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Katsuki probably spends too much time staring at Izuku's freckles, but he can't exactly help it.
It's not his fucking fault they look like constellations, okay?
He never used to be interested in stars and shit as a kid. Why bother, when there were cool things right in front of him, like All Might comics or Quirk training or beating up extras (he was right about the first two but, fuck, he was wrong about the last one, he knows that now; he has known that for long enough and acknowledged it loudly enough that Izuku has forgiven him, even-). But never let any bastard say that Katsuki hasn't grown up and grown stronger. He knows better now. He knows how to be kind and shit, or at least considerate with a rough edge. It isn't weak to be at least semi-decent to people, or to have emotions; Izuku has more than fucking proved that.
Katsuki thinks that he admired Izuku before he adored him.
Because Izuku kind of used to be weak, in some ways, but those were physical ways, and it wasn't because of what Katsuki thought. He wasn't weak for a lack of Quirk, nor for being kind. Nah, kinda the opposite. Sure, Izuku was a scrawny little shit. But he was strong 'cause he never gave up, and Katsuki really fucking wishes that he'd realised that shit far, far earlier, before he fucked things up so royally in between them.
It's hard not to look up to the way that Izuku's spine is solid steel, how he commands power that breaks his bones like it's nothing, a too-casual aura, and how he actually makes Katsuki have to try far too fucking hard at literally everything. He has to train harder, study harder, and just overall fight harder to keep up with the nerd.
(Not only that, but he tries harder to be a good person. Izuku never asked him to, but between his own realisations and his bastard of a therapist, Katsuki realised that he wanted and needed to be better. He doesn't want to be perfect, doesn't think that he could ever be, and he doesn't want to be nice. But he does want to be someone that Izuku won't have to be upset to even be around. He doesn't want to hurt Izuku again. Or as little as possible, at least, and never out of intention.
So, yeh, Katsuki also decided that he needs to try harder to be a decent person. He reckons he's been doing alright. Or, well, Izuku seems to be happy to spend time with him again.)
Izuku is kind of Katsuki's own hero, honestly.
So, yeh, Katsuki admired Izuku before he began to adore him. Before he began to really, truly notice the little things, like how Izuku's fringe begins to get long enough that the curls overshadow his eyes, something like the dappled canopy of a tree over the too-bright eyes. There are enough pretty freckles that Katsuki literally has to force himself not to trace them with a fingertip (or maybe his lips, even-) or some shit. He could probably make some fucking pretty pictures with it. Not pictures prettier than Izuku himself, obviously, but still. It would be worth the effort.
There's also his fucking voice. Shit, but Katsuki loves those fucking rambles far too much. They're clever, and good background noise, and just, like, familiar or some shit. A bit like coming home. It's a noise that's been there all of Katsuki's life, and one that he... Well, he wouldn't fucking want to be without it now.
So maybe he really does adore Izuku. Maybe he even loves him, a little bit.
What he wasn't expecting in any universe, was for Izuku to adore him too. Because his childhood friend actually forgave him, and that was far, far more than Katsuki expected, or really felt like he deserved. But Izuku had forgiven him, and they had gone to the arcade, and they'd been happy little shits for an afternoon. It was like being kids again but better. Far, far better.
There was just something lighter to it, something far more genuinely content. Because, yeh, there are always going to be shitty scars on Izuku's shoulders, and scars on both of them, but at least they've talked shit over, got therapy, all of that jazz. At least they're beginning to move past it.
And apparently they've moved far enough past it that Izuku, one weekend, when they're at the arcade again because why the fuck not, both of them needed a break, looks up at Katsuki, and his beaming smile turns smaller, softer. Sweeter.
"I think I love you."
"You-" Distantly, Katsuki half-registers that his character in the fighting game is busy dying, but he literally could not give less of a fuck, not when Izuku is looking at him like that and has just said those fucking words.
Katsuki was never going to say it. He was keeping his damn gob shut, because Izuku didn't deserve to be lumped with Katsuki's feelings, but, well, when the nerd has said it first, he can't just fucking ignore that crap, can he? (Well, even if he could, honestly, he wouldn't want to, not really. Because, sure, Katsuki's grown up a fair bit, but he won't lie to himself and pretend that he can't be fucking selfish sometimes, no matter how hard he tries.)
"Fuck, Izuku, you can't just say shit like that out of fucking nowhere," he finally bursts out with, barely keeping his tone on the softer side.
"I'm not saying it to put any pressure on you, Kacchan. It's, well, it's there if you want it."
"I- I'm not a fucking idiot, Izuku, of course I want it. You. Whatever. I'm not blind, nerd, I'd be fucking stupid if I said no. But you-" Katsuki huffs, then huffs a second time, resisting the urge to cross his arms in case it gives Izuku the wrong impression,
"Look, don't feel like we have to be together or any shit. Or that this can't wait if you aren't sure or whatever."
"Kacchan. Katsuki," Izuku goes on, firmer the second time, and if Katsuki somehow wasn't paying attention, he sure as shit would be now,
"I mean it, and I want whatever you're happy to have together."
"Well, fucking obviously as much as you're happy with, nerd." Izuku pauses, flushing slightly, for all that Katsuki finds that slightly difficult to see with how the little shit ducks his head for a long second (which is a shame because a blushing Izuku is one of Katsuki's favourite Izukus, and he ain't too much of a coward to admit that, at least it in his own mind-) before finally straightening his shoulders, chin tilting back nigh-on defiantly. It looks like when he's about to absolutely fucking wreck Katsuki's shit in a spar, and it shouldn't make the blond grin reflexively, toothy around the edge and a bit too soft in the centre.
Then Izuku smiles too, and it's a gorgeous, vicious, shy sort of thing all at once,
"Kiss me?"
That takes a long second to process. But then Katsuki isn't frozen any longer, and instead he finds himself stepping forwards, hands moving oh-so slowly as they settle on Izuku's waist, low enough to press the heels of his palms against the faint protrusion of hip bones. Izuku's skin is warm through the thin t-shirt. His hands are even warmer where they come up to cup Katsuki's neck, thumbs brushing over his jawline with such fond delicacy.
His breath is warmest of all though, as he slowly shifts up onto the balls of his feet, nose nearly bumping with Katsuki's before Izuku tilts just right, and Katsuki's entire world is all green eyes and those three long breaths when neither of them move further. Then, Katsuki gets bored, because he's so close and he doesn't want to wait anymore, and he shifts that barely-there distance closer. Their lips are pressed together.
Fuck, they're kissing. Katsuki might just fucking die.
He doesn't really have time for that, though, because he's too busy closing his eyes and getting lost in the way that Izuku's lips are slightly bitten and how they're getting closer, how Izuku's arms are winding fully around Katsuki's neck (and every part of their training should make that feel so wrong but right here, right now, it just feels perfect-), how he's pulling Izuku closer, breathing against each other, chest to chest.
It's so warm and soft and so, so fucking perfect. Katsuki doesn't know how the fuck he ever survived without this before, because he can't imagine ever being without it again.
Then, because he's a little shit that Katsuki loves for some godforsaken reason, Izuku dares to draw back, even if it's only enough to press their foreheads together, still breathing against each other's lips, far too much of a smile on his face, the weird little fucker. How dare he look so happy about this. Fuck him.
Shit, Katsuki kinda might be able to take that literally one day. What the fuck.
Yet, just as Katsuki goes to kiss Izuku again, because why not frankly, the idiot shifts just enough that Katsuki misses, of all things. The fucking audacity.
"Hey, Kacchan?" He scowls, but has an unpleasant feeling that it's probably rather soft,
"Fuck, what, nerd. Tryna kiss you here." Izuku beams at him, but the look in his eyes is all hearth and aurora and fireflies. It makes Katsuki's knees a little bit too weak.
"I wanted to check something though." Well, how the fuck is Katsuki meant to say no to that, particularly with that expression on his face, all just-pouting lips and too-wide eyes. Izuku is far too fucking cute for anybody's good.
"Ugh, fine. What's it?" he grouches, not quite really grumpy, and Izuku's fingers shift in amongst his hair in the most fucking distracting way. Little shit of a nerd.
His smile is unfairly cute too. Ugh. Disgusting.
Then Izuku is leaning a tiny bit closer again, hot breaths fanning over Katsuki's lips, eyelashes long and smile barely even visible now except Katsuki he can see the crinkles around his eyes, the way it bunches up his freckles. His words don't exactly help Katsuki's distraction,
"Are you my boyfriend now, Kacchan?" Well, that makes it hard to breathe, let alone think straight,
"I- I mean fuck, yeh, guess'o."
"You only guess so?" Okay, the bastard is just teasing him now, surely, because the nerd is still playing with Katsuki's hair and sharing air with him and staring at him from so close that it's almost impossible to do anything.
So he squeezes Izuku's waist, just about tightly enough that it makes Izuku wriggle, doubly so when he slips a few fingertips beneath the thin t-shirt to swipe against the soft skin there (fuck, he can't wait to be able to count every damn freckle-), and drags the nerd another half-step closer, knocking their foreheads gently together,
"Shut your damn trap, kiss me, and the answer will be yes."
"Deal," Izuku snickers, and then he's laughing into Katsuki's mouth and somehow every thing is right with the world once more.