Chapter Text
Sitting together in the back of the large van was plenty testament to just how far Izuku and Kacchan had come in terms of their relationship. If that wasn’t enough evidence, as some could claim it was forced per say, both would openly admit they did it willingly. Kacchan might try to deviate from the pure reason of the gesture and claim “cause he doesn’t snore when he sleeps” or “he just knocks out during the whole ride anyways, sitting next to him guarantees some semblance of peace. Everyone else is loud as frick.”
Deku on the other hand would wear his heart on sleeve and explain “[He enjoyed] and preferred sitting next to his hero partner, not that [he] didn’t want to sit next to anyone else! Just sitting next to Kacchan was what felt right!”
Given Izuku’s history talking about his restored childhood best friend, he could say most anything without a string of gossip flying around at breakneck speeds about a possible romantic involvement. And given the way Kacchan had approached mentioning Izuku in the past couple of years, a kind word here and there didn’t garner a mass blink of an eye. Or so they thought.
Note: mass. There were several pages dedicated and many fans on board the bakudeku train, with some going as far as giving amateur (and some popular) complex analysis. Heck, there was even a notable relationship therapist and researcher that touched on the subject with kind vagueness, essentially shooting down the hefty bunch of haters that spilled out reasonings to believe them even being friends was toxic and bad for the beloved hero Deku.
Nevertheless, that was all besides the point. The point was they weren’t romantically involved, or at least officially. They were (unorthodox) best friends who: happened to spend a considerable amount of time together outside hero work, went out to dinner occasionally, just the two of them, and had sleepovers from time to time…for work convenience of course (failing to mention despite having a guest room, Izuku adamantly slept in the same bed as Kacchan who may or may not have been the one to initiate the tradition. But no one knew of this, not even their tight circle of friends)
There was much more, but just in listing that, it was no wonder the confusion several of their shared (yes, shared!) friends had about the exact nature of their relationship.
That was what Izuku cycled about now in the drudgy, foggy remnants of his conscience as he sat next to Kacchan. Who, to his utter dismay, stared out the window mystically, elbow propped on the little ledge with cupholders. It was in such a way, having his cheek rested in his palm, that it pulled on his skin enough to accentuate the sharp lines of his opposite jaw, causing a rude disruption to Izuku's spiraling cacophony.
He was enamored in zero seconds flat. The car bumped over debris and left over weather on the road, humming the even lulling tone all cars had on the endless stretches of highway out in the middle of nowhere. All of which he loved and fell away to sleep too often, yet now it was background noise. White noise.
Before him was the man he loved, bathed in the blue-white glow of the moon. Still and in focus as flat scenery flew behind him. Izuku thought he could stare at him forever. Watch all the micro expressions on the maturing face, and since when had Kacchan looked so…grown up? There was a certain air, a certain evolution of his face that struck him out of nowhere. Kacchan was all grown up, and so was he. Maybe less visibly with his baby face and all, but there was Kacchan looking like a man and a hero, instead of a raging teenager.
“How long are ya gonna stare at me, weirdo?” Kacchan said softly, side eyeing Izuku.
Izuku startled. His heart rate shot up tenfold and it all came crashing down how close he had gotten to Kacchan against his conscious will.
He was screwed.
“Ah- sorry! Uh. I zoned out?” He scratched his head, chuckling nervously.
Kacchan blew out a silent laugh through his nose and rolled his eyes, something of a smile teasing his lip.
“That’s BS, Deku. You were staring at me like I was glowing or some crap, fess up.” He continued to talk in this calm and mellow toned voice, and Izuku found it harder to function with all that was happening at once.
Kacchan smiling (however subtle it was), Kacchan looking at him with sleepy lidded eyes, him talking soothingly like he didn’t have a single tension in the world. The way his eyes seemed to glow in the cast of moonlight. His hair, mildly messy from traveling all day. All of it. He could go on, but Kacchan had been staring and waiting for a response this whole time and all he managed to do was ramble about him.
“I- well- it’s…” He stuttered out. It then became too much to keep eye contact, causing him to look down as he messed with his hands.
He felt and heard Kacchan shift and knew then he had moved to face him.
“Deku, just tell me.” He gruffed with no heat.
He looked up to see a worse sight, Kacchan facing him with his head leaned against the headrest, smile soft and bordering on amused. Which, to clarify, was terribly attractive. Especially with him being outlined by the moon behind him, making him appear almost ethereal. He hadn’t seen him so peaceful, so elegant before.
The breath escaped him and goodness knows he wasn’t getting that back anytime soon.
“Well, it’s…you’ll laugh. Or hate it. Or take it the wrong way. Maybe. And you look so peaceful I don’t want to ruin anything and-“
Kacchan poked his forehead, leaning his head down yet staring right ahead at him. It was intimidating and hot all at the same time. It was a more prominently feminine move, but Kacchan exceeded the boundary and made it look breathlessly heady.
Were his limbs even working? Could he move them? For all he knew he was frozen in place. Kacchan had him just like that.
“Deku.” His voice dropped. Oh heavens his voice dropped.
He sighed, Kacchan wasn’t going to let it go. And maybe some spell was cast on him. Or it was the moment. With the car and the moonlight and the quiet hum of the highway. But he felt a little more bold.
“You just- you looked so beautiful, Kacchan.” He said simply. More pushed to come out but he held that back, tensing his lips just to do so. He couldn’t scare him away. He couldn’t say too much cause gosh dangit he couldn’t ruin whatever spell they were in.
At first, there was no reaction, just the amused, relaxed expression. Until Kacchan returned his head to be level and removed his finger, setting the offending hand on his own knee. His smile faded into neutral, luckily nothing of a frown. Izuku would panic more if it had.
“Beautiful? Didn’t think a guy like me could be beautiful, nerd.” He smirked. Again though. It was soft, and subtle, and his eyes narrowed into something that evoked several emotions out of Izuku just then.
“Well you’re wrong then, because- because that’s what you were. Are. What you are. You’re a guy, sure, but you’re beautiful.” He said, uncharacteristically level.
Kacchans eyes widened marginally.
“I’m wrong, are I, deku?” He inflected.
Izuku nodded, stealing a breath after holding the last too long. It grabbed Kacchans attention to glance briefly at his chest before returning to his eyes.
He swallowed. “In this case, yeah.”
There was a pause between them. Neither saying anything. It stretched long enough he opened his mouth to spew out anything else in case he’d said something wrong, but then Kacchan hummed and leaned himself in closer. And time stopped. And the car no longer hummed. And the moonlight disappeared literally behind some clouds so all he was left with was Kacchans beautiful face masked with darkness and glowing red eyes closer than he was prepared for.
“Pro Hero Dynamight, beautiful, deemed by his nerd partner, Deku. The up and coming Japanese sweetheart. Interesting headline.” He mused.
Izuku gawked!
“Oh please don’t tell the press I said that!” He squeaked. Kacchan laughed breathily, sending pangs of things though Izuku's stiff body.
Suddenly images of Kacchans famous massages came into view of his mind and laid down to rest there, obscuring functionality in order to play the image with increasingly more intimate connotation each loop. He shook his head mentally. There were more pressing things to think about, like how amused Kacchan sounded, or him saying he would be Japan’s sweetheart like it was commonplace, or how…well…
This wasn’t going according to his made up plan of how he thought it would go.
In fact, this was not how it was supposed to go at all . He thought he’d be playfully shoved by now, hair messed up with a line of “That’s for girls, Deku!” or “The heck ya calling me that for, Deku? I ain’t a woman!” but instead it was met with whatever you called what was happening now. Acceptance? He wasn’t sure.
“Tch, I ain’t. Only you can call me that. And just barely.” He huffed, smirking.
Oh goodness he could melt into the seat now and he’d be blessed for it.
“Just me, h-huh?” His brain was buzzing worse than an Africanized bee swarm after an intruder to their hive.
“Just you, nerd.”
“28 minutes to the hotel!” Ojiro, who was driving, announced excitedly. The rest of the van were out cold sleeping, leaving Izuku and Kacchan alone to their devices.
Izuku sighed, actually irritated at the interruption. He forced out a chipper, “sounds great! Thanks!” Apparently it served to entertain Kacchan seeing as he pinched his face into obvious displeasure as well.
When Ojiro didn't say anything else for several seconds, Izuku cleared his throat quietly enough only Kacchan could hear.
“…as you were saying…” He trailed off, hoping it didn’t come off as desperate.
Kacchan rolled his eyes. “Tch. Don’t needa say it twice. I won’t tolerate that word from anyone else. Just, don’t get in the habit of saying it…”
If Izuku was crazy, he’d say he saw the tips of Kacchans ear turn pink. If he was sane, he wouldn’t say a peep about it.
“What would happen- if I did, hm?” He mused…with plenty of hesitancy it could in no wise be mistaken as confidence.
Kacchan tensed his jaw faster than Iida could send Mineta flying out the balcony
“I'd have to shut you up.” Kacchan said matter of factly, looking right into Izuku's soul.
Wait. Was there a hint of teasing? He couldn’t pin it exactly, but there was something in his tone that made him squirm.
“How’d you- how…would you go about…that?” He squeaked.
Kacchan hummed and shifted so his knees knocked Izukus, leaning down close enough Izuku could make out the old white and purple scars on his face. The proximity sent shivers down his spine, an excitement and nervousness that made him hitch a breath and force it out. He couldn't help but glance at Kacchans lips.
Oh gosh he looked at Kacchans lips.
“There's a few ways.” Kacchan rumbled.
“O-oh?”
“If it’s okay for me to show you.” He tacked on with calculated eyes.
Izuku breathed in shallow breaths, nodding, heart pounding in his ears loud enough it was all he could hear. Somehow in that time of him becoming aware of the changes he was exhibiting, and essentially giving consent to whatever his hero partner had planned, Kacchan laid a hot hand to Izuku’s knee. It burned where it was placed, not an uncomfortable burn, but it soon became overwhelming. Further discovery led him to discover he wasn’t even using his quirk to create such a dramatic feeling!
As if Kacchan wanted to see him suffer, the hand languidly traveled higher and higher up his thigh, earning a small whine from him. It stopped. Izuku closed his eyes because Frick he did not just make that sound!
“..This an okay method?” Kacchan said seductively.
"Mhmhm."
However, despite the panic ringing all around Izuku, he could pick out the tone of hesitancy and…well he couldn’t find the word in the rapidly evolving moment…but the feeling he felt was endearing.
Then a nose brushed near his ear, making him stiffen and gasp as silent as he could manage. He was at least aware enough to know they were far from alone. And worriedly very okay with this installment.
As in, way too eager to see where it went.
“You’re easier to shut up than I thought, Deku.” Kacchan said huskily.
Apparently seeing Izuku’s continued non resistance to this, Kacchan upped the forte of his flirting(?)
Which is grand and all, but now Izuku couldn’t think. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t frickin move. Was this real? Could Kacchan hear his heart? Feel it? Is he dreaming? Must be, cause then the hand on his thigh tightened just as another scooped beneath his jaw. It took everything not to make a sound when Kacchans hot breath hit his neck.
“Ka…Kacchan…” He breathed, careful to not make anyone else aware of their…predicament.
“Deku.”
“What are you…” Izuku gripped the front of his shirt. Kacchan hummed darkly.
“Do you still want to be shut up..?” Kacchan whispered.
And Izuku didn’t know how hot consent could get, but this was the best example he’d ever witnessed in his life. It made his lower abdomen burn and swirl in a way that he noted was not the bad kind of nerves.
He found himself nodding again before he could really think about it, desire aching in the depths of his bones. Heat all over his body craving to be answered to. His body gave him little choice, so good thing he was in desperate agreement.
Kacchan hummed, a low grumble that yet again made Izuku take a deep breath to keep it all together. He glanced to the front, scanning the whole car it seemed, before capturing Izuku in a cooled gaze. The whole thing was suspense to him who couldn’t care less at this point if someone saw, just that Kacchan did something to stop the burning inside of him before it did real damage.