Work Text:
Katsuki hated the jacket.
He had hated it since the moment Mom came home with a bag full of bright red fabric and announced that the school festival was coming up and all the kids needed matching jackets for the dance.
The dance was the worst part.
Katsuki didn’t understand why six year olds had to dance at all. Nobody in his class even knew how to dance properly. Last time they tried something like that during gym, half the kids had tripped over each other and someone had cried.
He sat cross legged on the living room floor with his arms folded tight across his chest, watching Mom work at the table. The sewing machine buzzed and rattled while the red fabric slid under the needle in long careful lines.
It sounded like a mosquito that refused to die, and it had been buzzing for ten minutes already, so Katsuki scowled at it.
Why did it take so long to make one stupid jacket?
“Stand still, Izuku.” Mom said, nudging him lightly. “If you keep wiggling I’m going to sew the sleeves crooked.”
“I’m trying!” Izuku squeaked.
He wasn’t trying very hard.
Midoriya Izuku stood in the middle of the living room with his arms stretched out while Mom pinned pieces of fabric around him. His socks kept sliding against the floor every time he wiggled, which was often.
“Stand still.” Mom said again, nudging him back into place.
“Yes ma’am.”
Izuku went completely still, for about three seconds. Then he looked down at the bright red fabric wrapped around his shoulders, his stupid eyes shining like someone had just handed him a treasure.
“It’s going to look so cool.” He said breathlessly. “Right, Kacchan?”
Katsuki snorted from the floor.
“It looks dumb.”
Izuku turned toward him right away, even though he was supposed to stay still.
“But it’s for the festival!”
“Well, the festival is dumb.”
Izuku blinked at that like it hadn’t occurred to him.
“But there’s going to be games.” He said after a moment, counting them off on his tiny chubby fingers. “And lanterns. And we are going to do a dance!”
Katsuki made a face because he had just listed all the reasons that were wrong with the dumb festival.
“Exactly.”
Izuku seemed to think about that very seriously, his brow scrunching while he looked down at the fabric again, then he smiled like an idiot.
“Well… I still think it’ll be super fun.”
Katsuki clicked his tongue and looked away.
Deku always did that.
You told him something was dumb and he just decided it wasn’t, like Katsuki’s opinion was just a suggestion instead of the correct answer.
Why was he like that?
“Okay, arms out.” Mom said.
Izuku lifted them again right away, stiff like a scarecrow while she wrapped the measuring tape around his chest.
“Your mom said you grew again.” She muttered. “Kid’s gonna end up tall like his dad.”
Izuku beamed at that like it was the best news he had ever heard.
Katsuki rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling while the sewing machine started buzzing again.
Why did Deku have to be here anyway?
Oh right.
Because Auntie Inko had work, Mom had said.
Because Mom was sewing their jackets.
Because Deku needed measurements.
Katsuki huffed quietly.
From the middle of the room, Izuku kept talking.
“Do you think the dance is going to have music?” He asked.
“Of course.” Mom said.
“Do you think we’re going to spin?”
“Probably.”
“Do you think we have to bow at each other first?”
“Kid, I’m not the teacher.”
Izuku hummed thoughtfully, rocking a little on his heels while he considered this very serious problem.
Katsuki pushed himself upright.
“Why do you care so much?”
Izuku stopped mid thought like someone had flipped a switch. He blinked at Katsuki with those big round stupid eyes of his.
“I just really really do.” He said after a second, like that was a perfectly reasonable answer, so Katsuki just stared back at him.
Deku really was weird.
Most kids in their class were excited about the festival because there would be candy and prizes and little games where you threw rings at bottles.
Deku was excited about the dance.
Why the dance?
“Okay.” Mom said eventually, patting Izuku’s shoulder. “Done. You can relax.”
Izuku dropped his arms with a relieved sigh and shook them out like they had fallen asleep, then he immediately turned back toward Katsuki.
“Kacchan!”
Katsuki didn’t even bother getting up.
“What.”
“Do you want to practice the dance?”
Katsuki stared at him like he had just suggested cutting off his fingers for fun.
“No.”
“But we’re going to have to do it at the festival anyway–.”
“Then I’ll do it there.”
“But what if we mess up?”
Katsuki shrugged. “Then we mess up. Who cares.”
Izuku looked incredibly troubled by that possibility, lips pressing together while he thought about it.
“But–.”
“Deku.”
Izuku stopped talking and Katsuki squinted at him from the floor.
“It’s just a dumb dance.”
Izuku stayed quiet for a moment, then he nodded slowly.
“Okay.”
For about three seconds the room was quiet except for the sewing machine.
“Kacchan?”
Katsuki sighed loudly and tipped his head back against the floor.
“What now.”
Izuku shuffled his socks against the wood, both hands clasped behind his back, like he was thinking very very hard about something important.
“I hope we get paired together.”
Katsuki blinked at him and Mom made a weird noise that Katsuki didn't like.
“For the dance.” Izuku added quickly.
Katsuki pushed himself up on his elbows and stared. He really stared very hard.
Why?
Boys didn’t dance with boys. Everybody knew that. The teacher paired boys with girls and then you spun around and tried not to step on anyone’s feet. That was how pairing worked.
So why would Deku want it to be him?
“That’s stupid.” Katsuki said.
Izuku smiled anyway. “I still hope so.”
Katsuki groaned and flopped back onto the floor.
Deku was insane.
And weird.
The jacket was still stupid.
Katsuki knew that.
He had known it yesterday when Mom finished sewing it. He had known it this morning when she shoved it over his head before they left the house. He definitely knew it now.
But…
Katsuki tugged at the sleeve a little and glanced down at the bright red fabric anyway.
…It did look kinda cool.
Not that he was going to say that out loud.
The gym at school barely looked like the same place. Paper lanterns hung from strings across the ceiling, wobbling every time someone ran underneath them. Long tables had been pushed against the walls and covered in bright cloth, piled with prizes and paper tickets and bowls full of wrapped candy.
It was really loud.
Kids were running everywhere while teachers were trying to shout instructions and parents stood in clumps along the walls with cameras ready.
Katsuki stood near the middle of the floor with his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his jacket.
This was already annoying.
Somewhere behind him, Mom’s voice cut through the noise.
“Katsuki! Stand up straight!”
Katsuki scowled and immediately hunched his shoulders harder.
Across the gym, Deku was spinning in a slow circle, staring up at the lanterns like they were the most amazing thing he had ever seen.
His jacket was red too, but it was a little bigger than Katsuki’s and the sleeves were slightly too long. He looked like he might explode from excitement anyway.
“Kacchan!”
Katsuki glanced over just in time to see him jog closer, nearly tripping over his own feet.
“Did you see the lanterns?” Izuku asked breathlessly, pointing around with his finger. “And there’s a ring toss game over there and I think they have candy apples and–.”
“It’s too loud.” Katsuki interrupted.
Izuku beamed. “I know!”
Katsuki stared at him.
Deku really did like everything, huh?
“Okay everyone!” Their teacher called from the front of the gym, clapping loudly. “Festival dance time! Find your places!”
A wave of groans and giggles rolled through the room while the kids shuffled into a messy group in the middle of the floor.
Katsuki crossed his arms.
The dance was the worst part.
The teacher started pointing.
“Kitamura with Suzuki. Mori with Akiyama…”
Kids moved around in confused little clumps while she kept assigning pairs.
Katsuki watched the floor.
It didn’t matter who he got anyway.
The dance was stupid.
“…Midoriya with–”
Katsuki looked up without thinking.
“Yamada.”
That was Pigtails Girl.
Izuku blinked in surprise before hurrying over to stand in front of her, hands clasped nervously in front of his jacket.
Katsuki frowned.
“…Bakugou with Takeda.”
Katsuki glanced down.
Takeda was the quiet girl from the back row who always smelled like strawberries.
Boring.
The music started a few seconds later, scratchy and too loud through the gym speakers. Kids shuffled into their places. Someone giggled. Someone else immediately stepped on the wrong foot and apologized three times in a row.
Katsuki walked toward the edge of the floor instead. He stood there with his arms crossed near the wall, watching the stupid dance with a scowl.
“Bakugou, you’re supposed to be with your partner!” The teacher called from across the room.
“I don’t care.” He said.
He did not move.
The music was annoying and the teachers kept clapping like seals every time a pair of kids managed to spin without tripping over their own feet.
Katsuki hated all of it.
Across the gym, Midoriya Izuku was dancing, and he danced really bad.
Katsuki narrowed his eyes.
The idiot was paired with Pigtails, the one who cried when people borrowed her crayons without asking. She was holding Izuku’s hands like they were made out of glass, carefully stretching her arms out the way the teacher had shown them.
Izuku looked like he might explode out of his own skin.
His face was red. Like red-red, not just a little, but a lot.
The idiot was probably nervous.
Katsuki’s scowl deepened.
Why was he nervous?
It was just a dance. The same dumb dance he had been talking about all week like it was the best part of the festival. Everyone was doing it. They were six. Nobody even knew how to dance properly anyway. Half the class was already stepping on each other.
But Izuku kept glancing down at his feet, shoulders stiff, smiling that weird smile of his while Pigtails giggled at something.
Katsuki watched them spin slowly past the lantern light and something hot twisted in his chest.
Tch.
Stupid.
Katsuki watched them for another minute. Maybe two. It was hard to tell because the music was still screeching through the speakers and the whole room smelled like sweat and paper lantern glue.
Across the gym, Izuku and Pigtails spun slowly in another uneven circle.
Well… Spin was a generous word. It was more like turning in place while trying very hard not to bump into anyone.
Pigtails giggled again and Izuku’s ears went even redder.
Katsuki frowned.
Yesterday Deku had said he hoped they would get paired together, now he was blushing at Pigtails. That didn’t make any sense.
Someone bumped into Izuku from behind and the circle broke apart for a second. Pigtails laughed again while Izuku ducked his head, his shoulders climbing all the way up to his ears. Then he let go of her hands.
Katsuki blinked, his scowl softening just a little.
Izuku mumbled something that got swallowed by the music and slipped out of the line of dancing kids, weaving awkwardly between spinning pairs as he headed for the edge of the gym without slowing down. The big double doors swung open under his hands and then closed behind him with a heavy thump.
Katsuki’s eyes followed him the whole way.
For a moment nothing else changed. The music kept screeching through the speakers, kids kept spinning in uneven circles, someone stepped on Suzuki’s foot and apologized so loudly that other people turned to look.
Katsuki glanced back at the doors.
Where was he going?
It was just a dance. Deku liked the dance. Right?
Katsuki frowned, watching the place where he had disappeared, and across the room the teacher clapped her hands calling for everyone to change directions.
Katsuki pushed himself away from the wall.
He wasn’t following Deku.
He just wanted to see where he was going.
The dance was still happening anyway. Kids were spinning in the wrong direction now while the teacher shouted instructions over the music, and Suzuki was still rubbing her foot and trying not to cry.
Nobody would notice if he left for a minute.
Katsuki shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket and walked toward the doors.
“Told you to dance with your partner, Bakugou!” The teacher called again.
“I know!”
He pushed through the double doors before she could say anything else.
The noise from the gym dropped away almost instantly and the hallway outside felt strangely quiet after all that shouting and music, the sound now muffled behind the closed doors.
Katsuki stood there for a second, listening, until he noticed the small door at the end of the hallway, the same one that led to the back stairs. It was slightly open.
Katsuki scowled at it.
Tch.
Stupid Deku.
The small door creaked when Katsuki pushed it open and cool air slipped in from the stairwell, carrying the faint smell of dust and cleaning soap. It was darker back here, the noise from the gym now nothing more than a muffled thump through the walls.
The back stairs were empty, except for Deku.
Izuku sat on the steps with his elbows on his knees and his head bent forward, staring very seriously at the toes of his shoes.
His face was still red. But like red-red.
Katsuki frowned.
“Oi, Deku.”
Izuku jumped so hard he nearly slipped off the step.
“Kacchan!”
His head snapped up, his stupid green eyes going wide, like he had just been caught doing something bad even though he was literally just sitting there.
Katsuki stepped inside and let the door swing shut behind him, the muffled music faded even more.
“What are you doing here?” Izuku asked quickly. “The dance isn’t over yet.”
Katsuki ignored the question.
“Why were you blushing?”
Izuku just blinked at him.
“W-what?”
“You were blushing.” Katsuki said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Like a dumb tomato.”
Izuku’s face somehow got even redder, Katsuki didn't think that was even possible but he saw it with his own two eyes.
“Was not!”
“Were too!”
Izuku looked down at his shoes again, fidgeting with the hem of his jacket.
“I was just… I- I mean… The dance is kind of… A-and I was...” He hesitated, mumbling something Katsuki didn't fully catch until the end. “…a little scary.”
Katsuki frowned harder.
Scary?
It was just spinning around in a circle while the teacher clapped too loudly. Being dumb and being scary were not the same thing.
“That’s so stupid.” He said.
Izuku didn’t argue, he just rubbed the back of his neck and laughed a little under his breath, that same silly laugh he did when he didn’t know what to do with himself. Katsuki hated that laugh.
“Well… I’m not very good at it.”
Katsuki stared at him.
Across the gym earlier, Pigtails had been giggling the whole time while Deku stood there looking like he might faint and his face had been red. But like super red.
Katsuki’s eyes narrowed.
Yesterday Deku had been standing in the living room with his stupid All Might socks sliding on the floor, saying something about how he hoped they would dance together, and now he was here blushing at Pigtails.
Katsuki clicked his tongue.
It was all stupid. So stupid. Blushing over a dumb dance with Pigtails was stupid.
Katsuki folded his arms again and stared at Izuku for a long moment.
“W-what?” Izuku asked.
Katsuki stepped closer, and Izuku blinked up at him from the stairs.
“Kacchan–?”
Before Izuku could say anything else, Katsuki grabbed the front of his jacket and pulled him forward.
And kissed him.
Right on the mouth.
It was quick, and clumsy. Their noses bumped a little too, but it was definitely a kiss.
Katsuki let go immediately and stepped back like nothing had happened.
Izuku did not move. He just sat there on the stair with his eyes wide and his face insanely red. But like nuclear red.
Katsuki shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket.
“There.”
Izuku opened his mouth and closed it again, like a dumb fish out of the water.
“K–Kacchan…!”
“If you’re gonna blush...” Katsuki grumbled, looking away and swallowing the itch that was rising in his stomach. “You should at least have a good reason.”
Izuku made a tiny noise that might have been a gasp and Katsuki glanced back just long enough to see him touching his mouth with the tips of his fingers, like he was checking if it was still there.
His whole face looked like it was catching on fire.
Katsuki huffed.
“See?” He jerked his chin toward Izuku’s face. “Now you’re blushing for real.”
Izuku stared at him like his brain had completely stopped working.
“I– I–”
The door to the gym swung open somewhere down the hallway.
“Midoriya! Bakugou! Get back in here! The dance isn’t over yet!”
Izuku jumped and Katsuki rolled his eyes.
“Come on, stupid Deku.”
He turned and pushed the stairwell door open again, the noise from the gym rushed back in.
Izuku scrambled down the steps after him.
“Kacchan!”
“What.”
“Why did you do that?”
Katsuki shoved his hands deeper into his pockets and walked toward the gym without looking back.
“Because you looked stupid.”
And then he pushed the doors open and walked back inside, leaving Izuku standing there with burning cheeks and absolutely no idea what had just happened.
The ride home felt very strange. It wasn't quiet, because Mom was annoying and talked the whole time, but definitely strange.
Izuku sat on the other side of the back seat with his hands folded very carefully in his lap, as if he was afraid to move them too much. Every once in a while he touched his mouth with his fingertips, very lightly, like he was checking something.
His face was still red. But like super-duper-mega-hot-sauce red
Katsuki noticed but he pretended he didn’t.
The car stopped at a red light and Mom glanced at them in the rearview mirror.
“You two look like somebody stole your snacks. Did you get into a fight again?”
Neither of them answered.
“Huh.” She said after a moment, shrugging. “Kids.”
Katsuki looked out the window, the streetlights were starting to come on outside, bright circles of yellow against the dark.
The stupid dance had been stupid, just like he said. The music was stupid, the spinning was stupid, and Deku was stupid.
Katsuki frowned at the glass. He could see Izuku in the reflection, and he was touching his mouth again. Just a little, like he couldn’t stop.
Katsuki’s eyes dropped to his own hands and for a second he thought about doing the same thing.
Maybe? Just to check?
He shoved his hands deeper into his pockets instead.
Tch.
It had just been a dumb kiss, it wasn’t a big deal.
Up front, Mom laughed suddenly.
“Oh! I almost forgot.” She said. “Izuku, I got some pictures of you and Katsuki together after the dance. I’ll show them to your mom next time I see her.”
Izuku made a tiny noise.
“Oh… Okay.” His voice sounded really weird.
Mom kept talking. “She’s going to love them. You two looked very cute in those jackets. I did a great job if I say so myself.”
Katsuki slouched lower in his seat.
Cute?
Tch.
Across the car, Izuku was staring very seriously at his knees, still red, still quiet. Katsuki glanced at him just for a second, and then looked away again.
Stupid Deku. Getting all red like that.
Katsuki leaned his head back against the seat and stared at the ceiling of the car.
It had been a good kiss.
He frowned.
Maybe…
Maybe next time Deku started blushing like that, he would have to do it again.
Just to make sure.
The loft was loud again. Your regular Thursday afternoon kind of loud, so Mina had music playing from her phone somewhere on the kitchen counter and Kirishima was sitting cross legged on the rug trying to convince Izuku that a new training routine he had found online was “absolute manly science”.
Izuku, traitor that he was, looked actually interested, which meant Shitty Hair had not shut up for the good part of twenty minutes straight.
Katsuki leaned back against the bed headboard with his arms crossed and watched the entire disaster unfold.
When did his room become the idiots gathering spot anyways?
He should have known better than to let Mina come over unsupervised, which was how she ended up wandering into the bedroom five minutes later like a raccoon that had found an unattended trash can.
“Oooooh, what’s this?”
Katsuki’s eyes snapped up. Across the room, Mina stood by the windowsill holding a small picture frame in both hands.
Katsuki felt his stomach drop.
“Put that down.” He said.
“Wait!” Mina turned the frame toward the light from the window, squinting at it with intense curiosity. “Oh my God, this is adorable.”
Kirishima leaned over. “What is it?”
“It’s baby Bakugou!”
“Put. It. Down.”
“Come look!”
There was no use, it was already too late. Kirishima crossed the room in three long steps and peered over Mina’s shoulder.
“Oh man.” He said, grinning instantly. “You two are tiny.”
Izuku blinked from the floor. “What?”
Mina spun around, beaming, and held the picture up like a prize.
It was an old photo, slightly faded around the edges. Two six year olds standing stiffly in the middle of a gymnasium decorated with paper lanterns, both of them in bright red festival jackets. Izuku stood on the left side of the frame looking straight down at the floor, cheeks bright red, hands folded awkwardly together like he wasn’t sure what to do with them. Next to him, Katsuki had his arms crossed and was glaring stubbornly off to the side with a pout like he had decided the entire situation was beneath him.
“Tch. Where did you even find that?” Katsuki demanded. He had not asked Izuku about it yet, one day it just showed up on his windowsill and that was it.
Izuku blinked again, processing.
“Oh! That one.” He pushed himself up from the rug and walked over, peering at the frame. “I found it at my mom’s place when I was helping her clean out some old boxes.”
“And you framed it?” Katsuki said, horrified.
Izuku rubbed the back of his neck with a dumb smile on his face. “Well… I thought it was nice.”
Mina made a small squeaking sound and Katsuki’s eyes narrowed immediately. It was a very specific kind of sound that Mina made when her brain had just connected two extremely dangerous dots.
The squeak grew louder.
“Oh my God.” She said.
Kirishima leaned closer to the picture, squinting at it like it might suddenly reveal life changing secrets if he stared hard enough.
“Wait.” He said slowly. Mina’s head snapped toward him and they stared at each other for a long second.
And then Mina gasped.
Katsuki, who up until that point had forgotten what kind of information those two idiots had, straightened on the bed.
“No.”
“Oh my God!”
“I said no.”
“I can't believe it.”
“Stop it!”
But Mina acted as if he just wasn't there and whipped around toward Izuku, her eyes sparkling like she had just uncovered buried treasure.
“This is the dance, isn’t it?!” She shrieked.
Izuku just blinked at her for a second. “The– what?”
“The dance!” Mina said, jabbing a finger at the picture. “The primary school dance! The one where–”
Katsuki was already on his feet.
“Raccoon Eyes, I'm serious.”
“–you were blushing–”
“Mina.”
“–and Katsuki found you on the back stairs–”
“Ashido I swear to God–”
“–AND HE KISSED YOU!”
Silence dropped into the room like a bomb, leaving Izuku completely frozen in place.
Next to him, Kirishima slowly turned his head toward Katsuki with the widest grin Katsuki had ever seen on a human face.
“Bakubro.”
Katsuki could feel heat crawling up his neck. “Shut. Up.”
Izuku’s eyes moved slowly between Mina and Kirishima, then to Katsuki, and finally down to the photo still clutched in Mina’s hands.
“Kacchan…” He said, while Katsuki absolutely refused to look at him. “Did you tell them about that?”
Katsuki dragged a hand down his face. Fuck, this was so embarrassing.
“I didn’t even know you remembered that!” He snapped.
For a moment nobody said anything, then Izuku laughed. Warm and helpless in that way that made Katsuki want to throw something at him.
“Kacchan! Of course I remember!” Izuku said.
Mina was practically levitating at this point.
“I told you!” She shouted, spinning back toward Katsuki and pointing at him like a prosecutor in court. “I told you nobody forgets their first kiss!”
“Shut up! All of you!”
Kirishima leaned over to Izuku as if they were both sharing classified information.
“So.” He said eagerly. “What was the magical kiss like from your side, my man?”
Katsuki groaned, tugging at his hair with both fists clenched.
“Mina.” He said through clenched teeth. “Call him off before I kill him.”
“No way!” Mina bounced where she stood, still clutching the picture frame. “This is the best day of my life.”
Izuku looked between them, clearly trying to piece together how the entire situation had spiraled so far out of control.
“Well… I mean…” He said slowly, glancing at the picture again. “I was pretty nervous about the dance…”
“HE SAID YOU WERE BLUSHING.” Mina yelled.
“Yeah, a little.”
“AND THEN HE KISSED YOU.”
“That’s right.”
Kirishima slapped the desk with his open hand.
“That’s so manly! I could hear this story a hundred times, it just never gets old.”
Katsuki just kept dragging both hands through his hair, trying, and failing miserably, to shake off the burning sensation on his skin.
“This is the worst fucking day of my life.”
Izuku was still smiling, though. His eyes were soft as he looked down at the picture again, then he glanced toward Katsuki.
“I thought you didn’t remember.” He said.
Katsuki felt the heat in his face spike again.
“Tch.” He crossed his arms and glared stubbornly at the opposite wall. “Yeah, well.”
Across the room, Mina suddenly sucked in a sharp breath that only made Katsuki groan louder.
“For fuck’s sake. What now.”
Mina slowly lowered the picture frame and looked between the two of them with a dawning realization. Her grin spread slowly.
“And Mido-kun framed it!” She said. Katsuki went very still while she pointed dramatically at the windowsill. “You found the picture. You brought it here. And you put it in Katsuki’s room. I think my heart is melting.”
Izuku followed her finger toward the sill, then back to the photo in her hands, then to Katsuki. A slow silly smile spread across his stupid face and Katsuki immediately considered jumping out the window.
“Kacchan.” Izuku said, but Katsuki did not look at him.
“Don’t.”
Izuku ignored that completely. He stepped closer, peering at the picture again with quiet amusement, like he was seeing it for the first time all over again.
“Kacchan.” He said softly. “You still look exactly the same in this picture.”
Katsuki’s head snapped toward him.
“The hell is that supposed to mean, nerd?”
Izuku’s smile widened just a little and his finger poked directly into Katsuki’s cheek.
“You’re blushing.”
Behind them, Mina made a noise that sounded like someone being physically struck by joy, Kirishima clapped a hand over his mouth, and Katsuki felt his entire face go red.
But like super-duper-mega-hot-sauce red.
“SHUT UP!”