Chapter Text
Izuku looked around.
There was noise around every corner of the Class 3-A dorm common room. Sunday nights tend to get rowdy. Never in a wild party-like way, but everyone could feel the tension in the air. Monday morning crept closer and closer, with it bringing an extraordinarily intensive week of training (inevitably, pain) and school (inevitably even more pain).
There were a few crews trying to cram for a first-period test the next day, which is just evil , Eraserhead, and individuals pacing and speaking to themselves, trying to memorize a speech for their Public Relations class.
Kaminari kept watching Yaoyorozu incorporate solemn expressions like they were supposed to and was cringing at his own awkwardness compared to her graceful composure, which, fair, Izuku thought. The class reps will do well on that project.
At some point, Ashido and Uraraka had turned on Ashido’s little hot pink speaker and blasted something you’d hear thumping in a club, and began to try and dance their worries away for a song or two. Not something Izuku had personally tried, since he figured he’d just get anxious over his dancing, and the point of a quick dance party was to shake the jitters out then focus up on your work.
It would be a short, healthy break for those two, but Izuku still had two left feet; maybe he could try what Kirishima did when he got that sick feeling of incapability when it came to school work.
Izuku had seen him drag Sato out to the grassy hill students liked to eat their lunch on in the summertime, and without a shred of dignity, ask him to lift him above his head and throw him down the slope. Izuku had asked about it once, to see if it was a new part of his ruthless training plan that he needed to put in a notebook of his, but all that the redhead said was that it helps him think. Huh.
Shaking his head, Izuku brought himself back into his own reality, standing in the kitchen with an angry blond speaking loudly into his ear.
Slowly, he tuned himself back in.
Hmm. Katsuki was saying something about are you even listening, you shitty nerd?
Izuku was feeling too peaceful.
“Not really, no.”
Here’s the thing: this was not a new development. Not Izuku ignoring his childhood playmate and current rival, but throwing shade back at the explosive boy. Something about it just lit his soul on fire, daring to consume him every time Katsuki sent something snarky his way, that same competitiveness that Katsuki brought out in fights as well.
No wonder Izuku could never return Katsuki’s nasty attitude in middle school. It would have either had to be playful or sincere - insulting him sincerely wasn’t an option, and neither was trying to mess around with him.
Now they had grown so much together: killing and dying for each other in the war, the first apology, the many miscommunications and insecurities tying them down, but Izuku knew with certainty he and Katsuki had truly gotten better.
Calling them friends felt inadequate. It just felt like so much more.
This kind of banter between them nowadays took practice. Since the end of their second year at the hero school, this meaningless competition of dishing back what the other gives was constantly threatening to take over, and was currently continuing well into their third, most important year.
Which is why Izuku found himself with Katsuki in the kitchen in the first place, since they were getting nothing done with their school notes. There was just too much to say!
So they had riled themselves up enough that Sero had threatened to tape each of their mouths shut if they didn’t go cool off.
Izuku had shot Katsuki a look, trying to convey that he’d accept a truce for now since they were bothering their already stressed friends. The blond had just scrunched his nose up in a twitch, accepting the break in their bickering.
Together, they had cut up a plate of some veggies and just stood at the counter, eating silently.
Izuku doesn’t even remember how they got to play fighting again. It was impossible to turn off the switch that contained his want to have Katsuki’s attention, to be working to be better than the other.
Forgive him for his instinct taking over with that almost rude response. He did feel a little bad he had zoned out after a minute.
He could tell his friend was nearly at his limit of this little game between them; his sharp jaw was clenched even more than usual, and he actually took a deep breath before beginning to speak.
“I am going to ignore that you just said that. You’ve been a pain in my ass all day,” and Izuku let the facade fall enough to shoot him an apologetic smile, easing up on the attitude, “and I wish you would go take your ugly mug somewhere else if you’re gonna be a little shit,” Katsuki said grimly.
Izuku gasped, clutching his heart in fake astonishment.
“Kacchan! You think I’m ugly?”
Katsuki shoved his hand in Izuku’s face, pushing him away messily.
“Go away.”
Izuku reeled himself back in close to Katsuki’s face.
“But Kacchan! You don’t wanna see this?”
The green-haired boy took his friend’s face in his hands and jolted him downwards so their foreheads slammed together. The only way Katsuki could actually see Izuku now was through blurry, crossed eyes.
The stern voice of Class 3-A’s vice president rang out.
“Boys, if you’re going to flirt, please go do it somewhere else. You’re being very distracting today.”
Screechlhsdflds. Record scratch. Pause. Rewind. What?
Izuku felt his face immediately aflame with embarrassment. He quickly released his hands away from Katsuki’s face, and stuttered backwards to put some space between them again.
This- this wasn’t flirting, they were bickering! Like they did! Always have!
He began to speak to try and explain himself, but Katsuki beat him to it.
“Yeah, nerd. Let’s get out of here. Gettin’ tired of nobody being productive down here, anyways.”
What?
Izuku felt Katsuki’s strong arm sling over his shoulder, and he felt caught in the act of something he never knew he wasn’t supposed to be doing.
He went and numbly gathered his schoolwork from the common room, mind still reeling from the revelation that Yaoyorozu, one of the smartest people in their class, thought they were flirting.
His mindless exit under Katsuki’s arm once again was interrupted by Sero’s voice calling out.
“See ya never, you two!” A round of snickers rang out in the room.
Izuku suddenly realized how many eyes were on him, watching him leave with the blond. His face began to heat up again, feeling like he swallowed his tongue.
“Bye, fuckers! Don’t be sad you’re missing the show!” Katsuki yelled back over his shoulder.
What???
Entering the elevator with Katsuki felt like a dream - he had no freaking clue what was going to happen next.
Katsuki’s arm shuffled off his shoulders as he reached forward to hit the button to his own floor. He was going to Katsuki’s room then, to continue studying there. He didn’t need to ask.
A moment of silence passed before he couldn’t take the curiosity building in him.
“Kacchan, I’m confused. We’re just… fighting. They know that’s just what we do,” he said softly.
Katsuki snorted. “Don’t I know it, nerd. That was just the first thing I thought of to get them off our backs. S’better than making a big deal out of it anyways.”
This felt like a big deal though, Izuku thought. But Katsuki was always calculated, and he trusted him.
“‘Sides, it’s funny if they think it’s true when it’s not. Those losers don’t know shit about us,” he continued, a small smirk on his face.
“I guess. Heh, you took me by surprise there. It was pretty embarrassing, but you just acted cool,” Izuku mused.
He got a soft punch in his shoulder, and looked over at Katsuki, sporting a smug look on his face.
“‘Course I did. I’m always cool,” and with his tone of voice Izuku just knew he was playing it up for him, a layer of teasing sent with it. He was making fun of him again.
That feeling flared up in Izuku’s belly again. The elevator doors opened, bringing him back to earth. They walked over to Katsuki’s room.
“Hm. I didn’t know nerdy dorks could be cool, Kacchan. Guess you’re the exception,” he said with a smile as the other unlocked the door. They were back at it.
“Haah, look in my eyes and say that again, Izuku! Try me!” Katsuki was grinning fiercely, turning and blocking the entryway to his room, arms out against the doorway.
Izuku began to laugh as he tried to move around Katsuki’s strong defense, pouting playfully, “Hey, you were gonna let me in, let me in!”
Katsuki wouldn’t stop moving to block Izuku’s attempts at being let in, but his arms were up leaving his torso exposed. Izuku dove his hands towards both sides of his ribs, hoping a full-on tickle attack would give him the upper hand.
But with strong reflexes as always, Katsuki grabbed both of his wrists before he could pull off his dirty move.
With an evil grin, Katsuki called him out. “Heh, can’t even get past me without resorting to fighting dirty. C’mon say it, I’m the coolest.”
Izuku laughed as he saw his chance. “I’m the coolest, Kacchan!”
“Dumbass!” Their strength was in a deadlock, and Izuku knew if he could just get close enough he’d be over the threshold of the doorway and Katsuki would have to accept the win.
“Tell me, Izuku! I’m the coolest, shitty nerd!”
“Okay Kacchan, you’re the coolest shitty nerd!”
Kacchan barked out an unexpected laugh, and his strength faltered. Izuku slipped past him finally, and planted himself in the middle of his friend’s room, face aglow with victory.
“I win!” He turned to gloat his hard-fought achievement over his long-time rival, but curiosity made him pause as he saw the look on his face.
Katsuki was recovering from his laughter, and was looking at him in a way Izuku had never seen before. The corners of his eyes were squished softly by the way his cheeks were bunching up, a small smile on his lips. If anything, it looked like Katsuki was proud. His eyes, so much of the time sharp and dangerous, were smiling.
Did… he do something?
“Kacchan?” He asked. He didn’t know what else to say, but Katsuki would understand.
Katsuki shook his head silently and walked over, kicking the door shut behind him without even looking. He really was so cool.
He jumped onto his bed, and patted to his left beside him. He had something to say then, Izuku thought, which was unlike him; he had figured the blond would brush it off and get them back to studying on the floor of his room.
Katsuki let out a loud exhale through his nose as he sat his chin on his palm, elbow resting on his crossed legs. Izuku maybe took a moment to wish his flexibility was that nice; he used to be able to sit cross-legged for long without pain in his hips.
“Just think it’s funny, I guess.” Katsuki admitted.
“What’s that, Kacchan?” Izuku needed more to understand.
Katsuki twitched his nose again. “Brought you up here cause I thought it’d be funny as fuck to play them for losers, let them think we were really flirting. We coulda played it up, made it one big inside joke for us, and they’d be none the wiser. ‘Specially not our class,” he said.
Izuku could see that, and he nodded. “That would have been funny. I missed playing pranks with you, Kacchan.”
“Hm. Yeah, same here.”
But that couldn’t be all that he was thinking. “But there’s more?”
Katsuki awkwardly switched his arms so that the one closest to Izuku was now the one resting his chin, and it made him lean in closer, but his face was turned away. Izuku watched as he began to pick at a loose thread of his duvet cover with his other hand.
There was a small pit in his stomach that was forming in anticipation. He could understand his friend thinking up that joke for them, but now Katsuki was serious. What else was he going to say? What was the boy thinking?
“I dunno, Izuku. Thought we’d have fun making a plan for it, and tomorrow we’d let it loose and see their dumb reactions,” he murmured.
He paused. He seemed to be having a hard time articulating his thoughts, if he wasn’t sure of what to say. But he was brave enough to try, and Izuku thought he was even more amazing for it.
“But I realized if we tried to turn our fights into fake flirting, it wouldn’t be fake for me.”
Izuku inhaled hard.
“Figured it out, just now kinda. If I tried to fake flirt and get back at them, I wouldn’t be able to. I’d really, really mean it. And I think I’d be more myself than I have been since we were kids and still best friends.”
Katsuki used his hand to rub the nape of his neck, eyes cast forwards, blank.
He felt that way? But… it’s Kacchan. Izuku felt the instinct to question him, to hear more. No, first, he needed to let Katsuki know that he was okay with how he felt. Even if it did sound like a confession.
Izuku shifted his weight forwards, and laid a gentle, knotted hand on his friend’s knee. Oh, here comes the part where he starts a sentence and really doesn’t know where he actually wants it to go, but just knows he needs to speak.
“Okay, I… I can understand that. I guess I didn’t think about what I’d feel either if we tried to do that anyways. I mean, I got really embarrassed when Yaomomo called us out, and maybe, maybe even a little ashamed. Like I was doing something I wasn’t supposed to. I guess I never think about the others when we do stuff like that, it just sort of… drops out. I don’t know, I just know that I like our play fights and I want your attention on me, and you’re so good at giving it, and so I never stop. You’re… I love the way it makes me feel. I never thought about what it means,” he admitted.
Katsuki’s head seemed to hang a little lower.
“But Kacchan,” and the other’s face finally turned back to him, looking so unsure of himself, “I do know you mean the world to me. I know that much and that’s never going away.”
He gave the knee under his hand a gentle squeeze. Katsuki finally smiled at him, and his heart felt like it was going to explode.
“Can I try something?” Katsuki asked softly.
Izuku nodded hard. He wanted to hear more.
The blond adjusted the way he sat, so he was facing Izuku more. He seemed to shake out his hands for a moment, unsure of where to put them, but settled on leaning back on them instead.
Oh. He was going to charm Izuku.
“Hey there, handsome,” Katsuki said confidently, in a deeper voice than usual.
Nothing. A twitch of his lips. Izuku felt like a wide-eyed deer in the headlights.
Suddenly, they both broke out into chuckles, then full blown laughter. That did not blow him away, he thought, and it seemed like Katsuki didn’t like it either.
Gasping through his giggles, Izuku said, “You have to mean it, Kacchan, you didn’t do it right.”
He looked into his eyes and it brought out a smile that felt like a hug. Still, he took a deep breath. He didn’t know what words would come out, exactly, but admitting the truth that you didn’t know you felt was something he had to be brave to do.
He leaned in, like he was sharing a secret. “I think you’re really beautiful, Kacchan.”
Oh. That felt so, so right. He really was, and Izuku wondered why he’s never said so before. It felt like returning to your childhood home, and wondering why you ever left.
Katsuki’s mouth fell open, a little bit. His eyes stared back at him with the kind of soft intensity that made Izuku feel like he was a hero.
After a moment of bewitched silence, the boy slowly took his hands out from behind him, and scooped up Izuku’s hands to hold them between their chests.
It was Izuku’s turn for his breath to be stolen.
“Don’t say stuff like that unless you want me to hold your hand, nerd,” Katsuki joked, but it came through sincerely. He had the kind of cheeky smile that Izuku knew and loved, the kind that drew him in, drowning in his attention.
He could do this. He wanted to, now that he knew how he felt.
Feeling brave, he turned over one of his hands that Katsuki held so that he cupped the back of Katsuki’s hand, slender fingers tracing the soft valleys of his knuckles.
Izuku drew the hand close, and pressed his lips to the bottom of Katsuki’s palm, kissing it gently before mouthing against it, “Maybe I want you to hold me.”
There was no coming back now.
Katsuki’s face began to flush, trying to find his breath to talk back but unable to come up for air.
His skin was so warm against his lips, Izuku thought. He liked the feeling, liked the way Katsuki was getting hotter, and the way he felt his stomach drop when the blond inhaled sharply.
Izuku felt Katsuki’s strong hand break from Izuku’s lips to reach around to grab the slightly sweaty curls at the base of his neck.
Katsuki began to whisper. He was even closer now; Izuku kind of wanted to feel his breath on his skin as he spoke.
“Is this real, Izuku? You can’t… do this if it’s fake, please don’t tell me this is fake.”
Izuku smiled and whispered back, “No way, Kacchan. It’s real, I’m real, and the way I feel for you is real.”
How had he never known until now that he couldn’t live without breathing the same air as him? Sharing the same space, the same skin?
They were close enough for Izuku to finally see the gentle creases in Katsuki’s lips, pink and round. God, he wanted to feel them.
He whispered, staring at his lips, “I think I’m going insane. I never knew what it all meant, trying to figure us out was scary so I never put thought into it but now that I know, I want you so much and you’re making me feel so much, Kacchan-”
Suddenly, the hand around his neck moved and cupped Izuku’s cheek; there was now another hand tightening on his hip. He felt his fingertips brush up Katsuki’s neck and cradle his jaw between them. He was so, so hot; he couldn’t stop shaking.
He saw Katsuki shortly wet his lips, making them shiny.
“Fuck, Kacchan, please kiss me,” he said breathily.
And the last thing Izuku saw before he closed his eyes to meet him halfway was Katsuki diving into him fast, and even though his eyes were squeezed shut, when their lips met all he could see an explosion of light and colour.
Katsuki’s soft lips fell open against his, agonizing pressure popping like a needle to a balloon. His lips were sweet, just tasting like skin soaked in summer rain.
Oh, the way his hands were gripping him, too - the strength of his hands was knocking the breath out of Izuku, being held like putty in the heat of Katsuki’s embrace.
He felt his eyes flutter softly as Katsuki drew himself to his knees, lips never parting from his own except for short gasps of air, and then slid over his thighs to straddle Izuku’s lap.
The way he was sitting right now, just at the edge of Katsuki’s bed, made him clutch the other’s body tight to his, pressing in deeply to the back of his waist, just to avoid gravity pulling Katsuki away and falling backwards off the bed.
It was a little awkward, but also endearingly hot - Katsuki trusted Izuku to hold him in the precarious position, and put himself there without hesitation. He was grateful, because Katsuki’s waist was annoyingly sexy, and by pressing him close to his body, he could feel hips flush with each other, and didn’t that feel good.
He sent a shiver racing up Katsuki’s spine when he slipped his rough hand under his shirt, pinching around the curve of his hip and thumbing at his hip bone; Izuku wanted to feel more, more, more.
Katsuki pressed his lips in deeper, mouthing and releasing all the tension Izuku could feel as he was kissed. It was like he was going limp - he couldn’t stop letting his jaw fall open against his mouth and gasping for air, like Katsuki was rescuing him from drowning.
Izuku would let Katsuki rescue him all the goddamn time.
Against Katsuki’s scalding kisses, stealing his breath and holding him close, Izuku suddenly felt the overwhelming need to get back at him for turning him into this mess of a man, open-mouthed and eyes scrunched.
He let his lips drag over Katsuki’s one last time, and nudged his chin up with a kiss.
He could hear Katsuki exhale softly, like a sigh of relief, as Izuku moved a hand to tighten in his hair at the nape of his neck and began to press lips and tongue to the underside of his jaw. He was so soft there, and warm with life.
It was a rush, pressing his lips to more of Katsuki, and he had no desire to take his time. Katsuki was baring his throat for Izuku alone, and he kissed wetly over every inch of sweet skin.
He was so soft, he could, he wanted to - Izuku found Katsuki’s jugular vein and from the base of his neck, licked it hard up to his ear like he was turning back the blood flow.
At that, Katsuki let out the most beautiful sound Izuku had ever heard, head tilting back and mouth falling open, not daring to open his eyes. They were even closer now, pressing the other into them, Katsuki arching his back slightly as Izuku kept a tight grip on his hair.
Katsuki’s breathy moan sounded like he was trying so hard to keep it in, but like letting it out felt so much better.
“Oh, fuck Izuku, that feels so good,” Katsuki breathed out, voice cracking a little as he swore. Izuku would devour that sound if he could - he wanted his diet to consist only of Katsuki for the rest of his life.
Katsuki held the back of Izuku’s head hard, keeping him licking and sucking away at his neck happily, even nipping at his collarbones. There were a few more gasps for air, hips jerking slightly, then he pulled Izuku away by the hair to look at him.
“God damn, you’re so good. You’re so pretty,” he sighed to the green-haired boy, almost reverently, wiping at the soft brown freckles under his eyes.
In the depth of each other’s eyes, the sounds of panting came to, and Izuku suddenly realized just how affected both him and Katsuki were.
They broke out into matching smiles, and Izuku just knew it was the feeling of being overwhelmed emotionally and physically by the moment.
Izuku giggled to himself and whispered, “Kacchan doesn’t think I’m ugly after all.”
Katsuki chuckled and wrapped his arms tight around the other’s neck, clinging to him like a koala.
Izuku felt a sweet kiss on his cheek before Katsuki tucked his head into his neck, murmuring, “Nah, Kacchan thinks you’re beautiful. He really, really likes you.”
Izuku hummed, a gentle smile on his face.
I’m so blessed, he thinks.
And tips backwards onto Katsuki’s bed, taking the other down with him, wrapping arms around him tightly.
A muffled grunt comes from the juncture of his neck and collarbone.
“Ugh. My hips don’t like this position,” Katsuki grumbled. With his face buried still, Izuku couldn’t see him but he knew there was a superficial frown on his face.
Izuku idly brushed his fingertips up Katsuki’s back, talking to the ceiling above him, “Yeah, I kinda thought this would be nicer than it is. My back and half of my butt is on the bed but the rest is off. I can’t move,” he laughed.
“Heh,” and he knew Katsuki was smirking, “can’t even sit up with me on you. Hit the gym, nerd.”
Izuku took that for the challenge that it was, and kicked his legs up to propel his momentum forwards, crunching his abs (that he does work very hard on, thank you very much) and ignoring Katsuki’s heavy weight.
For the blond, still clinging around Izuku’s torso like one would wrap around a tree, he squeezed a little closer as he was abruptly reminded of gravity as Izuku stood up, trying not to slide down his body.
Lucky for him, Izuku moved quickly to catch him with his hard-earned grip strength - with his hands under Katsuki’s ass.
Oop. He bit his lips together in a tight smile as he found his bearings on his feet again, and whispered, “Kacchan. I’m holding your butt,” trying hard not to break out in hysterical giggles at the absurdity.
He came upstairs questioning why others were thinking the two of them were flirting.
Now he’s got his hands on his best friend’s butt, holding him in his arms after making out, feeling more sure of himself than he could ever remember.
What was his life?
“Yeah, I can feel that, Izuku,” Katsuki chuckled, a little under his breath.
Their eyes met, each breaking out into a smile.
Katsuki’s smile turned devilish, and said tauntingly, narrowing his eyes, “What’re ya gonna do about it?”
Izuku huffed happily, like he was stuck with indecision.
He then leaned forwards and gave Katsuki a long, hard kiss, pulling his lip as he came off, as he turned around and walked up to the head of Katsuki’s bed.
He pulled away and placed him down on the bed properly this time, and sighed as he laid his full weight on top of him. This time, Izuku was the one nuzzling into the other’s neck; he felt his blush rise when he involuntarily remembered the sounds Katsuki made when his mouth was there last.
But cuddles, now.
“You get to play with my hair,” Izuku said, a little childishly.
Snorting, Katsuki raised a hand to his head and began to rake his fingers through it, scratching circles and swooping lines with his nails. How’d he know that was his favourite?
Happiness was filling Izuku up inside. Being so close to his favourite person, figuring out together how they felt, really; he didn’t know if there was anything better. His touch was smooth and comforting, like Katsuki was slowly washing away all of the bits he didn’t like about himself. They were at their best, together.
Nosing into the other’s warm skin, Izuku said softly, “Izuku really, really likes you too.”
With his other hand warming the small of Izuku’s back, lying lazily under his shirt, Katsuki responded.
“I knew that, nerd. But I like the way it is now,” and pressed a kiss to the top of Izuku’s head.
He could cry.
In fact, tears were beginning to well up, and he pushed up to his elbow beside him to get a good look at him.
“I also really like the way it is now,” Izuku whispered, overcome with feelings of happiness.
The hand that was in his hair now reached around to cup his jaw, thumbing gently at his lip.
Katsuki’s eyes were soft as he looked at his partner.
“So, are we doing this then?” he asked.
Izuku nodded hard. “Please,” he said, trying to ignore the first tear that spilled down his cheek.
Katsuki quickly wiped it away with a softness Izuku only remembered in dreams from all the times in the hospital he’s spent over the years. Oh.
“Boyfriends?”
Izuku opened his mouth to respond, but had to bury himself back into the cozy safety of Katsuki’s neck nook. This was too embarrassing.
“Kacchan, I think I’d literally marry you tomorrow if you asked me.”
Katsuki let out the same loud burst of laughter that let Izuku into his room in the first place, and his heart was warmed.
His hand began stroking Izuku’s hair again, and Izuku threw an arm up to cradle Katsuki’s head, petting the soft blond spikes he adored. Everything about this boy looked explosive from the outside, but close enough to touch, Izuku knew the gentle fragility and care he held inside him so deeply.
They spent a few minutes together in silence, taking each other in, simply holding each other close.
Their peace was disturbed when a thought occurred to Izuku.
“Hey Kacchan?”
“Yeah?”
“We could technically… still prank our friends.”
Izuku felt Katsuki’s chest rise as he snorted out a small laugh. He knew the devilish, devilishly handsome, grin was back.
Nothing really brought them together like winning did.
“Hell yeah. I like the way you think, nerd.”
Izuku had never been more grateful to know someone, inside and out.