Work Text:
Katsuki is standing in Hatsumes’ lab looking over a new prototype for the jets that they are hoping will work with the iron-soled boots they have styled from Izukus’ final hero costume. Katsuki holds up the blueprint of the previous design next to the new one to see the mechanical differences and size adjustments.
“I made it so that the main jet at the ball of the boot is slightly wider, and changed the power direction so that the front jet gets more of a boost at first take off. Hopefully that fixes the main balancing issue we were seeing after initial take off, but I don’t know how it will act in the air yet, having more power at the front instead of evenly distributed,” Hatsume says, while she wrenches together the leg guards to attach to the dummy legs.
“What about the back jet? Did you end up keeping the old jet from the previous design?” Melissa Shields asks, the screen along the far wall displaying her face over video call.
“Yes I did Mel, glad you asked! The jet in the heel is actually performing so much better even after the power relocation, so it is no longer melting the main brace piece on the heel of the boot! It’s so interesting seeing how-” Hatsume continues, but Katsuki just blocks out a lot of the engineering jargon he doesn’t have full understanding of.
It has been 5 years in the process already, and Katsuki is hoping it doesn’t take much longer. He knew going into the project that it was going to take time perfecting each piece of the suit, to get as close as possible to One For All, he just hadn’t anticipated the amount of trials they would have to go through for each individual piece before everything worked cohesively.
But he is determined to have Izuku by his side again. Even if it’s just as a hero, he is determined to have him a part of his life.
Katsuki feels his phone buzz once in his pocket but it goes ignored as he turns to Melissa on the big screen, “Did you get a chance to go over the idea I had about improving the extraction mechanism for Blackwhip?” he asks, reaching over to grab his halfassed sketching of the sleeker styled white gauntlets.
“Actually I was going to ask you about that. What is the purpose of putting in a release control to have them fully detach from the gauntlets? That seems like it would be more costly in the long run having to always rewind them and reattach,” Melissa says, pulling over her laptop to look at the sketch again. “Or, are you thinking about replaceable pieces? Cause that would be a lot more expensive, especially since we haven’t found the correct material to manufacture the actual whip tendrils yet.”
Katsukis’ phone buzzes in quick succession, again, but he chooses to ignore it. “I was watching some robot fighting videos- don’t even ask. Kaminari sends me the stupidest shit in the middle of the night when he’s bored. Anyways, I was watching these videos where these robots had cameras attached, and they had specific sensor plates that the cameras attached to. I was thinking maybe we could simplify that process or make it smaller scale and put them at the ends of the tendrils once released. Kinda like a homing beacon. Izuku would just have to point his fist at the tendrils and they would automatically snap back into place.”
“Oh I see what you mean! Let me do some more research, can you send me those videos you have?”
“Yeah I can do that-” Katsukis’ phone rings this time, and it only does that once someone has called so many times in a row.
He holds up his hand before placing his sketches down onto the bench before walking over to the exit. Hatsume starts cheering when the dummy leg successfully lifts off the ground, and Katsuki gets one quick glimpse before the jet boot takes off flying to the back of the room and into the wall, smashing to pieces.
He pulls his phone out of his pocket and sees Izukus’ contact picture showcasing on his screen. Katsuki had snuck this one, right after graduation when the class was gathering under the cherry blossom trees after getting their diplomas. Izuku was smiling while glancing up at the falling petals with a soft smile on his face.
Katsuki had immediately set it as his contact photo. But Izuku doesn’t know that.
“Izuku, what’s up? I’m kinda in the middle of filling out some reports for Jeanist,” Katsuki replies, walking down the hallway a bit to get away from the workshop sounds as Hatsume does… whatever it is she does.
Hatsume is crazy, but she is crazy smart, too.
“Kacchan,” Izuku says, slightly breathless and edging with his nervous energy.
“What?”
“I- ok please don’t make fun of me for this but I am genuinely freaking out and I don’t have much time- god did I forget to upload my final course outline-”
“Izuku,” Katsuki says, his tone dropping.
Sure enough, he stops. He takes a deep breath in, lets out all the air, and then says, “Help.”
Katsuki has gotten better since the war and since being in UA. He rarely lashes out anymore, (unless it's stupid civilians getting in the way of his work and then he gets a little snippy) and he prides himself on being able to have a better handle on his emotions.
That single word makes him feel a lot of different emotions and the very forefront of them is just downright panic.
“What’s wrong? Where are you? I want of full report on your status, what villain it is and-”
“No, Kacchan, not like that!” Izuku yells into the phone. He groans a little too long, mumbles something Katsuki can’t understand, and then says, “I need your help. I’m at my place. No villain. Can you just get here? Preferably within the next 20 minutes?”
Katsuki looks at the time on his watch, (stupid heart rate monitor he has to wear to keep an eye on his levels). He knows the lab is 25 minutes to Izukus’ place by car, but it being mid day, he knows there will be a shit ton of traffic to get through.
Well, he is technically on the clock.
“I can be there in 10,” Katsuki says before he promptly hangs up and jogs back to the lab.
He throws open the door to see Hatsume tinkering away at the boot again, having fully taken it apart now, and Melissa is rebuilding it with a hologram version with different pieces from all the past designs.
“I gotta go, don’t blow anything up,” Katsuki yells before he rushes out.
“That’s your job Blasty!” Hatsume yells back.
Katsuki just shakes his head before placing his mask back over his eyes as he gets to the stairs to lead outside. As soon as he gets to the sidewalk, he blasts up and forward, propelling himself through the air as onlookers point and wave. He waves to a few kids he sees, before focusing back to his task.
Maybe he takes less than 10 minutes, because when he lands on Izukus’ balcony, Izuku jumps about a foot in the air from what Katsuki can see through his sliding door. He waves with a little smirk pulling at his lips, grateful he still has the element of surprise.
“You know, they fixed the elevator so you don’t have to walk up 6 flights anymore,” Izuku says as soon as he opens the door and lets Katsuki inside.
“Where is the fun in that, nerd?” Katsuki asks, following behind him.
Izukus’ apartment is a disaster and a half when he takes a look around. His yellow backpack (how has that thing survived?) is open on his dining table with papers and notebooks spilling out, his laptop is open on the coffee table with three mugs placed around it, and what looks like every piece of clothing Izuku owns thrown onto every chair and spread all over his couch.
Katsuki looks towards Izuku as he paces back and forth down the short hallway he has to his bedroom, back to his genkan, and then back towards his bedroom.
“Why did you need my help, nerd? I gotta finish my reports before my patrol,” Katsuki says, crossing his arms and leaning against the back of his couch.
When Izuku turns, Katsuki gets a look at his disheveled appearance. He’s got black slacks on, and is wearing a white button down shirt, but it's open, a white fitted tank underneath and his tie hanging around his neck.
“Ok, please don’t make fun of me for this,” Izuku says, before glancing down at his chest and back up. “I need you to teach me how to tie a tie.”
Katsuki just stares for a moment, completely dumbfounded. Now, he knows Izuku never properly learned. The photos from their graduation are proof of that statement, every photo showcasing the short and too puffy tie that Izuku used to wear. All throughout UA, he never tried to learn and then after the war and losing his arms, it was even harder for him because his fingers would stiffen up randomly. He had admitted once that he would just loosen it enough to be able to slip it on and off his head so he wouldn’t have to retie it everyday.
Ok. Moment to process over. Katsuki laughs.
Katsuki hunches over, placing his hands onto his knees and just cackles. He loses himself for a few moments just laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation. Izuku, big bad Izuku who was once the strongest hero, defeated the worst villain seen in Japan in decades, and was known as the Symbol of Hope, losing his mind over not being able to tie a tie.
Izuku, who is now pouting and blushing such a pretty shade, throws his arms up and starts pacing again. “Kacchan! This is not funny! I have to leave in the next 24 minutes to get to the train on time to meet Principal Nezu for my official interview to become a teacher, and I need to look reputable and I can’t do that if I wear my tie the same stupid way I wore it in highschool and will you quit freaking laughing at me!”
Katsuki raises up and wipes the tears that have gathered at the corners of his eyes, as the final chuckles leave his lips. His watch blares at him to calm his heart rate down, but he just dismisses the notification and puts the reasoning under laughter. He watches as Izuku pulls at his hair and paces back and forth, mumbling incoherently under his breath.
Katsuki just steps up in front of him, right in his pathway so the next time Izuku turns, he smashes his face right into Katsukis’ chest. Katsuki is lucky he grew a couple extra inches above Izuku, otherwise he probably would’ve just gotten a broken nose from how hard he walked into him.
“Nerd, I think it’s cute you asked me to come help you out. But next time you ask, don’t sound like it’s a life or death situation,” Katsuki says as he looks down at Izuku.
Izuku doesn’t look up at him, but his blush has deepened exponentially. It has finally reached his ears and because the tank top he is wearing, Katsuki can see his chest is also getting a bit red too.
Katsuki has always enjoyed flustering Izuku. It makes his freckles stand out and he just looks so pretty.
“Um, yeah sorry. Just, uh, really nervous is all,” Izuku stammers, before stepping back a half a foot. He looks up to Katsuki and gives a small smile of appreciation. “Is that why you got here so fast? Jeanists’ agency is at least 45 minutes away from here.”
It’s 39 minutes, but Katsuki doesn’t tell him that.
“I thought you were hurt or something. Scared the shit out of me the way you said you needed help,” Katsuki says. He looks down again and immediately regrets it but tries his best to school his expression.
That tank top is tight. At least Izuku has kept up with his training, even after losing the embers. Katsukis’ ears are a little warm.
“I’m sorry, Kacchan. Can you please help?” Izuku asks, putting his hands behind his back.
Katsuki just gives him a small smile, before gesturing with his hand, “You gonna button that up first?”
Izuku looks down, and his blush burns bright again before he hastily buttons up his shirt. He gets stuck on the last few buttons because of his fingers, so Katsuki helps him out.
“You wanna start with your collar flipped up. It’ll get in the way if you don’t,” Katsuki says, before reaching his fingers between Izukus’ neck and the collar of the shirt. Izuku shivers a bit, and Katsuki realizes he still has his gloves on. “Shit, hold on.”
He takes them off with his teeth, the only way he can because of how tight they are to his hands, and puts them on the side table beside the couch. When he turns back, Izuku hasn’t moved, but his eyes flick up at the last second to meet Katsukis’ gaze. He blushes brightly again.
Did.. did Izuku just check out his ass?
Katsuki dismisses that thought almost as soon as it pops up because that is impossible. Izuku would never feel the same way that Katsuki feels about him. There is absolutely no way.
“Um, ok, so, you want to start with your wider piece longer on the side,” Katsuki says, reaching out again to adjust the position of Izukus’ tie. He reaches behind his neck to smooth out the silky green tie so that it lays flat all the way around. “Then cross that wider piece over and then under your shorter one; keep the pieces flat, don’t get them all twisted around.”
He slowly moves the tie over and under, getting it into position. He holds the fabric against Izukus’ chest as he looks up to make sure he is paying attention.
He is unprepared to see Izuku looking him in the eye over watching what he is showing him.
“Look down, asshole, I’m only showing you this once,” Katsuki snaps. He can feel the heat from the tips of his ears moving down to his cheeks now and it’s starting to annoy him.
“Sorry! Sorry, yes I’m watching,” Izuku says, before forcing his chin down. His blush has receded to more of a slight pink along the bridge of his nose now.
“Right, so, once you are here, you wanna bring it back over again. Then, pull it up through the loop at your neck,” Katsuki' s fingers brush over Izuku' adams apple, where he can feel a reflexive swallow.
God, he is glad he wears baggy pants with his hero costume.
“Lastly, pull it through the last loop you created, overtop of the shorter piece. Then you just pull the wider piece to tighten and adjust as you see fit,” Katsuki says as he finishes off his tie. He pulls it right to Izuku’ throat, before placing his hand over it and smoothing it down his chest.
Izuku doesn’t say anything after, so Katsuki looks up again to see him already looking at him, with a small smile.
Katsuki has known about his love for Izuku probably since just after the war. When they were both still in rehab for their arms and they started talking more. Those first few weeks after the war ended, they would sneak into each others’ rooms when the nightmares became too much, both keeping a pull out futon under their beds for the other. Katsuki kept an extra soft All Might blanket just for Izuku to cuddle up with, and Izuku always had the extra cool sheets for Katsuki so he wouldn’t overheat.
Katsukis’ watch beeps at him again, warning him of high heart rate. His eyes bug out and he slaps his hand over it to silence it. He always had the stupid reaction every time Izuku would give him that soft smile of his.
“Kacchan? Are you ok?” Izuku asks, as he tries to look Katsuki in the eye.
Katsuki turns away from him because he can feel his blush taking over his cheeks now. Izuku literally makes his heart stop working properly and his stupid watch is calling him out on his feelings.
“I’m fine. Don’t you have to go? You’ve got like 15 minutes to get the train now,” Katsuki says, reaching over to grab his gloves again.
“Kacchan,” Izuku says, his voice soft. Katsuki tenses slightly just because of the tone of his voice. “You would tell me if something was wrong with your heart, right?”
“Of course I would, nerd. It’s nothing to worry about, just a random high rate spike,” Katsuki says, his back still facing Izuku.
“You get that a lot around me,” Izuku says.
Katsuki stiffens up. He always forgets how perceptive Izuku is, especially when it comes to him.
Katsuki doesn’t like where this is going.
“It’s fine. Just thinking about my reports I have to finish,” Katsuki lies, as he moves towards the balcony.
“Can I ask you something, Kacchan?”
Katsuki pauses just reaching for the handle to the door. He takes a deep breath before turning to face Izuku.
Izuku's face is solemn, but he is fidgeting and picking at his fingers which he only does when he is anxious and trying to find the right words to say. Katsuki used to grab his hands and play with his fingers to distract him from whatever was causing him those thoughts.
“Do you…” he trails off, trying to find the words. He huffs a little, before he blurts, “Kacchan, are you still nervous around me?”
Katsukis’ eyes widened at the implication. He used to be nervous as hell around Izuku because he didn’t know how to talk to him, especially right around the time he apologised. That time just before the war was when he started noticing his own feelings had changed towards Izuku, but he wasn’t acknowledging them. He was a nervous wreck around him all the time, but he thought he played it off well enough that he hadn’t noticed.
“No, nerd. I used to be yeah, but not anymore,” Katsuki says gently. He gives Izuku a small smile, before turning back to the door.
“Well, I did some research,” Izuku blurts out just as Katsuki gets the door open.
The breeze blows Katsuki's hair a bit, his bangs pushed back by his mask.
“I got curious one day, and started looking up different reasons or causes from random spikes in heart rates. Mostly so I could help you if you needed it, and also just out of curiosity because I noticed how often you were having spikes around me.” Izuku steps towards Katsuki, but Katsuki is frozen in place.
There are four main reasons for random heart rate spikes. Katsuki knows.
“The first reason came up as anxiety, but I hadn’t noticed you being anxious around me since before the war,” Izuku continues, stepping slowly towards Katsuki. “The second was stress, but I know you keep a strict regime to avoid having any excess stress in your life. Other than your weird work hours.”
Katsukis’ watch beeps again.
Izuku stops and looks down at his watch. “The third reason was sadness, but I know you don’t have anything to be sad about. You are living life as a pro hero. Yeah you are just a sidekick for now, but you are proving to everyone around how strong you are. You have great friends.”
Izuku steps closer, until they are almost chest to chest, barely half a foot between them.
“What’s the fourth one?” Katsuki asks.
Izuku looks at him, and his expression looks almost fond, before his lips turn into a barely there smirk, “How did you know there was a fourth one, Kacchan?”
Shit, walked into that one didn’t he?
This isn’t happening. He is so close to finishing the goddamn mech suit for Izuku, all so he could be a hero again, and Katsuki is getting called out over his stupid feelings all because of his goddamn watch.
Christ.
“The fourth reason is excitement. Or, some people say,” Izuku pauses, takes a deep breath and looks Katsuki in the eye, “Some say that it’s love.”
Beep beep beep beep.
Katsuki has no way out of this. He can’t think of any logical way to explain, lest he do something stupid and say something like, ‘Nah, this watch isn’t working right. Haven’t had a chance to go and get a new one yet.’ Izuku would be able to smell that lie from a mile away.
Katsuki always thought that maybe he would confess after the mech suit was done. Once Izuku was back in the field, back to being a hero again. Fighting side by side, chasing each other in ranks. He thought of thousands of different scenarios were he grew the fucking balls and confessed in a way that would make Kirishima say ‘That is so manly, bro!’
None of the scenarios was getting called out by his goddamn heart monitor.
“I-”
“Kacchan,” Izuku interrupts. He smiles again, and Katsuki really wishes he could take a picture of that goddamn smile. “I love you too.”
Katsukis’ mind blue screens. Just powers right the fuck down.
“I don’t need you to say anything. We can talk about this later after my interview since you have patrol. I should be back by 4:30, if you want to grab an early dinner or something,” Izuku says, back pedalling a bit.
Katsuki tries to make his mouth move but he is stuck frozen in place. He just keeps staring at Izukus’ eyes, looking at all his freckles on his cheeks (minus the few from where his scar sits). He can’t think of the words he wants to say.
All this time, he had been so scared that Izuku would gently reject him. He’d probably feel guilty about not reciprocating his feelings, but would try and be understanding. He would want to help Katsuki through it and it would just make Katsuki feel worse.
All this time, Izuku felt the same way and Katsuki could not be happier.
Izuku smiles and goes to move away from him, and that gets Katsuki moving. He reaches out quickly, intending to grab Izukus’ wrist but misses, and ends up grabbing his stupid green tie and pulls him back. He stumbles, but catches himself quickly, placing his hands onto Katsukis’ chest and pushing them both slightly out the door.
“I have so much I wanna say to you, Izuku,” Katsuki says, pulling his tie a little harder which brings Izukus’ face closer to his. “But I don’t wanna make you late for your interview. Just, give me a chance to explain. At dinner. I’ll swing by UA and we can talk somewhere.”
Izuku smiles at him, barely containing his excitement. His smile is so bright and free looking, like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders.
“I look forward to it, Kacchan,” Izuku says, before he pushes up onto his toes and places a quick kiss on Katsukis’ cheek.
Beep beep beep beep.
Izuku giggles, before he turns away from him again, walking around and gathering his stuff into that stupid yellow backpack of his. He grabs his suit jacket and slips his arms in, and seeing the whole outfit all put together now makes Katsuki almost whimper.
“I’ll see you later!” Izuku calls from his genkan. He slips his shoes on and is out his front door before Katsuki really processes what the hell just happened.
He thinks he just got asked out to dinner. To a dinner date. With Izuku.
Katsuki is so damn grateful that he never learned how to tie his goddamn tie. He will buy him a million stupid ties (once he has money again after the suit is finished), as long as he is the one that gets to tie them for him.
Fuck I love that stupid nerd.