Archive of Our Own ^beta

"Hey, Kacchan," Izuku slid up to him, eyes glued to his phone. "Mom wants to know if you and your parents want to come to dinner this weekend."

Katsuki, who had been waiting at the kitchen counter for the rice to finish cooking, fought the urge to lean out of Izuku's space.

Did he have to stand so close?

"Whatever. Ask the hag, not me," he grumbled, beating back a furious blush with his iron will.

"I wanted to ask you first. If you don't wanna go, I don't want your mom to make you," he explained, soft and so goddamn sweet.

Why the fuck did he have to be so goddamn considerate?

"Yeah, s'fine," he replied. "Hag's less annoying when your mom's there."

"You love her," Izuku scoffed.

Yeah, but I probably love you more.

He shoved that thought aside as fast as it came. It was his deepest secret, and it would stay that way. Because fuck romance. "Shut the fuck up, dork."

Izuku grinned and nudged his shoulder. Katsuki ignored the way his stomach free-fell.

"You only tell me to shut the fuck up when I'm right and you don't wanna admit it," he grinned.

A second later, he ducked out of the way of Katsuki's arm when he grabbed for him and laughed as he sprinted away.

"GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE FUCK!"

Running after Deku, brought him straight through the common room where he ran straight into Eijirou who hardened in shock at the impact, knocking Katuski back. "Dude!"

"The fuck outta my way, shitty hair!" he bellowed.

"You're the one who ran into me!" he whined, even as he stepped out of the way so that Katuski could give chase.

Katsuki was delayed though. By Mina and Hanta, who were planning Denki's surprise party in a week.

Now, here's the thing. Class A, despite being horrendously chaotic, was surprisingly organized when it came to inane shit like birthday parties. They started planning each party at least a month in advance.

So, while it made sense that Denki's was being planned more vigorously now that it was only a week away, it raised a gentle alarm.

He hadn't gotten even one obnoxious email about Deku's birthday. And now that he thought about it, they hadn't done anything for Deku's birthday last year either.

He'd assumed that it was because he'd made plans to celebrate with his mom and left campus.

But the lack of any plans this year raised some red flags.

"Hey," he barked, grabbing Eijirou's arm before he could get away. "How come I haven't seen anything about Deku's birthday yet?" he asked quietly.

Eijirou frowned. "Uh...it's not for a while, right? Probably just hasn't come up yet. Or...wait, when is it? We didn't do anything last year, right?"

Katsuki blinked at him. "It's in three weeks."

"WHAT?" Eijirou shrieked. Katsuki slammed a hand over his mouth.

"Shut. Up. Nobody knew when his birthday was, right?" Katsuki asked. Eijirou nodded. Katuski's gut roiled with guilt. Fuck. Of course Deku didn't celebrate his birthday with friends. Of course not.

He didn't fucking have friends until last year because of him.

"Okay. I'll take care of it. We never had this conversation, understand?" Eijirou nodded again, probably because he didn't want to be blown up at point-blank range, despite his hardening.

Good thing Eijirou always kept his promises, even if they were made under duress.

He knew Izuku was probably hiding from him, but he had shit to do. He abandoned the chase and shut himself into his room.

Katsuki actually had two secrets.

The first was that he was (ugh) in love with Izuku. Almost to the point of worshipful devotion. He'd unwittingly made it a goal to see that stupid green fuckface smile at least once a day.

Disgusting.

The second was that even when they were at odds, he'd always...planned. Planned for the moment when Izuku would stop acting superior to him. For him to fall back in line. For them to be...okay.

He hated that it took so long for him to realize how twisted he'd had it.

But that wasn't the point.

The point was that he'd planned. For most of Izuku's birthdays, he'd known exactly what gift he'd give if they were on speaking terms. He'd imagined what his parties would look like. He even knew what kind of cake there would be.

And yeah, Izuku's tastes had evolved a little over the years, but the point was that Katsuki knew.

So he had everything the class would need to throw a kick-ass party that the dork would never forget. The problem was the delivery method.

If he stepped up and took over, he'd basically be outing himself as the most pathetic and dick-twisted simp known to man.

Not to mention, the face the nerd would make would probably melt him in three seconds flat, and he (a) didn't want to deal with that and (b) didn't deserve that. Because again, the lack of birthday cheer was his fault. Deku probably thought that celebrating his birthday would be a nuisance because of him.

So he had the plans.

Now, he just needed to figure out a delivery method.

As it turned out, the solution had already been presented to him.

Auntie Inko.

They were having dinner with her on Saturday, so that gave Katsuki three days to lay out the perfect plan. An ideal blueprint for Izuku's best-ever birthday party.

It hadn't been easy. Now that they'd fixed their shit, Izuku was almost constantly in his face.

It was...a lot. For multiple reasons. Because yeah, it emphasized just how goddamn gay he was, but also the lack of alone time could get fucking annoying, especially when he was trying to be fucking nice for once and Izuku was making it impossible to keep a goddamn secret.

He pointedly ignored the wounded look Izuku would give him when he brushed him off to hang out in the evenings leading up to their family dinner.

He didn't have time.

Of course, he felt like a massive piece of shit when, on the train home, Izuku turned to him and asked:

"Hey, are you mad at me? You've been avoiding me."

He said it so anxiously too—like Katsuki would blow him up for asking.

Historically, not the worst assumption.

"No. Just been busy," he grumbled, slumping into his seat. "I'll chill out next week," he promised.

Izuku eyed him warily. "Okay, if you're sure."

"Pikachu's birthday plans," he explained gruffly, lying his ass off. "Gotta make sure the idiot squad doesn't burn the dorm down."

"Oh! That's nice of you," Izuku grinned, suddenly completely at ease. "Let me know if you need any help! I can take over if you need to take a break."

"No need, nerd. We finished up planning today. As long as we're back on time after training on Tuesday shit'll be fine."

"If you're sure!" he replied cheerily, completely back to normal.

Always letting him off the hook so easily. Katsuki didn't deserve him. Not in the slightest. But this? This close companionship and trusting friendship?

He'd guard this with his life.

"I'll make it up to you or whatever," he grumbled, sinking even further in his seat and attempting to hide his face. The vulnerability and compromise shit was embarrassing as fuck, but his dumbass therapist insisted that it was part of healthy friendships and relationships, so here he was. "We should do something this weekend."

He debated gouging out his eyeballs when Izuku beamed at him. "Yeah! What about a hike? It's been a while since you've gone on one, right? That would be fun!"

Katsuki nodded. "Sure."

He'd just have to be careful not to fall behind Deku at any point in time or else he'd be staring at his ass the entire climb. He'd end up falling off a mountain.

Danger.

Izuku was off—chattering incessantly about all the possible day hikes they could take and the best day to do it. Katsuki was content to just listen, only offering a sentence here and a grunt there to prove he was listening and had an opinion.

Simple. Easy.

Because Izuku always grew to fill his empty spaces.

When did he get so fucking sappy. This was the fucking worst.

He felt like he could take a breath when they finally got off the train. His brain moved faster when Izuku wasn't pressed up against his side.

They were having dinner at the Midoriyas' tonight—Katsuki would be meeting his parents there. It was just more efficient.

It also had the added bonus of cutting down on hag-screeching time. He did love his mother, but goddamn she was gonna deafen him way before his quirk could.

Now that Izuku was on a roll with his hiking thought-bubble, there would be no shutting him up until someone forcibly changed the subject.

That was fine though. If he was distracted, he wouldn't notice the fucking blush on his face that only deepened whenever their hands brushed.

This was so stupid.

This is the level of excitement and pure puppy-like adoration he got when he just suggested hanging out. If he told Izuku he'd planned a whole birthday, he'd get a proposal.

While he may want a proposal, it was hardly something he deserved. And he had to remind himself of that as Izuku's smile practically blinded him.

He hoped the sigh of relief he released was inaudible when Izuku's apartment finally came into view.

He was always a little afraid of misstepping when he was alone with Izuku. He may have known him his entire life, but he'd only really known him correctly for a year.

And he wanted to keep learning him. He wanted that privilege. He wanted to earn it.

Izuku let them into the front door, and they were immediately accosted by an emotional and crying Inko Midoriya. A loving hurricane of joyful tears.

Just like her son.

"Hey, Auntie," he muttered, giving her the slightest possible kiss on the cheek before he got practically strangled by a hug.

"It's so good to see you, Katsuki" she sniffled. "You boys don't visit us enough, it's not nice," she complained.

"We'll try to do better," he promised uncomfortably, awkwardly stooped so that the tiny woman could wrap her arms around his neck like a strong but loving anaconda.

"Mom, I think you're choking him," Izuku laughed, toeing out of his shoes before opening his own arms for a hug.

Katsuki gulped in a deep breath when Inko released him to strangle her own son.

Visiting home was a fucking health hazard, as evidenced by the way Izuku was slowly turning purple in his mother's hold.

When she finally released him, she shooed them to Izuku's room.

"Dinner's almost ready, so you boys relax," she insisted.

"Let us help!" Izuku whined, trying (in vain) to duck under her arm to escape into the kitchen.

"You boys work so hard taking care of the world, just let us take care of you while you relax," she huffed.

Katsuki was trying to duck around Inko's arms too, but unlike Izuku's loud protests, he was trying to sneak.

He hadn't been able to sneak around Inko Midoriya since he was four, though, so it was futile.

She finally corralled them into Izuku's room, hands on hips. "Stay."

"Yes, ma'am," they sighed in unison.

Satisfied, she disappeared. Izuku turned to Katsuki. "All Might Movie?"

"We watched them all last weekend," Katsuki reminded him.

"...so?"

Well shit. He had a point.

Luckily, he knew exactly when he was gonna corner Auntie Inko.

It just so happened that the chore that Izuku liked the least was washing dishes. He hated it. So, when Katsuki volunteered himself at the end of dinner, Izuku flashed him a grateful smile and dragged Katsuki's parents away to regale them with stories from the hero course while he and Inko tidied up.

He was dutifully drying the dishes that Inko handed to him, trying to find the best way to explain his idea. He wasn't exactly the best with words.

"Auntie?" he asked quietly, throwing a look over his shoulder to make sure Izuku was still preoccupied.

"Hm?"

"I have a favor to ask," he said quietly. Her sponge paused against the plate she had in her hands.

"Is everything alright, Katsuki?" she asked, concerned.

He backpedaled quickly. "Yeah, it's fine. It's just...Deku's birthday is coming up," he explained. "None of our classmates know about it."

She frowned. "Really? He didn't mention it?"

"I mean, no one has anything planned," he shrugged.

Inko frowned, turning to scold her son. "Probably thinks he'd be bothering them," she huffed, ignorant to the way Katsuki's stomach sank in response. "I'll set him straight—"

"No wait," he jumped, catching her arm before she could get too far. "I have an idea, but I need your help to make it happen."

She turned to him, still frowning. "Oh?"

"Uh," he pulled a bunch of folded papers out of his pocket. "Plans for a surprise party. I was hoping you could let Cheeks and Glasses know and send these to them," he said, shifting uncomfortably.

She eyed him expectantly, rolling her eyes when no more information came. "Who are 'Cheeks and Glasses'?" she asked, tone far drier than he'd ever heard from her.

"Oh, right. Iida and Uraraka," he answered quickly. Her stare narrowed to an outright scrutinization.

"And...why wouldn't you just plan it yourself? Why are you being sneaky?" she demanded.

He grimaced. He'd kinda hoped that she'd just...do it. But no such luck.

Parents.

He cast another glance at the living room, pleased that Deku was still distracted.

"Two reasons," he admitted, meeting Inko's stare again. God, that woman could stare. It kinda gave him chills. "His friends will feel bad if I knew about his birthday and they didn't, especially since we fought so much last year," he began. Inko's stare grew unimpressed. Okay.

"And second, if he knows that I planned it, it won't be about him anymore. He heaps praise on me all the time, and I just...want him to have something for himself," he admitted. "I don't want him to get distracted by the fact that I did something for him."

The stare softened.

"Okay, kiddo. I'll keep it a secret. As long as you promise to actually attend the party you planned," she teased, taking the papers.

His shoulders slumped in relief. "Thanks, Auntie."

"Thank you for looking out for him," she replied, patting his cheek affectionately. "I know you two had your troubles, but it's behind you. And you two are so good for each other. It's nice to see," she said.

Was that...a mischievous twinkle?

He must be imagining things. That wasn't Inko's style. That was more the Hag's thing.

He and Izuku went on the hike.

It was a lot.

A lot of hot, sweaty, ripped Izuku climbing up a mountain looking like a fucking meal while excitedly pointing out small woodland creatures.

A lot.

But by the time they got back down, Inko had already messaged the class. He knew because he'd been added to another fucking group chat with approximately three million new messages.

He glanced through them quickly—quickly gleaning that most of them were variations of "what the fuck" before stuffing his phone back in his pocket.

He could deal with that shit later. Not that he really needed to.

His plans had been detailed. They could figure it out. For now, he had to watch Izuku guzzle water pornographically—adam's apple moving rhythmically. Then he unscrewed the top and dumped the rest of the bottle over his head.

Katsuki prayed for some sort of mercy. He only had so much willpower. He had to survive to make sure that this fucking birthday party went as planned for fuck's sake.

"Everything okay?" Izuku asked, eyeing Katsuki's glassy stare with a healthy amount of concern.

"Just fuckin' peachy," he barked. "Take less than a shitty ten mile to put me down, dweeb."

Izuku broke into a grin. "Oh good, had me worried there for a second. But you're amazing, of course this hike was nothing," he teased.

"Making fun of me nerd?" Katsuki warned and immediately, Izuku tensed to flee. Katsuki lunged, and Izuku took off. Katsuki, as usual, gave chase.

Looks like they'd be running home.

When they got back to the dorm on Sunday, Eijirou literally grabbed him around the neck as soon as he stepped in the common room.

"What the fuck? Get off!" Katsuki barked, squirming.

"Sorry Mido, I gotta borrow him. See you at dinner!" Eijirou yelled, dragging him away.

Katsuki would have laughed at Izuku's absolutely dumbfounded expression if it hadn't been a result of him getting dragged in a chokehold.

"Let me go, I can fucking walk!" Katsuki snapped, finally breaking free of Eijirou's grasp. "What the fuck do you want?"

"Was it your plan?" Eijirou demanded.

Katsuki squinted at him. "Huh?"

"The birthday thing. Was that your plan?" he asked again. Katsuki grimaced.

"No."

"No? So...it's just a coincidence that three days after you ask me about Deku's birthday, a completely planned birthday party falls into our lap?"

"Cut the sarcasm, pointy."

"Why are you—"

"Because."

"That's not a good answer, and you don't know what I was gonna ask!"

"The fuck I don't. You were gonna ask me why I'm not setting it up myself."

"Oh. Yeah."

"Because."

"Come on, dude! Tell me!" Eijirou whined. Katsuki rolled his eyes, already tired of this conversation.

"He needs to see that you fucks care about him," Katsuki grumbled.

Eijirou frowned. "He knows that!" he protested hotly.

"Really?" Katsuki replied sarcastically. "Then why didn't he tell you about his birthday?"

Eijrou frowned even harder. "He forgot?"

"No. He didn't want to be a fucking burden. Have you ever heard him ask for anything?"

Eijirou really paused then, scowl deepening the longer he thought. "No," he finally concluded.

"Right. If I plan it, then it's all about how fucking kind and amazing I am and how grateful he is to have me as a friend. If you fucks plan it, it's about the friends he's made.

About how people appreciate and want to celebrate him," Katsuki explained, gathering as much patience as he could to get through this conversation. He needed Eijirou to understand.

"You make it sound like he didn't have friends before," Eijirou chuckled.

He fell silent at the solemn—guilty—look on Katsuki's face. "Oh."

"Yeah. So don't tell him it was my idea, okay? Let them plan this big thing together, and let him enjoy it. Let Cheeks and Glasses take the lead."

"Sure, dude. That's pretty manly of you."

"Whatever."

He turned to leave but apparently, Eijirou wasn't done torturing him yet.

"It's also because you like him right?"

Katsuki turned back around so fast that he tripped and faceplanted.

In front of the entire common room.

"Shut the fuck up," Katsuki grumbled into the carpet.

"Kacchan! Are you okay?"

"I'm fucking fine!" he barked. "Shitty Hair tripped me."

"...he's nowhere near you."

"He tripped me with his utter stupidity."

"Hey!"

He picked himself up slowly, staring Eijirou down. He wanted to smack that grin off his face.

If Katsuki didn't know better, he'd say that Cheeks and Glasses took Izuku's birthday party more seriously than hero training.

Everyone had a job, and Glasses was so far up everyone's ass to stay on top of it that he was surprised he hadn't been hired by a rectal surgeon yet.

His job, unfortunately for his sanity, was to distract Izuku. The delay in party planning meant that everything had to happen faster, which also meant that more shit had to happen out in the open.

So Izuku needed to be kept busy.

And he was always down to hang out with Katsuki. It was insane.

Katsuki wasn't fucking blind. Or stupid. He knew he was a dick. Loud, abrasive, mean, all that. And yet, Izuku Midoriya acted like he was the best person in the world all the goddamn time.

Wack.

Now was not one of those times. Now, he was helping Eijirou pick out party streamers since he was completely incapable of doing so himself.

"So you've been spending a lot of time with Mido the past two weeks," Eijirou pointed out. Katsuki rolled his eyes.

"That's the job I was given, dumbass."

"Yeah, but you guys look like you're having a good time with it. Sitting together at lunch and hanging out after class. Going to movies. When are you going to ask him out?"

Katsuki scoffed. "Fuckin' never."

"Aw, dude. Not manly."

"It's not happening. Drop it."

"Everyone thinks you're dating, you know. Well, except Mina and Ochako. They think that's why you agreed to distract him."

Katsuki's brain had frozen after the word 'dating.' Everyone thought they were dating?

"We're not dating."

"Well, I know that. The question is why. It's obvious that he likes you."

Katsuki stared at him like he'd grown another head that happened to have a dick for a nose. "What?"

"Yeah, dude. When you talk to him he starts glowing. Like a lava lamp!"

"He can't."

"Why dude? You're great! A little angry, but a good guy! Super cool."

"Shut. Up."

"No really!"

"Yes, really. He can't like me," he insisted.

"Still not hearing why," Eijirou sang.

Katsuki sighed. "Remember I told you he didn't have any friends? That shit was my fault. I've done too much damage to be that person for him."

Eijirou pursed his lips. "Well he's forgiven you for it, right? And he clearly wants you around. Maybe let him call the shots."

Katsuki smiled thinly. "When has he ever chosen his own well-being where I'm involved?"

The understanding that passed over Eijirou's face kinda sickened him. Validation for the least pleasant fact he had in his repertoire of Izuku knowledge. "Oh."

"Yeah."

"Deciding for him still sucks though, dude. You make him happy."

"There are other people who could make him happier," he shrugged. "And I'd rather not spend a relationship wondering how profoundly I'm gonna fuck up next time, you know? We're better this way."

"You don't know that."

"Not knowing is better than risking it."

Cheeks and Glasses had done a damn good job. This party was perfect.

They'd even gone above and beyond the blueprint, he'd left. They'd added some nerdy-ass party games to the mix.

And booze, but that was less their suggestion and more Mina and Denki's.

He was a little anxious about the game of truth or dare that Izuku was being slowly corralled towards, but that was something he could keep his eye on.

It was a good party.

He knew because Izuku had burst into joyous tears no less than ten times.

He'd been proud to contribute to that number during the gift opening. Not many people could get their hands on a limited edition mint condition bronze era holographic All Might trading card.

But he did.

He'd taken one look at the card in its clear protective sleeve and nearly flooded the room, staring at Katsuki in utter adoration.

Then again, now that Eijirou had opened his fat mouth, it always looked like adoration to him. He felt a little delusional.

"Looks like they finally got him to play truth or dare," Mina giggled. Katsuki glanced over and sure enough, Izuku—wearing his ruby red streamers like necklaces for some reason—was now sitting in the circle, sandwiched between Cheeks and IcyHot.

Judging by the way he and Cheeks were leaning on each other, they were both drunk. "Wanna go watch? We should make sure the birthday boy doesn't make a fool of himself," Eijirou chuckled.

"Boooorrring! I'm gonna play!" Mina announced, bounding over enthusiastically.

"What about you dude?"

His therapist had once told him that saying "fuck no" was a way of cutting himself off from other people. So instead, he said: "Nah. I'm not feeling very social."

"Want me to stay?" Eijirou asked. Katsuki shrugged. He didn't care either way. "Mario Kart?"

"If you wanna lose again, why the fuck not."

"Hey!"

He was so fucking grateful for friends like Izuku and Eijirou who almost always met him where he was at in terms of socialization levels. They were just...weirdly content to spend time with him even if it was playing video games in silence.

He hadn't earned people like them. Not by a long shot.

So they chilled and played while the party went on around them. Fish Lips brought them extra helpings of cake and Frogger came by to kick Eijirou's ass when Katsuki needed a bathroom break.

Then, there was a loud collection of cat calls from the Truth or Dare corner, and Katsuki couldn't help but look over to see what the poor sucker in the hot seat had been dared to do.

His heart fell into his stomach and he was sorely tempted to puke it back up.

"Dude, what are you doing? You just drove off—oh," Eijirou broke off, quiet and unsure. Katsuki guessed that he was looking at the same thing he was. He couldn't confirm it though, because he couldn't look away.

He'd wanted Deku to find someone better than him.

He didn't think it would hurt so much when he did.

But the sight of Kirby straddling his lap and sucking his soul out of his mouth like a fucking dementor from that old ass book series about magic and shit was like being punched in the gut while being choked out by OctoDweeb.

"Dude, are you okay?" Eijirou asked quietly. Katsuki snapped out of his shellshocked stare, glancing around the room.

At least three other people were sending him concerned glances.

His eyes trailed back to Deku. Who was still being devoured. And devouring right back.

Fuck.

"I...I think I need to go," he murmured, uncharacteristically quiet. "If Deku asks, just tell him I got a headache or something."

"Sure dude," Eijirou agreed immediately. He sounded apologetic.

Maybe for planting the idea that Izuku wanted him back.

But Katsuki had known that wasn't true. It wasn't Eijirou's fault that Katsuki had started to buy into that. It was his own damn fault for being fucking delusional.

This was a good thing. Very good. For Izuku.

"I'm fine, alright? Just...gotta get over it."

Eijirou's answering stare felt like pity. "Sure, dude. Let me know if you need anything. For your headache."

"...thanks," he replied, quiet and a little terse. He fled the room as slowly as he could—unwilling to draw any extra attention to himself.

Luckily, Deku was enough of a spectacle to make Katsuki virtually invisible unless people were already looking.

Unfortunately, to get to the elevator, he had to get even closer. He was pretty sure the sound of sloppy, drunken kisses would be burned into his brain.

But hey, at least Deku was getting everything he wanted. Katsuki could be content with that.

He'd just need a few days.

Probably.

Fuck.

Art by @sabrinart19 on twitter

The last time someone had thrown a party for Izuku (that anyone had attended) had been when he was six years old.

So walking into the dorm and getting surprised by eighteen people who had gone out of their way to celebrate him? Overwhelming. In a good way.

He wasn't used to people celebrating him. The opposite really. One year in middle school, half the school had worn black on his birthday.

In the words of his upperclassmen: why celebrate a life that was doomed to be pathetic?

Part of him couldn't help but wonder if his friends would still be throwing this party if he were still quirkless.

But that was a useless thought. He wouldn't even know them if he were still quirkless. But he wasn't and he had these people now. These people who cared enough to go through the trouble to throw him a party.

And in less than three weeks! They must have worked so hard, and they'd...way past exceeded expectations. This party was perfect. He had no idea how they'd known his favorite American snacks, but they'd even gotten those right—stacked on the food table.

Ochako had scolded him for not telling them when his birthday was, but he hadn't even thought about it.

Like he said, he hadn't really celebrated his birthday in a long time.

But his friends had made sure that the streak was broken. Even Katsuki. Apparently, he'd had the most important job—keeping him distracted while they set everything up.

They'd come into the dorm after a very out-of-character shopping trip and before they'd entered the common room, Katsuki stopped him, leaned in close, and whispered "Happy Birthday, nerd," before pushing him into the spotlight.

He'd barely seen Katsuki since the party started, except in his periphery. He could still feel his whisper, though. It had sent shivers racing down his spine. He was dragged from activity to activity, had cake and shots shoved into his hands, and kept generally distracted.

He got a little nervous when he was dragged to play truth or dare, but it was all in good fun. The questions were lighthearted, and he honestly didn't mind them. He could always take a shot if he didn't want to answer, after all.

He took a shot immediately when he was asked if he had a crush on someone.

He kept his eyes pointedly fixed on the floor, too.

Even if his mind flashed to red eyes and blonde hair. It wasn't important. It wasn't as though he had a shot. Katsuki had spent time with him to keep him from finding out about the surprise party.

"He was kind of an ass about it," Ochako admitted, scowling. "I'm glad you didn't end up scrapping. Like I know you're chill now, but still."

They were best friends. But yeah, it tracked that the crazy amounts of time they'd been spending together was a mission of sorts.

Katsuki needed his alone time, and Izuku had probably pushed him way past his social threshold.

"Truth or dare, Chako!" Mina cried, leaning almost as hard as Izuku was. Wow, they were drunk drunk.

He could hear Katsuki yelling at Eijirou over by the TV. He was glad he was enjoying himself even though he didn't really like parties.

"Dare!" Ochako replied, sounding excited. He wasn't really paying attention, wondering if he should give Katsuki space for the next few days.

"You said your crush was in the class, right? So kiss your crush!" There was a slur to Mina's words, but the words rang out clearly.

Izuku was still distracted, though, so he was utterly shocked when he suddenly had a lap full of Ochako, two hands in his hair, and lips pressed firmly against his.

Wow. Kissing felt good.

Wait, what was the dare? Kiss your crush? Ochako liked him?

He could feel his thought-bubble filling, but each time he was about to let it spill over into a thousand questions, Ochako would do something with her tongue that distracted his drunken brain and lured him back into sensation.

Ochako was a good kisser. Not that he had much to compare it to, but this felt really good.

He could hear the catcalling, but he didn't really care. He was kinda lost in the feeling of hands sweeping through his hair and running down his neck. And like, lips. Lips were so cool. He bit Ochako's lip, and she moaned.

"Please refrain from lewd behavior!"

Iida wasn't quite like a bucket of ice water, but he was a stern reminder that there were people present.

Izuku pulled back, flustered and bleary. He stared at Ochako like he'd never seen her before.

She had a crush on him?

"You have a crush on me?"

She giggled, pressing another kiss to his cheek. "Have for years."

"Oh."

"Come on," she said, standing up and holding out her hand. He took it, letting her pull him up. "We'll be right back!" she said, winking at the rest of the circle before pulling him away.

She dragged him into the kitchen but seemed to lose her words, tucking her hair behind her ear shyly. "Chako?"

"Go out with me tomorrow."

Izuku was probably too drunk for this conversation. It felt like it took him a full minute to process the request. "I'm training with Kacchan tomorrow."

Ochako grimaced. "So skip. It's the weekend, take a break for once!"

Izuku hesitated.

He'd never really thought of her that way. But clearly, they had some sort of chemistry.

"I can't just cancel on him—"

"He's not even here anymore!" Ochako cried. "I get that you're friends, but he couldn't even be bothered to stay at your birthday party. Besides, if he's really a good friend, he'd be happy for you. If you want to give it a try, that is."

She...had a point, right? If Katsuki started dating someone, he'd be happy for him. It would sting a bit, but he would.

But still.

"I've never really—"

"I know," she assured him. "This is me getting you to think about it. No pressure if it doesn't work out."

That made him feel better.

He thought for a moment longer, but he was actually kinda excited now. Ochako cared so much. She'd put all of this together for him as soon as she'd found out when his birthday was.

It was really sweet of her. It made him feel...cared for. Loved, even. In a way that he never really thought he'd get—only in a way he thought he'd give.

But Ochako gave it, and that meant something.

"Okay."

It was his own fault for not checking his phone when he woke up. But he and Izuku had a routine, and he didn't expect it to get disrupted.

On Sundays, they trained from 10am-1pm, then they got lunch. They'd been doing that for a whole year.

So, when Izuku still hadn't shown his face in the common room by 10:30, Katsuki was kinda pissed.

By 10:32, he was pounding on Izuku's door.

Eyebags opened his room door. "You can stop trying to break his door down. He's not here," the insomniac sighed.

"The fuck do you mean?"

"I mean he and Uraraka left at like 9:30. Made way too much fuckin' noise," he scowled.

"We're supposed to be training."

"Dunno, dude. Sounded like she had a whole day planned. I was listening because they were so damn loud that I couldn't tune them out. Thought they might have got enough of each other after last night, but of course they didn't."

Katsuki's gut churned at the reminder. He didn't exactly want to remember the way Floaty's hands carded through emerald curls.

Deku looked like a damn good kisser.

And that was not something that he should be thinking about. "So he went on a date."

"Yep."

Katsuki sighed. "Fuck. Fine," he grumbled, kicking the door one last time before heading back to his floor.

He grabbed his phone off his nightstand as soon as he got back to his room. He opened it to Izuku's texts.

Sure enough:

>> King Dork

Hey Kacchan! Raincheck on training? Apparently I'm going on a date (⊙_⊙) iou double later!

His chest felt tight. But good for him, right? He'd probably have a great time. And Cheeks had been into him forever, so she was probably invested in making him feel as important as he deserved.

This was a good thing.

He trudged over to Eijirou's room.

"Kat?" Eijirou grumbled blearily. "What are you doing here? Aren't you usually training by now?"

"Yeah. Wanna join me? I need a spotter."

That woke up the redhead real quick. "What about Mido?"

Katsuki grimaced. "He's on a date."

Eijirou's face softened, and Katsuki wanted to puke. He hated being pitied, and he knew Ei meant well but the fucking puppy-dog eyes grated.

"Dude, I'm sorry."

"It's fine. As long as he's happy," Katsuki shrugged. "So? Training?"

"Yeah, dude. Lemme get changed."

"Good. I think I need to hit something."

Izuku and Floaty hadn't returned by the time he and Eijirou were done training.

He didn't want to think about it. But it was all he could think about.

Where had they gone? What were they doing? Were they having a good time?

Did he kiss her again?

He was distracted.

"Well he's clearly not listening," Mina grumbled, jostling his shoulder.

"Hn?" he peered at her, waiting for her to tell him what the fuck she wanted.

"It's cute, right? Mido and Chako?"

It didn't help that everyone was fucking talking about it.

"S'whatever."

"What do you mean?" she cried, as dramatic as ever. "They're adorable! She's been into him for so long—"

"Mina, leave it," Eijirou hissed. Mina frowned at him and opened her mouth, but Katsuki interrupted, shooting Eijirou a dirty look.

"Yeah, good for them. No reason to skip out on training, though. Lazy fuck."

"Romance waits for no one!" she declared.

Damn right. It definitely wouldn't wait for him to be what Izuku deserved.

This was a good thing. And goddamn it, he could be happy for Izuku. He could.

"I dunno, dude," Denki said slowly. "I kinda thought that Kats would nut up and ask him out." Katsuki gave him the most poisonous glare he could muster. Denki just shrugged.

Mina missed all that and laughed. "Kat doesn't...like—" she halted. Katsuki could see the gears turning.

"Pinky—"

"Oh, fuck," she swore, horrified. "Kat!" she shrieked.

He lunged forward and covered her mouth so that she couldn't attract any more attention. "It's not a big deal. I wanted something like this to happen," he assured her.

"You like him?" she demanded, muffled.

He sighed. "Yeah. But he doesn't like me, and that's fuckin' fine, okay? Chill out. I was ready for this."

"Not really," Eijirou supplied unhelpfully.

Mina peeled his hand off her face. "I'm the one who dared her to kiss her crush. Honestly, I thought it would be Iida, but—"

"It's fine," he insisted.

She chewed her lip. "But—"

"No. Absolutely not. If he's happy, you're gonna leave it alone. If you fuck with it, I will blow you up one limb at a time."

She swallowed thickly, and Katsuki wondered if she was gonna cry.

He still might, to be honest.

"Maybe you should tell him. Like, before he gets super serious with Ochako?" she asked.

He shook his head.

"I already tried," Eijirou shrugged. "He's...pretty sure of himself. Even though I still kinda think he's being an idiot."

"Just think about it," Mina suggested. "I mean, yeah she went out of her way to find out when his birthday was and planned an awesome party, but you're with him all the time. He cares about you a lot. Even if he doesn't want to date you it might be a good idea to let him know."

Katsuki shot Eijirou a look before he could correct Mina on any of the information she got wrong.

"I'll think about it," he lied.

No way was he gonna ruin Izuku's first relationships with shitty feelings that he had no right to have in the first place.

Izuku and Floaty came back to the dorm almost two hours later—one's cheeks spread in a wide grin and the other giggling.

Both looked windswept and flushed. Katsuki was sure that if it were dark, they would be glowing.

He'd had a good time. Maybe even a great time. Good.

He walked her over to the girls' elevator and blushed when she stood on tiptoe to peck him on the lips.

Katsuki felt like his throat was being stepped on when Izuku leaned into the kiss, this time completely sober. They stayed there long enough that the elevator dinged at them.

But then he pulled back, and he smiled. It lit the room.

And Katsuki knew it was worth it.

Dating Ochako was fun. She was already one of his closest friends, but suddenly they were so much closer and he felt so comfortable.

It had been a month since his birthday, and Ochako slid into the girlfriend space like a missing puzzle piece.

The first week or so after his birthday, he'd given Katsuki space and as anticipated, he hadn't reached out to Izuku at all except for when they had scheduled training.

He didn't think too much of it. It was a balancing act. He'd overshot quality time with Katsuki pre-birthday so he'd have to undershoot it post-birthday.

Ochako filled the empty space anyway. Getting to know someone who you already knew in a brand new context was time-consuming. Scary. Exciting.

Eventually Katsuki started hanging out again, mostly in the periphery. But nearby.

Izuku knew it grated on Ochako a little. "I like our alone time," she admitted when he asked about it. "We had like a week where he wasn't always around."

"He's my best friend," Izuku shrugged. "It's nice to have him around. To know he's being supportive."

"If he wasn't being supportive, he wouldn't be a very good friend," she replied, tone light. "But it's fine. We'll just have to plan more dates," she grinned.

There was a slight nudge of discomfort in his gut when she talked about Katsuki these days. But by now, everyone knew that trying to separate the two of them was a losing battle, for better or worse.

They were a very complicated package deal, and the entire class knew it.

So he smiled at her. "Sounds like fun. We should go to a movie next weekend."

She pouted, and he kissed it away.

"Why not this weekend?" she asked when he pulled back.

"I have plans," he replied, apologetic. "Auntie's new line launched, so Kacchan and I are leaving for the weekend to celebrate with them."

Ochako smiled, but it looked a little tight. "Sounds like fun."

"It will be!"

He actually felt a little bad for being so excited about it. It had been a while since he and Katsuki had been able to hang out, and no one was ever really able to match his energy except him.

There was also the fact that he wasn't exactly over his crush.

It was an old crush. It wouldn't just go away because something new had filled the space.

It would go away eventually though, and they'd be fine. He was happy with Ochako, and he could keep his super unrequited feelings to himself. Everybody wins.

"Well at the very least, can we do something tonight?" she asked. "I'm all studied out."

"Sure," he agreed easily, shutting his book. Katsuki looked up at the sound.

"Did you finish your calc homework, fuckface?"

"Do you have to call him such nasty names?" Ochako sighed.

"I'll call him whatever I want, Kirby. Well, Deku? I know you were avoiding it, asshole."

"I finished," he promised. Katsuki narrowed his eyes.

"Fine. Leave it and I'll look it over. If you fucked it up I'll beat it into you before class."

"Thanks!" Izuku replied brightly.

Ochako practically dragged him away as soon as he'd handed over his assignment. He was perplexed by her persistence until the elevator opened and she pulled him inside, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly.

He chuckled into it, wrapping his arms around her waist.

He let himself get lost in it, completely oblivious when Ochako made eye contact with Katsuki as the doors closed.

Katsuki had gotten Floaty's message loud and clear. Apparently, his friends hadn't been joking when they'd said the entire class knew how he felt, and she clearly didn't appreciate his proximity to her boyfriend.

Fine. He could work with that.

It's not like he really wanted to be nearby, considering the risk of watching them suck face was incredibly high, and he wasn't actually sure he could handle the heart damage.

It felt like being stabbed, honestly. Fuckin' sucked.

Floaty had pulled her shitty power move on Monday. Since then, the week had fucking dragged. It was only Wednesday afternoon, and Katsuki felt like he'd aged a thousand years in his mission to avoid Deku.

Because Deku, as always, was persistent as fuck.

Aizawa, of course, didn't make it any fucking better. As usual, he'd put him on the same team as Deku for their joint training session.

At least it wasn't duo team-ups. He could use the rest of the team as a buffer. Or go off on his own.

"I don't think you should go off on your own this time, Kacchan," Deku muttered during their planning phase.

And that about sealed the deal for Katsuki. Deku might be the love of his young life, but he wasn't the boss of him. "Don't tell me what to do, fuckhead."

"Maybe you should listen to him, Bakugou," Kirby suggested.

Did he mention that she was on his team, too? Because she was on his team, too.

"Yeah? Maybe he should listen to me, for once. I always end up going with his shitty plans because I know he won't listen to mine."

Nevermind that Deku's plans were not shitty. The fact still remained—if Katsuki came up with a plan that Deku didn't like, Deku would do whatever he wanted and Katsuki would be stuck following

Deku looked wounded though. "Do you really think that, Kacchan?"

Katsuki scoffed. "Do whatever you want. I already told you what I'm doing," he said, turning to stomp into the twisting labyrinth of Ground Gamma.

"Wait! Run us through it again," Deku insisted. Katsuki turned to find his face determined.

"But your plan was good, babe!"

Hearing Floaty say the word 'babe' felt like taking a mallet to the testicles.

"Maybe, but we should hear Kacchan out. He's one of the best strategists in class," Deku frowned. "We can vote on which plan to go with."

Reasonable. Katsuki could work with that.

He ran through it again, and he could tell when Deku realized that his plan was better. It made better use of OctoDweeb and Sonic's quirks than Deku's did.

"Yeah, I think Kacchan's plan is better," Deku admitted. "Vote?"

In the end, Katsuki's plan won 3-2.

Surprisingly, OctoDweeb had opted for Deku's plan. Unsurprisingly, so had Floaty. But Katsuki's plan had won, so that's the plan they agreed to use.

"Sonic, Kirby, knock over as many of the pipes as you can and float them as booby traps," Katsuki instructed.

Floaty looked reluctant, but climbed on Sonic's back and let him zoom away to accomplish their part of the mission.

He thought she would have been glad to get to use some of her Gunhead skills. But what the fuck ever.

He and Deku split up—they'd agreed to start on opposite ends of the arena and work their way inwards as soon as Balloon-girl's trap had been sprung.

He didn't really understand how it had all gone to shit that fast. It was a damn good plan, and it should have kept most of his team out of harm's way.

Kirby's trap sprung, and Katsuki blasted into action on his side of the barrier that they'd created. The trap had essentially created a wall—something to separate the enemy team from each other.

But before he'd managed to take out the fucker who could shoot scales, the ending whistle rang out across the field.

He frowned, glancing at his opponent. "Has anyone even been taken out of play?" Scales asked him, confused.

"Dunno," Katsuki replied. "Don't think so."

They made their way back to the observation center.

Katsuki's blood ran cold when he saw both classes crowded at the edge of the observation deck. Even from here, he could hear someone crying.

They both ran forward, and Katsuki balked when the stretcher was lifted from its place on the ground by Sato and Tentacles.

Recovery Girl was leading them out of the arena, and he could just make out Deku's curly green mop on the stretcher.

"What happened?" he barked as he caught up to the rest of the class.

"What happened?" Floaty demanded, shrill. Her face was tear-stained.

"Your plan didn't cater to our strengths, and when I tried to get the upper hand, I got pinned and Deku pushed me out of the way! And then he got crushed by metal tubing!" She yelled. "If you and your ego hadn't insisted on a dangerous and destructive plan, he'd be fine!"

"Ochako—" Iida tried to interrupt her.

"NO, Tenya! Bakugou's ego and Deku's need to get his approval nearly killed him today!"

Katsuki felt sick. He should have known a metal avalanche was too big a risk, especially with a bleeding heart like Deku on the field.

He made to run after Deku and Recovery Girl, but Floaty five-finger slapped him. "What the hell!" he snapped at her.

"Don't you dare go near him," she yelled. "This was your fault. You're the last person he needs right now."

That...was true. Fuck. "Let me down."

"No!"

"Let him down, Uraraka," Aizawa insisted. "No one is going after Midoriya. We'll be resuming the training session with the next two groups."

"That's not fair, sir!" she cried.

"You'll only distract Recovery Girl. You can go see if he's ready for visitors after class."

She scowled, but steepled her fingers together. "Release," she muttered. Looking smug when he hit the ground hard. "Don't you dare bother him," she demanded imperiously from above him.

He jerked his head in some semblance of a nod. "Fine."

She was about to walk away, but she paused. "You know, if you didn't steamroll him all the time, this wouldn't have happened."

It felt like an indictment, and it left him cold.

"She totally deviated," Mina assured him as he trudged over to their concerned little huddle.

"Doesn't fuckin' matter," he muttered. "The part of the plan that put him in danger was my part of the plan."

"He wouldn't have been anywhere near it if she hadn't gone off-book! He looked totally surprised to see her out in the open," Denki argued.

"I should have taken her concerns into account too," he fired back. "I was pissy and arrogant and I got Deku hurt. Just...leave it alone."

"Just...wait till debrief until you start beating yourself up, dude," Eijirou said. "It wasn't your fault they deviated."

He shook his head. "They wouldn't have had to if I'd listened to them. Deku didn't want to go with my plan until I got pissy about it. She's right. My ego almost got him killed in training. I fucked up."

He ignored the concerned stares of his friends and staled into the monitor room to watch the next match.

When Izuku woke up in the infirmary, he was almost completely healed.

"You gave your friends a scare, kiddo. I understand the need to save people, but did you have to jump into the middle of a steel avalanche? You're lucky you weren't impaled," Recovery Girl scolded him.

"Couldn't let a teammate get crushed," he shrugged, sitting up slowly.

"My hero," Ochako cooed from the doorway. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," he replied honestly. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Just worried about you," she replied, coming to sit at his bedside.

He worried his lip with his teeth. "Hey Chako? Why'd you deviate? Why'd you put yourself out in the open like that?"

She frowned. "Because that was your plan, and your plan was better."

"But it's not the plan we agreed on," he argued. "You could have been seriously hurt if I hadn't gotten there in time."

"We would have gone with your plan—the better plan—if you hadn't just caved to Bakugou like that," she replied, more bitter than he'd ever heard her.

"It was the better plan for the situation!"

She scoffed. "Yeah, right."

"Besides, that's not the point," he insisted. "Even if you didn't like the plan, it was the plan that the team agreed on. You should have stuck to it."

"I wasn't going to hide like some scared little girl while Bakugou paraded around like a glory-hog," she scoffed.

He frowned. "What are you talking about? The basis of his plan was for you to surprise people by overwhelming them with your physical strength at close range."

"While he set himself up with you as the Wonder Duo at the perimeter, making a big spectacle," she rolled her eyes.

"I don't know why you suddenly have a problem with Kacchan, but you can't let it affect your hero work."

"Why not? You always let it affect yours," she snapped back.

"What is that supposed to mean?" he demanded.

"I mean, he said jump and you asked how high."

"He had a good idea, and I listened to him," he fired back. "So did everyone else. You're the only person who didn't go with the plan, Chako."

"I came here to see how you were feeling, not to get attacked," she huffed, standing. "If you're so keen to defend Kacchan, hang out with him instead. Oh wait! He's not even here to check up on you."

"I don't even know why this turned into a fight! I just asked you a question," he insisted. "I was worried about you, and wanted to know why you went off plan!"

"Because I trusted you!" she yelled.

He softened, shoulders dropping. "I appreciate that. And in the future, I'll do more to...I dunno, combine plans? But you could have gotten really hurt."

She deflated too, dropping back into her seat. "I know. I'm sorry, I just...wish people could see how brilliant you are."

He flushed. "I'm not that brilliant. The whole class is amazing, you know."

She smiled at him, still looking a little frustrated, but far more fond than moments before. She brushed a curl from his forehead. "Not as brilliant as you."

Since Izuku had been knocked out for half the day, he'd missed Calc and Lit. When he got back to the dorm that evening, he'd beelined for Momo, asking if she'd be willing to go over the Lit lesson with him.

Katsuki wasn't back from the gym yet, so he'd ask him for Calc help later.

Ochako waved at him from where she was studying with Tsu—blowing him a quick kiss, but turned back to her studies a moment later.

He was glad they'd weathered their first disagreement okay. It had kinda come out of nowhere.

"Are you feeling better, Izuku?" Momo asked him as he settled into his seat. He nodded. "Good. Katsuki will be glad to see you up and about. He took it really hard when you went down," she told him.

He frowned. "Really?"

She made a little noise of confirmation.

"It was his plan that went off-piece," she explained. "Aizawa was upset that Ochako deviated, but he also gave Katsuki an earful for the metal avalanche plan. He took it hard, and he had to be stopped from following you to the infirmary. You should check in with him."

Izuku nodded absently. "I will. Thanks for telling me. I definitely don't want him to blame himself," he murmured.

"Yes, well you and Katsuki always blame yourselves too much," she replied blithely. "Anyway. Let's get to it. You should rest early today."

"Yes, mom," he teased.

They reviewed the material and the study guide for next week's test. Studying with Momo was weird because it was almost relaxing. He always lost track of time.

The only reason he looked up was because Katsuki and Eijirou returned from the gym.

"Kacchan!" he yelled, standing quickly and gathering his stuff. "Thanks, Momo."

"Let me know if you're still having trouble!" she called after him as he scurried towards the explosive blonde.

The explosive blonde who was currently trying escape in the elevator.

"Wait!" he yelled. Katsuki pressed the elevator button faster. So Izuku fired up One For All to make it there in time, slipping through the door right before it shut.

"The fuck do you want, Deku?" Katsuki snapped.

"Your help with Calc," he replied immediately, grinning.

"You couldn't have waited until after my shower?" Katsuki drawled, unimpressed.

Izuku focused in on Katsuki's physical state then—previously too worried about his mental state to notice. He was...sweaty. His shirt was sticking to his torso and it was...a lot.

Izuku took a healthy step back. "I didn't want to risk you going to bed at 7pm, grandpa," he joked. "But you're right, you stink."

"Cheeky little fuck," Katsuki barked, lashing out to grab Izuku in a headlock.

"SWEATY ARMPIT FOUL!" Izuku yelled, squirming.

Katsuki let him go after a long, gross moment. "Serves you right, dweeb," he snickered before falling silent, eyeing Izuku critically. "You all healed or whatever?" he asked quietly.

Izuku nodded quickly. "Not even a scratch," he assured him.

Katsuki shuffled awkwardly.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

It still took Izuku by surprise whenever Katsuki apologized. Especially when it was completely unnecessary. "For what?"

"For insisting on such a hazardous plan. The falling metal was seriously dangerous. And if there had been civilians—"

"It was only dangerous because Ochako went off-plan," Izuku insisted. "We already...well, we kinda fought about it. She shouldn't have deviated. If she hadn't everything would have been fine."

"You can't always make everything better, nerd. I didn't consider the destruction."

"If I hadn't had to Air Force half the piping away from Ochako, the destruction would have been minimal," Izuku insisted. "Your plan was great."

Katsuki shrugged. "If you say so. You still got hurt, though."

"That was the least your-fault of all of the things that happened."

Katsuki huffed. "Always letting me off the hook too easily."

"Always being too hard on yourself," Izuku fired back, serious. "I mean it, Kacchan. I'm fine, and I would have been finer if everything had gone to plan. Not your fault."

Katsuki sighed. "Fine. You win."

Izuku pumped his fist. "Yesssss. Do I win Calculus tutoring?"

Katsuki snorted. "Yeah, nerd. Whatever. After my shower."

"Can I just...wait in your room and do the rest of my Lit assignment?" he asked hopefully. Katsuki rolled his eyes, but nodded. "Can I borrow some sweats?"

"Fucking mooch," Katsuki grumbled. "Fine. But you're doing my laundry on Sunday."

"For one pair of sweats?" he whined.

"And for tutoring."

"I won that tutoring fair and square!" Izuku cried, affronted.

Izuku's phone vibrated, and he fished it out of his pocket.

>>Gravity Girlfriend 💕

where did u go?

<< Gravity Girlfriend 💕

getting calc help from kchn. wll b back l8r

>> Gravity Girlfriend 💕

:( i could have helped u

<< Gravity Girlfriend 💕

aw thanks <3 i'll remember that next time

>> Gravity Girlfriend 💕

wtvr

Izuku frowned at his phone. Was she still upset about the training thing? Did she just want to study with him?

She'd been fine when he was studying with Momo. Why was Katsuki any different? He always studied with Katsuki.

"What's wrong?" Katsuki asked, frowning at his frown.

Izuku stowed his phone. "Nothing," he replied, smile a little tight. Katsuki frowned harder. "Nothing I need to deal with right now," he amended.

Katsuki studied him a moment longer before shrugging, pushing the door to his room open. "Whatever you say."

The next two days were uncomfortable. Everyone was on edge after the training incident, and there was an odd strain between him and Ochako.

After he'd spent the evening studying with Katsuki, he'd come down to the common room in borrowed sweats, only to be met with the silent treatment. Or...the almost-silent treatment. She only spoke to him when spoken to.

It felt like it had been resolved by morning, though. When he came down to the common room on Thursday morning, Ochako was waiting for him with a sweet smile, a cup of coffee, and a protein bar. "Good morning," she greeted him softly.

"Is it?" he asked hesitantly, taking the cup from her.

She grimaced. "Yeah. I'm sorry about yesterday. I was mad at Bakugou after training, and I...let it get to me when you wanted to hang out with him. The way he treats you really bothers me sometimes, but if you want him in your life, I can't stop you."

Izuku felt a twist of discomfort—but couldn't really place why. She'd said everything he wanted to hear, right?

"Okay, then," he replied.

"So we're okay?"

He hesitated, but nodded. "Sure," he agreed.

And for a few hours, it really did feel like they were back to normal. He got paired with Eijirou for a group project, and Ochako just grinned as she got paired with Shoji.

She didn't even mind that he skipped out on their lunch plans to plan their project with Eijirou in the cafeteria.

The trouble came back after classes. He and Katsuki were training with All Might at 7pm, which meant that he and Katsuki needed to do a sort of study-sprint beforehand.

Just like they did every Thursday, the two of them holed up in a corner of the common room and raced through as much of their homework as possible. Everyone knew not to interrupt them.

Today, however:

"Hey, guys! Mind if I join you?" Ochako asked, sitting before invited.

She slipped an arm around Izuku's waist and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

Katsuki cast his eyes back to his paper. "Don't fuckin' care as long as you don't distract us," he muttered.

"We have a lot to get done before training," Izuku told her. "You can join us, but we aren't gonna be much fun. Or much help," he admitted.

She pursed her lips, brow pinching. "You're training again today?"

He raised an eyebrow. "We train every Thursday."

"Can I join you this time?" she asked, leaning into his side. "You two are always training together. Don't you think it would be good to get some variation?"

"We're training joint moves today," Izuku told her. "Stuff we've been working on for months. Maybe when we're doing something else?"

She slumped back in her seat. "You know that you're gonna have to team up with more heroes than just each other," she chuckled.

"Didn't I just say not to distract us, Floaty?" Katsuki sighed, rubbing his temple. "We have a shit ton to do before we go."

"Lighten up," she prodded. "You can't keep him all to yourself, you know."

He rolled his eyes. "We're studying."

"Yeah, between you two studying and you two training, I hardly get any time with him—"

"Can I talk to you?" Izuku interrupted. "In private?"

"Deku, it's fine," Katsuki huffed. "She can stay, she just has to study."

"I need to talk to you," he insisted, ignoring Katsuki.

Ochako stared at him for a long moment. "Fine," she sighed.

"Deku, it's really not a big—"

"I'll be back in a minute, Kacchan," Izuku cut him off, staring Ochako down as they stood. "After you," he said, gesturing to the front door of the dorm.

Outside would be more private.

The door shut behind them, and Izuku appreciated the help of the oncoming evening chill to keep him from getting too heated. "I thought you said everything was fine," he said, quiet but stern. "Why are you still making a big deal of me hanging out with him? We always hang out."

She huffed a laugh that sounded a little bitter. "I already said that I can't stop you from hanging out with him. But why can't I join you?"

He frowned. "We both just said you could join us."

"But training with him alone? Why can't I join you?"

"Because we're training something specific! Besides, you never join us for training. Why are you so insistent on starting now?"

"Ugh, I just," she scraped her hand through her hair in agitation. "I don't like you hanging out alone with him!"

His jaw dropped. "Since when?"

She scoffed. "Since always! I don't get why you can't see it!"

"See what?" he demanded. "Kacchan is my best friend! Besides, you don't have any issue with other people hanging out with me alone, so—"

"Other people aren't in love with you!" she yelled.

He stopped short. Then he snorted in amused disbelief. Imagine Katsuki having feelings for him. Absurd. He would definitely know if Katsuki liked him. "Right."

"See! You can't see it! Everyone else can see it, but you can't! It's obvious that he has feelings for you."

"Even if that were true, which it's not," he insisted emphatically. "Kacchan's important to me. I'm not gonna cut him out of my life."

"So basically, I just have to hang out and wonder if you're going to dump me for the person you really want when you finally open your eyes."

Izuku felt like he'd been slapped. Sure he had a long-standing thing for Katsuki, but he wasn't going to run around on Ochako. He'd been a bit blindsided at first, but he liked her.

Besides, Katsuki didn't like him.

"Is that what you think of me?" he asked, hurt.

"No," she groaned, backpedaling. "But you can't blame me for being insecure here! It took me years to get your attention because you're always looking at him."

"I'm dating you, Chako. I want you. I like being with you! But just because we're together, that doesn't mean you can control who I talk to. Kacchan's an important part of my life."

"I'm not trying to cut him out, I'm trying to get you to include me! I don't like it when you're alone with him!"

"I'm always alone with him, and Kacchan always goes for what he wants! If he hasn't asked me out, then he doesn't want me," he snapped. "So really the problem is you don't trust me. So now you have to make a decision—you can trust me and accept that Kacchan isn't going anywhere, or this isn't gonna work."

She glared, jaw setting mulishly. He met her head-on.

Then, to his absolute horror, her lower lip trembled and her eyes filled with tears. "I just don't want to lose you," she sobbed, dropping her eyes to hide her face.

He felt like such an ass. He hadn't meant to make her cry. "You're not gonna lose me," he replied.

He approached her—bridging the space between them to wrap his arms around her shoulders and pull her face into his chest. "But you gotta give me the benefit of the doubt."

She nodded against his chest, undoubtedly smearing tears into his shirt. "I can try."

Training was fucking brutal. Deku was going hardcore. Well, he always went hardcore, but today it was like he was possessed.

At the end of it, they All Might bade them goodnight and they both slumped into the grass, a little too exhausted to move just yet.

"Jesus Christ, Deku," he groaned. "What the hell got into you today?"

"D'you mean?" he mumbled tiredly.

"I feel like I've been hit by sixteen trucks," he grumbled.

Izuku was silent for a long moment, and Katsuki let his head loll to the side so he could stare at the side of Deku's face.

"Just...frustrated. Today was frustrating," he muttered, lifting an arm to scrub a hand over his eyes.

"...You and Floaty okay?"

Izuku sighed. "We will be. She just...feels like I don't give her enough time," he said, sounding...almost defeated.

Guilt churned in Katsuki's stomach. He still monopolized too much of Izuku's time. "Then spend more time with her, dumbass," he muttered.

"Yeah, I'm working on it," he replied. "There's just...not a lot of time to give."

And yeah, Katsuki understood that.

But Deku spent a lot of time with him. "So let her study with us n' shit. Or study with her alone. I don't fuckin' mind. I'll get some peace and quiet," he joked, halfheartedly kicking at Izuku's ankle.

"Jerk," Izuku chuckled. "You're important to me too, you know."

Katsuki's stomach swooped at the admission. "Yeah, whatever," he huffed. "You too. But if she feels like you don't spend enough time with her, you shouldn't spend all your free time with me, fuckhead. I can spare a couple study sessions."

"So generous, Kacchan," he teased.

"Damn right I am, nerd," he grunted. He couldn't let Deku let him interfere in his relationship. Especially not when it was so new.

So fragile.

Izuku sighed again. "I'll figure it out. Don't worry about it."

Katsuki scoffed. "Who said I was worried?"

He noted (with a healthy amount of satisfaction) that Izuku looked more relaxed.

"Thanks, Kacchan. Talking helped."

"It was a one-minute conversation."

"Still helped!" he said, turning his head to blind him with his smile. He started to get to his feet. "We should head back."

He noted (with a healthy amount of satisfaction) that Izuku looked more relaxed.

"Thanks, Kacchan. Talking helped."

"It was a one-minute conversation."

"Still helped!" he said, turning his head to blind him with his smile. He started to get to his feet. "We should head back."

"Yeah, so you can screw around with your girlfriend," Katsuki grinned, flinching when Izuku's fist connected with his arm.

"Don't say it like that!" he whined.

"I do whatever I want, Deku," he replied haughtily. Izuku gave him a fond look.

"Yeah," he replied. "You do."

There was still a bad taste in his mouth all through Friday. he tried to ignore it, since he didn't want to feed Ochako's concerns through the weekend.

Maybe if he showed her how much he cared, she'd feel better.

After all, she'd gone above and beyond to show him how much she cared. And sure, she'd overstepped, but she'd done it because she cared. That counted for something, right?

So he let her cling, pressing against his side all through the day, as often as she could.

They even had lunch alone—kissing lazily on the roof.

"Let me walk you to the train station?" she asked that afternoon, sitting on his bed while he packed his weekend bag.

He looked back at her. "You don't have to do that," he said. "Besides, then you'd be walking back alone."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm a hero, babe."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean the League isn't around," he reminded her. "It isn't safe to go alone. It's not even safe to go in pairs. Just...slightly safer."

She sighed. "I just wanna spend more time with you," she said, pouting. "You're gonna be gone all weekend."

They hadn't spent a weekend apart since they'd started dating. And they'd just had a fight.

He could see why she was pushing the matter. "Then we should bring someone else with us, too," he replied. "Ei or Mina, maybe? So that they can keep Kacchan company?"

She smiled.

"I'll go ask," she said, unfolding herself from his bed and sashaying over to kiss him. "What time are we leaving?"

He glanced over at the clock. "Half an hour," he replied. "Kacchan wanted to take a shower since it's so hot out," he explained.

She nodded, but he could tell she'd stopped paying attention.

"I'll be back soon," she promised, kissing him again—deeper than the first time. "Sorry," she grinned cheekily. "I liked the first one so much that I needed a second," she laughed before twisting out of his grip as though he'd try to chase her.

He shot Katsuki a quick text to let him know that they'd have company.

He got two emojis back in return: a thumbs-up and a middle finger. He snorted, amused.

>> GEMGD 🧡

you're ridiculous

<< GEMGD 🧡

eat my ass, fucker

>> GEMGD 🧡

ask nicely

<< GEMGD 🧡

...tf deku?

Unbidden, Ochako's wild accusation slapped him in the forehead again.

'It's obvious he has feelings for you!'

She'd screamed it in his face, but he just didn't see it. There was no way. Why should he stop talking to Katsuki like normal?

>> GEMGD 🧡

u didn't even say pls

Answer: he shouldn't. He might have lingering (indelible) feelings for Katsuki, but that didn't mean they were reciprocated. And he felt his most at ease with him. He'd earned that ease with blood, sweat, and tears.

He wouldn't let misunderstandings get in the way.

<< GEMGD 🧡

fuckn weirdo. im taking my shower, finish packing dumbass

>> GEMGD 🧡

yes kacchan ٩(◕‿◕｡)۶

<< GEMGD 🧡

dork

He turned his attention back to his bag—tossing casual clothes in carelessly, along with a pair of formal shoes.

He carefully took his best suit out of the closet—one that Shoto and Katsuki had picked for him when they got tired of his pinstriped red one.

It was actually from Mitsuki's mens' label—trim fit and simple. If they were going to dinner to celebrate Auntie Mitsuki's new line, he'd need to look good.

He waited in the common room for everyone to get ready. Katsuki joined him first, hair still damp. "Where's Floaty?" he asked, tossing himself into the adjacent seat.

"Still looking for someone to come with us," Izuku replied. Katsuki was silent, but it felt like he was waiting.

Izuku looked up to find him frowning, eyes questioning. "I didn't want her to walk back alone," he explained.

"She's a hero, Deku."

"So am I," he replied. "You hate it when I go home alone."

Katsuki grunted, conceding his point. "Fine."

"I'll text her though," he offered.

"Don't sweat it," Katsuki shrugged. "We're not in a rush. We're just hanging out tonight, right? The fancy fuck dinner is tomorrow."

"I guess. I just hate the train after 7. Remember that one lady who kept grabbing my ass?"

"The world is full of pervs, Deku," he chuckled.

"Yeah," Izuku agreed solemnly. "This one guy told me to eat his ass today."

He cracked a grin when Katsuki smacked him upside the head. "Little shit."

"Oh, you're already ready to go! Sorry if I held you up!" Ochako said, wrapping her arms around Izuku's shoulders from behind.

"We should still be able to get to the train on time," he assured her, tilting his head back. She pressed a kiss to his forehead that lingered.

"You ready to go, KitKat?" Mina asked, kicking his chair.

"Eat dick, Pinky."

"Oh, sure, I'll find Ei after this," she grinned.

Katsuki's face crumpled in disgust. "Gross, I don't need to hear your gross bullshit, it's bad enough through a wall."

"Hey, we warned you!" she laughed.

"I heard it over my music, and that was Airpods' drown-out playlist," he barked. "You fucks are nasty."

"Maybe you can argue about coital volume when we get back," Izuku suggested, standing. Ochako slotted her arm through his.

"Yeah, let's go," he agreed. There was something off about his face, and Izuku studied it for a moment before deciding he was probably plagued by the memory of Eijirou and Mina's late-night sexcapades.

He'd probably be pretty scarred, too.

It took them 30 minutes to walk to the station when it was just the two of them, but with Mina and Ochako who were both talkative and distractible, it added almost 20 minutes to the trip.

By the time they actually reached the platform, they were rushing.

"See you Sunday, Kat," Mina grinned, giving him a side hug. "Congratulate BakuMom for me!"

"Stop. Calling. Her. BakuMom," Katsuki insisted. "Oi Deku! Hurry the f—oh."

Mina reached down and squeezed his hand.

Izuku's arms were banded around Ochako's waist, and her arms were wrapped around his neck. Izuku was a little lost in it, enjoying the occasional scrape of her fingers through his hair and the way she'd tug his bottom lip with her teeth.

It had come out of nowhere, going from a chaste peck to a deep kiss to a veritable tongue fuck in approximately forty seconds, but if it weren't for the train, he wouldn't complain.

Mina cleared her throat, and Izuku broke away, blinking at his girlfriend blearily. "I'll miss you too," he chuckled.

"Text me when you're home safe," she replied, smiling softly as she stepped back. She turned her gaze to Katsuki, lips swollen. "Have a fun weekend, you two!"

"Yeah, right," Katsuki scoffed marching forward and grabbing Izuku by the handle of his backpack, hauling him forward.

"See you guys Sunday!" Izuku called.

"Hurry the fuck up, dweeb! The doors are closing!" Katsuki barked.

Katsuki caught Ochako's eye through the train window. Lips still swollen, hair mussed, and exuding satisfaction.

He pushed down the jealousy. As long as Deku was happy.

Katsuki would never admit it, but he always loved coming home. It was calming—a place to escape the constant chaos that his classmates rained down.

His mother was loud, but he knew what to expect with her. His father was the personification of soothing.

Now that Auntie Inko was back in his life, it was another layer of comfort. Like a warm blanket. Someone safe and warm who always told him what he needed to hear.

And Izuku was almost always home at the same time with him. That was his favorite part.

They spent Friday evening with their respective families but bright and early on Saturday morning, Izuku met Katsuki for an early morning run.

Izuku (the fucking dork) had dubbed today Mitsuki Day, and once they returned, the two of them—

tagged teamed a luxurious breakfast for the Bakugous, watching HeroStar until their parents woke up to join them.

"I'm just saying, Mount Lady would have been a really good rescue hero!" Izuku insisted.

"Combat heroes are where the money is," Katsuki pushed back.

"I'm not denying that! I'm just saying, if she'd gone for utility instead of publicity, she would probably be in the top 3 rescue heroes! She'd be able to sort through building collapses and scale mountains in minutes—"

"But she can also wear a truck like a slipper and stomp villains to death," Katsuki protested. "She's doing fuckin' fine where she is!"

"I'm not denying that either!"

"Isn't it too early for you boys to be bickering?" Mitsuki asked trudging down the stairs. "It smells great down here," she commented sleepily.

"Happy Mitsuki Day!" Izuku cheered, jumping up to give her a hug. "We made you breakfast," he grinned.

"Fuckin' dork insisted," Katsuki said, standing beside him.

"Because I am thoughtful and considerate," he huffed jokingly, sticking his nose up.

A second later, Katsuki tackled him to the floor. "I'll show you thoughtful and considerate you celery-looking fuck," he barked, dodging Izuku's flailing arm as they grappled.

"Show your mom more love, Kacchan!" he yelled back.

Masaru descended the stairs as they wrestled pointlessly.

"What's all the commotion?" he asked blearily.

"Good morning, dear," Mitsuki greeted him wryly. "The boys made us breakfast, but I think they're too busy with their dominance displays to join us. Can I serve you some—" she glanced at the counter. "Pancakes?"

"Sure, honey. No quirks in the house, boys! The couch is new."

"Yes, Uncle Masaru!" Izuku choked from the camel clutch hold Katsuki had maneuvered him into.

"Stop sucking up, nerd! Fuck!" he landed hard on his back when Izuku threw him off and rolled on top of him.

"I have to say, their ability to hold a conversation while beating the crap out of each other is impressive," Mitsuki observed casually while she poured herself a cup of coffee. "Do you know what time Inko is joining us, dear?"

"Afternoon," Izuku wheezed as he caught an elbow.

"She asked what time, fucker," Katsuki spat, hooking his legs behind Izuku's to topple him over. "Not what time of day!"

"I gave the information I—ow! No biting!"

"You gonna tell villains not to bite you, Deku?"

"I'm not gonna fight villains quirkless!" he huffed.

"Oh, so if your quirk gets erased, you'll tell villains not to bite you?"

"Fine!" Izuku snapped, turning his head and sinking his teeth into Katsuki's forearm.

"FUCK!"

"SEE?"

"BOYS!" Mitsuki bellowed. They paused—violently tangled, pulling on various appendages. "Eat."

"Yes auntie," Izuku replied, trying to wiggle out from under Katsuki who kept him pinned.

"Stop kissing ass!"

"I'M HUNGRY!"

Dinner that evening was at Promenade—a fancy new French restaurant that was well on its way to notoriety.

"I can't believe you bit me hard enough to bruise you shitty little fuckweasel," Katsuki grumbled, adjusting his cuffs as they sat next to each other in the car.

"I did not," Izuku spluttered.

"Fuckin' did," Katsuki snickered. "Like a rabid green raccoon."

"Prove it," he demanded, reaching for Katsuki's sleeve.

"Fuck you! I just got these cufflinks to sit right!"

"Then stop being a baby," Izuku laughed.

"The fuck did you just call me?" Katsuki demanded, pinching his cheek hard.

"Ahhh! Stooooop!" he whined.

"I don't care what you do in the car, but don't slug it out in the restaurant, boys," Masaru sighed. "We'll get kicked out."

"It's nice to have you two home," Mitsuki said, uncharacteristically soft. "Everything feels more lively."

"Don't get fucking sappy, hag," Katsuki grumbled.

"You're lucky I love you, brat!"

They got out of the car, both boys turning to each other to straighten out the details on their jackets—Izuku readjusting Katsuki's lapel and Katsuki centering Izuku's tie.

For Mitsuki's special night, they were dressed to the nines—hair tamed and clothes crisp.

"Learn how to tie a tie, nerd," Katsuki grumbled. Izuku grinned up at him.

"As soon as you learn how to wear a jacket," he teased.

"Fuck. You."

"Language, Katsuki," Inko giggled. "Oh, you boys look so grown up and handsome. Let me take a picture!"

"Do we fuckin' have to?" Katsuki groaned, pointedly flouting the cursing request.

"We should take a group photo! To mark the occasion!" Izuku said excitedly. He looked over to the line at the door. "I'm sure someone would take one for us!"

"I'll ask," Inko agreed, delighted.

Inko went up to the first person in line who made eye contact—a girl about their age who glanced over at them, and then did a double-take.

She spoke excitedly to Inko, who returned her enthusiasm twofold. Then she waved them over.

"This young lady agreed to take a photo as long as she gets to take a photo with the two of you," she told the boys.

"I'm a huge fan," she gushed. "I've already bought some of your unlicensed merch," she admitted.

"Whose? Ours?" Izuku asked, shocked.

She nodded rapidly. "Yeah! Your licensed duo merch!"

The two of them glanced at each other, eyebrows raised. "I didn't even know we had unlicensed merch," Katsuki admitted.

"*Especially* not duo merch," Izuku agreed. "That's super flattering."

"I'll send you the link to the store," she said. "Might inspire your official line."

"Thanks! Tag us and I'll add you," Izuku smiled brilliantly. Katsuki smirked when she turned about thirty shades of red in the span of four seconds. He could relate.

They took the family photo first, and then Katsuki and Izuku sandwiched the girl on either side, throwing their arms over her shoulders.

She thanked them profusely afterward, while Masaru checked them in for their reservation. They waved at her one last time before heading inside.

On their way to the table, Izuku felt his pocket vibrate.

<< Gravity Girlfriend 💕

having fun?

<< Gravity Girlfriend 💕

deku?

>> Gravity Girlfriend 💕

yeah! just got to the restaurant

He put the phone down on the table as he sat, gently grappling with Katsuki for the best seat.

"Boys," Masaru sighed. Mitsuki and Inko grinned.

His phone vibrated again on the table, buzzing loudly.

<< Gravity Girlfriend 💕

take pics of the fancy food!

"You can talk to your girlfriend after dinner, nerd," Katsuki said, huffing a laugh as Izuku's thumbs sped up so that he could stow his phone.

>> Gravity Girlfriend 💕

I will! ttyl <3

"Shut up," he groaned. "She wants to see the fancy food. I don't blame her, I wanna see the fancy food, too."

"God, are you gonna be insufferable and take a million fucking photos of your plate before you eat?"

"And what if I do?"

Katsuki scoffed. "I'll give you shit for it forever," he replied. "Obviously."

"Obviously," Izuku agreed, nodding sagely.

"Um, pardon," Inko piped up. "Girlfriend? What girlfriend?"

Izuku blushed furiously as Katsuki looked at him, surprised. Izuku told his mom everything.

"Oh, uh," Izuku rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. It's kinda new."

"It's been a month," Katsuki corrected him. Izuku stomped on his foot. Gently, though. Gentler than their chomp-off earlier, at least.

All three parents watched them with rapt attention. Izuku blushed.

"It's uh, it's Ochako," he said, ducking his head and blushing. "She threw me this party. For my birthday? She told me that you told her when my birthday was," he explained. "And she threw me the perfect party. It was...amazing."

"Oh?" Inko asked, eyes flicking to Katsuki.

Katsuki gave the barest shake of his head. Inko's eyes narrowed just slightly, but Izuku didn't notice.

"Yeah," he smiled softly. "She said she'd been looking for a way to tell me how she felt about me. So she put together this perfect party, and then she asked me out."

"And you're happy?" Mitsuki asked, also flicking her eyes to Katsuki. His eyes widened in surprise. Both mothers were looking at him in concern now, and he shook his head again.

"Yeah!" his smile brightened. "It's been really great. I mean there have been some rough patches recently, but we're figuring it out together. For the most part, it's just been...nice. Easy."

Inko studied him for a moment. "What kind of rough patches?"

He shrugged, dimming for a moment. "It's hard to date in the hero course. I spend so much time training with Kacchan, she feels left out sometimes. And it took me so long to realize that sometimes she wonders if I actually want to date her. But like I said, we're new and we're figuring it out."

Inko glanced at Katsuki again and he gave her a pleading look. "Well, congratulations, honey."

"We're very happy for you, son," Masaru agreed, smiling demurely. "You'll have to bring her by for dinner sometime."

"Ugh, you've already met her," Katsuki grumbled. "Don't make me deal with their cutesy lovey-dovey garbage."

"You're the one who said she could study with us!"

"Yeah, at *school,*" Katsuki grumbled. "Don't need that romantic fluffy bullshit at home too."

Izuku chuckled. "It's still a little too new for that," he admitted. "But someday I'm sure that would be nice."

"If you do, give me a concussion the day before," Katsuki huffed.

"Sounds simple enough," Izuku teased.

"Hah! Like you could ever do that much damage."

"Weren't you the one who was just whining because of a fight-bite?"

"I wasn't fucking whining!"

"Bitching, then," Izuku grinned.

"Fuck you!"

"Language, boys!" Inko cried.

As though summoned by Inko's exasperation, a waitress appeared at their table as if by magic. "I'm so sorry for the wait, may I take your order?"

They looked at her. Then down at their menus.

They hadn't even been opened.

"Give us another minute," Masaru chuckled.

Izuku shed his jacket as he entered the apartment, sliding off his shoes as he went.

It had been such a wonderful evening—so fun and relaxing. And while they'd been at the restaurant, Auntie Mitsuki had gotten a call confirming that her BOMBASTIC collection would be featured in Vogue.

It was late now, and he and Katsuki would be going on another run in the morning. He turned toward his room, but a soft, hesitant voice stopped him.

"Izuku?"

He turned to face his mother, who looked anxious and concerned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing! Nothing, sweetheart," she assured him. "I just...can I ask you a question?"

"Of course," he replied, tilting his head.

"I'm glad you're happy with Ochako," she said. "But...why did you say yes to her when you've always had feelings for Katsuki?"

Izuku's jaw dropped.

"How—I—" he swallowed. "You—how did you know?"

He felt personally offended by the look of disbelief she levelled him with. "Perhaps because I know you," she replied.

"The sarcasm is unnecessary—"

"Honey."

He sighed, furrowing his brow. How did he explain this?

"Kacchan...he always goes after what he wants," he said, quiet but sure. "As much as I know that I like him, I also know that he doesn't like me. At least, not like that."

"Sweetheart—"

"Just...wait. When Ochako asked me out, I was surprised. I hadn't considered it.

But I decided to give it a try because she's one of my best friends, and she's beautiful, and I deserve to be happy. This way, I still have Kacchan in my life, but I can move forward, you know?"

Inko nodded. "You have to promise me something, though. If it feels wrong, end it."

He chuckled. "Didn't you tell me that couples fight, but it's the couples who communicate and put in the work who—"

"I'm not talking about fights, Izuku," she interjected. "All couples fights. I mean, if it doesn't fit—if she's a puzzle piece from a different box, put her back."

He stared at his mother for a long moment, then asked: "How can you tell the difference?"

"If you have to change—if the things that make you happy don't fit. That's the difference." She smiled sadly, and Izuku wondered if that's how she'd felt with his father.

"For now, it feels okay," he assured her. "Strange, and...kinda like breaking in new shoes," he admitted. "But I like the shoes."

She chuckled. "Just be careful that you're not buying shoes because the jacket you want is sold out," she said patting his cheek. "You'll get cold."

Katsuki fought off his mother's grabbing hands. "I will blow you up if you keep pinching my cheeks, Hag!" he bellowed, making a break for the door to the house as his father opened it.

"Don' threaten your mom, ya lil' shit!" she slurred, grinning wide. Naturally, she was drunk. Once the Vogue announcement came in they'd ordered champagne, and Mitsuki had indulged.

There were also the three dessert cocktails she'd had at the end of the meal—alcoholic Cafe Liegeoises that had her both tipsy and wired.

"Then stop fucking pinching me!"

"I like torturing you, Katsuki," she cooed, catching up to him and squeezing his face.

"GEROFF!" he yelled—his lips warped from the way his cheeks were squished together.

She sighed. "I guess you're right," she said, letting go. "You're already getting tortured enough."

He frowned. "The fuck are you talking about?"

She leveled him with a look that was far too serious for her current lack of sobriety. "You must think an infant monkey gave me a fucking lobotomy."

"Well, yeah," Katsuki grinned meanly. "But why in particular this time?"

"You said it all at dinner, kiddo," she said, slumping onto the couch. "The person you love is falling in love with someone else. That's some hard shit. I don't know what I'd have done if Masa dated someone else in college," she declared. "Cried like a bitch, probably."

His stomach dropped. "I don't love Deku."

"Right. And I'm a ten-foot platypus that shits rainbow-colored pudding," she drawled.

"Gross, hag," he grimaced. "Really."

"Katsuki," she huffed. "If you need me to pretend it isn't true so that you can cope, fine. But don't lie."

He swallowed. "It's not a big deal," he amended.

"Are you sure?" his father asked quietly. Masaru Bakugou was soft and kind and he only spoke when his words were needed. "Because if you needed distance, it would be understandable."

He shook his head immediately. "I can't."

"Why not, honey?" Mitsuki asked, unusually soft.

"We took so long to fix our shit. It took so much work to get close again. I can be happy just being his friend, really. As long as he's happy."

Mitsuki stared at him, eyes steely. "Sit down, kid."

Hesitantly, he complied.

She took his hand and squeezed it, just like Mina had. "It's fine if you want to be supportive," she said. "But if it's hurting you, it's fine if you need space."

"As the saying goes: Don't set yourself on fire to keep him warm," Masaru agreed.

Tears pricked at his eyes. Fuck.

"Yeah, well even when I feel like dousing my eyes in acid, being around him is a thousand times better than not being around him," he said, eyes downcast.

"And if that's really how you feel, then more power to you," she said, rubbing circles into the back of his hand.

"But don't ignore your needs," Masaru insisted.

He grimaced. "I hate talking about this."

"Understandable," Mitsuki said. "Emotions fucking suck. But humor us."

He groaned, burying his face in his hands. "I'm not ignoring my needs. I need to be around him," he admitted.

"I didn't want to date him or anything. I just want to be near him."

Mitsuki raised an eyebrow. "I know we promised we'd never talk about stuff like this after your sex talk, but I'm pretty sure you popped a boner this morning during your little slugfest."

"Honey—"

"MA!"

She laughed. "I know, I'm sorry," she said with a small grin. "But I've been watching you fall for him all over again for a year now."

"I just...don't deserve him. I'm lucky he forgave me in the first place," he shrugged. "I don't think I could make him happy with that much baggage. Floaty could, though. She does," he explained, a small smile creeping onto his face. Both parents' hearts clenched. "It hurts to see them together, but then he starts smilinf and I can't be mad at it."

Mitsuki sighed. "Just promise me you'll look after yourself."

"Now hold on," Masaru interrupted. "Why are you deciding what's best for him? Shouldn't he have a say? We weren't just watching you fall in love with him, Katsuki, we were watching him fall in love with you, too."

Katsuki's tiny smile grew pained.

"He never takes himself into account," he replied, softer than they'd ever heard before. "Even if he did want me, he'd never put himself first. He lets me off the hook too easily."

"I think you're hard enough on yourself for the both of you," Masaru said sternly.

"Dad. Just...it doesn't matter now," he insisted, voice firm in a way that told them that he'd made up his mind. "He's with Kirby, and he's happy, and I'm happy for him. That's enough for me."

Mitsuki shared a look with Masaru, who sighed. "Just...don't count yourself out, son."

"Yeah," Mitsuki agreed, grinning. "We raised a spotlight fighter, not a sideline extra," she said, ruffling his hair.

"I don't have to be the shitty love interest to be in the spotlight," he barked. "I'm the fucking main character."

Mitsuki cracked a grin. "Damn straight."

"Are you assholes done trying to make me cry?" he demanded. They glanced at each other, then nodded. He was reluctantly reminded of his own silent conversations with Deku, and his stomach turned at the similarity. "Fuckin' good. I'm going to bed," Katsuki huffed.

He was running with Deku in the morning, and it was already past his preferred bedtime.

As he brushed his teeth, Mitsuki found him again—leaning heavily on the door frame.

"One more question," she asked quietly. He flicked his eyes to her. "What if he'd be happier with you?"

The ride back to campus was relatively quiet. Both boys had stayed up far later than normal and had woken up at the ass-crack of dawn for their run.

Well...the first half was relatively quiet.

And then, HeroStar—the trashiest of the hero tabloids posted an article to their gossip blog.

<< Sparkplug

<< Denki ⚡️

yo have u seen this my dudes [link]

Izuku was texting Ochako, but Katsuki opened the link immediately. "Ah, fuck. Mute your Twitter, Deku."

"Hm? Why?"

Katsuki showed him the article.

Deku & Dynamight: Date Night?

"It's just HeroStar," Izuku assured him. "And it's probably clickbait."

Katsuki scanned the article. "Oh. Yeah, they say it's not a date in the first paragraph. Fuck them anyway," he grumbled. "The fucking title is enough to fuck us over for a few days."

"It'll die down."

Thank god UA had taught them to handle easily debunked scandals.

This one was easily debunked because their families were right there, and Mitsuki's marketing team had already released a press release and posted the group photo on her Instagram.

The first photo in the article was the photo that the girl they'd met had taken—embedded directly from Instagram.

They did look really good.

Especially together, Katsuki thought briefly before refocusing on the issue at hand.

"Probably need to get a PR rep to help us."

"You think? We should be able to just say that we're not dating," Izuku said.

"You think that's enough?"

"We can also post screencaps from the article that say that we're not dating," he replied dryly. "It's not our fault if they didn't read the whole thing."

Izuku's phone pinged a moment later, and he looked back to his phone. "Crap. I wish she hadn't done that," he uttered, flushing.

Katsuki leaned over to look at his screen. And wished he hadn't. "Wow. Without even asking you?"

Izuku liked his privacy.

Ochako had posted a picture of them in the common room, lazily kissing with her legs kicked over his lap.

The caption read: Can confirm: @/Deku is not dating @/GEMGDynamight lol

Izuku grimaced, switching to messages and typing rapidly.

>> Gravity Girlfriend 💕

babe can u take that pic down?

<< Gravity Girlfriend 💕

aw why? :( it's cute! besides, it clears things up

>> Gravity Girlfriend 💕

don't really like my private life in public

i'll write a statement when i get back to the dorm

minimize w/ BOMBASTIC news

<< Gravity Girlfriend 💕

aw sorry deku 😔  i'll take it down

how far away r u?

>> Gravity Girlfriend 💕

15 min

<< Gravity Girlfriend 💕

cu soon 😘

"That's a good idea, nerd," he muttered. "Shifting the focus to the Hag's line, I mean."

"Thanks, Kacchan," he smiled.

"Too fuckin' late to take the picture down, though. It already has like 3,000 likes," he muttered.

"Harder to find if it's not the official source, though," he disagreed.

"You should ask her to say that you'll make a statement later or some shit. That way people won't bitch about you hiding something," he suggested.

Izuku sighed. "Probably not a bad idea," he conceded, swiping his phone open again to tell Ochako the plan.

"You should message that girl about the merch," Katsuki reminded him. "We can take it to our consultation on Wednesday."

All Hero third years had monthly consultations with the business course and on Wednesday, the two of them would be discussing the business viability of forming an official duo.

"Right," he agreed, opening the article to find the photo again. "We should get this framed."

Katsuki scoffed. "I'm not getting a picture with some random extra framed, nerd."

Izuku pouted. "We should get the family photo framed, then."

Katsuki considered that. "Nah. I don't want the Hag thinking I like her."

Izuku snorted. "You love her, Kacchan. Don't lie."

That was the second time someone had said that to him in 24 hours. He wasn't a liar, he just had an image to maintain, goddammit. "Yeah, but she doesn't need to know. I'd never live it down."

Izuku offered him an unimpressed stare. "I have really bad news for you, then."

Izuku had to admit, he was surprised that Ochako wasn't there to greet them when they got back to the dorm. Considering how she'd felt when they left, he figured that she'd be on him as soon as he got back.

"I'm gonna put my shit away," Katsuki grunted. "We can figure out the PR shit when I get back."

"Meet me in my room in 20?" Izuku offered.

"Whatever."

"Let me know if you need help!" Momo called from across the room. Izuku grinned at her. She was the most PR savvy out of all of them by a landslide.

"Thanks!"

>> Gravity Girlfriend 💕

hey where are u?

<< Gravity Girlfriend 💕

something came up. tty after 🥰

Izuku smiled, putting away his phone, glad that she seemed pretty chill about the whole scandal thing, even if she had jumped the gun with her photo.

He let himself into his room, tossing his bag on the bed and going to his computer to look up the article again.

He pulled that up in one tab, then Twitter and Instagram in two others—scrolling through to see what people were saying.

He had a little planning to do.

Katsuki let himself into his room, and immediately set about putting his clothes in (a) the hamper or (b) the closet, like a civilized human being.

He knew that when he made it down to Izuku's room, the little shit's bag would be tossed in a corner somewhere. Animal.

He was halfway through steaming his suit when someone knocked on his door. "I'm fucking busy, Sharkface!"

The person knocked on the door again. He knew it wasn't Eijirou. Eijirou would have barged in by now. He sighed, putting down the steamer and crossing to the door.

He blinked at the person on the other side. "The fuck do you want, Floaty?"

Ochako stared back up at him, eyes bitingly cold. "Can I come inside?" she asked as she pushed past him.

He rolled his eyes. "Sure, why the fuck not. You're already inside anyway."

He closed the door, then stood in front of it, arms crossed as he waited. She just stared at him, arms crossed in return. He was never known for his patience. "Well? What the fuck do you want?"

She sucked on her teeth, eyes narrowed in thought. It felt malicious and strange.

Finally, she opened her mouth to ask:

"What exactly will it take for you to stop?"

He frowned, utterly confused. "What the fuck are you talking about? Stop what?"

"Sabotaging my relationship with Deku," she replied as though it were obvious. "Getting in the way. It's selfish."

He blinked at her once. Then twice. "What the fuck are you talking about?" he demanded again. "I haven't done shit—"

"Maybe you're just oblivious then," she allowed. "But you two are always oblivious when it comes to each other. I know you're the reason he stopped texting me over the weekend."

"I only told him to can it during dinner," he barked. "If you're having communication issues or some shit, that's on you—"

"I know you like him," she interrupted. "I know you want him. He wanted you too, but you didn't make your move."

"I don't—"

"Oh, please," she laughed bitterly. "You two were so obvious about it. But he finally gave me a chance—a chance to show him what it would be like to want someone who wanted him back. Who respected him. But you're still always between us!"

"I'm not—"

"What, he wasn't good enough for you, but he can't be happy with anyone else? Why won't you let him go?"

"Floaty, listen!" he snapped. "I'm fucking happy for you two, alright?"

"Then stop sticking yourself in the middle! It's confusing for him. He can't let you go. I don't know why since you've always been so awful to him. I seriously don't know how he fell for you in the first place."

"He doesn't like me!"

"He does. He's getting over it, but it would be a hell of a lot faster if you'd back off," she said, almost sneering.

It looked vicious on her, in a way he couldn't have anticipated.

"You want me to just cut him loose? You don't think that would hurt him?" he demanded. "He's my best friend."

"He'd get over it. Once he takes off those rose-colored glasses, he'll see what you're really like."

His heart squeezed. She had a point. "I'm trying to be better. The way I should have been."

"All you're doing is giving him hope for something that you won't give him," she insisted. "You're not going to date him, or you would have asked already. And even if you did, it wouldn't be healthy. Not with your history."

He felt sick. It was like she could see him in colors that other people refused to acknowledge. She'd been there through their entire 'healing' process, so maybe she was just more objective.

Just because it was better didn't mean that it was good.

"So what do you want me to do?" he asked, voice hollow.

"Just...leave us alone. Stop getting in the middle. It's not just confusing for him, it sucks for me. Knowing that he'd choose you if he had the choice."

"So why date him at all?" he demanded. "If you think he'd just ditch you—"

"Because I love him. So much that I want him even if I'm not his first choice. So much that I just want him to feel loved. But there's only so much I can take. There are these moments when you're not around when he just glows. But the more you're around, the less happy we are. I can feel him pull away!" she sobbed—tears spilling.

Her warning was loud and clear. 'If you don't back off, I'll break up with him and it'll be your fault. Let us be happy.'

He swallowed thickly, watching as Ochako broke down in front of him.

"I'll do what I can," he muttered. "If he comes to me, I'm not gonna tell him to fuck off, but I won't seek him out. That good enough?"

She sniffed, eyes softening. "Thank you, Katsuki," she said quietly.

"Whatever," he replied, eyes stinging. "Are we done?"

"Yeah," she conceded, wiping her eyes. "Yeah, we're done."

He opened the door, waiting for her to see herself out. Then he fished his phone out of his pocket.

>> Dweeb Supreme

got a headache. lmk what u decide for PR

He turned his phone off. All the way off. Then he sat on his bed, so numb that his extremities felt cold. It almost felt like a panic attack.

God, he was a piece of shit. He was so fucking selfish. He didn't want to give up any piece of Deku. This fucking sucked.

He sobbed.

Eijirou stared at the wall in shock. The walls were thin, and he'd started listening as soon as Katsuki had yelled 'Sharkface.'

What the fuck had he just heard? What should he do?

His eyes narrowed, getting angrier with each second. He'd probably do something dramatic.

Izuku didn't know what he'd done. He reasoned with himself that maybe he hadn't done anything at all.

Katsuki had been keeping his distance all week—bordering on pushing him away. Part of him worried that he'd done something to offend his explosive friend.

Either that, or he'd made him uncomfortable.

Another, more rational part of him figured that Katsuki wanted to keep his distance for publicity purposes—trying to ensure that they wouldn't be caught in more photos that would inevitably find their way to social media.

He was forcing himself to believe the latter idea. After all, it's not like Katsuki was going out of his way to avoid him. It just felt like Katsuki didn't know Izuku was in the room unless Izuku was speaking to him directly.

It made him sad. Mostly because it made him realize just how far they'd really come. They'd been at the point where Katsuki would turn to him and ask random questions or make pointless comments and just...address so casually as though it were an instinct to seek him out.

And now, for some reason, it was gone.

It was kind of like having to ring a doorbell for a door you used to have the key to. A sense that he belonged somewhere, but he wasn't allowed to be there.

He heaved a sigh, leaning back and sinking into the sofa. Ochako took the opportunity to lean further into his side.

The bright side, he supposed, was that since he'd come back, Ochako had been much more secure and communicative. Always letting him know when something was bothering her and working through it with him. She'd even been more receptive to Katsuki during their study sessions.

Tenya was in speech mode—almost preaching to them a though they hadn't done this a thousand times already. They were planning Momo's birthday party. Momo was there too—it wasn't going to be a surprise. They were treating her to a classy tea party, and she wanted to help.

Who were they to deny her?

She'd be leaving soon, though. They wanted to have some surprises for her, and they wanted to coordinate gifts. Since it was the first planning meeting, she'd give them her requests, and then she'd be going shopping with Tooru and Kendo.

When Tenya was done going over the dorm guidelines for parties again, Momo stood.

"Thank you all for doing this for me, and for letting me participate," she smiled. When Momo smiled, you couldn't help but smile back at her. "I hope you don't mind if my party is a little more relaxed than the last few."

"It's your fucking party, don't worry about what we wanted for our parties. Jesus, Princess, you're allowed to like different shit than we do," Katsuki grumbled.

Izuku smiled at him, and he rolled his eyes—looking fond as Momo blushed.

"Thank you, Katsuki. Alright then, I've made this list of things I'd like to have. Most importantly, the teas and service foods that I'd like to have available," she said, launching into her explanation.

They each asked her questions—making sure they had all the details before she was whisked away by the shopaholic squad. Then, they came together to plan the rest.

"We should have a live string quartet," Shoto suggested, straightfaced.

"Yeah? Do you want to ask Hobo-sensei for clearance for a bunch of musicians with shit tons of equipment?" Katsuki demanded. "There's no fuckin' way. You'll probably get house arrest for even suggesting it."

"What about a solo musician? Like a harp player!" Ochako suggested.

Katsuki rolled his eyes but didn't put up a fight. Tenya did, though. "It's a nice idea, but it lacks the variety that Momo enjoys," he said. "Could you curate a classical playlist, Kyoka?"

Kyoka wrinkled her nose. "Maybe," she agreed slowly. "It's not my forte, but I'll try."

"I'll send you a list of the shit she's showed me," Katsuki grumbled, sinking into the couch embarrassedly.

Mina grinned at him. "Aww, did you bond over fancy tea and snooty music?" she cooed.

"Shut. The fuck. Up. My counselor said classical music is calming or whatever."

"I'd appreciate the help, Blasty," Jirou smiled, kicking his ankle and wincing when he kicked back harder. "Asshole."

He scoffed. "See if I take over for you next time you get a sore throat, fucker," he grumbled.

"We should probably listen to it as a group to confirm final choices," Ochako suggested. "No offense, Bakugou, but your music tastes run aggressive. Even with classical music, it might be too chaotic for a tea party."

Izuku frowned at that. "Kacchan's music taste is great," he disagreed. "He has a playlist for everything. I just follow his playlists instead of making my own," he chuckled.

Katsuki frowned. "Huh?"

"On Spotify?" Izuku said. "You can follow playlists. I follow yours and Kyoka's so that I don't have to make music choices for myself," he chuckled.

"Ooh, you'll have to show me later," Ochako smiled up at him. He dropped a kiss into her hair.

"So music is mostly taken care of," Tenya declared, moving them along. "What about food? She said she wanted tea cakes and petit fours, but I assume we'll leave that to Satou." Satou nodded. "What about savory foods? Any ideas?"

Eijirou groaned dramatically, drawing everyone's eyes as he threw his head back. "Momo is so hard to plan for," he whined.

Mina chuckled. "It's just food, Ei," she replied, poking him.

"She's just so refined, everything feels like it's not good enough. Especially since she's so nice and stuff, you know?" he sighed. He turned his head to look Katsuki dead in the eye.

Katsuki visibly bristled. "What?" he barked. "Stop fucking staring at me you weirdo."

"Can't you just plan the whole thing?" Eijirou huffed. "You did such a good job with Mido's birthday, you should just take over."

The room felt like the manifestation of a record scratch.

Izuku frowned, turning over the party—at least what he could remember—in his head.

Mina broke first, laughing. "You hit your head, babe? Chako and Tenya planned that one."

"No, they didn't," he replied simply, still staring Katsuki down.

"Eijirou," he snapped.

"I planned it," Ochako protested. "He was just the distraction. You were there!"

"I know that's what you decided to tell us," Eijirou said, ice creeping into his voice. "But—"

"Shut the fuck up," Katsuki snapped.

"Nah," he said, with a satisfied smile. "As I was saying, that might be what you told us, but you got that plan from Mama Midoriya," he said, flicking his eyes over to Ochako. "And Mama Midoriya got it from Bakubro."

Izuku's brain finally rebooted. "Ochako planned it because she was trying to find a way to tell me how she felt," he said, slow and unsure. "That's what she said."

"Well, liars lie," Eijirou shrugged.

His frown deepened, and he pulled himself away from Ochako so he could actually look at her. "Chako?"

"I'm not lying," she huffed.

Eijirou opened his mouth again, but Katsuki cut him off. "Leave it, Ei," he snapped.

"No. If she's gonna stick to lying, we could just check," he said, calm but so smug. "Mido could just call his mom and ask." Izuku watched as Ochako paled, stomach sinking.

"Shut. Up."

Izuku looked up at him. Then at Kiri. His brain was moving too fast. Why?

"He planned it because he wanted you to realize how much people care about you," Eijirou explained, accurately reading Izuku's expression.

"Fucking stop," Katsuki hissed, jumping up. "Stop making it a big deal—"

"After last week?" he scoffed. "No fuckin' way, bro."

"Is he for real?" Mina demanded, looking up at Ochako. "Did you just...take credit for someone else's plan so that you could get at Mido?"

"No, hold on," Izuku cut in. "What happened last week?"

"I'm with Deku," Katsuki agreed, frowning confusedly. "What happened last week?"

Eijirou stared at him like he was dumb, but Mina elbowed him in the side. "Oh, sorry babe. Yeah, she did. Totally snaked credit for Bakubro's plan."

"I didn't know it was him!" Ochako protested.

Mina whirled on her. "But you did know it wasn't you!" she cried. "You let us all think you'd gone above and beyond for him because of how you felt about him, but you did the bare minimum! It was handed to you on a silver platter!"

"Mina, chill," Katsuki barked.

"No! She even ruined the meaning!" she yelled. "You wanted it to be about how much we appreciate him, and you made it all about you! Some big fake declaration of love!"

Katsuki's eyes snapped to Eijirou. "Don't!"

"Stolen, not fake. It a love declaration, just not hers," he scoffed.

"DUDE!"

Izuku felt like he'd been punched in the throat. The only reason Katsuki would be that vehement about Eijirou's statement is if it were true. That's the only logical explanation he could find. Especially since Katsuki looked mortified.

"I've liked him for years," Ochako snapped. "Of course I used whatever I had to make my move!"

Eijirou scoffed again. "I'd respect that if you hadn't passed it off as your own idea. I'd respect it even more if you hadn't slapped Katsuki after training for a mistake made." Izuku's jaw and stomach dropped in horror. "And I wouldn't have even brought it up if you hadn't told him to stay away from Mido last week," he declared, glaring her down. "You could have showed him how you felt without trying to ruin his friendships—"

"No, I couldn't!" Ochako snapped. "He's in love with my fucking boyfriend!"

Nobody even saw Mina move until the sound of a slap cracked through the room, hitting Ochako so hard that she fell.

"You manipulative, lowlife bitch, I was rooting for you!" she yelled. "Even though Kats had feelings for him, he stepped aside for you, so I was rooting for you you fucking asshole!"

She went to lunge again, but Tsu's tongue wrapped around her midsection, to hold her back. "Let me go!"

"Yeah, let her go," Kyoka agreed darkly.

Izuku's head was spinning. "That's what happened last week?" he asked quietly, anger building. "You told him to stay away from me?"

"She just hit me and you're worried about that?" Ochako spat. "That's why I told him to stay away! You're so focused on him that you don't have enough space for me!"

He stepped back, eager to put distance between them. The past week suddenly made sense.

"Honestly, I'm fighting the temptation to slap you myself. I told you that you couldn't control who I spent time with," he scowled. "I asked you to trust me! What did you say to him?" he demanded, practically snarling.

"Deku—" Katsuki tried.

"Shut the fuck up," he snapped. "I'll deal with you in a minute." He turned back to Ochako. "What did you say to him?"

Her jaw clenched mulishly. Eijirou's didn't.

"If I remember correctly," he began with even more dramatic flair than before. Izuku's heart hammered.

"She said that Bakubro here was getting in the way of your relationship. That having him around confused you, and it made both of you less satisfied. I'm pretty sure she said that you glowed when he wasn't around, whatever that means. Oh! And that once you were gone, you'd understand what he's really like, and wouldn't miss him." Eijirou watched as Izuku's face grew red with anger. He glanced down at Ochako, pleased that she was pale in the face of it. "Did I get that right?"

Before she could answer, Mina was flying at her again.

He turned to look at Tsu, who shrugged. "Dick moves deserve punishment. Mina is good punishment," she reasoned.

By the time he turned back around, Izuku was hauling her back. "Enough," he snapped. "Don't make me knock you out."

"Thanks, Deku," Ochako whispered. She was now sporting the beginnings of a black eye.

"We're done," he replied, resolute. "I pulled Mina off so that she wouldn't be expelled. Not for you."

She gave a humorless laugh. "I thought you said I wasn't going to lose you."

His answering laugh was harsh and bitter. "I said that assuming that you hadn't built our relationship on a lie. Assuming that you weren't tearing down my friends and manipulating me and trying to control me. You treated me like a possession, not a partner. I'm done."

She looked him in the eye, looking oddly determined.

"Everyone saw that HeroStar article, you know. If you break up with me now, they'll think you were cheating on me with Bakugou. I'll make sure of it."

Mina hissed. "You manipulative little b—"

Shoto cut her off, quiet and furious. "If you think we'd allow you to smear him after you've done so much harm, you are sorely mistaken, Ochako," he said. "We have plenty for mutually assured destruction. Do you really think anyone would trust a hero who manipulates her peers?"

"You too, Shoto? You know what they're like!"

"Katsuki was nothing but supportive," he snapped. "He just watched and stuck around even though it was awful for him—everyone saw it!"

"None of you can see him clearly! You're all unbelievable!" she cried.

"No, you're just an asshole," Kyoka called from the back. "And who blackmails people with witnesses?"

"Dumb as hell," Shinsou whispered.

"Just go, Ochako. I can't even look at you," Izuku hissed through gritted teeth.

"You'll regret this," she promised, standing. "You'll figure it out someday. You picked wrong."

Izuku laughed, loud and humorless—almost mocking. "You should know. You picked for me. You could have just...been a good person, and I would have stayed with you. You chose this."

"Get out," Mina hissed. Izuku didn't even flinch when she grabbed Ochako—scruffing her like a cat—and dragged her from the room.

Izuku heard them start to scuffle, clearly fighting in the hallway, but with Ochako out of eyesight, he had a new target.

He turned to Katsuki, who had been in a weird, shellshocked state of limbo since Eijirou had declared that he loved Izuku.

His blood boiled out of control again, eyes narrowing on the blonde as he grew anxious under his scrutiny. "Now, it's your turn."

Katsuki's heart was pounding in his fucking throat. Izuku turned to him with fucking fire in his eyes. "Now, it's your turn," he snarled.

Holy fight-or-flight response. He wanted to run, and he wanted to run fast. he totally would have if he didn't know that Izuku would catch up to him in a heartbeat.

All those months of playing "Catch-a-Kacchan" were doing him real fucking dirty right now. Fuck.

Katsuki did what he did best, and went on the defensive. "What do you mean its my turn, fucker? he snapped. "I was trying to do what's best for you! I didn't know she was a fucking psycho—"

"But you did know she was lying to me!" he bellowed. "And you just let her!"

"She made you happy!"

"By lying! For taking credit for something you did! By that logic, you could make me happy too, since the whole thing was your idea!"

That thought jabbed at his lungs. Really?

"Preach, bro," Eijirou piped up, grinning. Both of them ignored him because Izuku wasn't done.

"You were just gonna let her get between us and screw up our friendship—"

"She. Made. You. Happy!"

Izuku made a noise between a scream and a growl. "YOU make me happy, asshole!"

"So did she! Happier than I do, and she didn't want me around!"

"HAPPIER THAN—no, fuck that," he snapped. "She didn't want you around because she thinks you love me. Is she right? Do you love me?"

Katsuki's entire esophagus closed at the question.

"Yes, he does!" Eijirou piped up again.

"Shut the fuck up, Ei!" Katsuki yelled.

"Then get your shit together!" Eijirou yelled back. Izuku gave him an appreciative glance that Katsuki did not appreciate. Ganging up on him was bullshit. "You were just gonna let her steamroll you into submission Lord Explosion Murder! Get a fucking grip, dude!"

Katsuki bristled. "Fuck you!"

"No, he's right!" Izuku exclaimed. Katsuki gnashed his teeth in frustration.

"Since when do you not chase what you want? I love you too, but I didn't say anything because my entire goddamn life I've seen you fight for what you want with the persistence of a roided chihuahua!"

Katsuki's breath stuttered in his throat. Izuku loved him back? What?

Then the rest of the sentence caught up with him. "Hey!" he snapped, letting his pride distract him. A roided chihuahua? Fuck him! Fuck them both.

"You literally said 'I do whatever I want' to me yesterday! Is that that what you wanted, then? To get rid of me?" Izuku demanded eyes welling up even as he glared.

Katsuki's jaw dropped, horrified. "Of course not!"

"Then what the fuck were you thinking, letting her tell you to stay away?" he demanded, tears spilling over. Katsuki's gut clenched. He'd made Izuku cry again. "Why would you do that if you wanted something different?" he sobbed. Katsuki couldn't take this. "You fight for the things that matter to you, but you didn't fight for us!"

"I don't accept shit that I don't deserve, fuckface!" he snapped, tempted to cry himself. "I don't deserve you!"

Katsuki knew he'd made a mistake when Izuku's jaw and fists clenched. His eyes narrowed as he stared, and Katsuki shifted under his scrutiny.

Finally, he turned away, addressing the rest of the class.

"Excuse us," he said, voice low and cold in a way that made Katsuki shiver. He sounded dangerous. "We need to have a real discussion, and I don't want an audience."

Katsuki's arm was in a vice grip a moment later, and he was dragged from the common room. "Hey!" he protested, trying to twist away as he dug his feet in.

"We're having this conversation, Kacchan," Izuku insisted. "Either you walk with me or I'm carrying you. Your choice."

Katsuki's jaw set, but he stopped resisting—allowing himself to be dragged along.

As they turned the corner, the class erupted into chatter.

"Dude, did you...make popcorn?" Eijirou asked, voice coming in over the clamoring noise.

They heard Shinsou scoff before the door to the stairwell closed. "Obviously."

Assholes.

Apparently, they'd be having this conversation in his room. Izuku dragged him up four flights of stairs, took the spare key from its hiding place (how the fuck had he known where that was?), and practically kicked his door down in his haste to get inside.

"Explain," Izuku demanded as soon as the door slammed behind them.

"Explain what?" Katsuki snapped, yanking his arm out of Izuku's iron grip. He tried to cross the room—tried to put some distance between them for his own sanity, but Izuku wasn't having it.

"Don't do that," Izuku demanded, following after him to stay in eyesight. His voice was tight with frustration. "Just talk to me. I spent an entire week thinking I'd done something wrong because you were pulling away from me again! And then all this shit happened!"

"There's nothing to explain, Deku," he snapped. "Your fucking party explained it all. Why didn't you tell them when your birthday was?" he demanded.

"It just didn't occur to me?" Izuku replied, confused. "I never celebrate my birthday. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything!" Katsuki yelled. "God, dipshit, why don't you celebrate your birthday?"

Izuku clearly had no idea where he was going with this, because he just squinted at him in confusion. "Because...there's nothing special about it? It's just a day!"

Katsuki scoffed. "Everyone else's birthday is just a day too, but you helped build a fucking ice rink for Invisalign's birthday. So what gives, nerd?"

"I don't know! Why does it matter?"

"You're so full of shit," he snapped. "You don't celebrate your birthday because I was a complete shit in middle school! You didn't tell anyone because you didn't want to bother them, or you didn't think they would care—don't fucking deny it!" he bellowed when Izuku opened his mouth to protest. "I know you, Deku."

"You're not the only one who didn't come to birthday parties, Kacchan. That's not on you!" he cried. "Besides, even if it was, you clearly made up for it—"

"But I could have stuck around!" he hissed, eyes clouding again. He didn't know how much of this emotional shit he could take. "I could have been a better fucking person and been there for you," he sat on his bed and pressed his eyes into his palms. "I don't deserve you."

"I swear to god, if I hear you say that again, I'm going to bite your tongue out of your mouth," he snarled. Weird threat, but okay. "You think you don't deserve me? You?"

"That's what I fucking said, Deku," he replied tiredly, holding his tear ducts closed with the sheer pressure he was exerting on them.

"You're my best fucking friend you stupid blonde bitch!" Katsuki's head snapped up to glower at him. Izuku was really pushing his fucking luck. "You make me happy!"

"Deku—"

"I'll fight anyone who makes you feel small or unworthy, so shape the fuck up before I kick you through the goddamn roof!" he bellowed, chest heaving.

"Deku, how can you possibly—" Katsuki paused. He didn't know how he wanted to finish that sentence. Forgive me? Want me? Like me? Tolerate me?

Izuku sighed, stepping closer to him. Katsuki looked away, too raw to handle the proximity. To handle any of it, really.

"Katsuki Bakugou," he began, firm and determined. Still definitely angry. Izuku never full-named him unless he was in deep shit.

"What?" he sniped.

"Look at me." Reluctantly, Katsuki lifted his eyes again. "You are my partner. We are equals. So if you don't deserve me, I don't deserve you."

"You deserve more than me!" he insisted, strained with exasperation.

"Then you deserve more than me," Izuku replied, equally frustrated.

"No, that's not what I—"

"Exactly! Kacchan, we worked  to get here! Forget about the love thing for a second—" Katsuki scoffed. There was no way he could forget that. "Just our friendship is enough to fight for. I'm pissed that you thought I'd want to throw it away."

"I didn't," he replied. "I didn't want to throw it away either. I just...told her I'd give you space," he shrugged. "Honestly, I thought you'd figure out what a dick I am and finally get that you're better off—"

"If you say 'without me,' I will smash you in the least sexy way possible," Izuku threatened. Katsuki snorted, relishing Izuku's tiny answering smile.

"You gotta stop with the innuendos, nerd. You nearly killed me last week," he grumbled.

Izuku scoffed. "Absolutely not. I didn't know you were interested before, but I do now. I'm going to date the fuck out of you, and that includes making you flustered as often as possible."

"Deku, we can't," he groaned. "Our history is too—"

"You're delusional if you think I'm letting you run away now, Kacchan," he interrupted, scowling again. "What will it take for you to stop making decisions for me? I love you and I want you to have what you want. Don't you want the same for me?

Katsuki swallowed. "Yeah."

"Cool. I want you."

Katsuki groaned, scrubbing his hands over his face. "Why, Deku? Are you seriously that much of a masochist?"

He looked up when Izuku didn't respond. He looked thoughtful. Finally, he said: "I've been thinking about something my mom said."

Katsuki frowned. "Huh?"

"Shut up and listen," Izuku huffed, kicking his ankle and flinching when he kicked back. "She said, 'if she's part of a different puzzle, put her back in the right box' or something like that."

Katsuki squinted up at him. "The fuck—"

"She meant that if my relationship wasn't the right fit, not to try to make it work. But that's why I think we'd work. We're the same puzzle. We're part of the same picture, but you're the pieces of me that are missing. The stuff that makes the picture complete."

Katsuki blushed furiously, kicking his ankle again. "You are so gross and sappy—"

"And you're not," Izuku replied with a small grin. "I'm your missing pieces, too."

"Shut. Up." he barked.

"No. You're important to me, Kacchan," he replied with an amused smile.

"You let me off the hook too easily, Deku! You deserve a better—ugh, boyfriend? Partner? Whatever, you just deserve—" What could he say to fill in that blank?

Izuku deserved everything.

"You're seriously still fighting me on this," Izuku demanded.

"Ye—mph!"

Katsuki was still in fight mode, so it took him a few seconds to understand that Izuku's hands on his face did not mean he was getting strangled.

The lip-to-lip contact helped clue him in though.

Izuku was kissing him.

And way too soon, he was pulling back staring at him with gigantic green eyes and a small hopeful smile.

"What the f—"

Izuku kissed him again—less sudden this time, and slower. One hand slid from his cheek to the back of his neck, his thumb running across Katsuki's nape and sending shivers down his spine.

Katsuki pulled back this time, but Izuku followed—landing another kiss on the corner of his mouth. "Deku wait, goddammit," he pleaded.

Izuku leaned away, just enough to look him in the eye. "If you don't want me, that's one thing," he murmured. "But if you do, can't we try?"

Katsuki winced, pretty goddamn powerless against Izuku's resolve. And his puppy-dog eyes.

"I want to try, Kacchan," he continued, thumb still running over the nape of his neck, and the other hand settling on his shoulder, so warm and grounding. "You're the one who taught me to fight for the things I want. We both want this, don't we?"

Izuku was so kind and good—so adoring. Katsuki knew he wasn't fragile, but he was terrified of breaking him. His eyes stung for the thousandth time that night. "What if I ruin everything?" he asked quietly.

Izuku's hand slid to his cheek, tilting his face up to meet his eyes and stroking his cheek so fucking softly. "What if we don't?" he replied. Katsuki gave an aborted sob—breath hitching as he started to cry. "Hey," Izuku chided him, wiping his tears. "Crying is my thing."

"Yeah? Well yelling is mine, and you've been yelling at me all goddamn night," he huffed, looking down to hide his eyes.

"Wouldn't have to if you weren't being so pigheaded," Izuku huffed, amused. Katsuki reveled in the feeling of Izuku drawing circles in his skin.

They were silent for a while—Katsuki mentally running through everything that could go wrong while Izuku chased those thoughts out of his mind with gentle touches.

He wanted this so badly. Did that make him selfish? Izuku wanted this too, though. He'd made that clear.

"Well?" Izuku asked quietly, tilting his head back up. "What do you say?"

Katsuki searched his eyes. He wasn't sure. But, god, Izuku was worth the risk. He took a deep breath—releasing a shuddering exhale under the heat of Izuku's hands. "Okay," he whispered.

He only saw Izuku's grin for a split second before he was leaning forward again, tangling his hands in Katsuki's hair and pressing kiss after kiss onto his waiting mouth until he was giving as good as he got.

Katuski pulled him onto his lap, cradling him closer like he was precious—because he was.

When Izuku pulled away again, he caught the smile for real—more blinding than any he'd ever seen before. He'd made Izuku happy.

Hope bloomed in him so fast that he felt a little sick. They could do this.

He gave Izuku a grin of his own.

He couldn't stop staring at him in wonder. Izuku couldn't stop grinning at him.

Then, there was a thump from the hallway. Both boys flicked their eyes to the door, then back to each other—one scowling and one amused.

"Whoever's out there has four fucking seconds to run!" he bellowed. He heard multiple sets of feet pounding down the hallway, desperate to escape.

"You going after them?" Izuku asked.

"Hell no," he scoffed, pulling Izuku down for another kiss.

He wasn't going anywhere.

Katsuki sat on the sofa with his arm thrown over Izuku's shoulders. The business course student they'd been assigned to—Hana Akimoto—stared at them, utterly unimpressed.

Which was strange, because she'd been elated when they told her they wanted to register as a duo.

"You're dating."

"That's what we just said, Furry."

"Stop calling her Furry, Kacchan," Izuku sighed, casting an apologetic glance in her direction. She just rolled her eyes. He was pretty sure they were gonna hire her when they started their agency.

"I thought you were dating Uravity," she said as though Katsuki hadn't spoken. Katsuki lurched forward but Izuku threw his arm out, holding him down.

"Ochako and I broke up."

"She told the world that you were together after a tabloid scandal. That's bad for your optics."

"Well we got some shit that's bad for her optics too," Katsuki grumbled, settling back into Izuku and drawing him closer to his side.

She stared at them for a long, unreadable moment, then sighed. "Dammit, you two are cute. I can't even be mad at you."

Izuku tilted his head, and Katsuki was reminded of a curious puppy. "Mad? Why would you be mad?"

"Because as your assigned Business Course student I'm responsible for your PR, and this has the potential to turn into a giant pile of steaming garbage," she replied.

"That's why we fucking told you," Katsuki grumbled. "Didn't want you to be blindsided if shit went down."

"That's uncharacteristically thoughtful of you," she said, looking pleasantly surprised.

"Deku's idea."

"Of course."

"We're not planning on announcing it," Izuku explained. "But if Ochako decides to make a fuss, we wanted you to be prepared."

She considered that. "Yeah, you could probably just carry on like normal. Everyone knows you're a package deal, so unless you explicitly announce your relationship, tabloids and civilians will probably just keep assuming that you're best friends."

"We have that interview article planned with NatChron about how we grew up together and shit," Katsuki reminded them.

She nodded. "If you're comfortable with deceiving the public for a few months, that's a good idea. You can double down on the best friends narrative and find a diplomatic way to explain your split from Uravity if it comes up."

Izuku scowled.

"Yeah, you're gonna have to coach me through that," he admitted, tone dark. "We didn't split on good terms."

Her eyebrows shot up. "I'll be honest, I was expecting the hostility from Bakugou, not from you."

Katsuki leaned over to press a kiss to Izuku's temple, and Hana melted as Izuku visibly relaxed. They were adorable. The public would be missing out.

But the viral potential for an official announcement was a borderline sexy thought to her. She just hoped they'd like her enough to recommend her at whatever agency they sidekicked for.

"Relax, Deku," he muttered. "Floaty hasn't talked to us in like two weeks."

"Self-preservation," he replied darkly.

She grimaced. "I'm going to need you to reign in the murder vibes, Deku," she said. "That's not the image you want to play to the public."

Katsuki pressed another kiss to his forehead, and she wanted to squeeze them both. "Yeah, nerd," he teased, lips still brushing his hairline as he smiled. "That's my thing."

"What's mine is yours, Kacchan, including personality flaws," he replied curtly despite leaning further into his hold.

Hana scoffed. "You're not married."

They glanced at each other, blushing. Oh. "Right," Izuku laughed sheepishly, straightening to loosen Katsuki's hold.

But the idea was already planted firmly in her head.

Training was different now that they had official plans to register as a duo. They were never pitted against each other anymore, even though they would constantly spar with each other.

Of course, with the new sheen of romance, it lent a healthy amount of melodrama to their escapades.

For example, now.

Aizawa sighed longsufferingly as he watched the session play out. It was SmashBang vs. Denki and Tenya, and Denki had essentially shot Izuku out of the sky.

"DEKU!"

The way Katsuki screamed, it was as though he'd watched his lover get murdered in front of him.

With a blast that was about ten times more powerful than necessary, he blasted forward to catch the falling Green Bean, cradling him gently on the descent.

"God, they're so fucking gay," Kyoka muttered.

Aizawa concurred.

They were sweet in a disgusting, saccharine kind of way. Katsuki stroked his face as he waited for Izuku to catch his breath. "I'm gonna take care of those fuckers. You sit tight," he instructed, gently resting him against the side of a building.

Izuku smiled up at him—brighter than the sun. "You've got this, Dynamight."

The tone of voice he used was less sweet, more sultry. Aizawa cringed, tempted to avert his eyes. Unfortunately, he was an educator and had to keep watching so that he could give them feedback.

Maybe he should retire.

At the end of the exercise, Aizawa stood before the four almost-heroes.

"Iida, your strategies are too rigid and self-specific. You need to find ways to adapt to your partners' strengths and weaknesses. Kaminari, you did very well. You managed to catch one of Midoriya's very few openings dead-on. Unfortunately, mobility isn't your strong suit, so once Bakugou came after you, you couldn't evade fast enough. Consider adding support gear that can make you more mobile."

"Yes sir!" Denki cheered, pleased with his feedback.

Then Aizawa turned to the Demolition Duo. "Well done winning the exercise. You maintained control of the situation from start to finish, despite setbacks. Hoever," he sighed. "Keep your weird romantic crap off the battlefield."

"The fuck is that supposed to mean?"

Aizawa raised an eyebrow, but Shinsou beat him to the punch. "You sounded like Mido got stabbed, not lightly zapped, Blasty. And then you princess carried him."

"Not to mention—Midoriya, you need to control your tone in public. Especially if you're trying to be a role model to innocent kids," Aizawa stated, looking far more uncomfortable than they'd ever seen him.

Izuku blushed, and Katsuki grinned maliciously. "Yes, sir!" he squeaked. As soon as they were dismissed, he hid his face in Katsuki's shoulder. "Nooooooo," he whined quietly.

"Hey, I get it," Katsuki teased. "I'm hot shit, nerd."

"You're the worst."

"Break up with me then."

"No."

Class movie nights were practically a religious experience. Everyday life for hero students was so loaded with danger and anxiety, that the chance to relax and spend time with friends without worrying was a blessing in and of itself.

"I'm happy for you guys, but do you have to do that in the middle of Moana?" Eijirou demanded.

Katsuki and Izuku didn't even acknowledge him. They'd claimed an entire couch—Izuku lying on his back and Katsuki wedged between him and the back of the sofa—and they were lazily trading kisses while barely watching the movie.

The only reason Eijirou complained was that Katsuki kept biting Izuku's bottom lip and it was causing some...volume control issues.

Hanta rolled his eyes, grabbing a handful of popcorn out of Shinsou's bowl and flinging it at them.

Izuku pulled away with a splutter.

"The fuck was that for!" Katsuki demanded.

"Stop moaning during 'Shiny' you horny assholes!" Hanta scolded them. "This is a wholesome movie!"

Izuku blushed. "Sorry," he replied, shuffling around and turning his back to Katsuki so that he could be the big spoon.

When the lights turned on after the movie, Mina and Toru let out audible coos. Katsuki's face was buried in the back of Izuku's neck, arms banded around his waist. Their legs were tangled and both boys were snoring softly.

"That's the cutest shit I've ever seen," Kyoka whispered, afraid to ruin it by waking Katsuki up.

Momo pulled the blanket from where it had fallen off the couch during their makeout and draped it over them gently. Better to just let them sleep.

"You ready?" Izuku asked, looking a little nervous.

"Like I'd let her intimidate me," Katsuki scoffed. "Just open the door, Deku."

Izuku took a deep breath and went to open the door—but Katsuki stopped him at the last second. "Kacchan?"

Katsuki grinned and bent down, pressing a long, soft kiss onto his lips. When he pulled back, Izuku looked dazed and happy. "You good, nerd?"

"I thought you wanted them to figure it out on their own," he breathed.

"Wanted to kiss you more," he grinned mischievously before bending for another. And another.

"If you keep kissing me on the doorstep we're going to be late," Izuku warned, not sounding like he cared very much.

"Mm, that would fuck with our plan," Katsuki agreed, stepping back and laughing when Izuku pouted. "You're the one who brought it up, nerd!"

"I know," he sighed wistfully. "But you owe me more later," he said, pushing the door open.

"As many as you want, Deku," he promised, stepping in after him.

"Izuku? Katsuki? Is that you?" Inko called from the kitchen over Mitsuki's laughter.

"Hi, mom!" he yelled back.

"Help set the table, brat! Dinner's almost ready!" Mitsuki yelled as soon as he was in sight.

"Hello to you, Hag," he grumbled, dropping his bag on the couch and heading over to help.

Izuku joined his mom in the kitchen. "Whatcha makin'?" he asked, leaning over her shoulder.

"Katsuki's favorite," she chuckled. "Since we did yours last time," she said, turning to look at him. She paused, frowning. "Are you alright, honey?"

"Yeah, why?" he asked, frowning right back.

"You're all flushed," she said, putting a hand on his forehead.

"We raced here," Izuku explained quickly.

Inko seemed to accept that, laughing again. "Always so competitive," she tutted fondly. "Do you two ever relax?"

Izuku pointedly did not think about the three hours they spent making out that morning. "Not really," he laughed awkwardly.

"No beating each other up tonight," she warned fondly, patting his apparently flushed cheek. "Now go put the rice on the table and stop those two from disturbing the neighbors."

"Sure," he replied, kissing her cheek before picking up the rice and walking into the dining room.

Dinner itself was as delightful as ever. Their parents were thrilled to hear about their official partnership registration.

"You have to let me design a merch line for you!" Mitsuki demanded, eyes alight with excitement. Izuku grinned at her.

"Who else would do it?" he asked seriously, voice fond. Mitsuki looked at him like he hung the moon, and Katsuki shot him a warm glance, but it was less than half a second.

Their parents didn't even notice.

"That's so sweet," she cooed. "I already have so many ideas. What's your official duo name?"

The boys glanced at each other. "We kinda smushed our concepts together," Izuku explained, sheepish and embarrassed.

"It's SmashBang," Katsuki barked.

Inko giggled. "That'll be popular with kids," she said. "I can just imagine kids running around like you did, yelling Smash and Bang while playing with your action figures and pretending to be you."

"With poor mothers like us playing the villain and getting mauled by toddlers," Mitsuki agreed, laughing as she clinked her glass against Inko's.

"We're very proud of you two," Masaru said gently.

"So what about your girlfriend, kiddo?" Mitsuki asked, leaning forward with a grin. "How's that going?"

Izuku's smile faltered. "Oh, uh...we broke up."

"Oh, honey, I'm sorry," Inko cooed. "What happened?"

Katsuki snorted. "A lot—oof!" he grunted when Izuku's elbow landed in his ribcage. "The fuck was that for?" he demanded.

"Don't be an ass about it," he huffed.

"I just said that a lot happened!" he defended himself.

"What happened, honey?" Inko cut through their bickering.

"I found out she was lying to me and trying to control who I spent time with," he explained.

Mitsuki's eyes flicked to Katsuki, then back to Izuku. "Oh?"

"Yeah. She was actually suspended for the rest of the year because she tried to blackmail me," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "She'll be allowed to rejoin the class below us if she completes an ethics course and evaluation, but she won't be graduating with us."

"She tried to blackmail you?" Mitsuki demanded, furious. "Why wasn't she expelled?"

"She still might be," Izuku shrugged.

"Once a hero has a provisional license, the Commission gets a say on if shitty students get a second chance," Katsuki grumbled. "They think she's a reliable rescue hero. She's a good face for the masses."

"That's a shit reason," Mitsuki snapped.

"Obviously," Katsuki scoffed.

"Are you okay, Izuku?" Inko asked worriedly. "Blackmail and a breakup must have been hard on you. Why didn't you tell me?"

He offered her a weak smile. "I had support," he assured her. "And honestly I was too mad to be hurt."

"At least you have Katsuki," Masaru said.

Both heads whipped toward the soft-spoken man, eyes wide.

His eyes widened, too. "Oh. I meant as a friend to support you, but apparently, that's not what's going on here."

Izuku and Katsuki glanced at their mothers, who were staring at them in shock, then at each other.

"Fuck," Katsuki grumbled, slumping back into his chair.

Inko gave a rattling gasp that kind of sounded like she was choking. Izuku looked back at her in alarm. "Are you—did—huh?"

"Are—" Mitsuki whispered, uncharacteristically quiet. "Are you really?"

"Mom are you okay?" he asked, worried that she was tearing up.

"Katsuki, speak," Mitsuki demanded, staring them down.

He groaned. "Fine," he grumbled. He reached for Izuku's hand, twining their fingers together and then bringing both hands to rest atop the table.

"Deku and I are dating," he stated, staring his mother down and daring her to say something embarrassing.

All three parents stared at them in contemplative silence. Or shock. Or both. Masaru was staring at the moms, quiet and wide-eyed as though waiting for an explosion.

Finally, Mitsuki's gaze honed in on them, seriously analyzing them. Izuku shifted under her gaze, tempted to run. "Who asked who out?" she finally asked.

Izuku flushed. "I asked him out," he said timidly.

Inko slammed her hands on the table in triumph. "I win!"