Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

    Midoriya Izuku couldn't be held responsible for this. Still, he felt committed to fixing this snag in his reality. It started innocently enough. If a pornographic doujinshi could be considered ‘innocent’.

    Izuku wheezed at the sight of it. What kind of fan drew dirty doujinshi about him ? About Hero Deku? With Kacchan? Seriously?! Kacchan would...explode if he found out. Kacchan would burn the book to ashes first off. Then maybe he’d laugh in that sanity-devoid way that made Izuku's skin crawl. Burn down a building or four. Hopefully not this comic shop. Maybe it was best if—

    Izuku hesitantly plucked the doujinshi from the shelf. He combed the racks for more and found himself relieved to see no other comics about them together. Romantically . There were a few others about Dynamight, but Izuku was only one man. He couldn’t take responsibility for Kacchan’s lust-crazed fans. Kacchan seemed unbothered by the idea of being sexualized. Although being sexualized with Hero Deku would probably be well outside Kacchan’s limits.

    Now then, back to the primary focus of his shopping trip.

    Izuku searched for another doujinshi—a fan-made comic on All Might that had an amazing story. He only glanced at the R18 section for a moment. Really! At twenty-one, he was certainly old enough to glance at whatever he wanted! He’d eyed the shelf for five seconds at most. 

    Izuku smothered a groan as he got a better look at his blushing face plastered across the cover. He arched shamelessly while Kacchan— of all people —was unzipping Hero Deku's costume. Yes. They were in costume. How mortifying. Thankfully the store was empty this early, so he didn’t have to hide the book while he browsed the other dojinshi.

    Izuku pulled his hood down and adjusted his flu mask. He made his way to the counter with the desperate hope to avoid recognition. Izuku pulled the dojinshi-that-shall-not-be-named and the next installment of the All Might book out from under his arm. He made no eye contact with the pink-haired girl at the register as he paid and fled the shop.

    He wasn't naive. He knew all too well that fandoms made porn. Loads of it. He knew there existed a dark corner of the All Might fandom he'd unintentionally stumbled across. And just no . That man was like a father to him. He didn't indulge in that edge of the fandom, even if he'd curiously dipped his toes in once or twice.

    If he wanted anything erotic, he'd prefer to get it online in a digital copy. He was embarrassed that porn about him existed. Let alone him with Kacchan. His first instinct had been to keep anyone from reading something so obscene. Logically, he knew there had to be more copies. And more stories. But the thought of leaving the comic behind for someone else to use as erotic fodder made his face boiling hot.

    Izuku shivered from the late-spring chill as he left. He seriously considered throwing the raunchy doujinshi in the trash. His emergency pager lit up on his phone before he had the chance. Even on his days off, he responded. Because how could he not? He wasn't number twenty-four for nothing.

    Unzipping his backpack and stashing his purchases, Izuku shot off toward his agency so he could suit up and assist. He wasn't far. Ten minutes tops, and he’d be on the scene.

    That was how the R18 doujinshi ended up back at his house, forgotten as he crashed into bed exhausted. Until it wasn't forgotten. Which resulted in all hell—or rather, Izuku's fanboy libido—breaking loose.

Chapter Text

    A week passed before Izuku's rock-solid resolve crumbled. He tore open the thin plastic containing his worst fears. Porn. Of him and Kacchan. Why did he have the disturbing desire to read this—this taboo comic?

    Gorgeous watercolors lit up the cover. Every stroke was made with fantastic care and love. A real fan. A horny fan, but a real fan nonetheless. Could he throw their work away without a glance, simply because it contained forbidden fruit?

    No. He couldn't. Because he was a fanboy too, darn it. 

    Settling into his bed, Izuku consumed the work page by page. Horrified and fascinated. Did fans...see them like this? Izuku mumbled commentary along the way. Often regarding things he or Kacchan would never say. Still, the dialogue was crisp and tinged with realistic banter. The characters of the Dynaku ship—as the author named the relationship in their prologue note—were similar enough to the actual Bakugou and Midoriya that Izuku found himself flushed when the action started. Yeah. That action.

    Stuffed into a narrow alleyway, unable to make their way back to their apartments because they were overwhelmed with lust. Those were the words on the page. Overwhelmed with lust. This was Japan! People didn't even hold hands in public without awkward looks, let alone—oh, wow. Yeah. Bakugou was sucking on his nipples. Dynamight. Whatever. That was...something.

    Izuku flipped the page, eyes widening because Kacchan never looked like that while getting undressed. Izuku'd seen Kacchan hundreds of times in the lockers. Never licking his lips like that. Never, ever with that sinister (sexy?) smirk. But Kacchan had made those faces. He did stick out his tongue a lot, though usually to make fun of Izuku. Or focus on destroying a villain. Izuku could see it. This expression, this body language on Kacchan fit well, and it was...stirring something in Izuku’s pants.

    He read on.

    On the next page, Kacchan slowly unwrapped him like a gift. Wow. Izuku himself was not that attractive, was he? This depiction of Hero Deku was erotic. Could he be erotic? Like that? Izuku snorted. Saying things like ‘I need you inside me’ would never happen without a stutter. Looking so debauched? Hardly realistic.

    He'd kissed a few people, sure. Maybe one of those could be considered a heated makeout session. But there were still bumping teeth and messy spit. Izuku wasn't smooth like this. He certainly didn't consider ever being the one taking it—oh my god, Kacchan's dick wasn't that monstrous—because he'd only ever fantasized about women. Every once in a while his eyes appreciated a male form.

    Izuku knew how difficult it was to keep up the body that he had. So he'd never dissected his lingering stares over rippling muscles. He was just appreciative. Right?

    Izuku, for the first time in his life, wasn't so sure. Seeing himself presented in a way he just couldn't imagine—so sultry and pleasure drunk—was strange enough. But finding that he was more and more physically excited as the pages turned...well. It was eye-opening.

    As Izuku gulped down the drool pooling in his mouth over the lewd images, he finished on the last page. In the comic, his expression blissed out riding Kaccha-er-Dynamight's dick. Yeah, he'd called him Dynamight the whole time in the comic. Which would be weird.

    Izuku stared at the last frame of Kacchan, shirt off and pants unzipped for the quick romp in the alley. Kacchan showing off his eight-pack and his arms. His very best physical attributes. There were blogs for Kacchan's abs. Izuku may have seen a few. Here, they were glimmering with sweat (among other things) and bulging. Like Kacchan in battle. His hero suit tank top didn't leave much to the imagination, there. Izuku felt absolutely slapped in the face by one, singular thought that slipped out of his lips in a screeching whisper.

    "Oh no. Kacchan's hooot!"

    After that came a plummeting decision to start touching himself. An awkward, guilt-drenched jack-off session to the last few pages. Izuku flipped them back and forth, and oh heck—he was gonna come all over the book so he threw it and—

    Oh, God.

    The rush flooded his brain. He swore he could feel the sensation all the way up to a tingle in his skull, and he was lost in the moment. Entirely shattered by the intensity of the sudden waves of pleasure. Warmth spread over his hand. Had he ever gotten off so fast? So hard? Was it because he felt he absolutely shouldn't have?

    Izuku panted, slowing his breathing. He came crashing down.

    He'd just gotten off to R18 doujinshi of himself and Kacchan. What the heck was wrong with him?! He needed to trash that book—he needed to...Izuku licked his lips. Was it really hurting anyone?

    Someone wrote porn about him. It was...almost flattering. And maybe weird. Extremely embarrassing that someone imagined what his cock and butt looked like bare. That they drew them in detail. But. You know. Izuku wasn't blind. He was aware his butt was pretty nice. There were blogs. He'd found them accidentally. Honest.

    Izuku breathed out a guilty sigh. He could just keep it. Where no one would ever find it. Right? And...and if he wanted to use it again someday to get off, so what? Maybe Kacchan was pretty hot. Like this, in a fantasy. On a normal day, in reality, he was as sour and sharp as a pickled cactus. Though, on a good day? Victory itself.

    Izuku snapped that line of thought off. Closed that box. Tucked it away, along with the doujinshi. Never to be addressed again.

    Or so he thought.

Chapter Text

    Five days later Izuku's guilty-feelings-box was ripped open by a fangirl. She screamed during their patrol, "I SHIP DYNAKU! LOVE YOU GUYS!"

    "The fuck was that about?" Kacchan tsked, rolling his eyes as they crossed to the next block. Kacchan liked having fans. He didn't like trying to understand them. Dynamight's fanbase presented just as unruly—and perhaps quite a bit more obscene—than Kacchan himself. Kacchan simply gave them the occasional lewd gesture as fanservice, and they ate it up. Bakugou Katsuki himself, though? Not particularly lewd. Except for the eight-pack. Damn those abs and pecs.

    Kacchan broke through Izuku’s thoughts with an irritated grunt, "Deku, if you keep fucking muttering I'll kill you. My fans are none-a-yer damn business."

    "But Kacchan, those were our fans," Izuku insisted, realizing his mistake as Kacchan gave him a glaring side-eye.

    "Explain."

    "It's...I mean. I think it's our...ship name?" Izuku muttered, flushing at the thought of explaining how he knew this. Oh crap. He chewed his lips.

    "The fuck's a ship got to do with us?" Kacchan said again, rolling his eyes, facial muscles ticking in annoyance. "We ain't water heroes."

    "Never—never mind. It's not important."

    Kacchan looked at Izuku again with narrowed eyes. Kacchan smelled blood in the water. And he sniffed to the source like the predator he was, screwing his mouth into a crooked grin. His eyes lit up with the promise of a good hunt as he chased after his answers. "Something you ain't tellin' me, Deku? 'Cause I'm gettin' real fuckin' pissed with you trying to feed me bullshit. I bet whatever you know will help your popularity ratings. You're trying to win against me. Ain't that right you shitty nerd?!"

    And it was then that Izuku realized he had fucked up.

    Adult Kacchan was much more mature and level-headed with things than he'd ever been growing up. Only one detail still set him off: hero ratings. The snarling, gnashing animal he was in high school always resurfaced when that competition between the two of them came forward.

    Of course, Izuku hadn’t expected to be accused of hoarding secrets. Kacchan knew Izuku’s biggest secrets. Though to be fair, Izuku didn't act hesitant and stuttery around Kacchan much anymore. Izuku knew his behavior was suspect. Time to divert and protect his respectability.

    "Excuse me, Kacchan? Just because you don't know what a ship is, doesn't mean I'm out to get your hero ranking. You're only one spot above me because you were part of that big heist exposure last year. And it's not a secret that I've got better social skills than you, thus a bigger fanbase. It's called being polite ."

    Izuku followed up with a raised eyebrow daring Kacchan to argue.

    Kacchan simply snarled an incoherent response. He wasn't blinded by confidence enough to believe he was anywhere near polite. Still, he came back to the main point, full circle, "Then enlighten me, since you’re the wisest fucker around. What's a damn ship got to do with us? Hah?"

    Izuku's eye twitched. Kacchan wouldn’t let this go. Izuku answered, resigned to his fate, "Ship is short for relationship. To say they ship us together means they want us in a relationship together. Romantically. Sheesh, Kacchan."

    This hadn't been new information to Izuku. Buried in hero fandom culture, he'd picked up on the lingo years ago. He held his breath waiting for the idea to sink in for Kacchan. 

    His reaction was...interesting. Kacchan considered it all for a moment with a frown, shrugged, and said, "Guess that makes sense."

    Kacchan was calm. Kacchan moved on nonchalantly in the face of being paired with Deku romantically. Izuku walked stunned, movements automatic as his brain whirred. He blinked, wide-eyed, still keeping pace with Kacchan on the patrol. Falling behind incited yelling. 

    Izuku wanted to ask why Kacchan thought it made sense. Why they made sense together. But just as he opened his mouth to ask, Kacchan cut in instead.

    "The fuck's a Dynaku, then?" Kacchan asked in a low growl.

    "Dynamight and Deku. Smashed together into one word. Dynaku. It's our ship name," Izuku said with a sigh. He would rather be doing anything other than explaining fandom terms to Kacchan right now. Advanced math, filing paperwork…even getting yelled at sounded better than the on-eggshells feeling of being this vulnerable. Digging into fandom about them, about Dynaku, could only lead to trouble.

    "That sounds dumb as shit," Kacchan said with an eye roll. The scoff broke Izuku from his downward spiraling thoughts.

    Izuku countered, "It's better than DeMight. That one sounds like me paired with All Might...just...ugh, no."

    Kacchan snickered at Izuku's disgusted face. Izuku kept rambling because his fraying nerves led to bad choices.

    "I always kinda liked the sound of BakuDeku, but that doesn't have your hero name, so it's kinda one that isn't in the blogs so much anymore. It has a good sound, you know? The sounds complement each other. I suppose it would have worked if you'd gone with the fan name you got initially, Bakushinchi. And I...I'm rambling about nonsense again. And you didn't stop me."

    Kacchan's grin sharpened. "Nah. I wanna hear you embarrass yourself. Go on, Deku."

    "Why would I be embarrassed? Keeping up on what the fans think is actually pretty valuable information! Building a fanbase and keeping fans happy correlates to hero rankings. So what's wrong with reading the blogs?" Izuku said, impressed that he sounded perfectly reasonable.

    "You'd be reading that shit anyway, fanboy. Betcha read some shit you ain't proud of. If you know all this, bet you've been dumpster diving into the fan-made porn. I know it's out there. It's half of what my fans send me. You been reading porn, Deku?" Kacchan asked with a devil grin full of predator’s teeth.

    "Wh-Why? Why would you think that? Kacchan oh my gosh!" Izuku stuttered, putting his glowing red face in his hands.

    Kacchan's grin was vicious around the edges for the rest of the patrol, which dragged mercilessly under Izuku’s lack of a definitive answer. Where were the villains when you needed to be saved from your hero partner?

Chapter Text

    Izuku couldn't stop thinking about it. Was there that much porn about him and Kacchan that he could go—proverbially—dumpster diving? Kacchan said his fans sent him things all the time. So there must be—

    Oh. Yup. That wasn't difficult. Just type in Dynaku and the various fanfiction sites populated with their ship. And...wow, what a neat fanart! It captured how Kacchan looked in combat, though perhaps a little more...uh...revealing. His costume was made of extremely strong fibers to withstand the heat of his explosions, so it didn’t tear easily as the picture suggested.

    Izuku was getting sidetracked. He clicked back from the fanart and went to the first fanfiction site listed—OT3—where he may or may not have read questionable content before. He may even have an account. If anyone was asking. Just to comment. Izuku wasn’t much of a writer.

    Dynaku has just over 21,000 works. Nearly 6,000 of these were indisputably porn, based on the E rating for explicit. Izuku felt like his eyes would pop out of his head. Six. Thousand. Works of porn. Of him and Kacchan. Oh shit.

    Instead of feeling the dread he'd felt over the doujinshi, he wondered instead if these were just as good. He licked his lips, nerves tremoring into his hands as he moved the mouse ever so slowly to hover over the link.

    What was an omega? Why was he an omega? He had to find out.

    Three hours later, Izuku knew what an omega was. He wasn't sure how he felt about this...omegaverse in general. He was certainly educated now. And also hard. Izuku bit his lip as it moved into the juicy bits the story teased up to. Kacchan planned to mate him.

    Bakugou licked the slick up and off Midoriya's inner thigh, the latter letting out a high-pitched omega whine. The alpha's eyes grew dazed and dilated at the sound, and they now mirrored the lust-drunk shine of Midoriya's eyes.

    "You want me, my omega? You want me to bite you?" Bakugou asked as he licked up more slick, getting closer and closer to Midoriya's twitching hole.

    "Bakugou, we're already married...if...if you don't do it, won't the clan frown upon you for not consummating our bond?" Midoriya asked with equal parts nerves and an impossibly stubborn, sultry air. The edges of his heat were driving him to claim this man in front of him as his mate.

    "Ain't what I asked, fucking nerd," Bakugou said, tongue glancing against the rim of Midoriya's hole, "I asked if you want it."

    Midoriya gasped at the sensation, moaning out, "Yesssss."

    "You want me to mate you?"

    "Yes! Yes! Yes!" Midoriya chanted as the flat of Bakugou's tongue lapped at his hole. It was obscene, but it felt like lightning in Midoriya's veins. Bakugou was groaning between Midoriya's legs as well, likely getting pheromone drunk on Midoriya's slick.

    "Yeah? And you want your alpha husband to knot you?" Bakugou asked as he nuzzled into Midoriya's groin, hot breath falling on all of Midoriya's most sensitive areas.

    "Please? Alpha, please?"

    With the begging, Bakugou growled and stood, shoving off his pants, exposing his hard, damp cock. Midoriya keened at the sight, hips bucking up in search of friction as-

    Izuku jumped a foot and almost dropped his laptop as he heard a knock at his door. Oh, right, he'd ordered take-out. That was, uh...fine. But he needed something to...hide the bulge in his pants. Izuku yelled out a quick acknowledgment to the delivery person at the door and grabbed a sweatshirt to tie around his waist.

    Satisfied, Izuku hurried to open the door. Kacchan stood there looking perturbed. Kacchan growled, "The fuck took you so long? Eh?"

    Before shouldering past Izuku's confused form. Izuku made an effort to understand his predicament, asking with a panicked breathlessness, "Kacchan? Why are you here?"

    "Eh?! It's Friday, dumbass. We fuckin' hang on Friday, last I checked. Fucking hell, Deku. Why are you breathing so damn hard?"

    "Exercise! I was uh...planks. Doing planks."

    Kacchan rolled his eyes before scolding, "Shouldn't fucking exercise outside the workout plan. That's how you fucked up your arm last time, idiot."

    "Um, Kacchan?"

    "Fucking what?"

    "I forgot it was Friday. I ordered takeout," Izuku admitted just as another knock sounded at the door. To Izuku's surprise, Kacchan stopped unpacking the groceries he'd brought and wandered to the door with a giant sigh. Paid for the food. Packed up the groceries without a word and put them away. Then he divvied out the two orders of curry. Izuku always ordered enough for two so he didn’t have to cook the next meal.

    "Where's my damn hot sauce, Deku?" Kacchan asked, still calm. Calmer than Izuku expected. Even calm, Kacchan embodied a bomb with an unlit fuse. Oh. And Izuku was still semi-hard while trying to figure out what was going on.

    "I put it up in the top cupboard. It's not like I use it. I like my tongue intact," Izuku said while sticking out his tongue at Kacchan. Kacchan was not amused, but grabbed the hot sauce and covered the curry in it. No regrets. Izuku swore the plastic container melted a little, and he could smell the spice all the way across the room.

    Kacchan moved toward the couch, and Izuku realized his laptop was wide open with blistering hot porn on the screen. Izuku ran to the coffee table, slammed the laptop shut, and then dashed toward his room to put it away while yelling, "Sorry, I'll clean up, just a sec!"

    Flimsy cover for sprinting fast enough to almost activate One for All. Kacchan hadn’t moved an inch when Izuku returned. Kacchan’s eyes glanced directly into Izuku's as he entered the room and swiftly made a show of cleaning up. When Izuku finished, Kacchan’s stare intensified.

    "What?" Izuku asked, grabbing his curry from the counter.

    "The fuck is up with you, Deku?" Kacchan asked with a tick to his eye. Ah, there's the fuse being lit. "You forgot it's Friday and ordered fucking takeout. You're exercising at home when you know you shouldn't. You fucking act like you're trying to hide something from me but it ain't that shit, so what is it?"

    Izuku wanted to deny up and down that Kacchan found him out. But a fleeting sense of hurt flashed across Kacchan's face as he finished asking it. So Izuku's mouth flopped like a fish.

    "You've always been a shitty liar," Kacchan said as he moved to put down his food so he could get right in Izuku's space. "Spit it out or I'm fucking leaving. I don't need to deal with your bullshit today. I'm too fucking tired for this."

    Ah, tired. That explained why Kacchan acted calm. He became almost agreeable when exhausted. Still, Kacchan leaned right up in his space, red eyes lit with his refueled fury. Izuku had been getting less and less hard, but now? Not so much. A bit more. Oh, God. Kacchan was still so hot.

    A piece of information snapped into place and fit so well it couldn't be anything but true.

    "I'm bisexual," Izuku blurted out in an amazed whisper, still staring Kacchan in the eyes. Izuku's own eyes widened as he realized he'd blurted out his sexuality the moment he'd realized it. To Kacchan, no less.

    Kacchan blinked at him. Slowly. Then he burst out laughing. Not just a small, condescending laugh. Full-on tears forming, desperately out-of-control laughing. Kacchan wheezed hysterically, hands on his knees as he bent over and pressed his head into Izuku's chest. Izuku blushed.

    "Fuck, HAHA! God, fuck, Deku," Kacchan gathered himself and straightened while he wiped at his damp eyes, "That's all it is? Fuck. You were sneakin' around like you had a One-for-All-sized secret. Only you could make coming out to your gay best friend so fucking painful. Damn. Shit, did I embarrass you? Come here, you fucking mess."

    Kacchan hugged Izuku, for a second. Or rather, patted him on the back. Then Kacchan rubbed at Izuku’s hair with only knuckles until his head was sore.

    "Come on, you stupid ass. Get yer damn curry. We're gonna watch some of the hottest fucking heroes' WeTube videos and see which guys we think are hot," Kacchan said, settling into the couch like Izuku hadn't just vomited info all over the guy. Izuku did as he was told. Grabbed his curry. Sat next to the only hot guy he cared about at the moment. And gave Kacchan little insights into what was developing into a type.

    Izuku knew Kacchan was gay. He hadn't been particularly quiet about it. He made enough shameless cock sucking references to the media that even they'd caught wind. Izuku hadn't thought any of it over before he said it. If he’d had time to think about it, he’d never assume Kacchan would judge him for this, or hold it against him. As viciously rude as Kacchan could be, he was never degrading to women or minorities. Only individuals he deemed idiots. So. Everyone. He was rude to everyone equally.

    Regardless, Izuku couldn't quite calm down. He was bisexual. Yup. It made sense. All those feelings of admiration for the male form over the years? Made sense. Staring at buff guys a little too long? Made sense. Taking an interest in gay porn? Made sense. Being obsessed with Kacchan—

    Oh, fuck.

    Izuku blanked out and missed Kacchan's question. Kacchan flicked him in the bicep.

    "Shit, Deku, pay attention. I said would you rather fuck Hawks or Best Jeanist?" Kacchan asked again.

    Izuku stuttered out some nonsensical sounds. "Wha—uh. I dunno? Hawks? Jeanist is kinda...older? And I don't even know what his face looks like."

    Izuku was in full muttering mode now. Too embarrassed not to be. What's he supposed to say? He wouldn't want either Hawks or Jeanist. His type is more...built. Maybe. Yeah. Izuku continued his nervous chatter.

    "And what if Jeanist is one of those people who has great eyes but an awful mouth? And that's why he has his costume up so high? It literally never made sense. Unless he's trying to hide something," Izuku murmured, rubbing his chin and losing himself in thought a bit.

    "He does that so he can go out in public and not get mobbed, you idiot. Fuckin' smart, considering he's number one right now. Deku, but, fuck, that quirk," Katsuki groaned as he leaned his head back against the couch. "He could fuckin' string you up and...just, fuck. He's so authoritative. What could Hawks even do? He's got a pretty face but that's it. Is he gonna tickle your dick with his feathers?"

    "Hm. Yeah, I can see where you're coming from. Jeanist's quirk would be really versatile. But Hawks has that too. Have you seen what those feathers can do? I bet if he was focused he could use his feathers to jack you off from across the city if he couldn't get away from work," Izuku breathed, words a little heavy with the idea.

    "Fuck, I need a drink if we're gonna fucking debate quirk theories in the context of sex, Deku," Kacchan said, getting up and rummaging in the bag he'd brought and placed in the fridge. He didn't drink often. But sometimes on Friday, he'd bring sake. Little cups. This week was dry sake. With a few fruit slices for Izuku. Apples and plums. They sit in silence as they drink for nearly ten minutes, letting the alcohol loosen the tension of their conversation. Kacchan yawned, but he wasn’t finished yet. With a merciless grin, he silently bullied Izuku into being the first to dive back into the awkward conversation. Kacchan’s perfect eyebrows were raised and waiting.

    After a beat of silence, "You really think Jeanist is hot?"

    Kacchan snorted, "Yeah, I guess. I respect that fucker. And he earned that by not taking any shit from teenage-asshole-Bakugou. Plus Deku, his fucking quirk, are you kidding me? He'd probably be into shibari or some shit, but it'd be intense. Hawks is just a fuckboy."

    "You picked Jeanist and Hawks, Kacchan. Not me. And what’s a fuckboy? Like, what's that mean? It sounds bad. Is it bad?"

    "Shit, I dunno Deku. It's something Cam said. Sounded like it fit for Hawks. But if you ain't interested in those two, fuck that then. Who'd you fuck in the top ten?"

    Izuku doesn't hesitate, likely fueled by the seven tiny glasses of sake he took in. "Mirko."

    Kacchan laughed loose and uncoordinated, slapping his leg and almost falling over. No one would suspect Kacchan to be this much of a lightweight, with all that muscle. Today as he drank sake like water, he slurred with a flourish, "I meant fluckin guys, dickface. But tha's fair. She's tough as shit."

    "And she's so buff," Izuku murmured. Out loud? Oops. Yeah. That's his main type. Buff. Omg. "She could prolly break me in half. It's so hot."

    Kacchan downed a few shots of sake before he answered, "Shit, Deku. Ain't never heard you talk like this b’fore. Startin’ to think you weren't into this sort of thing. And then you just fuckin'...come outta nowhere and we may as well be talkin’ fucking kinks. Shit. This is too much."

    Kacchan said it was too much. But he didn't stop, Izuku noticed.

    "Mkay. Who’d you fuck in the top fifty? Guys only," Bakugou asked, a little glint in his eye as he asked. They were both top fifty.

    Izuku stared at Kacchan. Was this a trick question? Was Kacchan trying to get him to admit...that Kacchan was hot? Fishing for compliments? Trying to gain the upper hand so he could shove back in Izuku's face that exhibit one: Bakugou Katsuki was out of his league? Izuku covered his mouth with his hand to keep himself from mumbling. It's something he picked up when he started espionage training. Mumbling out your secrets was bad form.

    "That's a hard question. Can I think about it? Like...I only realized I even liked guys this week. I haven't thought about it much," Izuku lied. Flat-out lied. Kacchan could tell, by his grin falling into a scowl. Izuku gulped.

    "I don't like it when you lie to me, fuckface." Kacchan leaned in, eyes glowering as if he'd just caught his prey by the tail. "Do I ever lie to you? Hah?"

    "No, Kacchan."

    "Damn straight. Stop hidin' shit from me. Makes me feel like you don't fuckin' trust me."

    There it was. The guilt trip. But an honest one, if the vulnerable look on Kacchan's face was anything to go by.

    "You know my biggest secrets. You're the first one I told about One for All—you're the only one who knows the real me. You're the only one who I've told about liking guys, too! Doesn't that count for anything?" Izuku asked, both trying to reassure Kacchan that he trusted no one more, and to cover the fact that he still didn’t wanna talk about who he liked in the top fifty.

    Kacchan looked reassured, all things considered. The faraway look in his eyes fell away to a razor-focused edge that no inebriated person should have. He stared. Fierce and unrefined. Kacchan wore his jagged edges exposed, but somehow they looked sharper at this moment. He presented his true self, not the toned-down spirit of wrath he cultivated for the public. Every poisonous, sharp spine of Kacchan's personality was something Izuku had built an immunity to. So Kacchan didn’t hold back. He expected to be accepted as he was. For every interaction with Izuku.

    Izuku watched Kacchan take a deep breath as he organized his thoughts.

    "So what the fuck's your problem?" Kacchan asked, holding onto a cup of sake and not drinking. Waiting.

    "We...we're top fifty!" Izuku stammered out, shoving his hands over his face and making a frustrated noise. He resumed, "Kacchan, what should I say? Are you gonna be weird about it? Are you gonna be offended if I don't pick you? Or would it be weirder if I did? It's a mind game, Kacchan! It's not nice. I can't cope with this. Like, I don't want to overthink things but—"

    Kacchan snorted, "Too fuckin' late for that."

    "—But I just don't think I can throw you in the mix without making it weird and I don't wanna be weird Kacchan, I just wanna like, wrap my head around the fact that I've been ogling muscles for years and I was too dumb to realize it wasn't just because they looked good it was because it was so hot, and I wanna cry now—"

    Izuku gasped for breath, and Kacchan took the opportunity to shove one of the sweet plum slices in his mouth to shut him up. Kacchan took a deep breath, "Shit Deku, calm down. It's fine. Ya ain't gotta say anything. I just..."

    Kacchan paused, chewing on his words and licking around inside his mouth with his tongue as if he'd find what he wanted to say that way. Izuku stilled, very serious about wanting to cry. Though he held back.

    Kacchan took a deep breath, "I just want you to be able to talk about shit with me. You've been holding back lately, though I guess I fuckin' know why now."

    No, Kacchan didn’t know. Izuku didn’t say that out loud, thank God. He instead chewed vigorously on the plum slice so he wouldn’t mumble. Izuku's sloppy brain cells hummed through the alcohol. He had to say something .

    Kacchan laid back against the couch, eyes closed and empty sake glass dangerously close to slipping out of his hand. Their phones buzzed simultaneously. Kacchan dropped the glass. It slid down the couch.

     Villain attack. Several train lines are down. Villain in custody but could use help getting the trains up and running again. The emergency pager on their phones read.

    "Fuckin'...shit. Guess I'm walkin'," Kacchan groaned, still an unmoving lump on the couch. "Not like I could help in this sorry state."

    "Kacchan, no—you should just stay over. Even if you jog home, it'll be a forty-five-minute run to your place. I'm not sure you'll even stay awake long enough to pull out the futon here. Why don't you use my bed?" Izuku said, shoving at Kacchan to keep him awake.

    Kacchan glared between the tiny slits of his eyelids he was able to keep open. "Tha’ sounds like a terrible fuckin' idea."

    Izuku mother-henned Kacchan to his room, and held his breath as Kacchan shed his pants and then climbed into Izuku's bed. Kacchan didn’t move after that. Izuku pulled out the futon and made a bed on the floor.

    Izuku's mind reeled, agreeing with Kacchan's previous assessment. This was a terrible idea. Because now Kacchan laid in Izuku's bed softly snoring. Izuku's every nerve lit on fire at the idea. Despite that, his breathing slowed, his eyes weighed down, and sleep claimed him too.

    In the morning Izuku woke to a clatter in his kitchen. He shook off being discombobulated, waking up on the floor. Kacchan stayed over because the trains were out. A sweet-burnt smell lingered in the room. Izuku gulped. Every All Might poster and action figure in his room stared down at him.

    "Don't judge me, All Mights," Izuku murmured to himself quietly as he got up and scrubbed away the sleep and sour breath from the night before. He hesitated to go out into the living area. Kacchan rattled around the kitchen like a storm, curses falling like raindrops in the other room.

    Izuku's heart thumped in his chest. Kacchan stayed over. Even if it wasn’t the first time, today weighted differently. Izuku had acknowledged that Kacchan was...attractive.

    Izuku made his way wearily out to the kitchen in a t-shirt and sleep pants, house slippers on his feet. Kacchan cooked breakfast and set aside a portion for Izuku, and was now working on making the food he'd brought over the night before to pack up for work meals.

    Izuku couldn’t help but feel like Kacchan domestically growling at the food prep was a little cute.

    Oh no. Cute? Oh nooo.

    "Get your fuckin' beauty sleep, Deku? Get your lazy ass over here and pack your meals, it's almost eleven. I ain't your fuckin' mom."

    Well, so much for being cute. Izuku wasted no time helping Kacchan pack up the meals. They looked and smelled amazing. As always. Izuku said so and watched as Kacchan's vein popped out on his forehead.

    "I got a hangover the size of your stupidity and you're just sittin' here doin' nothing fuckin' useful," Kacchan snarled, "If you're so damn grateful fucking help instead of watching me do all the damn work while you sit on your ass."

    Izuku just...left. Kacchan yelled insults after him. Izuku came back with a water bottle Kacchan could drink on his train ride back home and a bottle of pain pills.

    "Don't forget to take care of yourself too, Kacchan," Izuku said as he handed Kacchan the two items.

    Kacchan's anger swooped down to a simmer, "Too fuckin' busy makin' sure you're not worthless to me in the field, ya big useless baby."

    Izuku knew that translated to Kacchan making Izuku food because a few months back, Izuku forgot to eat for a few days and passed out mid-fight. Izuku couldn’t recall Kacchan being more furious than the day Izuku woke up from that fiasco. Kacchan hadn't been at that fight—Izuku was scheduled to patrol that day with his current sidekick. Thankfully, they'd chosen sidekicks well, and she held her own and was able to get help.

    So now, if Kacchan wouldn’t be patrolling with him—most days, since they're the two strongest heroes at their agency—he made sure Izuku at least had a few easy meals to eat so that he wouldn’t do something stupid. Like not eating for days.

    It showed Kacchan’s thoughtful side, and it made Izuku's chest ache sweetly. Who would have thought Kacchan could grow into someone who put others first so selflessly? Izuku realized he'd been lost in thought and staring as Kacchan gulped down the pills, his throat bobbing with each gulp. Even Kacchan's throat was attractive. How unfair.

    Kacchan wiped his mouth on his bare arm, "The fuck you staring at?"

    Izuku didn’t know why, but he blabbed out, "You."

    Kacchan wiped at his cheek. "What the fuck for? I got something on my face?"

    "No, you just seem...thirsty," Izuku said. And the way he said thirsty? It may or may not have another meaning. Even though Kacchan was not thirsty that way. Watching Kacchan drink water and looking so good doing it put a deeper tone in Izuku's voice. It just...came out wrong. Kacchan looked confused but didn’t comment. He packed up, planning to leave. Izuku sent him off, collapsing onto the couch with a silent scream.

    Was this his life now?

Chapter Text

    "So, um. I've been thinking about the hero rankings this year coming up soon...and ah," Izuku stumbled on his words, trying to fight his embarrassment, "What do you think...of...um, a moresexycostume ?!"

    Izuku buried his burning face in his hands, but he managed to peek through his fingers at Melissa Shield. Izuku had begged her to work for their budding agency when she reached out for job leads. She had agreed if she could run the agency. Kacchan rioted, but both he and Izuku were terrible with paperwork and business logistics. Melissa shut him down when she pointed out countless flaws in the agency setup, confirming that she was overqualified for the position. She also happened to be their head of PR and equipment, which brought Izuku here today.

    Melissa's face curled into a slow, creeping smile. Izuku trembled as the woman dialed her phone without looking and put it up to her ear, maintaining a Cheshire air.

    Izuku heard the murmur of someone else answering the line.

    "Mei-chan, Deku just asked me for a sexier hero costume."

    "WHAT?! YAAASSSS, FINALLY!" Izuku could hear the screeching over the phone. Mei. Why did Melissa need Mei? Hatsume Industries was shaping up to be a hugely successful start-up in the last year. Melissa and Mei had been fast friends. But why...did Melissa need Mei?

    "Mei we're coming over," Melissa said, and Izuku heard Mei's vibrant cackle as they hung up.

    Why did he only befriend terrifying people?

    It turned out that under all that grease, Mei possessed the soul of a dirty pervert. Same as Izuku found himself shaping up to be with the gobs of shameless omegaverse he read. It was growing on him, ok?!

    Mei measured him as Melissa sat off to the side, still pleased as punch.

    "Are you guys...gonna let me pick anything, or...?"

    "Nope!" Both chimed at the same time.

    "We'll make sure to still have all of the main elements of your costume, but we've been talking about how you needed a glow-up for a while," Melissa said, all innocence and American dreams now that her plot was underway. "I'm sure it will help your hero rating."

    "Yeah..." Izuku relented. If it worked for Hawks to be a flirt, Izuku could stand to look a little sexier...like how fans portrayed in the comics and fanfics. Right? He could. Maybe.

    "Your sex appeal sucks," Mei snorted, never pulling punches. "You're just like, buff. But not buff enough to get by on that alone. Any sex appeal you've got is completely accidental. Here's my ideas. We need your arm braces and reinforced boots. Let's make 'em both black. Black is sexy. I know you were going for the All Might look here, but you're already the symbol of hope. Blah blah blah. You got his title. Let the look go. It's outdated. Black leather gloves. Black thigh-high boots instead of dorky knee highs. We'll take the fabric off your shoulders so you can show off that muscle—"

    "I can't have my shoulders bare," Izuku said, alarmed, "I work with Kacchan too much. The fabric protects me from burns."

    "Fine, fine, we've got a sheer nanofiber that wears like nylon but is tough. That can go over your shoulders. Actually, it might define your muscles more. Good call! The green of your costume needs to be tighter and have some shine to it to show off those muscles. And last, you barely use your hood or mouth guard appropriately. They're being replaced by a sleek orange visor with rabbit ears."

    "Rabbit ears? But those are supposed to look like All Might's—"

    "Just accept it! The fans say they're rabbit ears! Besides, I can fit them with lots of sexy tech, and they can be useful. Unlike your current costume's hood," Mei said, hands on her hips as she finished measuring.

    Izuku nodded along. As if he had a choice. Fighting against two strong-willed women over costume design? No thanks. Plus, their fashion sense was far superior. He had no idea how to be sexy. But he could learn. By reading fiction about himself. That sounded so weird.

    Mei looked at him with one eye closed, tongue sticking out the side of her mouth. Her hand in front of her face made an imaginary photo frame. "You're gonna need a haircut, too. You've had the same hair since high school. Glow up, Deku! GLOW UP!"

    Mei shouting in his face wasn't his ideal form of encouragement. But after years of conditioning, being yelled at did fire him up. "YES MA'AM!"

    "ARE WE GONNA BE THE SEXIEST HERO?" Mei yelled back.

    "YES MA'AM!"

    "Then drop the Ma'am, no one says that," Mei balked as she pulled out a piece of paper with a phone number, "Here. Go get your glow-up, buddy. Make Mama proud."

    Izuku eyed Mei nervously, but swallowed his last shreds of pride and took the paper. Melissa sighed and plucked it from Izuku's shaky hands. She wasted no time dialing the number. "Yes hello? I'd like to make a hair appointment. Mhm. Izuku Midoriya. What's the soonest you can get us in? Thursday? Great. Thanks so much. Of course. Bye."

    She hung up and immediately made another phone call, "Yes, hi. This is Melissa Shield from the Might Agency. Could I schedule you for next week for us? Yes, a small shoot. New costume. Thanks. We'll see you then."

    "You two are terrifying," Izuku said solemnly. He was gonna be the next sexy hero now whether he liked it or not. He did like it. Even if his heart was racing at the thought of trying to pull it off. Kacchan made being sexy look so easy.

    "Aw, you're so sweet," Mei said with a wave of her arm, "Now get outta my workshop. Mama's gonna work this new project so, so hard."

    Izuku and Melissa made themselves scarce. They decided to get lunch together. Today was technically Izuku's day off. He'd only come into work because he needed to make sure Kacchan wasn't around when he asked for a sexier look. Kacchan would find out eventually, but not today.

    "So what made you wanna get sexy all of the sudden Izuku?" Melissa asked. They went by first names. Melissa insisted. "You got someone to impress? Hmm?"

    "I—I just...was arguing with Kacchan, and I told him understanding the fan base's wants would impact hero ratings. So I just thought...this was an easy way to win that argument," Izuku said, cold-bloodedly lying to his dear friend. Izuku didn't care. He'd practiced the excuse all week. Izuku just wanted to look hot. It was shallow. He didn't care! No one needed to know, though. Not even Melissa.

    "That's true," Melissa said, sounding disappointed. She poked at her noodles. "If you're going all out on looks, I think you should learn to do some makeup like Katsuki does."

    "Yeah?" Izuku asked, interested. He hadn't thought of that. It did work for Katsuki. Charcoal made those ember red eyes pop. "What did you have in mind?"

    Melissa licked her lips, "I wanted to go to the HeroCon this weekend. Why don't I dress you up and we just see what happens? It's an easy way to test it. I know you already have a ticket."

    "Dress me up? Like cosplay? As who?" Izuku asked.

    "Hm. Either as the sexiest Deku I can make, or you as Katsuki. Because we can use that press to our hero agency's advantage once we leak that you did it," Melissa nodded, "Trying to give the fans what they want, of course. Like you said."

    "The fans," Izuku gulped, "Of course."

    And that's the story of how Izuku got tricked into parading his body around the HeroCon. Melissa ultimately decided to dress him up as himself one day and as Dynamight the next. The sexy versions. Oh lord.

    Izuku secretly reveled in all his sexy glory. The costume wasn't terrible, on the first day. He was in a skin-tight Deku sleeveless hoodie that had a hood covering his eyes. It was a nice piece of merch they sold. And ok—he had to give Mei retroactive credit on this one. Sleeveless felt nice. He often sweat through his suit jumping around, but no more. Sleeveless was the way to go. Kacchan's explosions be damned.

    He had on gloves and tight—like pinching his balls tight—pants and black boots. Overall, it was a casual play on his normal costume. Fans wanted to take countless pictures because he looked exactly like Deku. Izuku tried not to give himself away.

    Melissa was cosplaying as Mt. Lady, which suited her. She looked really good if a little too wispy for the look to come together. But she wasn't a hero and didn't have extensive training. Melissa's boyfriend didn't seem to mind, as he grinned at her often and told her how great she looked. Natsuo Todoroki was always thoughtful like that.

    He'd found a career as a child therapist. Well sought after. Izuku admired him, and how he was changing the things for others he'd never been able to change for his own family. Izuku was happy to see him thriving.

    "Oh my god," a girl squealed, "Deku, can I have a picture?! You look so good!"

    It was weird because he responded to Deku. Because he was Deku. As he pretended to be Deku. Inception.

    "Are you a big fan of Deku too?" Izuku asked, playing it cool.

    "Oh my god, so much. He's so hot. Like, you do him justice. If Deku dressed more like this and saved me from a villain I think I'd just ask him to fuck me right there," the girl added with an adorable snort-laugh. Like she could just say those things. "Did you check out artist alley? Deku's really popular this year. Lots of romance."

    Izuku's mind blanked out momentarily thinking of his dirty doujinshi. He would not, under any circumstance, visit the artist’s alley this con. His brain mashed a few stray thoughts together and created a terrible idea. "So do you want me to kiss you on the cheek in the photo? Since you're into Deku?"

    The girl practically screeched, "OH EM GEE YAAASSS SON!"

    Izuku shrugged. What's the worst that could happen? He leaned over and kissed the girl's cheek. She snapped a flattering selfie.

    "What's your tag so I can ‘at’ you for the picture?" she said, phone ready.

    Izuku couldn't give her his real tag. Could he? Should he? No. This was Melissa's plan to leak later. He said, "Ah, I don't...have much on social media. But I've been thinking of getting one? Give me your tag and I'll add you when I make it after the con."

    Quick thinking, Izuku. The girl looked at him with a raised brow but shrugged. She'd gotten what she wanted. She rattled it off and Izuku added it to a new list on his phone. He should add more fans to his real social media. That would be plus ultra of him. He would ask for everyone's media that he took pictures with. He could ping them later when Melissa leaked the news that he'd been at the con.

    Melissa looked at him oddly when he came back to them. "That was...interesting of you. A kiss on the cheek? Feeling flirty, Deku ?"

    Izuku sighed, "She straight up said she'd fuck hero Deku to my face. I mean. It seemed like a tame compromise."

    Melissa and Natsuo burst out laughing. When Melissa calmed she added, "She's gonna flip when she finds out you’re the real Deku. You know that, right?"

    "Just like I did when All Might saved me the day we met," Izuku said with a grin. "I really wanna make my fans swoon, you know?"

    Melissa chuckled again, "Keep it up, hot stuff. This new image of yours is gonna put us on the map. Katsuki will get pissed off and try to keep up."

    Natsuo looked between the two of them and chose to stay out of the conversation. He wasn't a big hero fan. All things considered. He just rolled his eyes and kept to himself.

    By the end of the first day, Izuku amassed a long list of contacts. He used the same excuse: no social media, he'd make one, ping people, yadda yadda. And day two, he was dressed up as a spicy Dynamight. There wasn't much that could make Kacchan's costume sexier. But Melissa put him in skin-tight pants again. And boy, did they make his ass look good. He felt a little objectified, but other Dynamight fans found him by storm.

    The tight-fitting shirt was their official merch again. The pants were something Melissa had lying around. And the gauntlets were missing in exchange for the more compact grenade bracers Kacchan wore when he wasn't doing real hero work. The real ones. Izuku may have swiped a pair of Kacchan's actual boots too. They were a size too big, but Izuku wore thick socks. For whatever reason, he wanted this costume to be perfect. The mask was the real deal too since Kacchan had tons of those lying around the agency. Easy to pick one up and borrow it.

    The hair and contacts had been all Melissa. She was an avid cosplayer. And she had a new pair of red contacts ready to use. She did Izuku's makeup. Mimicked Kacchan's cheekbones and covered Izuku's freckles on his face, chest, and arms. She carefully covered Deku's trademark scars. Izuku wasn't happy with the heavy look of the hair-sprayed stark white and then lightly with yellow to imitate blond. It was gelled beyond recognition, all of Izuku's curls combed to sharp points. It wasn't terrible, but next time Izuku wanted to get a wig.

    Uh. If he did this again.

    The Dynamight fans swarmed him. And they were rowdy. He'd thought the brief lewdness yesterday had been something but—oh no. Today, he was groped, sexualized, and cat-called. By men and women alike. Attractive men and women. Izuku saw it firsthand on patrols with Kacchan. But it was odd being on the receiving end.

    Izuku was horrified to find he kinda liked it. Exhilarating.

    Dynamight's fans were delighted that Izuku could perfectly imitate Kacchan's smirk. His angry outbursts. Izuku gushed right along with them about how cool Kacchan was. Recounted the missions and epic moments of Kacchan's career. Yep. This was where Izuku shined as a hero nerd. Details about Dynamight. His favorite hero.

    The list of social contacts from the second day was double that of the first. Maybe because Izuku got a little into acting. Maybe because it was easier to be someone else you admired than be yourself.

    So much fun. Melissa promised that the next hero con, they would make this their thing. Dress up Deku and let him nerd out with the fans. Eventually, it would turn into a game. Could the fans pick out Deku at the cons?

    Deku wanted to find out.

    A few days later, when Deku pinged all of the people he'd added to the list and Melissa let the media leak out that Hero Deku had been at HeroCon, hiding in plain sight—well the internet freaked the fuck out. To put it lightly.

    Deku was trending at the top of tweeter. InstaPic. Lines. All the social media sites. And Dynamight was right there with him if a little lower. Melissa was a genius. With Deku trending at the new costume release, he was sure to get more press for the changes he was making.

    He scrubbed through his new, shorter hair. Longer on the top and slowly getting shorter until it was shaved finely at the base. A fade, or something. He'd worn it at the con, but it had been under a hood or gelled. It was weird now.

    Kacchan chose that moment to bust into the room, rage blazing as he started yelling without explanation, "Why the actual fuck did I get pinged in so damn many pictures with your...what the fuck did you do to your hair?"

    Izuku had his hands up like he was ready to fight Kacchan off. With Kacchan’s dazed expression, Izuku lowered them and said, "Oh. I cut it. What do you think?"

    Kacchan stared, and Izuku couldn't read much out of the forced blankness there. Kacchan almost looked pained as he admitted, "It looks fucking better than the mop you had before."

    Kacchan reached out just for a moment like he wanted to touch Izuku's head. And then he changed his mind, slamming his hands down on the desk and demanding, "Why'd you fucking cosplay me at HeroCon, Deku?!"

    Izuku did the only logical thing he could think of: blamed someone else. "It was Melissa's idea. For marketing. It worked! We're trending!"

    Kacchan whipped out his phone, shoving it up to Izuku's face as he hissed, "And what the fuck is wrong with this picture?"

    The picture glowing on the phone screen was one Izuku adored. One of his favorites from the con. On Dynamight day he posed with a fabulous All Might cosplayer, making his very best All Might face. An odd look on Dynamight's face, but the picture was pure gold. Izuku might frame it.

    "It was just for fun, Kacchan," Izuku insisted. He wasn't trying to make fun of anyone. For some reason, this explanation made Kacchan angrier.

    "Fun? Fucking stealing my shit is fun? HAH?! You little fuck, be a grown-ass adult and fucking ask next time! I got my boots fucking full of water and I couldn't find my spares just to find out you're fucking prancing around at nerd-con with 'em!" Kacchan roared.

    "Oh. Sorry. I'm...I'm sorry. I should have asked. You're right," Izuku said. Rule number one of mollifying Kacchan: tell him he's right. At those words, the fearsome image of Katsuki Bakugou deflated and Kacchan simply sighed.

    "What the fuck plan do you two nerds have cooked up anyway?" Kacchan asked, sounding tired. He was tired a lot lately, Izuku realized.

    But their plans? The new costume he couldn't wait to show off to Kacchan? Izuku's eyes sparkled a little as he grinned sunshine and rainbows. "It's a surprise."

    Kacchan looked like he wanted to murder Izuku again.

Chapter Text

    Izuku’s fingers shook as he pried open the box containing his new costume. Melissa somehow worked a rush order into the budget. They squealed together at the first look. It was like Christmas. Nerd Christmas.

    Izuku rushed to the locker room, pulling his clothes off the moment the door shut. The new suit felt silky against his skin. The metallic material glimmered despite the poor lighting. He checked himself in the mirror and—oh. Oh damn. That was him. He looked handsome .

    He wasn't narcissistic, so he left the mirror behind with a spring in his step. Melissa’s eyes went wide, and she mirrored his reaction. "Oh, damn."

    Sleek black gloves hugged his arms—much thinner than the bulky white gloves before—though just as strong. The sleeveless effect of the costume was nice, leaving his biceps visible. The soft, comfortable tightness of the costume was a welcome relief. His ball-pinching pants from the con flashed into his mind and were gone just as soon. This material was similar to his last costume. Easy to move in, moisture-wicking yet warm enough for the winter. Oh, and shiny. Every movement made his muscles ripple across his shirt and thighs.

    The boots were...a little feminine for Izuku's tastes, but they were still comfortable. Made from the same leather-like nanofiber as the gloves, they felt easy to move in and sturdy enough for shoot style. The boots were open in the front and laced, as discussed. They made his ass look phenomenal. Like, he could compete with Mt. Lady now. And maybe win.

    The suit delivered everything Mei had promised. The brilliant pervert was right, it looked sexy. Melissa was right too. It still had the elements of his original costume, but it was leagues above the previous in fashion and sex appeal.

    Izuku donned the visor. He noticed that his costume had accents of orange instead of red like it used to. Orange, green, and black like Kacchan. Izuku grinned. They would compliment each other so well now, visually. The visor was like a new toy. Izuku filtered through the settings. The hollow metal rabbit ears were part of a long-range comms system, so Izuku would be very useful when calling for backup in secluded areas. The visor was hooked up to a satellite, and it was a smart device. Izuku could do anything on the visor he could with his phone, and more.

    Nightvision. Infrared. The glass of the visor had a heads-up display. All voice activated to only his voice. He could also touch-activate with the pointer finger of his new gloves, which had a fingerprint scanner. And it even darkened to shield his eyes from bright flashes of light, something he experienced often when paired with Dynamight. While Izuku fanboyed over the visor, Melissa sat back and smirked.

    Izuku asked, "Melissa, how did you manage to afford all these upgrades? Weren't they out of budget? Isn't this bad for the agency?"

    "Oh no, Izuku. This was within budget. Do you not realize how much money Katsuki spends on himself?" Melissa asked. "Though mostly in damage insurance, to be honest."

    "Ah...no. I guess I don't. That's why you're in charge."

    "Bingo! You just enjoy your new toy. And if you can talk Katsuki into a visor upgrade? I’m in. It’s hella sleek,” Melissa added. “Don't forget you have makeup in twenty minutes for your shoot, so don't be too long. It's in room 3-B."

    "Melissa?" Izuku asked, puppy dog eyes on display, "Can I show my new costume to Kacchan before we do the official release?"

    Melissa nodded, shrugged, and walked off. She was a busy woman.

    Izuku knew Kacchan would be back for lunch after the photoshoot. Izuku patrolled for the night shift tonight, so he needed to head home and nap in between. First night with his new look. The excitement bubbled up in him as he squirmed in his seat.

    The stylist turned Izuku into a model with their magical stylist skills. Izuku resisted the urge to run his fingers through his shorter hair. He couldn’t mess up the handsome windswept look they had just put together for him. Maybe he really could be someone with sex appeal.

    Izuku's confidence bolstered his photos, and the camera liked him today. The photographer had worked with Izuku before, and the pictures were even better than usual. All the pieces were coming together. 

    Now, to show Kacchan.

    Of course, a villain attacked right outside the agency on Kacchan's trek back for lunch. Izuku decided this could be the perfect chance to try out his new gear.

    Kacchan blasted around in top form, a vicious grin across his face as the villain—who'd come to specifically target Dynamight—made his next move.

    "That all you got, fucker?!" Kacchan yelled. "I've met grandmas that hit harder than you!"

    The villain didn't take the bait. Calm and collected, he struck harder and better than before. Why did the guy look familiar to Izuku? Why did that awful cold expression remind Izuku of—

    "Spinebreaker," Izuku gasped. Izuku hardly recognized the villain in civilian clothes. They'd fought him years ago. A man with a quirk that stored up the energy of the attacks used against him and then unleashed it all in one often fatal hit. The man targeted essential bone structures—usually the spine or the skull. "I've gotta get up there!"

    The last time they fought Spinebreaker, Kacchan had been in the hospital for weeks with a touchy brain bleed and a fractured skull. Izuku wasn't about to let that happen again. He let loose black whip. If he used it right, it could contain things without using much force. Like Izuku needed now.

    With his new costume, it looked like black whip was an extension of his arms. Kinda cool. Kacchan noticed him and screeched, "Back off, this one's mine!"

    Oh. Kacchan didn't recognize him yet. Izuku grinned. He looked that good, huh?

    "Kacchan, that's Spinebreaker! He put you in the hospital last time and I won't let him do it again!" Izuku yelled.

    Kacchan whirled on him. Eyes narrowed, smirk dropped and exchanged for a confused frown, " Deku? What the fuck?"

    And that's when Kacchan.exe stopped working. 

    He stared at Izuku long and hard and just...stopped. Spinebreaker took the opening to use what little force he'd gathered to knock Dynamight out cold. Izuku seethed. He made the capture without delay using black whip. The nearby police happily took custody of the villain. He rushed to the hospital on foot, because Izuku knew he was faster than an ambulance. Kacchan had no apparent neck injury so he was safe to move.

    Kacchan woke up halfway to the hospital as they sailed through the air. Izuku would still take him to get checked for a concussion.

    "Deku? Deku what the fuck? Where’s the villain? What the fuck happened to you?"

    "Kacchan, I got him. I'm fine. He knocked you out so I'm taking you to the hospital to get checked out for a concussion," Izuku said calmly.

    Izuku noticed the red tinge on Kacchan’s face and wondered if he was bruising. The way Kacchan buried his face into Izuku’s chest was out of character. Izuku tried to keep his strides smooth. He didn’t want to hurt Kacchan. Still, even with Kacchan safe and being evaluated Izuku’s heart raced.

    The doctors cleared Kacchan quickly to go home. Before they were discharged, Kacchan finally got his words together and asked tightly, "So you fucking got yourself a new look?"

    Izuku's grin stretched wide and joyful. "Surprise! Do you like it?"

    Kacchan gulped and looked away. "I didn't even fucking recognize you. It's gonna take some getting used to. You shoulda told me. Instead of springing it on me in combat, idiot."

    "Obviously," Izuku rolled his eyes. "It wasn't supposed to be during combat. It was supposed to be at lunch. You found the combat. But more importantly, do you like it?!"

    Kacchan licked his lips and finally made eye contact again. "Yeah, I guess. But it's gonna be detrimental too."

    "How? It's got such good upgrades." Izuku cocked his head to the side.

    "Yeah," Kacchan groaned, covering his face, "Like how your ass looks."

    And that's when Izuku.exe stopped working. Dial-up sounds. Thankfully, the doctor came in for discharge. Kacchan dragged Izuku out of there before any clarifying questions could be asked.

Chapter Text

    Deku poisoned him, and Katsuki was dying.

    Every morning Deku’s poison killed him a little more, and every morning Katsuki drank every drop without hesitation. Because Katsuki loved Deku more than he loved himself, and he’d do fucking anything to continue getting the poisonous doses of platonic love he knew he didn’t deserve. Deku poisoned him every fucking day with that fucking bright smile. That admiration. 

    Katsuki hated how much he loved that stupid fucking nerd. Being in love with your best friend fucking sucked.

    Any romantic love Katsuki had for Deku would take a damn back seat. Katsuki would rather be blessed with some of Deku than none of him. Katsuki knew his big gay-ass feelings would fuck up their carefully patched friendship. Never once had it been worth the risk to even bother, because Deku only liked women. 

    Until now. Deku was bisexual. 

    Katsuki wanted to pull out all his fucking hair, as much as when he’d first realized he was in love with that stupid perfect shitnerd.

    Now Deku's most recent stunt? The fucking delicious costume he'd be wearing right in front of Katsuki's wanting eyes? Fuck. It was torture. Katsuki wanted to gouge out his eyeballs to save himself from the torment of looking at that delectable figure again. Fucking hell. 

    As if Deku stealing costume pieces and dressing up as Dynamight hadn't been sexually frustrating enough. God. Deku wore his things . A tiny part of his thirsty-ass self never wanted to wash those things again. But Katsuki was smarter than that. He washed ‘em the second that guilty nerd gave ‘em back. Wait, would Deku have kept them if Katsuki hadn’t—

   No. Fucking just…no. Katsuki needed to stop.

    Deku was trying to kill him. No doubt. Katsuki suffered lusting after Deku as some sort of fucked up karma. Repayment for the years of endless torment Katsuki gave Deku growing up. Damn it. He deserved this. Really. But that ass wasn't fucking fair .

    Katsuki sighed, rubbing his hands across his face again. He'd been drowning in his thoughts all morning. Pent-up sexual rage? Time to go and work out.

    The energy release comforted him with routine. It pulled his mind away from his troubles and doubts. The moment it ended, Katsuki's thoughts sunk back to Deku.

    He couldn't help himself. Photos of the new costume weighed down the inbox of his phone. The rippling shoulders and pert ass, boots laced with x-rated dreams. Katsuki grabbed his dick in the gym shower and started stroking it. Hard and fast, just the way he needed it to blow off the tension of knowing Deku looked that damn amazing for everyone. Not just for Katsuki. Not with Katsuki in mind.

    Faster. The hot water rippled over his shoulder to his chest as it stung hot rivulets on him. His cock felt thick in his hands as he imagined rubbing it along the cleft of Deku's ass. Perfectly round and fit. Oh, yeah, God. Deku defined fucking fit. Katsuki had to lean forward into the wall as his knees started to shake. The idea of fucking up against Deku made Katsuki’s eyes roll back. Too much. Peeling those fucking delicious boots off him. Fuck, no. Leaving the boots on. The rest of him nude. Hell yes.

    Katsuki felt himself tipping over the edge, forehead pressed to his supporting arm on the cool tile. He tried to cover and huff away his pleasure as he came, but a tiny whine escaped. Not loud enough for anyone to hear, thank fuck. As Katsuki watched the shower wash away the evidence of his pleasure, he caught his breath in the moist heat. He washed up, soap and shampoo across his tired body. Once his dick was completely limp again, he shut off the shower.

    Fucking gross of him to come in public again from his impatient lust over Deku. God. What was wrong with him, anyway? He wasn't guilty. He'd gotten off to Deku hundreds of times. Hell, Katsuki choked out a silent orgasm in Deku's fucking bed the morning after the trains went down. Encased in Deku’s smell, knowing Deku liked a bit of cock. How could Katsuki resist the temptation when waking up in Deku's bed? He felt fucking guilty over that one. 

    It still didn't mean Katsuki deserved anything more from Deku. But this was how he coped. This was how Katsuki survived the blistering love of that sunshine twit. Without the reciprocation of sexual feelings.

    Katsuki slammed the gym locker open. Once dressed, he made his way out and began his walk home. His feet took him to Deku's apartment instead, so far out of his way. Deku's alarm wouldn't go off for another fifteen minutes. Katsuki sighed, wandering to the nearby coffee shop and getting one of the foamy tea lattes Deku liked and a few barbeque pork bao dumplings to heat up. Katsuki knew Deku always wanted caffeine before a night shift, and he liked to eat dinner food at dinner time even though he'd just woken up.

    Katsuki paid attention. He would take care of Deku whether the idiot liked it or not. And Deku did seem to like it. So no problem there. Katsuki needed to make sure Deku could feel it. That Katsuki loved him, too.

    Katsuki knocked on the door, and a half-dazed Deku opened it, "Huh, Kacchan? What're you doing here?"

    "I brought you some shit," Katsuki said, elbowing past the other man in his damn threadbare All Might pajamas. "I was in the area."

    "Ok, Kacchan. Thanks," Deku said with a knowing smile. "Ooh, is this a matcha latte? You hate when I drink lattes. You say, ‘Sugar is absolute crap so don’t eat it.’"

    "Well, shit that isn't good for you is ok once in a while, right?" Katsuki said, tone firm and lips pursed. If Deku thought the tone was odd he didn't make any weird faces to analyze it. But Katsuki meant himself. He was bad for Deku. Deku deserved better.

    If just once in a while Katsuki showered Deku with all of his pent-up love, that was ok, right? Katsuki thought so. Because at the barest minimum Katsuki would be making up for hurting Deku all those years. Probably for the rest of their lives.

    "Are you ok?" Deku interrupted, putting a hand on Katsuki's forehead. "You look red. Are you feeling sick? You feel warm."

    Katsuki tried not to jerk away. "I'm always warm, idiot. 'Cause of my quirk."

    Elbowing past Deku, Katsuki went to the cupboard to get the steamer for the stove so he could heat up the pork buns. Deku left to get dressed. He didn't try to fight Katsuki on these things anymore, like when they'd first become adults. Katsuki would do what Katsuki would do, and so would Deku. 

    Deku would pick up a pack of new socks because he knew Katsuki needed them. Or always keep at least three bottles of Katsuki’s favorite hot sauce stocked in the cupboard. Katuski would clean Deku’s fucking mess of an apartment so that he could have some semblance of peace in the space. It would take Deku fucking ages to do the same amount of work. They had known each other so long that they bled into each other’s everyday life. 

    Whatever kept them functioning as coworkers and friends. 

    Deku was back in the kitchen about the time the pork buns finished, and there were enough to feed both Katsuki and Izuku. Pork buns were Katsuki's comfort food of choice. The extra spicy ones, especially. One time Deku ended up with the spicy ones and cried, so Katsuki bought only mild buns and slathered his share in death-level hot sauce. Tasted spicier than the extra spicy buns anyway. Katsuki noticed Deku looking at the pork buns contemplatively.

    "Is something up Kacchan?" Deku asked, digging into his meal. He had to be efficient and get ready for work, after all. "It's pretty unusual for you to drop by with pork buns."

    Perceptive little fucker.

    "Nothing I wanna talk about now. You gotta get ready, asshat. If I fucking feel like it, I'll tell you on Friday," Katsuki said, digging into his own pork bun. His lips were glazed in the perfect burn as the hot sauce graced them. 

    Would Katsuki bring it up on Friday? Undecided. After giving Deku shit for hiding things from him, it seemed hypocritical. But it wasn’t like Deku was hiding years of undisclosed feelings for Katsuki as a secret. Pft, wouldn’t that just be a fucking miracle? As if. Katsuki keeping his feelings to himself benefited their friendship like it always had. 

    Katsuki confessing had been off the table from the beginning. Shit like that was up to Deku. If Deku showed some interest in Katsuki, then maybe...

    No. Deku said lumping Katsuki into the running was weird when they’d discussed hot heroes. Weird . Couldn't he have chosen any other fucking word? Katsuki clicked his tongue. Deku side-eyed Katsuki as they focused on eating, but the idiot wouldn’t dare say a damn thing.

    Katsuki wasn't stupid. He knew Deku was trying to figure out what was bothering Katsuki. Deku still stared. And stared. Chewing. Not talking. Katsuki's left eye twitched. Maybe he could just talk about the root of his current unrest.

    "Fine!" Katsuki growled, punching the pillow next to him, "Fine, fucking Deku. You win. I'm fucking upset about your costume."

    "Ok."

    " Ok? God, so fucking helpful. You're fucking running around like a fucking—a fucking—I don't even know . Do you really think fucking dressing like that's gonna make your hero work better?"

    Katsuki noticed Deku send a quick text. Little fuckface wanted to talk and then he pulled out his fucking phone, huh?

    "Kacchan, the new visor has so much function! The rest of it was just self-indulgent. I know the hero rankings are coming in a few months and I wanted to boost my fanbase. I know it's kind of a...frowned upon tactic? But you know what? I don't care. I wanna look hot. So you and everyone else who's butt-hurt can bite me."

    Deku’s eyes flashed with a challenge. Katsuki could fucking bite. Half because Izuku tried to outsmart him on hero rankings. Sneaky little fucker. Half because Deku’s cocky attitude and new costume combo would kill Katsuki faster than the costume alone. Fucking damn it all. Katsuki ground his teeth and actively tried not to crack Deku’s plate in his hands. He could barely breathe, let alone take calming fucking breaths.

    "Besides, Kacchan...I'm trying to keep up with you. Your costume already looks so good."

    Katsuki's eyes burned into Deku. Fucking. Fuckity fuck. Deku just said he looked good in his hero costume. Deku said shit like that all the time. But now Deku was trying to keep up with how sexy Katsuki looked? What a confusing-ass layered message.

    "At the con, when I was dressed as you, all the sexual vibes from your fans got dumped all over me," Deku said, sipping at his latte. Katsuki was sitting close enough to smell the crisp matcha as Deku shrugged. "So I know that's how they see you. And you're always on the hottest hero charts too. I wanna be there with you."

    Katsuki realized he hadn’t responded as Deku lapsed into silence. Damn. It was so fucking attractive when Izuku was confident. Katsuki knew it didn't come naturally. Deku worked for that shit. Fuck. Deep, calming breaths.

    Katsuki relented, "Yeah but you're gonna be distracting as shit, asshole. I'm a healthy, young, gay man with eyes. You think I won't look?"

    This seemed to startle Deku, eyes growing wide as he mumbled, "That's the second time you said that."

    Katsuki put a fist to his chin, "And you're just...fine with that? Me watching you?"

    Deku got a complicated look on his face. "Kacchan, I've been watching you our whole lives." He chewed his lips. "Is it so bad if you're watching me for once?"

    Either Deku didn't fucking understand, or he wasn’t worried about Katsuki ogling his ass all day. The first option seemed more likely, so Katsuki leaned forward and asked deadpan, "Deku, are you sayin' you've been staring at my ass our whole lives?"

    Deku’s face reddened from the neck up. "No! Not...not that specifically. Exactly."

    Katsuki breathed a sigh of relief. If Deku started being balls-to-the-wall sexual out of nowhere, Katsuki might explode. Izuku just misundersto—

    "Your pants are never tight enough for that, to be honest," Deku added quietly. Lost in contemplation.

    Katsuki couldn’t find his words. They spilled out of his gaping jaw anyway. "So I can just stare at your ass? You don't care? Is that what you're fucking saying?"

    Deku brightened a shade, averting his eyes. "Kacchan, you've seen me naked tons of times. I don't see how this is worse than that."

    "Fair point," Katsuki relented. Though Katsuki aggressively prevented himself from staring in the lockers. He gave zero fucks about the other cocks in the changing room. But he never stared at Deku. Never stared on purpose . Basic locker room etiquette. Peeling off a sweaty hero costume covered in blood and grime after a fight wasn’t that sexy anyway. Everyone just wanted a damn shower and to crawl into bed.

    "Well Kacchan," Deku said, scooping up his socks and shoes at the door, "I have to go. I don't wanna be late. Some of the people I work with are pretty serious about punctuality."

    Deku gave him a little wink. Fuck. Katsuki focused on putting on his damn boots. And as Deku walked off, he left Katuski with one last thought on the matter. "I think it's a good thing for me to be confident, Kacchan. This is part of that. I've learned how to be confident watching you. So are we good?"

    Katsuki choked. The fucking sincerity alone. Learned confidence from Katsuki? Fuck, Katsuki's confidence was fragile. But Katsuki nodded as he coughed to clear his throat, a cover for choking on his own spit. What's he supposed to say? That they were fucking good? They sure as hell were not .

    Deku was going to kill him. Poison Katsuki with that bottomless love and admiration. Wait, were those new fucking jeans too?! Katsuki gawked at Deku's ass as he walked away. The fucker gave him permission, thank you very much.

Chapter Text

    Izuku was finally going to do it. 

    Choose a disguise and go to the sex toy shop. Freely pick some things out for himself. Was it safer to shop online? Sure. But a new, confident Izuku could do this. The Izuku that told Kacchan to stop being butt-hurt.

    Izuku took a deep breath at his office door, determined to go on his lunch when the store would hopefully be rather empty.

    Well—nope. That wasn’t happening. Izuku wilted back down into his chair. The bold, confident Izuku couldn’t muster the courage to go shop for male erogenous zone toys in person.

    He had learned a lot from fanfics. A lot . His hand bored him at this point, and all the possible toys piqued his interest. Lube was the stuff dreams were made of. He needed that for sure. And a rope? Handcuffs? He hadn't decided yet, thus wanting to window shop.

    Not that Izuku had anyone to try rope or handcuffs with. But what if he didn't have them when he wanted to try them out? That'd kinda be a shame. The remnants of bravery he had summoned fizzled out. He decided to shop online.

    Izuku sat down in front of his laptop and—for lack of any other place to start—Woogled sex toys . Which site should he choose? He amended his search. Male sex toys.

    Some of the same sites popped up, but at least Izuku knew they carried what he was looking for. He probably didn’t need any female sex toys unless he had a girlfriend. Izuku wanted things for himself. And maybe some rope.

    Ever since he started the journey into erotic fanfiction, his brain persistently rode on a sexual wavelength. A fire lit in his body, and rubbing one out daily wasn’t covering it. He needed something more intense.

    So he scrolled through the websites. Learned what they had to offer. Looked for assurance that the sites weren’t gonna take his money and disappear. He checked the time. Another ten minutes on his lunch. Should he order something? Should he—

    "Holy fucking shit, Deku!"

    Izuku jumped high enough to knock over his chair. He stared over at Katsuki's slack jaw, wide eyes, and bright red face. And Izuku just...died a little. At least it was only Kacchan. He would have crawled in a corner and never recovered if, say, Melissa had popped up behind him.

    He'd been careful! His laptop faced away from the door! Kacchan stomped around too often to be stealthy. When he walked like a normal person, another of his natural talents emerged: Kacchan could be accidentally sneaky.

    "Ka—Ka—Kacchan...I can...uh, explain?"

    Oh, Izuku needed to come up with something good. Fast.

    "I don't fucking want you to explain," Katsuki choked out, still bright red. "I'm leaving."

    "Kacchan!"

    He didn't answer.

    "Kacchan, wait!"

    In the hallway, with Izuku chasing after him, Katsuki stopped. But he didn't turn around. His neck also burned cherry red.

    Izuku coarsely whispered, "Can you...um...come back into the office? I don't think I should...um...the hallway's not..."

    Katsuki's explosive glower answered for him. Katsuki could only keep eye contact for a moment.

    "I mean," Izuku mumbled, "I was on my lunch...and you...and...no one was...supposed to be here. I'm sorry."

    Katsuki's avoidant gaze sizzled just over Izuku’s shoulder, overheated and ready to burst. "Don't fucking use...work computers for...for...fuck Deku. Fuck! Don't do it again!"

    "Sure. Yeah. I won't."

    "Good."

    "Yeah."

    They went their separate ways.

    Friday night came. They'd hardly spoken since 'the incident.' He wasn't sure what the heck he was thinking using a work computer. Though to be fair, the closest encounter with X-rated material was with his home laptop, Kacchan barely missing his literary smut.

    Izuku fidgeted waiting for a knock on the door. When it came, he jumped.

    Cracking the door open, Izuku played the main character in a horror film. His creaky door opened painstakingly slowly. Izuku didn't know what lurked on the other side. If certain doom awaited him there.

    To his surprise, Kacchan looked normal. Until Izuku kept the door cracked only the barest inch to stare, drawing out Kacchan’s scowl. "What the fuck are you doing?"

    Katsuki kicked at the bottom of the door until Izuku opened it, then shouldered past. Like he always did. Izuku sighed in relief. Tonight wouldn’t become the most awkward experience of his life.

    Izuku shut the door. Katsuki turned with a savage grin, "So you're a mother fucking pervert now, Deku? Or have you always been and I just missed it?"

    Izuku’s brain came to a screeching halt. Kacchan didn't just...say that. Right?

    "Um...excuse me, what?"

    "Said you're a damn pervert, ain'tcha?" Katsuki chuckled to himself. Not in a sane way. 

    Izuku realized with a startle, "Kacchan. You're drunk."

    "Damn right I am. How else am I supposed ta deal with all yer shit?" Kacchan said with a little hysterical giggle.

    Oh shit. Izuku was fucked. Kacchan only giggled when he got wasted . Izuku asked carefully, "All my shit?"

    "FUCKING YEAH DEKU," Kacchan suddenly yelled, dropping the box he was carrying, that Izuku finally noticed was out of place. "You're gonna be the fucking death of me you little shit."

    "I'm...wha...Kacchan, are you ok? You never buy pizza. It's one of your off-limits junk foods. You even glare at me if I eat it," Izuku said, dumbfounded.

    "Well fuck me Deku," Kacchan said.

    For a moment, Izuku's eyes blew wide because what ? Fuck Kacchan? For real? Was he asking...?

    "—Cause I'm a fucking dick. Pizza's fucking amazing and I'm eating four damn pieces and you can't stop me," Kacchan cackled. Izuku gulped, a bit terrified.

    "Wasn't gonna try," Izuku said. Rarely, drunk Kacchan acted like the Kacchan from high school. Kacchan thrummed with energy, unlike the last time he drank. Today he sidestepped any self-control. Low inhibitions were a bad look on Kacchan.

    Kacchan took out a half-empty bottle of Sochu and took a few gulps straight from the bottle, a grin on his face wide and animal. "Tell me why the fuck you were buying sex toys on the work computer, ‘Zuku."

    Not a question. A demand. A tone that carried a warning, and a little bloodlust punctuated by Kacchan licking his lips. He pinned Izuku with his stare.

    "I wanted to...buy some?" Izuku said. He knew it wouldn’t sate the unrestrained desire for information. But it would buy Izuku a moment to think. Kacchan went sniffing around Izuku's vague comment like a bloodhound.

    Kacchan giggled again as he lounged back on the counter, the muscles in his arms bulging as he displayed his best attributes. "Deku, you can do fucking better than that."

    "I did...buy some?"

    Kacchan looked wide-eyed at that sudden bit of information. And the effect made him go from a vicious dog to a curious puppy. Kacchan asked, "Like...what?"

    Izuku flushed. Honestly, he flushed more , because he started getting pink the moment Kacchan called him a pervert. Izuku frowned at the floor and said, "Why should I tell you? Isn't that too personal?!"

    "But I wanna know," Kacchan said, losing his focus for a moment and grabbing a piece of pizza, trying to catch the escaping cheese with his tongue. Izuku watched, enraptured as Kacchan finished the pizza in fifteen seconds. Kacchan looked Izuku right in the eyes and licked his finger with a wicked grin, "Come on. Just tell me. 'S what friends do."

    Oh. Kacchan was gonna play the friend card, huh? While licking his fingers like a sex demon come to steal Izuku’s soul? Izuku knew Katsuki didn’t throw their friendship around lightly. He must really want to know. Izuku overheard Uraraka and Tsu-chan talking about sexual things once. Izuku couldn’t make eye contact with Iida for weeks. Kacchan was right. Friends talked about this stuff.

    Izuku dug deep through his humiliation and thought about what his sexy fanfiction alter ego would do.

    Izuku smirked, "Fine. But I'll only tell you if you tell me something too."

    Kacchan's face went blank. Izuku smirked wider. Yeah. He could do this. He could be confident. He could be sexy!

    Maybe make Kacchan want him. Maybe.

    But Kacchan wasn't answering. He sat stunned. Likely because Midoriya Izuku didn't smirk and make propositions about sex toys. Sexy alter ego Izuku did, though! And he knew exactly how to get Kacchan to do what he wanted. In theory.

    "Unless—" Izuku teased, grinning wide as he brought his steepled fingers to his lips—"You don't think you can handle it."

    Hook. Line. Sinker. Kacchan growled, "Of course I can fucking handle it. BRING IT, DUMBASS!"

    "M’kay," Izuku said, walking over to grab the pizza box and take it to the sofa and table. He snagged the Sochu from Kacchan's hand and took his own swig, shivering at the strong flavor. "Let's play, Kacchan."

    Kacchan followed, entranced. Izuku let out a shaky breath as he let Kacchan sit first, and when Izuku sat down he threw his feet in Kacchan's lap. Kacchan’s face twisted as if he'd been slapped. Though he didn’t complain or try to shove Izuku away.

    Instead, Kacchan laughed with a mild hysteria and grabbed another piece of pizza from the box he'd carried over. Ate it as fast as the last. He licked his fingers while staring at Izuku and said, "Deku, fuckin' tell me."

    "I got um...lube, and a sleeve, and ah, an...anal kit," Izuku said, studying the invisible fuzz on his shirt. Confidence was hard, ok?

    "Holy shit," Kacchan said, amazed and mouth full of pizza. He swallowed. "You kinda are a pervert. That's fucking...just..."

    Izuku didn't deny him. He was a bit of a pervert now. Kacchan caught him, but it wasn't like Izuku was hurting anyone.

    "When did that even happen?" Kacchan wondered out loud, forcing a piece of pizza on Izuku before taking the last of his own.

    "Oh no," Izuku said with a flush and an aching curiosity. "You're gonna answer one for me now. Why are you so obsessed with my ass?"

    Kacchan choked on his bite of pizza. He used the rest of the piece to stall his answer. He swallowed, shooting a deadly serious look at Izuku as he said, "Cause it's the best fucking ass out there. No contest."

    Izuku's face bloomed neon red, breaking the stare with a curt, "I gotta pee!"

    When Izuku got back from the bathroom, Kacchan snored away on his couch. And Izuku was gonna leave him there. Because he didn't think he could handle Kacchan's burning sweet scent all over his sheets again.

Chapter Text

    "Come to the gay bar with me," Kacchan said as they ended their rare patrol together. "On Friday. Instead of hanging out. Come out with me."

    "But...you hate people," Izuku reminded him. Like Kacchan could have forgotten.

    "And?"

    "Bars are full of people. We won't be able to do anything there," Izuku said. "It'd be like a press trap. It'd be safer to get a private room at an Izakaya or something."

    "Deku, it ain't like that. I've been there before. It's fine."

    "But Kacchan, I...I..."

    "If you don't wanna go that's fucking fine," Kacchan said with pursed lips. He turned away as they walked into the lockers and Kacchan slammed his locker open.

    "I didn't say that," Izuku murmured, reaching out to get Kacchan to pay attention. Kacchan suddenly whipped off his shirt, so Izuku's hand hit bare skin. Izuku's heart raced. How many times had his bare hand been against Kacchan's bare shoulders? So many. But this was...better, somehow. Kacchan turned, but Izuku's hand was still outstretched, so it skimmed across the toned muscle he'd been admiring for ages.

    Izuku realized he was touching Kacchan’s beautiful pecs for too long. Kacchan stared.

    "I'll go," Izuku said suddenly, glancing up from Kacchan's rippling chest to his fiery red eyes.

    "Yeah?" Kacchan asked, voice a heavy whisper. Muscles pulled at his skin as he leaned forward into Izuku's space. Into Izuku's hand.

    Izuku's breath caught in his throat. Kacchan was so beautiful.

    "Yeah."

    "Good," Kacchan said, turning around to finish changing. Izuku remembered how to breathe and did the same. His hand felt hot.

    The gay bar wasn't what Izuku expected. It was kind of like a regular bar. Just. The pairs flirting were different. Which he honestly felt excited by? Fluttery. A kind of freedom that he knew even if he wasn't publicly out, he could be himself and not be judged. He didn't know if he could come here alone, but Kacchan was here. 

    "Bakugou!" One of the bartenders called. Kacchan surprised Izuku by going up to the bartender to clap their hands together and almost flex. Kind of a manly high-five handshake.

    "Yo Nakagawa. I brought a friend. Be fuckin' nice," Bakugou said, throwing a thumb over his shoulder to point to Izuku. Did Kacchan just remember someone's name?

    "Ooo, what kind of friend?" Nakagawa asked as he leaned over the counter to get an eyeful of Midoriya. Nakagawa batted his long, dark eyelashes.

    Bakugou narrowed his eyes. "The kind that's too fucking good for your filthy ass. This is my work partner, dumbass. Don’t even think about it."

    Bakugou huffed and rolled his eyes. Izuku's eyes widened as he glanced between the two guys in front of him. Was...was he really getting hit on already? Him? Izuku?

    "Oh, Deku, right? I recognize you now," the bartender said, nodding with an entirely different grin. More...admiration? "Sorry, I don't know your real name. Welcome to my club."

    "Your—? Wow. Thanks. Um, I'm Midoriya," Izuku said. His palms were sweaty as he gave a little introductory bow.

    "Midoriya," the bartender hummed with a nod. He held out a coupon and returned the bow. "Here. Have a free drink, and come back again. Having sexy heroes here is good for business, you know?"

    No. Izuku didn't know. Sexy? He gulped, but thankfully, Kacchan dragged him off to a booth and asked gruffly, "What d'you fucking want? I'm buying you the first drink, not that bitch."

    Izuku's mind blanked out. What should he get? He didn't drink unless Kacchan brought him something. Strong things fell at the bottom of his list, but he didn't know enough drinks to come up with something…

    "You're mumbling," Kacchan said as he crossed his arms. "I'll just fucking pick."

    Izuku nodded, feeling his nerves hike up as Kacchan walked away. Izuku watched him stroll up to the bar and back to uh...what was his name? Kacchan had said it. But the guy hadn't really introduced himself. The bartender said something that made Kacchan laugh hard enough to slap the bar, and the bartender frowned and crossed his arms. Izuku desperately wanted to know what they were talking about.

    A shadow drew his attention. Izuku glanced up at a rather handsome guy with a side-swept haircut and pierced lip. A little taller and quite a bit thinner than Izuku. Flawless skin.

    "Hey, haven't seen you here before. Are you here alone? We've got a friendly group if you wanna join us," the handsome guy said as he leaned against the table.

    Midoriya sat straighter, trying to stop jiggling his leg under the table. "Oh, uh, I'm here with someone actually. But thanks, that's really nice."

    As if the handsome guy summoned him, Kacchan returned with a handful of four drinks, clicking his tongue as he elbowed past the guy. "The fuck you want?"

    "Oh, hey Bakugou. He's with you?"

    Bakugou turned and gave the handsome guy a smirk that gave Izuku heart palpitations. Could Kacchan turn that smirk his way? Maybe? Just for a second? 

    "Yeah, pretty boy. Go back to your cute little friends. Tell 'em I said hi, but I'm busy," Bakugou said, the same lazy grin decorating his face.

    Holy. Shit. Was Kacchan flirting right in front of Izuku? Was this what a flirty Kacchan looked like? Sounded like? Izuku had a small, involuntary shiver. Thankfully, Kacchan was too busy to notice. It reminded Izuku of the grins Kacchan had when he was desperately excited for good combat. Hungry.

    Handsome guy—er, pretty boy—smirked right back and left with a backward wave. "Well offer's still open, come hang if you want."

    Kacchan's grin dimmed as he met Izuku's wide eyes. Kacchan growled a little, "Fucking what, Deku?"

    "You're...being social," Izuku said. He didn't mean to sound so surprised. "You like...know people. They seem nice."

    Kacchan scoffed, "Nice, yeah. They are. And fuckin' thirsty as hell."

    Izuku just stared.

    "Fuckin' what , Deku?!"

    Izuku refused to acknowledge the ‘thirst’ comment. Kacchan knew about being thirsty . Crap. Hadn't Izuku commented about Kacchan being thirsty? Was it a big deal? Izuku couldn't remember. So Izuku looked at the table and made something up. "You got four drinks. There's two of us."

    "Asshole, I don't wanna get up again for a bit. Take what you want," Bakugou said, gesturing to the variety. An orange drink. A blue drink. One Bakugou claimed that smelled like straight sochu. And some sort of fizzy sake, maybe?

    Izuku grabbed the orange drink. It smelled good. Orange and peachy.

    "I like this one," Izuku said, slurping it down.

    "Knew you fuckin' would."

    "What's it called? So that I can get another?"

    Bakugou's face split with a mischievous smirk. "Sex on the beach. I wanna fuckin' watch you order that. Bet you'll fuckin' stutter."

    Izuku just. Ok. He could do this. Where'd his confidence run off to? Did he leave it at home? No! Sexy alter ego, GO!

    Izuku rested the side of his chin on his free hand. "The only one stuttering is gonna be whoever's lucky enough to dance with me."

    Oh. Did he just…? Yeah. That was smooth. Even Bakugou looked impressed. His eyebrows raised, mouth stretched into a Cheshire grin. "Oh-fucking-really? You dance? With your two left feet?"

    Izuku frowned. "Club dancing and coordinated dancing aren't the same things."

    "Well, you need fucking rhythm, dumbass. I ain't seen you use that as long as I've known you."

    "We've never gone to a club together before. Plus I danced for our cultural festival at UA, and for some charity stuff," Izuku said, scraping together a defense. "You said I have the best ass. You really think it's gonna be bad when I shake it?"

    Kacchan choked on his drink. Shoot. Did Kacchan even remember saying that about Izuku? He was getting so damn bold! He mentally patted himself on the back. And tried not to shake uncontrollably. 

    Kacchan pulled himself together. "Then finish your drinks and prove it."

    Izuku pursed his lips. "Fine. I will."

    Their conversation shifted to their normal Friday night back and forth. This conversation held a little more charge. A little more energy to compete with the distraction of booming music in the background. The club had been littered with small groups when they'd arrived. More people poured in as the night progressed.

    Their drinks were nearly gone when Kacchan tensed as a song came on and there were cheers from the crowd. Kacchan sighed, "Fuck, I'm being summoned."

    "Summoned?!"

    And then Izuku listened. This was the K-Pop song that had been associated with Kacchan since he'd screamed his hero name to the world. Dynamite played for Dynamight. To Kacchan's displeasure, it was used often when he came into interviews and other times he was presented to a crowd. It followed him.

    "A few months ago one of these fucks challenged me, and I was drunk and stupid enough to try to win the fuckin' dance-off. I mentioned that I used dance moves as part of my workout. And ever since then I get fucking summoned to dance off with someone," Kacchan said, rubbing his face aggressively. "Ready to show me what you got, shitty Deku?"

    "Me?!"

    "Yeah, fucker. Fight me," Kacchan said with a grin so wide and vicious that Izuku imagined Kacchan could eat him alive. "Or are you too fucking chickenshit?"    

    "You go first, so I know what I'm doing," Izuku said, contemplating like he was making a battle plan. Kacchan shoved at Izuku’s face and walked toward the dance floor.

    The crowd parted for Kacchan as they walked up to the dance area. It was something Kacchan had always excelled at. Being in the spotlight. Getting everyone around to watch him, whether they did so out of contempt or admiration. This group cheered enough to be the latter.

    Izuku stood off to the side. Kacchan walked up to the DJ stand as a crowd gathered around the edges. He yelled up to the DJ, "Gimme something I can dance to!"

    The DJ wore a wild grin that reminded Izuku of Present Mic. The speakers filled with the high notes and deep base of the Tokyo Drift song Izuku was vaguely familiar with. Kacchan grinned as soon as the beat started.

    He began with a sway, followed by some intensive footwork. Then Kacchan broke into a fully acrobatic dance with the chorus. Izuku watched some clips of this dancing style before. From the Olympics maybe? Kacchan was break dancing. Swinging himself around on the ground with his legs twisting in the air around his torso. Moving from his back to jumping to his feet. Spinning. Running up the wall and doing a backflip into splits. And then right back up to spinning, lunging onto his hands and pushing himself back.

    Holy. Hell. Izuku was floored. Kacchan had always been very agile in the air, so Izuku wasn't surprised he danced well. But this? Izuku watched in awe as Kacchan made it obvious he'd put effort into his dancing. The tricks Izuku had up his sleeve seemed less like they'd be enough to win this.

    Kacchan danced with a distinctive jerk to the beat, and then he took back to crouching on the floor, spinning his legs around in what looked like an extensive step. He finished with a one-handed stand that he jumped off from, and—intentionally or unintentionally—set off a few minor pops of explosions in his hands.

    The crowd cheered, and Kacchan walked up to Izuku panting. The open-mouthed grin he wore as he caught his breath ran goosebumps all over Izuku’s skin. He realized his jaw was gaping only when Kacchan said, "You trying to fucking catch flies?"

    "KAAACCHAAAN!"

    "What, Deku?"

    "You can dance! You're amazing!"

    "Of fucking course."

    "No. But—you can really dance, Kacchan! Like that ! Oh my God!"

    Izuku lost himself in Kacchan worship. Eyes bright and hands flailing in excitement. Izuku’s biggest, brightest grin glowed in tandem with the club's neon lights.

    "Well, I went first to show you how it's done. Your turn, shit nerd," Kacchan said with the sharp quirk of competition on his lips, "What was it you said? That you can shake your ass hard enough to make me stutter?"

    Something about that wasn't quite what Izuku had said. He steeled his resolve and replied, "Yeah Kacchan, I'll do my best. But I only know one song's dance. One song! No more dance battles after today."

    Izuku went up to the DJ and asked for a song that made him blush just to request. He knew how filthy it was. He'd learned the choreography for a charity event Melissa had tricked him into. The dance was too sexy for past Izuku. New bold Izuku though? Perfect. Plus, it was one of the only dances he knew. And Kacchan would stutter.

    Izuku went out to the dance floor and sat on the floor in a pose while the DJ pulled it up. He licked his lips as he listened to the excited and questioning whispers. He didn't think he'd ever do this dance again. He hoped he still knew it well enough to—no. Sexy alter ego! SEXY ALTER EGO! Confidence! The tune of Ifuudoudou—Pomp and Circumstance started.

    The song started with a male voice moaning, and Izuku's smooth sensual moves mirrored the sounds as he rose. And then as the vocalist panted Izuku performed a tight spin, dip to the ground, and quick-stepped footwork. As the lyrics started back up, Izuku moved with the music with hair flips, flamboyant gesturing, and kicks. Each time the vocalist sounded like he was moaning or panting, Izuku was running his hands over his body. At one point, he even grabbed his crotch and thrust his hips. He flushed but had to focus.

    As the music continued, the sexy choreography following the moaned lyrics took up Izuku's full attention. In the lull in the music, he remembered the part coming up he was supposed to rip off his tie and throw it. But he didn't have one.

    Wait. He could...should he? Yeah. Sexy alter ego!

    Izuku peeled off the blazer he'd layered over his t-shirt and threw it up in the air toward the wall. He then leaned forward and then jerked up like a robot that was powering on. He realized he'd needed the jacket for that part. Oh well. Too late. Another crotch grab hip thrust. Another blush. Then back to the flamboyant gesturing and quick footwork. As the song wound down, Izuku reversed his initial movements and sank to the ground, flipping his head to face away from the crowd.

    The room was quiet. And then violent cheering, like Kacchan had gotten. Izuku stood up with a flushed face and panted. He picked up his jacket from against the wall, taking a deep breath as he faced the crowd. As he faced Kacchan . He didn't care much about the crowd. He just needed to end this on a confident note. He knew without looking that Kacchan was impressed. Izuku caught glimpses of the blond's stunned face while dancing.

    Izuku met those red eyes as he walked closer, a shy grin on his face as he said, "I guess speechless is better than stuttering, huh Kacchan?"

    The words almost seemed to snap Kacchan out of a trance as he said with wide eyes, "Where the fuck'd you learn to dance like—who are you? Where's fucking Deku? Are you a sexy fucking alien that replaced my nerd?"

    Before Izuku could respond, the DJ interrupted, "So...like...who won?"

    A few instances of both their names were yelled in the crowd—hero or family names. And then one very loud fan yelled, "DYNAKU WINS! MY SHIP IS SAILING!"

    Izuku turned bright red and walked as far away from the dance floor as he could get. Their booth was taken, now. Maybe it was just...time to go. Izuku's insecurities crept back at an alarming rate. Kacchan followed Izuku like a lost puppy and as they reached the bar, Nakagawa addressed Kacchan.

    "Bakugou, I recorded that epic madness. I sent you a copy. I'll make sure it doesn't get online unless you want it to," Nakagawa said and then turned to Izuku with a grin, "And I can send it to you too if I can have your number?"

    "Oh like fuck you can," Kacchan said shoving Nakagawa's phone away and growling, "You clever little bitch."

    Nakagawa grinned at Kacchan in a way that made Izuku uncomfortable. So Izuku piped up, holding out his coupon from earlier, "Can I have another drink? I wanna dance to a few songs and then go."

    "Sure, cutie. What would you like?" Nakagawa asked.

    "What was the one you made fun of me for Kacchan? Sex on the beach?" Izuku said with a coy sideways smile. Kacchan's eye twitched as he glared back.

    "Comin' right up," Nakagawa said, pulling his liquor from the well. Kacchan was still glaring. He put on his murder face when Nakagawa said, "If you like this, you should try the Red Hot Explosion..."

    It was then that shit got real. A few things happened at once.

    "Hey, um, Hero Deku? Midoriya? Would you uh…um, dance with me?" It was a stranger, a guy Izuku hadn't met.

    Off to the side, Kacchan was trying to kill Nakagawa with his glare as he whispered with a grin, "Just trying to help."

    "Don't," Kacchan whispered murderously back.

    Izuku turned his attention back to the guy who was waiting for a reply. He was about the same height as Izuku with wispy brown hair and big brown doe eyes. He looked young to Izuku, but this was a twenty-and-up bar. So he couldn't be much younger than Izuku. "Uh, I'm waiting for my drink. But, after that it would be fine I think."

    Izuku wasn’t used to being approached by guys or girls. He didn't put himself in positions for it to happen very often. This was much tamer than the random girl at the con. Izuku attracted more attention with his forwardness as of late. He didn’t expect the work to become a sexier hero to go unnoticed by fans. He certainly had no intention of rejecting the attention it got him if he was up for it.

    Doe-eyes waited nervously for Izuku to drink his fruity drink. The guy looked guilty like he was committing a crime. To be fair, Kacchan was looming over the guy like he was committing a crime. Izuku tapped Kacchan on the arm and sighed, "What's your problem?"

    "Your dumb face," Kacchan replied, childishly crossing his arms and baring his teeth at Izuku. Doe-eyes took a step back. Izuku honestly felt impressed he lasted that long against Kacchan's poisonous stare.

    "Guess my dumb face will be back in a bit then if it's so offensive," Izuku said, sipping until the straws started to suck noisily at the empty drink. Yes. He'd had enough to drink to hit a sassy stage. Izuku walked off with doe-eyes, and only spared Kacchan a glance. Kacchan slapped Nobunaga in the arm, the latter grinning madly.

    Despite the choreographed dance moves earlier that Izuku practiced dozens of times, his impromptu dance skills were mediocre to poor. At best. Still, he had enthusiasm and a strong dose of sass as the crowd whooped as he came out to the floor. They lost interest as he danced like every other person there, and he sank into the crowd across from doe-eyes. Shoot. Izuku didn't even know his name.

    No time to ask now, with the vibrating bass and swaying bodies. Izuku let one song bleed into another. Between the lights flashing and the bass rumbling, the room spun a little. His increased heartbeat fed the alcohol to his brain at a dizzying rate. The group grew from doe-eyes to including a few others. One of them grabbed his hand and spun him. Izuku laughed.

    Two more songs flew by, maybe three. He lost count drowning in the sweat and the energy of the crowd, small as it was. A boiling heat grabbed his hips and dragged him flush against a wall of muscle. The heat didn’t singe him merely with that smoldering touch. Kacchan's molten voice also dripped down Izuku's spine as he said, "So what other secret skills you fucking hiding, Deku?"

    The question was innocent enough. The tone was not. The depth of it scraped against Izuku’s sanity. More delicious than anything Izuku imagined reading fan fiction. And it went straight to Izuku's unprepared dick. Thankfully, his jeans were tight enough to contain his dirty thoughts, and the room was dark.

    "Enough skills to keep up with you," Izuku said, leaning onto Kacchan's shoulder so he could talk directly into the other man's ear. Kacchan gripped harder on Izuku's hips as the angle of Izuku's frame made his ass grind against Kacchan's crotch. Izuku didn't mean to. But the gasp Kacchan made gave Izuku the sick desire to feign ignorance and keep moving against his coworker's body.

    Coworker. Childhood friend. Izuku pulled himself forward again so their jeans barely touched. Kacchan breathed as if he’d just chased down a villain. Izuku felt the rise and fall of Kacchan’s chest against his back. Izuku smelled the tang of seared sugar as they moved together. The songs blurred again. The only measure of time was the number of hot breaths against his shoulder.

    Part of Izuku wanted to stay like this. Stay toeing the line of what was ok for friends. Stay moving against Kacchan's body as they got lost in the subtle heavy feeling.

    If they left the dance floor, would Izuku step back from crossing that line? If they stayed, would Kacchan let him get closer than friends should?

    Kacchan didn’t give him the chance to find out as he said, "We should fucking go, it's late."

    And just like that, the hot hands were gone. Izuku shivered at the chill left in their absence. He followed Kacchan out, waving to his new friends. Doe-eyes looked a little disappointed, but gave Izuku two thumbs up and a wink as he yelled, "Good luck!"

    Izuku thought he might need it.

Chapter Text

    Kacchan didn’t talk about dancing at the bar. Kacchan didn’t act any differently. Izuku thought about it nonstop, analyzed every interaction, and wondered if he could make Kacchan chase after him again. If Kacchan came to Izuku—if pursuing Izuku was Kacchan's idea—well. Izuku could live with that. He just needed to plant the idea.

    Unfortunately, the first of his friends to find out about Izuku's crush was Kaminari Denki. They wrapped up a robbery they came across and cleaned up together. Izuku thought Kaminari had left the scene once the verbal report was wrapped up. But no. He lingered there when Izuku started mumbling.

    "Um, excuse me?! What'd you say?" Kaminari asked, sparkling with mischief as Izuku’s mumbles registered. "Did you just say Kacchan likes your ass?"

    "Uh...no?"

    "You did! Bro, what?! What?! Kacchan—"Kaminari gasped, hands coming to his mouth—"He's totally INTO YOU, isn't he? That makes so much sense. All those late-night fights—"

    "Kaminari, nooo!" Izuku insisted, flailing his hands. "Don't start weird rumors! Kacchan and I aren't...we're just...rivals. Partners."

    "Partners?! So you're together?"

    "What! No?"

    "You don't sound sure, buddy," Kaminari said, confusion blanketing his face. "Shouldn't you be sure?"

    Izuku dragged his hands over his face slowly. Patiently. "Kaminari. I meant hero partners. For our agency."

    "Whatever man," Kaminari said, crossing his arms. "You can try to keep your secrets, but your secrets will end up keeping you."

    "What—What are you even saying?!" Izuku yelled, unable to decode the other man's nonsense today. Izuku's brain was too tied up decoding Kacchan. Kaminari only had a mild frown in response to Izuku's outburst.

    "You know man, it's like, a famous quote or something. Like how secrets hold you back, as your keepers. Like, it's a warning that secrets hold you captive if you keep them too long." Kaminari nodded sagely.

    "I don't think it's a famous quote," Izuku said, trying not to roll his eyes. "But it's meaningful, I guess."

    "Nah, Gandhi said it. I'm pretty sure." Kaminari sounded sure, then paused to tap his chin. "Or was he the one that said the eye thing?"

    Izuku sighed, walking back to his patrol zone. "You sure you didn't make it up when you were high?"

    Kaminari grinned with a guilty rub to his head, then shrugged. "It's good advice. Does it matter?"

    Izuku supposed it didn't. Izuku licked his lips as he realized Kaminari was following him. In the exact opposite direction of Kaminari's patrol zone.

    "So what did Kacchan say about your ass Midoriya?" Kaminari asked, wide-eyed like a lost puppy who found a friend. Or a scrap of gossip to chew on. Izuku was sure Kaminari mentally had a wagging tail. The man bounced along with each of Izuku's steps.

    "He...he...said in my new costume, uh...that it was the best one out there," Izuku said nervously. Should he really be saying this? To Kaminari? Who had no filter or sense of guilt for satiating his curiosity? Too late now. Izuku said it.

    And who would believe Kaminari's word against Izuku's?

    Kaminari's eyes sparkled again as he giggled madly. Then he stopped, and Izuku kept walking for a few steps before he noticed. The other man had his phone out and was intensely focused, "Keep walking!"

    "What? Why?"

    "Because! You'll thank me later."

    Izuku just...kept walking. What was the worst that could happen?

    Kaminari got a recording of Izuku's firm ass bouncing as he walked. And Izuku found out that the worst thing that could happen was Kaminari using the footage to make a meme.

    Kaminari put a text at the bottom before releasing it to the depths of the internet:

     ONE DYNAMIGHT ASS!!!

    And then he posted another with the caption:

     That's one

    Dank ASS meme

    Izuku was not impressed. But later that week, the Dynamight-ass meme blew up on social media.

Chapter Text

    "Deku," Kacchan said in slow, unrestrained anger. "Why the fuck do I keep getting tagged in pictures of your ass?"

    Izuku gave Kacchan a wide-eyed look. "Did you um...read the caption on the meme?"

    "Fucking...no? What?" Kacchan snarled, and Izuku thought Kacchan was maybe thirty seconds from frothing at the mouth.

    "Kaminari...he uh, made a meme," Izuku started, rubbing the back of his neck. "And uh, it said… ’One Dynamight ass ’. Like your hero name? So that's like...why you got tagged?"

    Kacchan stood speechless. No longer two ticks from exploding. Rather like someone had left on the lights, but nobody was home. Izuku was a little weirded out honestly because Kacchan didn't just...zone out. That was Izuku's thing.

    "Ka-Kacchan?" Izuku asked with the delicacy of someone dismantling a bomb.

    Kacchan's eyes focused laser-sharp on Izuku. But he didn't growl, or so much as frown. He turned and left. Izuku heard the bathroom door down the hall slam shut. Followed by some very colorful cursing.

    Kacchan didn't come out for a while. When he did, he didn't return to Izuku's office. He didn't talk to Izuku for days.

    And when Friday night rolled around, the strangest thing happened. Kacchan said he wouldn't be there. He didn't give any explanation when Izuku texted back and asked why. Kacchan didn't lie. He didn't have to. He wasn't afraid of hurting feelings, and he wasn't afraid to tell people what he thought. This felt like the closest Kacchan had come to lying. He was avoiding an answer when he typically faced things head-on.

    Izuku decided to read fanfiction to cull his mounting anxiety. Kacchan hadn't avoided him since the earliest parts of high school. Had Izuku done something wrong? Should he not have let Kaminari record him? Should he not have let the meme be posted? It seemed harmless. And maybe a bit of free advertising for his new look. Was Kacchan angry?

    Izuku felt equal parts overwhelmed, weirded out, and ecstatic that people were looking at his body. Him! Midoriya Izuku. He knew he wasn't terrible to look at—he'd spent countless hours honing his muscles. But he wasn't like...hot, or anything. Not like Kacchan. It was so strange realizing that only a few months ago he'd been horrified at the idea of being this sexualized. Now he sought it out.

    Izuku shoved the thoughts away as he opened up the latest chapter of his favorite omegaverse fic. He's long past not interacting, and not commenting. He even got a few responses from these talented authors because he wrote such long, enthusiastic comments. He'd been nervous at first, but most people in the Dynaku fandom seemed nice and genuine. Friendly.

    Eyes skimming the page, Izuku dove in. This author wrote Kacchan so well. They saw all of his best and worst parts. Izuku, however, was a little on the feminine side. He supposed it fit the omega role for him.

    Sometimes Izuku wondered what it would be like, to be an omega. To be so desperate, to be dripping slick, to so easily draw Kacchan in with just a scent. To be that desired. To be that wanted. Izuku sighed as he found himself half-hard at the spicy scene, and as he finished, he set his phone on his bedside table and pulled out his toys.

    He hadn't worked up the nerve to try the anal kit yet. But after reading that red hot chapter? With Kacchan wrecking his ass and freaking breeding him? Maybe today was the day. He lifted out the differently sized and shaped plugs. Decided on one of the smaller curved ones that said ‘prostate massager.’

    Oh God, it vibrated, Izuku realized as he nearly dropped the whirring toy in his hand. He turned that off. For now. He lubed it up. Ran the tip of the toy around his hole a few times and tried to relax. That's what the instructions said. Yeah, he read them. So what?

    Izuku started to push it in, biting his lips and it just felt...weird, and like he should push it out? But he kept going. In further. He's fully hard now just from the idea of doing this. Not that it took much for him to get hard these days.

    "Kacchan," Izuku whispered to the room like a taboo. If it was Kacchan fingering him open, how would it feel? Izuku groaned as he rubbed up against a sensitive spot inside himself. Is that it? Is that what he's looking for?

    He turned on the vibrations and bucked his hips off the bed. Oh, holy shit. That's gotta be it. He moved the toy and wiggled his hips to get some friction, and it was so strong. Almost too strong. He relaxed into the feeling—the strange waves of pleasure building. He wasn’t in a rush. He didn't palm his cock, even though he wanted to. Because he wanted to explore this new feeling. Let it take him.

    Other thoughts seeped in. Did Izuku do something to make Kacchan angry? Can they just fight it out like they usually did? Izuku made an impulsive decision. He decided to text Kacchan while he masturbated. 

    Just a simple, 'Did I do something wrong?'

     'No.' The immediate response back.

    And then the phone started ringing. Kacchan's name flashed across the screen. Kacchan didn’t just...call. He always had a reason. Izuku panicked a little, turned off the vibration on his toy, and answered the call like an idiot. 

    "Uh—hello?"

    "The fuck you callin' me for at one in the damn morning, Deku?"

    "Wha—Kacchan! You called me!" Izuku said, noticing the deep rumbling of Kacchan's voice set his nerves on fire as it did when they danced together.

    "I fucking...did? Fuck. Shit. Sorry."

    Something felt off because Kacchan never offered unprompted apologies for minor details. Izuku licked his lips and gulped, staring at his straining dick as he asked, "Are you ok?"

    Kacchan giggled, doubling Izuku’s suspicion.

    "Kacchan, are you drunk?" Izuku asked, trying not to gasp as his toy rubbed against that same sensitive spot.

    "May-bee," Kacchan giggled, and none of it sounded sane. "The fuck you care for?"

    "You could've just gotten drunk here. If you wanted. Then I could take care of you," Izuku said as he noticed himself grinding his hips into the toy. He hoped he didn't sound too breathy. "You've been drinking a lot lately."

    "I wanted to be alone," Kacchan said quietly. Vulnerable.

    "That's fine, Kacchan. But if you need something, just let me know, ok? I'm here for you," Izuku said. He'd said the words before. But they felt different today. Not just because he was naked and palming his erection to the sound of Kacchan's voice. Izuku felt shame wash across his skin at that. For some reason it made his dick twitch in his hand.

    "I do."

    "You do?" Izuku refocused.

    "Need somethin'," Kacchan said in the same, quiet voice.

    "Ok," Izuku said, knowing he sounded a little eager and a little breathless now. "What is it?"

    Kacchan breathed heavily into the phone for a minute before he said, "Fuck. Just. Nevermind. Forget I said anything, Deku."

    "Wait—"

    The call ended. Izuku thought about calling back. Maybe another night, when he wasn't in the middle of exploring his anal kit, he would have. But he was using his anal kit. Also, he'd be on patrol tomorrow with Kacchan, leaving Kacchan no option to avoid Izuku.

    Izuku turned the vibrator back on. It shocked his system again. So did the thoughts of a drunk Kacchan giggling at him and running his clumsy hands down Izuku. Those hands felt like fire at the club. They would now, too. Skin on skin. He wondered if Kacchan would bite at his neck and make a mark like they did in the omegaverse.

    It didn't take long for Izuku after that. The idea of Kacchan biting him, touching him. Izuku found himself caught in one of the most intense orgasms of his life, nearly curling in on himself as his body spasmed.

    Amazing. Not enough.

    The wind down was a swirl of guilt that lingered until Izuku distracted himself with work emails. Once he'd cleaned up and gotten ready for bed, anyway.

    "Wait...really? Me?" Izuku squeaked as he read the latest from Melissa. She'd gotten him and Kacchan a modeling gig for a makeup company. Izuku had mixed feelings, but he wasn't particularly opposed.

    Katsuki groaned as his hung-over body ached. Deku was fucking right. He'd been drinking too much. The fucking carbs were making him gain weight, for fuck's sake. He couldn't afford to put on excess weight without sacrificing his airborne movement speeds. Damn it.

    "Kacchan!"

    Katsuki recoiled. He'd been avoiding Deku. Though in the past Deku never seemed to notice. Last night, for the first time in years, Deku had noticed Katsuki wasn't ok. Usually, Katsuki just needed a few days to collect himself quietly. To let himself indulge in Deku from a distance and then pull himself the fuck together and get on with his life.

    He was having a harder time pulling himself together lately.

    "Kacchan, wait up!"

    Katsuki stopped. It wasn't Deku's fucking fault Katsuki had feelings for the twit. Katsuki didn't have to be an asshole to him.

    "Fucking keep your shitty voice down, I have a godawful headache," Katsuki growled. Ok. So much for him not being an asshole. A solid three-second effort, Katsuki.

    Deku pulled out a tiny water bottle and some painkillers. "I thought you might, uh... I brought you these."

    Damn it, that was fucking thoughtful. Katsuki took them without question. Not used to being hungover, he barely made it to the train. Let alone finding time to take care of himself. He managed a grunt, "Thanks."

    "It's not like you to drink so much before a workday," Deku said carefully. Deku knew he was treading on thin ice. Not that it had stopped the fucker in the past.

    "Deku it's always a fucking work day," Katsuki said with a grumpy frown. "We don't get days off running our own agency. It's hero work or fucking paperwork."

    "Maybe we should hire someone to help," Deku said, wincing under Katsuki's volcanic glare, putting his hands up in surrender. "Or, uh, maybe not."

    "How the fuck do we pay another worker, Deku? We're underpaying our sidekicks and Melissa as it is, for how much shit they do," Katsuki snarled. He wanted his workers paid well. They were the top tier for their ages, and they did a helluva lotta work. The interns didn't get anything except small reward bonuses when they did something Katsuki and Deku thought was above and beyond.

    "Well I've been giving it a lot of thought actually," Deku started, and Katsuki fucking knew this was gonna be a conversation he didn't wanna have with a pounding headache. Deku continued his well-thought ramble anyway. "What if we try to get more marketing deals like the ones Melissa just got for us? Those pay well. And honestly Kacchan, half the country is in love with you, so they'll buy what you're selling. I reached out to some of our old UA classmates from the business department that we were friends with and got some pointers on monetizing our agency. Melissa's amazing, but she's only one person. So I wanted to help out."

    Katsuki was trying to listen, but he's stuck wondering if 'half the country’ being in love with him included Deku. Not fucking likely.

    "Why the fuck—” Katsuki started, because that was always a strong start— "would I want to sell myself out instead of do hero work?"

    Katsuki's glare was weak because too much sunshine flooded from Deku's direction. It hurt to look at him. Why was the sun always shining behind Deku? Katsuki knew he wasn't making this shit up. Deku attracted sunlight. Maybe some random OFA bullshit.

    "No, no, you're misunderstanding," Deku said, waving his hands around. "We hire someone for paperwork. And we do marketing gigs instead. Neither of us wants less hero work."

    Bakugou considered it. Since they're in the top fifty, it wouldn't be a bad way to make money and get their names out there more. Katsuki never pictured it when he dreamed about being a hero. But anything was better than the fucking paperwork.

    "Yeah, ok."

    "Really?" Deku gasped like he couldn't believe Katsuki changed his mind without extensive argument. And damn it if that wasn't spot on.

    "I trust you, all right?" Katsuki said, not looking anywhere near Deku's face. "If you say it'll work it probably fucking will."

    Katsuki finally looked, and Deku beamed back. Damn.

    "Well now I'm really worried about you Kacchan," Deku said with a hint of humor in his smile. "You never just...agree with me."

    "You're worried? The fuck for?"

    Deku frowned in a way that hurt to look at. Katsuki listened carefully when Deku said, "It's just...you've been distant. More than usual. You fall off the grid once in a while and I try to give you space like you want, but it seems different this time."

    No fucking kidding. Katsuki suffered daily dealing with Deku's recently manifested flirty side. And making every excuse to walk behind Deku and get an eyeful of that gorgeous ass? That suffering was self-inflicted. Katsuki refused to answer, dragging the silence out until he could manage to cover up his lovesick bullshit without lying.

    "You're unpredictable lately and it's pissing me off," Katsuki said, shoving his hands in his pockets and staring at the buildings opposite Deku. "I've known you my whole damn life and just when I think I understand you, you fucking evolve, right in front of me. Sometimes it feels like you're taunting me. I need to take a step back and not spew my feelings all over you, m'kay dumbass?"

    "I can take it, Kacchan," Deku said with a determined smile. "You don't have to hide from me."

    Katsuki chuckled as he shook his head, wondering if Deku could handle the weight of Katsuki's love. Fuckin' Deku. Katsuki had no idea what to say to that bullshit. Thankfully, a villain crossed their paths then. Katsuki grinned murderously as he cracked his knuckles. This guy chose the wrong fucking day.

Chapter Text

    Katsuki looked at the result of the modeling photoshoot with absolute horror. Fuck. Deku's beauty fucking shined through. Looking like a water nymph as he gazed straight up at the camera from the overhead shot. Deku’s eyes were a luminescent green, hair softly framing his face—and God, the damn freckles! Deku wasn't wearing a shirt. His bare freckled shoulders were just out of focus with clear rippling water behind him.

    Deku oozed cuteness in real life. That stupid bright grin. Happiness seeped out all around the edges. The freckles. Emerald green expressive eyes. Katsuki could go on. But this? The man in this photo mimicked a godly creature.

    Katsuki knew they didn't have to touch up the photo much to make it so. These people knew how to flatter all of Deku's features (unlike Deku), and knew how to give him the barest hint of makeup to do it. The ad was makeup for men, after all. The finished photo made him look like he'd just peeked out of the river to beckon Katsuki into the water to drown.

    And oh, was Katsuki willing to drown. Already drowning, honestly.

    Katsuki gave the photo of himself a once over. He was gonna sell the shit outta that eyeliner used on him. The white suit jacket and tie over the black button-down made a stark combo. But the smirk he wore as he pushed back his hair—whispering silent promises of carnal sin—was the ticket to sell this stuff. He stared for only a moment before his eyes drew back to Deku's picture. What were they trying to sell for him?

    While Katsuki drooled over the photo, Deku decided to walk in.

    "Oh, Kacchan! You've got the prints!" Deku said, grabbing at them and giving them a once over. He glanced over his picture with a smile and stopped dead when he flipped to Katsuki's picture. "Holy fuck."

    Katsuki turned stiffly toward Deku's gaping face and didn't think he could form words. Was Deku gaping at Katsuki's photo? The hell was wrong with it?

    "How do you do that?" Deku whined. "Look so effortlessly gorgeous?"

    Katsuki froze. Did Deku just call him gorgeous? Seriously? His fucking hearing was spotty with the explosions going off around him all the time. He must have misheard. Katsuki had to clarify, so he asked, "Did you just—"

    They both dropped everything as a scream echoed down the hallway.

    Moving quickly, they both found Melissa clapping at her computer as she screeched, "I did it! I did it, guys! You've got an interview for Hakayama's Heroes! Can you believe it?"

    Deku let out a sigh. Katsuki rolled his eyes and griped, "Don't fucking scream like that, Blondie."

    The mood settled, and Melissa filled them in on the opportunity she'd snagged for them. They went back to work. Without Katsuki acknowledging that Deku may or may not have called him gorgeous. Fuck.

    Katsuki took home a copy of each print as he left the office. The studio sent them for him and Deku, damn it. He shouldn't feel guilty. The feeling welled up in his guts anyway. He'd use that photo to jack off tonight. Already had a semi just thinking about it.

    Deku took a copy of each too, but surely his intentions weren’t so filthy. Even if Deku turned into a flirt, he wasn’t the kind of pervert Katsuki was.

    Katsuki closed his front door and tore off his clothes. Fuck dinner. He needed to address his lust right fucking now. He picked up the picture of Deku gently and used the screen of his laptop to prop it up on his bed next to him. Just at the right angle to palm his cock and still stare at it. In the background played a soft soundbite of Deku taking over the laptop speakers that Katsuki’d used to jack off to before. Deku talking about Katsuki being amazing.

    He tried to drown out his guilt with pleasure.

    "Look at you, ya fucking nymph. You're here to steal my soul, aren't you? Suck it right out of my dick and kill me dead. And I'm gonna let you. I am, Deku."

    Katsuki groaned as he sped up, already feeling like he was teetering on the edge. Probably from all the mental fantasies of fucking Deku from behind and seeing those damn freckled shoulders...freckled back...how many freckles did Deku have?     

    Katsuki wanted to know. But he would probably never see them all at once.

    He imagined that Deku would enjoy this, being talked to this way. Slathered in all the crude praise he deserved for being the sun that Katsuki orbited around. For being a fucking perfectly pure, good soul. Katsuki wanted it, wanted him. Wanted to be the first drop of blood in the water to muddy Deku's perfection. Pull them both down to the same level so Katuski could ravish Deku and all of his sweetness. Katsuki stroked himself faster. Deku’s voice in the background whispered softly enough that the words he said were incomprehensible. Katsuki had them memorized. The soundbite finished.

    "You'd like that, wouldn't you? Such a pretty fucking face like yours getting painted in my come? Mm, yeah Deku. That's it. Like you mean it."

    Katsuki's voice rang a raw, graveled whisper into his empty bedroom. It echoed against the walls too loud. His love was too loud, too much. Katsuki had been told to be quieter his whole damn life and never once listened.

    "Come on, Deku. You said you could take it? Can you? Can you? Hah?!"

    Katuski found he grew too loud now. Enough for someone to hear. But he's so close, teetering on the edge of a violent orgasm. He pulled at his cock and begged right into Deku's emerald eyes.

    "Fucking take it then," Katsuki said as he came into his hand, careful not to get any on his laptop or the print of Deku. He panted as he washed his dick and his hands. Exploding his nitroglycerin-covered dick off was never a life goal. Masturbation outside the shower felt like an extreme sport. The picture was worth the risk.

    Katsuki felt the same hollowness set in as he laid back down and glowered at the picture. "I wish you could love me like I love you, shitty Deku."

    Katsuki would never admit he was just as prone to tears as that dumbass nerd.

    Izuku found himself in a crisis at home because—holy fucking hell—Kacchan had the looks to kill. Izuku previously got off to drawings of Kacchan, the idea of Kacchan, and even more recently Kacchan's voice.

    Getting off to a photo of Kacchan seemed like crossing a line. Izuku hadn't planned to talk to Kacchan while he masturbated last Friday. That was a happy accident. Izuku had hoped his obsession with Kacchan in doujinshi and fanfiction was a phase. Kacchan felt familiar, and Izuku realizing he was bisexual felt anything but.

    This was an advertisement! Kacchan had on all his clothes! The real Kacchan! What was Izuku doing? He'd fallen so far down this hole now he wasn't sure he could climb out. What if Kacchan found everything out and ended up disgusted with Izuku?

    Or what if they...became friends with benefits and complicated their relationship a hundred times more than it already was?!

    Holy shit. Izuku had been hoping that Kacchan would maybe...suggest something and then Izuku could ravenously agree. That hadn't happened. Every time Izuku was sure he'd drawn Katsuki in, Katsuki would reel back like he'd been burned. Nursed his wound and kept his distance. Izuku simply couldn't understand why Kacchan felt wounded in the first place.

    Izuku caught Kacchan staring at Izuku's print when he walked into the room. The hungry look on Kacchan's face would haunt Izuku's wet dreams. He wanted Kacchan to look at him like that. And Kacchan was, but only an image.

    Izuku wondered if Kacchan took the photos to look at with longing like Izuki had. Then it hit him. Izuku wanted Katsuki desperately enough to make a move . He could drink enough to calm his nerves, and then...proposition Kacchan for sex. Nothing so far managed to ruin their friendship. Surely it could survive this too, even if the proposition made it awkward for a while. He wouldn't lose Kacchan over it.

    Decision made, Izuku ripped off his pants and started stroking his dick so hard it made noises. The picture of Kacchan sat in front of him, and that look—that devilish look—was all Izuku needed to come in two minutes flat.

    He of course got come on the photo and rushed to clean it off. He gave a small prayer to whoever was watching over him because the print didn't stain. Phew.

Chapter Text

    Izuku worked up the courage to corner Kacchan at the office and blurted out, "We should go out again for our Friday!"

    The words came out stiff and cringy, but Izuku was certain it got the point across. Until Kacchan glared at him like Izuku lost his mind. Kacchan only made a tiny quirk of an eyebrow to express it. Tapped a foot while waiting.

    Izuku gulped, nerves on fire. "Like when we went to the bar? But maybe...dinner this time?"

    This time both of Katsuki's brows rose as he asked, "Like fucking where?"

    "I…I wanted to let you pick?"

    Kacchan sucked his lips against his teeth impatiently, letting them go with a tsk, "Didn't you want to go to an Izakaya?"

    "I uh...just suggested that for privacy. If you want to go there, that's fine."

    Kacchan snorted. "Nah. Come over to mine. I ain't gonna have you pick out some greasy-ass food when I'm already getting fat. I'll cook a real meal. But I need a real damn kitchen, not your fucking two feet of countertop."

    While that wasn’t...exactly what Izuku wanted, he couldn’t stop himself from grinning. "That sounds amazing, Kacchan."

    Kacchan rolled his eyes and headed back out to his desk. They haven't made progress with hiring anyone for the paperwork. Maybe Izuku could set up some interviews with Melissa in the next week or two and...oh, and he should’ve told her they planned to hire someone. Since she runs everything.

    He wandered over to her desk and waited as she finished an important-sounding phone call. Melissa looked up at Izuku with a sigh.

    "I've got five minutes, don't waste my time. Be efficient," she said, tapping the table.

    Izuku gulped, "Um, I talked Kacchan into hiring another person to help us all with paperwork. What do you think?"

    "You did? He said yes?" She said, seeming hesitant. "Let me set up interviews. Your new merch preorders are sold out already. It should be enough to get a position started, with all the training and insurance taken into account. After that, I was thinking about an assistant position that makes a little less than the sidekicks do, because this would be an entry-level position without much need for a college education. Though a two-year business degree would be nice."

    Izuku let Melissa muse on everything for a minute before he chimed in, "And uh, if this person takes care of the paperwork for the three of us, being a full-time slot, Kacchan agreed to take on more marketing gigs to help pay for everything."

    "Izuku—" Melissa breathed, narrowing her eyes—"How did you talk Katsuki into all this?"

    "I just asked him?"

    "Really?"

    "Really."

    "Hm," She leaned back, rubbing her chin. "Well, shit. Good job. We need two people if we want to grow, and maybe another sidekick. But this is a good start. He's shot the idea down every time I've brought it up. Next time I'm just going to have you ask him for me."

    She smirked, teeth showing in a flash of dominance. Izuku felt a drop of sweat trickle down his neck. Sometimes he forgot how scary Melissa could be. That her father was brilliant enough to both work for All Might and nearly get him killed. He wrangled up a nervous smile for her. She'd grown up into someone not to be trifled with, and yet Kacchan turned her down. Silly Kacchan. Just give the woman what she wanted.

    Melissa leaned forward. "In about two months, I'm anticipating the full extent of your costume change will be in our pockets in the form of merch and other business deals. I want you to bring up hiring more people then. Capiche?"

    "Capiche?" Izuku echoed innocently, and Melissa rubbed her eyes, the hard edge gone from them.

    "It means, ya got it? I don't know why I said that. It doesn't translate well to Japanese." She sighed, leaning back and relaxed once more. "And you're impossible to intimidate, Izuku. I don't know why I even tried."

    She laughed and shooed Izuku out of her office before he could respond.

    Friday came too soon, yet agonizingly slow. Izuku texted the stylist who did his makeup for the ad and asked for a few tips. Should he even bother dressing up? He was going to Kacchan's house, not out on the town as he’d expected. He sighed, asking Miko-chan how to pull off makeup without looking done up.

    She sent multiple tips, along with several encouraging GIFs. The last one she sent was a GIF of an animated Hero Deku with "Dekiru!" at the bottom—the 'can do!' that Uraraka first found in his name.

    She became his unofficial cheerleader for the ‘date’. She shipped Dynaku, oddly enough. Though he never revealed who he was meeting. She wanted to help Izuku out no matter who he found a date with. Izuku was lucky to have developed enough social skills to make fast friends like this. He had friends littered in every industry now, and a long list of contacts. He smiled wistfully, pulling out the cosmetics the makeup company had given him in hopes he'd wear them out and advertise their products further.

    Sexy. Alter. Ego. Go!

    Izuku showed up at Kacchan's a few minutes late but looking...nice. His hair was brushed as instructed. His breath smelled nice. He had on the light bb cream that showed off his freckles with a swipe of dark nude eyeliner. It wasn't obvious, but he looked like he had a nice glow with the highlighter mixed into the bb cream. And his eyes popped a little more. Just a little more.

    Izuku licked his lips. They tasted like his melon chapstick. He knocked on Kacchan's door with a package under his arm. He wasn't going to come empty-handed, even if Kacchan would be mad about it.

    "Just open the door," Kacchan yelled from inside. So Izuku did.

    The apartment smelled divine. Fish of some sort, and vegetables. It smelled spicy too, but Izuku knew Kacchan wouldn't make it unbearably spicy for them. Kacchan was too thoughtful for that.

    Izuku was bursting with excited energy at the door, bringing his hands to his face. He held back an ecstatic screech at the feeling. Much like the first few times he met All Might. What was he doing?

    "Deku, I said come in!" Kacchan yelled a little louder. Izuku could hear Kacchan clanking around in the kitchen. Izuku walked in and shut the door, shivering a bit. Kacchan always kept his house chilly. The clean, sharp lines of his modern layout and decor contrasted Izuku's warm, cozy place. Izuku briefly wondered which Kacchan preferred.

    "DEKU I SAID FUCKING COME IN, YOU IDIOT!"

    "P-Please excuse my intrusion! I'm here!" Izuku stumbled to kick off his shoes and hang his jacket. He'd walked over, and the nights were getting cooler as summer faded away.

    "Geez, are you fucking deaf like me?" Kacchan murmured to himself as Izuku saw him plating up the food.

    "I heard you the first time, Kacchan. I was just thinking," Izuku huffed as he put the bag of desserts on the counter. Kacchan glared at Izuku over his shoulder as soon as he noticed the bag.

    "The fuck is that?"

    "Dessert! I worked really hard for it so you better at least try it!"

    "Fucking trying to make me fat," Kacchan growled, snarling at the food he'd prepared instead of Izuku.

    "That actually looks pretty healthy," Izuku said, pointing to the food. "And delicious. Can we eat? I skipped lunch."

    Kacchan whirled around and hissed, "Skipped lunch?"

    "I...uh...yeah? Sorry. I forgot to eat."

    Kacchan moved the plates to his table—he had a proper table, unlike Izuku who always ate on the couch—and loosed a string of hissed curses, "Fucking dumbass Deku. I can't fucking believe you. How do you fucking forget? How? Fucking god damn it all."

    "I just...wasn't hungry at lunchtime, and then I got busy, and it was almost dinner, and I didn't want to ruin your nice meal by snacking," Izuku said in one breath.

    Kacchan shook his head and snorted as he sat. "Sit then, dumbass. Eat."

    So Izuku did. The taste matched the smell. Chipotle chile and lime fish with a rice and vegetable dish, heavy on the veggies and light on the rice. It seemed to be in a creamy lime sauce. Maybe avocado? Izuku wasn't sure. Much more creative than anything Izuku could come up with. Quiet rock music played in the background. A rather romantic atmosphere, if only Kacchan and Izuku had decided it should be a date.

    "You're getting better at not mumbling," Kacchan grumbled, "But I can still hear you thinking from over here. Can't you just spit it out?"

    "No."

    "No? Why the fuck not?"

    "I just...there's too much? And that's not what I want to talk about right now," Izuku diverted. He had to get to the business side of things first. "Melissa went ahead with getting someone hired for paperwork. Did you want to be part of the interviews since it's someone you'll be working closely with too?"

    Kacchan took a long time chewing. Swallowed. "I guess I should. I don't wanna get wrapped up in that bullshit. But if it's someone that pisses me off and I didn't go, I ain't got nothing to complain about."

    "What if we just bring you in for the best three candidates? I think Melissa just posted the position today and there's already five applicants. I'm sure by the end of the week when we start interviews there will be twenty or more, probably six or seven we bring in to talk to."

    Kacchan nodded. "Yeah. Ok. If you're in the interviews with Blondie, should be fine. She's a sharper judge of character than you. You'll fucking like them all."

    Izuku pouted but didn't disagree. That happened when they interviewed sidekicks. He adored all their cool quirks!

    "What else?" Kacchan said as he took another bite of his rice, talking with his mouth full as he continued, "I know there's more."

    "Um. Are you gonna update your costume too? I...have some thoughts if you wanna talk it over?" Izuku asked, flushing as Kacchan froze mid-bite, backing off and setting down his fork.

    "You what?"

    "I've got ideas."

    "About my costume? My fucking costume?"

    "Uh...yeah?"

    "Fine. Let's fucking hear 'em."

    Izuku took a deep breath. He could do this! Dekiru! Izuku put on his determined face and faltered a bit as he watched Kacchan smirk. Through his racing heart, Izuku started, "Ok. So. Please don't change your shirt much. It looks amazing! If anything, maybe just go a little metallic like I did to show off your muscles even more. But you need tighter pants. Melissa, Mei, and I all think—"

    "You fucking consulted Hatsume? How much did that cost? Damn it, Deku. We're trying to save money—"

    "Kacchan, Melissa got her to do it for free."

    "Free? Nothing's fucking free, dumbass."

    "Hatsume is crazy enough to do whatever she wants for whatever price she wants. She made me my visor for free. It just has their logo on it. That's it," Izuku insisted.

    Kacchan seemed unconvinced, but he smirked. "Fine. Another fucking advertising investment. I think you left off at 'tighter pants,’ right Deku?"

    Izuku flushed brighter. "Yeah. That's what I wore at the con. It's a sleek look! Plus it will be more aerodynamic for your air combat. Your boots and knee guards are good. Melissa wanted to see if you'd be willing to trade your mask for a visor like mine, to get all the tech upgrades."

    Kacchan leaned back and chewed on the idea for a minute. "It won't look as fucking cool, but those masks do get shredded pretty fucking easy. And I could probably get some eye and ear protection with that. I'm already losing a little hearing on my right side from the explosions. Fuck if I'm gonna go deaf because I wanted to look fucking cool."

    "I think they could make it look cool. Mine looks cool, right?"

    Kacchan chuckled, not entirely kindly. "You've got the dorky-cute-nerd aesthetic. It works for you. I'm the badass, Deku. I wanna still look the part."

    "You should talk to Mei, Kacchan. She and Melissa did a good job for me! Unless you don't like my new costume and you've been lying this whole time?" Deku asked with his own smirk, trying not to sweat the fact that Kacchan said 'cute nerd' and nearly killed Izuku. "I'm pretty sure Kacchan could make even a dress look badass."

    "Damn straight I could."

    Izuku was joking about the dress. But… "You'd wear a dress?"

    Kacchan's grin turned coarse around the edges, and he pulled up his top lip a little in a near-snarl. His voice held a teasing lit, though. "Why, you wanna see that or something? Perverted nerd."

    Was Kacchan flirting?

    "I dunno," Izuku said with unblinking eyes, heart thumping in his ears. "Maybe? Do you have one?"

    Kacchan leaned onto the table, far enough that Izuku got an eyeful of those gorgeous pecs. "So what if I do, nerd? You wanna see?"

    Izuku was today years old when he found out he had a dress kink. Oh, God. A dress on Kacchan kink, specifically.

    "Yeah, I wanna see," Izuku said softly, trying not to pop a boner at the thought, trying not to blush any louder.

    Kacchan grabbed Izuku by the nose and wiggled it back and forth. "Well, too fucking bad. I ain't got one. Geez, Deku, you really are a fucking pervert now. I still can't believe it."

    Izuku hadn't even been aware he'd leaned in far enough for Kacchan to grab his nose. As Kacchan let go, Izuku found himself leaning in with both knees up on the table. He and Kacchan were only a foot apart until Kacchan sat back down. Izuku followed, more embarrassed than words could describe.

    Although this could be a perfect time for Izuku to proposition Kacchan for sex. The mood stayed sticky sweet and hot. Izuku’s plan paused as Kacchan paralyzed Izuku with a piercing stare. Analyzing.

    Izuku’s confidence bottomed out, and he jumped up and yelled, "Dessert!"

    Kacchan jumped as he was yanked out of his thoughts by Izuku having a meltdown, standing stiffly and pawing at the dessert bag. He pulled out macarons of various flavors. A treat Kacchan always commented was worth buying because they were such a 'pain in the ass to bake.'

    Izuku let Kacchan pick first, shoving the tray of six cookies at him awkwardly. The container shook with Izuku’s hand.

    "Deku," Kacchan warned, "No dessert next time. I've gained ten fucking pounds in the last two months. I have to recalculate all of my angles for combat! I'm fucking slower! It ain't happening. No more dessert."

    Izuku ate a cookie, not breaking eye contact. Still trembling. "Yes, dessert."

    "Fine. You eat the dessert."

    As Izuku licked his fingers, he decided that compromise would work. The second cookie crumbled in his mouth with a sweet, soft crunch. Kacchan wouldn't want to waste calories on sweets after all the junk food and booze he'd had lately. He doesn't even like sweets. It all made sense, but…

    "Just have one," Izuku insisted, handing over the matcha-flavored one. It would be bitter enough that Kacchan would like it. "I waited in line forever for them."

    Kacchan glared, snapping the cookie in half with his teeth and chewing aggressively. Izuku considered this a win. Even if he did chicken out. Next week. He'd try again next week.

    With a ping on both their phones, they check them. The next marketing deal for the two of them came outlined in an email.

    Izuku turned an inhuman shade of scarlet as he read with a squeak, "Alpha and Omega fragrances?"

    This had to be a joke. It wasn’t actually happening. He tried to ignore Kacchan picking his reaction apart. Kacchan couldn’t possibly know about the Omegaverse.

Chapter Text

    Alpha and Omega. Seemed fine to Katsuki. So why had Deku freaked the fuck out? Katsuki let his curiosity get the best of him and Woogled it. Izuku had packed up and left pretty soon after the email. And what a weird fucking dinner.

    Did Deku really want to see Katsuki in a fucking dress?

    Katsuki licked his teeth as the search results came up. A stupid ass kids' movie about wolves. Alpha meant the beginning and Omega meant the end. Some religious bullshit attached to that. They were Greek letters—which Katsuki already knew. Alpha male, beta male, and omega male. The site meant alphas like Katsuki—a big presence—normal assholes, and pushovers.

    None of this explained fucking why Deku would light up like a Christmas bulb and rush out of the apartment. Katsuki tried Alpha and Omega meaning since that popped up as a popular search option. Looked at the Wiki. Still nothing. 

    He took a shot in the dark and typed Alpha and Omega sexual . Because he couldn’t imagine what the fuck else Deku would lose his shit over.

    The first page said... omegaverse ? Why did that sound vaguely familiar? Oh, and What is Alpha and Omega kink? Ha ha. Fucking jackpot. Katsuki dove in...and came out knowing more than he ever wanted to.

    Holy shit. Was...Deku into this? Knotting, breeding, marking, mating? No wonder Deku turned cherry red. Katsuki typed in A/B/O, now that he knew what he was looking for. He had to scroll past more explanations and a little blurb on blood types. Then he found it. Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics - Works on OT3.

    That's why it sounded familiar. His fucking fans. Oh, God. Had Katsuki sent Deku here and contributed to Deku’s descent into this shit? Katsuki'd been joking about Deku reading porn at the time. Deku'd seemed horrified then, but now Katsuki wasn't so sure about the reason. Katsuki may have hit a little too close to one of Deku’s secrets.

    Katsuki licked his lips. Was Deku a kinky motherfucker who managed to hide it all these years? Holy shit. Little zings of excitement ran up and down Katsuki's spine. Somehow, the possibility made him want Deku more. Damn it all. Fucking hell.

    Katsuki didn't need something else to draw him to Deku. Let alone something this fucking kinky. Katsuki sucked in a breath thinking about Deku being a kinky bastard. The nerd had shown little glimpses of it. It was there. And now that Katsuki knew it was, he couldn't just pretend it wasn’t. Katsuki acted on his thoughts and feelings rather than pussyfooting around shit. 

    Katsuki dwelled for a moment on the dress conversation. Was that another fucking kink? Deku looked so damn...interested. When Katsuki had pushed, Izuku made room for Katsuki’s advances. And Deku had pushed back . Shit shit shit shit shit!

    This was either going to be the best or the worst thing that ever happened to Katsuki. Any of the times Katsuki lost his composure and drowned himself in the idea of being with Deku like that...Deku hadn't pushed away. Katsuki still felt his stomach clench over Deku thinking it was weird to include Katsuki when they’d ranked heroes by hotness.

    Maybe weird was ok. Maybe Deku wanted weird. Maybe Katsuki could—

    No. He crushed that line of thought. Katsuki could flirt, and push. Have a little fun. But Deku deserved better than this. Deku being kind enough to put up with Katsuki’s weakness wasn’t the same as Deku asking him for sex…or something equally absurd that would never fucking happen. This was just...Deku being Deku. Who was apparently also kinky. And opening up to Katsuki about it.

    Fuck.

    Melissa scheduled their fragrance shoot for this week. Izuku trembled as he entered the building. How exactly would they cast him in the ‘Alpha or Omega’ fragrance line? Why did it have to be A/B/O? Why was it named after his new kink?

    Izuku was sure they were going for 'beginning and end' which the Greek alphabet noted. But oh, Izuku was a little wrong. Someone on the development team must know the same A/B/O Izuku did.

   They dressed Kacchan as a werewolf. A werewolf! The origin of Alphas. Oh holy hell, Deku was gonna die. That costume screamed edgy and sexy! The fur-hooded green jacket fell off Kacchan’s shoulders, his ripped-to-shreds shirt showed off his abs. Could his skin-tight pieces of jeans be considered pants anymore?! They barely covered anything. The combat boots were Kacchan's typical style, and they went well with everything. And oh dear. Kacchan had ears. Fuzzy blond ears that matched his hair. Noticing the studded collar around Kacchan’s neck made Izuku choke on his own spit.

    Izuku lost track of how long he stood there drooling, but it was long enough for Kacchan to notice him and walk over. Kacchan snapped his fingers in Izuku's face. "Oi, nerd. Wake up. The fuck's wrong with you?"

    "I'm uh. Ah. Yup."

    Something akin to mischief lit up the darkened bits of Kacchan's eyes. Kacchan grinned, canines longer than Izuku remembered. "Like what you see?"

    And Izuku replied under the spell of this big, bad wolf, "Mmhm..."

    Kacchan frowned at that, almost looking irritated. And Izuku reviewed in a quick, horrible flashback exactly what he'd said.

    "I—I mean! You. Uh. You look wolfy! Er, uh, wolf is a look good you on! No, a—a good look on you! I mean..."

    "Just go get ready, asshole. Now you're running late and making us look bad!"

    "Right!"

    Izuku used that opportunity to dash off. He didn't know where he was going, but he asked around until he found out. And if he thought Kacchan's costume was a little risque, well...Izuku’s was far worse.

    He was a ghost. How did they make a sexy ghost? Take a naked Izuku—except for gray boy shorts that barely covered his ass cheeks—cover him in pale makeup, and hang a sheer white robe on his head. It only came down to his mid-thigh. Oh, and he had an adorable little witch hat and green bowtie with a pumpkin face. Great accessories that gave no modesty whatsoever.

     Izuku's makeup consisted of black lipstick and a sexy smokey eye. His hair was gelled down and mussed up with a just-rolled-out-of-the-grave look. And he had chains too, connecting a clip on his to a lantern that had an illuminated fragrance in it.

    He walked awkwardly out to the photo shoot because he felt...very naked. Kacchan was finishing up his own shoot. Kacchan saw Izuku and tumbled into a faceplant over a piece of the set. He jumped back up and tried to act like nothing happened, but his face stayed bright red. Poor Kacchan. He didn't take the embarrassment well.

    "Well, Bakugou...I would say go clean up, but the dirt kind of...adds to the look? Why don't we take a few more with the dirt? Then you can take a break while we do Midoriya's shoot. We finish the shoot with the two of you together," the photographer said, gesturing as she did. "Midoriya, you can take a seat for now."

    Izuku did. He watched as they had Kacchan grinning and snarling and smirking and biting. It was a lot more than a few shots. Izuku guessed the photographer liked the dirtied look a lot more. In the meantime, Izuku tried to cover himself because he was nearly naked. Naked!

    Oh God, Kacchan had a tail and claws. Izuku didn't notice earlier. He supposed that explained why Kacchan had to come in earlier than him. Izuku’s costume and makeup were pretty easy, considering they just powdered his whole body. He would never get all this glitter off.

    But back to Kacchan being hot. Izuku fought to keep his mind out of the gutter.  It wasn’t like he could hide evidence of arousal in his bare excuse for a costume. Soon enough they finished the shoot for Kacchan and Izuku was up.

    Izuku gulped as he pulled himself out of his chair. He scurried back out into the open where he was about to be photographed nearly naked.

    Kacchan's eyes followed Izuku as he walked. He'd been a little cold, but under that gaze, he felt flushed. He couldn't bring himself to talk to Kacchan like this. Dolled up and exposed.

    So he rushed up to the set and the photographer told him what she wanted him to do. She noticed Izuku’s nervous fidgeting and she asked, "Do you want some music? Are you cold? I can see you look uncomfortable. That makes for bad pictures."

    "I'm...a little cold. Music could be nice, I guess?" Izuku shrugged, hugging himself.

    The photographer nodded, sent someone to turn up the heat, and put on some music. Energizing rock music played overhead. A man sang in English, his voice like butter. The music set a mood, though it did little to calm Izuku. Distracted him, at least. There were black lights on him, and he realized the powder on him was luminescent in the black light. He stared down with a new appreciation.

    Izuku stiffly tried fulfilling the first few poses the photographer asked of him, and eventually, he loosened up. Taking her direction became more fluid. Sexy alter ego. Sexy alter ego! He would go plus ultra on this!

    "When you fight villains, you know how your eyes glow and you get little green bits of energy? Can you do that for the photo?" She asked, snapping Izuku's current lounging pose.

    "I guess I probably can. I might break something though, if I activate my quirk," Izuku said with a frown.

    "Don't care! Just try it!"

    Izuku activated OFA, eyes glowing and little wisps of energy all around him tearing through the fabric around him and making it look worn, shattering the lantern and the fragrance. The spray of fragrance covered him, though the glass didn’t do much to him while he was powered up. Izuku was hit with too much musky cedar all at once. He coughed a bit as he powered OFA down.

    "Oh my god, that's amazing. Hey, guys, do we have another lantern? Can someone get that glass, Midoriya's got bare feet!" The photographer set down the camera to help out, and Izuku stayed put. Not being under the lens, he remembered Kacchan was watching him this whole time. He glanced over.

    Kacchan's deep eyes should fade in the black light, but instead, they reflect a bright hunger. The flash of attention Izuku craved from him. The same ravenous look Kacchan gave Izuku’s photo. The rock music in the background shifted. The same band, but more upbeat. Even without knowing much of the language, the song's tone made it obvious it had a sexual nature. Izuku couldn't look away from Kacchan as he waited. So he smiled and waved, unsure what else to do. Izuku cringed when he realized how dorky that made him look. The wave broke Kacchan's hungry stare, and he rolled his eyes.

    Izuku took a deep breath. After the glass was cleaned up, Kacchan was called back up to the set. It consisted of a graveyard with a spooky-looking tree and a fountain. Izuku hadn't been paying full attention to the background with his nerves flaring earlier.

    "Ok. I want you two back to back, and I want you both smirking for the first few shots. Then for the next few, let's try shushing the audience with a finger like this," the photographer said, holding a finger to her lips like she was asking someone to be quiet.

    Izuku did as he was told, but all his focus drew to touching Kacchan, and Kacchan’s undeniable sexy aura. Memories snapped into his mind from their night on the dance floor. Izuku's skin felt cool, almost cold in his state of undress. But Kacchan felt warm to the touch. Izuku painted on his best smirk, but he felt so nice being squished against Kacchan that he knew it wasn't quite the right smile.

    The photographer knew too, so she moved them to the next thing. Izuku got the shushing down apparently, as his eyelids grew heavy. He'd been so nervous earlier that being like this—nearly naked against Kacchan—would make his heart race. But Kacchan was calming him down without even trying.

    "Can you use your quirk again, Midoriya? It won't hurt Bakugou, right? You fight so close together so often I can't imagine it would," the photographer said.

    "It's fucking fine. It just stings," Kacchan said gruffly. Kacchan did not sound as noodle calm as Izuku felt. Izuku wondered why. Was he worried about OFA?

    "If it'll bother you we don't have to Kacchan," Izuku offered, turning toward Kacchan. He heard the camera snapping, but he didn't pay attention.

    "I said it's fucking fine, didn't I?" Kacchan snarled. Izuku's heartbeat rose. His eyes were wide and dilated. Oh, yeah. That's right. Kacchan was hot . In torn revealing clothes, pressed up against him. Fangs.

    Izuku activated OFA accidentally, without meaning to. Sometimes Kacchan did that to him. The competitive edge riled Izuku up just enough that OFA sprung out to meet his rival’s ferocity. Kacchan grinned at Izuku fiercely. Izuku grinned the same grin back over his shoulder.

    He lost the sound of the camera clicking until half a minute later, but their intense stare broke off as the photographer said, "That's exactly it! Love it!"

    Everything recoiled back to normal minus Izuku’s thumping heart. 

    Izuku and Kacchan wrapped up their shoot. A few days later, touched-up photos showed up on their desks with the proposed wording for the ads. Izuku got to them before Kacchan this time.

     Alpha: The beginning of a new, wilder you. Kacchan looked the part of an alpha as he grinned, dirtied up with torn clothes, biting the fragrance bottle. He looked amazing.

    The next was Izuku's. Omega: In the end, that boring old you is dead. It was when he'd activated One For All. His skin was glowing in the black light, electric green eyes blazing. The photographer managed to capture when the lantern began to shatter, but the fragrance was still intact, backlit. Or maybe that was touched up. Izuku didn't normally look that good, did he? They had good editing.

    Izuku glanced at the combination of the two scents in mini bottles: Double Trouble: When you feel so monstrous one isn't enough. Izuku and Kacchan were staring at each other like they wanted to fight...and also like they were about to rip each other's sparse clothes off. Holy shit. Did he look at Kacchan like that for something soon to be public?!

    Well, too late now. They were gonna sell those fragrances, though. The ads were extremely cool.

    Kacchan walked in then, as Izuku was ogling. Like deja vu, in reverse.

    "KA-kacchan! Hi. Look!" Izuku shoved the photos at Kacchan. Izuku would have escaped if Kacchan wasn't blocking the exit.

    "Fuck, that team is fucking skilled," Kacchan breathed. He had that same, hungry look on his face. Izuku felt the air thicken. Harder to breathe each moment Kacchan's molten stare poured over the photos.

     Izuku felt the urge to proposition Kacchan. He opened his mouth to do just that, to get those molten red eyes to focus their burn on his skin—

    "Wrap it up, guys! Early morning tomorrow! You've got that interview!" Melissa chimed in as she walked past the door. "Don't want dark circles!"

    That's right. Hakayama's Heroes was filmed in the morning so they could edit and air it later that day. Izuku took a deep breath as he took his copies of the photos. "Are you coming, Kacchan?"

    Kacchan looked desperately dazed, but he nodded. They walked home together in silence until they split off in their respective directions. It wasn't awkward at all .

Chapter Text

    The set for Hakayama's Heroes shined bright and unforgiving at ass o'clock in the morning. Thankfully, Katsuki had coffee. And he brought some for Deku because he knew Deku wouldn’t think that far ahead.

    Katsuki snorted as he discovered he was right. Watching Deku walk in with a crusty, sleepy expression made Katsuki think the idiot just rolled out of bed and ran here. Look at that stupid hair! The asshole obviously used his quirk to get here on time. Thankfully, a professional would fix that. They were here early for hair and makeup. 

    Fuck. Katsuki’s life was turning into hair and makeup.

    At least being a werewolf had been exciting. Seeing Deku as a sinful ghost too. Katsuki didn't know ghosts could be that fucking sexy. Hell. He was gonna have to burn his eyes out. Deku’s new sexy bullshit was gonna kill Katsuki sooner or later.

    For now, the sleep-crusted Deku standing here grounded Katsuki. Even if he loved this sleepy Deku deeper than any sexy version. Katsuki held out Deku’s coffee—over-sweetened and full of cream—toward that dopey grinning face. Deku thanked him for being thoughtful. Katsuki's heart clenched, but he brushed it off as his phone buzzed.

    He checked it as they were being led to the back to get ready. The notification said it was from Melissa.

     'Don't get mad. I leaked the video to them. Keep your damn cool, ok?!'

    Katsuki typed back immediately, 'Leaked what video?'

    A sinking feeling overtook his gut as he realized there were only a handful of things on video he didn't want to be leaked. And this was one of those, he was sure.

    Melissa sent a gif, like the nerd she was. Some famous actor looking away, with a caption, ‘It's classified.’

    "That fucking sonovabitch," Katsuki growled under his breath as he aggressively wrote out a text in all caps to Nakagawa. "I'm gonna massacre his ass."

    "Kacchan?"

    Katsuki grinned murder at Deku and watched the other man wilt. But Katsuki was quick to clarify, "I got a fucking bad feeling about this interview. They've got shit on us Blondie gave 'em. And I think I know what it is."

    Katsuki’s eye twitched, gritting his teeth as he sat down in the makeup chair. His jaw ached from doing that far too often lately. He growled out the most polite thing he could manage, "Do whatever you want, I don't even care today."

    "Kachaaan, be nice," Deku whined from the chair over.

    "'S as nice as I can fucking be right now, dumbass," Katsuki growled back.

    "Don't worry Dynamight-san, I'm not scared of you," the stylist said, his grin saying, 'Just try to fuck with me, tough guy.' Katsuki's eyes lit up a bit because he enjoyed flirting with someone who could bite back at him. This guy was cute and blatantly flirting. Deku sat next to Katsuki. Why not make Deku a little jealous for attention? Katsuki's grin widened.

    "Oh yeah? You should be scared," Katsuki said, smooth as scorched silk. He rolled his wrists and cracked them like he did when he was getting ready for a fight.

    "Why's that?" the stylist said, misting Katsuki's hair.

    Katsuki grinned with a feral edge. "'Cause even Best Jeanist could barely tame this hair. Good fucking luck."

    The stylist laughed hard enough that he had to grab the chair for support. He had a nice smile. Handsome. Katsuki could tell that Deku was listening but trying to keep up the conversation with his own stylist. Deku still had a crooked grin on his face at Katsuki's joke.

    "Well I'm not trying to tame you," the stylist said, meeting Katsuki's eyes in the mirror, running the edge of his comb along Katsuki's shoulder. "I'm just trying to bring out the best you. And the best you isn't tamed, am I right?"

    Katsuki's grin shifted to predatory. "Damn straight. Do your worst, handsome."

    The stylist bit his lip as he grinned at Katuksi, reflected in the mirror. Katuski knew Deku was staring because Deku's stylist asked him to look forward again.

    "You hardly need my help. You're pretty debonaire on your own, aren't you?" The stylist asked. "But I've got a few things I can do."

    "Well don't keep me waiting, then," Katsuki said in his deepest baritone. He watched the stylist shiver a little.

    "Feisty, aren't we?"

    Katsuki rolled his eyes. "Oh, so you've heard of me?"

    The stylist hummed, "Well unrefined diamonds have an entirely different type of beauty than the ones that are cut and shaped by society."

    A rough laugh escaped Katsuki's lips, and he found himself preening under the attention. A rough diamond, huh? Katsuki said, "I'm not really one for all the poetic shit, but I like to hold a conversation with someone who can rub more than two brain cells together."

    Katsuki could sense Deku pouting from here. And he could see it in the mirror if he glanced over. Deku's poor-little-wounded-animal-gig got Katsuki to sigh and tack on, "If it weren't for this nerd over here my friends would be made up of all idiots."

    The pout receded. Even when Katsuki was trying to make Deku jealous, he still caved the minute that idiot looked sad. Fuck, Katsuki wasn't made for messing people around like this. Why did people do this shit? Deku didn't look fucking jealous at all. What a waste of time. Still, Katsuki wasn't gonna half-ass this interaction. He was still gonna get this guy's number. It couldn't hurt. He had a cute smile like Deku’s.

    Fuck! Katsuki was such an asshole. He couldn’t stop relating this to Deku. Although Katsuki noticed the stylist checking Deku out too. Katsuki pursed his lips. That handsome traitor had good taste.

    Katsuki sighed and let his rising tension go. He'd practiced for years. Anger built on tension. Blowing shit up unintentionally and being out of control in public were bad for his reputation. He was calm. A leaf on the water or some shit.

    "So what do you like to talk about with people who have more than two brain cells?" the stylist asked, apparently finished with Katsuki's hair and pumping up the chair to work on his face. "Oh, and I'm not actually doing whatever I want, am I? You're more opinionated than that."

    "Well if some asshat came along and told me how to do my job when I'm the professional, I'd be fucking pissed," Katsuki said quietly as the stylist put his foundation and powder on. "But if you try anything with color I'll finish it myself."

    "What about just a little orange?"

    "Fuck no."

    "All right, killjoy. Ruin my artistic vision of those gorgeous ruby eyes," the stylist sighed, but he had a small smirk on his lips. "Look up."

    He was quick to apply basic eye makeup. Katsuki listened as the stylist directed him to look down, and then smudged the crisp lines with a brush. Katusuki liked the lines clean, but he'd just said he wasn't gonna bitch. So Katsuki left him to it. He zoned out a bit, waking up a little more when something cold was clipped onto his ear.

    "There. All done. Anything you want to be done differently? I think you look great."

    Katsuki did, didn't he? A little like a rock star, and he could get behind the ear jewelry clipped on his ear. It was edgy.

    "Nah. Looks fine," Katsuki said.    

    "You should get piercings," the stylist said, raising his brows. "They look good on you."

    "Until they get fucking ripped out in combat," Katsuki said tiredly, watching the stylist's face morph into one of horror.

    "Ew, that sounds awful. Nevermind. Here, I'll walk you to where you need to change."

    Katsuki followed the stylist, but when he was out of earshot of Deku he put his hand in front of the stylist and leaned in. "Listen, I've got my eye on somebody already. You're nice to look at and talk to, but I can't. Here's my number though, if you wanna hang out. I could probably tolerate you."

    Katsuki grinned as the stylist flushed and took the card with the hero's number on it. Then the stylist smiled, displaying all the handsome edges that Katsuki liked. The man said, "I'd like that. Maybe I can do your makeup for real sometime. With orange hues!"

    Katsuki snorted and followed the stylist again. Shit, what was his name?

    Izuku practically vibrated, trying to stay still in his chair. Kacchan flirted over there the whole time! And Izuku...he was jealous, ok? His stylist chatted sweet and bubbly with him. She soothed his nerves and made him feel comfortable with getting done up before the show. She seemed lovely, but not at all his type. So her flirting landed on deaf ears as Izuku hyper-focused on Kacchan.

    He struggled to listen when the two were so close during Kacchan’s makeup. When his own stylist came to the front after taming his hair, he couldn’t do much but focus on her and make small talk. 

    Izuku's makeup dusted his face light and quick. As his stylist finished, Izuku finally got a clear look at Kacchan... as he did a kabedon on his stylist?! The other guy flushed and then grinned as he accepted a business card. Izuku desperately wanted to know what they were saying. No time to find out. He was ushered to the changing room. Kacchan approached him in the hallway after changing. Izuku wanted to ask about the interaction with the stylist, but Kacchan looked like he had other things to say.

    As they sat down together, Kacchan leaned in and said quietly, "Melissa leaked the dance videos to these assholes. I dunno how she knew about that, but I'm pissed. I'll take care of it, ok?"

    Izuku nodded with wide eyes. Oh god. Izuku wasn’t ready for—

    The filming started with a clap of some wood, and the host Hakayama-san strolled out. The studio audience applauded, and Izuku realized how many people there were. He gulped.

    "Heroes Deku and Dynamight! Welcome to the show," Hakayama said as he bowed to both of them, and they both rose to bow back.

    "Thanks for having us Hakayama-san! I'm a big fan," Izuku spat out. Kacchan's warning tingled at the back of his mind. So the anxiety persisted, but he still felt excited. Izuku loved this show. "It's really cool to meet you in person."

    The older man—somewhere around All Might's age—gave a grin and matched Izuku's energy. "I'm a fan too, of you both! Such young heroes making such huge waves in society! It's quite impressive."

    Izuku flushed as he rubbed the back of his head. Kacchan wore a tame smirk.

    "Now onto the questions. Probably a few you've heard before, but let's lay some groundwork for the viewers, shall we? It's pretty well known that you two were childhood friends. How young were you when you met?"

    "Toddlers," Kacchan said first, leaning back with his hands behind his head. They'd been given the overall layout of questions ahead of time so that the conversation could flow smoothly, and they knew they were expected to trade off. "My Ma and his Ma were friends. So we’ve been together the whole time."

    "Very good, very good. But it's also well known that you two had quite a rocky period in your teen years, correct?"

    "Yes sir," Izuku chimed in, not letting his nerves overwhelm him. "We had a big misunderstanding—"

    "And I was a shithead," Kacchan interrupted, getting a few laughs from the crowd.

    "—But, after a few tough years we cleared it up and became rivals. I'd still say there’s some level of rivalry left. Being partners for the Might Agency has given us a healthy respect for each other, though."

    "Most days," Kacchan tacked on with his stupidly attractive grin. It was well rehearsed to get a few laughs, and the crowd laughed again at Kacchan's mischief.

    "Most days," Izuku agreed. "And the other days we duke it out."

    Izuku fist-bumped Kacchan, with little wisps of OFA and a few tiny explosions coming out of the fist-bump. That level of coordination had taken practice. The crowd cheering made it worthwhile. The cheers eased Izuku’s tension. Everything was going smoothly for now …

    "We know each other better than any of the other duos out there," Kacchan said. "So any villain that wants to take us on together is an idiot."

    The crowd roared. When they quieted, Hakayama continued, "So friends. Rivals. Partners. Now here you are, climbing the hero charts. Tell us, Deku, what inspired your new costume changes?"

    "Well, I went to our amazing manager, Melissa Shield, and told her I was thinking about an update. She whisked me away to my friend and UA alumni Hatsume Mei, and I told them I wanted to get a more attractive look. They just ran with that idea and I'm happy with how it turned out," Izuku said, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "It's certainly more trendy than anything I could come up with."

    "Trendy, yes! But have you seen the fans' responses? You could make the next hottest heroes list!"

    "That'd be amazing if I did," Izuku said with his trademark grin. "Gotta keep up with Dynamight here."

    Hakayama laughed, "I'm sure that's easier said than done! And how about you, Dynamight, any costume changes in the works for you?"

    "Yeah, this idiot here talked me into a few," Kacchan smirked. "I'm sure you're all gonna like 'em. But my manager doesn't even know I agreed to that, yet. So it'll be our little secret."

    Kacchan put his finger to his lips and grinned around it. The crowd laughed again. Kacchan's charisma bloomed after he took anger management and became a better version of himself. Izuku’s chest twinged with pride at times like this. 

    "Well, it seems you might be full of secrets! I've got a video here of the two of you in a completely unexpected form of battle," Hakayama said, and the edited dance clips played. Izuku felt his stomach sink. This slice of Kacchan wasn’t meant to be shared with the whole world.

    "When we had our dance battle? I can't believe you got a hold of that. That wasn't supposed to get out," Kacchan said with an edge, letting the people who understood him well know that he was pissed beyond belief. Still, he grinned through his malice. "So who do you think won? Nobody could tell us at the dance-off."

    The crowd murmured and a few yelled Dynamight and a few yelled Deku.

    "Sound like it's still up in the air," Izuku said with a wobbly grin. "Kacchan is a much better dancer than me, though. I only learned a few dances for charity, and that was one of them."

    "And am I correct that you two were having a dance-off at the well know gay bar The Male-box?" Hakayama asked. His tone was friendly, but his eyes sharpened. The question was a setup, and not on the list of questions they’d been given. Izuku felt a panic choke up in his throat, because what should he say? What should he—

    "Pft, yeah. You caught me. I'm gay, and I go to a gay bar. Oh, the scandal. Old news, unless you're living under a rock. I ain't exactly the quiet type," Kacchan sighed and leaned back with an eye roll, feigning nonchalance. Izuku saw the tension in his shoulders. And the fake smile slapped over his fiery glare made it all the more apparent. "Next question."

    Hakayama seemed both excited and perturbed, but he kept up the pretense of a friendly host all the same. "Actually, I hadn't heard of any official statements of you coming out."

    "Well maybe you ain't been paying attention then," Kacchan said with as much sarcasm as he could muster, toning back his venom at the obvious ploy. He leaned forward and thrust out his hand with five fingers, lowering each finger as he made his points, "Since I donate a fuckton of money to LGBTQA+ organizations. Since I've loudly expressed my opinions on discrimination. Since I’ve written so many social media referenced letters to our politicians for changes in unfair laws. Since I've been photographed at several pride parades. And Since I've made so many jokes about me sucking cock...I just don't see how you could have missed it."

    Kacchan's last finger to be used in the countdown is his middle finger, flipping off the camera. Izuku's not sure he could do that on T.V., but the point got across all the same, blurred or not. 

    Kacchan wasn’t finished.

    "But I did miss when you officially came out as straight in public," Kacchan said with a grin that could be a sneer if you knew him well enough.

    "Well I'm married—" Hakayama started. 

    At this point, Kacchan had no qualms about cutting the man off to pay him back for his invasive questions.

    "So are a lot of bisexual and pansexual people. Lucky bastards. Didja know if I wanted to marry some guy here in Japan I can’t?" Kacchan pointed out to the crowd. "If any of you extras wanna impress me, help me get that shit changed! Check my tweeter. Anyway, since I'm a nice guy I'll get off the podium and let you get back to your show. Unless you've still got any more questions about how gay I am?"

    Izuku knew his eyes sparkled watching Kacchan in his prime, not taking shit from anyone. Only someone like Kacchan could stand up for their identity and try to make the world a better place in the same breath. Izuku knew Kacchan did everything he listed off. It was nice to hear him take credit for the work. Kacchan took that moment to glance over at Izuku, to measure his reaction. Kacchan shot a soft grin at whatever he saw in Izuku. 

A few people in the crowd started clapping, breaking the silence. Then a few more, and a few more. Eventually, the majority clapped until the host waved at them so the show could continue.

    "No, I think you covered that topic well already," Hakayama said, obviously irritated while still smiling. "Hero Deku, if you'd be so kind, I'd like to ask about one of your most recent villain takedowns..."

Chapter Text

    Kacchan's interview spread through the media faster than a recipro burst. If someone at U.A. had told Izuku that Kacchan would become an activist for a minority, well, Izuku would have laughed in their face. But here they were.

    Izuku watched Kacchan be his brash, unapologetic self. This circumstance made Izuku glad that Kacchan didn't care what everyone else thought. Because with all the cheers, smiles, and support came whispers of backlash.

     I knew there was something different with him...

    I don't get it, he could have any girl he wants...

    I bet he's doing it for attention...

    But the worst thing was that Kacchan wouldn't talk to Melissa or Nakagawa at the bar. He seethed at both of them, and Kacchan never stifled his anger. Still, he showed up for the job interviews like he was supposed to, did his job, talked it out with Izuku, and left without a word to Melissa.

    Melissa was...not as sorry as she could have been. She did apologize, but she stood by her decision. Her goal was to get their popularity up like they all wanted, not to make things difficult. She hadn't foreseen that Hakayama would throw curveball questions like that, or exploit them for views.

    Izuku felt relieved that, by the end of the week, those two were talking again. If one could consider Kacchan growling hushed words at her in the corners of the hallway talking. Izuku didn't catch what they said. But Izuku heard his name mentioned.

    All in all, the week left him exhausted. They hired someone new for paperwork. Melissa trained them next week. Still plenty of villains to fight off. One villain made the mistake of using a slur in Kacchan's direction. Izuku had to do paperwork and pay a fine for unnecessary use of force for the second time in his career. Kacchan seemed a little too pleased by Izuku's slap on the wrist, considering Kacchan filled out several of them annually.

    On Friday, Izuku opened his door to Kacchan with dark circles under his eyes and a bag full of takeout. Izuku shut the door as Kacchan came in, set the food down, and moved toward Izuku with an expression Izuku wasn't used to seeing on Kacchan's face often: doubt.

    Kacchan put his head on Izuku's shoulder. Izuku had learned over the years that this was the closest Kacchan would ever come to asking for a hug. Kacchan thrived as a physical soul—it was how he expressed himself best. So Izuku hugged him and didn't let go, and Kacchan tucked his head over Izuku's shoulder and didn't hug back. He never hugged back unless Izuku nagged him, but it didn't seem like the right move tonight.

    "Kacchan—"

    "Did I do the right thing, Deku?" Kacchan asked with the same gut-dropping uncertainty he'd had back in his younger years. The younger Kacchan buried all of his doubts in an angry swagger but was festering from the inside out emotionally. "D'you think I did the right thing?"

    Izuku took in a patient, deep breath. "You did the right thing."

    "How d'you know?"

    Izuku pulled him in tighter and said, "Because you're a brilliant, shining star, Kacchan. And all those extras who are talking behind your back? You're gonna save them from villains anyway. You're gonna help their families. You're gonna help their neighborhood. And they're going to see what they've always seen. A real hero. Maybe they won't all realize they were wrong, but when have you ever let some extras stop you?"

    Kacchan snorted. "Can't believe you're calling 'em extras."

    "Every person matters, Kacchan. But people who disrespect other humans over differences and discriminate—they may as well be background characters to me."

    Katsuki almost chuckled, "You've been spending too much time with me, Deku."

    Izuku smiled into Kacchan's shoulder. "No such thing."

    Izuku realized then that his lips were right on Kacchan's skin, and he wanted so badly to kiss Kacchan's fears away. To reassure him with more than just a hug that everything would be ok. Kacchan must have noticed the difference in Izuku's posture because he pulled back and gave Izuku an analyzing stare.

    "What?" Kacchan asked, holding himself at arm's length away from Izuku.

    "I...uh..." Izuku stuttered, trying not to flush and blurt out the first thing that came to his mind besides 'your skin is so soft.' "You smell nice, Kacchan."

    "Hm. Yeah. Using those free samples of the fuckin' fragrances we just did," Kacchan said with a hint of a grin and a click of his tongue like he was a little pleased that Izuku noticed.

    "Oh? Which one do you like?"

    Kacchan's eyes turned sharp, and his grin curled back to life from the dull excuse for a smile he had when he first walked in. "Alpha."

    Izuku's eyes widened. He'd been a complete idiot and forgotten the scent names were his most secret kink. Kacchan picked Alpha. Of course. Kacchan seemed quietly amused by Izuku's internal meltdown as if he knew . But he couldn't possibly know. Could he? No. No way. He always had fun teasing Izuku.

    "So what'd you bring, Kacchan?" Izuku croaked, desperate to move on.

    Kacchan's grin dimmed a little. "Just beef bowls. I'm too fuckin' tired to cook today."

    Kacchan was ‘too tired’ to cook twice in the past five years, so this development was a bit concerning. Still, Izuku nodded along, taking what he assumed was his beef bowl because it lacked a little flame sticker. Kacchan followed him to the couch and they ate and watched T.V. to decompress like Kacchan needed.

    Once the empty bowls rested on the table, Kacchan curled into Izuku's side with heavy eyes and a furrowed brow. Kacchan's thinking face. Or his tired face. Izuku let Kacchan press up against him. He was more physically affectionate since Izuku came out as bi. Izuku liked it. But his heart raced. He felt frozen over the unsaid confession he wanted to scream out. Kacchan interpreted the stiffness as discomfort and pulled away.

    Izuku rushed to clear the misunderstanding by snuggling himself into Kacchan's side. Kacchan looked at Izuku with a dumbfounded expression, and Izuku looked back with what he hoped were his best puppy dog eyes.

    It seemed to work…for now. Kacchan clicked his tongue again, but let Izuku stay where he was (face pressed right into Kacchan's dreamy bicep, thank you karma). Izuku didn’t think a better time to ask Kacchan for sex tonight would arise, and a shiver ran up his spine. Izuku debated chickening out again, but Kacchan put an arm around him. Right into his gorgeous pecs.

    It felt so comforting and so right. Izuku also wanted to poke at the nipple directly in his vision. The only things keeping it from him were the thin black tank top and what was left of Izuku’s self-control.

    "Kacchan?" Izuku said with his best puppy eyes gazing up.

    "Hn?" Kacchan asked, looking down at Izuku half asleep, but oddly tense.

    "I wanna ask you something, but I'm afraid you'll get mad," Izuku licked his lips, looking away.

    "Can it fucking wait? I don't even have the energy to fight you right now, damn Deku," Kacchan said with a yawn. What did Kacchan want to fight for? What did that mean? Izuku's face fell enough that Kacchan relented. "Fucking fine. Ask me. Put that damn sad mug away."

    Izuku stayed quiet long enough for Kacchan's eye to start twitching. Izuku didn’t think he could work up the balls to ask Kacchan for sex, so he asked for something tamer.

    "Can I kiss you?" Izuku asked, eyes wide and vulnerable. "I want to."

    Kacchan immediately looked more awake. Wide-eyed and possibly not breathing.

    "Did you just—? You wanna—? HAH?!"

    Izuku could feel the other man's heart rate pick up. A slow thump against his hand turned into a steady rhythm. Kacchan did something unexpected. He shoved Izuku from their cuddling position and proceeded to get up and pace the room while scrubbing at his hair.

    "You're not...this isn't some impulsive bullshit, is it? Hah, Deku? You're not just asking me on a whim, are you? ARE YOU?"

    Izuku slowly shook his head from side to side. Kacchan continued his rant while pacing like a caged animal.

    "Of course, you ain't doing something impulsive. That ain't your style. Fuck. You thought about this, hah? How long? How long have you wanted to kiss me?"

    Izuku tried not to squirm under the pressure to get this question right. He thought honesty was best. Izuku licked his lips. "About…uh, since I figured out that I liked…uh, liked guys?"

    This seems like the right answer. Kacchan stopped pacing with such vigor his house slippers scuffed against the floor. Kacchan's ember-hot eyes turned to Izuku, and he analyzed viciously, no detail unturned.

    "Why'd you wanna do it?"

    For a moment, Izuku thought Kacchan figured him out, and that Kacchan knew Izuku wanted sex. But Kacchan meant the kiss. Izuku hadn’t asked for sex. Izuku breathed a sigh of relief. Izuku wanted to know if kissing Kacchan felt like he imagined it would.

    "I've been thinking about it a lot," Izuku answered the question quietly. Kacchan seemed to want something more than that bare reply. He waited for more. Izuku added, "I've been thinking about you a lot."    

    "And what'd you figure out?" Kacchan asked, crossing his arms as if he needed to stop himself from moving toward Izuku. The silence read like an overdramatized pause on T.V. for a confession. Izuku swore it wouldn't work that smoothly with all their rough edges. So he blurted out the conclusion he came to, weighing the odds.

    "I figured it was worth asking about even if you got mad. So I did."

    Kacchan stayed silent for long enough to make Izuku uneasy, waiting for a response. Izuku opened his mouth to speak when Kacchan finally said something.

    "Deku, this is gonna change shit. You know that, right? It might fuck with our friendship."

    "We've made it through worse," Izuku said with a smile. "We can make it through anything together. But Kacchan, if you don't want to, it's ok. Don’t feel pressured—"

    "What the fuck makes you think I don't want to?" Kacchan said as he climbed back to the couch and straddled Izuku, tipping up his chin. "I really, really fuckin' want to. Last chance to back out, Deku."

    Kacchan said that as if it wasn’t Izuku's idea to start with.

    "Bring it, Kacch—mmmph," Izuku started but was cut off with lips smashed against his own. Izuku wasn't thrown off by Kacchan's passion. Passion for Kacchan was status quo. But Kacchan grinding their hips together, giving a full body arch, and groaning an open-mouthed moan? Izuku was not ready for this kind of first kiss. Every nerve on Izuku’s body lit on fire. Kacchan tasted spicy from the food, and the flavor burned along with everything else.

Kacchan rested his boneless desperation in Izuku’s lap. The kiss made Izuku’s dreams seem tame. Every hair on Izuku's body raised at attention, and his toes were curling as Kacchan pulled back for a moment-long breath. His eyes sparked in a way Izuku only saw when they sparred.

They traded blows like a fistfight. Short, sharp, bursts of their lips meeting. Nipping at the skin. Saliva spread thin at the corners of their mouths as they gave way to messy making out. Izuku didn't have time to freak out about how amazing it all was as he was swept along for the ride, hands digging into the couch. Where should he put his hands?! Kacchan’s hands felt like they were everywhere .

    Kacchan's hands moved from yanking at Izuku's face to pulling him closer.  They skimmed down his body and rested on the supple curves of Izuku's ass. Kacchan let out a sinful groan into Izuku's mouth. Kacchan's fingers dug into the muscle there. Izuku bucked his hips forward in a ticklish sort of reflex, letting out a startled laugh. Kacchan used his leverage to grind Izuku's hips up into his own, and Izuku realized he was half hard. And Kacchan? Kacchan's dick was solid , digging right into Izuku’s abs as their lips met again.

    Izuku wondered if he'd end up getting exactly what he wanted. Sex. Even when he only asked for a kiss. They could rut against each other here on the couch if they just pulled down their pants and—

    Kacchan pulled back with a pant, wiping the excess drool from his face with the back of his hand. His eyes were volcanic, red hot, and unstrained. Dangerous.

    "How's that for a kiss, Deku?" Kacchan asked, voice jagged and breathless.

    Izuku didn’t know how he looked to Kacchan, but he sounded hoarse as he pleaded, "But I—don't stop!"

    Kacchan seared an irritated look into Izuku. "If I don't stop now, it’ll get harder and harder to stop. I'll end up doing something you might regret."

    Kacchan wouldn’t meet Izuku's eyes, and he trembled with the effort of trying to lean away. He sat on Izuku's lap, arms crossed. Izuku frowned. "We can keep going. I won't regret anything."

    Kacchan's gaze descended sharp and fierce back onto Izuku. Izuku shuttered. He knew that look. Kacchan wore so many sharp and fierce looks. This one brought Izuku back in time. Middle school Kacchan was sharp and fierce in a brutal way. Still sitting atop his breakable throne, arrogant. Not that. High school Kacchan—yes, that was it. Sharp and fierce while terribly pained. The look Kacchan gave Izuku when Izuku smashed his throne to bits and they stood eye to eye. The look Kacchan had when he took the crushing blame for All Might's retirement.

    The look Kacchan gave when he thought he wasn't good enough. 

    When his world had been rocked and broken; when he would spend countless hours building it back together into something new. Izuku couldn't figure out why Kacchan would look like that—would feel not enough, with a shattered world.

    The venom in Kacchan's voice felt familiar along the same vein. His knee-jerk defense. "You can't know you won't regret it."

    Izuku didn't know what to do here. Kacchan was pulling away, physically and mentally. He slipped into his aloof careless mask. Izuku saw the hurt there, and he reached out and yanked Kacchan down back into his chest. They knocked heads, and Izuku's nose hurt but—

    "Deku, what the fuck d'you think yer—"

    Izuku kissed him again, and Kacchan gasped through his nose, drawn like a magnet back to Izuku's body. The kiss held far less sensual tones. Izuku broke it, knocking their foreheads together lightly as he said, "Kacchan, it's ok. We don't have to keep going. I've got you, ok? You're perfect, and I just want you to stay with me, stay right here. Won't you?"

    Kacchan's lip trembled briefly before he shoved his face into Izuku's shoulder and lay there, chest to chest and straddling Izuku. The sexual tension drained off, and soft caresses of Izuku's fingers along Kacchan's back were all that remained.

    In a few minutes, Kacchan's body fell limp. He breathed soft and even, but Izuku stayed like that for another twenty minutes before putting Kacchan in bed and curling up next to him. Kacchan’s face smoothed like this only when he slept. Izuku hoped the explosive blond didn't get mad about the cuddling.

    So far tonight, Izuku had great returns on all the risks he took.

    Katsuki slept like a rock. As he woke up enough, he realized he wasn't in his bed and he was hot as fuck. He tried to stretch and found the source of his troubles lying on his chest, drooling. Mother-fucking-Deku.

    They kissed once. Once! Now Deku thought they could sleep together? The idea stabbed into Katsuki's chest. This moment was something he wanted for so long. He convinced himself he'd never have it or deserve it.

    Katsuki could survive Deku deciding that a kiss was all he wanted. But if Katsuki dared to think he could indulge in Deku's body without some consequence—Katsuki shivered. He wouldn't come back from that. He couldn't. The kiss was more than Katsuki ever imagined he’d be blessed with. As much as Katsuki wanted more—endlessly more to drown in—Deku deserved better. Someone sweet, good, and wholesome like Deku himself.

    The drooling, snoring, idiot in front of him dragged Katsuki into a wave of nausea-inducing love and adoration. Fucking Deku. Katsuki had been surviving Deku's platonic love, if only just barely. Katsuki had been worn down by this shithole of a week. He'd leaned into Deku for comfort. And then Deku'd fucking asked to kiss him? Just…fucking seriously?

    Did Deku know what kind of hurricane-level panic he unleashed in Katsuki's brain? That he'd rarely ever considered his forbidden feelings would be reciprocated? Katsuki nearly pissed himself last night at Deku’s suggestion.

    Katsuki fished with his questions. Hoping he could reel in a confession from Deku. Anything. Instead, logical to a fault, Deku had weighed his options and found asking Katsuki for a kiss was worth the risk. The fuck did that mean? The risk of Katsuki blowing his face up? The risk of Katsuki saying no?

    Deku'd been worried Katsuki would be mad. Well, Katsuki was fucking mad all right. Pissed. Katsuki lost his fucking shit and went plus ultra on Deku's mouth. Deku’s cute little laugh when Katsuki grabbed that perfect ass broke the fucking spell. He'd had a boner as hard as Red Riot's unbreakable just from a few messy fucking kisses.

    He was pathetic. Did Deku know he was this pathetic? Was it a pity kiss? Was Deku trying to cheer him up?

    Katsuki's mind spat out one negative possibility after another, enough to stifle his breathing. Or maybe that was fucking Deku with his big head.

    A small chuckle escaped Katsuki's lips as he carefully shut those negative thoughts down. He held Deku now, curled up in bed. And he was gonna enjoy it, damn it.

    The chuckle startled Deku half awake. Deku snuggled into Katsuki's chest with a dumb grin on his face and murmured what Katsuki swore was 'Bakutits' . That's what Katsuki's fans called his chest. But fucking Deku? Saying that?    

    Deku suddenly shot up, wide awake and staring at Katsuki awkwardly as he realized Katsuki was also awake. Deku looked away, and then back. Flighty. "Oh. Um. Hi, Kacchan."

    Katsuki witnessed Deku's messy bedhead and gorgeous just-out-of-bed smile before. It felt different this close, as the softness melted the nervous ticks from Deku’s face. Today might also feel different because Deku's morning wood was right up against Katsuki's leg. Fuck was Deku that big when he was hard? Because fuck. Katsuki's mind took a small detour into horny land and imagined getting a faceful of that cock. Shit.

    Deku took a breath to say something, but Katsuki interrupted, "We should get up. I need a fuckin' shower."

    Deku snapped his mouth shut and blushed as if they hadn't showered together at the agency a billion times. Let alone talk about showering. There was more to this. Katsuki narrowed his eyes. "What? Spit it out, I don't like this reluctant shit you've got going lately."

    "What if I join you?" Deku squeaked out, staring at the covers with a sweet cherry red staining his cheeks.

    Katsuki didn't realize his mouth gaped open until Deku glanced up and looked—what was it? Embarrassed? Self-conscious? Hurt?

    Enough of this shit.

    "I don't know what you fucking want from me, Deku," Katsuki snarled, slamming his hands on the bed. "I can't do this in-between shit. I can't. So you're either gonna fucking back off with your teasing, or..."

    Katsuki caught himself. Until he decided to say fuck it all. Deku looked more hurt than when they started. That wasn’t what Katsuki wanted. Deku fucking propositioned him, and what, he was gonna yell at him? No. He can do better. Deku deserved for Katsuki to be better.

    "Or you're gonna fucking date me," Katsuki said with the exhale of the breath he’d been holding. Deku deserved better. But Katsuki was selfish and impulsive, and he couldn’t let himself pass up the opportunity he waited his whole damn life for.

    Deku looked surprised. Ha! Well, fuck you, Deku. Toying with Bakugou-fucking-Katsuki came with consequences. Eat it, bitch.

    "You wanna date me?" Deku said in a breathless, hopeful way that made Katsuki snap his head back into focus on the only thing in the room that mattered. Deku's eyes shined like the morning dew on spring clover, all watery and green. "Really? Me?"

    Katsuki held his breath. It wasn't a yes. And it wasn't a no. Fucking Deku and his middle-of-the-road shit. Katsuki'd fucked a few people who didn't mean shit, but this was Deku. Katsuki wanted everything. Even if he didn't deserve it. But if for some God-forsaken reason Deku actually wanted Katsuki then...

    "So? Spit it out, fucker. Yes or no?"

    Katsuki never felt more impatient.

    “I—yeah, Kacchan. I wanna date you," Deku said with bright eyes and an even brighter grin. "Oh my God. Kacchan's my boyfriend. Oh my God, oh my—right? You're my boyfriend? That's what you meant?"    

    "'S what I meant," Katsuki said as he pulled fucking Deku's glowing aura into a kiss. Morning breath be damned. Katsuki spoke against Deku's lips, "Ok. Sure. Shower. And Deku?"

    "Yeah?" Deku murmured, somehow half mesmerized by Katsuki's chapped lips and stale breath.

    "This means you're fucking mine now. Don't forget it."

    Deku shivered, and Katsuki's grin cracked at the edges because he vibrated with happiness. Was this a dream? He pinched and pulled on Deku's cheeks because Katsuki couldn't fucking help himself. Until Deku made him stop.

    They made out in the shower, the hot spray of water nothing compared to their naked skin rubbing against the other. Katsuki thought maybe it would all be too much too fast for Deku. But instead, Deku met him beat for beat, whispering, "Yeah, Kacchan, just like that—ah, ah, oooh. Please—”

    The nerd wouldn't shut up, and Katsuki loved it.

    "Yeah, you like that, huh Deku?"

    Their cocks were sliding between their wet bodies, brushing up against each other as they explored the curves and muscles they both knew—but not so well, not like this. Everything about this emotionally felt new and bright, almost too much. The inconsistent sliding and knocking of their dicks teased Katsuki’s resolve physically. Based on the whining sounds Deku made it wasn't enough for him either. Katsuki pressed Deku harder against the slick shower tiles for more pressure.

    Suddenly Katsuki found himself in the air as Deku dead-lifted him, walking them to the opposing wall of the square shower. Not far, as this shower barely fit two grown men. And oh fuck yes, that's the angle . Deku wasn’t even using his quirk, lifting Katsuki with ease. Katsuki tried to gasp in lungfuls of the hot humid air. He gasped, smothered into the stark cold wall by Deku. The combination left Katsuki dizzy.

    His eyes rolled back and he smacked his head against the tile. It was so much. He and Deku were naked in the shower fucking against each other and it was just—

    Katsuki keened and curled into Deku with a surprised groan. The orgasm ripped out of him, cock pulsing against his lover. Deku didn't slow the rock of his hips, and he tightened his grip not long after as he chattered, "Kacchan, oh my— ohmygodKacchan !"

    Deku tightened his fingers around Katuski's hips into a bruising grip. Katsuki noted the feeling of falling as they slid downward.  Deku supported Katsuki on his folded knees as he shuddered. Katsuki would have enjoyed watching if not for the fucking water spraying directly in his face. Damn it all.

    Deku jumped in the way of the spray immediately after noticing. He knocked their wet foreheads together as he smiled at Katsuki like he hung the sun.

    "Kacchan."

    "Deku."

    They kissed for a minute, but the shower spray still made it around Deku's big head. Katsuki growled. They both stood on their jelly legs. Deku laughed the cutest, most annoying laugh at Katsuki's expense as he almost slipped. Katsuki grinned back because he had just shower-fucked the love of his life. He could take whatever the fuck the world would throw at him. He's Bakugou-fucking-Katsuki, and he has everything he's ever wanted, right at this moment.

    Bakugou's heart stuttered as he choked back his I-love-yous. They fluttered around in his chest. He couldn't bring himself to voice them or he might be sick.

Chapter Text

    Of course, it couldn't be that easy. Izuku knew Kacchan’s emotional upheaval would be a roller coaster. Izuku knew what he’d been getting himself into. But still. This was getting ridiculous.

    On patrol, Kacchan completely flubbed on capturing a villain. He was staring at Izuku's ass again, and then threw a tantrum the size of a small country at his lack of focus. The next day, Kacchan stole a kiss at the office when they were alone. He suddenly gasped and cursed up a storm as he stomped off. Kacchan, later that day, changed from his norm and instead of ‘Deku’, he called Izuku his actual name. Izuku . Then Kacchan exploded his quirk in his own face and left in a screaming huff.

    This went on all week. Kacchan would do something sweet, and then be reprehensibly angry and inconsolable.

    Finally, Izuku called him out. Cornered him with grit teeth after he burnt the edges of Izuku's freshly printed reports. "Kacchan. What is wrong with you?!"

    Immediately on the defensive, Kacchan growled back, "The fuck is wrong with you? Hah, Dek—IZUKU? HAH?"

    Any media coverage on his sexuality that had frazzled Kacchan couldn't compare to saying Izuku's given name. Which was annoying.

    "With me?!" Izuku fired back, leaning over his desk to meet Kacchan's ire halfway. "With me?! You've lost it! You keep blowing up over every little thing! And—and not in the normal way! It's driving me crazy!"

    Izuku huffed as Kacchan's resolve crumbled. Well, that was new. Kacchan didn't back down like that.

    "I just—!" Kacchan started, huffing and crossing his arms, not meeting Izuku's eyes—"I just don't wanna fuck up. Ok? I just don't know what to fucking do. We've always been...us. I don't know how to...to be this . But I don't wanna fuck it up."

    Izuku backed down then, too. A nervous Kacchan was unusual, but not unheard of. Usually, Kacchan buried his feelings so deep that Izuku was hard-pressed to dig them out. If they bubbled to the surface and affected his work? Shoot, that was a big deal. Izuku looked into Kacchan's eyes. They were fractured garnet, something strong broken under the weight of something greater. He was so easy to read in his eyes.

    "Kacchan, how do you think you're gonna mess this up? What are you so worried about? You realize how bad our relationship has been in the past, right? And I'm still here? I can't think of much you can do to mess up. Unless you start treating me like I belong on the bottom of your shoe again. Then we'll have words," Izuku huffed and crossed his arms, falling back into his seat. Izuku knew there was a heart of gold under Kacchan's uglier personality traits. He'd never been more sure about anything in his life. He wasn't worried the same way Kacchan was.

    "How can you just trust me like that? Trust me with you?" Kacchan asked with a broken crack in his voice. "I don't deserve that from you, of all people."

    Izuku pursed his lips. "I get to decide if you deserve to be treated kindly and trusted by me after our history. And you do, Kacchan. Always."

    "Why?" Kacchan whispered the question like the answer would detonate an explosion. "Why do I deserve it?"

    Izuku saw flashes of a past Kacchan making another appearance. Their rocky past, the bullying? Sure, that had been a poor life choice Kacchan had made. But by this point, Kacchan repented for it more than Izuku felt necessary. The guy cooked and cleaned for Izuku, sometimes even did his laundry, and asked for nothing in return. Izuku felt like he was taking advantage at first, but Kacchan had so vehemently insisted that Izuku stopped arguing slowly over the years. The Kacchan resurfacing now had convinced himself he didn’t deserve good things. It hurt Izuku's heart.

    "You're amazing," Izuku said with an eye roll, trying to temper the seriousness of the situation. "You're a top fifty hero. You're a good person. You're my best friend. My boyfriend...there's a lot of good you have trouble seeing, but I don't. I won't let you forget it, Kacchan."

    Kacchan's lip trembled. He took a deep breath and said in a rush, "God damn it, Deku. I love you so fucking much."

    The room fell heavily into silence. Kacchan realized what he said. He promptly turned green and threw up in Izuku's trash can before running off. Kacchan took the whole trash can with him, as an afterthought. Izuku heard explosions and multiple screams down the hall.

    "Well. Wow. Ok. That really could have gone better. Wow," Izuku said, grabbing his flushed face. "Kacchan loves me, huh?"

    Really?! FUCKING FUCK! REALLY?! Katsuki's brain was screeching at him so loud he couldn't think straight. He confessed his fucking undying love and fucking puked what was left of his guts into Deku's trash. After dating for less than a week. Fuck, fuck, fuck .

    Katsuki was so distracted that he ran face-first into some extra in the hall—no, damn it, it was his sidekick. He screeched something at the woman—he had no fucking idea what he said—and then proceeded to go hide in the bathroom. He'd been doing that a lot. He wanted to puke again.

    Oh fuck, he was just carrying around a trash can of puke. Fucking damn it. He was so lame. He was so lame, and there was no way Deku loved him back. He didn't deserve it. Why had he said he loved Deku—no! Fuck! Izuku! Izuku! IZUKU! He needed to call him that. He needed to. Should have for a while, but Deku rolled off his tongue so easily. Almost twenty years of practice.

    Fuck.

    Izuku hadn't said he loved Katsuki back. Not that...not that he'd had a chance, to be fair. So did he? The question consumed Katsuki and made him shake worse than he already had been. Another roll of nausea clenched at his stomach. Fuck these damn nerves! Fucking hell. Love was so damn stupid.

    Katsuki slid to the floor. Deku eventually came and found him there. And Katsuki used all of his willpower to pull himself fucking together. Because Deku—FUCK— Izuku deserved that, at least.

    Katsuki was a full-grown-ass adult. So naturally, he kept all his feelings bottled up until Friday when they would finally talk it out. The rest of the days leading up to Friday were full of explosive level slip-ups. Due to nerves. Katsuki was pissed at himself. But he was only human…and only had eyes for his fucking idiot Deku.

    Katsuki didn't drink before going over to Izuku's like he had many of the last several weeks. Oh, he wanted to. And he was bringing sake to share. Sharing with Izuku seemed like the most practical thing instead of showing up drunk and literally vomiting his feelings out again.

    As he waited for Izuku to answer the door, he mulled over what they would talk about. If they would fuck again. If they—

    Izuku answered the door with a grin so bright it was almost annoying. Almost.

    "Kacchan, hi. I've got a surprise for you."

    "D—Zuku, you know I hate fucking surprises." Katsuki narrowed his eyes.

    "I know! And...hey, why do you keep doing that?" Izuku said, letting his mouth fall into a confused frown as Katsuki walked in.

    "Doing what?"

    "Calling me Izuku."

    "'Cause it's your name, shithead," Katsuki sneered, ignoring what he knew Izuku was asking.

    "Kacchan," Izuku said patiently, "You know what I mean."

    Katsuki bared his teeth and curled his lips out like he did when he postured for a challenge. "Obviously, dumbass. I'm calling you your name because you deserve to be called your name. I've owed it to you for a long ass time. I slipped back into calling you Deku when we started the agency."

    "Do you really think that I'll be offended by Deku? Ever again?" Izuku asked with a dull look. "I got over that when I made my hero name Deku, you know?"

    "Should I call my boyfriend a blockhead?" Katsuki asked through his teeth.

    Izuku raised a brow. "Should you call your boyfriend shithead and dumbass?"

    Katsuki's nose twitched to hold back a larger snarl than the one currently pulling at his face. "What's your point Deku? FUCKING—ARG! IZUKU!"

    "This is stressing you out and you're yelling at me and I don't like that," Izuku said, crossing his arms and leaning forward. His eyes twinkled with something Katsuki couldn’t place. Izuku smirked, "Why don't you just call me Izuku in bed, Kacchan?"

    Katsuki short-circuited and stuttered, "Tha—that's not! Shit fucking—I don't know?! Maybe?!"

    "Kacchan, being my boyfriend doesn't mean I expect you to suddenly change overnight. If you want to grow as a person because you think I'll appreciate it, that's great. But I'm not asking you to change," Izuku said with a sigh.

    Katsuki eyed Deku as he came down from his fluster. "Okay."

    Deku grinned a little and hesitantly pulled Katsuki in for a kiss. "We should eat something. Want me to help you cook?"

    "Fuck no."

    Deku laughed, moving to watch Katsuki cook over the back of the couch. They chattered back and forth, and everything felt normal enough that Katsuki calmed down for the first time all week. Chopping vegetables soothed Katsuki’s nerves too. They ate.

    As soon as the dishes were done, Deku fucking attacked. He tackled Katsuki to the couch with a sun-bright grin and Detroit-smashed his lips against Katsuki's before Katsuki could react. The intense, ferocious kisses lead to spine-tingling shuttering and his lips swelling up. They took a break for a moment.

    Deku breathed, "So how much of a pervert do you really think I am?"

    Katsuki was caught off guard by the question. His emotions were high, and his brain felt like mush. "Just the right fucking amount, I think. I never pegged you as a kinky bastard, but I wanna see it. Show me."

    Deku, suddenly shy, pulled Katsuki to the bedroom. Deku unlocked the bedside drawer filled with his growing collection of toys. Katsuki leaned in to take a peek, ignoring Deku’s sweet embarrassed face for the knowledge of what the drawer held.

    Two things happened at once. First, Katsuki saw a variety of toys. No shocker there. Second, Katsuki saw a doujinshi shoved in the back. He squinted, but he'd bet his left nut that the cover had Dynamight and Hero Deku undressing each other. Deku suddenly grabbed some random toy out and slammed the drawer shut with a panicked, "Ah—shit—actually, ah, let's just use this!"

    "Deku. Open that damn drawer again."

    "No."

    "Deku. I'm gonna give you three seconds. One—"

    Deku tensed.

    "Two—"

    Katsuki didn't count to three ‘cause he’s an asshole and rushed to the drawer sooner. Deku squawked and activated One for All to stop Katsuki. It was too late. The drawer was open, and Katsuki had the doujinshi. Deku froze, wide-eyed as Katsuki held it over his sparking palm. "I wanna see it, but if you come any closer it burns."

    "Don't you fucking dare , Kacchan. That book is my bisexual awakening and you'll give it to me right now!" Izuku screeched in a fluster, stomping his foot.

    Katsuki looked at the book, then back at Izuku. Then back to the book. And back at Izuku.

    "You—wait. Porn about us was your fucking bisexual awakening?" Katsuki sucked in a breath, holding it in.

    "Um. Yes?" Izuku squeaked. "I can explain—"

    Katsuki tossed the book to the floor. "Yeah, don't. Not now. Your fucking bisexual awakening is gonna fuck you."

    Deku moved to pick up the book, but Katsuki yanked him onto the bed. He started kissing and biting Izuku's neck. Not gently, but not hard enough to leave too many marks. The media would have a fucking field day with sweet Midoriya Izuku covered in hickeys.

    A luscious moan from deep in Deku's gut filled up the room as he gave in to Katsuki. Deku was pinned to the bed, and Katsuki had no intention of leaving an opening for escape.

    "So what exactly happened in that fucking book? What was such a big deal that you started wanting my cock after all this time?" Katsuki said between nips and kisses. He shoved Deku's shirt up to his nipples and ran his hands slowly down that lovely scarred abdomen.

    "I uh—well, we were having sex in an alley against a wall—"

    Katsuki laughed, "Holy shit, are you into that? Fucking, what? Sex in public? Maybe I underestimated you."

    "Um...I'm not into it really? But if you are, uh...I could...uh..." Deku wouldn't make eye contact and buried his face in his shoulder to hide.

    Katsuki snorted, "Not a fucking chance, being a pro hero. That's like a damn death sentence if we get caught. What was going through your head then, after you read porn about us?"

    "I felt conflicted looking at you like that! You're my best friend. We grew up together. At the time, I thought I was checking out how guys looked because they worked so hard for their muscles! But when I read the book…it made me want to look at more than just muscles..."

    Katsuki paused, considering Deku’s admission. "That does fucking sound like something stupid you would do. So what, you read it and bing! Lightbulb, I should fuck Katsuki?"

    "Kinda, yeah?"

    "You're so fuckin' weird, Deku."

    Katsuki grinned at Deku's expense. Izuku pouted and said, "You're so mean sometimes."

    "Well I've been into you since second year in high school," Katsuki huffed, figuring now was as good a time as any to get this embarrassing fact out of the way. He flopped next to Deku on the bed. They’d be talking for a while, at this rate.

    Deku's eyes widened. "What? Wow. Really? When in our second year did you...?"

    Katsuki tongued his teeth behind his lips as he thought over the details. "You remember just before they let us go back to school our second year? After the war, when we were training with All Might? You had me pinned down with black whip and—fuck, this is so embarrassing. I was screaming my damn head off to distract you from the fact that I was so turned on. I was fucking rock hard, Deku. I knew I was gay, but fuck , that vicious look in your eyes. So fucking hot."

    Deku's eyes turned curious as he sorted through his memories. "What look was I making? I just remember being excited I beat you head-on."

    "Fucking raw power," Katsuki said with a shiver. "Fuck, it's getting me hard just thinking about it."

    "So you just want me for my quirk?" Deku asked dully.

    "You fuckin' earned that quirk, idiot!" Katsuki barked back. "But it's only a piece of the reason you're powerful. And you fucking know it. All Might chose you, and then for some fucking reason you chose me to be by your side. Fuck, Deku. You're so much more than your quirk, but it's a part of you."

    Deku placed his hand over his mouth. The silenced mumbling face. Katsuki felt a blood vessel pop out on his forehead. If Deku was overthinking this that meant—

    "So if I pinned you with One for All, you'd get off on that?" Izuku asked.

    Katsuki balked, "That's not what I fuckin' said!"

    Deku smirked and pinned Katsuki anyway. Katsuki lost his shit.

    "FUCKING DEKU!" Katsuki yelled, flushing from both anger and how hot Deku fucking was right now. Katsuki would not admit he liked this! Deku would lord it over him for-fucking-ever.

    "What else do you like about me, Kacchan?"

    "FUCKING DIE!"

    "I won't let you up unless you tell me," Deku sang, the light of his glowing eyes was so fucking gorgeous and Katsuki wasn’t gonna fucking take this shit —

    "FUCK YOU!"

    "Not until you tell me," Deku said with a grin Katsuki had rarely seen before. Izuku was fucking flirting . Little pops of Katsuki's quirk went off as he overheated. Deku’s grin dropped. "Kacchan, if you burn my sheets you're buying me new ones. Now tell me."

    "GAAAAH! FINE!" Katsuki yelled, anger still tense on his face. "Your fucking freckles are cute! Your damn scars are hot! Your ass is amazing and you should put it to good use and ride my dick!"

    They stared at each other in silence for a moment. One for All fizzled out. Katsuki sat stunned that he just had the balls to say that to Deku, and Deku looked like he might be considering the idea.

    "Yeah, ok Kacchan."

    " What? "

    "I'll ride you."

    Katsuki sputtered and found it hard to breathe. "Why're you such a lewd fucking nerd?!"

    "Kacchan told me to do it!"

    "SO?!"

    "And I wanna know what it feels like—" Deku said, quiet and shielding his face—"To have you inside me."

    Goosebumps erupted all over Katsuki’s body at the thought. He was already painfully hard from Izuku's show of power. Power was Katsuki's kink. Powerful people. Powerful quirks. Powerful intellect. Izuku was his kink and Katsuki was getting hazy just thinking about Izuku holding him down with black whip and taking whatever he wanted. Katsuki's not sure he's willing to give over that much power. Not today. But this was still just Deku. Katsuki wouldn't trust anyone else.

    "Do it," Katski breathed as he ground his clothed crotch into Deku’s ass. "Use black whip on me and ride me fucking stupid, Izuku."

    Izuku gasped softly at the sensation of Katsuki grinding into him. "Um...could you...can you stretch me first?"

    The shy, quiet question almost went unheard. Katsuki's heart raced so loud in his ears that he almost missed it. The request took his breath away.

    "Shit. Yeah. Of course, of course I can you fucking gorgeous lewd nerd," Katsuki said, drowning in the excitement that Deku was gonna sit on Katsuki's cock just minutes from now. It was happening. All of his dreams were coming true. Fucking rainbows and sunshine and cocks, all of it.

    Katsuki made Deku grab the lube he'd slammed back into the drawer. Katsuki still couldn’t believe Deku had porn of them . Wait. Was the A/B/O shit about them too? Oh shit. Oh fuck. Katsuki wanted to ask but he wasn’t sure he could shake that many skeletons out of Deku's closet without killing the other man.

    Deku handed Katsuki the lube, and Katsuki squirted a bunch on his hand before he realized all their clothes were still on.

    "Shit, uh—can you like, take off your pants? And mine? Maybe your shirt too?"

    "I uh, yeah...sure Kacchan."

    Deku pulled off his top, and it became a shy action. Then he shed his pants and underwear. Deku was hard, the same as Katsuki. Deku tried to cover up until he realized he needed his hands to undress Katsuki too.

    "Why you hidin'?" Katsuki asked with warm half-mast eyes as he watched Deku's every move.

    "I just...I'm embarrassed you're looking at me," Izuku said as he hesitantly pulled down Katsuki's workout pants and underwear too. Izuku stared like he'd never seen Katsuki's cock before, and it made Katsuki hungry.

    "You look like you wanna write about my cock in one of your notebooks," Katsuki said with a mean grin. "You've seen it before. And I ain't embarrassed."

    "But...but you've had sex before," Izuku argued. "I haven't."

    Katsuki knew that Izuku hadn’t done this with anyone else. Or he'd assumed Izuku would confide in him if he'd had sex. He also wanted to argue that they'd already had sex in the shower, but Izuku's definition of sex and Katsuki's must be different. He couldn’t pass up the chance to argue.

    "Two people moving against each other trying to get off is sex to me," Katsuki said firmly. "We already had sex once, Deku."

    "R-really? That's...wow, ok. Yeah. That makes sense. Ok. I've already had sex with Kacchan. Wow."

    Katsuki had meant to calm Deku, but he somehow psyched him out more. "Chill the fuck out. We don't have to do this. You don't have to rush or try to fucking impress me. Shit, you're shaking."

    Katsuki didn't know what to do with his handful of lube, and even though he wanted to hug Deku he wasn’t sure how without making a mess.

    "I wanna! I do! It's just scary, Kacchan! I just...I just need a sec to breathe, ok?"

    "This is honestly what I expected last time, but...fuck, do you trust me?" Katsuki asked.

    Deku's eyes beam wide and happy through his stress. "Always, Kacchan."

    "Then lay down and I'll take care of you for now. Then you can decide what you wanna do from there, shitty Deku," Katski said with what he hoped was a supportive frown. Izuku nodded aggressively and flumped flat on the bed. Katsuki managed to tug his tank top off without getting too much lube on it. Good enough.

    "Ready, Izuku ?" Katsuki asked, holding up his middle finger, all lubed up. He grinned as Deku’s red flush spread to his freckled shoulders.

    "Yeah, yeah, I am. I guess. Yeah." Deku was about to start muttering, but Katsuki didn't give him the chance. The cold slick finger slid into Deku easily. Damn, Deku must have practiced. More than once.

    "Oh shit, look at you. Didn't even flinch. You want two?" Katsuki asked as his hunger crept out in his smile. His lips peeled back into an almost snarl, challenging Deku was second nature, even here.

    "Ok, two," Deku said, still tenser than Katsuki wanted him. Katsuki wanted to fight Deku, or eat him. Somewhere in between. Either way, he wanted to ruin Deku for anyone else.

    Katsuki slipped the second finger in, again without much trouble. Izuku's breath hitched against the curl of Katsuki’s fingers. Katsuki kept up the stark contrast from the few slow in-and-out pumps of the first finger. The little hitched breaths came from Deku when Katsuki pressed harder. Izuku moaned, letting his legs fall open and his hips jut up.

    "It feels so different—mmm—when you do it, Ka— ah —chan. Feels better," Deku gasped around the intense sensations being forced upon him. "One more finger?"

    Katsuki grinned wider and obliged, slower when he saw Deku tensing for the first time. Deku relaxed against the pleasant intrusion. Katsuki couldn’t help but use the pause to heckle Izuku. "God, you been stretchin’ yourself often, Izuku ? You been doing it since you got those shitty toys?'

    "Mm, before," Izuku panted. "Before that. Had to do with—ohhh—something I read."

    "More porn?" Katsuki asked knowingly. "You read it a lot, huh Deku?"

    "Yeah," Izuku whined, surprising Katsuki with his straightforward answer.

    "Kinky bastard." Katsuki watched Deku's body beg for more by pressing farther into Katsuki's fingers. It felt too easy, being with Izuku. He had been so sure it would be difficult like their relationship as friends. That some hiccup would come along making it less than what he'd dreamed. But everything with Izuku was coming together so beautifully. Even the small moments of panic from before barely left a blip on the radar for the day compared to this. Katsuki refocused. "You're gonna tell me all about your kinks. One by one. I'm gonna get them out of you and I'm gonna make you fucking melt on my cock, Deku. You hear me?"

    "Hear you," Deku said between breathy moans as he completely fell into being fingered like he was fucking made for it. Katsuki wanted him to ask for more. But he promised not to rush. So he kept going until Deku’s cock stood hard against his own stomach. A small pool of pre-come gathered on his belly. Only ten minutes or so. Ten minutes of stroking Izuku's insides and watching him writhe. Katsuki had never felt so powerful. It made him lust-drunk all over again.

    "Kacchan," Deku whimpered finally, "Please."

    This was it. He knew by the dewy eyes Deku had from all the stimulation, the panting gasps, the bonelessness replacing the tension in Deku's body.

    "You wanna ride me still?" Katsuki asked with patience.

    "Yeah, help me," Deku said as Katsuki pulled his fingers out. "Help me up."

    Katsuki did, gently laying himself back and pulling Izuku on top of him. Deku didn't waste time. He started sliding Katsuki in. Every second of the fingering was repaid to Katsuki by the overwhelming feeling of Deku squeezing around him now. Deku stopped with a gasp and an 'ow,' slowing his breathing and relaxing himself into opening up for Katsuki's cock.

    Katsuki watched in fascination as Deku's boundless determination applied to even this. No matter how much they prepared, they had never been together like this and it would be a sore transition. For Deku physically, and Katsuki emotionally. Deku hissed as he fit Katsuki all the way inside him, and Katsuki froze with the pressure of Deku's tight walls around him.

    Katsuki desperately wanted this to be everything Deku ever imagined and more. Katsuki could barely breathe at the thought that he got to experience Deku like this.

    "Kacchan?" Deku asked as he rested his hands on Katsuki's bare chest, stroking the muscle there to soothe himself at the intense pressure he was surely feeling. "Are you ok, Kacchan?"

    Katsuki's dream-like attention span snapped back to reality. He was inside Deku. Fuck. Fuck yes. Katsuki sighed, "You're so fuckin'...God, you're perfect aren't you?"

    Deku blushed, freckles dark against the soft pink of his cheeks. "I don't know what to say to that. I just...I wanted to make sure I wasn't hurting you. You had a weird look on your face."

    Katsuki snorted out a half-hysteric laugh. "Like you could fucking hurt me sinking your perfect ass on my dick all gentle like that. Fucking hell."

    They were quiet for a moment, and then Izuku piped up frantically, "What now?"

    Katsuki shifted his hips up in a gentle grind and watched Deku's eyes widen as he gasped. Katsuki grinned. "'Bout time you fucking moved, I think."

    "Me? Just me?"

    "Yeah, dumbass. That's how I know you're comfortable. You're in charge of how deep and hard it is. Make sense?" Katsuki said, annoyed that Deku was moving his lips instead of his hips. Katsuki's cock twitched impatiently, and he could tell Deku felt it by the 'o' formed on his lips, to Katsuki's delight.

    "But...but what about...aren't you supposed to like, uh, take charge and um...like...thrust so hardyoumakemecry ?" Izuku buried his face in his hands and mushed his words together.

    "Did you say you want me to fucking make you cry?" Katsuki asked, concerned, "Fuck, what kind of kinky shit are you reading? I ain't never fucked anyone until they cried, Deku. People don't usually cry when they're enjoying themselves. Though if there's a damn exception it'd be you, you crazy fuck."

    Izuku peeked out from behind his hands. "Would you like that?"

    "God damn it all! Can we just start with normal sex and work up to whatever the fuck you're wanting to try? Forget black whip, too. Let's just start with you fucking moving your ass!"

    Izuku got the message and lifted his hips. He slammed them back down. Katsuki forgot whatever else he’d been about to say. Deku experimentally bounced back up and down, over and over. He leaned back to rest his arms on Katsuki's thighs, and Deku let out a startled moan.

    Izuku chased whatever feeling he had encountered with high-pitched gasps escaping his lips. Katsuki felt enraptured again, panting at the sensation of his cock being stroked by Deku's determination. Deku's arched back left his scarred abdomen stretched taut over his muscles, and the little croons of pleasure were a gorgeous chorus for Katsuki’s ears. The squelch of the lube between them as Izuku moved—hands digging into Katsuki's thighs—was obscene. It made Katsuki harder, and he was sure Deku was too wrapped up in new sensations to notice.

    Katsuki grabbed two handfuls of the most beautiful ass he had ever laid eyes on, freckled and lush as it squeezed the sanity out of him. He gasped, "Look at me."

    Izuku did, tipping his head forward again with a lust-drunk expression. "Yeah?"

    "What if I tried...do you like this?" Katsuki asked in some semblance of sentences. He lifted Izuku's hips and slammed them back down to meet his own.

    Izuku yelled out a moan, his cock jumping between them and dribbling a bit as his eyes rolled back. "Mah—maybe? Do it again."

    The second rolled motion of their hips, and then the third had Izuku moaning. Katsuki watched for any signs of distress, but his worries fell away when Izuku hissed, "Kacchan, yes . More."

    Katsuki didn't need to be told twice. He tipped his hips up and pulled Deku's down against him. Every workout they had done reflected in their ravenous stamina, and Katsuki's arms barely felt the weight of lifting Izuku after carrying gauntlets for so many years.

    Izuku's fingernails scraped into Katsuki's thighs as Katsuki watched him lose himself in pleasure. Katsuki was so wrapped up in watching Izuku fall apart that he could barely feel the scratches. He's fucking his boyfriend. He's fucking Izuku. Shit.

    Deku's moans were getting deeper and more choked with pleasure. Katsuki wasn’t sure if Deku ever had a prostate orgasm, but today wasn't the day to find out. Katsuki wanted to grab Deku's dick, but his hands were full slamming Deku’s ass down.

    Katsuki groaned, "Grab your dick, fuckin' get off on my cock. That'd be so fuckin' hot, 'Zuku."

    "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah—" Izuku chanted as he used his good arm to support his weight. Leaning back at the best angle he used his other hand to stroke himself. "Ohhh, yeah. Oh shit—oh my—"

    Izuku muttered his way up to his orgasm starting, at which point he panicked.

    "Kacchan, I'm gonna—! Where?! Where?!" Izuku squeaked, trembling as he edged himself unintentionally.

    "Fuck, come on my chest, you idiot. Unless you think you can get it all the way in my mouth," Katsuki said, teasingly opening his mouth for Izuku to aim at.

    The idea of shooting come anywhere on Katsuki—or the sight of Katsuki's famously lewd tongue—did Izuku in. He trembled and came in warm stripes across Katsuki's abs, and the sight of it made Izuku's eyes roll back as he groaned.

    "Kacchan's abs," Izuku mumbled, "So hot."

    Katsuki got a little tingle from the praise but he refocused. He'd been so wrapped up in making sure Izuku was enjoying himself that he'd only gotten close to finishing on the idea that Izuku was riding him. Now that Izuku was a limp noodle wobbling loosely on Katuski's hips, he could focus on himself.

    "Can I still fuck you? And can you tell me if it's too much?" Katsuki asked, gently nudging his hips up again.

    Izuku whined, "Kacchan, we didn't come together..."

    Katsuki snorted, "That happens once in a while, not every time, Deku."

    Izuku wiggled his hips and hissed, "It's sensitive but I wanna have you come inside me. Please? Can you?"

    "Fuck, why're you so damn perfect, mother fucking shit..." Katsuki said, leaning Izuku forward and into a position that would probably be more comfortable. "How's that you perfect dreamy fuck? Hah?"

    "S'ok," Izuku said with a frown. "Not too much."

    Katsuki took that as a green light and added, "Fucking slap me if it hurts, m’kay?"

    Deku's drowsy eyes widened at that, but he nodded, gasping a bit as Katsuki kept thrusting into him. The movement was different, short, and fast. Deku seemed to like the rhythm, especially the short thrusts. Deku looked like a wet dream glazed with sweat and twitching muscles.

    It didn't take long for Katsuki to gasp out a simple, "M'gonna come."

    Katsuki’s world splintered. His mouth opened to try to breathe, lips wet with the spit he'd licked on them to focus. His eyes blurred and rolled as his whole body seized with tension under Deku’s gorgeous frame. Coming inside Deku gave Katsuki the same thrill as the first time he’d used his quirk.

    Izuku watched Katsuki come down with that daunting fascination. And then opened his big fucking mouth while Katsuki was still twitching inside him.

    "So am I just like...covered in explosive sweat now?" Izuku asked with the blunt curiosity he'd always had.

    Katsuki gave a weak chuckle, "S'not like I can turn it off. Idiot."

    "Is your come explosive too? I've just...I've always wondered, and I need to know, Kacchan. I need to ."

    Katsuki's face immediately soured. "Why don't we try to light your ass on fire and find out?! Shit, get in the shower before I explode all the hair off your body! Let your boyfriend finish coming in your ass before you ask fucking questions like that, Deku!"

    "Kacchan?" Izuku said with a smile as he gently pulled himself off the other sleepy man, pausing on his hands and knees above him.

    "Hah?" Katsuki asked with a hazy, narrowed look and a limp body.

    "I love you," Izuku said, pecking a quick kiss on Katsuki's lips before dashing off to the shower, almost crashing into the wall on his wobbly legs.

    "Love?" Katsuki murmured in a daze, touching his lips and glancing in the direction Izuku ran off to. He sucked in a deep breath as his eyes crinkled at the edges, "I FUCKING LOVE YOU MORE!"

    A faraway yell from the shower: "Prove it!"

    Katsuki grinned predatorily as he raced off to meet his love in whatever way they ended up colliding.

Chapter Text

    It took less than a week for their perfect bubble to burst. Not in the form of an epic throw-down of words or fists. Not a misunderstanding. Not Kacchan teasing Izuku into an embarrassed heap over his knowledge of the omegaverse. Kacchan had been paid back by karma for that when Izuku talked him into reading a fic and he exploded himself. 

    None of the expected problems were to blame. The pressure that burst their beautiful rainbow-lined bubble was Izuku losing his shit at a man with a microphone. A man who was goading Kacchan about his sexuality and being utterly rude about it. A man who was someone who discriminated and would happily sew richly angled stories about Kacchan to make him look bad.

    Izuku was not taking that shit. Not today.

    "Excuse me, sir?" Izuku said with an anger-hot grin reminiscent of a thousand suns. The man Izuku addressed flinched back when the ever-cheerful symbol of hope glared vicious, murderous daggers at him. Izuku still smiled, hoping to strike fear into this man’s heart like All Might’s smile did a villain’s. He felt a sick thrill up his spine seeing the awful man flinch. Izuku continued, politely, because he was a fucking hero. "Could you tell me your name?"

    "Shitsureina Otoko, uh, mister hero Deku," the guy said, leaning away with wide eyes.

    "And where do you work?"

    "Hero Enquirer?" He offered, with a hesitant grin and a shrug.

    Izuku whipped out a notepad and a pen, making the man flinch again as he vehemently scribbled notes. "And your manager's name?"

    "Huh?"

    "I asked for your manager's name," Izuku repeated, clicking his pen impatiently. The man rattled it off as he wiped at his face with his sleeve. It wasn't a particularly warm day, but he was sweating. Izuku gave the man a stern grin. "I'd like to write to them about your behavior."

    "Hero Deku," the man started, and paused as he worked up the will to speak up to Izuku's apparent rage. "Hero Deku, uh, Sir, I don't understand. I'm just—I'm trying to get a story. It's a matter of opinion. I don't agree with homosexual relationships."

    Kacchan held his breath in the background as Izuku's smile ticked wider. Izuku noticed that Kacchan took a few steps back. Seeing that, the reporter shrank back even further when Deku's searing attention returned to him in full force.

    "Can I have everyone's attention please?" Izuku called from his spot out in the open. The reporters had gathered for an event, and Izuku and Katsuki had just happened to pass by since it was close to their agency. Reporters in Japan were typically respectful. This was an oddity. And Izuku wasn't going to let it be an acceptable one. "Everyone that's here, can I have a moment of your time?"

    More faces and microphones swirled in Izuku's direction because the event had been winding down. Most of the major press bodies were here. T.V. stations, radio, internet streamers, and written publications. Izuku should be intimidated. But he'd just absolutely had it up to his eyeballs with everyone giving Katsuki a hard time.

    Katsuki always got the brunt of being a story. He was vicious and rude, unapologetic. Loud. Angry. And though he'd been made fun of in high school for those things because none of them were particularly heroic, Katsuki won over the public slowly with his unshatterable confidence, good looks, and penchant to win. Villains didn't go into Dynamight's territory and mess with his people. They knew the stakes were too high. Crime rates went down because of Katsuki's thirst for victory. His absolute need to do amazing things every single day. To be the best, to win. Plus Ultra.

    And Izuku was fucking tired of the media treating him like shit. Even if Katsuki's skin was thick enough to take it. Izuku wasn't sure his own was. But he'd made up his mind.

    "This man here from Hero Enquirer was just heckling my partner about being gay. He said to me that in his opinion, two men shouldn't be together. Is that right, Sir?" Izuku asked, looking down at the man squirming with discomfort.

    "Well...yes, but—"

    "I'd like everyone here to know that I'll respect your opinion as long as your opinion doesn't disrespect anyone else's existence," Izuku said firmly. Internet's words, not his. But they were damn powerful. "And if any one of you ever talks down about my boyfriend again, you're going to be answering to me."

    Izuku was so fired up that he felt One for All pumping across his skin and lighting up with his fury. The quirk seemed to know when he needed it most, like right now. The cameras snapped around him and interrupted the deafening silence following his words.

    "Oh, and in case I've confused anyone," Izuku added with a real smile, bright and not-taking-anyone's-shit, "I'm bisexual, and Kacchan's my boyfriend. Have a great day, everyone! Remember to be kind!"

    The 'or else' was implied by his tone.

    As Izuku walked up to his partner, he started to stiffen as he realized what he’d done. He took on the media. About his sexuality, gay rights, and...oh no. 

    Kacchan said exactly the right thing after he finished gaping at Izuku.

    "Holy shit, Deku, I think you just made me come in my pants," Kacchan grinned with a disbelieving laugh. "You're the fucking best. Did you see that fucker's face? Didja? He fucking shat his pants. Shit, you even made me nearly fucking shit myself. Deku, holy fucking...you're so fucking hot, we're going to call in for the rest of the shift and I'm gonna fuck you silly you stupid fucking stud—"

    "Oh my God Kacchan, stop, I'm going to die. I can't breathe," Izuku said as he continued to walk away from the crowd of reporters and into their agency. He promptly collapsed once inside the safety of his agency's walls, and he gave Katsuki a jerky, nervous look. "I don't even care about what the world thinks, Kacchan. I did it, I came out, and I didn't warn Melissa. She'll kill me. I'm a dead man. I also didn't tell Ochako, and she's gonna be mad too. Oh God, my mom has no idea. Your mom might also kill us—but Melissa, Kacchan! I've just made the next few weeks a living hell for her and it's all going to be a surprise and I—"

    Izuku just...stopped talking as he overloaded. Katsuki gave a giant sigh.

    "Only you could go from fucking deliciously sexy right into a fucking anxiety attack," Katsuki groaned as he sat down and ruffled Izuku's hair. Katsuki growled, "And ain't nobody gonna fucking touch your ass. It's mine. So they can go through me first, and you know I'd never let 'em."

    Izuku rested his head on Katsuki's shoulder, eyes staring vacantly from the stress as Kacchan guided him through some breathing. "I almost believe you. Thanks, Kacchan."

    "You fucking think I can't protect you, dumbass?!"

    "Melissa could murder us both in our sleep before we even realized she was trying to kill us. She can be so scary, Kacchan," Izuku said seriously, craning his wide eyes at Katsuki.

    "I...yeah, you're right, she's fucking scary as hell. Fuck that. Let's go tell her you fucked up before she murders us," Katsuki said with a half-grin. Izuku watched as Kacchan’s attempted humor fell flat, the reality setting in that Melissa was the scariest person they knew. That was how she rangled control of the Might Agency from Izuku and Kacchan in the first place.

    Izuku nodded and they took off in a power walk to Melissa's office. She glanced up at them and glanced away again...meaning she didn't know, she hadn't heard yet. Izuku got to tell her about the PR nightmare that was coming just after the last one began to calm down.

    They were usually two walking problems for her, to be honest.

    "You both look like you've seen a ghost," Melissa said while she was vigorously typing up an email. "What'd you do?"

    "Deku fucked up—" Katsuki said with a stupid grin that faltered under Melissa's scrutiny, and he pointed an accusing finger at her— "But you fucking owe him one so you're gonna let it go."

    The clacking of the keyboard stopped. "What kind of fucked up?"

    "Turn on the fucking news," Katsuki said, puffed up with some kind of misguided pride. Katsuki's grin was reinforced by knowing he was right. Alternatively, Izuku’s plastic grin felt stiff against his teeth. He tried to keep them from chattering with nerves.

    Melissa pulled up social media and looked under the #HeroDeku tag to find a video of Izuku being a complete badass. Or idiot, in retrospect. A few more clicks and she found the whole story. She was terrifyingly efficient.

    Melissa steepled her hands in front of her lips and took a deep breath. "First off, Izuku, I apologize. It makes so much more sense now why Katsuki was so angry for your sake that I handed over those dance videos for the T.V. interview. If they'd questioned you and outed you before you were ready, that would have been really uncool. I didn't know you were bi. I'm sorry."

    Izuku's glaze of fear melted off as he thought through the past. Katsuki and Melissa hadn't talked much for quite a while. Because Katsuki was mad that Izuku might have been put under the spotlight and forced to come out as bi? That made some sense, considering Izuku was still fresh to the realization and working through it. Technically he still was now, but he'd committed. For Kacchan.

    "I was frustrated because they were personal videos," Izuku hummed, "But I never thought about it like that. Katsuki derailed the whole thing so effortlessly that I guess I didn't fully realize."

    "That he did," Melissa nodded. "But I think he probably had that conversation constructed and ready to go for whenever that ball dropped. Just like I'm sure you've been working up a retort in your head on how the media's addressed Katsuki because I know you're not one for public scathing monologues."

    Izuku grinned sheepishly, "I'm still having an anxiety attack. Like the end of it where I can breathe, but it feels like the room is wobbly."

    "Sit your ass down and breathe," Katsuki said, shoving Izuku's shoulders down so he would sit in the chair. Kacchan taking care of him made Izuku limp beneath the grasp as the anxiety tapered off.

    Melissa gave them a soft smile. "You're both really brave. And I think the most important thing here is that you did the right thing for yourselves."

    Izuku's grin snuck back, and just when he was about to open his mouth to thank her, she cut off his line of thought.

    "That being said," Melissa hummed tapping her lips with her pen, "We've only got an hour tops to spin this whole thing like it was planned, so you two need to make out so I can take some pictures to post on the social media sites and get us some fuel for your cause."

    "Wha?"

    "HAH?"

    "It's not that hard," Melissa said, pulling out the camera app on her phone and setting a good filter. "Now kiss."

    Honestly, what the hell? Izuku pulled Katsuki down by the shoulders and felt the edges of his panic fall away as he looked into those clear scarlet eyes, tired as they were. Blackened blond lashes caught the light, charcoal smudged as Katsuki pulled up his mask.

    The kiss felt like a fairy tale dream come true, and Izuku almost forgot Melissa was there as they deepened the kiss. Izuku groaned into Katsuki's mouth—

    "Guys, that's enough. Go home for the day and don't make any more headaches for me. Please? I've literally been cleaning up your messes for weeks now," Melissa said with a fond sigh.

    Izuku felt the notification buzz on his way out. A post by The Might Agency: "We PRIDE ourselves on our agency leaders! DYNAKU SHIP IS SAILING!” The picture of them kissing flattered them, and Izuku needed to remember to save it to his phone later. The first comment was from the official ChargeBolt account and it first-and-foremost had a gif of Izuku's Dynamight ass , and second, the question Izuku had to answer so many weeks ago.

     'Dudes! It's about time!! (I called it!) But, for real, what's a Dynaku?’

Chapter Text

    "So did that asshat reporter get fired?" Katsuki asked with a mean grin as he lounged on Deku's couch. It was Friday. Deku wasn't cooking, per se, but he was making food. And Katsuki fucking let him. All things considered, it wasn't the strangest part of their week.

    "Sure did. Goodbye, Mr. Rude Guy."

    Katsuki flexed his sprained wrist—the reason Deku wouldn't let him cook. It was overkill considering Katsuki could still work with it. But not even Katsuki was going to argue with Deku this week. The man was an unstoppable force, hitting the homophobes where it hurt over and over and over. Murdering them with reasonable conclusions and kindness. Katsuki had sprained his wrist punching the lights out of some villainess who had been giving Deku a hard time. So Katsuki understood Deku's ire in Katsuki's name. Katsuki multiplied it by a thousand and attacked instead. It was a different kind of support for the cause, ok?

    Katsuki huffed remembering the look Deku gave him after he'd stopped trying to reason and had just socked the chick. You don't reason with villains. You beat 'em. At least that's what Katsuki thought. The chick had a shitty metal quirk and had injured Katsuki's hand, though. Deku said Katsuki got what he deserved for being reckless.

    "What're you even making?" Katsuki asked dully. "It already smells burnt."

    "Kacchan! It's just a premade yakisoba. I'm stirring it and watching it. I won't burn it," Izuku insisted. A minute later, Izuku amended, "I won't burn it much, I mean."

    Katsuki cackled on the couch, "Shitty Deku."

    Deku presented his mostly-not-burnt noodle dish. Deku served himself the majority of the burned chunk, and Katsuki's looked normal. Izuku looked dejected enough that Katsuki felt like he had to stop the storm of sadness that would follow if Deku was allowed to spiral. It was just fucking dinner.

    "Don't worry, Deku. I know you're good at plenty of shit," Katsuki offered as an olive branch. He'd never, under any circumstances, tell Deku he was a good cook. That'd be a lie. Katsuki didn't lie.

    "Like what?" Izuku asked miserably as he picked at his burnt onion and carrot.

    "Hm, you've got a great ass," Katsuki said with a nod and a grin.

    "Kacchan, that's got nothing to do with my skills," Izuku said with a glare.

    "Like fuck it doesn't. You never had an ass growing up. It was a fuckin' pancake. You earned that ass when you started your shoot style. It's all delicious fuckin' muscle," Katsuki said, grinning around his chopsticks as he took a bite of the food.

    Izuku just stared, unimpressed.

    "And, Deku, you've gotten really good with blackwhip," Katsuki added, his grin feral at the edges.

    Izuku remained unimpressed.

    "Not to mention you're good at taking my cock—"

    "I think," Izuku said with a sigh, "I see where this is going."

    "Do ya?" Katsuki said as he sped up his pace eating, talking with a full mouth, "God, guess you're perceptive too. Fuckin' look at that. You're good at so much shit."

    "Kacchan, are you trying to make me upset?" Deku asked as his eye ticked. Deku'd completely used up his reserves for patience fending off the media. Katsuki knew this and pressed on with intent. 

    "Why ever would I try to make my widdle Deku mad?" Katsuki teased as his immature glee danced across his face. Deku glared back.

    "Kacchan eat your damn food."

    "Oh no, he fucking swore. I'm terrified," Katsuki said with a grin that said he was anything but. Although Katsuki did eat his damn food. Because his goal was after-dinner activities. The compliance seemed to calm Izuku's irritation.

    Katsuki stretched his legs into Izuku's space on the couch the moment he finished eating. If his shirt was riding up and showing off his abs because of his languid stretch, that couldn't be Katsuki's fault. Izuku glanced over and licked his lips. Deku was fucking weak…too easy.

    "So how long do I have'ta wait to see those fuckin' skills of yours?" Katsuki asked as he rubbed his foot along Izuku's thigh.

    "You just wanna leave the dishes?" Izuku asked with a gasp as the foot moved to a more sensitive area. Izuku stopped it, and Katsuki frowned.

    "Come ooon, Deku," Katsuki said, getting up and walking toward the bedroom. "You're being so damn slow."

    Izuku lagged behind. Katsuki wasn't sure if it was just so he could be an asshole, or if he was that tired. But it was slow enough that Katsuki could walk backward and slowly strip off everything but his wrist brace.

    When he was down to his underwear, Izuku smirked. Katsuki barely had time to react as blackwhip immobilized him, and he had no fucking intention of fighting back against what he'd been so loudly asking for.

    "Oh fuck yeah," Katsuki said with a sharp grin as he test the restraints and found them just as sound as he expected. "Fuck yeah, Deku, do me."

    Izuku's eyes lit up from his quirk, and Katsuki trembled under the gaze of that smirk. One of the strands of blackwhip ran down Katsuki's chest and dipped into his underwear. Katsuki's breath stuttered, and Izuku used blackwhip to twist the fabric and rip it off.

    "Fucking—! Damn you! Why'd you rip off my underwear? Shit, that's hot. But fuck, what'm I supposed to wear now?!" Katsuki said, breathlessly pissed.

    "Nothing. You don't need underwear. You can get home without them just fine," Izuku said with a mischievous little look that made Katsuki's dick harden immediately .

    "God you're fuckin' gross," Katsuki gasped. "I fuckin' love it."

    "That's not very nice," Izuku said with a frown, and then his eyes sparked with an idea. "You're going to have to be nice if you want me to do anything to you. The nicer you are the better I'll reward you."

    "Hah?" Katsuki said as Izuku used blackwhip to ever so gently place Katsuki on the bed and raise up his injured arm. He held the arms above Katsuki's head and used the lower bindings to spread Katsuki's legs. The last strand wrapped around Katsuki's cock. Sitting all too still without any hope of movement.

    "So are you going to be nice?" Izuku asked, still lit up with power and pulling off his shirt. It got caught on black whip, and Izuku frowned. He ended up putting it back on because he couldn't figure out a good way to get it off.

    "God you're so damn hot, why did I think all these fucking years you'd be a little vanilla prude? Fucking damn you, fucking Deku, fuck you," Katsuki was losing it a little, quirk popping off above his head and scorching his wrist brace.

    "You burn it, you replace it. Don't forget," Izuku said with a sigh. "Control yourself. And be nice."

    "I don't wanna," Katsuki said, sparking again. "I can’t. I need fuckin' my fireproof gloves or something. Shit. I can't deal with this."

    "If you can't handle it I'm gonna let you go. You're not burning down my room," Izuku said.

    "I'll—! Fuck! Shit! Ok! I'll be calm, I'm calm," Katsuki huffed. He was not calm. "Fucking move that thing, Deku."

    "I told you to be nice and I would," Deku said as he moved to the bed after taking off his pants and underwear. Deku was enjoying having Katsuki at his mercy a little too much. Katsuki could get out of black whip by maneuvering his explosions when they sparred. But without his quirk? The tickle of being powerless ghosted across Katsuki’s skin. Deku teased, "Say please."

    "Fuck you."

    Izuku tightened the black whip on Katsuki's cock and made him choke a bit. Izuku stared with that inquisitive interest he'd always had for Katsuki. Under current circumstances, it made Katsuki sweat. Deku grinned. "Say please."

    Katsuki moaned at the unmoving pressure. At the view of Izuku's eyes dancing with power. At the stupid kink he had for this idiot's quirk coming out to greet his vicious lust.

    "Fucking...please?" Katsuki grit out, searing Deku with a vicious smirk. "Please fuck your alpha, my little omega. "

    Izuku turned seven shades of red, depending on the part of his body. Izuku's cock had already been hard, but now it was bobbing with interest. Izuku whined as he stroked Katsuki with black whip. "Dooon't."

    "Why can't we both get what we want? You wanna be my bitch, and I want you to show me your fucking devastating power. We can both be kinky today, right?" Katsuki said, voice a slick, convincing snake oil.

    "I can't hold you down and have you dominate me at the same time though?!" Izuku said, distressed. He stroked Katsuki hard enough that he hissed out a moan. Izuku eased up as he noticed the slip-up. Katsuki started moaning loudly, making no effort to quiet himself. Izuku shushed him anyway.

    "Fuck, Deku, it's called being a power bottom or some shit. Now sit on my cock before you make me come like this, 'cause I'm already fuckin' close. Shit, you're hot."

    “That’s not what a power—never mind,” Izuku grabbed the lube to stretch himself. He cleaned his hands and then bit his lip. Katsuki found it suspicious.

    "Kacchan, what if I put black whip inside you?"

    Katuski moaned louder, and nodded vigorously, "Fuck, I'm gonna come, stop touching my dick!"

    Deku breathed heavily as he lubed up his fingers again and tried his hand at stretching Katsuki. Katsuki took them like the fucking champ that he was, moaning and trying to tug against black whip to ride Izuku's hand to chase his orgasm. Even if Katsuki asked Deku to stop, he still wanted to come so fucking bad it hurt.

    "Is that ok?" Deku asked, terribly flustered watching as Katsuki bounced enthusiastically on those crooked fingers that hit just right. Katsuki couldn’t contain his moans. He reveled in the idea that Deku wouldn't be able to look his neighbors in the eye for at least a week. Advertising that Deku was happily taken gave Katsuki a swell of pride. Deku was so consumed watching Katsuki that he'd forgotten what he promised.

    "Put it in," Katsuki rasped, "Now, Deku. You fucking asshole, don't make me wait."

    "You, uh, you want me to top you?" Izuku asked hesitantly. They had talked about that and a heap of other things, but that wasn’t what Katsuki meant. Another day, sure. Sounded fucking amazing. But today Katsuki was getting his fantasy fulfilled, damn it.

    "Put black whip in me and get up here, Deku!" Katsuki growled. "Fuck your alpha's cock before he fucking dies thirsting after your damn hole."

    Izuku short-circuited, and black whip waivered. Katsuki tensed in a moment of panic, but black whip reformed and held Katsuki firmly once again. Shit, he didn’t want to push Deku into not fucking functioning. They were both shit outta luck in that case. Deku got it together and did what Katsuki asked. He slipped blackwhip in just as he lowered himself slowly onto Katsuki's cock.

    "Holy fucking fuck yes!" Katsuki almost came right there, and his vision blurred.

    "Kacchan feels good," Izuku groaned as he found the angle he liked. It took Izuku a bit of time to figure out moving black whip and himself at the same pace. It was a slow torture for Katsuki, who was trying to thrash in the bonds. Izuku burned red as he said, "Kacchan's such a good alpha, he deserves to get exactly what he wants."

    " Izuku , fuck. Izuku. I'm gonna come, I'm gonna come already," Katsuki cried. “Shit, not yet—I want more .”

    Deku replaced the black whip around Katsuki’s wrists with a pair of scarred hands. Katsuki could hardly focus on whatever the hell Deku was doing with the ache of building pressure in his groin. Deku lifted himself off Katsuki entirely, and Katsuki let out a broken sob. He’d been so close, and the freed strand of black whip wrapped around his balls and cock to create a delicious torture. He couldn’t come like this. Katsuki thrashed, desperate for any stimulation Deku would give him. Deku used black whip to pound into Katsuki, squeezing at his cock and balls to keep him from coming.

    "FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!"

    It took a few minutes of Katsuki yelling before he started to shutter. The stimulation pushed him into waves of pleasure as he tried to curl in on himself. He could barely breathe. What was this fucking sorcery? He’d been sure he’d just come, but he was still hard, and there wasn’t a drop of come. The shuttering had given some relief but Katsuki wanted more. The greed of desire consumed him as he steadied his breath.

    "Kacchan?"

    "You're a fucking—holy shit, I don't even know. Fucking sex god, fucking damn, I ain't ever came like that, I'm still fucking hard," Katsuki panted staring at Izuku with admiration. "You're a fucking sin, is what you are. A bloody fucking sin. Look at you, fuck you're delicious. Fucking powerful."

    Izuku let Katsuki ramble through the echoes of his orgasm before he slipped back into Katsuki’s lap and started riding him again. Katsuki couldn’t remember any words that weren’t curses.

    "Kacchan is beautiful," Deku said, watching Katsuki with those luminescent eyes. Deku started to tense. "I love watching you come."

    Katsuki groaned, "I'm still. I'm still gonna come, I think. Fuck."

    "You gonna fill me up?"

    "Course I am, I'm gonna knot you, or whatever," Katsuki said, face hot, unable to make eye contact because it was still really kinky. Despite being tied up with black whip and Deku fucking Katsuki’s brain into oblivion, one orgasm at a time. "You better be ready."

    Katsuki chalked his ability to still form sentences up to their unspoken competition. He’d give Izuku an even better orgasm. He’d win sex. Something like that. Izuku began to lose focus and black whip started to slacken.

    "Katsuki," Izuku moaned, trying the name on his lips. Katsuki sputtered and tried to curl up around the pleasure the name gave him.

    "Fuck, Izuku, fuck," Katsuki said as he felt blackwhip dematerialize because Izuku couldn't hold his concentration. Deku also moved his hands to Katsuki’s pecs, grasping for something to keep him grounded. Katsuki didn’t want him grounded, Katsuki wanted to make him fucking fly.

    Katsuki's hands made Deku jump, then he groaned as Katsuki stroked him off with his good hand. The injured hand pinched at Izuku's nipples.

    Actually, Katsuki had gotten what he wanted. So he demanded, "Deku get on your hands and knees, I'm gonna fuckin' rail you."

    "I'm—you're what?" Deku said with a gasp as Katsuki pulled him off and shoved his face down into the sheets. Izuku panted and let Katsuki position him.

    "We're not just gonna fuck in one position forever, dumbass," Katsuki said as he slid back into Izuku's pert ass. "Besides, isn't this more omega or some shit?"

    Izuku didn't answer as he gasped mouthfuls of fabric at the change in pace. Katsuki grinned, using the sounds Deku moaned to gauge how much was too much force. Izuku cried out with every thrust and Katsuki barely gave him a moment to breathe in between.

    "Kaaachaaan, yeah," Izuku gasped with his sparse breath.

    "Fucking gorgeous nerd," Katsuki grunted from the effort of the hard thrusts. "You look good on your knees, fuckin' omega."

    Katsuki leaned forward and bit at Deku's neck.

    That was it. That line and action, somehow, made Izuku scream into the mattress as he came all over the sheets. Katsuki’s orgasm staggered just a moment behind. He leaned back and sunk in only a few more times before he slowed to ride out their orgasms together.

    "Wecm tgtr," Izuku mumbled as Katsuki pulled out and slapped Izuku's ass. Izuku squeaked.

    "Fuck'd you say?"

    "We came together," Izuku tried again slowly. Words were hard, apparently. Katsuki took that as a compliment.

    "Sure as fuck did, 'cause you're fucking gorgeous when you come you lewd son'ova'bitch," Katsuki said before he collapsed. "Fuck, there's come everywhere."

    "An' we need ta shower so we don't explode,” Deku whined. He looked ready to fall asleep and flopped around the bed like his muscles had stopped working.

    "I got it, dumbass Deku," Katsuki said. Katsuki lifted Deku up, almost dropping him. But he made it all the way to the shower and rinsed them off. No bed explosions, thank you. Well, none of the bad kind. Katsuki left Izuku sitting on the bathroom counter as he changed the sheets quickly. They might not have been tucked in well, but neither of them gave a fuck.

    "Love you," Izuku said as he snuggled into Katsuki.

    "I fuckin' love you too, but I'm too hot, fuck off."

    "Nooo, Kacchan. Snuggles."

    "Fine. Just your big head. Or I'm gonna sweat all over again and we're gonna have to shower again. That'd be a pain in the ass."

    "You're a pain in the ass," Izuku hummed with a grin.

    "Sure as fuck am," Katsuki said with a meaner grin. "And you like it."

    "Guess I do."

    Katuski flipped around, trying to get comfortable. "We should move in together. This bed's too fuckin' small."

    "Ok."

    Katsuki froze. "Ok? Like you wanna?"

    "Yeah, Kacchan. We already basically spend all our free time together. I want to," Izuku said with a shrug. Like he wasn’t making Katsuki's dreams come true.

    "You're not fucking with me?"

    "No? Why would I?"

    Katsuki had a moment of gay panic and spat out an idea that made him want to vomit again. "Then we may as well fucking get married."

    Katsuki wanted to stab his own eyes out or cut out his traitor tongue. Izuku raised his tired head from the crook of Katsuki's arm and blinked at Katsuki.

    "We've been dating for two weeks, Kacchan," Izuku said, like the fucking sensible person he was.

    Katsuki was impulsive, though, and he swallowed the bile in his throat as he argued weakly, "So?"

    "And it's not legal in Japan?"

    "So?" Katsuki clung to the response. It was all he could muster. He fucking felt stiff with terror. Why the fuck did he say that?

    Izuku just smiled gently. "I'll marry you one day, but we've got some work to do getting it legalized, first. It's not like I want to run off to America and elope tomorrow."

    Izuku giggled like he was funny. Katsuki thought it was a fuckin' great idea. He needed to fucking put a ring on that ass. Er—finger. Katsuki was going to have to fight off men and women both. Fuck. He needed to marry Deku ASAP.

    Katsuki sucked up his fears and shoved down his nausea. "So is that a yes? You want me to take care of you?"

    Izuku looked at him like a deer in the headlights. "Wha?"

    "You said you'd marry me someday," Katsuki said, putting on a posturing grin and trying to keep himself from puking through the faux confidence. "So should I take that as a yes?"

    Izuku blinked owlishly, still fighting off sleep. "I'm missing something here. You can't be proposing to me after we've dated for only two weeks."

    "I can do whatever I fuckin' want," Katsuki huffed, voice shaking. ASAP! But Deku had to fucking say yes first.

    Izuku's mouth flopped open and closed as he tried to figure this situation out, "You wanna marry me?"

    Katsuki knew it wasn’t what Izuku meant, but he couldn't help replying with a giant grin, "Thought you'd never ask, Deku."

    Katsuki kissed Izuku before he could correct Katsuki. Izuku laughed into Katsuki's lips, "You're insane."

    "That's not a no," Katsuki said, hopeful.

    "It's not, you're right," Izuku said, chewing on his lip, "If we have a really long engagement—like years, Kacchan! Years! I could say yes."

    "Well we've got a lot of shit to do tomorrow then, don't we?" Katsuki said with the biggest smile he could remember having recently. "If it's you and me we can change the world, can't we, Izuku?"

    "Of course, Kacchan," Izuku said. "We can do anything together."

    "Even fuck in an alley like in your damn book?"

    "Kacchan, no!"

    They argued a little more, then fell asleep snuggling, just like Izuku wanted. The next day, Katsuki proposed properly, with a ring, in public, at the scene of a villain takedown. He was bruised, bloodied, and there were reporters fucking everywhere .

    Izuku said yes.

    Shit, Melissa was going to kill them.