11 Chapter 11

Katsuki slept at Izuku's apartment that night. The revelation about #YoureWelcomeGZ had left them both emotionally raw, and Izuku was perceptive enough to be particularly gentle with Katsuki. So with tender kisses and other mind-numbingly sweet embraces, they fell asleep.

Katsuki slept amazingly. The man passed out while using Izuku like a teddy bear so Izuku hardly slept at all, because Katsuki was a goddamn furnace. Still, he must have slept at some point because eventually, he woke up naked with of all the covers kicked off of him, and still burning up from the way Katsuki had barnacled to his back. His clothes lay across the room, where he'd flung them in a half-awake, desperate bid to cool off.

He only spent like, five minutes having an existential crisis about Katsuki sleeping in the same bed with him. Or not sleeping, because when he fidgeted, a raspy morning voice came from behind him.

"Finally awake, nerd?"

Oh, the joys of dating Bakugou Katsuki. Izuku gets to be called 'nerd' before it's even 6:00 AM.

Like some kind of eldritch horror, Katsuki climbed over him until his face dangled above Izuku's. A handsome eldritch horror, with sharp cheekbones and sharp eyes and a sharp smile. Too sharp for morning-Izuku, who turned away.

"You are a horribly, horribly warm person," Izuku mumbled, blinking in the morning light.

"I noticed you lost your clothes."

"Your fault, and for all the wrong reasons."

Katsuki laughed, eyes creasing in humor. "Man, this actually happens all the time."

"All the time?" Izuku managed to say, his brain struggling to catch up. He'd forgotten Katsuki slept around. He was barely even awake, damn it.

"Before you, dork," Katsuki snorted, dropping himself onto Izuku's stomach. So. damn. warm. Izuku squirmed, ignoring Katsuki's apparent morning interests. He grinned down at Izuku. "Anyway, that's not what's important."

"I barely slept," Izuku told him, slowly assembling some form of alertness.

"Tough shit. Ask me what's important."

"I can't, I'm too sleepy," Izuku yawned, turning away to hide a smile. Teasing Katsuki was too easy. Katsuki clambered over him again, dropping his phone next to his face.

"Todoroki texted me this morning."

"And?" Izuku groaned. "I wanna sleep."

"And," Katsuki continued, squishing both of Izuku's cheeks with one hand, "The half n' half loser is congratulating me."

"That's nice of him," Izuku sighed. He needed to get up and start his morning workout routine, but he was sleepy and didn't want to leave Katsuki. His eyes were drifting shut, until Katsuki savagely poked him in the cheek. Izuku's eyes flew back open.

"You're an asshole in the morning," he grumbled.

"I'm always an asshole, but you aren't always so grumpy," Katsuki scoffed. "Not a morning person, Deku?"

"I am, but not when I have to sleep next to someone with a body temperature of 3,000 degrees."

"Yes, I am that hot," Katsuki replied, turning smug again. "You're a lucky nerd, huh?"

"Hate you."

"Wanna bet?" Katsuki started kissing his way down Izuku's chest, apparently impervious to Izuku's grumpy mood. "Let's find out if you're still saying that after I…" his voice trailed off as he nipped the inside of Izuku's thigh.

"Mmm," Izuku hummed, his voice sounding a little high-pitched. "Whatcha doing down there, Kacchan?" So what if he was already hard? He could blame it on morning wood, or he could acknowledge that shirtless Katsuki was just that hot. 3,000 degrees, figuratively. He moaned as Katsuki began to stroke him, his hand warm and deft.

"I'm being an asshole," he chuckled. Izuku could feel his breath against his skin. It was his only warning before Katsuki licked the length of Izuku's dick, making him cry out softly. Izuku was wide awake now, and felt his whole body shudder when Katsuki took him in his mouth. For a moment, the sensation was too overwhelming to move. But Izuku had a pathological need to see Katsuki, so he pushed himself up on his elbows. Even that was a feat given how fucking distracted he was.

Katsuki was lounging across the bed, more or less perpendicular to Izuku. He was only wearing black underwear, and the dusky morning light threw shadows across his muscles in sharp relief. He was propped up on one arm, the other hand playing with Izuku's dick while he grinned like the Cheshire cat. "Morning, sunshine," he said, seeing Izuku had half-sat up.

"Well?" Izuku said, his voice husky. He hadn't necessarily expected this. Actually, he'd rarely managed to fantasize about Katsuki, the thoughts feeling too off-limits. But when he did, it was never like this.

"Gonna blow your sleepy nerd mind," Katsuki said before licking him again, slowly. "Gonna wake you up so you fucking listen to me."

When he finally started sucking Izuku off, he was still slow, languid, his body relaxed. Izuku could live forever in this moment, watching Katsuki's messy, blond head move slowly up and down, each movement shooting fire through his veins. Yes, he could live like that forever, except that it was driving him absolutely mad. Katsuki was teasing him, and Izuku was tired, horny, and relatively annoyed.

Pushing himself up to his elbows, he reached down to grab Katsuki's hair, just to hurry him up a little. And maybe a little, tiny bit of vengeance. Except once he had a hold of that choppy blonde hair, he couldn't help but grab hold. Couldn't help but push Katsuki's head down harder, the need too strong to resist. A few more thrusts upwards and Katsuki was actually making choking noises. Izuku pulled him off his dick by his hair.

"Like it when I'm rough?" he found himself saying. He wasn't exactly sure where this attitude had come from, but damn, Katsuki looked good with a thin line of drool falling from his lips, eyes wide and wet.

"I should piss you off every morning," Katsuki replied, voice raspy.

"That's not an answer," Izuku told him, gripping his hair tighter. To be fair, Izuku usually was submissive, but there was something different with Katsuki. Maybe it was the sheer pleasure of controlling someone with such a massive ego, or watching a maybe the most prideful person in the country debase himself for Izuku but… he was addicted to it.

"Knock yourself out, Deku," Katsuki said, voice rough. "Knock me out while you're at it, too."

It was all the permission Izuku needed. He wanted Katsuki's face back on his cock, and he got it. He blithely ignored his own obscene noises and focused on the jolt of pleasure that came each time he thrust into Katsuki's mouth.

He might deny it later, but what pushed him over the edge was holding Katsuki down while he choked, fucking Katsuki's mouth mercilessly. He came hard, with some kind of breathy wail, and finally released Katsuki, who coughed, face on Izuku's stomach. Izuku was too gone to care, his body buzzing pleasantly with the after-effects of his orgasm.

Then, Katsuki began his second eldritch horror impression of the morning by climbing up Izuku's stomach, mouth wet, eyes and nose streaming. Izuku blinked at him, his mind still static.

"Deku," Katsuki rumbled. "What the hell."

Izuku's eyes flew open. "Wait, was that too much? Oh my god I'm so s-"

"No," Katsuki laughed breathily. "Just. What. When? How did you get so fucking pushy, huh?" He dropped onto the bed next to Izuku, head on his chest. "I thought I was gonna have to fucking woo you with like, flowers and shit to make you put out."

"Who doesn't think that," Izuku muttered, a little resentful. Though not that resentful, because he really didn't have the ability for negative emotions yet. And Katsuki had considered wooing him? What?

"But you just drop into my life, ready to wreck my shit," Katsuki sighed. "So fucking good. Never change."

"Oh." Izuku blinked down at him, and with effort, Katsuki hauled himself up for a kiss. A deep kiss that tasted like cum. Ugh. Izuku kissed him anyway, because it was technically his own fault, and this was likely Katsuki's revenge. Which he deserved to have, given what Izuku had just done to him.

"Anyway," Katsuki said, eyes gleaming, "How did it feel to throat fuck the country's #8 hero?"

"What?!" Izuku shouted. "You, what?"

"That's what I was trying to tell you earlier," Katsuki grinned, looking horribly smug. Way too smug for someone just choking on Izuku's cock.

"You jerk! " Izuku wailed. "Kacchan, why didn't you say so! That's amazing!"

"Damn right," Katsuki purred. The smug effect was somewhat ruined as he wiped his face with a corner of the blanket. "Todoroki was so fucking sour I beat him that he congratulated me. What a joke."

"He was probably being sincere," Izuku sighed.

"For a guy with zero sense of humor, that fucker is never sincere," Katsuki huffed. Neither of those things was true. Todoroki had a great sense of humor, and Izuku didn't know anyone more sincere than him. But there was no point in arguing with Katsuki about Shouto. The two of them had some weird truce that apparently didn't include viciously insulting each other, but Izuku wisely stayed out of it.

"Well, I'm being sincere. Congratulations." Izuku didn't bother to hide how proud he felt.

"Thanks, baby." That was accompanied by a peck on the forehead. "Gonna clean up."

Izuku spent another five minutes marveling at how much pet names ruined his train of thought, before following him to the bathroom.

Apparently becoming part of the Top Ten meant Katsuki became hellishly busy. Izuku, amazingly, could hardly be bothered to miss Katsuki. He was also horrifically busy; he barely had time to breathe. And when he did, Katsuki's face was plastered on something - someone's merch, TV screens, posters. #YoureWelcomeGZ was overwhelming, and Katsuki was strutting around in the eye of the storm. Mina always called him an attention whore, and it was hard to refute at this point.

As the newest member of the Top Ten, he'd been immediately dragged into the highest-level investigations. He'd been working crazy hours, getting caught up on cases. Izuku saw him once when he dropped by to grab more of Izuku's journals and exactly one heated kiss.

Izuku tried to quell the feeling that he was being left behind.

He still somehow found time to text Izuku constantly. Izuku wondered if anyone ever asked him to stop, but, well, he could easily imagine how well that would go. (Very badly.)

So, somehow, despite officially dating for over a week, the next time Izuku saw him was at work. It was at one of the rolling, monthly meetings meant to keep everyone up to date on major threats and efforts. To keep everyone on the same page, so to speak. Various top heroes gave rundowns, and Izuku took attentive notes.

Then it was Katsuki giving a presentation. Somehow, it had been ages since he'd seen Katsuki do anything in an official Hero Association capacity, and it was giving him a sense of vertigo. Katsuki was dressed in his typical inactive-duty Ground Zero outfit of a tight black tank top with the orange X, sleek gray sweatpants, boots, and sunglasses atop his blond hair. He slapped a big stack of papers on the lectern, and launched into a nuanced summary of the last year in his industrial sector, as well as projections for the future.

It was all too easy to forget that Katsuki had been consistently at the top of every class. It was all too hard to forget that he'd also been choking on Izuku's dick earlier that week. The persistent sense of vertigo returned, but Izuku was also an excellent student, so he took meticulous notes even if he blushed his way through the entire talk. Even if he couldn't help but notice the other brave souls in the room checking Katsuki out. He even managed not to be that jealous about it.

He'd nearly made it out of the building when someone yanked him into an empty hallway. On guard, Izuku grabbed the arm, used their momentum against them, and slammed Katsuki into the wall. The man blinked at him, sunglasses askew.

"Wow, Deks, you really are a dom."

"Don't surprise me like that!" Izuku squeaked.

"I take it back, after hearing that noise," Katsuki snorted. "You sound like someone stepped on a chihuahua."

"And you look," Izuku meant to shoot back, but ended up losing his train of thought. Katsuki looked like sex and danger, leaning against the wall as if Izuku hadn't just thrown him there. The phrases hot as hell and drop-dead gorgeous (emphases on the 'drop dead') ran through his mind.

"Earth to Deku," Katsuki said. "I'm trying to ask you out, you fucker."

"I thought we were already going out?" Izuku said, considering the words. They had been, hadn't they? Even if they hadn't spent time together, they'd been in touch. Thanks to Katsuki's clingy texting, he even knew when the man was showering or… Actually, maybe that was intentional. There were some steamy photos of Katsuki with highly strategic camera placement in his messages, and-

"A date, Deku," Katsuki waved a hand in front of his face. "Did I actually suck the last brain cell out of your pretty little head?"

"Maybe," Izuku laughed. "Um, when?"

"Tonight," Katsuki grunted. "Don't care if you're working, take the night off."

"Wow."

"I'm on the Striker case now," Katsuki grinned, looking a bit maniacal. He must be excited about it. "I start next week. Gonna be swamped."

"Just tell me when and where," said Izuku. "Though Uraraka's gonna throw a fit if I skip karaoke again." He did feel guilty about it, actually. He didn't think she'd really begrudge him once he explained the situation.

Katsuki stared at him, red eyes turned amber in the afternoon sun. "I'm sorry, but when did I give you the impression I that gave a shit?"

It's typically hard to be mad at someone so pretty, but Katsuki makes it easy. "'Cause I give a shit about my friends," Izuku said sternly. "And you supposedly give a shit about me."

"Fine!" Katsuki threw his hands in the air. "Asshole. Dinner at seven, and we can go to your motherfucking karaoke nightmare after."

"Thanks, Kacchan!" Izuku was immune to this particular form of temper tantrum, and darted forwards to hug Katsuki. "You're the best." He was rewarded with a soft kiss on the top of his head.

"I definitely am."

Katsuki collected Izuku from his apartment at 6:45 PM.

"Exactly how many pairs of sunglasses do you have?" Izuku asked. These ones were ray bans with an incredibly tacky fire pattern on the sides. Katsuki was literally the only person who could have pulled them off, and then only because anyone who said otherwise might be found later, with limbs missing.

"Twenty or more," Katsuki replied, like this was normal.

"Freak," Izuku muttered.

"Yo, some of us don't want to wear the same shit every day."

"I'm cute, and I don't care what you think," Izuku replied. He'd put on a different shirt for this, damn it. Dark blue jeans and nice, crew neck sweatshirt were good, right? Maybe a little plain, but it was hard to look good next to Katsuki, who'd somehow developed an eccentric fashion taste over time in addition to his pathological need to stand out. No matter what Izuku wore, it was impossible to match him. Today it was a neon orange, velvet bomber over a white shirt with some violent-looking green graphic on it, and jeans so light they were nearly white.

"Anyway, you can't talk. You look like a cheeto," Izuku said, running his hands over the jacket. It was nice, he had to admit, if not a bit eccentric. Katsuki leaned into the touch. "A soft cheeto," Izuku amended.

"You look like a freshman asked to prom by a senior," Bakugo chuckled. "Fucking wanna rip your clothes off and dress you myself." Izuku swallowed hard. He totally hadn't imagined that scenario before. Definitely not.

"Some of us don't want to wear cheeto-jackets," Izuku sniffed instead, but Katsuki wouldn't take the bait.

"Sure, nerd. Come on, katsudon's waiting."

Izuku made some excited, unholy screeching noise related to katsudon, which Katsuki barely tolerated, and the two of them were off. On a date. It only took Izuku the entire cab ride to stop blushing. They ended up somewhere south of the city, away from the towering high-rises and press of people.

"Two, for Katsuki," Katsuki said at the door. Izuku supposed his last name was a little recognizable. The hostess led them into the restaurant, a small, homey affair filled with savory smells and the quiet chatter of happy people. They were led to a booth in the back, out of sight of most of the restaurant, and definitely of the street. Izuku wondered if Katsuki had planned this, too. The whole thing was surreal. He wondered if it would ever start to feel real. Could he live in a reality where Katsuki took him on dates? Called him pet names? Promised to go to karaoke with him?

Regardless of Izuku's grasp on reality, Katsuki thumped a menu down in front of him. Izuku stared at it like he'd never seen a menu before.

"If you don't order katsudon, I'm going to lose my shit," he said. Izuku gradually returned to earth.

"What?"

"Supposedly this is the best place. Been thinking about this for ages."

"What?" Izuku was starting to sound like Kaminari after sticking a fork in a socket (they'd only done it once, just to see what happened. What happened was exactly what you'd expect).

"Where I'd take you, if we went out," Katsuki said, very patiently. Too patiently. When Izuku managed to look at his face, he could see the temper brewing. Izuku mentally added 'Katsuki putting effort into dates' into his improbable multiverse theory.

"What else am I getting, then?" Izuku offered a smile. Katsuki ordered for them, clearly having thought this through. Izuku was impressed, despite himself.

He was right. The katsudon was amazing. Barring the homemade version he'd grown up, it might be the best he'd ever had, though he could be biased by the company. Katsuki had put a relatively horrifying amount of chili flakes on his, enough that Izuku actually felt compelled to apologize to the waitress.

Eating was fine. Easy. Izuku didn't have to talk, and Katsuki seemed relatively satisfied at Izuku's rapturous expressions. After that it was harder. As Izuku straightened his napkin for maybe the thirtieth time, Katsuki slapped the table. He jumped.

"Are you fucking nervous, or something?" Katsuki demanded.

"Way to call me out," Izuku folded his arms. Katsuki's expression immediately softened.

"You don't need to be nervous," he said, much more quietly. He looked almost sad, and Izuku suddenly realized that it probably bothered him.

"It's not you," Izuku said, leaning in. "Well, maybe a tiny bit. But I actually haven't been on a date in a really long time." he blushed at the admission. Katsuki's mouth quirked up.

"Same here."

"Wait, really? I thought you saw like, a lot of people."

"Deku, you're way too pure to fuck like you do," Katsuki snorted. "I don't date hookups."

"Oh. Right."

Then Katsuki was chuckling, then laughing. "Shit," he said between laughs, "It's been, what, three years since I've been on a date? I'm fucking washed up."

"Two, for me," Izuku said, getting caught up in the humor. "At least one since I've gotten laid. Talk about washed up."

Katsuki immediately started violently coughing. Izuku pushed a glass of water across the table, but otherwise watched in amusement. "I just never really felt the urge to hook up with people," he said, as Katsuki sipped water.

"You..." he began hoarsely. "That's so long. No wonder you're so fucking horny."

"Hey, not all of us want to fuck someone new every day," Izuku snipped. Maybe, just maybe, he felt a little insecure about it.

"Don't slut-shame me," Katsuki pointed at him. Izuku almost felt bad, until Katsuki gave him a toothy grin. "I'm too busy to fit someone in every day."

"And now there's me," Izuku risked saying. Did Katsuki miss his hookups? He was ready to spiral into that train of thought, until-

"I could fit in you every day."

Izuku sighed. "Don't know why I expected you to say anything else." Katsuki looked enormously pleased with himself. "No, I actually expected you to be a lot more, uh. Pushy. Aggressive?"

Katsuki's smile faded. "Deku, you're like," he trailed off. Then smacked the table again, making Izuku jump. "See! You're jumpy as hell around me and I hate it. Not gonna throw you around when you're like that. You're supposed to enjoy it, not be fucking afraid."

"I'm not afraid," Izuku said automatically.

"And why'd you want to date me if you thought I was going to be like that, huh?"

"Maybe I liked the idea," Izuku snapped, annoyed with Katsuki's concern. He hated feeling like he was being babied, even if Katsuki was trying to be considerate. Which he technically did appreciate. Katsuki was staring at him, hands pressed together, apparently lost in thought.

"Kacchan?"

"Sh. I'm imagining what exactly you like the idea of."

"Well, I didn't expect you to be so, so,"

"Subby?" Katsuki grinned, shifting in his seat. "Bitch, I'm fucking good at everything."

A pause, and Katsuki looked a little more thoughtful. "Actually, I thought it might be easier for you. Fuck, like, if you were in control, you'd be less nervous or something." Izuku thought back to everything they'd done together - Katsuki was right. Outside of the time in the locker room, he'd done pretty much whatever Izuku wanted.

It was actually kind of sweet. "Kacchan," Izuku said, meeting his eyes. "Thanks for taking me out. This is a great date. And I like you."

Katsuki blinked at him, processing the shift in topics. Then he blushed violently as he jerked his head away, looking to the side.

"Fucking sappy, nerd."

"You're cute."

"Nope."

"So cute," Izuku grinned, unable to help himself. His voice turned sing-song. "Sweet, cute Kacchan, being so nice to me." Katsuki turned to him with a growl, face still flaming.

"Yes, I'm fucking cute and nice," Katsuki snapped. "Now quit being a dick about it."

Izuku dissolved into laughter. "So," Izuku said, trying to move the conversation away from sex, "What's up with the Striker case?"

Katsuki turned serious. "Deks, it's confidential." Oh. He wasn't disappointed. Izuku wasn't, he definitely didn't feel the gap between them widening, and he wasn't wondering just how far behind he had to fall before Katsuki stopped liking him.

"Deku," Katsuki said, concern lacing his tone, "It's just regulation. It's not that I don't trust you, but it's my first major case and-"

"It's fine," Izuku said quickly. He hated this feeling, when you feel like you're flying above the world and then something drops an anvil in your chest, and you fall from joy to shell-shocked sadness. He'd been too happy. Something had to happen to even it out.

"Is it?" Katsuki said, skeptical. "Don't fucking lie."

"Doesn't matter," Izuku said quickly, looking down at the table. "You're on the case, and I'm not, so you shouldn't tell me anything. I wouldn't ask you to say anything you shouldn't."

"Well, there's probably some parts I can say?" Izuku hated how Katsuki sounded, his pleading tone, the worry.

"Don't bother," Izuku said, then sighed. He was being a jerk, once again. Ruining their first goddamn date. Falling behind Katsuki. He couldn't do anything right. "Sorry, Kacchan. I don't mean to ruin the mood. I'm just being, well. It just sucks to feel like I'm below you."

There, he'd said it. To his surprise, Katsuki snorted. "Yeah, I fucking bet. It's about goddamn time, though, I've been eating your dust for years."

"H-huh," Izuku stuttered, his spiral of self-hatred completely derailed. Before he knew it, Katsuki was out of his seat, around the table, and in his face.

"Deku. Don't get shitty about it. You're the most annoyingly determined person I know, and if you want it, there's no way in hell you'll fail."

"Kacchan," Izuku whispered, feeling deeply undeserving of Katsuki in that moment.

"I fucking believe in you," Katsuki bit out. "Can't wait to fight you for #1." Izuku looked up at him, memorizing the fierce expression on his face, noting when it shifted to sly, as Katsuki said, "And I'll fucking win."

With a laugh, Izuku shoved him away. "I don't get it," he said, as Katsuki dropped payment on the table. Izuku made a mental note to pay for their next date.

"What?"

"It's weird how your bullshit cheers me up," he said, stepping out into the cold of the evening. Katsuki followed, thanking the owners.

"And Kirishima says I'm not charming," Katsuki sighed, dropping an arm over Izuku's shoulders. "Walk to karaoke?"

"Mm. Sometimes I hate how insecure I still feel," Izuku said, barely paying attention as Katsuki steered them down the sidewalk.

"Yeah?"

"I mean, as a quirkless kid, I was so aware of everything. It was so hard to believe in myself despite it all, and then during elementary school…" Izuku trailed off, feeling Katsuki's arm tighten around him. He'd somehow forgotten the culprit of his past pain was right next to him. He cleared his throat. "I mean, even at UA. I was barely functional in the first year, and yeah. Always comparing myself to All Might, to you, to everyone. Self-confidence is hard."

"Everyone says I have too much self-confidence," Katsuki laughed. "If you average us out, we're like one reasonable person."

Izuku snorted with laughter, feeling much more comfortable. Katsuki goofing off was probably one of his favorite things in the entire world. It felt like the warmth of their childhood friendship reviving after decades of disuse. He took a deep breath. He could be vulnerable.

"Sometimes, I worry if you'll want me if I'm not as good, or better than you," he choked out. Katsuki stopped dead, turning Izuku to face him.

"Fuck that," Katsuki snapped. "I'm not a fucking kid anymore, Deku. There's more worth to someone than how fucking strong they are."

"I- I know."

"And I know it too," Katsuki said. "Even if I love how strong you are."

"Oh." Love?

"Deku." Katsuki stepped in, his lips a whisper away from Izuku's. "Listen up, idiot, and don't forget this shit. I'd want you if you were at the bottom of the rankings. If you weren't on them at all. If you weren't even a hero. I'd want you if you'd grown up quirkless and decided to do something else entirely. I just. I'm not fucking around, Izuku."

The phrase sounded strangely familiar. Izuku opened his mouth, but there wasn't anything he could say to that except I love you , which he couldn't bring himself to voice. So instead, he tipped his chip up, kissing Katsuki on the mouth, tugging him closer. Katsuki hummed with pleasure against him, wrapping him in a hug.

Then suddenly, Katsuki was gone, in a puff of smoke and a lingering smell of sweetness. Blinking at the loss of contact, Izuku looked around. Down the street, Katsuki was grabbing some poor man, shaking him. What the hell? Izuku was still running over by the time he saw Katsuki grab a camera, and explode it. The man wailed something.

"-my card for reimbursement," Katsuki was snarling, pushing a hero card into the man's chest. "You breathe a word of this to anyone, you're fucking dead meat, got it?"

"Y-yes, Ground Zero, sir," the man stuttered.

"Run," Katsuki snapped. The man ran, half-sobbing. Izuku was appalled.

"What the hell, Katsuki?"

"Fucker was taking pictures," Katsuki snarled, clearly still riled up.

"It's just his job," Izuku told him, frowning. "You shouldn't threaten people like that."

"I'll threaten who I damn well want," Katsuki snapped, dusting camera remnants off of his hands.

"I-"

"I don't need your fucking preachy shit, Deku," Katsuki told him, face hard. "We haven't even talked about what we'll do with the press yet. Hero couples are hot news, and fuck me but I'm not gonna let reporters eat you alive."

"I'm not preachy, and I don't need you to protect me," Izuku snapped back. "Don't terrify people on my behalf. We're supposed to be heroes!"

Katsuki glared at him, bristling. Izuku stared back, unintimidated. A protective Katsuki unchecked would be, well, dangerous. He had to nip this in the bud, even if it was starting to feel like he was having a staring contest with a wild animal.

"Ungrateful fucker," Katsuki finally said, looking away. Izuku let out a silent sigh of relief. Tentatively, he put a hand out to one of Katsuki's fists. After a second, his hand relaxed, fingers interlacing with Izuku's. Nevermind that his palms were nearly scalding, post-explosion. Izuku wouldn't change him for the world.

"Guess we still have a lot to work out," Izuku said, gently. Katsuki glanced at him, confused.

"You're not pissed?"

I love you , Izuku thought. He said, "Even you have to have some flaws, Kacchan."

"Keep that up, and I'll kiss you in public again," Katsuki said, voice gruff. "And then I'll have to threaten even more photographers." Izuku gave him one of those wide, innocent smiles he was known for, one which he was not above weaponizing.

"Even though your flaws are enormous and overwhelming," he added, smile in full-force. Katsuki's face went through rapid expressions of rage, annoyance, tenderness, and shock.

"Ungrateful fucker," Katsuki finally repeated, his expression finally settling on fond. He squeezed Izuku's hand.

"Your hand is sweaty," Izuku said cheekily.

"Keep bitching and I'll make it explode," Katsuki snorted.

"So, so cute and nice," Izuku muttered under his breath.

Katsuki had not come to karaoke since UA. The last time, if Izuku remembered correctly, had included a shocking amount of begging from Kirishima, and Katsuki leaving after thirty minutes into the session to do "literally anything else, Jesus fucking Christ."

This time wasn't notably better. By the time they'd reached the place, Katsuki was sullen and withdrawn. It was half-touching that he'd come for Izuku, and half-gratifying to torment him with good times with friends. All in all, it seemed like a great deal to Izuku.

Uraraka flung herself onto Izuku the moment they walked through the door. Katsuki discreetly scooted away, out of the hug zone.

"Izuuuukuuu," she said, already flushed. "Everyone's upstairs. We have a room. And booze. You guys are late," she finished, glaring at Katsuki.

"Yeah, yeah, it's my fault," Katsuki growled. "Let's get this over with."

"You really like him?" Uraraka asked in a stage whisper, glaring at Katsuki, who was stomping on ahead. He paused to turn and flip off Uraraka, before continuing with a huff.

"I know, right?" Izuku sighed.

"He doesn't seem like he'd make a good boyfriend," Uraraka frown, concentrating on getting the whole sentence out. It was endearing, even if it forced Izuku to say,

"We're just dating for now," he said. It didn't bother him. He would go at Katsuki's pace or so help him god.

"Lame. Let's go sing about it, express your feelings through sooong!"

"Sure, sure," Izuku laughed. It was hard to be upset around a cheerful Ochako, and the truth was that He loved karaoke. Uraraka 'guided' him upstairs, which is another way of saying she hung off of Izuku's shoulder while he half-carried her up the stairs. She, like Izuku, was a lightweight.

They opened the door to a beautiful sight. Kirishima and Kaminari had already dogpiled Katsuki onto the couch, Mina and Jirou were laughing their asses off, and Shouto was very enthusiastically cheering on Dark Shadow, who was singing "Enter Night," by Metallica. Momo appeared to be having a headache.

Shouto's enthusiasm could maybe be attributed to Inasa, who was perched on one of the stools lined against the wall, tambourining along with Dark Shadow. Tokoyami looked very put upon. Izuku carefully deposited Uraraka between Jirou and Tokoyami, thus taking the last seat in the place.

"Nerd!" Ah, Katsuki. He'd successfully wrestled Kirishima and Kaminari off of him, leaving them in an 'accidental' heap on the sofa next to him. "Looking for a seat?"

Pervert. But then, who was Izuku to refuse him? It's not like there were better options. Without a second thought, he slid over the back of the couch and plopped into Katsuki's lap. Reflexively, Katsuki's arms slid around his waist, his chin resting on his shoulder. It was nice. They'd somehow become comfortable in each other's space, an easy companionship.

Izuku was an idiot. He'd told Uraraka about them dating. She'd been unsatisfyingly unsurprised, and a little concerned, but ultimately supportive. Uraraka was also a great friend, who never gossiped about anything important.

Kirishima and Kaminari combined looked smugger than Katsuki at his smuggest, which is saying a lot. The rest of the room was staring at Izuku. Or maybe at Katsuki, who'd taken the opportunity to slide one hand up his shirt.

"Hi guys," he said, waving a little.

" It's just the beasts under your bed," Dark Shadow sang. Izuku could feel Katsuki smirking against his neck.

"Finally," Shouto said. "You both are dense idiots. Glad you're happy." Inasa looked nearly moved to tears by the speech.

"Yeah, actually that took way longer than I expected," Mina said.

"Hey, I was fucking putting in effort," Katsuki protested. "Midoriya's the goddamn dense one."

Inasa started tambourining again, apparently unwilling to leave Dark Shadow without instrumentals.

"Sooooo, Katsukiiiiiii," Jirou said, leaning all the way across Uraraka's lap. "You gonna sing sweet Deku a love song?"

Izuku pointed at her triumphantly. "A great idea! Kacchan! Do it!"

"Hell no," Katsuki snorted. "I'd rather fucking die."

"Please," Uraraka tried puppy eyes. Katsuki removed his hand from under Izuku's shirt to flip her off. Then replaced it deliberately, fingers curling over Izuku's abs.

"Kacchan," Izuku said, trying to sound disapproving.

"Let me have my fun," he sulked. "I hate this shit."

"You suck," Izuku proclaimed, and accepted a beer from Momo, who seemed to be enabling the chaos.

"You'll want this," she sighed, then leaned down to help Jirou upright. She was right, and Izuku sipped the beer while Kaminari did a fairly impressive rendition of "I am Electric' by Heaven's Basement.

"He does this one every time," Izuku whispered to Katsuki.

"And I don't care," he said.

"So sulky," Izuku chided him, moving against him just a little. Just enough to tease. Just enough to be rewarded by Katsuki's growl in his ear.

Jirou was next, as she tended to at least go every third time, being by far the most enthusiastic about singing. Everyone really enjoyed Momo's facial expressions while Jirou belted "Cherry Pie," and Izuku was starting to deeply suspect who Momo's late night outs had been with.

"Deku," Kirishima said, leaning into his face. "It's your turn."

"It's not," Izuku groaned.

"No, it really is," Katsuki said, the traitor. "Fucking dragged me here. Time to put out, baby."

"Don't be mean," Kirishima punched his friend in the shoulder.

"Baby!" Jirou shouted, unhelpfully.

"I am mean," Katsuki replied, sounding happier than he had since they got here, and bodily pushed Izuku off the couch.

"Time for your song!" Uraraka shouted, snatching the controls from Momo, who shrugged. Izuku took the mic from Jirou, wishing there was a window he could throw himself out of. The first sounds of CASCADA's Every Time We Touch began playing. Izuku considered using Full Cowling to make a window to throw himself out of.

He looked out at everyone, realizing they were happy and cheering him on. Sure, Katsuki looked deeply pleased with himself, but he shouldn't be enough to stop Izuku from belting out the best worst song of the century.

So he did it. The first few lines were hard. He was quiet, feeling so damn nervous. That was, until he realized Mina and Inasa (for some reason) were already belting out the song, albeit mic-lessly, and he started to feel the beer, and well, muscle memory. So what if he'd done this song maybe a hundred times before? Hero-ing was stressful. CASCADA was not.

Izuku threw himself into the song, putting on a damn performance. Katsuki wanted him to sing? Fine! Izuku did sing, going as far as pointing, gesturing dramatically, various improvised dance moves. Yes, Izuku really liked karaoke. No, Izuku did not half-ass things.

He ended the song to his friends cheerful, drunken applause, and walked back to Katsuki while doing his best not to be horribly self-conscious. Katsuki was clearly far soberer than anyone else in the room and had this weird, amused smile on his face. But once Izuku reached him, Katsuki grabbed his cheeks with both hands, pulling him close, their faces only inches apart.

"You're so-" he started, then stopped, eyes searching Izuku's face. Izuku took the opportunity to blush like an idiot. "Fucking stupid cute," Katsuki finished in a rush, then kissed him on the nose, then forehead, and cheeks, peppering his face mercilessly with kisses while their friends wolf-whistled. Izuku was awash with happiness, and allowed himself to be scooped back on to Katsuki's lap.

Kirishima started attempting Rap God by Eminem, a tradition for karaoke night that always ended badly.

"I've heard him practicing this," Katsuki muttered. "Quick, Deku, gouge out my fucking ears."

Kaminari looked over, face pained. Izuku felt bad that Katsuki had insulted his friend until Kaminari moaned, "Dude I know, I have to hear this all the time. Put me out of my misery."

Noticing their complaining, Kirishima grinned and went even louder, making Kaminari dissolve into giggles. Cute, Izuku thought.

"It's pretty fun, right?" Izuku said, looking at Katsuki.

"Could be worse," he murmured. "But I'm ready to get out of here."

Izuku turned to him with a frown. Was Katsuki having that bad of a time? "Already?"

"Deku," Katsuki leaned in to whisper in his ear. "I'm tryna get laid, and I wake up at 5:00 AM tomorrow. I want to fuck, now . My place or yours?"