Work Text:
December 20th, Katsuki finds himself at the Tokyo International Airport with a carry-on in hand and sunglasses over his face. He’s on the verge of falling asleep, but he’s still making it through the morning without snapping at anyone yet.
A shadow appears at his side, vibrating excitedly. Katsuki doesn’t acknowledge him for a few moments, snorting when Deku finally pouts and smacks his arm with enthusiasm. “Aren’t you EXCITED?” He asks, grinning as Katsuki sighs. “It’s our first huge undercover mission! We can’t even tell our friends about it or where we’re going!”
“Figured it’d happen sooner or later,” Katsuki rolls his eyes. “We’re in the Top Ten, idiot. I just don’t know why they chose a time so close to the holidays, though. We’re gonna be insanely jetlagged whenever we get back.”
“That’s why I came up with a foolproof plan to get sleep on the plane,” Deku snickers, gesturing to himself. Katsuki notes how his partner’s entire body is shaking from lack of sleep and mutters profanities under his breath, shaking his head as he walks over to the boarding area for a private plane. As Pros, they’re either in first class on regular flights or taking private jets if the mission is critical and time-sensitive. “It doesn’t count if you’re watching videos and writing for the entire night, moron.”
Sure enough, after they’ve boarded and gone through basic safety procedures, Deku passes out in his seat, out cold for the rest of the flight. Katsuki grimaces; Deku’s plan of pulling an all-nighter unfortunately works for him since he just sleeps through turbulence and barely stirs.
Katsuki, though…
“You still didn’t tell me what this mission was for. We’re in the air and about to be out of range of Japan, can’t you spill anything now?” He snaps at his manager. Hoshi doesn’t look impressed, merely pushing up her sunglasses and looking at her always open laptop. She gets up when they’re free to move around and cracks open a bottle of champagne, downing a glass in under fifteen seconds.
“You’re going to America,” Hoshi sighs as she sets her drink down. It sounds like she didn’t sleep either. “Top secret mission that several scientists from I-Island have called you and Deku to assist with, and don’t ask me why. But apparently you two are the best for the job, and that’s why I’ve been having you sign NDAs the entire week. This is HUGE for us. As in, if you mess this up, we’ll get fined and you won’t be invited to America ever again.”
Katsuki blinks. And then reevaluates his entire career as a hero. “It’s not REALLY that important, is it? I have to stake my damn career on a mission that I don’t even know the details on? Why are you our manager if you don’t even know??”
“I ask myself that every day,” Hoshi says solemnly, and then downs another drink, puts her sunglasses and earbuds in, and goes to sleep, leaving Katsuki to fume quietly for the rest of the flight.
Katsuki’s third cup of coffee gets placed in front of him. In his student and sidekick days, he would’ve turned it away immediately, claiming that the bean juice would mess his teeth, stomach, and caffeine intake up. Now, in his first year of being a pro hero, and having to deal with Deku nearly all the time along with the general public, he’s unfortunately found that coffee is one of his only saviors in the morning.
Deku’s sitting next to Katsuki and snorts when he notices his hero partner tossing it back like a shot. “You really need to learn how to sleep on planes,” he teases, and laughs when Katsuki swipes at him. They’re sitting in a conference room in New York City, both still slightly on edge. It’s not every day that two “new” pro heroes are invited on a top secret mission in another country.
It’s been about an hour and there’s still no one there. Hoshi’s gone too, presumably mingling or getting more information on what her infamous Wonder Duo would be up to in America. Deku’s trying to balance several creamer cups on top of each other, pouting when they become top-heavy and topple over. Katsuki’s been thinking about knocking over his tower again when a blonde woman comes hustling into the room, lab coat whipping around her legs.
Katsuki can’t place her, but Deku clearly does, judging by the way he shoots up and shouts, “MELISSA! I haven’t seen you since I-Island, and now you’re here! It’s been years, how are you? I can’t believe it!!”
“Believe it yourself, Symbol of Peace.” This Melissa chick teases. She turns to Katsuki and bows in a show of respect. Katsuki narrows his eyes at her; maybe she does seem a bit familiar, but he still can’t place it. They’ve met a good number of people over the years. It gets hard to distinguish.
“Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight,” Melissa says with a touch of admiration. “It’s nice to have you here! I’m Melissa Shield; we met a long time ago on I-Island, and you helped me take my home back from terrorists in your first year. Izuku also saved my life on a few occasions! I was hoping to meet you guys one of these days, especially after Japan announced that you two were key components to the war against Shigaraki.”
“Right, that scientist’s kid,” Katsuki says, even though he remembers David Shield immediately. “Nice to see you again, I guess. If you’re the one that called us here, what the hell do you want with us?”
“Kacchan,” Deku snaps, but Melissa waves it off. “Short and sweet and to the point,” she grins, a wicked glint appearing in her glasses. “Oh, this’ll be fun. Well, welcome to America! I’ve been named as one of the lead scientists for your mission. Normally, we’d have formalities, but I think we can bypass them for the sake of time.” She takes the time to load up a PowerPoint presentation, clicking through it to land on a familiar figure: Santa Claus.
“Your mission,” Melissa states, trying not to laugh as Deku and Katsuki stare at the screen with horror in their eyes, “is to save the Christmas holiday in America by taking on the role of Santa.”
There’s dead silence for a moment before Katsuki stands up, the coffee starting to get to him. “No,” he says, shaking his head. Deku gives him an unreadable look. “Absolutely not. We’re not here to cosplay as some fat dude and give presents to some terrible kids who don’t deserve it.”
(Hoshi’s been on him about his cursing, so he’s been working his butt off to try and reduce the amount of profanities he usually says. It sucks. He hates it, but it’s better than any complaints that have been filed against him.)
“This is, unfortunately, a non-negotiable thing.” Melissa firmly states. “That’s why you signed the NDAs and went through all the paperwork to get here. Our usual Santa, Nicholas the Seventeenth, and his family are currently in the hospital due to a prolonged illness. We have heroes scheduled out until the new year here, and we had to call in reinforcements to ensure our holidays go smoothly. So! Who wants to be first on the fitting for the suit? We can only have one Santa due to how the system goes, and bear with me here, but we need the other person as the reindeer that pulls the sleigh. It’s imperative that it goes almost the exact way that Nicholas usually does it. You’d be surprised what kids can come up with if the holiday’s altered.”
Katsuki hisses through his teeth, and slowly exhales. He counts down from ten and stares directly at Melissa. He remembers a time when they were younger and he saved them from those stupid villains and robots on I-Island, and comes to the conclusion that this is his horrible, horrible retribution. He should’ve let the robots get her.
Deku looks too shocked to say anything. He stares down at the table like he’s reevaluating everything he’s ever known, and then opens and closes his mouth again. “...Okay!” He squeaks, finally getting the memo. “So we’re supposed to bring Christmas to everyone who lives here! Awesome! Great!”
Melissa smiles like a cat that caught the canary. She’s clearly far more ruthless than her father, and with the Wonder Duo at her fingertips, she has to be. Regardless, they literally don’t have a choice in the matter. They’re doing this mission whether they like it or not. He slightly dips his head in defeat, and watches as a familiar glint, like he’s seen in Hatsume Mei’s eyes, appears.
“Perfect,” Melissa coos, and claps her hands together. “I’ll give you guys a few minutes to decompress, then meet me in our Development Laboratory after getting your costumes so I can give y’all your suits and explain how the rest of this is gonna work.”
When she leaves, there’s an awkward silence in the room. Katsuki has seen his hero partner sick in bed and throwing up after parties, and he’s also literally almost died for this guy, and he’s been in love with him for years now. There’s not a lot that could break the bond between them.
“Hoshi owes us a raise and several bottles of wine,” Katsuki mutters, and Deku nods solemnly. “This sucks. I guess we’re getting into the Christmas spirit sooner than we thought, Nerd. You still on for the shrine visit after the mission?”
The distraction works for a tiny bit. Deku beams over at him, and Katsuki squints against the onslaught of sunshine. “I’d love to, Kacchan.” He assures him. “I think my mom also invited you to join us for a family visit too! You can invite Mitsuki and Masaru if you want! I think my mom already invited them though, she’s always very excited to have your parents over. Todoroki Rei might also be invited?”
Katsuki sighs at the thought of seeing their fellow sidekick again, and decides to flip the script on him. “You don’t want us to be alone at the shrine?” He purrs, and barks out a laugh when Deku’s jaw slightly drops and he viciously blushes.
“It’s not that! Well, I mean I’d like it, but we’ve never done that before, UGH! SHUT IT!”
The implication that Deku wants to go alone with him doesn’t escape Katsuki, and they both stare down at the table for a bit. Katsuki flexes his hand and feels the telltale Explosions popping in his hand, trying to get them under control.
“So uh,” Deku swallows. Katsuki looks over and notes the lump in his throat with unrestrained delight. “...Who’s going to be Santa then, Kacchan? Are we doing rock, paper, scissors for this? Or are we fighting to the death as per usual?”
December 24th, the night before their mission is supposed to be carried out, Katsuki stands tall in the mirror and flexes in the Santa outfit. Whatever materials Melissa’s team has on standby is perfect; with all their Quirks, they immediately get Katsuki’s measurements and custom-make a suit that fits him. He gets a set of gloves, his fluffy shirt, pants, and the Santa hat, which he shoves into his pocket.
The real star of the show, though, is Deku.
Donned in a brown suit instead of the classic red, the head of the materials department stifles a laugh as she puts a headband with antlers on Deku’s curly green hair. “The type of Quirk that’s used to play Santa needs the costumes to be as accurate as possible,” she explains as she whips out some blush. “It helps the illusion for the entire country. I believe you have an illusion hero of your own? Maboromicamie?”
“A good friend of ours,” Deku says, voice tight as his nose becomes a bright shade of red. The freckles, thankfully, don’t get covered. “I just didn’t think I’d actually have to be dressed in this, y’know? I figured we’d wear our hero costumes, or anything else, just…not the cosplay of a reindeer. Why’d Kacchan get Santa anyways?”
“Because I look better in the suit,” Katsuki boasts, flexing in the costume. “And my Explosions wouldn’t be suitable as a ‘reindeer’, but your Blackwhip will definitely help with the illusion. You’ve got the better skills for this thing anyways. I just need to look hot and wave to a few hundred children.”
“Essentially, yeah.” The lady of the materials department laughs. “You’d be surprised at how simple this job can be sometimes. Nicholas’s usual Quirk, which is literally called ‘Santa Claus’, lets him have a sort of telekinesis that moves his sleigh and delivers presents. The reindeer are from a farm, and they’re neighbors with the Clauses so they help each other out once a year. It’s a weird contract but it works out for everyone else. Now, since Nicholas is out sick this year, we’ve got a jet-powered sleigh and nanorobots that will deliver the presents for you, so don’t worry about having to leave and go into houses. We’ve got that part covered.”
Deku squints at her. “Isn’t that technically breaking and entering?”
The manager smiles back at him. “Weren’t you considered a vigilante and breaking the law for a certain period of time?”
Katsuki chokes on a sip of coffee, spitting it out into the cup and exhaling sharply. Deku sighs. “Touché.”
“Now, we can go see if the reindeer are suited up and ready to—”
The door to the costumes room gets thrown open, and an intern standing in the doorway looks relatively terrified. “I am,” she gulps and exhales, “SO sorry to tell you this, but the reindeer are refusing to come. They won’t pull the sleigh for someone who isn’t Nicholas. Their owner can’t even get them to get up, not even with promises of extra carrots! What’re we gonna DO?!”
The manager pinches her brow, looking like she’s lost about ten years of her life, when Deku quietly speaks up and says, “I can pull the sleigh myself. I’ll use Blackwhip and One for All to make sure we’re tethered and keep us on track. I mean, you already painted my nose, so I already look like a reindeer.”
“You gonna be my Rudolph, Deku?” Katsuki sneers at him. It’s tinged with a faint fondness, though; Katsuki knows how powerful Deku’s become in the past few years, and considering he held All Might on his back before he even had One for All? Guy’s a powerhouse. Katsuki trusts that he can carry a sleigh (and himself) for an entire night.
The manager stares at him, suddenly remembering that she’s in the presence of two pro heroes, two famous pro heroes at that, and sighs deeply. “All I ask is that you don’t injure yourself or sue us if one of you falls from the sky. Please don’t make my job any harder than it is.”
“I thought you said your job was easy?” Katsuki questions, putting his hands on his hips. “What, you admitting that this is outta your pay range? I thought Americans were supposed to be able to find ways to make things easier, especially if it’s your department!”
She gives him a baleful look. “It’s America. Nothing’s easy here. Our stupid healthcare, and some of our stupid, idiotic—”
“You’re making her go on an America rant again,” the intern sighs. “But, uh, will you guys really be able to pull the sleigh? We gotta go to the Development Laboratory to meet Dr. Shield for the suits. Please follow me!”
Deku’s face is slowly starting to turn a brighter shade of red as people turn to look at them in the hallways. Katsuki finds that wearing the Santa suit isn’t that bad, but he’s not excited for the hat hair when he inevitably takes the hat off. After a few minutes and an elevator ride, the intern leads them to the Lab, where Melissa’s waiting with some nanorobots in her hands. “Suits to help with the atmosphere and low temperatures,” she says simply, walking forward to press them to their chests. “They’ll regulate your temperature so you don’t overheat or freeze to death. Wouldn’t want Japan to come after me for losing two heroes like this, of course.” The nanobots run across their entire body and reinforce it, and Katsuki feels like he could probably blast himself into space with this.
“Fascinating,” Deku whispers, clearly admiring the handiwork. “Could I talk to the scientist that designed these after the mission? They’re incredible! I feel so light and airy.”
“Thanks,” Melissa laughs. “I designed them myself! C’mon, walk with me for a bit so I can take y’all to the sleigh.” The three head out of the Lab and use an elevator to the penthouse at the top of the building, where sure enough, there’s a huge red sleigh waiting for them. Several technicians keep walking around and double-checking that it’s ready for flight, and one or two drop their clipboards at the sight of Katsuki and Deku.
“Pro Hero Dynamight,” someone whispers. “And Pro Hero Deku! Oh my god, what an honor—”
“Shut up, Caroline! Dr. Shield’s with them, they’re probably debriefing for the flight.” Another technician hisses. “Ask ‘em for autographs later and take me with you, I want one too.”
“Dynamight, you’ll be in the sleigh itself and using the navigation system to travel a route across the U.S.” Melissa says, like she didn’t just hear two technicians fangirl. “Don’t worry about inputting anything yourself, just keep Deku on track and following the path. Deku, there’s going to be a red dot that you’ll follow to keep the sleigh going. Think of it like the Rudolph tale; follow the red dot home. Your final stop will be back here on this rooftop, so you’ll make a full loop around the United States. The weather, air traffic from airports, and climates have already been accounted for.”
“That’s oddly impressive for something like this,” Katsuki admits. As much as he doesn’t want to do this, he can’t help but admire the hard work that goes into this every year. “If we’re clear then, get outta my way so I can sit on the sleigh. Y’all got seat warmers on this thing?”
A technician coughs. “And cup holders if you want to bring coffee along. There’s also a compartment for mints, if you need one.” She checks off her clipboard though, and everyone else backs up from the sleigh. Hoshi, finally making an appearance since she ditched them, comes forward with two cups in her hand. “For you, Dynamight,” she sighs, rolling her eyes as Katsuki grins and snatches the cup. “If you spill it on the sleigh, you’re paying the cleaning fee.”
He vaults the step into the sleigh and plops into the seat, noting that there are, indeed, seat warmers. Katsuki places his cup into the holder and hits the on-switch, almost purring at the way the sleigh starts up. Meanwhile, Hoshi’s fixing a strap on Deku’s shoulders, and handing him a Redbull. “For your flight,” she says solemnly, and then cackles as she smacks him on the shoulder again. “Man, you look great, kid. Kick some butt out there. Your next drinking tab’s on me if you don’t mess anything up.”
The two heroes perk up, and Deku decides to shotgun the entire can before politely placing it in a nearby trash bag. “Thanks!” He grins, and flexes his entire body to get ready. He crouches down, Blackwhip and One for All flickering around his body, and Katsuki relaxes in his seat. “You ready, Deku,” he teases, and Deku bares his own feral grin at him. “Always am, Kacchan!”
“So bright,” Caroline whispers.
“All teams, we’re ready for takeoff.” Melissa says into her radio. “Clearing runways, sleigh’s ready, and St. Nick and Rudolph are ready to go. T-minus 10, 9, 8…”
“Go about 20 degrees to the right, Deku.” Katsuki says idly. He probably looks relaxed up there on his perch, but he’s actually triple-checking the map to make sure he knows where they’re going. They’ve gotta hit Maine and the northern states before making a row down to the south, where they’ll go up the Atlantic Coast and land back in New York. “Give it about 60%, increase to 75% when we’re above the clouds, and lower back to 70% to stay consistent.”
Everyone’s whispering, staring at them in awe. This is always Katsuki’s favorite part; when everyone can see how deep their bond runs and how efficient they are as partners. Deku nods, and with a spark of green lightning, they’re off.
The wind’s cold, and whips at Katsuki’s cheeks as he angles the sleigh in the air. Deku’s a glowing force in the air, red nose shining in the atmosphere. He puts them a little lower so they can be seen by the public, and briefly admires the cities and states below. It’s actually a decent flight for several minutes, basking in the glow of the Christmas spirit. “Such a big country,” Katsuki mutters. “Wonder if Cheeks would be willing to make a Santa appearance like this. Could use Deku and Hatsume if they wanna contribute to this again, it’ll just depend on the timing…”
“Kacchan!” Deku’s voice echoes over the intercom for the first time. “Am I avoiding any airports anytime soon? I think I can hear a plane engine, but I can’t tell which direction it’s coming from. Any ideas?” Katsuki frowns at that, looking down at his map. It states that flights were temporarily paused for about two to three hours, but there shouldn’t be any active at the moment.
“We’re approaching Chicago,” Katsuki says, trying to get his bearings. “There might be some idiot pilot that went ahead or the tower told them to go. Hold on, Deku, let me see if I can—”
Deku jerks, veering sharply off-course and nearly goes into a nosedive. Katsuki knows above all else to trust Midoriya Izuku and his stupid, idiotic instincts, and drops the sleigh with him. Sure enough, a plane roars above them, and Katsuki realizes that Deku’s Danger Sense went off to warn them both about the potential threat.
“OH MY GOD—” Katsuki hears Deku scream before the sleigh shoots back up. There’s several flashes of lightning around them, and he can almost hear the distinct buzz of One for All. “Okay! So sorry about that! We’re back on track, Kacchan! Can you ask Melissa what the hell that was?!”
“Already on it, Nerd.” Katsuki barks, letting Deku realign himself. They’re both going at a reasonable speed, hundreds of miles above the ground, so Katsuki jerks the harness once just to be a jerk and calls the radio.
“Dynamight? We’ve got word that you guys went off-course for a moment going downwards at a high velocity; what happened? Are you both alright?” Melissa’s concerned voice echoes through. Katsuki grits his teeth and barks back, “Some plane almost took us outta the sky! We were over Chicago! Deku maneuvered us outta there and we’re fine, headed back on track!”
“I’ll have a chat with the O’Hare International Airport later,” Melissa says darkly, before heavily sighing. “Please be safe, Dynamight! You’re making good time even with the quick mishap. Come home safe so Hoshi doesn’t kill me!”
The call disconnects and Katsuki huffs through his nose, squinting against the cold atmosphere. “Deku!” He shouts into the wind. “You good?! Hit any birds yet? I’m only following you, dummy!”
There’s a few faint curse words from Deku that get lost in the wind, but there’s three rapid flashes of green lightning; Deku’s own version of saying he’s alright so far. Katsuki grins and takes another swig of coffee, snapping the reins and enjoying Deku yelling some more profanities at him. “On Donner, on Blitzen,” Katsuki snickers, watching as Deku banks a sharp left when they hit Washington and another sharp left when they reach Oregon.
The next two to three hours or so, they take the time to zip to Hawaii and Alaska and continue on the path. They reach the Florida Everglades, and Katsuki breathes a sigh of relief as Deku takes a final sharp left and starts going up the Atlantic Coast. Down below, the Atlantic Ocean looks gorgeous and ethereal this time of night, and Katsuki really feels like he’s having a magical time up there in the sky.
“T-minus ten minutes until New York,” Deku says, the wind carrying his words to Katsuki. “Man, I can’t wait to eat and rest. It’s been a long time since I’ve had to fly this long! Hey, Kacchan, do you think we should go back to our hotel and rest since we gotta leave tomorrow evening?”
“Nah,” Katsuki shouts above the air. “Let’s get some greasy food and eat it on a rooftop! I’ll pay since we’re supposed to be embodying the spirit of Christmas and all that. You down?”
“Of course, Kacchan!” Deku laughs, making a steep bank to the right where New York shines brightly. “Hold on! I’m gonna slingshot around the Statue of Liberty!” It’s a good idea on Katsuki’s part to listen; he grabs on tight, takes the rest of his coffee like a shot, and starts screaming as Blackwhip wraps around the Statue and whips them around. The sleigh starts slowing down and Katsuki yanks on the reins, both of them screaming like idiots as they spot the green and orange lights blinking up at them.
“GO LAND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DEKU!” Katsuki screams, trying to make sure that they stick the landing. Deku gives him a withering look and nails it with his shoes slamming into the concrete, landing with the sleigh perfectly on the rooftop where they started. Sure enough, Melissa and Hoshi are waiting for them with their arms crossed, as several technicians poke their heads out, watching them.
“Congratulations, you saved Christmas.” Hoshi says dryly, but her eyes are shining brightly. “It wasn’t that bad, yeah? Well, that plane wasn’t supposed to be there, but I’ll rip into their tower later. Dr. Shield, anything to add?”
“We can’t thank you both enough,” Melissa bows, clasping her hands together. “You have our gratitude! We’ll be sure to keep supporting the Wonder Duo and make sure that everyone knows what you did tonight. Please go and enjoy the festivities before you go home tomorrow.”
Katsuki jumps down from the sleigh after the technicians run over to secure it, tiredly waving a hand around as he goes to rip the harness off Deku. His hero partner stumbles into his arms, and he catches him, making sure he’s alright. “We’re gonna go drink some eggnog at a nearby fast food joint and grab some food,” he says, giving everyone a two-fingered salute. “Hoshi, you need us for anything else?”
“Just be at the airport by the time we’re leaving,” Hoshi smirks. “I don’t care what you do in the meantime. See ya!”
And with that, they’re dismissed. They change out of their outfits and relax in regular civilian clothes, on the verge of passing out. “Let’s get some food before we sleep,” Katsuki mutters, dragging Deku behind him out the door of the agency. “I don’t need you passing out on me again. You…you did a really great job, Deku. M’impressed.”
Deku, who’s still struggling to stay awake, looks up with stars in his eyes. “You think so? Oh, thank you Kacchan! Wow, that’s how I know we’re both tired, you’re never usually this nice. But hey, that means we can see if we can make a trip to Waffle House, since they have the best…waffles…”
Deku’s voice trails off, and Katsuki looks up to see mistletoe hanging from the ceiling. Normally, this would be when Katsuki yells insults and walks off, or Deku starts blushing and turns away from it claiming they don’t have to do anything, but honestly? Katsuki’s super tired, and he’s pretty sure that Deku’s also in love with him, so he just rolls his eyes and grabs Deku’s freckled cheeks, watching them get stretched.
“When we get home,” Katsuki says clearly, narrowing his eyes as he brings Deku’s face closer to his, “we’re gonna sleep for a million years, and then I’m taking you on a date when our schedules line up. I’m tired of beating around the bush with this. Be mine, Nerd.”
“Always so assertive, Kacchan, but I’ve always been yours.” Deku sighs, wrapping his arms around Katsuki’s neck. “I was wondering how long it was gonna take. You wanna get Waffle House after this? We can tell my mom we got to be Santa Claus for a night.”
“I’ll tell her you were Rudolph,” Katsuki snorts, and cuts off Deku’s grumbles with their first kiss, laughing the entire time.
When they separate a minute later, Deku gives him a soft look and murmurs, “Merry Christmas, Kacchan. I’m happy we’re here together and I’m happy we’ve got a shot at the rest of our lives together.”
Katsuki squeezes Deku’s hand in his own, and replies, “It was inevitable, idiot. Let’s go get some waffles.” Above them, snowflakes start falling, and the Wonder Duo starts walking down the street together, swinging their hands and arguing about the merits of pancakes versus waffles, ending their first overseas mission with a date.