Chapter Text
Aside from that feeling of longing, the sound of retching roused Katsuki from his slumber.
“Hrg—motherfu—”
Katsuki sighed and pushed the pelts away, evading Kirishima’s grabby hands that wanted to pull him back to bed. Wordlessly, he padded over to where Izuku was and rubbed his back, like Auntie Inko did for them when they were sick.
“There, there, Izuku.” The blond patted the spot on the man’s back and went to get the other some water.
Izuku gave him a half-hearted glare. “This is other you’s fault.”
“It’s both of your faults. Keep it in your pants next time,” Katsuki returned, chuckling as he handed over a cup.
“Stupid, Kacchan.”
This went on until Izuku had emptied the contents of his stomach in the pot. The rest of the pack had woken up to the strew of mumbled insults and curses Izuku was spewing and the rustle of fabrics when betas came to take away the pot and bring another one.
Kirishima went out to get ready for rounds, Sero and Jirou went to oversee breakfast, and Mina stayed behind to check on the omega.
With a sigh, Katsuki informed, “He won’t stop puking.”
“And he'll keep vomiting like this,” she said, helping him gather another piece of cloth to hand over to Izuku. “You need to get a root in the most humid area of the Southern mountains.”
“How far?”
“About an hour’s journey at most. You can take Kaminari with you; he’s learning to be an herbalist.”
With a grunt, he began to get ready and grabbed a sack he could use to carry the root in. “Got it. Take care of the idiot.”
Mina rolled her eyes. “That’s your king, you’re talking about.”
“A kingly pain in my ass, but I ain’t from these lands for him to be my king, Pinky,” he replied with a smirk, and set off to find the electric blond that would be his travel companion.
XXX
It took them two hours longer than planned to get the damned root—which, by the way, was ginger. It seemed the dunce Katsuki was traveling with couldn’t tell the difference between sunchokes and ginger, so the first hour they foraged was for naught. There was also the incident with some wild boars that hunted them for about a mile.
No one is to talk about that.
Upon their arrival at the village, Katsuki went directly to thei—Leader Katsuki and Izuku’s tent and looked for the pregnant omega only to find that he wasn’t there.
“Great, another escape artist for a Deku,” he grumbled, stomping around the village to search for the guy.
It didn’t take the blond long to find his friend’s doppelganger. You see, it seemed this Izuku had fucked up self-preservation skills too because Katsuki found him moving logs from one side of the village to the other. Katsuki Bakugou wasn’t going to stand for that. Izuku was pregnant, and even though it wasn’t his, it was his job to keep the freckled man safe until the man’s husband could.
In a fit of overprotective anger, Katsuki sauntered over to where Deku was picking up more wood and grabbed his wrist. “Is every Deku an idiot?”
Izuku huffed. “I can do it just fine!”
The blond took the wood and hauled it, telling one of the other omegas to bring Deku something to sit on. “I swear, none of you ever take care of yourself,” he grumbled.
The villagers looked on in amusement as the young hero continued the task in a fit of incessant muttering. “Useful for others, useless for himself…Gonna have to strangle other me for letting his husband be so reckless…why the fuck doesn’t anyone stop them…”
“Kacchan, it’s okay! I’m not useless!” the omega groused.
Katsuki turned around faster than he could, the guilt enveloping his being felt stifling, all encompassing. “I-I didn’t think—Izuku, I—”
Izuku sighed and stood, the blond scrambling toward him. Taking the younger boy’s hand in his, the king said, “I know you didn’t mean it like that. Let’s go back to the tent.”
For some odd reason, a simple touch like that had set off a deafening roar in Katsuki’s ears; he could hear the erratic beating of his heart and wondered why Izuku was having that effect on him. Part of him had a theory—more of a revelation, really—but he was not going to face it just yet.
The hero-in-training nodded and walked beside Izuku. The confidence with which he carried himself was so strikingly different from Deku’s that it made him wonder if his Deku would’ve been more like this one had he not bullied him. He felt his throat tighten. He knew the answer to that.
With a gulp, he went ahead and parted the heavy fabrics that fell over the entrance, hoping that Izuku would not see the reddening of his eyes and nose.
He’d been a nightmare.
The moment the fabric fell, Izuku sprinted and bent over a pot, vomiting what little he’d eaten. With a fond grumble, Katsuki set aside his bothersome thoughts, held the freckled man’s braids, and rubbed at his back. “You need rest. I brought some roots you need to chew on to get rid of the nausea.”
“Thank you, Kacchan,” Izuku mumbled hoarsely.
“Shut up. And stop lifting heavy things; you could lose the baby.”
Izuku heaved once more, but nothing came out. Taking a waterskin, he drank and rinsed out his mouth. “Both Kacchan’s are so smart, but…you do know that lifting things will affect me later in the pregnancy, not now, right?”
Katsuki looked off to the side. “Yeah, of course I did, but knowing the other you, you’d need training before actually having to do it, or you’d forget!”
The freckled warrior chuckled and stood close, a little too close for Katsuki’s comfort. “Kacchan, I’ll be okay. But, can I have your scent again?”
The blond’s face turned impossibly red. “Hah?! I thought that being near me already did that!”
Izuku took another step, and their noses were almost touching. Katsuki slowed his breath and looked into those emerald orbs. For a moment his vision blurred and the image of his Deku with this Izuku blurred. Why would he stand so close? Why couldn’t his palms stop sweating?
“I have to rub my skin against yours.”
“Pervert,” Katsuki said, but it didn’t come out as insulting as he wanted.
“Not like that, Kacchan. Just–” Izuku took hold of Katuski’s nape and brought their necks together.
It felt…intimate, more intimate than he thought he’d ever be with any Deku. That gesture alone was enough to send a jolt of energy to his very core. Izuku rubbed their jaws against each other, his hands tightly grasping at Katsuki’s shoulder, and even letting out a little whimper. That sound broke the blond from his trance. His breathing stutterd; he’d grown aroused.
What the hell? What a fucking embarassment; he had to stop this!
“Was that enough?” he asked impatiently, though it was barely louder than a whisper.
The king pulled back abruptly, leaving Katsuki to miss the foreign warmth. “Oh, yeah!” Izuku grinned. “Sorry, I got carried away there.”
“Noticed.” To hide his prominent erection, Katsuki quickly turned around and looked for the biggest chair in the room, piling furs on it to make it comfortable before standing behind it, gesturing for Izuku to rest there. He remembered that Izuku had to listen to villager “concerns”—though if you ask Katsuki, they were complaining like brats.
Izuku sat and listened patiently, with the blond still standing behind him. Even if he wasn’t the Katsuki from this world, the king explained, it would still be a show of power.
Nonetheless, this Katsuki was still far less patient.
“Are you telling me you can’t fucking talk to each other to trade chickens and cheese?! For fuck’s sake, why would you even stand before a king for this, ya damn extras?”
The greenette glared at him and apologized on his behalf, making him bow his head and deliver a grumbled apology. After that one, Izuku stood up and left Katsuki to handle villagers alone to “provide an opportunity for reflection”. Despite wanting to go away, the blond dutifully attempted to keep his patience, looking back to Deku for approval when it was actually needed.
Once more, Katsuki was left to wonder what was going through Izuku’s mind. The thought, though, made him smile fondly. Hadn’t that always been the case between him and Deku?
Before he knew it, the villagers had stopped entering and Izuku called him back to the pallet.
“Before we go back, I want to speak to you,” the king began.
“What did I do? I thought I handled the extras okay after you stood.”
“No, no, you did. It’s not about that.”
“Then?” Katsuki couldn’t help but to cross his arms over his chest.
Noticing his defensive stance, Izuku nearned and sat with him. “May I?”
Rolling his eyes, Katsuki answered, “Do what you damn need.”
With a chirp, Izuku maneuvered them so that he could sit between Katsuki’s legs and wrapped his arms around him. “Much better.”
“Is this really necessary?” the blond asked, knowing full well his inner gay was having a meltdown at the proximity. He knew he was blushing, he knew his voice wavered, and he knew Izuku could probably feel the pounding of his heart against his ribcage, but he didn’t pull away. This was…pleasant.
With a smug smile, Izuku looked up at him and said, “Yes, yes it is.”
Katsuki pinched at his side earning an, “Ow,” from him, but ignored it. “Whaddya want to talk about, nerd?”
Fully leaning against Katsuki’s chest, Izuku hummed. “I know you hate hearing this, but hear me out, pup.”
“Not a pup,” the blond groused. He didn’t interrupt further. He knew what this would be about, but he’d also accepted, in these past two days, that he’d been a coward, like they’d said. Some part of him was exhausted from fighting it.
“You are to me,” he whispered, grabbing Katsuki’s hands and pulling them tighter around himself. The blond complied, burying his face in the verdant curls. “It might seem pushy, but I do think that you should give your Deku a chance to say what he thinks.”
“But what if you’re wrong? What if it becomes awkward? I…” he paused, but he figured he’d never see this Izuku again, so he might as well be honest. “I don’t want to lose him again.”
“You wouldn’t. I’d say that you’ve both admitted your love for eachother already, but you’re both too dense to see it.”
Katsuki didn’t reply. His mind went over all the times he’d done things for Deku just to see him smile, and then he thought of all the times Deku praised him and did things for him. The training, the food, the gifts, the talks–even the fights!
He sighed, and leaned backwards. Izuku hummed a soothing song that filled the air, purring against Katsuki’s chest. Purring aside, part of him wanted this, just not with this Izuku.
“You want to return to him, don’t you?”
The blond hummed, leaning his head backward and furrowed his brow. The answer came so quickly, so plainly that it left him breathless.“Yeah, I do.”
How could he have missed this?
“And you’ll talk to him?”
He huffed. “Yeah.”
“Good.” Izuku smiled. “I want my Kacchan, too.” Then, the freckled king rose, untangling their limbs in a fluid motion and reaching out to him. “Let’s go get them.”
Katsuki tilted his head curiously. “How?”
With a cheeky giggle, Izuku waved a vial he’d kept in his pouch. “I made the potion before the meetings ended.”
“Asshole, then what was all that about?!” the blond shouted, a familiar irritation and indignance bubbling within him.
However, it seemed the other was not affected in the slightest. “I wanted you to say you’d talk to Deku. You both deserve to be happy; especially since I know my husband will be spoiling him to death. If we take too long, he might even make love to him–I swear, he’s insatiable!”
A feeling of dread curled in his gut, dissipating the previous emotions in one fell swoop. “But that’s not his Deku!” was all his mind could come up with as a response.
“He wouldn’t care. We trust each other to know that it would change nothing.” The man shrugged. “Besides, it’s just me from another world; it’s not like he’s being unfaithful. If you were an alpha, maybe I would’ve laid with you last night.”
Katsuki’s face blanched. The thought of a man that looked like him taking Deku as his own, the trauma that it could cause–also, the feeling of attachment that it could produce. What if Deku preferred the other jackass?!
The soft, warm fondness was long gone and it was replaced by a desperate feeling of urgency and annoyance. “Let’s hurry the fuck up, then.”
They walked to a clearing in the woods where Kirishima already stood on guard. The redhead gave him a brief hug and words of encouragement before going back to his post. For a moment, Katsuki looked back to the village, to the faces peeking through the foliage, and to the dragons flying above. It may have been less than three days, but he’d lived and realized so much that it felt like a lifetime–one without Deku. A lifetime he’d rather not be a part of.
He’d missed the nerd. He was ready to return.
Izuku looked to Katsuki, instructing him to hold his hand and close his eyes, which he did. The teen felt the blinding light engulf the space, and he only held the king’s hand tighter as he was tugged forward.
His ears rang and it felt like there were pin pricks on his skin. Was this it?
He didn’t have to wait long for his answer. It was only a moment until he heard Izuku’s voice again, chuckling and amusedly saying, “Kacchan, can you please stop harassing my other self? He’ll die of overheating! I’m pretty sure this pup won’t appreciate it either.”
Immediately, Katsuki released Izuku’s hand, and it was just in time because a taller version of him tackled the freckled man, kissing him passionately and grabbing at his ass as if he had been drowning and Izuku was the only source of air capable of saving him–though with what he’d learned of secondary natures, that might be partially right. He could only stare with second-hand embarrassment at the moaning couple, who clearly didn’t care about the minors in the room.
His attention deviated from the two kings when he felt those big, emerald green eyes on him–the only ones he wanted on him, but he couldn’t bring himself to look at them. He wasn’t ready to talk just yet.
Dredging back up the anger he felt for the situation, he clenched his fists and stomped his way toward the door. It was a small room; he could make it!
“Fuckin’finally. These two are freaks,” he grumbled, as was expected of his character. He could explain later, he could apologize for it all after, but if he was going to speak with Deku, he really needed a bath and a change of clothes first.
Just as he turned the knob, he was yanked back by his counterpart.
“What the hell is wrong with you?!” the dragonborn asked.
Katsuki groaned in exasperation. This guy was as much of a pain as his husband, wasn’t he? “Let go of me, you bastard!” he yelled, setting off an explosion to startle him, but he only got another, stronger one in return.
Fuck.
“We have the same quirk, dumbass!” The king chuckled with a feral smile. “Now I’ll repeat myself out of respect for Deku, because it seems we’ve lost a few brain cells in this life,” he paused and pinned the teen to the wall before continuing with his question. “WHAT. THE HELL. IS WRONG. WITH YOU?”
“Me?! You’re the one who fucking attacked me when I was trying to go back to my own room!” Katsuki screeched.
That’s when his older self grabbed his chin roughly and jerked it to the side to look at Deku.
“The hell–”
The other slapped him upside the head, setting off an instinctual defense, but his mind became an incessant stream of thoughts revolving around one person: Deku. Deku who was beautiful and fresh out of the bath, his hair a wild mess of curls he wouldn’t dream of taming. Deku, who looked at him with such a hurt expression that it made his own heart hurt. Deku, who seemed unsure of what to do, who just looked at them with confused eyes.
Then, it clicked: Deku wasn’t sure which blond to defend…
A sense of unease spread throughout his limbs; he’d really fucked up, hadn’t he? Katsuki really wanted to leave.
“Hey, are you even listening to me, pup?!” the king asked. The man was in clothes similar to his own, but heavily embellished with jewelry he’d refused to wear. His skin was tanned from hours of work outside, and it was covered in intricate tattoos and pale, silver scars that rivaled his own.
The idea of it all irked him.
“Don’t fucking call me pup!”
“I can call you whatever the fuck I want, but I won’t dwell on this nonesense for Deku’s sake.”
“What do you know about my Deku, hah?! You’ve only been here a few days!”
“I know that you have been an ignorant fool; that you’ve been hurting him. You can’t even call him yours because you’ve never claimed him. And, for what? For pride? It’s not worth it, young Katsuki, and you know it.”
“I know it’s not, old man!”
“Who the fuck’re you callin’ an old man, pup? Guess what? Because of your inaction, I had to step up and teach Izuku how he should be treated.”
Katsuki felt the words like a stab to the lungs. He couldn’t breathe, an ugly, green envy filling his lungs, as his older counterpart recounted all the experiences he’d had with Deku that Katuski could only dream of–cooking only for Deku, telling everyone he’s dating Deku, kissing Deku, sleeping with Deku. It was a nightmare and a wish-come-true all in one.
Goddammit!
He couldn’t help his horrified expression, but the king clapped him on the shoulder, making Katsuki’s usual scowl and glare return but fall just as quickly with his words.
“It is all for a positive outcome. The people here already believe you and Deku are together, so it would be easy to continue as if you were from the start.” The warrior sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, yet spoke kindly, his tone begging him to understand. “Katsuki–fuck this is strange–Deku returns your feelings and has spent countless nights thinking that he is not worth the effort–prove him wrong. Show him that he’s everything we want, everything we need, and your love will surpass any trial. Hell! I am a superior you, and he refused my advances! He’s loyal. Our Dekus are brilliant, strong, caring, but their biggest trial is their own minds–much like ours. Balance each other out. Understand?”
Deku chose him. Out of all the bastards in the world–even a version of him that expressed himself better–Deku had chosen him. His face flushed, and that envious snake that was choking him dissipated into a warmth that spread through his limbs–but like hell he’d admit to it. “Yeah, yeah. I already planned on doing all that, you extra.”
The king’s nostrils flared, “Why you–” and Katsuki bared his own teeth in response, preparing his hands to set off a blast, when the eldest Izuku wrapped an arm around the king’s waist and used the other to scent him.
“Calm down, alpha,” Izuku purred, kissing the king’s jaw. It was so bizarre, like getting a glimpse into the perfect future, except…it wouldn’t be accurate. They would never be this, precisely. Katsuki didn’t know whether to be grateful or incredibly jealous.
Distracted by his mate’s attention, the older blond released him, and turned to face the omega.
“We need to go, or we’ll be stuck with these pups, and we need to get ready for our own,” Izuku said.
We’ll…that’s one way to tell him.
The room stilled, and Katsuki had to hold his breath. How would the other even–
Hope. Hope shone in those crimson eyes, and his voice wavered as the king asked, “You’re not fuckin’ joking, are you, omega?”
Izuku raised his brow in question. “Can you not feel it?”
The older Katsuki sniffed at the air, and his pupils widened noticeably before retracting to their original size.
That was…new.
Whooping and hollering, in a way completely opposite to anything the hero-to-be would do, the king assaulted his mate with excited kisses, whispering words of praise.
It was enlightening, terrifying, and painful to watch all at once.
Then, the man turned to Deku and Katsuki watched on, wanting to growl and tell him to back off, but remembering he had no right to. Izuku’s eyes met his, and the omega mouthed, “Talk. Today.”
He nodded.
The two warriors, alpha and omega, gave them a wave and a fond smile before walking hand in hand into the portal that dissipated once they’d crossed, leaving no evidence that it was ever there.
A pregnant silence settled between them, expectant, demanding. Deku fiddled with the hem of his shirt, and Katsuki swallowed.
This was really happening.
A whole myriad of curses raced through his mind in the few steps that it took to settle on the bed as gently as possible. He didn’t want to spook the other before everything was resolved. The nerd was nervous, worried that he’d ruin their friendship, that they’d lose each other again, and even though Katsuki knew that wasn’t true, he had never voiced anything that would make the guy think otherwise.
Katsuki lifted his gaze, trying to convey his request as much as he could, and said, “So, Deku, I think we should talk.”
Shit! He was so nervous his palms were sweating like a damn faucet. He swore that if he wrung them, a light stream might come out.
Deku gifted him a wobbly smile and nodded. “Sure, Kacchan.”
Shifting a little, Katsuki turned to face him, unsure of how to proceed. He’d been in denial so long that he’d never thought of confessing to anyone, much less after such a bizarre experience.
Those emerald eyes that plagued him for so long in both the best and worst ways were filled with tears, tears he’d swore never to cause again. The way Deku’s brow furrowed, the way he bounced his knee, the way his right hand folded to grasp at his left elbow all relayed the message that Deku was overthinking, that he’d misinterpreted, but Katsuki wasn’t fast enough.
When he opened his mouth to speak, Deku spoke first, with a pained but accepting look.“It’s okay, Kacchan, I know you have no wish to be like them, and I don’t expect us to…well, be everything.”
Katsuki’s heart tightened, and he felt like it was slowly breaking. He needed to speak, to tell Deku he was wrong, to say something.
“Did that Izuku speak of soulmates?” A wry chuckle bubbled out from Deku, before he continued in a whisper, “They really believe in all that, but they forget we don’t have those.”
“Ner–Izuku, I–That experience opened my eyes to a few things…”
The greenette’s eyes wouldn’t meet his. Katsuki could see it; he was exhausted. The only reason Izuku hadn’t run was because he was trying to keep it together for him, so he pushed forward.
“Admittedly, I’d never even considered the possibility of a relationship with you–with anyone–”
“I know. Which is why–”
“–but my experience there was…an eye-opener.”
“Kacchan, you don’t have to explain–”
“But I do! Just…let me talk.”
Izuku shuffled uncomfortably in his seat. “Okay, sorry.”
“Don’t apologize, dumbass! You’ve done nothing wrong…I have. I’ve been with a fuckin bizarre version of you for these past two days that’s been more forward than he should. He–” Katsuki paused and huffed. He didn’t know which words to use, so he just spoke whatever was on his mind. He told Izuku of the war, the hunting and killing, the hut building and foraging, even of the pack sleeping together. It was liberating and just really fuckin’nice to speak to the nerd again, to see his reaction.
Izuku listened with rapt attention, an unknown emotion flashing through his eyes every now and then. While he did ask questions about the lifestyle, it was with a muted curiosity. Katsuki tried deciphering it, but it was impossible! All he knew is that it wasn’t the admiration, excitement, or interest he expected.
Izuku’s responses were short, measured, still having that skittish, insecure nature, like a rabbit in front of a wolf, as if Katsuki’s words were his fangs threatening to pierce skin and bleed him dry. Still, Katsuki pushed through until his story had been told; after all, he wanted to hear Deku’s side too.
By the end of his tale, Katsuki’s mouth was dry, and his heart was surely developing issues by the amount of times it had skipped a beat at one of Izuku’s reactions, but he didn’t dare stand to get water. However, after looking at Deku for a little longer, he realized that his expression wasn’t uneasy or fearful, it was something akin to sorrow, and Katsuki’s hands trembled at the sight.
Why?
Why was the nerd sad?
Didn’t he see that this was meant to reassure him? The whole thing was to tell Deku how much he’d grown, how much he’d improved–for him!
“I’m glad your time there was so pleasant, Kacchan,” Izuku began with a shaky voice. “I’m sorry you have to be stuck here with me now. That other Deku was very beautiful and strong; I’m sure he was far more worthy of your company.”
Katsuki sighed and dragged a hand over his face. “It’s not like that, Deku. Did you not hear anything?! Stop being so fuckin’ insecure!”
And for the first time in a long time, Deku rose to his feet and shouted, “Then how is it?! How am I meant to feel?!” He was panting heavily, tears falling in streams to the ground. “Just be straightforward because I don’t know why you’re telling me of all these adventures you’ve had with a better me. It hurts, Kacchan, and I’m tired of pretending it doesn’t. It was excruciating to be with that other Katsuki, to let him say those nice things about me, to let him treat me so carefully and devotedly when I knew there was no chance of ever having anything remotely similar with you. I wanted to preserve our friendship, I wanted to pretend I was content with just that, but he ruined everything.”
“Deku,” Katsuki gave a cracked, hoarse, whisper, his own tears surfacing.
Fuck this shit!
Katsuki tackled the other, enveloping him in his arms, and refusing to budge when he was pushed away. Feeling Izuku push and grab at him triggered his tear ducts. He felt the annoying moisture against his skin, but he ignored it. It wasn’t relevant, not when Izuku was sobbing. So, just like the other Deku had, he maneuvered their position to a more comfortable one and ran his fingers through the damp emerald waves to soothe him, to mellow out the sobs and frustrated wails that the other muffled against his chest. He needed the nerd to hear, because they’d both been pining morons that hurt each other for far too long. He needed to stop the pain.
Speaking cautiously in a measured tone to keep his voice from breaking, he began, “Dumb Deku, ever since I was a kid, my main focus was being the best. To be the best, I thought I had to give up any attachment and focus wholly on my mission, so I had to give up the one person I had become attached to the most–you.” He sighed ruefully. That was what ruined everything.
Izuku’s hands fisted Katsuki’s shirt and his body mostly stilled against his frame. What was Kacchan saying?
“I convinced myself that I hated you, and tried convincing you that I could only be a symbol of callous, unbridled power and victory; that I could bring nothing but pain to you. I failed to convince you I was a hopeless case, and it frustrated me to no end that even after telling you to–that even after being a villain to you, you never gave up on me.”
“Kacchan was never anything but amazing,” Izuku mumbled, making Katsuki chuckle.
“So you’ve said. But don’t interrupt me, nerd.”
The freckled boy gave a small smile and nodded, not bothering to acknowledge that the other’s voice had become wet, overcome with emotions he never thought he’d witness.
“After the fight with All For One and after we established a new normalcy, I…I didn’t know how to handle what I felt. It became harder and harder to ignore. I was even more fuckin’ terrifying. You were no longer just a pebble in my way, a rival, or a friend–I wanted you.”
Izuku gasped, but Katsuki held him tighter. He didn’t want him to go; he didn’t want him to see his face either. His head was throbbing, his defense mechanisms blaring at him to stop, to say it was all a joke, to run away and put his walls back up, yet he knew he had to continue.
“I had no idea how to deal with those thoughts, so I buried them; although, now I can see, I still sought you out in my own way. A life without you is a life I never hope to know, Izuku. I couldn’t really put that in danger. However, this was at odds with what I’d told myself my whole life.”
Katsuki felt Izuku rub soothing circles on his back and the blond continued, if only to avoid falling prey to the warmth and touch he so craved.
“I tried again, telling myself over and over that I didn’t deserve you, that I wouldn’t stand in the way of your happiness either because you deserved it all after all the shit you’ve been through these past two years alone.”
It could’ve all been so easy; they could’ve avoided all this shit.
“I tried suppressing this as much as I could, but then that dumbass king made me realize I never really gave you the chance to voice your own thoughts. It was easier to believe all this was one-sided. I was a coward.”
“We both were,” Izuku whispered, now moving his face sideways to rest on his Kacchan’s chest, to hear his heart beat erratically, adding a comforting drum to the teen’s words.
“In just three days, my whole system of belief and plans crumbled, and those weird-as-fuck dragonborns made me see that getting to know the real you would be much better than anything my twisted mind could fathom.”
Izuku giggled.
“Are you seriously making fun of me?!” the blond huffed.
“Never, Kacchan, I was just thinking that their speech is rubbing off on you. You haven’t cursed as much.”
Katsuki clicked his tongue playfully and buried his nose in Deku’s curls. “Dumbass,” he muttered fondly. The crushing weight on his chest lifted the more he spoke. It was only then that he realized how long he’d been harboring these thoughts.
“As I was saying, when you so rudely interrupted, I realized that our relationship wasn’t dependent on what we brought to the table; we only wanted the other to be safe and happy. What sappy shit, right?” he chuckled. “I can’t say this about any other asshole, though. A lot of my life has been confusing and unstable, but…not you–not in the way I expected; you were always there, and if there’s one thing I know for sure it’s that…I can’t imagine a life when you’re not.”
It was only then that Izuku separated from Katsuki’s warmth.
For a moment, the blond braced himself for rejection, but then he saw Deku’s shining, red-rimmed eyes, no longer reflecting anger or sadness, but hope and elation. He finally saw that admiration and determination he so craved. The heartbeat that had skipped once or twice was now thumping against his ribcage like the hooves of a horse charging into battle, quick as lightning. And then, when he thought it was going as fast as it could, Izuku cupped his face and leaned in, wetting his lips before pressing them against his own. The teen’s lips were chapped but soft, and they tasted of fresh mint, probably since he’d recently brushed his teeth.
A second passed, then two before Katsuki’s brain realized what was happening.
Deku was…kissing him.
Holy hell! Sweet mother of All Might!
It was dizzying, Deku’s face blurring as Katsuki’s lashes fluttered shut, releasing a pleased sigh. Izuku softly tilted his head, his insistent mouth parting the blond’s shaking lips, sending his nerves into a frenzy, evoking sensations Katsuki didn’t even know he was capable of feeling. However, he wasn’t about to let the nerd do all the work, so just as ardently, he kissed him back.
Their hands grasped everywhere and nowhere at once, clinging to each other as if afraid the other would dissipate into the remnants of a dream. Their tongues glided against each other, drinking from that forbidden ambrosia that had been kept from them for too long; their bodies, slotted together like matching puzzle pieces, easily, perfectly, settling down into the bed.
Breathlessly, hesitantly, they parted, resting their foreheads together. It was too much too soon, and yet not enough. They felt energized, yet at peace.
As if realizing what he’d done, Izuku’s face quickly shifted. “Sorry, I–”
“Don’t you dare apologize for that, Deku,” Katsuki grumbled, holding the other in place.
Those kiss-bruised lips stretched into a giddy smile and the freckled boy shyly whispered, “Does this mean–”
And Katsuki wasn’t sure if it was the dopamine boost from the kiss or the weightlessness left by his confession, but Katsuki felt himself blush and smile wider, more honestly than he’d ever had. “Yeah, nerd. I wanna date your ass.”
Pressing their bodies as tightly as they could go, Izuku hugged Katsuki once more.
“Happy?” the blond asked.
Izuku hummed. “The happiest.”
Then, Katsuki’s eyes gained a teasing glint. “So, that bastard older me said he’d shown you how you should be treated. What did that mean?”
Emerald eyes widened and his cheeks looked like strawberries. “N-nothing! We’ll never talk about this experience again!”
“Oi! I’m going to think the worst if you don’t explain!” he teased again, but this time, a pillow was shoved into his face.
“It doesn’t matter. Shut up and let me enjoy this, Kacchan.”
And so, in a laughter-filled room, the two boys finally felt that blissful happiness they’d seen in their counterparts, and thought that maybe there was hope for the future after all.