Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Izuku was in awe. More than that. He’d been waiting for this day for almost two months, ever since Kacchan invited him to go hiking in that mountain forest once they were on break. It felt like one of his university field trips, except with two wonderful upgrades. He didn’t have to worry about collecting proper samples. And second (the best part): he got to be with Kacchan.

The plan was to arrive around 8 a.m., hike all day, and reach one of the lookout points near the top around 2 p.m. Then they’d take their time coming down, maybe making it back to the cabin around 11 p.m. They’d been walking for about four hours; Kacchan was leading, since he’d visited the place with his friends a couple years back.

"Kacchan! That’s a Cryptomeria japonica. It’s huge, it must be 10 meters taller than the one we saw earlier."

"Nerd, are you going to repeat the scientific names of every damn plant we see?"

Izuku rolled his eyes, picking up his pace to catch up to the other boy and walk by his side. The ash blonde looked at him, waiting for a response. Izuku really liked that little wrinkle that formed between his brows. Kacchan made faces of disgust even during what should be the happiest moments of his life. Izuku had been sure his face would age at light speed and look like a raisin by the time he was twenty.

Wrong. Because Kacchan was twenty two now and looked better than ever.

Izuku glanced around again, amazed by the different shades of green the forest showed off that June morning. He opened his mouth to confirm that yes, of course, he was going to name every plant, but his foot caught and he shot forward. Kacchan grabbed him by the straps of his backpack, catching him midair.

“Can you look where you’re stepping for once in your damn life?”

“I was looking at the vegetation! Look how pretty the greens are, Kacchan!”

“Your stupid face is gonna be green when you end up buried in that moss. And it won’t be because you tripped, idiot.” The blond raised a fist in the air like he was about to punch him, but he was clearly just making a playful face.

“I’m going to be a biologist, Kacchan. You knew it would be like this and still decided to walk straight into the lion’s den.” Izuku stuck his tongue out at him as his fingers toyed with the little metal bead on his nose, a habit he couldn’t break ever since he got that stupid piercing just because Kacchan got one on his ear. Izuku told him it would hurt. Kacchan yelled something like: Never, you couldn’t even get one without bawling, damn Deku. And Izuku defended his honor, because that’s what a man does. Or… not. He just wanted to compete with Kacchan. So he got a septum piercing. He definitely should’ve chosen a less visible spot, because his mom almost killed him. According to her, he looked like a delinquent.

“Fuck. Remind me why I invited you again?”

“Uh-um, maybe because you’ve known me for almost twenty years, I’m your favorite person, and you love me. There’s no other option.”

The trail got steeper, so they used some branches for support. While doing so, Izuku stopped to look at a small butterfly that flew away before he even managed to tap the screen for a photo. When he looked up again, Kacchan was staring at him, like he was waiting for Izuku to offer new information about whatever they’d just seen. Very typical Kacchan behavior, complaining about things that didn’t actually bother him.

Izuku instantly grinned at him, flashing his teeth with a pride that came from knowing he was absolutely right; Izuku was his favorite person (or that’s what he hoped, there was no other acceptable reality). Kacchan’s ears turned red, looking like a glowing stop sign. Izuku had no idea why that happened, but there was something cute about the way he looked away. He reached his side, and then the ash blond punched him on the shoulder so hard he nearly stumbled.

Okay, maybe not that cute.

“Cut the crap and walk, nerd.”

Izuku gave him a light smack on the shoulder in return, nudging him gently. Kacchan responded with a fleeting smile before turning back to the trail. A hot, tight knot settled in Izuku’s chest.

He and Kacchan had known each other since they were little. Their moms had probably shoved them together before they were even three, hoping they’d entertain each other so they’d stop being such a nuisance (apparently both boys had too much energy for their mothers to handle). According to them, the first time they played together, Kacchan threw his All Might toy at the wall and broke it. Izuku started crying like a maniac. That’s how their friendship began.

They spent those first ten years glued together as much as humanly possible. Sure, things got messy during adolescence. Kacchan had pulled away for a while. He never wanted to talk about it. But it was fine, they patched things up later and went back to being themselves.

They were inseparable in every sense of the word. If a week passed without one sleeping over at the other’s place, it was a miracle. The first time they spent real time apart, after that teenage ghosting, was when they started university. Admissions were chaotic, the first year hellish, or so everyone said. They were right, because they were so stressed (Izuku was losing hair; he’d find his poor green curls on his pillow and all over the shower) that they didn’t see each other for two whole weeks. When they finally met up again, Kacchan said something like: Fucking hell, nerd. You’re going bald. Izuku cried because he missed his insults. At least his hair stopped falling out…

Kacchan was in his third year of nursing now, and Izuku in his third year of biology. They had to see each other at least once a week to avoid going insane.

For him, Kacchan was his person. His Kacchan. His best friend.

Izuku was a little possessive. Okay, "a little" was an understatement. But it wasn’t that bad. Kacchan had become friends with some guy named Monoma in college; a guy Izuku still didn’t quite like. In group hangouts, Kacchan always brought him along. The guy talked too much, was annoying as hell (Izuku didn’t usually swear, but that guy totally earned it), and extremely egocentric. That was only acceptable for Kacchan.

Not like Kacchan didn’t have other friends. He had his usual group, but Monoma showed up later and Izuku just… didn’t like him.

Monoma had this habit of slinging his arm over Kacchan’s shoulders with a familiarity that made Izuku’s stomach churn. All that physical contact felt weird, because Kacchan (generally) didn’t let people touch him. No one except Izuku. But Monoma shoved him, gave him friendly hugs, and sat way too close during lunch.

Izuku didn’t like it. Kacchan was his best friend.

They had almost twenty years of history, twenty years of uninterrupted friendship, except for that brief adolescent detour Kacchan refused to mention. So what did Monoma even have? Good notes for Pharmacology II? Random facts more interesting than Izuku’s? Obviously not. And even if he did, it wouldn’t be enough. Monoma didn’t know anything about Kacchan. He didn’t know he liked cinnamon tea, that he loved spicy food, or that he slept with socks on even though his skin was always warm. No, Monoma had no right to invade his personal space like that.

The title of Kacchan’s most precious and favorite person was already taken. The position was filled, the contract lifelong, and even if auditions were open, Izuku would win first place again.

Ridiculous. As far as he knew, Kacchan had hated Monoma at first. Then something happened and they got close. But come on, Monoma was always like: Oh, Bakugo this, Bakugo that. Bakugo’s so funny. Izuku kicked a rock in frustration, watching it roll until it hit a log.

His eyes lifted, searching for the subject of his thoughts. Kacchan was a few meters ahead. He’d stopped for a moment to take off his brown jacket, probably from the heat of the climb and the sun hitting their faces. He folded it and shoved it into his massive backpack with that characteristic aggression he applied to everything. He was left in just a white T-shirt. Izuku blinked, his obsessive monologue about possessiveness and absolute hatred for Monoma grinding to a halt. The shirt was slightly damp with sweat. It clung to Kacchan’s back, outlining the shape of his shoulder blades, emphasizing his broad shoulders, and highlighting the line of his spine.

Kacchan’s really been training, Izuku thought, admiring him. He had a build Izuku found enviable. Why did he work out so much? What kind of work did nurses even do? Sure, he guessed they needed strength to move patients and stuff, but come on, was it really that necessary? Izuku trained too, but he spent so much time out in the field that it was genuinely useful. Well, maybe it was about health or whatever. Still felt excessive. Kacchan attracted attention wherever he went. If he walked past you, you had to look at him. Izuku had noticed that effect for a long time now.

He stared at the back of Kacchan’s neck and realized something. The ground under his boots was no longer a compact, safe dirt path. Izuku’s steps crunched over leaves, and he was surrounded by raised roots and moss. How had he not noticed? He looked from left to right, paying attention to the environment.

“Uh… Kacchan?”

“What do you want now? Did you find another weird bug? Don’t bring that shit near me,” Kacchan grumbled without turning around.

“No. Kacchan, I think we left the trail a while ago.”

“I told you I was taking a shortcut. Are you spaced out or what?”

Izuku reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the map in one quick motion.

“I wasn’t spaced out, I was… thinking about… an insect, yes.” A half-truth. He unfolded the paper, analyzing it closely. “There’s no shortcut here. Actually, going by the vegetation, we’re heading into a dense forest area, Kacchan.”

Kacchan stopped. He slowly turned, wearing that look of superiority he always wore when challenged.

“Trust me. I’ve never been this sure about anything in my damn life. We can cut through here.”

“Kacchan, but this isn’t on the map…” Izuku pointed at the paper, worried. “Look, the cont…”

“You’re gonna trust a damn piece of paper over me, nerd?” Kacchan stepped closer, invading his personal space, and flicked him softly on the forehead with his index finger, giving him a half smile. “It’s me. I’m Katsuki Bakugo. When have I ever led you wrong?”

Izuku stared at him, raising a skeptical eyebrow. Then he dramatically rolled up his sleeves like he was preparing for something. He started counting on his fingers, wearing a very serious expression.

“Alright, let’s go through the list, Kacchan. Because of you, I got this nose piercing and my mom almost disowned me because you said I didn’t have the guts and I’d cry,” he began, pointing at the shiny bead on his nose. “Oh, and she almost banned you from our house. The first time I got drunk was with you, drinking some disgusting liquid you made in first year. You convinced me to jump from a tree when we were seven because if Superman could fly, then so could we. And let’s not forget in high school, when you swore you’d set the alarm for our fifteen minute nap in the empty science room.”

The blond made an amused face. “So what?”

“So what!? We woke up hours later, Kacchan! We missed the entire morning of classes and got detention!”

“Tiny, irrelevant details.” The blond cut him off, rolling his eyes and snatching the map from his hands. Izuku reached to get it back, but Kacchan folded it (terribly) and shoved it into his own back pocket with a smug look. Izuku’s stomach twisted at seeing his precious map that wrinkled. “You’re taking things out of context. Also, you look good with the piercing. Great, actually. You’re welcome. I’m a genius.”

Izuku felt his ears heat up at the comment, his brain short circuiting long enough to stop him from continuing his list (and he had many more examples prepared). Sometimes Kacchan said things like that and it made his stomach flip.

“Now move your ass,” Kacchan ordered, turning around and marching deeper into the forest like he could never possibly be wrong. Which was a complete lie, but Izuku didn’t say anything because he valued his life. “If you fall behind, I’m not coming back for you. I’ll let the wild animals out here eat you.”

“That’s a lie and you know it. You’d come back for me,” Izuku muttered, adjusting his backpack.

“Don’t be so sure, nerd,” Kacchan said, though there was amusement in his voice.

Nothing could possibly go wrong when hiking with his best friend. Absolutely nothing.

But the truth was that Izuku followed Kacchan with very little confidence.

________________

Izuku stopped, looking around. They’d been walking through this supposed shortcut for a while now. For hours. He checked his phone. They should’ve arrived already. The vegetation had changed drastically the deeper they went; the trees grew denser, and with that, less sunlight filtered through.

“Kacchan, the trees should be shorter near the lookout point, right? I checked some pictures yesterday and… the place was pretty recognizable. And, well, this doesn’t look like we’re getting close to anything like that…”

Kacchan stopped cold. He didn’t turn around right away. Izuku saw his shoulders tense. Then Kacchan glanced around and lifted a hand, signaling him to stay still. He seemed to be listening, but there was nothing to hear.

“The shortcut was near the river, nerd. I remember. The sound of the water is…” Kacchan turned his head again, still trying to hear the river’s current. The silence thickened, broken only by the rustling of leaves high above and a few distant birds.

“There’s no river, Kacchan.”

“The water level must be low,” Kacchan growled, starting to walk again with even more irritation, refusing to listen. Izuku wasn’t surprised. “We’re fine.”

“Kacchan, we just walked in a circle. We passed that log over there a while ago.”

Kacchan turned, staring at the log with exasperation. “Nerd, how the hell would you know it’s the same log? That’s impossible.”

“Because that end looks like a bear’s head, and I thought it was funny the first time we saw it.”

Kacchan’s crimson eyes locked on him; in them flickered confusion and panic.

“Shut up. We’re not lost.”

“We’re lost,” Izuku confirmed. He felt like he should definitely be panicking. He wasn’t quite there yet. Honestly, watching Kacchan lose it over his own mistake was a little funny.

Kacchan let out a frustrated sound, finally accepting the harsh truth. He pulled out his phone and lifted it into the air. Izuku took off his backpack, set it aside, and sat down on a log to watch Kacchan pace back and forth in desperation. Izuku wondered to himself whether what bothered him was being lost or being wrong. Something told him it was the second one.

“Damn it. No signal.”

“I don’t have signal either, and I’m at twenty percent because of all the photos I took,” Izuku admitted with a shrug.

Kacchan stared at him in disbelief, lowering his arm. He stepped closer with an expression that looked almost offended, Izuku could’ve sworn one corner of his mouth nearly lifted. “Let me get this straight. We’re gonna die because you preferred taking pictures of stupid mushrooms instead of saving battery?”

“Technically those mushrooms could save our lives if we’re actually lost and start starving, Kacchan. And we’re not gonna die. You’re a nurse, you know first aid and stuff. I’m a biologist, I know which things we can eat without ending up with liver failure and a slow, painful death. We both know physiology. We’re a good team.” Izuku winked, ignoring the seriousness of the situation.

For a second, Kacchan’s expression went unreadable, his ears turned red, and Izuku felt like he’d said or done something wrong. But then the exasperated look returned, and the ash blond clicked his tongue, shrugging off his backpack.

“If you don’t shut up, you’re the one who’s gonna have a slow, painful death at my hands.” Kacchan huffed, resigned. He dropped himself a bit farther away, sitting on the roots of a huge tree. Then he gestured at Izuku. “Come here. We’re checking what crap we brought before it gets dark. We need to know what we have and what we’re prepared for.”

Izuku obeyed instantly. Kacchan’s commanding tone always gave him chills. He grabbed his backpack and slid down to sit on the ground in front of him, right on top of some fallen leaves and moss.

Kacchan opened his backpack roughly, dumping part of the contents into the space on the ground between them.

Two water bottles, a little over half a liter each, fell out. Kacchan set them side by side. Then came three protein bars, the kind with sleek black wrappers that looked fancy and expensive. Three packs of cookies followed, same brand as the bars.

“We’ve got carbs and protein. That’s good,” Kacchan muttered to himself, using that tone Izuku only heard when they studied together side by side.

Then he pulled out something that made Izuku blink in confusion. Why would Kacchan bring that?

“A sleeping bag?” Izuku asked, leaning forward.

“Exactly, nerd. This shit cost me a kidney, but it’s good quality. It’ll keep us warm. Not very spacious, but it’ll do,” Kacchan explained, tapping the object. The red fabric looked expensive. “And this…” He pulled out another bundle, bigger but just as compact. Also red. Izuku couldn’t hide his shock. “…is a tent. A quick assembly one. It’s a tiny-ass one, but it’ll be useful.”

He stared at the items, then at Kacchan, then back at the items. The brand printed on both made it obvious they were expensive. Izuku couldn’t afford something like that without starving for a week.

“Kacchan… this costs more than my college tuition. More than my tuition even if I didn’t have the scholarship,” Izuku murmured. It was always funny remembering moments like this, how the Bakugos clearly had way more money than they let on. They grew up in the same neighborhood, but Kacchan definitely had finer tastes. “Why’d you bring all this? This was supposed to be a several hour hike, that’s it. Round trip. We weren’t even planning to watch the sunset here. We weren’t gonna camp.”

Kacchan frowned as he pulled out a first aid kit, about fifteen centimeters long. Bright red, with his name written on a piece of paper taped to one end. He set it next to the food before looking at Izuku.

“It’s called being prepared, dumbass. You should know, you’re always going on those fieldwork trips.”

“Yeah, but… we were only supposed to be gone for a few hours. And a tent? And a professional sleeping bag?” Izuku insisted, still stunned. “It’s like you knew we were going to get lost. Like you had a feeling your shortcut was kind of far…” Okay, now he was just teasing.

Kacchan’s eyes narrowed dangerously. He shot him an irritated, mocking glare.

“Go on, nerd, say one more time that we got lost because of me and I’ll leave you here alone. Let’s see if you enjoy becoming compost for those stupid mushrooms you wouldn’t shut up about the entire walk. You’ll be fertilizer for your damn wild flora.”

“I never said that! I just said… well, that you came super prepared. Over prepared, for someone who supposedly knew the way,” Izuku defended himself quickly, raising his hands in surrender while smiling.

Kacchan clicked his tongue, ignoring him. “Next, nerd.” He reached into the side pocket of his pants. Something metallic glinted in his hand when he pulled it out. He flipped it open, the silver blade flashed between his fingers. He spun the knife once or twice with ease, then stilled it and held it up. The handle was black and sleek. “In case we need to cut branches. Or annoying nerds who won’t stop rambling about their scientific crap.” With a quick flick of his wrist, the blade folded back into place with a sharp snap. He stuffed it into his pocket, giving Izuku a half smile and raising an eyebrow.

“Very funny, Kacchan.” Izuku rolled his eyes, though his heart sped up. Kacchan had big hands. Not that Izuku’s were small, but Kacchan’s stood out for some unknown reason. He preferred not to think about that. Definitely not.

“Your turn, Deku. Bring that backpack.”

Izuku sighed and dragged his yellow backpack toward himself. “I don’t have as much stuff, or anything as expensive, but it should help.” His bag was covered in nerdy patches, he even had one with a drawing of a mitochondrion. For a moment he felt embarrassed about his entire existence.

He pulled out two 500ml water bottles. Then a big bag of mixed nuts. Two protein bars that didn’t look nearly as fancy as Kacchan’s. And then, with a bit of shame, he pulled out a huge rectangular block wrapped in bright red packaging. He brought it to his chest like he could hide it.

Kacchan raised a brow. “What’s that?”

“You’re not gonna laugh, right, Kacchan?”

The blond bit his bottom lip, trying not to laugh. “Don’t tell me…”

“I really like chocolate. Leave me alone.”

Kacchan burst out laughing as Izuku extended the candy for him to see.

“Why are you laughing? It’s a quick source of energy, and it tastes good. And… Keep laughing and I won’t give you any.”

Kacchan stopped immediately, pressing his lips into a thin line, fighting a grin.

“You’re such a brat, you know that? You’re five damn years old.”

“Let me remind you, Kacchan, that you have an All Might plush in your room that you bought five months ago. And you fought a bunch of twelve year olds for it.”

This time the boy’s expression actually turned serious.

“Move on,” he said, coughing like he was resetting himself.

Izuku continued unpacking, feeling a bit triumphant. He had a flashlight, a roll of rope, a pair of gloves, spare socks, sunscreen, a toothbrush and toothpaste, wet wipes, some painkillers, tape, matches, and a bunch of other little things he didn’t even bother taking out because, honestly, compared to Kacchan’s professional gear, he felt like he hadn’t come prepared at all.

Kacchan stared at the rope and the socks.

“So, socks. Great. We might die of dehydration, but the stupid nerd won’t have wet feet.”

Izuku rolled his eyes, mildly annoyed. “Just admit it was a good idea. Also, remind me why we’re best friends again?”

Kacchan, sitting on the roots in front of him, leaned forward, getting dangerously close to Izuku’s face. He stopped about four inches away.

“Because you adore me. Don’t you, nerd?”

Then he pulled back.

It was one of those weird moments where Kacchan seemed to be messing with him. Izuku never understood where that came from, like the other was trying to provoke some kind of reaction. Usually, he could laugh it off or play along. But this time felt strange, because Kacchan had leaned in way too close. He let out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding and went back to rummaging through his backpack, his cheeks burning.

“W-well… the rope is useful too… For tying. Yeah, tying. That’s what ropes are for. Right. Tying things.”

“Or tying someone up so they shut the hell up for a moment,” Kacchan muttered while stuffing things into his backpack.

Izuku got a mental image of Kacchan tying him up, and for a second his stomach flipped. It didn’t look threatening at all in his head. But enough, what was that? He mentally smacked himself. God, the forest was messing with him.

“Alright, so, let’s do a count,” Kacchan said, looking over their supplies with a focused expression. “We’ve got a little over two liters of water. We can make that last somehow, so no stupid physical effort that’ll dehydrate us. Food’s enough for a couple days if we ration it and you don’t end up eating all that chocolate in five minutes like you always do.”

Izuku nodded, though he grimaced at that last part, but he stayed quiet. He liked this side of Kacchan, when he slipped into leader mode, all efficiency and seriousness.

“It’s past four,” Kacchan went on, checking his wristwatch. “We’ll eat something light now to keep our energy up. Half a bar each and some trail mix. Chocolate and cookies for tonight.” He tossed a protein bar at him, which Izuku barely managed to catch. “Split that, nerd. I’ll carry the water. You take the food.”

Izuku put everything away and moved to sit next to him. He broke the bar in half and handed a piece to the blond. Then he grabbed a handful of trail mix and divided it between them.

As he took his first bite, Kacchan pulled a crumpled map from his pocket. He stared at it with a frown while calmly chewing on his protein bar. He looked really focused, and a little worried. He finished his bite and rubbed a hand over his face, scratching at his right cheek in concentration. When he lowered his hand, Izuku noticed a smear of dirt there.

“I don’t think we walked that far, right?” Izuku said as he reached toward him. He gently brushed a thumb over Kacchan’s skin, clearing the dirt away. “We didn’t walk for that long.”

Kacchan froze mid chew. He didn’t even finish biting down. His whole body tensed for a second, and Izuku could swear he saw his cheeks redden. Izuku quickly pulled his hand back, suddenly afraid he’d made him uncomfortable. It took Kacchan a moment to swallow and get himself together.

“Uh-huh…” His voice came out almost like a whisper, though he lowered the map afterward. Izuku tilted his head at him, curious. Kacchan’s eyes were unique, deep and intense. Izuku really liked them. “I don’t think so. And anyway, your mom and the old hag know where we are. Your mom’ll have helicopters or NASA itself looking for us by tomorrow if we don’t show up.”

Izuku nodded, though he didn’t look away. Kacchan was giving him a strange look. A shiver crawled up Izuku’s spine and tickled the back of his neck. He swallowed hard and looked forward. “Then we’ll be fine, Kacchan.”

He felt Kacchan’s gaze lingering on him for a few more seconds. What was all that? Kacchan’s stare was making him more nervous than being lost in the woods.

They finished eating in silence. Izuku took a moment to look around at the vegetation, mentally naming a few plants and trees. He stopped when he realized Kacchan was laughing.

“I was mumbling, wasn’t I?”

“Yeah, nerd. Like always.” Kacchan ruffled Izuku’s hair, warm and casual. Then he hopped to his feet and grabbed his backpack. “Ready, nerd? Let’s try to keep going for a bit. Maybe you could yell to see if someone hears us… but then we need to find a place to sleep.”

“And why am I the one who has to yell?” Izuku asked, shouldering his backpack to follow.

“Because I’m not doing that shit.”

“Kacchan, you’re horrible.”

He snorted, shrugging. They started walking.

They got maybe thirty meters in, walking in silence, when Kacchan suddenly stopped. His boots skidded a little on the dirt. He turned slowly to look at Izuku.

“Hey, Deku.”

Kacchan’s voice was low, lacking its usual roughness. Izuku froze, alert, as if something had happened.

“Yes, Kacchan?”

“What’s up with you?”

Izuku blinked, confused. He tilted his head, studying his friend’s face for clues. But Kacchan looked normal, frowning like he always did when he was thinking too much and couldn’t find the answer, which usually made him irritated.

Izuku hurried to close the distance between them so they could walk side by side.

“What do you mean? Do I have something on my face?” He wiped his cheek carefully, but his palm came away clean.

Kacchan shot him a sideways look. His eyes narrowed. It felt like he was accusing him of something.

“You’re not panicking,” Kacchan blurted out, and yes, his tone did sound accusing. He kicked a rock on the ground, not violently, but in this strangely nervous gesture. Though Kacchan was never nervous, which made it weird. “I thought in a situation like this, with the map useless, no service, no battery, you’d be curled up in a ball. I thought you’d be mumbling like a hundred thousand words per minute about all the ways we could die, or straight up crying over our imminent deaths. But no. You’re… calm.”

Kacchan looked him up and down. It felt like being judged.

“You’re too calm. It’s freaking me out. It’s unnatural.”

Izuku thought about it as he matched Kacchan’s pace. A low branch stuck out right at forehead height, so he gently pushed it aside.

He was right. Absolutely right.

Izuku was not known for handling his nerves well. His entire life proved that. The first time he tried going to the university by himself, he got on the wrong bus going in the opposite direction. He took forever to notice and almost cried because he didn’t want to be late and make a bad first impression. He got anxious if he lost his pencil before an exam, even though he knew he could borrow one. His hands got sweaty whenever he had to speak in front of too many people, so he’d picture everyone in their underwear instead. That didn’t help much.

So why, now, lost on a mountain, was he so calm?

He looked at Kacchan. The blond walked with certainty, eyes focused straight ahead. Izuku felt a warm pressure in his chest. Was it because of Kacchan?

“Well…” Izuku started. “I guess it’s just not panic time yet. Don’t celebrate too early, Kacchan,” he added, trying to lighten the mood, nervously playing with his nose piercing and spinning the tiny bead. “My nervous breakdown just hasn’t shown up yet. Maybe it’s running late. It’s scheduled for a couple hours from now, when it gets dark and nobody finds us.”

“What do you mean it’s not time? We are lost, nerd. Deal with it,” Kacchan growled, still walking. “If we keep going up this slope we should reach the stupid lookout, assuming we didn’t veer off like two kilometers back, which, realistically, we probably did. So yeah. We’re fucking lost.”

Izuku noticed the tension in Kacchan’s jaw. He was blaming himself, that’s why he was so worried about Izuku having a panic attack. And yes, it would probably happen later, but right now Izuku felt calm.

“Are you scaaaared, Kacchaaaan?” he teased, stretching the nickname, leaning toward him with a playful grin just to poke at him and distract him.

He immediately got punched in the shoulder. Fast and hard.

“Shut up.”

Izuku laughed, rubbing the spot dramatically as if it hurt. “Alright, alright, yeah, you’re right. The situation sucks,” Izuku admitted, getting a little more serious. “But think about it. We have water. We’ve got food for a couple of days. We’ve got a flashlight, a sleeping bag, a tent... we’re well equipped.”

He paused. He looked at Kacchan’s profile. Sunlight slipped through the branches above them, hitting just that side of his face. His light hair glowed.

“And the most important thing...” Izuku smiled at him. It was a soft smile, warm, full of a devotion he didn’t even bother to hide. There was no reason to. Kacchan knew Izuku admired him. He was his best friend. “The most important thing is that I’m with you, Kacchan.”

The forest fell silent. Abruptly. Like someone had forced the entire world to stop. Like the universe itself had ordered the birds to quit singing.

Kacchan stopped walking and looked at him.

Even the wind seemed to stop, and Izuku’s hair prickled at the back of his neck.

They stood there, in the middle of nowhere, staring at each other. Izuku felt the air shift. Everything turned dense and light at the same time. His pulse, which had been steady until now, suddenly started racing against his will.

Kacchan’s crimson eyes didn’t give him any room to escape. Izuku felt the instinct to run, but he was trapped. That stare pressed into him with suffocating intensity, like Kacchan was trying to figure him out. Why was he doing that?

His throat went dry, and his breathing slipped out of control. Thinking about how Kacchan was trained to count his patients’ respirations per minute did not help. He swallowed.

“A-Also...” he stammered. The courage he’d had a moment ago had absolutely abandoned him, leaving him alone with a nervousness he didn’t even understand. “O-Our moms know we’re here, a-and w-we have supplies, like I said, s-so...”

“What do you mean by that?”

Kacchan’s voice was soft but steady, demanding an answer.

“Huh?”

“That you’re with me thing. What the fuck do you mean by that?”

Kacchan took a step toward him. Izuku instinctively tried to step back.

But he couldn’t.

Kacchan’s fingers shot out and closed around his wrist. Not with brute force. Nowhere near. But it was firm. Firm and delicate at the same time. The touch made Izuku’s skin tingle. Kacchan’s hand was warm.

“K-Kacchan?”

God. His breathing was getting cut off, and there was no logical reason for that. His heart slammed against his ribs. Could Kacchan feel his pulse? Of course he could. God. God.

Their eyes locked again, stronger than before. Kacchan’s head tilted slightly to the right, both brows raised, his eyes half lidded with a dangerous curiosity that sank into every corner of Izuku’s body. He was waiting for an answer. Izuku didn’t know what kind of answer he wanted, but Kacchan didn’t look like he was planning to let go.

Izuku felt his cheeks burning. His neurons tried, with intense desperation, to fire a synapse, searching for a rational excuse. Not that he really needed an excuse. Kacchan was his best friend. He trusted him. More than anyone. Kacchan knew that. So why couldn’t he speak? He was frozen. Hysterical.

“Ah! I-I mean, it’s just that...” Izuku looked away, focusing on Kacchan’s chest, unable to withstand the intensity of those eyes, eyes that seemed determined to look straight into his stupid, useless brain. “You’re... you’re really grounded, Kacchan. You’re the best at everything you do. And we have... your medical knowledge, and my knowledge... We’re a team. A good team… We can manage for now...”

Izuku sounded clumsy. Stupid. The words came out dragged, tripping over each other, tangled together. He was making a fool of himself, and he didn’t know why.

Kacchan didn’t say anything for a long, eternal second. His grip tightened just a little, a small, unconscious squeeze. Then it loosened. His index finger and thumb slid over Izuku’s skin with unexpected gentleness, almost like a caress, before releasing him.

Izuku didn’t like losing the contact. It was strange. His wrist suddenly felt cold, but at least he could breathe again. Even so, something felt missing.

“I see,” Kacchan murmured.

His voice sounded odd. Quiet, with a tone that almost bordered on resignation.

Kacchan’s lips twisted into a faint, unreadable expression, not quite a smile, not quite his usual annoyance. The warm afternoon light washed over his face, painting a soft red across his cheeks and giving him an unreal kind of beauty.

For a moment, Izuku stared, watching the movement of his friend’s throat. Kacchan’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. Izuku quickly looked away.

“Don’t fall behind,” Kacchan ordered, his voice a little rougher than usual, and he resumed walking without waiting for an answer, putting distance between them.

Izuku brought his hand to his wrist, cradling the spot where Kacchan’s fingers had been seconds before. A fluttering sensation settled low in his stomach. He pressed the area, hoping the feeling would disappear from his skin.

They walked in silence for a while. The tension between them was obvious. It was strange, they didn’t usually have tense moments. Even when they argued, it was never serious. To break it, Izuku started pointing out things in the landscape. First some weird bugs. A tiny spider scurrying by. If he knew the scientific name of something, he said it. That made Kacchan growl, then laugh, and then he’d tell him to yell again in case someone happened to be nearby. Sometimes Izuku pointed out strange shapes in tree trunks, and they got into heated arguments about what they resembled. Kacchan’s laugh was the most beautiful sound in the world.

After a long stretch without talking, Izuku let his curiosity win.

“Kacchan, can I ask you something?”

“No,” Kacchan replied immediately.

Izuku laughed. He expected that. On any normal day Kacchan told him no a hundred times, and almost none of them were real refusals.

“Why do you like nursing? Why’d you choose it?” he asked anyway.

Kacchan faltered for a split second and glanced at him with a hesitant expression before continuing forward.

“What kind of stupid question is that, nerd? We’re trying to survive and you’re trying to figure out if I’ve wasted almost three years of my life on a degree I might not even like. Are you my career counselor now?”

“I’m just really curious, Kacchan,” Izuku insisted, speeding up so he could walk beside him. “I don’t know... it’s just that you don’t really like people. Actually, you really don’t like people. I think you spend 99% of your time telling everyone you can’t stand them. But you picked a career that revolves around interacting with people…”

Kacchan growled. “It’s not that I don’t like people, nerd. I just don’t like stupid people, and it turns out most people are idiots. Either way, it’s different. Got it?”

“Kacchan…”

“Fine, damn it. Do you have to be right about everything? So annoying,” he sighed. “I don’t like people much,” he admitted, rolling his eyes. “People are slow, dumb, irritating. Almost nobody gets on my good side. But that doesn’t mean I don’t like my major. They’re different things.”

“Mmm, explain that,” Izuku said, curiosity shining in his voice. He never understood Kacchan’s reasoning, but his inner world was fascinating.

“Damn it, nerd, why do you want to know that now?”

“We’re lost in a forest,” Izuku said, shrugging. “It’s fun to look at plants, take pictures, enjoy the view, but this is the perfect moment to talk, right? We’ve got nowhere to run. So answer me, Kacchan.”

Kacchan didn’t reply right away. He glanced at him quickly, an unreadable look, then crouched down. For a second, Izuku thought he’d spotted something interesting. Kacchan pressed two fingers into the loose, dark soil. He moved them with a gentleness that wasn’t typical for him.

“Look. Come here,” he ordered.

That tone again. Izuku shivered, but obeyed.

“What is it? Did you find some…?”

He didn’t get to finish, because Kacchan turned and smeared the dirt covered fingers against the tip of Izuku’s nose.

“Kacchan!”

Izuku stumbled back, hands flying to his face in disgust. Kacchan, meanwhile, was grinning like he’d won something. He brushed the dirt off his hands and clothes.

“See? Matches your freckles, nerd.”

“You’re an idiot. You’re the one who’s five,” Izuku muttered, wiping the dirt off his nose.

“Come on. Don’t tell me you don’t like dirt. You love places like this.”

“Kacchan. Answer my question.”

Kacchan stopped, leaning his back against a tree trunk. He looked at Izuku with a smile that made Izuku’s whole body itch all of a sudden. Izuku stepped closer, and Kacchan avoided his eyes for a moment.

“Look, it’s complicated.” His voice dropped a little, soft and calm. “Maybe I don’t like people in general all that much. But it’s different with patients.”

Izuku stopped wiping his nose and stared at him, fascinated at getting answers so easily. It was the power of Izuku Midoriya. Of course it was.

“Different how?”

“When someone’s sick or hurt…” he explained, eyebrows furrowing as if he were taking his time to think. “Pain is something really intimate, nerd. Suffering is personal. When someone comes asking for help, they’re at their most vulnerable. People don’t pretend. I like knowing what I know. I like understanding it, it’s interesting, and I like applying it.”

Kacchan looked at Izuku again. His eyes had softened, and the smile was barely there anymore.

“Yeah, I like being good at it,” he continued, with that arrogance that made Izuku laugh out loud. “And I like… helping. Fuck, I hate almost everyone, isn’t that weird? But it feels good to ask patients questions, to let them feel free to express their pain, to talk with them in those shitty moments of suffering, or even offer something that eases that pain.”

That strange flutter in Izuku’s chest was back again. Kacchan was an interesting, wonderful person.

“It’s like… beating the pain,” Izuku murmured.

Kacchan nodded, crossing his arms.

“Exactly. It’s not always possible, that’s the fucked up part, but you do what you can. Sometimes winning means calming someone down, or listening, or just making them feel a little more comfortable in a moment as shitty as being sick.”

Izuku smiled as warmth spread across his cheeks.

“You’re amazing, Kacchan. You’re gonna be a great nurse.”

“Tch.”

Kacchan pushed off the tree, motioning for them to keep walking.

“And what’s the worst part, Kacchan?”

“The worst part is the damn doctors.”

“The doctors? Aren’t they the most worried about helping patients?”

“Fuck, you’d think so. Most of them are egotistical idiots,” Kacchan growled. “They think they’re gods and don’t even know the patients’ names. You have to be on their asses correcting doses, you have to follow all their shitty instructions that don’t even make sense. I hate taking orders from stupid people.”

Izuku let out a loud laugh. “You just hate taking orders from anyone, Kacchan.”

“Shut up, nerd. I’m talking about something important. The hierarchy in the healthcare system is crap.”

Izuku stepped closer and gave Kacchan a gentle push on the shoulder, playful.

“You yell at the poor med students, don’t you?”

“Of course not… Only when they’re about to kill someone,” Kacchan defended himself, but he didn’t push him back. In fact, he glanced at him from the side and smiled. “Actually, the med students aren’t that bad. Maybe it’s because they’re not contaminated yet by all that god complex bullshit. At least not all of them.”

They walked side by side, their arms brushing every couple of steps.

Izuku had a clumsy smile stuck on his face, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get rid of it. He thought Kacchan’s view on easing people’s pain was beautiful. He thought it was incredible how much he cared for his patients, even when he acted like he kept a barrier between himself and the world. And even more wonderful that he was willing to share all of this with Izuku.

“Hey, Kacchan,” he said, tapping the boy’s hand with his index finger, trying to catch his attention.

“What, nerd?”

“Aren’t you going to ask…” Izuku hesitated, glancing up at the treetops as shyness crawled up his spine. “Aren’t you going to ask why I chose my major?”

He felt Kacchan’s gaze locked on him. Izuku didn’t turn around right away, only doing so when the blond stopped walking and forced him to stop too. His eyes met his friend’s, catching on that almost offended expression.

“Are you fucking kidding me, nerd?”

“Huh? N-no, it’s just… since I asked you, I thought you…”

Kacchan let out a long sigh, his broad shoulders relaxing.

“Why would I ask you something I know better than my own damn name?” Kacchan cut in, looking at him for another second before he started walking again. His steps were slow and careful. Izuku caught up, and their arms brushed once more in that quiet rhythm. “You’ve been obsessed with this since forever. I’ve known you my whole life.”

The blond looked down; for a moment, Izuku felt their hands bump before Kacchan turned his gaze forward. “You’ve always been fascinated by this stuff. By life. Plants, animals, those disgusting bugs you kept in your pockets. How everything worked, all that crap.”

Izuku’s heart nearly stopped when Kacchan snorted, a crooked, nostalgic smile blooming, beautiful and subtle, his lips curving just a little, his eyes softening.

“Fuck, in high school every single science class went overtime…” the blond said, looking at him. The eye contact made Izuku’s chest tingle. “Because of you. Because you couldn’t stop asking questions. The lunch bell would ring and fuck, I was starving. But the teacher couldn’t escape you, ‘cause every one of your questions was more interesting than the last.”

Heat bloomed on Izuku’s neck, rising to his cheeks and ears. He stared at the dirt path, embarrassed. “I’m sorry, Kacchan. I must’ve been kind of annoying.”

“You’re the most passionate person I’ve ever met. You love knowing how life works. Your eyes light up. Everything interests you, from the smallest shit like those cells you kept drawing, to the big stuff, like how this whole forest breathes and grows. You love everything. You love nature.”

Kacchan stopped and turned toward him, lowering his voice. That low, rough sound was hypnotic. It made Izuku’s ears buzz.

“I’ve seen you stop in the middle of the street just to stare at a flower for a while. To take pictures of some ugly bug in a tree. I’ve seen you come home yelling because you got good shots of a sample in the lab. I’ve seen you cry watching octopus documentaries. I don’t need to ask why you chose your major.”

Izuku was looking at him again. He couldn’t help himself.

Kacchan leaned in just a little, invading his personal space, stopping only a few centimeters from his face. The left corner of his mouth lifted in a proud, arrogant half smile.

“I’m so aware of how much you love every damn part of what you do that asking would be an insult to me and my intelligence.”

Izuku was sure his heart was punching hard enough against his ribs for Kacchan to hear it.

“A-ah… You’re very observant, Kacchan,” he whispered, doing his best not to tear up. Those words left him hanging at the edge of some overwhelming, warm emotion spreading across his whole body.

Kacchan clicked his tongue and abruptly pulled away, breaking the intimate moment.

“I am observant, nerd. It’s a clinical skill, and very necessary for my career,” he added, kicking a rock down the path with unnecessary force as he sped up to put some distance between them. “Besides, you’re really loud about the shit you like. You’re impossible to ignore.”

Izuku stayed behind a moment, smiling, then jogged to catch up.

“You’re not gonna admit you like listening to me talk about my biology-stuff?” Izuku asked, tilting his head to try to catch his eyes.

“I’d never say that shit.” Kacchan turned his face away, as if trying to hide.

“Well, your little speech just now says the opposite…”

“My speech says you’re fucking loud.”

“You like listening to me, Kacchan. Just admit it.”

Kacchan stopped and turned. His red eyes glinted in warning.

“I’d like to shut you up, that’s for sure.”

The words hung in the air. Still, Kacchan started walking again before Izuku could fully process them.

They walked side by side again. Izuku stepped ahead a few paces and turned around, walking backwards carefully.

“Idiot, you’re gonna trip! And I swear I’m not saving you,” he warned, frowning, though his eyes stayed glued to Izuku’s feet, watching every step.

“I’m not gonna fall,” Izuku said with confidence, smiling. “Okay… let’s test your memory. You definitely know what my favorite cell is.”

Kacchan rolled his eyes, exasperated, as if it wasn’t a challenge at all.

“Fuck. Neurons. Even though I’m pretty sure yours don’t work that well.”

Izuku let out an delighted little laugh, ignoring the insult and letting out a soft “wow.” He almost tripped in the process. Kacchan twitched, ready to grab him, but Izuku recovered first.

“That was too easy,” Izuku challenged, taking another step backward. “Favorite fungus?”

“A tiny one that doesn’t even grow in Japan. Marasmius haematocephalus?”

He nodded, but immediately fired another question.

“What’s my favorite cellular organelle?”

“The endoplasmic reticulum.”

Izuku stopped, letting Kacchan walk up until they were one step apart.

“Rough or smooth?” Izuku whispered, a defiant smile playing on his lips.

Kacchan leaned forward, invading his space. Something shifted in his expression. Those fire red irises burned. Izuku froze mid step.

“Rough, nerd,” the blond answered, his voice low and certain.

“You like listening to me, Kacchan,” Izuku repeated in a soft, trembling tone. The teasing and boldness from earlier were gone.

Kacchan held his gaze for one more second. Izuku’s legs almost gave out. Then the blond lifted a hand and gently pushed Izuku’s forehead back.

“Damn it, shut the hell up and face forward before you crack your skull open when you finally trip,” Kacchan growled.

Izuku touched his forehead where Kacchan had tapped him, smiling as he returned to walking beside him.

“Kacchaaaan.”

“Walk.”

They kept going, the air between them light and playful. The slope wasn’t too steep in that stretch, so climbing didn’t take much effort.

They had been walking for around twenty minutes in that silence when they ran into a missing patch of ground, probably washed out by the rains. The trail simply ended, leaving them about two meters below the part of the path they’d been following.

“Shit,” Kacchan grunted.

Without another word, they walked alongside the edge, searching for a lower spot where they could cross.

“Here, nerd. This works.”

Kacchan pointed at a rock jutting out of the dirt. It was big, covered in patches of moss. Unlike the crumbling soil around them, this was solid. Steady.

The blond climbed first. Izuku stayed one step behind, watching every movement. Kacchan moved with careful certainty. He grabbed a thick branch, planted a foot on a protruding part of the rock, and pushed himself up. With a low grunt, he stood on top of the structure.

Once up there, his boots searched for the firmest areas, smooth patches without moss.

Then, without looking directly down, he extended a hand behind him. His palm open. Offered. Waiting.

Izuku took a second just to look at that hand.

A stupid flutter bloomed in his chest. If he tried to describe it, it felt like a trapped butterfly beating its wings against his ribs, desperate to escape. It had happened to him before, but never this intensely. It was a little uncomfortable. No, uncomfortable wasn’t the right word. It was exciting, exciting in a way he couldn’t understand. The thought from earlier resurfaced; Kacchan’s hands were big. His fingers were long. Big, strong, steady hands.

He didn’t hesitate. His hand fit perfectly into Kacchan’s.

Immediately, the blond tightened his grip. Those long fingers closed around Izuku’s hand with perfect pressure. How could it be perfect? Izuku didn’t know, but that’s exactly how it felt. Warm and steady.

Izuku followed the same sequence of movements. He found a place to push off from, and with that, gave himself the boost he needed. Kacchan pulled him up effortlessly. Izuku planted one boot firmly. But just as he was about to set his second foot on the surface, he placed it in the worst possible spot. The moss betrayed him. His foot slid fast, making the world tilt. He almost screamed.

Kacchan reacted instantly. He didn’t let go. He yanked Izuku toward him in a sharp motion. His other hand clamped down on Izuku’s hip, pulling him in hard before his fingers secured themselves around Izuku’s waist.

Their bodies collided, and Izuku managed to plant both feet on the rock. They wobbled for a second, but Kacchan spread his legs to keep them balanced.

Izuku let out a breathy little laugh of relief. He kept his eyes glued to the ground, determined not to step on moss again. “That was close, Kacchan,” he murmured.

Then he became aware of their position. His chest was pressed against Kacchan’s. Completely pressed. He could feel the blond’s breathing, in every sense of the word. His chest rising, falling. Kacchan’s arm still wrapped around his waist, grip unslacking. Every point of contact was warm. Soft. The heat pulsed through him, spreading from his stomach all the way up to his forehead.

He would’ve thought it couldn’t get any worse, but Izuku, in his infinite brilliance, lifted his gaze. And there they were, Kacchan’s eyes. Their faces were only inches apart. The blond’s skin looked flawless at this distance. His eyes were narrow, sharp, intense. The color burned bright.

“Uh…” Kacchan muttered, his tone lower than usual. Even so, Izuku was close enough to feel the vibration in his throat. “Watch the moss, nerd.”

Kacchan’s red eyes didn’t move a single millimeter. They stayed locked on him, as if he needed to stare long enough for Izuku to spill every secret he had. God, why did that keep happening? Izuku swallowed, the sound embarrassingly loud. He wished the earth would swallow him instead. He held the eye contact even though a voice in his stupid brain whispered to stop. Back up, laugh it off (like always), and keep walking.

But his body felt heavy.

“Y-yeah, careful… Kacchan,” Izuku whispered.

Kacchan’s eyes flicked downward. Just a little. Izuku realized, horrified, that the blond was staring at his mouth.

Either that, or Izuku was losing his mind.

The grip vanished instantly. Kacchan broke the moment with a harsh throat clear.

“If I have to save your life again, you owe me money.”

He moved away in a flash, climbing with quick steps, using smaller rocks as support. The distance became palpable. Izuku almost missed the contact. He stayed there for a moment, trying to calm himself. Kacchan’s hand, the one that had held his mere seconds ago, hung at his side. The blond’s fingers curled, fist tightening before opening again. Then Kacchan shook out his hand and shoved it into his pocket.

“You planning on staying there between the rocks and the moss?” His voice was rougher than before, way rougher than when he’d been holding him.

“I’m coming,” Izuku replied, forcing himself to move.

Chapter Text

Kacchan had been trying to figure out exactly where they were on the map for a while now. He kept turning the paper one way and then the other, trying to make sense of it. His best friend might be talented at a lot of things, but reading maps was apparently his anti-talent. He finally snapped after asking three times in a row what a few symbols meant in the middle of the forest. Izuku didn’t really get what he meant either, shouldn’t the map have a legend or something? He was starting to think they were missing a page. So Kacchan declared, with absolute conviction, that maps were bullshit made by idiots whose only goal was to confuse expert hikers like him.

Kacchan was about to violently crumple the paper in his fists again, but Izuku beat him to it. With a quick move, he snatched the map out of his hands, laughing.

“Stop crumpling it, we might need it later, Kacchan.”

“Yeah, sure. It’ll be great for starting a fire when we’re freezing our asses off.”

They kept walking at a slow pace. Izuku wandered around, climbing over huge roots to peek at bird nests in tree hollows, making little comments every now and then, comments Kacchan answered with nothing but a grunt. Izuku, already an expert at deciphering irritated blond noises, translated them as either “mm, I see” or “mm, I don’t give a shit.”

Kacchan was walking ahead when Izuku noticed the tension in his back. He stopped in front of a massive tree. The ash blond tilted his head, something he always did when he was focused. Izuku ran to catch up.

“What is it, Kacchan?”

His best friend didn’t answer. With a slight jerk of his chin, he pointed at the trunk.

A small metal sign, dirty and worn, was nailed to the tree. It had the illustration of a bear, and under it, in bold red letters, a warning: Caution! Bear Sightings in This Area.

“Holy shit, nerd. There are bears here?”

Kacchan stopped staring at the words and locked eyes with him. He twisted his mouth, lips tugging to the side, and raised a brow. He was worried.

Izuku blinked, looking from the sign to his friend.

“Of course there are. We’re in the mountains, Kacchan.” Izuku shrugged, trying to downplay it. “But I haven’t read any confirmed sightings around this specific area in a while… Besides, look on the bright side.”

“The bright side?” Kacchan repeated, turning fully toward him with wide, alarmed eyes. “We’re lost, we’ve got no signal, it’s gonna get dark soon, and now we’re apparently the main course in some bear’s fancy ass dinner. What the hell is the bright side?”

“Well, if that sign is here,” Izuku explained, “it means someone put it up. Which means we’re not that far from civilization.”

“Nerd, a bear is going to eat us.”

“We’re not gonna get eaten by a bear!” Izuku laughed, taking a step toward him. “Statistically, it’s super unlikely. Besides, black bears are shy. Animals in general don’t usually want to get close to humans, especially if there’s a lot of noise, you know?” Izuku smiled, a bright and teasing grin. “And you’re really loud, Kacchan. We’re safe.”

Kacchan narrowed his eyes. He raised his arm and punched Izuku in the shoulder, hard enough to slightly shove him to the side.

“What are you trying to say, Deku? That I’m loud?”

Izuku regained his balance, rubbing his arm. He stepped close again, brushing his shoulder against the ash blond’s to give him a very gentle nudge.

“That your lovely voice is like music to my ears, Kacchan,” he said, batting his eyelashes with an expression of absolute innocence. “But I guess bears don’t appreciate your wonderful voice the way I do.”

“Are you complaining, damn nerd?” Kacchan growled, though a smile threatened on the right corner of his mouth.

“On the contrary. I’m saying you’re increasing our survival chances.”

“You’re ridiculous. And you give me a headache. Shut up.” Kacchan waved a hand like he was shooing a bug before turning his back to keep walking. “We better find a place to sleep before it gets darker. Somewhere hidden.”

“Why hidden?” Izuku asked, having to pick up his pace to catch up. “Do you want privacy? Here? In an empty forest? What for?”

Kacchan stopped and looked over his shoulder, arching an eyebrow again.

“For the bears, nerd.”

Izuku leaned forward, looking for Kacchan’s face. He was practically skipping along, fully invested in teasing the ash blond.

“Are you scared, Kacchaaaan?” he whispered, dragging out the vowels the way he liked to do when he was messing with him.

Kacchan turned quickly toward him, lifted his right hand, and with an expression wavering between amused and irritated, flicked him gently on the forehead.

“I have survival instincts. Ever heard of them, nerd?”

Izuku massaged the spot with his palm in soft circles, laughing quietly.

Ahead, the path the forest offered decided to turn hostile. The ground, which had been relatively flat until then, granted them a trek full of obstacles. The trail twisted into a series of sudden climbs and dips, where thick roots rose from the earth, hindering their steps and forcing them to watch where they put their feet.

At some point, the trail simply cut off. They ran headfirst into an abrupt drop, a collapsed section of ground forming a slope of about four or five meters. The dirt at the edge looked loose, explaining the landslide. Kacchan stopped, took off his backpack, and set it on the ground to drink some water.

Izuku approached the edge of the drop-off, leaning his torso forward to calculate the fall.

“Do we go around or climb down here, Kacchan? The ground levels out at the bottom.”

Kacchan set the bottle on the ground and walked over. He stopped at a safe distance, assessing the slope. He kicked a small rock, watching it drag downhill. As it went over the edge, a good chunk of dirt broke loose, rolling all the way down.

“The ground is kinda loose. We should keep going around. Besides, we shouldn't be going down, only up, to get to the lookout.”

Izuku was about to nod, ready to follow instructions, when a flash of colors caught his attention.

It came from a tree growing at an exotic angle, resembling an inverted U. It leaned to one side, hanging over that small precipice. Something on the bark shone intensely, in colors that stood out against the forest's classic palette.

“Look!” Izuku exclaimed, pointing, completely forgetting what Kacchan had just said. “It’s a jewel beetle! Do you see it?”

Kacchan followed the line of his finger, squinting.

“I don’t see jack shit, nerd.”

“There! Right in that fork in the branch, look!”

Without thinking twice, Izuku took off his backpack, set it aside, and got as physically close to the edge as possible. His feet were inches away from where the dirt started to crumble. He held onto the trunk of the leaning tree with one hand, looking for leverage for what he planned to do. He rose onto his tiptoes, stretching as much as possible. The insect was more than a meter above his head.

With his free hand, Izuku maneuvered to get his phone out of his pocket, determined to keep wasting the device’s battery on what he considered something valuable.

“It’s so pretty, Kacchan. You have to see it up close,” Izuku murmured. “It’s called Chrysochroa fulgidissima. It’s a metallic green color and has these reddish stripes on the edges… Let’s see… If I could just find the angle so the photo looks good…”

“Nerd, it’s just another ugly bug.” Kacchan’s voice sounded tense. He was closer than before. “Now get your ass away from that edge. That dirt looks unstable and if you fall, I promise I’ll kill you.”

Izuku shot him a quick glance over his shoulder. His best friend had an arm extended toward him, clearly torn about whether to grab him and yank him back violently. Izuku let out a soft laugh; his eyes crinkled and his teeth showed. He looked back up, focusing his phone camera with his brow furrowed in concentration. He twisted his body a bit, searching for the perfect angle.

“Kacchan, relax. It’ll just take a second. I have good balance.” With that, Izuku stretched further. The insect was still a little far. “Hmm…” He needed height. He let go of the trunk for a second to find support and placed his foot on a thick root jutting out from the tree, using it as a step to lift himself a few inches.

“Jesus. Get back here right now or I swear I’ll tie you to a tree with that stupid rope you brought,” Kacchan growled, taking a step forward.

Izuku ignored his friend’s irritated bark, fully focused on the insect, terrified it might fly off before he got his precious photo.

“Almost there… a little more to the left…”

He stretched his arm out as far as he could, holding his breath. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the insect centered perfectly on the screen. He tapped the button, and a click sounded.

The slippery dirt gave way, just a little, right under the tiny spot where Izuku had found his foothold. He didn’t even have time to scream. Gravity took over, and he lurched sideways. His phone slipped from his hand and skidded down the slope. Izuku followed right after, stomach dropping when his grip on the trunk failed.

“Izuku!”

One moment he was bracing for impact, and the next a strong arm wrapped around his waist. Kacchan cushioned the fall, dragging him tight against his body as he slid a hand to the back of Izuku’s neck, forcing his head down against his shoulder to shield his face.

They rolled. If he thought about it, he was lucky, they were rolling and not just slamming straight down like rocks. Kacchan let out a rough grunt as they tumbled over dirt packed with small stones. Izuku clung to him, arms locked tight around him.

They were going to die and it was going to be his fault. Well, maybe not die, but they were definitely going to end up wrecked, and he was pretty sure he now owed Kacchan his life.

It only lasted a few seconds. Their fall ended abruptly when their sides slammed into a small log waiting at the bottom. Dirt continued sliding down the slope as Izuku blinked his eyes open, finally getting his breath back. He coughed at the dust thick in the air. Something near his calf throbbed and burned, but overall he was fine. Nothing hurt too badly.

He wasn’t touching the ground. Actually… he was pretty comfortable.

He was on top of Kacchan. Their chests were pressed together, both of them breathing way too fast, and Izuku’s arms were looped snugly around Kacchan’s neck like his life depended on it. He quickly let go, planting his elbows on either side of him to push himself up a few inches.

Kacchan’s eyes were shut, his face twisted in pain. Dirt clung to a small gash on his right cheek, a thin smear of blood tracing across it. Izuku tried adjusting his position to look at him, but ended up with both knees straddling his best friend’s hips.

“Kacchan? You’re bleeding…” he whispered.

Kacchan’s eyelids lifted slowly. He looked up at the sky first, then around them, trying to get his bearings. His grip tightened automatically around Izuku’s waist, keeping him close. When his crimson eyes finally locked onto Izuku’s, the reality of their awkward position seemed to hit them both. Kacchan’s eyes widened a little, his ears turned red, and even the cheek with the scratch went pink.

Kacchan didn’t move. He just breathed hard. Izuku felt the boy’s fingers dig into his waist like he was checking something. He could feel Kacchan’s breath against his chest.

He swallowed thickly.

“Nerd,” Kacchan growled, voice low and almost too soft to hear.

“Y-yeah?” Izuku stammered. He was so close to Kacchan’s face that, staring at him like this, he was sure he could memorize the exact shade of that vivid red.

Kacchan stayed still, and that made Izuku panic. Was he supposed to move? Was he not supposed to? What if they hit their heads? Weren’t you not supposed to move if that happened? Kacchan blinked, his lashes brushing so delicately that heat shot up Izuku’s neck. Kacchan’s hand slid down in an unconscious motion. His fingertips grazed the fabric over Izuku’s hip, and Izuku had to fight the instinct to jump.

“Get off…” Kacchan muttered, rough and strangled.

“Huh? Ah! Y-yeah! Sorry!”

Izuku scrambled off him with so much clumsy desperation he prayed the earth would swallow him whole. His legs tangled with Kacchan’s and he almost fell on him again. Eventually he managed to shift to the side and plop down on the ground, putting space between them.

“Jesus, nerd. You’re a stubborn pain in my ass. I told you. You never listen.” Kacchan sat up, rubbing small circles on his side. 

Izuku grabbed his calf, lifting the hem of his pants. He had an abrasion, probably from sliding over the rocks. He didn’t dare look at Kacchan. “In my defense…” He went silent, trying to think. After a long pause with no excuses coming to mind, he muttered guiltily, “I have nothing to say in my defense.”

“No shit, nerd. I told you that crap looked unstable, and you decided to hang off it like a damn monkey.” Kacchan’s voice was irritated, but oddly soft. Izuku risked a glance and saw him wipe his cheek with the back of his hand, brushing off the blood.

“Are you okay, Kacchan? Let me see.”

Izuku scooted closer, invading his personal space.

“I’m fine. It’s probably just a scratch.”

“I said let me see, Kacchan,” he snapped, sharper than usual. He knelt beside him, their knees brushing. He leaned in, raising a hand, his fingers hovered for a second before cupping Kacchan’s jaw. With a gentle turn, he angled Kacchan’s face toward the fading light.

Kacchan went still. He stopped complaining entirely (which was highly suspicious), and closed his eyes while Izuku examined the wound.

“What’s it look like?” Kacchan murmured.

Izuku slid his thumb below the cut, stretching the skin ever so slightly to inspect it.

“It’s really superficial, Kacchan. Small. Probably a rock… And it’s not bleeding anymore. Just some dirt stuck on it.” He held Kacchan’s jaw a moment longer, studying the scratch. His gaze drifted up to Kacchan’s lashes, which fluttered when he opened his eyes.

Izuku pulled his hand away and looked aside.

“Nothing serious, then. I’ll live.”

Kacchan’s gaze dropped, scanning Izuku until it landed on his right leg, where his pants were torn enough to show skin.

“And you, nerd? You good? Does anything hurt?”

“I just scraped my calf a little. It’s nothing.”

Even though Izuku insisted it wasn’t serious, Kacchan leaned in anyway, unwilling to relax until he confirmed the wound was shallow. When he was done, he pulled back and gave Izuku another slow once over. A faint shiver ran up Izuku’s spine.

“You sure nothing hurts?”

“Nothing, Kacchan. I might get a bruise later, but I’m fine… I’m really sorry, you know?”

Kacchan clicked his tongue, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, nerd. I already accepted that I’m gonna spend my whole damn life saving your ass.”

“Hey!” Izuku protested, because technically that wasn’t true. He could take care of himself perfectly well. He was just… a little clumsy.

“Your phone, nerd?”

“Oh!” They both stood at the same time, though Izuku noticed Kacchan held his side while getting up. Guilt stabbed him again. He didn’t comment, Kacchan would just claim he didn’t feel anything.

They searched the ground; Izuku brushed aside fallen leaves while Kacchan checked farther ahead. Izuku finally found his poor phone, screen cracked to hell.

“Oh no.”

“You find it?”

He held it up, lips automatically puckered into a sad pout. He dusted it off and pressed the power button. He nearly squeaked when the screen lit up.

“It turns on, Kacchan! But the screen didn’t make it…”

“Poor phone. Its owner’s a nerd who fills it with pictures of nasty bugs and has trash tier balance.”

Izuku narrowed his eyes at him, ready to argue, but held back. In fact, he would enter a vow of silence. Or something like it. He wouldn’t annoy Kacchan for a whole hour to prove how guilty he felt. A whole hour. That was huge.

“How are we getting back up? Our backpacks are still up there.”

They stood side by side, staring upward.

“We’ll have to figure something out, nerd.”

In the end, they had to walk until they found the lowest part of the slope. They climbed a tree to reach the upper area again and get their stuff back.

Kacchan did not stop reminding him he had garbage balance.

________________

The sun kept sinking as the temperature dropped, painting the sky with streaks of orange. The wind picked up, turning cold, and the air stayed damp.

Luckily, they found a small natural cavity that shielded them from the wind. A rock formation rose several meters high, curving into a concave half circle with a stone roof overhead. On one side, a line of tall trees formed another wall, creating a cave like shelter.

Dusk was nearly over, so they decided not to keep walking.

They sat on the ground of their makeshift refuge.

Kacchan pulled off his backpack and took out the red first aid kit with quick, efficient movements.

“Nerd, you need to get the dirt off this crap,” Kacchan said, pointing at the cut on his cheek. The dried blood had mixed with dust, and Izuku winced at the sight. Kacchan hadn’t complained about pain even once, but Izuku suspected his back must hurt somewhere. On top of that, he looked tired, very tired.

“Okay! Just tell me what to do.” Izuku sat cross legged in front of him, ready to follow instructions.

Kacchan grabbed a small bottle of saline and tore open one of many gauze packets. He set the gauze and saline beside him, then took out a small bottle of hand sanitizer and held it out.

“Here,” he ordered, jerking his chin toward Izuku’s palms.

Izuku obeyed, holding out his hands. Kacchan squeezed the bottle, letting a generous amount fall over them. The sting of alcohol hit Izuku’s nose immediately.

“You just have to pour the saline over the wound so the pressure washes the dirt off,” Kacchan explained while Izuku rubbed in the sanitizer. “Then use the gauze to dry around it with gentle taps. That’s it.”

“Got it.”

Izuku picked up the saline, snapped off the plastic tip, and leaned closer. The light was fading fast, so he had to squint and move in.

“Here I go. Tilt your head a bit, Kacchan.”

“Don’t tell me what to do, nerd,” Kacchan grumbled, but he obeyed instantly. He relaxed his shoulders and tipped his head back, exposing his cheek. He closed his eyes. “Squeeze the bottle hard so it pushes everything out.”

Izuku smiled. It was always strangely fascinating to see Kacchan like this, calm, unguarded, compliant. It didn’t happen often.

Carefully, he cupped Kacchan’s jaw. He brought the plastic nozzle close to the wound and pressed. The stream of saline hit the cut. The clear liquid washed away the dried blood clinging to the edges, dragging the dirt with it.

Izuku watched, entranced, as the fluid slid from Kacchan’s cheek, tracing along his jawline in a thin, shining trail down his neck. The droplets disappeared past the collar of his shirt, into the fabric. Kacchan tensed at the sensation. Izuku swallowed, suddenly nervous.

“All done? Did the dirt come out?” Kacchan asked, eyes still closed.

“Yes… I think so,” Izuku whispered.

He grabbed the gauze and gently began to dry the skin around the wound. He dabbed softly, taking the chance to wipe away the remaining specks of dirt on Kacchan’s face. Then, without really thinking about it, he let his hand drift down, brushing away the moisture on his neck before it could soak further into the blond’s shirt.

Kacchan opened his eyes, and Izuku pulled his hand back, setting everything aside. “Do you think it’ll get infected, Kacchan?”

“I doubt it, nerd. Or at least I hope not.” The ash blond pulled out his phone, made a frustrated face, then shoved it back into his pocket, apparently still no signal. “Anyway, show me your calf. Let me clean that. It looked like you scraped it earlier.”

“A-ah? Okay, Kacchan. But it’s really nothing. It barely hurts.” Izuku tucked his knees to his chest, planting both feet on the ground. He lifted the hem of his pants, revealing the small patch of irritated skin.

“It’s nothing, yeah, but we’re cleaning it anyway,” the blond declared.

Izuku watched with unnecessary attention as Kacchan rubbed hand sanitizer between his palms. Then he tore open another piece of gauze and leaned closer.

“Stretch your legs out,” Kacchan ordered. “Lay them flat or you’ll soak your precious socks. Not that you care, you packed extra, after all.”

Izuku obeyed with no argument, though he shot him a suspicious look at the clear teasing in his tone. Kacchan bent over him and poured the saline directly onto the scrape. It was cold enough to make Izuku shiver.

Kacchan’s voice cut in.

“So? Still not having a meltdown?”

Izuku let out a quiet laugh. He set his hands at his sides, leaning back into the dirt.

“Not yet,” he admitted with a tired smile. “Maybe tomorrow.”

Kacchan rolled his eyes and began drying his skin with gentle, quick dabs. “Wouldn’t surprise me, nerd. Okay, let’s finish this, eat something, and knock out.”

That’s when Izuku realized Kacchan’s other hand was resting on his knee. His fingers traced small circles over the fabric, slow, absent minded, tender. The blond didn’t even seem aware he was doing it. But when he finally pulled his hand back, Izuku felt his pulse go wild and chaotic.

For a moment, he felt ridiculous. When they were kids, Kacchan used to blow on the scrapes on his knees after he fell off his bike, or rub his stomach when he complained of cramps after eating too fast. And not just when they were kids, Kacchan had always taken care of him in his own complicated way. They’d always kept close. So why was this suddenly driving him insane?

Did Kacchan touch everyone like this when he cleaned their wounds? He didn’t love that thought.

When they were done, the blond tried to start a few conversations, but Izuku just… wasn’t in the mood. Kacchan, who could tell immediately when Izuku’s energy dropped, went quiet while they ate and while they set up the tent. It wasn’t that Izuku was tired, he was simply sinking deeper into a strange spiral of thoughts.

Night wrapped around them. Izuku turned on his flashlight. Kacchan opened the sleeping bag and threw it into the tent. They pushed their things into a corner since the sleeping bag took up almost the whole space.

“So? Think we can both fit in that thing?”

“Well, nerd, I’m not letting you freeze to death. Auntie Inko will murder me. I already lost fifty points with her after the whole piercing thing.”

Izuku laughed. They both removed their boots. And their jackets too, Kacchan insisted they wouldn’t fit otherwise. Still, Izuku set his aside within reach, very aware the cold would probably get so bad he’d need to wrap himself in it later.

Getting inside the sleeping bag was humiliating, honestly. Izuku was a bit shorter, sure, but they were still two grown, broad-shouldered men. After wrestling their way through and laughing at all the elbows and accidental slaps, they ended up back-to-back. Izuku could feel Kacchan’s spine pressing against his. He was grateful for the warmth radiating from the blond’s body, because Izuku’s body temperature was apparently defective, he was always cold.

He turned off the flashlight and left it beside them. The darkness swallowed him. He slipped into a half trance, rubbing his feet together inside the bag, trying to warm them.

“Hey, nerd. Night.”

Izuku smiled instantly, forcing himself to reply before sleep dragged him under. “Night, Kacchan.”

________________

Izuku had always considered himself winter’s number one fan. The thing about cold, though, is that you only love it until you get lost on a mountain and wake up at dawn with your nose frozen stiff.

He wanted to curl up into a ball, hold in his own heat, and fall back asleep. The problem was that if he moved too much, he’d end up shoving Kacchan awake, and Kacchan valued his sleep routine way too much to forgive that. The cold seeped in from his feet, climbing all the way to his nose, which he was pretty sure he’d lose in a couple of hours. His teeth chattered so loudly he couldn’t stop, and he kept rubbing his feet against each other, trying to spark some warmth through friction. He threw his jacket over himself, hoping it would help.

His back was the only warm part of him. He couldn’t just turn around and bury his face between Kacchan’s shoulder blades… though the temptation was there. That would probably be crossing a line, even for him, who’d never been very good at respecting Kacchan’s personal space.

He remembered fondly that, when they had sleepovers as kids, they slept practically on top of each other. But that changed. As teenagers they stayed on opposite ends of the bed. Their arms or hands might brush, but that was it. Sometimes they woke up tangled together, legs intertwined, arms wrapped tight, but that ended the moment Kacchan woke up. He’d pull away immediately and then pretend nothing had happened. Izuku figured it was normal; walls grow higher when you grow up. Izuku himself wouldn’t have minded, but Kacchan had a very clear limit on physical contact.

So he sighed, pressing both hands to his lips to warm them with his breath, trying to get some life back into his stiff fingers.

Then he felt Kacchan tense.

“Jesus, nerd.”

Kacchan’s voice was low, heavy with sleep.

He had one job: don’t wake Kacchan. And he’d failed spectacularly.

“M-mmn?” Izuku murmured, trying to sound like he’d been asleep the whole time.

“Could you stop shaking? For fuck’s sake, I’m pretty sure even the bears can hear your teeth clicking.”

“It’s just physiol…”

“Physiological, I know. But your shivering is stressing me out. Cut it out,” Kacchan snapped.

“Well, it’s not something I can control, Kacchan,” Izuku whined.

“Since when are you so damn mouthy?”

“Since… forever?”

He could swear the sleeping bag shifted with Kacchan’s stifled laugh. Then came a long stretch of silence, long enough that Izuku thought he’d fallen asleep again. He began counting bugs in his head, hoping to ignore the cold, until Kacchan’s voice cut right through the dark and made him jump.

“Hold me.”

“A-ah?”

What was that supposed to mean?

“Turn around and hug me, dumbass.”

Oh.

“Are you sure, Kacchan?” Izuku swallowed hard. For some reason the question scared him. Part of him was desperate for Kacchan not to change his mind. The other, and much bigger, part was spiraling into panic.

“Turn around, for fuck’s sake.”

Izuku figured his brain must’ve been frozen because it took him a whole minute to finally obey. As soon as he began turning, Kacchan mirrored him. They got tangled in another mess of hands and feet, some nervous laughter slipping out between them.

Then they ended up face to face. Everything was pitch black. Even with his eyes open he couldn't make out a single shape. But he felt Kacchan’s warmth, felt his breath just inches away. Their knees bumped. Kacchan pulled his feet back quickly, Izuku’s were ice cold, and the shock must’ve startled him.

“Sorry, I’m freezing…” Izuku whispered. But then the blond returned, intertwining their legs without saying a word.

Izuku’s panic climbed up his throat. His heart pounded so fast it scared him. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, but he still couldn’t stop trembling.

“Hug me.”

Izuku’s neurons had definitely succumbed to the low temperatures. It seemed highly probable that they had decided to stop firing synapses as a protest against the cold and the relentless rhythm of his heart, which refused to give a single cell in his body a break.

Kacchan’s voice had been soft. More request than demand. Which was… very unlike him.

Izuku didn’t get the chance to move. Kacchan’s fingers wrapped around his waist and pulled him close, guiding him until he was tucked against the curve of Kacchan’s neck and chest. Izuku let out a sharp breath, almost a small gasp. Kacchan’s hands slid up his back, settling into a firm, warm hold.

“Okay… N-now put your arms around my back,” Kacchan whispered against his ear.

Izuku trembled.

He reminded himself he wasn’t someone who swore a lot. But damn it. He felt trapped, in the worst and best way. Like standing at the edge of a cliff. One wrong move and he’d fall.

Carefully, he wrapped his arms around Kacchan’s torso, finally fitting himself fully against him. The warmth spread fast. It should’ve been comforting, would’ve been, if he hadn’t been so nervous he was losing his mind.

He focused on the warmth. His shivering eased, the tension melting from his muscles. It was still cold, but now bearable.

“That better, nerd?” Kacchan asked.

“Oh. Yeah… way better. Thanks, Kacchan.”

Izuku thought hard, combing through his memories for some time, any time, when closeness had made him feel like this. With Kacchan or with anyone. But Kacchan was the only person he’d ever been this close to. Well… not this close, not in years, but still. It had always felt good. Sometimes a little nerve wracking, sure, but never like this. Never so overwhelming. Nothing that made him think his heart was about to shoot right out of his mouth.

Maybe this was just how intimacy felt in general? Maybe that’s why Kacchan had avoided sleeping tangled up together since they were kids. Now Izuku kind of understood. It felt too warm. Too intimate. Too much.

Had Kacchan ever been like this with someone else? The thought made Izuku frown instantly. He couldn’t picture it at all.

“Kacchan…”

“Mmh?”

The blond sounded half asleep. The vibration traveled through his chest, right into Izuku’s forehead.

“I… um… do you sleep like this with your other friends?”

“What’re you talking about, nerd?” Izuku felt Kacchan tense; his muscles tightened, shifting slightly, uneasy. But he didn’t pull away.

Izuku immediately regretted asking something so nosy. But he’d already started talking, so there was no escape. His voice dropped, the words coming out slow and embarrassed.

“Well, you know… You camped around here with your friends a while back… Did you ever sleep like this with someone? I mean, with Kirishima, with Ashido, with Monoma… with anyone… I mean sharing a sleeping bag, you know…”

Kacchan lifted his head, and Izuku did the same. He couldn’t see anything in the darkness, but he was sure their faces were close, too close. He instantly missed the warmth of being tucked against the blond’s chest.

“What kind of shitty question is that?”

He didn’t sound angry. If anything, his voice was soft, kept low because of how close their bodies were.

“It’s just curiosity, it’s fine if you don’t want to answ…”

“No, nerd.”

“Huh?”

“Of course I don’t share my sleeping bag with anyone.”

“Oh…”

Izuku felt weirdly satisfied with that answer.

Actually, it almost made him happy. He held back a smile and leaned against Kacchan’s chest again, burying his face there. He felt strange, so strange. A flutter in his stomach. He became painfully aware of Kacchan’s fingers drawing delicate circles on his back.

“You know I can’t stand people getting in my personal space. I don’t like being touched. Obviously I wouldn’t share my sleeping bag, not even with my whole squad of assholes.”

Kacchan was ranting about physical contact, yet his hand slipped lower, fingers brushing Izuku’s waist before resting there.

For a moment he wanted to point it out. To say: but you are touching me.

He didn’t. That would only snap Kacchan out of it, and Izuku was too cold to risk losing that warmth.

Silence settled between them. A comfortable one. Their breathing synced, and Izuku’s heartbeat gradually slowed.

“Hey, Kacchan…”

“Are you ever gonna sleep, nerd?”

“I just wanna tell you something.”

“If it’s something about bugs, animals, or plants, I swear I’ll make you sleep outside the tent.”

Izuku let out a tiny, breathy laugh. He felt Kacchan’s body tense.

“I don’t really like Monoma, you know?”

It was a brutally honest confession, one Izuku was definitely going to regret later. Maybe it was the sleepiness, or how surreal it felt to be lost in the woods and sleeping tangled up with his best friend, whom he was extremely possessive of. Whatever it was, the truth slipped out.

Kacchan’s laugh was short and sarcastic.

“Of course you don’t, nerd. Totally hadn’t noticed. It’s not like you look two seconds away from throwing him off a cliff or feeding him some poisonous mushroom.”

Heat rushed to Izuku’s cheeks so fast he forgot about the cold.

“I obviously don’t want to feed him poisonous mushrooms.”

“Sure, nerd. Now tell me why you don’t like him.”

Izuku thought carefully. It was hard, mostly because the guy annoyed him the moment he saw his face. But he wasn’t going to say that to Kacchan.

“Well, don’t laugh… It’s just… I’m your best friend, and I feel like he wants to steal that spot. And he thinks he understands you, but he doesn’t. And he’s always hugging you, which is kinda weird. You don’t like being touched, and he does it all the time.”

Kacchan listened closely, not laughing this time. He took his time before answering. Then he let out a long breath and slid a hand into Izuku’s hair, ruffling it gently. He immediately returned it to Izuku’s back, this time with a looser grip.

“You’re an idiot. And a possessive little shit. You know I can have more friends, right?”

Izuku rolled his eyes in the darkness, but before he could answer, Kacchan continued, voice calm.

“But yeah. You’re the one who knows me best. And you’re… Hell, I’m not saying that. You know what you are.”

“Kacchan, it’s not that hard to say I’m your best friend.”

The blond let out a quiet, tired laugh. Izuku felt his chest rise and fall steadily, heard the quick and precise rhythm of his heartbeat.

“Yeah, that’s what you are. Now go to sleep, nerd. We’ve got a lot of walking tomorrow.”

And that was that.

Izuku fell asleep with their limbs tangled together.

________________

The next morning they ate, drank some water, packed their things, and said goodbye to their pretty little shelter. They’d woken up later than they wanted, so they rushed. The calm from the previous day was starting to fade; there were no signs of human life anywhere, no matter how loudly Izuku yelled for help. Well, there was life, but Kacchan was already sick of plants and bugs.

Izuku was dying to take a shower. He’d been complaining for an hour straight about the sweat sticking to his skin, his own body odor, and Kacchan’s.

“Kacchan, my skin itches. We really need to find water,” he complained again, scratching his side carefully as they walked. “I must have dirt on my back, on my feet, in my hair…”

“Yeah, I heard you. I’ve been hearing your damn whining all morning. Less complaining, more searching, nerd.”

“Trust me, you won’t wanna sleep next to me if I don’t get water today.”

Kacchan turned to him with an amused grin.

“Well, guess you’ll be sleeping with the bears then.”

“Kacchan! You were the one scared of bears.”

“Tch. Keep walking, nerd.” The blond sped up, Izuku close behind. “I’m not scared of bears.”

“Yes you are. Yesterday your face was pure terror. Look at me, I’m the great Kacchan and I’m scared of bears, oooh.” Izuku walked backwards to face him, imitating his voice in a deeper tone.

“First of all, that’s not what I sound like. Second, I deeply regret not letting you freeze to death last night. Third, stop walking like that or you’re gonna trip and I swear I won’t save your ass again.”

Izuku pouted, slowing down as the memory of yesterday’s incident returned. He walked normally beside the ash blond.

“That is what your voice sounds like,” he whispered.

“Deku.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“No, Deku.”

“Huh?”

Kacchan stopped.

“You hear that?”

It was the whispering rush of water hitting rocks. They looked at each other, unable to hold back their smiles. They ran toward the sound. The rushing noise led them to a small waterfall, barely five meters tall, feeding into a natural pool surrounded by plants and rock. Izuku still had some battery, so he immediately snapped some photos, since Kacchan surely wouldn’t.

“That means the lookout should be closer. We just have to keep going up,” the blond said.

“And that we can get in the water!”

“You need it. You stink.”

Izuku gave him an offended look.

“Well, it’s nothing compared to your smell, trust me.” He stuck his tongue out at him. Kacchan narrowed his eyes.

“Blah, blah, blah. Last one to jump owes the other a gift when we get back,” he declared, already dropping his backpack and stripping.

Izuku laughed and followed. He was pulling off his shirt when he caught Kacchan taking off his underwear. The blond headed toward a higher rock, giving Izuku a perfect view of his back. His side was slightly bruised from yesterday’s fall, just a small patch. His shoulders were broad, muscles tight as he moved.

Izuku looked away quickly, his face heating so much it reached his ears.

Kacchan’s splash echoed, water exploding upward. Izuku hadn’t even taken off his pants when Kacchan resurfaced, pushing wet blond hair back.

“What are you still doing up there, nerd?” he yelled.

“Ah-! Isn’t it kinda weird to swim naked?”

Kacchan raised a brow and swam toward him, gripping the edge where Izuku stood.

“There’s no one here, nerd. You wanna swim in your underwear? It won’t dry fast, and we still have to hike later.”

“You’re right, but…”

“Nerd, don’t start. What, have you never seen a dick before?”

“Obviously I have! I have a dick. You have a dick.”

Kacchan lifted a brow even higher.

“Well, wrong choice of words…”

“Come on, I’m not gonna stare if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Izuku glanced at him. Sunlight hit the left side of Kacchan’s face, highlighting his cheeks with a faint pink, making him look shy, even though Kacchan was anything but shy.

“I never said I was worried, Kacchan.” Izuku unzipped his pants, looking amused and more confident now. “But fine, I’m coming. I don’t wanna hike in wet underwear…”

“Of course you don’t, nerd.”

So he stripped, and once ready, he ran and jumped from the same spot Kacchan had used. When he resurfaced, wet curls stuck to his forehead. He pushed the water from his eyes. Kacchan was a few meters away, swimming toward him.

“Race you, Deku.”

And Kacchan immediately took off.

“Hey! No fair!”

Fifteen minutes later the score was tied 3–3.

(Though Kacchan insisted it was 4–2 in his favor.)

The blond found a smaller pool on the side and sat in it, water up to his waist. Izuku kept swimming at a distance. Kacchan leaned back on his hands, eyes closed, sunlight falling perfectly across his features.

Izuku couldn’t stop staring. Kacchan looked so relaxed it stole the breath right out of him. Wet hair clung to his forehead, and droplets slid from his jaw down his torso, making his pale skin shimmer.

“So you are allowed to stare?”

Izuku jolted in place. He looked up and met Kacchan’s eyes.

“I wasn’t staring.”

Kacchan dove back into the water, swimming toward him. When he got close enough, he splashed water straight at his face. Izuku covered himself with both arms, then immediately splashed him back, pushing water right into Kacchan’s face.

“So this is war, Kacchan?”

“It’s always been war, nerd.”

And so they splashed, shoved, dunked, and waged an all out water battle until they got tired and sat in a shallow corner where the water reached their chests.

“So it’s a tie then.”

“Shut up, Deku. I won.”

Izuku nudged him lightly. Then they stayed quiet for a long moment, catching their breath.

“Hey, Kacchan.”

“Mmh?”

“Why did you leave?”

Kacchan looked at him. Something strange flickered in those intense red irises. Then he looked away, closing his eyes as he tilted his face into the wind.

“Leave where?”

“You know what I’m talking about.”

“Not really.”

“It was in high school,” Izuku continued, staring at his hands floating in the water. Kacchan obviously knew what he meant, he was just avoiding it like always. “For almost a year. You stopped talking to me. You stopped coming over. You made new friends and avoided me in the hallways. And then… then you came back like nothing happened. We never talked about it.”

“You always ask that, nerd.”

“Because you never answer.”

“And why do you need to know?”

The blond stretched his neck side to side, releasing tension.

“Because it was really weird not having you with me all that time.”

He tapped softly on the water, making it splash as he toyed with it. When he looked up again, Kacchan had his eyes fixed on him. Sharp, intense. The sun had dried the last traces of water off his face, though his hair was still damp. The blond looked like he’d been thinking for a long time before he finally decided to answer.

“I don’t know. I guess I ran.”

His words only made Izuku more curious. He didn’t hold back, he’d never gotten this far with the topic.

“Why would you do that?”

“Because we got too close and it felt weird.”

“Why would that be weird?”

“Christ, nerd. Give me a damn break.”

Izuku smiled, rubbing the back of his neck in that nervous habit of his. “Okay, sorry. Too many questions.”

“That’s typical of you.”

“What is?”

“Not shutting your mouth and asking fifty things per minute.” Izuku didn't answer, but nodded in his direction with a smile, trying to give him space while waiting for his answer. Kacchan took his time, but continued speaking.

“Look, you know my house isn’t exactly touchy-feely, nerd.  The old hag shows love in other ways. No hugs or any of that crap. For a long time you were my only… friend.” It sounded like that word physically hurt him, which was very Kacchan. “At least until we started college. We got really close, and you’re the total opposite of what I’m used to. You were like an annoying mosquito buzzing around.”

“Hey…” Izuku protested weakly.

“It’s not an insult, nerd. Let me talk or I won’t tell you jack shit.”

Izuku lifted his hand, pressed his lips together, and mimed sealing them shut. Kacchan went on.

“I… it was weird realizing someone mattered to me.” The blond was looking straight ahead, so Izuku could only see half of his face. His cheeks were flushed from the sun. He swallowed, making his Adam's apple bob in his neck before continuing. “I’ve never been great at dealing with that kind of crap, so I ran,” he declared, shrugging. “That’s it. End of story.”

Izuku believed each and every one of those words. Even so, there was something strange, a void, something that didn't quite fit. Kacchan was holding something back. But he couldn't push him too much. What he had just told him was enough to calm that need to know what had happened. It wasn't that he needed explanations, but he had always been curious. After all, the year they were apart was one of the worst of his life.

“Then why’d you come back?” he asked in a whisper.

“Well, I guess being away was worse.” It seemed like Kacchan was admitting defeat because his shoulders slumped in resignation. He let out a long, tired sigh. “I think there are things you just can’t avoid, y’know?”

The feeling of unspoken words persisted, which made him very curious. But knowing that Kacchan hadn't tolerated his absence either made him feel a little better. It’s true that could sound selfish. He would never want the blond to be unhappy. On the contrary, his smile caused a warm sensation in his chest that spread throughout his body. Even so, knowing they needed each other was… precious.

“Yeah, you're right…”

“I guess it's hard to stay away from you, you annoying little mosquito.”

“God, you're unbearable.”

“Whatever you say, my dear mosquito.”

________________

“Kacchan… We should be close to somewhere with people, right? We passed the river, we're going up,” he asked, starting to worry.

The hours had passed too quickly in the water. By the time they got dressed it was already time to eat, so they wasted a while longer sitting among the rocks next to the waterfall, devouring a bit more of the food they brought. Izuku, who the day before felt completely calm, was already starting to despair. Kacchan's phone was the only one with battery because the blond guarded the device with his life. The signal still hadn't returned and although they had what was necessary to survive a couple more days without needing anything, discomfort appeared at times.

“We should… Don't lose it, nerd. If we don't arrive today, surely tomorrow we will. We just veered off at the beginning, but we're on the right track.”

The blond's tone tried to convey security, but Izuku suspected it was only because his own tone of concern was evident. He didn't want to make a fuss prematurely, so he did his best to distract himself while they walked. He asked Kacchan for his knife and started leaving small marks on some trunks, because suddenly he felt afraid that they were walking in circles. Apparently that wasn't happening, because he didn't stumble upon the cuts he left on the path again.

The ash blond walked ahead, pushing branches aside when something green landed on his right shoulder.

“Deku, get this shit off me.”

He came to the call for help, and when he arrived next to the blond, he let out a laugh so loud that some little birds escaped from nearby branches.

“Kacchan! It’s the beetle we saw yesterday! The one I fell for! It’s so pretty!”

“Don't be ridiculous and get this shit off me.”

Kacchan wasn't afraid of insects, of course not. But Izuku was aware that they grossed him out a little. He tolerated looking at them from a certain distance, never having them on him. Izuku leaned toward him, looking at the small bug on Kacchan's shoulder, right there on his t-shirt.

“Don't move! I want to see it up close.”

So he stopped in front of the blond and got closer and closer. His friend was frozen, with his face turned to the opposite side to avoid being close to that small harmless creature. Izuku was a few inches from Kacchan's neck, with his huge green eyes fixed on the insect.

“Deku, remove the bug.”

“Wait, since it’s metallic, the light makes it look like it’s purple or blue too…”

And then the blond moved and Izuku's entertainment was gone.

“Hey!”

“It was horrible!”

Izuku gave him a gentle shove on the shoulder before they continued walking. “You're afraid of bugs, Kacchan.”

“The hell I am. Tch.”

That’s how they continued on their eternal mission. The problem was that the beetle had really been his momentary entertainment, because Izuku was falling into a small spiral of absolute worry.

“Are you sure we're on the right path…?” Izuku asked, his voice a little higher pitched than normal.

Katsuki snorted without stopping. “I already told you I have no damn idea, but I hope so,” he said, sounding a little exasperated. “Are you seriously starting to panic, nerd?”

Izuku felt strangely offended, even though it was a little true. He shook his head quickly.

“Of course not! I’m just… thinking,” he defended himself. “It’s just… my mom’s probably worried and… what if we run out of food?” His voice dropped to a whisper. “And we don’t know if we’ll find a decent place to sleep tonight. Or what if no one’s noticed we’re gone?”

“Alright. Calm down.”

Kacchan set a hand on his shoulder, hoping the contact would snap him back to rationality. And even though Izuku was starting to think he should’ve started worrying hours ago, he forced himself to breathe. “Just think about that ugly green bug you liked so much, okay? We’ll find someone soon.”

Izuku frowned and started messing with the bead on his piercing, rolling it back and forth with his fingers.

The real problem came when night fell and they still hadn’t found a single soul. They hadn’t seen the  lookout. The sun disappeared, leaving them swallowed by darkness. So they drifted off whatever imaginary trail they thought they were following and found a hidden area between an endless number of trees.

Izuku’s flashlight lay on a flat rock, shining toward them as they worked on setting up the tent.

“Hold it there, nerd,” Kacchan muttered, busy securing the opposite corner in the ground.

“I am holding it,” Izuku replied, though he had the horrible feeling he’d put one of the poles where it didn’t belong, making it impossible for Kacchan to pull the tent tight from the other side.

“Then you’re not doing it right.”

“Yes I am…”

Kacchan stopped and gave him a cautious look. The flashlight made it easy to see his expression, worry settling in, with a hint of irritation.

“Listen, nerd. If you panic, I’m gonna panic. And there’s seriously nothing worse than a Deku spiraling into negativity.”

“I’m not panicking.”

He avoided Kacchan’s gaze as he crouched down to fix the tent issue. He shoved the little metal pole back where it was supposed to be.

“Yes, you are. You’re spiraling.”

“No, I’m not!”

He stood up, annoyed, and walked straight toward the rock. He moved the lit flashlight aside and dropped down on it, totally defeated.

“I knew your damn calmness was too weird.”

“What are we gonna do if no one finds us tomorrow? My mom must be losing her mind, Kacchan.”

The blond sat down next to him. He braced both hands behind him against the rock and leaned back, like he was still sunbathing at the waterfall. Then he looked at Izuku and rolled his eyes.

“Calm down. They’re looking for us.”

“No, they’re not. I think I messed up and forgot to tell my mom I’d only be gone for one day, so maybe no one’s even looking. Which means our awful sense of direction is the only thing that can save us. And we’re doing a horrible job… Kacchan, what are we gonna do?”

Talking wasn’t helping. Izuku’s heartbeat kept picking up, and he felt close to crying. Of course, he didn’t cry, but the anxious thoughts were swallowing him whole.

“Deku, you’re jumping to stupid conclusions. Why wouldn’t they be looking for us? Your mom makes you give her every detail before you go on any important trip.”

“But we haven’t heard anything. No helicopters, no people, screaming for help doesn’t work either. Why are you so calm?” His voice started rising without him noticing. He clenched his fists at his sides and turned to Kacchan. “No one’s looking for us.”

“Nerd, shut up. I’m telling you that’s not it. The old hag knows we’re here too.”

“And what if we die out here? What if we run out of food?”

“Okay, now you’re going nuts. Listen to yourself.”

“I’m twenty-one, Kacchan! I can’t die this young!”

“And you’re not gonna die.” Kacchan’s voice was calm and steady, which only irritated Izuku more. He couldn’t slow his breathing, and his best friend wasn’t helping at all.

“Do you know the average life expectancy in Japan? Over eighty, Kacchan. And I’m gonna die at twenty-one!”

“For fuck’s sake, Deku! You’re not gonna die!”

Izuku held up a hand and started lifting one finger at a time, counting as he spoke. “I haven’t learned how to drive yet, I haven’t done any research or made any important discovery, I haven’t traveled the world, I’ve never thrown up from being drunk, I haven’t finished the book I started two weeks ago…”

“Deku, I swear on that damn old hag that if you don’t shut up right now, I’ll toss you off the waterfall. I mean it.”

“I haven’t even fallen in love! I’ve never kissed anyone!”

Izuku was talking way too loudly now. Actually, he was yelling and flailing his hands around.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Kacchan snapped, sounding so irritated that Izuku actually trembled. But that still wasn’t enough to shut him up. Tears pricked at his eyes, but he held them back.

“I haven’t even had a stupid first kiss! Do you realize how pathetic that is? It’s sad! I’ve just studied my whole short, miserable life, and now I’m gonna die in a stupid forest!”

“You’re freaking out over one shitty kiss? That’s your problem right now?” Kacchan clicked his tongue, completely baffled by what he was hearing. Izuku spun toward him with a rare expression of pure indignation.

“Are you laughing?” He pointed at him accusingly. “Are you laughing at me? Of course you are! Because you already had your stupid first kiss, Kacchan!” He paused only to take a giant breath. “It’s nothing to you!”

“Jesus, nerd. Drop your crap. A kiss is a kiss, it’s nothing. It’s just mouths touching. It’s wet and awkward.”

Kacchan looked at him like Izuku had grown a third head.

“You only say that because you already did it! It’s easy to downplay it! Because yeah, you’re the great Kacchan who already had his first kiss, so you don’t care about dying and you don’t care that I’m panicking because I haven’t lived some things yet! I’m gonna die here without knowing if I’m good at driving! Or good at research! Without even knowing if I’m good at giving a stupid kiss!”

“For fuck’s sake, shut up!” Kacchan barked.

“I’m not gonna shut up! Because you’re being insensitive and you can’t even stop being an idiot for one moment to accept that it’s important to me?!”

“Deku, shut up!”

“I’M NOT GONNA—”

A hand fisted itself in Izuku’s jacket, yanking the fabric with violent force. Kacchan moved so fast and so sharply that Izuku barely registered it; he didn’t understand what was happening until Kacchan was suddenly on top of him. Heat radiated from his body, intense and overwhelming. The blond dragged him forward with a roughness that knocked a sound out of him. The noise died in his throat before it could even escape, because before Izuku could protest, Kacchan’s mouth was on his.

Their breaths crashed together, and Izuku’s heart rocketed forward, slamming against his ribs so hard it wiped out every trace of the tantrum he’d been throwing seconds earlier.

Kacchan’s mouth was warm, way too warm for how cold the night was. Izuku felt like he was in a trance, static flooding his brain and swallowing every thought. Almost immediately, the blond parted his lips. Izuku felt the wet slide of his tongue.

And oh.

Izuku reacted on pure instinct. He shoved forward with a ferocity he didn’t know he had. Their tongues collided in a frantic, messy fight, tangling in desperate, clumsy strokes. Izuku threw both arms around Kacchan’s neck just as Kacchan’s hand slid low around his waist, fingers digging through the fabric before pulling him even closer. The kiss was messy, dirty, filling the air with wet sounds that made the back of Izuku’s neck prickle. Kacchan let out something like a growl against his mouth, and Izuku thought he might actually lose his mind.

Oh my god, he thought.

Because there was no way a kiss felt like this and he had gone years without knowing it.

Then Kacchan tore himself away with the same violence he’d used to grab him in the first place. His hands dropped him entirely, like touching Izuku had suddenly become impossible. Like it hurt. Izuku hated the cold rush that came with the sudden distance. His pulse was still thrumming loudly in his ears. Their eyes met for barely a second before they both looked away at the same time. Kacchan sucked in a breath. They were both breathing hard.

Izuku still felt a tingling on his lips and along his waist, where Kacchan had touched him just moments ago. A storm of curses he’d never dared to say in his life echoed in his mind. His hands were shaking from sheer adrenaline.

“I…” Izuku began, but nothing came out. The words got stuck.

After a few more seconds of thick silence, Kacchan spoke, his voice strained and unsteady. “Well, there. You did it, nerd.” He still wasn’t looking at him, keeping his gaze fixed somewhere far away.

“Huh?”

“You kissed someone.”

Right. That was what they were talking about before all this.

Kacchan had just kissed him?

“You… you kissed me?” The question was stupid, ridiculous, because Izuku swore he could still feel the imprint of Kacchan’s lips on his.

“You were panicking. So yeah.”

Kacchan turned the other way, blocking Izuku from seeing his expression.

Izuku couldn’t form a single coherent thought. His stomach was a mess. His heart was sprinting.

He was about to say something, something impulsive, when light suddenly washed through the trees in the distance. Shouts followed. A few seconds later, people appeared through the branches.

“There they are! We found them!”