Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“One, two, three! Eyes on me!” Izuku shouts.

“One, two! Eyes on you!”

The cacophony of children's voices echoed in Izuku's classroom to tell him that the class had his undivided attention. Izuku smiled, happy that after two weeks, his students knew of his expectations.

“It’s almost time for gym class! Everyone please put your math papers in your folders and pencils in your cases!” Izuku instructed.

“Yes, Mr. Midoriya!” the class shouts back as there are scurried noises of paper and pencil cases being opened and closed.

Once everyone was finished and cleared their desks, they all waited with bated breath for Izuku’s next instructions.

“Alright, Janet, you’re my line leader, so please line up first!” A brunette girl in pigtails wearing a blue dress stood up and stopped in front of the classroom door. Soon, all of the children were in line, some children giggling to their friends as Izuku instructed a blonde-haired boy, named Peter, to turn off the lights.

“Okay, Kota, hold the door open please,” Izuku stated, while a smaller boy with black hair wearing a red hat with spikes on it held the door open for everyone to file out of the classroom and into the hallway.

“Now, we are quiet in the hallway, remember what I taught you?” Izuku asked.

“Zip it! Lock it! Put it in your pocket!” The students chimed, making the hand gestures Izuku showed them on the first day of school.

Izuku then gestured to Janet to lead the line and follow Izuku towards the gym.

Izuku had been teaching 2nd grade for nearly five years now and cherished every moment of it. He always wanted to be in the education field since he was in school himself. Seeing the children’s faces when they finally understand something always gave him a sense of pride.

This year’s students in his class are a bit rowdy, but nothing he can’t handle. Twenty students are currently in his class and so far, there haven’t been any issues.

Izuku still likes having those special classes that give him some time to himself to make lesson plans and grade papers. He loved art, music, library, and STEM days, but the one special that he liked the most was gym days.

Sure, he loved those days as gym class gave the kids extra time to exert all of their pent up energy out, but there was another reason for it being his favorite.

“Alright, pipsqueaks, get in your circles and wait for my instructions!”

“Yes, Mr. Bakugou!”

It was the gym teacher.

Izuku beamed seeing his colleague (and crush) Katsuki Bakugou every gym day. Izuku couldn’t pinpoint when this started, but Katsuki started teaching at Toshinori Elementary School at the same time Izuku started, so they’ve built a rapport and got along well.

In fact, they both went to this same school when they were students here. They went their separate ways when Katsuki changed schools once middle school started (his dad got a new job), but they reconnected once they both saw each other at orientation and they’ve been inseparable ever since.

Katsuki walked over towards Izuku (he can smell his cologne oh God ) and asked, “Anyone specifically that needs to let it out today?”

Izuku shook his head, one to answer his question and two to shake the butterflies out of his stomach, “Nope, everyone was good so far. Just let them have fun, Kacchan.”

Katsuki scoffs at the childhood nickname, “Yeah, whatever, go get some shitty lesson plans done or something.”

“Kacchan, you can’t curse in front of the students,” Izuku states.

“They’re not listening, and you know I can be professional, don’t jump down my throat,” he smirks (oh that smirk).

Izuku blushes, then turns around and heads out into the hallway, “R-right, well I’ll be back soon,” and with that, Izuku walks back towards his classroom.

Izuku needs some time to think and get work done and totally not daydream about Katsuki.

Izuku ran down the hallway, totally did not lose track of time, and saw the next class waiting to get into the gym.

“Ah, I’m sorry, Greta, I didn’t mean to make your class wait,” he huffs, out of breath from running.

Greta McMiller, one of the 5th grade teachers, waves her hand dismissively, “Oh don’t worry about it, Izuku, I figured you were too engrossed in your lesson planning.”

Yeah, lesson planning, that’s the excuse.

“Ah, umm, yeah, I’m sure Kacchan isn't that upset–”

“You’re late, Deku!”

Izuku jumps from his spot and sees a very angry Katsuki at the door, and right behind him was Izuku’s now very hyper group of students.

Izuku gulped, “S-sorry, Kacchan, I lost track of time…” he rubs his neck in embarrassment.

Katsuki scoffs, “Well, don’t let it happen again, they’ve been waiting in line for too long, so I hope you have some trick up your sleeve to calm them down…” He points towards Izuku’s rowdy students, impatient from waiting so long that some started to shout to make echoes in the gym.

“Yeah, nothing GoNoodle can’t handle!” Izuku recovers and walks over towards his students.

“One, two, three! Eyes on me!” Izuku shouts, echoing into the gym.

“One, two! Eyes on you!” the children shout, and all but two boys had his undivided attention.

“Kota! Katsuma! I need your attention!” Izuku addressed the two boys, who then turned their heads towards Izuku. They were attempting to get Katsuma’s sister’s attention, Mahoro, who was in Greta’s line and the line leader, but she wasn’t paying them any mind, as she was waiting patiently like the rest of the class.

Katsuma, a small boy with light brown hair wearing blue overalls, looked down at his shoes and said, “Sorry, Mr. Midoriya…”

Kota only rolled his eyes, but also muttered an apology.

Izuku ignored the eye roll and smiled, “Thank you. Sorry for being late, but it’s time to go back to class. Janet, follow me,” and with that, Izuku’s class walked down the hallway and back to the classroom.

Izuku took one glance back and saw Katsuki talking to Greta as her class ran into the gym before turning his head forward, a blush forming on his cheeks.

The end of the day comes and the last child leaves the classroom. Izuku takes out some sanitizing wipes and starts to wipe down the desks when there was a knock on the door.

“Oi, Deku, wanna vent to ya for a bit,” Katsuki states, not asking, and walks towards Izuku’s desk and sits in his chair.

Since the beginning of their teaching career, this has become a regular thing and no one seemed to care; Katsuki coming into Izuku’s classroom and then chatting or venting. Izuku liked having company while he cleaned the classroom and organized his folders for the next day. Izuku cherished any time with Katsuki, even if it meant him stomping his feet into his classroom and sitting down in his chair at his desk like he owned it.

Izuku sighs, “You know, you might as well not knock as you just waltz into my classroom anyway,” he continues to sanitize the desks but allows the tall blonde to vent his frustrations now that the children were out of earshot.

Katsuki ignores Izuku’s statement and proceeds to talk to him, “So oh my fucking God, today was hell! Those little shits have way too much energy for a fucking Friday! How do you not pull your hair out having them almost all day?”

Izuku rolled his eyes, “It’s called ‘patience’ Kacchan, something that you don’t seem to have,” he smirks.

“Psh, I have fucking patience, I just don’t have it for the same little shits all day like you do, apparently,” Katsuki says, putting his sneakers on Izuku’s desk.

“Kacchan! Please put your feet down, I just cleaned it!” Izuku all but shouts and shoos the offending feet.

Katsuki laughs, “Alright alright,” he removes his feet off of the desk.

Katsuki finishes his tirade for the day after five minutes before asking Izuku, “So, any plans tonight? I heard that new All Might movie is out this weekend.”

Izuku perked up from cleaning another desk, “Yeah, I heard it came out! I don’t have any plans, so we can go once I’m done!”

Katsuki beamed, “Well hurry the fuck up, then! All of my shit’s done, so I’m just waiting on you!”

“Okay, just give me a half hour and we can go.” Izuku smiles back at Katsuki.

“Cool beans,” Katsuki smiled, and then waited outside the classroom for Izuku to finish.

Izuku and Katsuki walked into the theater and sat down in their seats. The two talked about the comic that the movie is based off of and predicted what they thought would be in the movie compared to what was in the comic.

“I swear to God, if they make David Shield a girl and make him All Might’s love interest, I’m gonna puke!” Katsuki snarls.

Izuku laughs at his antics, “Well, if Marvel can do that to the Ancient One sans the romance, they’re probably gonna do that here.”

“Oh God, do NOT get me started on THAT…” Katsuki scoffs.

Izuku smiles, “Don’t get me wrong, Doctor Strange wasn’t a bad movie, I was just wondering why they changed the Ancient One to a Celtic person instead of an Asian man.”

“Something to do with making the Ancient One more androgynous to keep the character a mystery or something,” Katsuki explains, “I don’t know, now that I think about it, maybe they made the right move… Still weird, though.”

“Huh… I never thought about it that way…” Izuku chimes in, contemplating the thought process.

“Mr. Midoriya? Mr. Bakugou?” a small child’s voice chirped from behind them, interrupting all thoughts.

The two teachers jumped and turned their attention to the small light brown haired boy that called for them.

“Katsuma?” Izuku asked, baffled to see the student here by himself.

Katsuma stared at his teacher and his gym teacher, wondering why they were at the movie theater and not at the school like they always were. Before he could say another word, his sister, Mahoro, walked over and shook his arm.

“Katsuma, there you are! Come on, daddy’s waiting for us!” she then starts to jerk her brother away from the teachers, who were staring at the two dumbfoundedly.

“But look! It’s Mr. Midoriya and Mr. Bakugou! Why are they here?” Katsuma asks his sister.

Mahoro huffs, “Katsuma, teachers don’t live at the school, you know that, right?”

“They DON’T?” Katsuma shrieks, eyes wide open as realization hits him hard.

“Yeah, dummy, teachers can go anywhere they want, even on dates!” Mahoro states matter-of-factly.

Izuku jumps at the statement, because oh no here we go , “Woah wait, Mahoro, Mr. Bakugou and I–”

“Ah, there you two are!” a deep voice calls for the two children.

“Daddy! I found Katsuma, and he found his teachers!” Mahoro shouts back.

Mr. Shimano, who then noticed the teachers after Mahoro pointed them out, smiled, “Well, hello, Mr. Midoriya, Mr. Bakugou, nice to see you again! Are you here to see the movie, too?”

“Ah- yeah, what a coincidence!” Izuku recovers and waves his hand, “We’ve been waiting to see this since the comic came out and then they announced a movie. It must be weird seeing your teacher outside of the school, isn’t it?”

“Oh, I can only imagine; that actually happened to me once. I bumped into my kindergarten teacher at the grocery store and I asked her why she was there. The look on my mother’s face,” he laughed. Then his attention turned to his children, “Come on, kids, let’s leave your teachers alone and find our seats.”

“Okay, daddy,” Mahoro says as she drags Katsuma to follow their father.

“Bye Mr. Midoriya, bye Mr. Bakugou,” Katsuma waves before following his sister.

“Goodbye, Katsuma, Mahoro, Mr. Shimano,” Izuku smiles and waves back at them. He then turned his attention back to the blonde, who was silent the entire time, staring at Izuku with a strange look on his face.

Izuku stares back, “Umm, is there something wrong, Kacchan?”

Katsuki shakes his head (is that a blush on his face?) and turns towards the screen, “N-nothing, Deku, just– let’s just watch the movie, okay?”

Izuku blinked, confused by Katsuki’s reaction, “Uh, okay then.”

The two teachers watched the movie in relative silence, only reacting appropriately at any scene that was either funny or action packed. Once the movie was over, the silence between the two went back to normal and the two went back to their analysis on the movie versus the comic, like the confrontation between Katsuma and his sister never happened. Once he returned to his apartment, Izuku couldn’t help but think about what Mahoro said before her father came over.

Teachers can go anywhere they want, even on dates!

Oh my sweet summer child, look what you started…

“Mr. Midoriya, Katsuma told me that he saw you and Mr. Bakugou at the movies on Friday! Are you two dating?” an excited Eri all but shouts into Izuku’s face the moment the white haired child in a pink overall dress walked into the classroom that Monday morning.

Izuku blushed, then remembering his profession, shakes the feeling away and says, “O-oh, Eri, good morning! Yes, we were at the movies watching the new All Might movie! Also no, we were just hanging out! We’re just friends!” Izuku smiles, trying to defuse the murmurs of his class.

Kota pouts, “Awwww, but you and Mr. Bakugou look like a good couple!”

Every child that was in Izuku’s classroom, past and present, knew Izuku and Katsuki are close, and every year, the two have to diffuse the situation that no, they were not a couple, no they were not dating, they were just good friends and that’s that. It’s probably gotten to the point that the administration is getting tired of it, but so far, they haven’t heard anything.

This year was no different, apparently.

Izuku sighs, “Okay, settle down, I’m sure you all want to continue this, but morning work needs to be done first. Please get your backpacks put away so we can get started with our day.”

The rest of the day found Izuku praying to any deity that exists to please end this whole thing where all of the kids kept asking about him and Katsuki. Normally this would start sometime in November, but this year…

This was gonna be challenging.

Friday came and it was gym again; Izuku had Eri hold the door as the rest of the class followed him to gym class. They did their usual routine of being quiet, but Izuku couldn’t help but feel every stare on his back with smiles on their faces after this entire week of his students berating him about him and Katsuki.

So it came to no surprise that once they saw Katsuki, all hell broke loose.

“Mr. Bakugou! Are you and Mr. Midoriya dating?”

“Mr. Midoriya keeps saying you’re not dating, but I know you are!”

“Don’t worry! If it’s a secret, we promise to keep it!”

“CAN I COME TO YOUR WEDDING???”

Katsuki just stared at the kids dumbfoundedly, unsure of what to say or do. He then looked at Izuku, who had an apologetic look.

Katsuki then looked back at the students and shouted, “Alright, pipsqueaks, enough questions! Get on your circles!”

The kids then ran to their respective circles on the gym floor as Katsuki approached Izuku with wide eyes and whistled a low tune.

“Damn, Deku, you weren’t kidding.”

“I know, right? I told you they wouldn’t stop talking about it! I’m so sorry!” Izuku looked at his feet and fiddled with his fingers. They talked about this beforehand, but Katsuki never saw the brunt of it all until now.

“What are you apologizing for? We deal with this every year, you know. Look, I’ll do my usual spiel and we’ll be done with it.” Katsuki said as he then turned towards the snickering 2nd graders.

“Good luck, Kacchan,” Izuku merely says before walking back towards his classroom.

Izuku made sure he left a few minutes earlier this time to pick up his students. He hoped Katsuki talked them down about the movie theater and the fact that they weren’t dating.

Izuku took this time away from his students to reflect, smiling sadly to himself. Did Izuku WANT to date Katsuki? Of course! But it’s not meant to be, he didn’t think Katsuki liked him that way, despite dealing with this bullshit year after year. He seemed to just not be interested and only viewed Izuku as a friend. 

Yeah, they hung out all the time after school. Sure, they went out and did things every weekend. Of course, they would visit each other’s families and hang out with each other’s friends. And what friends WOULDN’T go on vacations together during the summertime?

That’s all they were; friends. Very good friends.

And yet…

Izuku shook the feelings aside and opened the gym door, being greeted with a beaming Katsuki and a straight line of very quiet 2nd graders.

“Got them all straightened up for ya, Deku, as promised,” Katsuki said, then turned his attention back to the class, “And if I hear you all bothering Mr. Midoriya again about us, your class specifically will NOT be participating in the Halloween Obstacle Course this year, got it?”

“Yes, Mr. Bakugou…” the kids said sadly.

Izuku’s eyes widened, “Kacchan, did you seriously threaten them to take away the obstacle course? That’s not very professional… What would Mr. Aizawa say?”

Katsuki only scoffed, “If it gets them off your back, then you bet I’d risk that. Now then, Mrs. McMiller’s class is coming. I’ll see you at lunch.”

Izuku blinked, “O-okay; Kota, follow me. See you later, Kacchan!” And then Izuku walked with his class back toward the classroom, praying that Katsuki doesn’t get in trouble for threatening a bunch of 2nd graders (it wouldn’t be the first time).

Greta’s class turned the corner just as Izuku’s class was walking past.

“Ah, Izuku, I heard your class was giving you trouble this week,” Greta chuckled once she saw Izuku.

Izuku laughed, “Yeah, I’ll spare you the details for now, but let’s just say that Kacchan took care of it.”

Greta smiled, “Oh you two, always keeping us veteran teachers on our toes. Well I won’t keep you, have a great day!”

“Thanks, you too!” Izuku waved and continued to walk down the hallway.

He turned around to see if everyone was in line; he noticed Katsuma waving at his sister, who waved back and continued following her class to gym.

“Keep your eyes forward, everyone,” Izuku stated before turning back around.

Katsuki chomped down on his curry furiously in Izuku’s classroom. It was lunchtime and the students were in the cafeteria eating, which then follows with recess. They had roughly another 25 minutes to themselves before it was time for Izuku to pick the children up.

“Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with your kids? We can’t seem to catch a damn break!” Katsuki said heatedly.

“I swear it gets worse every year, and it starts earlier, too…” Izuku states while poking at his Katsudon and rubbing his temples.

Katsuki sighs, “I don’t know, Deku, these kids have wild imaginations…” he then went to drink from his giant water bottle.

Izuku stares at his lunch, “Yeah, wild…” he then looks up, rubbing his neck, “I mean, can you even imagine us actually dating?”

Katsuki stops in his tracks, he looks at Izuku with a deadpan look, “The fuck you on about?”

Izuku then realized what he said and started to mutter nonsense under his breath; a habit that he unfortunately could not break since he was little, especially when he was embarrassed or nervous.

“Oi, Deku, stop with that mumbling!” Katsuki shouts at Izuku, who then snaps out of his trance.

Izuku was about to apologize when he heard a tired voice come from his doorway.

“Ah, the troublemakers are here. Not surprised.”

Katsuki and Izuku turned to see the principal of the school, who had a big mug of coffee in his hand and an unimpressed look on his face. His long black hair tied into a messy bun as he stared down the two young teachers.

Izuku all but stood up, eyes like saucers, “M-Mr. Aizawa! What brings you to my classroom?”

Aizawa stood there, then placed his face in his palm, “You know, I’m tired of correcting you two to call me Shouta, since I’m not your teacher anymore, so I’m not going to bother this time.” He then lifts his head up, “Anyway, I need to talk to you two about the recent events happening.”

Katsuki and Izuku stared at Aizawa, Katsuki then asked, “Is this about the kids and us?”

Aizawa nodded, “This whole thing has given me more gray hair in the past five years than the entire 20 years of me teaching and being principal combined. Eri would not stop talking about this at home.”

Izuku blushed, “Y-yeah, sorry about that… I did try to tell her and the rest of the class to stop, b-but they wouldn’t listen…”

“And then you threatened to take the obstacle course away, is that correct, Katsuki?” Aizawa asked with an eyebrow raised.

Katsuki’s eyes widened, “Hey, how do you know about that?”

Aizawa stared at Katsuki, deadpan, “I happened to be in the cafeteria and noticed my daughter with a sad look in her eyes. So imagine my surprise when she told me what happened in gym class today.”

Oh shit…

Izuku gulped and looked over at Katsuki, who was just as equally terrified as he was, and then back at Aizawa.

Aizawa took a sip of his coffee, “Katsuki, I don’t need to remind you about being professional in the education industry and using proper punishments. I realize that this is not the first time you’ve threatened some students, so I’m willing to put this aside, seeing how you work well with the kids. This is also not me taking this personally as it was my daughter that was affected, but I do not want to hear you doing something like this again. Is that clear?”

Izuku looked at Katsuki, whose face was red with anger and embarrassment, like a student being caught cheating on a test. Katsuki then looked down in defeat and said, “Fine, Mr. Aizawa.”

“Good. Now then, Izuku, don’t forget the paperwork that needs to be done before the end of next week. Katsuki, hand me your October lesson plans as soon as possible. Hizashi and I will be around.”

“Of course, Mr. Aizawa!” Izuku states.

“Sure, Mr. Aizawa,” Katsuki says.

Aizawa sighs, rubs his eyes, and walks out of the door.

Katsuki stares at the door, waiting for the footsteps to disappear, before stomping his feet on the ground, “What the fuck crawled up his ass???”

Izuku turned towards the fuming blonde and tried to calm him down, “Kacchan, don’t talk about Mr. Aizawa like that! He’s only trying to help!”

“How is that fucking helping? BY TREATING ME LIKE A FUCKING KID???”

“KACCHAN! STOP YELLING! THE STUDENTS MIGHT HERE!”

“THEY’RE IN THE FUCKING CAFETERIA, THEY CAN’T HEAR US!”

“I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT MY STUDENTS, I’M–”

“Yo, dudes, chill! I can hear you from the other end of the hall!” another voice came from the door.

Who else is gonna interrupt the two’s lunchtime?

It was none other than Kirishima, who stood at the doorway, a bag of McDonald’s in one hand, and his other hand waving at the two.

Katsuki stared at the red head, “What are you doing here, Shitty Hair? Thought you had the day off?”

Kirishima shrugged, “Mrs. Harrington called to leave early, something about feeling like she was gonna throw up. Anyway, I’m taking over her class the rest of the day, hence, the fast food,” he says as he gestures at the bag.

Izuku blinks, “Oh, I heard a rumor she might be pregnant! I know she and her husband have been trying for a while now.”

Kirishima smiles, “Well it sounds like they finally got one! But we should let her tell us that,” he then winked at Izuku and Katsuki.

Katsuki scoffs, “Yeah, good for her, I guess.” He then takes his curry and starts to head out the door.

Izuku stared at Katsuki, “Wait, Kacchan, we only have less than 20 minutes left.”

“I gotta get shit done, I’ll talk to you after school,” and with that, Katsuki exited the classroom.

Izuku blinked, then sighed. He sat back down in his seat and went back to his neglected Katsudon.

Kirishima stares at Izuku, and then takes Katsuki’s spot and sits down.

“So any luck?” Kirishima asks.

Izuku looks up at Kirishima, confused, “What?”

Kirishima smirks, “I asked if you had any luck talking to him,” he then gestures to the door that Katsuki walked out of not even a minute ago.

Izuku’s eyes widened, “U-U-Umm… N-Nooo?”

Kirishima was one of the few people that knew Izuku had feelings for Katsuki, so it came to no surprise that he asked about any developments. Sadly, it’s the same old melody that he is used to hearing.

Kirishima sighed, “Bro, you got to talk to him. How many students have to make assumptions before it happens for real?”

Izuku blushed, “Oh, so you know it happened already.”

Kirishima smiled, “I was subbing for Greta on Monday when I heard about it. Mahoro wouldn’t stop talking about it, since her brother’s in your class!”

Izuku laughed nervously, “Y-Yeah, well, I’m just not sure if anything is going to happen and that I’m just doomed to deal with this…”

Kirishima then placed his hand on Izuku’s shoulder, “It will happen, dude, you just gotta put a brave face on and just do it. You don’t know what might happen until you suck it up and go for it.”

Izuku knew he was just being a good friend. But the sinking feeling of dread kept creeping up in his chest. Kirishima was right, he needed to just suck it up and at least attempt.

Izuku looked into Kirishima’s eyes, “I-I’ll try…”

Kirishima smiled, but knew Izuku wasn’t going to, so all he could do was to smile and just wait until the fateful day came when either one of them took action.

“Alright, well I’ve wasted your precious lunchtime already, I’m gonna eat my lunch before it gets cold.”

Izuku smirked, relieved that the subject was dropped for now, “Eating McDonald’s cold, how sinful!”

Kirishima laughed, “So is microwaving the fries! They’re never the same!”

Izuku gasped, “I KNOW!” 

The two laughed before Kirishima stepped back out into the hallway and headed to Mrs. Harrington’s classroom.

Izuku went back to finish his lunch, Kirishima’s words ringing in his ear.

You don’t know what might happen until you suck it up and go for it.

Izuku sighed, “I don’t know, Kirishima…” he muttered to himself.

“So then the kid just threw the damn ball at him and WHAM! It hit him square in the face!” Katsuki barked a laugh.

Izuku laughed, “Oh no! What happened after that?”

Katsuki quickly recovered, “And then the kid started to cry big fat crocodile tears. Holy shit. I had them sit by the wall for a hot minute to talk to the rest of the class before seeing if he needed to go to the nurse. Luckily he didn’t, but I did have to scold them both for picking a fucking fight in my gym!”

Izuku gasped, “Woah, Kacchan, that must have been one heck of a day you had!”

“I know, right? And I thought your kids were going to top it for today, but man, was I proven wrong.”

“Aww, I feel for Shouto. He has a tough class this year.” Izuku said, understanding where he was coming from. He had some of those kids when they were in 2nd grade, so he knew Shouto’s current struggle.

Katsuki huffed, “Icy Hot knew what he signed up for, being a 4th grade teacher. That’s around the time fucking puberty hits and shit I’m not looking forward to that time of the year where I gotta talk to the kids about that.” He shuddered at the thought.

Izuku giggled, he knew what he was talking about. The gym teacher is usually the one stuck teaching the older students about that and he knew Katsuki hated doing it. Luckily he always had help and was never alone in doing so. Ochako and Tsu, the guidance counselors, were there to help with the girls while Katsuki had the boys with Iida, one of the counselors from the middle school.

“You don’t have to worry about that until April, you have plenty of time,” Izuku smiled.

Katsuki only scoffed and went back to his rant about the two boys as Izuku was getting his plans for next week organized.

Once he seemed to have gotten it out of his system, Katsuki asked Izuku, “So, any plans for tonight?”

Izuku looked down at his desk calendar, seeing if he missed anything, “Umm, nope! Looks like I’m free! I got the paperwork done for Mr. Aizawa already so I don’t need to worry about that anymore.”

“Good, same here. Why don’t you come over to my place tonight? We can order pizza, drink beer, and maybe play some video games?”

Izuku beamed, “Oooh, that sounds like fun!”

Katsuki smirked, “Alright, it’s a date then!”

Izuku blushed, “W-What???”

Katsuki laughed, “I'm just messing with ya! Just get your shit together and meet me at the gym!” He then got up from his seat and walked out the door.

Izuku recovered from that stunt, “O-Okay then…”

Izuku went to finish the filing and cleaning but still couldn’t get those words out of his head. Surely, he only meant it as a joke due to his students berating him about it all week, he shouldn’t get his hopes up.

He shouldn’t…

“Fuck! Fuck! Where are you?”

“I’m on my way, Kacchan!”

“I’m getting fucked over here!”

“Just find somewhere to hide! You’re a walking target and you’re low on health!”

“I’m going as fast as I fucking can- SHIT!”

Izuku laughed.

Heavily buzzed on beer and pizza, the two decided to play Overwatch. Katsuki just got annihilated by a Tracer and his character, Soldier 76, was respawned at their base. Meanwhile, Izuku’s Mercy was healing player after player until Katsuki caught up.

Their team was attempting to move the payload but the other team seemed to have figured out how to play together and keep them from reaching their objective. Izuku and Katsuki’s team, however…

“SOMEONE BACK ME THE FUCK UP HERE! Fucking newbies!”

“These guys act like they don’t know how to fucking play! What dicks!”

“Ooooh language, Mr. Midoriya~” Katsuki sang.

“Get bent…” Izuku squinted his eyes back at Katsuki.

“Gladly~” Katsuki wiggled his eyebrows at Izuku.

Izuku choked on his own spit before his Mercy got killed.

“NOOOOOO! Look what you made me dooooo!” Izuku cried out.

Katsuki laughed, “Fucking worth it!” And he continued to play and kill the offending Tracer that got him earlier.

Izuku shook his head. Did… Did Katsuki just FLIRT with him? This has to be a joke, it had to be the alcohol. No way Katsuki did just that. Izuku’s only imagining this. So Izuku did the most logical thing and down the rest of his beer before sending his Mercy back to the payload.

They played a few more rounds (and drank more beer) before they called it quits. Katsuki placed Izuku’s controller down and took another swig of his beer.

“Hey, so… Why don’t we put on a movie and just relax?” Katsuki asked, too buzzed to continue playing a game.

Izuku drunkenly smiled back from the floor (he apparently found himself there in his drunken stupor), “Fuck it, whadayawannawatch?”

“Pffft, you’re drunk,” Katsuki smirked.

“Am NOT DICKHEAD!” Izuku shouts, flailing his arms.

“Hahaha! Come on, you curse like a sailor when you get like this!” Katsuki laughs.

“Kacchaaaaaaan~” Izuku whines.

Katsuki smiles, “Alright, I’ll find a— fuck—find a movie and we can just… sit down or some shit…” Katsuki almost trips over Izuku, who is still laying on the ground, and goes to the blu-ray shelf.

Izuku pouts, “Okaaaay, but put on a GOOD ONE!” He flings himself onto the couch but misses, hitting his head on the seat, “… Hey Kacchan, didyaknow theresacouchhere?”

Katsuki laughs even harder, pulling out Spider-Man: No Way Home, “Oh my fucking Christ, I can’t with you!” He then puts the movie into the PS5 (who even owns DVD players anymore?), presses play and goes back to the couch. He then reaches for the drunk green haired man, who is now attempting (and failing) at standing up.

“Oi, Deku, let me help,” Katsuki says as he pulls Izuku up from the floor and into his lap.

“Whaaa—“ Izuku starts as his head turns to the blonde, trying to gain momentum from the sudden movement.

“Relax, I’m just making sure you don’t hurt yourself, nerd,” Katsuki explained as he sat him down on the couch.

Izuku blinked at him, “Uh… Okay…” even in this drunken haze, he couldn’t help the fluttering feeling in his stomach and his head spinning.

I’m sitting on Kacchan’s lap…

I’m sitting…

On Kacchan’s…

Lap…

Izuku continued with his inner turmoil until Katsuki spoke, “Oi, you watchin’ the movie or are you gonna keep staring at me?”

Izuku stuttered, clearly caught, “U-Umm… O-Of course I’m watching the movie!” He then turned his attention to the TV just as Spider-Man was flying around the city with MJ with his own turmoil of everyone finding out his identity.

The two watched the movie in relative silence (seems to be a theme nowadays) until Katsuki laid down on the couch with Izuku following suit. Katsuki wrapped his arms around Izuku, both men completely unaware of the position they put themselves in due to their drunken state. As the movie progressed, Izuku and Katsuki both fell asleep on the couch in each other's arms.

What Izuku and Katsuki didn’t know was that this was the very beginning of what is going to be a very interesting school year.

Chapter Text

It had been three weeks since the infamous ‘sleeping on the couch’ incident between the two teachers and neither had said a word about it. Both men were flustered, blamed the beer, and went on their merry ways as if it never happened. And that’s how it had been; pretending it never happened.

Poor Kirishima felt like a third wheel as he heard both sides of the story, from a very flustered Izuku to a very pissed off Katsuki. He was getting very tired of the two venting to him about their mutual feelings for each other but never acting upon it. It’s been like this for YEARS.

Luckily, he wasn’t the only one; Ochako Uraraka, one of the guidance counselors, was also getting the brunt of it from the two teachers as well. While she had all the patience to handle her students' stress and anxiety for a multitude of reasons, nothing compared to two of her colleagues pining for each other but not making a damn move about it. So naturally, she and Kirishima hung out a lot to vent their frustrations over the two idiots.

They were at a bar one weekend, along with their respective significant others this time, to talk about Izuku and Katsuki.

“I swear, I don’t know how much more I can take! They’ve been wanting each other FOREVER and NOTHING HAS HAPPENED!” Uraraka whined as she downed her shot of bourbon.

Tenya Iida, the middle school guidance counselor, merely smiled and rubbed his fiancée’s back, knowing that he just needed to let her talk and not interrupt.

“Tell me about it, I tried to talk to Midoriya about talking to Bakugou but I fucking knew he would just chicken out again…” Kirishima shrugged, taking a swig of his beer.

Mina Ashido, the art teacher, rubbed her temple and let out a big groan, “I swear, if I had a dollar for every time one of Midoriya’s kids talked about them possibly dating, I’d have retired by now!”

“Now Ashido, we all know that Midoriya and Bakugou just need time to figure this out themselves, we shouldn’t intervene,” Iida chimed in.

“BUT IT’S BEEN FIVE FUCKING YEARS!!” Both Kirishima and Uraraka shouted in unison.

Iida sighed and continued, “Either way, this isn’t our business to pry. We can talk about our frustrations regarding the topic, but we need to trust that those two will figure things out.” Iida then pushed his glasses back up his nose before waving the bartender down for the check.

Uraraka groaned, “I need more booze…”

Iida smiled as he reached for his wallet, “You need sleep, sweetheart, we all know what you’re like when you have too much.”

Uraraka flipped her fiancé off, who did not seem fazed by it, and started to gather her things, “I hate this…” 

Once Iida placed the money on the counter, Iida took Uraraka’s hand and started to walk out, “We’ll see you two later!” He said to Kirishima and Mina.

Kirishima waved and Mina took another swig of her beer. Once the two were gone, Mina stood up from her barstool, “There MUST be some way we can get those two to finally confess!”

Kirishima finished off his beer and stared at his girlfriend for a hot minute before asking, “And what do you propose we should do? I don’t know, maybe Iida’s right, it might just be our lot in life; letting those two at each other and not make one move about it…”

Mina shook her head, “Nope! I am not going to give up on this! You’ve been pouting about this for years and I can’t stand seeing you and Uraraka like this!” She waves her hands in Kirisihima’s direction.

Kirishima blinked, “You just gestured to all of me, babe.”

Mina smiled, “Thank you, Hiccup.”

“Heh, sure,” he then put down the beer bottle, “So what plan do you have in that pretty pink haired brain of yours?” Kirishima asked.

Mina smirked, “Oh I got JUST the thing…”

It was Wednesday, which meant it was art today. Izuku’s class finished cleaning up and went to line up at the door. Eri led the line as Hannah, a tall blonde girl with glasses and a bow in her hair, held the door open; Izuku turned to see if everyone was in line before turning back around until the class was at the art room.

“Remember, class, please listen to Ms. Ashido and her instructions while you’re here. I heard that last art class you had a hard time, so please give her your utmost attention this time around. Understand?” Izuku instructed.

“Yes, Mr. Midoriya!” the class chimed.

Izuku nodded and allowed his class to enter the art room.

Mina beamed once his class entered, “Alrighty, class, head to your tables and we’ll get started in a minute!”

As each child headed to their respective tables, Mina walked over to Izuku with a mischievous grin on her face.

Izuku blinked; he had to be imagining that grin.

“Hey Midoriya, Kiri and I are hosting an adult-only Halloween party next weekend at our place! Was wondering if you’d like to come!” Mina asked with a smile on her face.

“O-Oh, really? A Halloween party? That sounds like fun! I’d love to come!” Izuku smiled back, glad that the grin WAS part of his imagination.

Mina beamed, “Great! Glad you can come this time! Don’t forget a costume!” She winked, then turned to Izuku’s class and went about her business.

Izuku nodded before he turned out into the hallway and headed back towards his classroom. He usually declines going to Mina and Kirishima’s parties that they host, but honestly, he needed a change of pace.

He’s actually now looking forward to it.

“So did Pinky ask you about the Halloween party?” Katsuki asked at the end of the day, sitting on one of the students desks, arms folded.

Izuku looked up from his binder as he was sitting at his desk, “Oh yeah! I said I’d go! I know I normally say no, but I figured, why not?”

Katsuki’s eyes widened, “Oh, you really ARE going this time?”

Izuku blinked, “Yeah, why? Aren’t you?” His heart sank a bit. He didn’t really want to go if Katsuki wasn’t going, so he hoped he would say he was.

Katsuki stared at Izuku, then recovered before answering, “W-Well, yeah, of course I am! Like I’d miss an ADULT party for once!” He then smirks, trying to hide his nerves (and blush that is now forming on his cheeks).

Luckily, Izuku didn’t notice the blush, but he sighs in relief, “Oh good, I thought I’d be practically by myself. I know Uraraka and Iida are going, but it’s not the same without you, Kacchan.”

“Yeah yeah, I’m just that awesome. Anyway, Shitty Hair and I are gonna head out. Gotta get supplies for the obstacle course,” and with that, Katsuki turned and walked out of the classroom.

“Oh, okay, tell Kirishima I said hi, then!” Izuku calls out.

“Will do, nerd!” Katsuki shouts back.

Bakubro

SHITTY HAIR

WHY DID YOU NOT TELL ME DEKU WAS GOING

Shitty Hair

No idea what you’re talking about, bro

Wait

Oh, the party?

Bakubro

No I’m talking about the next Trans Siberian Orchestra concert

OF FUCKING COURSE I’M TALKING ABOUT THE DAMN PARTY

I WOULD HAVE SAID YES TO GOING DAMMIT

Shitty Hair

Ooooooh

Yeah Mina did tell me he said yes

Kinda forgot to mention that to ya, lol

Bakubro

WELL CHANGE MY NO INTO A YES

CUZ I’M NOT GONNA MISS IT THIS TIME

Shitty Hair

Aww you do care~

You haven’t been to our parties in a while

Mina will be happy :-)

Bakubro

Yeah yeah, don’t get your panties in a bunch

Anyway, I’m getting supplies for the obstacle course

Wanna give me an extra hand?

Shitty Hair

Are

Are you asking for my help?

Where’s my Pikachu shocked face meme?

Bakubro

If you send that, I will murder you in your sleep

And did I fucking stutter?

I’m heading to the dollar store, meet me there

Shitty Hair

Lol okay okay

I’ll be over soon!

:-P

“If this is a dollar store, isn’t everything supposed to be $1? Why is everything $1.25? That’s not right, bro,” Kirishima stated, looking at the infinite amount of Halloween items in the store.

Katsuki scoffed, “I don’t really care, Shitty Hair, just get the spiders over there,” he pointed at the multitude of spiders in one box as he grabbed some fake spider webs.

Kirishima did as he was told, grabbed the box, and placed it into the cart. He then found some lights in a small corner, “Ooooh, Bakugou, look at this!”

Katsuki looked at the Halloween themed lights Kirishima was talking about. He raised an impressed eyebrow, “Hmm, sure, put it in the cart.”

Kirishima pumped his fist in the air as he grabbed all of the lights he could muster in one go.

The two eventually purchased all of the Halloween items for the obstacle course (Katsuki will have to make a note to tell Aizawa about this being a work expense) and put them in Katsuki’s car. The two then drove back to the school to drop off the items into his office for him to set the obstacle course up Friday after school.

“So, Bakubro, any idea when you’re gonna talk to Midoriya?” Kirishima asked.

Katsuki groaned, “Why are you so fucking persistent about this?”

Kirishima stared at Katsuki deadpan, “Dude, you’ve been about this for years now, and to be honest with you, you need to shit or get off the pot, man.”

Katsuki glared daggers at Kirishima, who was used to it by now, “Did it ever occur to you that I fucking tried that?”

“No, no it never did. Because it never happened,” Kirishima again said, deadpan.

Katsuki, clearly caught, flipped him off, “Fuck you, Shitty Hair.”

“Kinda brave to say that, coming from you,” Kirishima crossed his arms, shaking his head in disbelief, “Really, bro, talk to him. I know you hang out and do shit together, but, man, just say something to him. This is taking a toll on me, too, ya know?”

Katsuki stared at Kirishima; he… he didn’t even consider this…

Well shit, now he just felt… Shitty about it…

Katsuki sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, “Shit, I never considered that it might affect you. Sorry… I won’t bother you about it again…”

Kirishima shook his head, “Appreciate the apology, man, but you don’t have to stop talking to me about it; that’s not what I meant. But you need to make a decision, dude, are you gonna at least take a leap of faith? Or are you gonna wallow in self pity for the umpteenth time?”

Katsuki scowled at Kirishima, but then took his words to heart. Maybe he was right, maybe he had to do something about it.

But how will he even do it? He had seen some proof that Izuku did share the same feelings, but the last thing he wanted to do was push it. They had only just become great friends again since their reunion that fateful day at orientation. In fact, Katsuki did not stop thinking about the green haired boy since the move all those years ago! He thought about writing to him, but he didn’t think to get his address or email, and he was too proud to ask his parents. Hell, he didn’t have a facebook because fuck that noise!

So he brushed it all away and moved on with his life. He went through middle school, high school, and college with high grades and ease; he played the drums in marching band, he played baseball, and he was a member of the video game club (because he needed to be in a club for some damn reason). He knew he wanted to be in the education field, and his parents encouraged it. He took all the necessary courses, graduated with HONORS, and found himself a job as a gym teacher here at Toshinori Elementary. So when he saw Izuku at orientation, he couldn’t help but feel elated. That had to be fate, because once they started talking again, he didn’t want to give it up, not again.

This is why he was hesitant, and Kirishima knew this; he didn’t want to throw it all away for the possibility of having a romantic relationship. He had just gotten him back, dammit!

Katsuki sighed, “I’ll try, but don’t get your hopes up…”

Kirishima shrugged, accepting the answer, “Fine, better than nothing, then.”

It was Friday before Halloween, and all of Izuku’s students were dressed up in their costumes, and so were the teachers. All of the 2nd grade teachers decided to do matching costumes of different colored crayons.

Guess what color Izuku ended up being, much to his annoyance?

There was Izuku, in a green shirt with the word “GREEN” on it in bold letters, green pants, and he had a pointy green hat on top of his unruly green hair. 

School appropriate costumes be damned, he just knew Katsuki was gonna make jokes about it.

Izuku’s class headed towards the gymnasium, and he could already hear the booming sounds of Halloween music coming from the already echo-y gym. His class started to cheer with excitement and whisper to each other.

Izuku turned towards his class once they approached the door, speaking a little louder over the music, “Okay, class, I know you’re all very excited, but please continue to listen to Mr. Bakugou’s instructions. He wants you all to have fun, but it won’t be fun if I have to hear that you did not follow his expectations; are we clear?”

“Yes, Mr. Midoriya!” The students shouted over the music.

Izuku smiled, then, as he was about to open the door, the door itself slammed open, making the class (and Izuku) scream in surprise.

Katsuki burst open the doors and screamed so loud that even Mr. Aizawa probably heard him. He was dressed up in a baseball uniform covered in blood and rips and was wearing basic zombie make-up. He also had a baseball bat, covered in blood, and was waving it above his head.

Izuku tried to ignore the fact that he somehow got away with the baseball bat and smiled at the very enthusiastic gym teacher.

“Hope you’re excited, pipsqueaks! This Halloween Obstacle Course is ready for you and better than last year! Now line up against the wall, or I’ll get ya!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!!” Katsuki shouted to the highest Heavens as the children all run into the gymnasium, screeching their heads off.

Izuku poked his head into the gymnasium and stared in awe; the lights were dimmed, with the exception of the bright, colorful strobe lights flickering around. Mats were stood up, covered in spider webs and lights of bright orange, green, and purple. Scooters were strewn around the floor, along with jump ropes, hula hoops, basketballs, and more flickering lights hanging around the walls along with cheap pictures of different Halloween caricatures, such as a vampire, a zombie, a Frankenstein monster, etc. The music was currently blaring out “Grim Grinning Ghosts” as the children waited with bated breath to start the course.

Izuku beamed, “Wow, Kacchan, you really went all out this year!”

Katsuki smirked, “Course I had, Deku, it’s Halloween! It’d be pretty boring without the decorations! By the way,” he snorted, “nice costume, nerd.” He attempted (and failed) to suppress a loud laugh.

Izuku pouted, he knew this was gonna happen, “This wasn’t my idea, Kacchan.”

“That’s what you get for being the only guy 2nd grade teacher. Now then, take some damn pictures for the parents before you go,” Katsuki said, still attempting to not laugh out loud.

Izuku nodded, “Alright, give me a second,” he then proceeded to get out his school iPad and take plenty of pictures of his students at the start of the obstacle course before walking back towards his classroom. He had pictures to send to the parents.

He also hoped that this was the last time Katsuki would bring up the costume.

But of course, that’s wishful thinking.

Katsuki had a big grin on his face during lunch. The eerie silence between him and Izuku was too much for the green eyed man. He looked up at Katsuki and sighed, “Just get it out of your system…”

With the dam officially broken, Katsuki immediately proceeded to make any and all crayon or color jokes towards poor Izuku for a good ten minutes of their lunchtime.

“Hey Deku, Where did the crayon go on vacation?”

“... Where, Kacchan?”

“To Color-ado!” Katsuki bellowed.

Izuku stared at him disapprovingly.

“Hey Deku…”

Izuku sighed, “Yes, Kacchan?”

“What did the paper say to the crayon when he found out that the crayon was pregnant?”

“... What did he say, Kacchan?”

“Well COLOR ME SURPRISED!”

This went on and on and on and Izuku immediately regretted getting his hopes up earlier and letting the blonde go on this tirade of jokes.

“Hey Deku…”

“Are you quite finished?”

“Wait wait I got a good one, give me that!”

Izuku sighed for what felt like the hundredth time, “Fine, one more…”

Katsuki smirked, “I hated eating my greens in school when I was a kid…”

Izuku stared at him deadpan, not even giving him the satisfaction of answering.

“... They always tasted worse than the other crayons!” Katsuki laughed.

Izuku's face planted onto his desk and groaned, his lunch forgotten.

Meanwhile at the cafeteria, Katsuma, who was dressed as a scarecrow, was eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and talking to his friends Eri, dressed as a witch, and Kota, dressed as a dinosaur. They all were still giddy about the obstacle course from the gym.

“That was so much fun! I’m glad Mr. Bakugou didn’t get rid of it for us!” Kota chimed in excitedly.

Eri nodded, “Yeah! Did you see all the spiders everywhere? It was very cool!”

Katsuma sipped his milk and hummed in agreement, “I can’t wait for next year! And did you see what Mr. Bakugou was dressed up as? I almost ran out of line!”

The three laughed, having the time of their lives. Halloween was one of their favorite holidays next to Christmas. They continued to chat and talk about what candy they’re excited to get when the principal walked over.

“Good afternoon, children,” Aizawa said, sipping his coffee. The kids took note of the red cape around his neck (supposedly his costume, but what exactly he was supposed to be, they didn’t know).

“Good afternoon, Mr. Aizawa!” Katsuma and Kota chimed.

“Hi, daddy!” Eri beamed.

Aizawa looked at the children with eyebrows furrowed, “Just making sure you three are not giving Mr. Midoriya trouble.” He then turned to his daughter, whom he could trust out of the three to tell the truth, not that he didn’t trust the other two.

Eri smiled, “We are, daddy! Hey, guess what? Mr. Bakugou let us do the obstacle course!”

Aizawa’s eyebrow raised up but his face did not falter, “So I heard from my office.”

Katsuma and Kota snickered. They all knew the principal could talk their gym teacher down, and it came to no surprise that Mr. Bakugou’s yelling could be heard from far away.

Aizawa took another sip of his coffee, “Well I won’t keep you, go eat your lunches. I’m gonna meet with your teacher now.”

Katsuma tilted his head, “What for, Mr. Aizawa?”

“Teacher things, Katsuma. Now go eat,” Aizawa turned away, cape swooping in the air, but not before muttering to himself, “Wouldn’t be surprised if Mr. Bakugou is there, too.”

Kota overheard that last statement and his head shot up. He waited until the principal was out of earshot before whispering to his friends, “Did you hear that? Mr. Bakugou is with Mr. Midoriya in our classroom!”

Eri and Katsuma gasped.

“Guys, think about it! Mr. Midoriya and Mr. Bakugou hang out by themselves outside of school! They see each other during lunch! They even see each other after school is over!” Kota explained.

Eri blinked, “How do you know they see each other after school?”

Kota smirked, “My bus is usually the last one to be called, so whenever I leave, I see Mr. Bakugou walking toward the classroom.”

“Really?” Katsuma asked, intrigued.

Kota nodded, “If that doesn’t tell us that they like each other, then call me a monkey’s uncle!”

Eri and Katsuma giggled at Kota’s statement. Then Eri’s eyes widened like saucers and gasped.

“Hey I have an idea!” Eri started.

“What is it, Eri?” Katsuma asked.

“Maybe we can help them get together and be a couple!”

Kota gasped, “How do we do that?”

Eri beamed, “We can save up some money to get gifts for them on Valentine’s Day!”

“Where are we gonna get that kind of money?” Katsuma asked.

“Do you two have piggy banks?” Eri asked.

The two boys nodded, still not following.

Eri smiled, “Well why don’t we use the money in our piggy banks to get them gifts? We can call this an emergency, like my daddy and papa usually call it!”

Katsuma blinked, “Do you think it will work?”

Kota stood up from his chair, “It HAS to work! Katsuma, didn’t your sister have Mr. Midoriya when she was in 2nd grade?”

Katsuma stared at Kota, “Uhh, yeah she did.”

Kota shook Katsuma’s shoulders, “Ask her if she knows what kind of candy and flowers and chocolates and balloons he likes! We need to know to pull this off!”

Eri placed a hand on Kota’s arm, “Kota! Stop shaking him!”

Kota paused, realization dawned on him, before pulling back, “Sorry…”

Katsuma rubbed his shoulders, “It’s okay, Kota. You are right, though, I’ll ask my sister at some point about that.”

Eri beamed while Kota smirked. And with that, the three 2nd graders were ready to concoct their plan to get their teachers together.

It was now the evening of Mina and Kirishima’s Halloween party. Izuku was dressed up as a ghost (NOT A CRAYON THANK YOU). His ghost costume wasn’t just some ordinary sheet with two holes in it. It was more like a white cloak with a hood; patches of different colors with an All Might picture flowed on the cloak. The hood had a Jack Skellington-like face on it with a tiny witch hat. He also had a green bow with a jack-o-lantern in the middle to tie it all up. Underneath, he wore a black long sleeved shirt, tan pants and his signature red sneakers. He also carried a fake lantern prop. 

He was very proud of himself as he took the time to make it. Two weeks of work definitely paid off.

He knocked on the door to the apartment, which was then swung open by a towering Pyramid Head.

Izuku jumped at the sight before him.

“Hey, Midoriya! Ya made it!” Pyramid Head then lifted his mask off and revealed a beaming Kirishima underneath.

Izuku blinked, then sighed in relief, “Oh Kirishima, I didn’t know that was you! Nice costume, by the way!”

“Hey thanks! Interesting costume yourself, did you make it?” Kirishima asked.

“Ah, yes I did. I’m supposed to be a ghost, in case you’re wondering,” Izuku stated, rubbing the back of his head.

Kirishima grinned, “Oh I got the ghost vibe, alright. Hey come on in, we have a bar open and everything!”

Izuku smiled, “Okay thanks!” Izuku stepped into the threshold and headed towards the living area where everyone was.

Uraraka and Iida were present, dressed as a witch and Frankenstein’s monster respectively, on the couch with plates of appetizers. They were talking to Mina, who was dressed as a cat with ears in her pink hair and a tail. Shouto was in the kitchen, dressed as a vampire, talking to Jirou, the music teacher, who was dressed as a nurse, and Tsu, the other guidance counselor in their school, who was dressed as a frog.

Izuku looked around and spotted the blonde he was looking for in a corner with Sero and Kaminari, who were also substitutes for the school. Katsuki had a scowl on his face directed at the two and Izuku didn’t need to know why.

Katsuki was dressed as a wolf, ears and tail on full display. He had a green jumpsuit on with a white shirt, jeans, and brown boots. Around his neck was…

… Was that a red collar? With a LEASH???

Izuku blinked, forming a blush on his cheeks. He shook the feelings off and composed himself before approaching the group.

“Kacchan! Wow! I like your costume!” Izuku exclaimed, attempting to dissuade his feelings immediately.

Katsuki stopped his rant to look at Izuku. His eyes widened before scowling at his feet, crossing his arms.

Izuku blinked, “Kacchan? You okay?”

Sero, dressed as a circus ringmaster, laughed, “Don’t worry about him, he’s just mad that he’s in this costume.”

“Oh? Why?” Izuku asked, tilting his head.

Kaminari, dressed as a devil, smirked, “He lost a bet to me a while back so I got to choose his costume for Halloween!”

Oh WELL THEN…

Katsuki snarled at the two, “Shut up or I’ll strangle you both!”

Sero and Kaminari laughed and ran towards the open bar.

Katsuki was about to follow, probably to continue giving the two a piece of his mind, before Izuku spoke up.

“Hey Kacchan?”

Katsuki turned his attention towards him, “What Deku?”

Izuku smirked, “What do you call a cold wolf?”

Katsuki blinked, then facepalmed into his hands, realization sinking in, “oh for fuck sakes…”

“A CHILI DOG!” Izuku smiled.

“I fucking hate you…”

Izuku only laughed back. He could also hear Sero and Kaminari bellowing from the kitchen.

Oh, this will be fun.

Izuku tormented Katsuki with more wolf jokes for another fifteen minutes. His last one had the rest of the party howling (no pun intended) since they heard the jokes from afar and joined in.

“Hey Kacchan!”

“Please end my misery…”

“Knock knock!”

Katsuki glared daggers at him.

Kirishima added, “Come on, Bakubro, do the bit…” he smirked.

Katsuki groaned, “… who’s there?”

Izuku smiled, “Howl.”

Katsuki rolled his eyes, “Howl who?”

“Howl you know unless you open the door?”

The whole party laughed. Katsuki squinted his eyes at Izuku, glaring daggers into his very soul.

Izuku only grinned back, “Payback, bitch.”

Katsuki flipped him off.

The party continued on after Izuku was satisfied with his revenge. The TV was auto-playing Halloween movies in the background. Right now, it was playing Hocus Pocus while everyone enjoyed the food and alcohol and simply socializing with each other.

Izuku is normally not the type to be at parties as it would eventually be too much for him, but this small party with all of his colleagues made him feel at home. He smiled, looking at everyone having the time of their lives. How had he not done this sooner?

Mina then called out to the group, “Alrighty, guys! Time for a game of truth or dare! Everyone make a circle around the coffee table!”

Oh, that’s why…

Peer pressure…

Everyone sat in a circle around the coffee table with an empty beer bottle in the middle.

“Oh, so this is a mix of truth or dare and spin the bottle?” Kaminari asked.

Jirou stared at her boyfriend, then sighed, “Yeah, pretty much, babe.” She then took his hand and leaned into his shoulder. Kaminari returned the small embrace, smiling back at her.

Mina chimed in, “Alright, everyone ready? So rules are as follows: person A spins the bottle and it will land on person B. Person A asks person B truth or dare. Whatever person B picks, they cannot change their minds or back out on their choice. You also cannot skip, cuz that would be boring. So person A either asks a question for truth or dares person B to do something, and person B MUST answer or do what they are told. After that, it’ll be person B’s turn to spin the bottle. Everyone understand?”

Everyone nodded their heads in understanding. Izuku gulped, nervous at the whole thing. What if people dare him to do silly things that will embarrass him? What if people ask about his love life? About his feelings?

About Kacchan?

Mina interrupted his thoughts as she shouts, “Okie Dokie! I’m gonna go first!” And she proceeded to spin the bottle. The top of the bottle soon lands on Tsu.

Mina smiles, “Tsu, truth or dare?”

Tsu ponders the choices before answering, “Truth, please.”

Mina smirks, “So Tsu, do you have a crush on someone right now?”

Tsu looks at Mina before answering, “I used to, but not anymore. I’m content being without a partner right now.”

Mina screeched, “OOOH I WANNA KNOW WHO CAPTURED YOUR FLEETING HEART!!!”

“I think you’re only supposed to ask one question, right?” Tsu asked.

Mina blinked, “Oh right, otherwise we’d be here all night. Fine, you go spin now, Tsu.” She then handed Tsu the bottle, disappointment read on her face.

Tsu then went to spin the bottle: it landed on Shouto.

“Truth or dare, Shouto?” Tsu asked.

Shouto immediately states, “Dare.”

Tsu thought for a moment before telling him, “I dare you to show us some karate moves.”

Shouto’s eyes widened, apparently caught off guard by that statement. He then nodded, stood up, and showed the room some moves, such as a round-house kick, a jab punch, and a knife-hand block. 

Everyone gasped and awed (except for Katsuki, who only rolled his eyes and muttered, “show off”).

Izuku gaped, “Shouto! I didn’t know you knew karate!”

“My father taught me, since he owns a dojo.” He merely says while still showing off some more moves.

Ah, that makes sense.

The game continued as such: spinning the bottle, someone picking either truth or dare, and once finished, they got to spin the bottle for the next victim. Izuku got picked a few times and he always picked dare, and they had him do some silly things, such as showing some dance moves or hopping like a bunny.

It was Kirishima’s turn to spin the bottle and it landed on Katsuki.

“Truth or dare, bro?”

Katsuki rolls his eyes, “Dare, dimwit.”

Kirishima looked like he finally got that piece of candy he had seen on the windowsill of a candy store. He then proceeded to state, “I dare you to kiss Midoriya on the cheek!”

Everyone either gasped or screeched. Izuku blushed, shouting, “W-W-WHAAAAT???” and started on his muttering nonsense from sheer embarrassment.

Katsuki’s eyes widened, “HAH?? What the hell, Shitty Hair???”

Iida chimed in, “Kirishima! What do you think you’re doing? Daring someone to kiss another person seems highly inappropriate!”

Kirishima shrugged, “Come on, it’s truth or dare! Bakugou has to do it!”

Izuku’s muttering only amplified from Kirishima’s words. Katsuki growled and turned red with anger on Kirishima.

“Dammit Kirishima! Look at Deku! Clearly he doesn’t want to!” Katsuki shouts, pointing at poor Izuku.

Izuku looked up, ceasing his muttering, “W-What? N-No! It’s okay! I’m fine! Y-You can go ahead, Kacchan… Besides, i-it’s part of the game…” he said, twiddling his thumbs.

Katsuki only scoffed, “Over my dead body. You’re only okay with it from a dare. I’m not doing this, Kirishima!”

“Aww come on—“

“Kirishima, you heard Bakugou,” Uraraka interrupted.

Kirishima looked at everyone, who seemed to be against the idea. Mina, on the other hand, did not expect this reaction from her friends and merely gaped at them (it was HER idea, after all). He sighed, admitting defeat, “Okay fine, you win. Sorry, I probably went overboard on that—“

“That you fucking did,” Katsuki scoffed.

Kirishima continued, “But would you be okay if I changed the dare slightly?”

Katsuki glared daggers at Kirishima, but nodded, “Fine, as long as it has nothing to do with kissing.”

Kirishima took a deep breath, relieved that the tension died down, “Okay then. If I were to dare you to HUG Midoriya, would you?”

“Kirishima—“

“Hang on, Four Eyes, I’m thinking about it,” Katsuki interrupted Iida, who was about to jump to his defense.

Izuku couldn’t have gotten any redder than he already did. It was really nerve wrecking for the kiss, but maybe a simple hug would probably suffice.

Now if only Katsuki would be okay with it.

Katsuki shrugged, “Fine, that’ll work.”

Izuku looked up, “W-What? Kacchan?”

Katsuki stood up and walked over to Izuku, offering his hand, “Come on, nerd. Let’s do this…”

Izuku stared at the offering hand, then nodded, and took it into his own.

As soon as Izuku stood up, Katsuki wrapped his arms around Izuku into a tight embrace. Izuku, after some time, wrapped his own around Katsuki.

Even though it was only a few seconds, it felt like an eternity. The way his hands held Izuku’s sides and his arms wrapped around his back. His chest pressing against his own. His own arms wrapped around Katsuki’s tight and muscular frame as he can feel every curve on his body.

It felt like bliss.

Katsuki then let go ( wait I WASN’T DONE! Izuku gushed in his head) and walked back to his spot.

“Consider your dare completed,” Katsuki stated to Kirishima, no more pep in his words. He then spun the bottle to continue where they left off. Izuku only sat back down in his spot, staring at the floor.

The game definitely wasn’t as fun as it was before.

The party had come to an end. Kirishima and Katsuki (and by extent, Mina) made amends after truth or dare and everything relatively went back to normal as the group decided to play Uno afterwards. They all played for about an hour until it got too competitive. Eventually, everyone agreed to watch a Halloween movie until people started to leave.

Izuku smiled at Mina and Kirishima, “Thanks for having me. I had fun!”

Mina smiled, “Aww thanks! Glad you could come! Again, sorry about truth or dare, didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable…” She pleaded with her hands pressed together.

Kirishima rubbed his neck in embarrassment, “Yeah, sorry, bro… totally didn’t mean to overstep a boundary…”

Izuku waved his hands dismissively, “Ashido, Kirishima, don’t worry about it, you’ve apologized way too many times already.”

“I know, I just feel bad about it!” Mina sobbed. “I hope that didn’t put you off on any future parties!”

“Oh not at all! I honestly can’t wait for the next one!” Izuku then waved goodbye and headed towards his car.

He was so tired but needed to get home. He needed to recover from the whole thing, to be honest. He went to get his keys in his pocket until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Izuku looked up to find Katsuki staring at him, a serious look in his eyes.

Izuku blinked, “Kacchan?”

Katsuki looked down at his feet, trying to find the words to say, so he said the first thing that popped into his mind, “So hey, about tonight…”

Izuku didn’t know if it was the alcohol (which he didn’t have much of since he drove here), or the fatigue setting in, but he stopped Katsuki in his tracks, he knew what he was going to say and honestly, Izuku was getting tired of the apologies for the incident.

“Kacchan, if you’re going to apologize, don’t. I’m tired of hearing about it. Plus I’m… really tired in general…” Izuku said, looking sideways.

Katsuki stared at Izuku, “The hell? No, I wanted to say I had a great time, despite that…”

Izuku looked up into those crimson eyes boring into him, “What?”

“Yeah, dumbass, I had fun. Next time, actually let me talk before you make assumptions,” he flicked Izuku’s forehead.

Izuku winced, “Kacchan! That hurts!” He rubbed the spot he was flicked at.

Katsuki smirked, “Oh shut it, you needed that reality check. Anyway, I’ll let you go home. I’ll text you later?”

Izuku smiled, “Sure, I’ll see you later, then,” Izuku then turned to get his keys out of his pocket when all of a sudden…

“Wait one more thing…”

Izuku turned back towards the blonde, who then proceeded to take hold of his chin, facing him, and placed a kiss onto the green haired man’s cheek.

Izuku’s mind ceased all operations for a few seconds, trying to gather all thought as to what just happened did KACCHAN KISS ME ON THE CHEEK ASDFGHJKL

“Oi, Deku! Earth to Deku!”

Izuku looked at Katsuki, bringing him back to reality.

“W-W-What?”

Katsuki smirked, “Who did the ghost take to the prom?”

Izuku blinked, “… huh?”

Katsuki repeated, “I said who did the ghost take to the prom?”

Izuku stared, dumbfounded, “… who?”

“A GHOUL-FRIEND!” Katsuki barked a laugh.

“Kacchaaaaan!!!” Izuku whined, the kiss on his cheek all forgotten.

Bakubro

You know

When someone says they would try to talk to their friend about their feelings

It doesn’t mean YOU GO BEHIND THEIR BACKS AND PULL A FUCKING STUNT LIKE THAT, SHITTY HAIR

Shitty Hair

NOOOO WAIT

I THOUGHT WE MADE AMENDS, BRO

Bakubro

That was just for show in front of Deku and the others

I know Pinky was in on it, too

So you BOTH owe me payment

Shitty Hair

Seriously, I'm sorry! It was only to give you a gentle nudge in the right direction!

We didn’t mean to piss you off!

Really!

:’(

Bakubro

Don’t give me that face through fucking text dumbass

I will collect that compensation when you least expect it

Shitty Hair

Wait

Are you gonna sue us? With real money?

BRO I’M A BROKE SUBSTITUTE TEACHER YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME

Bakubro

The fuck?

No

I’m not fucking suing you

Shitty Hair

Oh thank God

:-D

Bakubro

Wipe that smile off your face

But do keep one eye open at night

Cuz I’m gonna get revenge when you least expect it

Shitty Hair

D-:

Chapter Text

The week of Fall Break was approaching, and Izuku was already mentally exhausted. His class was decorated with children’s crafts of different fall decorations and the children were excited about their trips to their extended families homes during break.

Izuku wasn’t really paying attention, he was just typing on his computer while the students were playing games for indoor recess for the morning due to the rain. But even working on PowerPoint presentations was not helping his mind racing back to Halloween.

Once again, the two didn’t even bring it up that Katsuki kissed Izuku on the cheek and just went on with their lives like it never happened. Quite frankly, Izuku was getting tired of this, he truly was. And despite still being a bit peeved at him with that stunt, Kirishima was probably right; he needed to step up and do something about it.

He needed to talk about those last two encounters with Katsuki. And if the blonde wasn’t going to do it, then Izuku will.

Brimming with renowned hope, Izuku picked up his phone and sent a text message to Katsuki.

Izuku

Hey Kacchan?

I need to talk to you about something important

Just giving you a heads up

Izuku then put his phone down, knowing the blonde wouldn’t answer while he was teaching a class. He then looked up to see Peter about to jump from his seat, clearly trying to get away with something while Izuku wasn’t looking.

“Peter! Get down!” Izuku shouts.

The boy blinked, then sat down and pouted, clearly caught. He crossed his arms and huffed.

Izuku sighed; these kids need to get outside pronto.

Luckily the rain didn’t last long and it cleared up for the afternoon for lunch. Izuku pulled out his leftover curry when his door slammed open.

An out of breath Katsuki stood in his doorway, clearly upset about something and clearly breaking the ‘no running in the hallway’ rule.

Izuku blinked in confusion, “Kacchan?”

“Who died???” Katsuki blurted out.

“Huh?”

“Who fucking died, Deku? Your texts sounded like someone died! Was it Auntie Inko???” Katsuki all but shouted, clearly very upset about this.

“W-What? No! No one died! My mom is alright, Kacchan!” Izuku shrieked, a flustered look painting his face.

Katsuki stared at Izuku, before lowering his shoulders and sighing in relief, “Oh my God, you nearly gave me a heart attack. Don’t fucking send encrypted texts like that again!”

Izuku stuttered, “I-I wasn’t? W-Why did my text message make you think someone died?”

“I don’t fucking know, Deku! You normally don’t text me during work hours! I assumed the worst because YOU NEVER FUCKING DO THAT!!!” Katsuki shouted.

“Kacchan, I swear, everything is okay. No one died, I just wanted to talk to you about something,” Izuku swore to Katsuki, trying desperately to diffuse the exploding blonde.

Katsuki stared back at Izuku, then, after a minute of attempting to calm his beating heart, he crossed his arms, “Okay, fine. What did you want to talk about?”

Izuku gulped.

Here we go…

“Well… You see…” Izuku started.

But before he could continue, a small voice chimed from the door.

“Mr. Midoriya? I’m here to pick up Katsuma’s homework!”

Izuku jumped at the young girl standing at the doorway, who interrupted his very important conversation he was trying to have with Katsuki. But he couldn’t stay mad, as he then acknowledged her presence.

“O-Oh, Mahoro, I didn’t expect you to be here this early. Here, I have his folder ready for you to take home,” Izuku took a blue folder with Katsuma’s name on it and handed it to the light brown haired girl, who approached his desk, “Please tell Katsuma that I hope he feels better.”

Mahoro beamed, “Thanks, I will!” She then looks around the room, “Your room hasn’t changed a bit, Mr. Midoriya! OH!” She then points at a piece of artwork hanging on the wall, “Is that Katsuma’s?”

Izuku looks at the direction of where Mahoro was pointing at. Sure enough, there was a big yellow leaf with this week's vocabulary words on it, along with the name “Katsuma” written on the bottom of the leaf.

“Ah, yes, he did a good job on that. He’s very smart, and creative, too!” Izuku smiled, “He reminds me of you sometimes.”

Mahoro smiled back, “Yeah, I taught him some things that my daddy doesn’t get to sometimes. He works a lot, you know…”

Izuku’s smile faltered, an understanding look on his face, “I know, Mahoro, but you know that he works hard to keep you two safe and healthy, remember? And I’m sure he’s taking good care of your brother at home right now.”

Mahoro nodded, “I know…” a few seconds pass before she turns towards the door, “I gotta go back to class; Mrs. McMiller’s waiting for me.”

Izuku waved goodbye to the young girl, “Tell her I said hi as well.”

“Will do! Hi, Mr. Bakugou,” Mahoro waves, finally acknowledging the blonde’s presence.

Katsuki merely waved back. Once Mahoro was gone, Katsuki looked back at Izuku, “Huh…”

Izuku looked at Katsuki, “What’s wrong, Kacchan?”

Katsuki continued to stare until he shook his head, “N-Nothing, just… Never really saw you interact with the kids like that before.”

Izuku blushed, “Oh, umm… Yeah, the Shimano siblings have been having some tough times since their mother died, so I wanted to make sure they had someone to talk to besides Tsu or Uraraka. I guess that’s just the hazards of being in the education field, right?” Izuku laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head.

Katsuki shrugged, “Yeah, I feel you. Had a few kids like that myself. Remember the twins in Greta and Lori’s class our first year?”

Izuku blinked, “You mean the Suzuki brothers?”

Katsuki nodded, “They were going through a lot of shit after their dad left, so I was happy to let them dick around in the gym and listen to their frustrations until their mom was able to pick them up after a long shift.”

Izuku stood there listening to Katsuki; he remembered their first year where Katsuki talked about the two boys. There wasn’t a day that Katsuki didn’t worry about them. He had to fight tooth and nail with Aizawa to let them be due to their circumstance, which he eventually agreed to. Luckily, he mellowed out after adopting Eri with Hizashi, the vice-principal.

Izuku smiled fondly, “I remember those boys, they gave Greta and Lori such a hard time. I wonder how they’re doing nowadays.”

Katsuki shrugged, “Last I heard, Akihiko is on the debate team and theater and Hikari’s playing basketball. Also Aiko is getting married again and luckily the guy’s not a dickhead like the old one.”

“Really? Oh, I’m glad to hear it!” Izuku beamed. He may not have had the twins as students, but he heard a lot about them. He was glad to hear that they’re keeping themselves busy after everything that happened.

“And guess who got invited to the wedding?” Katsuki smirked, waving a finger at Izuku.

“Are you serious???” Izuku gasped. “Wait, is that even appropriate?”

Katsuki shrugged, “They're not my students anymore, so I assume it’s fine; I got the invite a week ago. Meant to talk to you about it, but shit got in the way. Also, the invite has a plus one for me. Wanted to know if you’d like to come with,” Katsuki looked away, face flushed (huh?).

Izuku blinked, “You’re inviting me to the wedding? Really?”

“Yeah, really. So, ya in or what?” Katsuki shrugged.

“Oh, umm, yeah! When is it?” Izuku asked.

“It’s in August of next year,” Katsuki answered.

Izuku beamed, “Okay, sounds like a plan!” Izuku then gasped, “Hey, that makes two weddings next year!”

Katsuki’s eyes widened a bit, suddenly remembering that information, “Oh yeah, Round Cheeks and Four Eyes in March. Shit, I gotta get a gift for them…”

Izuku laughed, “That makes two of us. Anyway, you can put me down for Aiko’s wedding.”

Katsuki smiled, “Alright, I’ll send the RSVP then.” He turned to walk out the door, paused, then turned back to face the green haired man, “By the way, you wanted to talk about something before we got interrupted?”

Izuku’s happy demeanor vanished at the mention of why Katsuki was even here in the first place. He shook his head and waved his arms dismissively, “A-Ah, you know what? I completely forgot! But it’s fine, I’m sure it was nothing…” He fiddled with the end of his shirt, which he noticed he’s been doing a lot lately, but didn’t seem fazed by it.

Katsuki blinked, clearly not convinced, but shrugged, “Okay, I guess I’ll be off, then…”

Izuku stared in confusion, before looking at the clock.

Damn, lunch was over!

Izuku sighed, “Okay, see you later, Kacchan…” And he went to put his forgotten lunch back in his mini-fridge.

“Hey Deku?”

“Hmm?”

Katsuki’s feet shifted as he looked like he was trying to pick his next words carefully, “… If you remember what you were going to say, let me know. You said it was important, so I’m all ears, okay?”

“Oh, uhh, I will!” Izuku stated, fiddling with the papers on his desk. Katsuki then took his leave back to the gym.

Izuku beat himself up on the inside; so much for that renewed fortitude.

Fall Break is finally here!

Izuku sank himself on the couch and screamed into the pillow. He loved his job, but he was so glad they had a whole week off. He can finally catch up on the latest season of the All Might spin off show and get some much needed sleep.

He also couldn’t get the fact that he STILL didn’t get the chance to talk to Katsuki about the couch incident and the kiss! He knew he needed to do it, but the question was when. If Mahoro didn’t interrupt that day, this would have happened already. 

Izuku groaned into the pillow; he needed to distract himself.

He laid there for a few more minutes before begrudgingly getting up to change into something more comfortable to lounge around in his apartment.

A graphic T-shirt and his boxers it is! Because he’s not going out any time soon or expecting visitors!

After changing, he went to make some popcorn and sat down on his couch. Once he got comfortable, he turned on the TV and put on the show, munching happily on the freshly popped popcorn.

And that was pretty much what Izuku did for the beginning of the break!

Katsuki stared at his phone for a solid ten minutes.

It was day three into their fall break and he wanted to invite Izuku out to a corn maze that he found out from Kirishima (he did not cash in his payback yet, it just happened that he brought it up via text).

The question was how he was gonna word it. He did not want to word it like he was asking him out on a date, but at the same time, it seemed to look like a fucking date if he asked him to go! He always asked him to hang out at places before, so how is this any different?

Inner turmoil sank in as to how he was going to ask on what to say to make it NOT sound like a date even though it would LOOK like one and why was it easy back then to ask the damn nerd to hang out but not right now–

His phone buzzed and a text from Kirishima lit the screen. Katsuki opened up the messages, scowling at the offending text.

Shitty Hair

Bro

I can feel your inner turmoil through the phone

Just text him :-P

Katsuki wanted to strangle the red haired man as he shot him a reply back.

Bakubro

How the flying fuck do you know I’m panicking?

I’m just trying to figure out how to word it

Shitty Hair

There’s no right way to word it, dude

Just say you found out about the corn maze and ask him if he wants to go

You already asked him to Aiko’s wedding, how is this any different?

;-) 

Katsuki stared at the text (and the weird ass emoticon). Well shit… He may be onto something…

Bakubro

Okay, you have a point

Fine I’m just gonna do it

And without looking at Kirishima’s reply, Katsuki messaged Izuku.

Kacchan

Oi nerd

Heard about this corn maze that’s happening tonight

Wanted to know if you wanted to go

It has food and other fall shit you like

Katsuki waited with bated breath for the green haired man’s reply. He stared at his phone waiting for the nerd’s name to pop up answering his texts. This lasted a good five minutes before the phone buzzed.

It was from Izuku. His eyes widened at the reply.

Deku

Oh I heard about that

Sure we can go! :-) 

What time is it so I can get ready?

Kacchan

Well right now it’s 1:36

Hah I’m just messing with ya

It’s at 5

Deku

Mean

Anyway, I’ll see you then!

:-D 

Katsuki blushed at the offending emoticon. He then messaged Kirishima to let him know of the good news.

Bakubro

He said yes

Shitty Hair

CONGRATS, BRO!

WHEN’S THE WEDDING?

XD

Bakubro

I will add another compensation if you keep this up

Shitty Hair

Not cool, man

>:-O

Izuku put on his dark green hoodie and his favorite red shoes. He made sure his black leggings were not wrinkled and his hair looked tidy and not unruly as it usually was.

He’s not sure why he’s nervous and sweating so much, nor did he understand why he was making sure he dressed nice for a corn maze, this was surely not a date.

NOPE! Just another day hanging out with Katsuki as per usual.

Nothing special…

Soon, there was a knock on the door. Izuku jumped at the sound before walking over to the door and opened it up.

There stood Katsuki in his black hoodie with an orange X in the middle and an orange beanie on top of his spikey blonde hair, hands in the pockets of his ripped jeans, wearing his dark brown combat boots and a shit eating grin on his face.

“Ready to go, nerd?” Katsuki asked.

Izuku blushed, “Umm, yes, I’m ready.”

“Good, let’s go before we can’t find any parking,” and with that, Katsuki walked towards the end of the hallway. Izuku locked his apartment door before following the taller man out.

Izuku eventually caught up with him, halfway down the stairs, before suddenly remembering something, “Hey, Kacchan?”

Katsuki hummed, letting Izuku know that he was listening.

“Umm, I just realized something; I never got to thank you after the Halloween party…” Izuku started.

Katsuki stopped in his tracks and turned to face the green haired man, “Huh?”

Izuku looked down and fiddled with the end of his hoodie (seriously what is with this habit?), “I-I mean, Kirishima dared us to… you know… and you stood up for me when I was clearly uncomfortable… a-and in the heat of the moment, I forgot to thank you… so… thanks, Kacchan…” he then looked up to see red eyes boring into him, his face flushed some more.

Katsuki only stared at him, confusion and disbelief read all over his face, along with a small hint of a blush.

Izuku blinked, “… Ummm, Kacchan?”

Katsuki seemed to get out of this trance and simply asked, “… is this what you wanted to talk about before back at the school?”

Izuku stared back, “… huh?”

“Y’know, the thing you texted me about during work and I thought someone died?” Katsuki clarified.

Ooooooh

OH!

Izuku stuttered, “Ummm… N-No? I mean… Kind of…? I mean… I-I just remembered that I n-never properly thanked you, b-but that wasn’t w-what I wanted to say back then…”

“Then what was it?” Katsuki asked.

Izuku shuffled his feet, hands opening and closing on the hoodie in embarrassment, “D-Don’t we need to get going?”

Katsuki stared at Izuku for a few more seconds before he shrugged his shoulders, “Fine, but we’re not done with this conversation.”

And with that, they continued their trek until they reached Katsuki’s car.

Izuku continued to fidget with his hoodie. Guess he has to have that talk now. He didn’t really have the courage to do so right now, but maybe later.

But let’s get to the corn maze first , Izuku thought.

The open farmland where the corn maze was held was packed with families and couples that were taking in the last of the fall events of the year. There were small stands for food and beverages, a play pen for the children, a petting zoo, a stage with a band playing live music, and of course, the maze itself.

And oh boy, did it intimidate the two teachers as they journeyed through it.

Izuku read the map of the maze and the instructions at least a dozen times in the first ten minutes of their descent, and yet was still very confused on which turns to take to get to the exit.

“I think we’re supposed to go left here…” Izuku stated, pointing towards the direction of a path right next to him.

Katsuki scowled at his own map in frustration, “Nah, mine says to go this way,” he pointed at a path going diagonally toward their right.

Izuku blinked, “We have the same map, Kacchan, how are you getting different directions?”

Katsuki huffed, “Maybe your map is old…”

“How can mine be old? We were given the same map by the same lady!”

“The ‘lady’ looked to be in her 80s, she might have mixed older maps with this years!”

Izuku crossed his arms, “I highly doubt that; the family has been doing this for generations.”

“Okay, nerd, then let me look at your map!”

Izuku huffed, “fine, prove me wrong,” he then handed Katsuki his map.

“If I’m right, you owe me a damn candy apple from the concession stand.”

“Alright,” Izuku shrugged.

He watched the tall blonde compare the two maps, an obvious grimace on his face. Katsuki took about a minute before he shoved the map back into Izuku’s hands and walked towards the left path where Izuku first pointed out.

“… Kacchan?” Izuku stared at the back of the blonde’s head and he could almost see steam coming out of his ears as he mumbled curses under his breath.

Katsuki turned around, red in the face with anger, “ARE YOU FUCKING COMING OR WHAT?”

Izuku couldn’t help the grin that showed up on his face before following the angry red eyed man.

He also liked living, so he didn’t mention anything about his map being the correct one.

Katsuki Fucking Bakugou does not admit defeat so easily.

But after 45 minutes of walking around the maze with a directionally challenged co-worker of his giving him God knows what directions, he came to the unfortunate conclusion for the both of them:

They were lost.

Katsuki all but abandoned the map he had and took Izuku’s as he tried to figure out where the flying fuck they were, cursing up a storm under his breath. Izuku was looking around and jumping in every path that they could see, trying to figure out where the stands were, but given his height, he couldn’t really see well over the tall field of corn.

The sun was setting and it was starting to get dark; the lights surrounding the maze started to turn on to give everyone in the maze some light. Not that it gave the two any more help, but at least they could SEE.

Izuku sighed, “I don’t know, Kacchan, I can’t really figure out which path to take. We don’t know where we even ended up in the maze.”

Katsuki, who wasn’t really paying attention, almost ripped the map in his hands in frustration, grinding his teeth. He cursed Kirishima with all of his might for even bringing this place up in the first place.

Izuku jumped at the reaction, “K-Kacchan! Please calm down! M-Maybe we can use Google Maps to see where we are!”

“You know GOD DAMN WELL THAT THAT MAP HASN’T BEEN UPDATED IN THE LAST SEVEN YEARS, RIGHT?” Katsuki snapped.

“I-It was only a suggestion!”

Katsuki was about to throw an insult in his direction when he looked at the nervous man before him. Izuku was mumbling under his breath, fiddling with his hands and looking at his now muddy red shoes.

Katsuki took one deep breath in and out before remembering that this was supposed to be a fun hang-out-and-not-a-date-but-maybe-a-date-who-fucking-knows-anymore with Izuku before getting out his phone.

Izuku took note of the silence before looking up to see Katsuki on his phone, “... K-Kacchan?”

“Hang on, trying your suggestion…” Katsuki said, popping up Google Maps on his phone. 

Izuku’s eyes widened and face flushed pink; Katsuki’s taking HIS ADVICE? Since when?

Katsuki looked at the app for a solid minute, watching the little arrow show him where they were facing and where the parking lot was from a birds eye view, before pointing towards the path that was directly behind him, “That’s where the exit is, let’s go,” he then turned and walked down the path.

Izuku then followed him, silence filling in the tense air as they maneuvered around the maze. Katsuki kept his eyes on his phone, attempting to figure out which direction to go before Izuku said something under his breath.

“If you got something to say, please say it louder, nerd,” Katsuki grumbled.

Izuku repeated himself, sounding braver than before, “I-If it’s alright with you, I’d like to have that talk now…”

Katsuki stopped in his tracks and turned to face the man, “Really, right now while we’re lost in a corn maze?”

Izuku suddenly seemed to lose some of his courage, but recovered before continuing, “Y-Yeah, I just… Need to get this off my chest before I… I lose the nerve to bring it up again…”

Katsuki raised an eyebrow, then shrugged, “Alright, I’m all ears.” He locked his phone and placed both hands in his pockets.

Izuku took a deep breath before he started, “I wanted to know… Well… That night we were at your apartment… When we… F-Fell asleep on the couch…”

Katsuki’s eyes widened, face flushed red.

Oh shit…

Izuku continued, “A-And then at the party… When you k-kissed me on the cheek…”

Oh FUCK ME…

Izuku looked into the blonde’s eyes, face determined with renewed courage, “I-I just wanted to know if–”

At that moment, they can hear a child crying in the distance. Izuku and Katsuki looked around in every direction, conversation completely abandoned.

Katsuki pointed in a random path towards his right, “I hear it over here, come on!” Izuku and Katsuki ran down the path for a solid minute before finding a small brunette boy crying on the ground. Fat crocodile tears rolled down his cheeks as he wiped his face and nose that was covered in snot.

He didn’t look older than four.

“M-MOMMYYYYYY!!!!” The poor boy cried as more tears came down, his red and blue All Might hoodie getting stained. 

Katsuki’s heart broke at the sight.

Izuku was about to approach the child but Katsuki beat him to the punch. He crouched down at the poor sobbing boy in front of him.

“Hey kid, are you okay?” Katsuki asked.

The child sniffed, looked at Katsuki and shook his head, crying out, “I-I want my mommy!” 

Katsuki gave him a small smile back, “Hey, don’t worry, we’ll help you find your mom. We’re looking for the exit ourselves, maybe she’s there waiting for you,” Katsuki extended his hand out to invite the child to stand up.

The little boy stared at the hand before more tears came out of his hazel eyes, “M-Mommy told me not to t-talk to strangers…”

Izuku chimed in, “That’s wonderful that your mom taught you that, but don’t worry, we’re both teachers. You can trust us,” he then gave the boy a smile as he joined Katsuki by his side.

The boy looked at both of the teachers before nodding, taking Katsuki’s hand and standing up.

Katsuki took out his phone again and looked around before pointing towards another path, “It’s okay, kid, we’ll get you out. Wanna ride on my shoulders?”

The child’s eyes widened, “R-Really?”

Katsuki grinned, “Yeah, really! That way, you can be taller than me, and you can see from the top of the maze!”

The boy gasped, wiping more tears from his eyes, “Okay!”

Katsuki picked up the boy and hoisted him up onto his shoulders. The boy then giggled and was beaming from cheek to cheek.

“I’m SUPER TALL!” The boy shouted.

Katsuki smirked, “See what did I tell you? You’re now taller than me!” He then faked a confused look before continuing, “Hey what’s that catchphrase All Might says? I forgot.”

The boy gasped, then shouted, “Fear not, citizens! HOPE HAS ARRIVED!”

Katsuki and the boy then shouted, “BECAUSE I AM HERE!” The two laughed and started to go down the path Katsuki pointed out earlier.

Izuku laughed along with them and smiled. He’s seen Katsuki work with children at the school before and has also heard from word of mouth how good he was, but this was very heartwarming to see this side of him in person; him attempting, and succeeding, to cheer up a very young child. He couldn’t help the butterflies fluttering in his stomach and the blush forming on his cheeks at that thought and followed the two, who were chatting away about everything All Might related.

The three eventually found the exit to the maze and saw a young brunette mother in tears talking to the owner of the farm before turning to see her child on Katsuki’s shoulders.

“TOMMY! OH THANK GOD!” The mother shouted and ran towards the three’s direction.

“MOMMY!!!” The boy named Tommy shouted; Katsuki put him back down on the ground as he ran towards his mother, embracing her in a big hug.

“Tommy, I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize you weren’t behind me until I got to the exit! I hope you can forgive me!” The mother cried into Tommy’s hoodie as she hugged him tightly.

“It’s okay, mommy, those two strangers helped me out! They said they were teachers!” Tommy pointed at both Izuku and Katsuki.

Izuku stuttered, “O-Oh, it really was no trouble…”

But before Izuku could continue and Katsuki start, the mother locked the two in a tight embrace, sobbing, “Thank you so much for helping my little boy! I’m so sorry for troubling you, I’m a terrible mother!”

Katsuki shifted in the hug, attempting to break free, but the mother had a tight squeeze on them. So he sighed and stated, “Ma’am, don’t beat yourself up over it. Sh-stuff like that happens, we’re all human.”

Izuku continued Katsuki’s sentiment while attempting to rub the mother’s back for reassurance, “We all make mistakes, ma’am. All we can do is learn from them and move on. Please don’t blame yourself, I know you didn’t mean to leave your son behind.”

The mother let the two go and wiped the tears from her eyes, “T-Thank you, I don’t know how to repay you…” she sobbed.

“There’s no need for that, honest,” Izuku reassured.

“Really, no big deal,” Katsuki added.

The mother smiled, “Tommy said you two are teachers. If I may ask, which school do you teach at?”

Izuku smiled back, “We’re both at Toshinori Elementary. I’m Izuku Midoriya, a second grade teacher, and this is Kacchan—“

“Katsuki Bakugou,” Katsuki corrected, turning away to hide the flush forming on his face.

“— and he’s the gym teacher,” Izuku continued.

The mother gasped, “That’s the school Tommy’s going to go to next year! Oh, what a small world! I hope he has you for a teacher when he’s in second grade!” 

“Oh wow, small world indeed!” Izuku chuckled.

“And he loves playing sports, so now I know he’ll have a wonderful time in gym!” The mother added, all but forgetting her previous woes.

Katsuki smirked, “Of course he will, since I’m the teacher.”

“Mommy! Can they come with us to the petting zoo?” Tommy asked, tugging his mother’s arm.

The mother smiled at her son, “if it’s alright with them.”

Katsuki shrugged, “I’m game, what about you?” He asked Izuku. While he did want some alone time with the green haired man, he also didn’t feel right leaving the poor boy and mother alone after their temporary separation.

Izuku gave Katsuki a puzzling look, “Are you sure, Kacchan?”

Katsuki nodded, “Besides,” he turned to the boy, still holding onto his mother’s arm, “We haven’t finished talking about All Might, haven’t we, kiddo?”

Tommy beamed at the blonde man, “I love All Might! He’s the greatest hero in the universe!!!”

Katsuki smiled, “That he is!” He then ruffled his hair, making the boy laugh. Izuku and the mother joined in on the laughter.

The rest of the evening went as follows: the owner approached the two teachers later on and offered to refund their money as thanks for helping the mother (they found out later that her name was Melissa), which the two immediately declined, but thanked him anyway. Katsuki eventually got his candy apple and Izuku fed some goats in the zoo with Melissa and Tommy, who was happily chatting their ears off about All Might.

Soon, the night ended and Katsuki and Izuku found themselves driving home in relative silence. Izuku listened to the music and hummed to the tune while Katsuki kept his eyes on the road. He had some much needed time thinking about things, especially this evening.

Katsuki’s mind wandered to Izuku’s and his conversation before finding Tommy; what was he going to say about the couch and kiss? Was he going to say he liked it? Or didn’t like it? Was he going to ask why Katsuki seemed okay with it?

Well the couch incident was because they had too much beer that night; THAT was all it was. But the kiss…? Katsuki honestly didn’t have an excuse for that one. Yeah, he had a little bit to drink, but not to the point of how it was during the couch incident. He was very well aware of what he was doing at the party. He guessed that he just got swept up into the moment and REALLY didn’t want to kiss Izuku in front of his friends.

He really wanted to keep his current relationship with Izuku. Yet, why did he yearn for more with him? Why did he want to curl up next to him in bed? Why did he want to watch dumb rom-com movies and laugh at every corny and stupid thing that happened? Why did he want to see the man laugh and groan at his stupid jokes? Why did he want all of those things?

The answer was simple; he was in love with the damn nerd. Like, head over heels infatuated with the man.

It excited him yet scared him at the same time. It’s what he wants, GOD YES that’s what he wants… 

And yet… 

Katsuki eventually stopped thinking about it when he approached Izuku’s apartment building. He put his car in park and turned to look at the green haired man, who was staring out of the window, lost in thought.

Katsuki made a face of pure annoyance before snapping his fingers in the man’s face, “Oi, Deku, we’re here.”

That brought Izuku back to reality as he turned to look at Katsuki, “Oh! Sorry, I zoned out a bit…” Izuku said, squeezing his hands together in his lap.

Katsuki scoffed, “I noticed that a lot lately, but whatever,” he shrugged, then unlocked the doors, “I’ll text you later, then?”

Izuku nodded, a small smile on his face, “Yeah, and, thanks for taking me to the maze. I had fun!”

Katsuki raised an eyebrow, “Really? Even though we got lost and helped a kid out?”

Izuku beamed, “Yeah, even with that. Tommy seemed really happy with you tonight! And, honestly… So was I…” Katsuki noticed that Izuku had a face of sheer determination as he reached for Katsuki’s hand, holding it into his, “I mean it, you’re really good with younger kids, despite what you think. They just seem to really gravitate towards you.”

Katsuki, completely ignoring the fact that Deku is holding my hand fuck fuCK FUCK , simply looked around in every direction but Izuku’s and stated, “Well, I have a shit ton of experience with kids. You know that…”

Izuku giggled ( Lord, give me strength , Katsuki thought), “I know that, but this was genuinely the first time I saw it with my own eyes. It’s one thing to hear you talk about it during lunch or after school, and another to hear it from others, but this was different. I’m so glad we got to help Tommy and Melissa, and I’m glad I got to see that rare gentler side of you, Kacchan… I’ve now seen with my own eyes that this profession is exactly what you wanted to do, and you do it really well…”

The two stayed like this for quite some time before Izuku let go of Katsuki’s hand, face pink, “Well, I’ll talk to you later… Goodnight, Kacchan…” Izuku waved at the blonde before closing the door and walked towards the building.

Katsuki watched Izuku walk into his apartment building before staring down at his hand that he held onto; his words flooded his thoughts as his face flushed red.

I’m glad I got to see that rare gentler side of you, Kacchan…

Katsuki smiled to himself, eyes soft and yearning, “... Izuku…”

Chapter Text

“… And that concludes this IEP meeting. Do you have any questions, Mrs. Young?” Aizawa asked the young mother, sipping his coffee from his huge yellow Yeti tumbler.

Mrs. Young shook her head, “I’m just glad that my Hunter has a great team to meet his needs. Thank you.”

Tooru Hagakure, one of the Special Education teachers, smiled back, “Don’t you fret, Mrs. Young; Hunter is a wonderful and smart boy! We will make sure he stays on track!”

Izuku nodded, “I agree, Hunter is very bright in my class. He also has a great sense of humor!”

Mrs. Young chuckled, “Oh, I can imagine. He’s the spitting image of his father, wit and all.”

Everyone in the room laughed (except for Aizawa, who took another swig of his coffee).

Uraraka smiled, “Okay, then, let’s all sign the paperwork and that will be it for today! You all will be getting a revised copy of the IEP as soon as possible!” She then passed one copy of the IEP after signing to Izuku, who also signed his name as well.

After everyone was finished, Mrs. Young waved goodbye to her son’s IEP team and left, with Aizawa and Uraraka in tow. Hagakure and Izuku stayed in the meeting room and exchanged more information on different strategies they could use with Hunter (visual schedules, reward charts, etc).

“He’s really into Charlie Brown, so we can use Snoopy stickers as an incentive if we have to,” Hagakure stated, her Chartreuse hair bouncing as she spoke.

Izuku hummed, “And I’ll continue to use visual aids with him. He responds a lot better with that compared to verbal directions.”

Hagakure smiled fondly, “I’m so glad he’s in your class, Midoriya. He seems to be doing a lot better with you.”

“Oh, don’t be like that, Hagakure. I’m sure Jessica did all she could with him last year.” Izuku rubbed the back of his neck, ever so humble.

Hagakure scoffed, “You have no idea how much he struggled with her. It’s like she didn’t even bother! Every suggestion I gave her was met with a huff and a wave of dismissal. Why bother being a teacher if you’re not going to believe that ADHD EXISTS???”

Izuku, knowing full well that she would go on a tirade if left unchecked, attempted to calm her down with reassurance and small talk to get her off topic. Luckily it worked and they were back on track and chatting happily about their own Christmas and New Year plans.

Hagakure sighed, “I’ll be with my family back home, so I won’t be around. What about you?”

Izuku tidied up the paperwork and placed them in the folder in front of him, “So far, I have no plans, except to see my mom, but that might change if Kirishima and Ashido have another party.”

“Ooooh! I heard about the Halloween party from Shouto! I’m sorry that happened!” Hagakure gasped.

Izuku waved his hands dismissively, “O-Oh! Don’t worry about it; the three of us made up, they did feel bad about it.”

“Well I’m glad you were able to patch things up pretty quickly. How did Bakugou take it?” Hagakure smirked.

Izuku blushed, “Uh, it looked like they’re on good terms again, though, knowing Kacchan, he has some revenge plot on Kirishima and Ashido.”

Hagakure chortled, “Oh, I don’t doubt it, those two better watch it!”

Izuku laughed; he then felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He took it out and saw the name pop up and blushed.

Kacchan

Hey nerd

Are you done with that meeting yet?

Wanna talk to you about something

“Your boyfriend messaging you?” Hagakure teased with a smirk on her face.

BOYFRIEND???

Izuku choked on his own spit, but before he could protest, Hagakure merely chuckled and patted his back, “Kidding, kidding! I should head back to my office and get that paperwork ready, anyway. I’ll talk to you later, Midoriya!” And with that, she picked up her folders and headed out the door.

Izuku merely stood there for a hot minute before his brain resumed operation as to where he was and what just happened before picking up his own folders and headed out.

The meeting room was inside the school office, so there was some maneuvering through a small hallway and into the main office before he made it to the exit. Izuku walked past Aizawa and Hizashi, who were having a discussion on their Christmas plans with Eri, when he bumped his hip on the corner of the secretary desk and all of his paperwork was sent flying.

Izuku hissed and rubbed his hip from the pain before bending down to pick up the paperwork that he dropped. He heard footsteps running towards him and saw Hizashi picking up some of the papers he dropped and handing it to him.

“You alright, Izuku?” Hizashi asked, his eyes filled with worry.

“Oh, I’m okay, I just didn’t see where I was going, Mr. Hizashi,” Izuku said as he accepted the papers handed to him.

Hizashi smiled, “How long will it be until you call me Yamada, kid?”

Aizawa chimed in from his desk, “Probably never; personally, I’d give that up.”

“Aww, don’t be like that, babe–” Hizashi started.

“Yamada, we talked about that,” Aizawa interrupted.

Hizashi sighed, “Right, right, no pet names at work…”

Izuku attempted to ignore the blush forming on his cheeks and simultaneously the falling pit in his stomach as he finished picking up his things. He thanked Hizashi for helping, apologized to Aizawa, and headed out the door.

Izuku couldn’t help but think about the principal and vice-principal as he headed back to his classroom. How was it that they were able to be together? Much less WORK together? Was it that easy? Did they just suddenly realize that they wanted to be together, get married, and adopt a daughter? He really needed to figure this out because all he wants is to be with Katsuki like those two were.

But how many times must he chicken out on confessing to him? How many times had he really attempted to say something to Katsuki, only for him to either not say anything at all, wave it off with dismissal, or be interrupted?

This seems to be happening a lot lately, like an author of a fanfiction just wanting to drag things out for an extended period of time until they’re satisfied with the main characters torture and will only relent at the very end.

… Huh…

Izuku’s brief existential crisis was cut short when he heard the bell ring, indicating that school had ended. Izuku sighed and walked into his classroom.

Sero, who took over the class in Izuku’s absence, looked towards his direction from the front of the classroom before he continued reading Izuku’s notes, “Okay, my dudes and dudettes, you got your reading homework to take home and you have a spelling test tomorrow, so don’t forget your vocabulary books! Anything else I forgot to mention, Mr. Midoriya?”

Izuku shook his head, putting on his best teacher voice, “The only thing is to not forget your reading logs. Everyone understand?”

“Yes, Mr. Midoriya!” the class chimed as they continued to pack their things into their backpacks.

Izuku placed his paperwork on his desk and walked over to Sero, “How were they with you? Sorry it took a little longer, Hagakure and I were talking afterwards.”

Sero shook his head, “No sweat, they were great! We played a bit of Kahoot at the end if that's alright with you.”

Izuku smiled, “Oh that’s alright, they needed a small break from learning about the number line method in math today.”

Sero laughed, “Like that’s gonna be used in any real life scenarios. Haven’t used it once and I turned out fine!”

“It’s more of a visual thing than anything, Sero. For some of my students, things finally clicked with them seeing it on a number line,” Izuku explained and continued this for quite some time. Sero, on the other hand, just stared in awe at Izuku’s wordy explanation on something as simple as a number line until the last few students left for the day, some of them staring at their teacher with strange looks before leaving. After some time had passed, the two could hear a loud laugh from the door.

“What the fuck, Soy Sauce? Did you piss in Deku’s cereal to get a fucking lecture from him or something?” The voice rang and it was none other than Katsuki, who was leaning against the wall, listening in on the conversation with a smirk on his face.

Izuku jumped and looked around nervously, “O-Oh, sorry, Sero, you should have said something…”

Sero held his hands up in defense, “Nah, don’t worry, I honestly was just impressed that I didn’t even take notice of the time. Anyway, I’ll let you two have your chat now, I gotta go meet up with Kaminari and Jirou.”

Izuku waved goodbye to Sero as he left the room; he took note that all of his students were gone, sighed, and started to get out the sanitizing wipes.

“Hey Deku…” Katsuki started, still at the wall he was leaning on.

“Hmm?” Izuku looked up from what he was doing to give Katsuki his attention.

Katsuki placed his hands in his pocket and shuffled his feet (something Izuku is taking mental notes of) before continuing, “So, ma wants to know if you got any plans for Christmas…”

Izuku blinked, “Oh, Auntie Mizuki? Well I was going to go visit my mom… But that’s pretty much it,” he stated before getting out some wipes and cleaning down the desks.

Katsuki continued, “Well, wanna invite your mom over? We can all celebrate together, if that’s alright…”

Izuku stopped in his tracks before acknowledging the blonde’s proposal, “Wait, you’re inviting my mom and I to your family's place for Christmas?”

“Did I fucking stutter? Ma said the more the merrier!” Katsuki crossed his arms, waiting for the green eyed man to reply.

Izuku didn’t know if this was a genuine invite or a threat, but he didn’t let that get to him and simply said, “Well, I need to talk to mom first, since your parents live over an hour away. I’ll let you know as soon as possible.”

Katsuki smiled, “‘Course, don’t wanna inconvenience you guys, but I’m just extending the invite. My folks haven’t seen Auntie Inko in a long time, so, ya know,” Katsuki continued, rubbing the back of his neck.

Izuku smiled, “Thanks, Kacchan. Anyway, anything interesting happened today?” He asked, changing the subject.

Katsuki went on to vent about two of Mrs. Harrington's students getting aggressive and how he had to send one to the nurse for a bloody nose as Izuku cleaned the desks and then filed the paperwork. He couldn’t help but feel bad for her. She’s been pregnant since the beginning of the school year and has some unruly kids in her class. She did have the lucky break of having an aide in the classroom, but that was the extent of the help she received due to staff shortages.

Izuku allowed Katsuki to vent until he left, saying he needed to talk to his mother. After waving goodbye, Izuku stayed sitting at his desk, contemplating a lot of development that had been happening as of late.

First, we had the incident at Katsuki’s apartment when they fell asleep on the couch together. Then, we had the Halloween party where Katsuki kissed him on the cheek. Now we have the incident where Izuku held his hand for quite a long time in Katsuki’s car.

He didn’t know why he held his hand; at first it was to comfort him and show appreciation, but he couldn’t help the butterflies in his stomach after he stopped talking. He cursed himself once he was inside his apartment for that and had to stop himself from shaking so much.

Since then, he took mental notes on Katsuki’s interactions with him, with the shuffling of his feet, looking down, hands in pockets, the faint blush painting his face, the tiny, yet not so subtle stuttering he would do at times. And what was Izuku trying to figure out?

Well, he wanted to figure out if Katsuki had feelings for him.

Kirishima and Uraraka, the poor yet patient souls, have been telling him to just talk to the blonde, and yes, they were right about that, but Izuku needed proof. He didn’t want to open up that can of worms just yet and jeopardize any progress they have made. Sure, he did want to talk about what happened before while they were at the maze, but after reflecting on it, he decided to put a pin on that conversation; not until he was certain he had proof.

Maybe I’ll find out during our Winter Break, Izuku thought, before finishing up and gathering his things to go home.

Izuku made it home and sat down on his couch. He sat there for a few seconds before remembering that he needed to talk to his mom about the invitation to the Bakugou’s. He took out his phone and dialed her number.

It only rang three times before he heard a familiar voice on the other end, “Izuku?”

Izuku smiled, “Hey, mom! How are you doing?”

“Oh! I’m doing great, sweetie! How’s work going for you?”

Izuku chuckled, “As good as you’d expect with children, mom. Especially with the holidays coming up.”

He can hear his mother giggle, “Oh, I don’t doubt it. Speaking of which, are you still coming over for Christmas?”

Izuku took a deep breath, “Actually, Kacchan invited us over to his parents house. He wanted to know if you’d like to come as well.”

“Oh? Mizuki and Masaru want to have us over?” Inko asked.

“Mhm, I know it’s been a while, and they do live far away, but I think it would be fun. What do you say?” Izuku waited with bated breath, hoping his mom would say yes.

Inko took her time to think about it, before responding, “You know, you’re right. It has been a while since I’ve seen the Bakugou’s. You can tell Katsuki that we’re coming this year!”

Izuku beamed, “Great! I’ll text Kacchan that we’re coming!”

“Alright, I should probably look for gifts for them, too! Does Katsuki still like All Might?” Inko asked.

Izuku laughed, “Mom, we’re 26!”

“Says the 26 year old that still has his All Might plushies in his room~” Inko sang.

“... Touché…”

Inko chuckled, “So, tell me what to get them and I’ll find time to shop for gifts!”

Izuku and Inko continued with their phone call for another ten minutes, Izuku telling Inko about the Bakugou’s interests, as well as recent events that happened at school. Izuku then ended the call, saying that he will call her another time, and went to message Katsuki.

Izuku

Hey Kacchan

My mom said yes

So we’ll be coming over to your parents house

Can’t wait to see them again :-)

Izuku went to put his phone away when his phone buzzed immediately. He went to check the message and sure enough, it was Katsuki.

Kacchan

Nice

I’ll let Ma know

She’ll probably be happy to see Auntie Inko again

Izuku smiled, then sent a message back.

Izuku

I know, right?

She’s very excited!

What about your dad?

Kacchan

You know how my old man is

Just happy to be part of the gang

Izuku

Same old Uncle Masaru

XD

Izuku was about to continue with his conversation when his phone buzzed that someone was calling him. He looked at the name and it was Kirishima. Confused, he hit the accept button and answered.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Midoriya! Fancy talking to you!” Kirishima shouted with a bit of surprise in it.

Izuku blinked, “... But you called me?”

“Huh, did I?” There was a pause, some shuffling, then a nervous laugh, “Ah, sorry, I meant to call Bakugou…”

“Oh, that’s okay, I’ll let you call him then…” Izuku was about to hang up when Kirishima shouted back.

“WAIT! While I have you here, I wanted to ask you something!”

“Oh, what is it?” Izuku asked, confusion read on his face.

“So I’m sure you have Christmas plans but did you have any New Year plans?” Kirishima asked.

Izuku thought for a moment before answering, “Well, no, I don’t have any…”

He can hear the beaming from Kirishima’s face through the phone, “Great! Mina and I are planning another party! You should totally come! And I promise you, no more truth or dare…” Kirishima added.

Izuku fidget his unoccupied hand on the hem of his shirt, “Are you sure, Kirishima?”

Kirishima sighed, “Look, that was shitty of us to do that. We swear, it won’t happen again. We’ll play some regular games like Exploding Kittens or Cards Against Humanity, or my favorite, Monopoly!”

Izuku blinked, “Why Monopoly?”

“Come on, bro, owning properties and screwing everyone over is FUN!” Kirishima stated matter-of-factly.

Izuku chuckled, “Alright, I’ll go. Anyone else going to be there?”

Kirishima whooped on the other end, “I’ll let Mina know! So far, Uraraka and Iida are going, as well as Shouto, Momo, Tsu, Kaminari, Jirou, Sero, even Shinsou and Hatsume said they’d go.”

“Wow, are you going to fit everyone from school in that apartment?” Izuku laughed.

“Hey, if we were able to pull it off last time, we can do it again! What’s a few extra people?” Kirishima said.

Izuku’s smile then faltered a bit, “What about Kacchan? Is he going?”

Kirishima gasped, “Oh shit! THAT’S why I was gonna call him! Don’t worry, I’ll update you on his status!”

Izuku’s smile came back, “Okay, I’ll let you go talk to him. See you tomorrow!”

“Back atcha!” Kirishima responded before the call ended.

A few minutes later, he got the confirmation text from Kirishima that Katsuki was going. Izuku couldn’t help the butterflies in his stomach. Not only does he have plans with Katsuki for Christmas, but New Years, too.

His smile grew wider; he couldn’t wait!

It was the last day before the school’s holiday break, and Christmas music was playing in the background of Izuku’s classroom as his students played games and did crafts with the parents that volunteered with his annual Christmas party. Mr. Shimano (who was very grateful that work gave him today off) was with Katsuma, Peter, and Janet playing Apples to Apples while Mrs. Young and Kota’s cousin, Shino Sousaki, were decorating gingerbread men with Hunter, Kota, and Hannah. Hizashi took some time from the office to be with Eri and played Candy Land with her and two other friends. The rest of the class were either making foam snowmen with the other parents, snacking on treats, or playing ring toss outside in the hallway.

Izuku took plenty of pictures on the school iPad and sent them to the parents (present or not) and joined in on the festivities. His entire classroom was filled to the brim of reds and greens and he smiled; Christmas was his favorite holiday, so it’s safe to say that he did go all out with the decorations. He also couldn’t help but wear a Santa hat on top of his messy hair. He went around to talk to each student and parent that were present and everyone wishing him a wonderful holiday.

“So Mr. Midoriya, any plans for you? You’ll probably love to be by yourself and not around the kids for a while,” one parent commented while the others laughed.

Izuku laughed along with them, “Actually, I have plans with my mom and some friends over the break. So I won’t be by myself the entire time.”

“Are you going to be with Mr. Bakugou over the break???” Kota chimed in, overhearing the conversation from the gingerbread table, gum drops in his hand.

Oh no…

“Kota! Don’t interrupt! That’s rude!” Shino scolded Kota, who merely huffed in annoyance.

One of the mother’s eyebrows raised up, “Mr. Bakugou? You mean the gym teacher?”

Izuku waved his hands dismissively, “O-Oh, well, yes, but I AM friends with the other faculty here, like Ms. Uraraka, and Mr. Kirishima!”

“Oh, I don’t doubt you’re friends with the other teachers here,” the same mother spoke, “It’s just that my child has been talking about you two non-stop this entire school year. I was just genuinely curious if you and Mr. Bakugou were… Well…” She then attempted to hide a smile on her face. The other parents joined in unison.

Izuku desperately tried to defuse the situation, “I-I can assure you all, Mr. Bakugou and I are just friends, that’s all…”

“VERY close friends, I assume,” another mother stated with a smirk on her face. The parents merely laughed.

Izuku now sees where the students get it from.

“Hey folks, why don’t you join the kids in a game of ring toss? Mr. Midoriya has to get some things done before break starts,” Hizashi joined the group to break up the interrogation. He gave Izuku an all knowing look that said I got your back . Izuku sighed, gave him a look that said thank you and dismissed himself to his desk to get some final paperwork to send to Aizawa.

Soon, the party started to dwindle as the end of the day came closer and closer. The parents that were present took their children home early as the rest waited for their buses to be called. Izuku put all of the board games away as Mr. Shimano stayed to help clean up. Shino also stuck around to occupy the remaining children until they all were picked up. All that were left in the classroom were Izuku, Shino, Mr. Shimano, Kota, Katsuma, and Eri.

Shino sighed as she walked over to Izuku, “Hey, Midoriya, don’t worry about them, okay?”

Izuku looked up from where he was bent down to pick up some trash that was on the floor, “What do you mean, Ms. Sousaki?”

Shino chuckled, “Please, call me Shino, it makes me feel old if you call me Ms. Sousaki. Anyways, don’t let those parents make any assumptions and allow them to step all over you. I know some of them and they’ll try to put you in your place if you allow them.”

“I’m just glad Mr. Hizashi was there to diffuse the situation before it got worse,” Mr. Shimano added, who was wiping the desks with the sanitizing wipes.

Izuku gave the two a sincere smile, trying not to cry in front of the adults from all of the emotions he was feeling right now, “T-Thank you, guys, that means a lot to me…”

Shino smiled, “Don’t beat yourself up over it, you’re a tough cookie to crack. Besides, you’ve been taking good care of Kota, so I expect nothing less from you.” She added as she jabbed her finger into Izuku’s shoulder (ow, that kind of hurt a bit).

Mr. Shimano laughed, “You can say the same thing with me. Katsuma has learned a lot from you, and Mahoro when she was here.”

Izuku desperately tried to keep the dam from breaking after getting all of this praise, so he rubbed his eyes and put on a smile, “I-I seriously don’t know what to say to that…”

“You can start by saying you’ll take it easy this break,” the voice of Hizashi filled the classroom and all occupants turned their heads towards the door, “Eri, it’s time to go home!”

Eri, who was chatting with Katsuma and Kota about something (Izuku only caught two words from the three, “Valentine” and “money”), beamed up at the man, “Papa! I have my things ready!” She exclaimed as she showed the vice-principal her Hello Kitty backpack.

Hizashi gave her a thumbs up, “Alright, I just need to chat with Mr. Midoriya real quick, I’ll meet you in the hallway.”

Eri nodded, waved goodbye to the two boys, and then walked out into the hallway like Hizashi asked her to.

Hizashi turned to look at Izuku with a concerned look in his eye, “You alright?”

Izuku finished picking up trash on the floor and looked back at Hizashi, “Oh, umm… Yeah, I’m good. Hey, uhh… Thanks for helping out back there.”

“No sweat, kiddo. Trust me when I say, nosy parents are the WORST.” Hizashi grumbled.

“I KNOW!” Izuku exclaimed.

Shino and Mr. Shimano nodded their heads in agreement.

With the classroom cleaned, Mr. Shimano took Katsuma and headed to Greta’s classroom to pick up Mahoro, “Have a wonderful break, Mr. Midoriya!” He said, waving to Izuku.

“Thank you, you as well!” Izuku waved back.

“Merry Christmas, Mr. Midoriya!” Katsuma shouted while holding his father’s hand.

Izuku smiled, “Merry Christmas, Katsuma!”

Once Mr. Shimano left, Hizashi gave Izuku one last reassuring look before heading out the door, Eri in tow.

Shino also left with Kota right after, wishing him a relaxing holiday, with Kota waving back.

Izuku then stood in his empty classroom in silence; he took a deep breath before starting to gather his things. He made sure nothing was in his mini-fridge that would spoil, all paperwork was neatly organized in their folders, his desk not a hot mess as it usually was, and sent out any last minute emails to parents and Aizawa before shutting down his computer.

He then took out his phone and saw a message from Katsuki. Confused, he opened it up to read and his heart started to sink a bit.

Kacchan

Hey, sorry

Won’t be able to see you after work

Got shit to do with ma

I’ll text you later

Izuku stared at the screen, re-reading the messages over and over again.

This… This was a first…

Katsuki NEVER missed out on seeing Izuku after school, even if it was just for a few minutes.

Izuku started to mumble under his breath; okay, sure, Katsuki is a grown man and had his own life to live that is outside of Izuku’s, so of course it’s perfectly okay for him to go do things, especially with his parents. The Bakugou’s are busy getting themselves ready for him and his mom to be there for Christmas so it makes sense that he is not seeing him after school to go see his parents and help out. He’s totally not about to cry about not seeing Katsuki after school before break, TOTALLY, he’s not some possessive friend that wants him all to himself, because that is very creepy as fu–

Izuku’s inner and outer turmoil was put to a halt when he heard sniffing just outside his room. He looked up from his desk and heard the sniffing become louder, before it turned into a full out sobbing fest. He rushed to the door and saw Uraraka in a fetal position against the wall on his left, knees pressed up against her face with tears running down her cheeks; her phone left next to her with the message app open for all to see.

Izuku knelt down with a concerned look on his face, hands unable to figure out what to do in this situation. He decided to lock her phone (why snoop when your friend is distraught over something?) and place a hand on her shaking shoulders, “Uraraka? What’s wrong?”

Uraraka shot up at the touch and was about to swat Izuku away when she noticed who it was; her face was contorted with both anger and hurt. She wiped her eyes and attempted to control herself for a moment, breathing in and out slowly. She sniffed, “Oh… Geez, I-I’m sorry, Izuku…”

Izuku blinked, then gave her a reassuring smile, “You don’t need to apologize, Uraraka. Clearly, you’re upset about something and it’s okay to cry. I’d like to help if it’s alright with you.”

Uraraka calmed herself down a bit before nodding; Izuku lifted her up from the floor and gestured her to his room. He sat her down at the U table in the back of the room, grabbed a water bottle from his fridge and gave it to her along with his personal tissue box from his drawer. She took a long gulp from the bottle before wiping her nose and eyes with tissues.

Izuku gave her some time to recuperate before asking the inevitable question, sitting in the chair next to her, “Umm… Uraraka, did something happen…? I-I mean you don’t have to answer my question, or even talk about it–”

Uraraka held up her hand to stop him from going any further, “No… No I need to talk about it, I-I feel like I should or it’s gonna eat me up inside…”

Izuku folded his hands and gave her a nod of approval, “Okay, whenever you’re ready…”

Uraraka sniffed, “So… Before you make assumptions, Tenya and I are fine. We didn’t break up or call off the wedding or anything, so you can cross that off your mind; trust me, I know you."

Izuku sighed in relief, “Oh good, that was the first thing that I thought of, so I’m glad it’s not that.”

Uraraka nodded, “It does involve the wedding, though…” She frowned, looking to the side before speaking, “It… It actually involves my Maid of Honor…”

Izuku’s eyes widened, “What happened?”

Tears started to form again, but Uraraka beat them to the punch with another wipe of a tissue, “T-Toga and I… We… We’re…”

Izuku grabbed Uraraka’s hand reassuringly, “Y-You don’t have to–”

Uraraka shook her head, “No! I-I need to say it… She and I… We’re done…”

Izuku looked at her with a confused look, “... What do you mean?”

Uraraka blew her nose with her free hand, “Toga and I… Ugh, I honestly should have seen this coming… But… I told you before how she and I were childhood friends, kinda like you and Bakugou…”

Izuku gave her a reassuring smile, letting go of her hand, “You and Toga were best friends, practically glued to the hips.”

Uraraka nodded, “Yeah, well, we drifted apart in middle school… She got involved with some bad people during that time… I tried to help her, but she kept pushing me away, so I just left her alone… But she turned herself around in high school… And she and I were friends again…”

She took a deep breath before continuing, “Anyway, after high school, we became distant again once I got into college to be a counselor. Our friendship was on and off at times, but she was still the same Toga I was friends with and she wasn’t getting into trouble this time around… So when I asked her to be my Maid of Honor, she was reluctant at first, but eventually said yes…”

Izuku only nodded, letting Uraraka know that he was listening to every word, not interrupting once.

Uraraka continued, albeit with a frown formed on her face and fighting back more tears, “Lately, we’ve been going back and forth with each other about mundane things, but then she started to talk about drugs and other illegal things, like she was trying to rile me up to push her away from me… I figured that was what she was doing so I told her to stop and eventually she did… But today was the last straw and…” She started sniffling again, “She… She found those people again and… Was hanging out with them behind my back… Doing… God knows what…”

Izuku’s eyes widened, “I’m so sorry Uraraka…”

Uraraka took another sip of her water, “I-It’s okay, like I said, I should have seen this coming… I tried to talk her out of it, but she was persistent in being back in their lives… I’m not sure if it was the anger or frustration, maybe both, but… I gave her an ultimatum; either she stops being with them, or she will no longer be a part of my life… You can guess what she chose…”

Izuku took her hand again and gently massaged it, “Uraraka, you did your best with her, and I know it must have been hard for you to officially cut ties with her, but unfortunately, it sounds like she made her choice… I wish she saw that you were trying to help her out of that horrible situation, but she didn’t. You can’t save everyone, even your best friend…”

Uraraka squeezed her hand into Izuku’s, a smile starting to form on her face again, “I-I’m sorry for rambling my troubles to you, but… Thank you for listening…” She sighed and rubbed her forehead, a sudden realization forming on her face, “Dammit, that means I have to find a new Maid of Honor…”

Izuku frowned, “Uraraka, don’t worry about that right now, you just lost your friend–”

Uraraka perked up, faced with renewed determination, “No, I need to distract myself! I can’t let this get me down! I just need to figure out who now…”

Izuku looked at her puzzled, he then sighed, knowing she wasn’t going to relent, “... Well, what about one of your bridesmaids?”

She shook her head, “No… I don’t want to put that pressure on them… Though they’ll probably be elated that Toga’s out of the picture, seeing how they all didn’t like her anyway…”

“I take it they only tolerated her due to her being your friend?” Izuku asked.

“Haha, yeah, that they did…” Uraraka rubbed her neck, before her face changed from embarrassment to shock with a big gasp coming from her mouth, then it turned to a big smile before she stared straight into Izuku’s soul, “IZUKU I HAVE THE PERFECT PERSON TO ASK!!!”

Izuku jumped at that reaction, “Oh! Umm… That’s great! W-Who is it, if I may ask?”

Izuku was only met with silence and a smirk that formed on the brunette’s face.

Izuku gulped, “U-Uraraka…?”

Uraraka only stared right into his eyes with the biggest grin on her face before asking, “Izuku Midoriya, how would you like to be my Man of Honor?”

“You said YES??? PFFFFFT BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!” Katsuki’s voice bellowed from Izuku’s poor phone, his laughter not faltering for a solid minute.

Izuku came home after talking with Uraraka (and eventually a concerned Iida on the phone) before calling Katsuki about this turn of events. He was hoping for some reassurance that he did the right thing in saying yes to being her Man of Honor, but he didn’t (actually, yes, he did, what was he thinking) expect this kind of response from the blonde haired man.

He can hear shuffling from the phone afterwards, “Augh! What the fuck, Hag??”

“BRAT! How dare you laugh at Izuku like that! He’s doing something great with his friend! Seriously, I raised you better than that!” The voice of Mitsuki Bakugou rang from the other end and a huff.

“And what was the old man doing? Twiddling his thumbs?” Izuku heard Katsuki ask before another voice came from a distance.

“I merely stopped your mother from exploding on you, son,” Masaru chimed in.

He heard Mitsuki huff in response before Katsuki regained control of the phone call, “ANYWAY, jokes aside, does that mean you have to plan her bachelorette party and shit?”

Izuku swallowed the knot forming in his throat, “N-No, apparently that has already been planned and set up. Yaoyorozu and the others had to take over the planning since Toga didn’t really do much…”

He heard Katsuki scoff, “Well, that’s her loss. She lost a friend and is hanging out with the wrong crowd. I’m just glad Cheeks got to her senses to dump the bitch.”

“BRAT!” Mitsuki shrieked from a distance.

Katsuki cursed under his breath, “Okay, I’m glad she got rid of the IDIOT, HAPPY???”

“BETTER!” Mitsuki answered.

Izuku chuckled, “Anyway, Iida seemed happy about the change, and he’s going to make sure I have a tuxedo that matches the dresses. I do feel bad, though…”

“About?” Katsuki asked.

Izuku stuttered, “W-Well, Uraraka was in a tough situation when she asked me. I feel like she… She only asked me out of desperation or something…”

He heard an exasperated sigh on the other end, “Deku, listen to me…” Katsuki started, “She would not have asked you if she didn’t value you as a fucking friend. Cheeks and I don’t normally see things eye to eye, and we’re not as close as you two are, but I know her well enough to know that much. She and you get along so well, it makes my teeth rot from all of it. If you being next to her at the wedding after a devastating loss makes her happy, then so fucking be it. Trust me when I say this; she wouldn’t have asked anyone else.”

Izuku allowed those words to absorb into his head. He and Uraraka got along very well from the beginning, right next to him and Katsuki. She was the first to approach him at orientation and they have had a wonderful friendship since. He remembered that one night a year into their careers that she and Iida got together and he was the first one to be told, and he couldn’t have been happier for her. She found love, and that was what mattered to him.

Izuku smiled at the phone, “Kacchan… You’re so sweet…”

He could hear Katsuki’s breath hitch up a bit, then a snicker from the distance (sounded like Mitsuki), before he heard shouting, “SHUT UP, HAG!!”

“Whatever you say~” Mitsuki sang, still snickering.

“That was very sweet of you to say that to Izuku, son,” Masaru pointed out.

Izuku could hear Katsuki grumbling under his breath, “Anyway, just wanted to remind you that you have friends that care about you, got it, nerd?”

Izuku chuckled, “Okay, Kacchan…”

Katsuki huffed, “I gotta go anyway, I’ll text you later with the Christmas details, okay?”

“Okay, I’ll let you go. Bye, Kacchan!” Izuku said and hung up. His smile didn’t falter for a few minutes as he stared at the caller ID, the butterflies getting more and more anxious and his face getting more flushed. He felt like a giddy school girl with a crush as he grabbed his couch pillow and clung to it for dear life.

There was no denying it any longer.

He loved Katsuki.

And if this didn’t show him that Katsuki loved him back, then he didn’t know what else would.

“Oh Izuku! I can’t wait to see them again, it feels like forever!” Inko smiled as she clutched the gifts in her hands.

Izuku chuckled, “I’m sure they can’t wait to see you, too. I heard from Kacchan that they’re very happy that you said yes!”

“I don’t doubt that! How long has it been anyway? 10? 11 years?” Inko asked, head in the clouds as she did the mental math.

“More like 15, mom… Remember Kacchan and his family moved after we finished elementary school?” Izuku added.

“Oh my! That IS a long time! It seemed like yesterday you came home and cried on my shoulders when you found out the Bakugou’s were moving away,” Inko stated with a sad look on her face.

Izuku’s smile faltered a bit, “Yeah, I remember that day. But now Kacchan and I found each other again! That’s what matters, right?”

Inko nodded, “Yes, you two were like brothers from different mothers. Always joined to the hips when you went out and played in the fields and ran around the block and you helped him practice his pitching and swinging when he was into baseball. So many scraped knees and arms…” She shuddered at the thought.

Izuku laughed, “We were kids, mom! What else would we have done? Be thankful I was obsessed with All Might and nothing illegal!”

Inko laughed, “Oh I count my lucky stars for that one! That just tells me I did SOMETHING right!”

The drive to the Bakugou’s was about ten minutes now, and Izuku couldn’t wait to see Katsuki again after he didn’t see him on the last day of break. 

It was now Christmas; Izuku was wearing a red and green plaid button up with a T-shirt that read “Christmas Shirt” underneath. He also had on his infamous, yet very worn out, red shoes and some dark blue jeans on. His mother was wearing a dark green sweater with black leggings and brown ankle high boots. She made sure Izuku’s hair was as tamed as it could be before their trek to the Bakugou residence.

Soon they found their destination, pulling into the driveway of a two story house with white shutters and a bright red door with a Christmas wreath on it. The house was adorned with bright, twinkling icicle lights around the edges of the roof and the two car garage. Izuku gazed in awe of the house.

He knew the Bakugou’s were fashion designers and had money but WOW!

Izuku was brought back to reality when his mother chimed in, “Oh, look at this house! It’s so beautiful and well decorated!”

Izuku only nodded before he realized that they were sitting in the car for far too long. He turned off the car, unbuckled his seatbelt and got out. He walked to the passenger side to help his mother with the gifts and help her out of the car as well. She only waved her hand in dismissal, stating, “I’m not that old, sweetie, I can do it myself!” As she got out and closed the door. 

Once the car was locked, the Midoriya’s walked over to the front door and rang the doorbell.

After what felt like an eternity in Izuku’s mind, the door swung open to be greeted by a shrieking Mitsuki.

“INKO, MY MAIN BITCH! Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes!” Mitsuki all but grabbed Inko into her embrace. Izuku only stared in awe as his mother seemed to allow this to happen, giggling from the tight squeeze.

“OI! How come YOU can say it but if I say it, I get yelled at, Hag??” Katsuki shouted from a distance, pots and pans clanking, which indicated that he was in the kitchen.

“QUIET BRAT! We’re having a moment!” Mitsuki shot back before letting Inko go.

Inko laughed, “Oh Mitsuki, you haven’t changed a bit! It’s wonderful to see you again after so long!”

“Same with you, Short Stack! Come on, let’s get inside! I’ll take those, Izuku,” Mitsuki grinned, taking the gifts from him and gesturing to the two of them to come inside.

The inside of the house was just as nice as it was on the outside. White walls covered in family photos and paintings of different landscapes. The wooden flooring was shining from the fluorescent lights above them in the hallway they were in. The staircase was covered in colorful Christmas lights. Izuku took off his coat and hung it in the coat closet before walking over to the kitchen and dining room area.

Red and green garland was draped all over the walls and little Christmas caricatures were adorned everywhere, from Rudolph, Frosty, and Santa himself. There was even a mistletoe hanging from the entrance way. Izuku gulped and took a big step into the kitchen away from the forbidden fruit that was above his head.

He heard a snicker from his left, “What, nerd? Can’t handle being under a stupid mistletoe?”

Izuku turned to see Katsuki was in the kitchen with his father. He was wearing an apron that said, “Kiss My Ass” on it, a gag present he got for his birthday from Kaminari. Underneath the apron was a red turtleneck long sleeve shirt, black pants, and some black sneakers. Izuku blushed at the blonde’s outfit and his statement.

“Oh, umm… Hi to you, too, Kacchan…” Izuku stammered, twiddling his fingers.

“Deku… If that shirt underneath says ‘Christmas Shirt,’ I WILL kick your ass…” Katsuki stated with a deadpan expression.

Izuku was about to protest when Masaru interjected, “Now Katsuki, be nice. He is our guest.” He then turned to Izuku, “Merry Christmas, Izuku! Help yourself to some snacks and drinks!” He gestured to the kitchen island that had a multitude of wine bottles, soda cans, and different chips, dips, and a vegetable tray. Small red plates and napkins were at the corner of the island along with plastic utensils.

Izuku smiled back, “Merry Christmas, Uncle Masaru! Do you need any help there?”

Masaru chuckled, “Always wanting to help. Don’t worry, Katsuki and I got it taken care of. Join Mitsuki and your mom, dinner will be ready soon!”

Katsuki huffed, “Yeah, nerd, we got this.” 

“Okay then,” Izuku said, and went to grab a can of mango flavored soda before joining his mom and Mitsuki, who were chatting away on the couch with wine glasses in their hands. Izuku sat down at the end of the couch, opened up the can, and took a swig.

“So Inko, has anyone caught your eyes lately?” Mitsuki smirked, taking a sip of her wine.

Inko clutched her wine glass before waving her hands dismissively, “Oh, Mitsy, I’m too old to date. Besides, I’m content with my life right now with Izuku.”

Mitsuki scoffed, “Girl, you’re never too old to date! Don’t sell yourself short! How long has it been, eh? 20 years?”

“Ah… 22 years, actually…” Inko looked down in her glass with a somber look on her face.

Izuku knew Mitsuki wasn’t trying to be insensitive, but he also knew his mom was still uncomfortable talking about it, so he quickly interjected, “S-Say, Auntie Mitsuki, I heard Kacchan was in the marching band in high school?”

Mitsuki looked at Izuku with a big smile, “Oh yeah! He was really into that! We had to drag his ass to all of the football games and performances all over! It was a pain for us, but the look on his face when he performed! Well worth it in the end! Until, ya know, baseball season started up in the spring,” She looked up into the ceiling, reminiscing about those years.

Izuku chuckled, “I wonder if he can still play, I never got the chance to see that side of him before!”

Mitsuki cackled before taking another sip of her wine, “Oh he can fucking play, alright! KATS!!!” She screamed into the kitchen; a loud, “HAH??” was heard back, “SHOW IZUKU YOUR DRUM SET AND PLAY A LITTLE!”

“Fat chance! You two couldn’t WAIT until I was done so you didn’t have to wear those damn ear plugs when I practiced!” Katsuki shouted back.

“Pffft! Alright, Brat, that’s one way to say that you’re out of practice,” She smirked, knowing she’ll get her way by challenging him.

Izuku knew where this was leading up to; Katsuki would say he wouldn’t do something, that person would then challenge him, either to mock him for being unable to do it or otherwise, and Katsuki would eventually cave in and do it.

Mitsuki knew what she was doing, so it didn’t surprise anyone in the living room when they heard footsteps stomping toward them and a loud booming voice came from the being now present, “The hell, Hag? I am NOT out of practice!” Katsuki shouted, pointing an accusing finger at his mother.

Mitsuki smirked, “Then prove it!”

Katsuki cursed under his breath before taking deep breaths, “... Fine… Deku…” He turned to Izuku, who looked a bit worried, “Would you like to see my old drum set?” He said through clenched teeth.

Izuku blinked, “Kacchan, you really don’t need to–”

Mitsuki interrupted, “Nonsense, Izuku, he’s more than happy to show you! Go ahead, we’ll holler if we need ya!” She then pushed the green haired man toward the direction of the steps and pointed upwards, which Izuku obliged begrudgingly.

Izuku followed Katsuki upstairs and turned a corner to a small bedroom that screamed “Teenage Rebellion.” Band posters were hung all over the walls as well as some All Might merch. A desk sat in front of the lone window with Education books stacked neatly; compact books of school notes were piled high along with a small lamp, a speaker, a laptop that looked like it had seen better days, and a pencil holder. A small picture was seated at the corner with a beaming Katsuki in what appeared to be a college graduation uniform with both of his parents right next to him, who were also smiling. 

Izuku then turned his head towards his left. The closet next to the desk was filled with all black shirts, combat boots, and cargo pants. A few work shirts, loafers, and khakis were shoved in there as well. He took note of a box in the corner (he did not need to know what was in it thank you very much) and continued to look around.

Right beside the queen sized bed that was neatly made was a nice sized drum set. It was all black and chrome colored; it was a seven piece set with multiple symbols that were also black, and the metal bar that went across it had a red “G” in the middle.

Izuku made a low whistle, “Wow, Kacchan, that’s a nice drum set!”

Katsuki shrugged, “Gibraltar drums are decent, but it was what the old man got me. I remember being so stoked about it.”

Izuku beamed at him, “Do you think you could play a little bit?”

Katsuki barked out a laugh, “Really? You actually wanna hear me play?”

Izuku nodded, sitting down on the edge of the bed, grinning cheek to cheek and swinging his feet.

Katsuki squinted his eyes, “The hell? Ugh,” He rubbed his face before sitting on the stool, “Fine, but stop grinning and swinging those feet. You act like a giddy school girl watching her boyfriend perform in a garage.”

Izuku stopped, realizing what he was doing, and just sat there in silence as he watched Katsuki fumble with his phone and then picked up a pair of drumsticks. He situated himself on the stool as he got ready to play.

“Alright, you asked for it, nerd… Now let’s see if I still got it…” Katsuki then pressed play and the Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin started to burst from the speakers from the desk. Katsuki immediately hit the drums with his sticks and played along with the song.

Izuku stared in awe as he watched Katsuki play rhythmically to the song, like he was meant to play. He remembered Katsuki mentioning that he played the drums when he got to middle school, but he never really asked to see him play. Yet here he was, in Katsuki’s old bedroom, watching him play on his old drums that probably collected dust when he moved out.

Katsuki finished the song, beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. He wiped it off with his sleeve before hollering out, “HAH! STILL GOT IT!”

Izuku clapped, still amazed by the performance, “Kacchan! That was awesome!”

Katsuki smirked, “Hell yeah, it was! You should have seen me in school–” He then stopped his train of thought, “Actually, no, thank fuck you didn’t, I was a little shit…”

“And you still are, Brat!” Mitsuki interrupted the two from the doorway, arms crossed against her chest. Both men jumped from their seats at the sudden intrusion, “Your dad needs your help, by the way,” she added, nudging her head towards the stairs.

Katsuki grunted before putting down the sticks, standing up from his stool and walking out of the bedroom, mumbling a “see ya downstairs,” towards the two before disappearing.

Izuku stood up from the bed, feeling slightly uncomfortable being in Katsuki’s old bedroom by himself, “Umm… I should head downstairs as well…”

Mitsuki merely nodded before starting a new conversation, “Hey Izuku…”

“Hmm?” Izuku acknowledged her.

Mitsuki smiled, “Just between you and me, Kats may be hot headed like me, but he does care about you, ya know…”

Izuku blinked, “Oh, I uhh… I know that he does… W-Where is this coming from?”

Mitsuki shrugged, “In general, I guess… But seriously, so fucking happy you’re back in his life. When we moved, he was devastated. He cried to the point that he made himself sick. It broke our hearts to see him like that…” She trailed off, staring at the wall.

Izuku looked in the same direction and noticed a corkboard filled with pictures of Katsuki in his teenage years. Ah, that explains all the black; all over the board were polaroids of Katsuki from middle school and other boys he didn’t recognize in all black with dyed hair of different colors, black nails, and black eyeliner. Katsuki in every picture had his tongue sticking out with the middle finger proudly raised. His hair was dyed in all different colors, but the most consistent was a bright, neon orange. He looked like he was having fun, but his eyes were screaming a completely different tune.

Mitsuki continued, “He was a rebel, the damn brat. Those kids were okay, the ones in the pictures, but nothing compared to you. You were his only true friend, Izuku. I’m just glad he picked himself up again once he got to high school.”

Izuku looked at Mitsuki, “What happened?”

Mitsuki shrugged, “Well, middle school was hell; he did all of that,” she gestured to the corkboard of pictures, “Masaru and I thought this was his revenge for the move, so we just let him have it. We weren’t too concerned about anything illegal considering he still maintained his grades and continued with baseball because he knew damn well we’d be on him for that.”

“But one day, he just stopped hanging out with those boys. He buzzed his hair so it can grow back to its natural blonde, which was fucking hilarious,” she snickered, “anyway, he got his shit together; joined the marching band, played baseball, was in clubs, the whole shindig. So imagine our surprise when he said he wanted to be a teacher.”

She sighed, “We obviously took this as a positive thing. But I told him that he needed to shape up and shit. Volunteer at the local youth center, get some experience with kids, because you know, him being an only child and all. He did, and fuck did he prove us wrong. He was wonderful with those kids!”

She then had a huge smile on her face, “So yeah, we took marching band and baseball with open arms. He got out of his slump and graduated with fucking Honors! Masaru and I were so proud of him. He was so proud to be hired back at the school you all went to and he was even more ecstatic when he saw you at orientation. He wouldn’t shut up about it!”

Izuku’s eyes widened, “Really?”

Mitsuki giggled, “Yeah, we were both very happy that you two crossed paths again. You were his world, Izuku…”

Izuku blushed at that statement, fiddling with the hem of his button up, “I… Wow, that’s… very nice to say…”

Mitsuki patted him on the back, “Yeah, well, you make him happy, that’s what matters. Anyway, I’ve said too much. We should head downstairs, your mom and the others are probably wondering where we are.”

And with that, Mitsuki headed toward the steps. Izuku took a moment to look at the pictures on the corkboard and then compare it to the picture on the desk.

Izuku smiled fondly, “You sure came a long way, Kacchan…”

Dinner was served and everyone was happy. Katsuki and Masaru went all out and made a spicy jerk turkey, some roasted vegetables on skewers, creamy garlic mashed potatoes with gravy, along with a simple garden salad with balsamic vinaigrette. Mitsuki and Inko were happily chatting about anything and everything on one side of the table, wine glasses in hand, like they never left each other’s side. Masaru, Katsuki and Izuku, on the other side, were talking about which genre of music was superior to others.

“I’m telling you, nothing beats classical music, boys. There’s just something about the strings and piano that just makes you picture wonderful scenarios in your mind, like reading a book,” Masaru stated with a big smile on his face.

Katsuki scoffed, “You’re such an old man. If you want REAL music, rock and death metal are the bomb!”

“I’m sure you’re not allowed to play it at school, though,” Masaru added.

Katsuki only crossed his arms and huffed.

Izuku chuckled, “I’m not the type of person to choose a genre, I just like whatever catches my interest.”

Masaru raised an eyebrow out of curiosity, “And what are you currently listening to, if I may ask?”

Izuku suddenly became self conscious as he mumbled the answer under his breath, fidgeting with his hands in his lap.

“Speak louder, nerd, now you’ve piqued my interest,” Katsuki chimed in.

Izuku gave Katsuki a worried look, “Are you gonna make fun of me?”

Katsuki took his hand and made an X across his heart, “Swear it.”

Izuku pouted at him, not believing for a damn minute, but relented, he took a deep breath and stared down at his hands before muttering, “… Weird Al Yankovic…”

Katsuki spurted out a cackle so loud the entire table looked at him like he had five heads. Izuku wanted the floor to swallow him whole.

“Y-You swore, Kacchan!” Izuku blurted out from his beet red face.

Katsuki raised his other hand from behind his back, showing his index and middle finger crossed together, a shit eating grin painted on his face.

Masaru interjected, “Katsuki, there is nothing wrong with listening to comedy music. Weird Al made millions just from parodying other songs. He made a name for himself and he is proud of his work. I really commend him for doing so.”

Katsuki gave his father a death glare, “Of course you’d say shit like that.”

Izuku shuffled more mashed potatoes in his mouth; he really wanted that floor to eat him up.

Inko chuckled, face flushed from having a bit too much wine in her system, “Oh his taste in music always changed. One time in middle school, he was obsessed with listening to the Celtic Women. He insisted that it helped with studying.”

Yep, aaaaany time now, floor.

“And then during high school, he had a My Little Pony phase, he was singing along to the songs from the show!”

ANY TIME FLOOR!

“Oh! And then when Hamilton was popular, he was trying really hard to say Lafayette’s part in the song ‘Guns and Ships,’ but it always ended up sounding like gibberish because it was too fast for him!” Inko laughed.

Floor, why?

Izuku buried his face in his hands; he could hear Mitsuki and Katsuki laughing so hard they started to sound like wheezes. Masaru only chuckled at the scene in front of him.

“Mom… Why…?” Izuku muffled into his hands.

Katsuki leaned over so only Izuku could hear what he was saying, whispering right into his ear, “Auntie should come over more often. Don’tcha think, Pinkie Pie?”

Floor, why have you betrayed me so?

Once everyone had their fill of food (and stopped berating Izuku on his current and past taste in music), it was time for the gift exchange. Inko handed out hers and Izuku’s gifts to the Bakugou’s as Mitsuki was giving out their own.

Izuku found himself with six different presents big and small that he didn’t know where to start.

“… So do we just open the gifts at the same time or…?” Izuku asked.

Katsuki rolled his eyes, “Fine, I’ll go first…” and he started to unwrap a big box on his left that was wrapped up in blue and red stripes. He blinked in surprise once the wrapping paper fell off, “… the hell?”

Inko smiled, “Merry Christmas, Katsuki!”

It was a giant Golden Age All Might Funko Pop. 

Katsuki’s eyes widened and mouth hanging wide open, but he desperately attempted (and failed) to keep his excitement under wraps. He picked up the box and looked at the other sides to see the pictures before he put it back down, the gears in his brain trying to form words from the sheer shock.

“Kats… You got something to say to her?” Mitsuki warned, one eyebrow raised.

Katsuki blinked, suddenly remembering words before spewing out, “T-Thanks, Auntie Inko…”

Inko chuckled, “You’re welcome, Katsuki. Izuku told me you were still into All Might! When I saw that, I couldn’t resist!”

Katsuki’s face flushed while Mitsuki smacked his back, “Hey, now you have another piece to your shrine upstairs!” She smirked as Katsuki glared daggers at her. Izuku chuckled at the interaction.

The rest of the exchange went relatively smoothly; Masaru and Mitsuki received some cookbooks and tickets to see a local comedian they’ve been wanting to see, Katsuki got some video games, a black leather jacket from Izuku (“now you’ll look like a biker gang, Kacchan!” Izuku smirked) and new clothing, and Inko received some pieces of jewelry and a picture frame of Izuku and Katsuki when they were children, which was met with a tear-y thank you toward Mitsuki, who all but reassured her.

Izuku found himself with some new clothing and a new pair of red shoes. He only had two gifts left; a medium box and a small gift bag.

“Open the box first, Izuku!” Mitsuki said with a smile on her face, Masaru mimicking the gesture.

Izuku obliged and went to open the box; once he saw what it was, his mouth opened wide with shock.

“No way! Are you serious???” Izuku shouted as he picked up the gift.

“The first 20 editions of the Silver Age All Might comic books! Merry Christmas, Izuku!” Masaru stated, wrapping Mitsuki with his arm across her shoulders.

Mitsuki smirked, “Kats told us you didn’t have these, so now you got ‘em!”

Izuku didn’t have any words. Well, no, he had a million questions, but he kept them to himself. He did a much better job than Katsuki when he stuttered out a “Thank you!” Toward the pair as he could feel tears forming.

Katsuki interrupted his emotions before he could start, “Don’t show us the waterworks, nerd, you haven’t opened up that last one yet.” He pointed to the gift bag right next to Izuku.

Izuku shook his head and looked at the gift bag. He put the comic books down as he went to open the last gift. He took out a box that fit into his hand with the words “Bulova” on it. With one eyebrow raised, he opened the box.

Inside was a simple black wrist watch, ticking away the correct time with its silver hands going around the middle. In place of numbers are silver lines and small diamonds on the 3, 6, and 9 and a trident shape on the 12. The word “Bulova” was written right underneath the 12 and a tiny number “25” was in a small box next to the 3.

Izuku just stared at the watch with wide teary eyes, mouth agape, taking it in for a solid minute before looking up to see vermillion eyes staring right at him; a big, genuine smile on his face.

“Merry Christmas, nerd.”

The Midoriya’s bid their farewells to the Bakugou’s before they hauled their gifts into the backseat of Izuku’s car (and a very tipsy Auntie Inko into the passenger seat) and pulled out of the driveway. Katsuki watched Izuku back out and waved him goodbye (to which Izuku replied back with his own), as he drove away and out of sight.

Katsuki leaned against the doorframe, staring off into the street that Izuku drove off for a minute before his mother barked at him to close the door, to which he complied.

Mitsuki gave him a disapproving look, which meant that she had something to say and would say it anyway if you did not let her. Katsuki scoffed, “What?”

Mitsuki rolled her eyes, “So… We put up that mistletoe for nothing?”

Katsuki stared daggers at her, “You know full well that there was no opportunity for that; one,” he held up one finger, “he was practically glued to Auntie the entire time after you gave her too much wine! And two,” he raised a second finger, “you didn’t give us any time for me to get him under that damn decoration to initiate ANYTHING! Also, as a side note, I can’t believe you told him about my fucking emo phase, Hag!”

“Oh, so it’s MY fault your plan didn’t come to fruition? Plus those pictures were right there, he would have asked if I didn’t bring it up!” Mitsuki shouted before huffing, “Well, looks like you two are on even ground now; apparently he was a Bronie in high school!”

Masaru stepped into the hallway to intervene before Katsuki could blow up at his mother, “Son, help me with dishes, please? Sweetheart, why don’t you put the gifts away?”

Mitsuki huffed, but complied, and set off into the living room to retrieve the gifts. Katsuki skulked over to the kitchen to help with putting the leftover food in the different tupperware containers.

He was halfway putting the potatoes away when Masaru spoke, “I see Izuku liked your gift.”

Katsuki hummed in response, “He’s probably beating himself up about it. He gets me that jacket, which if I know him well enough, he got it at a discount store, and I get him an expensive watch.” He smirked at that thought, picturing the green haired man driving home, mumbling to himself of how he should have gotten something nice for him and instead went cheap.

Masaru sighed, “Either way, it was a thoughtful gift. He also has your birthday to make up for it if he’s that stressed out over it,” he chuckled as he went back to doing the dishes.

Katsuki put the last Tupperware in the fridge and gave his father the remaining dishes, “Yeah I guess… Knowing him, he’ll do just that and you can’t talk him out of it…” Katsuki then placed his hands in his pockets and shuffled his feet.

Masaru looked at him with a concerned look, “I take it tonight didn’t go exactly as planned?”

Katsuki huffed, “What do you think?”

Masaru dried his hands and placed one on Katsuki’s shoulders, “Listen, I know you had this grand gesture to confess to him, and it didn’t happen. I get it; when I was planning on proposing to your mother, I had this whole thing set up in my mind. I was going to take her to our favorite beach, walk along the pier, and have her look through those coin operated binoculars. I was going to tell her something along the lines of seeing a beautiful view, she would comment on what she was seeing through the binoculars, then have her turn around to see what I was seeing. She would turn around and see me on my knees with the ring.”

Masaru sighed, then smiled, “But all of that didn’t happen; when we got to the beach, it was pouring and they had to shut down the pier. We were stuck in our hotel room doing nothing but playing Go Fish and making card towers.”

Katsuki raised an eyebrow, “... But you still proposed to her, right?”

Masaru nodded, “Oh yeah, I just decided ‘fuck it’ and proposed to her in the hotel room. Obviously she said yes,” he chuckled at the memory.

Katsuki stared at his father for a minute before speaking, “So… You just improvised… No Plan B? Nothing? You just… Did it?”

“Yep. Katsuki, there is no right or wrong way to go about telling someone how you feel. I know that one day, you’ll find that moment and courage to tell Izuku the truth,” Masaru squeezed his shoulder before turning back to the sink and finishing up with the dishes.

Katsuki stood in the kitchen, contemplating what his father just told him. He then shuffled himself up the stairs and into his old bedroom. He starts to pack up his things to take home and starts to fold up the jacket Izuku got him. He stared at it for a while before he clutched it into an embrace.

“... One day…”

He jammed the thermometer into his ear for the millionth time today; once he heard the tiny beep, he pulled it away and stared at the lit up yellow screen.

99.8.

Dammit.

Katsuki started to feel sick a few days after he got back to his apartment from his parents. It started with an itch in the back of his throat, which he soothed with some orange juice and a cough drop and called it a day. Then it gradually turned into a cough, then today, New Years Eve, he found himself drenched in sweat and was shivering to no end.

He took a shit ton of airborne that morning (not that it would make a difference as he ran out of cold medicine), drank a lot of water, and placed cold compresses on his face all day just to reduce the borderline fever. He even shoved down some miso soup and crackers, despite not having an appetite, but he’d rather have something in his stomach than nothing.

He was NOT going to miss out on this damn party over a fucking cold. He had a plan and he was gonna fucking go for it. Everything may not have come to fruition with Izuku at Christmas, but fuck if he was gonna miss another chance.

The Plan: Confess to the nerd and kiss him at midnight.

Yeah yeah yeah, his father’s spiel about finding the right moment was still ringing in his ( not very stuffed up) ears, and it was very sweet and all, but dammit he needed to make SOME effort.

He was Katsuki FUCKING Bakugou; a cold is not going to defeat him that easily.

So he got himself ready for the party, opting for his new dark green sweater, dark blue jeans and orange sneakers. He went to put on the jacket Izuku got him and put on a scarf and his orange beanie when he heard a knock on the door.

Katsuki took a deep breath, which seemed to be getting harder to do since yesterday, and went to open the door.

There stood Izuku, with his brown coat on, some black ( very fitting ) leggings and the damn red shoes, although it was the new pair he got for Christmas. He also put his whole head of hair into a black beanie that sat on top of his head. On his right wrist sat the watch Katsuki got him and in his left hand was a bottle of champagne for the party in a bag.

Izuku beamed, “Hey Kacchan! Ready to go?”

Katsuki hid his face in his scarf before nodding, “Yeah, let’s go.” 

The two trudged their way to Izuku’s car when he felt a pair of concerned eyes on the back of his head. He was not up for an intervention on his current condition (it must have been that obvious) so he kept going in silence.

Izuku spoke as they approached the car, “Kacchan, are you okay?”

Katsuki sniffed the cold air before answering, “I’m okay, Deku… Why?”

Izuku stared at him with concern, “You look pale… Are you sick?”

Katsuki scoffed, “I’m fine, allergies are a bitch right now…”

“But it’s December–”

“Allergies are all year round, nerd! I said I’m fine, seriously,” Katsuki shouted, though he didn’t mean to make it sound desperate.

Izuku lifted his hands up, “Okay, no need to get defensive… I’m just making sure you’re okay.”

Katsuki sighed as he also attempted to control his breathing, “Deku, I’m not sick, okay? I got medication in my system, and in the worst case scenario, we leave early. Look, let’s just go to the damn party, okay?”

Izuku put his hands down and sighed, “Okay, Kacchan, just… Be careful…”

Katsuki huffed before opening the passenger door and getting himself situated in the car. Izuku put the bottle in the back and buckled himself up before he started to drive toward Kirishima and Mina’s apartment in silence. Izuku’s radio was the only thing playing, which for some reason, was playing a radio station full of 80s to Now music.

And screw it if he was going to listen to Taylor Swift for the millionth time.

Katsuki looked around and found a blank CD in the cup holder. Curiosity getting the better of him, he picked it up, put it in the CD player and pressed play.

Izuku gave him a startled look, “Kacchan, what–”

But before Izuku could say anything else, the song, “Amish Paradise” started playing through the speakers.

Oh.

OH IS THIS A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY.

Izuku sputtered and tried to hit the off button when a hand swatted it away.

“Ooooh no, Deku, I’m not letting you turn this shit off!” Katsuki smirked and bobbed his head to the beat.

As I walked through the valley where I harvest my grain

I take a look at my wife, and realize she’s very plain

But that’s just perfect for an Amish like me

You know I shun fancy things like electricity

“NOOOOO!!! Kacchan! Please turn it off! It’s MY car!” Izuku protested, trying to turn off the music while simultaneously keeping his focus on driving.

“Fat chance, nerd, you have to drive, let me have this moment,” Katsuki cackled and shouted the words as the chorus started up (which didn’t help his aching throat but fuck it).

We been spending most our lives

Livin' in an Amish paradise

I churned butter once or twice

Livin' in an Amish paradise

It's hard work and sacrifice

Livin' in an Amish paradise

We sell quilts at discount price

Livin' in an Amish paradise

“KACCHAAAAAN!!!” Izuku whined in the driver seat.

Katsuki cackled, “Oh, I’m sorry, would you prefer I sing ‘Bab’s Seed’ from My Little Pony instead?”

“First of all, no. Secondly, I’m surprised you even know that song. Thirdly, UUUUUGH!!!” Izuku stated, almost banging his head on the steering wheel before remembering that he was driving.

“Pfft, when you work with kids, you tend to know these things, Deku,” Katsuki scoffed and continued to bob his (now very aching) head to the beat.

Thank the lucky stars for Ibuprofen.

“Bakubro! Midoriya! You made it!” Kirishima beamed from the door, taking the bottle of champagne from Izuku and gave them room to walk into the apartment.

Izuku took his jacket off to reveal a green plaid button up with a graphic T-shirt underneath.

Katsuki scoffed, “Please tell me that shirt doesn’t say ‘New Years Eve Shirt.’”

Izuku dropped his coat onto the floor and sputtered utter nonsense from his mouth.

Caught in the act.

Katsuki laughed, “You’re 26 and you still wear those damn shirts?”

Izuku protested, “T-There comfortable!”

“Pfft, alright,” Katsuki then tousled his green hair through the beanie and walked over to the living room, leaving the flustered man in the hallway.

He saw practically every extra in their damn school crammed into the apartment; Shouto and Momo were talking and laughing in a corner ( Icy Hot has more than one EMOTION?? ), Iida, Uraraka, Shinsou, Hatsume, and Tsu were gathered around the coffee table playing Cards Against Humanity (and apparently Tsu was winning), and Kaminari, Sero, Mina, and Jirou were playing with a deck of cards making a tower at the dining table.

Katsuki noted the kitchen island full of champagne, drinks, and typical party food; he went to grab a bottle of water when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, Bro, you gonna stay a while? You still have your jacket on,” Kirishima said with some concern in his voice.

Katsuki turned around, shucking the hand off of his shoulder, “Yeah, give me a minute, just cold…”

Kirishima raised one eyebrow, “But we have the heat on… Wait,” he then whispered, “Are you still sick???”

“I immediately regret telling you that this morning…” Katsuki stated deadpan, taking a swig of his water.

Kirishima shoved Katsuki into the kitchen where no one was before continuing, “Seriously, dude, you do look pale, maybe you should go home.”

Katsuki rolled his eyes, “Deku’s my ride, first of all, and he already grilled me about it, but I played it off as allergies–”

“But it’s December–”

“ANYWAY,” Katsuki continued, not even going to bother with semantics, “Secondly, I seriously cannot miss this party and you know damn well why!”

“Well, yes, I get why, since you told me about your ‘grand gesture,’ but not if you’re sick and, God forbid, you get HIM sick!” Kirishima gestured to Izuku, who joined Kaminari and the others on the cards that turned into a game of Go Fish.

Katsuki rubbed his forehead, which was starting to glisten with sweat, “Look, I know, I get it. If it were the opposite, you know damn well I’d be dragging your ass to your bed and force you to go to sleep. But Kirishima, look at me; I’m desperate. I want- no- need to do this,” he then grabbed the red haired man’s shoulders and gave him a pleading look, eyebrows furrowed as he tried to get his point across.

Kirishima gulped, “Damn, Bakugou, you’re never desperate,” he then sighed, “Fine, but you gotta take some meds and the second you feel horrible, you’re going straight home, understand?”

Katsuki nodded, relieved that his friend is letting him off the hook this one time. He shook off his jacket, beanie, and scarf before having it join Izuku’s coat on the coat rack.

Kirishima pointed toward the bathroom, “Come on, I got some cold meds in the cabinet. And drink water!”

Katsuki scoffed, “what are you, my mom?”

“Might as well be,” Kirishima smirked, and took off to the bathroom with Katsuki in tow.

Katsuki allowed that comment for now.

The rest of the evening went by relatively simple; once Katsuki was thoroughly medicated and drank some water, he felt right as rain (for the most part, he was still feeling groggy and stiff and his breathing was still off), and joined the rest of the group on their games.

He played three rounds of Monopoly with Mina, Kirishima, Sero, and Kaminari, which he annihilated everyone with each round before he was kicked out (“Fuck you! You’re just jealous I got Broadway and Park Place three times!”), before joining the next group with Cards Against Humanity.

Izuku apparently was a pro at this game as he kept putting out the most random, gruesome, and inappropriate answers and winning most rounds. Katsuki cannot pinpoint how this is possible, but at least it made the night interesting.

He was playing a round with Hitoshi Shinsou, the Librarian, Izuku, and Mei Hatsume, the STEM teacher, and it was Izuku’s turn to pull out a black card and read it out loud.

Izuku chuckled at the card before reading it, “Alright, which one of you little turds is responsible for blank ?” He placed the card in the middle and watched as the other three were picking out the best answers.

Katsuki looked at his deck, scrunching his face in full concentration mode, and tried to pick the best out of all of them (none seemed like good choices to be honest), before settling with one and putting it in the pile.

Shinsou placed his card on top and soon Hatsume joined in. Izuku picked up the three cards and read them all, snickering before showing them all and reading it out loud.

“Okay, so we have ‘Alright, which one of you little turds is responsible for,” he placed one of the white cards down, “‘Auto-erotic asphyxiation,’ then we have ‘Alright, which one of you little turds is responsible for,” he placed the second card right next to the first, “‘The Kool-Aid Man,’ and finally, ‘Alright, which one of you little turds is responsible for,” and he placed the last card next to the second one, “‘Will Wheaton’s chest hair.’”

Izuku stared at all three cards for a few seconds before picking up the last card, “Who had this one?”

Hatsume clapped, “Aww yeah! Will Wheaton saves the day!”

“One point for Hatsume!” Izuku chuckled as he placed the cards back in the discard pile.

“Hah?? Come on, what’s wrong with the Kool-Aid Man?” Katsuki shouted furiously, clutching his cards in his hand.

Shinsou merely shrugged and went to grab a new black card as it was his turn.

“Looking to earn big bucks? Learn how to make blank work for you,” Shinsou read and placed the card in the middle.

Everyone placed their white cards face down as Shinsou picked them up and read them all.

“‘Learn how to make a sad handjob work for you,’” he tossed the card down, “‘learn how to make Uranus work for you,’” he placed that card down, “‘learn how to make this groovy new thing called LSD work for you,’” he then contemplated the cards before selecting the LSD one.

Izuku put his hands in the air and cheered, “YAY! Another point for me!”

Katsuki growled under his breath (seriously, Uranus didn’t WIN??? ).

“How the flying fuck are you that good with this game Midoriya? You have something you’d like to share with the class?” Hatsume asked, wiggling her eyebrows and grinning.

Izuku chuckled, “I just know how to play, nothing special. It’s your turn, by the way,” he added.

Hatsume shrugged, “Alrighty then,” and she picked up a new black card.

Katsuki didn’t win one time, and it infuriated him to no end.

It was about ten minutes until midnight, and Katsuki could feel the cold medicine wearing off.

Shit.

He drank a shit ton of water and pissed so much, you’d think he would have been going for a new world record or something. He was also starting to feel a bit dizzy and his fever was slowly coming back, so that’s wonderful.

But he needed to keep this up until midnight. He needed to get his plan in motion.

Tonight he was going to finally confess to Izuku! No more beating around the bush! It WILL happen!

Now he just needed to pry the green haired man away for a hot minute.

Izuku was chatting around with Uraraka and Iida about wedding plans and the damn bachelorette party. Katsuki looked around the room until he spotted the balcony door that was right there next to the TV stand.

Perfect.

He walked over to Izuku as he laughed at something Uraraka said before huffing an, “Oi…”

Izuku looked up to the red eyed man, smile faltering a bit, “Yeah, Kacchan?”

“Can I talk to you for a sec?” Katsuki asked, heart beating in his chest, trying to keep his spinning head together.

Izuku looked over to the two, who gave him a thumbs up (the fuck?), “we’ll be right here if you need us,” Uraraka stated.

Katsuki then gestured Izuku toward the balcony door. He opened it up and smirked, “Step into my office.”

Izuku blinked, “… but it’s the balcony… and shouldn’t we wear our jackets?”

Katsuki stared at him, “… Deku, it’s a figure of speech, just… just follow me…” he pointed at the balcony again.

Izuku’s face flushed with embarrassment before muttering, “Okay then…”

The brisk evening air hit the men’s faces as they stepped outside. This felt really good on Katsuki’s heated up face and kept his head from spinning so much. Izuku clutched the railing as Katsuki leaned against it with his back, trying to get a good grip on his balance.

Izuku breathed in the crisp, cool air, “I guess it’s okay to be out here for a bit. It did get a little stuffy there.”

Katsuki hummed in agreement. He looked at the man fondly, a big smile on his face. They stood there in silence for a minute, enjoying each other’s company.

Katsuki’s head continued to spin, but he kept it at bay; this is more important. This needed to happen now!

“You having fun so far?” Katsuki asked.

Izuku nodded, “Yeah, I am! I do like playing games with our friends, it’s a nice change of pace! I’m glad you got to come, and despite you being a sore loser–” 

“Watch it, nerd,” Katsuki shot back with a smirk on his face.

Izuku chuckled, “I’m still glad you were having fun,” he then looked at the blonde with slight concern, “Are you sure you’re feeling alright? You did look fine earlier…”

Katsuki huffed, “Yeah, nerd, I’m fine, like you said; it was getting stuffy in there…”

“Okay, Kacchan…” Izuku stated before looking up into the clear December, almost January, sky.

After a while, the two teachers could hear Kirishima shouting from the inside, “HEY GUYS, THREE MINUTES UNTIL MIDNIGHT!” Along with a cheer of the rest of the crew jammed into the apartment.

Izuku smiled back at the blonde, “So, you gonna let me know why you brought me out here or should we head back inside?”

Katsuki blinked, suddenly remembering why he did so in the first place.

This is it.

No going back now.

Katsuki cleared his throat, ignoring how it definitely hurt, “So uhh… I wanted to talk about things…”

Great start, genius.

“Anyway, I wanted to uhh—“

The door suddenly opened up, and a very drunk Mina shouted back at the two, “HEY YOU TWO, GET YOUR BUTTS HERE! LESS THAN TWO MINUTES!”

“FUCK OFF PINKY!” Katsuki shouted, but there was no bite as his throat lodged pain into his voice and his head continued to spin.

Mina blinked, “Suuuuure, get cold I guess…” and she shut the door, leaving the two standing in silence.

Katsuki growled, then right on cue, his head started to feel fuzzier than it had been earlier as he rubbed his temple, but it did nothing as everything started to spin more and more.

FUCK NOT RIGHT NOW.

“Kacchan? Are you alright?” Izuku asked with concern on his face.

Katsuki stared at Izuku, wait, now there are two Dekus? Shit…

“Kacchan, you look like you’re about to pass out! Let’s get you inside,” Izuku stated as he grabbed Katsuki’s arm and attempted to nudge him inside.

Katsuki pulled away, “No, I-I need to tell you something…” He said, clutching onto his head with one hand and the railing with the other as he slumped over.

“Kacchan! Come on, you need to come inside!” Izuku shouted with concern as the two can hear everyone counting down the seconds until midnight hit.

10!

9!

8!

Katsuki looked up to see concerned, yet beautiful, wide viridian eyes staring at him. He grabbed Izuku’s shoulders and stared back with as much determination as he could muster at this point.

He needed to tell him.

And it needed to happen NOW.

5!

4!

“I-Izuku…”

3!

2!

“I… I lo-”

1!

Before he could finish, Katsuki saw darkness.

Chapter Text

Katsuki woke up to the sound of beeping as his eyes adjusted to the bright lights above him. He groaned and tried to sit up, before a hand gently shoved him back down into the very uncomfortable bed that definitely wasn’t his.

“Welcome back to the land of the living, bro,” he heard the muffled voice of Kirishima say with a hint of worry dripping in his voice.

Katsuki blinked some more before his vision became more clear.

He was in a hospital room; IV fluids running into his bloodstream that poked through the back of his left hand along with an oxygen monitor on his index finger, a whiteboard in front of him with his name, the doctor and nurses names on it, and the date (January 7th, fuck my life ). Kirishima was sitting in a chair on his right by the window, wearing an N95 mask and gloves. His legs were crossed as his gloved hands were clutching on the bed railing; he noted that his shoes were covered as well.

Despite wearing a mask, he can tell he was pissed, relieved, and worried at the same time.

Katsuki grumbled, placing his free hand on his forehead, “... wha–”

“Easy, dude, you just got off the ventilator, so try to rest your voice for now,” Kirishima said through the mask.

… Ventilator…?

Katsuki raised an eyebrow, mouthing, what happened?

Kirishima took a deep breath, trying to word it as best as he could without making his friend upset, “You passed out at the party, bro…”

Katsuki squinted, giving him the no shit look in his eyes.

Kirishima shrugged, “Anyway, I don’t know what happened beforehand, but all I know is that I heard Midoriya screaming for help through all of the celebrating; he was in tears, man. Todoroki had to call an ambulance while we pulled you in from the balcony.”

Oh shit…

Kirishima continued, “We got you to the hospital and they then told us you had Pneumonia, and it was pretty bad. We all had to get tested to see if we caught it; luckily we didn’t. But dammit, Bakugou,” his stance then changed to a mix of anger and disappointment, “you had us all worried sick! If you’d just stayed home–”

“I would have been worse,” Katsuki croaked.

“Dude, don’t talk–”

“Shut up and listen,” Katsuki stated, ignoring how his throat ached and how the heart rate monitor was beeping faster, “I didn’t know this would be bad; if I had stayed home, I probably would have been much worse… I would have been alone, no one would have gotten me here, I would have been too stubborn to go by myself, thinking it was a goddamn cold, and I probably would have–” Katsuki then coughed, throat completely dry and in absolute agony.

“Stop! Just… Stop…” Kirishima placed a gloved hand on Katsuki’s as he gave him some time to stop coughing and control his heartbeat, handing him a styrofoam cup with a straw. He let Katsuki take a small sip of water before placing it back on the serving tray and continuing, “We don’t know what would have happened if you did stay home, but we all would have gotten you here, no problem. Just…” Kirishima’s eyes started to water as tears threatened to come down his covered face, “Promise me you won’t hide shit like this from us again…”

Katsuki’s eyes widened with shock, unable to register that every extra- no, friend- at the damn party was worried about him that they all took action to get him to the hospital. He felt tears come down his cheeks as he went to wipe it, almost messing with the oxygen tubes that were shoved in his nose.

Kirishima helped readjust the tubes before asking, “You alright?”

Katsuki couldn’t look at him, but he did manage to mutter out a “Thank you,” from his very groggy throat.

He can hear Kirishima let go of a breath that he seemed to be holding, “Anyway, sorry to do this right after you woke up, but my visiting time is almost up. You’re only allowed one visitor at a time and it’s only for an hour. Your mom said she’ll be here soon. Get some rest, okay, bro?” He then stood up from the chair and started to walk toward the door.

“Kirishima…?” Katsuki started.

Kirishima hummed back, acknowledging the blonde.

Katsuki looked down at his hands, unable to meet his worried friends turned body, “... I’m sorry…”

Kirishima turned to look at him, “For what?”

Katsuki looked back, eyes meeting each other, “For… everything… For making you all worry…”

Kirishima sighed, “Bakubro, you are, by far, the most stubborn friend I’ve ever had. All is forgiven,” Katsuki could tell he was smiling under the mask. “Just get better, alright? The kids are worried about you,” he then gestured to a table that Katsuki didn’t notice before he opened the door and shut it tight.

Katsuki looked over at said table; flower vases that had a variety of different flowers in them were all over along with balloons and cards that were handmade by children. One stood out in particular.

A giant piece of green poster board leaning against the table with the words, “Get Well Soon, Mr. Bakugou,” in Izuku’s handwriting, pictures drawn all over and names written next to each picture from Izuku’s 2nd grade students. He couldn’t help but smile, only for the smile to falter.

His plan backfired; he didn’t get to fully confess to the green haired man and submitted to unconsciousness before he could do so. He made the man worry about him after passing out in his arms, risking his life from catching the apparent pneumonia he didn’t know he had.

And yet here is a big ass card he made with his students.

His smile came back a little bit as he looked at the poster before the rest of the cards; he’ll have to thank everyone when he gets out of the damn hospital.

Izuku was panicking as he walked through the hospital wing.

He hadn’t seen Katsuki since he was sent to the hospital; everyone else visited him, but Izuku couldn’t bring himself to do so for some time. He didn’t know if he could face the blonde after what happened at the party.

He remembered that day as it played in his mind like a movie reel; him panicking as Katsuki fell into his arms, limp, very heavy, and HOT. He remembered shouting for someone to help him for about two minutes before Uraraka, Iida, Shinsou, and Kirishima came outside, hearing the commotion. He remembered Iida asking Kirishima and Shinsou to help get him inside, Mina checked his temperature (how in the WORLD can someone be 102 degrees and still LIVE???), Shouto called an ambulance, while everyone else grabbed anything cold to bring his spiking fever down before the EMTs arrived.

He found himself bawling his eyes out in the waiting room when his mom and Katsuki’s parents came the moment they found out. He was so shaken up from the situation, he didn’t know what to do. He was a blubbering mess.

After getting himself tested (all came back normal), he was allowed to go back to school once Winter Break was over. His class found out Katsuki was going to be out for a while and asked to make a get well card for him.

How could he say no to that?

So he got out a green poster board he found in his closet and off the kids went to draw and sign the poster towards the end of the day. When it was finished, he asked Kaminari to take the poster over, as it was his time to see him, who reluctantly agreed. He just couldn’t bring himself to do it at that time.

It had taken him until the ninth day, along with a lot of encouragement from Uraraka and Kirishima, to see him.

He donned the N95 mask, the shoe covers, and gloves before working up the courage to see Katsuki. He took one deep breath through the mask before opening up the door.

Katsuki was sitting up in his bed staring out of the window before he looked over to see his new visitor, and the way his eyes lit up made Izuku’s heart skip a beat, thanking every deity that his face was covered so his blush didn’t show through.

He gulped before pursuing forward to the seat reserved for visitors. Once he sat down, he took a look at Katsuki more thoroughly.

His friends were not joking when they said he looked bad.

His eyes were sunken in a bit and he lost a small amount of muscle in his arms, his skin paler than it was normally. Otherwise, he looked like himself and not on death's door like he did at the party.

“Hey, Deku…” Katsuki croaked, voice still adjusting to getting off a ventilator.

Izuku was glad he didn’t see that.

“Hey, Kacchan… You look…” he trailed off, not sure what words to say.

“Like shit, I know…” Katsuki finished, smirking.

Izuku chuckled, “Not the words I would have used, but, yes…”

They both looked away, eyes focused on their own hands for a solid minute before Katsuki spoke.

“I’m sorry…”

Izuku looked up from his hands to stare at the blonde, “For what…?”

Katsuki sighed, “I heard about what happened… After I passed out…”

Izuku’s eyes widened, unsure of what to say at this point. Instead, he allowed Katsuki to continue.

In which he did just that, “I lied about having allergies… I actually was sick, but I wanted to go to the party because, well, I…” he looked like he was contemplating what else to say, like he wanted to say something but didn’t know if it was the right moment, before sighing, “... Anyway, I fucked up… I put everyone else at risk for my stupidity, I made YOU worried sick because you were the one that caught me when I conked out… I’m… I’m so sorry…” Katsuki’s eyes watered, tears threatening to fall down his cheek as he clutched the sheets that were covering up his lower body.

Izuku instinctively grabbed Katsuki’s hand, the one not hooked up to the IV, and held it into his own, rubbing the back of it in comfort, “Kacchan, it’s okay, you–”

“IT’S NOT FUCKING OKAY, IZUKU!” Katsuki shouted back, making Izuku jump and retreat his gloved hands. Katsuki looked straight into his eyes with despair as the tears freely fell, his heart rate monitor beeping slightly faster.

“K-Kacchan, deep breaths, okay–” Izuku attempted.

“No, listen to me! It was not okay! Please don’t fucking placate me like everyone else is! You know as well as I do that what I did was wrong! God DAMMIT!” He rubbed his eyes with his palms, gasping for a breath, “I’m just a fuck-up, aren’t I?”

Izuku’s heart broke into pieces seeing Katsuki like this. He was his own worst critic and enemy when he knew he was in the wrong. He knew he was beating himself up about it so it came to no surprise that Katsuki was distraught about what happened.

That didn’t mean that Izuku was okay watching him cry and not do anything to help.

Izuku took a deep breath, and instincts came through at this moment (contagions be damned, he had the PPE on anyway). He stood up and embraced the broken man before him, holding him tight.

Even with all of the turmoil being spilled out, he didn’t get pushed away, so he gently took his hands and rubbed Katsuki’s back in the hug, “Let it out, Kacchan, I’m here…”

As if on cue, the dam had been broken; Katsuki gripped onto Izuku like a lifeline as his tears stained the green haired man’s shirt and broke into a sobbing mess. Izuku held onto him and let the man give into his emotions that he had been holding onto for quite some time.

Izuku remembers this like it was yesterday. They’ve done this before when they were kids; when Katsuki sprained his ankle, when Izuku got pushed around by bigger kids, even that one time where the blonde accidentally stepped on a rake and it hit him in the face, almost breaking his nose. Izuku was always there to comfort him, and Katsuki did the same.

This continued on for a few minutes, Katsuki freely letting it all out as Izuku comforted him, before Katsuki’s body started to shake less and less. Soon, his body stilled, his grip loosened, and Izuku could hear his breathing even out. He pulled back to see that the blonde worked himself to sleep. Izuku smiled sadly under the mask as he gently put him back down onto his bed, adjusting his pillow that was underneath his head.

Izuku pulled back the hair in front of Katsuki’s face away, lingering his touch just a bit longer before pulling away completely. His heart rate went back to normal as he slumbered on.

Katsuki remained asleep for the rest of his visit, with the exception of a nurse coming in to check his vitals before leaving them alone again; Izuku picked himself up and headed out the door once his time was up. He paused with his hand on the handle and looked back at the sleeping blonde, and at that moment, a flash of that night suddenly appeared in his vision, right before he passed out.

I-Izuku… I… I lo-

“... I love you, too…” Izuku whispered under his breath before leaving.

Katsuki was discharged from the hospital after two and a half weeks.

His health got better, his appetite came back, and his breathing improved; the doctor seemed pleased with him recovering so fast, claiming his health and youth being the reason. He prescribed him some antibiotics to take and gave him a notice for work to return after resting at home for another week ( motherfucker ).

Izuku, who did visit him more often after that day, pulled up to the pick up area of the hospital as he helped Katsuki into his car. Once getting everything he had in the back, he slumped into the driver's seat and pulled away to get Katsuki to his apartment.

The two sat there in silence for about halfway of the drive when Katsuki started speaking, “Hey Deku?”

“Hmm?” Izuku stated, giving the blonde his attention as he put on his turn signal.

Katsuki fiddled with his fingers in his lap, “Thanks for the poster… Looked nice…”

“Oh!,” Izuku stated with a shocked expression on his face, “Yeah, you’re welcome, Kacchan… My students wanted to make you something, so I thought one big poster would be better than twenty plus small cards,” Izuku said, laughing nervously as he turned onto the main road.

Katsuki huffed, “Yeah, I have a shit ton of cards from everyone else, I gotta thank them all for that…”

Izuku hummed, then the silence came back as they both got to a traffic light.

Katsuki remained silent, looking out the window as traffic whizzed by, contemplating the events prior to being hospitalized (when you have nothing to do, you think way too much).

He did remember trying to get the words out before it all happened. It was three fucking words , and he couldn’t even get out the first two before he passed out!

For all he knew, Izuku probably thought he was going to say “I lost the game!” or something just to fuck with him, not “I love you!” (Also DAMMIT!)

Katsuki internally beat himself up about the whole thing. Nothing seems to be going in his favor to tell the green haired man how he felt. Screw Masaru Bakugou for getting his hopes too high!

No… No… This wasn’t his fault, he just tried to give him some advice, that’s what a father does…

Maybe it wasn’t meant to be…

Maybe he and Izuku were not meant to be together…

Maybe…

“...chan? Kacchan?”

Katsuki turned to face the voice calling his name and was met by confused forest green eyes.

Dammit, he spaced out, didn’t he?

“Umm… We’re here, Kacchan…” Izuku pointed out the window, which showed Katsuki’s apartment building.

Katsuki looked in that direction; oh, so they are.

He cleared his throat, “Right, let’s go,” he said before getting out of the car, Izuku following suit.

The two teachers caught themselves lucky that today was in the mid-50s with clear skies as they trekked their way back and forth from Izuku’s car to Katsuki’s apartment, bringing in all of the gifts he received while he was in the hospital and the essential bag that his mom brought in while he was unconscious that he used after he woke up.

Once everything was in his apartment and put on the kitchen table (he’ll sort it out later), Katsuki slumped onto the couch and gave out an exasperated sigh, leaning forward and placing his elbows on his legs.

Izuku sat down next to him, taking his hand and rubbing his back, “Just glad to be back, aren’t you, Kacchan?”

Katsuki grunted in response, putting his head in his hands.

Izuku gave him a look, “Do you need anything before I go?”

Katsuki didn’t know what possessed him to do this, but the next thing he knew, he pulled the green haired man into a hug, his arms wrapped around his waist as he burrowed his head into his chest.

Izuku stuttered, “K-Kacchan??”

“Shush, give me a moment,” Katsuki muffled into his shirt, squeezing tight.

It took a moment before he felt Izuku’s arms wrap around his back, rubbing circles to ease the tension. They stayed like that in silence for who knows how long, and it just felt…

Right…

He took a deep breath, breathing in the scent that was Izuku, and stayed there some more. He would have stayed a bit longer if his arms didn’t start losing some circulation and the needles started to spread, so he let go and rubbed them together, turning to face the opposite side of the couch.

Izuku blinked after the warmth left him, “Kacchan?”

Katsuki stood up and started to head toward his bedroom, “I’m tired as shit…”

“Oh… Okay, I guess I’ll leave then…” Izuku said with some hint of disappointment in his voice, shuffling himself as he prepared to stand.

Katsuki’s heart jumped; he turned to face the man, “Deku?”

Izuku looked up at the man, “Yeah?”

“... Thanks… For, you know, everything…”

Izuku blushed, “Umm… No problem… T-That’s what friends are for, right?” he stated, rubbing the back of his neck.

Yeah…

Friends…

That’s all they’re ever going to be, right?

Katsuki shrugged, attempting to look unfazed, “Right, anyway, I’m going to take a nap. I don’t want to keep you any longer…”

Izuku perked up a bit, “Oh no, it’s fine. Just… Text or call me if you need anything, okay?” he said as he stood up to leave.

“Yeah, I will… See ya,” Katsuki waved goodbye before turning into the bedroom.

“Yeah, talk to you later, Kacchan!” Izuku said as he headed out the door and closed it.

Katsuki turned to the front door once it shut and stared at it for a solid minute, his whole body glued to where he was standing, before he ran over to open it.

Izuku wasn’t there.

He looked around in the empty hallway and sure enough, there was no sight of the green haired man.

Katsuki locked the door and put his back against it; he then slid down onto the floor and clutched his chest, unable to hold his feelings in any more as he bawled into his arms.

He loved Izuku.

He loved him so GODDAMN much.

But it doesn’t seem like anything was going to happen.

Fate is a cruel, cruel mistress, and she seems to revel in torturing Katsuki right now.

Katsuki stayed in that position until the tears stopped falling and he sobbed himself to slumber by the door.

Izuku climbed into his bed once he got home and clutched his pillow before breaking down, allowing the tears to finally fall after what felt like an eternity from leaving Katsuki’s apartment.

Why does this keep happening to them?

He knew Katsuki was trying to confess to him at the party, he wasn’t dumb. He was hoping to bring it up when he visited him at the hospital, or even when he picked him up. But he didn’t.

What a coward he was.

But those hugs; OH those hugs. They felt right when they happened. Sure, the first one at the hospital was to comfort Katsuki in his vulnerable state; but the one at his apartment, it just felt right; reassuring, even.

He didn’t know when it would happen again.

Probably never, because, you know, he was an idiot.

God dammit.

Izuku sat on his bed some more until he controlled himself; he wiped his tears and got up from the bed, urging his body to get his mind off of it.

He stormed into the kitchen and got out all of the ingredients to make his ultimate comfort food; Katsudon.

He put the rice in the rice cooker and breaded the pork chops. He concentrated on cutting the onions and scallions as the pork sizzled in the pan while keeping his mind occupied on other things; his mom, the math tests he needed to grade, getting a gift for Mrs. Harrington for the baby girl she was going to have–

As he was cooking the onions and the sauce in the pan, his phone rang. He wiped his hands on a paper towel and looked at the caller ID.

It was Uraraka.

He picked up the phone, “Hello?”

“Izuku! How are you?” Uraraka asked, voice sounding relieved.

“I’m doing alright, just making a late lunch, is all…” Izuku answered, adding the eggs to the pan.

“Let me guess, Katsudon, right?” Uraraka chuckled.

Izuku fake gasped, “How did you know?”

“I can see into the future~ oooooooo~” she joked, then started to laugh.

Izuku joined in, “Haha, yeah, you’re right, I’m making some Katsudon. Everything okay on your end?”

“Yep! I got my costume ready for the bachelorette party! You got yours?” Uraraka asked.

Izuku gulped, “Oh… Uhh… I wasn’t aware there would be any costume prepping?”

He can hear Uraraka blinking in confusion, “Huh… I thought Momo sent you something about that…”

Izuku then pulled the phone away to check his messages.

Sure enough, there was a message from Yaoyorozu two weeks ago about getting a costume ready. It looked like he read it, but knowing him, he opened it and never read the message.

Oh no…

Izuku stammered, “Uhh… Looks like I forgot…”

Uraraka huffed a response, “Oh don’t worry, I think I have one that was meant for Toga, so you can borrow that one. We ordered it a while ago before, you know… Anyway, I wanted to ask how Bakugou was. I heard he got out of the hospital and you picked him up.”

Izuku finished plating his Katsudon in a bowl as he continued the conversation, “Yeah, he’s at home now. He does seem out of it, though…”

“What do you mean?” Uraraka asked.

Izuku sighed, “Like, besides being tired from, you know, being in the hospital, he just seems defeated. He’s been blaming himself for risking our lives to help him. I tried to reassure him that we all didn’t know he had pneumonia, for all we knew, he just had a cold… But…” he trailed off, unsure of what else to say.

Then he heard Uraraka sigh on the other end, “I can only imagine… When I visited him, he didn’t seem to want to talk much. We’re not close, but even I could sense some defeat in him. I’m sure he’ll get out of his slump soon, he’s tough, and you of all people know that.”

Izuku smiled, “Yeah, you’re right. I’m sure he’ll be back to his old self in no time.”

Uraraka hummed in agreement, “Well, I won’t keep you. Enjoy your lunch, I’ll talk to you later.”

“Alright, bye Uraraka!” Izuku stated before hanging up. He put his phone down and stared into the bowl of food he had made.

His smile grew wider; Katsuki will get better.

He just knows it.

A week came, and a week went; and soon enough, Katsuki was back at work.

He yawned, still slightly sluggish after being on bed rest for three and a half FUCKING WEEKS, but he needed to get to work.

Although he did not expect the sheer amount of people coming up to him to greet him once he walked through the doors.

“Welcome back, Katsuki,” Aizawa stated as he took a sip of his coffee.

“Hey, Katsuki, welcome back, bud!” Hizashi shouted as he shook his free hand.

“Bakugou, great seeing you alive!” Mirio Togata, the secretary, screamed as he jumped from his seat and gave him a big hug.

Katsuki squirmed in the embrace, “Let go of me, Tin Tin!”

Mirio only laughed, but let him go, “Sorry, just excited to see you again. I’m glad you’re feeling better! The kids were worried about you!”

Katsuki scoffed, “Yeah yeah, I get it. Here’s the damn note,” he all but shoved the doctor’s note into Mirio’s hands and trekked his way to the clock-in machine.

“Thanks! Great to have you back, man!” Mirio beamed before shuffling back to his seat and worked on paperwork.

Once clocked in, Katsuki walked toward the gym, though he was stopped so many times by every person he came across to be greeted and told how great it was for him to be back.

He just wanted to go to his office, dammit.

After what felt like hours, he finally got to the gym; he was fiddling with the keys when he then took note of a big banner on top of the double doors.

It was a huge paper banner with bubble letters, “Welcome Back, Mr. Bakugou,” (looked like Mina made this) and what appeared to be every child in the school’s names and teacher’s names scribbled all over, as well as pictures of sports equipment and right in the middle was some form of a stick figure with spiky blonde hair and red eyes.

He stared at the banner for some time, mouth agape, unable to grasp what he was seeing. He then noticed a familiar name right underneath the stick figure; Mr. Midoriya, along with a small head with green hair, a winking expression and a hand making the peace sign.

If he hadn’t been crying this entire time he was back at home, tears would have been shed.

Instead, he smiled brightly at the name and the banner itself.

Oh yeah, it’s good to be back.

“Alright, on my mark!” Katsuki shouted at the kids then immediately blew the whistle around his neck as the next group came around with basketballs in their hands. They started to bounce their own balls and ran forward at the same time, before stopping, then turning around back toward their groups.

Katsuki beamed, “Much better! Now pass that ball to the next person! On my mark!”

The next pair went once the whistle blew; Eri attempted to turn, but then tripped over her own two feet, causing her to fall flat on her face.

Katsuki blew the whistle, indicating the rest to stop what they were doing as he jogged over to the now sobbing white haired child, who was clutching her nose with both hands.

He knelt down and noticed her nose was bleeding profusely; he cursed inwardly as he picked her up and walked over to his office, “Everyone sit down and take five while I help her out!”

While everyone sat down to chat with their friends, Katsuki grabbed the first aid kit, put on some gloves, and pulled out a couple of tissues. He instructed her to sit down in a chair and hold the tissues in place under her nose.

She instinctively lifted her head up, before Katsuki corrected her, “No, you have to keep your face forward, otherwise the blood is going to go down your throat and you will choke. Trust me,” he smiled at her reassuringly. Once she was situated, he picked up the phone to talk to the nurse about Eri’s situation.

After hanging up, he called out to the first child he saw, “Hunter!” A boy with a mop of strawberry blonde hair rushed over, “Take Eri to the nurse, she already knows she’s on her way.”

“Okay, Mr. B!” Hunter shouted before taking Eri and left the gym.

Katsuki cleaned up the seat and the area she fell at with sanitizing wipes before going back to the rest of the class, all waiting for him to give out the next instructions.

Soon, gym class was over, and Izuku came to pick up his students.

Katsuki spoke before the other could, “Eri and Hunter are at the nurse’s office, as you should know. She fell and her nose started to bleed. Hunter took her over.”

Izuku nodded, “Yeah, Mrs. Shuzenji already told me. Thanks for looking out for her, Kacchan!” He beamed at the man.

Katsuki’s breath hitched and his face started to turn red at the sight. He then realized what he was doing before waving his hands, “Y-Yeah, that’s just part of the job, am I right? A-Anyway, I’ll see you at lunch.”

Izuku chuckled, “Yeah, I’ll see you,” he then gestured to his line leader, Peter, to follow him as he left.

Katsuki took a deep breath; he saw Greta’s class coming toward the gym and he immediately ushered the students inside for their class, taking a moment to talk to her.

Greta smiled, “It’s good to see you’re back, Katsuki. Young Kaminari was a great substitute and all, but the children really missed you!”

“Thanks, Greta, good to be back myself. Plus I’m sure Du- I mean Kaminari did what he could while I was gone,” Katsuki stated, looking toward his left.

Greta’s head tilted a bit, “Is something wrong, dear?”

Katsuki looked at her concerned face, then shook his head, “N-Nothing, just… a lot on my mind, is all…”

Greta then smiled again, “Is this about Izuku?”

Katsuki’s face contorted into something unexplainable as his face flushed pink. Greta giggled at the sight.

“Oh, no need to be flustered,” she stated, “I know the look of love when I see it. I’ve lived long enough to know that.”

Katsuki was about to protest before she continued, “You know, when I met my husband, I couldn’t get him out of my mind. I was only in college and he was visiting after being discharged from the army. It was love at first sight. I found myself head over heels for him that I took the first step in asking him out; imagine my surprise when he said yes,” she chuckled at the memory, “I’m sure you’ll be able to take that first step when it comes to Izuku someday. Who knows when it will be? Tomorrow, next week, next month. You never know.”

Katsuki stared at her, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

This… Seems like the same spiel his father gave him… But different…

Greta then patted his shoulder, “Don’t worry, you’re both young and have plenty of time. Now then, please, tire my students out, why don’t you?” She then winked before leaving.

Katsuki took a moment to recompose himself from the apparent advice from a COLLEAGUE about his love life, before turning around to the fifth grade students waiting to learn more about basketball, getting his mind off of what just happened.

“Sooooo, did you have any company while I was gone?” Katsuki asked during lunch in Izuku’s classroom, slurping his ramen noodles into his mouth.

Izuku chuckled, “Yes, actually, Shouto and Momo came to see me at times, then Uraraka and Kirishima gave me some company. Did you know that Shouto and Momo got together at the party?”

“No shit, really?” Katsuki asked with eyes wide.

Izuku nodded, “Yeah, we didn’t notice it because… Well…” he then trailed off, smile faltering a bit.

Katsuki slammed his hand down, “No talking about that, we’re here to have a friendly chat and nothing else, got it nerd?”

Izuku’s face flustered, “R-Right… Anyway, Uraraka’s bachelorette party is this weekend…” his face flushed red in embarrassment.

Katsuki took note before saying, “Okay? Have fun! What’s the problem?”

Izuku looked in every direction that is not the blonde, trying to find the right words to put it.

“Oh for fuck sakes, if you don’t want to go–”

“NO! I mean…” Izuku shouted before stuttering, “I have to be there, as I’m the Man of Honor, but…”

“Buuut?” Katsuki raised one eyebrow.

Izuku gulped, “I-I found out that it was a c-costume party, along with the e-escape room and karaoke b-bar…”

Hold the fuck up–

“Costume party? Come on, you’re hesitant over a fucking costume?” Katsuki asked, “Wait… If it’s about what happened at Halloween–”

“No no nothing like that!” Izuku squirmed a bit, “It’s… It’s that I-I didn’t have time to find a costume… S-So they’re l-letting me b-borrow one…” he ducked his head down so all Katsuki could see was his mop of green hair hanging over his face.

Oh…

OH!

Katsuki smirked, “Oh, is that what it is? You gonna leave me hanging in suspense or am I gonna have to find out from Cheeks herself?”

Izuku sputtered nonsense into his leftover lasagna, “Y-Y-Y-You’re just gonna make f-fun of me again…”

Katsuki raised an eyebrow, then sighed, “Alright, scouts honor,” he raised both hands up, showing Izuku that he was serious, “I will not make fun of you about this.”

Izuku looked up to see that Katsuki was, indeed, serious on his promise. He took a deep breath, then he muttered, “I-It’s a b-bunny costume…”

Katsuki looked at him deadpan, hands still up, “... Bunny costume as in… Like the pajamas Ralphie wore from the Christmas Story?”

Izuku looked away, “N-Not exactly…”

Katsuki raised one eyebrow, “… Okay…?”

Izuku gulped, “Y-You know what M-Mirko’s outfit looks like? F-From the All Might comics…?”

The two teachers sat there in dead silence, the gears in Katsuki’s head clear as day turning to process the information. Then it finally clicked; his eyes wide open.

He tried.

He really tried.

His face contorted to push back a laugh that was attempting to escape from his lips, air pushing through his mouth as he bit his tongue to hold it down.

Izuku looked dead into his eyes, face flushed red as he squinted right at him, “Don’t you dare, Kacchan…”

Katsuki stood up, hands still in the air, and walked out of the room quickly and into the nearest stairwell where he was sure Izuku (or anyone else) couldn’t hear him.

He then let it all out and clutched his stomach as he wheezed out a laugh so loud, the fifth grade students probably heard him from above. He stayed in that position for who knows how long until he composed himself, fixing his facial features, and walked back into Izuku’s classroom.

Izuku was still in the same spot, but his head was planted firmly onto his desk with his arms crossed over. It took every fiber of his being to keep himself in check before poking the poor man’s head to get his attention.

“Oi, Deku…”

“No…” Izuku mumbled into his arms.

“I’ll keep this up until you look at me…” Katsuki threatened.

“Don’t wanna…”

Katsuki smirked, “Then you leave me with no choice…” He then walked around the desk and reached over to the man’s sides and started to tickle him ruthlessly.

Izuku launched himself from his slump as a laugh escaped his lips, arms flailing and attempting to push the invading blonde from him, only to be met with a strong grip around his waist as the other offending hand tickled under his armpits.

Katsuki’s smirk widened, teeth blaring as he continued to assault the other man. For a brief second, Katsuki felt normal again, teasing Izuku just to get a smile on his face.

That is, until Izuku leaned back too much that sent them both flying downwards, taking Izuku’s desk chair with them.

Both teachers then found themselves on the ground, with Katsuki hovering right on top of Izuku, both staring at each other, all out of breath, staring straight at each other with wide eyes.

At this point, it seemed like time stood still, both teachers staring at each other as if they were the only things existing in the world.

Katsuki didn’t know why he did what he did, but he felt his body start to lean closer to the green haired man’s face just a bit, Izuku licking his lips as he parted them slightly. Katsuki felt his eyes starting to shut–

“Please, not during school hours,” the voice of Aizawa rang, making the two jump, suddenly remembering where they were.

Katsuki shot up first, a blank expression on his face, followed by a very flustered Izuku, scrambling to sit up and get an apology out, “M-Mr. Aizawa! I-It’s not w-what you t-think–”

Aizawa raised an irritated eyebrow from the door, taking a very long sip of his coffee, the slurping noises intentionally loud. The two teachers stared in silence as the principal contemplated his next words carefully.

Katsuki suddenly remembered that he was, indeed, in a very compromising position, so he scrambled back up on his feet and dusted off his pants. Izuku did the same, picking up his desk chair before sitting in it, attempting to reorganize himself as the two waited for Aizawa to just say something .

After what seemed like a torturous amount of time taking a damn sip of his coffee, Aizawa spoke, “I came to tell you that Eri will not be back for the remainder of the day, Izuku, and that I’m here to gather her things for the weekend.”

Izuku’s eyes widened, “Oh! Is it because of her nosebleed?”

“Apparently,” Aizawa started, “When she fell in the gym, her nose not only bled out, but it cracked pretty bad. Chiyo can only do so much as a school nurse, so Hizashi took her to the emergency room to get her nose looked at.”

Katsuki’s shoulders lurched a bit, eyes widened with concern.

Damn, now that he thought of it, her nose did look abnormal, why the FUCK didn’t he pick that up???

“Before you beat yourself up, Katsuki,” Aizawa interrupted his thoughts, “You did what was necessary at the time, so I’m here to thank you for taking care of her and sending her to the nurse as soon as possible. There was only so much you could have done.”

Katsuki let out a breath that he apparently was holding, shoulders slacking a bit, “Umm… Yeah, no problem, Mr. Aizawa…” he then looked at one of the desks near him and oh look a behavior chart with Snoopy stickers .

Aizawa sighed, “Anyway, Izuku, if she has anything that needs to be done over the weekend, I’d like to put them together now,” he stated as he walked over to the cubbies to get Eri’s jacket and backpack.

Izuku shot up from his chair, “Y-Yes, of course, Mr. Aizawa!” and he went to gather some papers to put in a blue folder with her name on it.

Katsuki, noting that he doesn’t have anything to do but stand there, gathered his lunch items and headed out the door, “I’ll see you later, Izuku…” and off he went back to the gym for the rest of the afternoon, trying to not to think about the almost-kiss that happened earlier.

He didn’t notice the green haired man stop in his tracks and look at him with a confused expression.

Izuku packed up his suitcase with anything else he may have forgotten, such as toothpaste, deodorant, and any other essentials.

He was about to zip up his suitcase when he took a look at the garment bag hanging by his closet; he knew what was in it besides his shirts and took a deep breath. He then walked over to the bag and opened it up.

Right dead center was the costume that Uraraka lent him; the Mirko Bunny Hero costume that everyone in the Bridal Party was asked to wear.

He knew Uraraka was also into the All Might comics like he was, but he didn’t think they were going to do this . For a Bachelorette Party .

He suddenly realized that he didn’t try it on to see if it fit; but he didn’t have time to do so as he had a long ride ahead of him.

He sighed and went to zip up his bag and suitcase; he then went to see if everything was where he left it before heading out the door.

Katsuki grumbled ferociously at the laptop.

Who fucking knew setting up a Facebook account was that DIFFICULT???

The government might as well ask him his regular shitting schedule for all he cared about with all of these security questions and password set up.

But after twenty excruciating minutes, his Facebook account was finished. Finally!

He figured out how to make his account set to private and not fucking public THANK YOU VERY MUCH and went to look at the profile he made.

He nodded his head in approval as he looked at it; better late than never, he supposed.

He then saw the button “Edit Profile,” and clicked on it. What popped up was a box that wanted him to set up a profile picture, a cover photo, a bio, and an introduction.

Oh, this might be more difficult than he thought.

He scrolled through his picture folder and found a suitable picture of himself (one of the school photos from picture day) and dragged it to the first part.

He then set up a cover photo of different sports equipment (because, you know, he’s a fucking gym teacher) before taking a look at the bio information it needed.

Katsuki squinted at the information it wanted; why the hell did it want his place of employment and school he went to? More importantly, why did it need to know if he was in a FUCKING RELATIONSHIP???

He gritted his teeth; did it REALLY need all of this information?

Fuck you, Zuckerberg!

He eventually caved and put down the information needed before writing up a small blurb in the introduction section and then hit save.

There! Done!

He stared at the profile, his school photo of himself smiling for the damn camera with his name “Katsuki Bakugou” written right next to it; the cover photo of the sports equipment hanging proudly on top, and right underneath his picture was the bio and introduction section.

Intro

Yo, new to this whole facebook thing. All Might fan and sports fanatic.

Gym Teacher at Toshinori Elementary School

Studied at UA University

Single

Joined January 20XX

“Alright, now what?” Katsuki said to himself. He didn’t think he’d get this far, but he knew he needed to add people. He then pulled out his phone to text Kirishima about it.

Bakubro

Oi

How do I add people on facebook?

As if on cue, his phone rang and it was Kirishima himself calling.

Fucking–

He picked up the phone, “Aren’t you going to be a normal human being and answer through text instead of fucking CALLING???”

“BUT BRO! YOU GOT A FACEBOOK NOW???? WELCOME TO THE 21ST CENTURY!!” Kirishima shouted with a loud cheer in the background, because of course Mina was there to hear it.

“Blasty, congrats on popping your Facebook cherry!” Mina teased.

“You may want to rethink that statement, Pinky! I’m talking to your boyfriend!” Katsuki roared, “Just tell me how to add people, alright?”

“Ah yeah, so how about this? Look me up and I’ll take it from there, okay?” Kirishima suggested.

“And how the fuck do I do that? Do I just look you up like Google?” Katsuki genuinely asked.

“Pretty much, bro. There’s a search bar on the top of the screen. Do you see it?” Kirishima asked.

Katsuki did, indeed, find the search bar and typed in ‘Eijirou Kirishima’ and sure enough, the first profile was Shitty Hair with a shit eating grin on his face and a squished Mina next to him, who was kissing his cheek, “Found ya.”

“Okay!” Kirishima said, “Now click on my profile and then find the button that says, ‘Add Friend,’ and then I’ll accept it on my end!”

Katsuki did just that, clicking the button and waited, until not even a minute later did his friend number go up from zero to one.

“Alright, cool! Now I’ll tag you in a post and tell everyone to send a request to you–” Kirishima stated.

“Hang on, I don’t want EVERY extra to friend me, just a select few, if possible,” Katsuki said, feeling a bit self conscious right now.

“Oh okay, sure,” Kirishima said, sounding surprised, “Do you want to send me a list of people you want to be friends with on Facebook?”

Katsuki contemplated this before answering, “Yeah, we can do that… I don’t know if everyone I want to be friends with has a Facebook account, to be honest…”

“Oh you’d be surprised, Blasty,” Mina interrupted, “Even Greta has one!”

“Seriously???” Katsuki shouted, shock rippling through his voice.

He heard both Kirishima and Mina snicker on the other end, “That she does; she told me she has one to keep up with her grandkids since they live pretty far away.”

“... Makes sense,” Katsuki added.

“Anyway, bro, let me know who you want to add and I’ll get that going for you, okay?” Kirishima stated.

“Yeah, sure, I’ll do that now… Talk to you later…” Katsuki was about to hang up before he heard Kirishima shout.

“WAIT! I have a question!” Kirishima shouted.

“What?” Katsuki asked, no bite to his retort.

“Why now get a Facebook? You always said that you didn’t want one because, and I quote, ‘Fuck That Noise!’” Kirishima imitated Katsuki, which made Mina giggle a bit in the background before whispering at how she needed to pack and apparently left.

Katsuki was about to argue back when he took a pause, letting Kirishima’s words settle in.

… Why did he set one up now?

Well, he obviously knew why…

The REAL reason: to see what Izuku was up to.

No, this isn’t spying or anything, he just wanted to see what he did when he and Katsuki didn’t hang out (which has been a lot lately). And he was going to be away this weekend and might talk about it on his profile, so maybe he wanted to see what happened in Izuku’s life.

But he couldn’t tell Shitty Hair that, so he made up some sort of excuse.

“B-Because I figured, why not? Better late than never, I guess…” Katsuki stammered out, hoping his friend would buy it.

It seemed like he did, which Kirishima then said, “Okay, bro, I guess I can see that. Well, I won’t keep you, just send me that list, alright?”

“Yeah, will do,” and before Kirishima could say anything else, he hung up.

After a few minutes of typing up a list, he sent it to Kirishima. Now he just had to play the waiting game.

Kirishima

YO MIDORIYA

Guess who joined the 21st century and got a facebook?

Midoriya

Huh?

Who?

Also you’re lucky I’m at a service station

Cuz I would not have picked up otherwise lol

Kirishima

Lol yeah I know, lucky me, then! :-) 

Anyway, it’s Bakugou!

:-D

Midoriya

…

Is this a prank?

Am I being filmed somewhere?

Kirishima

Nope! No jokes!

Though I’d love to see your reaction, tbh

XD

Midoriya

Oh ha ha

Very funny

:-/

Kirishima

Seriously, no jokes

Here, I’ll send you the link to prove it

Kirishima sent you a link

Midoriya

…

OH MY GOD

KACCHAN???

Kirishima

I KNOW RIGHT?

:-D

He’s waiting for people to add him

Go for it, bro ;-)

Midoriya

Ok ok I will

Seriously, how did you convince him?

He never wanted one in the first place!

Kirishima

Don’t ask me

He did that on his own accord

I had nothing to do with it

Midoriya

Really?

Wow

I seriously am at a loss of words

Kirishima

Then take that opportunity of stun silence

And add him already! :-P

Midoriya

Uh right

Will do

Thanks, Kirishima! :-)

Kirishima

No prob, bro!

Now go get to that party!

Btw, Mina’s on her way!

Midoriya

Okay! :-)

Izuku made it to his hotel room in time for check-in and plopped himself onto the bed.

The place was a two hour drive and he was mentally exhausted. The hotel was right across the street from where the escape room and karaoke bar was (how convenient given the January weather and what they’re supposed to be wearing during that time). His hotel room was relatively small, but good enough for being the only male in the party. 

He’d have to thank Yaoyorozu for the last minute reservation.

The others were on their way, so he had plenty of time to kill.

Which meant only two things to do:

The first thing he did was get his phone out and open the link Kirishima sent him. The link sent him to open the facebook app and there was Katsuki’s new facebook profile; his picture being the school photo from picture day, along with a cover photo of sports equipment. He looked at the right of the profile to see the little check mark that said ‘friends’ next to it.

He felt a blush form on his cheeks; that same smile on the profile picture was inches away from his own in his classroom during lunch time earlier that day.

It was almost as if he was going to…

… No, surely he wasn’t…

And most certainly not at WORK, right?

Right???

And yet why did he ALLOW that to happen? He knew he licked his lips and opened them up, as if he was inviting him to do so…

… AT WORK!!!

Izuku shot up from the bed and went to the bathroom to toss cold water on his face. He then dried off with one of the spare towels and looked at his reflection in the mirror.

Now is NOT the time to think about that right now.

This is supposed to be Uraraka’s weekend of fun and frivolity! He needed to let loose for once in his life!

He deserved it for working hard, right?

So with renewed determination, he walked out of the bathroom and took out the god forsaken bunny outfit to try on! Because FUCK IT!

After about ten minutes of stumbling around in the hotel room, he found himself officially in the outfit. He walked over to the full length mirror across from the small desk and stared right at widened green eyes.

He… Wow… He actually liked it?

There he was in the Mirko Bunny Hero costume from the All Might comics; white leotard with purple lining around, a furry white neckline, a piece of silver and yellow striped fake armor around his waist, and a yellow crescent moon donned on the chest area. Then he had on long, knee high purple boots with silver fake armor cladded around his feet, some white gloves, and long bunny earmuffs that were adorned on his head. He turned to see the bunny tail protruding from the back of his butt.

He noticed that the leotard fit quite nicely and hugged his features well. He needed to thank Uraraka for lending the outfit, as it was supposed to be Toga’s.

He also needed to thank Mina for getting some underwear to go underneath that would help with his… Frontal problems…

Feeling slightly brave, he took out his phone and went to take a picture, trying to find a pose that would work, but he defaulted with the peace sign pose, and sent it to the group chat he was in with Uraraka and the rest of the bridesmaids.

Izuku

Izuku sent a photo

Is this how you wear this?

He only waited a minute before he got a flood of messages back from the group chat, startling him from the positive reactions he got.

Uraraka

OMG

YOU LOOK SO CUTE IZUKU!

So glad that fits you! :-D

Yaoyorozu

Wow, you pull that off really well, Midoriya!

Jirou said that you look good.

She’s driving, just to let you know.

Tsuyu

Looks good on you, Midoriya! :3

Ashido

OH

MY

GOD

MIDORIYAAAAAA~

Btw, how do those undies feel? ;-P 

Izuku blushed at Mina’s question before replying back.

Izuku

Do I really need to answer that question?

Ashido

Yes

Yes you do

>;-)

Izuku

Ok?

It fits… Well…?

Ashido

Lol

Fine, I’ll take it

We’re almost there, DO NOT CHANGE

WE WANNA GET A GROUP SELFIE FOR FACEBOOK!

And then tomorrow, we RISE

Izuku gulped.

Oh boy…

“LET’S GET THIS BACHELORETTE PARTY STARTED, BITCHES!” Mina shouted, tossing her shot glass in the air, and a cacophony of cheers from the whole group, all donned in their own Mirko bunny costumes, soared across the bar as each shot glass of bourbon was clinked together and each one downed their shots in one gulp.

Izuku slammed his shot down on the bar table, wincing at the burning sensation going down his throat. He gave the group a big grin and everyone started chatting away about anything and everything for some time.

He felt like a rebel being at a bar, doing shots, wearing a bunny costume in public , and hanging out with his friends. He was never the party person, especially during college, but hell, he’s making up for it now! Although there was one friend missing he wanted to be here, he didn’t let that falter his mood.

Once everyone was satisfied with the amount of alcohol they consumed, they all walked over to the Escape Room that they reserved. Uraraka led the way, readjusting her sash that draped over her costume that read, “Bride-2-Be” in the middle. The others had big pink pins that said “Bridesmaid” on them, with Izuku’s saying “Man of Honor” in green.

She turned to her group and said, “Ready girls? Izuku?”

Jirou shouted, “Ready when you are!”

“Let’s fucking GOOOOO!” Mina shrieked.

Momo, Tsu, and Izuku cheered and clapped, indicating that they were ready as well.

The party then walked over to the counter; the man behind it gave them the basics of what the scenario was in the room, their time limit, and how many hints they were allowed, before opening the door to what looked like a spacecraft door.

Once inside, the party got to work on getting the hell out. Izuku showed off his observant skills by finding anything that the girls may have overlooked, and Momo was good at riddles and translating any puzzles that had hieroglyphic-like symbols. Mina and Tsu were fast to get some time-sensitive pieces done, while Jirou helped with a sound puzzle where they had to figure out which buttons to press in a specific order. Uraraka shined on the last puzzle, where they needed to figure out coordinates to get their ‘rescue’ to safety by finding specific constellations that were above them all.

With only ten minutes left, they were finished and completed the room. They all cheered, grabbed some signs that said, ‘We Escaped!’ and got ready for a group photo.

Adrenaline coursing through his veins, Izuku made a pose he never thought he would do; he held his sign in front as he knelt on the ground, winking at the camera, making some sort of superhero pose. The others joined in, laughing and having the time of their lives.

Once the pictures were taken, the group made their way to the karaoke bar and settled themselves down for more shots of bourbon as the DJ got herself situated and called for anyone who wanted to take their shot at singing a song.

Some drunk men gathered around the microphone and bellowed out “Piano Man” as Uraraka’s group downed more shots.

Izuku ordered some nachos and fries for the group, knowing full well that they all needed food, which everyone cheered.

“Aww you do care, Midoriya~” Mina cooed, pinching his cheeks.

“Easy, Ashido, you had more shots than the rest of the group,” Tsu stated, pointing at the three shot glasses she consumed while the rest only had two.

Momo giggled, “I haven’t had this much fun since my high school musical all those years ago!”

Izuku perked up a bit as he paid the bartender for the food that just arrived, “Really? What did you do for your musical that year?”

Momo looked up in concentration, “Well, we were doing ‘Into the Woods,’ and I was stage manager for it. I may not have been in the spotlight, but I remember having fun with all of my friends. And when we were finished with our last performance, we went to a restaurant and ordered appetizers for a job well done!”

“Wow, Momo! That sounds like you had a blast!” Uraraka spoke as she munched on some nachos.

Jirou chimed in, “I was more into band and chorus in high school, but when my school did any sort of play or musical, they always asked me for help with sound design; I was always happy to help. My teacher considered me a ‘prodigy’ in music and sound and tried to encourage me to go play in some sort of orchestra or something, but my heart was always in teaching,” she smiled before picking up a French fry and eating it.

Mina laughed, “I can totally see you in some sort of stuffy uniform playing the bass for some reason!”

“Please don’t.”

Izuku chuckled, “Hey, does anyone wanna do karaoke? Otherwise, I’m gonna go,” he asked, though he’s not sure if it’s the adrenaline from earlier or the amount of alcohol he had consumed.

Uraraka beamed, “I’ll come! Give me one second,” she then took one more shot of bourbon before jumping off the barstool and joining Izuku to go to the DJ.

They made their request, and soon, ‘Wannabe’ by the Spice Girls blared through the speakers, the rest of the bridesmaids cheering the two on, with Mina holding her phone up, recording the sight.

Izuku took a deep breath with the biggest grin on his face, started blaring out the words, with Uraraka in tow:

YOOOO, I’LL TELL YOU WHAT I WANT, WHAT I REALLY REALLY WANT

SO TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT, WHAT YOU REALLY REALLY WANT

I’LL TELL YOU WHAT I WANT, WHAT I REALLY REALLY WANT

SO TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT, WHAT YOU REALLY REALLY WANT

I WANNA ( HA! ) , I WANNA ( HA! ) , I WANNA ( HA! ) , I WANNA ( HA! )

I WANNA REALLY REALLY REALLY WANNA ZIGAZIG, AAAAAHH~

The rest of the group wolf whistled and cheered on the two as they continued to blast the song to smithereens in their slightly tipsy state. Izuku heard some men at the bar throwing catcalls at them, so he turned slightly in their direction and gave them the biggest, “Fight me, fuckers,” death glare he could muster.

That apparently was super effective, as the men stopped and turned around to do whatever it was they were doing prior. Izuku turned back around as the song got to his favorite part, which Uraraka was happy to let him do.

So, here's a story from A to Z

You wanna get with me?

You gotta listen carefully

We got Em in the place who likes it in your face

You got G like MC who likes it on a-

Easy V doesn't come for free

She's a real lady

And as for me, HA!, you'll see

Slam your body down and wind it all around

SLAM YOUR BODY DOWN AND WIND IT ALL AROUND~

The rest of the song came naturally and once it was over, the two bowed as the crowd cheered them on. Out of breath, they both went back to the bar to rejoin their group.

Mina slammed her hand on Izuku’s back ( ow ), “Midoriya, who knew you had some pipes on ya??”

Jirou chuckled, “Yeah, seriously, that’s a compliment!”

Izuku smiled, “Thanks! I dabbled in singing while in middle school, but that was pretty much it…” he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck.

Uraraka patted his shoulder, “Well, you should sing more often! Hey Tsu!” She then turned to the green haired woman, who was chatting away with Momo, “Wanna do a song together?”

Tsu nodded, and went with Uraraka back to the DJ; the two then started to sing ‘Baby One More Time’ by Britney Spears.

Izuku laughed as they sang the lyrics and making fools of themselves (deliberately of course), Mina again having her phone out to take videos.

Soon everyone had their shine in the spotlight, and after a few extra hours of singing, drinking, and having a time of their lives, they all trudged their way back to the hotel in the brisk January night air. The cold breeze woke them up from the warm bar and drinks they consumed; Mina was slumped between Momo and Izuku as they carried her back to her room (since she had more shots than the Bride herself).

They all made it to the hallway where their rooms were; Izuku helped Momo drag her into their shared room and plopped Mina onto her bed and got herself comfortable to sleep off the alcohol, taking off her bunny earmuffs and placing it on the nightstand and plugging in her phone, which screamed at them that it only had 5% battery left.

Momo sighed before turning to Izuku, “Thank you for helping with her.”

Izuku waved his hand in dismissal, “No problem, Yaoyorozu. I guess she just had too much fun, right?”

Momo chuckled, “I guess, knowing her. I’ll message Kirishima and let him know she’s fine but out of commission for now. I should also message Shouto as well,” she stated with a small blush on her cheeks.

Izuku smiled, “Hey, I never got the chance to congratulate you two. With Kacchan being sent to the hospital, it sort of slipped my mind,” he then fiddled with his fingers with embarrassment.

Momo looked up from her phone, mid typing, with a surprised look on her face, “Midoriya, Bakugou was first priority that night, as you know he needed to be hospitalized. The last thing we needed to do was tell everyone about us during a crisis like that.”

“Oh, no, I gathered that much,” Izuku started, “It’s just… You know…” he didn’t know what else to say as he stared at a random corner of the hotel room.

Momo smiled back and placed her hand on his shoulder, “It’s alright, Midoriya, we eventually told everyone, so it’s all good. Don’t beat yourself up over it, okay?”

Izuku nodded, before suddenly getting very tired, “I should go back to my room, I’ll see you in the morning?”

“Mhm, have a good night, Midoriya, and thank you for helping me with Ashido,” she said as she waved him off.

Izuku eventually made it to his hotel room; he took off the outfit ( FREEDOM , shouted his lower region), showered, and got himself into his boxers before plopping down onto his bed. He went to plug in his phone when he suddenly thought to message Katsuki, just to let him know he’s alright.

And he did just that before falling asleep after a long and exciting evening.

Katsuki saw Izuku’s messages pop up on the top of his phone screen.

Deku

Hey Kacchan

Just got back to the hotel room

We’re all okay, though Ashido may have had too much to drink lol

Anyway, it’s late and I’m very tired, so I’ll ttyl

Goodnight, Kacchan

:-)

But Katsuki didn’t pay any attention to the messages.

Instead he was staring at the pictures and videos Mina took and posted from the party on her timeline all in one album, with everyone tagged in each photo taken. Thanks to Kirishima, he found the Facebook app for his phone and can look around on his timeline while in bed.

He scrolled through the pictures of the group in their Mirko bunny outfits in a hotel room, at the bar taking shots, right after they completed the escape room, and even some photos and videos of them singing their hearts out at karaoke.

Katsuki zoomed in on the photos to take a look at one person in particular, which was, of course, Izuku himself, who was wearing that outfit himself.

Katsuki can feel his face get warm and his heart rate speeding up just looking at it. Izuku looked like he was having the time of his life.

And DAMN did that outfit look good on him…

He then continued to scroll down and clicked on the videos that Izuku was in; he snorted hearing him sing ‘Wannabe’ with Uraraka, bellowing out the words with the biggest grin on his face. Katsuki then scrolled down to a video where it was just Izuku and pressed play.

There stood a very tipsy Izuku singing “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” by Whitney Houston, face flushed from the alcohol and from the spotlight on him as he got to the chorus.

OOOOH, I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY

I WANNA FEEL THE HEAT WITH SOMEBODY

YEEEEAH, I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY

WITH SOMEBODY WHO LOOOOVES ME~

Katsuki smiled as he continued to watch the nerd humiliate himself and not give a flying fuck in the world. He can hear the group encouraging him to keep going, which he did, and then bowing once he finished, the whole bar cheering as he left to go back to the group.

Katsuki’s smile faltered as he clutched his phone in his hands. He instantly thought about the song Izuku sang as a single tear fell down his face.

Katsuki wanted to be that somebody with Izuku. One that danced with him, laughed with him, held him in his arms…

One that loved him…

But is it ever going to happen?

It sure doesn’t seem like it…

Katsuki continued down this rabbit hole (no pun intended) of doubt and sadness until his eyes got heavy and he drifted off to sleep.

“So then we needed to find coordinates to get the space shuttle back home and at first it seemed confusing, but Uraraka seemed to know what she was doing and found the constellations that matched the riddle and Momo deciphered–”

“Mhm…”

“And then when we put the coordinates in, I suddenly remembered about the spacesuit, so I shouted to Tsu to get it before Uraraka pressed the button, which she did, and we WON! It was so cool to see the different puzzles we needed to solve!”

“Yep…”

“After we got our pictures, we went straight to the karaoke bar and had some drinks, food, and sang a ton of songs! I may have gotten carried away and sang some songs so loud, I thought I was going to lose my voice at some point, but luckily I didn’t.”

“Uh huh…”

“Kacchan?”

“Hmm?”

“Are you listening? You’ve barely said a word this entire time…”

Katsuki looked up from his lunch to see concerned eyes staring at him. He realized that he zoned out while Izuku was explaining in detail what transpired at the bachelorette party. He attempted to recompose himself before grunting an answer.

“Y-Yeah, I’m listening, sorry…” he trailed off, poking at his beef stew.

Izuku raised an eyebrow, unconvinced, “Is everything okay, Kacchan?”

Katsuki grunted, “I’m good, Deku, really…”

“You don’t look good to me–” Izuku started to protest.

“I SAID I’M FINE!” Katsuki shouted, before realizing what he just did, which was making the poor man in front of him jump from his sudden outburst. He cleared his throat, “S-Sorry…”

Izuku recovered from the sudden change in his friend, “I-It’s okay, Kacchan. Do you… Do you wanna talk about what’s bothering you?”

Katsuki sighed, “If it’s all the same, I’d rather not…”

“Oh, okay…” Izuku said with some hint of disappointment in his voice, “... It’s just…”

Katsuki sat there silently, allowing him to continue with this train of thought.

Izuku continued, “... It’s just that… You’ve been acting weird since the party… And it’s more evident when you were in the hospital… A-And with what happened… Here… L-Last week…” he blushed at that thought, “Just…” he placed a hand on the blonde’s free one that was sitting on the desk, “You can talk to me about anything, okay? You know that…” Izuku gave him a reassuring smile.

Katsuki just sat there staring at the man holding his hand ( soft hands ). He then turned to look sideways, “I know, Izuku… I just…” He took his hand away and stirred around his lunch with his fork, “... Just… At least not right now… Okay?”

Izuku paused for a minute before answering, “... Okay, Kacchan… I’m here when you’re ready to talk, okay?”

Katsuki nodded; he took one forkful of his beef stew before standing up and gathering his things, “I gotta get some lesson plans done, I’ll see you after school…” he then turned and left Izuku’s classroom. He was halfway down the hallway before realizing something…

Well shit…

He scowled at himself with the sudden realization before running back to the classroom, face flustered with embarrassment, “Dammit, I’m sorry, nerd!”

Izuku was in the middle of eating his udon noodles when Katsuki burst through the doors and startled him that he almost choked on the noodles. Once he settled, he turned toward the man with a confused expression on his face, “Uhh… What?”

Katsuki sputtered out his apology some more, “You were trying to tell me about your weekend and I made it about myself. I’m sorry…”

Izuku blinked, “I-It’s okay, Kacchan…”

“No the fuck it’s not!” Katsuki shouted, “After school, you tell me all about it and I will give you my undivided attention like I should have! In fact, you’re going to be my number one goddamn priority from here on out, you got that, nerd???”

“... Is that a threat…?” Izuku asked with one eyebrow raised.

“Do you want it to be? Because it can if you want it to be…” Katsuki smirked.

Izuku’s face flushed as he mumbled out an, “U-Um… N-No…?”

“Cool beans, now, eat your lunch, I gotta go, and I’ll meet you here after school and you’re going to sit your fine ass down on that seat and you’re gonna tell me all about your weekend until you’re completely done, you got that, sweet cheeks?” Katsuki slightly threatened.

Izuku gulped, “O-Okay Kacchan…” he paused before suddenly realizing, “Wait, sweet cheeks?? Kacchan–”

But before he could finish that statement, Katsuki was already gone, marching down the hallway with a beet red face as he realized what he just implied to the green haired man.

They didn’t bring that up after school, and Katsuki was fine with it.

Chapter Text

Izuku’s classroom was adorned with everything pink and red for Valentine’s Day that was quickly approaching. He was slowly pacing up and down the classroom with the vocabulary book in his hand as he monitored each child at their desks; their ‘no peeking’ folders stacked in front of them, as he continued down the list of words he instructed them all to learn to spell for their test.

“You’re next word is ‘rumor,’” he paused as the children scribbled onto the test before continuing, “‘I heard a rumor that there will be tacos served for lunch today.’” He looked around to see if everyone was ready for the next word.

“The last word is ‘ocean,’” he again paused for a brief moment, “‘When you go to the beach, you see dolphins in the blue ocean.’”

Once everyone stopped writing, he continued, “If you’d like to try the two bonus words for extra credit, please continue. Otherwise, pencils down and flip your tests over,” he noted a few who indeed put their pencils down; he inwardly sighed at one of his students, Hannah, who would do well with the bonus words, turned her test over with a sad look on her face, but Izuku continued on.

“First bonus word is ‘community,’” he waited for some time before continuing, “‘Everyone in the community helped out with cleaning up the local playground this weekend.’”

He took a moment before reading the last bonus word, “Your final bonus word is, ‘nervous,’” he paused, “‘It’s okay to be nervous about a test, as long as you try your best.’” Once everyone finished, he then suddenly got an idea, “If you didn’t do the bonus words now, but changed your mind, I’ll give you a few seconds to turn your tests over and I’ll read them all again.”

He allowed some of the students to think about it for a few seconds as some did flip their tests back; he noticed that Hannah also turned her paper around, awaiting Izuku to give her the words again. He smiled at her as he re-read them.

Once finished, he collected the tests and had them all play some educational friendly games on their iPads to wind down a bit. Hunter walked back into the classroom and handed him his test, coming back from the Reading Specialist, Itsuka Kendo.

“Everything okay with Ms. Kendo?” Izuku asked.

Hunter nodded, “She’s great, Mr. M! Did I pass???”

Izuku chuckled, “You’ll have to let me grade your test first, Hunter. Why don’t you take this sticker,” he then reached for a Snoopy sticker and handed it to him, “And put it right on your chart and then you can play Tetris!”

Hunter beamed, “Thank you, Mr. M!” and off he went to his desk, sticker in hand.

Hannah walked over to Izuku’s desk as she fiddled with her fingers, “I-I had some trouble with some words, Mr. Midoriya…”

Izuku smiled back at her, “Don’t you worry about that Hannah, I’m not expecting perfection. As long as you followed the instructions and took your time, that’s all I care about, okay? And I’m proud that you went for the bonus words at the end!”

Hannah nodded, muttering “Thank you, Mr. Midoriya…” She took a pause before asking, “... Can I see Ms. Uraraka, please?”

Izuku nodded, “Of course, let me call her to see if she’s available,” he then dialed her number and once he got her okay, he nodded to Hannah, who shuffled out of the classroom toward Uraraka’s room.

Izuku inwardly sighed at her lack of confidence; he has been trying real hard to encourage her to do her best, but she’s her own worst enemy ever since her parents nasty divorce prior to joining his class. She had her moments where she shined, like today when she turned her test back around, but that was far fewer in between as the rest of the time she sulked in silence.

He brought this up to Uraraka, who did allow her to come to her room if she absolutely needed it. It took some time for the two of them to get Hannah to a point where she was comfortable enough to ask to see her when she wanted to. Izuku and Uraraka took this small step as a big win for now when they brought this up to Aizawa.

He gave the students another minute before calling their attention to start their math lesson. He picked up his math book and started up the SmartBoard and off he went in his element.

“So, what’s eatin’ ya?” Katsuki asked as he leaned against the SmartBoard while Izuku sanitized the desks at the end of the day.

Izuku sighed, looking up at the blonde, “Not much, I just feel bad for Hannah…”

“What about her?” Katsuki genuinely asked, no cynicism in his voice.

“Well, you know how her parents divorced last summer, and recently Uraraka and I encouraged her to go see her whenever she needed to…” Izuku started.

Katsuki grunted, letting him know that he was listening.

Izuku looked down, “She’s been asking to go see her more often lately, which, don’t get me wrong, I’m glad we got her to a point where she’s comfortable asking, but now I don’t know if she’s asking to go to miss class deliberately or she genuinely needs to see Uraraka about things happening at home… A-And I’m not doubting her! That is not what I’m saying at all! Hannah’s a good kid! It’s just…”

“It’s just that you’ve seen this kind of behavior before, now you’re skeptical about this kid who’s uncharacteristically going downhill mentally and emotionally over a messy divorce,” Katsuki finished his trail of thoughts.

Izuku slowly nodded.

Katsuki hummed in response, “So what did Aizawa say?” He asked, knowing full well he talked to him about it.

“He said that if the parents are in agreement, she could see TetsuTetsu after school if need be,” Izuku mumbled.

“The School Psychologist, eh? Think she can handle Metal Head?” Katsuki genuinely asked.

“O-Of course, Kacchan! She’s a smart and tough girl!” Izuku protested.

Katsuki smiled, “Then you have nothing to worry about, as long as the parents agree to it, she’ll be fine. You’re doing the best you can with her. You have a tough crowd of kids here, and you’ve had worse, so chin up, be proud, and stop doubting yourself, dammit,” he then flicked Izuku’s forehead to get his point across.

Izuku winced at the touch, “Kacchan! That hurt!”

Katsuki smirked, “Gotta knock some sense into ya, BunBun~”

Izuku whined, “You’re never gonna stop with that, aren’t you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Bugs~” Katsuki teased.

Izuku groaned; ever since the bachelorette party, Katsuki had been throwing those kinds of nicknames at him in a teasing manner to get him flustered for some reason.

Yeah he felt confident at the time and was okay wearing it in public at a place that no one knew him, but Mina’s Facebook post suddenly brought him back down to reality as some form of embarrassment hit him square in the face.

The comment section on the album was commenting about him in the outfit more than the girls themselves and it especially was more about him than Uraraka, who was the bride. He found himself profusely apologizing to Uraraka for ruining her big night, which was met with reassurance that everything was fine and there was no ill will towards him.

While it helped alleviate his worry, it didn’t help that the costume now managed to find itself in a corner of his closet, never to be seen again.

And as if that wasn’t enough, Katsuki teasing him was just the right cherry on top that he would never put on that outfit again.

… At least, not in public again…

Izuku shook his head, face flushed with embarrassment, “Can you at least just help me out with some cleaning, then?”

Katsuki shrugged, “Alright, bunny cheeks~”

Izuku threw a notebook at him, which missed and made him laugh even more; he so wanted to strangle the blonde.

Eri held Papa's hand while he pushed the cart around in the store, looking around for some last minute Valentine’s Day gifts for Daddy.

She looked around the items and noted two big boxes of assorted chocolates as well as two chocolate roses. She beamed as she shook Papa’s hand, “Papa! Can I get these, please?”

Papa took a look at what she was pointing at, then asked her, “What do you need these for, Eri?”

She smiled, “For my teachers!”

Papa grinned, “Oh, for Mr. Midoriya, huh? Wait, teachers? Plural?” he asked.

Eri nodded, “And for Mr. Bakugou, too!”

Papa looked at her weirdly before he spoke again, “Hey I understand Mr. Midoriya, but why Mr. Bakugou?”

Eri looked at Papa, sheer determination filled her vision, “Because he’s the best teacher ever! I wanna show him how much I like his gym classes! Also, I’d like to thank him for helping me out with my nose…” she fiddled with her dress, hoping that may convince Papa to let her get what she needed.

Papa then smiled again, “Oh, alright, just don’t let Daddy know about this, okay?” he winked.

Eri giggled, “I won’t. I have money, Papa, I can pay for it!”

Papa’s eyes widened, “Sweetheart, you don’t have to spend your money, I’ll get it for you!”

“But I WANT to!” Eri shouted excitedly, “I even brought it with me!” She then proudly showed him the bills and coins that were in her pocket.

Papa looked at her in shock, “Is that from your piggy bank?”

Eri nodded, “I call this an emergency, wouldn’t you, Papa?”

Papa stared at her for a solid minute, before his face contorted into a laugh, “Okay, you got me there. Fine, as long as you know how to make change, okay?”

Eri smiled, “Mr. Midoriya showed me how to do it a long time ago, remember?”

“Ah, yes, how could I forget?” Papa shrugged with a grin on his face. He then placed the chocolates of choice in the cart and proceeded to continue shopping with his little munchkin.

Eri giggled excitedly; their plan was coming together.

Mahoro and Katsuma looked around in the card section of the corner store that was across from their house, attempting to find the right cards for Mr. Midoriya and Mr. Bakugou. Luckily, Mahoro was tall enough to look at the cards that Katsuma couldn’t see, as she found the perfect ones!

“Aha! Katsuma, look what I found!” She claimed, holding up two different cards, one with a puppy and one with a kitten.

Katsuma looked at both cards and raised an eyebrow, “Are you sure those are good enough cards for Mr. Midoriya and Mr. Bakugou?”

Mahoro scoffed, “Look, your friends roped me into this, and I’m here to see this through now. Besides, I’ve been practicing writing in their handwriting for months now, so maybe a ‘thank you’ would work instead of doubting me?”

Katsuma looked down on the ground, “Sorry, and thanks, Mahoro…”

Mahoro sighed and gave him a sympathetic smile, rustling his head, “Sorry, but listen, I’m more than happy to help. I’ve seen them together longer than you have, so let’s go do our best, okay?”

Katsuma smiled, “Okay! I have the money ready to go! I know how to count change now!”

“Oh you do, do you?” Mahoro smirked, “Well, let’s go pay for these and get back home before daddy beats us!”

Katsuma nodded before following his sister toward the lonely cashier, who was texting on his phone.

“Hey Shino?”

“Yes, Kota?”

“May I get a balloon?”

Shino looked at Kota with an eyebrow raised, “May I get a balloon…?” she repeated, waiting for him to respond properly.

Kota inwardly rolled his eyes, “... Please?”

Shino smiled, “Well of course, but only one, okay?”

Kota kept staring at her with the best doe eyed expression he could muster.

It was absolutely humiliating to do this; but he did it for the group that was counting on him to get the balloons.

Shino’s eyes widened slightly, before she ruffled his hair, “Alright, two balloons; you have been doing your chores willingly lately, so I’ll let it slide just this once.”

Kota fistbumped the air as he ran over to the balloon section of the store. He looked around each selection that was there before pointing at the two he needed.

“Shino! May I have those?”

Shino looked at the ones he picked out and gave him a confused look, “Valentine’s Day balloons? Are you sure? They have Paw Patrol and Bluey ones, too,” she suggested, pointing at the ones she described.

Kota shook his head, “Not today, I’d like those! Besides, Valentine’s Day is coming up…” he looked to the ground, twiddling his thumbs.

Shino sighed, “Alright, I guess that makes sense… Excuse me!” She waved to the lady working at the counter and after she filled up the balloons and tied them up with string, Shino handed them to Kota.

“Hold them tight, I’ll go pay for them, okay?” Shino smiled at Kota.

“Shino?”

“Yes?”

“May I pay for them?”

Shino looked at him surprisingly, “What is this all of a sudden?”

Kota scoffed, “Am I not allowed to pay for my own things???” His eyes widened, realizing he messed up, before looking down again, “Sorry, I just… I want to pay for them, they’re my balloons, after all…” he prayed she would fall for this after the slip up.

Shino looked at her cousin, still trying to figure out where all of this came from, before patting his shoulders, “No, you’re right, Kota, you should be able to do this now, since you’re getting older. I’m sorry for doubting you. Do you have the money for it?” She asked.

Kota smiled, “Yep, I have it in my pocket!” He then went to pull out a bag full of dollar bills and coins, showing his cousin what for, “And I know how to count coins now!”

Shino smiled, “Oh, I don’t doubt that in the slightest. Mr. Midoriya worked really hard with you on that, didn’t he?”

Kota nodded, “So, may I pay for the balloons now?”

Shino laughed, “Eager, aren’t we? Sure, let’s go to the checkout now.”

Kota cheered as he ran over to the cash register.

He couldn’t believe that it worked!

It was now Valentine’s Day; Eri held her dad’s hand as he and Papa walked into the school building, the sky still dark in the early hours of the morning. She held onto her (very heavy) backpack as she followed both of her fathers into the office.

Papa went straight to his desk to file some paperwork he’d been neglecting for some time, while her dad took a large sip of his coffee before talking to Eri, “If you want to put your Valentine Box down in your classroom, go ahead. I’m sure the doors are unlocked at this point.”

Eri beamed, “Okay, daddy!”

Her dad hummed a response, before mumbling, “Mirio?”

“Yeah, Shouta?” Mr. Togata responded from his desk.

“Make sure Eri doesn’t wander around the school again, would you?” she heard her dad ask.

Oh MAN…

Mr. Togata stood up from his seat, shouting, “You can count on me, sir!” And soon he was right behind her as she walked toward her classroom.

Eri held onto her box as she tried to figure out how to get around Mr. Togata to get to the gymnasium. She then came up with a swift plan before turning to face the tall blonde man with the big goofy smile, “Hey Mr. Togata?”

“Yeah, Eri?” Mr. Togata asked.

“Can I stop at the gym after I dropped off my box, please?” Eri asked politely.

Mr. Togata raised an eyebrow, “Now why would I do that?”

Eri gave her best pleading face, “I remembered I left something there and I wanted to get it before school started. It would be alot easier since it’s just us in the hallway right now.”

Mr. Togata contemplated that thought for a moment, “Hmmm… Alright, sure, just don’t tell your dad we made a small detour, okay?” He winked.

Eri nodded, inwardly cheering that her plan worked.

Mr. Togata stood right outside the door of Izuku’s classroom to check his email on his phone when the plan was set in motion.

Eri dropped off her box onto her desk and quickly made a beeline to Izuku’s desk and pulled out everything from her backpack that she and her friends retrieved.

How she managed to fit EVERYTHING in her Hello Kitty backpack, she had no idea, but she gave a sigh of relief as both balloons were still inflated. She pulled out one, tied it to a box of chocolate, a chocolate rose, and a card that said “To Izuku'' in Mahoro’s perfected handwriting. She then gently placed the items onto the desk, zipped up her backpack, and ran out the door.

Mr. Togata looked over as she came out, “That took a bit just to put a box on your desk, kiddo,” he said.

Eri smiled, “Oh, I just wanted to make sure it was okay, I noticed some stickers were falling off, so I taped them back on,” she said, hoping the fib worked.

Mr. Togata laughed, “Well alright then. Man, you kids are more perfectionists now than when I was a kid. Anyway, ready to make that pitstop?”

Eri nodded and followed Mr. Togata to the gymnasium. When they got there, they noticed that the doors were locked. Eri’s smile faltered, thinking that the plan wasn’t going to work.

Mr. Togata pulled out some keys from his pocket, “Don’t worry, Eri, I always have some spare keys!” He winked as he opened the door to the gym, “Now go get what you need and meet me out here; be quick about it!”

Eri beamed, “Thanks, Mr. Togata!” And off she ran into the gym and into the office of Mr. Bakugou.

After placing the items onto his desk, she zipped up her backpack and was about to leave when she heard the familiar voice of Mr. Bakugou himself talking to Mr. Togata just outside the door.

“Hah? The hell are you doing here, Tin Tin?” she heard him bark.

Eri stopped in her tracks, her heart racing, feeling caught like she cheated on a test.

“Hey, good morning, Bakugou! Not much, just waiting for Eri to get something from your office,” she heard Mr. Togata explain.

Oh no…

“Eri’s in there? Why? She didn’t forget anything,” she heard Mr. Bakugou say.

“Huh, really? She was very adamant that she did,” Mr. Togata replied.

Oh no oh no oh no…

Beads of sweat coursed down her forehead, her brain trying to figure out how to get out of this jam before she swiftly ran over to the door, hoping the excuse she came up with on the fly would suffice.

She willed herself to produce tears as she ran out the door and hugged Mr. Togata tightly.

Mr. Togata tensed up before realizing who was hugging him, “Woah, there, slugger– Hey Eri, what’s wrong?” he knelt down to see her teary face, a look of concern written on him and Mr. Bakugou’s features, who also knelt down to get a better look.

Eri sniffed, “I-I can’t find it…”

“Hey hey, calm down, Eri, deep breaths, okay?” Mr. Bakugou said, showing her the breathing technique he showed them months ago.

Eri did as she was told before answering, “I’m sorry… I was looking for my Hello Kitty bracelet that I lost last week… I thought it was in the gym, but I guess it’s not there…” she wiped her eyes, praying that this worked.

Mr. Togata patted her shoulder, “Hey, it’s okay, Eri, I’m sure it’ll pop up at some point. Maybe you didn’t consider the lost and found in the office?” Mr. Bakugou nodded in agreement.

Eri’s eyes widened a bit, “Really? I-I didn't think about that…”

Mr. Bakugou smiled at her, “Yeah, let Tin Tin show you the box, I think your pops has it under his desk somewhere.”

Mr. Togata beamed, “He sure does! Let’s go, Eri. Your dad’s are probably wondering where we went off to, anyway.”

Eri nodded, relieved that the plan worked in her favor, “Okay, and… Thank you, Mr. Bakugou…” She then waved goodbye to the gym teacher and followed Mr. Togata back to the office.

Eri smiled; she couldn’t believe that the plan WORKED.

Now she and the others just need to wait for their reactions.

Katsuki waved goodbye to Eri and Mirio as they both went down the hallway. His smile then faltered into a scowl, remembering what day it was.

Valentine’s Day…

Bah Humbug!

Yeah yeah, wrong holiday, but fuck off! Katsuki was not in the mood.

He grimaced as he walked into the now unlocked gymnasium ( Thanks, Tin Tin ) and went to settle himself down into his office.

He dreaded Valentine’s Day, not only because everyone got all gushy and gross over each other, but it was just another painful reminder of what he didn’t have.

He didn’t have Izuku to share it with.

He didn’t have the damn nerd to share a box of chocolate with him, to make him laugh at his corny jokes, to take out to some expensive dinner or shit, to curl up next to as they watched stupid rom-com movies, all happy and complete with gentle caresses against each other, giving each other kisses on the cheeks and forehead and lips –

His train of thought stopped right as his eyes found a big ass balloon in the middle of his desk, with the words, “Happy Valentine’s Day” scrolled in the middle. His eyes followed the trail that was the ribbon as it was tied to a box of chocolate, a chocolate rose, and a card with the words, “To Kacchan” written on top.

He stared at the card for a solid minute, the gears in his brain trying to catch up on this turn of events before taking a long look at the card itself.

He grabbed the card and opened it up; it had a dog holding a heart in its mouth with the words, “I ruff you” on it and as he opened it to read the inside, it was the same dog with a goofy smile and a text bubble on top that read, “Hope you have a floof-tastic Valentine’s Day!” and right on the bottom in the same handwriting said, “Love, Izuku.”

Katsuki stared at the handwriting.

This… This isn’t Izuku’s handwriting…

This looked like a kid’s that tried to mimic it…

… Hang on a fucking minute…

He snorted and then he felt a laugh fall out of his mouth. He clutched his stomach as he tried to process what the fuck just happened.

Oh these kids.

Oooooh these slick little shits .

Sure, fine, he’ll play along this one time.

But before that, he took a picture of the setup, taking absolute measures to show off the card, and sent it to the green haired man in question, wondering if he’d find this hilarious as he does.

Kacchan

Kacchan sent a photo

Ya think one of your kids planned this one?

He waited for a solid minute before he got a message back. Katsuki barked a laugh at the reaction.

Deku

ASDFGHJKL

KACCHAN!

OH MY GOD!

XD

Katsuki snickered before sending another message back.

Kacchan

I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s one on your desk

Why don’t we mess with the little shits and just play along?

Deku

That’s so mean, Kacchan!

Plus wouldn’t that be misleading them?

By a LOT?

:-/ 

Kacchan

Come on, it’ll be fucking hilarious!

Deku

Hard pass

Kacchan

…

I’ll stop with the bunny jokes if you do it

Deku

…

Fine…

But only if we explain to them afterwards

That it was very nice that they thought about us

All that jazz

Deal?

Katsuki scoffed; the nerd was right, so he quickly replied back with a confirmation text and put his phone away. He then stared at the treat in front of him.

A small part of him kind of wished Izuku DID get him something, but whatever, it’s not like he was expecting something on a holiday he absolutely hated.

It was at this very moment that Katsuki got an idea. He smirked once it came to fruition and soon he was on his phone texting wildly as he took a bite of the rose.

Well, at least the chocolate’s decent.

Izuku feigned ignorance as he saw the gift that was on his desk; he was glad Katsuki warned him ahead of time about what his students planned, otherwise he would have thought that he gave them to him and he would have been none the wiser.

Well, he actually would have figured it out with the handwriting, which was almost identical to Katsuki’s if it weren’t for the crude lines, where Katsuki’s were more fluid and elegant.

… N-Not that he didn’t notice, nope!

Still, he awed at the card with the cute kitten on the front that read, “You’re purrfect for me, Valentine,” on the outside and the inside read, “I’m not kitten; please be mine!” and a scrawled, “Love, Kacchan” written on the bottom.

Izuku chuckled, noting the few stares he got as the children piled in, which indicated the few who did this; none other than Eri, Kota, and Katsuma themselves, who were watching his reactions with big smiles on their faces.

And judging by the handwriting, Mahoro was in on it, too.

He smiled, opening the box of chocolates and took a bite of the delectable caramel filled sweet.

Alright, let’s play along, then.

Izuku’s class raced toward the doors of the gymnasium, eager for what awaited them today. The doors opened and out came Katsuki with a cowboy hat on. Everyone laughed before he spoke.

“Howdy, partners! It’s time for square dancing! Find your circles, pipsqueaks!” He shouted, as the kids ran over to their respective circles, still giggling at Katsuki’s antics.

Izuku’s face flushed when his eyes locked on the ruby red ones, giving him a look that made his heart flutter. Remembering that they were doing this for a bit, he fixed his face and stepped closer to the blonde in question.

“So Deku,” Katsuki started, a little loud for the kids to hear, “Got your Valentine gift, very sweet of you,” he winked.

Izuku stammered a bit before he composed himself, “Oh, you’re welcome, I’m glad you liked it! And thank YOU, Kacchan, for YOUR Valentine gift. I really liked it,” he smiled, looking over to see the three children in question staring at the two, eyes widened with wonder and big smiles on their faces.

Katsuki smirked, “Well, you’re quite welcome. How about this: You and me, go out for dinner tonight, my treat.” He said, not asking.

Izuku’s eyes widened a bit, “R-Really? Yeah, I’d love to!”

“Alright, it’s a date then!” Katsuki grinned as he flicked Izuku’s forehead, “Now then, go get your plans done, I-zu-ku~” he teased before turning into the gym and closing the door on the now blushing form that was Izuku Midoriya.

Izuku stood there for a solid minute before silently turning around and walking back to the classroom, mind still spinning around as to what just happened.

Did… Did Katsuki REALLY ask him out?

Was this part of the thing they’re doing?

Or was this for real?

Izuku’s turmoil continued to flounder around in his brain for the rest of gym class as he sat at his desk, shoveling the chocolate in his mouth.

His questions were soon answered once school was over (they didn’t have the heart to tell the kids afterwards due to their hilarious but heartfelt reactions) when Katsuki burst through the door as Izuku was putting together his lessons for the next week.

“Guess what, fucker?” Katsuki screamed with the biggest grin on his face.

Izuku blinked, “What, Kacchan?”

Katsuki smirked, “I got a last minute reservation at the finest restaurant in town!”

Izuku gasped, “No way… This is really happening? I thought this was part of the act?”

Katsuki looked at him like he just grew a head, “The fuck? No! I fucking meant it! I was able to get us into that fancy ass place you always wanted to go! And let me tell you, it wasn’t easy!”

Izuku looked at him quizzically, “Are you talking about Vino’s?”

“Hell yeah, Vino’s!” Katsuki pumped the air like he just won a million dollars.

“Oh my God, you’re not kidding! I always wanted to try there but it’s near impossible to get a reservation since they’re always booked months in advance, so it must have been a miracle that you got us a table there at the last minute, especially on Valentine’s Day–”

Katsuki threw a tissue box in his face, causing Izuku to shout in shock and in pain.

“OW! What was that for???” Izuku asked while rubbing his nose.

“That’s for 1) doubting me, 2) thinking that was all part of an act, and 3) the fucking mumbling again! Also be thankful the nearest blunt object was your tissue box and not one of the fucking desk chairs!” Katsuki bellowed, a shit-eating grin spread cheek to cheek.

Izuku placed the box next to him as he stared at the blonde, “Seriously, how did you manage to pull this off?”

“I have my ways,” Katsuki scoffed, ending the debate here and there, “Point is, I got us in, so get your shit together, go get changed into something that doesn’t say ‘I teach little shits,’ and meet me outside of your apartment building at 5pm, got it?”

“R-Right, okay, Kacchan…” Izuku sputtered as he finished filing his paperwork.

“Good,” Katsuki stated as he left the classroom.

Bakubro

You’re now debt free

Congratu-fucking-lations

Mazel Tov

Shitty Hair

Listen

I’m happy to help and all of that

But did you really have to take our reservation from us?

Where are we gonna go now?

:-( 

Bakubro

That’s your problem now

I’m sure Pinky wouldn’t mind another bar date

Or a movie night

Depending on her mood

Shitty Hair

I mean, I’m not disagreeing with you

But come on, man

Why you gotta do that to me?

D-: 

Bakubro

Because you fucking owed me

The both of you

Also, why aren’t you happy about this?

I’m finally going on a date with the nerd!

Shitty Hair

Oh no! I’m happy for you!

Mina’s taking the loss with stride, actually

I’m just kinda disappointed

That’s all

Bakubro

Well tough shit

You two have next year

Or one of your birthdays

This might be the only time I get to do this

Give me that

Shitty Hair

Fine fine

I’ll give you that

Just let me know how the food is, okay?

You two have fun on your date~

;-) 

Bakubro

Want me to rip that winking eye out of your eye socket?

Shitty Hair

:-/ 

Why you gotta be like that, bro?

Izuku struggled with the only tie he had in his closet, trying to follow along with the tutorial he found on the internet.

He found himself wearing a red formal button up shirt, black dress pants with black dress shoes that he found in a box somewhere. He didn’t think any of it would fit him since the last time he wore it, which was his interview over five years ago.

Surprisingly, the whole outfit still fit, albeit a bit snug since he started working out a bit two years ago.

The only thing giving him grief was the tie; he didn’t think to save the knot when his mother did it for him, so he just unraveled it and never wore it again.

Either the tie was tricking him, or he really was just that pitiful for not knowing how to do this.

Ugh, if only–

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard his phone buzz; he picked it up and sure enough, it was Katsuki telling him that he’s outside waiting for him.

Cursing under his breath, he tied a knot on the tie that was sufficient in his book, threw on his winter coat and gloves, and headed out the door.

He saw Katsuki’s car and opened the passenger door; he then sat down, closed it, and was about to put his seatbelt on when he heard a snicker.

“Seriously? What kind of moron ties a tie like that?” Katsuki bellowed out.

Izuku was about to protest when he noticed Katsuki’s attire under his own winter coat (he did not zip it up for some reason, then again, neither did he); white vest overlapping a dark blue button up shirt, a black tie perfectly tied, dark blue pants and white dress shoes. He also took a whiff of Katsuki’s cologne, which smelled so warm and earthy.

Oh that cologne.

“You gonna say something or keep staring at me?” Katsuki smirked.

Izuku was pulled out of his trance from that comment before muttering, “S-Sorry… I-I just don’t know how to tie a tie…”

Katsuki scoffed, “Clearly… Here, let me…” And with that, he put the car in park and reached over to help the poor man with his poor tie.

Izuku tried not to scream bloody murder as he felt the nimble hands undoing Izuku’s mess and fixing the problem. What felt like an eternity later, those hands left and went back to the steering wheel.

“There, now you don’t look like a dumbass,” Katsuki huffed before starting to drive to their destination.

Izuku felt the tie and it was just how his mother did it all those years ago, but it seemed much more tailored. He sighed as he put his hands in his lap.

“Thanks, Kacchan…” Izuku mumbled.

“For what, tying your tie?” Katsuki asked.

“Y-Yeah, my mom did try to show me, but it never really stuck… And with my d-dad gone…” He trailed off, not wanting to go down that route again.

Katsuki hummed, “You never really told me what happened to your old man… I couldn’t even get an answer from Ma when I asked…”

Izuku squirmed in his seat, which Katsuki took note, “Hey, umm, you don’t have to say anything right now, I can see that’s an old wound or something–”

Izuku laughed, “No, you’re right, I never really talked about him… I guess it’s been long enough…” he fidgeted with his hands, trying to find the right words to say.

“Seriously, you don’t have to–” Katsuki started.

“No, you deserve to know,” Izuku interrupted; when Katsuki didn’t say a word, he continued, “I was pretty young, about 3 and a half years old, we lived in a nice neighborhood, from what mom told me. Nice house, fenced in yard for me to run around in. Dad worked long shifts as a mechanic to provide for us. I remember him always smelling like sweat and gasoline whenever he came home from work. One day, I begged him to stay home to spend some time with me, as he worked ten days in a row at that point, so he eventually caved.”

Izuku continued, “We were playing in my room, building towers, playing superheroes, all of that. That’s a memory I’ll never forget; his smile, his demeanor, his attitude, his love for me.”

Izuku took a deep breath before continuing, “It got very late, so he put me down to sleep since I missed my nap time, which I heard he got a scolding for from mom,” he chuckled, “Anyway, mom and dad apparently fell asleep while watching a movie and didn’t realize that they had a candle burning in the kitchen…”

He heard Katsuki hitch a breath, knowing exactly where this was leading, so he continued, “My parents eventually made it out before the fire got worse; then my dad remembered that I was still inside and ran back into the burning house. By the time the firefighters got there, he was running back out with me in his arms. I got out unscathed, but… He… He had so many burns on him…” he trailed off as he felt the tears threatening to come down.

“He and I were sent to the hospital right after that. I passed out from shock but when I woke up, my mom was sitting next to me in tears. When I asked what was wrong and where dad was, well… I guess you can figure out what happened…” Izuku didn’t speak another word after that.

Katsuki drove in silence, letting the story sink in for a couple of minutes as they pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant. Izuku fumbled with his seatbelt when he felt a hand on top of his own. He looked up to see caring eyes staring into him.

“Kacchan?” Izuku asked, confusion written all over his face.

“I’m sorry about your dad, really, thank you for telling me,” Katsuki stated, not letting go.

Izuku felt the tears fall down; Katsuki took his free hand and wiped them away.

Izuku sniffed, “I-I’m sorry, I kinda ruined the night with that…”

Katsuki’s hand squeezed his reassuringly, “No, don’t worry about that, the night’s not over… Listen…” he then took that hand and placed it on Izuku’s cheeks, wiping more tears coming down, “It sounds like your old man was a hard-working, charismatic, and brave man, who did everything he could to provide for you and your mom, and even took time to play with you, giving you some of the best memories with him. He also saved your damn life, so don’t let those memories and his sacrifice get squashed by worry and sadness, got it?”

Izuku chuckled, “I-I guess…”

“Good, cuz we’re gonna have the best date night ever, okay?” Katsuki smirked.

Izuku nodded, smiling into the small embrace that was Katsuki’s hand.

“Alright, nerd, let’s get fancy as fuck!” Katsuki shouted before pinching Izuku’s cheek and getting out of the car.

“Kacchan!” Izuku stammered as he followed the blonde into the restaurant.

“Where the flying fuck are the prices???” Katsuki screeched as he took a gander at the menu.

“Kacchan! We’re in public! No cursing!” Izuku scolded in a hush tone; he felt some stares, but paid no mind.

“Pssh, whatever, I just don’t want any surprises, okay?” Katsuki stated, browsing through the list of options that were WAY too many and possibly overpriced.

“You’re not gonna go cheap on me, aren’t you? Isn’t this supposed to be a date?” Izuku asked with an eyebrow raised.

Katsuki scoffed, “Fine, I guess I’ll give you a pass on that. Now go find something you wanna eat, nerd,” he then looked back at his own menu.

They sat at a nice corner of the restaurant, dim lights flickering above them with a lit candle situated in the middle of their table. They sat right across from the window leading to the street, so they could look out if they wanted to. 

Their waiter came over and Katsuki ordered a bottle of red wine for the table and some water. Izuku looked at him with a shocking expression as the waiter left, “Wine? Really?”

“What’s wrong with that?” Katsuki asked, one eyebrow raised.

“There’s nothing wrong with it, Kacchan, but I never pegged you for a wine drinker,” Izuku smirked.

“Well, it’s a special occasion, right? Plus I’ve lived with my Ma long enough to know that it’s not as bad as I thought it was,” Katsuki shrugged.

Izuku chuckled, “Whatever you say, Kacchan…”

The waiter came over with some breadsticks and their bottle of wine; the waiter poured it into their wine glasses and put down some water glasses next to them. Katsuki ordered his food and Izuku did the same; the waiter then left the two alone as they raised their glasses.

“So what are we cheering for, Kacchan?” Izuku asked.

“I dunno, you tell me,” Katsuki smirked.

Izuku thought long and hard before settling with, “To our future together!”

Katsuki smiled, glasses clinking together before taking a sip of their wine.

The two made small talk look like a joke as they chatted away about anything and everything, regarding family life, home life, work, friends, and even each other.

Izuku smiled, this at least got his mind off of his father after telling Katsuki the story. He doesn’t remember the last time he legitly told anyone about that.

Maybe Katsuki was the first.

And he was perfectly fine with that.

Their food arrived and it smelled delectable; Katsuki got a filet mignon with roasted vegetables and creamy mashed potatoes while Izuku got the scallops wrapped in bacon, some green bean almondine, and a baked potato for the side, toppings scattered on the plate for him to put on top.

Izuku took one bite of his scallops and he felt like soaring through the air.

“MMMMMMM, Kacchan, this tastes amazing!” Izuku mumbled into the fork still in his mouth.

Katsuki snickered, “At least chew before you talk, Deku,” he said before taking a bite of his steak.

Izuku swallowed his portion, “I can’t help it, it’s that good! You gotta try it!” He then took one of the scallops and poked it with his fork before reaching across the table in front of the blonde, “Seriously, one bite!”

Katsuki gave him a look of pure shock, “Seriously?”

“SERIOUSLY!” Izuku beamed.

Katsuki gulped while he tried to hide a blush forming on his face, “F-Fine…”

Izuku expected Katsuki to take the fork from him and put the food on his plate.

He did not expect him to lean over and take a bite as Izuku was holding onto the fork like he was feeding him.

Izuku blushed as the blonde leaned back into his chair and chewed on the morsel before his eyes lit up, swallowing the food before speaking, “Well, shit, that’s pretty good!” He then noticed Izuku’s expression, in which he raised an eyebrow, “You alright there?”

Izuku sputtered a “O-Oh yeah, I-I’m fine… I-I’m glad you like it!” He then shoved down more of his food before he could humiliate himself some more.

After that incident, it was like it never happened; the two would eat and talk about different topics as they drank more wine, laughing at each other's retorts.

Izuku couldn’t help but smile, he and Katsuki got along so well, it was like those years apart never happened. He then wondered back to that moment in the classroom when they almost kissed; he really wanted to talk about that, but couldn’t bring himself to do so for some reason. He doesn’t know why, but the thought of bringing it up could possibly end up disastrous with this date, and he didn’t want to take the chance…

So he shoved that topic down and continued with the current topic at hand, which was Katsuki talking about how he and his dad almost burned dinner when he was 15; Izuku laughed at that thought.

With the whole wine bottle and their food gone, the waiter came to ask if they wanted dessert, which they both agreed. Katsuki opted for a strawberry sponge cake while Izuku went with the chocolate cheesecake that had a berry compote drizzled on top.

Katsuki took a bite of his cake when he took a gander out the window. He almost choked when he saw what was happening. 

Izuku, who noticed his reaction, instinctively looked out the window and had a big grin on his face.

“WOAH! Kacchan! It’s snowing!” Izuku beamed.

“No shit, Sherlock! But why?” Katsuki took out his phone and started to type on it, “This wasn’t supposed to happen until later!” He then cursed under his breath as he looked up the weather channel and sure enough, it only got updated while they were in the fucking restaurant!

Izuku shrugged, “Who cares? I love watching the snowfall!” He said as he took a bite of his cheesecake.

Katsuki scoffed, “Yeah well, you’re not the one driving in it tonight!”

“True,” Izuku nodded, albeit still smiling.

Katsuki squinted at the green haired man, “What’s with the face?”

Izuku tilted his head, “What's wrong with liking snow, Kacchan?”

Katsuki’s breath hitched as his face flushed, “Uhh n-nothing’s wrong with that, but you just seem too cheery about it.”

Izuku chuckled, “I just like it. I always have; I don’t know, I just love watching it come down and land on the grass and asphalt. There’s something about snow that’s just… Well, peaceful, you know?” He then stared out the window with a longing expression on his face, dreamlike eyes along with a small smile brushed his features.

Katsuki stared at him for a hot minute before really looking out the window; he watched as the large snowflakes fell from the sky and land on the bushes right against the windows, the cars parked across the street, and the sidewalk that went around the restaurant; the streetlights dancing along with the snow coming down.

Katsuki hummed, “I guess I see your point…” he then suddenly remembered where they were before getting the green haired man out of his daze, “Alright, let’s not waste anymore time. Eat your dessert and we can get going. I don’t want my car to turn into a damn sled all over the road by the time we’re done here.”

That seemed to get Izuku going; the two finished their desserts as the waiter came with their check (in which Katsuki’s wallet cried in pain), before making their way to the car.

When they got to the car, however, the roads were completely covered in snow and ice that they had to sit and wait for the car to heat up before figuring out what to do.

“So what was the plan afterwards, Kacchan?” Izuku asked, rubbing his hands through his gloves (like that’s gonna make a difference).

Katsuki cursed under his breath, “Well the original plan was to go walk around the town and look through the shops, but fuck that noise! We might as well head over to one of our places or something…”

Izuku perked up a bit, “Oh, my place is closer, we can hang there until the snow stops.”

“Sounds like a plan, let’s go,” Katsuki said as he slowly and carefully drove back to Izuku’s apartment. He thanked his lucky stars they both had food in their systems, because that wine alone would have made this ten times worse.

The drive, while normally would have taken no more than ten minutes, felt like an eternity as they trudged themselves back to the apartment building, the windshield wipers swaying back and forth ferociously as the snow kept coming down.

Katsuki scoffed, “Still like the snow, Deku?”

“Yes,” Izuku smiled back.

“Bastard,” Katsuki grumbled under his breath.

They turned the corner to the street when they both noticed that all of the lights were out, unlike how they were earlier.

Oh for fuck sakes…

“Oh the power’s out!” Izuku said with shock in his voice before groaning.

“Nah, the lights are just taking a nap~” Katsuki teased.

“Not funny, Kacchan,” Izuku snapped back.

“Heh, anyway,” Katsuki started as he put his car in park, “I got some extra chargers here in the glove box if you wanna hang around and charge your phone before we head in?”

“Sure, thanks,” Izuku stated, taking a charger and plugging his phone in, which said it had 68% battery left.

Katsuki barked a laugh, “Too bad it wasn’t one digit up…”

His remark was met with a smack to the head with a glove.

Worth it.

With their phones sufficiently charged for the time being, they gathered their courage and ran to the building. Once inside Izuku’s apartment, they took off their shoes and placed them right by the door and then shuffled their coats off.

“Aww m-man, t-those are my b-best shoes!” Izuku stuttered out from shivering, looking at the now snow stained dress shoes with his flashlight.

“Oh n-no, it’s n-not like y-you can c-clean them or a-anything~” Katsuki teased, though through gritted teeth as they shattered from the cold.

Izuku shivered, rubbing his arms as he went to look for his space heater and some throw blankets. Once he found them, he shuffled to plug the heater in…

… Only to remember that the power was off and it was currently rendered useless.

“F-F-F-Fuck me..,” Izuku shattered.

“Language, D-Deku!” Katsuki snorted.

Izuku tossed a blanket at him with more force than it should allow, trying to get his point across.

“I-Ironically, my r-room is the w-warmest p-place next t-t-to the bathroom…” Izuku stated as he wrapped his blanket around himself.

“B-Bedroom, like hell I’m h-hanging out in a t-tub…” Katsuki stammered out and walked over to the bedroom.

They trudged their way to the bedroom and they both found themselves wrapped in their own blankets while also underneath Izuku’s bed covers. Katsuki went to take off his vest and tossed it on the ground (he’ll deal with the wrinkles later, he just needs to warm up first).

They both sat there in silence, with the exception of Izuku’s teeth chattering as he attempted to warm up. Katsuki went to check his phone for any status of when the power would eventually be restored.

Once he found it, he cursed under his breath.

“S-So when is it c-c-coming back?” Izuku asked.

“N-Not until t-tomorrow morning…” Katuski responded.

Izuku groaned as he wrapped his blankets tighter. In any other circumstance, Izuku would have  been flabbergasted that he had Katsuki in his bedroom and under the covers. In fact, he would have probably passed out that his little dream had come true of some sort. But seeing as how they were under the covers due to the freezing temperatures outside, that thought never came across.

Izuku peeked out from under the covers to look outside, but sure enough, it was still snowing and it was coming down hard.

“S-S-Still love snow, I-Izuku?” Katsuki asked.

Okay, what gives?

Izuku went back under the covers, shining his flashlight at Katsuki’s face, who squinted his eyes from the sudden brightness, “Hey q-question: Why have y-you been c-calling me by m-my name all of a s-s-sudden?”

“Hah?” Katsuki asked, raising an eyebrow.

Izuku took a deep breath, “W-When you were t-trying to t-t-talk to me at the p-party before you passed out, you c-called me ‘Izuku,’” he then held up one finger, indicating that this was the first time he heard him calling him that, “T-Then at the h-hospital,” two fingers, “Next at s-s-school after M-Mr. Aizawa came to t-take Eri’s things,” three, “Then w-when you d-didn’t want to t-talk as I was t-talking to y-you about the b-bachelorette p-party,” four, “A-And then t-t-today t-teasingly at g-gym.” 

Izuku held up all five fingers on his left hand, showing the blonde that he had been counting. He then held up the hand holding his phone, flashlight still blaring, as he held up his index finger, “And t-this is for j-just now… making six.”

Katsuki blinked, unsure of what to say, before finally speaking, “Okay, so w-what if I’ve been s-saying your actual n-name?”

Izuku squinted his eyes at the man in his bed, “I’m not complaining, b-but for all the y-years I’ve known you, w-with the exception of the t-time we weren’t, you’ve always c-called me D-Deku or n-nerd or s-something. I-I’ve never heard you c-call me by m-my given name before, s-so excuse me f-for being a bit… S-Skeptical that this is some sort of p-prank or s-something…”

Katsuki’s eyes widened in anger; of all the things this fucker thought–

“So you t-think me c-calling you by y-your name is some s-sort of elaborate p-prank? Seriously? D-Do I LOOK like s-someone– Wait, scratch that– Do YOU really t-think I’m t-that p-petty to do that t-to you? Cuz in all the y-years you’ve known me, have I EVER d-done something that l-low to you?” Katsuki snarled, unable to withstand such accusations from his FRIEND.

And from IZUKU, no less.

Izuku’s eyes widened, a sudden realization coming to fruition. He then looked away with his eyes looking like he’d rather be anywhere but here at this moment. He then swallowed before answering, “N-No… No you h-haven’t…”

“Damn r-right…” Katsuki hissed, unable to look at the green haired man. He curled up in a ball to get some sort of warmth back into his system, but of course, the world was not having any of it as he felt his toes get colder, despite being scrunched up.

He heard Izuku sniff, in which he turned his head to see the man wiping his eyes (oh dammit, he made him cry ). “I-I’m sorry… Y-You’re right, you’re not that m-mean to do t-things like that… I s-shouldn’t have doubted y-you…” he then went to bury his face into his arms.

Katsuki sighed as he pulled the other man into his grasp, putting his head next to the mop of green hair, “Listen, I k-know I can be crude at times and loud and outspoken, b-but I’d n-never do something like that to anyone, especially to you, Izuku…” He took a deep breath, “I’m… I just wanted to s-say your real name b-because…” he took a pause, then lifted his head to look at the man underneath, who was staring at him with eyes wide, “B-Because you’re an important p-person in my life… I know I’ve called you ‘Deku’ this entire time, b-but you’re more than that… Deku’s not a nice nickname, I’ll give you that…” He winced, knowing full well the meaning of the name and why he called him that in the first place, “So I’m trying to be a better person. But as you know, as any name you’ve been given, it sort of sticks and you get use to it,” he then scooted closer, enveloping his arms around the man, who tucked himself into the blondes embrace, “So if you still want me to call you ‘Deku,’ that’s fine, but I want to call you ‘Izuku’ more. But just letting you know…” he added, “You can still call me ‘Kacchan,’ and I’ll be fine with it; no need to call me ‘Katsuki’ all of a sudden.” 

He chuckled, and he heard Izuku laugh as well, before he suddenly realized how warm he felt. He didn’t let go of him, hoping Izuku felt the same, and just sat under the blankets and covers for some time.

“Kacchan…?” Izuku mumbled in Katsuki’s chest.

“Hmm?” Katsuki answered.

“I’m not cold anymore…” Izuku said.

Katsuki smiled, “Me neither, Izuku…”

They both sat there in silence for a while longer, before Katsuki’s eyes suddenly felt heavy. He felt himself lean back into the soft mattress, taking Izuku with him, still in their warm cocoon. After some time, he felt Izuku’s breathing even out; he took a look at the green haired man underneath him as his eyes were closed and his lips parted, breathing steadily in his sleep. Katsuki smiled fondly, looking at the now peaceful man laying in his embrace. He then placed a warm kiss on his forehead before he, too, laid his own on one of the pillows.

Both men fell asleep in each other's arms, unaware that the power came back on as they held each other tighter than before.

Chapter Text

“Hey Kendo, how has Hunter been doing?” Izuku asked the red head, who was filing some paperwork.

Itsuka looked up from the paperwork, a big smile on her face, “He’s been tremendous, Izuku! This is a huge jump from last year! Here, take a look at his comprehension scores from last year and last week!” She then handed him a folder that had all of Hunter’s information and tests he’s been taking with her since kindergarten.

Izuku skimmed through his tests, gasping, “Wow! That’s an amazing jump!”

Itsuka smiled, “It’s all thanks to you, Izuku! You’ve been wonderful with him!”

Izuku blushed, “O-Oh, thank you, I really just do my best, you know… A-And with your help, he’s been doing even better…” he then twiddled his thumbs.

Itsuka huffed, “Don’t be so modest, you’re a wonderful teacher! All of your kids that go to your classroom have excelled in their reading and math skills! I’m not saying the others aren’t doing well, but I tend to notice these things.” She smiled, smacking his back with her hand ( seriously, ow ), “How’s Hannah doing? I heard she’s been seeing TetsuTetsu more…”

Izuku beamed, “Like night and day! Her confidence is back and has been participating more! Uraraka has seen this, too, and is just as excited as I am! I’m glad he was able to get through to her!”

Itsuka chuckled, “He may be a hothead at times, but he cares for the kids. He approaches them with blunt honesty but in a kind and gentle way for them to understand. So glad to hear that he got her back to how she was before everything,” she said, finishing her filing and closing the cabinet doors.

Izuku nodded, “Yeah, I hope this continues. We’re not completely out of the woods, yet, and we’re still encouraging her to tell me if she wants to see Uraraka, but she has made wonderful progress in a month!”

Itsuka beamed at that statement, “Of course, gotta keep the consistency, ya know!”

Izuku smiled, “Well, I’m glad to hear that Hunter’s doing well, too. I gotta go, just wanted to check in with you, enjoy your lunch break,” he then turned to go back to his classroom as he waved goodbye.

“Enjoy your lunch date with Bakugou,” Itsuka teased, making the green haired man jump at that accusation. She laughed at that before he left.

He shook his head and went back to his classroom; Katsuki wasn’t here yet, so he had some time to eat a bit of his leftover Chicken Fried Rice as well as to contemplate on a few things that have been occupying his thoughts as of late.

Valentine’s Day…

Izuku blushed at what had transpired that night…

The two were wrapped up in their cocoon of blankets and warm body heat as his apartment had no power. He then found himself falling asleep in the blonde’s embrace and before he even reached REM sleep, he could have sworn he felt Katsuki kiss his forehead.

After they both woke up, it was the same dance when they woke up from Katsuki’s couch all those months ago; waking up flustered, blaming the cold that they needed to seek warmth with each other, then after shoveling Katsuki out (and tossing a few snowballs at the very pissed off blonde), he drove back home.

They then talked about dinner and their date via text, which was a very nice dinner and Izuku wasn’t complaining in the slightest. Katsuki kept beating himself up for the date not going as planned, but Izuku had to reassure him that he couldn’t have predicted the weather, in which he was met with a revenge plot against Mother Nature herself. Izuku couldn’t help but think that if this were a cartoon, Katsuki would have been blasted with some lightning, Mother Nature zapping him for saying such atrocities.

He eventually made up for it (Izuku didn’t have a choice) by taking him to the mall the following weekend, taking him to the local comic book store to browse their latest copies of the All Might comics, looking around the local game store for pop figures (he found a rare Ahsoka pop he was looking for), and playing a few rounds at the arcade machines that he loved playing at when he was a kid.

While that was nice and all, he couldn’t help but go back to the bedroom where Katsuki Bakugou kissed his forehead.

And that wasn’t even the FIRST time!

He kissed him on the cheek after the Halloween party.

He almost kissed him while they were on the floor in this very room.

And now he kissed him on the forehead while he assumed he was asleep.

What the flying fu–

“OI! IZUKU!”

Izuku jumped, looking up to see confused, but angry, vermillion eyes staring at him.

Oh no, he hoped he didn’t mumble any of that out loud…

“Yeah, ya did, you damn nerd…” Katsuki retorted.

Oh shit…

Katsuki scoffed, “So, you wanna talk about that, or are ya gonna dismiss it like always?”

Izuku gulped, hands sweating from all the nerves that were on overdrive at this very moment…

Whelp, no time like the present, he guessed!

“Uhh…” Izuku started.

“‘Eyo! Midoriya! Bakugou!” Kirishima shouted from the door.

Oh THANK GOD!

“Oh, hi Kirishima!” Izuku waved at his Lord and Savior as Katsuki growled furiously at the interruption.

“And Kaminari, too!” Kaminari walked in behind Kirishima, smiling very brightly.

“Dunce Face, Shitty Hair, now’s not the time–” Katsuki grumbled.

“Actually, it IS perfect timing, Kacchan!” Izuku stammered, slightly pushing the blonde away to face the two that just came in the room, “Maybe they’d like to join us for lunch?”

“Hey, not a bad idea! Always wanted to see what you two do during this time!” Kaminari replied, holding his lunch box in one hand.

Katsuki threw Izuku a glare that told him that they were DEFINITELY not done with this conversation.

Kirishima and Kaminari sat down next to Izuku with two desk chairs as they talked about Iida’s Bachelor Party the previous weekend with his brother, Tensei, Sero, and Shouto. Apparently, they decided to travel to a casino that was a few hours from here, where they all drank, gambled, and seemed to have fun.

“Wow, I never pegged Iida as the gambler type,” Izuku mentioned, knowing how frugal his friend’s fiancé was.

Kirishima laughed, “It was all Tensei’s idea; said he needed to ‘loosen up a bit.’ But man, you should have seen his mad skills playing at the tables, though! He was in his element!”

“Yeah! Iida was constantly telling us how it was basic math and probability and all, but I kinda zoned out a bit, to be honest,” Kaminari scratched his chin in embarrassment.

“Anyway, he was that good, he won over eight hundred dollars!” Kirishima shouted.

“ARE YOU SERIOUS???” Izuku shouted.

Even Katsuki, who was sulking in his chair and poking at his chili, looked impressed, eyes widening at the information.

“Hells yeah! There he goes, winning so much money, and I left two hundred lighter,” Kaminari laughed, “I kinda stuck with the slot machines to play it safe.”

Kirishima beamed, “Even his brother was impressed, and that’s saying something about Tensei. Also, funny story, when we needed to go back to our rooms, his wheelchair got caught in some loose fabric of the casino floor, it took two workers to cut it off of him. The manager gave him a free pass to see one of the late shows as an apology.”

“Really? What kind of late show?” Katsuki chimed in for the first time in this entire conversation.

Kaminari shrugged, “I dunno, man, he just declined the offer. Said that he didn’t need special treatment due to him being in a wheelchair. The manager was seriously apologizing a lot after that…”

Kirishima cleared his throat, “Well after that, things went back to normal and we had a blast!”

Izuku smiled, “Sounds like you all had a good time! I’ve never been to a casino before, maybe one day we can go sometime.”

“Fuck yeah, we totally should!” Kaminari screeched.

“If you all are done cursing up a storm in the middle of a school day,” Aizawa’s voice rang from the door, making all four men jump from their seats, “I’d like to have a word with Eijirou if you have time to spare.”

Kaminari, Izuku, and Katsuki looked back at Kirishima, who was looking dumbfounded as the rest of the motley crew. He then stuffed his lunch back in his lunchbox and stood up.

“Am I in trouble, Mr. Aizawa, if I may ask?” Kirishima asked, genuinely concerned.

“Not at all, Eijirou, I will give you only that much information for now. Please follow me to my office,” Aizawa then turned around, sipping his coffee.

Kirishima gulped, looked at the three men, who nodded at him to go, and off he went following Aizawa to his fate.

The three stared at the door for a moment before Kaminari broke the silence, “Oh my GOD, what does Mr. Aizawa want with Kirishima???”

“He did say he wasn’t in trouble, but he might not be completely out of the woods,” Izuku said softly to himself.

But Katsuki picked up on that, flicking his fork at the man’s cheek, “Oi! Don’t say shit like that!”

Izuku winced at the sudden intrusion of his thoughts, “Ow! Seriously, what is with you and throwing things at me?”

“Because you keep mumbling and saying shit out loud when you think no one’s listening, nerd,” Katsuki shouted.

Izuku made his lips into a solid line; well, he had him there.

Kaminari started to panic, “Oh my god oh my god oh my god Kirishima’s gonna get fired, isn’t he??? I knew I shouldn’t have asked him to take the tape from the supply closet, but I was in desperate need of it at home–”

“Kaminari, calm down!” Izuku shouted.

“Dunce Face, he’s not gonna get fired!” Katsuki retorted.

Kaminari stopped panicking for a hot moment before getting up and running out the door.

“Kaminari, where are you going?” Izuku asked.

“TO THE OFFICE! I WANNA KNOW WHAT’S HAPPENING!!!” Kaminari shouted from the hallway.

Izuku and Katsuki looked at each other, knowing full well that their friend couldn’t be alone while in panic mode. Katsuki sighed and packed his lunch before leading the way.

“Don’t think you’re off the hook about that talk from earlier, Izuku,” Katsuki snarled at the green haired man.

“Okay, Kacchan…” Izuku said before following the blonde, mind only on his panicked friend.

They both found Kaminari pacing back and forth in front of the office door. The cafeteria loud across the hallway of children eating their lunches and talking to their friends as the two teachers caught up with the distressed electric blonde.

“Kaminari, deep breaths, okay?” Izuku started, holding him still by the shoulders as he demonstrated for him; Katsuki mirrored Izuku’s breathing to soothe the man.

Kaminari stared at them both before joining in on the breathing technique. After a minute, his breathing was in control again. He sighed, “I’m sorry, Midoriya, Bakugou…”

Katsuki scoffed, “You don’t have to apologize. Just stop jumping to conclusions, okay?”

Kaminari nodded, “I’m just worried, okay? Being told to go to the office usually means bad news… That always happened to me when I was a kid… I was never bad, I just… Couldn’t keep myself under control sometimes…”

“Yeah, we know about your anxiety and ADHD, but you’re managing a lot better now than when you were a kid, right?” Katsuki replied.

Kaminari rubbed his neck, “Yeah, I’m a lot better at everything now than when I was younger, so I’ll give it that. Plus therapy’s been great! But it’s not perfect…” Kaminari looked away, “Sometimes the old me just creeps up and I go into crisis mode. I overanalyze everything and it just sucks! I envy the kids nowadays; they get much better interventions than what I got, which was next to nothing!”

Izuku squeezed his shoulders in comfort, “Kaminari, despite everything, you still managed to overcome all obstacles that were in your way. You graduated with good grades, went to college, and got a great job here! You also made lots of friends that love and treasure you; and Jirou loves you for who you are.”

“Ears loves you for you, you know that,” Katsuki stated, a small smile on his face.

Kaminari smiled, wiping tears that started to form on his face, “Thanks, guys… I just hope Kirishima’s okay, though…”

“He’ll be fine, Dunce Face. Look, let’s go back to the room and wait there–” Katsuki started, but before he could finish, the office door swung open.

The three looked over to the door, Kirishima’s face blank and expressionless as he shut the door behind him.

He seemed to be in a state of shock from either good news or bad news, but his face remained the same.

“Kirishima?” Izuku asked, waving hand in front of his face.

“Kiri! KIRI! WAKE UP, MAN!” Kaminari shouted, shaking the man’s shoulders, back in full panic mode.

“Oi! Let him go!” Katsuki removed Kaminari from Kirishima, before walking up to him, “Hey, anyone in there?”

The three then saw movement, for Kirishima then looked at all three. After what felt like a minute, his expression went from a blank stare to the biggest smile they had ever seen on him.

Katsuki blinked, “The hell…?”

Kirishima pumped his hands into the air as he shouted to the highest heavens, “GUESS WHO’S GOING TO BE ONE OF THE NEW FIFTH GRADE TEACHERS NEXT YEAR?????”

Wait WHAT???

Izuku gasped, “No way! CONGRATS!”

Katsuki smirked, “Well, shit, welcome to the team, bud!” He then smacked Kirishima’s back.

Kaminari stared in awe before more tears fell down his face.

Kirishima noticed and went in for a hug, “Kami, it was all good news! No need to be upset! I know you!”

Kaminari didn’t say a word, rendered speechless as he clutched his friend and let the tears fall onto the red head’s shirt. Kirishima rubbed his back to soothe him for a minute before he calmed down and pulled away.

Kaminari sniffed, “So… All good news?”

Kirishima beamed, “Yeah! Apparently Greta’s retiring! So they were in need of someone to take her place. Before Tamaki could post the job opportunity on the website, Aizawa thought to ask me first. Obviously I said yes! I love subbing and all, but MAN, would I love to have my own classroom!”

Kaminari smiled, wiping the fresh tears from his face, “Wow, that’s great news! I’m so happy for you!”

“Yeah man, thanks!” Kirishima then patted Kaminari’s back before realization formed on his face, “OH SHIT I GOTTA TELL MINA ABOUT THIS! I’ll catch up with you guys later!” And with that, he ran off to the art room.

Izuku beamed, “Kacchan! Kaminari! This is great news! I can’t believe it!” He then thought about Greta before stating, “Wait, Greta’s retiring?”

“Damn, I liked working with her,” Katsuki commented with some hint of disappointment, before shrugging, “Oh well, she deserves it. Worked here for a very long time.”

Kaminari nodded, “She said she worked here for about 40 years, right?”

“Yeah I remember her saying that, I’ve been wondering if she was actually going to retire or something,” Izuku started, “But it makes sense that once you hit a milestone such as teaching for 40 years, you start to think about leaving the profession. I wonder if she would be moving closer to see her grandchildren once she does that. I need to remember to ask her–”

Izuku’s thoughts were abruptly stopped by Aizawa’s voice, “If you’re done talking to yourself, Izuku, I’d like to have a word with you, as well.”

Izuku looked over his shoulder and Aizawa was standing in front of the office door, fingers drumming on the side of the frame.

Izuku looked over to Kaminari, who was sweating bullets, and Katsuki, who cursed under his breath before putting his hands in his pocket.

“Just go, nerd, we need to get back to class soon,” and before Izuku could say another word, Katsuki dragged Kaminari away from the office door before he could go into panic mode for the third time that day, disappearing out of sight.

Izuku gulped before stepping into the office, Aizawa leading the way.

“Ah, Young Midoriya! It’s been so long!” Yagi Toshinori, the superintendent of the school district, said once Izuku stepped into the private meeting room of the office.

Izuku’s eyes widened at the sight of the superintendent’s presence, “Mr. Toshinori! What a pleasant surprise!” He hadn’t seen the man since his first day of orientation. He did hear that he was on medical leave for some time, but last he saw him, he was tall, muscular, and full of life. Now, he’s looking to be on death’s door with his short, lanky build, eyes sunken in like he hadn’t seen the sun in so long.

Toshinori could sense Izuku’s concern, so he chuckled and patted his back ( why did that still hurt despite the boney hands ), “Oh there is no need to be concerned. My physical health may have deteriorated, but my love for teaching is still in my heart!”

Izuku had so many questions, but kept them all to himself as the superintendent continued, “Anyway, as to why you are here; a year ago, you applied to go back to school and study for your master’s degree. At the time, you were rejected, is that correct?”

Izuku nodded, remembering that day very clearly. Katsuki had to help calm his nerves when he applied, then had to help calm himself down when he was denied. He slowly accepted the fact that he wouldn’t go back and just be happy with his bachelor’s degree that he was still paying off (student loans are a bitch).

Toshinori then smiled, “Well, I’m happy to say that they are accepting you next school year!”

Izuku’s eyes widened, “No way! Are you serious??? But… But why now?”

Aizawa took a sip of his coffee before answering, “They are now accepting you due to a few reasons. The first reason is your undergrad grades from Shiketsu University, which you received Summa Cum Laude, if I’m not mistaken. Secondly is your performance here at Toshinori Elementary. Multiple parents and teachers have been giving us nothing but positive feedback and praise for your job performance. Your second grade class is the best performed, beating Greta’s fifth grade class by a few percentage since you started. Thirdly, Yagi and I have had meetings with the board and after months of back and forth, well, let’s just say that they’ve come to their senses.”

Toshinori had a big grin on his face as he stretched his arms wide, “Welcome, Young Midoriya, you are now part of the grad program for UA University!”

If the floor was made of quicksand, Izuku would have happily allowed it to swallow him whole (unlike the ungrateful floor at the Bakugou’s during Christmas). His brain ceased all function as it allowed the information to sink into his thoughts before it charged his brain back up again.

“So what do you say? Do you accept it?” Toshinori asked.

Izuku looked up at Toshinori and Aizawa, trying to revive his brain to have it speak words.

He took a deep breath…

“Tell me you said yes, Izuku!” Katsuki growled out, eyes wide open with this news.

Izuku continued to type away with his lesson plans for the next month.

“Izuku! Tell me you said yes!” Katsuki repeated, albeit a bit louder this time.

“I said I’d think about it,” Izuku answered.

Katsuki looked at him like a fish out of water, unsure of what he just heard, “The hell? Why? Isn’t that what you fucking wanted??? Mr. Aizawa and Mr. Toshinori fought to get you in, dammit!”

Izuku sighs, “Mr. Toshinori told me that I have until the end of the week to decide… Plus I… I don’t know if it’s the right time…”

Katsuki slammed his hands on Izuku’s desk, making the other man jump. Crimson red eyes met forest green in shock and anger simultaneously.

Izuku gulped, “K-Kacchan?”

“No, shut your trap!” Katsuki barked out, making Izuku shut up, “Ever since we started here, you’ve been talking non-stop about going to get your master’s. You signed up for it last year, got rejected, and moved on. Now your dream is at the cusp of your hands again and you said you’d THINK ABOUT IT??? What the flying fuck, you ungrateful bastard??”

Izuku stuttered a reply, “W-Well, I don’t know, maybe it’s too soon…”

“If it was too soon, they wouldn’t have changed their minds a year later, Izuku. CLEARLY, they want you at my alma mater!” Katsuki retorted back.

“W-Well, yes, but–” Izuku started to protest.

“Izuku,” Katsuki interrupted before he could get another word in, “Go back to that damn office and tell Mr. Aizawa, who, need I fucking remind you, went to the damn school to get you in, that you are going. End of discussion!”

“Why are you so insistent that I do this? What makes you think I still want this? And what’s with the guilt trip, Kacchan?” Izuku barked back.

“This isn’t a guilt trip, moron, it’s making you come to your damn senses. Also, to answer your question, it’s because I fucking know you! That look you gave me the moment you told me about this offer told me all I needed to know!” Katsuki shoots back.

“And what kind of look do I give, Kacchan?” Izuku asked, genuinely curious.

Katsuki cursed under his breath, along with a small tinge of pink forming on his cheeks, before replying back, “You’re eyes are wide like saucers, some sort of fucking twinkle in there and a small smile on your face, your freckles more prominent than usual,” Katsuki said, “When I see that look, I know something happened; something you’ve always wanted and it’s being given to you. I’m not sure if that makes sense, but it does to me,” he then turned his head, staring at the SmartBoard with all of his might.

Izuku stared at the blonde, his mind processing the words Katsuki said. Yes he absolutely WANTS this; this is something he wanted to do once he got the job. Yes, it’s a requirement after teaching for so long, but that’s neither here nor there.

He then thought about how the principal and SUPERINTENDENT went to the school and debated with the dean for months to get Izuku in. He was grateful, he was not denying that…

So why was he hesitant? Why didn’t he just accept it right then and there?

Was it because of Katsuki?

No, if anything, he’s ENCOURAGING it…

There has to be a reason for the hesitation.

Was it self-doubt? The uncertainty on how this would all play out if he accepted it? The thought that he’d have to give up nights to study his ass off and the flashbacks of how grueling his undergrad was and the student teaching in his last semester?

Izuku sighed, “But Kacchan, UA is half an hour away. What about work? What if I need to stay on campus?”

Katsuki rubbed his temples at the dense motherfucker in front of him, “There are things called ONLINE classes, dumbass. Trust me, I took PLENTY of them there.”

Oh…

Oh he didn’t think about that…

“PLUS,” Katsuki continued, “There are such things as EVENING classes…”

Oh yeah, there’s that, too…

Izuku pondered this new information along with his hesitation. He then sighed, knowing the most logical conclusion to his dilemma.

Izuku closed his laptop, got up from his seat, and walked straight out of the door toward the office. The angry blonde came running over at this new development, not wanting to miss this.

Once he was at the office, he swung the door open and there was Aizawa, who was talking to Mirio about something, but the two stopped and looked up at the intruding green haired man standing before him, with Katsuki right behind him. Aizawa lifted an eyebrow, knowing exactly why he was here.

“Mr. Aizawa,” Izuku started, sheer determination in his voice, “Tell Mr. Toshinori that I accept!”

Aizawa grinned at this, crossing his arms, “I’ll get right on it, Izuku. Congratulations.”

Izuku beamed, then looked back at Katsuki, who nodded his head with the biggest shit eating grin on his face.

“So I hear you’re going back to school for your master’s. Congrats, my dude,” Shinsou said to Izuku as he came to pick up his students from the library.

Izuku smiled, “Thank you, Shinsou. I honestly can’t wait to start! I already looked into the classes I need to take; I like to get a head start.”

“As per usual,” Shinsou smirked, “I also heard it took Bakugou to convince you to do it.”

Izuku blinked, “How do you know that?”

“Mirio has a mouth, also he apparently saw him behind you,” Shinsou shrugged, “Anyway, kids were good, and now they know about internet safety. You’re welcome.”

“Uhh, thanks Shinsou… Okay, I’ll see later then… Janet, follow me,” Izuku gestured to the brunette girl as she led their class back to the classroom. The purple haired man merely waved goodbye as he took out the book he was currently reading, which was Percy Jackson.

The rest of the morning went by smoothly; Izuku introduced the class to their new read aloud story, “Miss Daisy is Crazy,” and went to read the first chapter. The students listened happily as they sat in their seats.

“‘You know what A.J,’ Miss Daisy said, ‘I hate school, too!’ ‘You do?’ We all stared at Miss Daisy. I thought teachers loved school. If they didn’t love school, why did they become teachers?’” Izuku read as his students gasped and awed as he finished the rest of the chapter before placing the bookmark. The students whined at the end of the chapter.

“That was short!” Kota replied.

“Can you read the next chapter?” Katsuma asked.

Izuku chuckled, “Maybe before school ends today, I’ll read the next chapter. But for now, we need to get ready for our math test,” he stated as the students got out their pencils and ‘no peeking’ folders. Izuku then passed out their tests and off they went as Izuku went to his desk to check his email.

The color green seems to be a theme this week in Izuku’s classroom. Not only was it because he had natural green hair (no one could figure out how that is possible), but it was also because St. Patrick’s Day was approaching.

Izuku had a green button up shirt when the holiday finally arrived as he traversed through the hallways to get to his classroom that morning. He opened the door to get his class ready when, right in his desk chair, was none other than Katsuki, arms crossed, his feet propped on his desk (he noted the green socks peeking out) and a determined look on his face.

Izuku blinked, “Umm, good morning, Kacchan?”

Katsuki didn’t miss a beat when the next words came out of his mouth, “We’re having that talk now.”

Izuku stared at the man at his desk, “Pardon?”

“You heard me,” Katsuki retorted; he soon stood up and walked toward the green haired man.

Izuku’s eyes widened as he took a step back. He soon found himself backed up against the SmartBoard as the blonde approached him.

Katsuki placed both hands on each side of Izuku’s head, trapping him in so he could not escape. Izuku looked right at those piercing red eyes that always seemed to keep him in a trance whenever he was determined to get what he wanted.

And what he wanted was answers, so it seems.

“You're gonna tell me what was on your mind that day? Or do I have to force it out of you?” Katsuki demanded, not asked.

Izuku gulped, here we go , “I-I was uhh… I was thinking about things…”

Katsuki raised an eyebrow, “What kind of things…?”

Izuku blinked, trying to keep his nerves in check, while simultaneously being aware that they were in his classroom and any minute now, a student could walk in on them, “... About us…” he replied.

Katsuki took one step closer, bending his arms a bit as their faces were mere inches away from each other, “Tell me about that,” he said, eyes half lidded.

Izuku started to shake a bit, his heart going a million miles a minute, knowing full well that they were in yet another compromising position for anyone to walk into.

Izuku’s lips suddenly felt dry, but he refused to lick them, so he continued, “I-I was thinking about some moments… About H-Halloween… B-Before the b-bachelorette party… A-And at my a-apartment…”

Katsuki hummed, moving his face one inch closer, arms fully bent but still on each side of Izuku’s head, noses brushing against each other, “And what do those times have in common, Izuku ?” He asked, emphasizing his name in a sultry voice that Izuku never heard him use. That alone made him shutter.

Izuku’s lips parted, he suddenly felt a bit warm as he panted through his mouth. He also found himself leaning in, eyes half closed, “Umm… T-They–”

“GET A ROOM, YOU TWO!” the voice of Sero rang in the classroom, taunting them.

Katsuki pulled away and glared back at the offending man who interrupted this VERY important ‘talk,’ while Izuku ducked away from the blonde and walked toward his desk, face buried in his coat, mind reeling.

“Soy Sauce! What the FUCK???” Katsuki snarled, clearly pissed off.

Sero raised his hands, “What? You guys didn’t realize that the door was open, so I obviously had to come in and remind you! By the way, the kids will be here soon, so I’d tone down on the cursing, okay?” He said, giving them a thumbs up.

Katsuki growled at the black haired man, who merely smirked back.

Izuku cleared his throat, gaining the two’s attention, “S-Sero’s right, we should probably get ourselves ready…”

Katsuki gawked at Izuku, before cursing under his breath, “Fine… Whatever… See ya at lunch, I guess…” He then sulked toward the door and walked out of Izuku’s classroom; the look of defeat rang clearly on his face.

Sero looked at the door, confusion running through him, before turning to Izuku, “... Did I interrupt something?”

Izuku mumbled quietly, “I-I don’t know…”

Sero looked at Izuku, before looking back and forth between the sulking green haired man and the door that the tall blonde went through. Suddenly, realization came through as he facepalmed himself.

“Aww, MAN! I interrupted your CONFESSION, didn’t I?” Sero whined.

Izuku shot up like a bullet, “W-W-WHAT? Sero, what are you talking about???”

Sero looked at him like he grew two heads at once, “Dude, it was OBVIOUS! He had you pinned to the WALL! He was inching closer to you! CLEARLY, he wanted to kiss you, Midoriya!”

Izuku blinked, face deadpan at Sero’s words, the gears in his brain turning.

Then it all came crashing down as his face turned bright red; his head started to spin as the blood rushed everywhere. There was a ringing in his ears and suddenly he found himself face first onto the floor before darkness called to him.

Izuku blinked his eyes open as soon as he felt consciousness again, the blinding lights over him overwhelmed his senses as he tried to sit up.

“Easy now, deary, you had quite the fall there,” the voice of Chiyo Shuzenji rang through his ears as he processed where he was.

Izuku’s eyes adjusted to the lights as he took a look at his surroundings.

He was in the nurse’s office, laying on two small cots that apparently if he was on one, his lower half would have met the floor. He felt a cool towel on his forehead as he went to reach for it.

“Mrs. Shuzenji? What happened?” Izuku asked.

Chiyo chuckled, “According to Hanta, you passed out due to overheating yourself. You must have been so emotional over something, that the blood from your head warmed up too much and your body couldn’t take the sudden change.”

Izuku blinked, suddenly remembering what happened prior to passing out.

Sero told him that Katsuki was going to kiss him.

And he was subconsciously LETTING IT HAPPEN!

But he said he wanted to talk, and he was so focused on getting the words out and being aware of his surroundings, he must not have noticed Katsuki’s ulterior motive.

While his brain didn’t register that, apparently his body did, as he remembered him reacting so badly, wanting him to get closer until their lips met.

Well, THIS was a drastic turn of events.

Izuku stuttered, “O-Oh… I’m sorry, I must have been so overwhelmed with work or something…” he said, trying to come up with a lie as to why he passed out.

He hoped Sero didn’t say much to her.

Chiyo smiled, “Now now, dear, Hanta told me everything. Especially why you actually fainted,” she said as she handed him a bottle of water.

Oh no…

Izuku became flustered, almost spilling the water all over him, “W-W-What?”

Chiyo laughed, “Oh youth, I miss those days,” she then took the towel off of his forehead before continuing, “You and Young Bakugou are not the first teachers to fall in love and you most certainly won’t be the last.”

Izuku’s brain short circuited at the mention of him and Katsuki being in love from the school nurse. He wanted the cots to swallow him whole, but unfortunately, that would not be his luck, now would it?

Him? In love with Katsuki?

… Well, yes, that’s true…

But… WHAT????

Chiyo seemed to catch on as Izuku was stunned into silence before sighing, “Young Midoriya, may I give you a word of advice?”

Izuku’s brain finally kicked in as he looked up at Chiyo; he gave her his answer by nodding.

Chiyo smiled, “Ever since you two were children during my younger years here in this school, you were practically glued to each other. You always found ways to see each other before and after school, during recess, and even managed to talk to one another at lunch time. You two were inseparable. When you became teachers, it was like all of those years being apart never happened. You picked up where you two left off, literally and figuratively speaking; in these same halls, in the same classrooms, on the same grounds.”

“I’m sure you’ve heard this same old tale a dozen times already,” Chiyo continued, “But it’s high time you two had a sit down and talked about what you truly want with each other. I can see it in both of your eyes that you want one another. Don’t give me that look,” Chiyo warned, seeing Izuku’s face contort to disbelief, “You know this to be true, you just seem to not want to believe it, somehow.”

Chiyo then placed her hand on Izuku’s shoulders, “I know it’s scary to think about these things and the what ifs swirling in your brain right now, but if you don’t at least try, how would you know if Young Bakugou feels the same way? Take it from this old geezer here,” She said, pointing at herself, “I’ve lived long enough to know what love is and what it looks like, and I can see it in both of you.”

Izuku blinked as the experienced nurse’s words swirled in his mind. All of the advances Katsuki had done to him these last few months have been confusing the poor man. Now that Chiyo brought this to light, he saw the pattern.

For a while, Izuku had been looking into if Katsuki did have feelings for him.

This all but confirmed it for him.

He looked at Chiyo and gave her a smile, “Thanks, Mrs. Shuzenji… I’ll… I’ll see what I can do…”

Chiyo squeezed his shoulder before letting go, “I hope you do it sooner rather than later, deary, I’m not getting any younger,” she chuckled, “If you’re feeling better, you may go back to your classroom. I’m sure your students are wondering where you went.”

Oh SHIT HIS STUDENTS!!!!

Izuku shot up in the most dramatic way possible before scurrying back to his classroom, his mind going a million miles a minute as he thanked Chiyo before rushing out the door.

Let’s hope the luck of the Irish is in his favor on this one.

It was a beautiful sunny Saturday, not a cloud in the sky. The trees were swaying in the light breeze as Spring was around the corner. The terrain of cherry blossoms blew around the outdoor venue as the crew set up the chairs for the guests. The small altar with a large empty glass vase sat in the middle along with two smaller ones filled with sand, one pink and one silver. The white archway setting the scene in the back of the altar was filled with vines, pink and silver ribbons, and cherry blossom flowers.

What a perfect day for a wedding.

Izuku had on a light blue button up along with a light gray tuxedo, light gray pants, and dark brown dress up shoes. The only thing missing besides his boutonniere was the pink bow tie. He tried his very best to get his bow tie in place for the past ten minutes when he suddenly gave up. He sighed in frustration, knowing full well all of his attempts will remain futile.

He can’t tie a tie, and he can’t tie a bow tie.

Dammit.

He felt a tap on his shoulder; he turned to see Tensei smiling up at him from his wheelchair, “Need help, Midoriya?”

Izuku blinked, “O-Oh, yeah, I do need help. Thanks,” he then suddenly didn’t know if he needed to bend over, crouch down, or–

Tensei chuckled, “It’s okay, I can reach,” he then took a hold of Izuku’s bow tie and started to tie it with ease, like it was second nature to him. Izuku was kind of jealous of the others knowing how to do this.

Kind of.

Once Tensei finished, he beamed, “There ya go, Man of Honor!”

Izuku smiled back, feeling his now perfectly tied bow tie, “Thanks, Tensei! I swear I wish I knew how to do this…”

Tensei smiled as he patted Izuku’s arm, “You’ll get it one day. It’s second nature for me, but the more you practice, the better you get, right?”

Izuku nodded, “Yeah I know. Thanks again…”

“Anytime! Now then, I gotta go find Tenya, see if he needs any help. You go to Ochako, okay?”

Izuku agreed and soon was on his way to the bridal suite of the hotel they were staying at. He knocked on the door once he reached the suite, “Uraraka? Everything okay?”

“NOT DONE DRESSING YET! GIVE US A BIT!” He heard Uraraka shout from the suite.

“Okay, let me know when you’re done!” Izuku called and stood outside the door.

He checked his watch to see the time when he heard footsteps running towards the suite. He looked up and it was Jirou in her light pink one strap bridesmaid dress, shoes attached to her hand and her face in a panic.

Huh…?

“Jirou? What’s wrong?” Izuku asked.

“Hang on Midoriya, I need to talk to Momo and the others,” she said as she pushed the door open, “IT’S ME! I gotta tell you something!” She shouted before closing the door.

Izuku could hear shuffling of feet and gasps coming from the door. Uraraka sounded frustrated at one point but then he heard the others calming her down before the door opened. Jirou came back out and closed the door immediately, taking a deep breath.

Izuku blinked, “Jirou?”

Jirou took a look at Izuku, before she rubbed her temples in frustration, “Sorry… something happened…”

“Oh?” Izuku asked.

Jirou blinked, “Oh right, you didn’t know. So, long story short, Uraraka hired my band to play at her reception. We were just going to play a few songs at the beginning before the DJ took over. Well, our drummer decided to quit at the last minute, rendering us without one!”

Izuku gasped, “Oh no! I’m sorry that happened!”

Jirou scoffed, “So unless we can find a new drummer in time for the reception, we’re SOL… Ugh I had a feeling this would happen,” she started to rub her temples, “He didn’t seem happy with anything the last few weeks but we chalked it up to stress or something…”

Izuku looked at Jirou, then took a second to think about the situation before he came up with an idea.

“Hey, have you asked Kacchan?” Izuku asked.

Jirou raised an eyebrow, “What about him?”

Izuku blinked, unsure where to go from here, “Umm… Kacchan plays the drums… Really well, if I may add…”

Jirou’s eyes widened, “Really? He can play? I didn’t know that!”

Izuku nodded, “Maybe you can ask him to fill in. I’m sure he’ll say yes!”

Jirou blinked, then her face turned into shock as she gasped, “That would totally save our asses! Thanks Midoriya! I’ll text him!” And off she went back into the suite to tell the others the possible good news.

Izuku gulped; Katsuki wasn’t one to flaunt his musical prowess, but if it meant to save a wedding, he knew he’d do it.

After what felt like an eternity, Momo came running out of the suite in her own bridesmaid dress, the same as Jirou’s, and hugged Izuku.

“Midoriya, you just saved our plans! Thank you! Bakugou agreed to do it!” Momo cooed as she hugged him tighter, her chest pressing against Izuku’s neck, almost suffocating him.

Izuku gasped for a breath, “You’re welcome…”

Momo must have noticed before releasing him, Izuku took a big breath once he was relieved, “Oh, I’m sorry, Midoriya, I didn’t realize…”

Izuku rubbed his neck, “It’s okay, Yaoyorozu. Anyway I’m glad he agreed to do it! I knew Kacchan would!”

Momo nodded, “While I am upset with our former drummer for doing this to us, the show must go on, and we have you and Bakugou to thank!”

Izuku mumbled, “O-Oh, don’t thank me… I just merely suggested it…”

Uraraka shouted from the suite, “Izuku! You can come in now!”

Izuku looked up, “Okay! Coming!”

He entered the suite, Momo behind him. He took a look at Uraraka and saw how beautiful of a bride she was!

There stood his best friend in a strapless ivory white ball gown, the sweetheart neckline fitting perfectly around her chest; her dress was filled with laces and beading and was swept open on the bottom. The back of her dress stretched out onto the floor at least a foot behind her. Her waist was covered in thick pink and silver silk ribbon tied in a bow.

Uraraka’s hair was put up in a small bun and her veil clipped on the top. Pink cherry blossom petals were scattered around the bun. Her makeup was simple; her eyes filled with shimmery silver eyeshadow, a fading blush on her cheeks and lips pink and shiny from the lipgloss she was wearing.

Izuku gasped at the sight, unable to hold back the tears, “Uraraka! You look so beautiful!”

Uraraka beamed, “Aww Izuku, thank you!” She giggled, a small blush forming on her cheeks, “I can’t wait for the pictures when we get them!”

Izuku wiped the tears that started to fall on his cheeks, staining the jacket he was wearing, “Iida is going to love it!”

The other bridesmaids chimed in, giggling and laughing at Izuku’s reaction. He looked up, then saw Mei with a camera, taking pictures of him and Uraraka.

Izuku stammered, “H-Hatsume?? Why are you taking my picture???”

Mei cackled, “It was Uraraka’s idea! She wanted first looks and besides her dad and Iida, she wanted one of you!” 

Izuku blinked, “Really?”

“Yeah, really Midoriya! You weren’t here when she got dressed so we wanted to see your reaction! And OH BOY that reaction is good!” Mei laughed as she went over to take more pictures of the rings.

Izuku looked over at Uraraka, who had a smile on her face, “Don’t be mad, if I warned you ahead of time, we wouldn’t have gotten your genuine reaction.”

“I… I guess that makes sense…” Izuku agreed, scratching his cheek.

“Let’s toast to celebrate the bride!” Mina shouted, holding up some champagne glasses of mimosas, a fruit tray sitting on a desk next to her.

Everyone took a glass and cheered as they chatted away happily about Uraraka while Mei simultaneously took pictures of the bridal party. She then scooted her way toward the door and ushered herself out.

“I gotta take pics of the men with Shinsou, but be ready outside in an hour, girls and Midoriya~” Mei winked before shutting the door.

Tsu took a bite of a strawberry before speaking, “I hope Iida likes your dress. You are very beautiful, Ochako.”

Uraraka blushed at the compliment, “Oh man, I’m not going to get used to all of the attention on me.”

“Don’t worry, we’re all going to be here for you, it’s your day!” Jirou cheered as the others nodded in approval.

“Uraraka, it’s going to be an amazing wedding day. You’re going to be surrounded by friends and family, and you’re going to have fun! You and Iida planned this for a long time now, so don’t worry!” Momo stated, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Uraraka looked like she was about to cry as she started to sniffle, “Momo, please, I have my makeup on!”

The rest of the hour came and went before the party left the suite and joined Mei and Shinsou outside of the hotel for pictures. After thirty long minutes of group and single pictures of the party, it was time for first looks with Uraraka’s father and Iida.

As the photography duo was taking pictures of Uraraka with her father, Izuku stood by, making sure Iida didn't get even a glimpse of his soon to be wife.

Iida looked at Izuku as he stood there waiting, “Midoriya, you don’t have to stand here. I won’t look.”

Izuku huffed, “No way, Iida. I promised her no peeking until it was time. So I’m here to make sure you don’t see her.” He smirked, still blocking his view.

Iida sighed, “I should have known this would happen. Sorry, I’m just very nervous about the whole thing…” He trailed off, wiping his hands against his pants.

“Iida, you have nothing to worry about. Everything’s set and ready for you two; all you have to do is enjoy your day!” Izuku stated, giving him a reassuring look.

Iida smiled at his friend, then chuckled, “I guess you’re right. I just need to relax; Tensei’s been telling me this the entire time, but it’s different to hear it from someone else for a change.”

Izuku nodded, “That’s why he’s your Best Man, he’s also there to help.”

“And why Ochako had chosen you as the Man of Honor,” Iida stated.

“Okay, Iida! It’s time for you! Now close those pretty eyes of yours and NO PEEKING!” Mei interrupted. Iida did as he was told and Izuku took his hand, leading him to where Uraraka was standing, which was right underneath a blooming cherry blossom tree; her bouquet of flowers in her hands, all pink cherry blossoms and white lilies of the valley tied in a silver ribbon. Shinsou was standing about two feet away, taking pictures of the groom approaching with Izuku.

Izuku was told to stop and let go of Iida’s hand, running over to where they were standing before as he watched Mei and Shinsou take pictures of the two at different angles. He saw Iida open his eyes, mouth agape, then saw what appeared to be tears coming down his cheeks as Uraraka wiped them with a cheerful smile on her face. They then swiped a kiss between the two of them, emotions flooding their senses. The duo took more pictures of the moment as Izuku stepped inside to use the restroom.

He locked the bathroom stall as he then leaned against the door, thoughts swirling through his head. He couldn’t help but think of when Iida and Uraraka kissed at the thought that he and Katsuki almost kissed for what seemed like the umpteenth time this year.

His mind raced at everything that has happened until this moment with the blonde. It seemed as though Katsuki was starting to take a direct approach to get answers from him, which to be fair, he couldn’t blame him. But holy hell, was he not being so subtle.

And the fact that Izuku was just ALLOWING it to happen, and TWICE he allowed it to happen in his own classroom, AT WORK, should have been a sign that he liked the green haired man and WANTED TO BE WITH HIM .

But of course, doubt and his self-consciousness got the best of him (along with all of these godDAMN INTERRUPTIONS) and he didn’t know how else to reciprocate.

Katsuki ticked everything on his list of answers he was searching for; that he had feelings for him.

So why was Izuku hesitant to let it HAPPEN ALREADY ?????

This is the whole master’s program all over again, but this time, it’s personal…

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the bathroom door opening and someone whistling as they went to use the urinal. Izuku shut down his brain as he flushed the toilet to seem like he was doing his business, washed his hands and left the bathroom completely.

He walked back to the suite where the groomsmen were situated and saw the man that was troubling his mind shouting something at Kaminari.

“I told you! Tokoyami has the music! Not me!” Kaminari protested.

“Yeah man, cut him some slack,” Kirishima defended.

Katsuki growled, “I was told by Ears that you had it, so just fork it over before I pound you to smithereens!”

Izuku blinked at the sight; Katsuki was wearing a simple black suit with a wine red button up shirt that pretty much matched his eyes; he had black pants and black dress shoes on and a black tie. Izuku would normally find this sight alluring if it weren’t for the scowl on his face directed at the poor electric blonde as he was being pulled by his silver bow tie.

Izuku decided he needed to intervene before Katsuki could hurt Kaminari any further, “Umm… Kacchan?”

Katsuki stopped in his tracks and looked up to the man before him. All anger left and was replaced by bewilderment and something else Izuku couldn’t quite catch in time as he let go of Kaminari and straightened himself out. Kirishima took note of this sudden change and sighed, walking over toward Kaminari and helping him readjust his bow tie.

Izuku decided to continue, since he had his attention, “M-Maybe call Jirou? Perhaps you’ve misheard her?”

Katsuki blinked, before shaking his head and taking out his phone, “Tch, sure, whatever…” and with that, he stumbled out of the room, throwing an apology at Kaminari’s way before exiting the suite.

The men stared at the door, processing what just happened before Kirishima grumbled under his breath.

“Man, you totally have him whipped, Midoriya,” Kaminari croaked out as he fixed his hair.

Izuku stuttered, “W-What do you mean, Kaminari?”

“If I remember correctly from college,” Shouto chimed in, who all of a sudden existed in the room, seated in the desk chair and watching the commotion take place, “It means that Bakugou is allowing you to control the situation as he is infatuated with you.”

I’m sorry, WHAT?

“I-I-INFATUATED???” Izuku shouted, a blush forming on his cheeks.

“Oh my fucking– MIDORIYA!” Kirishima huffed, absolutely not having it today, “Can’t you see what has been happening all of this time??? Have you FINALLY observed the fucking breadcrumbs that have been laid out to you??? WELL??????”

Izuku stared at the red head with wide eyes; he can see that Kirishima was losing patience with him and is attempting to get him to understand something that Izuku absolutely knows what he’s talking about, but isn’t willing to admit out loud.

The two stared at each other for a solid minute before Kirishima rubbed his temples, then threw his hands in the air, “You two are gonna put me on blood pressure medicine way too early in my life, I swear… I’m getting some air…” And with that statement, Kirishima walked out of the room, leaving the three men alone as Izuku’s brain processed all of the information thrown at him all at once.

Sero walked in from the bathroom before looking around, sensing the tension in the air, “... Did I miss something…?”

After Kirishima apologized for snapping at him, Izuku didn’t have time to think about Katsuki’s sudden appearance in the suite and change of attitude once he laid eyes on him as the ceremony approached. The groomsmen and the groom himself stood at the altar, waiting for the bridal party to walk through the aisle. One by one, each bridesmaid walked down and found their spots on the other side of the altar.

Izuku felt weird not having a bouquet like the rest, but he stood up straight anyway and trudged through, remembering what he practiced the night before. He spotted Katsuki in one of the chairs, staring right at him as he walked by, a small smile on his face. Izuku beamed and he found his spot that mirrored Tensei on the opposite side of the altar.

Soon all eyes were on Uraraka as she made her way through with her father holding her arm. She had a bright smile on her face, tears threatening to come down but she kept them from doing so. She officially reached the altar, giving her father a hug as he sat down next to her mother as the priest started the ceremony.

Izuku stood right behind Uraraka and held onto her bouquet as she held Iida’s hands, both saying their vows of love and adoration for one another before they poured the sand into the large vase. He couldn’t help but smile the entire time watching them both finally get married after such a long time. Izuku needed to keep his emotions in check as he could feel the tears coming down.

The ceremony was almost over; Uraraka and Iida exchanged rings, Izuku handed back the bouquet, the two officially kissed and then they both turned toward their guests as Mei and Shinsou took more pictures. 

The priest lifted his hands and officially stated to the audience before them, “Guests of our beloved, it is my pleasure to officially introduce to you, Mr. and Mrs. Iida!”

The crowd cheered as the newly married couple walked down the aisle hand in hand. Izuku met with Tensei, who laughed, “So how are we doing this, Midoriya?”

“Ooooh! I have an idea! Hold on tight!” Izuku stated as he walked behind Tensei’s wheelchair. He then started to run and soon they were rolling down the aisle, with Izuku lifting his feet as Tensei leaned forward to keep everything balanced. Both the Best Man and the Man of Honor laughed with smiles on their faces, guests laughing along with them (he could hear Katsuki bark a laugh), Mei and Shinsou smirking as they took pictures, and Uraraka wheezing a laugh as Iida watched with concern written on his face.

Luckily there was wood underneath the carpeted aisle or this would have been a different story.

After more pictures (Izuku’s face was getting tired from all the smiling), they then made their way to the reception hall of the hotel they were staying at. The DJ started the music as the guests enjoyed their cocktail hour and introduced each and every groomsmen and bridesmaid.

Kaminari and Jirou walked through first, playing their air guitars, followed by Sero and Tsu, who the former twirled her around in his arms. Then it was Shouto and Momo, who decided to wear neon yellow shutter shades as a joke. Finally, it was Kirishima and Mina, in which their intro involved them mimicking the Titanic scene as Kirishima shouted, “I’m KING OF THE WORLD!”

Izuku and Tensei then came through; Izuku pretended to be a secret agent, wearing sunglasses and using his fingers as pretend guns, looking around to see if the coast was clear, before nodding for Tensei to come in, who couldn’t help but chuckle as he did so. Izuku heard a very loud yet familiar cackle coming from the crowd.

It was then time for the bride and groom to come in. Uraraka and Iida both held each other’s hands as they made their way over to the dance floor. Immediately, they got themselves situated for their first dance together.

Izuku noticed that the DJ sat down and situated close by was a stage with a band ready to play the first song.

Jirou was the one up front with her guitar and the microphone in front of her. Kaminari and another man, Tokoyami if Izuku remembered correctly, held onto their bass and guitar respectively, along with Momo situated with an electric keyboard, poised and ready to play.

Then Izuku looked at the drummer, who was none other than Katsuki, revving himself up to play the drums.

Jirou gave a nod, and soon the band started to play the song “Electric Love” by Børns. Iida and Uraraka swayed to the music, dancing rhythmically to the beat, as Jirou sung the words that filled the air.

Candy, she’s sweet like candy in my veins

Baby, I’m dying for another taste

And every night my mind is running around her

Thunder’s getting louder and louder

Izuku allowed some tears to fall, watching Uraraka and Iida as they twirled, spun each other around, and when Iida dipped Uraraka, he leaned forward to give her a kiss. Mei and Shinsou snapped more pictures as Izuku wiped the tears and watched the band play.

He could see a small smirk on Katsuki’s face, who was clearly in his element. He saw Shinsou snapping a few pictures of the band while Mei took over with the couple. Izuku’s heart swelled seeing Katsuki so happy.

Soon the song was over; everyone clapped as Iida kissed Uraraka on the hand and walked off the stage. Uraraka’s father came forward and went to dance with her to the song “Forever Young,” by Rod Stewart as the band continued to play.

After Iida had his chance to dance with his mother to “What a Wonderful World,” by Louis Armstrong, the dance floor was emptied as Jirou cleared her throat to gather everyone’s attention.

“As a request from the bride and groom, we have a special song for you all before toasts. Both of them wanted to throw their geek flag high at some point tonight, so here’s the song, ‘Hero Too’ from the All Might series!” 

And with that, Katsuki, with the biggest smirk he had produced all day, shouted, “LET’S FUCKING GOOOOOO!!!!” He threw the drumsticks on the drums and the band started to play the song. Izuku’s eyes lit up, his inner fanboy squealed seeing him play the song from their favorite show. Jirou smiled as the words fell from her lips.

What am I to be?

What is my calling?

I gave up giving up, I’m ready to go

The future’s left unseen

It all depends on me

Put it on the line to follow my dreams

The crowd cheered the band on; Izuku saw Kaminari and Tokoyami look at their instruments with full concentration. Momo jammed on the keyboard with a big smile on her face.

And then there was Katsuki.

He was having the time of his LIFE, if that big grin on his face had anything to say.

Izuku beamed as the band finished playing the song. The guests applaud, Izuku jumping up and down in his seat, waving his hands to the blonde, who gave him a big thumbs up.

He was glad that, despite everything, they still could make each other smile.

Toasts were made (Izuku kept crying during his, which resulted in a wheeze from Katsuki and a pat on the back from Uraraka), food was served, and everyone was happily dancing on the dance floor, the DJ blasting the playlist of songs.

Katsuki stood idly by, taking a sip of his beer, enjoying the view that was bestowed in front of him: Izuku happily dancing with the crowd to Backstreet Boys, making a fool of himself. His face flushed with alcohol in his system and adrenaline rushing through his veins.

He took a deep breath, taking another swig when Kirishima hopped on over, downing his own beverage in one fell swoop.

“So,” the red head started, “I can tell that taking a direct approach didn’t work.”

Katsuki’s face scrunched up to a look of annoyance, flipping him off.

“Fucking Soy Sauce interrupted the whole thing… And the worst part of it is, he was actually reciprocating! What the fuck do I even need to do, Kirishima? Lock him in a closet or something so we can have some fucking PRIVACY OR SOMETHING?”

Kirishima sighed, “I know, bro. He felt bad about it as soon as he figured it out, you know?”

Katsuki grunted, taking another sip of his beer.

“Maybe try here? I know it’s Uraraka’s day, but it might be a good time to, ya know, get him alone?” Kirishima suggested.

Katsuki huffed, “After you practically scolded him? He probably wouldn’t…”

“AND I SAID I WAS SORRY TO HIM ABOUT THAT! But you have to understand that I was very frustrated about the whole thing!” Kirishima shouted, “Seriously, this has taken a toll on me, too…”

“I guess…” Katsuki sighed, placing his now empty bottle of beer on one of the tables.

“Ok, I’ll tell you what, I’ll make sure you get privacy this time around. Kaminari is with Jirou, Sero’s practically flirting with Tsu–”

“Seriously?” Katsuki gawked, “Thought she wasn’t doing the whole dating thing anymore.”

“She said not right now, remember? Besides, she kinda looks happy with him,” Kirishima pointed out to where the two were, who were happily chatting away.

“Back to my point; go get Midoriya and get some needed alone time! I’ll keep everyone busy!” Kirishima said.

Katsuki stood there for a solid minute, then he took a deep breath, and walked over to where the green haired man was currently occupying, which was part of the dance floor, swaying his hips around to the beat with Mina and Momo.

Katsuki held back a snicker before tapping on his shoulder, “Hey, nerd…”

Izuku turned to look at him, confusion written on his face, “Oh hey Kacchan! What’s up?”

Katsuki was about to say something when the DJ suddenly changed the music to a slow song, blaring out “The Way You Look Tonight,” by Frank Sinatra, though it sounded slower than usual and it was definitely not sung by Frank himself.

Oh for fuck sakes–

Mina giggled as she went to find Kirishima and Momo took Shouto’s hand once he approached her.

The two teachers were left to their own demise.

Katsuki suddenly didn’t know what to do at this point. It was only when he heard Izuku clear his throat and held out his hand did his body start functioning again.

Izuku smiled sheepishly, “Do you wanna dance, Kacchan?”

Well, fuck, not what he planned, but he might as well take advantage of this opportunity.

He merely scoffed before taking his hand, “Yeah yeah, sure…”

The two then found themselves swaying to the music; Katsuki’s arms wrapped around Izuku’s waist while Izuku had his around Katsuki’s shoulders.

Silence filled the void that was the two men, not really looking at each other in the eyes. Katsuki saw Kirishima and Mina giving him a thumbs up, grinning cheek to cheek. He returned the gestures with a roll of his eyes as he looked back at the man he was dancing with, who was looking at Katsuki’s shirt for some reason.

Katsuki blinked before breaking their silence, “Do I have something on my shirt, Izuku?”

Izuku looked up, suddenly flushed from embarrassment, “Oh uh, n-no, I just umm… I noticed your shirt is embroidered with flowers on it…”

Katsuki smirked, “Yeah? It’s one of Ma’s designs. I have a closet full of them.”

Izuku’s eyes widened, “Really???”

“Yep! I could ask her to get some for you, since you seem to like it,” Katsuki offered.

Izuku gasped, “She’d be okay with that?”

“Obviously, you moron,” Katsuki teased with the same smirk. Izuku merely chuckled before looking into his eyes.

Green met with red for quite some time; Katsuki pressed his forehead against Izuku’s, both of their eyes closed just to enjoy each other’s embrace. The song continued on as they both continued to sway to the music.

Lovely, never, never change

Keep that breathless charm

Won't you please arrange it?

'Cause I love you

Just the way you look tonight

For some time, it felt like heaven…

A flash of light suddenly brought them back from reality as they both looked over to see Shinsou with his camera, a small grin on his face.

“Finally got one of you two together,” he teased as he slipped away to take more pictures, avoiding Katsuki’s obvious growl of frustration.

Katsuki then let go of the green haired man and grabbed his hand before any further interruptions could occur.

“Kacchan? Where are we going?” Izuku asked.

“Somewhere private, obviously,” Katsuki grunted.

The two found themselves in a small broom closet (of fucking course) that seemed to be unlocked for some reason. Katsuki turned on a small light and situated himself against the door.

Izuku looked around, nervous about being somewhere he’s not supposed to be when his eyes laid on a small pale bucket on the floor, gasping with his eyes wide open. He picked it up and clutched it to his chest, a small snicker coming from him.

… The hell?

Katsuki blinked, “What are you doing?”

Izuku smiled, “It’s the Reassurance Bucket, Kacchan!”

Katsuki stared at him deadpan, then rubbed his temples to soothe the headache suddenly appearing, “Deku, I swear to God if this is a Stanley Parable joke, I will personally make sure you kick the bucket, literally and figuratively.”

Izuku laughed at him before putting the bucket down, “Sorry, I felt some tension in the air and I wanted to diffuse it with some humor…”

Katsuki groaned, “Sure, I guess I’ll take that over Spongebob or Monty Python quotes…”

Izuku gasped mockingly, “You wound me, Kacchan!”

Katsuki merely huffed, “Get used to it.”

Silence fell between them, unsure of what to do next, before Izuku spoke up to break it.

“So, why did you bring me here?” Izuku asked.

Okay… Let’s fucking do this…

Katsuki took a deep breath…

“Izuku Midoriya! You’re needed on the dance floor!” The voice of the DJ came hurtling from the reception hall.

Katsuki growled; he will personally kill every deity there is that keeps pulling this bullshit on him.

Izuku stammered, unsure of what to do, “Kacchan–”

“Go, you’re needed for some reason,” Katsuki opened the door and kept it open for Izuku to step out, not looking directly at his eyes.

“But–”

“Izuku, just… Go…” Katsuki stated, a look of defeat painted over his face.

Izuku slowly stepped out of the closet, giving the blonde a worried look before walking back to the reception hall.

Katsuki slammed the door shut and just stood there, seething with rage and defeat as he heard the reception continue without him.

He could feel the tears coming down his face, his whole body shaking with emotions as he clenched his fists and his fingernails dug into the skin.

Does the world not want him to be happy? Does someone have some sort of personal vendetta against him?

Why does this keep happening to him???

All of a sudden he felt a hand on his shoulder; he turned to see that it was Tokoyami, who had a box of tissues in his other hand. 

“You appear to be in need of them, Bakugou,” he said, a bit of concern in his voice.

Katsuki stared at the tissue box before he took it, taking a few out and wiping himself clean.

“Why are you here, Bird Brain?” He sniffed, trying to regain his composure.

“I was on my way to use the restroom, then took notice of you and Midoriya coming out of the closet. You appeared to be in distress, so I figured I would be here to comfort you,” Tokoyami stated.

Katsuki snorted, “I don’t need your pity party. I just…”

Suddenly, Katsuki felt the flood gates open up to the guy who he just met today to go over the damn music for the wedding. He didn’t know why, but it just suddenly happened.

“I just… I want to tell him how I feel about him. I want to tell him how much he means to me. I want to tell him that I—“ he took a deep breath, “I want to tell him that I care so much for him. I’d take a BULLET for the damn nerd! He’s funny, talented, he works well with the brats at work, he’s smart, and he’s fucking handsome with that stupid smile and his stupid freckles and that mop of green hair on his head! And the worst part is,” he placed a hand on top of his forehead, “is that I KNOW he feels the same way! I KNOW him that well. And everytime I try to tell him, something gets in the fucking way!”

He felt another dam coming through his eyes as he grabbed more tissues, cursing under his breath for his stupid vulnerability.

“Before you give me some shitty advice, don’t,” Katsuki growled out, but there was no bite to it, “I’ve gotten that plenty of times in the past.”

Tokoyami merely shrugged, “That was not the intent, Bakugou.”

“Then why the fuck did you just stand there and listen to my bullshit?” Katsuki asked.

Tokoyami smiled, “To merely lend you my ear as you vented your frustrations and be a shoulder to cry on. It seems as though you need one right now.”

Katsuki stared at the man in question, unable to process the fact that he wasn’t here to give him advice or to say anything in general.

But to just listen to him vent? This man that he’s only met today?

… Huh…

Tokoyami held out his empty hand, “Do you have your phone on you?”

Katsuki blinked, before taking it out of his pocket and, trusting this man for some reason, handed him his phone after unlocking it.

Tokoyami tapped away for a solid minute before handing it back to the blonde.

“Wanna explain that, Bird Brain?” Katsuki asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I have given you my number,” Tokoyami explained, “If you ever need to talk about anything, you can text or call me anytime. I work from home, so you do not need to worry about interrupting me or anything.”

Katsuki looked at his phone and saw the name “Fumikage Tokoyami” in his contact list. He stared at the name before he looked back at the man in question.

He didn’t think he needed a new friend or something, but it seems like a nice welcome to the shitstorm that was his current life.

Katsuki looked at a corner of the room before muttering, “Thanks, I’ll take that into consideration.”

Tokoyami nodded, understanding where he was coming from, “Perhaps you should head back to the reception. The night is still young, Bakugou. Plus I believe Midoriya is looking for you right now.”

Katsuki sighed; he knew he was right. He really wanted to go home after that fiasco, but he knew that if he did so, the nerd would be calling and texting him nonstop.

So with that, he stormed back into the hall, being greeted by the damn Whitney Houston song he remembered Izuku singing at Uraraka’s bachelorette party. He then felt someone tugging his arm and son of a bitch, it was Izuku himself.

“Kacchan! Is everything okay?” Izuku asked with a worried look on his face.

Katsuki stared back at those gorgeous veridian eyes before he answered him, “Yeah… Yeah I’m good…”

Izuku sighed in relief, “Thank goodness, you just looked really upset earlier… Umm…” he then rubbed the back of his neck, “Did you wanna talk or–”

“Honestly, Izuku, I just wanna dance with somebody…” Katsuki started.

“… Huh?”

Katsuki smirked, “I wanna feel the heat with somebody…”

Izuku looked at him deadpan, “Oh God you’re singing the song aren’t you…?”

“YEEEEEAH I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY!” Katsuki sang out loud as he dragged Izuku to the dance floor, “WITH SOMEBODY WHO LOOOOOVES MEEEEE!!!”

Izuku laughed, “KACCHAAAAAAN!!!!”

The broom closet incident completely forgotten, Izuku and Katsuki danced the night away, enjoying each other’s company and having the time of their lives.

And Katsuki couldn’t complain about it at all.

Chapter Text

Katsuki blew his whistle and the children were off!

With the weather getting warmer, Katsuki decided to have the kids play soccer outside on the field that was in between the elementary school and Toshinori Middle School. He figured the kids needed some fresh air after all of the spring testing (which was bullshit but he couldn’t do anything about it).

Mahoro kicked the ball into the goal and the team in the red loose mesh shirts cheered. Katsuki smiled at the progress these children made. He was really going to miss this group when they got to middle school.

When his morning gym classes ended, he filed some paperwork for Aizawa as he grabbed his lunchbox and started to head toward Izuku’s room.

They never mentioned the broom closet nor the almost kiss since, and Katsuki just decided that this was his lot in life. He has tried and tried and tried, but there is so much anyone can take before admitting defeat.

So what if he’s unable to tell the damn nerd how he felt? At least they’re still on good terms and can joke around with each other. At the very least, they’re still friends.

He just… WISHED he could tell him.

He had been venting his frustrations to Tokoyami after he gave him his number, and he’s very surprised that he hasn’t blocked his number yet. Every call and text he sent the poor man’s way was filled with rage, anger, frustration, and fear. When he would finish, it would be met with a typical, “I’m glad you got that out of your system. Thank you for telling me."

No groans, no worries, no trying to give him advice; Tokoyami just let him talk with no interruptions.

This was a nice welcomed change to his life.

Sure he still talked to Kirishima and Uraraka (only after she came back from the mini-moon), but Tokoyami was different and new, so he had been talking to him more than the others.

Katsuki reached Izuku’s classroom; he was about to open the door when he heard Izuku’s voice and another that sounded like Mrs. Harrington. He leaned in to listen to the conversation, justifying that this is totally not eavesdropping and such.

“… I don’t know, I just don’t know if it’s going to happen anymore…”

“What do you mean by that, Izuku?”

“I mean… He did seem like he was taking more… Direct approaches to telling me, then all of a sudden, he just… Stopped…”

“Hmm… He did seem a bit off after Ochako’s wedding, but I didn’t think anything of it at the time…”

“Yeah…”

“Wow, you MUST miss those advances, don’t you?” A laugh poured through the closed door.

“W-Well, yeah, I do… Now I kinda feel like I have to do something, ya know?”

“Well, his birthday is coming up, maybe plan around that to talk to him.”

“Oh, I have something planned for that, don’t worry. I just… I don’t wanna ruin it with this…”

“Listen, Izuku, I get it, but you two are still very young. I understand that you don’t want to chance it on his birthday, but you must find the right time to do so. I’ve seen you pine over him since you started. I think it’s high time you two just sit and chat.”

“… That doesn’t make any sense. Are you telling me to just go for it or wait?”

“I’ll leave that up to your discretion.” A chuckle was heard, “Sorry, my brain hasn’t been the same since I found out about the baby, so please excuse my ramblings.”

“O-Oh! Don’t worry about that! It’s okay!”

“Well that’s very kind of you to say. Anyway, I should head back to my room; I need to finish my lesson plans for Denki before I go on Maternity Leave.”

“Of course! And uhh… Thanks for listening.”

As soon as he heard movement, Katsuki bolted to the nearest stairwell to allow his mind to calm the fuck down after hearing the conversation.

His entire body felt fuzzy, like bees swarming in every orifice of himself. He was processing that conversation to the T.

He JUST can’t catch a break, can he?

He tried to take deep breaths to calm himself down, in which he sort of succeeded, before walking back and opening Izuku’s classroom, an excuse poised and ready to go for his tardiness.

“Hey, sorry, Tin Tin couldn’t stop talking about something,” Katsuki said as soon as he entered.

Izuku looked up with a flustered face, “O-Oh! Don’t worry about that, Kacchan…”

“Right, anyway, what’s up with you?” Katsuki asked, masking the fact that he overheard his conversation with Mrs. Harrington.

Izuku gulped, “W-Well, I just got done watching that show I’ve been putting off…”

“Ya mean Stranger Things?” Katsuki raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah! I honestly didn’t think I’d like it but I did!” Izuku smiled, “I can’t stop listening to Running Up That Hill or Master of Puppets; those scenes were THAT GOOD!”

And off Izuku went to geek about the show, with Katsuki listening to every word he was saying. Yeah, he saw the show so he knew what happened, that’s not what this was about. His attention to how Izuku was just happy and excited over something as trivial as a TV show was the reason he smiled fondly over the damn nerd.

“... And I’m just so happy Hopper and Joyce finally got together! Although they left the season wide open for its final one! I hope Max is okay, they never really confirmed that she was dead or anything…”

Katsuki continued to listen, trying to make sure he looked more interested instead of staring at the bushel of green hair bouncing around on the man in question and his eyes twinkle at all of the things that make him happy, which currently was that show.

God he loved this man…

He took a bite of his sandwich before he felt a piece get lodged into the wrong pipe; he stood up and pounded his chest while coughing, trying to get the piece out as he squeezed his eyes shut.

He then heard Izuku running over and felt him grabbing him from behind, wrapping his arms around and holding tight as he pushed forward. It took at least three thrusts before Katsuki could breathe again, spitting the offending food into the lined trash can once Izuku let go.

Katsuki coughed some more but took deep breaths to regain his composure. He took note of Izuku rubbing his back to soothe him. After what felt like an eternity, he opened his eyes and saw his water bottle in his peripheral. He reached out and took three big gulps before he started to speak again.

“Alright, no more PB&J’s for me…” Katsuki croaked out.

“Kacchan! Are you alright??” Izuku shrieked, looking very terrified for him.

Katsuki cleared his throat, “I’m fine… Thanks…”

Izuku’s face flushed red, “It’s no problem, I’m just glad you’re okay…”

Katsuki took another swig of his water before sitting back down, exhausted from the whole ordeal. He took a deep breath before speaking again, “… So uhh… that show you were watching…”

Izuku blinked, “Kacchan, that’s the least of my worries right now! You just choked on your lunch!”

Katsuki scoffed, “And I said I’m fine, Izuku… I just… Wanna change the subject, okay?”

Izuku looked at him like he grew another arm before sighing, “O-Okay, Kacchan…” he then sat back down and resumed his conversation about Stranger Things, knowing full well he would not win the argument with Katsuki.

He continued to talk and eventually the tension thinned to nothing as if the choking didn’t happen.

But Katsuki was only half listening this time, as his mind wandered around the fact that Izuku held him . Yes, he was doing it to save his life from choking, and he thanked GOD for the mandatory CPR training, but it was something he couldn’t shake off.

Jesus Christ what is wrong with him???

They continued this until lunch was over and Katsuki walked back to the gym. His mind continued to replay the scene for the rest of the day.

“… And that should be everything you need to know. Any questions, boys?” Iida asked the fourth graders, who were all snickering but hands were raised.

The day Katsuki dreaded came: The Puberty Talk.

All of the fourth grade girls were with Tsu and Uraraka while the boys were with Katsuki and Iida. It’s the same dance every year and there are always a few boys that laugh at the ‘technical’ terms for things.

Ugh he just HATED IT!

Iida was answering genuine questions and scolding those asking inappropriate ones. Katsuki thanked his lucky stars that Iida usually takes over at the end because he would be mentally exhausted after explaining and playing the mandatory VHS videos (which to be honest, needed to be updated).

Afterwards, Katsuki got all of the children ready to be sent back to their classrooms. Once the gym was emptied, Katsuki put away the materials in a box and shoved them in a corner of the closet for next year.

That’ll be next year Katsuki’s problem.

He then turned to Iida, who was packing his things up before he was to walk back to the middle school, “Thanks, Four Eyes. This whole damn thing is more tolerable with you, to be honest…”

Iida fixed his glasses as he stood up with his bag, “It’s no problem, Bakugou, you did very well with teaching them this part of their lives.”

Katsuki scoffed, “Yeah, whatever…”

If Iida sensed any tension in the air, he didn’t comment. Instead he placed his hand on his shoulder, “If I don’t see you then, Happy Birthday! Tell Ochako that I’ll be back at the school if she asks you.”

Katsuki nodded as the man left. He stood there for a solid minute before he locked the closet door. He took a deep breath and went to walk to his office when he saw a mop of brunette hair standing in his doorway.

“Hey, Bakugou, can I chat with you for a minute?” Uraraka chimed from the office door.

Katsuki blinked, “You just missed your husband, Cheeks. He’s on his way back to the middle school.”

Uraraka chuckled, “Aww thanks for letting me know. But that’s not why I’m here.”

Katsuki raised an eyebrow, “Okay? Spit it out, then.”

Uraraka’s face then became serious as she crossed her arms, “It’s about you and Izuku.”

Oh great…

Katsuki sighed as he walked to his desk, “Are you going to give me a lecture or advice? Cuz I’ve heard them all, so you can just stop there.”

Uraraka sighed, “That’s not it, and I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t talk while I’m talking.”

Katsuki squinted his eyes in annoyance, but allowed her to continue.

Uraraka took a deep breath, “I know for a while you’ve been trying to tell him how you feel. Kirishima and I have been more than patient with you about this, and I know he sort of… Snapped at the wedding… Which is probably why you haven’t talked to us more often than you used to… But you must understand, and it’s not just Kirishima, but I’m also getting very frustrated about this.”

Uraraka rubbed her temples, “Bakugou, it has been five years; we’re just getting tired of the same dance. This isn’t us telling you that you shouldn’t talk to us anymore, far from it. We’re just… We just don’t want you to get hurt or be unhappy anymore… And we don’t want you to stop talking to us anymore…”

Katsuki stared at her for a long time before speaking, “So what? Cheeks, I’ve tried subtlety, I’ve tried being direct, I’ve tried EVERYTHING! It just seems like the entire UNIVERSE revels in my pain and suffering! I understand you and Shitty Hair being frustrated and all, but don’t you think it’s the same thing with me???”

Uraraka huffed, “Of course we know that! Bakugou, I know you’re upset because of this! I’m only bringing it up because I don’t know if you’ve realized this–”

“Oh I’m sorry,” Katsuki stated intimidatingly, “Is me disclosing my vulnerability to you and Shitty Hair THAT horrible? If you don’t want me to talk to you anymore, then just fucking say it! Plus, he should be telling me this to my face instead of sending you on his behalf!”

“That’s not it! You’re missing the point!” Uraraka shouted.

“THEN TELL ME WHAT I’M NOT UNDERSTANDING!” Katsuki screamed.

“IT’S BECAUSE IZUKU LOVES YOU AND YOU’RE TOO STUBBORN TO UNDERSTAND!”

“OH I KNOW THE NERD LOVES ME, I PICKED UP ON THAT A WHILE AGO, THANK YOU!”

“THEN YOU TELL ME WHY THERE HASN’T BEEN ANYTHING HAPPENING LATELY!”

“BECAUSE I’M SCARED, OKAY????”

They both stared at each other, taking deep breaths from all of the shouting. Uraraka looked at him in shock while Katsuki continued to pierce his glare into her soul.

“Because I’m scared something will happen that will prevent me from admitting to him! Every time I try, something comes up! I tried telling him at my folks house; there was literally no opportunity as my Ma got his mom drunk! I tried telling him at the New Years party, I got sent to the fucking hospital, if you recall! I tried to do something about that during our date on Valentine’s Day, but things happened! I tried being direct, Soy Sauce fucking interrupted us! I even tried telling him at your FUCKING WEDDING! AND GUESS WHAT HAPPENED? Go on, take a wild guess!”

“Bakugou–” Uraraka started.

“Your fucking DJ called him to the dance floor before I even opened my God DAMN MOUTH TO SAY ANYTHING! And then Bird Brain gave me his number and I’ve been talking to him more than you two, because, guess what? I figured I give you two some space from me! Plus, he shuts his trap and lets me talk!”

“Wait… That’s why you’ve been talking to us less? Because of Tokoyami?” Uraraka asked.

“Yeah, because, like I said, he just listens instead of giving me more advice on what to do! Don’t get me wrong,” Katsuki stated, taking deep breaths to calm himself down, “I appreciate you two trying your best to help me, and by extension, Izuku– Don’t give me that look, I know you two have been in cahoots with him as well, it’s not fucking rocket science,” Katsuki pointed out Uraraka’s look of protest, “Back to my point, I appreciate it, but maybe I need to just… VENT? I don’t know how else to articulate that, but it’s the best I can do…”

There was silence for a while; Katsuki rubbing the middle of his eyebrows as Uraraka stood there dumbfounded. It was only then that Uraraka broke the silence.

“... I’m sorry…”

Katsuki looked up and saw the woman wiping tears from her eyes.

Oh fuck me…

Katsuki rolled his eyes as he handed her his box of tissues. She took two out and wiped her eyes and blew her nose as she took deep breaths.

“I-I know you and I don’t normally see eye to eye on things, which is why you go more toward Kirishima than me, but I… I’m sorry if we pushed you away…” Uraraka croaked through tears.

Katsuki rolled his eyes, “Neither of you did anything wrong, stop apologizing already.”

Uraraka chuckled, “Okay… I’ve just been… Worried about you two… That’s all…”

“That was some roundabout way of saying that, Cheeks,” Katsuki smirked, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh geez, I’m sor–”

“The hell did I just say?”

Uraraka laughed, “Okay okay, I’ll stop…” She then wiped the remaining tears before giving him a genuine smile, “We all want you to be happy, Bakugou, you know that, right?”

Katsuki stared at her dumbfounded, trying to come up with something to say, before he blurted out, “Y-Yeah, I know you do…”

Uraraka then tossed the used tissues into the trash can, “I know you told me not to, but I’m going to say it anyway; Sorry for bursting all of this on you, that wasn’t the best move…"

Katsuki scoffed, “Worse things have happened to me, Cheeks; we’re good,” he gave her a thumbs up.

Uraraka nodded, “I should get back to my room, I’ll talk to you later then,” and with that, Uraraka started to leave Katsuki’s office.

“Hey Cheeks?”

“Hmm?” She stopped and turned to face him.

“... Thanks… For caring, I mean…” Katsuki stated matter-of-factly.

Uraraka smiled, “You’re welcome…” She then turned to walk out of the office, leaving the blonde alone to absorb the conversation.

He knew Uraraka meant well, he did. He just knew that this most likely wouldn’t amount to anything, him and Izuku being together.

He also kind of felt bad for her and Kirishima. They both mean well.

He then wondered if there were cards out there that said, “Sorry for being a shit friend,” that he could send them.

Izuku walked into the rescue to pick up Katsuki’s gift.

It was a week before Spring Break and Easter; he made it his mission today to get the birthday gift now so it would have time to adjust.

He approached the lady at the desk and said, “Excuse me, I’d like to look into getting a kitten for a gift.”

The lady, who’s name tag read ‘Rebecca,’ looked up at Izuku before stating, “A kitten as a gift? What’s the occasion?”

Izuku beamed, “I’m getting a birthday gift for my friend; he really likes cats but never had the opportunity to get one himself. I was hoping to see if you had any.”

“Aww how sweet!” Rebecca said, “Luckily, we have a few here that were rescued. If you could fill out these forms first and then we can escort you to the kitten room after that. Please remember to write your friend's name on there as the primary owner so we know.”

Izuku nodded before filling out the necessary paperwork; he put Katsuki’s name down as Primary Owner and then he went to write his own name down for Secondary Owner when he realized what he was doing.

W-Well, he’d justify that he did indeed get the cat and not Katsuki, but the blonde would be taking care of it, so technically, they both share the responsibility? P-Plus he did like cats, too, and if things go smoothly on his birthday, maybe…

What kind of domestic BS was Izuku thinking?

He shook those thoughts away as he finished the paperwork and handed it to Rebecca at the desk.

She took a look at the paperwork, giggled a bit (Izuku started to sweat a bit), before standing up, “Alright, Izuku, if you would follow me.”

Soon he found himself surrounded by small kittens. Izuku gushed at every single one of them, wanting to take them ALL home with him, but he had to restrain himself and remember he was getting ONE for his friend (and for him as well stop thinking that!! )!

He found himself staring at a tiny orange kitten with a beautiful pair of emerald eyes staring back at him. The kitten stared back at Izuku and let out a small mew.

Izuku’s heart melted at the sight.

Rebecca chuckled, “Would you like me to take him out for you to play with him?”

“YES, PLEASE!” Izuku immediately said, no hesitation in sight.

Rebecca unlocked the cage and took out the little kitten and handed him to Izuku, “Be careful, he has a strong personality.”

The kitten immediately crawled out of Izuku’s hands and started to cling onto his shoulder and walk along his back to get to the other shoulder, mewing every five seconds. Izuku and Rebecca both laughed at the kitten’s antics.

“He’s taken a liking to you, Izuku,” Rebecca said.

“I think so, too! I feel bad for Kacchan, I almost want to keep him myself,” Izuku stated, bringing the kitten back into his arms.

The kitten laid in his arms and purred, closing his eyes and leaning his head into Izuku’s chest.

If Izuku was able to melt, this would have been it.

Rebecca then spoke up, “I think we have a winner, don’t you think?”

Izuku, unable to process words at the moment, nodded his head.

Rebecca smiled, “Wonderful! Now, do you have a name for him picked out already? Or do you want to let your friend pick it out when he gets him?”

Izuku had this already mapped out; he subtly dropped hints on Katsuki during their conversations at lunch time for about a month now. He would say that someone he knew was looking into getting a cat, in which the blonde would casually tell him how much he wanted one. 

One day he blurted out, “If I ever get a cat, it would have a cool name, like, ‘Dynamy’ or something.”

“Dynamy? That sounds more cute than cool, Kacchan!” Izuku stated.

“Yeah, well, ‘Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight’ doesn’t really do much for a cat, now would it?” Katsuki responded with a smirk.

Izuku laughed at the memory before speaking, “I already have one picked out. I may have wiggled a name from him already.”

Rebecca laughed at that statement, “Well then, you’ve been planning this for a while now! What’s the name?”

Izuku beamed, “He’s going to be Dynamy!”

Rebecca smiled, “Dynamy it is! What a cute name! Now then, I’ll take Dynamy and we’ll give him some updated vaccines before we check you all out, okay?”

Izuku nodded, giving Dynamy back to her as he filled out more paperwork and paid the adoption fee.

Soon, Izuku was driving back to his apartment with one very loud kitten in a box carrier and a dozen or so kitten supplies for Katsuki’s birthday that he picked up prior to going to the rescue.

And he wouldn’t trade it for the world.

The day before Spring Break started, Izuku went to work with a mask on and the pair of Mirko earmuffs from his costume (JUST THE EARMUFFS, THANK YOU).

At first the kids loved the earmuffs, they all asked if he had the costume, which he would immediately reply with no (they don’t need to know that).

Then Hunter asked, “Why are you wearing a mask, Mr. M?”

Izuku stated, “I have a small cough right now, but I didn’t want to miss work before break started, and I didn’t want to get you all sick, so I’m here.”

“But Mr. Midoriya,” Eri said, “You shouldn’t be here if you’re sick!”

Izuku chuckled, “I know I know, this is more of a ‘do as I say and not as I do’ sort of deal. Again, I didn’t want to miss out on the last day before break. Plus you have that book report due today, so I’m hoping to see lots of good reports this morning before STEM class!”

And soon the rest of the morning was filled with children presenting their book reports, a pop quiz on their vocabulary, and a few rounds of Jeopardy based on what they’ve learned so far. He then led his class to STEM class, where Mei prepared them for a coding class.

“Are you sure that this will be up to their speed, Hatsume?” Izuku asked.

“Of course, Midoriya! These little mice are EVERYTHING there is to teach these kids about coding and also make it fun!” Mei replied, showing off a blue mouse with wheels on the bottom.

“Okay, I trust you, just… Be gentle with them,” Izuku said.

“You can COUNT ON ME, MIDORIYA~” Mei exclaimed proudly.

Izuku had his doubts, but she was the STEM teacher, and she hadn’t blown anything up (yet), so he left his class to their own demise.

Luckily, after class was over, they were all still in one piece.

Once back in the classroom, Izuku had them pick a movie to watch for the afternoon. He had three choices for them to pick; “Aladdin,” “Frozen,” or “Moana.”

He was shocked when the majority of the votes were for Aladdin, but he wasn’t complaining, as it was his favorite movie.

It was then lunchtime and there was Katsuki laughing his head off over Izuku wearing the Mirko earmuffs.

Izuku glared at the man in question, “If you make ONE bunny joke, Kacchan–”

“I-I’m sorry, I’m trying to regain my c-composure…” Katsuki wheezed before another burst of laughter came through.

Izuku sat there glaring daggers at him until he finally stopped laughing. Katsuki stood up and went to sit in his usual spot.

“So you still have that costume? I’m surprised, Izuku,” Katsuki smirked.

“I never once said I got rid of it; I just put it in storage. Who knows when the next time I’m going to wear it?” Izuku said.

“Wait, you haven’t worn it since the party?” Katsuki genuinely asked.

“Yeah, it’s in my closet. Unless you know of any events where I could wear it, that’s where it’ll stay,” Izuku stated matter-of-factly.

Katsuki raised an eyebrow before munching on his Mac and Cheese.

“So, I understand the Mirko earmuffs because of Easter, but what’s with the mask? Ya sick or something?” Katsuki asked between bites.

Izuku blinked, grasping the mask that was tucked under his chin for him to eat his lunch, “Oh, it’s just a scratchy throat, nothing big. I’ve taken medicine, so don’t worry about me, Kacchan.”

Katsuki gave him a worried look, and Izuku knew where this would lead.

“Kacchan, it’s not pneumonia; I won’t be sent to a hospital. I’m fine, please don’t worry,” Izuku smiled reassuringly.

Katsuki sighed, “It better not be; that’s the last thing we need a few days before my birthday, nerd.”

Izuku chuckled as he took a spoonful of his chicken noodle soup.

The conversation went casual after that; Izuku loved the fact that Katsuki cared about him, but he knew he shouldn’t let him worry. Besides, his birthday was coming up, and he needed to be better by then, hence why he was taking medicine to kick it in the butt now rather than wait later on. That, and he was planning an extra special gift to throw in there (he only thought about it at the last minute).

The afternoon went by swiftly as Izuku played the movie for the remainder of the day. Izuku was typing away on his computer to send out last minute emails and work on lesson plans for the remainder of the school year when the movie got to the carpet ride between Aladdin and Jasmine.

He stopped what he was doing and watched the scene play in front of him as they sang the song.

I can show you the world

Shining, shimmering, splendid

Tell me, princess, now when did

You last let your heart decide

I can open your eyes

Take you wonder by wonder

Over sideways and under

On a magic carpet ride

A whole new world

A new fantastic point of view

No one to tell us no

Or where to go

Or say we’re only dreaming

Izuku placed his head into his hand that was propped up on the desk as he watched the scene unfold. The two characters fly all over Agrabah in the middle of the night, watching the sights and full of wonder as they practically profess their love for one another (even though the word love was never once mentioned in the song).

Izuku suddenly remembered why he loved this movie.

It was about a man who was hiding the fact that he was poor to gain the woman’s attention and he felt he couldn’t tell her the truth. But she never judged him once the truth came out and loved him anyway.

It kind of felt like him and Katsuki’s current situation, minus a few magical details.

A whole new world (every turn a surprise)

With new horizons to pursue (every moment, red-letter)

I’ll chase them anywhere

There’s time to spare

Let me share this whole new world with you

A whole new world (A whole new world)

That’s where we’ll be (That’s where we’ll be)

A thrilling chase (A wondrous place)

For you and me

Izuku sighed, longing for that to be the case with the blonde. His stomach did some flips thinking about that before he realized he was in his classroom and quickly went back to typing up his lesson plans.

Thank goodness for the mask that was currently hiding away the blush forming on his face.

Izuku felt hot.

Like, really hot; not sexy hot, but temperature hot.

The last time he checked his temperature was that morning, which read 100.2.

So he went to the urgent care that morning (yes, by himself, don’t judge) and was given medicine to fight his cold before it got worse.

“If symptoms worsen, Mr. Midoriya, you will have to be sent to the ER, but this medicine should help alleviate that worry,” the doctor said.

Izuku sniffed, but what good would that do if both nostrils were stuffed up, “Thanks…”

The doctor gave him a sympathetic look through his mask shield, “I know it’s not ideal, but I’m glad you came here now before your symptoms got worse. The medicine is already being sent to your pharmacy. Once you get that, just rest for a few days. Be thankful you’re sick on your break and you don’t have to take off.”

Yeah, great… The one thing he needed was to be sick during spring break.

After Izuku picked up his medicine (and some other oddities as he was that stubborn to ask someone to get it for him), he plopped himself on the couch and wrapped himself in a cocoon of warmth from his throw blankets.

And yet that still wasn’t enough as he kept shivering.

He took out his space heater and put it on full blast, making it face him.

Dynamy mewed at him, enjoying the heat radiating from the heater as he curled up next to Izuku.

Izuku smiled and petted the poor kitten as he felt himself drift to sleep.

Katsuki knew something was amiss.

He was standing in front of the mall for half an hour before he frantically texted Izuku.

Only to be met with nothing.

The damn nerd told him to meet him at the mall on his birthday and HE’S LATE?

Katsuki gritted his teeth in anger, hoping the green haired man didn’t stand him up on his goddamn birthday!

When Izuku didn’t answer his phone for the umpteenth time, Katsuki threw his hands in the air and walked over to his car. He got in and drove over to the nerd’s apartment.

Who was he to stand him up like this? He was Katsuki FUCKING Bakugou! No one stands him up like that! Not even the damn nerd! On his BIRTHDAY, no less!

He reached Izuku’s apartment and banged on the door, “Oi! Nerd! Did you forget what fucking day it is? Open the damn door!”

He heard a groan and shuffling of feet. He also couldn’t help but hear a mewing of some kind when the door flew open.

Oh…

Well that explains everything…

There was poor Izuku, red in the face, eyes bloodshot, wrapped up in a blanket cocoon looking worse for wear. Right at his feet was a small orange kitten looking up at the blonde, mewing proudly at him.

… The hell?

Izuku sniffed, “Oh my god I’m so sorry! I meant to call you–”

“Izuku, stop. I can see now that you’re sick. And you apparently got a cat…” Katsuki said, staring at the emerald eyes of the kitten.

Izuku looked down, groaning, “Nooooo this isn’t how this was supposed to go…”

“What was suppose to go?” Katsuki asked.

Izuku started to slump a bit, but Katsuki caught him before he fell onto the floor, “Woah there, let’s get you back inside.”

Katsuki led Izuku to his bedroom and plopped him on the bed.

“Kacchaaaaaaan–” Izuku griped.

“No no, don’t talk yet. I’m gonna get you something to eat and drink, then we’ll chat, okay?” Katsuki stated.

“But–”

“No buts.”

Izuku fell silent, unable to protest any longer due to his current state.

Katsuki then went into the kitchen and made him some chicken soup and prepped some saltine crackers.

Dammit, he should have thought of him being sick instead of jumping to fucking conclusions like ‘being stood up.’ What the hell is wrong with him? Izuku would NEVER do that! Damn him feeling a bit selfish earlier!

He then felt the kitten rubbing himself on his legs as he was still making the soup in the kitchen. He chuckled at the cute thing before bending over and scratching behind the ears.

“I wonder why he got you,” Katsuki mumbled to the cat, who mewed happily in his hands.

After some time, the soup was ready. Katsuki grabbed a bowl, the crackers, and a bottle of water and walked into the bedroom to a sobbing green haired man.

Katsuki placed everything on the nightstand before sitting on the bed, placing a hand on his forehead.

Damn, he’s warm.

“I-I’m sorry…” Izuku croaked.

“The hell are you apologizing for?” Katsuki asked.

Izuku sniffed, “I-I ruined your birthday because I got sick…”

Katsuki scoffed, “Izuku, I’m a big boy, I’m not upset. This is something you couldn’t control, unfortunately.”

“You-You shouldn’t be spending your birthday taking care of meeee…” Izuku cried out.

“Oh for– Izuku, I’m not mad! I’d happily do this again in a heartbeat! It doesn’t matter that it’s my birthday; my friend is sick, so I’m spending it taking care of your sick ass.” Katsuki said, ending the argument there and then.

Izuku whimpered some more before sitting up a bit, indicating that he was ready for the soup, the look of utter defeat painted his features.

The two sat in silence as Katsuki spoon fed Izuku the soup he made. Once he finished, he gave Izuku his medicine and practically forced him into drinking water.

Izuku sighed, “I’m sorry…”

“Getting real tired of hearing that lately, but I’ll make an exception for you today,” Katsuki huffed, “Get some rest, okay? There’s some crackers here in case you feel hungry or anything,” he then closed the bedroom door and went to do the dishes and put the leftovers away.

Once he was done, he started to walk back to the bedroom when he noticed something on the coffee table. Curiosity getting the better of him, he walked over and looked at the item that was now in front of him.

What he saw was a big Manila folder with his name on it. Raising his eyebrow, he picked it up and was about to open it before realizing he might need to ask the nerd first before touching it.

He sighed, put the folder back down and walked into the bedroom to open the door just a little bit, “Hey, that folder on the coffee table–”

“All yours, Kacchan…” Izuku mumbled through the pillows.

“Ya sure?” Katsuki asked, wondering if he knew full well what he was talking about.

Izuku threw a thumbs up in his direction, not moving from under the covers, “Happy Birthday…”

Katsuki blinked, “Okay, I’ll be in the other room if you need me.”

Izuku groaned; Katsuki took that as okay.

He then walked back to the coffee table and opened the Manila folder, now that he had permission to take a look.

When he opened the folder he found a few things in there: an adoption paper, a birthday card and…

A… blank CD case?

He decided to save the CD for last as he opened up the birthday card. It was a simple All Might themed card (probably from the kids section, but whatever, he found it funny). It said on the front, “I Am Here!” And inside was All Might striking his signature pose with a text bubble, “To wish you a happy birthday, my friend!” He chuckled at the thought as he read Izuku’s handwriting underneath, “Hey Kacchan! Sorry this is a bit childish but I saw it and thought of you; I couldn’t resist! Happy 27th! Love, Izuku.”

He took note of a gift card to his favorite comic book store at the mall that was taped into the flap of the card. He took it off and put it in his pocket before placing the card down.

He then took a gander at the adoption paper and saw that the kitten was, in fact, not Izuku’s, but it was for him. This made his eyes widen at the sudden realization.

He read the paper carefully and took note of two things: The Primary Owner was listed as him but the Secondary Owner was Izuku.

… Huh…

He also saw the name that it was given; Dynamy.

Oh you little shit .

Katsuki blushed, remembering how Izuku was bringing up things about cats for about a month and his oblivious self name dropping his future cat. Now that he took a look at the paper and then to a sleeping orange kitten that was on the couch, it made sense.

The kitten was his birthday gift.

Katsuki couldn’t help but laugh at this; well he sure delivered this time around from Christmas!

He also couldn’t help but feel a bit giddy about it. He always wanted a cat but didn’t think about it much. Now he finally had one, thanks to the nerd!

He smiled at the sleeping kitten and scratched his ears, which in return, Dynamy purred into his touch.

He put the paper down and then took a look at the CD that was haunting him since he opened up the folder. He picked it up and opened the case…

… And what he found almost had him drop the damn thing.

The front was completely blank, like it wasn’t finished or something, but inside, written on the CD itself, were the words “Kacchan’s Playlist.”

Inside where the cover would be was a list of songs on the CD. 

They were all love songs.

…

Holy.

Fucking.

Shit.

Katsuki placed the CD down carefully on the coffee table before sitting on the couch so he couldn’t fall over. His mind reeling, buzzing around like bees in a fucking circus. Weird analogy but it was what he could come up with at this point.

But Jesus Christ Izuku made him a FUCKING MIXTAPE.

This was fucking OLD SCHOOL!!!

After sitting there for roughly a month (not really but it felt like it), he picked up the CD and looked at the song list. There were 12 songs on there, as followed:

1. The Way You Look Tonight by James Darren (why does that name sound familiar?)
2. Until I Found You by Stephen Sanchez
3. A Whole New World from Aladdin
4. Wanted by Hunter Hayes
5. All I Want Is You by U2
6. Kiss Me by Sixpence None The Richer
7. Make You Feel My Love by Adele
8. Dynamite by BTS (not really a love song, but okay?)
9. Shallow by Lady Gaga and Bradly Cooper
10. Perfect by Ed Sheeran
11. Rewrite the Stars by Zendaya and Zac Efron
12. Sunflower by Post Malone and Swae Lee

Katsuki’s brain was dead. Literally dead.

The only thing that revived him was a tiny orange ball of fluff crawling onto his lap and purring softly. Katsuki looked down at (His? Their?) kitten as he gently nudged his stomach with his forehead, trying to get his attention.

Katsuki took a deep breath before scratching his ears, which Dynamy welcomed, “Hey you little shit, I wonder how long you’ve been here.” He took a better look around the apartment and saw, in a corner of the room, a litter box and a small cat tree. He also took note of a box full of toys and a small dish with food and a water fountain that was plugged in (how did he not notice that noise?) right on the floor next to it.

So Izuku had the cat for a little bit, it seemed. Figured he would get Dynamy apartment trained before handing him to Katsuki for his birthday.

Katsuki wanted to check on the nerd, but he couldn’t bring it to himself to move when the little furball decided to make his lap his bed.

Whelp. He was stuck here for a while. Might as well get comfortable.

Katsuki sighed, feelings racing a million miles a minute, before speaking to the sleeping kitten in his lap, “You know, the guy you’ve been rooming here with? He’s a great guy. Always nice, funny, smart…” he looked at the sleeping kitten, smiling fondly, “I hope you weren’t the cause of his illness or you’ll be in big trouble, mister.”

He chuckled when he heard the tiny sigh from the smol bean (damn those memes on Facebook) before continuing, “Okay, you’re too cute, I can’t be mad at you.”

His smile faltered just a bit as he gently rubbed Dynamy’s head, “I’ve always loved him, ya know… I used to call him Deku a lot, because back in kindergarten, that’s what all of the kids called him to tease him and make fun of him. I unfortunately joined in on the teasing for a while. When I realized how much it hurt him, I stopped. I even told the others to back off until they finally listened. That’s when we became friends; he insisted that I could keep calling him that, because according to him, it’s okay if it was me. So it kind of stuck for a while.”

“Then I moved and I haven’t seen him for a long time,” Katsuki continued, “I thought I was never gonna see him again. Middle school was hell, but I managed. I preoccupied myself with extracurriculars to get my mind off of it throughout high school. I went to UA, thinking he was gonna be there, but guess what,” he chuckled sadly, “he wasn’t. Well I already was there, so I just had to roll with it. By the time I graduated and got the job at the school, I thought, ‘maybe there was a small chance I would bump into him again.’ Imagine my surprise when I saw him that day at orientation.”

He felt a tear roll down from his eyes, but he wasn’t bothered by it, “As soon as I saw that mop of green hair and those beautiful freckles that painted his face, that was the day that I knew…” he sniffed, “That was when I knew that I loved him… I missed him so much that all of the years of being apart melted away and we were back to our usual banters and idiocy,” he chuckled at the thought, “Who knew that time apart would make the heart want something more? I didn’t realize that until that day.”

“I never had the courage to say anything to him because I just got him back,” Katsuki then wiped the tears from his face, “I didn’t want to jinx it because my stupid brain couldn’t fathom the thought of losing him because of my love for him and how scared I would be if he didn’t have the same feelings for me. However,” he took a deep breath, “I decided this year, ‘fuck it,’ because I’m not gonna keep this bottled up anymore. I found out a few months ago that the feelings were mutual, back in September…”

Katsuki stared at the ceiling, still talking to the sleeping kitten, “He brought up how, and I quote, ‘Can you even imagine us actually dating?’ That was the first sign, and there have been multiple signs since…” he took a deep breath, “I tried to test the waters on Halloween with a peck on the cheek, and boy you should have seen his face; that all but confirmed it. So, I finally plucked up the courage in November with the corn maze. That didn’t go to plan, but we still had fun. So I tried again at Christmas; that also didn’t go as planned. I tried at New Years, Valentine’s Day, fucking St. Patrick’s Day and even Cheek's and Four Eye’s wedding!”

He laughed dryly, “And every single time, something happened to prevent me from telling the damn nerd that I love him!” He felt fresh tears coming down but fuck it, he’s already in too deep, “He’s never gonna know how much I love him. He’ll never know how much I want to hold him at night, to laugh at his stupid smile when he sees something he likes or wants, to kiss him on the damn lips , he’ll never know… All because the universe just seems to not want it to happen…”

“And then when I think I’ve finally moved on, he does shit like this,” he gestured to the CD, knowing full well the kitten wasn’t even paying attention, “And I’m fucking furious. Not because of the CD itself, no, I love it, and it all but 100% confirms that he loves me back. But dammit, how come he can make me a fucking mixtape to tell me he loves me but I can’t even utter the words without being pulled away?? How come he can do it but not me?????”

Katsuki wiped the tears off of his face, trying really hard to regain his composure, but to no avail. He buried his face into his hands as his whole body shook from the raw emotions pouring out of him.

Dynamy lifted himself off of his lap and licked his hand, as if to tell the weeping blonde that he was there to comfort him.

Katsuki sobbed out, “God dammit, nerd, I love you! I just wish you fucking knew!”

Katsuki continued to cry, unaware of the fact that he did not close the bedroom door all the way earlier.

Izuku laid on his bed, teary eyes wide open as his hands clutched his mouth to prevent him from screaming as he listened to the sobs coming from the other room. His face was scarlet red, but not from sickness.

He heard the whole thing.

Chapter Text

Izuku watched silently as Tamaki adjusted some more buttons on the SmartBoard and went back and forth between that and his tablet. He grumbled under his breath about how much he wanted to go home as he did the finishing touches.

Same, Tamaki… Same…

Tamaki sighed, “Okay, I just need to make the finishing calibrations and you should be good…” he then took the pen for the SmartBoard and started to press onto some dots that appeared on the board as they popped up. After about a minute, the SmartBoard started to run again.

Izuku sighed in relief, “Thanks Tamaki, looks like it’s working again.”

“Don’t worry about it, just doing my job…” Tamaki mumbled as he packed up his things.

Izuku shuffled in his seat from the awkwardness in the air, “Hey Tamaki?”

Tamaki groaned, “… Yeah?”

Izuku cleared his throat, “Can I ask you a personal question? I-If it’s alright with you.”

Tamaki gave him a look that read I reeeeeally don’t want you to but do I have a choice before sighing, “Sure…”

Izuku fidgeted with his fingers before asking, “So… How did you and Mirio… Get together? I-I’m not prying, but I just want to know because…” he then trailed off, unable to finish that sentence.

Tamaki raised his eyebrow, processing how to word this to the stumbling green haired man in front of him, before asking, “Is this about Bakugou?”

Izuku’s face flushed red, not making eye contact for a solid second.

Tamaki hummed, “Okay it is. So what’s going on?”

Izuku didn’t know how to put it into words, but he tried anyway, taking a deep breath, “W-Well… I was sick on his birthday… But I made a CD for him beforehand with songs on it…"

When Tamaki didn’t respond, Izuku gulped and continued, “I-It was a bunch of love songs that… well…” he again trailed off, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt.

Tamaki stared at him, deadpan, which made Izuku more worked up, “A-Anyway, I was going to originally give it to him myself later on… B-But as I said, I got sick… He came over to help but he found… It…”

Izuku grabbed his water bottle and took a swig before continuing, “A-And then I may have overheard him… Say things…”

“What kind of things?” Tamaki asked, speaking for the first time.

Izuku looked up, a bit shocked that he spoke, but continued, “He… He might have mentioned that he l-loves me…”

Tamaki raised an eyebrow, “And you said…?”

Izuku looked into his lap, “I-I didn’t say anything… I was in my bedroom and… He said that in my living room… I-I wasn’t eavesdropping, it just so happened that my door was opened…”

“So why are you asking about me and Mirio?” Tamaki exasperated.

Izuku was starting to sweat bullets, “I-I guess I just need a baseline on confessions… W-We’re now in uncharted territory with our relationship and–”

“And you don’t want it to go south and ruin everything you two have…” Tamaki finished.

Izuku nodded, unable to say anything else.

Tamaki grumbled under his breath before standing up, “I don’t think telling you how Mirio and I got together is going to help you.”

Izuku looked at the man with eyes wide open, “Oh? W-Why?”

Tamaki took a deep breath, “Because everyone’s first time, be it meetings, confessions of love, dates, sex, whatever, it’s all unique to each individual couple. Me talking to you on how Mirio and I ended up together isn’t going to help you figure out the best way to tell Bakugou. It has to be your own thing, you and him. What happens is your story to tell, not mine.”

Izuku stared at him bewildered, unsure that he just heard that coming from Tamaki.

“That… That was very nice of you to say, Tamaki…” Izuku smiled at that, “Thanks… Sorry, I just… Don't know how to navigate this whole thing…”

Tamaki gave Izuku a fond smile before responding, “Don’t worry about it, you seemed genuinely troubled; looked like you needed some words of wisdom there.”

Izuku chuckled, “I guess I needed that, thanks again Tamaki.”

Tamaki hummed before asking, “Have you actually been talking to him since then, by any chance?”

Izuku stammered, “Umm… Kind of…”

Kind of was an understatement. Since the accidental confession, Izuku and Katsuki were a bit… Distant…

Not completely distant, mind you, just, not having their normal conversations and banters between each other. They would sometimes see each other during lunch and after school and sometimes would not. There would be a small excuse as to why one couldn’t see the other, more Katsuki than Izuku, but it has started to become noticeable that everyone saw it.

Uraraka and Kirishima, bless their patient souls, were trying to be as supportive as possible. Everyone else tried to pitch in and show support as well. Hell, even Hizashi and Aizawa tried.

And then there were the students; they could sense the tension a mile away, but did not comment or ask either of them. They would just stare and whisper at each other on what happened or if they ‘broke up,’ which was another hard pill to swallow.

Izuku didn’t know how to approach this with Katsuki, and it appeared that the blonde was in the same boat, but with no oars to steer them in the right direction. The only one willing to go look for the oars was Izuku, though.

Izuku sighed, “I just… I don’t know… I feel like he’s avoiding me more than I’m avoiding him… I WANT to talk to him about it, but he’s making it impossible…”

Tamaki looked at him with concern, “I’m sure you two will figure it out. It’s not the end of the world and he’ll come around soon.”

Izuku nodded, but that was all he could muster at this point.

Tamaki sighed as he stood up with his bag slung over his shoulder, “Well, your board’s fixed. I’ll get going then…”

“Okay…” Izuku mumbled.

Tamaki walked toward the door before pausing, not turning around, “I’ll tell you afterwards, okay?”

Izuku looked up, “After what?”

“You’ll see…” Tamaki said before exiting the room.

Izuku blinked; he sat there for a few minutes, processing the conversation he had with Tamaki.

He was right, he needed to do something about this. Only he and Katsuki were in control of their lives together, so he needed to figure out how to approach this delicately. If only Katsuki wasn’t actively avoiding him, though…

Before he could do or think of anything, he heard a scream coming from Mrs. Harrington’s classroom.

Izuku sprung into action as he ran from his room and into his colleagues' classroom. He then saw Mrs. Harrington on the floor, clutching her stomach as Kaminari tried to pry her up while simultaneously panicking.

Izuku then took note of a puddle on the floor.

“M-Midoriya! I think her water broke!” Kaminari cried out.

Izuku pulled out his phone and dialed the operator for an ambulance, “Kaminari, see if Aizawa is still here and get him here now!”

Kaminari nodded before sprinting to action. Izuku stepped in his place as he ran to get the phone from the wall and called the office. After a few minutes, he hung up and shouted, “He’s on his way!”

Aizawa came in less than a minute as Izuku gave the operator their address and location in the building.

“When did this happen?” Aizawa asked.

“Not even five minutes ago!” Kaminari shouted, “She and I were going over her plans before she left for leave when she fell. That’s when I noticed the puddle on the floor. Oh God, is the baby going to be okay???”

“Relax, Denki, stand outside until the paramedics get here. Look for Yamada when they come down the hallway,” Aizawa instructed, holding Mrs. Harrington’s hand as she tried to breathe.

“Okay!” Kaminari croaked before stepping outside.

“Izuku, find something for her to relax with; a blanket or something,” Aizawa said.

“Right,” Izuku then went to the closet and the first thing he found was a throw blanket she would use in case her room was cold during the winter time.

Izuku gave her the blanket as she wrapped it around herself, “Don’t worry, the paramedics are coming, you’ll be fine,” he reassured the distressed woman.

“Thank you, Izuku… Shouta…” she croaked through the pain.

Soon the paramedics arrived in the classroom; Hizashi leading them in with Kaminari in tow. They gently lifted her up onto the gurney and she was soon wheeled out of the classroom and out of the building.

Kaminari and Izuku let Aizawa and Hizashi go with them as they cleaned up her room, mopping up the puddle on the floor as Kaminari went into full panic mode.

“Oh Jesus Fucking Christ! I didn’t even realize she was going into labor! I thought her pained expressions were more or less just the baby kicking! I know I’m taking over her class when she’s on leave but dammit I should have seen this coming–”

“Kaminari! Deep breaths, remember? She’s going to be okay!” Izuku stated, willing him to calm down.

It was then that TetsuTetsu came in, eyes wide with fury, “Yo, I heard a commotion from upstairs! Who do I have to beat up?”

Izuku stammered, “TetsuTetsu, everything’s fine! It was all taken care of!”

“Mrs. Harrington’s water broke!!!!” Kaminari screeched.

“Are you shitting me??? Isn’t she due in two weeks???” TetsuTetsu shouted.

“I KNOW I WAS WITH HER! I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO SO I JUST SCREAMED FOR SOMEONE TO GET HERE!!!” Kaminari screamed.

“HOLY SHIT I’M JUST GLAD SOMEONE WAS HERE WITH HER! WHAT A MANLY THING TO DO, KAMINARI!” TetsuTetsu bellowed.

“PLEASE DON’T CALL MY PANICKING MANLY!” Kaminari shouted.

Izuku sighed and just kept cleaning at this point, knowing this wasn’t going to end well as the two went back and forth with the shouting of praises and uncertainty.

He just hoped Mrs. Harrington and the baby were okay as he continued to mop the floor.

“That was so manly of you, Kami!” Kirishima cheered as he patted his back.

“You too, Midoriya!” Hagakure shrieked.

“I heard her husband had to leave work early because of that. I’m just glad you all got her to the hospital in time.” Shouto said.

Izuku laughed nervously, “It wasn’t a big deal, really–”

“Midoriya, shut your trap!” Mei smacked his back (for real, ow ), “You and Kaminari did a fantastic job getting her help! It was a HUGE DEAL! You two were cool as cucumbers in the threads of panic! That deserves a TOAST!”

Ever since word got out that Izuku and Kaminari helped with Mrs. Harrington, everyone jumped in and took them out to an impromptu celebration at the local bar (Izuku was still trying to figure out why but he knew he was never going to get a straightforward answer at this point).

Kaminari spoke up, stressed out from the whole ordeal, “It really wasn’t… We were the two that happened to be there and she was in distress… And I technically wasn’t cool as a cucumber the entire time…”

Jirou held his hand, “Denki, you helped her in her most vulnerable time of her life. You had to help and you did your best. That is all anyone could ask for,” she gave him a reassuring smile and pecked his cheek with a small kiss.

Kaminari’s face flushed red at the sudden gesture from his girlfriend, then gave her a small smile, “T-Thanks, Jirou…”

“I propose a toast,” Momo started as everyone received their round of shots, “To Midoriya and Kaminari for helping Mrs. Harrington, and to her in hopes that her delivery goes smoothly!”

Everyone cheered and took their shots, the familiar burning sensation going down Izuku’s throat as he gently slammed the glass down onto the counter. After everything happening between him and Katsuki right now, he did need this.

Everyone chatted with each other for some time before Mirio came over to talk to the crowd, with Tamaki in tow (who kept muttering, “I just wanna go home…” over and over again), phone in hand as he waved it around, “Hey guys! I got word from Shouta! Mrs. Harrington’s baby arrived!”

More cheers came from the crowd as another round of shots were given and taken.

“Ooooo I can’t wait to see the little baby! I’m sure she is going to be so CUTE!” Mina cooed.

“You seem to always find everything cute,” Shinsou replied, one eyebrow raised quizzically.

“That’s just how she is, Shinsou, you should know that by now,” Tsu responded, placing her head on Sero’s shoulder.

Sero rubbed the back of his neck, “Yeah, man. I’m sure Mrs. Harrington and the baby are okay,” he then wrapped his arm around Tsu as he took another shot.

Izuku watched all of his friends interact with one another, smiling as he downed his third shot with ease. He looked around on everyone who were together and smiled fondly; Tsu and Sero looked at each other with love and adoration toward one another, Mirio gave a grumbling Tamaki a kiss on the cheek, Shouto said something that made Momo laugh, Uraraka squeezed Iida’s hand lovingly, Kaminari and Jirou downed some more shots with each other, and Mina had herself wrapped around in Kirishima’s grasp. He saw how everyone seemed to show up to celebrate the news of Mrs. Harrington and to welcome her new baby to the world and be happy with each other.

Well, almost everyone…

“Hey Izuku, have you seen Bakugou?” Uraraka asked, genuine concern coming through as she made her way through the crowd.

Izuku sighed, “I haven’t heard from him in a bit, so no…"

Uraraka sighed, “Listen, I don’t want to know what happened between you two, but don’t you think you two should talk about it?”

“Yeah, man,” Kirishima chimed in, sitting in the barstool next to Izuku as Mina chatted away with Hagakure and Mei, “Bakubro has been avoiding us since his birthday. We’re really worried about him.”

Izuku stared down at the empty shot glass, concern written all over his face, “I’ve only ever seen him at work now. We don’t hang out afterwards anymore…”

“Oh shit, it’s that serious,” Kirishima exclaimed. Uraraka nudged him in the chest.

Izuku shook his head, “No, you’re right, I don’t know… I think I may have gone too far…”

Kirishima and Uraraka both exchanged looks, knowing exactly where he was coming from. They both sighed as Kirishima placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Midoriya, what you did was very thoughtful. I’m sure he appreciated the gift. I think right now he’s just trying to process everything or something like that,” Kirishima said.

Uraraka nodded, “Just give him some time, Izuku. I’m sure he’ll come around.”

“See, that’s the thing,” Izuku stated, irritation seeping through as he waved the bartender for another shot, “He kept trying multiple times in the past and I still talked to him. I try one time, and he avoids me like the plague! I thought I understood him!” He downed his fourth shot once he received it and slammed it on the counter, “You said you didn’t want to know what happened. You know exactly what happened, Uraraka, you’re smart! I made him a CD thinking he would take the hint, but then I got sick. He finds it, and once he knew I was better, he bolts and I don’t see him again until we get back from break and he’s all FUCKING PROFESSIONAL LIKE WE’RE ONLY AQUAINTANCES???”

“Izuku–” Uraraka started.

“No, no, both of you, don’t…” Izuku stood up from the bar, throwing daggers at Uraraka and Kirishima, “Don’t… Don’t patronize me…”

“We’re not patronizing you, Midoriya,” Kirishima said, “We know you’re hurting right now. We just want to help…”

Izuku stared at the floor, wishing for once , it would swallow him whole like he wanted it to. But no, it was that stubborn and it didn’t seem to like him at the moment. He was seething, angry, frustrated…

… Sad…

Lonely…

Heartbroken.

He felt a tug on his arm and saw a tissue handed to him. He looked up and saw Uraraka with a reassuring smile on her face, “You might need this…”

It was then he realized that he was crying. He took the tissue and wiped his tears before sobbing out, “S-Sorry I snapped…”

“Hey, no sweat, bro,” Kirishima reassured him, “Look, we may have been a bit peeved about the whole thing, but we really do care. We’ll always be here for you and Bakubro whenever you need to talk.”

Uraraka nodded, “We’re your friends, Izuku. Don’t forget that.”

Izuku smiled at them both, “T-Thank you…”

Uraraka smiled before her eyes widened, “Oh! I almost forgot!” She then reached into her purse and pulled out a USB drive, handing it to him, “It’s our wedding photos. We made several copies for the bridal party, and I wanted to personally give you yours.”

Izuku blinked before taking the drive into his hands, “I get my own copies? But didn’t you post them all on Facebook already?”

Uraraka chuckled, “Yes, but that way, you have your own straight from the source,” she winked before flagging down the bartender for more shots.

“Yeah, we had a blast that night, didn’t we?” Kirishima beamed.

Izuku smiled, content with the change of subject, “Yeah, we did.”

The crowd continued to celebrate for some time before it eventually ended, knowing full well that it was a school night. Soon everyone headed home full of joy and laughter as they now attempted to sober up for the next day.

Izuku got back to his now empty apartment (Katsuki took Dynamy home as the kitten was his gift) and flopped onto his bed. He was about to fall asleep when he picked himself up and decided to put on some music.

He placed the CD into the player and went to play the music that he had been listening to recently, which just so happened to be a copy of Katsuki’s CD that Izuku made for himself. The first song came on as the slow music picked up and there was James Darren to lull him to sleep for the umpteenth time in the last few weeks.

Some day, when I’m awfully low

When the world is cold

I will feel a glow just thinking of you

And the way you look tonight

You’re lovely, with your smile so warm

And your cheeks so soft

There is nothing for me but to love you

And the way you look tonight

Katsuki stared at his phone, scrolling through the pictures that Uraraka posted on Facebook from the wedding. He was tagged in several pictures, from being in the background at the ceremony, to playing the drums in the band, and being on the dance floor tearing it up with everyone.

But there was one that he always looked at the most, and he couldn’t take his eyes off of it.

It was the damn picture of him and Izuku, foreheads pressed against each other with their eyes closed and small smiles on their faces. They held each other in a warm embrace as they swayed to the very song that Katsuki was playing on the CD player right now.

With each word your tenderness grows

Tearing my fear apart

And that laugh that wrinkles your nose

It touches my foolish heart

Katsuki hadn’t stopped playing Izuku’s mixtape (yeah, he’s calling it that from now on) since he got it for his birthday. Every song that was on there spoke volumes in Katsuki’s soul. But this one, the very first one on the list, he played on repeat.

Only to try to relive that moment from the wedding again.

He heard a small mew coming from behind and he knew that was his cue to get the fuck up.

He put his phone down and welcomed the small orange kitten into his embrace, scratching behind his ears as he purred loudly to the touch.

Katsuki smiled, “You’re needy today, aren’t ya?”

The tiny kitten looked at him with those glowing emerald eyes ( Lord they look like his ) before nudging his forehead against his face.

“Oof, alright alright, I’m getting up,” Katsuki heaved himself off of the bed as he walked over to the food bowl to pour more in. Dynamy mewed happily as he munched away on the tiny morsels of his food, wagging his fluffy orange tail.

Katsuki smiled fondly at the little thing; if there was a positive twist to his temporary isolation from the world, at least he wasn’t alone on this.

Yeah, he had been moping around since his birthday. He plucked up the courage to get himself together after spewing his heart out to a fucking cat and bolted out the door once he knew Izuku was okay. But since then, he just didn’t know how to face the nerd again after all of that.

So he just did what he usually did; IGNORE IGNORE IGNORE.

Probably not the most healthy way to deal with it, but it was what he knew.

He felt bad giving him the cold shoulder most days, but he just… Couldn’t handle looking at him right now…

The others tried to reach out to him, even Tokoyami got worried, but he bluntly ignored them all, unable to face them.

He only talked to them during work and ONLY work. Any other social constructs beyond that were completely off limits for now.

The only messages he opened were from Izuku himself, knowing full well he couldn’t answer them at this point. His recent ones jolted him into a somewhat depressive state that he found himself in his bedroom, where he was currently away from due to a starving Dynamy.

Izuku

Hey Kacchan

Everyone’s going to the bar tonight

Apparently something to do with Kaminari and I helping Mrs. Harrington

Seriously, why celebrate that?

Can’t they celebrate that she is going to have the baby?

Anyway, I’m rambling lol

If you’re up for it, I’ll be here waiting

:-) 

But Katsuki being Katsuki didn’t go. He instead hung out in his bedroom, made no noise, and pretended he didn’t exist.

Shut up, Potter-nerds.

His stomach grumbled, knowing full well that he hadn’t eaten anything since his solo lunch in his office. He sighed, knowing this whole thing isn’t going to last much longer. He eventually needed to face them all again.

Right now he needs food; the others can wait.

It was the end of yet another Friday.

Izuku got a message from Katsuki that he wouldn’t be seeing him today.

Again.

Izuku placed his head in his hands as the children were being dismissed.

Eri, Katsuma, and Kota walked over with their heads hanging low, wanting to say something to their teacher.

Izuku looked up, concern now written in his eyes, “Hey, is everything alright?”

Eri started to cry very loudly, “We’re SORRY, MR. MIDORIYA!!!”

Izuku blinked, “W-What?”

Katsuma wiped his tears from his eyes, “We didn’t mean to make things worse with you and Mr. Bakugou!!”

Izuku thought he misheard that, “Wait, what–”

Kota spoke up before Izuku couldn’t finish, “It was US that gave you the chocolates on Valentine’s Day, not him! We thought if we made it seem like he did, you would end up together!”

“But we didn’t realize that it only made it WOOOOOOORSE!!!” Eri screeched through crocodile tears.

“M-Mahoro helped us with it and feels just as bad!” Katsuma croaked.

Izuku stared at the three, unable to process what just happened. These three, and by extension Mahoro, were coming to him and apologizing for something so small and they’re feeling BAD?

Oh Hell no…

Izuku cleared his throat, “Listen, I appreciate the apology, I do, but you didn’t do anything wrong. It was very sweet of you to do that for us.”

Eri wiped her tears, “R-Really?”

Izuku nodded, “Yeah, we both thought it was really thoughtful of you.”

“B-But what happened, then?” Kota sniffed, “Why are you and Mr. Bakugou not talking anymore?”

Nothing gets past these kids, huh?

Izuku didn’t know how to approach this delicately, so he merely stated, “That’s just between me and him, you don’t have to worry about that. I will say that it had nothing to do with what you all did on Valentine’s Day. Please don’t be upset about something you did that was actually very nice, okay?”

The three children eventually calmed themselves down before they appeared to be in better spirits. Kota chirped out an apology as the other two threw away the used tissues and the box.

He reassured them a dozen more times after that before they all left for the day. Izuku sighed as he sent out more emails to coworkers and parents as he contemplated the whole thing.

Boy did he feel drained.

The kids didn’t do anything horrible but they still felt bad about the Valentine’s Day gift. He thought about telling Katsuki about this, but then he remembered that he wasn’t really talking to him much now.

His heart ached; like a lot.

He finished with his emails, cleaned up the room and soon he darted home without making any pit stops.

Once he got home, he flopped himself onto his bed and cried his heart out into the pillow.

Did he seriously do something wrong? Had he gone too far with the CD? Is his relationship with Katsuki irreparable at this point???

But he heard him say that he loved him! So why is he avoiding him?? Was he embarrassed? Did he know? Did he change his mind???

How pathetic was he?

He got up to turn on his CD player and pressed play, then repeat, and the first song played over and over again for who knows how long

He played this particular song so many times since the wedding, and it just gave him the comfort he needed as the tears kept coming and staining his pillow. He laid there listening to the soft jazz that soothed him as he thought of nothing but vermillion eyes and ash blonde hair.

With each word your tenderness grows

Tearing my fear apart

And that laugh wrinkles your nose

Touches my foolish heart

Lovely, never, never change

Keep that breathless charm

Won't you please arrange it? 

'Cause I love you

Just the way you look tonight

Katsuki didn’t really have any excuse as to why he couldn’t see Izuku. He just made some shit up and went home.

He sat there on the couch, petting Dynamy that made a home on his lap as he scrolled on his phone with a news channel app open, the song on full blast once again (don’t fucking judge). Normally he would find the news boring with unneeded stress about politics and whatnot but he didn’t seem to mind it right now.

At least it got his mind off of everything that was his inner turmoil regarding Izuku Midoriya.

He sighed looking at stuff that was happening in the world when his phone started buzzing. 

It was Tokoyami.

He hit the ignore button and continued scrolling.

Bird Brain has been trying to reach him for weeks now. Can’t he take a fucking hint?

Dynamy mewed in his lap, licking Katsuki’s hand as it rested on his paw.

Tokoyami called him three more times before he turned off his phone and threw it on the coffee table in frustration.

Can’t ANYONE take a hint that he just wants to be alone right now?

If he didn’t get sick in January, he would have gladly taken at least a week off. But circumstances be, he didn’t want to waste anymore of his precious PTO time.

So he’ll just suck it up again next week.

… God he’s pathetic…

The end of the school year was approaching very quickly.

They’re in their final full week of May and Katsuki was just relieved.

His last class practiced running the bases and hitting the baseball without letting go of their bats (it happens more than you think) before it was time to end gym class. He blew the whistle and instructed the kids to help clean up and take the equipment back to the gym.

After they get picked up, Katsuki sulks back into his office and finishes up some more paperwork. It’s Friday once again and he couldn’t wait to go back home and sulk some more with Dynamy.

A part of him can’t believe that he’s actually enjoying solitude. Yet another part of him is screaming at him to talk to the damn nerd .

But the former is louder and that’s all he’s hearing right now.

Meh.

He finishes his paperwork and after waiting about twenty minutes to avoid any and all kids, he grabs his things and heads out of his office. He was just about to take out his phone and message Izuku that he couldn’t make it again when he heard someone clearing their throat.

He looked up to see practically everyone was there in the gym.

There stood Uraraka and Kirishima in the front, along with Shouto, Momo, Sero, Tsu, Kaminari, Jirou, Mina, Shinsou, Mei, Iida, and Hagakure standing behind them.

He also took note that Mirio, Tamaki (who looked like he wanted to be anywhere else), and Tokoyami were here as well.

Uraraka was the first to speak up, “Katsuki Bakugou, this is an intervention.”

Katsuki blinked, staring at the entire group in front of him. His heart rate picked up significantly as his anger rose up from the ashes.

“… The hell kind of HIMYM bullshit is this?” He asked, seething as he was trying to figure out what was going on.

“This is no joke, bro. You’ve been avoiding everyone since your birthday, which was well over a month ago,” Kirishima added, “You left us with no choice but to do this. So start talking,” he then crossed his arms, trying to intimidate him.

Katsuki scoffed, “Like hell you can corner me in my own gym. I’m going the other way. See ya,” he then headed toward an exit on the other side of the room.

Sero and Tsu beat him to the punch and blocked him in. They must have moved while he was talking to Kirishima.

“The hell? Let me go, Soy Sauce,” Katsuki huffed.

“Not until you talk, man,” Sero said sternly.

“We all care about you, Bakugou,” Tsu interjected.

“Tch, fine, I’ll go the other way–” Katsuki started before he noticed that Tamaki and Mirio blocked the other exit. That ticked him off .

“Seriously, what the fuck? You can’t keep me in here, asshats!” Katsuki shouted, his voice echoing through the gym.

He then took note of Shouto, Momo, Shinsou, and Mei blocking the final exit out of the room where it led to the hallway and Hagakure, Kaminari, and Jirou blocking the door to his office.

He was literally trapped.

If he wasn’t pissed off before, he sure as hell was pissed off NOW.

Katsuki gritted his teeth, “You all have a fucking death wish or something??? I have a cat to feed at home!!!”

“Dynamy will be fine for another hour or so without you, Bakugou,” Tokoyami stated.

Katsuki blinked, “I don’t remember telling you extras my cat's name.”

“Midoriya told us,” Iida said matter-of-factly.

Uraraka nodded, “He told us about him getting you a kitten as a birthday present.”

“And how much you wanted one and wanted to call it Dynamy,” Kirishima added.

Katsuki scoffed, gritting his teeth in anger, “Get to the fucking point. If I’m gonna be trapped here, you might as well speak now or forever hold your fucking peace.”

“And YOU,” he pointed to Tokoyami, “You were supposed to just be my ears and shut your trap! The hell is this all about?”

“It has now gotten to a point where I cannot be quiet anymore, since you’ve continuously kept missing my calls. I had to bring this up to the others, who agreed that it was time to intervene,” Tokoyami stated.

“And how the hell did you get here? You don’t even WORK here!” Katsuki deflected.

“That’s not important right now, plus you are trying to divert the attention away from the bigger picture here,” Tokoyami said.

Katsuki growled, “And what the fuck is the bigger picture??”

“You and Midoriya!” Everyone shouted (Tamaki merely squeaked it out of peer pressure).

Jesus Christ, end me…

Katsuki stared at everyone in the room, giving them the biggest ‘fuck you’ glare he could muster at this point.

Kirishima was the first to speak after what felt like an eternity, “You have been avoiding not just us, but him as well. Do you not realize that this has taken a huge toll on him?”

“Tch, I’m sure the nerd’s fine without me. He can take care of himself,” Katsuki retorted.

“No he is NOT fine,” Uraraka scolded, “You have been giving him the cold shoulder for a month now and have been ignoring him! How would you feel if it was the other way around, Bakugou?”

Katsuki blinked, “Why should I answer that?”

“Because, whether you intended to or not, Bakugou,” Iida started, pushing his glasses back to the bridge of his nose, “Midoriya has been miserable this entire time. He believes that he made a mistake and doesn’t know how to fix it. He sincerely wants to talk to you, but you have made it impossible to do so.”

Katsuki stared at him, confusion written all over his face.

Izuku… Miserable?

Well… Fuck…

Katsuki was about to respond back before someone interrupted him.

“He told me that he made you a CD of some sort…”

Everyone’s eyes landed on Tamaki, who definitely did not like the attention right now and immediately regretted saying anything .

Mirio looked shocked, “Tamaki?”

Katsuki stomped over to him and grabbed him by the collar of his blue IT shirt, “Spit it out, Shit Face! You started it, so now FUCKING FINISH!”

“Bakugou, come on, let him go–” Mirio said.

“It’s okay, I got it!” Tamaki stated, shutting up the blonde next to him, “Look, he… He asked me a personal question one day and I felt obligated to help…”

Katsuki glared at him as if daring him to continue.

Tamaki gulped, “He… Asked me how Mirio and I got together and when I asked why, he… Brought up how he made a CD for you for your birthday… With love songs on it… And how you might have said some things that you probably didn’t realize he overheard while you were at his place…”

The entire gym was stunned into silence that you could hear a pin drop and no one would react to it.

Tamaki didn’t know if he should continue or remain quiet before he decided the former, just to end his misery of being the center of attention, “I-I didn’t tell him how we got together because it wasn’t my place because… How did I word it… That it was unique to all couples and that it’s your story to write and it shouldn’t be influenced based on how others did theirs?” He started to sweat bullets, “Okay I said my peace pleaseletgoofmeIjustwannagohome–”

Katsuki let go of Tamaki, Mirio stepping in to see if he was okay.

Katsuki was frozen solid where he stood. His brain short circuit for a good minute before it rebooted as to why it crashed.

Izuku heard his confession.

He heard him say that he loved him.

And Katsuki had just fucked EVERYTHING UP FOR A FUCKING MONTH.

He quickly turned to Kirishima, “Shitty Hair, is the nerd still in his classroom?”

Kirishima blinked, unsure of what just happened, “Uh… Yeah, why?”

Before anyone could react, Katsuki bolted toward the door leading to the hallway. He pushed Shouto and Shinsou, who were caught by Momo and Mei respectively, out of the way as he slammed the doors open and ran through the hall and toward the one and only classroom that was occupying his mind.

He didn’t hear everyone shouting for him, nor did he pay any mind to the fact that he almost ran into Kendo and TetsuTetsu, who were walking down the hallway at the time.

His only goal was to get to the classroom that held the one person he cared about above everyone else, adrenaline currently coursing through his veins.

He fucked up, so now he was going to atone for his mistake.

He soon saw the door to Izuku’s classroom and slammed it open.

Ten minutes prior…

Izuku cleaned the last desk and tossed the sanitizer wipe into the trash can. He put the container back into his closet and went to his computer to type up more emails to parents.

He paused for a moment before opening up his usual playlist he had been listening to as of late, hit the shuffle button, and pressed play.

The songs started playing in the background as he typed away, giving him some form of comfort.

Normally he would have gotten a text from Katsuki at this point, but when he didn’t receive one, he at first got worried and was about to text back, but thought better of it.

Well, it looks like the thread that was their relationship was thinning, and he just had to accept this.

But that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. Like, a lot.

He took a tissue out of the box and blew his nose, knowing full well he was about to cry. He took two deep breaths before he threw away the used tissue and continued to type.

After about ten minutes, he finished his emails and was about to shut down his computer when his classroom door suddenly slammed open, making Izuku jump out of his seat.

Right at his door was the very person that he hadn’t talked to socially in over a month, out of breath and beads of sweat running down his forehead, ruby red eyes wide open with some sort of look that a predator would have on as they hunted for their prey.

And in this case, Katsuki was the predator hunting down Izuku, his prey.

“K-Kacchan–” Izuku mustered at the sudden intrusion.

Katsuki did not speak as he marched over to the desk, grabbed Izuku’s phone and ran out the door with it, tossing it in the middle of the hallway along with his own, hearing them clatter on the ground ( shit he didn’t pay it off yet ). Before Izuku could protest any further, Katsuki then closed the classroom door and locked it, then pulled down the intruder drill drapes to give them privacy.

Izuku gulped, “Umm… Is all of this really necessary, Kacchan?”

“Yes it is,” Katsuki finally spoke before turning his full attention to the green haired man, “No more interruptions from any devices or whatnot. We are talking. Now.”

Izuku snorted, crossing his arms, “Really? Now? After over a month of avoiding me? Okay, real funny, Kacchan…” he found himself rolling his eyes, but he didn’t care at this point, he was furious with the blonde right now.

“This isn’t a fucking joke!” Katsuki snarled, rendering Izuku speechless, “Look, I’m sorry I have been avoiding you since my birthday. I have no excuse for it. It was shitty of me to do so, it got everyone else worried, and I’m… I’m sorry for being a real shithead…”

Izuku scoffed, “So you’re sorry because of everyone else? Is that the takeaway? Or am I missing something?” He asked, unaware that the music was still playing in the background.

“That’s not the point, I really, truly am sorry! Just… Understand where I’m coming from…” Katsuki replied, trying to map out the wording as best as he could.

Izuku raised an eyebrow, “Fine, I’m listening…”

Katsuki took a deep breath, “I have been avoiding you because I have been trying to tell you something for months now, but every time I try, something always happens. Be it someone comes into the room,” he points to the door, “Or someone calls us, or even one of us gets sick!” He then gestured to the both of them.

Izuku nodded, letting him know that he was still listening, somewhat understanding why he took his phone away and locked the door.

“So, I may have given up or something… Cuz what was the fucking point of trying to tell you something that was fucking important if I was gonna get interrupted? But then you gave me that Goddamn CD…” Katsuki clenched his fists, grinding his teeth in the process, “And it’s like, how come it was easy for you to tell me something but it isn’t for me?”

Izuku lost his frustration and it was suddenly replaced with concern and…

And…

Katsuki’s eyes opened wide as he pointed right at Izuku, “There! That look!”

Izuku stammered, “What? What look?”

“That fucking look you’re giving me right now!! Remember when you were told you got into the masters program? That kind of look like I described! You’re giving me that look right fucking now!” Katsuki shouted with a big grin on his face.

Izuku blinked before he attempted to scrunch up his face, “B-But–”

“AHA! I got you, you damn nerd!” Katsuki barked as he smirked.

“K-Kacchan, you asshole!” Izuku stuttered in fury.

“Okay I’m not going to pull another Captain America on you because this shit is serious, I just wanted to point that out,” Katsuki said as he allowed Izuku to calm himself down before he continued, “But back to my original point; I have been trying to tell you something for months with no luck, then you throw that CD out of fucking nowhere and suddenly I just felt…”

“Intimidated?” Izuku finished.

Katsuki nodded, “Something like that… Don’t get me wrong, I loved the gift, and I didn’t care who said it first, but my fucking pride got the better of me and I just… Couldn’t face you…”

Izuku raised an eyebrow, unsure if he heard that right, “When you say ‘said it first,’ what do you mean by that, Kacchan?”

Shit…

Katsuki was about to say something when the song changed to a familiar one that the both of them have been listening to on repeat for over a month.

The music picked up and soon James Darren started to sing.

Someday, when I'm awfully low

When the world is cold

I will feel a glow just thinking of you

And the way you look tonight

Izuku stuttered, eyes wide open as a blush formed on his face, “Ah, I’m sorry, I’ll turn it off–”

“No.”

Izuku looked up at the blonde, unsure if he heard that correctly, “I-I’m sorry?”

Katsuki then held out his hand, face flushed with red, but with a confident look on him.

Izuku took a moment to realize that he was offering to dance with him. The words were left unspoken, but they both knew.

… Huh… Deja vu…

Izuku gulped as he walked around his desk and hesitantly took Katsuki’s hand. 

Just like how they were at the wedding, Izuku wrapped his arms around Katsuki’s neck while Katsuki had him around Izuku’s waist. They swayed to the music in the front of Izuku’s empty classroom as it continued to blare out the words of love and adoration.

You're lovely, with your smile so warm

And your cheeks so soft

There is nothing for me but to love you

And the way you look tonight

The two stood there in silence, swaying to the music, enjoying each other’s company, like they were making up for lost time.

Like this whole month never happened.

And yet it did; in fact, it reminded Katsuki of how much he longed for the man in his arms. He remembered back at orientation when everything came crashing down in a euphoric way. His heart was soaring seeing those familiar freckles, the mop of green hair that he still couldn’t believe was natural , his dopey smile, and those eyes…

Those gorgeous, emerald eyes…

He couldn’t stop staring at them.

Katsuki pressed his forehead against Izuku’s, making sure that this was, in fact, real. That this wasn’t a dream that had been manifested by his selfish desires. That–

“Kacchan?”

“Hmm?” Katsuki hummed, being brought back down from reality.

“Tell me what’s happening…” Izuku mumbled, eyes half lidded.

Katsuki’s heart skipped a beat as one of his hands was placed onto Izuku’s cheek, “… We’re dancing, obviously.”

“What else?” Izuku asked, leaning into the touch.

“… I was about to tell you something…” Katsuki stated, leaning forward, noses touching.

Izuku licked his lips, his eyes half shut, “… And what were you going to say, Kacchan…?”

Something inside Katsuki snapped, unable to hold on any longer. The line had been crossed a long time ago, and it was about damn time the two embraced it.

Instead of saying it, he alternatively showed it, as he closed his eyes and finally, finally , pressed Izuku’s lips onto his own, closing the gap between them.

Everything surrounding the two vanished in their embrace as the two kissed, slowly and gently. The song still softly played in the background as the two continued with their dance.

Lovely, never, never change

Keep that breathless charm

Won't you please arrange it? 

'Cause I love you

Just the way you look tonight

Unfortunately, oxygen was a thing they needed to live as Katsuki pulled back, opening his eyes and staring into the captivating forest green ones. Finally, he spoke the words that he wanted to tell him in person this entire time.

“I love you, Izuku.”

They fell silent for a moment before Izuku grabbed the blonde’s face into his hold, a big smile on his now teary face.

“I know, Kacchan. I love you, too.”

He then pulled him into another kiss, this time more heated and needy. Katsuki relished in this moment as he reciprocated, clutching the other man’s frame, pulling him close. The two continued this dance as Katsuki pushed Izuku’s back onto the SmartBoard, lost in the moment.

Izuku then had to pull away as he felt Katsuki’s hands wondering his body, “K-Kacchan! Not here!”

Katsuki smirked, “Oh? Suddenly too shy? A second ago you were shoving your tongue down my damn throat.”

Izuku flushed red, “K-KACCHAN!!!”

Katsuki barked a laugh before placing his forehead on Izuku’s shoulder. They stood like that for a minute, enjoying each other’s company.

He took a deep breath once he calmed down, “So… Are we good now?”

Izuku smiled fondly as he raked his hand through Katsuki’s hair, “Yes, Kacchan, we’re more than good.”

Katsuki hummed in contentment as he wrapped his arms around Izuku’s waist.

They stayed like that for a while as the music continued to play in the background, serving as the breakage of any tension that was left in the room.

Izuku then spoke up after a minute, “Hey Kacchan?”

Katsuki hummed into his shoulder, letting him know that he was listening.

“I knew you loved me, you know…” Izuku chuckled, hands still in the blonde’s hair, “You weren’t very quiet with Dynamy on your birthday…”

Katsuki lifted his head up to stare into the green eyes again, “I know you heard me…”

Izuku raised his eyebrow, “Really?”

“Yeah, really,” Katsuki smirked, before softening his features, “I meant it, you know…”

Izuku nodded, “I know you did… And I know you still do…”

Katsuki smiled back, before he stole yet another kiss from the green haired man, who hummed back as he embraced the kiss, wrapping his arms around the blonde.

Lovely never, ever change

Keep that breathless charm

Won’t you please arrange it?

‘Cause I love you

Just the way you look tonight

Just the way you look tonight

Just the way you look tonight

“Hey, did you know that James Darren was on Star Trek?” Izuku asked.

“Oh yeah I knew that,” Katsuki replied.

Izuku looked up at him in shock, “Really? How?”

Katsuki shrugged, “I watched Deep Space Nine in college; he played a character named Vic Fontaine. He was part of the holodeck and he would be the jazz singer for a 1962 Las Vegas Lounge theme that Bashir made. At first Captain Sisko never really liked going to that specific program, I’ll spare you the details, but he eventually warmed up to Vic, saved him from some trouble, and sang a song with him–”

“Woah woah woah, Kacchan! I never pegged you to be a Trekkie!” Izuku gasped, eyes lit up with this new information.

“There are a lot of things you don’t know, nerd,” Katsuki smirked back down at the green haired man, stealing a kiss from him.

The two found themselves in Katsuki’s apartment after their confession in Izuku’s classroom. Once Dynamy was well fed and given lots of love, they ordered a pizza and sat down watching the All Might show that they’ve watched a dozen times, which was now serving as background noise.

Izuku found himself lying on Katsuki’s lap once they had their fill and have been talking nonstop about what has been happening this entire month, while simultaneously making out on the couch.

Izuku pushed Katsuki back, “Kacchan, seriously,” he chuckled out, “We just got together!”

Katsuki smirked, “Come on, loosen up a little, we’re making up for lost time!”

Izuku tossed a pillow at his face, “Nope! Denied!”

“You little shit!” Katsuki shouted before tickling the green haired man into submission.

Izuku’s laughter filled the room as the blonde attacked him with all of his might before Izuku tapped his arm, “Okay! Okay! I yield! STOOOOOP!!!”

Katsuki cackled in victory, “Hah! Now get over here,” he grabbed Izuku and pulled him into an embrace, tossing kisses all over every part of Izuku’s body that he could reach at the angle he was in, which currently was the crook of his neck.

Izuku giggled, “That tickles!”

“Get used to it, nerd,” Katsuki mumbled before nibbling his ear, which caused a shutter from the green haired man.

Oh he liked that…

He was about to continue exploring this new territory when Izuku pressed the same pillow into Katsuki’s face.

“No! Bad Kacchan!” Izuku shrieked, albeit with a smile on his face.

“Hah? I’m not a fucking dog!” Katsuki barked back (ironically), “Tch, okay fine, I’ll stop!”

Izuku chuckled, “Thanks, just… Not ready for that yet…”

“Yet…” Katsuki stated matter-of-factly.

Katsuki kept his hold on Izuku for a while, just enjoying the other’s warmth. He inhaled once and noticed that he was wearing cologne.

… It smelled like pine trees…

“Hey, you smell good,” Katsuki mumbled into Izuku’s shoulder.

Izuku blushed from the compliment, “Umm… Thanks?”

Katsuki merely hummed as he kept sinking himself into the embrace some more.

Izuku cleared his throat, “Kacchan?”

“Hmm?”

“... Can we make it official on Facebook?” Izuku asked.

Katsuki lifted his head up to look at the man in question, “Why?”

Izuku stumbled his words a bit, “B-Because well, that’s what we should do? I mean, unless you don’t want to–”

“Sure,” Katsuki said without missing a beat.

Izuku stared at him with wide eyes, “R-Really?”

“... Yeah… You go ahead…” Katsuki replied.

Izuku blinked, “O-Okay then, can you uhh…”

Katsuki knew what he meant, but he didn’t want to let go, “Give me a minute.”

Izuku smiled fondly, “Okay, Kacchan.”

That minute turned into ten minutes before they lost circulation in their legs, which was their queue to get out of the embrace, much to Katsuki’s protests.

Katsuki Bakugou

Intro

Yo, new to this whole facebook thing. All Might fan and sports fanatic.

Gym Teacher at Toshinori Elementary School

Studied at UA University

In a relationship with Izuku Midoriya

Joined January 20XX

Izuku Midoriya

Intro

Hello! Just another All Might fan here! Nothing to see ^^;

Second Grade Teacher at Toshinori Elementary School

Studied at Shiketsu University

In a relationship with Katsuki Bakugou

Joined April 20XX

Shitty Hair

BRO

BROOOOOOO

WHAT THE FUCK

ASDGOWRJFSOINFOISNFOIJADF

IS THAT WHY YOU BOLTED OUT OF THE GYM???

ANSWER ME DAMMIT

Ok I’ve calmed down now

I’m glad you’ve finally patched things up with Midoriya but JESUS CHRIST

THAT FACEBOOK UPDATE, MAN

Seriously, please pick up

:-(

Cheeks

BAKUGOU

ANSWER YOUR MESSAGES RIGHT NOW

IS THAT FACEBOOK UPDATE REAL????

IS IZUKU OKAY???

PLEASE ANSWER

Pinky

BAKUGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU

PLEASE AT LEAST TELL ME MIDORIYA IS ALIVE

FROM THAT FACEBOOK POST

HE’S NOT ANSWERING HIS PHONE

D-:

Bird Brain

Congratulations

I saw the Facebook update

Glad the intervention worked

I am sorry I had to do that to you, but it was necessary

You can resume your new relations with Midoriya now

Katsuki tossed his phone on the coffee table after being bombarded with messages from his friends. He knew that would alarm them once they saw the update, so he had his message app opened up and ready, and lo and behold, there they were with a million questions and lots of congratulations. 

But he didn’t care about that right now.

He looked down at the now sleeping green haired man that laid on his lap as he brushed his hands through the mop ( he seriously needs to brush it more often ). He smiled at him, knowing that he finally confessed and finally had Izuku as his boyfriend . Euphoria washed through him knowing this fact and he’d never get tired of thinking about that new label.

He pressed a kiss on his forehead before he got himself comfortable; Dynamy curled up in Izuku’s lap, purring loudly in comfort. Katsuki scratched his ears before he found himself drifting to sleep, content and finally happy with his life.

Chapter Text

It was the last week of school and there were no more lessons to teach. There were a few things that everyone was excited about.

The first one was the annual baseball throwdown between all of the 5th graders and the entire faculty. So far, the teachers were victorious seven years in a row, but this year's 5th graders were ready to beat that record.

The second one was that the whole week was filled with games and themed dress up days. When they said no more lessons, they meant it.

The third one was Greta’s retirement; her class celebrated with cake and pictures of them all dressed up as her. The smile that was painted on her face was well worth it as pictures of her being tagged in parents timeline on Facebook showed up. The kids and parents were sad to see her go, but were very happy for her.

And as an added bonus, everyone was celebrating the fact that Mr. Midoriya and Mr. Bakugou were FINALLY TOGETHER .

Not everyone knew how, why, or what happened prior to that, but they were not complaining. The two fixed things up and they were not hiding the fact that they were a couple now as any and all interactions with each other were met with small pecks on each other's cheeks or quick hand holding and smiles at each other.

Pretty much, a lot of unintentional PDA.

The fact that Uraraka and Kirishima got wasted once they found out was an understatement, as it was evident when they both called off the following Monday. So when they came in the next day, they both had a huge bottle of Pedialyte in their hands and gave the two the biggest hugs they could muster. Iida had to profusely apologize on Uraraka’s behalf while Mina just laughed at the whole thing.

Everyone who was at the intervention, along with the other faculty members, were congratulating them, squealing about how the two were cute together, along with grumbles of ‘What the FUCK took you so long???’ and a bunch of slaps on the back ( do they have signs on their head that say ‘slap my back, I like that shit’? ).

The students were in full blown spirits, especially Izuku’s classroom when he broke the news to them, knowing full well that they would have eventually found out via rumors again.

The cacophony of cheers and screams that filled his room that morning almost made him regret telling them.

Almost.

Eri squealed, “I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOU TWO!!!”

Katsuma clapped his hands, “I can’t believe our plan worked!!”

Kota raised his fists in the air, “HECK YEAH! WE DID IT!”

“Kota! Watch your language,” Izuku responded, though there was no bite to his scolding.

Kota merely gruffed out an apology before going back to cheering with his friends.

Izuku couldn’t be mad at them.

When it came time for the annual baseball game, everyone was waiting with bated breath on the next batter to see if they would hit the ball or not. Izuku was that batter, waiting for Mahoro to throw the ball from the pitcher's mound. He saw his class cheering him on, shouting, “GO MR. MIDORIYA!” (with Katsuma looking conflicted). He also saw through his peripheral that Katsuki was trying to tell him something from the benches, but he couldn’t really decipher it in time before Mahoro threw the ball as best as she could. He took a swing and the ball was in the air.

He ran toward first base and ran over to second base before the catcher could tag him out, rendering him safe. He looked over to where Katsuki was, who was whooping and cheering him on, shouting, “That’s my BOYFRIEND!”

Izuku’s heart soared at that.

Then it was Shinsou’s turn at bat, who swung and the ball was hit again. Izuku ran to third and he was halfway toward home when he saw the ball heading toward the catcher. He slid on the ground and after the cloud of dust cleared, Toshinori, who was serving as the umpire, declared him safe, tossing a thumbs up at the green haired man with a big smile on his face.

The teachers cheered as he got up on his feet and ran over to the benches. Katsuki wasted no time in picking him up, spinning him around and laughing hysterically. The other teachers merely chuckled at the scene, Hizashi laughing his ass off while Aizawa merely groaned, but Izuku couldn’t care less. Katsuki then let go of Izuku to be a runner for Greta as she went up to bat next.

The game continued on like this until it was over, with the teachers winning by one point. All of the fifth graders groaned at the loss, but they weren’t complaining, as this was the end of their last school year in the elementary school and soon they would be middle schoolers. They all received their high fives from all of the teachers and praises as they did well with the game.

Izuku took a large sip of his water before chatting away with his coworkers on a job well done on the game, giving everyone high fives before turning to Katsuki, “Kacchan! You were amazing out there!”

“Damn right I was! Playing baseball in high school has its perks!” Katsuki said as he held Izuku’s shoulder, “But not bad yourself! You scored us two points there!”

Izuku beamed, “I learned from the best!” He then gave Katsuki a peck on the cheek, making the other one blush.

His class made noises of disgust at the gesture, to which he only laughed at and Katsuki sneered back.

“Oi, thought you pipsqueaks were happy about this?” Katsuki retorted.

Hunter pulled out his tongue, “We are, Mr. B, but kissing is still icky!”

“HAH!” Katsuki barked, “Wait until you’re older, kid.”

Izuku chuckled as Hunter made a face of pure revulsion.

Izuku placed a gift bag on each desk for the children to take home that morning of the last day of school. It was a half day today, so they weren’t going to be here long, but he still had plans for them.

He decided to do some games for the first half and then the remaining time was for a Disney marathon, so he logged into his Disney+ account (with permission from Aizawa himself) and was setting up the movie choices as Katsuki entered the room.

“Hey, babe,” Katsuki smiled as he approached the green haired man.

Oh that pet name~

Izuku beamed, “Hey Kacchan!”

Katsuki stopped in his tracks, feigning how hurt he was, like a kicked puppy, “Oi, where’s my pet name?”

Izuku chuckled, “I thought Kacchan was one, already?”

“Uh, no, it’s a nickname you’ve been calling me since kindergarten. I want a boyfriend pet name, STAT,” Katsuki retorted, walking around the desk and holding onto Izuku as if his life depended on it.

Izuku couldn’t help but laugh, “I don’t know, you already took ‘babe,’ and none of the other ones fit you!”

Katsuki grunted, tightening his hold, “Well, I’m not leaving here until you pick one.”

“But Kacchan, someone could walk in any minute!” Izuku protested.

“Fine by me~” Katsuki replied as he placed kisses along Izuku’s head and trailing down to his neck.

“Kacchan! Seriously!” Izuku shouted, but there was no bite to it as he had a smile on his face and was laughing from the affection he was receiving.

“Nope, not until you pick a name,” Katsuki stated as he continued his attack of kisses.

Izuku giggled, “Okay okay, sweetheart, please let go!”

“Theeeere we go~” Katsuki grinned as he let go of his boyfriend, who was still giggling from his adoration.

“Oh my God, you two,” Kaminari responded, poking his head into the room, “I can hear you from across the hall! Save that for after school!”

“Oi! You and all of the other extras were yelling at us to get together! Now you got it! So deal with the consequences of your actions, Dunce Face!” Katsuki shouted, grabbing Izuku’s hand to emphasize his point.

“And if we had known you’d be THIS affectionate, we probably wouldn’t have pushed it,” Kaminari replied sarcastically, “No for real, very happy for you two, but also seriously, keep it down, okay? Some of the kids that are here already heard that and they’re fake puking all over the desks!”

Izuku chuckled, “Sorry Kaminari, we’ll stop!”

Kaminari hummed before replying with, “Man, I forgot how awkward the honeymoon phase is. Also how very sweet it is, it’s like you guys can’t keep your hands off of each other.”

“Yeah, well, get used to it,” Katsuki retorted.

Kaminari merely shrugged before heading back to Mrs. Harrington’s classroom, having nothing else to add to the conversation.

Katsuki then turned his attention back to Izuku, tilting his head to face him as he locked lips for a brief moment. Once he released him, he gave him a loving smile before asking, “Meet me at my apartment after work, okay?”

Izuku smiled back, “Always, Kacchan.”

And with that, Katsuki let go of the green haired man and out the door, letting him do his job as he walked back to the gym to finish any last minute details and clean up before the school year came to a close.

After the last child left, Izuku cleaned up all of the desks and took down the remaining decorations he had not gotten down yet.

He was sad to see his classroom become bare again once the end of a school year came, but he knew he would always be back soon to redecorate it, fresh and new for the new set of second graders that would walk into his classroom. It would be the same dance he would do for years to come, should he continue with this profession, which he planned on keeping.

Once the final pieces came down and placed into his closet, he took one last look around before he walked to the cafeteria for one more school related function, which would be Greta’s retirement party.

Once he got there, everyone greeted him with excitement. He talked to everyone, grabbing a plate of appetizers along the way, before reaching the woman herself, giving her a small card.

“Happy Retirement, Greta! I’ll be honest, it’s sad to see you go, but you deserve it!” Izuku said enthusiastically.

Greta chuckled, “Why thank you Izuku! I, too, am saddened to go as well, but I’ve put in my years, so that the next generation can take over! Plus I do want to see my grandchildren more often,” she smiled at the thought.

“Oh I don’t doubt that, I’m sure they will be thrilled to see their grandmother!” Izuku smiled.

“Well, Kirishima will be a wonderful 5th grade teacher! He is looking forward to it! By the way, I never got to tell you this, but congratulations to you and Katsuki, too!” Greta replied.

Izuku blinked, “For what?”

Greta laughed, “Oh don’t be so modest. I’m talking about you two finally getting together! I’m just glad I got to see it happen before I left!”

Izuku stammered, “O-Oh, umm, thanks? Speaking of, where is Kacchan? I don’t see him here…”

Greta merely grinned, “Oh, you didn’t hear?”

Izuku stared at her dumbfoundedly, “Hear what?”

Just then, the curtains to the small stage up front opened and there was Jirou, Tokoyami, Kaminari, Momo, and Katsuki poised and ready to play on their respective instruments.

Izuku’s eyes widened as he looked up, seeing Katsuki with his shit eating grin as he got himself ready.

Jirou spoke through the microphone, “Hello Toshinori Elementary staff! Hope you all had a wonderful last day of school! This performance is dedicated to the one and only Greta McMiller, who is retiring after 40 years of teaching! Hope you all enjoy!”

And with that, the band started to play any and all songs that Greta requested. Katsuki enthusiastically banged on the drums like he was in the big leagues while the rest were happily playing their own instruments.

Izuku turned to Greta, who was grinning cheek to cheek, “I heard that they had a band and I asked them if they could play some of my favorite tunes. I was sure Katsuki told you, but I guess he wanted to surprise you instead,” she chuckled as she continued to watch the band play.

Izuku blinked before turning back to the band, his shock turned into joy as he watched the band, smiling widely and watching his friends and boyfriend play.

After about twenty minutes of nonstop music, Jirou again congratulated Greta before the band dispersed off stage.

Izuku ran over and hugged Katsuki within seconds of him jumping off of the stage, “Kacchan! I didn’t know you were going to play! You were amazing up there!”

Katsuki returned the hug, smirking widely, “If you knew I was going to play, you would have been all over me. Plus I like seeing your face when I surprise you,” he then planted a kiss on his forehead before smiling back.

Izuku beamed, “You’re always full of surprises, Kacchan!”

Katsuki laughed, “There’s more where that came from, Izuku!”

“GET A ROOOOOOOOOOM!” The voice of Sero echoed throughout the cafeteria on top of the chatter.

Katsuki merely flipped him off, not taking his eyes off of Izuku, who laughed hysterically.

Once at Katsuki’s apartment, the two happily played with Dynamy for a while, having him chase the red laser pointer and laughing at him as he kept jumping up the wall to try to get it. Katsuki then fed him and after giving him lots of love, the two teachers found themselves on Katsuki’s couch, kissing each other as if their lives depended on it.

Oh how they’ve come full circle in one school year.

Katsuki deepened the kiss and pushed Izuku down onto the couch, hands roaming all over the green haired man, who was happily accepting the touches. Izuku ran his own in the blonde’s hair and tugged gently before he pulled away suddenly.

Katsuki’s eyes widened, panting, “Whatcha do that for?”

Izuku looked back at the blonde, trying to catch his breath, “... Sorry, I just…”

Katsuki suddenly stood up, holding out his hand so the other could sit up as well, “Did I go too far?”

“No! No… I was enjoying that… It’s just…” Izuku looked down in his lap, where his hands were currently fidgeting with the hem of his shirt.

Katsuki allowed Izuku to take his time to say whatever he wanted to say, trying not to jump to conclusions as to why Izuku pulled away and oh god they’ve officially been together for almost three weeks and he’s already fucking it up–

“Let me move in with you!” Izuku blurted out, looking directly into Katsuki’s eyes with sheer determination.

Katsuki blinked, processing the words that were spoken, before nodding, “Yes!”

Izuku looked shocked at the sudden answer, “R-Really? No protesting or thinking about it?”

“Izuku, we’ve technically been together for five years now, officially for about three weeks. I think we’re passed thinking about it,” Katsuki grinned, “But I do want to know why.”

Izuku stuttered under his breath, “W-Well, my yearly renewal for my apartment is coming up at the end of July, a-and I was thinking about n-not renewing it? And by that time, I was hoping to be moved out by then and… With you… A-And with my master’s program coming up I could use the help and company… Plus, Dynamy seems to like the both of us… And with my name also on the adoption papers… Well…”

Katsuki’s heart skipped a beat with this. Izuku thought this through to the T. For MONTHS now.

Katsuki beamed, “Yeah, let’s do it, Izuku!”

Izuku looked at him surprised, but then it quickly turned to a big smile, “Okay! I-I can’t believe it! We’re moving in together!”

“Fucking believe it, nerd,” Katsuki laughed.

The two then hugged each other, attempting to contain the giddiness that they were both feeling with this new development. They both pulled away and looked into each other’s eyes longingly before they kissed passionately, unable to let each other go.

And they were perfectly fine with that.