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While he was normally an early morning riser, Izuku woke up at 12 PM on a Saturday to the warmth of two arms wrapped tightly around his middle and a cold nose brushing against the back of his neck. He smiled giddily thinking about how lucky he was to be where he was today: a pro hero, no longer quirkless and friendless, and what he secretly would say was the best of all: Kacchan, his best friend, was his amazing, proud, boyfriend. He was beyond happy.
So when he shifted in their shared bed and earned a deep grumble, he couldn't help but laugh.
"Deku," Katsuki grumbled, his voice even deeper than it usually was. "Wa' are you laughin' about."
Shifting around from where he was being spooned from behind, Izuku twisted around so he was facing Katsuki. Ruby eyes stared back from underneath blond locks, sleepy but slowly focusing.
Izuku gave him a smile that his friends often described as "a dopey grin of someone clearly in love."
"Nothing much. I was just admiring my view, that's all. I really am so lucky." Izuku said, his voice honest, and, oh boy, he really was whipped.
The two had been in a solid relationship for five years, and those years were the best ones of Izuku's life. With time, they grew to understand one another even more than they had, not to mention they've known one another since childhood. So, now at the ages of twenty-two and twenty-one, they've been around one another for seventeen years and with being together for five of them, Izuku could easily recognize the fondness in his lover's eyes.
"Cheesy nerd," Katsuki said, tightening his arms around Izuku once again with a small upturn of his lips.
"For you, always," Izuku replied, his voice flirty in a way he wouldn't have dared to do in the early stages of their relationship, but got more comfortable with as time went by.
Katsuki rolled his eyes at the comment, but he lightly pecked Izuku nonetheless.
"C'mon, idiot," he said, pulling away from Izuku to make his way out of the bed and towards their kitchen, sheets rustling in his wake. "It's time for breakfast," a look to their clock had him changing his last word, "Or brunch now, I guess. Gotta be well fed and prepared for today."
"Today?" Izuku questioned him as he sat up in bed. "What's so special about today?"
It was then that Katsuki turned around to stare at Izuku like he had sprouted a second head. "Are you being serious with me right now?" He asked him, his voice incredulous.
Izuku stared back, nervousness starting to rise up in his chest. He didn't forget an important hero event, did he?! He didn't recall anything like that being on the calendar for the month, but it was always possible he supposed.
"Yes," Izuku said, voice careful lest he missed something important and Katsuki would scold him. "I'm serious. Is there something important going on today?"
At Izuku's kicked puppy look, Katsuki started cackling in the doorway. "I can't believe this shit," he got out in between laughs.
"What?" Izuku pouted, upset that Katsuki was laughing at him.
But, as always, Izuku's irritated pout only resulted in more laughter from Katsuki (Kacchan liked to say he looked like an angry bunny).
"Deku, Izuku, you oblivious nerd," Katsuki started, quite dramatically. "Do you know what the date is?"
Ignoring his boyfriend's dramatics, Izuku fully thought about what was being asked.
The date? What was it? July something…July 14th? No, that was yesterday. So the 15th, then?
"Yes. It's July fifteenth, right?" Izuku asked.
Katsuki motioned his hand circularly in a go on movement, expectant. "And what do you know about that day, hm?"
Izuku's eyes widened in realization, then. He couldn't believe he'd forgotten, how stupid of him!
"Oh, crap! Today's my birthday!!" He shouted at the realization.
Continuing to be sarcastic, Katsuki gave Izuku a round of applause. "Bingo.Took you long enough."
"Oh hush," Izuku urged. "It's been a long week."
Katsuki softened at Izuku's reasoning. "I guess I can understand that," he conceded. "It's still kinda funny though," he added, always one to tease.
When Izuku just stared at him, unamused, Katsuki relented his teasing…for the time being.
"Fine, fine, I'll stop. Food needs to be made anyways. Tch." Clicking his tongue, he made his way to the kitchen.
Now alone, Izuku took the opportunity to check his phone. He wasn't surprised with the amount of texts wishing him a happy birthday from his mother and fellow heroes (Class 1-A, his friends, had done it all the other seven years they'd known one another), still, the texts warmed his heart.
Not long after sending his thanks, he smelt the scent of pancakes and bacon coming from the kitchen. They smelled delicious, like all of Katsuki's cooking.
Resting his phone on the nightstand to his left, he shuffled out of the bed, fixing the sheets on the way, then walked down the hall into the kitchen.
The sight that welcomed him was one he would never get tired of. Katsuki was in what he deemed as a pair of his sleeping sweatpants ("I'm going to be comfortable in my own apartment, damn it!"), and he was wearing an older worn out band tee, Metallica, it read.
Living together also had the perks of learning and listening to one another's music tastes. Katsuki was the kind of person who liked rock, both old and new (although he did like a few pop songs and some other genres here and there, Izuku can confirm), whereas Izuku's tastes varied. He had grown fond of Katsuki's music taste, however, so they mostly listened to that.
How is music relevant right now other than addressing Katsuki's shirt? Well, said blond was humming lowly.
Hearing Katsuki hum, or even sing, wasn't as rare as one would expect. In fact, the actions happened on a regular occurrence whenever Katsuki would cook or shower.
When Izuku and Katsuki were in the privacy of their home, away from the prying eyes of the media, their fans, and their friends alike, Katsuki was in his most comfortable state. He wasn't afraid to be seen as soft because Izuku wasn't afraid to be open with him either. And Izuku wasn't afraid to be talkative in fear of annoying Katsuki because he knew that his boyfriend would listen and openly enjoyed hearing his voice; Katsuki often asked him to talk about his day as he just sat in silence, listening.
Izuku stood in the kitchen entryway in domestic bliss as he listened to Katsuki hum what he recognized as the melody of "The Only Exception" by Paramore, a particularly soft song and one of the only exceptions(ha-) Katsuki made for slower, sappy songs (he's a softie at heart, don't let anyone convince you otherwise). His deep humming was a different take on the song compared to Hayley Williams' voice, but it was still just as beautiful.
After Katsuki ended humming the main chorus of the song, Izuku slipped into the room towards their kitchen table.
Hearing the noise the chair sliding out caused, Katsuki turned around to address the source.
"Hey there, Birthday Boy," he greeted, a small grin on his face. "You're done messaging the extras, I take it?"
"Kacchan! They're our friends!" Izuku lightly admonished him, his scolding sounding half-hearted even to his own ears. "But yes, I am. Are you done making the food?"
At the mention of the food, Katsuki turned back around to tend to the pancakes, the bacon already done and laid out on a plate. "Just about," he answered.
"They smell amazing!" Izuku complimented him.
"Of course they do, I made them," came Katsuki's classic retort.
What can Izuku say? He's utterly and uncontrollably in love with Katsuki, pride and all.
That didn't mean he had the power to not laugh at Katsuki's declaration, though.
"But of course," Izuku agreed, a short singular laugh- more of a snort really- escaping him.
Katsuki lightly glared at Izuku for the noise. "I'm going to pretend you didn't just laugh at me," he decided as he carefully scooped the pancakes out of the pan with a spatula and onto two plates, one for Izuku and one for himself.
Izuku smiled coyly and stood up from the table to get his plate from Katsuki.
Once they had finished their late breakfast/brunch and washed the dishes (Izuku had to hold back a moan from remembering how good they had tasted. Fluffy pancakes and crispy bacon, yum!), they returned to their bedroom to get dressed for the day.
Katsuki chose to change in the bathroom so he could do his morning skincare routine while Izuku would change in their bedroom.
Even if it was the middle of July, Izuku still decided to wear a hoodie and jeans. To his credit though, Katsuki couldn't criticize him for wearing All Might merch or khaki shorts because he picked out a mostly plain yellow t-shirt, a red hoodie with UA's logo in the same yellow as his tee that he would wear overtop, and he paired it with black jeans. Although he could wear All Might merch if he really wanted to, Katsuki wouldn't actually judge him for it(he had no right to do so as a closeted fanboy himself-).
He made the decision to roll his sleeves up in the end, leaving his freckled arms on display.
While waiting for Katsuki to get ready, he checked the class's group chat. Iida, Uraraka, Todoroki, Kirishima, and Kaminari seemed to be the only ones active at that moment.
Deku:
Hey guys! Do any of you know if Kacchan has anything planned for today? He hasn't said anything about it yet.
[1:46 PM]
Ingenium:
Sorry, Midoriya, but I do not know of his plans.
[1:47 PM]
Shoto:
Yes.
[1:47 PM]
Ingenium:
Todoroki, I must advise you to not spoil Bakugo's plans for Midoriya! That would be inconsiderate.
[1:48 PM]
Shoto:
Sorry…
[1:49 PM]
Shoto:
Let me rephrase that last text, I meant 'no'.
[1:49 PM]
Izuku chuckled at his two friends' light bickering, although he hoped one of them would at least give him a bit of information.
Ingenium:
🤦 I tried.
[1:50 PM]
Chargebolt:
LMAO. Nice try, dude.
[1:51 PM]
Uravity:
Lol. You did your best, Tenya.
[1:52 PM]
Deku:
Sooo you guys do know? Uraraka, would you possibly be willing to spare a detail or two?
[1:52 PM]
Uravity:
No can do, Deku. What would be the fun in that?
[1:53 PM]
Red Riot:
She means she doesn't want to face Bakugo's wrath.
[1:53: PM]
Uravity:
That too^
[1:54 PM]
Chargebolt:
Lol
[1:54 PM]
It was then that the bathroom door opened revealing an amused Katsuki.
"Deku, you do remember I am a part of that group chat you're asking about my plans in, right?" Katsuki said, a half-smirk on his face.
"Crap!" Izuku startled, throwing his phone on the bed as if it would hide what he had been doing, even if Katsuki had already called him out on it.
Katsuki chuckled at the reaction."That's right, even if I don't talk much there, I still observe."
He was right of course, Izuku sometimes forgot Katsuki checked Class 1-A's chat, especially when he liked to pretend he had muted it.
Izuku slumped at the realization he wouldn't be getting any information from any of their friends. "Fine, I won't pester them about it anymore," he relented.
"Good because I wouldn't let them anyway. They'd be dead meat if they did," Katsuki said, a warning in his tone for both Izuku and their friends.
Sighing, Izuku picked up his phone from where he'd thrown it on the bed.
Deku:
We've been discovered, so for you guys' safety and my own, question time is over :(
[1:56 PM]
Red Riot:
Don't be sad, dude. Bakugo has something planned that I know you'll enjoy! Super manly, ya know?
[1:57 PM]
GEMG Dynamight:
Kirishima.
[1:57 PM]
Red Riot:
🤐
[1:57 PM]
Setting his phone down again, safely on the bedside table this time, Izuku looked back up at Katsuki.
He looked stunning. His outfit seemed simple to the average looker, but Izuku knew Katsuki's parents were fashion designers and that he'd inherited his parents' knowledge of fashion. To put it in other words, Katsuki knew exactly what he was doing and how good he looked in his red tank top, black baggy jeans with a belt, and chain necklace.
And he knew Izuku would be stunned by his appearance, too. (He always was and always would be).
"You look great, Kacchan," Izuku whispered, astonishment clear in his voice.
"You don't look bad yourself, nerd," Katsuki replied smoothly, a compliment from him.
"Thanks," Izuku said, blushing from the compliment.
"Are you ready to go?" Katsuki questioned.
"Yup! I'm ready to go to…" Izuku responded, trying to trick Katsuki into telling him something.
"Ha! Like I'd fall for that," Katsuki boasted. "But since you're ready, let's go."
"Damn it!" Izuku muttered under his breath. "Well, it was worth a try."
Snickering, Katsuki led Izuku out of their apartment, holding the door open for him.
-
Some of the "manly birthday plans", as Kirishima had called them, entailed going to visit Izuku's mother.
When they had gotten to Inko's home(she had gotten a house a few years after Izuku had moved out), the door was opened to reveal not only Inko, but Katsuki's parents as well. Neither boy was surprised at the sight, however. It was commonplace for their families to spend birthdays and sometimes holidays together at that point.
They had spent a few hours there with their parents, gifting Izuku presents, having Katsudon for lunch, and a revealed birthday cake afterwards, leaving Izuku rather elated.
By the end of their visit, they left with bags of gifts: fancy clothes and money from Katsuki's parents, and All Might and Dynamight merch from Inko, much to Katsuki's embarrassment.
-
Shutting the trunk of his car, a black mustang with orange racing stripes, Katsuki walked to the driver's side, opened the door, and sat back into the seat.
"So," he started talking, a bit tired from the day's interactions already, but still energetic for the rest of his plan to continue. "How's your birthday going so far?"
"It's already more than I could ask for," Izuku admitted, happy. "I can't believe you have more planned. Spending my birthday with you and our parents was already a good day."
"Damn, Izuku, I'm a bit offended you think I wouldn't go out of my way for this," Katsuki teased.
"You're wonderful, Kacchan." Izuku said, disregarding the tease.
Katsuki turned his head away from piercing emerald eyes and started the car, putting it in reverse. "Yeah? Well you're something yourself. You know I only settle for the best."
Smile reaching his eyes, Izuku replied, "I know."
Aux cord plugged into his phone and car, Katsuki opened his music app. He scrolled down, searching for a song Izuku liked, and abruptly stopped when he saw what he was looking for.
Pulling out of Inko's driveway, Katsuki started to tap his fingers on the wheel and lowly hummed the song he had picked.
Recognizing the song to be "Superhero" by Simon Curtis at the start of the chorus, Izuku moved his fingers of his right hand, starting to tap to the best of the rhythm in his knee, where his hand rested.
"We can change the whole world, gonna take it over
Gonna start it over, don't you know that we could be
A new beginning, fighting 'til we're winning
Tell me that you're in it, don't you wanna be," Izuku mumbled the familiar lyrics.
Katsuki looked over at Izuku, his face coaxing.
Realizing he was being encouraged, Izuku spoke up, allowing himself to actually sing this time.
"A superhero, a superhero, a superhero
Don't you wanna be
A superhero, a superhero, a superhero
Anybody could be
Anybody could be
Anybody could be," he finished.
"That's it," Katsuki said, approving.
Izuku smiled shyly in response.
Once the song was over and their journey continued for another thirty minutes, Izuku asked, "So, where are we headed now?"
Katsuki's stare of approval turned to one of playful disapproval at the question.
"Okay!" Izuku said, surrendering. "I won't ask again, promise."
He received a noncommittal hum from Katsuki.
Not long after, maybe a minute or two(who was counting really? Definitely not Izuku), Izuku spoke up again, "Can you at least tell me if we're almost there?" He pleaded.
"Fine, you impatient nerd," Katsuki acceded. "Yes, if you must know, we're almost there."
"Thank you, Kacchan!" Izuku replied, happy to at least have that small bit of information.
"Yeah."
A beat.
"How close is 'almost there'?"
"Deku…"
"Fine, fine, I'm done asking!"
Turns out "almost there" meant five minutes, which left Izuku feeling a bit bad for pushing as much as he did. He just didn't do well with waiting when it came to surprises, so he knew that he could get a bit overexcited about them sometimes.
Almost as if he could sense his guilt(he could), Katsuki moved his hand over to Izuku's thigh and gave it a gentle, comforting squeeze. "I'm not upset, Deku," He said, voice gentle. He had already parked the car and was giving his full attention to just Izuku.
Izuku shifted his stare over to ruby eyes to try to get a read of Katsuki. Seeing no sign of a lie, he nodded his head in understanding.
Katsuki wasn't mad.
Worries about going too far quelled, Izuku took in the surroundings of where they had parked. They were in an entertainment district, so there were many options to which Katsuki could be taking him. But now that they had made it there, Izuku felt himself buzz with excitement for the surprise of which place Katsuki had chosen.
"There's my nerd," Katsuki said, happy to see Izuku back to his usual self.
To the comment, Izuku explained, "I'm just excited to see what you have planned next! It could be any of these places, but I have no doubt that whichever place we go to, I'll have a great time."
"Damn right," Katsuki agreed.
And so they made their way down the street, stopping to get some Takoyaki, and then to their destination.
To his surprise and utter delight, the place Katsuki had led him to was a Karaoke bar.
Turning to face Katsuki, a question on the tip of his tongue, Katsuki rushed to answer it before Izuku could even speak it, already aware of what he would ask. "Just thought you'd like it, do you not?" He answered, ending with a question of his own.
"No!" Izuku denied. "I love it! Thank you, Kacchan. Let's go!" Izuku ended as he grabbed Katsuki's hand and dragged him into the building.
At the entrance, there was a desk with a tired looking employee. Izuku made his way over to him to pay for a room.
Before he could do so, though, Katsuki pulled back on his wrist and walked in front of him, approaching the employee himself.
"We're here for the party under the name 'Bakugo'," Katsuki told him.
"Alright," the employee said, blowing a bubble in his bubblegum out of boredom. "Room number five, to your left." He pointed to the mentioned room for further clarification, his chipped black nail polish on display in the process.
"Thanks," Katsuki nodded at…Izuku looked back to read the employee's name tag, "Saru" it read. Katsuki gave Saru a short nod and Saru nodded back politely, his black, shaggy hair shifting with the movement.
Then, Katsuki continued to lead Izuku to the room by his wrist, even if he already knew where they were going now.
"What did you mean by 'Bakugo' party, huh?" Izuku asked his boyfriend, curiosity in his tone.
"Exactly what I said," was all Katsuki offered as a reply.
Before Izuku could further dwell on the crypticness of the answer, Katsuki opened the door, its occupants answering for him.
"Deku!" Ochako shouted.
"Midoriya, Bakugo," Shoto acknowledged, stoic as ever, but with a small smile on his face.
Out of nowhere, Izuku saw a blob of pink rush in his direction before he was crushed in a hug by Mina Ashido herself.
"Midori! Happy birthday!" She squealed.
After processing he was being hugged, Izuku hugged Mina back. "Thanks, Mina."
It was Katsuki who broke the hug, though. "Get off of him, Pinky. At least let him get through the damn door first," he scolded.
"Sorry," She apologized.
"It's fine," Izuku assured. Then he turned to face the rest of his friends, "Thank you guys, for all this. It's good to see you."
"Bakugo planned this, actually," Kirishima piped up from where he was sitting on a couch in the karaoke room. "Told ya it was a manly plan," he said, aiming to tease Katsuki.
Katsuki just sent a mild glare his way, which had no effect on the class anymore after dealing with him for seven years. He was all bark and no bite.
Well… mostly all bark and no bite, Izuku joked in his head.
He was brought out of his head by a flick to his nose. "C'mon dork, don't keep 'em waiting." Katsuki said.
"Yeah, man," Denki exclaimed. "We've been here for, like, thirty minutes already."
"That's your own damn fault, Dunce Face," Katsuki remarked offhandedly, pulling Izuku towards the couch.
"Rude!" Kaminari replied, snickering.
"Hey guys!" Kirishima greeted them when the pair sat down next to him. Then, to Izuku, he said, "How's it going, Birthday Boy?"
Already pumped up for the events of the party, Izuku confessed, "Great. Really great. Kacchan has done nothing but make me happy all day."
"Oh, has he now?" Kirishima said, though the question was more for Katsuki than Izuku.
Knowing Kirishima was secretly(not-so-secretly) addressing him, Katsuki clicked his tongue in lieu of answering. "Tch."
Izuku laughed at the action, something he had been doing a lot that day. "He really has," he answered Kirishima's rhetorical question.
"Oh, I bet." Kirishima smirked, his shark-like teeth on show.
Clapping his hands, Iida brought everyone's attention to him. "Bakugo has rented this room with the purpose of Midoriya and everyone else to have fun singing, so let's have some fun!" Then, addressing Izuku singularly, he mentioned, "Midoriya, everyone put their gifts for you in that corner over there," he tilted his head in the direction as he said it.
"Thanks, Iida, everyone," Izuku acknowledged, being formal and bowing even after knowing everyone for years.
"Of course!" Came the many chimes of his former classmates, now heroes, around the room.
For the next few hours, Izuku watched fondly as his classmates had fun singing, conversing, and dancing, Katsuki's arm around his shoulder the whole time.
It wasn't until later that Mina and Ochako ambushed Katsuki, trying to pull him off of his perch on the couch towards the small stage to sing.
"Come. On. Blasty!" Mina pleaded, pulling on Katsuki's arm with difficulty because Katsuki was purposefully putting all his weight on the couch to make her efforts harder. "Just one song! Please!"
"No," Katsuki said, a smirk on his face from her failed attempts at pulling.
"Bakugo, please!" Ochako also tried to plead, "You planned all of this and you aren't even going to take part in it?"
"I am taking part in it, just by being here," Katsuki defended.
"Not really," Mina rebutted. "You've just been hovering around Izuku since you guys walked through the door. Don't you want to have fun?"
"No," Katsuki said flatly, denying both his friends yet again.
"Oh, come onnn!" Mina groaned, throwing her hands up in exasperation.
Suddenly, Ochako leaned over to Mina and whispered something in her ear that Izuku wasn't able to catch from where he was observing the whole scene, interested.
When twin grins broke out on their faces, Katsuki's face started to pale in apprehension.
"Hey, Bakugo," Ochako started, "Do you remember that time you got drunk and you started to-mmph"
Before Izuku could hear what exactly Katsuki started to do one time he was drunk, Katsuki had risen from his spot on the couch and had his hand covering Ochako's mouth, blocking the rest of what she was going to say.
Mina stared at Katsuki with a victorious grin on her face, knowing that her and Ochako's plan had worked. "Never fails," she whispered to herself.
"What was she going to say, Kacchan?" Izuku questioned, amused.
"Nothing!" Katsuki growled, the growl aimed at Mina and Ochako as he glared at the pair.
"If you say so," Izuku backed down, though he filed the information into his brain for later.
Pulling Katsuki's hand off of her mouth, a hopeful grin on her face, Ochako asked Katsuki, "So you'll sing?"
Looking back and forth from the wicked duo to Izuku, Katsuki sighed. "Fine."
When Mina, Ochako, and the members of the class watching the interaction started to cheer, Katsuki hushed them to clarify, "But I'm picking what song I do, so whatever bullshit you had planned for me to sing isn't gonna happen, got it?"
"Aw, you're no fun," Mina pouted.
"Got it!" Ochako agreed to Katsuki's ultimatum.
With the confirmation they wouldn't mess with his song choice, Katsuki made his way up to the stage, grumbling all the while.
Jiro, who was familiar with karaoke controls as much as other music things, was in charge of working the machine. When she saw Katsuki making his way over to her, she grinned.
"So they got you to sing after all," she observed. When Katsuki didn't answer her rhetorical question(she didn't expect him to), curiosity got the better of her, so she asked, "What'd they do to convince you?"
"Blackmail." Katsuki answered, annoyed at the whole situation.
"Ah, I see," Jiro replied, pity in her eyes. "So what song will it be?" She asked.
"'My Demons' by Starset," Katsuki picked after a bit of contemplating.
"Nice choice," Jiro appraised, smiling genuinely.
She then typed the song into the machine and handed Katsuki the mic. "You gonna rock their world?" she asked.
"Definitely," Katsuki confirmed.
Whatever noise there was in the room abruptly stopped once Katsuki was at the center of the stage, all attention on him.
Izuku locked eyes with him at that moment, his sight set on Katsuki and Katsuki alone. Tunnel vision, if you will.
Their staredown was broken on Katsuki's end when Jiro asked if he was ready. When she got a nod, she started the song. Izuku didn't look away, not once.
What came out of the two big speakers on each side of the stage was an immediately catchy and boisterous guitar, and Izuku could almost picture it to be a song fit for an action movie, the hero running to the sound.
Even more attention gathering, however, was Katsuki's deep, raspy voice as he spoke the first lines of the song.
"Mayday! Mayday!
The ship is slowly sinking
They think I'm crazy but they don't know the feeling,"
Once the word 'crazy' left his mouth, Katsuki's lips pulled into a smirk.
Immediately, the former Class 1-A was enraptured with his voice, something they hadn't had the privilege of hearing before.
Then the electronic beat picked up.
"They're all around me
Circling like vultures
They want to break me and wash away my colors
Wash away my colors."
Ever one for dramatics, Katsuki stomped his foot with the first word of the chorus, the song picking up even more.
"Take me high and I'll sing
Oh you make everything okay, okay, okay,
'Kay, okay, okay."
Someone in the room gasped loudly, perhaps Ochako or Mina. Katsuki dominated the stage, demanding all their attention(he didn't even have to try).
"We are one in the same
Oh you take all of the pain away, away, away," Katsuki continued.
Ruby locked with emerald, and Izuku knew those words were aimed at him.
"Way, away, away " Jiro started echoing, offering the backup vocals, as she did for everyone else.
"Save me if I become
My demons," Katsuki finished the chorus.
Kirishima could be heard whooping from the back of the room where he was previously sipping on a Cola, shouting "That's my best friend!"
Kaminari rang out in an answering whoop.
Izuku whistled at Katsuki, then he broke out into a smirk of his own.
Winking in his direction, Katsuki started on the second verse,
"I cannot stop this sickness taking over
It takes control and drags me into nowhere
I need your help, I can't fight this forever
I know you're watching
I can feel you out there."
Katsuki gripped the mic.
"Take me high and I'll sing
Oh you make everything okay, okay, okay," he sang, voice raw with emotion.
"'Kay, okay, okay," Jiro continued to echo.
"We are one in the same
Oh you take all of the pain away, away, away," (Katsuki.)
"Way, away, away," (Jiro.)
"Save me if I become
My demons," Katsuki finished, deciding he had sung enough.
The further Katsuki got into the song, the more Izuku realized the song was vocalizing some of the things Katsuki and Izuku had gone through throughout the time they've known one another. From Katsuki's inferiority complex and God complex and Izuku reaching out to him, always watching, to Katsuki finally accepting his help and Izuku, Katsuki's, because together they were each other's rock; they were one another's strength.
"Okay, I've sang now, so you can all leave me alone," Katsuki told everyone, pretending to be over it even though he loved showing off.
"That was AMAZING!" Mina shouted, excitement clear in her tone.
"That was so manly, bro" Kirishima praised, wiping a tear from his eye.
"You were indeed good, Bakugo," Iida admitted.
"Yeah, who knew Bakugo could sing like that?!" Ochako said.
"Me," Izuku replied in his head, although it wasn't in his head.
"You knew?!" Twin shouts from Tsuyu and Hagakure questioned.
Ojiro, Koda, Shoji, Shinso, Sato, Shoto, and Sero sat in the back, the chill group of the bunch, watching the drama unfold.
"We knew as well," Momo added.
"WHAT?" Mina shouted, even more shocked.
"Well yeah," Jiro defended Momo. "He was in our band and sometimes he liked to sing during practice."
Kaminari and Tokoyami nodded their heads in agreement.
"Traitors, all of you," Ochako hissed.
"Yeah, what she said," Mina added.
After the chaos continued for a while, Izuku stopped it by asking if he could open their presents while everyone was there. Excited to see what the birthday boy would think of their gifts for him, they calmed down and the focus went back to Izuku.
-
Later that night, around 11 PM, everyone left the karaoke bar and headed home, bidding farewell.
Unknown to Izuku, Katsuki still had one last thing planned.
The car ride was a silent one, both heroes basking in the day's events.
"I had a great time. Thank you for making my birthday such a good day," Izuku thanked Katsuki.
"That was nothing," Katsuki told him.
"Still, thank you." Izuku said, really appreciative of what Katsuki had planned for him.
"Mm," Katsuki hummed.
After a bit more driving, Izuku noticed Katsuki wasn't headed in the direction of their apartment.
"Where are you going?" Izuku asked.
"I've got one more place, and then we're going home," Katsuki replied.
Accepting the secrecy, Izuku decided not to ask the destination.
Izuku was letting his eyes rest for a bit, not asleep, but not fully awake either, when Katsuki parked the car.
Sitting upright, Izuku peered out the passenger window.
A park. But not just any park, it was the park he and Katsuki used to play at when they were children.
"Why are we here in the middle of the night?" Izuku questioned him as they stepped out of the car.
"I don't know, I just thought it'd be a nice ending to the day," Katsuki admitted.
"It was already perfect," Izuku confessed, a light blush on his cheeks.
"That's good," Katsuki commented, unsure of himself. "Uh… shit, get it together Katsuki! I- I still have something to give you, though," he said as he silently berated himself.
"Kacchan!" Izuku scolded lightly. "You've already done so much for me today, what else could you do?"
"You deserve the world, Izuku," Katsuki stated. "I can't give you everything, but I can give you this,"
Katsuki pulled out a sterling silver necklace with the initial K on it, then another with the initial I.
"I know I'm not really into sappy couple shit, but I like knowing that you're mine. I saw these and I thought that it would be kinda like my version of a promise ring because a regular ring would probably get destroyed by my quirk. Anyways, yeah. I hope you like it or whatever."
"Kacchan," Izuku said, his voice full of love. "I love them, and I love you!" He rushed forward, catapulting himself into Katsuki's arms in a hug.
"Thank you," he breathed against his neck.
"Yeah," Katsuki said, the nervousness from presenting the present still there.
They stayed in that position, holding one another even as rain drops started to fall on their cheeks.
At the feeling of the droplets, the couple looked up at the sky.
"Rain," Katsuki said simply.
"Well that sucks," Izuku remarked.
Izuku knew Katsuki didn't really like rain, never had because he said it messes with his quirk. Izuku could understand the sentiment, he sometimes felt the aches from his injured hand with rain.
And yet, he found there to be a certain beauty in rain.
Hold breaking only for a moment, Katsuki pulled away to pick his phone out of his back pocket.
"What are you doing?" Izuku questioned his lover.
"Playing some music," Katsuki told him as he scrolled though his playlist yet again.
"But it's raining," Izuku stated, wondering what Katsuki was going to do.
"I'm aware," Katsuki responded as he pressed play on the song.
A soft melody started and Katsuki replaced his hold on Izuku with his hands around his waist and put his phone on the hood of his car.
"We're going to dance," Katsuki revealed.
When he saw that Izuku was going to protest, he shushed him. "I know that this was on your nerdy bucket list, don't even try to deny it."
Izuku couldn't even deny it, so he didn't.
And so they started to sway in the rain to "Those Eyes" by New West.
'When we're out in a crowd laughing loud and
And nobody knows why
When we're lost at a club, getting drunk
And you give me that smile,'
Izuku wrapped his arms around Katsuki's neck, humming the lyrics softly as droplets started to soak their clothes.
'Going home in the back of a car
And your hand touches mine
When we're done making love
And you look up and give me those eyes,'
At the mention of intimacy in the song, Izuku averted his eyes, blushing.
Katsuki just laughed while he reached to brush his wet hair out of his vision.
''Cause all of the small things that you do
Are what remind me why I fell for you
And when we're apart, and I'm missing you
I close my eyes and all I see is you
And the small things you do,'
As the chorus went, Katsuki led Izuku in a waltz, their steps coordinated and thrilling in a way Izuku loved, the sound of rain hitting pavement accompanying "Those Eyes".
'When you call me at night while you're out
Getting high with your friends (high with your friends)
Every 'hi', every 'bye', every 'I love you' you've ever said.
(You've ever said),'
Katsuki, who was usually Mr. Perfect, accidentally stepped on Izuku's foot when twirling him around due to the slipperiness of the rain, and Izuku couldn't find himself to be bothered by it. He would take the clumsiness, he would take the brashness, he would take the complicated, he would take whatever Katsuki was willing to give for the rest of his life.
But when the chorus started up yet again, he found himself falling even deeper in love as Katsuki started to sing, staring into his eyes. And, oh , how he loved those ruby eyes in return.
"'Cause all of the small things that you do
Are what remind me why I fell for you
And when we're apart, and I'm missing you
I close my eyes and all I see is you
And the small things you do," Katsuki sang to him, about him, for him.
Laughing freely and loudly, Izuku leaned up to kiss already smiling lips. Their dancing paused then, but they never stopped moving as they moved their lips against one another, raindrops running down their faces, sharing a love so deep no one could ever reach them. (Neither would want anyone to do so.)
'When we're done making love
And you look up and give me those eyes,'
The song continued in the background, their focus on one another as they pulled apart.
''Cause all of the small things that you do
Are what remind me why I fell for you
And when we're apart, and I'm missing you
I close my eyes and all I see is you
And the small things you do,'
Smiling like the whipped man he was, Katsuki spun Izuku out on his arm, then pulled him back in as they laughed. Izuku noted fondly how Katsuki was being more careful of the wetness of the ground this time.
'All the small things you do,' the lyrics came to an end, almost with the rest of the song as well, just instrumentals remaining
Back to swaying gently again, worn out from the day, they held one another close, the warmth in the coldness of the rain.
When the song cut off, Izuku and Katsuki stopped swaying, holding one another as they began to shiver.
"Before," Izuku started. "When you interrupted me, I was going to say that we could get sick from dancing like we just did."
"Well it's too late for that now," Katsuki barked a laugh at the comment.
"It really is," Izuku joined in on his laughter.
They broke apart from the hug after a minute longer and Katsuki retrieved his phone, now covered in water droplets.
"It was definitely worth it, though," he told Izuku, every bit serious.
"I agree," Izuku beamed, the rain still raining down on them, plastering his curls to his head and making them even more curly than usual.