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“Kacchan, come on!” Izuku pulled his childhood friend along with him through the green foliage of the forest.
“Why the fuck should I come with you, nerd?”
Izuku didn’t slow down his pace, if he did he would have fidgeted with the hem of his training uniform shirt. Instead he just muttered, “So, I found this waterfall…”
“Hah?!”
“I found a waterfall and there’s a cave behind it,” excitement was practically dripping from Izuku’s voice.
“So?” Katsuki was much less enthusiastic about being dragged away from practice to look at some hole in the mountain.
“So?!” Izuku couldn’t comprehend Katsuki’s lack of interest. “A cave, Kacchan! Don’t you remember?”
If Izuku had turned to look back at his friend he would’ve seen an evil glint in his red eyes.
“I remember you falling on your ass and then crying all the way back home.”
“Ah,” Izuku remembered that too.
“It was fucking hilarious.”
Hilarious wasn’t how Izuku would describe that incident when they found a cave all those years back, instead it was quite the fond memory for him. It was true Izuku fell, and yes, he had probably been crying quite a lot too, but what he remembered the most was how, when Katsuki had stopped laughing at his clumsy ass, he had kissed Izuku on top of his green locks and told him everything would be alright before taking his hand and bringing him home to his mom.
“Yeah, well, I’ll be careful this time.”
“No need to be careful on my account.”
They pushed past a few more trees before they came upon a clearing with the waterfall just up ahead. It was roaring loudly, drowning all the other sounds of the forest. Izuku guided them to the side of the waterfall and the small entrance he had found earlier.
“If I get wet, I’m pushing you in, Deku.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Izuku had since long gotten used to Katsuki’s empty threats. Still, he made sure to try and shield him as much as he could as they snuck in behind the water.
The cave they came into was dark and the air damp, water splashed around their boots. It was hard to see how big it was until Katsuki lit up the area with some sparks in his hand.
It wasn’t that big at all, about the size of their rooms back in the dorm but Izuku couldn't show his disappointment now. Not after making such a big show of his excitement.
So, he took a few quick steps forward, gesturing with his arms open wide.
“Look, Kacchan. Look at—”
And Katsuki looked.
But what he saw wasn’t what Izuku originally intended, instead of admiring the details of the cave, he got a front row seat to Izuku slipping and falling flat on his face.
Katsuki seemed to appreciate it though, judging from his loud laughter now echoing off the walls.
Izuku could feel his face heat up in embarrassment even with the cold water from the ground sinking into his clothes. He groaned and sat up, tasting blood in his mouth and he knew his lip must be cracked.
“Kacchan! It’s not funny!” Izuku berated.
Katsuki eased his laughter enough to speak, “If you saw what I just saw, you would agree it was pretty fucking funny.”
“Whatever,” with a pout, Izuku pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and pressed against his split lip. “Let’s just go back.” Izuku didn’t care about his earlier excitement anymore.
Before Izuku had the chance to get up, Katsuki was kneeling before him. “Gimme that,” he snarled, snatching the handkerchief away from Izuku. With his eyebrows pinched in concentration, Katsuki started to gently dab the cloth against the cuts on Izuku’s forehead, the scratches on his freckled cheeks and lastly, his bloody lips.
Neither of them spoke, as if under a spell, until Katsuki was finished.
“Stupid Deku,” he said, but fondly this time, a thumb gently grazing Izuku’s bottom lip.
And that was all the warning Izuku got before Katsuki leaned forward and softly pressed his lips against his.
Izuku forgot all about the pain in his lip, he didn’t even wince as he kissed Katsuki back.
“It’s going to be alright,” Katsuki spoke softly against his lips before kissing him again, and Izuku knew he was right.
It was going to be alright.
They were going to be alright.
Not only now, but in the future as well.