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His aching limbs burn with exertion as he carefully lowers himself to sit on the wooden deck. Izuku stretches out with a sigh, bare feet dangling above the surface of the lake. He and the rest of their class have met up somewhere to camp for the weekend. After squeezing themselves into a few rental cars, they drove out to a nice area and set up in a clearing. Since they only have a couple of days, they decided to make the most of it.
Yesterday, they went swimming in the lake; most of them climbed up one of the cliffs overlooking the water to dive in. The water was so clear and inviting, they didn’t end up leaving until well into the evening. Today, they made use of the hiking trails - though, of course, Kacchan had to make a competition of it and the two of them raced to see who could make it to each of their destinations first. They ended up losing track of who went where and got separated from the rest of the group.
It was surprisingly pleasant, though. At first, it was dead silent between them - the awkward atmosphere thickly settled between them, until Izuku tried to break it with random facts about wildlife and whatever popped into his head. When none of his efforts evoked a response from the other boy, he desperately grasped for something, anything to get Kacchan to answer.
“Did you know that wombats are the only animals in the world to poop actual cubes?” Izuku blurted the question out. He immediately regrets it, clapping a hand over his mouth.
(Stupid, why did I say that?!) Beside him, Kacchan stops. (Oh no.) Izuku waits and braces himself. When nothing happens and nothing is immediately exploding, Izuku cracks open an eye to see that Kacchan is facing slightly away from him. His forearm is pressed to his mouth and his shoulders are shaking with what seems to be… laughter?
“Oh my god,” he gasps between bursts of laughter. It seems like he’s trying (and failing) to suppress his smile, but the longer it goes on for, the more he laughs. Izuku can’t do anything except stay frozen on the spot, too enthralled by the rare scene in front of him to formulate any sort of response. Kacchan turns to face him, eyes twinkling with mirth and cheeks tinged with a light blush.
“Of course you’d be the one to know this shit. What the fuck was that last one about? Wombats?” Kacchan takes a deep breath as he finally manages to calm himself down, staring into Izuku’s eyes. Then he realizes Kacchan just asked him a question and he’s scrambling to respond.
“Yeah! It’s actually kind of interesting, in a gross sort of way. They stack their own poop to mark their territory, and I guess nature just makes it easier for them to do that by making it cube-shaped?” He trails off, wondering. He shakes his head and giggles a little at the absurdity of what he’s talking about. When he looks back at Kacchan, his eyes are shining with something that he can’t place, but the tension between them is gone.
After that, the two of them settled into a comfortable banter, as if they didn’t miss a beat. Izuku goes on spouting even more bizarre trivia in an attempt to make the other laugh again. Kacchan realizes what he’s doing and starts firing random information right back at him, occasionally calling him out when he starts bullshitting. When they finally get back to the camp, the sun is setting and most of the class is settled around the campfire.
Izuku heads over to join his friends on the ground but is yanked back with a yelp by a tug on his shirt. He’s guided to another spot by Kacchan where there’s room for both of them. Kacchan pulls Izuku against his chest, both of them blushing at the contact but neither willing to move. Thankfully, the class chooses to dismiss mentioning their situation and continue with their conversation.
They stay huddled like that near the campfire until the sun has set and people start heading back to their tents. When the flames start to die down, Izuku decides to make his way back to the lake.
I wonder if I’ll be able to see the stars from here.
Sleepily, he wakes up with the realization that he dozed off and immediately jolts up. He’s curled up on the deck by the lake - it seems like he hasn’t been asleep for long, a few minutes at most. He vaguely remembers thinking that he wanted to look at the stars, but a glance at the sky tells him that it’s too cloudy to make any of them out. A quick flash of light to his side startles him into full consciousness. He jumps up but relaxes again almost immediately. His mouth hangs open in awe as he takes in the sight before him.
There are dozens of fireflies flying around him. Some of them rest on the dock, while others fly out over the water. There are even more further from him, staying closer to the grass. At first, he thinks he must be dreaming. When he scrubs at his eyes and the blinking lights are still present, he smiles. As he’s taking in his surroundings, he sees a familiar figure trudging toward him from the camp.
As the figure gets closer, he recognizes who it is. “Oi, Deku. The fuck are you doing still up?”
Kacchan steps closer, hands shoved into the pockets of his sweatpants that are riding dangerously low on his hips. Izuku shakes his head and sends him an excited grin.
“Kacchan, look! Fireflies,” he exclaims, gesturing around them. Kacchan raises his eyebrows, not seeming to get his point.
“Yeah…? They’re okay, I guess,” he says. Izuku feels almost offended at his unconcerned reply. He decides that he needs to remedy that.
“Hey, Kacchan, did you know that when fireflies light up, calcium, ATP, and luciferin combine with oxygen to make them glow? And without oxygen, their lights blink out. By doing this, they make patterns to attract other fireflies.” A firefly lands on Kacchan’s nose, making Izuku giggle.
“In order to make the patterns, they basically have to produce multiple chemical reactions to turn their lights on and off, kind of like your quirk!” He moves around giddily, attempting to cup his hands around one of them.
Kacchan reaches out to a group of fireflies flickering around him, expression one of newfound amazement. His eyes soften toward Izuku. “That’s actually pretty cool.”
Izuku isn’t paying attention. He opens his hands and there’s no firefly. Dammit. He really wants to look at one up close. There are a whole bunch of them flying over the water. I wonder if I reach out just a little further, maybe I can…
“WHOA-”
With a yelp, Izuku pitches forward, leaning a little too far from the edge of the deck. He prepares to be submerged in freezing cold water, but for the second time tonight, he’s yanked backward by the collar of his shirt.
Izuku gasps when he collides with a wall of warmth. The adrenaline of his near-fall is still racing through his veins. He barely processes it when two arms are suddenly wrapped around him, giggling breathlessly. Pushing back, he grins up at Kacchan, who still looks somewhat disoriented.
“It’s a good thing you move fast, that could’ve been bad, huh?” He whispers, still smiling. Kacchan doesn’t answer. His eyes flicker over Izuku’s face, settling on his lips. A charge passes between them. They’re standing what Izuku would usually consider, uncomfortably close. But since it’s Kacchan, the distance (or lack of it) between them doesn’t bother him at all. In fact, he wants to be even closer to him.
Izuku’s gaze snaps back up to Kacchan’s eyes from where he’d also been staring (far too intently) at the other’s mouth. Shit, there’s no way he didn’t notice this time.
Just like earlier today, a silence falls like a blanket over them. Izuku can’t tell if it’s a bad thing or not, but all he knows is that something must be wrong for Kacchan to be this quiet. Maybe he’s mad? His mind is whirling and trying to process the situation.
Katsuki starts to lean toward him.
“Did you know that the light that fireflies create is actually the most efficient kind in the world?” He blurts out. Katsuki scoffs lightly and a grin tugs at the corner of his mouth, plush lips fighting the pull upward and failing. Izuku’s eyes are instantly drawn back to his lips. Kacchan takes his face in a gentle yet firm hold. Izuku presses his cheek against the calloused palm, staring up at him while the other’s breath hitches. He tries to laugh it off, but standing this close, Izuku can practically feel him blushing.
“God, you’re such a dork,” he whispers. Kacchan strokes a thumb over his face, tracing his freckles. The look in his eyes makes Izuku melt. “We’re having a moment, Deku.”
“Oh,” he whispers back, dazed. Okay, so that’s what this is.
“Yeah.” This time, Izuku’s prepared for when Kacchan leans in again, meets him halfway. Their lips brush and it sends a spark through his veins. Then it seems like Kacchan is done being patient.
And suddenly, he’s not thinking anymore. He’s lost in the feeling of Katsuki’s lips against his, not quite sure what to do but happy to follow the other’s lead. A thousand words to describe what he’s feeling pop up in his mind, then fade away with each new wave of sensation. Their lips meet, again and again. Kacchan’s kisses are surprisingly sweet - soft, yet heated.
Before things can speed up too much, Izuku pulls away, pressing a finger against Katsuki’s lips when he trails after him instinctively. They rest their foreheads against each other. Izuku quietly marvels at the sight in front of him. Kacchan’s eyes are closed, long lashes resting on cheeks that are dusted with pink, and his image is outlined in a soft glow by the fireflies still hovering around them. With his eyes still shut, Katsuki reaches up and interlaces their fingers, pressing light kisses to the hand that was against his mouth. The gesture makes him weak at the knees.
When Kacchan opens his eyes, he softens at the sight of Izuku. His eyes convey so much emotion - some of which Izuku didn’t know he was capable of - and it makes his heart sing. He’s the only one that gets to see Katsuki like this. The thought makes him giddy.
I’ve never felt anything like this before.
“Dek- Izuku. I like you.” The words come in a soft rumble and make his pulse quicken. Izuku can feel the vibrations of the other’s voice echoing in his chest.
“I know. I like you too,” he replies. Katsuki shakes his head with a small smile.
“You forgive too easily, Izuku. I haven’t even properly apologized yet.”
At that, Izuku takes hold of his face with both hands, staring into blood-red eyes. “You have, in all the ways that matter. I’ve always cared about you, Kacchan. I forgave you a long time ago.”
“Give me a day,” he interjects. Kacchan grasps his wrists lightly, looking deeply into his eyes. “Soon, when you’re free. You might’ve forgiven me, but I want to give you the apology you deserve. Then I’ll start making it up to you. You deserve the best, and I want to be that for you.”
“Okay,” he whispers, blushing at his sincerity. “But you know that you’re already the best, to me.”
Katsuki shakes his head again, “Not yet. But I’ll try to be.”
Izuku smiles and presses a quick kiss to his lips, which are still parted. He smirks when Kacchan flushes red in surprise. The fireflies around them flicker and fly around, framing him with a soft halo of light. Izuku burns the sight into his memory.
“That’s all I’d ever ask for.”