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It was supposed to be a good thing, graduating from UA. And it was. The start of their pro careers and all that.
Katsuki stood at the edge of the group, hands jammed in his pockets, watching his classmates celebrate.
They were all too loud and cheerful as usual, over-excited to be moving on to the next stage of their lives.
He was too, mostly, he’d finally have a chance to be in the field full-time, to put all his training to use. Really, there was only one thing dampening his spirits. His eyes drifted to Deku. The nerd was in the thick of it, a smile plastered on his face. It annoyed Katsuki because he didn’t know how Deku could pretend like everything was fine. They all had the option of going pro, maybe at the same agencies, probably in the same city, but not Deku. Without a quirk he was grounded, and that meant their paths forked here. After a lifetime of chasing each other, that rivalry was over.
Katsuki grit his teeth.
“Damn nerd…” he muttered to himself.
The time for hesitation was passed.
Katsuki clenched his fists and waded through the noisy group.
“Oi! Deku…” It didn’t come out with as much bite as it was supposed to.
The nerd turned to him with those stupid big eyes. Always watching him…
“K- Kacchan…” he grinned, but it was tight around the edges. For all his laughing and smiling, he knew too. That this was the end.
Katsuki wanted, no needed, to talk to him but the room was full of dumb extras.
“Come for a walk…”
“W- Where to?”
Katsuki’s fist tightened. He didn’t have an answer, the location was irrelevant other than it would be private.
“Does it matter?!”
“I guess not…?”
“Just come on…” he growled, turning away, trusting Deku to follow like always.
Outside the cool air felt better, or at least it felt like he could breathe. Deku spilled out of the room behind him, calling back assurances that he wouldn’t be long.
Irrational as it was, Katsuki didn’t like him giving anyone else any consideration right now.
“What is it, Kacchan?” Deku asked, dark curls bobbing around his face.
“Tch. Just walk…”
He headed off across the school grounds, maybe towards the training field, but just anywhere that wasn’t in sight of the rest of 1-A.
Deku hurried and fell into step beside him.
“Kacchan, you’re acting weird…” Deku said, close now, a warm presence right beside him. Where he should be. “Are you feeling nostalgic?”
“What?!”
“B- Because we’re graduating? Did you want to take one last look around?”
Further from the building, it got darker. The night closing around them actually felt better, like it was just the two of them and they were all that mattered.
Katsuki looked down at Deku, some of the details lost in the dim light, his hand was right there, right next to Katsuki’s. He looked ahead again, still walking, because maybe if he was moving he wouldn’t have to think. Not about graduating or heroing or adulthood. Or leaving Deku behind.
His hand reached over and grasped Deku’s. There was a split second of hesitation in Deku’s step but he didn’t stop.
“Kacchan… Your hand… It- It’s holding mine…”
Katsuki kept his eyes forward.
“Got a problem with that?!”
“No…”
“Shut up about it then.”
They kept walking.
“Kacchan, where are we going?”
Katsuki realised they had reached the training field. He slowed a little.
“This’ll do…” he muttered.
They had spent a lot of time here in first year. And more time since, though Deku was on the sidelines muttering and scribbling in one of his stupid books.
“You’re acting weird…”
“Am not,” Katsuki denied, coming to a stop.
Deku looked up at him, hand still firm in Katsuki’s.
“Is everything alright?”
Katsuki gave him a long look, eyes sweeping over that familiar face, the freckles, the scars, and those big eyes that he wanted to keep locked on him forever.
“We’re graduating,” Katsuki said.
“Yes, I know.”
“I know you know.”
“Okay…”
Katsuki huffed out a breath.
“Well it changes things, doesn’t it?!”
“That’s what it’s supposed to do…”
Katsuki glared down.
“You’re not listening!”
“I am! You’re saying you… Don’t want things to change…”
Was he? No, that wasn’t it. Not exactly.
“Things have to change…” he sighed.
“It’s okay, Kacchan. Everyone is nervous.”
“I’m not-“ he snapped, because he wasn’t, not about heroing, that was just the obvious next step. But this. Them. It was… “At least, not about that…”
He looked away, unable to find the words the wanted, thoughts churning until Deku squeezed his hand.
“Hey…”
He looked back, that stupid reassuring smile on Deku’s face. How the hell was he supposed to live his life without it?
“Damn it…” he growled, grabbing Deku’s shirt and reeling him in, shoving his lips against Deku’s.
The touch was brief, warm, Deku’s lips softer than he expected.
Deku pulled back.
“Kacchan! What’re you…?!”
“I thought that’d be obvious, idiot…”
“Nothing about this is obvious!”
“Tch… Seriously?”
“What?” Deku said, wide-eyed.
“Graduating doesn’t bother you?” Katsuki snapped.
“No… I mean, it’s a big step, there’s a lot to think about, and I’ll miss everyone-“
“There. That bit. What if…”
“What if what?”
“Damnit! Do I have to say everything out loud?!”
“If- If you wouldn’t mind…”
“Tch.” He took a step away, raking his hand through his hair as he gathered his thoughts. What exactly was it he was trying to say here?
He turned back to Deku who looked damn near angelic in the moonlight.
“Kacchan…”
What if this was it?
“I… I don’t want to lose you…”
“You won’t.”
“You say that,” Katsuki said, stepping close again. “But how do you know? We’re following different paths now and we might drift apart…”
“We’ll always be friends, Kacchan.”
It wasn’t enough.
“I want more than that. I want you right beside me. Where I can always reach you.”
“What are you saying, Kacchan?”
“Well seeing as how you’re such an idiot, I guess I’ll have to spell it out…”
“Please…”
He stepped closer and grabbed Deku’s hand again, holding on tight.
“I… really like you, Deku. I want us to date.”
“Date…?”
“Yeah,” Katsuki said, praying the darkness was enough to hide his burning cheeks. “Be like boyfriends or whatever. Be important to each other.”
Deku didn’t reply. As much as Katsuki wished he’d shut up sometimes, now was really not the best time for him to go silent.
He was about to bark at Deku to answer when he caught a glimpse of something sparkling in the moonlight. Tears. Deku was crying. Of course he was…
“Dek-“
“Seriously, Kacchan? You want me? Even now…”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I… I can’t keep up with you anymore.”
“Exactly. That’s why I need you close where I can keep an eye on you. So what do you say?”
Deku looked up, pushing a smile through the tears.
“Yes,” he said, laughing softly like he couldn’t quite believe it. “I say yes.”
Then he was tiptoeing up, curling his arms around Katsuki’s neck.
“I thought I was gonna lose you too, Kacchan.”
“Tch, idiot…” Katsuki said, hands fastening around Deku’s waist, as he leaned in and caught his mouth in a proper kiss.