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He heard the gentle twinkling before anything else.
Katsuki brought his hand to his face and lightly brushed his cheek under his eye. The tips of his fingers were covered with tiny, bright, colorful stars that fell onto his blanket. The stars dissipated before they actually touched the blanket, leaving behind what reminded Katsuki of the sound of a triangle being lightly tapped. Throwing the blanket off, he ran to the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror.
Stars trickled down his face until they eventually stopped, the twinkling sound also ceasing. Katsuki’s reflection stared back.
“Oh no.”
Bringing Deku back was one of the most difficult things Katsuki had ever done. It had been all worth it, every single fight, to have Deku back at UA and in their class dorms.
Katsuki tried to stem his tears from falling, the droplets mixing with the twinkling stars. He knew they were becoming brighter and more colorful every single day. Not that he would fully know how much more colorful; his world began turning into a sea of grey after that letter. It was the most he had ever cried since his fight with Deku at Ground Beta.
When that annoying twinkling sound stopped ringing in his ears and the stars finally stopped falling, Katsuki wiped the tear tracks from his face before leaving his room and took the stairs all the way to the second floor.
Katsuki knocked on Deku’s door once and waited. And waited. Knocked once more and waited. He clicked his tongue and sighed. “Deku, open the door already! It’s me.” The room was quiet except for the telltale click of the door being unlocked. Sighing again, Katsuki entered silently and closed the door without so much as a creak.
Deku was sitting on the floor in front of his window. The curtains were pushed open, revealing a black sky with countless stars. Katsuki joined Deku on the floor and looked outside as well, although he watched the trees instead. He was sick of seeing so many stars.
The tentative silence between the two of them was broken when Deku opened his mouth, taking a deep, shuddering breath. “I don’t know how to say sorry for all the distress I must have caused all of you. You especially, Kacchan,” he whispered. Katsuki stared at Deku’s hand as his nails scraped the wood panels of the floor. His palm rested on top of Deku’s hand and slowly flattened it until his fingers spread out on the floor instead of digging into it.
“Shitty apology from a shitty nerd,” Katsuki said. Deku’s hand turned over, their fingers hesitantly twisting together and squeezed lightly. He took a deep breath. “I should have apologized first.” Deku’s face turned to him, confusion painted all over.
“Apologize? For what?”
“For… everything. I can’t excuse what I did when we were kids, so I won’t. I know I was wrong and I will do whatever it takes to show you that I’m sorry,” Katsuki said, making sure he held Deku’s gaze for the whole time he spoke. “I will do whatever it takes to earn your forgiveness.” At that, Deku broke eye contact and watched as his thumb rubbed Katsuki’s hand.
“I will admit, I already forgave you a long time ago, Kacchan. I honestly forgot some of the things you must be thinking you have to apologize for. But you don’t have to prove yourself to me. I never once doubted you could be someone great! And once again, you show me just how amazing you are.” Deku beamed, his eyes shining. Tears began to fall from his eyes and Katsuki would have loved to roll his eyes at how predictable his nerd could be. Yet a glimmer of color that he could still see caught his eyes.
Stars mixed with tears. Just how he looked moments ago.
“Deku, what the fuck?” Katsuki wanted to scream but it felt disrespectful to do so in such a quiet room, so it came out gravelly instead. “Stars. Why? Deku, who is it? Tell me or I’ll beat it out of you.”
Deku’s face scrunched up as he laughed. “Kacchan. It’s always Kacchan.” Katsuki wiped away as many stars as he possibly could, ignoring that Deku’s face was getting snotty as well.
“Hey. Stop crying, nerd.” Warm hands cupped wet cheeks, eyes meeting once more as the tears slowed to a stop and the stars disappeared before touching the floor. Katsuki’s heart swelled when he realized he could still see Deku’s vibrant green eyes. He hoped that Deku could still see the color of his eyes.
The stars in the sky were the only witnesses as their lips pressed into a kiss.