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Katsuki didn’t proclaim his love often—almost never, he would say.
Ever since he was little he had gotten into the habit of calling his mom a hag, and his dad an old man. Yeah, deep down he might have loved them, but actually saying it? That was completely different. He had learned to use these derogatory terms and leave it at that.
And now that he had grown up, that went for his husband too. He called Izuku a nerd, and that was what he was used to saying.
His husband was the opposite. Izuku would remind him of how great he was, ramble about the amazing things he did as a hero, and every night before bed, without fail, he would press a kiss to his husband's cheek and whisper those fated words into his ear. ‘I love you, Kacchan.’
Katsuki couldn’t have been more different. He would tell his husband what an idiot he was. Would tell him that he could never be a good hero if he kept overworking himself. And in response to all of the gushing and rambles, he made sure to call Izuku a nerd.
This particular morning was no different. Over breakfast, Izuku rambled about the latest hero news, and how great Katsuki’s saves were the day before. Katsuki simply rolled his eyes, handing off Izuku's paper bag of lunch as he pulled him out of the door and to their agency.
Izuku only saw the contents of this treasure—that was Katsuki's cooking—during lunchtime, being an hour late for it as he had been caught up on a case. That day, his rice balls were designed to look like All Might and the strawberries that he had been craving for weeks lay cut up just for him in the center. Izuku looked at his bento wide-eyed, grabbing the little note on the side.
No, it wasn’t some sort of love letter, but instead, Izuku felt like he was being yelled at through the paper. It was aggressive, but Izuku’s heart fluttered at the threatening words, ‘You better finish your damn food this time, or I’ll kill you!” And there was a little doodle on the side of Katsuki’s angry face and him letting off an explosion into Izuku for not doing as he was told,
The bento may have been packed with food, but Izuku finished it all in ten short minutes, getting back to work revitalized.
Later, it was the same thing. Izuku was yet again being scolded, even after he pressed a kiss to Katsuki’s cheek and whispered lovingly into his ear.
“You’re not getting back out for patrol Izuku! Let the other heroes handle it! You need to get home and rest. I swear, if you overwork yourself, I won’t let you back in the apartment tonight!” Katsuki demanded.
“That’s mean, Kacchan!” Izuku whined back, but he relented immediately, not too fond of the idea of sleeping in the hallway. But Katsuki was right; everything was under control, and Izuku realized just how tired he really was when he reached their home.
He immediately fell asleep on the couch, getting awoken by a harsh shake from Katsuki two hours later. Dinner was ready, and it smelled too good for Izuku to trade for a nap.
And it was all just as good as it smelled. Katsuki kept packing more and more food to his plate, but Izuku wasn’t complaining. It was exactly what he needed to regain his energy for the rest of the afternoon.
They watched a movie for the rest of their night, and while Katsuki complained and complained about the stupid things that Izuku wanted to watch, he just let it happen. He called him an idiot, but unlike his usual gruffness, Izuku noticed the soft tone of his voice. Many many years ago, Kacchan would have forced him to put on something else or simply left. The fact that Kacchan was just here, watching with him, in his company, meant something.
When the night ended and they both cuddled up in bed, Izuku followed his same nightly routine and pecked a kiss onto his husband’s cheek, telling him just how much he loved him.
And Katsuki called him a nerd, like always, and maybe Izuku had just proved him right with his long-winded ramble. But Izuku wasn’t done. He still had to say one more thing; “You love me too, don’t you?”
“Of course I love you,” Katsuki said, with no hesitation. “You know that. You’re my nerd.”
And he was right, Izuku knew that, 100%. He knew that more and more with every action Kacchan made. Suddenly he felt stupid for even asking. Maybe Izuku was envious of his husband for being able to make him feel so good with such few words.
He could see it in every action Katsuki made; he insulted him to eat because he wanted him to stay healthy; he yelled at him to not overwork himself because he wanted Izuku to be safe; and most of all, he was there for Izuku, indulging him in all of his stupid nerdy ramblings and watching all of his favorite hero documentaries with him even when he didn’t want to.
It was weird how he did that. How his insults assured Izuku even more of his love than any heartfelt words he could say.
He wished that he could make Kacchan feel the same way, to let him know he was loved and cherished for every part of him. That he was looking out for Katsuki, at every single moment and despite all of his flaws or mistakes. He wanted him to know that even when he didn’t say it. He wanted his every move to reassure Kacchan of their relationship and his devotion. Like Kacchan did for him.
And Izuku vowed to himself to make sure Kacchan knew and would know for every day of the rest of their lives together.