Chapter Text
“In 500 meters take a left on ---- road.”
…
“Re-routing. Take the next right onto ---- street.”
…
“Re-routing-”
“FOR FUCK’S SAKE!”
The blond slammed the steering wheel in frustration and Izuku winced at the vein popping on his boyfriend’s head. They’ve been driving for two hours now, trying to head to the destination Izuku had planned for their second year anniversary. Unfortunately, their newly gifted GPS has been, well… malfunctioning. They weren’t even going to use it, really, but as soon as Izuku’s phone had died, they decided to whip it out, saving Kacchan’s phone for emergencies only.
Honestly at this point, Izuku feels that if they had simply used the direction of the wind as their guide instead, they would’ve gotten a lot closer to their destination rather than using the GPS.
They were supposed to be heading towards a resort for a relaxing weekend getaway which was located a bit towards the north, surrounded by lovely forestry and nature. Izuku had specifically chosen this spot because of the amazing reviews he saw during his research of the mountain climbing feature. And knowing that his boyfriend would absolutely love the surprise, Izuku booked two nights without hesitation.
Especially since for last year’s anniversary, Kacchan surprised the man by taking him out to an All-Might themed cafe, Izuku was determined to surprise Kacchan too this year!
Unfortunately, both of them received this unexpected surprise instead.
Izuku side-eyed the aggravated pro-hero beside him, gripping the steering wheel tightly, knuckles turning white as he glared at the road ahead- the one-way road the GPS had led them down that seemed to last forever, with no other car in sight.
“I’m gonna murder this fucking thing,” Kacchan muttered under his breath as Izuku chewed the inside of his cheek nervously.
“Maybe it just needs some time?” Kacchan scoffed at that and Izuku bit back a sigh. He quickly leaned over to grab the device from the stand and threw a smile at the blond’s confused glance. “Here, park on the side over there and I’ll try restarting it.”
Kacchan let out a huff before moving to do just that as Izuku held down the power button of the GPS, waiting a few seconds until the screen turned black. Turning it back on, Izuku felt the blond put the car in park as the logo flashed on the screen.
“Okay, let me just re-type the address again,” he mumbled and Kacchan leaned in to watch as he typed away. Finally clicking the ‘Go’ button, both males held their breath in anticipation, hoping for the device to lead them out of this hell they were stuck in.
“Starting route to ------ resort,” the device spoke before an arrow popped up on the screen. “Take a left.”
Izuku turned his gaze to the left and was met with a giant body of water. It was a lake. Their GPS was telling them to drive into a lake. Maybe it actually wanted to kill them. That’s one way to leave this hell.
“What the fuck?!” Izuku turned back towards Kacchan and cringed at the utter fury written across his face.
Trying to salvage the situation, Izuku opened his mouth to say something but all that came out was an “umm…”
Izuku’s unhelpful input was ignored by the blond who continued to yell at the poor device in Izuku’s hand. “Is it trying to fucking kill us?!”
“Maybe it’s broken? Or maybe it means the next left we see?” Izuku tried, but soon regretted his words when Kacchan turned to him in bewilderment.
“The next lef-?!” Kacchan cut himself off before gesturing wildly at the road ahead of him. “Look in front of you, Deku! Where in the fuck are we supposed to take a left?!”
Izuku reluctantly turned his gaze to the road ahead, and just as the blond said, the path seemed to extend down with no turns showing up anytime soon. Izuku bit his lip, wondering just where on earth had this GPS taken them. On their left was the infamous lake that the device wanted them to drive into and on their right was a slope of a hill, covered with giant forest trees, the sunset making them look almost taller than they are as they loomed over them.
“I don’t know, Kacchan! I-” Izuku started but it seemed that the blond wasn’t finished just yet.
“Shit- It’s almost fucking night already, too!” Kacchan cursed, slamming the wheel in frustration once again and Izuku clenched his fists tight, opening his mouth again uselessly, only for Kacchan to interrupt once more.
“Maybe we can-”
“How the fuck are we going to-”
“I DON’T KNOW, KACCHAN! I’M TRYING! I JUST-” Izuku yelled out before blinking at his sudden outburst. He could see Kacchan turn towards him in surprise as well, the previous anger completely faded away from his expression as it turned into confusion, instead. Izuku felt something wet hit his fists and realized belatedly that he was crying. How pathetic.
“‘Zuku-”
He saw Kacchan reach out to him in his peripheral, eyes filled with concern as it tracked the tears running down the other’s face. Feeling embarrassed for his uncalled for outburst, Izuku leaned away from the hand, quickly unlocking the door and stepping outside. “Damnit!” He cursed under his breath as he took a few steps towards the lake to his side before plopping down on his butt on the edge of the road.
He felt extremely stupid.
This trip was supposed to be relaxing. God knows these past few months have been exhaustingly busy for the two of them. Being called on to take on shifts left and right from their agency, as well as having to attend press conferences have taken a toll on both of them. And don’t get him started on the paperwork .
Hero work was exhausting, but both him and Kacchan knew that going into the career and no amount of it would ever make them regret choosing it. However, they’ve been especially busy ever since they hit the top 10 hero rankings of the year. And although Izuku was excited at first, seeing as he was going one step forward as of where All-Might has been guiding him as the new Symbol of Peace, their newfound accomplishment had gained them quite a surplus in attention. Which meant not only did Izuku and Kacchan have to deal with more villains who’ve taken interest in them, but also more civilians.
Of course, that being said, this definitely wasn’t the first time when it came to being in the spotlight. They actually first had to deal with these fans back before they even started dating. Back when they had just graduated from U.A. High, about three years back.
Kacchan calls them “a bunch of fucking extras” which Izuku gently corrects him with “fans.” The public seemed to love the title that the blond had given them, however, and had gladly gone with the name “Dynamight’s extras,” much to Kacchan’s distaste.
Even though Kacchan has mellowed out a bit, able to reign in his anger and outbursts nowadays due to his anger management therapy sessions provided to him by the agency, which Izuku was happy for when the blond had told him- the occasional curses Kacchan slips out are quickly grasped by the public. And not in a bad way at all. No sir. One day, Kacchan nicknamed an illusion quirk-based villain, called Mystify, “Bucket Bitch” simply because he wore a bucket shaped helmet and the media had a field day with that one.
In fact, the name had stuck so well, that Mystify had just ended up throwing a tantrum over it and getting himself caught.
That day would go down in history.
All in all, Kacchan had a particular way in dealing with the public that made it seem so effortless and people loved his arrogant attitude in a way as well. Because the man wasn’t ever particularly villainous, of course, no one ever took his words seriously as most of them were usually half-hearted anyway, unless they were actual villains. Izuku knew that despite calling his fans “a bunch of extras,” Kacchan cared for all of them in a special way. Especially since Izuku caught him that one time he was writing back to the hundreds of letters kids had sent in his post box on one of the weekly visits to the blond’s apartment. Although he had almost faced death back then for sneaking up on his friend out of nowhere, thus discovering the secret of Kacchan actually being a huge softie on the inside- which Izuku’s banned from saying lest he wanted to die- Izuku was grateful to know that Kacchan wasn’t having such a hard time dealing with the onslaught of attention (which kinda makes sense looking back on their past).
Now Izuku, on the other hand, had no clue where to start.
He was always shy as a kid and despite gaining a whole bunch of amazing friends through his time at UA- which he’ll forever be grateful for- it still doesn’t mean the prospect of speaking in front of a group of people doesn’t freak him out a little.
Don’t get him wrong, he loves talking to people- he’s a people person after all. It’s just when microphones, cameras and people are shoved in his face right after finishing a tiring battle, it can be quite overwhelming. So, predictably his first few statements in public didn’t go as well as he hoped. In fact, he almost cried . That’s how bad it was. The future Symbol of Peace almost broke down in front of clueless civilians.
And then there was that one time- oh god that one time . Izuku cringes at the memory. It took place early when both Izuku and Kacchan were starting their days as official pro-heroes, just graduated U.A. High and taking down their first villain of the day when a reporter came up to them. Kacchan had immediately ditched Izuku to go “supervise” as the villain got apprehended by the police- as if supervision was necessary for the police to put cuffs on an unconscious villain. Izuku’s still a bit cheezed over his partner leaving him to fend for himself against the malicious looking reporter for the first time ever. At this point, Izuku had never done an interview before, but being formerly known as ‘the finger-destroyer kid’ from U.A. (who’s he kidding, he still breaks them from time-to-time), he’s gotten a little popular. And not the good kind of popular. Oh no, because god forbid fate made it easier on the boy who already has a lot on his plate with having to work hard to live up to the expectations of the Symbol of Peace. No, instead, he became a meme. A goddamn meme.
So, of course, expecting the reporter to bring up this unfortunate term he’s been associated with for years now (still is, why is he constantly getting bullied?), Izuku was blindsided when the woman asked him something completely unrelated.
“Hi! Mr. Deku sir, do you have a moment? I have a burning question to ask you!” The woman asked, shoving a microphone in his face.
Izuku, luckily jerked his head back in time to avoid getting hit by the object and glanced down to the microphone, the woman, the camera man next to her before resting his gaze back onto the woman. “Oh, um-”
“Are you single?”
Izuku choked on his spit and quickly fell into a coughing fit as the camera continued to pan onto his pathetic heaving form. Finally getting a hold of himself, Izuku raised his slightly watery eyes back to the reporter’s expected ones. “I- uh, I’m sorry, what?”
“It’s just you have a bunch of admirers, our viewers were wondering whether you were up for market or not,” The woman continued as if she hadn’t witnessed Izuku hacking up his esophagus just a second ago.
Izuku shook his head rapidly, bewildered at the thought of having admirers. People actually admired him like that? The thought was just unbelievable! Glancing at the woman’s practiced smile, Izuku realized that it was probably just an exaggeration used to get some gossip from the pro-hero. Nonetheless, he had to give a statement since his partner left him high-and-dry.
“Ah, that’s uh- very kind but I’m very much single.” Izuku let out a nervous chuckle before wincing at how awkward he was being. Scratching the back of his head nervously under the woman’s insistent look, Izuku continued on, a little bashful. “I’m not particularly all that attractive, kinda plain looking, to be honest, but uh…”
Izuku trailed off, feeling his cheeks heat up under their heavy attention as he glanced away from the woman’s eyes for a second before turning back to face the camera, instead, with a slightly wobbly smile. “Thank you for being so nice! I really appreciate that I have you guys to support me. It- uh, really makes me happy.”
And the media. Ate. That. Up.
Izuku woke up the next day to find the Hero forums being bombarded with articles and posts of people “simping” over him. Izuku almost passed out when he saw some of the especially dirty ones. He got phone calls from his mom who cried over how far he’s come (Izuku suspects that she doesn’t actually know what the term ‘simp’ stands for but accepted the praises nonetheless). Even All-Might had called him, letting out a hearty laughter at the instant boost of popularity he received. He facetimed his friends in panic over what to do, only to receive thirty minutes of Uraraka and Shinso pulling up the video and laughing at his face, a lecture from Iida targeted towards the two about the importance of supporting friends, a sympathetic smile from Asui and a view of Todoroki’s forehead for the rest of the call simply because he didn’t know how to work the camera.
So he received practically no help at all in how to deal with this situation, especially the surplus of fans he had suddenly gained. People seemed to love his awkward nature, though, which Izuku couldn’t even begin to understand because he actually hated it.
At first, Izuku didn’t really like that he was seen like this. All-Might was never shy in front of cameras or anything, he always owned it with utmost confidence like, in Izuku’s opinion, a hero should be. Bringing this up with All-Might himself was a no-go as the man just shooed his worries away, saying he was thinking too much. So he went to Kacchan instead for help, since he was, in Izuku’s eyes, what a hero looks like. Next to All-Might, of course. (Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here).
When he asked the blond how he could essentially be more like All-Might, Kacchan had just rolled his eyes as if Izuku had just asked him if the Earth was flat. “It’s always All-Might this, All-Might that- for fuck’s sake, Deku. Just because you got his quirk, doesn’t mean you have to actually BE him.”
At Izuku’s blank stare, Kacchan only rolled his eyes once more. “You’re so fucking dense,” Kacchan muttered under his breath before turning to him, lips pursed into a firm line. “Dumbass, look, people already fucking love you and your muttering- which is still fucking annoying, by the way- so why the fuck do you want to change that?”
“You’re a fucking Deku so just be- I don’t know! Be fucking Deku, ya nerd!”
It’s the first time Izuku’s ever seen Kacchan struggling to find the words but he heard the underlying message just clear: Just be yourself. How cheesy. Of course he didn’t say that lest he wanted an explosion to the face. But honestly, Kacchan’s words sort of resonated with Izuku. Why was he struggling to be another All-Might? There’s already one, so why should there be another? Instead, he’ll just be himself, the first ever Deku to take on the Symbol of Peace role.
Wow, seriously when did everything get so cheesy?
But either way, Izuku found himself a bit more okay with the fact he was awkward. Well, some of his moments still make him cringe a bit but he isn’t as harsh on himself anymore. Especially when the very next day Kacchan had sent him a screenshot of the comment section of one of the hero columns that apparently found Izuku more relatable, as he shows being shy doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not fit to be a hero. It made him feel like he was finally doing something right. Kacchan’s text underneath the screenshot only made him smile wider in response.
These fucking extras actually have more braincells than you, shitty nerd. No fucking surprise. Don’t go thinking you’re gonna beat me in the hero rankings with your fucking simps, though.
Ah, but he did, and it turns out Kacchan was the biggest simp for him out of all of them. Because when the rankings did come out for that year, both Izuku and Kacchan ended up placing top 15, with Izuku at 11 and Kacchan at 12. Placing that high right after graduation was a big deal at the time and Izuku never felt more accomplished. However, when Kacchan asked him to meet him outside at the after party that was thrown for the heroes, Izuku had felt fear start to settle in instead, the scene eerily reminding him of the Ground Beta fight in their first year.
But Izuku went after him anyway, because of course he would. Kacchan was his friend, his partner . Of course he would follow him.
And then when he reached Kacchan at the parking lot, reluctantly getting into a fighting pose, Kacchan just threw him a judgemental look instead, not at all looking like he was going to fight him.
“The fuck are you doing, nerd?”
Izuku blinked, dropping his stance but still watching the blond across him warily. “Uh, wait you don’t wanna fight?”
“Haah?!” Kacchan exclaimed, eyeing Izuku as if he was stupid. Which- he very well may be whenever it came to Kacchan. “Why the fuck would you think that?”
“Well, um-” Izuku shook his head, shuffling nervously on his feet. “Nothing! Why- What’s going on?”
“Dance with me.”
Izuku froze, blankly staring at the blond across him before letting out a “huh?”
That was apparently not the correct response though, as Kacchan began to fume, stomping slightly. “Fucking dance with me! What part of that don’t you understand?!”
“Huh?” Why on earth did he decide to repeat it?
“Goddamnit! What the fuck, nerd! I’m fucking trying to confess here by asking you to dance, being all romantic and shit and here you are looking fucking dumb going ‘huh?’” Kacchan snapped and- man oh man, there might be a Ground Beta fight, after all.
“I-” Izuku started before the words registered in his head. “Wait you’re trying to what?!” Then- “And why in the parking lot?!”
“SHUT THE FUCK UP!”
And that’s pretty much how they got together. Such fond memories…
Ever since then, things have only been going up both in terms of their rankings and their relationship. Honestly, Izuku’s never felt so lucky. Kacchan actually liking him back and being with him had never seemed like a reality to him. And at first, based on how awkward and rocky things were when they first started to mend their friendship back in U.A., Izuku assumed now falling into a relationship together might be the same. Except he was so wrong. If anything, it seemed easier. They moved in together into Kacchan’s apartment within just four months into the relationship. Kacchan, surprisingly, was the one to bring it up. His excuse being that Izuku “lived too far. What the fuck kind of long-distance relationship was this?” Izuku didn’t understand because, really, he just lived down the street but Kacchan was adamant on bullying him until he moved in. Honestly, he had such a romantic boyfriend.
Although, Izuku was hesitant to move in at first because he heard of couples breaking up as soon as they realized what life is like with each other when they move in together. Midnight-sensei actually told him all of this when he was a student at U.A., back when she decided to impart wisdom on each student in Class A, much to Aizawa-sensei’s distaste. Each advice was tailored to each student and while Izuku was excited in the beginning, whipping his notebook and pencil out in excitement, he soon realized well into a third of the lecture that it wasn’t hero advice she was giving out but relationship advice . It was...a little disappointing to say the least, but nonetheless he continued to smile and nod along as Midnight sensei continued to rant.
Never had Izuku thought that this advice would have ever applied to him but of course he was wrong. So, within the first week of moving in, things had been awkward, especially since Kacchan had no qualms about sharing a bed. He had looked at Izuku like he was an idiot when he pointed it out.
“We’re dating, nerd. Why the fuck wouldn’t we share a bed?” Kacchan yawned before turning on his side on the bed, no longer facing Izuku as he brought the covers up to his chest. “Besides, we’re finally gonna have sex soon enough now that you’ve moved in, so how would sleeping in separate beds help that, stupid?”
Izuku wasn’t even able to dignify the blond who had already somehow started to nod off with a response because his mind ended up short-circuiting at the blunt statement. Soon enough though, he ended up climbing onto the bed and falling asleep anyway. But things went awkwardly like that until they had their first argument five days after moving in together. Izuku had forgotten to put out the pork one night to thaw for Kacchan to start cooking when he got home because he was too busy watching all of his classmate’s interviews. It was one of his rare day offs and he was adamant on catching up on everything he’s been missing out on the media related to pro-heroes. Turns out he was way behind than he had originally thought and when he heard the turn of the key at their door, Izuku had frozen in fear, turning to face his boyfriend who just came home from patrol.
When Kacchan found out, he was pretty mad but now that Izuku looked back on it, he didn’t really seem as mad as Izuku envisioned him at that moment. Instead he looked more frustrated, really, to which Izuku would soon come to realize was targeted towards how awkward he’s been for the past couple days. Of course, Izuku didn’t come to that conclusion though. No, you want to know what past Izuku had expertly deduced from this situation instead? He thought that this was it. This was the end. They were going to break up their relationship over unthawed pork. A truly tragic ending indeed. And so, the clever Izuku, who reflected back onto the conversation he had with Midnight-sensei, began to take his leave, thanking a dumbfounded Kacchan along the way.
But thank god for Kacchan who had the common sense in this relationship. Because the man had ended up tackling him to the floor instead and this time, Kacchan was really angry.
“What the fuck, nerd? If you didn’t want to fucking move, then why didn’t you fucking say so?!”
“I did want to move! It’s just-”
“I thought you were fucking happy with m-” The blond breaks off with a harsh sigh before turning back to glare at Izuku with the most deadly look in his eyes. “Were you fucking pretending this entire time?”
“Wha-? No, Kacchan! Of course, not! I really am happy to be with you!” Izuku brought his hands up to hold the blond’s face in his palms, heart picking up when Kacchan didn’t shake him off, instead continuing to stare at him suspiciously. “Really, Kacchan. I swear on my entire All-Might collection.”
Kacchan let out a surprised snort at that before quickly composing himself to face Izuku with the same stern look, although his eyes seem to soften from its previous glare. “Then what the fuck, dude?”
Izuku let out a nervous laugh, looking away to the side to avoid Kacchan’s narrowed eyes. “Uh, it’s a long story actually…”
The blond just raised an eyebrow, pulling out his phone to check the time before turning back to Izuku challengingly. “We got time. Gotta wait for the pork to thaw anyway if we wanna eat.”
And so Izuku spilled all his insecurities about the chances of their relationship breaking up as well as Midnight sensei’s advice about moving in together so soon. Throughout the fifteen minutes of Izuku’s rambling, which wasn’t as long as Izuku expected, not long enough for the pork to thaw at least, Kacchan remained stone faced as he went on. Once Izuku finished, staring expectantly at the blond, Kacchan blinked once- twice, before pushing Izuku from the couch onto the floor. He deserved it.
In the end, Kacchan had managed to drill it into Izuku’s head of how stupid he was while simulataneously reassuring him that being closer together wasn’t going to hinder their relationship since they have, in a way, been close their entire lives- plus they lived together in a dorm for three years. Of course, this was a thirty minute conversation, with Kacchan throwing insults at him for being so gullible and believing Midnight-sensei so easily- which gave plenty of time for the pork to thaw!
That night, Izuku went to bed with his belly full with katsudon and heart content with his relationship.
“Oi Deku, you done muttering? It’s been five minutes.”
Izuku blinked back from his zoning out session and turned to his side to see Kacchan sitting with him, staring out front at the lake. “Oh, hi Kacchan!”
The blond let out a snort, bringing his elbows to rest on his propped up knees and tilted his head to side-eye the man, but chose not to say anything. Izuku took the moment to take in his boyfriend’s appearance under the faint moonlight, as they sat in silence. Kacchan wore a black jean jacket with a hoodie attached to the collar with his sleeves rolled up to his forearms, and a grey plain t-shirt underneath. He also wore a pair of black ripped jeans, which hugged his form nicely, a grey snapback on his head and a pair of red sneakers from Izuku’s merch line to finish off the look.
Izuku smiled at the sight of the shoes.
Not being able to find an adult size of his favourite red shoes back when he had graduated had been devastating for Izuku. The shoes he wore throughout his childhood didn’t fit anymore and it almost felt as if he was leaving a piece of him when he had to throw it out. Just a couple years later though, Izuku had the opportunity to brainstorm items to add onto his merch line and you bet the first thing he did was bring these shoes back. Granted, they weren’t the exact same as he used to wear when he was a child, a little more of a modern touch to it but Izuku was the one who designed it! Of course- with some help from Kacchan too, who surprisingly, was actually interested in the process. Izuku had ended up getting both him and Kacchan a pair when they first came out, showing up at the blond’s house with a cheeky grin. Kacchan claims he’ll wear them only because he had a say in designing it but too bad that Izuku discovered Kacchan’s secret of being an actual softie on the inside a while back. (Cue evil laugh).
Anyway, of course Izuku was wearing the same pair of shoes right now too. He almost never leaves the house without them. Along with the shoes, he’s wearing black sweatpants, a soft mint-coloured sweater that Auntie Mitsuki had gifted him a while back and his favourite beanie from Kacchan’s own merch line. His fashion sense got better once he graduated as well- only because his friends forcefully took him clothes shopping one day after seeing his closet. Also, Todoroki wanted an opportunity to piss off his father and using Endeavour’s credit card to purchase Izuku’s clothes benefited both of them. Of course, he was dragged against his will (they actually jumped him while he was taking a walk and manhandled him into the car, like good friends do), but honestly, maybe it was time for him to reconsider his taste in fashion. That, and Kacchan wouldn’t date him unless he stopped wearing his favourite graphic t-shirt with the word ‘T-shirt’ on it. He still wears it at home though, so compromises.
“Holy shit, don’t tell me you zoned out again.” Izuku’s eyes travelled back to Kacchan’s at the voice breaking his thoughts, a teasing smirk pulling on the blond’s lips at Izuku’s slowness. “Hey nerd, still mad?”
Izuku furrowed his eyebrows, confused for a second at what the man was talking about before realization set in. Oh right, he ruined their anniversary. Izuku let out a huff, turning back to face the stupid lake with a slight pout. “I’m not mad,” he tried and failed to say in an even tone.
He could almost see the blond roll his eyes from beside him before he felt his bottom lip being pinched between two fingers. He tilted his gaze back at Kacchan indignantly who didn’t look the slightest bit put off by Izuku’s glare. Man, he must really be off his game today. “Yeah, ‘cause you always pout like the world’s greatest fucking boyfriend did the world a favour by burning off those awful t-shirts you have when you’re happy.”
Izuku went to bite at Kacchan’s fingers but the blond quickly pulled them away, meeting Izuku’s annoyed expression with a one of delight. “That did happen and I’m still pissed at you for it.”
Kacchan just shrugged in return. “It was for the greater good, Deku.” Izuku didn’t bother responding, instead turning back to watch the quiet waves in front of them.
“So, wanna tell me why you’re mad now?” He felt the blond nudge his shoulder and turned to see him donning the same teasing look before nodding towards the lake in front of them. “The entire ocean for your thoughts?”
Izuku half-heartedly sighed, a small smile pulling on his lips despite himself. “That’s a lake, Kacchan.”
“Fuck off,” came the response causing Izuku to let out a laugh. The blond continued to stare straight ahead but Izuku could see the way the corners of his mouth quirked up at the sound. Yet, Kacchan kept quiet, waiting for Izuku to spill what’s on his mind. That’s another thing that stuck with them from even before they started dating, back when they were in their second year at U.A., actually. Communication was one major thing they were lacking at the time and All-Might had made sure to highlight its importance when it came to hero duos. But both Izuku and Kacchan already knew this was something they were going to have to figure out anyway.
So the idea of “--- for your thoughts?” came into play one night when Class 2A sat around in the common room, watching an american movie. A line had come up between two friends, “penny for your thoughts?” during a quiet moment in the film and Kacchan had let out a snort, saying, “what the fuck is he going to do with a penny?” Which dwelled into a whole conversation about the multiple uses of a singular penny that Izuku bet Kacchan had regretted speaking based on the constipated look on his face.
A few days later, when Izuku and Kacchan had come across another argument during training, ending with the blond glaring in his seat silently, Izuku had taken the chance to grab two water bottles and sit beside the boy. After a few moments of preparing himself, he turned to the blond, awkwardly lifting one of the water bottles with a smile.
“Um, water bottle for your thoughts?”
Kacchan had let out a snort before surprising Izuku by taking the water bottle from his hands. “No penny?”
“I thought you hated pennies.”
“No shit. What the fuck are ya gonna do with pennies in Japan?”
They’ve been using this tactic ever since, offering something to the other to speak what’s on their mind. Their relationship had changed significantly as they encouraged each other to open up more and in the end, it made them feel better too. Granted, this doesn’t work every time, some days are harder than the others, but it was definitely a step in the right direction.
Although Izuku was delighted that they had gotten better in their communication, it still kinda sucks to be on the speaking side right now. He sighed, chewing on his lip nervously before mumbling, “I feel like I ruined our anniversary.”
“Shit, really?”
“Kacchan, be serious,” Izuku huffed, knocking his shoulder against the blond’s, slightly annoyed. The action gained him a playful shove in return before the man turned his full attention on him, pinning him with his eyes alone. Izuku held back a shiver under his gaze. Despite being in a relationship with the man for three years, Izuku still can’t help the way his heart speeds up from little things like these.
“Right, tell me how in the hell you think you fucked up our anniversary even though I know it’s fucking bullshit,” Kacchan said before quirking up an eyebrow at Izuku’s deadpan expression. “Honestly, Deku, you should be lucky to have such a patient boyfriend.”
The blond added, purposely ignoring Izuku rolling his eyes at the last few words, albeit it holding some truth. While their communication improved, so did Kacchan’s patience for not only his boyfriend, but for others as well. Kirishima and Kaminari would tease the blond a lot for ‘going soft’ ever since they started to date. And everytime without fail, Kacchan responds by sending an explosion to their faces to prove the opposite. No matter how hard he tries to hide it, though, the fact still shines through, blatantly obvious to those close to him; to those who’ve had the opportunity to see him grow.
Izuku was truly lucky.
“Talking time, nerd.” Izuku felt fingers pinching his cheek and scrunched up his face in discomfort. Kacchan just smirked at the look before letting go to rest his chin in his palm, staring at the other, expectantly. “The goddamn ocean’s waiting for you.”
“Lake,” Izuku found himself correcting once more and bit back a smile at the blond’s eye twitching in annoyance. Ha, that’s what you get!
“I’ll fucking throw you into the lake if you don’t start talking,” Kacchan muttered and Izuku narrowed his eyes in distrust, scootching away from the man. He wasn’t going to take any chances. However, before he could scoot away further, Kacchan wrapped an arm around his waist and dragged him back until he was pressed against the blond’s side. Looking up to see Kacchan’s lips pursed into a firm line, eyes flashing challengingly, Izuku let out a sigh in defeat.
“I-ugh.” Feeling slightly embarrassed, Izuku broke eye contact with the man beside him and turned to face the lake instead. “This weekend was supposed to be relaxing for us. We were supposed to reach the resort four hours ago and already be settled in. Instead, here we are in god-knows-where with a GPS who’s so intent on killing us by leading us into this stupid lake!”
Izuku let out an exasperated huff, the action pushing up his bangs away from his forehead. “Yeah, that does fucking suck,” Kacchan replied after a moment and Izuku bit his lip feeling guilty, but apparently, the man wasn’t done. “How is this shit your fault, again?”
Izuku paused, blinking at the question before turning to Kacchan in bewilderment. “I- weren’t you listening to what I said?”
“Haah?!” Kacchan turned to him with a scowl, looking completely offended at Izuku’s words. “Of course I was listening, dumbass. I’m just saying, all I’m hearing is that the fucking GPS, which I think we should throw into this lake and teach it a fucking lesson, is the reason why we’re sitting on the side of the road like two fucking hobos. So, where the fuck do you come in?”
Izuku gaped, opening and closing his mouth several times before blurting, “well I-”
“ Well I- ” Kacchan cut him off, mocking him with a teasing grin that had Izuku turning to him with a deadpan expression.
“Kacchan!”
“ Kacchan! ”
Izuku opened his mouth before closing it again with a sigh as Kacchan wiggled his eyebrows, playfully. “You’re insufferable.”
“But I’m right,” came the response and Izuku let out another sigh, not bothering to respond. A few moments passed like that, both of them watching the waves repeatedly crash onto the shore before receding back, when Kacchan broke the silence with a grunt.
“Why are you so worked up over it, anyways?” The blond asked in a hushed tone, kicking at the sand below with a foot. “It’s not like we’re getting fucking married.”
“Not yet,” Izuku was quick to retort, sticking out a tongue when the blond turned to him with narrowed eyes.
“Fucking Hell, that’s my line, bastard,” he snarked, shaking his head disappointedly. “Copyin’ my moves and now my words too? I should fucking sue you.”
Izuku pouted, puffing up his cheeks so much that he ended up looking like a puffer fish. Kacchan looked at him like he was crazy- which, he sort of was. “But Kacchan,” Izuku whined. “This is how I show my undying love for you!”
Izuku bit back a laugh at the man’s wide eyes at his words. Kacchan always, without a fail, gets flustered whenever Izuku admits that he loves him and he lives for each and every moment. The blond angrily spluttered a few times in response before blurting, “shut up, you hoe.”
Izuku snickered, making a show of blowing him a kiss. “I love you~”
“Oi! Shut the fuck up!”
Izuku bursts out into laughter, throwing his head back and cackling like a madman as Kacchan begins to go red in the face. Lost in his giggles, he completely misses the fond look in the blond’s eyes as he watches him, wordlessly catching Izuku with an arm around his shoulders before he falls on his head from leaning too far back.
Izuku soon settles down with Kacchan shaking his head in exasperation beside him, his arm still around him, hugging the other man closer. They stay in silence together like that for a moment, when Izuku softly admits, “I wanted to make this trip as fun as you made the last one.”
Kacchan scoffs. “Tch, trying to one up me, shitty nerd?”
“Always, Kacchan.”
Kacchan grins wide at that before playfully knocking his head against his. “It’s neither your fault or mine, it’s that stupid fucking GPS,” he says before a murderous look flashes in his eyes. “I’m gonna throw that shit into the fucking lake right now.”
“That’s littering, Kacchan,” Izuku half-heartedly chides the man before looking up with an indignant frown. “And, it was a gift!”
Kacchan raises an eyebrow in return. “So? Stupid device can sink all the way to Bikini Fucking Bottom for all I care.”
“I-” Izuku started before realizing he had more pressing matters to address. “Was that a Spongebob reference? You never told me you watched the show!”
Kacchan rolled his eyes, seeming to regret his choice of words. “Fuck off, Deku…”
“But Kacchan-”
“I said ‘fuck off, Deku,’ otherwise it’ll be your stupid ass I’ll drag down to live in a goddamn pineapple under the sea!” He warned but Izuku was still blindsided by the fact that he’s known Kacchan for practically 16 years and never realized that he was a Spongebob fan. His whole world has changed.
“Aye aye, Captain,” Izuku mumbles, distracted, and Kacchan snorts at that.
“Fuck yeah, I’m the captain,” Kacchan grins before pushing himself up on his feet and dusting himself off. “Captain says we’re gonna ditch the fucking GPS and use my phone to get out of here.”
Izuku nodded, snapping out of his wonder to get on his feet and follow Kacchan back to the car. “Maybe there’s a hotel or something we can stay in for tonight? We can then head towards the resort tomorrow.”
Kacchan nodded in agreement before holding a finger up. “On one condition.”
Izuku tilted his head before scrambling to catch the set of keys being thrown at him.
“You drive.”
Izuku grinned, bringing up a hand in a salute. “Aye aye, Captain.”
He perked up when he heard Kacchan mutter an “ohhh” under his breath. And that’s how he bullied Kacchan into blasting the Spongebob Squarepants theme song in the car for the rest of the drive. Oh, how the turntables.
~*~
It only took them 20 more minutes on the road (and 20 minutes of Spongebob- holy hell, he was gonna kill someone) to find a hotel and Katsuki inwardly pumped his fist in the air in triumph at that. They pulled up to quite a decent hotel which was surprising as it was a pretty small town they arrived at but whatever, he’ll take it as a win. Pulling one of their suitcases out from the trunk, Katsuki glanced at his boyfriend who stood silently beside him as he took in the hotel. The blond frowned at the lack of muttering from his nerd, shaking his head when it was obvious that the man was still feeling guilty for supposedly ‘ruining’ their anniversary. He didn’t know why the hell Deku was beating himself up for something that wasn’t even his fault- Hell, Katsuki had made it clear that he wasn’t mad. Yet here the nerd was, walking beside him with his head down, a slight pout playing on his lips- a habit Katsuki doubts Deku was aware of ever since they were little brats.
Such a baby, Katsuki thought, letting out a snort.
The sound caused Deku to turn to him in confusion but Katsuki sped up towards the reception desk before the man could open his mouth to ask, leaving him standing awkwardly at the entrance. Katsuki glanced at one of the mirrors on the walls to see his lost-looking boyfriend just behind his reflection finally snap out of his stupor and make his way to the blond. What an idiot .
Katsuki narrowed his eyebrows at the way the little pout returned on the man’s face through the reflection.
And still no muttering . Nothing about the designs of the hotel lobby, or the ugly vase they just fucking passed with weird swirly patterns he’s so sure Deku would’ve spent at least ten minutes mumbling about if he wasn’t zoning out. Nothing. The man stayed absolutely quiet which annoyed Katsuki to no end. That’s Izuku Midoriya for you; the greatest fucking enigma.
It’s times like these that Katsuki begins to miss the nerd’s mumbling habits, so he could at least get a hint to what the hell is going on in that head of his. But ever since entering the pro-hero world, Deku’s started to get more cautious on controlling his outbursts because of that one fucking extra at their agency.
The fucker told Deku in his stupid nasally voice “don’t you think this mumbling habit is dangerous? What if you were on a mission and you accidentally blurted out some important details that the villains could use against you? Or what if you’re on a sneaky mission and give yourself or possibly your teammates away from this? Or what if-”
The idiot couldn’t continue because he was too busy nursing a broken nose graciously gifted to him by Katsuki’s fist. Fucking dumbass. Deku wasn’t fucking stupid. Who the hell did this guy think he was? Well, either way, of course he got in trouble. Deku went to apologize to the extra on his behalf while he was stuck with the punishment to clean the bathrooms of the agency for two weeks for assaulting a co-worker, but it was worth it.
And I’d do it again , he thought with a smirk.
He finally arrived at the desk with Deku who stepped to stand beside him soon after, and peered down to see that it was empty. Goddamnit. Just when he was about to raise his hand to ring the bell in front of him, a young woman walked in from the open door behind the desk, drinking from a juice box in one hand.
When she saw them she froze halfway to the desk, her mouth open from where she was about to take another sip as she stared at them with wide eyes. Seconds passed in silence and Katsuki could feel his patience wearing thin while Deku shifted awkwardly beside him.
When it seemed like the girl was definitely not snapping out of whatever the fuck state she was in, Katsuki decided to break this weird staredown. “Oi, are you fucking broken or some shi-”
Katsuki was immediately interrupted by the girl letting out a frankly loud squeal and the blond tensed, his body subconsciously preparing for an attack, feeling Deku do the same beside him. Before anything could really happen, however, the girl quickly raced back through the door she came from, leaving the two heroes to stand awkwardly in front of the desk.
What the fuck.
Katsuki immediately turned to the man next to him, raising an eyebrow in bewilderment. “We’re leaving.” With that, the blond reached down to pick up the suitcases he momentarily dropped on the ground and turned to leave, but was quickly stopped by a hand wrapped around his arm. He turned around to be levelled with an ‘are you serious’ look from his boyfriend.
“Kacchan, this is the only hotel around! We’d probably have to drive at least a couple more hours to find another one!” Deku reasoned with a huff.
Katsuki tilted his head in thought before turning to his nerd with a curt nod. “We’ll sleep in the car.” Katsuki turned around but was once again tugged back to place by the tightened grip on his arm. Fucking nerd and his stupid fucking strength.
“Kacchan, I love you, but I’m not sleeping in the car on our anniversary date ,” came the response.
Katsuki almost choked at the three special words as if he were hearing them for the first time- because he wasn’t. Deku was never shy in expressing his love for the blond through his words, a fact that’s so clear based on the constant praise he received from the other throughout his life. However, Katsuki hasn’t said it back yet. Not because he doesn’t reciprocate the same feelings- he does. He does love him. The three words are so much easier to say in his head than rather actually say them out loud. Because despite all these years, despite already apologizing and making it up to the man, there’s still a part of him that doesn’t believe he deserves this. He doesn’t deserve Izuku Midoriya.
But fuck- that feeling will probably never go away. Katsuki’s a little fucked up when it comes to emotions, he’s aware of that. So, he tries his best to express how much he loves the little shit through his actions instead. And Deku knows. Katsuki can see it in the nerd’s eyes everytime- he understands.
Deku doesn’t deserve him.
But he does at least deserve those words.
And so, Katsuki opens his mouth to say them but of course, they don’t come out. Instead what comes out is, “yeah, yeah, dumbass, I know.”
Deku’s eyes brighten a bit, and Katsuki knows the smartass already picked up on what he wanted to say. God, he’s a fuckin’ coward.
“So, we’re staying then?” Deku asked, although the gleam in his eyes made it seem more of a statement than anything.
Katsuki scowled, leaning down closer to the man. “The chick’s fucking crazy, nerd,” he whispered, not because he was cautious of being quiet, but because he wanted it to get through Deku’s head.
The man in question simply quirked up a smile, replying in the same hushed tone, “yeah, but so are we.”
Katsuki opened his mouth to refute but Deku immediately leaned in the rest of the way and silenced him with a chaste kiss. Katsuki let out a tired sigh, beginning to feel the exhaustion from today’s travels setting in as Deku pulled back to fix him with a pointed stare.
Guess they were staying in the psycho hotel.
“Fine,” he grumbled, and Deku grinned in victory. Fucking hell, he was going to bite that stupid smile off his face. “But, if she makes any moves, I’m fucking blastin’ her all the way to Canada.”
“No, you won’t.”
“Yeah, I will.”
“No, you won’t.”
“Yes, I fucking will, De-”
Just then the door opened once again, and out came psycho chick- and oh look at that, she was wearing their merch. So, not only was she a psycho chick, but she was a psycho chick fan . Fucking fantastic.
“Uh, hi-” Deku started but was immediately cut off with yet another squeal from the girl. Both men winced at the loud volume piercing their ear drums. How in the hell has she not woken up anyone yet?
“Oh my god! You’re Japan’s greatest Wonder Duo! Oh my god, I’m such a big fan!” She yelled, almost vibrating on the spot.
“No shit,” Katsuki muttered under his breath, receiving an elbow in the gut for his words. He glanced at Deku, irritated, but the man just smiled, still facing the girl and whispered, “play nice” through his gritted teeth.
Katsuki rolled his eyes but conceded nonetheless.
He watched as Deku bowed respectfully at the extra before straightening back up with a bright smile. Katsuki stood still beside him. As if he was going to bow for psycho chick. Who knows if she ends up stabbing them and leaving them here to bleed to death while she ran away with their clothes. If Deku could read his thoughts, he’d probably tell Katsuki he was overreacting. Maybe he was just a bit.
Katsuki narrowed his eyes at the excessive merch around her form and the unsettling grin on her face, not faltering despite his intimidating stare.
Or maybe not.
“Yeah, we are! Nice to meet you, Ms…?”
“Nakamura Yui!” The chick answered, looking as if she had just witnessed the second coming of Christ.
Fuck. They might actually die here. Katsuki glanced at Deku beside him and tilted his head towards the entrance, signalling that they should get the fuck out of here. Deku ignored him. This little fucker.
“Haha, well nice to meet you, Nakamura-san!” The chick let out another squeal and Katsuki grit his teeth in irritation. Fuckin’ hell, make it stop.
“‘The fuck you soundin’ like a tea kettle for- Oi!” Katsuki cut off at another jab at his gut from the fucking nerd.
“Ahhh! Bakugo Katsuki!” The psycho turned her attention to him. Fuck. “I love you!” She exclaimed at Katsuki’s blank stare.
“Okay.”
He heard a sigh from his side and turned to quirk an eyebrow at Deku. The man just looked away, shaking his head while suppressing a smile. Katsuki smirked, leaning to playfully brush his shoulder against Deku’s, and the nerd responded by leaning back in until their sides were pressed against each other.
Cue yet another squeal.
Katsuki turned to the chick with a scowl. Can’t they just get their room and be done here, already?
“You guys are so cute!” She cooed. Ew. “Can I have an autograph, please?”
Double ew.
“Of course!” Came the response from the man who practically has sunshine coming out of his ass. Katsuki frowned at the unfortunate image that came to his mind at that thought. That’s weird. He should sleep. He glanced at the digital clock on the desk in front of them. 11:47 pm? Fuck .
Something being shoved in his face snapped him out of his thoughts, and he turned to see a ‘Wonder Duo’ notebook being thrusted towards him. With a huff, he grabbed the stupid thing and snatched a pen from the desk. Seeing that Deku already had his signature on the page, Katsuki scoffed, turning the page to a blank one, before taking up the entire space with his own signature. He threw a victorious smirk towards the nerd who stuck his tongue out in response.
“Thank you so much!” Psycho chick exclaimed, hugging the book to her chest with joy, her eyes tearing up slightly. Katsuki let out a snort at that. What a crybaby, he thought with a wry smile. Okay, maybe Katsuki was a little harsh on the chick. Maybe.
“‘s whatever,” Katsuki shrugged a shoulder and stifled a yawn. “You good now?”
The girl nodded before turning to the both of them with a far away look in her eyes. “I promise to dedicate my first child to the both of you. I will name them BakuDeku in your honour.”
Okay, nope. Katsuki quickly picked up the the luggage from his feet and turned around to get the fuck out of here but was rooted into place by Deku’s grip on his arm once again. Goddamnit.
“Haha, please don’t do that, Nakamura-san,” Deku sent the psycho chick a strained smile and quickly cut her off when she opened her mouth to probably insist on getting their blessing or some shit. “Um, sorry, but uh- we were wondering if you actually had any rooms for us to stay in? We’re a bit tired from our travels...”
That seemed to have snapped the chick out of her psycho phase for a moment as she took a seat at the desk with a nod. She smiled sheepishly as she turned the computer on in front of her. “Oh right, sorry! I kinda got carried away.”
Deku waved her concerns off with a bright smile of his own, reassuring her that it was no problem. Katsuki remained silent beside him and only conceded in replying with his own reassurances with a sigh when the nerd turned his expectant gaze onto him.
As they waited for the chick to log into the device, he took a chance to lean down and whisper in Deku’s ear. “It’s not too late to ditch, nerd.”
Deku glanced at him with an eyebrow raised, and Katsuki could feel the sass oozing out of him. “And what? Sleep in the car?” He whispered back.
“The seats are comfortable.”
Deku paused at that, fully turning to him with an incredulous look. “Kacchan, you can’t be serious.”
Katsuki scoffed. “What? You sure wanna stay here ?”
“Duh,” came the reply. “Kacchan, for the last time, we’re not gonna sleep in the car on our anniversary!”
Katsuki levelled him with an unimpressed stare. “Nerd, we’re going to die if we stay here.”
“No,” he started, green eyes narrowing momentarily. “But you’re going to die if you drag me out to sleep in the car.”
Katsuki pulled back, letting out a chuckle at the daring smile on Deku’s face before leaning back in with a matching grin of his own. “Is that a challenge?”
Deku’s growing smile answered that question. Heh, he’s a goddamn simp for his broccoli-lookin’ ass. Deku opened his mouth but before he could say anything, he was cut off with another fucking squeal.
Fuckin’ hell.
~*~
Izuku let out a sigh. They were staying at the hotel- of course they were, no matter what Kacchan thinks, a bed is much better to sleep on than car seats. Honestly, even if this hotel was run by the League of Villains, Izuku would still choose it over the car. At least he could die sleeping peacefully. Sounds like a great way to go.
Besides, sure Nakamura-san was a bit- uh, loud (?)- but she wasn’t evil . Izuku rolled his eyes. Kacchan could be so dramatic sometimes.
Well, either way, turns out there was indeed a room available for the both of them which they gladly booked with a relieved sigh. Kacchan tried to pay for it but Izuku vehemently refused, insisting since he was in charge of their outing this weekend, he’s going to pay for the hotel as well. Soon enough, Katsuki gave in, possibly due to how late it was, and chose to bring their luggages up to their room while Izuku stayed down to pay.
Once he finished the payment, Nakamura-san wished him goodnight with a wink and a promise to keep their visit a secret to stave off the media. Izuku had thanked her with a grateful smile. See? She wasn’t evil at all. Izuku made a note to send her some of their latest merch as a thank you after their anniversary date.
Right. Their anniversary. Izuku let out a huff. He knows he shouldn’t be, but he still felt a bit guilty. He just wanted to make this the perfect date ever for him and Kacchan! A stress free, relaxing getaway. Except, it all had to go wrong on the first day itself because of course it did. It was planned by Izuku after all. He was just bound to mess up.
Izuku sniffled, turning his slightly blurry vision up to face the ceiling from where he was seated on the ground.
Since everything was quick with the payment, Izuku had chosen to wait for Kacchan downstairs as they both had agreed to go out and get takeout together. However, during his wait Izuku caught sight of the pool in the next room and decided to make his way towards it to explore a bit, just until Kacchan came. Now here he was, sitting on the edge of the pool with just his feet submerged into the cold waters, his socks and shoes already removed and placed right beside him. He was leaning back on his hands, his head tilted upwards to watch the reflection of the waves bounce off the ceiling.
Izuku closed his eyes, trying to focus on the coolness of the water at his feet instead of his self-deprecating thoughts. At least, they weren’t going to miss the mountain climbing feature which was basically the whole reason why he booked the resort for the two of them anyways. Maybe tomorrow will run smoothly and Kacchan will be able to relax properly.
“You make it a habit to sit in front of bodies of water with a stupid face, nerd?”
Izuku’s lips quirked up into a smile at the voice before opening his eyes and turning his gaze towards the blond, who was leaning on the wall to his side, hands in his pockets. Izuku felt his cheeks heat up slightly under the blond’s heavy gaze and cleared his throat before he did anything embarrassing. “How long have you been standing there for?”
Kacchan pushed himself off the wall with a shrug before reaching Izuku within a couple of steps, dropping to sit in the spot next to him. “Just came.”
Izuku furrowed his eyebrows, not at all believing his words but chose not to say anything. Kacchan seemed to accept the silence, tilting his head up to the ceiling just as Izuku had done prior. Izuku couldn’t help but stare at the sight next to him, eyes moving from the calm expression on the blond’s face, down across his jawline to his collarbones.
God, he’s so pretty.
Lifting his gaze back up to his face, Izuku froze when he caught Kacchan’s eyes, and turned away with his face burning when the blond smirked at him, knowing that Izuku was blatantly checking him out. Izuku willed his beating heart to calm down. Three years , Izuku thought, shaking his head slightly, three years and he still makes me feel like…
Okay, he needed to stop his thoughts before he ended up popping a boner in a place like this. They were supposed to go outside soon anyway, and the last thing he needs to add to this trip is an arrest for public indecency- oh god no.
Okay, fine think about something else- ahhh, Aizawa-sensei coming to beat my ass, Aizawa-sensei coming to beat my ass, Aizawa-sensei-
“‘The fuck you thinkin’ about?”
Izuku turned around to see Kacchan still watching him with a satisfied smirk. Well, you see, I was actually thinking about how I ruined our anniversary but then you showed up, which immediately diverted my thoughts to how attractive you look which cause Deku Jr. to rise and shine but then I realized that since we’re going outside to get food soon- which, I don’t know why we’re still here if that’s the case- I need to calm down unless I wanted to get arrested which I don’t because you’ll get mad and so will mom so, instead, I started thinking about Aizawa-sensei coming to beat my ass as a distraction.
But all that came out was, “Aizawa-sensei.”
Kacchan paused, the smirk completely wiped off his face as he turned to Izuku with a “Haah?! The fuck you thinkin’ about him for?”
“Um,” Izuku started uselessly. “No reason.”
Kacchan narrowed his eyes at him and Izuku turned his gaze towards the water instead, feeling embarrassed. After a moment, Kacchan looked away with a huff, muttering under his breath, “and here I thought, you were beating yourself up for today, like a loser.”
Izuku froze at that, swivelling his head to meet Kacchan’s sidelong glance with one of disbelief. “Y-You-??” He stuttered only to throw his head back with a groan when Kacchan raised an eyebrow, not noticing in his frustration when the blond’s gaze travelled down the column of his neck with interest. “Was I that obvious?!” Izuku asked, turning back to Kacchan, again, not noticing the way the blond’s gaze suspiciously snapped up to meet his.
Kacchan scoffed at the question, moving to draw his legs up so he could rest his arms over his knees. “Tch, as if you could hide shit from me.”
“Well, I never actually tried to hide shit from you now, have I?” He retorted, flashing the blond a cheeky grin.
Kacchan huffed in response, reaching over to pinch his cheek in retaliation. “You think you’re so fucking funny, don’cha, nerd?”
“I’m hilarious, actually.” Izuku rubbed at his cheek with a slight pout, ignoring Kacchan’s grin. So evil.
“Says who?”
“That reporter, remember? From the first interview we did as a duo?” Izuku said, tilting his head at the memory.
Kacchan narrowed his eyes, completely unimpressed. “That’s ‘cause she was trying to get in your pants, Deku.”
Izuku opened his mouth to argue but immediately closed it at the piercing look sent his way. Okay, maybe she was flirting with him, but honestly, he didn’t know at the time! He just thought she was being really nice! It’s not like he was used to that type of attention anyway. But apparently, Kacchan seemed to have picked it up right away when she had first come out to greet them.
“Okay, fine,” he huffed, pursing his lips as he faced Kacchan, who had turned his attention back to the ceiling. “I’m still funny, though.”
“Uh huh.”
“I’m serious, Kacchan.”
“Mhm.”
“Kacchan!”
The blond didn’t respond, instead, he turned his body sideways and leaned back until his head was rested on Izuku’s thighs. Izuku let out a sigh, a small smile gracing his lips despite himself as he ran his fingers through the blond locks, watching Kacchan’s eyes flutter shut as soon as his fingers made contact with his hair.
“You know we gotta go buy dinner right?” He murmured, letting his fingers scratch the blond’s scalp, and biting back the snort at the way Kacchan practically purred at that.
Kacchan, though, immediately snapped his eyes open to catch Izuku’s gaze once he heard his question, the sudden movement startling him briefly. “Tell me what’s bothering ya first.”
Izuku sighed. “Kacchan-”
“What? You think I’m mad or something? ‘Cause I’m not, nerd.”
“I know.”
“Then?” Kacchan raised a hand to intertwine his fingers with Izuku’s at his hair. “You didn’t ruin shit, Deku. As if you could ruin anything, anyway.”
That last part was trailed off into murmur but it still had Izuku’s heart fluttering all the same. Kacchan took Izuku’s pause as a sign to continue.
“You remember when I asked you out?”
Izuku snapped out his stupor at the question and turned to Kacchan with wide eyes. The man didn’t meet his gaze, eyes focused on the ripples in the water as he dipped his fingers into the pool. “Yeah, I do,” he replied, distractedly watching as Kacchan’s hand moved back and forth across the surface of the water.
Kacchan paused, turning to raise an eyebrow challengingly with a smirk. “You sure?”
Izuku rolled his eyes in response. “Of course I do, Kacchan. How could I forget? One of the best things that has ever happened to me.”
Kacchan’s smirk grew wider, but it was completely overshadowed by the way his eyes softened at Izuku’s words.
It was the truth. Kacchan’s confession back when they first celebrated their rankings, getting into the top 15, was truly memorable. Sure, it was done in a parking lot outside of the room that held their party and sure, Izuku was downright petrified that they were going to have a round two of the Ground Beta fight- but despite all that, it was perfect. Honestly, he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Must’ve been planning that for a while,” Izuku mumbled playfully but was caught off guard when the blond nodded along, seriously.
“Ever since our second year,” came the reply and Izuku froze, catching Kacchan’s gaze with a shocked expression.
“In high school?!” He practically yelled. That’s so long ago! Kacchan’s been waiting to confess to him since then?! And here Izuku thought the blond only started to like him like that after graduation.
“Duh,” Kacchan answered, rolling his eyes as if it’s obvious- which, it’s not. Otherwise, Izuku would’ve noticed something sooner, right? Right? “Haah?! As if! I’m the fucking best at hiding shit, nerd.”
Izuku blinked. Oh, was he mumbling out loud? One pointed look from Kacchan answered that question.
“Besides,” Kacchan continued, moving his hand through the water beside him once more. “You’re so fucking oblivious, of course, you didn’t pick up on anything.”
“I-” Izuku started to deny but cut himself off when Kacchan turned to raise an eyebrow at him, challengingly. Fine. Maybe he was just a little oblivious back in U.A. But, he was just so focused on training to catch up to everyone, that maybe he knocked himself back a peg when it came to his social life. He’s got to be a bit better now, right? Maybe, he’s better off not knowing the answer to that question...
“Wow, Kacchan liked me for so long,” Izuku whispered in amazement. Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t notice how the blond in his lap stopped his movements, turning his head to watch the other, fondly, before taking a handful of water and splashing Izuku in the face.
Izuku spluttered, wiping his face with his hands as he felt the weight lift off from his lap. “Kacchan, wha-”
“Wipe that dumb look off your face, stupid,” Kacchan retorted, now back to sitting beside Izuku as he leaned back on his hands once more. “I’ve liked you far longer than that.”
Izuku dropped his mouth at the sudden confession and got a hand shoving his face away at the action. “Now, shut the fuck up and let me comfort you like the amazing boyfriend I am.”
Izuku let out a snort, and immediately pressed his lips together to prevent any more laughter escaping when the blond sent him a piercing glare. At Izuku’s obedient silence, Kacchan decided to speak up once more.
“That confession- the one you ruined, by the way, by opening your stupid mouth.”
“Kacchan, you dragged me to a parking lot. I was scar-”
“Didn’t I tell you to shut the fuck up?”
Izuku snapped his mouth shut, biting the inside of his cheeks to stop himself from smiling at Kacchan’s eye twitching in slight annoyance.
“Anyways,” the blond continued. “That confession was supposed to happen after our graduation ceremony.”
Izuku widened his eyes at that, watching as Kacchan ran a hand through his hair, the back of his ears beginning to turn slightly red; the only indicator that the blond was feeling embarrassed. A sign only Izuku and a couple of his closest friends could pick up because of how subtle it was. He smiled softly when Kacchan caught him watching, and only smiled wider when the other let out a huff before reaching out to ruffle Izuku’s hair until it covered Izuku’s eyes. He didn’t even try to fix it, just continuing to watch the slightly embarrassed blond through his bangs with a lazy grin.
“Then what happened?” Izuku prompted, causing Kacchan to let out a sigh.
“Well, during the dance party shit after the whole ceremony,” Kacchan picked up once more, and Izuku leaned in with interest. “I told myself the next slow song they put on, I would get my shit together and ask you to dance. Then I’d fucking tell you.”
“Oh my god.”
“Not one fucking slow song played, Deku! Not even one!” Kacchan turned to him, incredulously, and Izuku burst out laughing at the blond’s wide eyes. “Like what the fuck?! What fucking dance doesn’t have one goddamn slow song in their playlist.”
“Wait, oh my god,” Izuku cut in, catching his breath. “Is that why you were so pissed the rest of the night?!”
“Fuck off.”
“Pfft, oh my god-” Izuku burst into another round of laughter while Kacchan cuffed the back of his head in retaliation, rolling his eyes at the other.
“Fuckin’ ruined all my plans,” Kacchan muttered under his breath, smiling slightly at Izuku’s laughter echoing in the empty room. “Then, fuckin’ Present Mic had to come in and start singing into the mic. Shit was so loud, I was surprised that no one fuckin’ mistook it for the fire alarm.”
Izuku laughed harder at that and the blond shook his head, exasperated. Chuckling, Kacchan grabbed Izuku’s hair in one hand and shook his head roughly. “Oi, fuckin’ calm down already. Someone’s gonna call the goddamn police, thinking there’s some fucking hyena or some shit in the hotel.”
Izuku willed himself to stop laughing, taking a couple more minutes to calm down despite Kacchan’s half-hearted yelling. Izuku wiped his tears with one hand as the last of the chuckles escaped before turning to his boyfriend who raised an eyebrow at how red Izuku’s face was.
“You done, asshole?”
Izuku grinned in return. “Yes, sorry, sorry,” he replied with a nod before tilting his head at the blond. “So, you didn’t confess because of that?”
Kacchan huffed, glancing down when Izuku started kicking his feet again in the water, creating little waves. “Yeah, went home and punched the shit out of my punching bag, thinkin’ I ruined all my chances with you or something.”
Izuku furrowed his eyebrows at the blond’s defeated tone. “But you didn’t,” he insisted, frowning when Kacchan kept watching the waves in silence instead of replying. “You didn’t ruin anything! I still had a great time with you!”
Kacchan shrugged one of his shoulders, still not meeting his eyes. “Yeah, but the song…”
“It’s just a song, Kacchan! And-”
“Yeah? Well, it’s just a stupid GPS, Deku.”
Izuku froze, narrowing his eyes when Kacchan finally met his gaze with a smirk. “You- You tricked me!”
Kacchan let out a laugh (an evil laugh, in Izuku’s opinion). “Pfft, you fuckin’ played yourself, Deku.”
Izuku huffed, turning a bit on his side to kick some water at Kacchan. Unfortunately, he must’ve kicked harder than he thought because the next thing he knew, Kacchan was sitting beside him, completely drenched from head to toe. Izuku watched, frozen in fear, when Kacchan remained unmoving, eyes still shut as he worked his jaw. A move he does when he’s about to lose his shit.
Izuku gulped. “Oh my god, I swear I didn’t do it on purpose- well I did do it- But I didn’t mean for that much water to hit you! It was only supposed to be a little- like a splash! Just to tease, I swear! Because you were teasing me and I only thought it was fair because you’re a fair guy, Kacchan! The fairest! In personality and in looks! Like you know the movie Snow White, right? And like how the evil mother is like to her mirror, ‘mirror, mirror, on the wall. Who’s the fairest of them all?’ Well, you can bet All-Might’s tea shop that it showed you! In fact it’s showing you as is right now! Because you’re perfect, Kacchan. Even though you’re in drenched clothes and still not moving which is kind of freaking me out- did I break you? Should I put you in rice? Should I run? I should probably run, right? But-“
“Deku.”
Izuku snapped his mouth shut, sitting up so straight his mother would probably praise him for his proper posture if she were here- and slowly opened his eyes, which he apparently had squeezed shut in panic, to see Kacchan calmly staring at him. Alarms went off as the blond patiently reached out a hand and flashed him a grin that held anything but safety.
“Give me your phone and your wallet.”
Izuku blinked at the words. What . Was he trying to rob him?
“Uh, Kacchan? Wha-“
“Deku,” Kacchan grinned wider and Izuku could feel his soul leave his body. Lucky bastard at least got to escape, leaving the rest of him to go up against whatever beast he ignited inside his boyfriend/ potential murderer. “Phone and wallet, please.”
…
HE SAID PLEASE. He’s so screwed.
Trembling, Izuku slowly emptied his pockets and placed it in Kacchan’s hand, all the while maintaining eye contact with him.
“Um, there you go. Are you going to kill me now?” Izuku stuttered, watching the blond cautiously.
Kacchan simply glanced down at his hand that was holding Izuku’s belongings and shrugged. Izuku furrowed his eyebrows, trying to figure out what to say that wouldn’t cost him his life.
“Uh, Kacchan, are you- AHH!” Izuku let out a yelp when he was suddenly pushed into the swimming pool, with no warning; clothes and all!
He quickly rose to the surface, wiping the water from his eyes roughly with his hand. He turned to Kacchan, ready to open his mouth to yell at him because- holy crap was it cold, but found all words dying in his throat at the sight of the blond standing up and pulling his own wet shirt over his head.
“K-Kacchan, what are you doing?” He stuttered, glancing at the wet jean jacket already discarded by Izuku’s shoes as Kacchan tossed his shirt onto the pile as well. He snapped his gaze back to the man stripping above him, and swam a bit closer to the ledge where the blond was standing.
“Payback’s a bitch, Deku,” Kacchan said, and Izuku could see the stupid grin forming on his face at how quickly his eyes followed the blond’s fingers as he went to unzip his pants.
“Uh,” Izuku started stupidly as he watched the man pull the wet jeans down his thighs and couldn’t even be mad at Kacchan’s annoying smirk because his boyfriend was hot, okay? As Kacchan threw his wet jeans into the pile, Izuku couldn’t help it as he trailed his eyes over the muscles in his arms that only grew stronger since they left U.A., and down his abs, stopping right at the trail of hair that would lead to his-
“You gonna stare at me all day or you gonna let me swim?”
Izuku snapped out of his haze, quickly meeting Kacchan’s heavy eyes despite his burning cheeks. “Um, both?”
Kacchan let out a snort, taking a few steps away from the pool which had Izuku furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. “Wha- you’re going to leave me?”
The blond simply matched his pout with a grin, backing away until his back hit the wall behind him. “Might wanna get out of the way, nerd, unless you wanna get hit.”
Izuku blinked, completely lost, but before he could think more about the words, Kacchan sprinted towards him and blasted himself into the air right before he could reach the ledge of the swimming pool. Like jumping off a diving board , Izuku thought in wonder which very well might have been his last thought ever because here comes Kacchan, heading straight towards him from above with a manic grin.
He squeezed his eyes shut, letting out an ‘oomph’ as the blond slammed into his chest, knocking the both of them deeper in the waters. He felt arms wrap around his waist and subconsciously wrapped his own arms around those stupid shoulders he knows so well that belonged to his stupid man. Both of them resurfaced and Izuku was rubbing the chlorine water out of his eyes for the third time that night when Kacchan turned to him, livid.
“What the hell, Deku?!”
Izuku turned towards Kacchan, incredulously, refusing to be distracted by the drops of water rolling down his chest and met his burning eyes with his own. “What do you mean, ‘what the hell?!’ You slammed into me!”
Kacchan scoffed, “I told you to get out of the way!”
“How was I supposed to know you were gonna cowabunga straight into me!” He yelled back but Kacchan shook his head with a huff, running a hand through his wet hair in frustration.
“Fuckin’ Hell. You could’ve died, fuckin’ bangin’ your head on the floor!”
Izuku stopped at that, raising his eyebrows in bewilderment. Was he actually serious? “Kacchan-”
Kacchan, however, predictably ignored him. “The fuck am I supposed to do then, huh? What am I supposed to do when they find out that dumbass Pro-hero Deku fuckin’ died in a swimming pool. A swimming pool , Deku! By his goddamn partner, no less. What the fuck.”
“That’s the stupidest thing that I’ve ever heard come out of your mouth, Kacchan!”
Kacchan finally turned to him, raising his finger to point at him, accusingly. “You wanna know what’s stupid? Your fucking face.”
Izuku blinked before uttering a “what.”
“Yeah,” Kacchan swam a bit closer until they were an arm’s length away. “You literally stood there going ‘huh’ like an idiot, even though I told you to move!”
“I-” Izuku started before cutting himself off. “You know what?”
“What?” Kacchan asked, meeting his gaze, eyes glinting under the harsh lights of the room with challenge.
Izuku didn’t say anything, choosing to use just a bit of his quirk to full cowl the rest of his way over to Kacchan and dunk his head under the water before the man could react.
Izuku raised his arms into the air with a victorious grin as Kacchan resurfaced, coughing slightly. “Cowabunga!”
Kacchan let out a harsh sigh through his nose, locking his eyes with Izuku before flashing him a predatory smirk. “You’re fucking on, nerd.”
And that’s all the warning Izuku got as he got tackled back into water, laughing in delight