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Katsuki Bakugo has a lot of secrets, but there’s one he will never reveal.
Gun to his head and he would still shove that piece of metal crap closer to his forehead before he ever uttered a word about his deepest and darkest secret.
And no, his secret wasn't something stupid like his self-imposed bedtime of 9 pm. In fact, he wore that badge with great fucking pride. Who else could claim that they take care of their body as much as he does, certainly not that stupid nerd Deku.
It most definitely is not related at all to the fact that he might appreciate his parents a little more than he lets on. His mom might be an old hag and his father a unless wimp but at least they make for good parents.
It also has nothing to do with the fact that he’s actually been making friends at UA. Good friends. Real friends. Ones who actually care for his well-being and not for the status of being in the same crowd as the ‘tough kid’. And okay, maybe he’s actually started to care for them too but that's not the god damn secret.
No, his secret is much worse. Something that those damn extras at UA can never find out. Something only one other person will ever know and someone who will die before they ever speak a word of his secret to anyone else.
Because Katsuki Bakugo likes attending anime conventions.
And worst of all he likes going to them with fucking Deku.
It all started back when they were four. Long before Izuku became Deku. Long before the boy ran to him crying, confessing he would never have a quirk… and long before Katsuki responded with venomous words that seemed to flow out of his mouth a bit too easily as he turned on his feet, leaving the poor boy sobbing in the middle of the playground.
No, when it happened they were still… friends.
It leaves a sour taste in his mouth but Katsuki guesses that's the best way to describe how they were before everything happened.
Katsuki was always the leader, the one taking charge, the next number one hero… and Deku was… well he was always just there. The one always by his side. The next number two. Katsuki’s partner in crime.
Because they were friends they also enjoyed a lot of the same things. Yes, most of their attention was directed at All Might but there were other shows that caught their interest too. Therefore, many of their afternoons on the playground were spent playing pretend. They would pretend to be the heroes they saw in movies and TV shows and go save the world.
Then there was one day that Deku came running to the playground with a new idea of how to play pretend.
“Kacchan! I was talking to my Dad and guess what?! He told me about these things called—“ Deku pauses for a moment, clearly forgetting how to pronounce the word, “con— hmm— oh! Conventions! That's it! And he said all sorts of people dress up to go!”
Now Katsuki didn’t believe him at first nor did he care but the more Deku spoke the more interested he became until finally—“Alright! We’re going!” Katsuki announced.
After hearing the exciting news from their children, Katsuki and Izuku’s families quickly bought tickets for a small, kid-friendly, convention in town. Despite their reluctance at Izuku’s father insisting on being their chaperone, the event was exciting! Each moment was filled with joy at being surrounded by so many kids just like them. And even some adults too! They found merch they had never seen before and immediately wished for the day they were grown-ups and able to buy everything themselves!
By the end of the day, the two boys were so exhausted they were barely awake during the car ride home. After a long period of silence, Katsuki looked at Izuku and spoke.
”You know…we should do that again”
Izuku smiled softly
”Yeah I think I’d like that” Izuku responded, before waiting a moment and asking one simple question. A question that felt more like a confession than an inquiry.
“Do you think we could go together every year?” Izuku asks, eyes downward
“Yeah. Every year” Katsuki responded.
”Pinky promise?”
“Pinky promise”
When Izuku’s father went to wake the two boys up to bring them to the house, he couldn't help but smile at the scene of the two boys asleep with their pinkies still linked.
Even when things changed and Izuku turned into Deku and Katsuki into his bully. Even when Izuku’s father left for work overseas and Katsuki found himself hanging out with ‘friends’ that didn't care about the same things he did; they never broke their pinky promise.
Yes, Katsuki will admit that some years were truly awkward. Neither one of them really wanted to hang out with the other but both refused to break the cycle that they had continued for years at that point.
But honestly, it was something Katsuki looked forward to and something he knew Izuku enjoyed as well. Regardless of whether they hated each other's guts, regardless if they hadn’t spoken in months, regardless of their personal problems, they found themselves enjoying these conventions.
And Katsuki guesses that over the years, he really started enjoying his time with Izuku. In fact, after they started UA they began attending more conventions than they normally did.
It was fun. Katsuki had fun. Not that anyone else needed to know that.
“Deku get your stupid ass up! It’s not my fault you waited until the last fucking minute to finish your cosplay and I’m not dealing with a long ass line to get our badges because you’re too tired to get ready on time!”
Katsuki absolutely can not deal with this right now. It took so much fucking planning to get here right now. He had to deal with sleepless nights spent trying to find the cheapest hotel within walking distance to the convention center all while also trying to avoid places so cheap where you could never guarantee that a creepy old man wouldn’t somehow find his way into the room at night. Not only that he had to figure out how the fuck they were getting to their hotel in the first place AND come up with a believable lie so the stupid extras would leave him alone about why he and Deku both couldn’t attend the class-sized outing planned for this weekend.
Worst of all though, he had to deal with fucking Deku insisting they do matching cosplays again. Only for him to wait til the last fucking minute and have to con crunch until three in the morning.
The idiot actually finished the costume in time. Thank god. And it looks really good, not that Katsuki would ever say that out loud. But the fact that the stupid nerd hasn’t gotten up yet is driving Katsuki mad.
“You idiot, you had three WHOLE months to get your costume done! What the hell were you the entire god damn time?!”
A loud groan comes from the queen-sized bed in the center of the room. Its blankets and pillows are all over the place, clearly having been kicked around in a fit of restless sleep. The rest of the bed is covered in all sorts of different articles of clothing, random beauty products, hair products, and unsurprisingly an All Might plushy. Surrounding the bed are chairs and tables draped in different parts of their costumes, with some being neatly arranged together and others thrown about in reckless abandon. There’s at least three wigs on stands near the bed and the table they’re on has a disgusting sticky feeling whenever Katsuki touches it. Probably all the hairspray he doused his wigs in yesterday.
Regardless of the mess in their shared hotel room, Katsuki’s eyes keep drifting to the green mop of hair who STILL hasn’t gotten up yet.
“You asked for this”
He says quickly before the bed covers are being harshly ripped off the now awake Izuku who looks around the room with wide unfocused eyes.
”I’m up, I’m up!” Izuku quickly shouts as he jumps out of the bed and lands on unsteady feet. He gathers himself quickly before Katsuki can do any more damage.
Katsuki has done more damage before. Well… he wouldn’t exactly call it damage. Just the proper measures to make sure Deku woke up on time. It may have involved an extremely loud speaker, a blaringly bright light, and tackling Deku off the bed at six in the morning but he thinks it was worth it.
“Get your ass into gear. We got two hours before we have to head out the door and I'm not waiting for your ass again because—“ Katsuki pauses and smirks before turning up the pitch of his voice and whining— “I need to make sure my costumes are canon accurate Kacchan!”
”Hey! It’s very important that the details are right! I don't want to disrespect the artist!” Izuku shouts as he walks towards the bathroom. Katsuki notes the dark and prominent eye bags Izuku sports as a consequence of his late-night venture last light. He also notices how the nerd’s green hair sticks out in every direction whereas the top of his shirt is wet from where the self-sacrificing asshole clearly drooled on it last night. He looks so fucking stupid right now, Katsuki chuckles.
It's not long before the door to the bathroom slams shut and Katsuki hears running water coming from behind the door.
”And don't act like you don’t care about those details too! I’ve seen you spend eighty dollars on a sword because you needed to look as ‘badass’ as the character does!” Izuku continues his tirade from the bathroom.
"You're lucky we’re on a time constraint or I’d throw you out the window right now Deku!” Katsuki yells back but there's no bite.
As Izuku showers, Katsuki takes in the state of their hotel room once more. He glances over the mess that litters every part of the room before quietly sighing to himself. Fuck. It’s gonna take forever to clean this up before checkout in a few days. But they’ll do it anyway. If the old hag ever taught him anything it was ‘don’t make things more difficult for hotel cleaning staff’. They already have to deal with so much shit, he’s not gonna be the reason someone reaches their breaking point and quits in the middle of their shift.
Taking one more deep breath in, Katsuki steadies himself before he enters the jungle of clothes and props.
If there was one other thing that Katsuki would never admit, it's that he kinda likes the morning before a convention.
Yes, it's messy. Yes, there is a lot of shouting. And yes there’s a lot of running around in a tight space barely big enough for one person let alone two people and their respective suitcases. But it's a kind of chaos that Katsuki enjoys. He’s not really sure why, but getting ready for the convention is honestly his favorite part of the day. Bantering back and forth with Deku is probably a major contributing factor to why he enjoys this part of the day so much, but Katsuki would never tell Deku that.
So here he is, standing shoulder to shoulder with Deku in an all too small bathroom as they both attempt to use the mirror to apply their makeup. Izuku already has his colored contacts in and is starting to apply primer to his face but Katsuki is a little further behind in his process.
”You know—” Izuku comments, still not looking up from the mirror “They make these little contact holders so you don't have to use your fingers when you try to put them in your eyes.”
Yeah, Katsuki knows about those stupid fucking things, he’s seen them before and this isn’t the first time Deku has made that same comment. He bought them once, but honestly putting a stick near his eye was way fucking worse than trying to put them on with his finger. He’ll suffer the old-fashioned way thank you very much.
The colored contact is on his finger right now, big, bright, and blue. Fuck Katsuki for choosing to cosplay a character with blue fucking eyes. Now he's reaping the consequences and he's not happy.
At the silence, Izuku glances up from where he was looking to watch Katsuki in the mirror. His face is half covered in foundation. It’s not even close to being blended properly and honestly, he looks dumb as fuck. But Katsuki can’t afford to make fun of him right now with this damn contact haunting his nightmares.
“You could just not wear the contacts Kacchan!” Izuku says genuinely, before suddenly pausing for a second. A moment of deep consideration flashes on his face before a wicked grin makes its way onto his face.
Oh fuck, Katsuki knows what that face means.
”I mean you don't have to” The grin somehow gets larger. “But then you wouldn’t be canon accurate would you?”
Fuck you Deku— is all Katsuki thinks before his finger makes its way towards his eye.
An hour later, Katsuki and Izuku have thankfully finished their makeup.
It was an hour full of quiet curses, messed-up eyeliner, and a very clear “WHERE THE FUCK ARE THE MAKEUP WIPES!?” But the two are finally closer to getting their badges.
Honestly, right now Katsuki feels like things are going pretty smoothly. Izuku finished his makeup first and quickly headed into the bedroom to get his costume put together and a few minutes later Katsuki joined him.
Katsuki’s costume isn't too complicated for today. Yeah, there’s a weird amount of belts that don’t hold up anything and a few pieces of fabric that would make no practical sense on any hero costume regardless if they were in the spotlight or underground but Katsuki’s willing to give the character the benefit of the doubt. After all, he is cosplaying as a fictional Pre-Quirk hero. They didn't exactly have anyone in the profession to tell them their ideas were stupid.
Quickly putting on the final finishing touches on his costume Katsuki feels pretty good about himself. He wouldn’t admit it but the blue contacts definitely pull the costume together. The pants are a little tight, a consequence of getting them from the thrift store but they should last the day.
Izuku seems to be doing pretty well too. His costume is a bit more complicated than Katsuki’s but it’s coming along quite nicely. If Katsuki’s lucky they might actually be able to leave on time.
He should really get his bag together before he puts his wig on though. God knows he can't see properly when that shit is on.
And so Katsuki makes his way towards his suitcase that he so graciously threw on top of the bed earlier this morning because he was too lazy to have to keep opening and closing it every time he wanted a new article of clothing.
After shuffling a few items around he quickly finds the thing he was looking for. A small bag with a tiny plastic window on the front. The actual bag itself is mostly round except for the large yellow spikes protruding from the top. The rest of it is a mix of yellow, red, and blue. Even at first glance the bag is clearly modeled after All Might’s iconic hairstyle and costume.
Behind the clear plastic window is a bunch of pins that Katsuki has acquired over the years. Yes most of them are of All Might. Yes, he is aware of the irony of having All Might pins in an All Might-themed bag. Yes, he will blow up the face of anyone who dares to mention it out loud.
Grabbing his wallet, ID, and some granola bars, Katsuki shoves them in the bag. Izuku’s almost finished and he's starting to pack up his own bag. It’s the same model as Katsuki’s. Big yellow hair spikes and all. They’re matching. After all, Deku was the one who insisted they get matching bags.
“Please Kacchan! It would be so cool!!” Izuku is practically vibrating out of his costume right now. The two matching All Might bags clutched painfully in his hands as he excitedly looked up at Katsuki.
“We can match! And bring them to every convention we go to! Oh my gosh, it would be so much fun! Can you imagine that Kacchan? We can keep adding to these bags and then they can be a kind of timeline of our trips! Each time we add to it it’s like adding a new memory to a photo album! Wait.. that didn’t really make sense. But you know what I mean! And they’ll be able to hold all our stuff! You know how you're always complaining that you’re hungry halfway through the con but the con food is too expensive so you refuse to eat it? Well this will solve all our probl—“
”Oh my god Deku I get it! I’ll buy the stupid bag” Katsuki interrupts. Katsuki hears a sigh of relief from the store owner as Izuku pauses in his mumbling. Katsuki glares at the man.
And so the two walk out with matching All Might bags and quickly buy the first pins they’ll put on their bags at the next stall.
The pins match too.
Katsuki smiles slightly at the memory as he tries to shove the last item in his bag. It’s a large stick of deodorant because it's fucking hot in the convention hall and Katsuki is not about to have an explosion go off because he was sweating too much.
But his bag is already too full from everything else in it and if this stupid ass stick of deodorant doesn’t get in his bag now the convention center won’t be the only thing he blows up.
With one last shove, it finally fits and Katsuki finally calms down for a moment.
But his brief moment of tranquility is quickly destroyed when he tries to zip up the bag and the deodorant launches itself onto the floor.
Katsuki sees red.
Okay, wait, don’t get mad just yet. It’s just a stupid stick of deodorant. He’ll pick it up and shove it in Deku’s bag. That’ll work. Perfect.
Katsuki glances at the messy floor where the deodorant landed safely on one of Izuku’s shirts before dragging a hand slowly over his face.
“It’s too fucking early for this”
As Katsuki bends down he starts to feel a strange tightness in his legs before all of a sudden—
ripppppp
Katsuki glances down.
There's a big fucking rip on the side of his pants.
Katsuki sees red for the second time today.
“Kacchan! Don’t worry, there’s a reason why I always bring a small sowing kit!” Izuku says earnestly as he begins working on the hole in Katsuki’s pants. But Katsuki knows Deku, that fucking nerd is holding in his laughter right now.
Izuku takes one look at his face and tries to cover an involuntary chuckle with his hand.
This fucking bastard.
They finally made it out the door, sown pants and all.
The convention center isn’t too far away, only a twenty-minute walk, a five-minute train ride if they really wanted to. But the weather is nice and they have a little time before the doors open.
And so here they trek, in full cosplay, in broad daylight, surrounded by people who can’t tell if they’re some wannabe heroes with very impractical costumes or if the next big fashion trend is large flowy capes and way too many belts.
They get a few stares sure, but honestly, when do they not? Katsuki is well known for his amazing personality at the UA Sports Festival… and some other less pleasant memories. Whereas Izuku’s place has been plastered on the news a few times, most times hailed as a hero, one time accused of murder? That was a really weird time.
Honestly, it's kind of nice being stared at in public not because he was the UA kid that got kidnapped but rather because of curious glances at the two strangely dressed teens.
The reminder of Kamino puts a slight damper on his mood. Katsuki frowns slightly.
“Hey Kacchan! Do ya think we can head to the Artist Alley first! I’ve been following this person on Twitter for a really long time and they’re supposed to be there—“ Izuku excitedly buzzes from his spot next to Katsuki. Even with the colored contacts in Katsuki swears he can see stars in Izuku’s eyes just at the prospect of meeting with one of his favorite artists.
Katsuki would never admit it, but Izuku is really good at cheering him up.
A small smile finds its way on his face.
After a brief detour to grab some breakfast bagels, the two teens finally made it to the doors of the convention center.
Now this was not Katsuki and Izuku’s first rodeo. But this was the first time they were heading to the KA Convention. A massive anime convention that had bloomed in popularity in recent years. When it first started the convention had just a few hundred attendees but it quickly gained over twenty thousand annual visitors. Following their massive increase in popularity, the convention organizers had to transfer the event to a much larger building and right now Katsuki can clearly see that the convention organizers had said ‘let’s go big or go home’.
The actual building itself was quite shorter than the rest of the immensely tall structures that lay beside it but its massive facade of windows that stretched from the street to the top of its roof was completely captivating. The wall of windows seemed to shimmer in the sun and provided a slight view of the tall marble walls and luscious-looking trees that lay beyond the ocean of glass. The ceiling itself was glass too, allowing the sunlight to pass through and illuminate the building with a soft and warm hue.
This building is so fucking amazing and Katsuki is foaming at the mouth at the thought of being able to get inside.
Izuku is not doing much better than Katsuki. As soon as they passed the corner and Izuku saw the large groups of people dressed in cosplay walk into the building, Izuku practically started vibrating, his mouth muttering nonstop, and with unshed tears in his eyes. The damn nerd is way too excited right now but Katsuki understands how he feels. Even if he’s way better at hiding it than that dumbass.
As they make their way towards the front doors, Katsuki takes note of the people he can see.
There’s a girl dressed up in a white magical girl costume, adorned with two blonde pigtails and a bright red bow on her chest. Another person is wearing a blond wig and wielding a greatsword, possibly cosplaying someone from a Pre-Quirk video game. Next to them is a person in a giant piece of form armor. They stand seven feet tall and the armor itself is grey with large spikes on the top of its shoulders, a tuft of hair on its head, and a red symbol on its right bicep. Overall it looks cool as fuck.
Lastly, there's a group of three people dressed in Eraserhead, Present Mic, and Midnight costumes. The costumes aren’t super accurate given that the real Eraserhead is rarely in the spotlight but there's a clear effort made and Katsuki admits they look pretty impressive. Although Katsuki still chuckles at the idea of Aizawa Sensei seeing these kids dressed as him.
When they are finally about to enter the doors and hopefully get their badges, Katsuki feels a large hand land on his chest, stopping him from moving forward.
“Who the fuck—“
”Hey kid” Katsuki hears as his eyes follow the offending arm back to the bastard that dared to touch him. The man is clearly older, even older than the old hag, with wrinkles littering every inch of his face. Despite the disgusting hand that is still holding him back, the old man has the gall to have a gentle-looking smile on his face. The old man pauses for a moment before opening his mouth to speak again but Katsuki beats him to it.
“I don’t know who the fuck you think you are. But if you don’t get your hand off me right this instant—“
“Kacchan! Stop that!” Izuku interrupts as he forcefully pushes his body in between Katsuki and the old man. His eyes are frantic as he keeps looking at something on the old man’s chest but Katsuki can’t find it in himself to care, this old bastard is going to pay.
”Deku get the fuck out of my way!” Katsuki yells back trying to push past him. Fuck he forgot that Deku works out as much, if not more than he does. He’s honestly struggling a little bit.
“He’s a security guard! We probably went the wrong way!”
Katsuki pauses. He looks down at Izuku as the nerd slowly catches his breath and then glances at the old man who has the audacity to look sheepish. Now Katsuki sees what Izuku had been looking at. A bright yellow badge on the man’s chest adorned with big letters that read ‘CONVENTION SECURITY’. Well fuck him then.
The old man coughs slightly, not a real cough but one of those fake ones you make when you wanna make things less awkward.
“Don’t worry. I probably shouldn’t have touched you without your permission. I just needed to stop you before you went in the wrong way” The old man starts. He’s taken a step back from the two teens, clearly a little shaken up from Katsuki’s sudden reaction.
“I saw that you two don’t have your badges yet. This entrance is only for those with badges already. But don’t worry! There’s a place to get them on the other side of the building. Then if you come back this way again I can let you in no problem!” The old man finishes, a bright smile flashing on his face.
“Thank you so much! And we’re really sorry!” Izuku shouts as his face goes red. He does a quick bow before realizing that Katsuki is standing deathly still next to him and if Izuku is reading his face right Katsuki looks lost. Regardless, Izuku quickly grabs his arm and forces him into a bow. This finally shocks Katsuki out of his stupor.
“I-uh I’m sorry as well” Katsuki mumbles out. Izuku turns and gives him a gentle smile.
The old man laughs before waving his hands in an attempt to get them to stop their apologies.
“Now you better run off! Last I heard the line for badges was out the door. Good luck and have fun!” The old man comments before returning back to his duties.
As the two stand up Izuku grabs Katsuki’s hand as they slowly make their way around the building. Katsuki frowns slightly as he’s tugged along by the green-haired boy.
“Deku I—“
Well, this is hard. He’s not used to apologies, honestly, he thought the phrase ‘the words got caught in my throat’ was bullshit but his throat feels tight and Katsuki feels just a tiny bit bad for ruining the day so early. Not much, just a little bit.
“Hey look I’m sorry—“ Katsuki starts but he’s quickly cut off when Izuku turns to him with the brightest smile on his face.
“Don’t apologize to me! Yeah, you were being a jerk but that was hilarious! You should’ve seen your face when you realized he was convention security!” Izuku laughs.
Oh yeah, he forgot Deku is a prick sometimes.
At least Katsuki doesn’t feel bad anymore, a smile worms its way back on his face.
Katsuki is still looking at Izuku as they turn the corner. Which, in hindsight, Katsuki doesn't know if it was a blessing or a curse because on one hand, he got front row tickets to the glorious view of Izuku’s jaw hitting the floor and the light leaving his eyes as he looked past Katsuki and towards the doors.
And on the other hand, Katsuki realized what Izuku saw was the line for badges wrapped around the building.
Twice.
“Thank goodness we finally got through that line” Izuku comments, his eyes clearly exhausted but a smile adorns his face as he clutches his badge close to his chest.
”Next time—“ Katsuki starts before dragging his hand over his face. “We’re getting the damned things mailed to the dorm.”
Izuku chuckles into his hand at the comment but doesn’t argue. They should have learned by now that the extra money to pay for shipping was worth it.
If Katsuki thought the outside of the convention center was beautiful, the inside was drop-dead gorgeous. It’s one thing seeing the light shine off the windows from the outside but when you're finally under that glass ceiling surrounded by foliage and groups of people doing the same thing you love doing, it's like a breath of fresh air.
The convention center is crowded for sure. But thankfully it’s still early enough in the morning that they’re able to traverse the hallways with general ease. They already discussed their plan of action for today. First, they would go shopping in the Artist Alley and Dealer’s Den. Next Katsuki really wanted to see the ‘How to make an EXPLOSIVE entrance!’ panel that started at four. After that Deku really wanted to get an autograph from his favorite voice actor from a more recent TV show that was released. Lastly, there was a cosplay red carpet that the two wanted to watch.
There was plenty of free time in their plans and Katsuki had purposely made it that way so they had time to improvise. For example, as they make their way through the halls they keep on getting stopped for pictures and of course, Izuku joyously says yes every time. It eats into their time but Izuku’s having fun so he doesn't complain.
Katsuki wouldn’t admit it but he likes it when he gets asked for pictures too, it's nice knowing others appreciate the time and effort he put into his cosplay. And honestly, he enjoys meeting people who enjoy the same thing, even if he does argue with them that ‘No, that fictional Pre-Quirk hero would never beat All Might. I don’t care that his only weakness is a rock from outer space, All Might would kick his ass anyway’.
After a few detours, they finally make it to their destination. In big bold letters above them, a giant sign reads ‘Artist Alley’.
A wicked grin falls on Katsuki’s face as the two quickly plunge into the halls of fan art and artisans.
“Deku, you've spent the last ten minutes deciding between those prints, pick one already!” Katsuki comments.
Izuku glances up from where he was looking between the two prints he holds in his hands. Both prints are of the same character but the one in his right hand has gold accents in the main character’s hair, making the print look a lot nicer but also making it more expensive. Meanwhile, the print in his left hand doesn’t have the gold accents but does include his favorite side character from the series.
Izuku has been debating which one he wants for over ten minutes at this point and honestly, Katsuki feels a little bad for the shop owner who's waiting on them to make a purchase. Seeing Izuku take one last glance between the two prints and then shake his head in an indecisive manner Katsuki finally has enough.
Looking at the shop owner, Katsuki pulls out his wallet. “How much for the two prints?”
“For both it would be five thousand five hundred yen.” The young girl behind the counter responds with a smile.
Finally realizing what Katsuki planned to do, Izuku jumps in front of him and tries to stop the transaction.
”Make it up for me by buying me some Italian ice so I don’t starve to death because you ate all the granola bars” Katsuki interrupts.
A few minutes later, Izuku’s promise is fulfilled and Katsuki’s hunger is peacefully satiated with the icy chill of mango flavored Italian ice.
“You’ll never beat me, you damn nerd! I'm the best!” Katsuki yells as sweat runs down his forehead, ruining his makeup but he doesn’t care, all that matters is getting a higher score than Deku. His grip on the bar behind him tightens as his feet begin to move faster than ever.
Up, left, right, up, down, left and right at the same time.
He takes his eyes off the screen in front of him for just a brief moment and glances to his left. There Izuku stands in the same position as Katsuki, covered in sweat and his bag abandoned somewhere on the floor. The bright flashing lights coming from the screen shine on Izuku’s face turning his skin green, then blue, then purple, and then red. Katsuki probably looks just as dumb right now.
Fuck wait he's getting distracted. Katsuki’s eyes drift back to the screen. Right, down, left, left, right, up; the arrows flash in front of him.
They’re even right now. Both with perfect scores and no mistakes. If Katsuki is hearing correctly from the cheers and words of encouragement he thinks they’ve gained a crowd around them.
Well, they want a show? Katsuki grins. He and Deku will give them a show
As the song reaches its climax and the arrows move faster and faster, Izuku and Katsuki lock eyes for just a moment before recognition flashes on Izuku’s face. He nods and they move. They quickly switch sides all while still pressing the correct arrows that flash on the screen. It’s impressive, like a coronated dance they’ve spent hours rehearsing. Despite the sweat, the loose costumes, and the melting makeup; they move around each other gracefully and the perfect score icon still remains on the screen. He hears clapping in the background as the song finishes.
Now who said Katsuki wasn't a champion of Dance Dance Revolution?
After five whole minutes trying to find a non-crowded space, the two finally found an area that was relatively quiet. As Katsuki begins leaning on the wall, Izuku goes straight to sitting on the floor, clearly too exhausted to care about how dirty the floor probably is.
Surrounding them are at least five bags of different items they bought from the Artist Alley and Dealer’s Den. Katsuki is pretty sure Izuku went over his budget but this wouldn’t be the first time and most certainly wouldn’t be the last. Katsuki is actually pretty good with his budget right now, but there was that one replica sword in the Dealer’s Den that’s absolutely calling his name. Next time they pass through he’ll probably buy it.
“Hey I just got a text from Uraraka, she’s asking why we’re not going to the class outing today” Izuku comments from his spot on the floor. He’s looking at his phone like he doesn’t really know how to respond and is hoping Katsuki will answer for him. Katsuki sighs then obliges.
“Well I told four eyes that I had extended family coming over and since you’ve known me practically since birth the old hag invited you and Auntie Inko over” Katsuki responds.
Izuku nods to himself before typing on his phone. It takes a minute and probably way too many emojis before Izuku sets down his phone, leans his head back, and closes his eyes.
Yeah, Katsuki can relate. He can feel the exhaustion in his bones. It’s a different kind of tiredness than the type he feels after a long training session but it's welcomed nonetheless. He glances down and guesses the floor probably isn’t too dirty as he slowly lowers himself to the floor next to Izuku. Maybe he’ll take a trick out of Deku’s book and rest his eyes for just a moment… yeah that sounds good, he thinks as sleep quickly overtakes him.
After a ten-minute power nap and a frantic wake-up call from a concerned attendee, Katsuki now has a drool on his shoulder where Izuku rested his head and a slight cramp in his neck. But he feels like the nap was worth it as they’re reenergized to brave the halls of the convention center once more.
A few hours later the two teenagers find themselves walking out of the room where the ‘How to make an EXPLOSIVE entrance!’ panel just finished. Turns out Present Mic made a guest appearance at the panel. That was something neither Izuku nor Katsuki expected and after a brief moment of excitement, they quickly ran to the back of the room to make sure they wouldn’t be recognized. Katsuki doubts Present Mic would judge them, after all the teacher is at the convention as well, but it's just— weird he guesses? To have a teacher know that he goes to anime conventions. So both he and Izuku sit in the corner watching the panel and when it finally ends Katsuki leaves with a few more ideas to make Aizawa’s life a living hell.
It’s been a long day, that's for sure. Izuku admits that he would rather wait until tomorrow to try and get the voice actor’s autograph and so the two decide to watch the beginning of the cosplay red carpet before heading back to the hotel using the train. Thankfully the train station is connected to the Convention Center and their hotel is only a few stops away.
And so after watching the cosplay red carpet for a few minutes, the two grab their bags (way too many for two people), and head down to the train station. Although the train ride isn't long, Izuku somehow falls asleep as soon as he sits down and Katsuki acts as a pillow for the second time today.
With a slight shake, Izuku is bleary-eyed as they finally reach their stop and step off the train. He yawns before he looks up at Katsuki.
“That was really fun Kacchan, I can’t wait for tomorrow” Izuku comments tiredly.
Katsuki chuckles to himself briefly, they’re both a mess. Wigs half on, makeup almost fully removed, bags littering their arms, and eye bags under their eyes. But yeah, this was fun.
“Me too Izuku, I had fun”
Katsuki looks down at Izuku who gives him the brightest smile he’s seen all day and Katsuki can’t stop the smile that makes its way on his face either.
“Bakugo? Is that you?”
Katsuki freezes and he feels Izuku do the same next to him. Fuck. He snaps his head around to look behind him and there stands the entire Class of 1-A minus himself and Izuku. The class stands in shock like they didn’t expect to see the two of them there and frankly, Katsuki didn’t expect them either. Most of the class is holding shopping bags. Fuck he guesses their class outing was in the same city as the convention. Damn it he should’ve paid more attention.
Katsuki can clearly see Kirishima slowly open his mouth again, preparing to speak when Katsuki’s hand is forcefully grabbed and Izuku sprints out of the train station with him. Even when they make it outside, they keep running, past the buildings, past their hotel, and when they finally stop Izuku breaks out into laughter. Laughter so loud and uncontrollable he’s barely keeping himself off the floor. And so Katsuki laughs too. With the same vigor and intensity.
They laugh the entire way home.