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Ever since becoming Real Adults, it was rare for the members of class A to get together. Between pro-hero work, charity work, teaching, and whatever else his former classmates did with their time, Katsuki had to admit he missed the organized chaos of a classroom.
As his eyes darted around the room watching everyone drink and catch up, he couldn’t help but feel a moment of peace. He sat back, drinking his beer as his gaze idly wandered towards Izuku, watching as the nerd chatted with Iida and Uraraka. As if knowing Katsuki was watching, Izuku turned his head slightly, catching the former’s eyes and grinning widely at him. Katsuki felt his cheeks flush as he raised a hand in greeting, causing Izuku to beam even more brightly than before. Once Izuku turned his attention back towards Iida and Uraraka, Katsuki let out a low sigh, plopping his beer on the table just as Kirishima sat in the spot next to him.
“Hey, Baku-bro!” Kirishima cheered, throwing an arm around Katuski’s shoulders and pulling him close. “Been a while! How’ve you been, man?”
“Fine,” was all Katsuki deigned to answer, picking up his beer once more to take a sip all while Kirishima chuckled beside him.
“Come on, man, I know you’ve been working hard,” Kirishima commented, finally pulling his arm away. “Are you still trying to save up for Midoriya’s -”
“Shut up!” the blonde hissed, snapping his attention back towards Izuku; luckily, the damn nerd seemed to be extremely interested in whatever story Iida was telling, eyes wide as he nodded ferociously up at him. Turning his attention back to Kirishima, he repeated, “Shut up! What if he hears you!”
“Ah, yeah,” Kirishima replied, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. “Sorry.”
“Just… be cool about it, okay? All Might’s still getting the details worked out,” Katsuki stated, shaking his head before taking another sip of his beer, grimacing at the bitter taste.
Kirishima thumped his back, another shit eating grin on his face. “No problem, man! Though it doesn’t seem like you’re doing so hot on the polls now, huh? I told you, you have to stop yelling at people if you want your ranking to go up!”
“Tch, then tell those damn reporters to get out of my face and we wouldn’t have this problem, now would we?” Katsuki replied, a steady resentment simmering just beneath the surface. “Besides,” he continued, placing his beer on the table again as his eyes shifted back towards Izuku, who was now making his way towards Asui. “There’s no point in getting a higher rank now anyways…”
Kirishima followed his gaze, face turning soft as he noticed who Katsuki was looking at. “Yeah,” he agreed quietly, shifting his attention back towards Katsuki. “Yeah, man, I get it.”
Katsuki just shook his head, waving his left hand in dismissal. “It’s whatever. He’s happy at Yuuei, and that’s all that matters.”
“I can’t believe he went back there,” Kirishima commented, leaning his arms up against the table and cocking his head in thought. “But, I mean, it’s perfect for him, isn’t it? Teaching the next generation of heroes.”
“Yeah,” Katsuki agreed, feeling his heart flutter.
When Izuku first got the job, Katsuki was the first person he called. He remembered how excited Izuku was on the phone, the way Izuku babbled on and on about his new position at Yuuei, how ecstatic he was to be working with their former teachers, how nervous he was to have a group of students to care for. And while Katsuki felt a slight pang of disappointment, a sliver of despair at losing his dream of being a hero alongside his friend, he couldn’t help but feel the pride he had taken over instead. So he congratulated Izuku, expressed his delight at Izuku’s wonderful opportunity, and then offered to take Izuku to dinner to celebrate. He even picked up the tab - teachers’ salaries and all that.
“Hey, I’m going to catch up with Ashido and Kaminari,” Kirishima announced, breaking Katsuki out of his thoughts. “Want to join or are you just going to sit here and pine?”
“Fuck off,” Katsuki growled, leaning over to shove Kirishima with his shoulder. His right arm had been sore lately, so he was trying not to over do it.
Kirishima stood up and laughed, clearly ready to make a witty retort, but luckily - or unluckily, who knows really - Izuku decided to make an appearance.
“Hey, Kacchan! Hi, Kirishima!” Izuku greeted, eyes bright and cheeks flushed.
“Hey! Midoriya!” Kirishima replied, throwing an arm over Izuku’s shoulders just as he had done to Katsuki moments prior. “Congratulations on the new teaching position! That’s so manly!”
“Ah, thanks!” Izuku replied, cheeks flushing a darker pink. “It’s been going really well, lately, though it’s a lot of work! I now understand why Aizawa-sensei was so tired all of the time!”
Kirishima threw his head back and laughed. “Well, we were also a group of hellions, so I don’t really blame him. Hey, I’ll see you later, okay? I wanted to catch up with Ashido about this new show we’ve been watching.”
With that, Kirishima gave the two a small salute and made his way towards the back of the room, leaving Katsuki alone with Izuku.
“So, Kacchan,” Izuku said, now sitting the seat that Kirishima previously occupied. “How’s it going!”
“Damn it, Deku, you act as though we don’t talk to each other almost daily,” Katsuki replied, a sort of fondness creeping into his voice without his permission.
Izuku pouted, pushing out his lower lip in over-exaggeration so that Katsuki couldn’t help but laugh. At the sound, Izuku beamed again, and Katsuki felt the way his heart flipped.
“How are the others doing?” Katsuki asked instead, turning the attention away from him. “Seems like Iida and Uraraka had a lot to say?”
“Oh, yes!” Izuku nodded. “Uraraka was telling me about her idea of introducing a Quirk counseling initiative. Honestly, it seems like a really great idea, and I think if more children, or adults even, had access to counseling, I think…”
Katsuki was listening to him, really he was. He knew what Izuku was saying was important, and yet he just… watched. Watched Izuku’s face light up as he talked about Uraraka’s idea. Watched his hands as they moved around, as if on their own accord. Watched as Izuku’s eyes crinkled on the side, just like they did when he was really excited. Though, is that a new wrinkle on his forehead? Damn, are those kids wearing him down already? It’s been what? Three months?
“Kacchan?”
“Huh, what?” Katsuki asked, blinking stupidly as Izuku stared at him with a worried look. “Why’d ya stop?”
“You seemed to have gotten lost somewhere,” Izuku commented lightly, a small smile on his face. “Where’d you go?”
“No where,” he lied, shrugging his left shoulder. “Guess I’m just not in a party mood tonight.”
Izuku hummed quietly, drumming his fingers on the table as he looked around the room. Katsuki couldn’t help but watch, eyes roving down Izuku’s side profile, counting the freckles on his cheek.
“Want to leave?”
Katsuki blinked again. “W-what?”
“Do you want to leave?” Izuku repeated, turning his body towards Katsuki so that he could look at him fully.
From this angle, he could make out the scar that decorated the right side of Izuku’s face. He had the overwhelming urge to run a finger along his own scar, but Katsuki stamped it down in order to focus on Izuku’s offer.
“And where would we go, Izuku?” Katsuki asked, mirroring Izuku’s position so that they were face to face. Like this, their knees knocked together, and Katsuki had to fight the urge to lean in closer.
“Well, there are a couple of restaurants around here,” Izuku stated, placing a finger on his chin in thought. “Some cafes that Todoroki told me about.” Katsuki snorted at that. “Or,” Izuku continued, his voice getting quiet, “we could go back to my place? It’s close by.”
Katsuki’s mind went momentarily blank. It’s not like he hasn’t been to Izuku’s place, he’s been there plenty of times over the years. They’ve had take out and movie nights, beers on Izuku’s tiny ass terrace, plenty of heart to hearts while sitting on the floor of Izuku’s living room, Katsuki still reeling from a long day of patrol.
But this? This felt different, somehow, more charged. It was the way in which Izuku was firmly not looking at Katsuki that made him feel as though tonight might be unlike those other late nights of talking.
“Sure, nerd, let’s get going,” Katsuki agreed, pushing out of his seat and offering a hand to Izuku in the process.
Izuku looked up at him, his eyes widening in surprise, but still, he took Katsuki’s hand and pulled himself up with a small smile on his face. “We really need to say goodbye to everyone first,” Izuku commented, dropping Katsuki’s hand and looking around the room. “Meet at the door in five?”
“Yeah, yeah, sure,” he agreed, trying not to think about Izuku’s warm, callused hand.
With that, Izuku was off, shouldering his way towards Uraraka, Iida, Todoroki, and Asui. Sighing to himself, Katsuki quickly located Kirishima, Ashido, and Kaminari in a corner, their heads bowed together as they talked. He made his way over, trying to remove the scowl from his face, though the attempt was futile.
Kirishima noticed him first, face beaming as he waved Katsuki over. “Hey! Baku-bro! You remembered the rest of us peasants?”
“Shuttup,” Katsuki growled, sidling up next to Ashido as he rolled his eyes. “I’m just here to say I’m leaving.”
“Ooooh, where you going?” Ashido asked in a sing-song voice, wagging her eyebrows.
“None of your business,” Katsuki snapped, shoving his hands into his pockets.
“Aw, we saw you and Midoriya sitting all cozy together,” Kaminari commented, elbowing Katsuki in the ribs with a playful smirk.
“Fuck off,” Katsuki replied, shoving Kaminari away from him, albeit not very hard. Kaminari howled in laughter as Kirishima shook his head. With a groan, Katsuki continued, “Yeah, fine, the nerd and I are heading out. I’m not in a very social mood, so he offered to hang out at his place.”
“Oh! His place,” Ashido repeated, leaning in closer to Katsuki, her eyes sparking with mirth. “What are you guys going to do there?”
“Leave him be, Ashido,” Kirishima told her - ever the chivalrous guy - though Katsuki couldn’t help but note the knowing smirk that twitched on his lips. “Well, it was great to see you, man. I’m probably going to reach out to you sometime this week about a team up mission, so I’ll hopefully catch up with you soon.”
“Yeah, that sounds great,” Katsuki replied, allowing Ashido to throw her arms around him in a tight hug. “Ashido, you’re crushing my ribs.”
“Sorry!” she replied, though when she pulled away she didn’t look sorry at all. “Go have fun with your man!”
“He’s not my -” Katsuki just stopped, shaking his head firmly. “I’ll see you guys soon, ‘kay?”
“Bye!” the three chorused, their cheerful voices following him as Katsuki made his way towards the exit.
As he pushed his way through the crowd of people, all his former classmates, Katsuki made sure to make a bit of small talk with each one. Sero, Jirou, Yaoyorozu, and Sato caught him as he was leaving Kirishima, Kaminari, and Ashido. Then came Mineta, then Shinsou and Ojiro. After that, Hagakure and Asui. Of course Iida, Uraraka, and Todoroki caught his attention as well. He gave a small wave to Koda, who was sitting quietly next to Shoji.
By the time he reached the door, Izuku was already waiting for him, wringing his hands as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Katsuki cleared his throat to get his attention, and as soon as Izuku looked up, he beamed.
“Ready, Kacchan?” Izuku asked, opening the door.
Katsuki just replied with a noncommittal hum and followed Izuku outside. It was mid-July, but it was still somewhat cool out, a comfortable temperature so that Katsuki didn’t feel overheated in the light sweatshirt he threw on before leaving his shitty apartment.
The walk back to Izuku’s place was quiet, allowing Katsuki to glance over at his friend. He was walking on his right side, enabling Katsuki to study the scars on Izuku’s cheek; for once, Katsuki gave in and ran a finger along his own scar, the pang of war shooting through his body. He winced slightly, but luckily Izuku didn’t seem to notice, too caught up in his own thoughts. Though he should be put out by it, Katsuki didn’t really care; he was used to quiet nights with Izuku, each lost in their own thoughts to speak, just happy to be with each other in comfortable silence. The cool night air ran through Izuku’s unruly hair, pushing it away from his face, and Katsuki snapped his attention back towards the sidewalk before he got too distracted.
Once they finally reached Izuku’s apartment, ultimately nicer than Katsuki’s own apartment downtown, Katsuki followed Izuku inside, toeing his shoes off at the genkan and removing his sweatshirt before moving further inside.
“Want something to drink?” Izuku offered, making his way towards the tiny, but cozy kitchenette. “I have tea, coffee, beer? Uh, water if you’re not feeling any of that?”
“Tea is good,” Katsuki replied, walking into the living room to look at the myriad of knick-knacks and pictures littering the shelf that he had helped Izuku put together when he first moved in.
There were pictures of him and Izuku as kids, group pictures of class A, one of Izuku with his mother at his Yuuei graduation and then from uni. A new one seemed to have joined the group, and Katsuki picked up with a small smile as he studied it; it was a selfie or Izuku and Eri, both making funny faces at the camera that made Katsuki chuckle low to himself.
When Izuku entered the room, two steaming mugs of tea in his hands, Katsuki held up the photo. “This is new. I never knew you to take selfies.”
“Ah, yeah,” Izuku replied, laughing lightly as he placed the mugs down on the coffee table before joining Katsuki by the shelf. “Aizawa-sensei finally gave in and bought Eri a cell phone, and this was the first picture she took on it.”
“Damn, sensei must be going senile if he actually let his teenage daughter bully him into getting her anything she wants,” Katsuki commented, placing the picture frame back on the shelf and turning towards Izuku.
“Nah,” Izuku replied with a shake of his head. “I think it was him realizing she was getting older and making friends and going out by herself, so she needed a way to stay in contact with him if she needed him. He’s protective, you know, though he won’t admit it. Mic-sensei on the other hand… he will fully admit Eri has him wrapped around her finger. Aizawa-sensei will deny it until the end of time.”
“This is the same guy who threatened to expel us any time we acted up, then cried at our graduation,” Katsuki stated, laughing along with Izuku when the latter agreed.
“Come on,” Izuku said, hip checking Katsuki lightly. “Let’s sit down.”
Katsuki followed Izuku to the couch, collapsing clumsily onto the cushions so that Izuku stifled a small chuckle, causing Katsuki to kick him in the shin in retaliation. Izuku shook his head, his eyes fond, grabbing the mugs of tea and handing one to Katsuki.
They sat in silence as they sipped on their tea, bodies pressed together, that comfortable tranquility falling over them once more. Katsuki couldn’t help but let his thoughts wander, couldn’t help but think about the last time he was in Izuku’s apartment to help him rearrange his small office to accommodate a new desk to the mix, arranging and rearranging all of Izuku’s All Might merchandise with meticulous planning.
He really could not think of a time in his life that didn’t include Midoriya Izuku. Ever since they were kids, they were attached at the hip. And, sure, Katsuki wasn’t always the nicest to him, calling him Deku and pushing him around, but as they got older, their relationship changed. An understanding between them, a silent vow to be there for each other, to protect. Now, he called him Deku to acknowledge him as his equal, as someone who deserved his respect and lo -
No. No, he was not going there right now. Even as Izuku dropped his head on his shoulder, Katsuki was not going to go there. Now was not the time, even if he wanted it to be.
So they sat in silence, comforted by each other’s presence. When he was out on patrol, or finishing up paperwork, or trying to do damage control because he snapped at a reporter again, Katsuki craved moments like this. Moments where he could just be, moments where he didn’t have to be Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight (even if he loved being a pro hero), moments where he didn’t have to be Bakugou Katsuki, where he could just be… Kacchan.
He thought back to what Kirishima said earlier, about how he was supposedly pining, which, Katsuki didn’t pine dammit, he just… ugh, fine he pined. And he’d been pining for so long that he didn’t even know what to do anymore, so he just sat quietly and let Izuku rest his head on his shoulder, appreciating the weight of the other man against his body.
But the silence was short lived, as Izuku suddenly sat up and placed his still half-full mug on the coffee table, shifting his body so that he could face Katsuki more fully.
“Izuku?” Katsuki asked, sitting up fully and placing his own mug on the table next to Izuku’s. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, everything is fine,” Izuku replied, fingers fiddling with the hem of his button down shirt. “I just - I just wanted to talk to you about something, if that’s okay?”
“Okay?” Katsuki replied, the beating of his heart ticking up a notch, which really should be concerning, but for now Katsuki was focused on Izuku’s nervous excitement.
“Well, uh, I’ve been thinking, you know? About us?”
“Us?”
“Yeah, yeah, nothing bad of course! Just… us? Like, our friendship and all that.”
“Sure, I guess. We’ve been friends since we were kids.” Where was this going, Katsuki thought nervously.
“I mean…” Izuku paused, fingers still fiddling with the hem of his shirt, eyes glued to his lap. With a sigh, he finally looked up, eyes catching Katsuki’s. “You know how happy I am for you, right? How proud I am of you for finally reaching your dream of being a pro-hero? For the way you worked your ass off to get to where you are.”
“I know that,” Katsuki replied, moving closer to Izuku. “And I’m proud of you, too. Even if it does suck that you’re not by my side.”
Izuku gave him a small smile. “Yeah, I know. And I love Yuuei. I love being a teacher, I love teaching the next generation of heroes, but… but sometimes I can’t help but feel a bit jealous, you know? You and everyone else are heroes, and while I’m happy with where I am, it does sting, just a bit.”
“You’re more than allowed to feel that way,” Katsuki told him, giving into his urge and placing a hand on Izuku’s knee to give it a comforting squeeze. “You knew the embers were fading, yet you still never gave up on your dream.”
“Yeah… But sometimes I can’t help thinking that everyone thinks of me differently, that you think of me differently.”
Katsuki sighed deeply, releasing a soft breath. “Izuku, I’m not going to tell you that your feelings aren’t valid, because they are, but I need you to know that I will never think of you any differently than I do. You’re Midoriya Izuku, you’re Deku, you’re… you’re you.”
“And how do you think of me, Kacchan?” Izuku asked, placing a shaking hand atop his.
“I -” Katsuki felt his throat go dry. How do you tell someone that you thought the world of them without making it sound like you were completely, hopelessly, desperately in love with them? You don’t, Katsuki decided, so he just closed his mouth and stared back at Izuku helplessly.
Taking Katsuki’s silence as an answer, Izuku sighed, removing his hand from Katsuki’s as he did so. “Right… Well, I mean, I just thought…” Izuku sighed in frustration now, hands moving to tug at his hair. “There’s just more…”
“Hey, ‘zuku, it’s okay,” Katsuki said, gently taking Izuku’s hands in his and holding them tightly. “Tell me what’s going on, I’m listening.”
“It’s just… after all this time, ” Izuku said, voice soft, tears already forming in the corner of his eyes. “After all this time, you’ve been there for me. I mean, it was rough in the beginning, but you’ve been there. And I… I really, really like being your friend, but… sometimes… sometimes I can’t help but want more, you know? And I don’t mean being pro-heroes together - though, actually, yes, I do still want that, more anything but…”
“But?” Katsuki prompted, the beating of his own heart drowning out the sound of his voice.
“I… like you?” Izuku let out another small breath and shook his head. “No, actually, I’m in love with you.”
Katsuki could feel the blood rushing in his ears, could feel the way his heart pounded in his chest. His palms were sweaty, and it took everything in him not to pull away from Izuku to wipe his hands on his shirt, knowing that his nitroglycerin-like sweat would stain the thin material. All he could do was gape at Izuku squirming in front of him.
Izuku? Loved him? Was in love with him? He couldn’t even speak, couldn’t even think. Is this what he had wanted? Is this…
“Kacchan?” came Izuku’s timid voice from beyond, breaking him out of his spiraling thoughts. “Are you okay?”
He opened his mouth again, trying to form words, trying to formulate a coherent sentence to say yes, yes, I’m okay, I’ll be okay, I want you, I want this. But no words came out.
“I see,” Izuku sighed, trying to pull his hands out of Katsuki’s grasp. His voice sounded so small, so far away, and Katsuki’s heart yearned for him. “It’s okay, Kacchan, I just thought I’d-”
But Katsuki didn’t let Izuku finish, because before he could even think about what he was doing, he wrapped a hand around the back of Izuku’s neck and pulled him into a rough, desperate kiss. The angle was odd, so it was more teeth than anything else, and Izuku was so thrown off that he practically jumped out of his seat when Katsuki’s lips met his. But soon enough, Izuku relaxed, letting out a low moan from the back of his throat as he melted into the kiss, hands coming to rest on Katsuki’s shoulders. Katsuki nipped at Izuku’s bottom lip, somewhat surprised when Izuku opened his mouth, tongue peeking out to slide along Katsuki’s.
And damn, kissing Izuku was everything. Even if it was a little messy and imperfect, even if they did have to break for air, the sounds of their gasps filling the room. When they did pull away, Katsuki sat back in his seat, allowing for Izuku to throw a leg over his to straddle his lap.
“So, uh, you’re… you’re okay with this?” Izuku asked timidly, cheeks flushed a dark pink and hair wild from where Katsuki’s hand buried itself in it during their ministrations.
“Izuku, I’ve loved you for a while now,” Katsuki admitted, hands resting on Izuku’s waist. “I’m not sure if I can pinpoint exactly when it happened, but I just know that I’ve wanted you, wanted this, for a while now.”
Instead of answering, Izuku smiled, leaning in again to place a chaste kiss on Katsuki’s lips. Katsuki just let out a content sigh, hands moving up Izuku’s back so he could feel closer to him.
When Izuku offered to go back to his place, Katsuki had no idea where this night was going to go, and yet… yet it was absolutely perfect in a way.
“Hey, nerd,” he whispered against Izuku’s lips, feeling Izuku’s smile against his skin. “Wanna go out with me?”
“Hmm,” Izuku hummed, pulling away slightly so he could look Katsuki in the eye. “I’m not sure, I have to think about it. Besides, what will my students say when they find out I’m dating pro-hero Dynamight?”
“‘M sure they’ll think you’re the coolest sensei in Japan,” Katsuki replied, the smile on his face so wide it started hurting his cheeks. Damn, the things he would do for this nerd. “But, sure, take your time and think about it, I’ve got all the time in the world for you.”
“Oh, Kacchan,” Izuku crooned, kissing Katsuki again, hands framing his face to tilt his head up.
And, dammit, Katsuki really loved the damn nerd.