14 Chapter 14

It started as a fun bonding idea. How long could Izuku and Katsuki ignore their phones after the disaster interview? Katsuki alone got forty-five texts during their post-interview dinner.

Izuku, being the good-natured one, caved first literally the very next morning (Katsuki was not impressed). Suika didn't deserve the silent treatment, and Izuku felt bad about all the missed calls. All thirty of them. To his surprise, Suika was horribly apologetic over the phone, and felt very distressed that he was a terrible agent and had let Izuku down. And in a way, Izuku realized, he was right. That question should never have been asked in the first place, and it was Suika's job to ensure that. Regardless, it had happened and now they had to deal with it. Izuku had never been someone to hold grudges.

"It's not great right now, honestly," Suika was saying, voice timid over the phone. "This soon in the game most articles will just be clips of Ground Zero snapping at the interviewer, although lengthier articles will be coming out soon and we really have two main options. Either you make a statement and hope it helps, or we say nothing and see how it plays out. I'm trying to set up a meeting with Ono and Ground Zero, to discuss media strategies. We can't have Ground Zero exploding like that every time something like this comes up, because it definitely will on the media's radar now."

"I'll make time for it," Izuku sighed. "You think it'll be bad?"

"Brace yourself," was all Suika said. "Just remember that these kinds of low-tier articles don't reflect who you are, okay? Some people will make anything toxic, no matter what the truth is."

Izuku tried to keep that in mind, but two day's time saw him sprinting around the track at headquarters, trying to burn off the sting of the articles about him and Ground Zero. Every time he checked, there seemed to be fresh idiocy in the gossip mills. Most of it Izuku could brush off, even though the digs at Katsuki made him burningly angry. One article, though, had made him furious. Furious enough that this was his fortieth lap, and he planned to run until he collapsed. Which would hopefully be soon, because he'd already been at it for what felt like hours. As his feet pounded over the astroturf, the headline of the article echoed in his head:

HOW CAN DEKU STAND UP FOR JUSTICE IF HE CAN'T STAND UP FOR HIMSELF

The article dug into Izuku for not saying something in the interview, implying a wide variety of horrible things, from saying that Izuku deserved to be bullied because he didn't stand up for himself, to saying that since he was a victim of bullying, he couldn't be a hero.

It brought him right back to before UA, when Katsuki had placed a burning hand on his shoulder and told him to not even bother applying. Okay, so Izuku was a little bit mad at Katsuki. He knew it wasn't strictly fair, and that was why he was burning the emotions out by running to the point of exhaustion.

If Katsuki hadn't bullied him, he wouldn't be in this situation now. People wouldn't be writing articles doubting that he, the past victim of a bully, could be a hero. People wouldn't be writing articles wondering if a past bully could be a hero in the present. And then Izuku also felt a bone-deep weariness, born from the constant pain in the world. How many kids were still being bullied? How many people's confidence had to be destroyed? Was it really so hard to be kind to people?

Izuku only stopped running when he saw Katsuki walking out onto the field. He was wearing baggy pants and a tight tank top, hands deep in his pockets. Izuku jogged over, trying to shove down the thorny feeling in his heart.

Katsuki jerked his chin up in acknowledgment, his posture softening only when Izuku came to a stop before him. Apparently sensing Izuku's mood, Katsuki just said, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

The tangled mess in Izuku's chest rose up. "What's wrong with you?" He retorted. Katsuki's eyebrows shot up.

"Well excuse the fuck out of me," Katsuki folded his arms. "Am I not allowed to ask if you're okay?"

"Why did you do it," Izuku said, chest heaving. Sweat was running down his forehead, stinging his eyes, but he didn't care.

"I'm not playing some goddamn guessing game," Katsuki frowned. "Tell me what's going on, or I'll fucking go to the PR meeting by myself."

Oh, they had the PR meeting this afternoon. Katsuki had said he'd come pick up Izuku. Some of the fight drained out of him, leaving Izuku feeling exhausted.

"The bullying, Kacchan. I know you apologized, but why? What did I do? Why did I deserve it?"

Katsuki froze. "The hell? You didn't deserve it, Izuku. And I was just a shithead-"

"Don't just insult your past self," Izuku interjected. "I already know you were an ass. I want to know why. Why were you like that? Why to me? Why did I deserve it?"

Katsuki sighed, unfolding his arms. He was clearly fighting his temper, and seemed to be winning for the moment. "Do we need to do this right here? Right now?"

Izuku clenched his jaw. He could probably bury this feeling, push it down again, but it was there nonetheless, festering and he wanted to lance the wound. It was strange, but the nicer Katsuki was to him, the more he resented how he'd acted in the past. It was as if seeing Katsuki's potential for kindness made him wonder why he couldn't have been kind back then.

"I just don't understand," Izuku said, his voice catching. Katsuki took a step forward as if to hug him. Izuku took a jerky step back, unconscious. Katsuki's face shuttered.

"It's not fucking easy for me to talk about," he ground out. "And I don't like having it dropped in my lap out of the blue."

"Well, I don't like having my hero ability suddenly called into question because you just had to bully me as a kid! Because you couldn't let me speak for myself when it came up!"

"What?" Katsuki's face shifted from resentful to outraged. "Who said that? And I fucking couldn't just say nothing when that bitch was gunning for you!"

"Article," Izuku snapped. He wished he'd had his phone with him, so he could thrust it in Katsuki's face. Regardless, Katsuki's posture shifted as he relaxed into a slouch.

"That's what this is about? Don't read that bullcrap," Katsuki sighed, the tension bleeding out of his words. "It's all complete garbage. They've been spewing that crap about me since the fucking sludge incident."

Izuku stared at him, throat tight. He was angry, but he hadn't thought about it from Katsuki's perspective. Izuku could count the number of negative articles he'd had written about him on both hands, which was astronomically low. Katsuki was just a kid when they'd started talking shit about him. It actually hurt to think about. He'd always looked up to Katsuki, but in retrospect? Katsuki was only sixteen when the papers started to tear him apart. From an adult perspective, it seemed surprisingly cruel.

"How do you deal with it? I don't know what to do," Izuku said, his heart in his throat. He was a little mad, but now he just felt heartbroken. Heartbroken that people could talk so harshly about victims of bullying, that people would be so harsh on teenagers just trying their best. Catching Izuku's expression, Katsuki's face softened.

"Come here," he said. Izuku fell into him, and was immediately pulled into a hug. Katsuki was warm, solid, and Izuku was in tears immediately. There was something about being comforted that always made him cry harder. He heard Katsuki's laugh rumble in his chest.

"I dealt with it by being fucking angry and blowing shit up, Deku. Not sure that's your thing."

"It just hurts to know that people talk like that, that people pay to read it," Izuku sniffled. "I think about me as a kid, and how small and hopeful I was. It makes me so angry to hear people say kid-me couldn't be a hero just because of what he was put through. Just, how dare they? I was trying so goddamn hard!"

"I know, I know. It's fucked up," Katsuki agreed, squeezing Izuku closer. "I know it's a shitty cliché, but it's just a part of our job. We get glimpses of glory, but most of it's shit. Seeing people get hurt, bearing the blame, being an outlet for the frustration of every small-minded fucker out there. It fucking sucks sometimes, sweetheart." Izuku was really crying now.

"Such a crybaby," Katsuki said softly, stroking Izuku's back. "Look, I got you, okay? We'll do whatever we have to to get through this bullshit. You know I'd fucking murder the lot of them for you if you'd let me, right?"

"Don't murder anyone," Izuku mumbled, feeling a laugh bubble up. It came out wet and broken, but it was a laugh all the same.

"No promises," Katsuki frowned. Izuku looked up at him, blinking away tears. Katsuki took a deep breath. "About everything else. Why I bullied you and… it's honestly a hard thing for me to talk about. Can we talk about it another time? Maybe not in the middle of your HQ's rec area?"

"Kacchan," Izuku said softly. "I'm sorry I blew up at you."

"S'okay," Katsuki murmured.

"We can talk about it when you're ready."

"Thanks, baby." Katsuki took a deep breath. "And I'm sorry I exploded in that interview. I saw the look on your face and just fucking saw red. I wanted to rip out that woman's wagging tongue, but it wasn't my place to speak for you."

"It's okay," Izuku said, scrubbing his face against Katsuki's chest, making his tank top wet with tears. "Honestly, I didn't want to talk in that interview after what she said. I was glad you stepped in, actually. I was just mad about what that horrible article said and I'm sorry I took it out on you."

"It's alright," Katsuki said, with a crooked grin. "I know you're not used to this bullshit. Don't read that garbage anymore, or at least take it with a grain of salt. A fucking mountain of salt, actually."

"You'd take it with a mountain of chili flakes," Izuku snorted. Katsuki flicked his nose gently.

"You know me so well."

They cleaned up in the locker room and headed to Katsuki's PR department. Izuku took a burning shower, and Katsuki had donned the KIWI sweater again and managed to look vaguely unrecognizable with the hood up. Izuku tried and failed not to make fun of him, because he enjoyed Katsuki's shouted retorts. They held hands in the taxi on the way to the PR company's office. Izuku felt the frenetic energy of his run ebbing away under Katsuki's warm hand.

Thankfully, no reporters had gotten wind of them, so they were able to meet Suika and Ono in front of the building. It was a scorching day, yet another note of weirdness this summer. It seemed every day alternated from burning heat to pouring rain, but meteorologists were stumped.

Anyway, it was hot enough that Suika wasn't even wearing a blazer, opting for a salmon button-up over green shorts. Izuku bounded over and hugged him, earning an 'oof' from the slight man. Suika had been his rep since he graduated, and they'd been through a lot together. Katsuki followed more slowly, looking vaguely disgusted at the display of affection. He raised a hand in greeting, then flinched when Suika tore away from Izuku to bow.

"Ground Zero sir! It's nice to meet you! I'm Suika Satoshi!"

"Calm your tits," Katsuki drawled, and Ono reached up and smacked him on the shoulder with a newspaper.

"Manners! Suika is a very respected colleague of mine, and you will not bully him."

"Yes, please keep telling me what to do," Katsuki snorted. "That always goes well." He turned back to Suika, who flinched at his look. "Just call me Bakugou, like a goddamn normal person."

"Uh, let's go inside," Izuku suggested, then turned to Ono. "I'm Midoriya Izuku, also known as Deku. Nice to meet you!"

Ono bowed slightly, smiling. She was a short, slight woman with black, cropped hair. Her smile reminded Izuku of a crocodile. "Nice to meet you, Deku. I've heard so much about you."

Izuku shot a suspicious look at Katsuki, but they finally headed into the building and out of the heat. The four of them hashed out their plan, which was about 50% strategy and 50% telling Katsuki he couldn't just scream at everyone who pissed him off. Katsuki took this with minimal bitching, which Izuku assured Suika was a good sign.

Izuku left the meeting feeling considerably calmer, especially once Ono had showed him her collection of the Top Ten Worst Articles about Ground Zero. They were bad. Really bad, like, Izuku would be crying in his shower if it were about him bad. There were homophobic ones, biphobic ones, ones flat out announcing that Ground Zero was a villain, as well as a string of false accusations of everything from property damage to civillian attacks. Katsuki only looked a little grumpy about Izuku looking over his articles, but apparently it was worth it if it cheered up Izuku.

That didn't stop Suika from leaning into Izuku and whispering, "You sure you like this guy?" which made Izuku snort so loudly Katsuki asked what was going on, which in turn made Suika bid them all a hasty farewell.

They made the best out of their mutual day off. Katsuki didn't want to fuck up his sleep schedule, so he napped in Izuku's bed while Izuku worked on research for his current cases. Katsuki couldn't scold Izuku for working in his time off if he was asleep, after all. Izuku got a little too wrapped up in his work, because he didn't notice Katsuki awaken, pad all the way across the room, and drop onto his hunched over back for a hug. He shrieked in surprise, trying to squirm away. Katsuki was too heavy though, and his arms were definitely holding him down intentionally.

"Morning, little nerd," Katsuki rumbled in his ear, sending shivers down his back.

"Kacchan," Izuku choked out, trying to shift mental gears from deep-dive research to… whatever this was. "What are you doing?"

"You, hopefully," Katsuki said, tugging him away from the chair. Ah, that's what this was. "My next day off is full of some signing and public appearance bullshit. I don't know when we'll next get to have some fun, Deks."

"Right, fun," Izuku said, his head spinning. And then spinning more, as Katsuki picked him and set his back against a wall. Izuku blinked down at him, dizzied by the sudden change in position. "You're very active for someone who just woke up."

"True," Katsuki frowned, then dropped him. Izuku landed on his feet with a squeak. Katsuki shot him a significant look. "Maybe you should do the work, then."

"I just spent four hours researching," Izuku complained. "You're well-rested and my mind is mush."

Katsuki tilted his head, considering. Izuku was pretty sure he'd never been so thoroughly eye-fucked before. "Is this your shitty way of telling me to take control?"

"Mayb-"

"Because I will," Katsuki followed up immediately, leaning into Izuku's personal space. Izuku literally felt all his blood rush downwards. Katsuki's hand came to cup the side of Izuku's neck, before tracing a line up his jaw. He was avoiding Izuku's neck. He was sure of it.

"You don't like choking," Izuku blurted out. Katsuki froze.

"Uh."

"Am I right?" Izuku didn't mean to push, but he was curious. Given Katsuki's obvious enjoyment of being in control, he'd think it was right in line with everything else, but Katsuki's shoulders were drooping. Izuku was suddenly afraid he'd pushed too hard. "Kacchan, I'm sorry, I won't bring it up again."

"It's not that," Katsuki swallowed hard. "I just have, fuck. Baggage. I have baggage."

"Do you want to talk about it? Izuku asked gently. Katsuki met his eyes, reluctance written all over his face. Then he sighed.

"Not all of my exes trusted my hands. My last boyfriend was a model, and he was particularly… he ended up afraid of me," Katsuki said, voice measured. "He couldn't risk damaging his perfect fucking skin. Wanted to be the best model in the country, et cetera."

"Where's the risk?" Izuku blurted, outraged that anyone could think that of Katsuki. "Have you ever even accidentally hurt someone? Let alone someone you were with?"

Izuku had meant it as a rhetorical question, Katsuki held up his hands to consider them. How could someone think that of Katsuki? Katsuki who'd never accidentally hurt someone in his life? Notwithstanding intentional injuries… but he was someone with a naturally dangerous, hard-to-control quirk. He was also someone who'd developed an insane level of control over that destructive force.

"Not outside of collateral damage on missions," Katsuki shrugged. Izuku held up his hands, scarred and twisted as they were.

"I'm not worried about my skin," he said, wiggling his fingers. "I'm already grotesque."

Katsuki cracked a smile. "Don't fucking fish for compliments."

"But Kacchan, you dated models," Izuku whined playfully. "I can't compaaare."

"You could date models too, if you didn't have such shit taste in men," Katsuki grunted.

"I'm dating you," Izuku pointed out.

Katsuki's smile widened to a grin. "Exactly."

"And you've done modeling," Izuku clarified.

"That was ages ago. You saw that crap?"

Izuku thought about the saved picture on his phone, and blushed. Katsuki looked delighted, his smile stretching to look a little more dangerous. "Wow look at you, creeping on my shit way back when."

"I've always been creeping on your shit," Izuku said defensively. As if that made it less mortifying.

"Never stop," Katsuki said, fighting a smile. Izuku didn't try to hide the way that made him smile, the way it made his whole body feel warm. Maybe they were good for each other, after all. Maybe he had something to offer Katsuki, and vice versa. So he lifted his chin in invitation.

"I trust you," he said, meeting Katsuki's eyes. "And I like that kind of thing, so if you want to, you should. I know you'd never hurt me." He swallowed hard, feeling vulnerable. Katsuki's eyes were dark, examining him. Then slowly, achingly slowly, he lifted a hand. Izuku was nearly trembling with the tension of holding still, but then he felt the warmth of Katsuki's hand on his neck, feather-light and gentle. He felt Katsuki's thumb trace the vulnerable skin under his jaw.

"You always seemed a little fixated on my neck," Izuku risked saying, remembering the near-dozen hickeys he'd gotten that first night. Katsuki's hand twitched, the motion sending trickles of pleasure down through Izuku's body. "Thought it was strange you wouldn't do this."

"You might be right," Katsuki admitted, voice low, leaning in. "I might have a thing for this."

Izuku tried desperately not to be horribly turned on, but it was impossible. Just the knowledge that the hand on his throat could destroy buildings, that Katsuki held his life in his hands, was making Izuku feel all sorts of things. Filthy, delightful things.

Izuku focused on breathing. This was an important moment for Katsuki, and they were exploring their growing trust in each other and Izuku would not be a horny asshole about it. Not even when Katsuki's grip tightened, pulling Izuku away from the wall and into his face.

"You know how to tap out, right?" His voice was rough with excitement. Izuku gave up on not being a horny asshole.

"Yes," he said, breathless, and tapped Katsuki's shoulder to demonstrate. Katsuki let him go immediately, with a skeptical look.

"And since you're an idiot, you gotta promise not to push it. Don't want you getting hurt 'cause you think you're tough shit."

Guilty as charged. "I promise," Izuku told him.

"Good, cause I'm about to wreck you," Katsuki growled, pinning Izuku against the wall. He kissed Izuku hungrily, one hand running up his abs, his chest, to land on his throat. Izuku moaned at the touch, his voice raspy. Katsuki swore under his breath, fingers squeezing against the side of his neck. Izuku sank into the heady feeling, the headspace where he gave up control, where he let his partner dominate him.

Katsuki backed Izuku up against the wall and kissed him sloppily, his mouth demanding and unrelenting. Izuku melted against him, lost in the sensation. He didn't even notice he was getting light-headed until Katsuki let him go, and murmured, "Breathe for a second, baby."

Izuku sucked in air and stared up into Katsuki's face like it was the only thing left in the universe. Katsuki's pupils were blown wide with desire, lips parted. Izuku kept his eyes on him while Katsuki's hand moved from his neck to his jaw, as pressed his thumb into Izuku's mouth. With a jolt, Izuku realized he'd been pathetically humping Katsuki's thigh. He made some sort of dismayed noise, and tried to stop.

"Nope," Katsuki growled, and ground his thigh between Izuku's legs. The contact sent waves of pleasure shuddering up his body, making him moan around Katsuki's thumb. "Keep it up, lil' Deku. I want to see you cum for me, and then I'm going to fuck your pretty ass up against the wall."

"Mmm," Izuku managed to say around the finger in his mouth, despite the dirty words melting the last of his capacity for rational thought. He was pretty sure he'd drooled a bit, and his eyes were wet. He was an absolute hot mess and it was turning him on probably more than it should. Katsuki mercifully removed the finger, and raised his eyebrows in silent question.

"Yes Kacchan," Izuku breathed out, grinding against Katsuki again."I want that, please."

Katsuki's mouth curved into a shark smile as he praised Izuku. "Good, you're so good. You look so fucking pretty like this, all fucked up and desperate for me."

"Mhm," Izuku encouraged him, sighing in pleasure as Katsuki's hand tightened around his neck. It allowed Izuku to let go of all his insecurities, his worries, his need to control any situation. It allowed him to give into the pleasure of Katsuki against him, thigh between his legs, hand on his throat, holding him tightly. Katsuki murmured filthy things in his ear, goading him on, praising him, and finally, finally Izuku lost himself and came, shaking in Katsuki's arms.

Katsuki cradled his face in his hands, looking into Izuku's eyes. "Hey, how you feeling?"

Izuku looked at him dreamily. "Plus Ultra," he sighed. Katsuki barked out a surprised laugh.

"God I fucking like you so much," he chuckled. "You're so damn stupid."

"I'm stupid," Izuku said agreeably, wondering if maybe he'd come hard enough to short-circuit his brain.

"Yeah, I think we're done for tonight. Wall-fucking can happen another day," Katsuki snorted. "Instead, I'm gonna run my favorite little idiot a bath. Does that sound good?"

"Yes!" Izuku said happily. "Carry me, Kacchan," he added, drooping against his chest.

"Anything for you," he grunted, lifting Izuku gently. "Anything for you."

Izuku was damp, hungry, and starting to worry that this was actually a bad idea. He was surrounded by rabid Ground Zero fans, all collected in a somewhat-orderly line despite the downpour. Somehow, his relatively non-descript outfit actually stood out in the sea of black, army green and bright orange.

He'd thought it was a good idea at first, until he realized he'd needed to wake up a lot earlier to even get a decent spot in line. As it was, he'd gotten there an hour early and was stuck in a line down the block, standing in the pouring rain. He was going to have to show up to surprise Katsuki while being damp and uncomfortable. Oh well.

Sometimes he forgot just how popular Ground Zero actually was. Now, surrounded by fans excited discussing the latest Ground Zero news, Izuku was beginning to regret it, regardless of how hilarious it would be to Katsuki's surprised face when Izuku showed up at his signing. He killed time by browsing news articles, if only to figure out what the people around him were screeching about. Unsurprisingly, it had to do with their disaster interview from the week before. The headlines ranged from speculative to outright toxic, and Izuku found himself getting angry all over again.

FRIEND OR FOES? TWO TOP HEROS AT ODDS IN SHOCKING INTERVIEW

ANGRY HERO SUSPECTED OF PAST MISCONDUCT: GROUND ZERO'S DARK SIDE

HERO DEKU VICTIM OF BULLYING: TRAGIC OR PATHETIC?

GROUND ZERO BARES ALL IN SURPRISE CONFESSION

GROUND ZERO HARRASSES REPORTER: BULLYING BEHAVIOR A WORRYING TREND

ANGEL AND DEVIL: DEKU AND GROUND ZERO'S SORDID PAST REVEALED?

Izuku texted the last one to Katsuki with no explanation. The reply was immediate:

Kacchan: lol yeah i won a bet w/ kiri off that one

Somehow that response leeched all of the rage out of Izuku. He wasn't alone in this, and Katsuki clearly didn't think these articles were worth any emotion. And if Katsuki wasn't going to rage about it, who would? Katsuki's standard for what deserved fury was consistently low, and it was hard to justify being mad about something even Katsuki wouldn't explode over. So Izuku let out a long breath and texted him back.

Izuku: You were betting? On what??

Kacchan: how long b4 some fucker ran an angel/devil thing abt us. i said 3 days

Kacchan: kiri said a week, cause hes dumb af

Izuku: . ..aren't you at a signing right now?

Kacchan: i <3 it when you stalk me like the creepy fcker u r

Speaking of stalking... Izuku looked around, feeling a bit guilty. He'd managed to make it to the just outside the mall's entrance, and was having to listen to everyone's favorite theories on what Ground Zero had done to bully him, whether it had even happened, whether or not Izuku had deserved it (????), and how dare anyone try to malign Ground Zero's already rough reputation, and also worryingly, whether or not they wanted to continue supporting Ground Zero after his admission. Izuku tugged his beanie down lower, feeling like he stood out. Maybe he shouldn't have brought his bright green frog umbrella, but it was raining hard, thunder cracking in the distance. Each crack made him wince - that'd be more debris for him to clean up on his next shift, more emergency responders he'd need to cover for.

Izuku: You told me about it days ago, Kacchan. And uh, you didn't make any other weird bets did you?

Kacchan: hell YES i did

Kacchan: wanna know what

Izuku: You know what, I'll pass >.>

Kacchan: i got ¥10k that says we'll be trending on porntube b4 the end of the month

Kacchan: sparky says it'll take us 3 months but he obv doesn't understand how hot i am

Izuku: I SAID I'LL PASS

Kacchan: kiri wont bet w/ me on which porn stars will play us :^(

Izuku: THAT'S A GOOD THING!!

Kacchan: we're also betting on how many roundabout ways these reporter fucks try n figure out who tops

Kacchan: more accurately k&k are betting on how long it takes me to lose my everloving shit

Kacchan: fuckers wont let me in on it cause its "rigging the game" or sth stupid

Kacchan: do u think theyd charge me w/ assault for exploding nosy reporters or??

Kacchan: asking for a friend

Izuku: I honestly feel bad for Ono, you are a nightmare client

Izuku: Also, that's not how you use that phrase, I already know it's you and not a friend...

Kacchan: fuck u

Izuku: Sure, tonight?

Kacchan: i cant even be mad cause i def will ;)

Kacchan: but also fck off loser

Izuku: Aren't you still supposed to be like, interacting with fans right now?

Izuku tried to see through the glass doors. The line folded around several times, but he was pretty sure he could see a spiky blonde head at the end of it.

Kacchan: [quoted Kacchan] "fck off loser"

Kacchan: ^

Izuku snorted, but figured he should leave Katsuki to his fan experience. He listened to two fans vehemently agree that Deku was a monster for besmirching Ground Zero's name, and ultimately lost his patience and finally put in earbuds. The sweet sounds of All Might intros drowned out the noise of the fans chattering.

Finally, about seven theme songs later, Izuku had officially made it inside the mall. He clutched his cardboard poster tube closer, and tried to quell his nervousness. He knew Katsuki liked him. He knew it. But would he want to see him here? He would, right? Now that he thought about it, they hadn't interacted as heroes in public, outside of the interview.

God, he was going to make this weird. His phone buzzed.

Kacchan: where u at? im bored af, gonna blow this joint soon

Kacchan: u said ur off today right

Shit. Izuku hurriedly typed back.

Izuku: You shouldn't disappoint your fans like that

Kacchan: how else will i keep up my bad rep? cant have the bastards thinking i like em

Izuku: Well, I'm getting lunch later. You should chill out and do your signing, then join us for food after?

There was a pause.

Kacchan: Fucking fine.

Capitals and punctuation? Somehow that made Katsuki seem angrier than his normal swearing did. Izuku forced himself not to read into it, and to just live to get to the front of the line. Hopefully, Katsuki would still be there.

Izuku managed not to be a nervous wreck by the time he reached Katsuki, but only just. There was a masking tape line on the ground, and Izuku waited patiently for the girl in front of him to finish up. Katsuki was leaning back in the flimsy chair, feet on the table, looking undeniably irritable as he muttered something to her. Eventually, he snapped Fuck off , which somehow seemed to delight her as she scurried away with a smile.

Izuku stepped forwards, finally. God, this was way more awkward than he'd expected. Katsuki was studiously ignoring him while typing on his phone. Izuku's pocket buzzed. Reflexively, he pulled his phone out to check it.

Kacchan: losing my fucking mind

"Hey fuckface! The fuck you doing on your phone when…" Katsuki trailed off, and Izuku pulled off the ridiculous sunglasses he'd brought. "Oh. What the-"

"Hi," he said, unable to stop his smile. Katsuki looked completely floored. Izuku defaulted to what he knew best - being a hero fanboy. "I'm here for the signing."

"I can't believe I didn't fucking realize it was you until now," Katsuki groaned. "The fuck are you doing here?"

"Getting my special edition Ground Zero poster signed," Izuku beamed. "Do you call all your fans fuckface, or am I special?"

Katsuki rubbed his face. "I shoulda expected this bullshit from you."

"Yep," Izuku said, trying not to let doubt curl through his stomach. "Um, I hope you don't mind that I came here."

Katsuki looked at him sharply, then sighed, pulling his feet off the table and leaning forward. "That's why you were weird about me ditching this shitshow, huh?"

"Obviously," Izuku muttered. He felt a meltdown looming. Maybe he shouldn't have shown up. He should have asked first, and made Katsuki was okay with it, and he was pushing boundaries and now that he really thought about obviously it was really overreaching to-

"Nerd. Quit muttering, you're scaring the staff."

Izuku's mouth snapped shut. Katsuki was right; the staff were eyeing him with concern.

"Sorry," he mumbled, and pushed the poster forward.

"I could have signed this anytime," Katsuki said, voice deep with amusement. "I literally saw you this morning."

"I thought it would be fun," Izuku blushed. He looked at his shoes and listened to the scritch of the sharpie on the poster.

"You think too much," Katsuki snorted, and pushed the poster back to him. Izuku picked it up, and looked at the signature. It wasn't Katsuki's signature (which he'd memorized, sue him). His jaw dropped open.

Katsuki had drawn an admittedly angular heart, and beneath were the words Your Kacchan . Izuku was melting. He was having a whole other kind of meltdown now, the kind where his thoughts were drowned out by his heart pounding and how fucking happy he was. His Kacchan? Since when had Katsuki ever even slightly hinted he could maybe belong to anyone? Never, is when.

Finally, he was able to pry his eyes off of the message and look up at Katsuki, who was frowning.

"Shit, should I just have signed it normally?" Katsuki said, sounding concerned. Izuku stared at him, mind non-operational, as Katsuki kept speaking. "If it's limited special edition crap then it's probably less valuable now, I-"

"No! No. Kacchan, it's…" Izuku cleared his throat, overwhelmed. "Kacchan, I love it. I love-" he caught himself just in time. You , he wanted to say. Instead, he lamely finished with, "It. I love it. It's seriously the best thing I've ever owned and I will cherish it forever, actually, I should look into getting it preserved and what if it gets ripped when I bring it home oh god we're going to lunch-"

"Jesus fucking christ," Katsuki interjected. "Deku. I'm glad you like it, but stop freaking out."

Izuku looked up at him, thoughts completely derailed. That's the reason he blurted out, "My Kacchan." Not because his mind was on a perma-loop of your kacchan your kacchan your kacchan-

"Yes, yes, I'm yours," Katsuki huffed. "Fucking possessive little shithead. Got anything else you want signed, nerd?"

"I just brought the poster," Izuku said, wondering if he'd offended Katsuki somehow. He'd stopped himself from accumulating Ground Zero merch over the years with a variety of mixed feelings, but he was more than ready to make up for lost time.

"You waited in this whole line for one shitty poster," Katsuki said, incredulous. Izuku had come around from feeling insecure, and now he felt comfortable enough to be irritable with Katsuki's nonsense.

"Maybe I'll bring more stuff next time, if you're nice," Izuku said, carefully rolling the poster and putting it back in its tube.

"At least I'll have one god-forsaken thing to look forward to in this hellscape," Katsuki groaned. To look forward to. Katsuki had liked that he'd showed up. Izuku grinned with relief.

"So," Katsuki waved a hand, "What else do you want from your favorite hero? Got any questions about the glamorous hero life? Want me to sign your asscheek?"

"Now there's an idea," Izuku said, mind taking a quick detour down the gutter. "But All Might is my favorite hero, not you."

"You want him to sign your ass cheek?"

"Uh-"

"Do not tell me you just considered that," Katsuki grimaced. "I can't believe I fucking like you."

"My Kacchan," Izuku said in a sing-song voice. "You like me so much."

"Yeah, so what?" Katsuki's ears were turning a bit pink.

"I should probably let other people have a turn," Izuku said, shooting a nervous glance at the people behind them.

"Fuck those extras," Katsuki grunted. "I've been here for hours. How stupid happy would you be if I hooked up with more rare merch?"

"Extremely stupid happy," Izuku said, trying not to look too eager. He was pretty sure he failed.

"Good to know," Katsuki hummed, giving Izuku a burning look. "I'll text you when I'm getting out of here, alright?"

"Y-yes, of course," Izuku stammered, realizing he'd probably overstayed his welcome and he's just been dismissed. "I'll uh see you later bye!"

Your Kacchan. Izuku was giddy with happiness. He stopped by a craft store and bought a frame for the poster, because he had zero chill about this and he had no plans to change that. That's why he killed time at his office in his sector's headquarters, getting ahead on paperwork. More specifically, trying out strategic places to hang his newest prized possession while his paperwork sat innocently in his inbox.

Izuku decided that the poster belonged in a place of honor, directly in his line of sight from his chair. Then he remembered that they were supposed to be keeping their relationship a secret, and an 11x17 poster with a heart from Ground Zero wasn't exactly subtle. With a murmured apology, the Kacchan poster was put into a locked drawer, safe and sound until he could bring it home. There was zero chance that Katsuki wouldn't make fun of him for this, but it was a risk Izuku was willing to take.

He actually did get paperwork done after that, and endured the good-natured judgment from his teammates for being a workaholic, and was saved when Katsuki finally texted him.

They met outside the cafe Izuku had picked for lunch, only slightly late for their reservation. Izuku turned to go inside, but Katsuki held him back.

"I want to talk," he said, voice gravelly. Izuku felt a line of dread worm its way through his stomach. He'd been wrong to show up at the signing, Katsuki had just been humoring him, and - something was thrust into his hands.

"Here," Katsuki grunted, then shoved his hands in his pockets. Izuku blinked at him, trying to get a read of what he was feeling. He'd gotten used to Katsuki's smug confidence, but right now he seemed… uncertain? Worried?

"What is it?"

"Shut up and open it," Katsuki snapped. Izuku rolled his eyes, but opened the paper slip and pulled out what seemed to be a postcard? He turned it over and was immediately struck with Ground Zero's face up close, with a very impressive scowl and angry eyes. The card had holographic print, and it was a style Izuku had never seen before.

"Oh," Izuku said, wonderingly.

"First print of special edition cards," Katsuki sighed. "Literally the first one in the print run."

"Oh," Izuku said, with the awed kind of voice King Arthur would use when finding the Holy Grail. He looked up at Katsuki, eyes threatening to get moist. "Oh."

"You like such dumb shit," Katsuki said. "So I grabbed you this."

"It's not dumb-" Izuku started, but stopped as Katsuki's frown deepened. He looked like he wanted to say something, as his face tensed up.

"Um, dating you," Katsuki coughed. "It's been nice."

Izuku was getting dumped, holy shit. This was a goodbye present to soften the blow. He was frozen, unable to talk. Katsuki cleared his throat.

"Fuck. Um, you know we have a shitty history, and I hadn't fucking talked to you in years before we got together so I didn't know what to expect-"

"It's fine," Izuku said quickly. He couldn't take this, he'd just make an excuse and run. "I'm just-"

"What I'm saying," Katsuki cut over him, "Is that I fucking didn't know how being with you would go. Like, it could have been really hard, or some shit. Maybe we wouldn't get along or-"

"I thought we were getting along," Izuku said, unable to hide the quaver in his voice. His fight or flight instinct was currently dead-set on flight.

"We are!" Katsuki yelled, then slapped a hand over his mouth as people passing by shot them dirty looks. He continued in a much quieter voice. "It's easy. Being with you is so easy, okay? I fucking love it. Be my boyfriend, Izuku. Please."

Oh. Oh. Izuku was not getting dumped. He was getting the opposite of dumped. He was getting a boyfriend.

He looked at Katsuki, standing nervously in front of him. He was oblivious to the pedestrians bustling past, to the sounds of chatter from inside the cafe. Katsuki, his childhood best friend. A man he'd always looked up to, someone he'd come to love, someone who made him laugh, someone he'd trust his life with. He felt wetness rolling down his cheeks, and he realized he was crying. Like, tears streaming down his cheeks, Niagara Falls-style crying. Katsuki looked horrified.

Izuku launched himself at Katsuki's chest, keeping the precious postcard out of harm's way (Izuku had his priorities), and flung his arms around Katsuki's waist.

"Okay, yes, please," he said between sobs. After a half-second of confusion, Katsuki wrapped him up in a hug.

"I shoulda known you'd cry your face off," he said, his voice a rumble in his chest.

"Of course I would," Izuku cried, indignant. Out of all things, this was the best to cry about. Katsuki's hand snuck up into his curls, holding his head closer.

"Well, that's all I wanted to talk about."

"That's all?" Izuku squawked. As if it was some kind of small thing that hadn't just shattered and reformed Izuku's entire world?

"We're gonna miss our reservation time."

"But you just asked me out," Izuku blubbered. How could they have lunch? How could anything happen? Wasn't there supposed to be some sort of momentous period of time where the universe appreciated that Bakugou Katsuki was his boyfriend and the world stopped turning? Apparently not.

"Yeah, and now I want food."

Izuku looked up, only to find Katsuki's face just above his own. "You're my boyfriend," Izuku said, trying the words out.

Katsuki kissed him for one, dizzying moment. "You're right, it does sound weird when you say it like that."

"S'not weird," Izuku protested, wiping at his eyes with his sleeve. Katsuki took over, running his thumbs under Izuku's eyes, wiping away his tears gently.

"Come on Deks, let's go have lunch. Your boyfriend's gotta sleep before his shift tonight, you know."

Yeah, Izuku would never get tired of hearing that word. He took a moment to safely stow the holy grail of postcards in his backpack, then followed Katsuki into the cafe. He was walking on air. It should be illegal to feel this happy.

It was the sort of happiness that seemed too big to exist, like a hot air balloon flying too high in the sky. Icarus and the sun, or something like that. Something would always bring it back down to earth, and Izuku's happiness was no exception.