of your time…"
Already ending the current island session, thus forcing Deku back to his own island, Katsuki growled, "I think that's something I need to decide for myself, Deku."
A resigned sigh rang out through his headphones and Katsuki knew he won. Less than a minute later, "Gate's open, but I don't think you can visit unless we're...friends.”
Ah, the infamous f-word. He felt his stomach swoop at the mention of that word. Where they stood with each other nowadays most definitely could be determined as friends, but their relationship still felt like it was only recently freed from its knots and twists. In truth, this was probably one of the longest conversations they’ve ever had.
“This is why we can’t have normal conversations!”
Deku’s words from last year haunted him even now.
Katsuki did want to be Deku’s friend again, and he did want to have normal conversations with him, but his feelings got in the way most of the time and he was too hesitant to move forward out of fear of messing things up once again. It wouldn’t be the first time he’s made things worse, after all.
The way he treated Deku for most of their lives was something he would never forgive himself for. Going back to being friends with him was impossible after everything he's done, so where did that leave Katsuki’s feelings? There would never be room for the possibility that they could potentially be more than friends.
“I mean, I could make a Dodo Code if you want...or we could exchange friend codes...?"
Deku was throwing him an olive branch, an opportunity to better things between them.
When he was kidnapped by the League of Villains, Katsuki wouldn’t have taken Deku’s hand those many months ago if he was the one to offer it instead of Kirishima, but he would be damned if he didn’t take Deku’s hand now.
Immediately, Katsuki sent his friend code through Discord into a private chat between the two of them. "I sent my friend code. Just add my code and I'll add you back."
“Thanks, Kacchan.” At that moment, he knew Deku was implying more than just the friend code he sent.
Good move, Katsuki. He mentally patted himself on the back.
After everything was in order, Katsuki's character arrived on Plus Ultra, and it was exactly as he had expected: only two neighbors, everyone was in tents except for Deku, no Nook's Cranny, an empty museum— you name it, Deku didn't have it.
Passing by Deku's character and immediately surveying the land, he clicked his tongue. "Tch." Then going up to Deku, he dropped down several stacks of 99,000 bells onto the ground. The stalk market was very kind to him, and he wasn’t planning on spending his fortune anytime soon. He added in a few different fruits as a bonus. And some flower bags. And tools. And some fossils. And some bamboo chutes. By the end of Katsuki's antics, it was like the entire shore was drowning in stuff.
Coming to his senses, Deku gasped out, "K-Kacchan? What is all of this?"
"Just take it. Fix up this shithole. Pay off all your goddamn mortgages and make your island actually Plus Ultra," Katsuki huffed. “I have more money than I know what to do with, so it’s fine.”
"Kacchan, this is cheating!" Deku's voice wailed through his headphones.
Totally ignoring his protests, Katsuki continued, "Take these as gifts. I'll check on your island next week to see how you're doing. If you want anything, just text me and I'll send it to you."
"Kacchan, no. I want to build my island from scratch, no matter how painstaking it'll-"
"Jesus, Deku! Just let me fucking do this for you!!" Katsuki groaned, his frustration and desire spilling into his tone.
Silence.
Fuck. I ruined it. He probably knows that I'm fucking in love with him by now. Fuck my life. Fuck this game. Fuck everything I’ve ever done.
Katsuki muted his audio to let out frustrated explosions and shouts into the air of his room, resulting in his old hag of a mother to scream across their house for him to shut the hell up!
Finally, after nearly two hundred thousand years of anticipation, Deku let out a tired sigh. “Kacchan, I really appreciate your kindness, but building this island from the ground up is what I have to do. I’ll accept your gifts, but I won’t use them unless it’s absolutely necessary. I don’t want to rely on the help of others to make my island Plus Ultra. If I did use what you gave me, I’d have an unfair advantage over every other person who started from square one, and that’s not how I want to play this game. Yes, I want to catch up to you and make my island just as amazing as yours, but I want to do it all on my own. I will surpass you— it just might take a little longer. I hope you understand where I’m coming from.”
After unmuting himself, Katsuki replied, “Yeah, I got it. Do whatever the fuck you want. It’s your island, Izuku.” Shaking his head in disbelief, he couldn’t fight the smirk materializing onto his face. I had a feeling he’d say something like that. He really is something, isn’t he?
Deku was silent once again, which wasn’t exactly normal for the guy who would mutter a thousand words per minute while scribbling notes in one of his nerdy-ass journals.
Was there something wrong? Did he...not like my gifts?
“...is it really too much?” Katsuki hesitantly asked. His normally gruff voice had softened and lacked any of its usual bite.
Quick to respond this time, Deku loudly exclaimed, “Not at all!” A pause. “I-I mean, it’s such a thoughtful gesture, I couldn’t possibly not accept it! Thank you, Kacchan!”
Mentally heaving a sigh of relief, Katsuki sat back in his chair, relaxing. (Since when was he all tensed up?) “Well, I’m going to head off to bed now. Text me if you want anything or if you have any questions, okay? The offer still stands.”
“Yep! Will do.”
“M‘kay. Night, Deku. Don’t stay up too late. It’ll fuck up your sleep schedule.”
“I won’t! Goodnight, Kacchan!”
-
Katsuki used to make fun of those who fell in love online without physically seeing each other, but now he can understand them to some extent.
Texting Deku was an experience, and it wasn’t an unwelcome one. The damned nerd was too cute for his own good. If they were complete strangers communicating online, Katsuki would’ve already kidnapped him at this point. A curious Deku was also a cute one, he realized not too long after their first Discord text conversation.
Their first conversation went something like this:
Hi Kacchan, this is Izuku!
I had a question about the game: how do you catch the spiders that roam around your island?
The tarantulas? You use your net and sneak up on them.
YOU LIED TO ME
I SNUCK UP LIKE YOU SAID BUT IT DODGED THE NET AND BIT ME
JESUS DEKU USE YOUR BRAIN
YOU HAD TO WAIT FOR IT TO CALM DOWN BEFORE YOU DID ANYTHING
OH THAT WOULD’VE BEEN HELPFUL IF YOU HAD TOLD ME BEFOREHAND, KACCHAN
IT’S COMMON SENSE DEKU
YOU DON’T JUST CHARGE AT A VILLAIN WHEN HIS GUARD IS UP
You may be smart irl but ur damn useless in a mindless game
You...may have a point there…
｡(*^▽^*)ゞ
The hell is that thing
(ﾟдﾟ；)
(ʘᗩʘ’)
WHAT ARE THOSE
They are my crocs
Fuck this.
Hello?
Kacchan?
Hey I’m sorry about that, I was joking around
COMe baCK
PLEASE
So Katsuki may have ignored Deku’s texts for the rest of the day, but them texting casually was not an unpleasant experience. It was strange, but behind the screen Katsuki felt more comfortable conversing with him. Since he didn’t have to physically see him face-to-face, he felt a bit more at ease, which only made things harder when he saw him at school.
The ease at which they texted each other shocked and admittedly scared Katsuki to an extent.
Is it really that easy for us to go back to being friends?
It can’t be that easy...can it?
I can’t get too comfortable with him.
(Not too long after ignoring him, though, he texted Shitty Hair to let him know to help out the nerd with whatever he needed in the game.)
-
Two months had passed, and their second term at UA had just begun. So after their summer break, they were on walking-to-school-together terms now, it seemed, and it really wasn’t a good thing for Katsuki’s sanity.
Why is he doing this? Why is he going out of his way now to greet me? Surely we aren’t friends again this easily...right?
At this point in time, they were already in class. Walking together for the first time went without hitches, and it felt like they were connecting once again after years of severed contact.
Between classes or during breaks, they would seek each other out just to talk about the latest game update and other mundane things or to simply be beside the other. After around a decade of separation, it almost felt like they were making up for time lost.
Katsuki wouldn’t admit this to anyone if they asked, but he missed this.
They still distanced themselves during lunch to sit with their own groups of friends, but the distance between them didn’t feel so far now.
Conversations between them were still a bit tricky to go through, but they both wanted it to work. As more time passed, Katsuki felt the ties of their relationship not only mend, but strengthen. He believed Deku felt it too.
He hoped Deku felt it too.
Back to living in the dorms, Katsuki was also back to playing Animal Crossing with his squad (plus Deku) in their voice chat, and things were good. It took a bit of work, but Deku’s island was presently at five stars. Katsuki and his friends congratulated Deku on this achievement, and just like that, the time flew by once again.
His squad left early for their own reasons, and it was just him and Deku online. They've gotten used to it. To be honest, Katsuki counted the minutes until he could talk freely with Izuku as equals.
The two of them were playing the game together with both their characters on Deku's newly-cultivated island. Katsuki was thoroughly impressed, but not surprised at all. He knew Deku would get there eventually.
They were currently talking about the layout of the island, and Katsuki was giving some helpful pointers when Izuku expressed, "I'm so happy I could play this with you, Kacchan." His voice sounded a bit wobbly.
Katsuki couldn't agree more. "Me too, Deku." He smiled. Even if Deku still had reservations about him, he still appreciated being on proper speaking terms again.
Deku's character stopped walking around. Katsuki could hear Deku put down his controller. "That's...not the only thing I'm glad about, though."
"What else is it?"
"I'm glad that...we're friends again."
Katsuki froze, his body going rigid. His stomach twisted into a tight knot and it felt like his heart stopped for a whole second. The knuckles on his hands turned white with how hard he gripped his controller. A massive lump began to form in his throat and he felt sick to his stomach.
"Kacchan? Are you there?"
Katsuki was silent, eyes squeezing shut.
Friends? How could...
"I-I really don't get you, Deku…" Katsuki managed to choke out through the lump. It was getting harder to speak by the second. He released his controller to fist his sweaty palms into his hair.
...how could he forgive me that easily?
His eyes stung. "How…" The first tear angrily escaped his eye. He sniffled, trying to keep himself together. "H-how could you just do that?"
Deku's voice filled with worry and concern. "Do what, Kacchan? What's wrong? What did I do?" Are you crying? Is what Katsuki knew he wanted to ask but chose not to.
"You f-forgave me..." He gritted out of his clenched teeth. "Why?"
Deku paused for a moment, deliberating his words carefully. "Because...you're a very important person to me, Kacchan." He said with honesty.
"After...everything I did to you, I don't…" Katsuki aggressively wiped his eyes clear of his tears to no avail. "...deserve your friendship." His last utterance diminished to a mere whisper, but Deku heard it loud and clear.
"Kacchan, listen to me." Deku pressed firmly. "What you did in the past certainly wasn't by any means acceptable, but I see that the you now is a different person from the you back then. You've changed yourself for the better. I know you feel bad about how things used to be between us, but that's all in the past. We won't forget it, but we can learn from it."
Katsuki bowed down his head, sobbing in silence. He didn't speak.
Continuing, Deku soothed him. "I see how hard you're trying to make our relationship work, and it makes me happy to see it. After ages of trying to connect with you, you're finally opening up to me. We just needed time to grow individually."
Katsuki let out a grunt of approval, not trusting his words. He's got a good point.
Deku sniffled a bit. "C'mon, Kacchan. Let's both move on from our difficult past. Together."
Letting out a wet laugh, Katsuki agreed. "Alright, Izuku."
An hour later, Katsuki had already turned off his Switch and was charging it in its dock. His eyes were still a bit puffy from earlier, but his heart felt lighter than it had ever been in years. He was currently preparing himself for bed when he heard a tentative knock on his door.
Pulling on a tank top to cover his bare chest, he opened the door only to see Deku staring straight at him, eyes also slightly swollen.
"Deku," Katsuki breathed, his cheeks flushing.
Honestly, he didn't know what to expect when he heard his door knock. It was only around 10PM and most of his friends were most likely still awake, but Katsuki was usually one to turn in early. He had simply thought that one of his friends needed something— it wouldn't be the first time they bothered him while he was in the safety of his room. Deku coming to his floor to see him certainly was far down his list.
Letting Deku in after a moment of frozen surprise, Katsuki gently closed the door behind him. When he turned back around to face his friend, he was immediately pulled into a warm hug.
"Kacchan…" The other male exhaled into Katsuki's shoulder. Deku held him tenderly, hand holding the back of Katsuki's head, crooked fingers tangling into his hair.
Fuck, he's hugging me!
Taking a second to recalibrate his brain, Katsuki returned the hug, his arms coming up to find purchase in Deku's shoulder blades.
In a subdued tone, he asked, "What are you doing here, Deku?" He closed his eyes, unable to stop himself from nuzzling his cheek into the other's curls.
"Needed to see you," Deku mumbled almost incomprehensibly into his shoulder, but Katsuki still understood. "I wanted to see if you were alright. I couldn't take not knowing how you were after we talked...sorry if I disturbed you at this time."
Katsuki chuckled lowly into Deku's ear. "Don't worry about it. I wasn't sleeping yet."
God, I love him.
Receiving a hum of acknowledgement, Katsuki slowly pulled himself away from the embrace. He couldn't bring himself to look into the nerd's eyes.
I never know what he's thinking. If I look at him now...I might give myself away.
"I'm alright. There's no need to worry, Deku."
"That's a relief." Deku's hands rested lightly on Katsuki's shoulders. "Is it alright if I stayed here with you tonight?"
Katsuki's ears burned hot. Playing it cool, he responded, "Yeah, okay."
At present, Katsuki laid next to Deku in bed, lights off. Some light was slipping through the gap under the door. The pair were laying in an embrace, limbs entangled with one another's. Katsuki used his arm to cushion Deku's head since the other forgot to bring his own pillow. His other arm was wrapped protectively around Deku's middle, holding him close. Deku pressed their foreheads together, the two of them sharing this delicate moment.
"Kacchan, thank you." Deku said quietly.
Katsuki furrowed his brows. "For what?"
"For letting me in, for opening up to me."
Chuckling, Katsuki fondly replied, "Idiot. Your nosy ass let yourself in, I just didn't stop you." He squeezed Deku's side.
Deku let out a small breath of laughter. "You may have a point there."
"Now sleep, nerd, I want to get up early for my morning jog.” Katsuki said, eyes already closing.
“Okay,” Deku replied, smiling. “Goodnight, Kacchan.”
“Night, Izuku.”
I love you.
—
Izuku softly awoke to the feeling of warmth slowly slipping away from his body. His heavy eyelids remained shut, but his body was vaguely aware of the loss of heat. He felt the bed dip and rise back up.
Kacchan, his brain gently reminded.
Oh yeah, Izuku remembered. I came to Kacchan’s room to see if he was alright and then we spent the night together. His heart clenched at the reminder.
So maybe going up to Kacchan’s room wasn’t only to check up on him. He had his own personal reasons too.
I just...wanted to see him.
His thoughts were halted when he realized that Kacchan hadn’t left the room. He felt the other’s presence standing behind him.
A moment later, Izuku felt a calloused hand rest itself on top of his curls. The touch was light, almost hesitant. As fast as it arrived, it was gone. Izuku then heard Kacchan quietly slip out of the door.
Izuku opened his eyes slowly, turning over to look at the closed door. He touched a hand to his hair, remembering what had happened only moments ago. His face burned as he buried himself back into Kacchan’s covers, relishing in its warmth and comfort.
This is bad, he clutched his chest, feeling his heart beat rapidly.
—
In the days succeeding that night’s events, the two of them were closer than ever. Katsuki felt more at ease now that he and Deku talked about their past. Even Kirishima pointed out during one of their training sessions together that he seemed to be less angry and more content.
After reestablishing their friendship, Katsuki felt more okay with harboring romantic feelings toward the other.
Maybe there’s room for my feelings after all.
That day, Class 2-A was having a mass-sparring session for their training. This time, everyone could choose who they wanted to spar with. Katsuki glanced over in Deku’s direction to see the nerd already grinning determinedly at him. He felt a smirk tug at his lips.
Oh, it’s on.
They got themselves ready in their designated spot, hero costumes already on. Katsuki’s hands sparked with small explosions, a threatening grin on his face. Deku was sporting an equally-threatening smile as green lightning surrounded his body. When it was time to begin, Katsuki propelled himself forward using his explosions. Deku used the power in his legs to fly straight towards him.
“I won’t lose to you!” They shouted in unison before one of Katsuki’s explosions collided with Deku’s full-powered kick.
This is going to be a long fight.
Once the smoke cleared, Deku had him pinned to the ground just as he himself had done back at Ground Beta. The nerd grinned down at him, expression victorious. Even with his hair more messy than usual and having a few scrapes here and there, he was a vision to behold.
“You win.” Katsuki smirked up at Deku, admiration open in his gaze.
Deku‘s grin faded slightly, his eyes overcome with something intense.
Katsuki shivered at the sight as he felt his cheeks redden. He broke eye contact and wiggled his limbs a bit to signal that he wanted to get up.
Deku quickly got off him and stood up. He then bent down to offer a hand.
Smiling fondly, Katsuki took it without hesitation.