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Katsuki was not a fan of social gatherings. He had never been, really. He was a simple man - he liked to keep himself on track, work on himself and his skills, learn and improve. To be a damn hero and save people and shit. He liked his routine. But this - this was not his cup of tea at all.
The idiots - and by idiots, he meant his friends - had dragged him to one of the regular reunions at a karaoke where “everyone from class is coming, bro, you need to come, too!”. And, shamefully, he had given in. After all, Kirishima’s puppy eyes had a way of making him accept stupid invitations to shitass events.
And there he was, standing in front of the karaoke bar, second-guessing his life decisions - and his friendships while he was at it. He entered the room where the party was happening in the company of the usual squad - Hair-for-brains, Raccoon Eyes, Dunce Face and Flat Face (yes, he kept the nicknames, thank you very much).
When Kirishima said that everyone was coming, he was certainly not lying. It was simply a miracle that his stupid high school class was still able to get together while working as sidekicks and heroes. But here they all were, some of them already pretty drunk, singing their hearts out. This was going to be a long night.
While his eyes were scanning the room, he met smart green ones. Damn Deku was there, of course, his ever-present freckles a frame to that star-bright smile of his. There was no pretending - Katsuki preened under his attention. His childhood friend-turned enemy-turned friend again had always had the ability to get under his skin, one way or the other. Katsuki couldn’t put his finger on it, but the feeling had always been there.
And now, Deku was coming straight to him, smiling so much his eyes were almost closed, nursing a drink in his hand. Katsuki had never really gotten used to the fact that the nerd had gotten taller. And buff. Like, really buff. The competitive part of him bristled - how dare he?! - but Katsuki kept it under control. The days of misunderstanding the nerd were long gone. They had talked everything out and Katsuki had apologized - he was happy to do so. He was not above admitting to being an ass.
“Hi, Kacchan!” The nerd said, excitedly. “I’m so glad you came!”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever” Katsuki feigned disinterest. “What’s up, nerd?”
Deku didn’t have to look up at Katsuki anymore, both literally and figuratively. He was much more confident and in charge of his own feelings. He was also an inch taller than Katsuki - which bothered and pleased him in equal amounts. After all, he was happy for the nerd, since he had worked so hard to get to where he was. But damn it, who gave him the permission?!
“Oh, everything is great! Doing a lot of hero work at the agency and training like crazy!” He looked bashful, as if that was something he still couldn’t believe was his. But he also looked happy, so that should count for something. “Also, I saw your mom when I was home last weekend! She asked me to tell you to visit more”. At that, he giggled. Damn nerd.
“Yeah, ain’t gonna happen, you can tell the old hag that!” To which Deku started laughing. It was a nice sound, Katsuki thought. He could get used to hearing it more. “And how is auntie doing?” He asked in a more respectful tone.
“She’s great! Every time I visit, she gets all emotional and tells me she’s really proud. It’s… endearing, really.” Deku said, shyly. “And she also says you should visit more! She’d love to see you, Kacchan!” He looked at Katsuki with those big, honest eyes, and just like that, he couldn’t say no.
“Yeah, sure. I can stop by sometime.” Katsuki said, quietly. What was happening to him? Was he getting soft?!
“Ok, now it’s time for you to stop keepin’ our sweet Midoriya all to yourself and start drinking!” Mina appeared behind Deku, carrying two colorful drinks and a mischievous smile on her face. She winked at Katsuki and gave him one of the glasses, and just like that, she was gone to bother someone else, laughing. That was it, he was gonna kill her.
But when his eyes went back to Deku, he noticed the nerd was… blushing? He was staring hard at Katsuki’s shoes, looking like a deer in the headlights. What was that all about?
Before he could say anything, Deku said “Let’s go sit down, Kacchan!” and turned around, walking towards his usual group of friends, drink still in hand. Well, that was… weird. Katsuki found his friends in the middle of the large group of former classmates and walked in their direction, feeling a little uneasy.
Frown already in place, he dropped beside Kirishima, who in turn was acting as Mina’s chair. “Hey, dude!” Kirishima greeted him happily. “Having fun?” Shitty Hair was always keeping an eye on him, making sure he was okay or something. So annoying.
“Yeah, leave me alone,” Katsuki answered, lacking any heat. He took a sip of the drink and, damn it, it was good. How could such a ridiculous drink taste so good?! He needed to hand it to Raccoon Eyes, she knew exactly what he liked.
He was on the second glass when Round Cheeks started singing a stupid pop song while her friends cheered her on, Deku included. But no amount of cheering could change the fact that she was a terrible singer and that her English was broken as fuck. But whatever.
Everybody seemed to be having fun, some more drunk than others. Katsuki remained quiet for most of the time, enjoying his drinks and listening to the idiots talking about stupid shit. His eyes went to the other side of the room constantly, and he ended up staring at the nerd until he met his eyes. Shitty Deku was still acting all weird and wouldn’t hold his stare for more than a couple seconds. What the hell?!
After Round Cheeks, a bunch of the other extras sang just as terribly. Tail sang a shitty song about loving yourself or whatever. Ponytail dedicated a stupid song about finding love where you least expect to Ears, and she got all emotional and shit. Bird Brain sang a really weird alternative goth song, which was strangely fitting, but terrible nonetheless. Surprisingly, even Half-and-half gave it a shot, in perfect English - of fucking course - singing an intense song about going numb or something. God, his classmates were so stupid.
Katsuki was on his fifth drink when shitty Mineta started to sing. Who in the world had invited him?! Not even all the alcohol in the world could help Katsuki tolerate that little asshole. As he was singing a very misogynist song about a “sexy bitch”, all the girls started to collectively boo him until Ponytail got the microphone from him, to his undignified despair. Ha ha. That was sisterhood right there. Everyone clapped and cheered, Katsuki included.
That was when Round Cheeks got the mic and gave it to Deku. “Deku-kun, you have to sing! You haven't sung the whole night!” she nearly screamed, drunkenly.
To that, Deku literally shrieked and gave her the microphone back, as if it had burned him. “Nope, never. I’m not doing that” he said with a little desperate note to his voice. His face was flushed from all the drinking - Katsuki had seen it before in previous group outings. The nerd was more than a little tipsy.
“Come oooooooon! We wanna hear you!” Round Cheeks said dramatically. God, she was so whiny when drunk, how Glasses was able to stand that was beyond Katsuki. Ears, Ponytail, and Frog clapped excitedly at that, encouraging Deku - who was looking more embarrassed by the minute under the attention of their entire class. Those women knew how to push his buttons, the poor bastard. There was no going against them, and he knew it.
Deku stood up, microphone in hand, looking lost - all semblance of his acquired confidence gone. “Sing that one you love to dance to!”, yelled Round Cheeks. Wait a sec, dance? Did the nerd like to dance?! And why was it such a nice mental image?! What the actual fuck?! Katsuki couldn’t catalog so many feelings at once.
Deku looked at his friend and nodded once, regaining some of his bearings. He looked more determined when he faced the large TV in the front of the room. He chose the song and got ready. Deep green found red without hesitation, and the last drop of uncertainty left Deku’s eyes. It was only then that Katsuki realized he was staring. Hard. His eyes hadn’t left Deku for a single moment, and the nerd held his full attention. Katsuki didn’t really understand why, but there was some weird-ass energy hanging in the air between them, and all he could do was keep his eyes wide open.
The song started all of a sudden, no notes or beats to serve as a warning of what was to come. Deku was looking ahead at the TV when he opened his lips and the first words came out of his mouth.
Somewhere in the middle, I
Think I lied a little, I
I said if we took it there, I wasn't gonna change
But that went out the window, yeah
He was not a good singer, by all means, but there was some kind of intensity in the air and all eyes were inevitably on him. He sang the first few verses in a deep voice, and it was clear to everyone present that it was a sexy song. What the fuck?! Katsuki couldn’t believe his ears. Deku’s friends, except Glasses, woo-hooed and giggled like a bunch of teenagers as he smiled seductively at them, playing along.
For the next verses, Deku sang in this really suggestive, husky voice, and it did things to Katsuki. Deku was even dancing along, for Christ’s sake! He moved so fluidly and graciously, it was obvious that it was not his first rodeo. At all.
He moved his hips along with the beat, and it was absolutely enticing. Katsuki could not look away - even if he wanted to, which he absolutely did not. The entire class was singing and dancing along from their seats around the room, but Katsuki was just there, completely starstruck, drink still in hand and all.
I know that I seem a little stressed out
But you're here now, and you're turning me on
I wanna feel a different kinda tension
Yeah, you guessed it, the kind that's fun
Hate it when you leave me unattended
'Cause I miss ya, and I need your love
But it all changed drastically for Katsuki when the stupid, annoying, pretty nerd looked mischievously right at him with those beautiful green eyes while singing the next two verses in that same hoarse, sexy voice.
When my mind is running wild
Could you help me slow it down?
Holy shit. What. The. FUCK?! Katsuki felt his face heat up like never before. He felt his lips falling into an ‘o’ and could do absolutely nothing to stop it. He felt his eyes popping out of their sockets in complete bewilderment. And then, he felt a distinct volume down his pants. OH SHIT. He could now say he finally understood some stuff. Fuck. And Deku - Deku looked like the cat who got the cream. The little shit liked what he saw. He liked the fact that Katsuki looked completely surprised and embarrassed and hot all over. The little fucker!
Put my mind at ease
Pretty please
I need your hands on me
Sweet relief
Pretty please
Deku had reached the chorus, and he looked like he was having the time of his life. He would look at Katsuki sometimes, especially during the more provocative lines. He was still dancing and commending the attention of everyone in the room, even though no one was feeling quite the same as Katsuki - but he was not willing to bet money on it because look at this man.
Deku continued singing the next verses in a deeper voice, making eye contact as if to make sure Katsuki was watching him, while he moved to the sound of every beat. Who the fuck was Deku?! Where was this crazy confidence and borderline insane provocativeness even coming from?! Katsuki couldn’t even start grasping that the anxious, unrelenting little nerd and the sexy green devil in front of him were the same person. He landed every seductive line with a very ill-intended look in Katsuki’s direction, and it was driving him crazy. Shit
Exactly where I want me, yeah
Underneath your body, yeah
If we take it further, I swear I ain't gonna break
So, baby, come try me
Baby, come find me
Baby, don't wind me up
The song, along with Katsuki’s torture session, was finally coming to an end. The beat dropped considerably, creating a certain expectation for what was to come. Deku nearly whispered the following verses, pronouncing the words alluringly. It was pure sin. He looked right at Katsuki, rejoicing in the visible signs of all the feelings his little show had sparked within Katsuki. He just knew.
Hate it when you leave me unattended
'Cause I miss ya, and I need your love
When my mind is running wild
Could you help me slow it down?
And just like that, he sang the last chorus of the song. He was still dancing, and their whole class was still cheering him on - completely oblivious to Katsuki’s inner turmoil. He finally understood all the complicated feelings that had always surrounded the nerd. He finally got the reason their relationship was always so intense, even when everything seemed okay on the surface. Had Deku been aware of the tension between them all along?
Put my mind at ease
Trickle down my spine
Oh, you look so pretty, please
Every single night, I need your hands on me
When your kisses climb
Oh, you give me sweet relief
Made me feel so pretty
Would you help me out, please?
Deku finished singing to the sound of their former classmates’ applause. They all yelled and clapped like the drunk idiots they were, excited after the performance. Deku was beaming under their attention, cheeks flushed with as much embarrassment as pride after his crazy stunt.
And Katsuki - well, Katsuki was most definitely not okay. Everything else aside from the ground-breaking realization of a lifetime he had just had was white noise. The room, his friends, his idiot classmates - everything that wasn’t Deku was a blur. He could still feel his eyes wide, the drink now warm in his hand. How could he have been so stupid?!
And then, still bashful and blushed and so, so pretty, Deku looked at him from across the room, as if testing the waters after the whole ordeal. As if trying to read him - which he did really well, to be honest. He looked like someone who was analyzing all the damage left after the wake of an explosion.
“Wow, dude! Isn’t Midoriya awesome? So cool and… Dude?” He stood up from his seat beside Kirishima and Mina without a second thought, not even listening to Shitty Hair at all. He crossed the room at a sure pace, his feet taking him where he wanted to go - to whom he wanted to go to.
When he approached Deku and his group of friends, they all went quiet. Maybe, Katsuki thought, the tension between them had reached an unbearable level and now everybody could sense it. Katsuki looked him right in the eye for an eternal second.
“Nerd. Follow me.” It was all he could say at the moment. His palms were sweating while he left the karaoke bar and went to the alley next to it. He could hear Deku walking behind him, he could feel him there - could feel how nervous and electric the nerd was.
When they reached the alley, he turned around to face the nerd. God, Katsuki was so fucking nervous. They stared at each other for a long while, and Katsuki realized he was the one who had to do the talking tonight. It was the least he could do after all the nerd had done ever since they were little.
Deku looked like an assured man, even with all the anxious layers covering him. He was so sure, so confident, it was as if he was just waiting for Katsuki to find his ground, catch his breath, lower his defenses and - finally - catch up to him. And Katsuki was more than ready to meet him halfway. At fucking last.