Work Text:
A warm breeze brushed past Izuku's face, lifting the stray strands of green hair from his forehead. He sat in the open window of their shared dorm room, eyes half-lidded as he stared out at the campus beyond. The war had left scars on everyone, but for Izuku, it had carved out something more. Something deep and calm beneath the surface, like a river flowing steadily despite the rocks in its way.
Katsuki paced behind him, restless as always, grumbling under his breath. He was pretending to clean up his side of the room, but Izuku could tell he wasn’t actually getting much done. Just moving things around to keep himself busy. The tapping of his feet and the occasional gruff curse word filled the quiet room.
Izuku smiled to himself. He wasn’t always this composed around Katsuki, not before. Back in middle school, he would've been a stuttering, nervous wreck just being in the same room with him. But now, after everything they’d been through, he found himself more settled.
"Kacchan," Izuku called softly, his voice steady but gentle.
Katsuki stopped mid-step and turned to face him. His crimson eyes glared as if daring him to say something stupid, but Izuku could see the way his fists tightened, betraying his nerves. Even now, Katsuki wasn’t fully used to their new dynamic. It had been months since they started dating, and despite all his bravado, Katsuki still found himself out of his depth when Izuku shifted gears on him.
"What?" Katsuki barked, a bit too harshly, as if trying to mask the way his heart kicked up a notch every time Izuku called his name.
Izuku’s smile grew, soft but teasing. He stepped away from the window and walked toward Katsuki with a deliberate slowness that had the blonde's chest tightening. It wasn’t that Izuku had become cocky. No, he was still the sweet, shy guy Katsuki had always known, but there was a boldness now—something self-assured in the way he moved.
"I was just thinking," Izuku began, tilting his head as he stood in front of Katsuki. His gaze was warm but intense, pinning Katsuki in place, "You’ve been pacing for the last fifteen minutes. What's on your mind?"
Katsuki huffed, crossing his arms and looking away. "None of your damn business, nerd."
Izuku chuckled softly. He loved this side of Katsuki—the one that was all bite with little bark when it came down to it. "You’re a terrible liar," he murmured, stepping even closer until he was right in Katsuki's space.
Katsuki tensed, trying to keep his cool, but his eyes flickered back to Izuku’s face for a split second before darting away again. "Shut up," he muttered.
Instead of pushing back, Izuku simply stood there, waiting. The silence stretched between them, and Katsuki felt it pressing on him. Izuku had always been patient with him. More than anyone else. It drove him crazy sometimes—how calm and collected Izuku had become, even when Katsuki was being difficult.
Izuku's fingers ghosted over Katsuki's wrist, barely touching but sending a jolt through him all the same. "I don’t mind waiting," Izuku whispered, his voice soft and warm. "You don’t have to tell me. But I’m here when you’re ready."
The words were simple, but they hit Katsuki harder than any explosion could. Izuku had changed so much since the war. He still had that nervous energy sometimes—the muttering under his breath when he got lost in thought—but now it came with a purpose. A calmness and maturity that Katsuki found both infuriating and fascinating. And then there was the flirting.
A month into their relationship, Izuku had become surprisingly straightforward. He wasn’t shy about what he wanted, especially when it came to Katsuki. And while Katsuki would never admit it out loud, he found himself drawn to it—drawn to Izuku's quiet confidence, the way he could be soft and yet so damn commanding at the same time.
Izuku’s fingers trailed up Katsuki’s arm, gentle and teasing, until they reached his shoulder. "You know," Izuku murmured, his voice dropping lower, "if you keep pacing like that, you’re going to wear out the floor."
Katsuki’s face flushed despite himself, but he scowled to cover it up. "Like I care, dumbass."
Izuku laughed quietly, leaning in closer until their foreheads almost touched. Katsuki’s breath hitched, and he fought the urge to pull away. He could feel the heat rising in his cheeks, but he wasn’t about to let Izuku see how flustered he was. No way.
"You’re cute when you’re grumpy," Izuku teased, his voice soft but confident.
Katsuki’s scowl deepened, but there was no real anger behind it. He could never stay mad at Izuku for long. Not when the idiot was looking at him like that—with those soft, stupid eyes that made his heart race.
"Tch, shut up," Katsuki grumbled again, but this time his voice lacked the usual bite.
Izuku just smiled and, without warning, pressed a gentle kiss to Katsuki’s forehead. Katsuki froze, the heat spreading from his cheeks down to his chest, his stomach twisting in knots. Damn it, why did this nerd have to be so smooth now?
Before Katsuki could pull away, Izuku’s hands were on his shoulders, grounding him. "I’m serious, though," Izuku said, his tone shifting back to that calm, reassuring one that Katsuki had come to rely on. "I know you’ve been thinking about a lot of things lately. And it’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it right now. But I’m not going anywhere."
Katsuki swallowed hard, his throat suddenly tight. He hated this—hated feeling so vulnerable around Izuku. But at the same time, he couldn’t deny that it was…nice. Nice to have someone who understood him. Someone who knew when to push and when to back off. Someone who wasn’t afraid to stand up to him but could also be patient when he needed it.
"Tch," Katsuki muttered, finally uncrossing his arms and shoving his hands into his pockets. "Fine. Just…don’t get too comfortable, you damn nerd."
Izuku smiled softly, stepping back just enough to give Katsuki some space, but not so far that the warmth between them disappeared. "I won’t," he promised, his voice light. "But I can’t help it if I like being close to you."
Katsuki rolled his eyes, though the corners of his mouth twitched upward in the barest hint of a smile. He still wasn’t used to this—being in a relationship, letting someone in like this. But if it had to be anyone, he was glad it was Izuku. The nerd had changed, yeah, but in a way that made Katsuki admire him even more. Izuku had found his strength, his confidence, and somewhere along the way, Katsuki had fallen for him even harder.
Izuku's hand lingered on Katsuki’s shoulder, his fingers tracing small circles into his skin. They stood close, closer than either of them would’ve dared before. Katsuki still couldn’t believe how easily Izuku could get under his skin these days—just one soft touch, one look, and he was unraveling.
“Katsuki…” Izuku’s voice was barely above a whisper now, like a secret only for him.
Katsuki grumbled, pretending to be annoyed even as his heart pounded. “What?” he asked, but it came out quieter than intended.
Izuku tilted his head slightly, leaning in until their noses brushed. Katsuki froze, his breath catching in his throat. He didn’t pull away. Izuku’s lips were so close, the warmth of his breath ghosting across his skin, and before Katsuki could brace himself, Izuku closed the gap.
The kiss was soft at first, a gentle press of lips, but there was nothing hesitant about it. Izuku kissed him like he’d been wanting to all day—like Katsuki was the only thing that mattered. His hand slid from Katsuki’s shoulder to the back of his neck, pulling him in deeper.
Katsuki's hands twitched at his sides before he finally gave in, gripping the front of Izuku’s shirt like it was the only thing keeping him grounded. He kissed back, letting out a quiet growl against Izuku’s lips, and just like that, the kiss deepened. Izuku responded immediately, tilting his head slightly to the side, their lips moving together in a rhythm that felt natural, like they’d been doing this forever.
Izuku wasn’t shy about kissing him anymore. Hell, a month into their relationship, and it was like Izuku had found his groove. He always initiated, always leaning in first, leaving Katsuki scrambling to keep up. And Katsuki—damn him—never knew what to do with his hands. Every touch from Izuku sent electricity buzzing through his veins, leaving him flustered, but he hid it. Or at least, he tried.
Izuku pulled back just enough to press another kiss, softer this time, against Katsuki’s jaw. “You okay?” he murmured, lips brushing against the skin.
Katsuki swallowed hard. His mind was screaming at him to pull away, to punch Izuku in the arm and call him a dumbass for making him feel this way, but his body refused to move. Instead, his hands tightened in Izuku’s shirt, pulling him closer.
“Shut up,” Katsuki muttered, his voice rough with emotion he couldn’t quite name.
Izuku chuckled softly, the sound vibrating through Katsuki’s chest. His lips found Katsuki’s again, this time slower, more deliberate, as if savoring the moment. And damn it, Katsuki kissed him back just as hungrily. His mind might be a mess, but his body knew exactly what it wanted.
Izuku’s hands were everywhere—one on the back of Katsuki’s neck, the other slipping down to his waist, pulling him impossibly close. Katsuki’s heart raced, and for a brief moment, he allowed himself to melt into the kiss, to lose himself in the warmth and the tenderness that Izuku was giving him so freely.
But then Izuku did something that made Katsuki’s brain short-circuit. He bit down gently on Katsuki’s lower lip, just enough to tease, before pulling back with a smirk that Katsuki rarely saw on his usually sweet and innocent face.
Katsuki blinked, his breath coming in quick, shallow bursts. “You little—”
Before Katsuki could finish, Izuku’s lips were on his again, this time more demanding, more insistent. And Katsuki—damn it all—let out a low groan that he couldn’t quite suppress. He gripped the back of Izuku’s head, threading his fingers through his hair and tugging slightly, eliciting a quiet gasp from Izuku that sent a thrill through him.
“Katsuki…” Izuku’s voice was breathless when they finally broke apart, foreheads pressed together as they both tried to catch their breath.
Katsuki could feel the heat rising in his face, but he didn’t care anymore. He was too far gone, too lost in the moment to care about hiding it. “What the hell’s gotten into you, huh?” he asked, though his voice lacked its usual bite.
Izuku’s lips quirked into a soft smile, his green eyes sparkling with affection. “I could ask you the same thing,” he teased, his voice low and teasing. “You kissed me back pretty hard there.”
Katsuki growled softly, his face turning an even deeper shade of red. “Shut up,” he muttered again, though there was no real anger behind it. He couldn’t bring himself to be mad at Izuku, not when the idiot was looking at him like that.
Izuku just laughed, the sound soft and sweet, and Katsuki felt his heart do that stupid flip again. “I like it when you’re flustered,” Izuku admitted, his voice still teasing but with a tenderness that made Katsuki’s chest ache. “You’re cute when you’re like this.”
Katsuki groaned, burying his face in Izuku’s shoulder. “You’re such a sap,” he mumbled against the fabric of Izuku’s shirt.
Izuku just smiled, wrapping his arms around Katsuki and holding him close. “Maybe,” he agreed, his voice soft and content. “But I don’t mind if it’s with you.”
Katsuki grumbled something incoherent into Izuku’s shoulder, but he didn’t pull away. Instead, he let himself relax in Izuku’s embrace, letting the warmth and the steady beat of Izuku’s heart calm the storm inside him.
It was still strange sometimes, being this close to someone—being this open with his feelings. But with Izuku…with Izuku, it didn’t feel so bad. In fact, it felt right.
And as Izuku pressed another soft kiss to his temple, Katsuki couldn’t help but think that maybe—just maybe—he could get used to this.