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Winter practices were the worst. For one thing, Katsuki hated the cold, and for another, he hated running on turf. The black plastic bits got stuck in his cleats, and when they did tackle drills, he ended up getting some of the bits caught in his sports bra. Worst was the way the indoor building was so freaking hot. He understood that once the season and games actually started that he would be running around in the sun and heat, but at least it would be outside with a nice breeze on his skin, drying the sweat and cooling him off. Inside, all the heat did was stick to you.
And Katsuki was already a sweaty mess during practice anyway. He couldn't help that he had a towell specifically for wiping the sweat from his hairline, or mopping up the annoying sweat soaking the fabric of his bra's elastic band. But now that he was a few months into his medical transition, he found that he was somehow sweating more than he had before. Seriously, he had been prepared for that side effect, and for his body temperature to rise a little bit, but he hadn't been prepared for how much he would be sweating. Hell, even stretching had him breaking out. It was fucking annoying how many clothes he went through to prevent smelling like a rotten fish all day. Thank God Izuku had bought him loads of men's deodorant when Katsuki mentioned off hand he wanted to switch just to see if it made him feel euphoric for once. It was the only thing strong enough to make him feel like no one would smell just how sweaty he was.
And that was another thing, his actual smell had changed since starting testosterone. Which was, one, fucking cool as hell in his opinion because he never felt dysphoric about "smelling like a girl" but now he so obviously smelt more like a man, and that comforted him, but two, he was also paranoid that others would think he smelt disgusting between the smell change and sweat.
He was speed running male puberty and it was getting hard to keep track of the changes, positive though they were.
So, when he went to the locker rooms after conditioning to shower and change before leaving with Izuku to study, he was completely taken aback when the green eyed team captain shoved him against a locker and demanded Katsuki not shower.
Katsuki had his sweatshirt pulled up over his stomach, ready to pull it off with the sports bra to hop in for a quick shower when Izuku gripped his wrist, forcing Katsuki to let go of the hem of his grey sweatshirt. "Can I help you, Izuku?" He knew for a fact that he reeked. He could smell himself when he went to take his shirt off before getting interrupted, and now, of course, his boyfriend was in his face, likely able to smell him too.
"Don't shower."
That was it. Two words.
Katsuki looked at Izuku, silently asking what the hell was going on in his shitty head. "I'm not going to your apartment without showering 'Zuku. I don't wanna be all sweaty while we do homework." Between the two of them, while Katsuki looked meaner and more prone to being a delinquent who didn't bother with other people's opinions of him, he was the one who was more of a clean freak. Everything about Katsuki, head to toe, kitchen to bedroom, his life was immaculate. Izuku on the other hand hardly cared, too busy rushing between classes, practice, conditioning and clinicals.
Well, Katsuki thought, at least he showed up presentable for clinicals.
"Pleaseeeeeee can we just go to my place?"
"It'll take me not even ten minutes to rinse off and change, Izuku." Katsuki was so done with Izuku's daily dose of nuissance.
Izuku pouted. "Kacchaaaaan. But you smell so good right now. Don't shower it off." Katsuki tried in vain to wrestle out of Izuku's grip but ended up stopping when Izuku got close to his neck and licked his ear. No one else was left in the locker rooms, so Katsuki couldn't help but let out a breathy moan at the tickle.
"Izuku what the fuck are you even talking about right now? I smell like ass. Let me shower and then we can go back to your place." Katsuki was watching Izuku carefully now. Izuku had never really mentioned the way he smelled. Not when they were tongue deep in eachother or just cuddling, so now, Katsuki was beginning to feel a little self concious. He was well aware that he didn't smell the same as he did a few months ago. His scent had turned a little more sour, and the excess vanilla scented deodorant he put on throughout the day masked it well enough, but meshed with his currently sweaty gym clothes to be off putting.
Izuku didn't seem off put by the crude language. He never was. Instead he brought his nose down to Katsuki's collarbone, where the neck of his hoodie was darker, wet with sweat, and took a deep breath in. Katsuki could practically feel Izuku's shudder as he took another deep inhale. "Izuku I'm gonna give you five seconds before I punch you in the face. Get. Off."
The green head seemed to listen, and he pulled away finally. Though he didn't look happy about it. "What's wrong Kacchan?" Izuku grasped the way Katsuki's voice shook with anxious anger. It was his automatic defense mechanism whenever he felt like his pride was being threatened. The armor worked decently enough against most people. Those who never saw Katsuki without the silver plating never seemed to understand the subtle change in his voice when he was feeling self concious. Izuku was one of the few.
Katsuki curled in on himself, the slightest change in posture. "Nothing. I just wanted to shower so I didn't stink up your apartment. What's wrong with that? As if you don't need soap too." The bite was barely there.
"Is that all?" Izuku sounded amused.
"Do not joke Izuku. I'm serious."
"And I am too!" Izuku used his index finger and thumb to gently grip Katsuki's chin and turn his head to face him. "When have I ever lied to you?"
"Izuku, you and I both know you're shit at lying." Katsuki rolled his eyes.
"Exactly! So why would I lie about this! I promise you don't smell bad." Izuku bit his lip. Katsuki waited for the rest of the words Izuku most definately had to say. "In fact, I think you smell so good lately. Like, really good, Kacchan. Especially after practice." The words came out quickly and Izuku was blushing deep red when he finished.
"What, so I didn't smell good before?" Katsuki was seconds from tackling his boyfriend to the ground at the insult.
"What?! NO! Kacchan, you've just…I dunno," Izuku scratched the back of his head. "It's hard to explain. About a month ago your sweat just started smelling really good, like, sour? But better? And don't get me wrong, you always smell like your vanilla and coconut conditioner, which is heavenly, but damn I've been holding back stealing your gym clothes just to smell when I jack off to you."
Katsuki blinked, silent, after the last sentence left Izuku's mouth. Then Izuku spoke again. "Okay, actually, I did steal, like, one of your sleep shirts and kept it on my pillow every night since you slept over two weeks ago. Sorry." The apology was muted by the rambling.
Blood rushed to Katsuki's face and he felt dizzy with overwhelming embarrassment and relief. Maybe endearment towards Izuku, but that would be stretching it.
Fuck, I couldn't have picked more of a dumbass to date, could I have?
Katsuki was too stuck on the fact that his boyfriend one, jerked off to him rather than just invite him over and two, that his favorite sleep shirt with the skull and cross bones that he'd been missing was on Izuku's pillow.
Oh. And the fact that his sweat made Izuku apparently very horny if the begginning of the hard-on in Izuku's pants was anything to go by.
"Earth to Kacchan?" Izuku waved his hand in front of Katsuki's face, snapping him back out of his thoughts. "Sorry if I said anything weird, I just— was kind of hoping we could, you know…before we work on homework…and I was thinking about how if you didn't shower you would still smell like you do now, and I've been thinking about that for so long Kacchan. Please?"
Katsuki bit his lip, thinking.
Again, it wasn't that he himself felt like he smelt bad, he was just worried that the changes to his body were happening rapidly enough that others would notice and think it gross.
He eyed the bulge in Izuku's sweatpants one more time.
"Fine. But I want my shirt back. And we are actually getting shit done tonight afterwards, you hear me?"
Izuku held back a breathy moan at that. "Can I keep the sweatshirt you're wearing? You can borrow one of mine."
Katsuki raised a brow but nodded. "Fucking freak."
Izuku smiled mischeviously. "Only for you, my pretty boy."
The two did not make it back to Izuku's apartment. Instead, Izuku ended up pulling Katsuki's shorts down and making quick work of a very worked up Katsuki, all while enjoying the sweat soaked shirt that Katsuki was wearing the whole time.