Chapter Text
It’s safe to say that Bakugou Katsuki is pissed.
“I’ll send you the details of the photoshoot and your partner’s later, okay? I won’t be there at the shoot, but I’ll be calling you when you’re done to see how it went.” Mitsuki says, unaware of the veins popping on Katsuki’s temples in irritation.
“This better be fuckin’ worth it, hag.” Katsuki almost growls when he hears his mom cackle loudly at the other end of the call. Almost cruel, a familiar tone that he hears sometimes coming out of his own mouth.
“It is, you brat. You’ll thank me later.” Mitsuki snickers, then clicks her tongue in annoyance after a few seconds, “And I told you to watch your fucking language with me, Katsuki!”
“What-fucking-ever.” he replies and ends the call abruptly, not giving his mom a chance to retort. Still donned in his hero costume, Katsuki shoves his phone inside his pockets and walks his way to his parents’ building.
Having parents that work in the fashion industry surely has its downsides. One of them is forcing their one and only son Bakugou Katsuki for their photoshoots; making him wear stuffy suits and annoying fucking hats. He would rather be swamped by paperwork in his agency just to get away from them.
Unfortunately, he never gets away from them.
Katsuki hears his phone beep from his pocket and feels a surge of annoyance flow over him again. It must’ve been the photoshoot details from his mom that he never even asked in the first place.
That’s the thing, too. Katsuki has never had a partner on any of the photoshoots that he did in the past. This is the first time that he gets to be in front of the irritating cameras with an extra. Not a good thing, if you ask him.
He takes a deep breath to quell down the exasperation in his veins and chooses to ignore his mom’s text. He shoves a hand in his pocket to press the phone’s mute button and walks briskly to what looks like the Bakugou Apparel building.
Katsuki hopes the photoshoot ends early.
૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა ♡
Katsuki hopes this photoshoot never ends.
Never in his life would Bakugou Katsuki ever think that he would eat up his own words because well, he is always right. But alas, he just ate his own words right now.
But can you really blame him?
In front of him is Midoriya Izuku, currently dressed in a white wedding gown with puffy sleeves and tiny ribbons all over the gown’s silhouette down to its train. His arms are covered with white gloves that start from his elbow up to his fingertips, elegant and dainty. His hair is styled perfectly, green curls sitting nicely at the top of his head along with a veil and the white ribbon above it.
An angel, Katsuki’s mind immediately supplies.
Because Izuku truly, truly looks like an angel. The light where he’s standing makes it look like he’s glowing, like he has a halo at the first glance. The veil adds some sort of delicateness to his entire look, along with the pearl necklace and its matching earrings that is enough to render Katsuki speechless.
For some reason, it feels kind of illegal to gawk at Izuku like what he’s doing right now. But it doesn’t stop Katsuki regardless.
You see, Midoriya Izuku is a ghost from Katsuki’s past. Well, was. He used to bully him when they were kids, scared him away with his poorly-trained quirk, and called him useless, called him fucking Deku, right in his face to make the poor kid cry.
Katsuki didn’t expect to see him ever again. Not when Izuku suddenly disappeared right after their middle school graduation; devastated after the unfortunate event that is the UA entrance exams, rejected because of his quirklessness.
Izuku vanished like a bubble, no traces of him or his mom in their neighborhood. Katsuki always assumed his mom knew where they went but he never asked her about it, and this certainly answers his question.
Katsuki continues looking at Deku—at Izuku, confidently beaming amongst the sea of people that flock over him. God only knows whatever the fuck he’s saying because Katsuki can’t hear it from where he’s standing, but fuck, Izuku’s occasional smiles as he speaks brightens up the room entirely. He wants to see it up close, bask in that blinding light until he’s sick of it. Katsuki’s not even sure he’ll ever get sick of it in the first place.
Looking at Izuku like that, with all the shine, flowers and sparkles all around him made Katsuki realize just how much he missed Izuku. He doesn’t even know that’s possible, yet he does, somehow.
The difference between the little nerd from middle school who is always hunched down on his seat to make himself smaller, to this Izuku: smiling at everyone with his chin up high, being the center of attraction, is kind of fucking up Katsuki’s mind too.
Katsuki didn’t even know how or when Izuku became a model, too caught up with his own hero work to even look at the current trends. His family and friends call him workaholic but he likes to think that he just doesn’t give a shit to things that don’t matter to him personally. But now, Katsuki wishes that he did. Wishes that he at least looked up where Izuku is or whatever happened to him.
He laments the time where he could’ve known what Izuku is up to by simply asking his mom about him or hell, maybe just a quick internet search will do. Because Izuku is obviously popular now. Seeing how comfortable he is around the set, the once shy Izuku that trembled under anyone’s watchful eye is now smiling and talking earnestly with the people around him.
Katsuki does feel proud of Izuku. But the pang of regret in his heart continues to ache.
Before Katsuki can even wallow into self-hatred, he breaks out of his stupor when Izuku’s eyes land on him. Right where the pro-hero is standing, in front of the door with his mouth slightly ajar and crimson eyes conflicted but obviously checking Izuku out.
Katsuki immediately wonders how long is he standing there like a fucking dumbass, staring at Izuku like a creep. He gulps in anticipation, his palms growing sweaty as he waits for Izuku’s next move.
Then he witnesses the unexpected. Instead of a frown or a blatant disregard to his existence, Izuku’s face visibly brightens up; even more than it already was. His green eyes are sparkling like emeralds as he smiles, all teeth and breathtaking all the same. That’s when Katsuki notices that Izuku is now walking towards his direction.
Fuck, he thinks.
Katsuki tries to regain his composure, he immediately stands straight with his head held high. He puts his hands inside his pockets as Izuku grows closer and closer, his hands are holding up his gown to prevent himself from tripping over its trail.
He lets out a snort when he looks down and sees Izuku wearing some worn-out red rubber shoes on his feet. Same as the ones that he used to wear when they were kids.
Seems like he’s still a little nerd, after all. Katsuki feels a tiny bit of relief at that.
“Kacchan!” Izuku beams, waving at him as he looks up to meet Katsuki’s eyes. His make-up is gorgeous; pink cheeks, glittery eyeshadow and plump lips covered by a light sheen of lip gloss. There are also gems right underneath his eyes that twinkle from time to time whenever the lights hit on it; the cherry on top to Izuku’s overall look.
Katsuki wants to kiss those lips so fucking bad — among other things.
He frowns at himself. Some kind pro-hero he is, acting like a goddamn pervert for his childhood friend like that.
“Kacchan?” A soft voice breaks him out of his thoughts; questioning and worried. He looks at Izuku’s face and sees the confusion set on his pretty features, his head tilted to the side as he stares at Katsuki with his big eyes. It tugs on Katsuki’s heart, making him clear his throat to wash away his totally not so indecent thoughts.
“De—Izuku.” Katsuki winces immediately at his mistake. Maybe he should’ve started by stopping himself from calling Izuku that goddamned nickname before trying to shoot his shot.
But before he even corrects himself, Izuku does something that completely surprises him again. He just laughs, a soft and airy laugh that makes Katsuki feel warm all over. It was short and abrupt; as if the laugh was forced out of him all of a sudden that left him flushing in the face as he calms down.
“Kacchan, it’s okay if you call me Deku.” Izuku smiles at him, genuine and trusting. His eyes are fond, never leaving Katsuki’s face.
That’s when Katsuki realized that Izuku still looks at him the same as before. With the same unwavering admiration, a glint of happiness and wonder, green eyes almost twinkling in awe as if Katsuki is deserving of it all.
Looking back at the past, despite all the bullying that Katsuki did to Izuku back then, one thing remained constant and that is Midoriya Izuku’s boundless admiration for Bakugou Katsuki.
It started when they were kids, the endless compliments just came running down from Izuku’s mouth. All for his Kacchan. Everything for his Kacchan. It’s second nature to Izuku to praise him and to find everything Katsuki does to be amazing.
But everything went to shit when Izuku was revealed to be quirkless and it came crashing down on their friendship. The resentment in Katsuki’s heart grew seeing Izuku still try to be a hero despite not having a quirk. He didn’t understand what he felt then; the threatening feeling that he mistook as Izuku looking down on him. So he did what he’s incredibly good at, something that resembles his own quirk, to blow up on Izuku and be a fucking asshole.
Never really realizing that he felt threatened because Izuku had the means to be a hero despite not having a quirk. It was too late when Katsuki finally understood.
But the light in Izuku’s eyes never waned, it stayed bright and fiery. Along with the obvious wonderment that he gives and gives and gives to Katsuki.
Until now, as it seems.
Katsuki feels a shooting pain in his heart, seeing those green eyes still look at him with the same amount of adoration that he knows he doesn’t deserve.
So he makes up his mind immediately. Katsuki decides that he will show everyone, especially Izuku himself, that he’s worthy of all this. He will do whatever it takes to repent, to make sure that his forgiveness is well-sought.
On the other hand, he also wants to kiss Izuku and do unspeakable things to him. But that can wait for later; he will woo Izuku, sweep him off his feet and carry him outside, shout to everybody else that no one will ever be as amazing and beautiful as Izuku is.
However, if Izuku doesn’t feel the same, Katsuki thinks that he’ll be fine as long as he gets to be by Izuku’s side.
But he should definitely work on with an apology first before anything else.
“Ain’t calling you that anymore.” Katsuki grumbles, his voice rough and gravelly. He clears his throat as he tries to strike a casual conversation, “Didn’t know you were my partner for today. Long time no see, nerd.”
“Oh!” Izuku exclaims, “Auntie didn’t tell you about it? She told me earlier that Kacchan already knew…” His voice trails at the end, uncertainty replacing the cheerfulness he had earlier.
Katsuki realizes that he fucked up again. Just because he didn’t check the old hag’s text message earlier.
“‘S fine, Izuku.” Katsuki hurriedly says, trying hard not to grimace at Izuku’s expression. He wants it to go the fuck away, to bring back Izuku’s smile again. “I don’t mind being your partner for the shoot anyway. Much better than any of the extras that I expected.”
And just like that, Izuku’s eyes light up again. The smile on his face comes back in full force like it never went away in the first place.
Izuku is so fucking easy to please. Too easy, if you ask Katsuki.
“Really?” He asks shyly, looking up at Katsuki through his eyelashes. “Kacchan really doesn’t mind?”
The way Izuku is straining to look up at him is doing some things to Katsuki’s self-control. It doesn’t help the fact that Izuku never really grew that much after middle school and Katsuki had a ridiculous growth spurt in highschool. Katsuki can’t help but feel smug. The urge to dunk on Izuku’s height is at the tip of his tongue, wanting to see Izuku get flustered as he tries to defend his own stature.
But Katsuki saves it for later. He has lots of time for that, he will make sure of it.
Instead, he tries to be a civil fucking person as to not try to scare Izuku away. For now.
“What do you take me for, Izuku? ‘Course I don’t fucking mind.” Since when did Katsuki’s voice become that husky? He clears his throat again, pinching on his arm quite hard to try and get ahold of himself. He really needs to stop thinking about manhandling the hell out of Izuku on bed and—
“I’m glad, Kacchan…” Izuku mumbles sheepishly, his voice is so small that Katsuki almost misses it. “I feel so blessed right now.”
“Hmm?” Katsuki raises a brow at him, “Speak the fuck up, Izuku. I can’t hear you.”
Izuku takes a deep breath, swallowing down his nerves as he speaks with a louder voice. “I said… I’m blessed that Kacchan thinks I’m worthy to be in a photoshoot with him!”
Katsuki looks at Izuku from head to toe before flicking his forehead lightly, making Izuku gasp at the contact. “You’re the one who’s the actual model here, nerd.”
“But still!” Izuku insists, his hands are clenched into fists. “Kacchan is Kacchan!”
Izuku says it really passionately, his eyebrows furrowed with determination as he looks at Katsuki’s eyes. Katsuki can’t help but to chuckle, “Yeah. I know I’m fucking amazing, Izuku.”
Before Izuku can reply, someone inevitably pops the little bubble that they have around each other. It’s Saeko, the make-up artist.
Katsuki forgot that they’re supposed to be doing a stupid photoshoot today and not just to catch up and talk to Izuku until the sun sets.
“Katsuki! There you are!” Saeko practically screams, her loud and boisterous voice echoing in the whole set making Katsuki physically bristle.
“Hi, Saeko-san!” Izuku greets her ever so politely and even waves at the stylist as she walks in their direction.
“Great.” Katsuki groans sarcastically as he watches her come closer to them. “Sharp nails is here.”
“Sharp nails?” Izuku asks, genuine confusion present in his eyes. Katsuki just nods in her direction, her sharp red nails surely visible from a distance.
“Yeah. Look at her fucking nails, nerd.” He huffs, “She can definitely stab someone with that. It’s a miracle she hasn’t poked anyone’s eyes out while trying to do their make-up.”
Izuku bursts out laughing as if Katsuki just said the funniest joke ever. It’s not even fucking funny. But Katsuki recognizes a win as a win.
“Well, you’re right. Saeko-san has sharp nails but she’s really good at her job! I think she’s amazing!”
“Sure, nerd.”
Their conversation is once again interrupted by Saeko’s presence, who is now standing beside them. “You two gossiping about me?”
Izuku’s hands flail as he tries to explain himself, “N-not at all, Saeko-san! I was just telling Kacchan how amazing you are.”
Katsuki snorts, “Yeah, we are.”
“Kacchan!” Izuku scolds him, his voice high pitched with embarrassment. Katsuki just shrugs, folding his arms on his chest.
Katsuki swears he saw Izuku’s eyes flick on his biceps afterwards, but Izuku turned away too fast before Katsuki can even confirm it.
“It’s okay, Izuku-chan. I don’t mind at all.” Saeko winks at him, pulling out a compact powder from her pocket and patting the foam lightly on Izuku’s forehead where beads of forehead are starting to form. She adjusts Izuku’s gloves upwards, practically ignoring Izuku’s barrage of apologies.
After she’s done fussing over Izuku, she turns at him abruptly and squints her eyes at him.
“You…” Saeko points at a room from the other side of the room with her thumb. “Your suit is all-ready in the dressing room, go change quickly and we’ll fix you up after.”
Katsuki wants to roll his eyes and grumble about how wearing a suit fucking sucks. It feels constricting, that’s why he always hated formal events besides the fuckton amount of people in it.
But one word from Izuku changes it all.
“Wow!” Izuku’s eyes are practically glowing with excitement. It is something that pulls Katsuki out of his grumpy state altogether. “I’m so excited to see Kacchan in a suit! Of course, I see it in hero galas and other events on television. But seeing it in real life would be so amazing!”
If you told Katsuki thirty minutes ago that he would wear a suit just for this tiny, beautiful nerd that was once his childhood friend, he would not believe you. Not even a little bit.
But there he goes, striding confidently on the way to the dressing room. Ready to wear the suit and sweep Izuku off of his feet.
He misses the way Saeko’s eyes glint with mischief, a smirk etched on her face as he watches Katsuki walk away.
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Don’t get him wrong, wearing a suit is still bothersome. But seeing the way Izuku gets red all over his face when Katsuki comes out of the dressing room is certainly worth it. Katsuki doesn’t waste any time, he walks briskly to where Izuku is standing but he is rudely stopped by a hand on his arm.
“What the fuck.” He growls. He turns around and sees Saeko grinning at him. Of fucking course it’s her again.
“What do you want now, sharp nails?” Katsuki frowns, swatting her hand away from his arm.
“I know Izuku looks at you like you’re the most handsome man he’s ever seen. But I need to put make-up on you, Katsuki.” Saeko tries to push him back in the dressing room but Katsuki doesn’t even budge an inch on where he’s standing. Instead, he looks at Izuku like the lovestruck dumbass that he is.
Saeko follows his eyes and sighs in exasperation. “Goddamn. It’s bad for you. So, this is what the number three pro-hero looks like when he’s in love, huh?”
Katsuki clicks his tongue, “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
“Wow. You’re not even denying it.” Saeko howls in laughter, her nails are digging on Katsuki’s arm now as he tries to motion him inside the dressing room again. “Look, I know your angel is waiting for you like an excitable puppy so if you want this to be over fast, you will go back inside and let me do my work.”
This makes Katsuki move, embarrassingly so.
“Fine.”
With one last longing look on Izuku’s form, who is now distracted by some extra talking to him, he walks back inside the dressing room.
Sharp nails is right: It’s really bad for him right now.
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“These stupid fucking gloves. Why do I have to wear this shit?” Katsuki grouses to himself. He hates wearing gloves outside of hero work, his palms are already sweaty as it is, why does he need to cover it with a stupid fabric to make it even sweatier? It’s a quirk hazard for the hero Dynamight, no matter if the perverts on the internet find it sexy.
Fortunately for these people, Katsuki is in full control of his quirk or else these gloves will turn to ashes the moment he gets remotely irritated.
Katsuki decides to stop grumbling and opens the door to the dressing room forcefully so that it hits the wall with a loud smack. He ignores it in favor of looking for Izuku, scanning all over the set with an absolute urgency.
With little to no effort, his eyes finally land on Izuku.
He’s standing in front of the green screen, leaning on a motorbike as one of the stylists is arranging the now skewed veil at the top of his head. He’s chatting lively with her, his hands moving around in motions to whatever the hell he’s talking about.
Katsuki feels a tap on his shoulder, “Go, loverboy. The photoshoot’s starting in five minutes.”
He glares at Saeko, ignoring how his ears heat up at the jab.
“Not a fucking loverboy.” He loudly protests, clicking his tongue as he walks in Izuku’s direction.
He hears Saeko hooting in laughter annoyingly behind him but he ignores it, determined to talk to Izuku again.
And as if Izuku feels Katsuki’s presence, he spins around quickly. The way his entire face just morphs into a complete joy and excitement strokes Katsuki’s already big ego.
(If the nerd had a tail, it’s probably wagging like crazy right now.)
“Kacchan, you’re finally here!”
Katsuki will never get tired of hearing that nickname from Izuku’s mouth. Ever.
“Yeah, I am.” Katsuki tries to keep his cool, rolling his shoulders a little bit, “What’s up?”
Izuku looks at him from head to toe, clearly checking Katsuki out. His face is flushed as he does so, he doesn’t even hide it. Katsuki snorts loudly because Izuku even does it twice before a moment of recognition and embarrassment all at once fills his freckled face.
“Kacchan looks… really handsome.” Now he’s shy, looking down at the ground as he sheepishly compliments Katsuki.
But Katsuki is not having it. The nerd has the audacity to be shy now? Hell no.
He lifts Izuku’s face by his chin, gentle as if Izuku’s a skittish animal that will run away if he gets a little too aggressive. Katsuki can be fucking gentle if he wants to. He can. For Izuku.
“Look at me.” Katsuki coaxes him, his crimson eyes looking intently at Izuku’s perfect face. He waits for Izuku to meet his eyes before whispering, “You don’t look so bad yourself, Izuku.”
“Oh.”
Katsuki doesn’t even realize how close their faces are until he feels Izuku’s breath on his face. Up close, Izuku looks even more heavenly and it takes all of Katsuki’s self control not to scoot his face closer and feel Izuku breathe in his own mouth.
Then Saeko and her ear-splitting voice comes barging in, making Izuku yelp in surprise. He jumps away from Katsuki’s hold, averting his eyes as he straightens the non-existing wrinkles on the gown that he’s wearing.
“Enough with the flirting, you two!” Saeko points at them, her eyes filled with amusement. Izuku blushes up to the tip of his ears as he splutters into a flurry of words.
“Shut the fuck up!” Katsuki yells at Saeko in reply, but she just cackles louder. He can feel his veins popping on his forehead once again. Aside from the old hag, this woman is also causing him a stupid headache.
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One thing that Katsuki notices from the motorbike is it’s too fucking wobbly. There must’ve been something wrong with the stand, because even if he keeps on maneuvering it from side to side, it’s still unsteady. It looks like it’s going to fall the moment they hop on it.
“Damn it.” He clicks his tongue in annoyance as he lets go of the hand clutches. Katsuki crouches down to inspect the paddock stand, wiggling it back and forth. “Can’t the old hag rent a better bike than this?”
“What’s wrong, Kacchan?” Izuku asks, resting his palms on his knees as he leans down to look at the bike too. They’re too close, too close that Katsuki can smell Izuku from where he’s sitting.
Izuku smells like honey, sweet and absolutely fucking delectable. Katsuki tries his hardest not to look at him in fear of suddenly biting on Izuku’s shoulder. He feels like a rabid dog, drooling for a taste of Izuku’s skin on his mouth.
“Is there something I can do to help? Maybe we can ask someone to fix it?” Izuku asks again when he gets no reply. He moves closer and Katsuki catches another whiff of Izuku’s scent and he feels himself literally losing his mind.
Katsuki tries to pull himself together, he doesn’t need to be a fucking pervert right now. He stands up abruptly, which is a bad move as he accidentally hits his knee on the motorbike, making him groan in pain.
“Wha—Kacchan?!” Izuku startles, panic evident on his face as he hovers his hands all over Katsuki’s back for a few seconds. Then the touch comes, a gentle hand laying on Katsuki’s broad back. Katsuki swears he feels the pain subside the moment he feels Izuku’s touch but you didn’t hear it from him.
“Are you okay, Kacchan?” Izuku asks, biting his bottom lip as he anxiously checks on Katsuki’s knee. “Why did you stand so fast like that? Look, you hurt your knee!”
“It’s fine, nerd.” Katsuki grins, pinching Izuku’s cheek and watches how he immediately flushes at the contact. Satisfied with the reaction he got, Katsuki tries to push the limits even more. Like putting the icing on top of a cake he adds, “Don’t worry your pretty little head ‘bout it.”
The blush deepens on Izuku’s face like a blossoming flower, framing his freckled cheeks prettily that his face almost looks like a ripe strawberry. Pink, delicious, and ready to be eaten.
With a winning grin on his face, Katsuki considers this as a victory and as an invitation to flirt with Izuku more. He decides that he wants to see Izuku go red in the face more; flushing from his neck and all over his face, sputtering all over his words because he is flustered out of his wits to even speak properly.
He can do that. It can’t be that hard, right? He’s Bakugou Katsuki, after all:, the symbol of victory—he can do anything.
Katsuki clears his throat, confidence once again bubbles up in his chest as he crouches back to check the motorbike’s stand once again. He won’t let Izuku sit on this rickety fucking bike.
Katsuki pulls off his gloves with his teeth before tinkering with the motorbike again with his big hands, missing the way Izuku’s face seems to blush even brighter with the action.
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Despite Katsuki’s annoyance, he wasn’t able to fix the motorbike’s paddock stand. But luckily, the crew has a spare stand that they can replace it with.
Then the photoshoot starts.
The photoshoot’s theme is called “Around You, Around Kyoto.” It is to showcase Bakugou Apparel’s wedding attire, a soon to be introduced fashion line of the company. The official launch is going to be this year in June and an official event will be held along with it. Katsuki notes to himself to ask Izuku to come as his plus one because there is no doubt that he is going to be forced by his parents to attend it as they always do.
For now, he focuses on Izuku’s weight on his back and the flashing lights in front of them.
Katsuki finds himself on the motorcycle with Izuku behind him, his head resting comfortably on the pro-hero’s broad shoulders. He can’t help but to feel a burst of fondness in his chest when he feels Izuku’s cheeks puffing up on his back whenever he smiles.
“Midoriya!” The photographer, in which Katsuki remembers his name as Takeda, shouts behind the camera, pointing at Izuku promptly. “Wrap your arms around Bakugou, quick!”
“O-oh, okay!” Izuku mutters, closing his arms around Katsuki’s waist in a loose embrace. He hears him sigh as he lays his head back down on Katsuki’s shoulders.
The photographer clicks his tongue loudly, “Midoriya, what are you so shy about? Hug him tighter!”
“Sorry!” Izuku squeaks, wrapping his arms around Katsuki in a secure hold and folding his hands gingerly on top of Katsuki’s stomach. As Izuku comes to rest his chin on Katsuki’s shoulders, the latter can also feel the pearl necklace digging on his back; an evidence of how close they are at the very moment.
Katsuki is fully aware of his own heartbeat rapidly increasing through his fucking throat as he catches a whiff of Izuku’s heavenly, honey scent again. This nails the fact that he’s definitely addicted to Izuku’s smell at this point.
“Perfect!” The photographer raises a thumbs up and starts taking pictures again, yelling praises here and there for every pose they make. Not that Katsuki is doing that much anyway, he is instructed to stay still and act like he’s driving.
The old hag better give this photographer a goddamned raise. Katsuki thinks smugly as an almost devilish grin shows up on his face gradually.
“Bakugou, can you not smile like that, just make it—Okay, there. That’s perfect. Don’t move.”
Fuck.
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They take a few more shots on the motorbike before the crew removes it but there’s one pose that is Katsuki’s favorite in particular.
Izuku is sitting on the motorbike in a sideways position, his hands resting on the top of the ignition switch as he smiles away from the camera. Both of his legs are on the left side of the bike as Katsuki supports both of their weights behind him. Katsuki is gripping the handlebars in front of them tightly, making his arms settle all around Izuku’s body like a cage.
Unashamedly so, the rabid animal in Katsuki’s hindbrain was howling in joy the entire time for it
After a little touch-up to their make-up and Katsuki arguing with Saeko about the gloves, they move on to the next concept shoot; now with a gloveless Katsuki and an Izuku sweetly holding a small bouquet of hydrangeas.
The crew is already done setting up the place. In front of them is a table full of food, ramen and gyoza to be exact. Katsuki hears Izuku whisper, “Wow…” softly beside him before sitting on one of the chairs, the nerd is practically vibrating with excitement.
Katsuki also notices a random food stall placed behind them with various kitchen wares for cooking and some utensils. After scrutinizing the place closely, Katsuki finally sits down beside Izuku.
“Kacchan, Kacchan, Kacchan!” Izuku rambles with delight as soon as Katsuki pulls the seat close to him, feeling Izuku’s gloved hands tugging on the sleeve of his suit.
“Damn nerd. Didn’t know this bland ass ramen and gyoza makes your tail wag like a dog.” Katsuki snickers, snatching a pair of chopsticks from the table and poking Izuku’s arm with it. “Thought your favorite was Katsudon?”
“W-what? It wasn’t about the food, Kacchan—well, it kinda is—but Katsudon is still my favorite! It’s really nice that Kacchan still remembers my favorite food. And—and I’m not a dog, okay? Oh my god. I’m rambling, aren’t I? I’m sorry, Kacchan. I mean, my point is—”
“Just spit it out, nerd.”
Izuku takes a deep breath, looking at Katsuki with a blinding enthusiasm in his eyes as he says, “I was just thinking if Kacchan wanted to do the Lady and the Tramp pose with the ramen? I think it would be very cute for the theme of the shoot. But only if Kacchan is comfortable in doing so, of course!”
But Katsuki is the one who’s confused now.
“What in the hell are you talking about? What the fuck is The Lady and the Tramp?”
Izuku looks at him like he offended him personally by what he said. His eyes even widen ever so slightly, as his gloved hands cover his mouth in shock.
“Kacchan…” He says in a hushed tone, leaning close to Katsuki as if a terrible secret is about to be revealed. “You haven’t watched Lady and the Tramp?”
The disappointment in Izuku’s voice made Katsuki feel like shit. How dare he not watch that stupid fucking movie about the lady and his goddamned tramp. Why didn’t he know about this movie in the first place?
“Are you going to explain it to me or what, Izuku?”
“It’s uh—It’s a movie about dogs!”
Katsuki raises an eyebrow at Izuku, bewildered at what he just said. “What do you mean it’s about dogs?”
“The dogs are in love, Kacchan! It’s a really sweet movie!” Izuku looks like he wants to talk about the entire movie but he stops himself to get to his point right away. “But anyway, the dogs shared a plate of spaghetti and they didn’t know they’re eating the same strand of noodle from it so they ended up kissing...”
“Hmm.” Katsuki likes where this is going. “Is that so?”
Izuku instantly blushes as if he just realized what he’s suggesting to do with Katsuki. But he didn’t falter, it seems like the nerd is determined to do the pose with him despite his initial bashfulness.
“I’m not saying that we should kiss, Kacchan!” He tries to back it up a little bit, offering a wobbly smile to Katsuki. “I’m just suggesting maybe we can bite on the same noodle from this ramen as a cute pose? But only if Kacchan wants to! I’m sorry if it’s a bit much…”
Katsuki clicks his tongue and digs in the bowl of noodles with his chopsticks while Izuku looks at him perplexedly, his words trailing quietly.
“Shut up already and help me find the longest noodle in this fucking ramen before the camera dude starts yelling like a madman.”
Izuku giggles, grabbing his own chopsticks from the table and setting aside the bouquet of flowers that he’s holding from the side. “Okay, Kacchan!”
૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა ♡
Neither of them cares about the cameras flashing minutely anymore as they enjoy each other’s presence on the set.
Izuku’s Lady and the Tramp pose idea was executed perfectly and Katsuki is proud of it. Izuku becomes rather giggly in the middle of it as they try to recreate the scene that Katsuki still has no idea what it looks like. What’s important is how gleeful it made Izuku feel, all smiles and laughs all over the table as they ate some of the food for the camera.
(Takeda later announces that he’s going to do some close-up shots of the two, instructing them to do whatever they see fit for the theme.
One pose in particular gains a loud, “Perfect!” from the photographer. It’s a candid pose of Izuku smiling sweetly at the camera, his elbows resting comfortably on the table as he rests his cheek on his clasped hands. Whereas Katsuki is left staring at Izuku fondly, his eyes looking right at Izuku's lips.)
૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა ♡
The shoot is coming closer to an end. With only a few poses left to do, Katsuki's heart feels heavy in his chest at the thought of saying goodbye to Izuku. But he pushes it down, the yearning festering in his lungs as they continue with the photoshoot.
"Ready, you two?" Takeda asks, his eyes never leaving the viewfinder.
There are no props this time, just Katsuki and Izuku in front of the empty green screen.
"We're ready, Takeda-san!" Izuku answers, his hands tightening his hold on Katsuki's own. Unconsciously, Katsuki squeezes him back and Izuku looks up to him, long eyelashes fluttering as he offers him a sweet smile.
The smile tugs on Katsuki’s heart, making him pull Izuku closer to him impulsively while resting his chin on top of Izuku's head. Katsuki waits for the inevitable rejection, for Izuku to pull away from him. His heart is pounding so loud that he’s sure that Izuku can feel it where his shoulder is currently resting right on the pro-hero’s chest.
But instead of pulling away, he feels Izuku lean his entire weight on his chest. His head rests at the divot of Katsuki's neck and shoulders as he looks at the camera. The tension on Katsuki’s body disappears, he sighs quietly, finally feeling like he can breathe again.
But in this position, Katsuki’s self-control is being tested again as he tries very hard not to press his lips on top of Izuku's hair. It’s not his fault that Izuku smells fucking great. His sweet scent is like an aphrodisiac to Katsuki, revealing his deep, darkest desires that he never knew he had until today.
Or maybe, maybe he should stop blaming Izuku’s scent. Maybe it’s just Izuku himself.
Giving in, Katsuki closes his eyes as he leaves a kiss on top of Izuku’s head. Hearing a little gasp from Izuku himself as the camera starts flashing.
૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა ♡
Katsuki cracks his neck from side to side, groaning in satisfaction when he feels his nerves loosen as he does so. Finally out of the suit and freshened up after the shoot, he waits by the entrance for Izuku with the intent of talking to him before they go home.
And maybe if he’s lucky, he can ask him out for lunch.
He checks on his phone as he waits, seeing countless texts and missed calls, all from his mom.
Mom
Katsuki, how was the shoot?
Did you behave
Did you talk to Izuku
Answer my calls
Me
👍
Mom
?
Answer my calls you brat
Me
not now, hag
Katsuki feels his phone vibrate in his hands but he ignores it, pocketing it as he turns around just in time to see Izuku running towards him. He’s out of the wedding dress now, just wearing a plain green shirt tucked inside his skinny jeans.
“Kacchan! I’m glad you’re still here!” Izuku’s pants, his cheeks flushed and his forehead is covered with a thin sheen of sweat from running.
Izuku must’ve rushed dressing up and getting here to catch Katsuki before he goes home. The thought makes Katsuki grin in triumph.
“Was waiting for you.” Katsuki says truthfully, not wanting to beat around the bush anymore. There’s a pregnant pause and Izuku is left staring at him, searching for something in those crimson eyes.
Katsuki will never admit out loud how nervous he feels right now, but he stands firm, looking back at Izuku with nothing but unfeigned adoration. Hoping that it will reach Izuku’s heart.
Then Izuku blinks slowly. Once, twice, and thrice before smiling widely at Katsuki. Taking his breath away. Who would’ve thought that a single smile from his childhood friend will render the Dynamight speechless and weak in the heart? The tabloids will surely eat that shit up.
“Really?” Izuku asks, shy and still a little bit unsure. His eyes trained on the ground whilst his fingers are gripping the hem of his shirt tight, leaving them crumpled in his hold.
Katsuki hums, “Sure am. Wanted to talk to you, Izuku.”
“I would love to, Kacchan!” Izuku nods eagerly, his head moving up and down excitedly like a bobblehead, making Katsuki chuckle lightly.
“Wanna get out of here?” Katsuki points at the door, “Let’s eat lunch. My treat.”
And as if on cue, Izuku’s stomach rumbles loudly. Making him clutch on his abdomen, his eyes wide in shock and embarrassment.
Katsuki can’t help but to let out a loud cackle, his laugh echoing loudly in the rather empty room now. This makes Izuku go even redder, covering his face with his hands as Katsuki continues to howl with laughter.
“Oh my god. I’m so sorry, Kacchan. That was—that was embarrassing. Please ignore that ever ha—Kacchan! Will you stop laughing, please? It’s not that funny!”
“Heh. Sure is, nerd.”
“It’s not!”
“It is.”
Instead of answering, Izuku walks away with his arms crossed. Grumpy like the little bunny that he is. Katsuki follows him, a big smile still present in his face.
Katsuki tries his hardest not to grin like a creep when he notices how Izuku’s skinny jeans frame his ass and thighs nicely. Bakugou Katsuki absolutely hates walking behind someone, but he indulges the sight with his eyes for now.
(He was soon interrupted by Izuku calling out for him to walk beside him excitedly, already gotten over his pissy mood but still flushing high on his cheeks slightly. Katsuki jogs next to him, balling his hand into a fist to stop himself from grabbing Izuku’s hand as they walk.)
૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა ♡
The two decided to eat at a local restaurant down the corner of the street, suggested by Izuku himself. He said excitedly that they offer lots of amazing food that Katsuki might like, especially the spicy ones.
As soon as they’re inside, a waitress greets them enthusiastically. Then her eyes widen a bit when realizes who exactly just came in. She panics somewhat, stuttering all over her words as he hands them their menu. Izuku smiles at her in gratitude, sweet and a little bit shy for being recognized.
Seated comfortably at the back of the restaurant, Katsuki and Izuku finally ordered their food: a bowl of Mapo Tofu for Katsuki and Katsudon for Izuku.
Their orders came in no time and Katsuki was blessed by the sight of Izuku’s eyes sparkling in excitement when the Katsudon was laid right in front of him. Clasping their palms together, they both say ‘Itadakimasu!’ before digging in.
They ate their lunch pleasantly, the air filled with Izuku’s endless questions about Katsuki’s pro-hero life which he then answered with pride. He eats up every praise that he gets from the model, smug at the times where Izuku brings up any villain fight that he watched on television and how amazing Katsuki was in them.
Katsuki, on the other hand, also asks Izuku about his career. Izuku happily talks about it and the pro-hero finds out that modeling isn’t really Izuku’s career of choice at first. Being the jittery and nervous nerd that he was, he never expected himself to pose in front of the camera ever. But he soon grew to love it so here he is, a well-known and sought out model. Loved by many, as it seems.
Katsuki also discovers that he’s under Mitsuki’s scholarship for the modeling school that he trained in a few years ago. Izuku is really thankful for it, as Mitsuki saw Izuku’s potential when he was really insecure about himself.
That’s when the guilt started to rush back to Katsuki like a heavy waterfall. Izuku was right there all along, right at his fingertips. In his reach this whole fucking time.
Maybe, maybe if Katsuki just asked his mom years ago, if he just tried enough—
“Kacchan? Is everything alright?” Izuku’s gentle voice comes blustering in Katsuki’s thoughts. He’s fretting, worried about something that he doesn’t even need to worry about.
Always ready to help out and reach his hand.
Godfuckingdamnit.
“Izuku.” Katsuki begins, putting his hand on the table with his palms open. “Can I hold your hand?”
“Huh?!” Taken aback by the sudden request, Izuku exclaims louder than he intended. Luckily, the restaurant isn’t full of people and they’re seated right at the back so no one noticed his sudden outburst.
Katsuki doesn’t say anything, he waits patiently for Izuku to decide what he wants to do. Be it an acceptance or rejection, Katsuki will bear it.
“Okay.” Izuku whispers softly that Katsuki almost misses it. Then he feels Izuku put his hand on the top of Katsuki’s palms gingerly, making him open his eyes in an instant. Katsuki didn’t even notice he was closing his eyes the entire time.
Katsuki immediately holds Izuku’s hand tenderly, as soft as he can offer. He is not a man known for being gentle, but for Izuku, he can try.
He feels Izuku squeeze him back which encourages him to look straight in Izuku’s eyes, unwavering, as he speaks.
“I’m sorry, Izuku.” Katsuki starts, “For all the horrible fucking things that I did to you in the past. I looked down on you for being quirkless, shut you down and kept you at arms’ length. Made your life a living hell in middle school just because I felt threatened by your big-ass fucking heart.”
Katsuki feels his palms sweat in Izuku’s hold, but Izuku doesn’t let go of him. Instead, he feels him clasp onto him tighter as he grits his teeth and continues. “My biggest regret was rejecting your hand, y’know? Fuck. For calling you Deku, calling you useless, of all things. For bullying you and for not trying hard enough to find you and apologize earlier.”
“Kacchan…” Izuku mutters softly, squeezing Katsuki’s hands comfortingly. His thumb moves all over Katsuki’s knuckles as he smiles. “It’s okay.”
Katsuki aches even more under that kind smile. How can someone be this selfless? Be this forgiving? As thankful as he is right now, Katsuki still feels undeserving of it.
“You—” Katsuki gulps, trying to wash down the lump on his throat that hinders him from speaking properly. “Izuku, let me make it up to you.”
Izuku just shakes his head, his hold on Katsuki firm and steady. “You don’t have to make up to me about anything, Kacchan. That was a long time ago. I forgive you, I really do.”
A wave of relief washes over Katsuki. Like a bucket of cold water being poured over his head, waking him up and alerting him from what just transpired.
Izuku just forgave him like it was the easiest thing to do in the whole world.
“Thank you for apologizing to me, Kacchan.” Izuku continues when Katsuki just remains quiet, still holding on Izuku’s hand like a lifeline of sorts. “It means a lot to me. But you know that I admire you, right? I will never ever resent you, Kacchan. So please forgive yourself, too.”
But it was just like Izuku to do this, right? To forgive him like he didn’t torment Izuku’s entire childhood, like he didn’t outcast him just because he’s quirkless. For all the faults that Katsuki did, Izuku still asked sweetly to forgive himself. Always the selfless and the kind nerd that he is.
Katsuki will make sure that Izuku will never regret accepting his forgiveness.
“Thank you, Izuku.” Katsuki says hoarsely, feeling the lump on his throat vanish completely the moment Izuku reaches out for his other hand to hold it too.
Katsuki closes his eyes as he presses his lips on Izuku’s knuckles, reverent and thankful. He hears Izuku gasp, but he ignores him as he continues to kiss both of Izuku’s hands. He doesn’t know how long he’s been doing that, but Izuku didn’t stop him and Katsuki has no plans of halting it at the very moment.
He misses the way Izuku basks in it, blushing hotly in his face as Katsuki kisses his knuckles. The kisses were hot and gentle, lingering on Izuku’s skin and leaving his entire body tingling. He squirms on his seat, feeling the heat on his core burn even more under the attention of Katsuki’s lips.
As soon as Katsuki stops, he looks up at Izuku, red eyes glued right to his face. He smiles handsomely, letting go of Izuku’s other hand and raising it to ask for the tab.
Izuku, still flustered and red on his face, stays frozen on his seat as Katsuki pays for their meal. Their hands are still entwined together, a little bit sticky now because of the sweat collecting on their palms.
But both of them refuse to let go.
૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა ♡
The humid breeze of the afternoon air hit Katsuki’s face as they got out of the restaurant. It’s still hot out, the sun glaring right above them.
Katsuki considers today as a success, noting to himself to send a bouquet of flowers to his mom as a thanks once he gets home.
“So…” Izuku starts, his hands clasped behind him as he looks up at Katsuki. A big smile on his face that rivals the brightness of the sun.
“So?” Katsuki repeats, one eyebrow raised teasingly.
Izuku laughs, “Thank you for today, Kacchan.”
Before Katsuki can react, Izuku stands on his tiptoes and leaves a kiss on Katsuki’s cheek. It was fast, barely even a peck. The heat that it leaves on Katsuki’s skin is the only evidence that it ever happened.
Izuku grabs Katsuki’s hand and leaves him a piece of paper before running off. Waving at Katsuki as he walks away.
Katsuki frowns, still in shock. He opens the paper in his hand and snorts loudly at what he sees.
He doesn’t waste a second, blasting through the air with his quirk, he knows it’s illegal but quirk laws be damned, he needs to catch up on Izuku.
“Izuku! Where the fuck do you think you’re going?!”
How dare Izuku leave his number in a piece of flimsy paper without even waiting for Katsuki to offer him a walk to his home? Katsuki will never let him slip away. Not this time.