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Assistant: Title: Learning Curve
        Author: Mister_awesomesauce Mister_awesomesauce 
        Chapter: 1/1 
        Summary: Izuku Midoriya is great at English class,Katsuki Bakugou is, for the first time in his life, failing.On the flip side, Katsuki has had his first kiss.Izuku has not.Things get a little confusing after that.OR: Izuku tutors Katsuki in English, Katsuki tutors Izuku in kissing, and both of them are simply awful at all things feelings.
        Contents: Summary:
            
              Izuku Midoriya is great at English class,Katsuki Bakugou is, for the first time in his life, failing.On the flip side, Katsuki has had his first kiss.Izuku has not.Things get a little confusing after that.OR: Izuku tutors Katsuki in English, Katsuki tutors Izuku in kissing, and both of them are simply awful at all things feelings.
            
        

        
  Notes:





    
      So...Guess who's on the BkDk fic GRIND once again!I started writing this fic in early January, and I'm just now finishing it.I literally have no reason why it took me that long, I procrastinated with this like crazy T_TMy bad!!!When I started thinking of the idea for this fic, I realized that we, as the BkDk community, have a SERIOUS lack of practice kissing fics.So, as your local BkDk truther, I'm supplying y'all with the sweet sweet trope that is practice kissing.I really hope you guys enjoy!OH! I also made a playlist for this while I was writing it.Check it out!:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3QQIufNKNwSfdCUCndCm7O?si=83x4rT1xTlSBpdqa1b4aOw&pi=u-9re7nZ3UTXur
    

    (See the end of the work for more notes.)



  





    
        
          You could call the Wonder Duo of UA a lot of things. Blatantly reckless, Loud, Brutes, Sure, even annoying.But absolutely  nobody  could call either Katsuki Bakugou or Izuku Midoriya unintelligent. Both of the boys were academic powerhouses. Not only in their classes, but in the grand scheme of the school, usually competing with each other for second place in the grade average in their grade. Of course, neither had yet to beat Yaoyorozu.  That  would be a totally different kind of smart. All in all, the boys were anything but stupid. Everyone knew it. Maybe that was why it came as such a shock when Katsuki, loud and proud at the front of the class, was handed his most recent English test upside down. His graded answers pressed against his desk like a taunt, a warning that to flip the page over would mean death. Of course, Izuku caught this immediately. His eyes were always keen to follow Katsuki’s every move, and this was no exception. Izuku was immediately dumbfounded, accepting his own English test back and barely responding to the excited ‘great job’ let out by Present Mic. Izuku had  never  seen Katsuki get handed back a test that wasn’t perfection or adjacent. Lately he’d been noticing Katsuki staying in to study more, staying behind to ask about lessons, but he had  never expected this. Everyone’s eyes eventually seared into Katsuki’s back, waiting for him to turn the page over. He simply sat in what could either be shock, or a violent anger. Either way, nobody could tell from the back of the blonde’s head. Time seemed to slow.The class froze when they saw Katsuki’s hand move out of the corner of their vision, eyes tracking his movement with pinpoint precision. As Katsuki picked up the paper, hunching over his desk slightly to read it, Izuku heard the whispers immediately break out from people around him who had a better view. Curse Katsuki’s wide shoulders, blocking that mark from Izuku. Actually, scratch that, Izuku would never curse those shoulders. Eventually, the whispers reached Izuku’s ears, straining to hear the number amongst the cacophony of noise. Izuku nearly exclaimed in surprise. The green haired hero vividly remembered the lowest grade he’d ever seen the prodigy that was Katsuki Bakugou ever get; a crisp seventy five on his first English test in middle school. Izuku remembered the angry tears and screams of embarrassment that followed as he tried to console the boy, which is why he would have never expected that  thee  Kacchan Bakugou got…… Thirty five percent?! ...Izuku tried to wipe the entire morning from his mind, deciding not to snoop on Katsuki’s business. But really, when had Izuku  not snooped on Katsuki’s business? The freckled boy spent his entire day in a daze, brain mulling over all of the possibilities that could have led to Katsuki getting a thirty-five percent on a test Izuku got an  easy hundred on. Was he sick? Izuku couldn’t remember the boy having any feverish symptoms the day of the test, not even a sniffle in the quiet of the classroom . Katsuki  was  notoriously good at hiding his illness, so Izuku couldn’t be entirely sure… But even that wouldn’t make sense. He was pretty sure Katsuki could get hundreds in his  sleep. Was he injured? Unlikely. Aizawa would have dragged the boy to Recovery Girl, no matter how stubborn he was. Izuku briefly considered Katsuki being replaced by aliens for a day, but at that point, he’d found he was already back at the dorms, his day almost entirely over. He didn’t even  remember sparring sessions after school, though he was confident he had them. He lightly slapped his cheeks. 
   Stop being weird, Izuku! Leave it alone! Even Kacchan has off days… once in a while. 
Izuku walked through the front doors, yawning after the long day while his classmates funneled in around him. He particularly kept his eyes off of Katsuki’s hunched form, slightly nervous whether the boy was going to burst into angry tears like he would have as a sixth grader. “Izuku.” Katsuki growled, his jaw tense as he spoke. Izuku froze, awkwardly turning to look at the boy, stiff as a board. Though the young hero was as beautiful as Izuku had always found him, he could make some horrifyingly threatening faces when he wanted to. Izuku guessed he wanted to at that point. Katsuki’s eyebrows drew in, face dark and clouded with anger, blazing gaze searing through Izuku’s forest green eyes. The freckled boy tried to smile politely, but may have ended up looking more scared than he intended, lips wobbling in unease.“Mhm?” He asked, attempting to feign nonchalance instead of his overwhelming nervousness towards Katsuki’s reaction. Katsuki’s face didn’t ease in rage one bit.“Meet me in my room in twenty, don’t be late.” The blonde spat out, pulling his eyes away from Izuku and violently turning away to stomp down the halls to their room.Izuku’s mind immediately went into overdrive, confusion washing over him like a wave crashing into shore. Sure, he and Katsuki had been doing  better  after everything, but the blonde didn’t even invite his  friends  to his room. Was Izuku Katsuki’s friend? Hardly, so he really couldn’t imagine what horrible thing had taken over Katsuki for him to invite his childhood-friend-turned-victim-turned-rival-turned-mutual-respected-person instead of someone he  actually  knew. Izuku took a moment to stand still as his class rushed around him back into the common room, some up to their rooms as his steps stuttered, before he snapped back into his body from his momentary seconds of nauseating confusion. His eyes remained on the spiked blonde back of Katsuki’s head as he turned the corner up to the stairs, Izuku only beginning to move again when the boy was out of view. He realized for a moment that he had forgotten to actually respond to Katsuki. Well, it’s not like he would ever say no to the boy. ...Izuku had been standing outside of Katsuki’s door for at least ten minutes, hands planted firmly at his sides. He had been attempting to convince himself to knock on the door for as long as he had been standing there, staring at the mahogany like he could will it to open itself. Maybe if he stared long enough, Katsuki would just know he was there, and Izuku could be spared the embarrassment. Maybe Katsuki would forget he’d ever asked Izuku to do something so horrible like  come into his room , and Izuku could attempt to forget the boy’s demand to see him. Key word:  Attempt .Izuku sighed for the nth time. He’d faced villains, monsters of hatred unlike anything the world had seen. He’d saved, won, lost, screamed, cried, yet here he was, unable to knock on a boy’s door that he’d known his whole life. After another minute of ruminating, Izuku lifted his hand to knock, gritting his teeth. Suddenly, the door opened with a whoosh before his knuckles could connect with the wood, and he was staring face to face with an enraged Katsuki. Izuku’s eyes widened, immediately stunned into an awkward silence. He watched, strangely enough, as Katsuki’s rage melted off of his face into vague annoyance. “You’re f@ck@ng late.” Katsuki gripped Izuku by the font of his t-shirt, undoubtedly stretching the collar, pulling him into his room and slamming the door shut. Izuku stumbled slightly, catching himself clumsily before he could fall into a heap on the ground. “Ka-” Izuku began, before Katsuki shot a glare at the boy that effectively silenced him. Izuku resisted the urge to begin to look everywhere in Katsuki’s room, uncharted territory never before seen by mankind (Class 1-A). “Sit.” Katsuki gritted out, one hand on his hip while the other pointed at the ground. Izuku paused for a moment, looking at the boy in utter confusion, before he took his place on the ground, legs crossed comfortably. Katsuki stormed past him, sitting on the edge of his bed and staring down at Izuku. The room was unbearably silent for a moment, the blonde glaring at the boy below him as he fought with the words attempting to come out of his mouth. Izuku almost spoke up, before Katsuki took his sharp inhale to speak. “Can you- f@ck.” He began, immediately cutting himself off with a curse under his breath. He linked his hands together, leaning forward, but looked across his room to avoid eye contact with Izuku. If Izuku didn’t know any better, he’d think the boy was almost… Nervous?“You… Do you get what the f@ck is going on in English class right now?” Katsuki asked, voice a little mellower than his usual decibel of borderline shouting.  Ah, so it is about that.  Izuku thought, forgetting to respond for a moment. He watched Katsuki’s leg begin to bounce in annoyance and nervousness, a childhood habit the boy hadn’t kicked. “Ah- yeah. English is my best subject right now… Uhm… yeah.” Izuku muttered, the situation feeling entirely foreign to him. He continued to peer up at Katsuki, whose eyes flicked around the room, skillfully avoiding the green haired boy in front of him. “Right, figured.” Katsuki muttered for a moment, before he pressed his hands together, knuckles turning white, and finally spat out what he had been dancing around. “Teach me English.” Izuku’s eyes blew wide, shocked once again by Katsuki’s unusual behaviour. The Katsuki he knew would  never  ask for help, let alone from  Izuku.  For a moment, the alien theory seemed more believable than what was going on. “Uh… You want me to… Tutor you?” Izuku questioned, voice small and sensitive as to not spook the rarely vulnerable Katsuki. He watched the boy’s cheeks tinge pink. “You don’t have to f@ck@ng do it- It- it was stupid, whatever. Get out-” Katsuki began, rambling slightly as his voice raised. Izuku immediately surged forward, hands waving wildly in the air to clear the misunderstanding. “No- Kacchan- I’m totally fine with it! I-I would be happy to!” Izuku said with a wide smile, eyebrows still raised in surprise. Katsuki immediately scoffed, relief evident in his relaxing posture. Izuku cleared his throat, stopping his nervous hand waves and sitting back down into his normal position. “I’m only f@ck@ng asking you ‘cause my friends have one evenly split braincell between them.” He threatened, shoving his finger towards Izuku in an accusatory point. Izuku just nodded violently, heart thumping in his chest with the excitement of progressing in his unsteady relationship with Katsuki. “No- yeah- totally!” Izuku confirmed, still nodding in excitement. “Ah- do you want me to grab my books now and we can- y’know- go over stuff n’... whatever.” He asked, voice raising in pitch as he practically vibrated out of his seat. Katsuki looked at him for a moment, eyes tracing the boy’s happy features, before he looked away again. “F@ck@n’ whatever.” He responded. Izuku knew in Kacchanese that that was as close to a ‘yes’ as he could get. He immediately bounded up to leave to get his books, Katsuki awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. “Be right back!”...At first, it was really awkward. Izuku sat on Katsuki’s bed with his notes, holding back an entire rambling session as the blonde looked like he was about to burst a blood vessel from the close vicinity of the green haired boy. Izuku got Katsuki to lay out his work he’d been having trouble with, the boy awkwardly obliging to each of Izuku’s requests. Though he was as stiff and uncomfortable as Izuku, Katsuki was still listening to the boy’s instructions.  That  was new to Izuku. They silently studied for a while together, before Izuku decided to peer up at Katsuki. The blonde looked down at his paper, eyebrows furrowed together, a light crease forming between his squinting eyes. His mouth was set in a confused scowl, eyes swiftly looking back and forth across his paper. He was a few questions behind Izuku, so the green haired boy decided to speak up. He looked away from Katsuki’s concentrated face, his stomach doing something funny. “What’re you stuck on?” Izuku asked sweetly, trying to keep his voice as stable and non-threatening as possible. Katsuki still flinched slightly, the action reverberating through his soft bed. The blonde looked away, before looking back at Izuku. “...How the f@ck am I supposed to know when to use this sh@tty article?” Katsuki mumbled out, his voice almost pained with having to show he wasn’t perfect at something. Izuku wanted to reassure the boy that it was just as surprising to him. “Hm? Which one?” Izuku leaned over his work, thigh pressing flush against Katsuki’s as he looked across to his paper. The blonde sucked in a breath for a moment, most likely uncomfortable with the contact. Izuku inched his thigh away from Katsuki’s, still looking at his paper. “The f@ck@ng ‘A or An’ thing. I lost like seven marks on that sh@t test ‘cause of it.” Katsuki groaned, eyebrows knitting further together in fury. Izuku had to bite his tongue to ask Katsuki about what had happened with that test, but he managed. “Uhhh, okay so in this situation it’s ‘A’.” Izuku leaned closer to Katsuki, racing his arm across to circle it on his paper. The boy leaned slightly away from Izuku, but kept his eyes trained on his own paper through the motion. “Why? This sh@t makes no sense.” Katsuki huffed, bringing his fingers up to rake through his spiked blonde hair. Izuku could tell the boy was frustrated beyond belief, face crumpled and stressed with his lack of understanding. Izuku imagined it would be difficult to actually have to  try  after so many years of being a gifted kid. Izuku wasn’t necessarily  born smart, nobody was, but academics always seemed to come easy to Katsuki, where Izuku had to work a little harder to understand. Maybe Katsuki had been working hard too. “Check the word after where you need to put ‘A’.” Izuku pointed at the following word, which happened to be bicycle. “Notice how it starts with a consonant?” He questioned. Katsuki eased the furrowing of his brows, looking at the word a little closer. “Yeah?” The boy’s tone was slightly lost, but clearly egging Izuku on to continue his explanation. “Well if the following word starts with a consonant, you use ‘A’. If it starts with a vowel, you use ‘an’.” Izuku explained. He watched with a soft feeling in his chest as Katsuki’s face relaxed, eyes widening a tad as he read back through his answers. “Like ‘an apple’ or ‘a banana’. Saying ‘a apple’ kind of feels weird since you have to make an effort to separate the vowel noises.” Izuku explained, motioning his hands through the air to accentuate his point, before shutting his mouth with a pop, embarrassed at his rambling. “Y-you get it?” Izuku questioned, sparing a glance up at Katsuki’s face to find the blonde’s eyes trained on Izuku’s flushing face. Katsuki blinked, then nodded a single tough nod. “Alright, makes sense.” He said, voice calmer than Izuku had ever heard it. If the freckled boy didn’t know better, he’d say Katsuki was almost happy with the discovery, something clicking within his brain. Izuku smiled up at him, meeting the boy’s brightened eyes. “Cool! Tell me when you need help again.” Izuku shot him a thumbs up, his eyes wide and soft like a puppy. Katsuki stared for a moment too long, before Izuku broke the smile, returning to his own work. The blonde’s gaze lingered, but he swiftly pulled it away, turning back to his sheet to mark down every answer to the best of his ability. ...Izuku came back the next night to help Katsuki study for the upcoming english test that had been announced for a week from then. Present Mic seemed to really be cracking down on the class, a constant stream of English assignments and tests barreling through the third years of UA. If Izuku was honest, he didn’t mind. He’d nearly perfected his English skills by the end of middle school due to his brief yet intense obsession with overseas heroes. Really, Japanese heroes would always be his big niche, but he could appreciate overseas powerhouses. Izuku hesitated for a minute less this time, actually working up the courage to knock on Katsuki’s door. He was still yelled at for being late, but the usual heat and pain behind Katsuki’s insults had been dulled overtime, leaving a mere mockery of insults that wouldn’t hurt a fly. He’d wondered absent mindedly when his insults had transitioned from searingly vile to playful. Izuku didn’t mind in the  slightest . Playful insults didn’t mean things weren’t still tense between the boys. As they worked together, Izuku sitting on Katsuki’s bed while the blonde took a seat at his small desk, claiming the studying on his bed had ‘f@ck@d up his back’, the distance felt palpable. Katsuki still refused to actually  ask  for help, leaving Izuku to simply b@tt in and ask how he was doing. It was nice that the boy still answered. Izuku would sometimes come over to Katsuki’s portion of the room, leaning over the blonde boy to point out something on his sheets while he was teaching him. He always noticed the way Katsuki shied away from touch, yet never asked Izuku to stop. He didn’t seem to be upset with the touches, never speaking out against them or blasting Izuku away for them, but he seemed to be unfamiliar with them. Izuku wasn’t touchy in the slightest going into UA, but after so long of being friends with the queen of hugs that was Ochako, he acclimatized. Now he barely noticed the thoughtless touches between him and his classmates, but it was clear Katsuki did.After a particularly long stretch of silence, Izuku couldn’t quite contain his inner musings about Katsuki’s apprehension to touch. He knew the boy wasn’t  scared of it, but it seemed he never really came from a touchy household like Izuku did. He had a question that could burst the agreement bubble they both had surrounding their study sessions, but Izuku decided to risk it. “...Have you… Ever had a girlfriend?” The boy’s voice came out soft and casual while his heart beat wildly in his chest. Izuku didn’t  think  Katsuki had ever had a girlfriend, but there were a couple years where he and Katsuki weren’t exactly on the best of terms. Izuku’s eyes immediately followed Katsuki’s movements, a small choking noise sounding from the blonde while his pencil dropped to the ground in the silent room. Izuku wondered if he was imagining the red tinge on Katsuki’s ears, but he knew he wasn't imagining the heat crawling across his own cheeks. “The f@ck? What kind of f@ck@ng question is that?” Katsuki burst back, whipping around in his swivel chair to face Izuku, hands still gripping his desk. His ears were  definitely red. “Well, have you?” Izuku pressed further. He didn’t know where his bout of confidence had come from, possibly stupidity, but he ached to know. Katsuki gaped at Izuku for a moment, before closing his mouth. “...Yeah? In like eighth grade… Now f@ck off. Don’t ask weird stuff…” Katsuki mumbled, turning back around to his work. “Did you kiss her?” Katsuki definitely choked this time, a coughing fit erupting from his side of the room, little wheezed ‘what the f@ck’s coming from him as he regained his breath. Izuku fought back a sly grin at making the other boy react so oddly, barely understanding  himself why he was asking. Maybe he just wondered if Katsuki shied away from others' touch like he did Izuku’s. “I literally just said don’t ask weird f@ck@ng questions!” Katsuki roared, face scrunched in displeasure. “What? It’s a pretty standard question.” Izuku shifted to sit upwards on the bed, crossing his legs and leaning back against the bedroom wall. “F@ck@ng Christ. You’re nosy as f@ck, anyone ever told you that?” Katsuki gritted out, his jaw tense. “Okay, so you never kissed her. Weird, but whatever.” Izuku shrugged, pushing Katsuki into an answer. The boy knew exactly how to use the blonde’s temper against him. “Of course I kissed her!” Katsuki spat back, playing right into Izuku’s trap. “Why do you wanna know? You looking to get a f@ck@ng girlfriend?” Katsuki questioned. Izuku tensed. It would definitely be strange for him to admit he was thinking about Katsuki’s affinity or lack thereof for touch, wondering about his lips touching someone else’s when he wouldn’t even let Izuku’s thigh rest against his, as well as a myriad of other thoughts about leaning up against Katsuki’s warm back while he taught him verbs. “Yeah, something like that.” Izuku mumbled, figuring lying about wanting a girlfriend would be an easier way to excuse the deep blush setting on his cheeks thinking about the blonde.  What’s wrong with you Izuku? Stop being weird!  He screamed at himself internally, forcing the flush off of his cheeks. Katsuki had continued to stare at the green haired boy, an unreadable emotion flashing across his face while he stared. Izuku met his eyes, shooting a questioning look at the blonde. “What?” He asked gently. “Nothin’. Just didn’t take you for the type to date n’ sh@t.” Katsuki sniffed, finally ripping his eyes away from Izuku and swiveling back around on his chair to face his work, the strange expression still lingering. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Izuku shot back, narrowing his eyes. Katsuki stayed silent for a moment, Izuku continued glaring at his nape. The blonde swallowed before speaking. “Who is it?” Izuku’s eyes widened. “Wooow. Who’s nosey now?” izuku teased, slightly awkward with the strangely somber tone of Katsuki’s voice. “I’m not f@ck@ng nosey! You started the conversation, dickwad.” Katsuki shouted back, flipping Izuku the bird over his shoulder. Izuku flipped off the back of his head. The room went silent for a few more moments, before Izuku broke it once again.  “What’s it like?” Izuku questioned, leaning forward to scan over his notes again. Katsuki sat up a little straighter just out of Izuku’s line of sight. “What’s  what  like?” The boy answered grumpily, a scowl set deep on his face. “Kissing.” Izuku spoke softly, the word feeling precious and foreign to the boy’s dynamic. Katsuki froze up again, no choking this time, thankfully. He let out a shuddered breath, raking his hand through his spiked hair. He still wouldn’t face Izuku, but the green haired boy didn’t particularly mind the view of the blonde’s broad back. “S’ nice I guess… F@ck@ng- soft and sh@t. I dunno, I broke up with her like six days after our first kiss.” Katsuki grumbled, hunching forwards slightly in his chair. Izuku hummed at the story, when a sudden idea blossomed in his head. An awfully stupid idea.Izuku might not have a crush at the moment, but he knew he would eventually have to get to the point in his life where his hero career wasn’t his only focus, and he could settle down with a nice person.  He’d inevitably have to kiss someone, and Katsuki presented a golden opportunity to Izuku. Plus maybe he had the really strong urge to kiss the blonde, who could say?“Could you teach me how to kiss?” Izuku asked, excitedly bouncing on the boy’s bed. This time, Katsuki immediately swiveled around in his chair to face Izuku, face red and veins pulsing in anger. “Ex-f@ck@ng-scuse me?!” The boy yelled, his normal decibel returning. Izuku simply smiled up at him like his idea made perfect sense, eyes wide in nervousness. He couldn’t believe he had just said that.“Well, you’ve already kissed someone, I haven’t. I’m tutoring you in english, so return the favour and tutor me in kissing!” Izuku explained, pumping his fist in excitement. Izuku’s face flushed at his own proposition, but he pushed down the strange giddy excitement he felt at the prospect of kissing Katsuki and blamed it on nerves. “Wh- Are you- the f@ck is- What the f@ck?!” Katsuki shouted again, face boiling and painted red. He wiped his hands frantically against his sweatpants to get rid of the building nitroglycerin. Izuku looked confused at the boy’s reaction.“It’s not like I’m kissing you for real! It’s just practice.” Izuku reasoned, his arms waving around in his nervousness again. “But if you don’t want to do it, we can forget about-” “Shut the f@ck up! Just- It’s- It’s whatever!” Katsuki looked away from Izuku, flushed from head to toe. “I don’t f@ck@ng care. I’ll teach you whatever, but I owe you absolutely  nothing else  for the tutoring. Got it?!” Katsuki warned, shoving his hands under his armpits as he crossed his arms. Izuku nodded, heart beating out of his chest. He hadn’t really expected Katsuki to say yes, but here they were. Suddenly, the room got really,  really quiet. Izuku stared up at Katsuki, Katsuki glared at the corner of the room as though it had wronged him. The air was tense, but not uncomfortable. Izuku swallowed. “So do we like-” The green haired boy began, before he was interrupted by Katsuki abruptly standing up from his chair, eyes still pointedly ignoring Izuku. The freckled boy could feel his heart pounding, eyes wide as they traced the gentle slopes of Katsuki’s cheeks down to his sharp jawline. The blonde took slightly too fast steps over to Izuku, sitting down on the bed in front of him. Izuku scooched backwards, still staring at Katsuki while he moved slowly and deliberately. The blonde trailed his eyes up to meet Izuku’s, and as Izuku watched the boy flush slightly, he felt all of the air he had breathed in get caught in his throat, his posture straightening.  He’s so pretty .“...So, basically you f@ck@ng- ask first, obviously.” Katsuki instructed, eyes flickering away from Izuku. Izuku got the picture, nodding as he regained his ability to breathe. “C-Can I kiss you?” Izuku stuttered out, his cheeks darkening at the admission. Something about saying those words to Katsuki  should  have felt weird, but they flowed like water out of his mouth. If you had told Izuku a year or two ago that he was saying those words to Katsuki and not getting  immediately decimated with explosions, he would have cursed at you for lying. Katsuki’s posture went rigid, his face twisting into a sour embarrassment as he tried to force the blush off of his face. Izuku noted that it really wasn’t working, the paler boy’s skin flushing down to the bone like a porcelain doll dumped in wine. Izuku’s lips quirked up at the sight, rarely having gotten to see Katsuki shy at the hands of Izuku. He didn’t mind the sight in the slightest. “Right. Okay- so- you’re gonna want to lean in after that, slowly so you don’t f@ck@ng headbutt her…” Katsuki cursed out, his eyes shifting down to stare at Izuku’s lips. Izuku’s mouth hung open for a moment at the sight, his heart stuttering in his chest. He swallowed back his nerves, pulling his eyes away from Katsuki’s face and down to the boy’s plush lips. Really, it was kind of unfair how good at everything Katsuki was, and that included his looks. The blonde boy was indisputably beautiful. Izuku considered himself to be on the plain side, not much special about him compared to the firecracker that was Katsuki, because looking at someone like Katsuki was a blessing when he wasn’t making god-awful faces. If Izuku was less of a Katsuki obsessed kid, he would almost be jealous. He found himself being pulled towards Katsuki, his eyes still trained on the boy's lips to navigate himself. Izuku had always found it hard to take his eyes off Katsuki, but found it easy to close his eyes this time. “After that you… just…” Katsuki trailed off, his low, soft voice melting in Izuku’s ears.The excited boy pressed his lips against Katsuki’s, the soft feeling eliciting a woosh of air out of his nose as he giggled slightly. The press was so soft it was barely there, yet Izuku’s heart echoed through his ears, pounding in his skull like a steady backtrack to his movement. Izuku could imagine Katsuki’s face, flushed as it had been when he’d closed his eyes, eyebrows furrowed in concentration and annoyance at Izuku’s antics. Izuku savoured the thought, knowing when he pulled away it would be over. He liked the soft touch, but he surged forward more, eager to feel as much of Katsuki as he could. He noticed their noses were almost uncomfortably touching, so he tilted his head slightly to lock their lips together in a more pleasant fashion. This made Katsuki inhale slightly, his breath getting caught in his throat. Izuku wished he could play the boy’s slight surprise in his mind on repeat, praying for this moment to never end. Katsuki pulled back, Izuku chasing the sensation of his lips for a moment, before diving back into Izuku’s mouth, pressed against him in the same slotted sideways fashion that Izuku had pulled them into. The kissing became slightly more feverish, firm pecks pressed to both of the boys tender lips. Izuku slightly panicked over whether he should have put chapstick on before, but as he surged deeper against Katsuki, he lost his thoughts in the jumble of hot emotions welling up against the surface of his skin. After a while of soft kissing, Izuku pulled back to catch his breath, light pants filling the room from his lack of oxygen. He opened his eyes to meet Katsuki’s. He didn’t think he would ever forget the dazed look in Katsuki’s eyes as he gazed at Izuku, his lips pinker than Izuku had remembered, face flushed as he blinked lightly. “Sorry. I think I forgot to breathe.” Izuku joked, smiling softly. His face felt like it was on fire, butterflies fluttering around the inside of his stomach as he swallowed back the spit that had built up in his mouth from Katsuki’s soft presses against him. Izuku must have been in a daze for a while, because it suddenly felt like a four hundred pound truck had just crashed down into him from the heavens at five hundred miles an hour. He had kissed Katsuki. The Katsuki he’d gone to war with. The Katsuki he’d known since he was in diapers. The Katsuki he’d had the most strange and complex relationship with out of anyone in his life. Maybe kissing someone like that to you wasn’t totally normal. Izuku’s eyes widened, face flushing even darker as he leapt up off of Katsuki’s bed. The blonde seemed to have come back into his mind at the same time as Izuku, clamoring across to the corner of his bed, shoulders hiked up to his ears. The boys stared at each other in disbelief. “F@ck.” Katsuki said, eyes wide and trained on Izuku. “Uh- So- Uh-” Izuku stuttered. “Izuku.” Katsuki warned, eyes narrowing. “Don’t get weird. Don’t make it weird.” Katsuki growled, eyebrows drawing inwards. “Pffft- whaaaat? No it’s- it’s fine. Seriously.” Izuku croaked out, his voice pitchy and strangled. He awkwardly attempted to coolly lean on Katsuki’s desk, missing, before catching himself on it again. Katsuki glared at him. “Like you said- it doesn’t mean anything.” Katsuki warned, his voice low. Izuku looked at him, his heartbeat slowing. If they agreed that it was nothing, it was nothing, and Izuku could live with nothing. The curly headed boy nodded, his face serious. “No yeah. Totally.” Izuku agreed. “I-I just didn’t want it to be… Y’know. Weird for you.” Izuku clarified, ruffling his hair as he spoke. Katsuki swallowed. “Nah. S’ whatever.” The room fell silent again, Izuku’s awkwardness slowly subsiding, but being replaced with a feeling of unease. He had no idea where to go from here, whether to ignore the action all together, or try to discuss it. Knowing Katsuki, he would most likely never want to think about it again. Izuku figured it would be best for him to give the boy space after something so personal. “I’ll just-” Izuku began, motioning towards the door before Katsuki spoke over him.“Wanna practice next time we study?” The blonde asked, his face confident yet slightly tinged cheeks giving away his nervousness. Izuku’s eyes widened, but his heart near melted in his chest and drained out of his ears. In his softest voice, face wistful and surprised, Izuku managed to reply. “Sure.”...Izuku may have agreed to kiss Katsuki tomorrow in a fashion as smooth as soft butter, but the boy’s insides were anything but smooth. A raging inferno of interest had been sparked in his stomach, all of his thoughts leading back to the gentle pull of Katsuki’s lips. As Izuku was, as always, Izuku, his thoughts eventually turned from pleasant daydreams to sickening worries. Was he any good at kissing? What if Katsuki thinks he’s an awful kisser next time they meet up? Was his spit too wet? Were his lips chapped? Oh my god, what if Katsuki expected him to do more next time? What if he accidentally moved his hands the wrong way? What if he was  so awful at kissing Katsuki would never want to see him ever ever again? It might sound far-fetched, but to a sleep deprived Izuku left stewing in his thoughts in the late hours of the night, it made complete and total sense. If there was one thing Izuku could think to do in this situation, it was some self-study. The only way to get better at something before you can be bad at it in front of another person is to learn it on your own time, right? That was Izuku’s exact thought process as he, very shamefully, looked up kissing tutorials. The blue glow of his phone kept him awake as he scrolled through the search results, clicking on a few articles. The articles were fairly helpful, telling him where to put his hands, how to breathe, what to avoid, but Izuku was a learner through example. A video couldn’t hurt, right? The green haired boy clicked onto one kissing tutorial, a man and a woman breathily sucking at each other’s mouths in the most sterile, unappealing area Izuku had ever seen. It was  nothing like the dreamy glow of Katsuki’s room, his band posters, his black and green bed sheets. Izuku absorbed every movement, tactic, and clicked on the next video. Then the next.Then the next. Then the next.And then he realized he had three hours left before he had to wake up for school, promptly tucking away his phone as he mumbled his new knowledge to himself as he fell asleep. Oh Katsuki was going to get  kissed  on his stupidly beautiful face.  Izuku’s alarm blared, waking the boy up to a wave of nausea. He jumped into action, blearily dressing himself and bursting out to get to class. Izuku barely remembered getting there, stumbling on his trip from the dorms due to his lack of sleep. When he finally sat down in class, it was like seventy pound weights had been placed on him, or like he was on an anesthetic meant to knock him out. Sometime in the middle of second period, his head began wobbling, the desperate fight to keep his eyes open nearly knocking him out cold. He would sway for a moment, jolt back into consciousness, stay in a state of half awake presence, before repeating the process. Eventually, during his fifth time practically knocking out while sitting upright, a small paper note landed on Izuku’s desk, neatly folded. He looked around, making eye contact with Ochako, who now sat next to him in class due to their third year seating change. Izuku blinked at her a few times, and she shot him a warm smile. Izuku tiredly smiled back, turning to open the note. Through his fuzzy vision, he could just make out the words on the note. ‘U ok?? U look supz tired ;(‘Izuku cracked a small grin, slightly embarrassed Ochako had noticed, slightly amused with the girl’s casual writing. He quickly scribbled down his response,‘Yea I’m good! Had a late night…’He tossed the note back lightly, to which the girl opened it, read it swiftly, and immediately began writing. ‘Music usually helpz me sleep. I’ll send u a playlist! :)’ Izuku smiled, happy Ochako was such a caring friend. She had always been extremely kind towards Izuku, and from the first day they had met at the entrance exam, had always been looking out for him. Izuku wrote back his response. ‘Can’t wait to listen! That band you introduced me to is still one of my favs.’ Izuku tossed the note back, to which Ochako let out a little huff of a laugh, immediately beginning to write again. “Ahem!” Ectoplasm spoke out, interrupting the steady silence of the class. He swiftly walked up to Ochako’s desk, holding out his hand. Izuku paled slightly, embarrassment flooding within him. He had been caught passing  notes  like an elementary schooler in his final year of high school! Ochako shyly palmed over the note, the edges slightly creased with the weight she held it. Izuku prayed Ectoplasm would spare them from reading it aloud, alerting the entire class of his exhaustion, but no such luck befell the two teens as the teacher cleared his throat. “‘You okay? You look… ‘supz’ tired.’ Frowny face.” Izuku looked over at Ochako, a blush colouring her round face as she cringed at the teacher’s reading of her slang. “‘Yeah I’m good! Had a late night.’ Hm. You should talk to Mister Aizawa about that, Midoriya.” The teacher grumbled. The entire class snickered, and Izuku contemplated jumping out of the nearest window. “‘Music usually helps me sleep. I’ll send you a playlist.’ Smiley face… Uraraka, emoticons don’t work very well on paper.” The hero droned. Someone in the back of the class huffed a laugh. Ochako looked as though her cheeks were on fire. “‘Can’t wait to listen! That band you introduced me to is still one of my favourites.’ Smooth, Midoriya.” The class burst out into louder giggles. Izuku put his head down on his desk, flushing to his ears. Ectoplasm had it all wrong, he wasn’t putting the moves on  Ochako! “And finally Ochako wrote… Ohoho.” Izuku’s ears perked up, head still unmoving from its place on his desk. “I’ll spare you the embarrassment of finishing that, no more passing notes, love birds.” Ectoplasm spoke dully, turning back around to sit at his desk. The class arose in a fit of giggles and ‘oooo’s, to which Ochako was quick to turn around and discredit. Izuku, in the midst of the chaos, had found his head was fairly comfortable on his desk, and entirely fell asleep, missing the confused look shot at him from the boy in front of him....After a few more periods of relentless teasing towards Izuku and Ochako, the class seemed to have grown bored of the topic by the end of lunch, the joke dying off almost as quick as it had begun. Izuku found that in his tired state, he barely had the energy to fight back the jokes, and that must have dampened the fire. Later in the day, Izuku had made a trip outside the school to pick up an energy drink to keep him going, ingesting the toxic drink at breakneck speed so he wouldn’t fall asleep before his study session with Katsuki. AKA his hour of reviewing notes while thinking about Katsuki and then his twenty minutes of kissing Katsuki… So basically a study session.After a few hours of jitters, Izuku calmed down, yet felt awake enough to knock on Katsuki’s door. The boy called for him to come in, Izuku softly closing the door behind him as he entered. A tense silence filled the room for a moment as the boys made eye contact, electricity sparking between them from the last time they had seen each other in this room. Katsuki was the first to break the trance. “So what the f@ck is up with English grammar, cause I’m lost as sh@t.” Izuku huffed a small laugh, smiling warmly at Katsuki as he plopped down next to the boy on his bed to teach him. “Okay, so…” Izuku did his best to help Katsuki get through his rough patches that were missing in his English grammar, tweaking his word placements and answering any questions the boy had. He watched as the blonde’s eyebrows furrowed while he thought, a slight pout making his bottom lip droop when he failed to understand. Izuku watched his face as he explained Katsuki’s questions, the boy’s eyebrows relaxing, his normal scowl replacing his pout. He tried to make it not so obvious every time his eyes flicked down to watch Katsuki’s lips, but he couldn’t help it. Like everything else about Katsuki, they drew him in. That night, after assisting each other for a little while, they both managed to finish all of their homework. Katsuki announced his completion first, excited to have beat Izuku in something, as always. Izuku shot him a challenging smile, asking him if he had remembered they had quirk history due as well, and Izuku was almost done with the paper. Katsuki scowled, opening his book up again with a little ‘f@ck you’. Izuku let out a light snort. After a while of feverish silence, both of the boy’s pencils moving at the speed of light as they hastily worked, the kissing practice was forgotten almost entirely. Izuku’s mind had managed to move past Katsuki’s lips, lost in the competition. Eventually, Izuku had finished his work, double checked his answers, and shot straight up where he was seated.“Done!” He spoke, a proud smile gracing his features. When he looked over to Katsuki, he met the boy’s bright eyes, elbow placed against his thigh as he rested his head in his hand. His eyes seemed to sear through Izuku, unmoving in response to Izuku’s exclamation. The green haired boy felt like he was being seen through, Katsuki’s thoughts hidden behind an unusually calm face. All Izuku could tell was that Katsuki was laser focused on him, and he immediately began worrying. “Wh-what? Do I have something on my face?” Izuku questioned, posture folding as he tucked his balled hands in his lap. He felt his cheeks twinge pink from the attention. Katsuki slowly lifted his free hand, bringing it up towards Izuku’s face. Izuku shied backwards slightly, going cross eyed as he watched the hand nearly envelop his face. Years ago he might have been scared of the power and brutality Katsuki’s hands held, but now he fought the urge to cuddle against them. Katsuki promptly held back his middle finger, before releasing it and flicking Izuku square in the forehead. The freckled boy let out a small yelp, shooing Katsuki’s hand away. Katsuki let out a snort. “You f@ck@ng mumble while you work, you know that?” The blonde grumbled softly, his hand falling back to a relaxed position on the bed. Izuku swallowed, embarrassed. “Sorry, bad habit.” Izuku whispered. The room suddenly seemed a lot quieter than before, the smell of Katsuki filling his senses. The blonde wouldn’t stop  looking  at him, staring right into Izuku’s eyes while he peered back. He thought he might pass out, something so slow and sensual about the moment. Izuku very suddenly remembered why he was still here after his homework was done, sucking in a light breath as his eyes trailed down to Katsuki’s lips, before looking back up at the boy through his dark eyelashes. “Can I kiss you?” Izuku asked, his voice gentle, heart thrumming with excitement. He watched as Katsuki’s eyes widened for a moment, his face creasing as he fought off a smile. Izuku’s heart squeezed tighter in his chest. “Whatever.” The blonde grumbled, tone light with happiness as his eyelashes fluttered a few times. Izuku scooted closer to Katsuki, looking back up into his eyes, before leaning in to meet him halfway. The boys practically fell into each other, lips meeting in a more experienced fashion this time, slotting together nicely as they had learned to before. Katsuki pressed into Izuku, and Izuku pressed back, gently kissing against the boy’s lips. He noticed they seemed softer this time, and tasted lightly of some sort of berry. He had to fight back the urge to start smelling the boy. “You taste-” Izuku was cut off by another soft kiss. “-Different.” He finished, pressing against Katsuki again. His cheeks felt hot, and he wondered if the blonde could feel the heat radiating off of him. “Chapstick.” The blonde grumbled back, immediately diving back in to kiss Izuku. Izuku huffed a light laugh at how unromantic the exchange was. Suddenly, he was reminded that he had actually spent his entire night  studying  how to be better at this, yet he had been caught up in the press of chaste kisses. He sent a few more soft kisses, trading them with Katsuki, before deciding to softly lick along Katsuki’s lips. The blonde immediately made a soft inhaling noise of surprise, pressing back into Izuku, and lightly opening his mouth for the boy’s granted entry. Izuku’s heart felt as though it was going to beat out of his chest, the uncharted territory sending hot waves of pleasure through him. He opened his own mouth to meet Katsuki’s, the heat from the other’s mouth mingling with his own. He softly prodded his tongue inwards, following the instructions the video had given him. He licked forward, his tongue pressing into the wet heat of Katsuki’s mouth. The blonde let out small grunts of approval, his tongue shyly meeting Izuku’s. Izuku went on the offensive, licking deeply into Katsuki. Their lips danced, Izuku winning against Katsuki’s inexperience, heavily panting into the boy’s mouth. He eventually needed more support, bringing his hand up to the back of Katsuki’s hair. It was so soft against his fingers, rustling lightly between his scars. The heat of the boy’s mouth almost made him want to cry, the simple heavy pleasure of making the boy feel good rocking through his body. Izuku had read something about different tactics, and gently ran his tongue along the caving top of Katsuki’s mouth. The boy let out a surprised moan that vibrated through Izuku’s body, warmth searing through his face at the noises. He felt drool dribble down the side of his chin as the boys sighed into each other’s open mouths. Suddenly, Izuku crawled onto Katsuki’s lap, thighs touching against the paler boy’s exposed ones. He rarely wore shorts, but Izuku thanked whatever god swayed him to wear them today. Katsuki was breathing heavily, his whines mixing with Izuku’s as the boys continued to kiss far past the point of being out of breath.Izuku leaned into Katsuki, pressing the boy backwards with his intensity. The blonde continued attempting to fight back, excitedly learning from Izuku’s move and mimicking his own movements back into Izuku’s mouth, but he was succumbing to the feverish motion, Izuku’s tongue dancing circles around his own. After a few more moments of Katsuki’s attempts to push back, his back seemed to give out, falling backwards in a heap as Izuku fell with him. The boys' mouths separated with a pop, Izuku letting out a breathless cry. “Ah- are you okay?!” Izuku rasped out, his voice ruined. He found that made him embarrassed, the action of kissing literally leaving him voiceless. Katsuki panted heavily beneath him, the boy sitting up on the blonde’s thighs. He swiftly moved off of the boy to check on him. “You suck.” Katsuki huffed, growling out with his equally raspy voice. Izuku thought his heart might burst from the sight, Katsuki’s face bright red, tears leaking from the corners of his eyes, drool pooling down his chin with bruised lips and glossy eyes. He felt like he wanted to kiss the boy until he entirely fell apart. “Sure Kacchan. That’s the face of someone who’s been kissed by someone who sucks.” izuku joked, patting Katsuki’s forehead. He immediately shooed away the familiar touch of Izuku, growling. “You f@ck@ng cheater.” Katsuki roared, immediately sending a pillow billowing straight into Izuku’s face. Izuku let out a little ‘oof’ as he was sent backwards with the force. “Wha-? Cheater?” Izuku said, his eyebrows tilting in surprise. Katsuki always knew the exact response the freckled boy would never anticipate.“You f@ck@ng looked that sh@t up, didn’t you?!” Katsuki roared. Izuku was shocked for a moment, a beat of silence passing. “W-was I not supposed to?” He spoke, voice thin and pitchy with confusion. “Why the f@ck would you need me if you can just look sh@t up and kiss like  that ?” Katsuki groaned, sitting back up, eyebrows furrowed in embarrassment. Izuku felt a sly amusement spiral around his chest. “You liked it  that  much?” Izuku teased, a fake innocent smile lighting up his features. Katsuki immediately lost his bite.“F@ck. Off.” Katsuki rasped, his normal scowl returning for a moment. Izuku let out a gentle laugh, lovingly watching the boy as he avoided eye contact. “I nearly f@ck@ng passed out.” “Whoops.” Izuku smiled. Katsuki shot him a glare, next to no intensity behind it. “Guess I still need practice…” izuku flushed, looking away from the blonde to hide his embarrassment. A beat of silence passed.“Yeah. Guess so.” Katsuki murmured. ...The next practice wouldn’t come for a few more days, both Izuku and Katsuki being caught up with their own lives, missing their study sessions for respective reasons. Izuku wouldn’t say he  missed  Katsuki, he simply had a gnawing feeling in his stomach every night he hadn’t gotten to see the boy. Y’know, normal friendship stuff. Well, he couldn’t possibly miss Katsuki. He saw the boy every day in class, every day at group spars after school, he simply missed being  alone with Katsuki. The way the boy acted when it was just them was so much softer, so much more open. Not to say he didn’t love the fiery personality the boy had with everyone else, it still captivated him like fireworks lighting up the dead summer sky. Maybe he missed the kissing, who was to say? He would never admit that the past nights without Katsuki he’d thought for hours on end each night about the soft press of the blonde’s lips, the surprised groans and keens of approval, the fluttering feeling of the boy’s eyelashes against Izuku’s cheeks. If Ochako had pointed out how tired Izuku was, he would continue to deny the correlation of his tossing and turning over Katsuki and his sleepless nights. Finally, Izuku had caught a golden opportunity one night as he’d gone downstairs from the common rooms to get a glass of water, his throat parched from another session of Katsuki-based yearning. He’d softly padded down the stairs, yawning slightly as he used his phone flashlight to navigate, not wanting to turn any of the lights on and disturb his classmates this late. He swiftly walked into the kitchen, grabbing one of his brought-from-home All Might mugs to fill up with water. “Izuku-”“Wah-!” Izuku jumped out of his skin, nearly fumbling the cup out of his hands, whipping around to find the perpetrator. When he met spikey blonde hair and tired eyes across the kitchen, he immediately relaxed. “Jesus, Kacchan. I nearly had a heart attack!” Izuku whisper-yelled, placing a hand of concern over his heart. Katsuki simply stared, arms crossed as he leaned against the counter. “The f@ck are you doing up this late?” He questioned, his voice low and grumbly. Izuku froze, nervous under the scrutinizing gaze of the blonde. His eyes flicked across the room.“I dunno…” He murmured. He knew exactly why he wasn’t sleeping, but again, would never admit it. Katsuki narrowed his gaze, watching Izuku’s back as the freckled boy filled up his mug from the water filter by the sink. He cleared his throat turning around to walk out of the kitchen after a moment. Before Izuku could reach the doorway, he paused. He had been waiting so long to get Katsuki on his own, to finally see him again on his own time, just the two of them. Now, he was about to pass it up. What, because of societal norms for the healthy amount to sleep? Fat chance. “Do you…” Izuku looked over his shoulder, his bright eyes nearly piercing through the dark. “...Wanna spar?” Katsuki was silent for a moment, eyebrows raised in surprise at Izuku’s request. He opened his mouth slightly, ready to speak, but stalled. Izuku was about to dismiss his request, before Katsuki cut him off. “Yeah. Sounds good.” He nodded stiffly. Izuku smiled softly at the boy, heart fluttering in his chest at the gentle behaviour. “Cool. Gym Gamma? Give me like ten minutes, I have slippers on.” Izuku spoke, pumping his fist in excitement. Katsuki let out a huff, a grin stretching across his face. “Whatever.” He rolled his eyes. That was how the two boys ended up in the dark of Gym Gamma, stretching out their bodies in the midnight glow of the UA campus. Katsuki rolled his shoulders, readying his stance, and Izuku mimicked. “Alright, no quirks cause I’m not tryna get f@ck@ng busted by Mr.Aizawa.” Katsuki growled, a challenging smirk lighting up his face. “Sounds good. Are we going tap out method?” Izuku questioned, balling his fists at the ready in front of his face. Katsuki scoffed. “Whatever.” He crouched lower, ready to pounce. The air was stagnant for a moment, and Izuku thought for a moment how he could stay like this forever. Staring into Katsuki’s eyes, blazing with a challenge through the quiet night, anticipation thrumming in both of the boy’s hearts. Fighting Katsuki was  almost  as good as kissing him. Almost. The boys took off, bursting forward from the ground to grapple at each other. Katsuki swiftly avoided a well aimed punch from Izuku, redirecting the blow away from his face, sending a swift kick to Izuku’s leg. Izuku dodged, swiveling his weight to shoot his own leg up to kick Katsuki in the face. The blow landed, sending the boy tumbling backwards for a moment, before immediately regaining his footing. He smiled down at Izuku, and the freckled boy felt like he never wanted the moment to end. The boys traded blows, little quips filling the silence of the night as they playfully taunted each other. Katsuki eventually made a comment on how Izuku’s form during his punches was similar to ‘boiled lettuce’, whatever that meant, and Izuku fought back giggles, his fighting losing all intensity. Izuku shot back with a statement about how Katsuki kicks like ‘he has geriatric knees.’ Katsuki immediately burst out in a snorting laugh, his blows now falling flat along with Izuku’s. The boys continued joking with each other, the fight becoming less and less serious in their half-asleep delirium, until Izuku broke as Katsuki made a ‘hut! Hut!’ noise, tackling the green haired boy to the ground. He let himself be knocked down by the blonde, accepting the tackle with open arms. The boys wheezed on the ground, cackles and smiles lighting up the quiet night like bells chiming in the wind. Izuku’s eyes drifted up to Katsuki’s face, hovering over him as he held himself centimetres above Izuku. His nose was scrunched as he laughed, eyebrows tilted awkwardly as his cheeks lifted in a boyish fashion Izuku felt like he hadn’t seen in years. As Izuku continued giggling, wistfully gazing at Katsuki, a piece of him slipped. Maybe it was the exhaustion, maybe it was the warmth of Katsuki’s body pressed over his own, but he let himself speak from the depths of his guts. “You’re so pretty.” Izuku mused, the words coming out in a soft sigh. Katsuki’s eyes immediately shot open, his laughter dying off in a moment as his eyes flickered around Izuku’s face. He swallowed, staring down into Izuku’s warm eyes, a smile filling the other boy’s tired face. “Shut the f@ck up.” Katsuki huffed, rolling off of Izuku to lay on the ground next to him. “I’m not lying.” Izuku spoke, his tone light as his soul felt. Was he using float? It felt like it. “Your eyelashes are so long, and your jaw is sharp, hell, your eyes are basically like looking into a volcano-” Izuku mused, sitting up on his elbows as he looked across the gym, the darkness of the night obscuring his vision slightly. “Stop-” Katsuki countered, eyes trained anywhere but Izuku. “Why?” Izuku turned his head to look at Katsuki, the boy staring wide eyed at Izuku, face flushed. Izuku couldn’t tell if it was from the fight, laughing, or his words. Either way, he had caused it to some extent, and that made happiness bubble in his stomach. Silence filled the room. “...Can I kiss you?” Izuku smiled softly, sleepy haze clouding his brain as he watched Katsuki’s face soften. “Whatever.” Katsuki gritted out, his words small and soft. He positioned himself up onto his elbows next to Izuku, leaning his face over. Izuku captured his lips in a gentle press, his abs supporting him from where he layed. Katsuki was the first to lick against Izuku’s lips this time, his plea for entry gentle yet urgent. Izuku obliged, fighting the wild smile off of his face as his heart thrummed in his chest. In the dark of the room, he swore he could almost see fireworks behind his vision. Katsuki licked into him, their tongues gently pressing against each other. Katsuki must have found his position on the floor uncomfortable, as he quickly shifted off of it, separating from Izuku for a moment. Izuku chased the warmth of the boy’s lips, eyes cracking open momentarily, to catch Katsuki climbing on top of him. The boy sat down on Izuku’s lap as Izuku had the night before, the pressure of his thighs pressed against Izuku’s thighs doing something to his fuzzy brain and rapidly pounding heart. Katsuki immediately dove back in to kiss Izuku again, not even a word exchanged between the two as their open mouths met once again and their eyes fluttered shut, ghosting against each other’s cheeks. Izuku explored Katsuki’s gums as he kissed, leaning back until his head was pressed against the ground, Katsuki hunched over him as he kissed the smaller boy breathless. Izuku wrapped his arms around the back of Katsuki’s head, pressing the boy down against him. After the long couple days of not touching Katsuki, Izuku was hungry to feel the boy’s warmth against him again, the ever burning brightness of his eyes locked on him. The blonde sucked against Izuku’s tongue, eliciting a surprised whine from the boy, which he gulped down into his hot mouth. Izuku was surprised, losing his footing for a moment as Katsuki began to overtake him. The breathless kissing and panting was too good for Izuku, it felt too good, too many emotions swimming around his brain as all rational thought fizzed out of him in a moment. Katsuki kept diving into him, their spit mixing as soft whines and heavy breathing sounded from both of the boys. Their kissing was too feverish for either to keep up with, both of the boys fighting to stay in control of their own bodies as their tiredness threatened to sweep them under.Katsuki tried to run his tongue along the roof of Izuku’s mouth as Izuku had to him, immediately surprising the freckled boy into a louder whine than he had ever made, embarrassment flooding him in an instant as his skin burst into flame. He was certain he would be happy to die like this. Katsuki let out a grunt of approval, proud of his own work to topple his score against Izuku’s kisses, both of the boys lost and floating in the sensation. Suddenly, Katsuki pulled his tongue out of Izuku’s mouth, biting down on the green boy’s lip. Izuku let out a sharp noise of pain, a copper taste filling his mouth. Katsuki snapped away from him, eyes opening in surprise. Izuku opened his own eyes, staring back at Katsuki. “Oh f@ck- sh@t- sorry- I-” Katsuki panicked, backing up from Izuku. The freckled boy lifted his fingers up to the sore spot on his lip, gently pressing against where it stung, and pulled the back to see blood softly painting his fingers. “Sorry- I just wanted to try that. Uh- I mean it looked cool in the movies and stuff-” Katsuki rasped, sitting up from Izuku. Izuku immediately choked back a laugh, looking up at the  oh so serious face of Katsuki. “Wha-?” Katsuki began, eyebrows still knit in worry. Izuku burst out into a boisterous laugh, the room filling with the noise as it echoed off the gym’s loud walls. He wheezed, tears forming in his eyes as he stared up at Katsuki’s utterly lost yet relieved expression. “Oh my god-” Izuku wheezed. “What? What’s funny? F@ck- are you f@ck@ng laughing at me?” Katsuki said, pointing at himself in confusion. Izuku sat up, Katsuki’s weight still pressed against him as he let out another loud laugh. “Kinda! Y-You’re just so-” Izuku let wheezes cut through his words. “So serious! It’s funny!” Izuku laughed, throwing his head back with the humour of it all. “Hey! Excuse me for f@ck@ng worrying that I made you  bleed  by kissing you so hard!” Katsuki roared, his cheeks tinged with colour. Izuku couldn’t stop giggling. “Don’t feel bad-” Izuku giggled more. “That’s the kind of thing I like about you!” He boisterously laughed out. In a split second, as soon as the words had left his mouth, he retracted his laughter, sucking a breath in surprise. He looked up at Katsuki, ready to counter.“That came out weird- you- you know what I meant.” Izuku smiled up at him, embarrassed. He couldn’t quite place why his heart felt like it was screaming in his chest at the admission, but he wanted it to stop. Katsuki stared down at him, wide eyed, face still flushed from the kissing, eyes flickering between Izuku’s apologetic features and bloodied lip. “Whatever.” Katsuki rolled his eyes, lifting himself off the young hero’s lap, standing back up, and brushing himself off. Izuku worried for a moment that he had ruined everything. The moment, their agreement, Katsuki’s opinion of him, but before he could spiral, a hand came into view in front of his face. Katsuki leaned forward, offering Izuku a hand up, and Izuku swallowed. “F@ck@ng Christ my knees hurt from that.” Katsuki groaned, the tension evaporated in a moment. Izuku let out a huff of a laugh, taking Katsuki’s hand in his own as the boy pulled him up. “What did I tell you? Geriatric knees.” Izuku teased, bumping against Katsuki’s shoulder. “I’ll deck you, right here, right now. Swear to god.” Katsuki threatened. Izuku smiled wider at the promise.The sting on his lip didn’t even cross his mind. ...“So, are you going?” Ochako smiled brightly at Izuku and Todoroki across the lunch table, her thousand watt smile barely affected either of the boys. Shouto because he was, as usual, as flat expression wise as a disk. Izuku, on the other hand, because he was lacking around six hours of sleep out of his eight hours a night. Tossing and turning while thinking of Katsuki, fighting Katsuki, and kissing Katsuki really took up more of his night than he had meant it to. He snapped up his head, late to respond, to find Ochako looking at him expectantly. He hadn’t registered a word she had said. “Coming to what?” Izuku replied, chipper yet dormant in a state of half sleep. Ochako heaved a sigh. “You should get your insomnia looked at, I’m worried about you.” She mused, to no response but a swallow of his food from Izuku. “I’m talking about the party in the dorms Tomorrow! Y’know, the final get together before summer break?” Ochako spoke excitedly, shoveling some of her food into her mouth at breakneck speed. Izuku wondered when summer had crept up on him so fast. “I think this ‘party’ nonsense is highly irresponsible.” Iida reprimanded, his hand swiftly chopping up and down. Ochako smiled at him, swallowing her food. “It’s basically a class bonding exercise! You always end up coming anyway.” She grinned mischievously. Iida flushed in embarrassment slightly, his secret enjoyment of parties seeping through. “Well- only as class president. To monitor!” He cried, adjusting his glasses before shoveling rice in his mouth. “Were you  observing  that time you got wasted and ended up singing ‘Don’t Stop Believin’’ at the top of your lungs?” Todoroki teased through a slurp of his soba. Iida let out an accusatory screech, and Ochako devolved into a fit of cackles. Izuku was half listening, letting out a small snort at the memory, but continued munching on his curry. “Hey- neither of you answered my question.” Ochako said, snapping out of her giggle fit, to the relief of a very embarrassed Iida. “You guys coming? Mina’s gang is hosting!” Izuku thought about it for a moment, and decided he wouldn’t mind going if his friends would be there. He could hang low, since he was never the type to get super into partying like some of his classmates. He was  far  too self conscious for that, but he loved to see it. “Sure. What time is it at?” Izuku said, eyes meeting Ochako’s excited ones. “I think it starts around nine?” She paused for a moment, thinking, before returning to the conversation. “Oh, and get ready for some party games, you  know  how much Mina likes drama.” Ochako grinned wildly, an unusually fired up look crossing her girlish features. Izuku shuddered at the thought of Mina’s drama coordination skills. “Sounds fun. I’ll go too, for the drama.” Todoroki said, softly closing his eyes as he shrugged in a loose agreement. Ochako shot the group a wide smile. “Alright!” She took out her phone, messaging someone with a rapid tapping. Izuku assumed she was talking to Mina, but quickly let his mind be wiped clean as he drifted in a state of half sleep. ...Izuku sat on Katsuki’s bed as he had so many times before, rapidly firing his way through questions on his homework. Nowadays, it seemed like Katsuki barely needed Izuku to teach him anything, yet the boy always welcomed Izuku in for their normal study session hours. Izuku wondered why that was. He allowed his eyes to trail away from his page, looking up at Katsuki, working diligently across the bed on his own questions. His thigh was pressed comfortably against Izuku’s, but the boy barely seemed to notice. Something about the mindlessness of it sent butterflies churning through Izuku's stomach. Izuku watched the soft furrow of Katsuki’s focused brows, regarding lightly that the boy had more of a tan than when he had last seen him. He wondered if he had gone mountain climbing for the sun to tint his skin in a soft glow, but thought it might be a little strange to ask. The boy’s blonde hair fell down gracefully against his forehead, the spiky tufts surprisingly soft. Izuku fought back the urge to touch them. He fought back the constant urge to touch Katsuki every time he was  near the boy, and now was no exception. 
   He’s just so amazing. 
Izuku suddenly remembered his conversation with his friends at lunch. The party coming up tomorrow, Saturday, was hosted by Mina, so there was no doubt she had already tried to drag Katsuki into going. The real question was whether the boy had  agreed . He would only gone to one of the Class 1-A meetups in a blue moon, but Izuku really wanted him to go to this one. Something about seeing the boy even  more  than he already did, despite living with him, sent a rush of excitement through him. He breathed a couple of times, steadying himself, before prodding the beast. “Are you going to the party tomorrow?” Izuku questioned, chewing lightly on his pencil as his eyes looked back down at his paper. He was still watching the blonde through his peripheral vision, who he noticed huffed a light laugh without looking up. “No f@ck@ng way. F@ck@ng Pinky is gonna stir sh@t, and I want no part in it.” Katsuki gruffly responded, a tense look crossing his face at the prospect. Izuku had that exact same thought, but he knew he was more of a social person than Katsuki. The blonde was extremely similar to a grumpy old man, even at his young age. “Ah. Right.” Izuku brushed his wonderings away, going back to his work with his thoughts all still surrounding Katsuki. “Why, you going?” Katsuki questioned, sparing a glance up from his paper. Izuku fought back a smile from the simple action. “Yeah. Ochako wanted me to, so… Y’know. Can’t disappoint.” Izuku huffed with a small smile at the thought of the powerhouse of a girl. It didn’t go unnoticed by Katsuki. “...Right.” Katsuki gritted out, forcing his eyes to stay trained on his paper. There was a beat of silence, before Izuku spoke up again, his pen stopping it’s motion as he looked up at Katsuki. “You should go, though. I mean- I want you there.” Izuku spoke, his cheeks flushing slightly at the admission. He really  did  want Katsuki there, but he wasn’t quite sure what that entailed between the boys’ strange relationship. Katsuki looked up at him, eyes slightly wide in surprise. They stared for a moment. “I’ll think about it.” Katsuki spoke, his tone slightly softer than it had been the entire conversation. Izuku felt warmth bubble up through him, pouring out of him in a face splitting smile, lips wobbly as he tried to hold it back. The two boys were silent for a while longer, the sound of pencils scratching against paper filling the room as their respective thoughts drowned out the silence. Izuku was lost in a trance thinking about battle tactics as he wrote, looking to harness Black Whip in a web-like fashion to incorporate into his battle moves. He may have begun mumbling at some point, but only noticed when Katsuki cut it short. “Izuku.” Katsuki spoke up. Izuku was immediately shocked out of his thoughts, mumbling ceasing at some point. He lifted his head to look at the blonde boy, eyes meeting. Katsuki immediately looked away. “Need help with something?” Izuku questioned, his pencil being placed flat against his paper. Katsuki’s eyes flickered back to him, staying on his face this time. “No. Uh- F@ck- Well-” Katsuki attempted to begin. Izuku found it incredibly endearing when Katsuki was awkward around him. Though the blonde would never admit it, he was just as much of a geeky nerd as Izuku.“What’s your type? Like- in girls.” Katsuki asked, a slight cringe overcoming his face. Izuku’s eyes widened, a blush colouring his face. “Wh- What?” Izuku squeaked. “Well- f@ck- cause you said you- like- wanted a girlfriend… Jesus, can a guy make small talk?” Katsuki huffed, throwing his hands up in embarrassment and exasperation. Izuku swallowed back the flush on his face, having frankly forgotten that his ‘girlfriend’ lie was the only thing keeping him and Katsuki kissing. Of course, Katsuki was just talking to talk. 
   Which he literally never does, but I’ll ignore that. 
“Stupid question- f@ck@ng whatever, you don’t have to answer.” Katsuki rolled his eyes, ears slightly pink as he turned back to his work. Izuku was overjoyed that Katsuki actually  wondered  anything about him, so he immediately countered. “No- no. It’s fine!” Katsuki’s head shot back up, interest peaked in a second. Izuku swallowed, thinking for a moment. “I-I like strong people… Obviously.” Izuku spoke shyly, his cheeks painted red under his freckles. He thought about all of the qualities he had found so alluring about Katsuki- a million aspects coming to mind. “I like kind people. People who treat me well- know me… I guess.” Izuku spoke, his eyes shooting down to his lap in embarrassment. “Like your favourite music or some sh@t?” Katsuki rasped out, his tone oddly flat. Izuku smiled, happy that Katsuki was interested. “Mmm… Something like that, I guess.” Izuku could feel his heart pounding like a drum in his chest, echoing through his body. “I…I like… people with strong personalities. Like… they’ll force me out of my shell.” Izuku mumbled, curving in on himself. As far as he could remember, Katsuki had been changing Izuku consistently for the better, pushing him out into the world with his strength. “Like inviting you to a party?” Katsuki spoke, his voice barely over a whisper. Izuku ached to see the blonde’s face, but his own reddened face made him want to hide beneath his hands. Was Katsuki referring to  him ?“Sure! O-or- this is superficial- but I like pretty faces.” Izuku spoke excitedly, Katsuki’s sharp eyes and defined jaw coming to mind, matched with his soft cheeks. “Especially soft cheeks. They’re… Y’know… nice, I guess.” Izuku blushed, his eyes finally flickering up to catch a glimpse of Katsuki. His eyes widened at the sight.Katsuki’s eyebrows were scrunched in light disdain, his shoulders hunched slightly as he listened. His mouth was in a sadder scowl than usual, eyes near glossy with tears. “Girly faces, huh.” Katsuki gritted out, his jaw set in a harsh position as he grit his teeth together. Izuku sat up straight to face the boy, confusion pooling in his features. “N-Not really.” Izuku trailed off, confused with the boy’s searing glare shooting straight through him. “Why- do you like girly faces?” Izuku questioned, his heart thudding heavily in his chest at the thought. It felt like something was coiling around it, constricting it into a hard ball that weighed down his chest. Izuku’s face wasn’t very girly. “Nah.” Katsuki huffed out, his bitter face turning away from Izuku’s confused one. “I don’t like anything.” At that statement, Izuku felt something in him crack. He didn’t know what he had expected Katsuki to say- round eyes, maybe freckled cheeks- but he didn’t like the response he got. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. He didn’t like  any  of Izuku’s qualities, and he didn’t like any qualities for Izuku to  adopt  either. That was as solid of a wall as Katsuki could build between the two boys, and Izuku knew it. He got the memo, though he was slow on the uptake, and he felt like his organs were collapsing. Izuku had listed things that were  so Kacchan to him, so meaningful to the way he saw the boy, and Izuku was nothing. Nothing to Katsuki, nothing to anyone. His own eyes were glossy at this point, the familiar sting of tears burning his sinuses. Katsuki’s eyes widened in his sight at the view of Izuku’s embarrassed face, so gullible to think that Katsuki might have liked  something  about him after sucking his tongue. “Uh- I think I’m gonna… Head out.” Izuku grinned bitterly, doing his best to shoot a normal smile Katsuki’s way. It didn’t work. The blonde watched Izuku as he packed up, eyes widened and confused, but barely moving to stop him. The freckled boy padded over to Katsuki’s door, opening it to leave, before pausing.“Uh. Definitely come to the party. Your friends will wanna see you there.” Izuku smiled a soft, reserved smile. He had clearly overstepped his boundaries, but was it  really  his fault when Katsuki had asked such a heart melting question with that voice of his?The blonde was silent for a moment, before shooting a strained nod Izuku’s way. Izuku took what he could get, and promptly left, wiping tears from his eyes all the way back to his dorm....By the time Izuku showed up, the party was in full swing. Kirishima was loudly singing karaoke to some dad rock song Izuku vaguely remembered All Might playing at one of their training sessions, Jirou was queuing songs off of her playlist on her phone, and, as always, Iida was being practically force fed spiked punch by Kaminari, talking about ‘loosening up’ and ‘having fun’. Multicoloured disco lights lit up the room, colours dancing around and reflecting off the streamers hanging from the ceiling. Balloons were scattered around the room, one of them being spiked like a volleyball down into the chip bowl at the big table of snacks.Izuku eyed the punch. If he knew one thing, it was that there was no way Mina had brought in alcohol free punch. Izuku scanned the room, yet his eyes never fell on signature spiked blonde hair. Something cold spread throughout his stomach. He and Katsuki hadn’t talked since that awkward night, but he knew the boy was still in the dorms. Was he avoiding Izuku?“Midoriya.” Todoroki greeted, practically spawning behind Izuku. He would have jumped, had he not been accustomed to the boy’s ghost-like nature. “Oh, Todoroki! Hi!” Izuku responded, putting on his best chipper attitude. His sentence was quickly cut off by a loud cry from Mina across the room. “Mido! Baby, you came!” She cried, letting out a string of giggles afterwards. Izuku laughed politely, waving back, before swiftly whispering to Todoroki. “Is she already tipsy?” Todoroki nodded. “She’s fun, isn’t she?” He spoke in his usual monotone voice. Izuku nodded, conflicting feelings arising about Todoroki’s definition of ‘fun’. Soon, Ochako found the two boys in their hiding corner, pulling them out to play a game of beer pong with her and Iida. Izuku was starting to feel slightly buzzed after his second loss, his worries surrounding Katsuki nearly escaping him from the joys of his friends' company. During a round where Mina and Ochako were competing for final champion, Mina being surprisingly well aimed for her blasted demeanour, Izuku’s eyes were immediately drawn across the room to a blonde head of hair. Some things never change. Katsuki’s eyes scanned the room, before landing on Izuku. The world seemed to slow around them, the surrounding music fading out of their minds as they looked at each other. So many words were traded between their moment of eye contact, neither reaching the other party before Izuku was tapped on the shoulder by Todoroki, looking at something across the room. The last thing Izuku expected to see was Iida doing a keg stand, his attention nearly entirely switching to  that  mess, Katsuki being pushed to a thought in the back of his slightly influenced mind. The class surrounded Iida as he drank, not even  questioning  where a class of eighteen year olds had gotten a  keg  of beer. The shouts and hollers, cheers of Iida’s name washed away every thought of Katsuki he had. The boy was a surprising party animal. As he kicked down from the stand, wobbling to continue standing, the class shot out roars and cheers at the boy’s accomplishment. The energy was not wasted, as Mina quickly entered the circle of students, pushing her way through everyone. Suddenly, she held a hat above her head, and began shouting over the noise, words slightly slurred. “Everyone! I need you all to write your name on a slip of paper! It’s seven minutes in heaven time!” She cheered, stumbling slightly from her bouncy energy. The class erupted into more hoots and hollers as she passed out the papers, people trading around the pens as they sloppily wrote their names down, placing them in the hat. Seven minutes in heaven was somewhat of a class tradition ever since it actually ended up leading to Mina and Kirishima getting together in second year, just after the war. Of course Mina would bring it up at her  own party.Maybe it was Izuku’s muddled alcohol brain, maybe he was just so happy to be out with his friends instead of cooped up in his room pining, but he wrote down his name with little thought, dropping it in the hat with a bright grin. “Woah- Mido?! You’re playing?!” Mina announced, her face bright as a star. “You dog! You’re not so shy after all!” She slapped him lightly on the arm, and he giggled. “I dunno. It’s probably the party vibes.” Izuku laughed back, words slightly slurred from the little beer in his system. Suddenly, Mina’s eyes went wide as she looked behind Izuku, and a hand clamped down heavily on his arm. Izuku whipped around to come face to face with Katsuki, the blonde’s eyes dark, breaths uneven. “Kacchan?” Izuku questioned, looking around to make sure nobody was watching their strange exchange. His classmates seemed oblivious, but Mina was wide-eyed, watching from her spot behind them. With Izuku’s look, she quickly feigned ignorance.“I need to talk to you.” He lightly squeezed Izuku’s arm, signalling it was something private. Izuku sobered up in an instant, nodding swiftly as his heart pounded with unease in his chest. Maybe it was the music reverberating through his body. At this point, he couldn’t tell. Katsuki led the two of them around the corner, just out of view from the party, and Izuku attempted to remain as stable and seemingly sober as possible. Katsuki eventually stopped them, the shade of the wall near the staircase blocking off any of the flashing party lights, bathing both of the boys in the darkness of the midnight common room. Music thumped lightly from the main area, the shouts and excited hollers of Izuku’s friends bursting out over the noise, yet still so faint from the quiet tension between the Wonder Duo.Katsuki’s eyes glared at the ground, head slightly bent forward as he lacked his normal proud posture. Izuku wondered just what the boy was thinking, the previous pains of being  nothing  to Katsuki sparking up within his chest from the night before. “I-” Katsuki began, before closing his mouth to try to rework his words. Izuku understood. He felt speechless too. “I’m sorry I f@ck@ng- sprung that question on you. Yesterday.” Katsuki spoke, balling his fists. Izuku’s worries melted in an instant, his heart aching to hug Katsuki. He knew how hard it was for the boy to apologize, even after everything. “It was kinda sh@tty of me to… Y’know, ask you something personal and then, like, dodge. I f@ck@d up.” Katsuki spoke, his eyes still trained on the floor. Izuku reached out, alcohol clouding his brain, grabbing Katsuki’s calloused hands. They were surprisingly dainty for how much power they held. “Kacchan, I wasn’t mad you asked me. I-I dunno why I got weird.” izuku swallowed back the partial lie, continuing with a ball in his throat. “I was just… Embarrassed I guess.” Izuku looked up at Katsuki’s wide eyes, his face open and in awe. Izuku hadn’t seen that expression on him, and he really liked it. His heart played a melody in his chest. “I- it’s just, when you told me you didn’t like  anything  , I was kinda… I dunno, it hurt, I guess. I just like  so  many things about you.” Izuku chuckled softly, the music from the party seeming so far away. He wondered if the alcohol had ruined his brain-to-mouth filter on its way down. “I wished you liked something about me. Selfish, right?” Izuku smiled softly up at Katsuki. The blonde looked apprehensive, light shining in his bright eyes through the darkness of the room. Stars seemed to swirl in the deep red, his plump lips parted in surprise, words floating on the edge of his tongue. “Izuku I-” “There you are!” Mina bursted into the conversation, turning the corner and popping the pleasant bubble surrounding the two boys. Izuku and Katsuki immediately yanked their hands away from each other, shoving them behind their backs like they had been burned. Izuku’s face felt like it was burning. “Mido! You’re up!” Mina grappled onto Izuku’s shoulders, pushing him away from Katsuki and the secluded corner and out into the main area, the loud music thumping through his ears. “Pinky- We were in the f@ck@ng middle of something!” Katsuki hollered, stomping after the girl as she dragged Izuku through the crowd with a pep in her step. “Sorry Bakugou! Seven minutes in heaven waits for nobody!” The curly haired girl cackled, practically throwing Izuku into the kitchen. “Wait- seven minutes in heaven?!” Izuku cried out, embarrassed. Who was he even being paired with?! He hadn’t expected to be actually  called ! “Yep! You’re up next in the pantry.” Izuku went wide eyed, eyes whipping across the room to stare at Katsuki. A silent plea was sent his way, but Izuku was only met with a saddened look, the boy standing in the crowd, lights reflecting off of his light hair like a halo. He was looking straight past Izuku and directly at the pantry doors. Izuku turned to check who was there, to see Ochako shyly waiting out front, her face slightly flushed from the alcohol. She locked eyes with Izuku, shooting him a weak, apologetic smile. Before either could say anything, they were shoved in the pantry, the door closing harshly behind them as the sound of the party was drowned out. “Alright lovebirds, you two have six minutes fifty nine seconds to go wild!” A manly voice, Kaminari, no doubt, sounded from outside the door. Izuku forgot how much of a drama king he was. Izuku looked at Ochako in the dark of the room, her face slightly apologetic. She leaned up against the big bag of rice they had kept in the cool, dark space.“Sorry you got dragged into this. You were busy with Bakugou, right?” She smiled a knowing smile up at Izuku. He, quite frankly, had no idea what she was insisting. “What? N-no. It’s fine. I was stupid enough to put my name in that cursed hat.” Izuku dismissed Ochako’s worries, nearly whispering in the quiet space. It was nice to be away from the bright and loud party for a moment, though Izuku’s thoughts immediately drifted back to Katsuki. He wondered what the boy was going to say before Mina interrupted. “What do they expect us to do in here, really? Like anyone in our class but Mina and Kirishima would actually participate in this thing.” Ochako joked, lightly laughing. Izuku joined. “...Well, do you wanna try?” Izuku spoke. He  had learned how to kiss with Katsuki so he could try it out with other people, after all. His alcohol riddled brain figured it made sense; kissing Ochako just to try. Even as he thought about it, none of the fireworks behind his eyes or butterflies in his stomach appeared like they did with Katsuki. He wondered just what about the boy drew him in, and if he could replicate that touch he craved with his friend. Ochako looked at him, pensive for a moment, before responding. “I mean… I’ve never kissed anyone. I… don’t think I’m that interested.” She paused for a moment. “As long as it doesn’t make anything weird between us.” Ochako pouted slightly, her finger pointing up at Izuku. Izuku put his hands up in mock defense.“Cross my heart. What friends  don’t  kiss each other sometimes?” Izuku giggled lightly. Ochako began to giggle, before pausing. “Wait, you’ve kissed someone in class?!” She whisper-yelled as to not alert anyone outside. Izuku flushed down to the bone. He didn’t particularly know how Katsuki felt about him speaking about their kissing arrangement, but he didn’t exactly want to advertise it himself.“Uhhh… yesss?” Izuku spoke, his voice tilting. “D@mn, Deku! That’s so mature!” Ochako pumped her fist in approval. Izuku flushed, thoughts of Katsuki’s soft lips filling his brain. “Well, if you’re that casual about it, I guess we could try…” Ochako was pensive for a moment. “You lead, I’m totally lost on this front.” The girl flushed, shaking her head in embarrassment. Izuku had  certainly  been there before. “Alright. Can I kiss you?” Izuku questioned, the familiar words rolling off of his tongue as they had a million times with Katsuki. Somehow, this time felt less impactful. Ochako nodded swiftly, before Izuku watched her lips, leaning in to plant a soft kiss against her. It felt… nice. There were no explosions in his heart, no trembling in his hands. Maybe this was how kisses were supposed to be when you were experienced. Izuku pressed deeper against Ochako, who kissed back, slightly sloppily against him. He wondered if the girl was more or less tipsy than him. He decided to press a little further, hoping to give Ochako the full scope for their first kiss. Izuku noticed, as he licked Ochako’s lips gently, her mouth was kind of sticky. Had she gotten into the punch? Maybe that was a girl’s thing, since he’d only ever kissed a boy before. The entire process as he gently kissed into Ochako’s mouth, her kisses reciprocated gently against his, felt almost methodical. Nothing felt as special as it did with Katsuki. Izuku pressed deeper, his hands perfectly fine not touching the girl in front of him, unlike the way they craved to roam Katsuki. He licked into her mouth, the tang of candy washing over his tongue. He wondered if she had eaten sour patch kids, the sugar leaving a residue on her tongue. When they pulled apart, Izuku felt nothing. Not even as he looked into Ochako’s big, brown eyes. Not even as she pulled back, a shocked look on her features. Suddenly, something seemed to click into place in Izuku’s mind, as did it Ochako’s. Both of their eyes widened, before blurting out their epiphanies. “Oh my god, I’m gay.”“Oh my god, I’m in love with Kacchan.”The small storage room was unbelievably quiet for a moment, both of the teens shocked into silence. Izuku stared at Ochako’s face, no blush covering either of their cheeks from the undoubtedly romantic exchange, and both coming to a mutual understanding. “...Wait… You didn’t know you were in love with Bakugou?” Ochako questioned, pointing lightly at Izuku. Izuku waved his arms around, face going beet red in moments at the admission clicking within his brain. “No?! Oh my god, did  you  know?!” Izuku screeched in embarrassment, his arms wrapping around his face to hide his horrific blush. His heart was thundering in his chest, unlike when he was kissing Ochako, and a million thoughts flitted through his head. “Yeah?! I thought that was, like, established in first year!” Ochako exclaimed, shock covering her features. Everything suddenly made so much more sense to Izuku, the craving to touch the boy, the endless pining, the urge to kiss him in the  first place. He was head over heels, completely f@ck@d, up the side of the head in love with Katsuki. He let out a whine at the thought. “Ochako.” He groaned. “This is really bad!” He exclaimed, unwrapping his hands from around his face. “Wait- Why?! You guys can get together! God knows he’s- actually I shouldn’t say that.” Ochako cut herself off, ready to hear out and support Izuku through his freak out realization as she was very much having her own.“You know how I said I’d kissed someone in the class?” Izuku said. Ochako nodded, urging him to continue with his story. “I’ve been full on making out with Kacchan, like, every day for probably two weeks now. How on  Earth do I tell him this?!” Izuku groaned, gently bumping the back of his head against the pantry cupboards behind him in desperation. Ochako simply shot him a dead-pan look. “You… Bakugou has been letting you suck on his face for  weeks  and you’re worried about him  liking  you?” Ochako spoke, tone flat and dull in disbelief. Izuku nodded. “Deku- you are so dense, gah! I love you, but you need to use your big ol’ brain!” Ochako spoke, knocking her fists gently against the fluffy side of Izuku’s head. “Do you think  Katsuki Bakugou  would kiss someone he didn’t like romantically  at all ?” Ochako questioned, sending a sharp glare at Izuku. “N-no, but-” “No buts!” Ochako cut Izuku off, butting her way in between his self doubts. “That boy is one-hundred percent interested, if not in  love with you  already!” Ochako exclaimed, pulling Izuku’s hands away from his face to make eye contact with the flustered boy. “I-I-” Izuku couldn’t find the words, his entire body wrecked with nervous energy, heart beating louder than it ever had. His face felt like a leather seat left in the sun, his hands trembling with nerves, and his eyes watery with embarrassed tears. “I’m gonna help you confess!” Ochako exclaimed, excited. “Wow, this pantry actually  does  help couples get together.” The brunette exclaimed, her eyebrows cocking in surprise as she looked around the cramped area. Izuku let out a giggle, his heart still pounding in his throat, preventing him from talking. Confessing to Katsuki.Asking out Katsuki.  Dating  Katsuki. Izuku couldn’t think of anything he wanted more. “Thank you, Ochako… You’re the best.” He smiled widely up at her, the small space making him thankful for her gentle hold on his hands, comforting him similar to how his mother would ease his worries as a child. “Oh! And congrats on being gay.” Izuku smiled warmly. Ochako burst out in a fit of giggles, thanking him, when suddenly purple party lights flooded into the small space, Ochako’s hands still holding Izuku’s warmly. Mina and Kaminari looked down at the two of them, before Mina turned to the side, holding back an aggressive laugh. Kaminari let a sly grin slide across his face, yelling over the music. “You two have fun?!” He teased. Both of the wide eyed teens looked confused, standing up to exit between the two people. When the class saw them, they all burst out into giggles and whispers, much to the confusion of Izuku and Ochako. When Izuku looked over to find Ochako, she had already run off to her friends, who were excitedly asking her about her time in the panty. She looked as unwilling to discuss as Izuku felt. Suddenly, his eyes caught on Katsuki, jogging up to the boy who was leaning against the wall, staring down at his shoes with his hands tucked coolly into his pockets. “Kacchan! Hi!” Izuku slowed his jog, waving his hand in excitement. Where his heart had always beat a little harder around Katsuki, now it felt like an out of control rhythm that filled his veins with music. Katsuki looked up, meeting Izuku’s eyes with a tense and angry face. Izuku’s eyes widened, smile falling slightly. “Uh- what- what were you gonna say… before… y’know.” Izuku motioned to the kitchen, trying to slide over a slight apology for the rude interruption between his and Katsuki’s conversation. Katsuki scoffed at Izuku, a hurt look crossing his features. “F@ck@ng nothing.” He began to walk past Izuku, speaking as he passed him. “Her lipgloss is all over your face, by the way.” Katsuki growled, passing Izuku and promptly running up the stairs. Izuku blushed, immediately wiping his face with the back of his sweater sleeve. Sure enough, sparkles coated the sleeve. He peered up the stairs where Katsuki had ran off, his figure now completely gone from Izuku’s sight. Something settled heavy and uncomfortable in Izuku’s stomach, like a cold stone that had taken home in his guts. He turned back to the party to ignore it. ...Izuku was three days into his summer break, yet he had never felt worse. The hot air of Japanese summer was suffocating, the constant cry of cicadas nearly driving him to insanity, sticky, tiring, and oh so irritating. This was strange, as summer was Izuku’s favourite time of year. He loved the heat, loved the constant lively twitter of birds, and loved the break from school. There was only one issue that plagued him this year, kept his nights hot and restless, and his days sticky and boring. He was going through, for lack of a better term, Katsuki withdrawal.The boy hadn’t spoken to him since the party, his retreating back jogging up the common room stairs being the last sight Izuku had seen of him. Even in their shared neighbourhood over the summer break, Izuku didn’t catch a single glimpse of the boy. On his second day without having seen Katsuki, Izuku worked up the nerve to send him a text. A simple ‘Hwru? ^_^’ . Casual enough, yet Izuku tossed and turned as he waited for an answer. He went out to the market with his mother for a few hours that day, and when he came back, he expected some sort of reply. When he was greeted with the dreaded ‘seen’ and no response, Izuku felt something in him wither and die. Now, he laid down on his couch, watching some hero reality TV special, his popsicle half melted in his mouth. Each time his phone alerted him with a notification, he would pick it up, heart hammering in his chest, only to be disappointed each and every single time. Honestly, four days without seeing someone might not have felt like much to any  normal  person, but Izuku had been seeing the boy he was in love with each and every day of his life for two entire semesters, so forgive him for being a  little  attached. Honestly, it was pretty pathetic. Maybe that was why it actually felt like a breath of fresh air when Momo texted the group chat that hot afternoon, offering a class-wide hang out session. “Hello everyone! I was wondering if any of you wanted to come to my parent’s private beach this Saturday! We were going to host a class barbeque, and catch up with everyone. The address is…” “RSVP!” Izuku’s eyes widened, sitting up from his slouched sprawl on the couch, biting off the rest of his popsicle. A beach getaway didn’t sound too bad, finally allowing him to get out of his house, but what really caught his eye was the bright, shining prospect of a ‘class-wide’ event. Katsuki was in his class. He knew the boy would more than likely never choose to go to something like this out of his own coalition, but he hoped one of his ‘idiot friends’ (his words, not Izuku’s) would pester him enough into going. Izuku saw a few replies flood in before he could finish his Katsuki-based ponderings, his classmates confirming whether they could make it or not. The first to respond happened to be Ochako, freaking out at the prospect of a beach getaway on a private beach, and quickly accepting the invitation. While the responses flooded in, Izuku typed up his own, confirming that he was  absolutely game. Suddenly, a message caught his eye. “I can definitely make it! I’ll drag Bakubro along too, dw :D” Texted Kirishima, his message reading almost as loud as his speaking voice. Izuku would have to do something nice for the boy sometime, his prayers being answered. He shut his phone off again, turning back to his hero program with a giddy feeling lifting his heart. The heat barely bothered him as he thought about Katsuki, wondering if the boy would show up, what he might say to Izuku, what he might be thinking. He ached to talk to him. His phone notified him of a message, and Izuku picked it back up immediately, heart picking up stupidly in hope. It was, once again, not Katsuki messaging him. Instead, a cheery message from Ochako lit up his phone screen. He had been texting the girl a lot more over the break, something bonding the two even closer over the prospect of being disaster gays together. It was nice to have someone to finally pour out his Katsuki musings to, while Ochako talks about her newest TV dramas shes become obsessed with. Both Izuku and her apparently had a similar type in women, which was nice to fangirl about.People had some weird ideas about boy-girl friendships, like they couldn’t possibly exist without feelings, but Izuku had to disagree. He had literally had his tongue in this girl’s mouth, yet she was the closest thing to a sister he had ever had. “Deku! Do u wanna meet up bfor the beach prty? I invited Iida and Todoroki, but they were both busy T_T” Izuku read the message, a light smile gracing his features. “Do u just want 2 meet bcuz u want to talk to me ab that hawt new pro hero frum Shiketsu?” He giggled, typing his reply with a hint of sass. Ochako typed on the other side. “I’ll listen 2 ur Kats drama, and let u choose the place!! Plsssssss!!” Izuku huffed out a laugh, figuring he could make some room to meet up with the girl. As he looked down at his ratty old gym shorts and hero show, he knew he didn’t have much better to do. “Alrite. Meet me at…” ...Izuku waved at Ochako as he walked up to her from the street, a bright smile gracing his features. She smiled at him, cocking an eyebrow as she motioned at the store she was standing in front of. “A hero merch store? You’re such a nerd.” She rolled her eyes, her smile still lighting up her features. Izuku crossed his arms playfully, tonguing his cheek. “Uh huh, and I guess you wouldn’t care that this hero store carries  you know who ’s merchandise?” Izuku teased, his freckles glowing from his healthy tan. Ochako whipped her head up at him, shock covering her features. Izuku, of course, was referring to Ochako’s latest hero debut crush; a blonde from Shiketsu with a powerful quirk. “No.” She spoke, jaw dropping. “Yep.” Izuku popped his ‘p’, staring the girl down smugly. Ochako shot her hand out, clapping it heavily down on Izuku’s shoulder. “I will give you my first born, if you want.” Ochako’s eyes lit up as she looked up at him, her tone entirely serious while she joked. Izuku let out a huff of a laugh. “Nah, but lunch is on you.” He spoke, pushing past her to open the door for her like a gentleman. It was fun to not feel the restraints of an awkward friendship where they didn’t want people to think they liked each other. “Welcome!” A man piped up from the front, a smile gracing his features. Rows and rows of merchandise filled the store, giant sections with figurines, massive comic book spin-offs, walls of DVDs, from vintage to brand new. Izuku breathed in the familiar air of the shop, immediately turning to the All Might section. Ochako ran up to the front, rattling off in the poor service worker’s ear about the girl she was looking for, wondering what merchandise they had of her. The man’s demeanour immediately brightened, both of them rambling about their respect for the hero. It warmed something in Izuku’s chest.This store was one of the oldest in the Musutafu area, often overlooked by people for the flashier ones in the massive malls all across the sprawling city. True hero nerds knew about this place, Izuku finding it himself when he was in his later years of childhood. So many nostalgic memories flooded the building, like his first time buying a limited edition All Might figure instead of the cheaper action figures, or all of the time he had spent getting to know strangers through light conversation about their favourite comic books. There was something incredibly isolating yet bonding about being a hero fanatic, cut off from your peers due to true devotion, yet connected deeply with your community. Izuku even remembered coming here as a child with Katsuki to use the massive TVs in their window to watch live All Might battles their moms wouldn’t let them watch. He felt the familiar pang of missing the boy light up in his chest.Izuku picked up one of the hero comics he was perusing, smelling it as he flicked the pages underneath his nose. Suddenly, he felt a set of eyes on him, straightening immediately as he felt as though he was being watched. When he looked across the rows of comic books, Katsuki’s wide vermillion eyes stared back at him. The room seemed to quiet around them, the blonde’s hand paused on the comic books he was flicking through while Izuku nearly dropped the one he was holding. It felt almost unreal to see Katsuki, half wondering if the boy was an illusion created by his lovesick brain. “...Hi.” Izuku squeaked out, eyes blown wide, face slightly flushed. If he was an illusion, he was a d@mn good looking one, all sunkissed and bright. “...The f@ck are you doing here..?” Katsuki rasped out, his eyebrows scrunching as he raked his eyes up and down Izuku. The boy shivered underneath his skin. “Kacchan, I’ve been coming here twice a month for half of my life.” Izuku grinned up at the boy, his freckles stretching across his rosy cheeks. It felt like a breath of fresh air to speak to the boy, and he watched as Katsuki’s shoulders seemed to drop a bit of their tension. He huffed. “F@ck@ng nerd.” Katsuki grinned slightly, cocking his head to the side as he peered at Izuku. Something felt closed off behind his eyes, his old harsh exterior seeming to block Izuku out from reading the boy. Izuku playfully rolled his eyes.“Like you aren’t here to buy the same comics as me. At least I’m not hiding my nerdiness.” Izuku giggled slightly, smiling a wide smile at the soaring of his heart in his chest. Katsuki’s brows furrowed, yet his grin stretched wider. “F@ck off.” He scoffed back lightly, his smile falling as he looked back down at the comics in front of him, flicking through a couple of them. Izuku bit his lip, aching to ask why the boy had abandoned him, left him on seen, blocked him out once again. Instead, he settled on something easier. “So, are you going to Yayorozu’s thing?” Izuku questioned, eyes looking at Katsuki’s face as he continued to avoid the freckled boy’s gaze. He scoffed. “Did Kirishima put you up to f@ck@ng asking me that?” He grumbled, tone lighter than Izuku had expected. Izuku figured the red-headed boy had, in fact, been pestering the blonde about the trip. He huffed out a laugh. “Nah. I just want to see you again over the break.” He spoke, his heart catching in his throat with the softness of his own tone of voice. He missed Katsuki, even now as he was looking at this closed off version of him. The blonde stilled for a moment, his fingers pausing their scan through the rows and rows of All Might comics. His jaw tensed, a blazing gaze directed back at Izuku as he lifted his head. “Why?” Izuku’s eyes widened, his throat squeezing and effectively silencing his answer. He stared at the boy, simply across a couple bins of comics from him, yet felt worlds apart. Katsuki’s tone was bitter, eyes hurt, brows furrowed, yet a hopeful look washed his features. Izuku was too stunned to speak for a moment. 
   I miss you.  

   I need you. 
 I love you.  “I-”“Deku! The figures here are so much cheaper than-” Ochako rounded the corner, merchandise piled up in her hands, before meeting the blazing gaze of Izuku and Katsuki staring back at her. Izuku tried to shoot her a look of ‘oh god not now please not now’, and she promptly got the message. “Uh- Sorry, be right back.” She swiftly swivelled on the ball of her foot, walking back into the rows of the store in an awkward motion. Izuku let out a sigh. Katsuki and him always seemed to be interrupted at the wrong times. He turned back to Katsuki attempting to speak, before being silenced by the rage on the blonde’s face. Izuku nearly jumped in surprise. There was a beat of silence. “...You brought her here?” Katsuki whispered out, his voice nearly cracking under his low growl. Izuku gulped back his confusion. “Uh- y-yeah? But I was gonna say-” “What, you’re on some f@ck@ng  date ?” Katsuki cursed out, the words streaming out of his mouth like poison. Izuku didn’t understand what he meant. “No! We’re just hanging out- but I really wanted to talk to you-” Izuku spoke, as Katsuki began storming off. The green haired boy tried weaving through the rows of comic books to catch up with the explosive boy, but he was a little too quick. “Wait- I-” Katsuki whipped around to face Izuku, some intense emotion colouring his face.“You’re so f@ck@ng confusing! Just- f@ck off already!” Katsuki hollered, leaving the store with the door bell chiming. Izuku watched him walk away again, his feet seemingly frozen in place. He felt confusion well up in his chest, mixed in a horrific melting pot along with sadness and hurt. Ochako walked up behind him, gently placing her hand on his shoulder. The boy felt his heart cracking in his chest.“ I’m  confusing..?” ...The day of the beach party rolled around surprisingly fast, Izuku caught in a heartbroken daze since his interaction with Katsuki at their childhood hero merch store. Something about the smell of the old comics holed up in his room that he used to read to comfort him felt soured now. He had carpooled with his friends in Iida’s family car, the shiny s-class Mercedes looking entirely out of place parked out front Izuku’s humble home. When he had hopped in, he was met with bright smiles from his friends, wide eyed and excited for the day ahead of them. He couldn’t muster a grin that meant anything. The drive was beautiful, the ocean coming quickly into view as they left Musutafu. Izuku rolled his window down, the salty sea breeze tousling his green curls. He closed his eyes, letting the warm air beat down on his heavy eyelashes. When the car had pulled up to the massive ornate gates of the beach front property, Iida’s driver conversed with the guard, the gates swinging open to reveal a long forest path covered in rich, lush greenery. Ochako looked as though she was beginning to foam at the mouth in shock, and Izuku’s eyes widened as he took in the landscape himself. When they left the forested area, a beautiful American traditional beach house sat atop a small cliff overlooking a white sandy beach. The windows were grand, blue archways sitting prettily on it. Ochako was quick to point out it looked like a dollhouse, and Izuku half heartedly agreed. When the car stopped, Izuku swiftly swung open his door, excited to stretch his legs and escape Ochako’s bitter less-wealthy ramblings. He loved the girl, but her money-hungriness could be almost frightening. Yayorozu swiftly jogged out the front door facing the car, her wedge sandals clacking against the ground. She wore a beautiful flowing dress, a picture of class and wealth, and Izuku felt almost naked in his old All Might board shorts and light blue button up. “Ah! You’ve made it! Almost everyone is already here.” She smiled prettily at the group, her black hair flowing in the wind. “Come in, come in! Everyone’s down at the beach, but I’m grabbing the food. I insisted the butlers take the day off!” Yayorozu shot them a thumbs up. Iida swiftly began thanking her for her hosting abilities, Todoroki walking into the house in stride. Ochako subtly turned to Izuku as they walked in, whispering something for him to hear. “She told the butlers to take a day off! Man, what a life.” The girl looked off wistfully, most likely fantasizing about her future wealth. It was no secret Ochako was becoming a hero for the money, but her will to support her family was honourable without question. Izuku chuckled softly. “It’s crazy how humble she turned out, living like this.” He motioned to the grand interior architecture, the home pretty as a picture. “Alright!” Yayorozu clasped her hands together. “Just go out that side door, the beach is down the steps.” She smiled, cheeks flushing slightly in the sunlight filtering through the windows. Izuku and Ochako bowed a few times, shooting her multiple ‘thank you’s, and Todoroki waved goodbye. Iida insisted on staying to help, being the class president, and Yayorozu thanked him. Izuku wasn’t entirely convinced those two actually knew how to cook, but he was excited to see what they came up with anyways. White steps led down to the hot white sand, the group of students kicking off their sandals as they walked, switching to carry them. Ochako called out to the students she saw a little ways down the beach, their chairs, towels, and equipment all set up for the afternoon. Mina excitedly shouted back, running over to greet Ochako excitedly. “You guys made it! Crazy place, huh?” She grinned, eyes flickering knowingly between Izuku and Ochako. He could already tell  that  was going to be a thing. ‘“I know, right?! Yayorozu’s seriously awesome for letting us visit!” Ochako chirped back, swiftly walking over to the sprawling area the class was beginning to take up. Izuku politely said hi, his eyes scouring across the multiple faces all relaxing on the sandy beach, playing in the salty water, bathing in the hot July sun. His eyes never found Katsuki. He sighed, staring out across to the bright blue horizon of the water. The world seemed to fade out around him, the sound of waves crashing to shore hypnotizing him. If he stared any longer, he felt like the dull ache in his chest might explode into something he didn’t want his classmates to see. He turned away. “Yo! Mido! There’s a beach volleyball net, you coming?” Kaminari grinned at Izuku, volleyball tucked under his hand while a couple of students trailed over to the net set up. Izuku plastered on his brightest smile, forcing his thoughts of Katsuki to the bitter depths of his stomach. “You’re on.” He smirked confidently, passing Kaminari on his way to the net. “Wai- no quirks!” Kaminari called out, jogging to catch up to Izuku. The green haired boy giggled slightly, lining up his position to play the game. The hot sand scorched his feet gently, kicking up beneath him as he dived for the ball each time it was spiked over the net. His team set a steady rhythm, people quickly finding their mock positions that they remembered from middle school gym courses. Sometimes it amazed him to be normal. After everything he and his classmates had been through in their time together, he couldn’t help but have his heart soar in joy each time they had an opportunity to just be teenagers. Because that’s what they were. Teenagers. The world hadn’t treated them like that, but they had come out on top, and were now, scars and all, playing a game of beach volleyball together. After their first ‘best out of three’ had turned to ‘five out of nine’, the winners and losers alike were happy for the announcement of barbeque on the patio of the beach house. The teens all flocked towards the delicious smell of grilled meat and vegetables, eyes lighting up at the expensive cuts. “Yayorozu- this chicken is  incredible !” Uraraka exclaimed, taking another bite into her skewer. Yayorozu chuckled, flipping a few shrimp as she spoke. “A lot of the assorted meats here today are from my family’s farming corporations connected to our name! I’m so glad you like it!” She beamed. “Please, never stop being my friend.” Ochako moaned in delight, munching on another bite of chicken. The students excitedly chatted about their summer vacations, Izuku half listening with nothing to contribute. It wasn’t exactly story worthy to speak about his days of endless pining. He laughed along when Sero joked about nearly breaking his neck trying to learn how to skateboard. He excitedly exclaimed his surprise when Yayorozu and Jirou revealed their budding relationship. He smiled along at Tsuyu’s story about visiting Eri. But Izuku wasn’t there. He was still firmly planted in that hero shop, his heart throbbing in his chest. He had hoped that hanging out with his classmates would dull the ache that threatened to explode in his chest, but every piece of his life seemed to bring him back to ravishing red eyes. Whether it was the blue of the sea, or the sweet childhood smell of grilled meat. Izuku faded into the background, watching as life seemed to carry on around him, exciting conversations leaving him floating outside of his body. Sure, he knew he was having fun, logically, but his stomach still held that cool hurt. It had lingered there far too long. “Alright, I’m stuffed! Anyone wanna head to the water? I haven’t been in yet!” Ochako exclaimed, grabbing a floaty toy off of the patio as she neared the steps. “You’re supposed to wait twenty minutes.” Todoroki deadpanned, his warnings lost. A few other students piped up with denials, their stomachs too full of good food to want to move. “Ah, hold on, I didn’t eat that much, I’ll go.” Izuku exclaimed, putting his fake smile back on his face. As he stood up, the class began ‘ ooo ’ing, smug looks plastered on their faces. Izuku rolled his eyes, smile still stuck on his face at their antics. Someone even whistled at him, to which Ochako promptly flipped them off with a grin. Izuku lightly shoved her on his way past. “Race you!” He took off in what was a light jog for him, Uraraka struggling to keep up as she yelled at him. “Oh you little sh@t, foul!” Her voice echoed off into the fleeting light of the day, the sun starting to fade into a beautiful pink glow over the treeline. Now that the sand was less hot on Izuku’s feet, he ran swiftly towards the water, abandoning his button up near the shore as Ochako struggled to shed her jean shorts at the same speed. Izuku dove in without much of a thought, his giggles resurfacing as he came up from beneath the water, shaking the salt out of his curls. He grinned at Ochako, who swiftly swam in after him. “Wow, winning against a girl, how heroic.” Ochako deadpanned, her face still lit up in a smile. A wave crashed around them. “You know you don’t buy that sexist stuff.” Izuku rolled his eyes, latching onto Ochako’s floaty device. He found the ocean floor swiftly dropped off, wading his legs beneath the surface. Ochako’s smile fell slightly. “Something’s been up with you all day.” The girl spoke matter of factly, turning in her tube to face Izuku. Izuku grimaced. “Is it noticeable?” He softly asked, his own smile melting off of his face. “Nah, i only notice cause I know you’re  still  in your brain over that blondie-” “Ochako!” Izuku whined. “What?! We both know it’s true! I still don’t know why you two don’t just kiss and make up.” She rolled her eyes playfully. Izuku huffed a sigh, the ache in his gut resurfacing as a twinge of pain hit his heart. “I’ve been  trying to, but he doesn’t want anything to do with me! He won’t even hear me out, I’ve texted him, like, a bajillion times!” Izuku whined, falling flat on his back to float in the water as it swiftly turned a pink shade from the sky. He watched the clouds pass as he spoke. “I don’t get it! I-I mean you and I aren’t even dating! I don’t even know why he would be hung up on that anyways because our whole deal was that-” Ochako groaned loudly, cutting Izuku off. “Deku he likes you! You’d be pretty pissy and distant if he kissed someone else, wouldn’t you?” Izuku thought about it for a moment, coming to the conclusion that he would rather die than have to watch that. “I mean… I don’t really count as a kiss considering I’m for the girls but… Y’know! The principle of it all!” She waved her hands around as she explained, her foot splashing lazily into the water as she rotated herself in her tube. “I just don’t get why he won’t even let me  explain  what happened! I mean, if he does like me-”“-Which he does.”“- He could at least hear me out! We weren’t dating or anything, it’s not like I cheated!” Izuku bit his lip as he thought, the waves gently lulling him as he floated. He felt the knots in his stomach slightly loosening. “I just  really  wanted to see him today. I actually wished on a star, it was corny as hell.” Izuku whispered sadly, his lips quirking up at his own foolishness. Ochako huffed a laugh, silence overtaking their conversation as the distant laughter of their classmates rang out across the bright sky. “...I never told you about my first love, did I? My real one, I mean.” Ochako spoke softly, the usual peppy tone washed out of her voice. Izuku’s eyebrows furrowed. “...No.” He whispered back, the moment feeling strangely gentle. “It’s gonna sound totally weird, but hear me out on this.” The girl spoke, inhaling slightly before her next statement. “It was Himiko.” Izuku registered the name after a moment, shooting up straight in the water, mouth gaping. “The villain?!” He cried, eyes widening. Ochako bunched up in defensiveness. “I told you you had to hear me out!” She cried in embarrassment. Izuku could clearly tell this was a sensitive topic for the girl, so he apprehensively allowed her to speak. A wave gently lifted him from his standing position, leaving him to wade again. “...She was crazy. Like, seriously crazy… But she seemed like she… I don’t know, saw me in a way.” The girl was silent for a beat. “She got me to understand her, the way she loved. And even though it was totally batsh@t… It was almost beautiful. Admiration and love so strong you want to become the person you desire… I really connected with that.” Ochako sighed, her head tilting back to look at the clouds. Izuku hadn’t seen this serious side of her in a long time, and let her speak. “She was genuine towards me, In her own way, dedicated, and truthfully saw me as someone strong. Capable. Interesting. In the end, by the time I realized I wanted her by my side… She was gone.” The girl’s voice trailed off into a whisper. Her eyes watched the clouds drifting overhead, the dark blue of night rising over the beach house across the sandy expanse. “I just want you to realize that, sometimes, understanding someone’s point of view can change everything. I think you’ll get that time to talk with Bakugou, but you have to understand he’s hurting in his own way.” She lazily rolled her head over to look at Izuku. He gulped back the well of emotions forming in his throat. To think he had judged the girl for something so pure. “...Yeah.” He peered down at his cloudy reflection, dancing and glistening in the darkened water. The waves continued rolling for a moment, before Ochako’s chipper voice returned. “Actually, you might not have to wait that long.” Izuku looked up at the girl, finding her eyes trained on something across the beach. Izuku swiftly followed her line of sight, watching the top of the steps leading off the patio. Like an angel in the night, a young man stood in the glow of the patio lights, his blonde hair rustling in the wind. Izuku might not have been able to make out his features from a distance, but those same red eyes pierced through him anyway. Izuku felt his heart shudder in his chest, his entire body seeming to come alive in an instant. “Be cool, Izuku. Remember he’s probably feeling weird too.” Ochako spoke playfully, Izuku already swimming past her, eyes set on the same person they had always been on. As he got out of the water, Izuku swiftly buttoned his discarded shirt back up over his glistening tanned body, turning back to face Ochako. “Your story was beautiful, thank you!” Izuku excitedly yelled back. Ochako shot him a lazy wave and a smile, to which he promptly jogged back up to the patio, hair still damp and salty from the waves. By the time he had neared the stairs, Katsuki was already gone from his sight, joined somewhere in the swarm of his classmates. Whoops and hollers of enjoyment sounded from the patio, mixed in with what were undoubtedly the explosive blonde’s shouts of annoyance. Even those made Izuku’s heart race faster. When he had finished jogging to the top of the stairs, he immediately made eye contact with Katsuki. He raised his hand to casually wave, but the blonde turned away from him, seeming to rummage around. Izuku began to walk over to him, but the blonde swiuftly walked past him without looking at him. “I’m gonna go light these fireworks, you f@ck@rs coming?” Katsuki yelled excitedly. Izuku felt his heart aching all over again, but refused to be discouraged. If Ochako could survive the heartbreak of losing her first love, Izuku could handle his. “Woo!” “Yeah!”“Please maintain a safe distance!” “I’ll grab the camera, hold on!” Footsteps rushed past Izuku, funneling down the steps excitedly after Katsuki. Izuku trailed at the tail end of the pack, turning to walk down the steps. A strong hand gripped his wrist, stopping him in an instant. It gently let go as he turned around. “Hey, Midobro.” Kirishima smiled at Izuku. “Hi Kiri-” “You’ve gotta talk to him.” Kirishima cut the boy off immediately, posing his hands into a mock prayer. “Look, I know Bakubro is, like, super difficult to deal with emotionally, but it’s getting really hard to watch him mope!” The redhead exclaimed. Izuku was stunned into silence. Katsuki had been  moping ? “He keeps denying it has anything to do with you, but I saw his face at the party when you were in that closet. Look- I don’t know what’s going on with you two- not my business- but whatever it is, it’s kind of destroying him.” The boy rambled, his hands fidgeting as he spoke. “I-” “I’m telling you this, bro to bro, you’re gonna have to make the first step with that guy. I saw the way he looked for you when we got here, he’s expecting something.” Kirishima sighed, placing his hands on his hips.“Well-” “Oh! And don’t tell Bakubro I said anything to you, he’ll explodo-kill me in an instant. He’s really thingy about his feelings towards you.” Kirishima asked politely, his spiked tooth smile lighting up his face in a nervous fashion. Izuku gave the boy to make sure he was done talking. “...A-about that. Uh, I’ve been trying to talk to him for all of summer break.” Izuku spoke, his eyebrows drawing together in stress. “Texted, called, even saw him at one point. He’s- He’s making it a lot more difficult than it needs to be.” Izuku laughed out awkwardly. It felt strange to speak to Kirishima about this situation, some of his best friends still unaware of it. Of course, Kirishima didn’t know the full extent. The spikey boy let out an apologetic hiss. “Whatever you  can say to him, you should probably get it out… Before he, like, explodes you or something. Good luck, dude.” Kirishima patted Izuku on the shoulder, swiftly jogging past him down the patio steps. Izuku stood still for a moment, letting out a long winded sigh, before putting on his game face, walking down the steps out to the beach. The darkness of the set sun had completely wrapped the beach in the warm blue glow of night. Stars twinkled above head, the distant crashing waves invisible from the radiating light of the patio deck. Izuku trekked towards where he saw a couple of his classmates playing with sparklers, attempting to write their names out in the air like children. Katsuki was crouched down, gentle explosions bubbling out of his hand as he lit the tail end of a giant mass of fireworks he had planted in the sand. Izuku watched the warm glow of his quirk bounce off of the boy’s tanned skin, taking in the sharp edge of his jaw and nose. It had felt like years since he’d seen that perfect landscape of a side profile. The boy backed away from the now lit firework stationed in the ground, his lips stretched across his face in an excited smirk. It was funny; even though the boy could create explosions, something about seeing them from an outside perspective still seemed to wow him.Izuku was as drawn to his childlike wonder as any part of him. He swiftly walked up behind the blonde, the firework shooting up into the sky with a whistle He gently tapped the boy on his shoulder, wide red eyes turning to face Izuku’s determined green ones. “We need to talk.” 
   BOOM 
The firework lit up the night, a bright crackle of orange light blooming in the darkness above. Excited chants and shouts of approval sounded from the students as the ash began to rain down. Katsuki’s eyes were wide as they looked into Izuku, his answer stalled. Izuku felt his own words caught in the back of his throat, swallowing nervously as the air seemed to freeze between the two boys, eyes locked onto each other’s faces as they tried to memorize each gentle curve. Izuku found the blonde was taking too long, and as their classmates were distracted by the booming colours lighting up the night sky, he took the blonde by his wrist, walking back into the darkness of the beach. After a couple of steps away from the distracted teens, Katsuki seemed to snap back into himself, yanking his hand away from Izuku’s grasp. Izuku turned back, his heart stuttering painfully beneath his skin, only to find Katsuki still waiting for him, ready to follow. Something felt lighter within him already. He led Katsuki to a grassy slope off of the gentle sand cliffside between the beach and Yayorozu’s home, sitting down as the scraggly grass tickled his calves. Katsuki looked pensive for a moment, but took a seat on the ground beside him. Cicada cries echoed through the gentle breeze of the night, their friends excited voices almost drowned out by the crashing waves and distant fireworks. The world seemed almost too soft, too separated from anything but Katsuki and Izuku. Izuku turned to Katsuki, opening his mouth to say something–anything of importance. “...You got tanned.” Izuku croaked out awkwardly, his thoughts entirely wiped by Katsuki’s presence. The world went silent again. Only for a moment.“...Rock climbing with my old man…” Katsuki answered roughly, his voice oddly quiet. Maybe the waves drowned him out as well. The boys sat, basking in each others presence for the hundredth time in their lives, knowing what they had to say might break everything they’d ever built. “I-”“You-” The boys began at the same time.“Sh@t sorry I-” “No, go first.” Izuku urged. He watched the fireworks across the beach, heart swimming with mixed emotions while he waited for Katsuki to speak. The boy seemed to mull over his thoughts for a moment, taking breaths as he attempted to articulate his words, but eventually letting it fall flat. Finally, he picked something to say. “I’m sorry I’ve been f@ck@ng– I dont know, weird.” Katsuki paused for a moment. “About us.” He let the words carry their own weight, so many unspoken instances floating across Izuku’s vision in an instant. No matter how unhappy they were, he found solace in Katsuki’s face being in all of them. “I kind of know where you’re gonna f@ck@ng go with this anyways, so I’ll just say my piece, and I’ll quit being… Weird.” Katsuki pulled his feet closer to him, his arms linked loosely atop his knees where he sat. Neither of the boys looked at each other. “The whole kissing sh@t– I don’t know what it was like for you, but it meant a lot to me.” Katsuki paused for a moment. Izuku wanted so badly to interject, to spill his heart, but he bared Ochako’s words in his mind to consider Katsuki’s confusion. “You always f@ck@ng confuse me. Amaze me. Make me kind of want to puke up my guts…” Katsuki said.  Izuku huffed a dry laugh. “But when I was kissing you, I kind of got it. F@ck, it was easily the most vulnerable thing I’d ever done, but I couldn’t imagine it being anyone but you…” The boy trailed off, the gentle cry of cicadas replacing the air where his words sat heavily. “It’s always been you.” He whispered out, his voice twinged with a weak sadness Izuku hadn’t heard in a long time.“But, I just latched onto you. Assumed that it was the same deal for you as it was for me. That it was- was something important.” The boy rambled out, his voice getting slightly louder, nearly drowning out the loud cry of bugs surrounding them. “Kacchan.” Izuku spoke softly.“F@ck, I was so stupid for thinking that you felt the same way I did.” Katsuki whimpered. “Kacchan.” Izuku tried to stop the young hero, turning to face him. He was met with a look of disdain on the boy’s hurt face, still peering out at the direction of the crashing waves.“I was  really  stupid for thinking that, just because I’d never felt closer to anyone in my life, that it was the same for you.” Katsuki brought his hand up to grip his hair. “Kacchan-!” Izuku called, attempting to get the boy’s attention without hurting him more. “You even said so. That our whole  situation  was for someone else. I knew it the whole f@ck@ng time, but I let my f@ck@ng dreams cloud reality. And I f@ck@ng  hated you for it!” The boy’s voice cracked in a sob, his face hidden by his forearm from Izuku’s seated position. “Kacchan, look at me.” Izuku gently took the boy’s hand in his own, lifting it away from the blonde’s face. He looked like a hurt child, and Izuku ached to touch him, to show him everything they had done had meant just as much to him. Katsuki’s tear streaked cheeks glistened in the darkness of the night, his eyes wide and glossy, face angry and bitter as he gazed at Izuku. Izuku felt his heart hammering beneath his skin, his hand so warm against Katsuki’s cool, slender fingers. “... Can I kiss you?” Izuku whispered, the words frail and delicate as he asked them. He had ached to see Katsuki again, to finally feel whole. Maybe that was why Izuku felt like he had been punched in the gut when Katsuki’s face had morphed into a violent rage. He knocked Izuku’s hand away from his, standing up. “Get the f@ck away from me.” He growled, beginning to walk across the sandy hill towards the beach house. Izuku immediately shot up, jogging to catch him. “What- What did I-?” “Are you f@ck@ng kidding me?! Am I that much of a f@ck@ng object to you?!” Katsuki hollered, turning around to sneer in Izuku’s face. The young freckled male felt his heart breaking into a million pieces in his chest, a bitter taste filling his mouth. “Don’t look at me like that! You were gonna f@ck@ng cheat on your girlfriend to make me feel better?! Don’t f@ck with me!” Katsuki screeched, sending Izuku backwards with a harsh shove. Izuku was immediately lost.“Wh- Girlfriend?!” Izuku cried back, immediately jogging to catch up with Katsuki again, the boy still angrily storming away. “Yes, girlfriend! F@ck@ng roundface! Ochako! Pink Cheeks! Ring a bell?!” Katsuki kept walking, little explosions escaping his hands in anger. “Well- yeah, I know her, but what do you mean-” Izuku cried out, being cut off by Katsuki. “Your f@ck@ng girlfriend! The girl  you  f@ck@ng kissed me for! The girl you pass cutesie notes to in class! The girl who knows what kind of music you like, the girl who invites you out to parties, gets you out of your shell or some shit, the girl with soft f@ck@ng cheeks!” Katsuki hollered, walking back towards Izuku, angrily wiping his tears off of his face as he screamed.“The girl  you  f@ck@ng made out with at our class party while I was so  desperately  trying to get an ounce of your attention like some idiot! The girl you took on a date to  our  childhood spot and failed to f@ck@ng mention all this time!”“Kacchan!” Izuku screamed back at the breathless blonde, tears crowding in the corners of his viridian eyes. The warm night air dusted across the tears on Izuku’s cheeks, cooling his face.“I’m not dating Ochako!” 
   BOOM 
The silence returned again, the soft quiet of the night lit up by their friend’s distant cheers after an especially big firework. Both of the boys were panting, eyes tracing each other’s features in the light radiating from the beach house. Cicada’s cried. It was so loud, and so silent.“…What?” Katsuki whispered, his voice overflowing and wobbly from his outburst.“That’s what I’ve been trying to say! I-I really f@ck@ng like you, like,  really .” Izuku cried, his voice breathy with emotion. “F@ck it, I’m head over god d@mn heels in love with you! But the minute I realize it when I kiss a gay girl in that stupid pantry, you act like I’ve killed your whole family and start avoiding me like the plague!” The green haired boy threw his arms in the air in exasperation, tears streaming down his face. Katsuki’s face was wide in surprise, all semblance of rage entirely wiped. His eyes seemed to swirl and glisten from the gentle light of the stars overhead. The grass tickled Izuku’s ankles. “If you had responded to  one  text, even looked my way, you would have seen how much I love you! But you had to make this  so much harder than it needed to be! Yeah, maybe I f@ck@d up by realizing how much I liked you when I already had my tongue down someone’s throat, but you just shut me out like nothing! What was I supposed to think?!” Izuku screamed, his throat becoming raw quickly from the harsh treatment. Suddenly, cool hands met the warm flush of his cheeks, tough calluses rubbing against the freckles lining his flesh. “Izuku, can I kiss you?” Katsuki’s face was flushed, eyebrows drawn together and eyes a searing red. They seemed to rip through Izuku, leaving the boy naked in his final layers of who he was at his core. All he was, after everything was said and done, was someone who loved. And he really loved Katsuki. The green haired boy let his eyes flutter shut, head angled upwards as he followed the gentle drag of Katsuki’s hands guiding his lips to meet his own. When their soft flesh finally met, it felt as though a thousand years of grief had been lifted from Izuku’s shoulders. No fireworks lighting up the sky could compare, no blooming flower held an ounce of the beauty, no roller coaster held a fraction of the thrill. When Izuku’s lips met Katsuki’s, it was like everything had finally clicked into place again. The universe seemed to align, their hands linking together in between them, the bugs erupting in a roar of applause as they kissed. The finale of the fireworks sounded behind them, lighting up their faces in a distant glow as they disconnected their lips, gazing at each other like they had seen each other for the first time. When their eyes opened, they weren’t just Izuku and Katsuki anymore. They were each others’ Izuku and Katsuki. “...Your lips taste like salt.” Katsuki spoke softly, breath fanning across Izuku’s face as his lips stretched into a soft grin. Izuku let out a light giggle. “Shut up.” ...'
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