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It was late.
Izuku and Kacchan’s spar had gone on longer than usual. After months of training in aerial fighting, Izuku had managed to really get a handle on his Full Cowling: Shoot Style. Blasting into the air at a moment’s notice, zooming and soaring around in twirls and loops and fast, unexpected drops shot Izuku’s adrenaline way up. His blood was pumping, and Izuku was able to get his excess energy out. That, and sparring with Kacchan was normal ground for Izuku, something familiar in their rapidly changing relationship. Even though Izuku (and probably Kacchan, too) had been dancing around one another for weeks now, their spars never faltered. It was a solace to Izuku, because at the very least this one thing he had with Kacchan wouldn’t change.
But Izuku wouldn’t lie, their spars had become more…heated. Izuku freely took the opportunities presented to him to appreciate Kacchan, from his fighting capabilities to just how good Kacchan looked. Kacchan’s intelligence was always a look he wore well, red eyes sharp and calculating, always trying to predict what Izuku’s next moves were going to be. It was thrilling, to have Kacchan’s eyes on him, and only him, thrilling to know that Kacchan’s attention would never waver from him. And, if Izuku were honest with himself, he also very much loved being able to take extra glances of Kacchan’s body, the blond’s shirt tight to his chest from how hard he sparred.
Tonight’s spar was one of the few nights they sparred Quirkless. They did this every so often, to keep their skills sharp. Being able to fight without relying on their Quirks had been one of the deciding factors in the War, one that had led them to winning. Shouta-sensei had said, so long ago, that no good Hero was a one-trick pony, and 2-A had taken that advice to heart. It was because of this that Izuku and Katsuki made it a point to do Quirkless spars once every month or so. It wasn’t often, because for all that Izuku had made great strides in learning how to control One For All, he was nowhere near Mastery yet, and both Kacchan and Izuku had decided that it was more important for Izuku to train with OFA than to spar Quirkless.
It was probably a good thing that the two of them didn’t often spar Quirkless, really. Every time the two of them did so, Izuku always fought harder than he normally would, and Izuku knew that Kacchan was the same. For Izuku, it was because he knew that he needed to push himself even more to allow his body to adjust to his gradually growing strength. Izuku was always increasing the amount he could bench press and lift, and because of that, Izuku needed to focus more on how he controlled his strength, how to pull his punches when he needed to, and how not to when necessary.
Tonight was no exception. Izuku had pushed himself past his limits, as he always did, and Kacchan matched him for every step. Except this time, though, Izuku might’ve been trying to impress Kacchan, and that included trying to pin the blond with certain, overwhelming strength. Izuku had managed it a few times, even; the first time Izuku had pinned Kacchan, it was fast and hard. Izuku had captured Kacchan’s right hook, flipped the blond over his shoulder, and pinned his arms above his head. Kacchan had landed on his back, a loud “oomph” escaping him as Izuku knocked the breath out of his chest. Izuku had stood over Kacchan then, a wide, proud smirk on his face as he looked down at the blond, and he had relished in Kacchan’s wide eyes and very faint blush.
Of course, Izuku had to work even harder after that to pin Kacchan down, and it soon became a competition between the two of them, to see who could pin the other down more. Izuku would have won if Shouta-sensei hadn’t come in at the last minute, telling Izuku and Kacchan that curfew was in ten minutes and to “get their asses back home.” Kacchan had tsked, and so had Izuku. Izuku was so close! He would have won this time, Izuku knew, he’d had the perfect plan. All he had to do was—
“Let’s get going already, nerd,” Kacchan interrupted Izuku’s train of thought, tossing Izuku his workout bag. Izuku sighed, nodding his thanks to Kacchan. He would get the blond next time. For now, though, Izuku and Kacchan needed to get back before Shouta-sensei really reamed their asses for being late.
The walk back to Heights Alliance was silent, though companionable. Izuku enjoyed the late spring breeze on his skin, cooling down his overheated body. Looking towards the sky, Izuku admired the night sky. The moon was full, its silver-white glow providing the two of them a bright guide. Izuku took a second to sneak a glance at Kacchan, and he nearly sighed aloud. Of course, Kacchan was beautiful. His hair was nearly white under the glow of the moon and his skin glowed, making his ruby eyes shine like precious jewels. Not for the first time, Izuku had wondered how he would ever be able to get someone as beautiful as Kacchan to ever love him. It was pessimistic thinking, of course, and his friends had been telling him otherwise, but sometimes, like now, Kacchan’s beauty was almost too much for Izuku. It was as if Kacchan were an otherworldly being, sent down to Earth to show Izuku just how plain he was. It was okay though. Izuku didn’t need to be the most attractive person out there, nor did he want to. All Izuku wanted was for someone to love and understand Izuku for who he was, not who he represented or had the power to be. Izuku just wanted to be loved for being him, and though it may very well be a futile hope, he wanted Kacchan to be the one who loved him.
Izuku shook his head lightly, banishing those thoughts. For now, he was content to just have Kacchan in his life. If something came of it, then it did. If not, well, Izuku would deal with it like he had all the other problems he had in life: resolutely, and with the strength of his will. As it was, Izuku was really looking forward to taking a shower and knocking out for the night. His and Kacchan’s sparring session had been tough , and while Izuku appreciated sparring sessions like these, they left him pretty exhausted.
Entering Heights Alliance, Izuku found that all of 2-A was down in the Commons Area. While not necessarily unusual, it was strange enough that it gave Izuku pause. Standing at the doors, Izuku looked around the room, trying to see what would be the cause of this mass gathering. It was Kyouka-san that answered his questions.
“Ah, Izuku, Katsuki, you’re here.” Kyouka-san said, and heads swiveled to look at the two of them excitedly. Kacchan clicked his tongue at the attention, not caring for it.
“What are you shitheads staring at?” Kacchan asked, crossing his arms. Tenya came forward, his arms swinging back and forth cleanly and sharply, clearly agitated.
“There was an explosion in the Science Wing earlier, and the school building has been shut down for the rest of the week for repairs.” Tenya replied, and Izuku balked. Who could have done such damage on such a short—
“Hatsume,” Shouto replied, answering all of Izuku’s questions in one word. Of course. If there was someone who could destroy a good portion of the school on accident, it would be their resident genius inventor, Mei-san. Izuku nodded, sighing all the while.
“Of fucking course,” Kacchan replied, and Izuku sighed again. While he wouldn’t show it like Tenya, Kacchan was also probably fairly irritated at their school being shut down for the rest of the week. The blond took his studies seriously, after all.
“So,” Izuku said, trying to distract Kacchan from becoming too grouchy.
“Why is everyone in here?” Izuku asked. “And why were you all waiting for us?”
“We’re gonna have a movie marathon, Izu-bro!” Denki-kun cried excitedly, coming from the kitchen with a big grocery bag full of chips.
“Shoutobroki hasn’t seen any Disney movies, so we’re gonna marathon a bunch of them!” Denki-kun continued, wrapping an arm around Shouto. Shouto nodded solemnly.
“I’ve been told it’s a crime of the highest order,” Shouto said, and Kacchan snorted.
“And why should I care whether or not Half ‘n Half has seen any of the Disney movies or not?” Kacchan asked, turning to leave. Izuku impulsively grabbed onto Kacchan’s arm, and the blond stopped, turning to look at Izuku with a raised eyebrow.
“Come on Kacchan,” Izuku wheedled, looking up at Kacchan with big eyes (curse being so short!), gripping the blond’s arm tightly. The blond wasn’t swayed, so Izuku brought out the big guns, hoping that the others would go along with it.
“It’ll be fun! And besides, I’m sure we could watch Big Hero Six, too!” Izuku said, and held back a grin of success when Kacchan tensed. It was one of Kacchan’s favorite movies, not that the blond would ever admit it. But Izuku knew that Kacchan would never pass up a chance to see the movie.
“That’s the first movie we were gonna watch, bro!” Eijirou-kun said, beaming widely. Izuku thanked the stars that Eijirou-kun also knew Kacchan so well; it made it so much easier when trying to get Kacchan to do things with the rest of the class.
“...fine,” Kacchan said, and Izuku beamed widely. Success!
“But I’m gonna take a shower first,” Kacchan said. “I’m not gonna stay sweaty ‘n shit just cause you shitheads are all impatient.”
Izuku nodded, that made sense.
“I think I’ll shower, too, I’m pretty sweaty from our spar as well,” Izuku agreed, turning to Shouto.
“Can you make me…?” Izuku asked, and Shouto nodded.
“Thanks Shou!” Izuku grinned. Shouto was a good friend like that, making sure that Izuku would have something to eat when he came back down.
“Let’s fucking go already,” Kacchan said, tugging Izuku backwards. Izuku nearly stumbled, but regained his footing.
“Kacchan!” He whined. “You almost made me fall!”
“You should’ve moved faster, nerd,”was Kacchan’s reply, and Izuku stuck his tongue out at the blond. Kacchan rolled his eyes.
“Real mature,” Kacchan said. “What are you gonna do next, lick me?”
“I might kill myself if I do that, Kacchan, your nitroglycerin is kinda potent right now,” Izuku said, and Kacchan turned to him with a glare.
“Haaaah? What’re you trying to say, shitty nerd?”
So engrossed in their childish argument, Izuku didn’t see the knowing looks sent across the Commons Area. Izuku was comfortably lost in the familiarity of Wednesdays, of spars with Kacchan and silly arguments with silly comebacks.
Wednesdays were familiar, and Izuku would cherish them for what they gave him.
0o0-0o0-0o0
Izuku came to slowly.
That in itself was unusual for Izuku. He was so used to going from sleep to wakefulness at the drop of a hat, a habit from the War that he never truly shook. He’d never had any need to, really, because it was a useful skill to have (Izuku ignored Ryou-sensei’s voice in the back of his head saying that this meant Izuku didn’t feel fully safe. Izuku was just fine.).
However, Izuku wasn’t fully alert right now, and he wasn’t sure as to why. He supposed he could chalk it up to how comfortable he was at the moment; he was comfortably warm, and his pillow was a perfect combination of firm and soft, even if it was moving.
Izuku blinked. His pillow was moving?
Izuku opened his eyes up all the way. The first thing he saw was a long, slender neck. Confused, he breathed in to start talking to himself, but paused when the familiar smell of cinnamon and sugar reached his nose. Izuku froze. The only one who smelled like this was Kacchan. But that couldn’t be, because if Izuku was so close to Kacchan, that meant that he…
‘...Did I fall asleep on Kacchan last night?’ Izuku asked himself, carefully lifting himself up so he wouldn’t disturb Kacchan. The early morning light of the day swept over the planes of Kacchan’s face, and Izuku took a moment to raise his right hand, gently tracing his childhood friend and crush’s face. Under the gentle rays of the morning sun, Izuku took a moment to gaze at the softened planes of Kacchan’s aristocratic features, appreciating how the blond looked more peaceful while sleeping, not angry or bothered or irritated.
With Kacchan asleep, Izuku was able to wistfully appreciate the blond and his beauty.
“Why do you have to be so beautiful, Kacchan?” Izuku whispered to himself, trailing a scarred finger down the blond’s sharpened jaw. “Looking at you like this, it’s no wonder that I fell in love with you…”
A strong pale hand grabbed Izuku’s, holding it to Kacchan’s face.
“You think I’m beautiful, huh nerd?”
Kacchan’s low, sleep-filled voice rang out in the emptiness of the Commons Area, and Izuku jumped, startled. He would have fallen off the couch if Kacchan’s arm, apparently wrapped around Izuku’s waist, hadn’t held him close to the blond. While Izuku was thankful that he hadn’t had a harsh meeting with the ground, this meant that he was now face-to-face with Kacchan, and that was something Izuku was decidedly not ready for.
Izuku blushed brightly at their position, trying to lift himself away from the blond. Kacchan, though, didn’t let him go, instead tightening his grip on Izuku’s waist and hand. Izuku gulped, his mouth going dry as he found himself being stared at intensely by Kacchan, ruby red eyes locked onto Izuku’s ownl.
“Well, nerd?” Kacchan asked, and Izuku blushed even brighter. Apparently, Kacchan had heard Izuku calling him beautiful. Did that mean Kacchan had felt Izuku tracing his face, too?
‘Oh god, oh god, how am I supposed to handle this?!’ Izuku thought to himself. He wasn’t anywhere near prepared to talk about his feelings for Kacchan, never mind the fact that he’d already said that he was in love with Kacchan, and that the blond had probably heard that, too.
“K-Kacchan, I…” Izuku started, stuttering as he tried to find something to say. But the way Kacchan was looking at him, so softly, so warmly and so full of…love?
“Izuku,” Kacchan murmured, and Izuku’s heart skipped a beat. It skipped another as Kacchan’s thumb began to softly caress Izuku’s hand, the one Kacchan wouldn’t let go of.
“Kacchan…” Izuku whimpered softly, his heart beating fast and hard. Izuku couldn’t handle this, couldn’t handle being so close to Kacchan, Kacchan who was looking at him with such a soft gaze, so warm and gentle and beautiful that Izuku’s heart was going to explode.
Kacchan chuckled, low and warm, his mouth curling up in that small, soft smile that had yet to leave Izuku’s mind. Izuku felt his breath hitch.
“Idiot,” Kacchan said, moving his hand so that it was nestled in Izuku’s hair. Izuku’s shoulders tensed.
“I love you too.”
And then the blond dragged Izuku down into a soft, slow kiss.
Izuku’s eyes, which had gone wide at Kacchan’s confession, fluttered to a close. The kiss was everything Izuku had hoped for, and more. Kacchan tasted sweet and spicy, reminiscent of the cinnamon toothpaste Kacchan used. But Kacchan was warm, too, filling Izuku from head to toe with tendrils of warmth and happiness. Izuku’s left hand, which had been lying uselessly to the side, rose up to the other side of the blond’s head, and Izuku gently curled his fingers into Kacchan’s hair, relishing in how soft the blond locks were. Kacchan groaned, pulling Izuku closer to his chest, the hand nestled in Izuku’s hair trailing down so it was holding Izuku’s neck. Izuku melted into the hold. Kacchan’s calloused hand was warm, and even though the hand was placed on Izuku’s neck, Izuku felt nothing but safety and love.
Kacchan pulled back, and kissed Izuku once, twice, three times more before pulling back. Izuku rested his forehead against Kacchan’s, staring into incandescent rubies, so clear and bright and beautiful. They were so full of love, of warmth and content and longing that Izuku’s heart tightened.
“Kacchan…” Izuku whispered, unable to put his thoughts into words, and unwilling to fully break the silence. Izuku wanted to continue basking in the moment, in this moment he never thought he would really have. His eyes watered involuntarily, and he felt the pad of Kacchan’s thumb wipe them away. Kacchan seemed to know what Izuku wanted to say, however, because another small, brilliant smile painted Kacchan’s lips.
“Be mine,” Kaccan said, and Izuku nodded, smiling widely even as the tears fell from his eyes.
“Always,” Izuku replied, and they sealed this promise with a kiss.
Izuku’s heart was so warm, so light and full of joy. There was one person Izuku had wanted to love and be loved by. Izuku wanted to be held and cherished, and return that same love with all of his scarred, fragile heart. He wanted one person, just one person, to accept Izuku for who he was and what he could never be, to be there for Izuku through thick and thin, to share the best of times and the worst.
Izuku wanted Kacchan. He had always wanted Kacchan, even before he realized he had feelings for the blond. Izuku had wanted Kacchan, and Kacchan wanted him in return. It was more than Izuku could ever hope for, it was all Izuku ever wanted.
For Izuku, it was always Kacchan he wanted.
Always.
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