Work Text:
Katsuki wakes up on the morning of April 20th to very loud snoring. Which is not something he’s very used to, nobody in his family actually snores. They’re all very quiet breathers. Deku, unfortunately, comes from a household with a dad who has a fire-breathing quirk, and therefore snores so loud you’d think Todoroki was fighting nomus in here or something. Thankfully, after a few months of dating, snoring is one of those things you’ve gotten used to, so Katsuki isn’t bothered half as much as he used to be by it. Actually, what he’s more bothered by is the fact that as soon as he woke up he looked up and saw “happy birthday, kacchan!” written on the ceiling in bright orange paint.
Katsuki breathes very hard through his nose. Deku snores again.
“DEKU,” Katsuki says. Deku jolts awake with an incomprehensible noise and takes a moment to get accustomed to his surroundings, swiveling his head around wildly until he catches sight of Katsuki and relaxes entirely. He grins, looking down at Katsuki with that self-satisfied look of his, the one that screams I’ve done something very good.
You know, the look he gets after breaking every bone in his arms.
“KACCHAN!” Deku says back, clambering up the bed so he’s at eye level with Katsuki, reaching down to envelop him in one of his famous Deku-hugs, the type where his arms squeeze all the way around Katsuki’s waist so hard he can’t breathe and he plants kisses all over every inch of his face (not part of a Deku-hug, that’s just boyfriend privilege). “Happy birthday!” Deku beams when he resurfaces, “I love you!”
Katsuki can’t help a smile at that. Deku has just ruined his room by writing all over it in orange paint (not that he cares, Deku knows Katsuki can just paint over it, and then Aizawa will never know about the dorm vandalism that took place), but Katsuki can’t bring himself to care. That’s his boyfriend, you know? Deku is his idiot boyfriend who forgave Katsuki after everything and kicks the covers off at night and refuses to go to sleep until Katsuki gives him his goodnight kiss. Who’s apparently going all out for his birthday.
“I love you too, shitty nerd,” Katsuki tells him. Deku lights up like a fucking Christmas tree and bounces from where he’s transitioned to sit in Katsuki’s lap. Katsuki groans and sits up, shoving Deku off of him and ignoring his pout as he gets out of bed.
“Do you like my decorations, Kacchan?” Deku asks, still in bed. Katsuki takes a look around the room as he pulls on his running clothes (Katsuki refuses to skip training, his birthday is just another day, after all), and sighs loudly. Deku’s stuck explosion-themed decorations all over his room, which must have happened after Katsuki went to sleep. There is a very large poster of Katsuki’s face with you make my heart go boom written under it and multiple pieces of Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight memorabilia scattered around the room. Orange, green, and black confetti is literally everywhere.
“What the fuck,” Katsuki replies, “you’ve demolished my room.”
“Isn’t it great!” Deku clasps his hands together like an anime girl, eyes shining.
“No, it’s fucking awful,” Katsuki says, but reaches down to ruffle Deku’s hair at the same time. Deku leans into the touch, expression content like a puppy who just got told he was a good boy. Not that Deku doesn’t like being called a good boy. But that’s the kind of thing Katsuki does not think about when he’s just trying to get through his day.
“I want you to have the best birthday ever,” Deku declares, “making that happen is my role as your boyfriend and hero partner and future husband and number one fan.”
Katsuki blinks. Sometimes he wonders how one man can hold so much simp inside of him. Especially someone like Katsuki, who’s a brat on a good day and insufferable any other time. Especially on his birthday. When Katsuki was a kid he was the most awful, spoiled kid on his birthday, no matter how many times his mom slapped him. It’s why neither Katsuki nor Deku has had a good birthday memory from after they got their quirks. And since they’ve started dating Katsuki has vowed to make it up to him come June. And he’s pretty sure this is Deku’s way of doing the same. Actually, no. Deku would have done this no matter what. This is just Deku being Deku, the lovesick dork he is.
Katsuki’s so fucking lucky.
Despite Deku’s protests and attempts to cling onto his legs as he walks out the door, Katsuki manages to get downstairs to start making his breakfast, shoving some ingredients into a blender for smoothies while shoving his Deku sweatband onto his head. As the blender shakes and lets out its deafening noises just barely louder than Deku’s snoring, Katsuki sees the figure of his workout partner, the only person who wakes up as early as him, and the biggest menace he has ever encountered walking down the stairs.
“Katsukiiii,” Uraraka skips over in her pink leggings and black sports bra, hair swinging in its ponytail, “happy birthday! I have an extra special run planned for us today!”
“Are you gonna make us do quirkless sparring again just so you can fucking beat me?” Katsuki raises an eyebrow, because that’s what Uraraka did on his last birthday. Granted, they weren’t that close yet, still in more of a rival phase rather than friends.
“Whaaat?” Uraraka shakes her head, “no! This year we’re officially besties, and I got you an actual gift! I figured you’d need some fresh air after whatever Deku must have done this morning, so you can get your hiking shoes on. We’re going hiking!”
The blender stops gurgling and Katsuki takes it out, unscrewing the cap. He pours the smoothie into two glasses with one hand and messes up Uraraka’s hair with the other.
“Thanks, Uraraka,” Katsuki says, genuine, “definitely fuckin’ beats last year.”
“Like how I beat you last year in quirkless sparring,” Uraraka snorts, then ducks her head to the side, narrowly dodging the banana Katsuki throws at her face. They decide on a truce so they can eat their breakfast, downing smoothies and then grabbing their bags to go hiking. Katsuki never took Uraraka for much of a hiker, but since it turns out they both enjoy that, it’s something they’ve taken to doing together every once in a while.
They leave a half-hour later, Katsuki texting Deku so he knows where Katsuki is and doesn’t come downstairs, think he’s missing, and then call All Might in tears. Which has happened before; Katsuki came back from the gym once to the police in the dorms looking for him. Katsuki’s long since gotten used to all of Deku’s protectiveness, though. So he texts Deku his whereabouts and doesn't get a response back, which he figures is because Deku’s fallen back asleep by now. He walks out the door with Uraraka at his heels, humming some annoying theme song to a morning cartoon as they set off on their way. Uraraka takes him to a favorite trail of theirs, and they hike up to the waterfall at the top. Uraraka gets in the water and gets all her clothes wet, and Katsuki just laughs at her from the side.
About two hours later they’re finished hiking down and back to the dorms, Katsuki sweating and in need of a shower and Uraraka somehow glistening, pristine as ever. Uraraka doesn’t sweat half as much as Katsuki does; he’s about to explode something. Uraraka knows this and yet doesn’t seem to care, giving him a parting hug when they get back to the dorms before running up the stairs, presumably to shower. Katsuki grabs the towel packed in his hiking bag and wipes his face with it, and then starts walking towards his room to shower as well. However, before he can take another step, he’s apprehended.
“Bakubro!” comes Kaminari’s voice from behind Bakugou as his arms wrap around his shoulders, “happy birthday, man! How does it feel to be another year older?”
“Exactly the fucking same,” Katsuki tries and fails to shove Kaminari off of him.
“There’s the Bakugou we know and love,” Sero says from where he’s appeared at Katsuki’s side, and then grabs his (still incredibly sweaty) hand and starts dragging him back to the door. Katsuki pulls his hand away and finally manages to get Kaminari off.
“Where the fuck are you taking me?”
“The arcade!” Kaminari grins, “we’ll pay for all the games and stuff! As your gift!”
It doesn’t escape Katsuki that all of the gifts he’s gotten so far have come in the form of gestures and things to do. None of them are physical wrapped presents. And unfortunately, Katsuki knows exactly why. It’s just too bad Deku went and blabbed about it. Which is normally something Deku would never do, but. Katsuki never told Deku about how much this particular thing affected him. Deku probably thought it was an embarrassing Kacchan-story. But Katsuki shouldn’t be so ungrateful. He’s getting amazing gifts from his friends, even if they are ones he won’t be able to excitedly rip open.
“Will you let me fucking shower?” Katsuki gripes, “I’ll explode you both if I don’t get all this gross fucking sweat offa me. And I don’t think y’all want to be murdered today.”
“Yeah, no thank you,” Sero agrees.
“You do reek,” Kaminari unhelpfully adds, earning him an icy glare from Katsuki, “you should definitely go shower. But after that, we’re going to the arcade! No ditching!”
“Shut up, I fucking won’t,” Katsuki promises, slinging his bag over his shoulder and walking over to the stairs. Once he gets to his room he opens the door, and the gross part of him hopes that Deku’s still in there so he can see him again, especially in the morning when he’s sleep rumpled and adorable. Yeah, Katsuki’s a sap who loves his boyfriend. He’s accepted it at this point. Besides, it makes Deku happy, which makes Katsuki happy.
Sure enough, Deku is still in his room. He looks up from his phone at the sound of the door opening and lights up when he sees Katsuki walk in, jumping up from the bed.
“Kacchan!” Deku grins brightly, running over to throw his arms around him. Katsuki almost gets bowled over, and grunts from the force of Deku’s love and affection.
“Hey, Deku,” Katsuki wraps one arm around him, “gotta go shower, dumbass.”
“But you just got here!” Deku complains, “I missed you!”
“Come shower with me, idiot,” Katsuki rolls his eyes, “you need to get up, anyway.”
“Don’t wanna,” Deku whines into Katsuki’s shirt.
“Tough shit,” Katsuki walks into the bathroom, Deku clinging onto him and consequently getting dragged inside of the bathroom with him. Once Katsuki takes off his shirt Deku seems to perk up, acquiescing to getting in the shower. He’s very horny for a nerd dating an asexual. Whatever, that’s Deku’s problem. Katsuki’s problem is trying to shower with Deku literally refusing to let go of him. Thankfully, he’s a pro at this.
Deku manages to stay attached to Katsuki for the entirety of his morning routine. Katsuki has no idea how he does it. And when Katsuki leaves to go to the arcade and Deku finally has to let go of his hand Deku pouts for a good minute. Katsuki just sighs.
“Go fuckin’ train or something,” Katsuki tells him, “I’ll be back later.”
“No you won’t,” Deku frowns, “Kiri said he’s taking you for lunch!”
“Fuck, he is?” Katsuki doesn’t remember making these plans, but he’s always up for spending time with Kirishima. Besides, it does seem like everyone’s taking him out today. Not surprising that Kirishima would want to foot the bill for Katsuki’s spicy curry.
“Alright,” Katsuki shrugs, “I’ll be back after that, then.”
“But that’s so long!” Deku argues. Kaminari and Sero laugh at him.
“You’ll be fine,” Katsuki deposits a bite on Deku’s cheek and a kiss on his head as a goodbye, and then waves on his way out the door with Kaminari and Sero. Deku yells “bye, Kacchan! I love you!” as they walk out, and Katsuki smiles to himself. Shitty Deku.
“Aw, you’re such a simp,” Kaminari coos. Katsuki pushes him.
They do end up having a lot of fun at the arcade. Arcades are one of the only places with bright lights and loud crowds Katsuki can actually stand, mostly because the people are spread out enough and he loves playing the games too much to avoid arcades. Kaminari and Sero buy all their tokens, and they run around playing every game there is. Katsuki aces every game as per usual, making Sero and Kaminari yell at him. But each of them has a specialty: Kaminari always wins at skee ball and Sero is the master at DDR. Katsuki lets them win against Katsuki a few times before obliterating them both at air hockey.
They end up splitting a family-sized bag of chips (Katsuki’s allowed to indulge sometimes, okay?), and their numerous tickets among themselves. Katsuki gets the most due to it being his birthday. He’s never really been one for the prizes at the arcade, though, so he just buys an All Might plushie for Deku and a Crimson Riot themed candy thing for Kirishima. And then he uses up the rest of his tickets warring with the claw machine.
Ten minutes of enraged yelling and aggressive lever moving later, Katsuki manages to get something out of the claw machine. Satisfied, the three of them leave the arcade. Kaminari convinces them to get milkshakes and inhales an entire chocolate one with whipped cream by himself. Katsuki and Sero split a vanilla one because they’re “basic,” according to Kaminari. There is a limit to Katsuki’s birthday indulgence, okay?
Katsuki’s next stop, apparently, is lunch with Kirishima. On their walk past the dorms, they very conveniently pass the restaurant where Katsuki is apparently eating with Kirishima. Kaminari and Sero inform him of this and then ditch him, and Katsuki is left standing in front of the place with his favorite spicy curry, waiting for Kirishima. Kirishima isn’t long, though, and Katsuki hears him before he sees him.
“Katsuki!” Kirishima yells, and he’s full-body sprinting across the road just to get to Katsuki. When he gets onto the sidewalk he knocks the wind out of Katsuki in a huge bear hug, and Katsuki has to remember how to breathe before hugging him back.
“Happy birthday!” Kirishima keeps yelling, “I love you!”
“Shut up,” Katsuki tells him, “love you too.”
Kirishima makes a valiant effort to not burst into tears.
Afterward they sit down in a booth by the window. Kirishima orders some ramen and Katsuki gets his spicy curry, of course. It’s then, during the window where they wait for their food, that silence allows Katsuki to start thinking again. He always feels bad for thinking his birthdays sucked after he got his quirk, since Deku’s were so much worse and that was actively because of Katsuki, at least in part. And Katsuki’s birthdays sucked because Katsuki sucked. Him and his shitty personality drove everyone away.
Not too far away, though. Nobody came to Deku’s birthday parties, but people did come to Katsuki’s. Pretty much because they were either forced to or too scared not to. Katsuki was the twelve-year-old terror of the neighborhood. Notorious for hating every single gift he ever got. He’d open his gifts and proclaim, “this sucks, I hate it!” Nobody wants to go to the birthday party of a dickhole like that. Kid Katsuki deserved that.
And it’s always hurt him to think of how awful he was, even with something so random as birthday gifts. Katsuki hates to think of how spoiled he was, shitting on every gift he got while people like Deku sat at home alone on their birthdays. And it sucks to think about how Deku probably told people because he thought it was kind of funny; he excuses far too many of Katsuki’s awful behaviors. And now people are steering away from physical gifts because they don’t want to be ridiculed. Really, Katsuki gets it. And he’s so grateful for the gifts he is getting. But he fucking loves the feeling of seeing the people he cares about open a gift he got for them and start grinning, and Katsuki used to love opening his own gifts and beaming at the contents when he was little. Before everything.
Katsuki would kill to rip open some gifts. He’ll love every last one of them.
“Dude,” Kirishima interrupts his melodramatics, “you’re getting introspective again. Don’t get introspective on your birthday, man! Now is not the time to angst.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Katsuki responds, the peak of eloquence, “I’m not angsting -” he absolutely was, “-I was just thinkin’ about shit. None of your fucking business.”
Kirishima reaches across the table and pats Katsuki’s hand. It’s incredibly condescending. “Okay, Katsuki. Just making sure you’re not sad on your birthday. We all love you lots, you know? We really want you to have a good day, okay?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Katsuki’s heart does not swell at Kirishima’s care for him, it doesn’t, “I’m not fucking sad. Just annoyed the food’s takin’ so fucking long to get here-”
And then the food gets here. And then Katsuki is distracted by spicy curry and Kirishima, and he stops thinking and starts enjoying the company of his best friend. They talk and laugh like they’ve been doing since first year, which Katsuki can’t believe was three years ago. And now, three birthdays later, this has to be the best one so far.
As expected, Kirishima pays the entire bill and refuses to let Katsuki touch his wallet. They leave afterward, walking back towards the dorms until Kirishima takes an odd detour and starts going a completely different route. Katsuki frowns.
“Where the fuck are we going?”
“Your next birthday stop!” Kirishima grins, “the mall!”
Katsuki grunts as the mall comes into view, thankfully not the one Shigaraki found Deku at. A different mall, one with less trauma attached to it. Katsuki appreciates that. Not that he was even at the mall, but. He heard about it later and almost had a heart attack.
“The hell are we doing at the mall?”
“Well, I’m leaving,” Kirishima says apologetically, “I gotta go work out. But don’t worry about it, man. I’m leaving you in very good and capable hands!”
“Kat!” shrieks a voice at ten decibels too many, “happy birthday!”
“Good and capable hands, my ass,” Katsuki tells Kirishima as Mina jumps him and he catches her, carrying her on his back as she hugs the life out of him.
“Well, looks like you’re doing fine,” Kirishima backs away, and then turns around to start walking away, “bye, Katsuki! Happy birthday again, man! Have fun!”
“Kirishima, you fuck!” Katsuki yells after him, and then turns his attention to Mina. She jumps off his back and grins at him, waving a credit card in his face.
“We’re going shopping!”
“That yours?” Katsuki raises an eyebrow, “you are not paying for my shit-”
“Don’t worry, it’s my father’s,” Todoroki materializes out of literally fucking nowhere, making Katsuki jump, “we’re paying courtesy of Endeavor.”
“Oh, fuck yeah,” Katsuki smirks, snatching the credit card, “fuck that guy.”
“So true, bestie,” Todoroki deadpans. Mina fucking loses it. She’s still a giggling mess as they walk into the mall, so Katsuki leaves her outside of the bookstore with Todoroki to babysit her as he buys about seventeen All Might comics he already has, and then a few more to give to Deku. He gets one of those board books for little kids about how electricity works as a joke for Kaminari. When he exits the store Mina seems to have composed herself, so they wander around the mall and do some more shopping.
Katsuki and Mina raid Hot Topic and buy Todoroki some emo-looking stuff because they can. Katsuki gets a boatload of clothes and Mina gets somehow double that amount; when they go shopping together they buy a lot of stuff. Add Endeavor’s credit card and Todoroki’s rich boy attitude of buy everything, and they get even more shit. They leave the mall weighed down by bags and the satisfaction of stealing from Endeavor. Even Todoroki has a couple bags of stuff Katsuki and Mina made him get. Katsuki also makes sure to pick up a pink and black plaid skirt he remembers Uraraka lamenting about not being able to get a while ago, and gets Deku some of his favorite tacky hero merch shirts and some proper clothes. Sometimes Katsuki feels a whole lot like his mother, picking his outfits.
And then, finally, blessedly, they finally start actually walking back to the dorms. Mina is, however, weirdly cryptic and strict about making sure Katsuki stays outside of the dorms. Todoroki stays outside with him, because apparently Katsuki needs a chaperone.
“Happy birthday, Katsuki,” Todoroki breaks their comfortable silence.
“Thanks, Half n’ Half,” Katsuki nods. Todoroki gives him a small smile, and Katsuki smiles back. The two of them have an agreement: they don’t smile that often, barely even knew how to when they first got to UA. But now their rule is if one of them smiles, the other one has to smile too. Now they both smile a hell of a lot more.
A few minutes later the door to the dorms opens and Iida walks out. As he approaches Katsuki Todoroki leaves, walking into the dorms. The door closes behind him, and Katsuki crosses his arm and looks at Iida, very confused and unimpressed.
“What the fuck is going on, Glasses?”
“You’ll see,” Iida replies, like a creep, “happy birthday, Bakugou.”
“Uh, thanks?” Iida starts walking and Katsuki follows him, up to the dorm doors. Iida rests his hand on the doorknob, looks at Katsuki once, and smiles.
“What the fuck,” Katsuki says.
Iida opens the door.
“SURPRISE!” the entirety of Class 3-A says.
“What the fuck,” Katsuki says again.
Iida closes the door.
“Happy birthday, man,” Jirou gives him a crooked grin from where she’s blasting some kids' version of happy birthday she probably found on youtube. Katsuki sighs.
“Happy birthday again, Kacchan!” Deku bounds forward and tucks himself into Katsuki’s side, slipping his arms around his waist. Katsuki puts one arm around his shoulder, pulls him closer, and lets Deku burrow into his chest.
“What the hell is this?”
“It’s a surprise party,” Iida explains, like Katsuki is fucking clueless, “a few of us took shifts to keep you outside so that we could set everything up.”
“You having to shower almost ruined everything,” Sero glares over at Uraraka, “why did you have to choose such a hard hike to do? You made him so sweaty!”
“We were able to hide everything in time!” Uraraka defends herself.
“Easy hikes are for losers, anyway,” Katsuki scans the room. All of his classmates are there, standing around the common room with genuine smiles on their faces. For Katsuki Bakugou, the spoiled king of Aldera, the villain of UA. And, somehow, the close friend of all these people. Deku’s boyfriend. Kirishima’s brother, Todoroki’s best friend. These people love him, Katsuki remembers with a start, and he loves them too.
And then-Katsuki’s eye catches the coffee table in the middle of the room and his heart starts beating even faster, because there’s a fucking mountain of presents.
“I know it hurts you more than you let on,” Deku whispers, following Katsuki’s gaze, “we all know you’re not like that anymore. Besides, the extras at Aldera were terrible at gift-giving. Nobody knew what Kacchan actually liked! They weren’t your real friends.”
Katsuki snorts, the way he always does when Deku says extras. He should’ve known, honestly. Deku can read him like a fucking All Might silver age comic.
“Yeah!” Kirishima agrees, “we’re your real friends.”
“You already got me a fuckton of gifts though,” Katsuki says, “why the hell would you get more? You guys paid for the arcade, and the restaurant, and the mall-”
“I’m rich and I have a creation quirk,” Momo speaks up.
“Right,” Katsuki nods.
“And you deserve a happy birthday, Katsuki,” Momo continues.
“Fuck off,” Katsuki groans, burying his face in Deku’s curls. The entire class aww ’s and Deku just laughs, pressing a kiss to Katsuki’s neck and holding him tighter.
“Love you,” Deku murmurs, “happy birthday, Kacchan.”
“Love you too, Deku,” Katsuki responds. He’s so fucking happy.
Deku smiles. “You’re gonna love all our gifts, Kacchan.”
And Katsuki does.