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Chocolate was an essential part of Valentines Day. Izuku wasn't sure of the history behind it or how that certain sweet treat had been made the staple, the tradition, but he knew how important it was for some people.
Every year of school there would be some commotion about who's getting chocolate from who or who had gotten the most love letters.
Izuku wasn't like Katsuki or the other guys in their class. He got maybe one or two friendship chocolates and pity chocolate from his mom. She had started making them way back when he was in middle school so he didn't feel left out when the other kids handed out candy.
No one wanted to be nice to the lame quirkless kid. Hell, at one point someone had spread a rumor that they could lose their quirk if they even spoke to Izuku.
So as you can imagine, Izuku wasn't popular for Valentines day.
Well apparently that all was going to change his last year of his high school life.
"What?! You really never got anything on valentines day?" Kaminari gapes at Izuku as they all sit in the dorm common room. Most of the class is lounging around after a long day of training, school and their internships.
Izuku looks over from his spot on another couch, giving the group that has looked over a little nervous smile. "Well, yeah? It's not that surprising. I wasn't the most popular kid."
"What do you mean its not that surprising! You're Deku!" Iida cuts in, waving his arms, clearly aghast at the revelation. Most of his friends seem to be, which Izuku doesn't understand why. "It would only make perfect sense for you to be the one to get chocolates."
"Yeah!" Ochaco agrees, nodding her head.
Izuku rubs the back of his neck, looking at his class mates who have now turned their full attention onto him instead of their lounging.
"Oh, well..I mean not everyone in middle school wanted to be friends with the quirkless kid. I was never included in class things in elementary despite the teachers trying their best to include me." He tries to explain. "Now since we are older it's for someone you love, right? I don't think anyone feels that way towards me."
A couple of people cut eyes to Katsuki, who simply looks away with a huff. He can't even deny being one of the people who left Izuku out of things. At some point their tense past was put right on display.
Kaminari scoffs, waving the thought away. "No,no, you know what we are going to do, Deku? You're getting the class 3-A chocolates!"
"You really don't have to do that."
"Oh but we will." Mina pops up behind the couch out of nowhere. She climbs over it, landing beside Katsuki who simply gives her a sharp look. "Even grumpy over here is gonna make some. Operation show Deku some love is a go!"
"If…if you insist."
Izuku couldn't get another protest out before the class started to cheer. His friends were really nice, and the thought was a really sweet thing but by god does it stress him out.
ꨄ︎
February fourteenth started off with a pile of wrapped candy dumped on his desk. He couldn't even find his notebook he had left there, it now drowned in the heaps of chocolate his friends lovingly gave him.
By lunch time, he found himself sitting in the class room with Todoroki, Iida and Ochaco, going through their own gifts.
Todoroki was reading though the many love letters that had been tucked into his shoe locker. Iida had gotten a couple of candies as well, and Ochaco simply petted the bear that Tsu had gifted her.
Izuku carefully went through each chocolate given to him by his classmates. Some of them left just their name, but most left actual little notes stuck to the wrappers. Izuku couldn't hide it, the smile that he kept on his face the entire day showed how happy it made him.
He felt truly loved and cherished by his friends, so grateful to have them.
"Another confession?" Ochaco asks Todoroki who holds a folded paper sealed with a heart. He nods, looking down at it with a blank expression. Izuku knows despite his more…blunt demeanor, Todoroki tries to read each one and give an easy rejection.
Even if their expressions of their love and attraction to him confuse the poor guy.
"There's more than last year." Todoroki notes, breaking the seal. His heterochromic eyes scan the words scribbles onto the paper with no reaction at all.
"It's because you give thoughtful responses." Iida adds, carefully ailing his gifts into his bag.
"Sure."
Izuku chuckles a bit at the conversation, picking up a caramel chocolates from his own pile. To his suspire a small paper slides out, gently falling onto the desk. Izuku blinks, almost thinking he imagined it.
He examines it for a moment before picking up the small note, handing it over to Todoroki. "I think ours got a little mixed up."
Todoroki nods, taking the note before furrowing his brows at the sight. "No, my names not Midoriya."
"Huh?"
Ochaco gasps, reaching over to pluck the note before Todoroki can hand back to Izuku. "Oh my! It's a love confession!"
"Like a real one?!" Izuku flushes, reaching out for the note. He brings it to his face to inspect it like it was a bomb.
On the page was neat hand writing, and simple yet impactful words.
Be mine. All of those years spent thinking you're not enough are over. I'll remind you every single day that you are. Be mine, and you'll never forget you are my hero.
"Hero…" Izuku mumbles, face blazing hot at the looks over the contents some more. No one had ever said such words to him before, not like this on pink paper written in ink. Definitely not on valentines day stuck to a piece of chocolate.
Which one did it come from? Was this a joke? His classmates like to play pranks, sure, but this would feel particularly cruel. Plus, it would be mean to the person who put their feelings out there if he were to brush it off as just a joke.
"How do…how do I give them a response? There's no name." Izuku frowns looking up to his three friends. All of them are watching him like a hawk at his reaction to the note.
"Does the wording remind of you anyone? How about the hand writing?" Iida asks. Izuku shakes his head, looking to the small paper.
"No, I have no idea who it could have been from, and I'm not sure which candy it came from."
"Maybe it was someone in class. We all gave you some." Todoroki offers. "Or someone could have slipped into the class room without us knowing."
"We are trained heroes." Ochaco points out. "We would have noticed someone coming in."
Todoroki shrugs. "It's Monday."
"If they really mean it, I'm sure the admirer will show themselves" Iida tells Izuku, which puts him a little at ease.
"Right."
ꨄ︎
Izuku couldn't relax.
He laid on his bed in his dorm, staring up at the ceiling with the note in his hand. Iida told him not to worry too much about it, but it was all he could think of. During the rest of the school day, training and dinner the words written crossed his mind.
He even found his thoughts straying when he called his mom for the night.
Now he's back in bed, shamelessly inspecting the words on the page again.
Be mine. All of those years spent thinking you're not enough are over. I'll remind you every single day that you are. Be mine, and you'll never forget you are my hero.
Who would ever say those words to him? Especially him now, quirkless and helpless once again. Izuku may be a hero, but he didn't feel like one. Not when everyone is improving and becoming better and better each day.
He rolls over, cheek squishing into his All Might themed pillow.
If it was someone in class, it could be awkward if I reject them, Izuku thinks to himself. There's only a couple people I would say yes too, but it would never happen. No way it would ever happen.
"Nerd, open the fucking door!"
Izuku blinks, being brought back to reality to hear that someone is banging on his door. Scrambling from his bed, he rushes to open it to find a very annoyed Katsuki standing there, his arms crossed.
"Jesus, how fucking long were you going to take?"
"Sorry Kacchan, I was lost in thought." Izuku smiles, opening the door wider for Katsuki to come in. The man nearly barges in, scanning Izuku's dorm with ruby red eyes. "Do you need something…?"
"Yeah, I put the wrong chocolate on your desk." Katsuki huffs, choosing not to look at Izuku at all. "Got yours and the old hags mixed up."
"You bought chocolates for your mom too? That's very nice of you Kacchan."
"Shut up! Let me look through your shit."
Izuku nods, gesturing over to his desk where all the chocolate sits. Luckily for Mrs.Bakugo, Izuku didn't even try to eat anything yet. Its..a lot of candy. "Go ahead and look. Take some if you want too as well. I can't eat it all."
Katsuki only huffs in response, stomping to the desk and looking through the pile. He seems to get more and more angry as each second passes, none of the chocolate being the one he's looking for. When he finally stops, its the caramel one Izuku was looking at earlier.
Earlier when the note fell on the table.
Izuku looks down to his hand where he still had the note tightly grasped. Katsuki scoffs at the caramel candy, looking over to Izuku in almost a panic.
"There wasn't anything attached to this right?" he asks before freezing at the sight of the pink in Izuku's hand. They both stare at each other for a moment, both minds going wild with thoughts.
It's clearly not for his mom, Izuku tells himself. And my name is written clearly.
So clearly.
"Kacchan… did you write this note?"
Katsuki steps back like the words were a physical blow to him. His hands close and open, a tale tell sign he's getting worked up. Izuku steps forward, unfolding the note in front of him.
"Kacchan, am I your hero?"
"Just give it to me, Izuku." Katsuki snaps, snatching the paper from his hands. His palms burn the pink page a little bit, charring the edges of the words so perfectly written out. His face is flushed, eyes looking anywhere but at Izuku.
"It was a stupid idea, a lapse in judgment."
"It's not stupid at all Kacchan." Izuku defends. "It means a lot to me. To know that's what you think of me."
"Stop talking!"
"No! Not when you gave me a love letter." Izuku says back, frowning at the sight of katsuki struggling to even be in this situation. clearly he had gotten worked up and came to get the note before Izuku saw it.
He's embarrassed and Izuku finds it so damn cute.
"Kacchan, you asked me to be yours."
"Yeah, so what?" Katsuki crumbles the pink paper, crossing his arms. "You gonna laugh now? Go ahead, nerd."
"Why would I laugh?" Izuku asks seriously shaking his head at the mere idea he'd so easily brush off Katsuki's feelings. "I just, I wanna know why you'd give this to me of all people. There's so many girls who gave you letters today. Like, are you doing this because you felt bad for me?"
It's Katsuki's turn to be defensive, furrowing his brows. "You think I give a shit about those girls? Clearly not. And no, I don't feel bad for you, idiot. What I wrote is the fucking truth, you're….my hero."
"Thank you, Kacchan."
"Don't thank me for that!" Katsuki snaps again, before stepping froward. "I'll only repeat myself once….be mine. Be mine, Izuku."
Izuku feels his face burning, but there's no part of him that feels embarrassed. No, his heart is pounding in his ears, his brain trying to memorize this moment for the rest of his life. He didn't want to forget a single detail.
The details of his best friend, his childhood friend, his rival, finally telling him something hes wanting to hear for years. Years of small shifts, small moments piling into this want.
Izuku smiles, reaching his hand out for Katsuki's. "I'm already yours, Kacchan. Always have been."
Katsuki doesn't say a word. Not because he didn't want or try to. Izuku had leaned up before either of them could think, pressing their lips together in a small gentle peck.
It felt like he had sealed their confession. It felt like a promise.