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“Kacchan, move!”
Izuku waited a few seconds for a response. It took a moment, but Katsuki was stirred ever so slightly out of his sleep.
“Shut up,” Katsuki grumbled back.
“Kacchan!” Izuku said indignantly, trying to push him over a little in their bed. Katsuki wouldn’t budge, only grabbed the pillow from under his head and whacked Izuku with it, knowing it wouldn’t actually hurt but would hopefully shut the nerd up.
He placed it back under his head when he was thoroughly satisfied and Izuku seemed to have given up.
Ten minutes later, though, he couldn’t take it any longer.
“Kacchan,” Izuku whined, “please. You’re going to push me off the bed!”
Katsuki didn’t stir this time, and Izuku didn’t know if he was actually asleep or just ignoring him.
Izuku was teetering off the edge of the bed. He gave in and stood up, knowing he would fall off if he didn’t. He sighed.
“Kacchan!”
No answer.
“Kacchan!”
“What!?” Katsuki finally snapped back.
“Move over! I can’t fit on the bed,” Izuku repeated indignantly. He wasn’t planning to spend the rest of his morning shouting Kacchan’s name until he listened.
“Don’t care. I’m comfortable.”
Izuku knew it would be a battle to get Katsuki to move just an inch, let alone a space big enough for him to fit. His boyfriend was just too stubborn for his own good.
Izuku didn’t know what had gotten into him. This was one of the first times they were sleeping in the same bed in their new apartment, but they had slept together before in their dorms at UA. There were some problems then too, but not like this. It was like he was doing this on purpose.
“Then I’ll just have to sleep on the couch.”
Izuku waited, hoping that would be enough. There was a short pause where Katsuki thought intensely before finally opening his eyes.
He blinked himself half awake, having been barely conscious during their conversation previously; Izuku could tell that he was still out of it at that moment—his eyes were pointed, but not quite focused—as he glared dazedly at Izuku for what he said. He couldn’t completely comprehend Izuku’s words in his sleep-induced trance, but he knew he had to respond fast.
Izuku could see his plan beginning to work. He knew he might just be able to get what he wanted in his boyfriend’s vulnerable state.
But Katsuki was awake enough. He shot his arm out at an alarming pace, and Izuku had no time to react. He could have dodged it if he was on the battlefield, but he was completely off his guard at home alone with his boyfriend.
Katsuki grabbed Izuku’s wrist in a death grip there was no way he could escape from.
“No.” Katsuki simply responded. He closed his eyes again, and Izuku realized that one moment of attack was the only reason Katsuki partially woke himself. He just needed to be aware enough to make his arm move that fast, and he had no plans to move or talk to Izuku to negotiate.
Well, what was he supposed to do now? There was no room for him back on the bed, but he couldn’t leave as Kacchan held him tight. He was stuck leaning awkwardly over the bed, in a position that made his back ache.
What did Kacchan want? Izuku stood dumbfounded as a million things ran through his head, none of them able to explain this weird behavior. Katsuki had never done anything like this before.
Katsuki often took up excess room on the bed, as he naturally sprawled out over the sheets when he was particularly worn out. But he usually just yelled at Izuku to shut up and not wake him up before moving over angrily. Still, that was rare; Izuku knew he could be the same way, often spreading out across the bed until they naturally tangled into a comfortable position in their sleep.
But today, Katsuki was particularly adamant about leaving no room for him at all.
Now it was like Katsuki’s anger and love for Izuku were fighting. Katsuki didn’t want him to leave, but wouldn’t let him stay…
“I can’t stay like this forever! It hurts!” Izuku paused, hoping for an answer that never came. Katsuki went back to sleep. “Kacchan,” he whined, his voice needy for his boyfriend's reply, for an explanation.
But Izuku’s greatest weapon was out of use. He couldn’t use his puppy eyes, which was his last chance of manipulation. Kacchan was asleep and not listening to the pleading tone of his voice anyway, so his efforts were futile.
Izuku wondered if Kacchan even knew what he was doing by grabbing his wrist, or if it was a delusion created by sleep. It was the only explanation he could think of at this point.
Izuku huffed. He wasn’t giving up that easily.
His hand was stuck where Kacchan was holding it in his outstretched arm, on the other side of the bed where Katsuki rolled over to try and ignore him. The rest of him, however, could move around as much as he’d like.
He crawled up onto the bed and sat on his knees for a moment, moving quickly to straddle his boyfriend’s waist. He then fell forward to lay right on top of Kacchan’s back, managing to keep his wrist in the same spot in his boyfriend’s grip.
“Th’ fuck are you doing?” Kacchan groaned, his voice groggy, turning his head to try and catch a glimpse of Izuku on his back.
“If you won’t move, then I’ll make my own room,” Izuku said, thoroughly satisfied with himself.
“Get off.”
“No,” Izuku said, firmly standing his ground. He pushed his free hand under his boyfriend’s stomach and hugged him tighter, settling his face into his neck. “There’s nowhere else for me to go if you won’t move over! What else do you want from me? If you just moved I could get back in my spot…”
Katsuki grumbled. He wasn’t moving for shit. He was too stubborn for that. And he definitely wouldn't after what Izuku said…
So Izuku just laid there, cuddling him close. Katsuki assumed that was supposed to annoy him and get him to move, but he rather enjoyed it.
Not that he’d ever admit that.
But he did hold onto Izuku’s wrist harder, inadvertently trying to keep him close, not realizing what he was doing.
Now that he was more awake, he thought about what had happened; Izuku really said he’d sleep on the couch? Katsuki thought that Izuku was being an idiot. It’s not like they were in a fight. How could he not grab his arm when he said something like that?
“Kacchan? Is something wrong? My wrist…”
“No.”
They sat in silence again.
Then, Katsuki whispered, “Just come a little closer, you idiot.”
Izuku blinked, then smiled. Katsuki let go of his wrist, and Izuku wrapped that arm around Kacchan too, cuddling closer and burying his head further into the back of his neck. Katsuki used his newly free hand to hold Izuku's arms in place around him. He wasn’t getting away anytime soon.
“Do you like this? Was this your plan all along?”
Katsuki hid his face in his pillows, which Izuku noticed immediately. “No…”
“Are you blushing, Kacchan?” Izuku teased, and his boyfriend groaned. “So I was right?”
“Of course not.”
“Then what was all of this about?” Izuku asked, planting a kiss on Katsuki’s temple below him. He wanted an honest answer and thought his best chance would be now, while in their vulnerable position. And Kacchan’s sleepy state would help him loosen up, too. “Pushing me away then grabbing me again…”
“I just,” Katsuki paused, thinking for a moment. Izuku loved how Kacchan didn’t have as much of a filter when he was tired, all the expectations Katsuki held for himself being replaced by the brain fog and dreams induced by their warm bed. He knew he would get an honest answer like this. “I wanted to be closer to you, so I moved to your side of the bed. Why did you hafta’ get up?”
Izuku smiled at the whine in his voice, and the gruff tone caused by sleep. “Sorry, I didn’t realize. You literally pushed me off the bed, Kacchan. Where was I supposed to go, anyway, with you taking up all the space?”
“You were ‘supposed to let me cuddle into you ‘nd get under me,” He grumbled.
Izuku smiled. He didn’t think Katsuki realized how aggressively he forced himself into his space, that there was no way Izuku would’ve thought that’s what he was doing. But maybe Izuku should be glad to have a boyfriend who loved him so much that his affection came out so strongly. That’s how he was going to view it, anyway.
“You normally hate when I get too close when we’re sleeping… you could have said something! Then I would’ve come closer.”
“Why else would I be getting so close?” Katsuki frowned.
“You always do that in your sleep! You try and take up all the room!”
“No, I don’t!” Katsuki defended.
Izuku only sighed, determined to bicker until Kacchan saw his point of view. “You could have just moved over instead of grabbing my wrist then, and then I would’ve laid back down to cuddle.”
“Not after you said that shit about sleeping on the couch! You thought you could just get away with that?!” Katsuki grumbled, and Izuku smiled at the pouting tone.
“I was just trying to get you to move over,” Izuku said, but Katsuki huffed in defiance. He wouldn’t let Izuku say that without consequences. He would have to pretend to be mad at least, if only for a little while…
But Izuku didn’t care. He was enamored with his boyfriend for being so open with him. Izuku prided himself on his excessive knowledge of all things Kacchan and was happy that he was always the one that Katsuki went to when he needed to talk about his feelings or whatever was in his head.
But that didn’t mean it happened often. He normally opened up to him during training, telling Izuku what was holding him back or motivating him. He had always tried to be more open with Izuku after his apology back in U.A. But that didn’t mean Katsuki became touchy-feely overnight, or that he suddenly loved overt affection.
So this made Izuku’s heart swell with love.
“It worked in the end anyway, didn’t it?” Katsuki asked, his face reddening. He felt pride since he won in the end, but it was embarrassing to admit.
“I guess it did.” Izuku laughed. “But you don’t have to be so embarrassed. Just promise me you’ll tell me next time. Don’t push me away, Kacchan. If you're honest, I’ll do whatever you want me to…”
Katsuki re-hid his face in his pillow. “...Fine.”
Izuku was satisfied by that, and he finally let Katsuki fall asleep after they turned onto their sides, with Katsuki still in his arms. But Izuku couldn’t fall asleep; no, he laid awake for quite some time, too excited at the idea of them waking up in bed together every morning, and being able to hold and cuddle each other as much as they wanted.
This felt like a new beginning for Izuku. Now that the stress of moving was gone, and they were able to fully enjoy living together, this conversation just solidified it all. Izuku had thought that living together would turn monotonous. He feared this would be the turning point away from excitement in their relationship that most older couples had warned them about. But they weren’t at the end of their journey together. Living together wasn’t going to be the same old thing day after day; they were still going to grow closer.
They had shared this apartment for three days, but Izuku could already feel a change. He could see Kacchan’s effort in sharing his feelings that their close proximity induced.
He daydreamed what it might be like, just imagining Kacchan in his arms every day like this, but he knew that his imagination couldn’t come close to what it would actually be like. He was so happy they had decided to move in together and knew he was ready for this new step in their relationship. Waking up beside Kacchan every day was everything he could have ever wanted.