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“How you like that, huh?” Katsuki sneered, unclenching his fist.
A small chuckle rose from the collapsed body on the floor.
“Nice punch, Kacchan,” Izuku’s praise would forever send shivers down Katsuki’s spine. “But you gotta do better than that!”
The ground beneath his feet suddenly vanished, instantly followed by a sharp pain radiating from his right shin. There was a loud thud as his back hit the floor, knocking the air out of his lungs.
That was going to bruise.
“Shit.”
The fluorescent lights of the training hall seemed to glare down at him as if they were mocking him.
Since when had the nerd begun to outsmart him?
The image of Izuku on his first day in U.A. Green eyes shone with joy, pride and a hint of anxiety flashed before his mind’s eye.
Maybe since always , Katsuki answered his own question.
He groaned when his vision was obstructed by the owner of those very same eyes. Only there was no anxiety in them. Hadn’t been for a while now. Ever since they had started getting ready for the war, Izuku had beamed with newfound confidence. Right now, there was even a glint of mischief in them.
Stupid nerd.
“Think you’re the shit, huh?” Katsuki narrowed his eyes.
The back of his head throbbed against the cold ground, but he’d be damned if he let Izuku think he was winning.
“Well,” Izuku licked his lips. They were chapped; he made a mental note to get him some lip balm later. “I’m not the one on the floor now, am I?”
“Oh, you little—“ Bracing himself against the floor, Katsuki got up on his elbows.
A knee dug into his stomach, and Katsuki was pushed back down before he even had the chance to flip their positions. Rough hands wrapped around his wrists, pinning him in place. His pride took the blow more than his body.
“Not as little as I used to be,” Izuku stated with a grin that made Katsuki’s stomach flutter rather than give in to the increasing pressure on his abdomen.
As if Katsuki didn’t know the change Izuku had gone through the last year.
Katsuki scoffed.
If anyone knew the transformation Izuku had undergone from the nerdy Deku he used to be to the Hero Deku he was today, it was Katsuki.
From the sidelines, Katsuki had closely observed how the once scrawny kid had devoted himself to mastering his quirk in training, making it his own. The effect was evident by his now toned muscles—
Katsuki felt the knee dig in a little deeper.
—and ridiculously strong thighs.
“Fuck this shit.”
Izuku raised a curious eyebrow as if he thought he had already won, the smirk never leaving his lips.
Smile while you still can, Katsuki thought, wanting to wipe that smug look off his face.
In a swift movement, he rammed his head right into Izuku’s forehead, causing him to recoil. The grip on Katsuki’s hands loosened, and he took that chance to grab Izuku by the shoulders and topple him over.
Finally getting the upper hand.
“Ouch,” Izuku winced under him, forehead reddening between the strands of messy curls.
“Now look at you,” he taunted. “Not so tough now, are ya?”
Izuku pouted, reaching up to rub at the sore spot.
Of course he was tough. One of the toughest, actually. But Katsuki could never admit that out loud.
Now look at me, he thought. I’m an idiot.
Once, Izuku had been the source of Katsuki’s insecurities, but now, now he was the force that drove Katsuki forward, the light that guided his way, and the symbol of hope that gave him strength.
Without Izuku, Katsuki would be lost.
With Izuku, he was—
“Kacchan,” Izuku interrupted his thoughts.
Exactly. Kacchan. That’s who he was.
“What do you—”
Something warm enveloped his cheeks.
Katsuki blinked.
Just what was the nerd trying to do now?
Of all his time studying Izuku, he had never seen this approach to an attack before. He could feel his body tense in anticipation. His gaze flickered as endless possibilities and how to counter them rushed through his mind.
The unfamiliar feeling of calloused thumbs caressing his cheekbones still took him by surprise.
Yet it was nothing compared to the shock surging through his body as Izuku leaned up, one hand moving to Katsuki’s neck for support, and then ever so gently, brushing his lips against his temple.
This was not part of any of the ideas Katsuki had thought of.
This was new.
Completely new.
But not…unwelcome.
Izuku’s hot breath fanned over his cheek, and his own breath caught in his throat at the sensation. That, or it was the fact that Izuku had once again turned his world around.
Quite literally, too.
This time he didn’t see the stark light from the ceiling or feel the coldness of the floor, he just saw Izuku hovering over him.
Izuku with a cheeky smile and glinting eyes.
“How you like that, Kacchan.”
Very much, Katsuki thought, feeling himself smiling.
He might be the one on the floor, but he had definitely won.
His prize?
Katsuki just had to reach out and take it.
Carefully, his hand combed through soft curls before pulling Izuku closer, so close their foreheads touched. Gently this time, as if to not cause him pain again.
With every inhale the fragrance of Izuku’s apple shampoo seemed to relax his nerves. Katsuki feared he would melt at the sensation of Izuku’s warm body now pressed against his chest. Not even the thunderous beating of his own heart could distract him from Izuku. It was like he was enveloped in the other’s presence.
All he could see were long, dark lashes fanned over freckled cheeks.
Izuku met his gaze with curiosity.
It was too much to take in; Katsuki’s eyes fluttered close as he gave in.
Katsuki angled his head slightly and kissed a particularly prominent freckle just below Izuku’s eye, letting his lips linger as he whispered, “I like it."