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Katsuki watched as the fireworks display began, the explosions of color in the night sky illuminating the balcony. Deku sat next to him, with an expression full of wonder as his eyes fixated on the beautiful patterns that emerged in the air.
Without losing sight of the fireworks, Deku asked, “Remember when we were kids and our parents took us to this same fireworks display for New Year’s?”
Katsuki took a moment to recall that fateful night, but the truth is he didn’t remember much besides Deku’s amazed expression as he emitted sparks from his palms to provide light after the display ended.
“Your quirk is so cool, Kacchan!” Deku had exclaimed that night. “And pretty, too.”
Katsuki huffed with pride. “Of course it’s cool! But my quirk isn’t ‘pretty’! It’s deadly! And I’m gonna become the strongest hero with it!”
Deku had giggled like an idiot, Katsuki recalled. “Of course, I know that Kacchan. I’m just saying that your quirk is also very pretty when you’re not using it on others.”
Katsuki pondered for a moment and looked up from his palms, deciding that maybe ‘pretty’ wasn’t so bad of a word after all as he took in the gaze of wonder before him.
Katsuki’s breath hitched.
Deku sat in front of him, with a face full of stars as he watched the sparks fly from Katauki’s palms. The yellow light emitted from the sparks illuminated his face just right, making the young toddler appear even softer before Katsuki.
“The light coming from the sparks is so pretty!” Deku cooed, leaning closer to the soft radiance.
Yeah, Katsuki had found himself thinking that night. His eyes never strayed from the boy before him, engulfed in a blanket of light, Pretty.
It felt like lifetimes ago, thinking about it now. He didn’t understand what he felt that night, and rightfully so. Katsuki wasn’t a ‘feelings’ person, so he never imagined that he would look at another person, nevermind Deku, in that way. But ever since they began their journeys at U.A., Deku formed a habit of pulling off the impossible while somehow managing to piss him off every step of the way.
A warm feeling bloomed in his chest, similar to the feeling of coming home after a long day, as Deku looked back at him again. It was foreign and sometimes made him fumble like a fool in class if Deku smiled at him at just the right moment. Honestly, the feeling pissed Katsuki off.
His thoughts were interrupted by a muffled “—Kacchan? Earth to Kacchan—,” effectively snapping Katsuki out of his trip down memory lane.
Deku watched him with concern since it wasn’t like Katsuki to space out in the middle of a conversation. He was normally intense and focused, with the blazing fire within him visible in his eyes. “You never answered my question, do you remember when we watched the fireworks here when we were little?”
“Oh, right,” Katsuki thought, mentally slapping himself before he nodded in confirmation.
Deku brightened with that damn stupid pretty smile and turned to face the edge of the balcony, gazing at the fireworks once again.
“I always used to be scared of fireworks,” Deku said sheepishly. “The booms were always too loud and startled me easily.”
“It took your mom almost an hour to get you onto the platform to even watch the fireworks, crybaby,” Katsuki jabbed.
Deku shrugged. “I don’t know, I just got reminded of it right now. I’m not scared of the fireworks anymore, obviously, but I thought that the fact that we’re both standing here together says a lot about our improvement.”
Katsuki raised an eyebrow, prompting Deku to elaborate.
“I mean, I’m glad that—I’m glad that we got to the point that we could do this again. Being friends, I mean.” Deku stuttered, turning away from Katsuki as he said so.
Katsuki’s heart skipped a beat in his chest, recalling the many sleepless nights and fights between the two while trying to reconcile. The fact that they’re here together is indeed an accomplishment. Katsuki wouldn’t have the gall to imagine being this close to Deku back in first-year.
As he watched another firework boom in the sky, Katsuki grinned, “I’m glad too.”
However, the sound of the explosion completely masked his voice, preventing Deku from hearing him.
“What was that, Kacchan?”
Katsuki huffed. He could only be soft for so long before he reverted back to his normal demeanor, rough and mean around the edges. “Didn’t say anything, Deku. Even if I did, you would have been too deaf to hear anyways. Get your ears checked, nerd.”
“Well maybe that’s because I spend so much time near your explosions,” Deku teased as he nudged Katsuki’s shoulder. His stomach erupted in butterflies at the contact, which made him blanch inside at how soft the nerd made him feel.
However, it did give him an idea.
Katsuki waited for the next firework to ignite, watching it rise up in the night sky. The very moment the firework erupted into a show of color, Katsuki murmured something, barely above a whisper.
“I’m glad we’re friends again.”
Deku sat a few feet beside him, blissfully unaware of Katsuki’s musing over the sound of the fireworks.
Good, Katsuki affirmed. It’ll be easier for both of us that way.
He watched as yet another set of fireworks rocket into the sky, a fleet blinding lights illuminating the atmosphere. Glancing back, he examined how soft Deku appeared under the light of the fireworks, the various colors reflecting off his eyes as he watched the show with awe.
A resounding series of explosions shook the balcony. Katsuki seized his chance once again with a remorseful murmur, “I wish I can take back everything I’ve done to you.”
Two other explosions, blasting off within seconds of each other. “I’m sorry for destroying your notebook.”
A single explosion. “I’m glad you came to UA.”
Katsuki continued like this for the remainder of the show, whispering all the things that echoed in his heart but haven’t yet the courage to say out loud. Eventually, he found protection in his cover of fireworks and Deku’s obliviousness and began to become more daring. However, it didn’t make Katsuki any less nervous, his hands curling into fists to hide the small sparks that began to emit from his palms.
BOOM!
“I want to be your main rival, always.”
BOOM!
“Thank you, for never giving up on me.”
BOOM!
“You’re everything to me.”
BOOM!
“You’re beautiful.”
The sparks grew with each passing firework as the compliments transformed into something that Katsuki didn’t know what to make of. He had never put much thought into his feelings for the boy next to him, but the words flowing out of his mouth seem to indicate otherwise. Thoughts like these began to surface at the oddest of moments while trying to recover their friendship. Like right now, for example. Katsuki couldn’t quite name the feeling in his chest that often accompanied these thoughts, it was foreign, and yet it wasn’t unwelcome either. Eventually, his fists at his sides were forced to uncurl as the nervous sparks grew hotter, so he resigned to holding his palms out towards the sky but out of Deku’s line of sight.
A series of fireworks rocketed towards the sky once again, filling the night sound with its thundering. This time, Katsuki simply said nothing, instead opting to observe how the lighting coming from the fireworks illuminated Deku’s features. The foreign feeling surged up in his chest again, this time accompanied by an aching pang. Yearning, maybe? Katsuki couldn’t put his finger on it.
Oblivious to the storm that brewed in Katsuki’s chest, Deku noticed his growing sparks out of the corner of his eye, and raised an eyebrow with a silent question, You okay?
He was too observant for his own good sometimes, Katsuki cursed. “The hell are you looking at, Deku?”
Deku eyed his sparks with concern. “I was wondering if little sparks like those are created unintentionally, like as a result of something going on inside you,” he shifted uncomfortably under Katsuki’s glare, but continued nevertheless, “It reminds me of this one study on how quirks react to the human body I read a while back. Something about how quirks can sometimes activate at a smaller scale unintentionally when the user is nervous or under extreme stress— but Kacchan normally has good control of his quirk, so does that mean that you’re somehow nervous—”
His theory devolved into a fit of mumbling, which couldn’t be heard over the rush of blood that rose up Katsuki’s averted face, painting the tips of his ears red. Of course Deku would figure him out on a single whim! Eventually, Katsuki finally got over his embarrassment and looked up at the mumbling boy before him.
Katsuki’s breath hitched.
A wave of deja vu washed over him as he took in how the light from his sparks softened Deku’s features. He observed how the aforementioned light reflected off of his eyes while simultaneously showcasing how much concentration the other boy is putting into his impromptu quirk analysis. His unruly green hair was illuminated with the bright fireworks igniting in the distant background, gone unnoticed.
Ba-bump .
The sparks emitting from his palms got brighter and brighter, increasing in intensity as his heart bumped erratically out of tune in his chest until—
“I think I love you.”
BOOM!
Katsuki stiffened, his back ramrod straight as his mind frantically ran through every scenario in which he could possibly fix his rookie timing mistake. What an idiot he was, to mess up something so simple so easily with just a slip of his tongue!
Although it was barely over a whisper, Deku had surely heard it. The echo of the explosion lingered in the cool night air as Deku’s mumbling ceased with a sharp inhale. He snapped up to look at the blond before him with wide eyes of disbelief. The sea of silence between them was deafening, as if the fireworks ceased fire just for this very moment, time slowing down. The silence was broken by Deku first, “W-what was that, Kacchan?”
Blood rushed to Katsuki’s face once again as he launched himself away from Deku. “I-It’s nothing, Deku,” he said with averted eyes.
“Kacchan,” Deku stated firmly, “What was that you said just now?” His sharp gaze was locked onto him now, making Katsuki want to crawl into a hole and die of embarrassment then face the nerd.
But Bakugo Katsuki wasn’t a coward. He’s faced villains in the battlefield and his mother during fashion week head on, surely he can look Deku in the eye. Plain and simple.
He forced himself up to face Deku, his heart skipping more beats then he thinks is healthy with how fast his heart rate was previously. Well, Katsuki reasoned, Deku already heard me, so might as well not turn back now. He took a moment to recall how to articulate words and whispered, “I think I love you.”
The fireworks show must have ended by now, Katsuki judges, based on the prolonged and uninterrupted silence that spanned between him and Deku’s widened eyes. Katsuki turned away again, facing away from the other young man almost as if to avoid seeing his inevitable reaction. He hated the silence, hated the rejection, his breath suddenly became sparse in his chest, and forced his eyes to the ground that he so wished would swallow him whole.
Katsuki interrupted the silent tension with a curt, “Just forget it Deku, this doesn’t change anything—”
—He was interrupted by a series of sniffling coming from Deku, whose smile underneath his tears seemed to serve to feed his alarm. He shouldn’t be shocked, of course, Deku could probably supply a whole aquarium with the amount of tears he produces daily, but he’d never imagined that he would be crying as he ripped his heart out and cut off their friendship—
“Kacchan,” Deku said with a shaky voice through his tears, “I love you too.”
Wait.
What.
Katsuki’s eyes snapped back up to gawk at the green-haired boy, trying to discern if this was some sort of sick prank—
—and Deku’s arms are wrapped around his back and Oh, he thought, this wasn’t a prank. He stood there numb for a moment in shock, and finally processed that Deku was hugging him, and slowly raised his arms and wrapped them around his waist. He shuffled awkwardly to adjust and properly support both of their weight, and sighed into the crook of Deku’s neck as Deku’s tears inevitably stained his shirt.
After a minute, Katsuki grew impatient and questioned, “Is it true, nerd? That you love me?”
He felt Deku nod into his now tear-stained shirt and felt himself relax into Deku’s embrace. “W-why do you think I’m crying this much?” Deku sniffed. “I’m really happy Kacchan.” With that, he peered up to look at the blond through his tears. Katsuki felt himself drawn closer and closer to Deku, their foreheads nearly touching at the almost gravitational pull.
Deku seemed to understand and leaned up into Katsuki. Unfortunately, his excitement got the best of him, and he shot up with a bit too much force, causing them to bump noses.
The surprise of the impact caught Katsuki off guard, and only served to make him even more flustered than he already is, the tips of his ears turning pink. “Oh my god,” Deku wheezed as he nuzzled into the crook of Katsuki’s neck in embarrassment, “I just ruined our first kiss, Kacchan I am so sorry—”
“S-shut up Deku.” Katsuki sputtered, praying that it was too dark for Deku to notice the blush that was starting to make its way up his face. Despite this, he continued to nuzzle into the crook of Deku’s neck, and Deku returned the gesture. “This is nice,” Deku said with a sigh, and Katsuki can only grumble in agreement as he tightened his embrace.
They remained in each other’s arms for an indescribable amount of time before Deku rustled in his spot, “Hey Kacchan?”
Katsuki grunted in response, not wanting to leave their current position.
Deku glanced up at him once again, his eyes now devoid of tears but now filled with what Katsuki deemed as the stars themselves. “Is it okay if you say it again? That you love me?” His voice sounded so innocent, Katsuki thought, as Deku’s eyes looked at him like he was the only person in the world. The look of pure adoration on Deku’s face caused Katsuki’s breath to contract, his breath taken away for a moment.
Katsuki’s heart thudded against his chest as he took a slow, deep breath. Despite his best efforts, the storm in his chest refused to quell down. He kept his gaze on par with Deku’s eyes as he muttered, “I love you, Deku.”
The warm smile he got in return was worth it all, as Deku’s signature smile brightened his face, the same smile that never failed to bring warmth into Katsuki’s chest. He would say it again and again until the end of time if it meant that he got to see that smile every day. Katsuki felt a smile of his own creep onto his face, allowing himself to do so for once without restraint. The bubble of happiness in his chest seemed to fuel the beginnings of sparks from his palms.
Deku giggled as he felt light sparks trickle up his waist, their intensity nowhere near enough to actually hurt him. Nevertheless, Katsuki yanked his hands away from Deku to avoid hurting him just in case. Katsuki laid his hands before him palms up as if to showcase his own personal fireworks display. Deku placed his own hands under Katsuki’s, his thumb rubbing circles on Katsuki’s wrists as he observed the faint sparks from the blonde’s palms.
Their foreheads rested against each other as Deku smiled in the illumination of Katsuki’s sparks and remarked, “Your quirk is so beautiful, Kacchan.”
Katsuki’s eyes never strayed from the boy before him, melting at his touch and how beautiful Deku looked when illuminated like this. “Yeah,” Katsuki said. “Beautiful.”