Work Text:
The apartment was dark, lit only by the weak moonlight coming through the window and the All Might movie playing at a practically unhearable volume on the TV. It was one Izuku had seen a million times before, and even with his eyes closed, he would be able to tell what was happening by the pattern of the flickers that shone through his eyelids.
And closed, his eyes were. He was curled up in the corner of his couch, mug of cooling Earl Grey tea forgotten on the sidetable, and he was tired enough that he knew he should head to bed and sleep.
But something kept him. If only Izuku knew what it was. There was no reason to stay awake in his living room, right now. He only knew he needed to.
The reason was made clear not even a minute later, when the gentlest of knocks could be heard coming from his front door. A knock he surely would not have heard, had he been in his bedroom asleep.
Izuku immediately stood, crossing the room to the door, somehow already knowing who would be there. The hinges on the door creaked as he swung it open, revealing his exhausted best friend, swaying in place in his torn hero costume.
“Hi, Kacchan,” Izuku whispered, stepping forward to gently place a scarred hand on the blond’s scratched up arm. “Come on, inside.”
While Katsuki’s unannounced presence was certainly not unfamiliar, it was unexpected. It had been many years since the boy had last shown up at Izuku’s door unannounced, and the last time it happened, they were both still students at UA.
Back then, they took turns showing up at each other’s doors in the middle of the night so frequently, they might as well have shared a room. It was never something they discussed, but they both knew the reason. They were a comfort to one another in a way that nobody else could possibly begin to compare.
Despite the fact that this was the first time this had happened as adults- this… inherent need to see and feel the other right that moment- Izuku was more than prepared to fall right back in their old familiar rhythm.
A guilty part of him felt relieved, that despite everything that had changed, their mutual codependency was still there- lurking in the shadows.
Katsuki allowed Izuku to lead him inside the apartment, and the shorter man shut the door behind them, before lowering himself to his knees to help Katsuki remove his shoes in the genkan.
“C’mon, Kacchan, lift your feet.” And Katsuki obeyed, raising one foot at a time while Izuku slipped the boots off and lined them up next to his own. Once he was finished, he straightened back up, and placed his hand once again on Katsuki’s arm. This time, he lightly wrapped his fingers around it so he could pull Katsuki down the hall, towards the bathroom.
“I’m sor-” Katsuki began to say, but Izuku cut him off.
“Hush, Kacchan. There is nothing to be sorry for. Honestly, I’m glad you’re here! I was just thinking to myself, ‘Man, I miss Kacchan! I haven’t seen him in almost two weeks, I wonder what he’s been up to’. And then you showed up, like I wished you into existence.”
They entered the bathroom, and Izuku gently pushed Katsuki down onto the toilet seat, before turning to get the first-aid kit from under the sink.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Izuku asked, voice still placid as he returned to his spot in front of Kacchan, nudging the seated man’s legs apart so he could stand between them.
“I…” Katsuki started. “There was this kid.” He swallowed, looking down at his hands while Izuku began to ease the top of the blond’s suit down, so he could start to disinfect the cuts and scrapes on his torso. “The villain. He couldn’t have been more than 15, fuck, it feels wrong to even say villain. A child can’t be a villain, just like a child can’t be a hero. A kid is a kid, you know?”
Izuku nodded as he worked. This was something they had already discussed in depth, back when they were in school. The way they had to carry the war on their back as nothing more than teenagers, and the way they had been forced to fight other teenagers. All of them just children, with no real differences between them other than the fact that they had been born into different worlds.
“And he had killed his father. I have never seen so much hatred in a kid’s eyes before, but beneath the hatred, I could also see so much hurt and grief. This guy, the kid’s dad-” Katsuki swallowed again, hands wringing at each other where they sat in his lap, “-he had been beating the shit out of the boy for years. And the boy had just been letting it happen. It… it’s his dad, you know? The person he is supposed to be able to trust more than anyone. The kid’s mom passed when he was little, so the only adult he’s had in his life since then is his dad.
“So, he’d just been letting it happen. Almost every day, for as long as he could remember, he was getting kicked and smacked and pushed around by his fucking piece of shit father. But today, the kid’s little sister- who had been having to see this happen pretty much her entire life- tried to step in. And the dad turned his anger on her, instead, a tiny little 7 year old girl. And he just- he kicked her so hard he broke 4 of her ribs in one go.”
Kacchan’s voice was shaky, and Izuku paused his ministrations on the former’s wounds for a moment, to settle a hand softly on the man’s shoulder.
“And that was the thing that finally pushed the boy over the edge. He took so much pain and torture for years and years, but the moment someone else was put in his position, he’d finally had enough. He’s got a powerful quirk- he can literally pull the moisture from a person’s body. At a insignificant level, it might sound inconvenient at best-”
Izuku opened his mouth, but Katsuki chuckled and stopped him before he could speak.
“I know your nerd brain is more than capable of seeing the potential of a quirk like that once it’s been honed. And as you can guess, the kid had obviously been practicing in some manner, because when I showed up, the dad was practically a raisin on the ground, dead. God knows why the kid never used it on the piece of shit before then, but I guess he had the self-restraint of a saint.
“I was lucky the boy also didn’t try to use it on me- I don’t know what I could have done to stop it, or that I would have even had the will to try and fight him. He scratched and clawed and bit at me once I had a hold of him, sure, but it was nothing I could blame the kid for. He was so sure we were gonna take him away from his sister. But I don’t care what it takes, I am not letting that kid be put away. He… I don’t think he did anything wrong. The bastard of a father got what was coming to him.”
He finally looked up from his hands, eyes meeting with Izuku’s, searching for validation. “Right? Right, ‘Zuku? He’s just a kid. He’s just a kid.”
“Of course, Kacchan,” Izuku replied gently. He moved his hand up to cup Katsuki’s jaw. “He is just a kid.”
Katsuki sighed, shoulders slumping, like the validation brought him more relief than anything else possibly could.
“Let’s finish getting these cuts taken care of, then get you in the shower. Okay?”
“Okay,” Katsuki murmured, letting his eyes sink shut as Izuku continued his work.
After another 10 minutes or so, Izuku felt satisfied enough to announce he was finished, and he moved to start the shower. Katsuki shed the remainder of his hero costume, stepping underneath the spray of water once it had warmed. Izuku watched him a moment, waiting for the taller man to start cleaning himself.
But Katsuki just stood there, eyes unfocused as they gazed towards the wall.
“Kacchan.”
“Hm?”
“You need to wash yourself, Kacchan.”
Another hum, one that made it clear that he heard what Izuku was saying, but wasn’t truly acknowledging it.
Izuku sighed, scratching his head for a moment before deciding, fuck it. He pulled his All Might t-shirt off, shucking his pants and boxer-briefs next, before entering the shower behind Katsuki.
Katsuki’s eyes finally focused, as they dragged over to stare as Izuku over his shoulder, with a furrowed brow. He looked confused, but not displeased. “Waddya doin’, ‘Zuku?”
“Kacchan needs to be cleaned,” Izuku replied. “If he’s not gonna do it himself, I will just do it for him.” He waited for Katsuki to object, but the blond just blinked at him for a moment, before inclining his head in a slight nod and turning to face the wall again.
Taking the action as permission, Izuku grabbed his apple scented shampoo from the shelf, pouring some in his hand and lathering it, and then shuffling to Katsuki’s side.
“Head, Kacchan,” the shorter man requested, and Katsuki obliged, inclining his head again so that it was no longer under the shower spray, and easier for Izuku to reach.
Izuku took his time working the shampoo into Katsuki’s hair, scratching lightly at the man’s scalp with his nails in the process. He made Katsuki rinse, before repeating the process a second time, knowing Kacchan liked to double-wash his hair. He then worked his needlessly expensive conditioner into the clean locks (Kacchan had bought it for him a few months ago when he’d found out Izuku still didn’t use conditioner. ‘How are you gonna have that much damned hair on your head and not fucking take care of it, hah?! You wanna walk around with a bird’s nest?!’ And then the explosive hero had forced the fancy-ass product into his hands. Izuku couldn’t lie- his hair had become so much easier to manage once he’d started using the provided conditioner. Kacchan was always right, after all), and made Katsuki leave the water completely for a few minutes as it sat, so he could wash his body.
“I’ll do the upper half, if you do the lower half, okay Kacchan? Divide and conquer.” Once Kacchan had nodded again in agreement, Izuku squirted some bodywash into each of their hands, and then started washing Katsuki’s shoulders while the other man bent slightly at the hips to clean his legs. After they finished, he moved back under the water to rinse it all off.
Izuku turned, meaning to exit the shower, before a hand on his wrist stopped him. “Where do you think you’re going?” Katsuki asked. “It’s your turn.”
“My turn?”
“Obviously, idiot.”
“...Alright. Whatever Kacchan says.”
“Damned straight.”
So they repeated the process, inversed so Izuku was on the receiving end of Katsuki’s ministrations. When they finished, both were standing under the showerhead, sharing the water that rained down from above. They stood so close to each other, faced inwards, and Izuku wanted to badly to wrap his arms around Kacchan. He wanted to be with him all the time, wanted to live in his skin, so they were never apart. He knew his love for Katsuki couldn’t seem normal to an outsider, but for Izuku, it was all he’d ever known. He had felt this way about the man for as long as he could remember, and he wouldn't want it any other way.
He often wondered how Katsuki viewed their relationship, whether he thought it was strange, or if it made as much sense to him as it did to Izuku. They were… they were meant to be with one another. Kacchan belonged to him.
Or was that weird? Was it creepy and obsessive for Izuku to view Katsuki as his? He didn’t see Kacchan as his in the sense that he was an object that Izuku owned, but more so that Kacchan didn’t belong to anybody else. Izuku was the only one who should be able to see Katsuki like this. It was only right, it was the way it should be.
Izuku’s thoughts were interrupted by the other man’s head coming down to rest on the shorter boy’s shoulder.
“Kacchan?”
“Thank you, Izuku,” Katsuki breathed, warm air brushing Izuku’s neck as he spoke.
“I… of course, Kacchan,” Izuku whispered back. He finally let his desire to hold Katsuki take over, and his arms reached up to curl around the other’s torso. Kacchan melted into it, sighing as he returned the embrace.
All was right in the world.
“Kacchan’s waist is so small…” Izuku unthinkingly mumbled after a few moments, squeezing his arms tighter.
Katsuki immediately pulled back, glaring and exclaiming an indignant “Hah!?”
“Er…” Whelp, Izuku had definitely not meant to say that out loud. “It- it’s true, Kacchan! Your waist is very skinny.”
“Are you trying to call me a twig, right now!?”
“Of course not!! Kacchan is very strong, very big!! You have the most impressive upper body I think I have ever seen. Your tits are huge!”
…Oops. Kacchan was definitely going to kill him now. He hadn’t meant to call his pecs ‘tits’! But that’s what Izuku always called them in his head because, well, have you seen the damn things??
“I’m going to fucking kill you.”
“Eep!” Izuku scrambled away from the very angry, tall man, haphazardly wrapping a towel around his waist as he sprinted out of the bathroom. He could hear Katsuki cursing as he stumbled out of the shower, attempting to dry himself before he continued his chase. No matter how strong Kacchan’s desire was to kill Izuku right then, he could always be relied on to take the time to fully dry off before leaving the bathroom. He hated tracking water around the house.
Luckily, Izuku had no such reservations, so he had a head start that increased his chances of survival.
Apparently, the head start made little difference, though. Because less than a second after Izuku had made it into his bedroom, he was being tackled forward onto his bed.
“Ack- Kacchan! Sorry, I’m sorry,” Izuku shouted between giggles, as Katsuki twisted his arms behind his back and shoved his face in the mattress. “I didn’t mean- no that’s lie, I definitely meant what I said- ahhck! Kacchan, I yield, I yield!!”
“You’re such a little asshole,” Katsuki huffed, finally releasing Izuku’s arms and flopping onto his back, next to where Izuku was lying face-down on the bed. Izuku giggled again, remaining on his belly but turning his face towards the other.
“Kacchan would prefer if I lied to him?” he asked innocently, continuing to snicker under his breath as he watched Katsuki side-eye him.
“No, I guess not. Can always count on you to be honest with me, nerd.”
Izuku’s laughter died down, but a gentle smile remained on his face. “Of course, Kacchan.” They laid silently for several minutes, and Izuku admired the side profile of Katsuki’s face in the dim light. Kacchan was so pretty.
“I can feel ya staring, creep.”
“Kacchan is so pretty,” Izuku verbalized.
“Wha- shut the fuck up!” he sputtered. Izuku didn’t know for sure, considering how dark it was in the room, but he had a feeling Katsuki’s face was red. Izuku giggled quietly again.
“Is Kacchan ready to go to sleep?” Izuku asked after another few moments of comfortable silence. “I’m sure you’re tired. You’ve had a long day.”
Without waiting for a response, Izuku got up and walked over to his dresser. He pulled out clothes for both of them- a pair of underwear, each, and then shorts and a t-shirt for himself. A pair of sweats for Kacchan, but no shirt, because Kacchan didn’t like to sleep with a shirt on. He pulled his own pajamas on, tossing the clothes for Katsuki over to him so he could change, as well.
Izuku then crawled into bed, shuffling to the side that was up against the wall. He knew Kacchan liked to be on the outside, and Izuku was more than happy to be sandwiched between the two. It was the most secure he ever felt, and he recalled how it was the only time he had managed to get sleep in the months that followed the war.
Katsuki climbed in behind him, and once he was settled, Izuku pulled the blanket over the two of them, before snuggling up against Kacchan’s side.
Said boy let out a resigned sigh. “You gonna cling to me all night, you damn Koala?”
“I don’t know why you even bother asking stuff like that, Kacchan. You already know the answer.”
“Then consider it a rhetorical question. Now shut up and go to sleep.”
“Whuh- but you spoke first, Kacchan! I was just answering you-”
“Shhhh, quiet, I’m sleeping.”
“Mean, Kacchan,” Izuku grumbled, but he smothered a grin in Katsuki’s neck when he heard the blond huff a laugh. “Night, Kacchan,” he whispered, burrowing deeper against him, relaxing further when he felt an arm wrap around him in return.
“G’night, nerd.” It was silent for a few seconds, before he quietly added, “Thanks, again. Don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Kacchan’s amazing, he could do anything by himself,” Izuku mumbled sleepily into Katsuki’s neck. “But you know nothing makes me happier than being the one that Kacchan chooses to come to when he decides he does want help. L’ve you, Kacchan.”
Another few seconds of silence, and then “Love you, too, Izuku.”
And finally, sleep took Izuku under.
When he woke the next morning, it was to Katsuki wrapped around him like a koala. Izuku tittered quietly to himself, making sure not to wake the other boy, before snuggling back in.
He was glad he’d been on the couch last night.