The Art of Roasting Coffee Beans and Entitled Heroes

by Andie_02

Summary:

Izuku Midoriya has finally saved up enough to open his own coffee shop like he always wanted. Everything is as great and perfect as he dreamed it would be--until a face from his past wanders into his cafe.

If he had known that his cafe would be anywhere near the agency Ground Zero works for, he would have purchased a building in a different part of the city altogether.

or-

Pro Hero Ground Zero decides to check out the new coffee shop that popped up on his patrol route. The last thing he expected was to see Izuku Midoriya, the kid he used to bully in middle school, standing behind the counter. What he expects even less are the weird and warm feelings in his chest when he sees the person Midoriya grew up to be.

Chapter 1: "Surprise Me"

The sun shines through the coffee shop's big windows, bathing the establishment in the beautiful, golden light of the early morning sun. When looking at different buildings, it was the big, antique-looking windows that really won Izuku over in the end. While this location wasn't quite in the heart of the city, the building was truly a sight to behold. 

As far as renovations went, a lot of work had to be done on the building before Izuku could even think about opening up for business. While it was an older building, the place had lots of charm and character that couldn't be found in any of the other available spaces the realtor had shown him. 

So far, the cafe has been a huge success. Whether it was the quirkiness of the building that drew in customers or the drinks themselves, Izuku didn't care. He had lots of customers who seemed to enjoy coming there, and that's more than he ever dreamed. He'd been extremely anxious about the possibility that he might not get customers after all the work and money he had put into renovating and restoring the building. But so far, everything was going perfectly. 

He'd elected to paint the shop's interior a pretty sage green color and had many different plants hanging around the room's perimeter. There was a second-hand piano in the corner of the shop that kids liked to come in and play cute little songs on, and the aroma of coffee and baked sweets always hung in the air. All in all, it was a cute cafe with a nice and cozy atmosphere that people seemed to enjoy. 

He'd elected to name it The Little Leaf Cafe. It was a nice play on the plants that filled the space, as well as tea- if that was your thing. As far as drinks went, Izuku was always experimenting with different recipes and flavors, so the drink selection was extensive. And while he'd never been blessed in the cooking department, baking seemed to be one of the things he was good at, so the pastry case was always full of delicious snacks and sweets. 

It's early Monday morning, and Izuku is working through his opening tasks. He makes sure to water all the plants, get the expresso machines warming up, and then heads into the back to start baking that day's selection of pastries. The first two hours of the morning roll by quickly, and by the time six a.m. rolls around, the pastry case is nearly full, and his opening employee comes in through the back door. 

"You have to stop scheduling me in the mornings," Shigaraki laments upon entering the back room. He shrugs off his black sweater and grabs one of the aprons from the rack. 

"You said you had open availability," Izuku smiles. "Plus, I like to make sure no one is stuck opening all the time since I know none of you like mornings that much." 

He has a total of three employees; Izuku originally tried to run the place entirely by himself but quickly realized how fast he'd get burnt out if he tried to keep that up. 

Shigaraki puts on the apron and then ties his light blue hair back out of his face. "Smells good in here," he notes as he heads to the front of the cafe. Izuku follows him out with the last tray of pastries. "What did you make today?" 

"A few different kinds of danishes and a new bagel recipe. Strawberry swirl is what I'm calling it." 

"Sounds... interesting." Shigaraki leans against the counter as Izuku puts the tray in the display case. After that, he unlocks the door and flips the sign in the window from 'closed' to 'open,' signaling the start of their day. Not long after they open, customers are coming in, and a line forms in front of the counter. Izuku and Shigaraki easily fall into their everyday routine- Shigaraki operates the register while Izuku whips out the drink and food orders. 

The morning rush comes and goes, and then there's the slow lull before lunch. Izuku goes out onto the floor and wipes down a few of the tables, sweeps up some messes, and then heads back behind the counter. Shigaraki is lazing over the side of the counter, looking at something on his phone when Izuku returns. Shigaraki smiles at something on the small screen. 

"What's got you so smiley?" Izuku teases as he wipes down the expresso machine.  

Shigaraki's head snaps over to Izuku and quickly pockets his phone. 

"Nothing." 

"Uh huh," Izuku laughs as he tosses the hand towel across the edge of the sink. "You don't smile, so it's gotta be something good, right?" 

"It's none of your business. That's what it is," Shigaraki snaps. Izuku jokingly holds up his hands. Shigaraki opens his mouth to say something else, but the little bell above the door rings, and their heads swivel around to look. 

Izuku's eyes fall on the person who just walked through the door, and all the blood drains from his face. It's like someone hit a reboot button on the back of his head, and all prior thoughts or customer service programming had been deleted. 

When Pro Hero Ground Zero walks up to the counter with his usual cold and sharp expression, Izuku stands frozen behind the counter. 

"Welcome in; what can I get started for you?" Shigaraki says from behind the register in his signature, monotonous tone--the one that Izuku is always getting on him about. Where Izuku would usually serve Shigaraki a pointed look, he can do nothing but clam up and stare. 

He doesn't know why it's affecting him this much. 

He tries his best just to act natural, but all he can see and hear are memories from middle school--the ones where Bakugou is standing over him after having shoved him as he laughs in his face. Then there are the names he used to call Izuku and the things he used to say about being born quirkless- something he obviously couldn't control and took him a long time to get over without Bakugou's teasing on top of everything. 

"What's good here?" the hero asks. 

"Depends on what you like, I guess," Shigaraki replies. "I'm not a mind reader, so you have to tell me what you want, sir."

That finally snaps Izuku back to the present. 

"Shigaraki," Izuku warns. He then turns his attention to the hero on the other side of the register as he moves next to his employee. "Why don't you go take a break?"

Shigaraki quirks an eyebrow at Izuku, who just gives him a sharp look. 

"Okay, whatever," Shigaraki sighs. He heads to the back. 

Izuku turns to look at the unexpected customer. 

"What are you doing here?" Izuku asks before he can stop himself. 

"I'm here to get a damn coffee," Bakugou growls, "or is that too much to ask for around here?" 

So, he was still as rude as he was back in middle school, even though he was a pro hero now. Go figure. 

"Do you know what you want?" Izuku asks, leaning into his customer service personality. 

"Surprise me." Bakugou crosses his arms. 

"Okay," Izuku smiles. "Give me just a few minutes, then." 

Izuku tries to recall what he remembers about Bakugou's tastes. If he remembers correctly, he was never a fan of sweeter things. Izuku elects to make him a dark chocolate mocha, which is already pretty unsweet by itself, but he throws in some of the spices he usually puts in Mexican hot chocolates, making it even more savory. 

When the drink is done, he turns around and slides it across the counter. Bakugou eyes the drink in front of him for a second with an odd look before picking it up. "How much do I owe you?" 

"It's on the house," Izuku says, his voice tight. He tries to smile again, but he can only draw his lips into a thin line. Bakugou raises his eyebrows. 

"Thank you," he says. He raises the to-go cup to his lips and takes a small sip. Izuku holds his breath. 

In his head, he can already imagine the insults that Bakugou has loaded up. He doesn't know how Bakugou found him after this long or if this was intentional. After graduating and moving on to high school, he had hoped that he wouldn't have to see Bakugou ever again--save for the news and the tabloids, seeing as he was now a pro hero. Bakugou had made it everyone's business back then that he was aiming for the top. That only meant that Izuku had been plagued to see his middle school bully's face plastered everywhere, rendering him unable to forget. 

Izuku watches Bakugou closely as a surprised look flashes across his face for what must be less than a second before his usual scowl falls back in place. 

"This is actually really good," Bakugou says. 

Izuku wanted to take it as a compliment, but he couldn't help but note the belittling undertones to the statement--as if the blonde had expected it to be terrible. 

"I'm glad you like it," Izuku forces out. He doesn't know why he had to try the drink in front of him. All he wants is for Bakugou to leave. 

Bakugou finally turns and heads for the exit. 

"Thank you for the coffee," he says on his way out. "See you around, nerd." 

Izuku lets out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. 

What. The. Fuck. 

'See you around?' What the heck did he mean by that?

Maybe he really did like the drink. Izuku couldn't tell. Whenever they were kids, Izuku had been able to read Bakugou pretty well. But as soon as Izuku got diagnosed as quirkless, the chasm between them grew at a pretty steady rate, and they'd never been close again. He couldn't read him anymore, so he really didn't know what to think. 

He just hoped that Bakugou didn't intend to become a regular. There was no way he'd be able to handle that kind of tension on a daily basis. 

The door to the back swings open, and Shigaraki makes his way over to Izuku. 

"I was totally eavesdropping," Shigaraki says. "I'm really curious to know what that was about."

Izuku sighs. Audibly. Dramatically. 

* * * 

Katsuki's morning starts out as a total shit show. 

He always rides his motorcycle to work in the morning, but for some stupid fucking reason, the stupid thing won't start. So not only does he have to walk to work, but he's going to be late. That'll be the third time this month. He can already hear the earful he's going to get from Endeavor when he finally gets into work. 

With his hands in his pockets, he heads down the street, keeping a brisk pace, all while trying to avoid the prying eyes of random citizens who recognize him as Ground Zero. He's still a relatively new hero, only having debuted a little over a year ago, but he had his crazy fans, just like every other pro. 

On his way to the agency, he spots a cafe ahead that he hadn't noticed before. He reads the sign, which reads 'The Little Leaf Cafe.' This definitely wasn't here last time he had to walk to work. 

Katsuki has yet to find a coffee shop that could actually make a decent drink, so he figures he might as well give this one a try. Normally, he wouldn't stop for coffee on the way to work, but he can't be late twice at the same time, he thinks to himself. Might as well stop. 

He immediately regrets his decision the minute he steps through the door. He locks gazes with a familiar set of green eyes from across the room, and it takes everything inside him to act normal. 

He approaches the counter. The cashier gives him a half-hearted greeting, which Katsuki totally overlooks. He balls his hands into fists at his sides and tries to keep a neutral expression on his face. 

It's Izuku Fucking Midoriya. 

Yeah. The same Midoriya he used to bully back in middle school. He's probably one of the few people who could totally ruin his hero career if he really wanted to. If anyone knew the things that young Katsuki used to do and say to people, they wouldn't want him as a hero. He knew that. He already had a shit load of problems regarding his 'attitude problem', as Endeavor liked to call it, so throwing 'childhood bully' into the mix would be the end of his career for sure. 

And he felt guilty whenever he thought about it. So, he usually tried not to think about it. But it was kind of hard when the main point of self-loathing and pain in your life was staring you in the face. 

And fuck. 

Izuku was fucking hot. What. The. Hell. 

He'd be stupid to try and deny that the nerd was attractive. Anyone would say the same thing if they saw the way he looked right now. 

His face was still round, covered in freckles, and held the same boyish charm he always had, but the rest of him had filled out in all the right ways. He was still shorter than Katsuki by quite a bit, but there was definitely some muscle under that button-up polo and awful apron. He could see it in the twerp's arms as he gripped the edge of the counter as if to steady himself. He had the deer in headlights look on his face as he eyed Katsuki from across the counter. 

"Shigaraku, why don't you go take a break?" Izuku says to the cashier as he makes his way toward the register. 

"Okay, whatever," Shigaraki replies dismissively. He heads to the back, leaving Izuku and him alone. 

Izuku is silent for a moment before speaking up. "What are you doing here?" he says in an accusing tone. 

"I'm here to get a damn coffee," Katsuki states, "or is that too much to ask for around here?" 

And fuck, that came out ruder than he intended it to. He sucks in a breath. 

"Do you know what you want?" Izuku asks politely. Bakugou can tell that his kindness is fake, but he says nothing. He knows he already ruined the interaction before it had a chance to be anything else. 

"Surprise me," Katsuki says. He can't even think about coffee right now with Izuku standing in front of him. He has no idea what he wants. He forgot what he even came in for the minute he saw the green-haired man in front of him. 

"Okay," Izuku smiles. "Give me just a few minutes, then."

He turns around and starts fiddling with the expresso machine, and Katsuki finally lets out a breath, some of the tension leaving his body now that Izuku's piercing stare is no longer fixed on him. 

When Izuku turns around a few minutes later, he puts a drink on the counter in a to-go cup.  

"How much do I owe you?" Bakugou asks, trying to keep his tone from sounding as sharp as it did before. 

"It's on the house," Izuku says, giving him what he can only assume is supposed to be a smile. 

"Thank you," he says. Maybe he should have made more of a fuss about paying, but his brain was officially mush. Forming any kind of coherent thought at the moment was impossible. He'd just have to leave a good tip next time when he had cash on him. He brings the cup to his mouth and takes a drink of the coffee, and his tastebuds are immediately lit up with a warm and slightly spicy-tasting mocha, and it's nothing like Katsuki has ever tasted before. It's really fucking good. 

The nerd is definitely good at what he does. 

"This is actually really good," Bakugou says. He tries his hardest to sound genuine and keep the normal bite from his tone as he addresses the other man. He knows that his default setting is often offputting to others, so he does his best to try and not be that way right now. The last thing he wants is for Izuku to still think he's a total asshole. 

"I'm glad you like it," Izuku replies dryly. The tension in the air around them is a palpable thing. Katsuki can practically taste it. 

He considers what else to say, but nothing comes to mind. So, he turns to leave. 

"Thank you for the coffee," he says on his way out. "See you around, nerd." 

Izuku doesn't reply. The door to the coffee shop closes behind him, and he makes it a short distance from The Little Leaf before the tension finally slides off his shoulders. He takes another drink of the mocha and closes his eyes, relishing in the warmth that the drink brings upon every sip. 

Even after he's long finished with the drink and sitting behind his desk at the agency, there's still a warm feeling in the bottom of his gut. His mind keeps returning to the coffee shop interaction throughout the day, even while out on patrol. 

It irritates and distracts him all day. The stupid, tingly feeling in his stomach never leaves, and it seems to intensify every time he recalls that stupid, freckled face. 

Chapter 2: It Was Definitely Just The Mocha

In the days that follow their chance meeting in the coffee shop, Katsuki feels distracted. 

His mind kept going back to that stupid cafe. Whenever he thought about the interaction, he felt his chest constrict in a funny way that he wasn't used to, and he chalked it up to the drink he had. No other coffee shop had ever been able to serve him something that wasn't disgusting, but this was the first time that anyone actually got his tastes right. 

So that must be why he couldn't get the stupid cafe out of his mind. No, it wasn't the stupid, cute barista who made the drink. He had eyes, and he wasn't stupid- Izuku was cute. There was no denying it. But that was not the reason he kept thinking about the cafe. 

Katsuki Bakugou didn't get crushes. Even thinking that this might be the case was laughable. Pro Hero Ground Zero was intense and strong. He was the best, for Christ's sake! So no- he didn't get his panties in a twist over something as stupid as a cute barista. That kind of sappy shit was reserved for people like Dunce Face or Pink Cheeks. Those stupid idiots are the kind of people to gush about some random extra they met on the streets, but Katsuki was not. He didn't get crushes. 

End of story. 

So, when he ends up standing in front of The Little Leaf Cafe a week after his first visit, he isn't nervous. There is no reason to be. The tension he feels in his shoulders is just stress from work, and the stupid tight feeling in his gut is just in anticipation of the drink he had yet to receive. 

When he enters the cafe, the little bell above the door jingles and the sounds of someone plinking an awful tune on the old piano across the room fill his ears. It's a terrible version of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. His eyes zero in on the source of noise to find a kid squished against a familiar barista on the piano bench. The music stops, and laughter fills the air as Izuku turns to the kid. 

"I'm no musician," he says to the little brat, who's still laughing at Izuku. "But that was fun! Thank you for letting me play with you! And you're really good! You should play me another song!" 

"Alright, mister, you got it!" the little boy says as Izuku slides off the piano bench. The kid immediately starts to play some chirpy and happy song on the piano as Izuku turns around and finally spots Katsuki across the room as his eyebrows shoot up into his messy hair. 

"You're back," Izuku breathes. He immediately turns his eyes away and slides behind the counter. There's a blonde girl standing behind the register, but Izuku shoos her away to the back like he did with the last barista. He approaches the counter and crosses his arms over his chest. 

Never mind the fact that his heart rate is through the roof. It's totally just in anticipation of the drink he's about to get. It has nothing to do with the stupidly cute freckled face standing before him.

He notices that Izuku is looking at him like he expects him to answer some kind of question. Katsuki flounders a bit in his head, but his cool demeanor doesn't betray him in that moment. "I'm sorry, did you say something?" he asks. 

"I asked if you wanted me to make the same thing as last time. You said you liked it," Izuku says. His tone is dry. There's none of that fake customer service bullshit he heard last time, but he's not sure he prefers the dryness, either. "Or, I can make you something different if you were just being nice, it's not a big deal. Whatever you want, I'll make it, just let me know if you liked it though and I can totally make that for you again!" 

And there's the nervous rambling. So, some things don't change. Katsuki remembers that Izuku used to do that all the time when they were kids. 

But it's been a long time since Katsuki was the one that Izuku was rambling to. 

"Whatever you made last time is fine," Katsuki lets out, trying not to let his train of thought ruin the conversation. 

"Alright. Give me a few minutes." 

The piano music in the room stops for a second before it picks back up, and a more eclectic-sounding song starts to play. Katsuki turns his attention to the little boy sitting at the piano. For as young as he is, he's not half bad. 

"So, you decided to work in a coffee shop," Katsuki says after a few minutes, turning his eyes to Izuku, whose back is still turned to him as he makes his order. 

"I own the place," Izuku states. Dry tone, just like earlier. Huh. 

"What made you decide you wanted to own a coffee shop?" he asks, trying to keep the conversation going. At this rate, with all the tension in the air, he'd much prefer an awkward conversation over the unsettling silence between them. 

His heart rate is still going wild, which is stupid and dumb and unnecessary, making the simple conversation even harder. He doesn't know why he feels this way, and it's starting to get on his nerves. 

"Not all of us were able to become heroes like we wanted, Kacchan," Izuku bites. 

The satisfaction he might have gotten from hearing Izuku call him his childhood nickname was swiftly swiped from him by the statement that Izuku made prior. It was sharp and to the point, and he wasn't even sure how to respond to that. 

"Tch. Well, the coffee's not as shitty as some places, I guess," Katsuki grits. He silently curses at himself. He hadn't meant to say anything rude, but it just... slipped out. Second nature, and all that. 

"Glad you think so, I guess," Izuku replies, mocking Katsuki's tone. He turns around and puts the drink on the counter before him. "I can't tell if that was a compliment or an insult." 

So, Izuku is choosing to be feisty. This is a far cry from the boy he knew in middle school. Back then, the instant that something rude fell from Katsuki's mouth, Izuku would usually try to rationalize it or brush it off. But the Izuku in front of him was biting back. That wasn't something that he was used to, and Katsuki wasn't sure what to do with the information. 

His stupid, competitive nature wanted to clap back at Izuku, but he knew he shouldn't. If anything, he should be apologizing for his behavior when they were kids. But Katsuki can't do that, either. 

"It was a compliment," Katsuki states. "Obviously." 

"It wasn't obvious." 

Damn this stupid nerd. 

"Do I have to spell it out for you? Do you really want to hear what I think?" 

"That would be nice, but you don't have to," Izuku says. His green eyes shine with a hint of defiance, and Katsuki picks the drink up off the counter. The spicy scent of the mocha hits his nose, and the warm feeling in his gut amplifies. "I know compliments are hard for you." 

Katsuki freezes. 

Izuku is poking him on purpose at this point. There's no other way of looking at it. 

He brings the drink to his lips and takes a sip. The flavor hits his tongue, and it's just as good as last time. Katsuki's eyes never leave Izuku's as he taste tests the drink, nor when he speaks. 

"It's the best coffee I've ever had, Deku," Katsuki says. Izuku's eyes narrow, and he crosses his arms over his chest. He quirks his eyebrow at the barista. He hadn't expected him to act so coldly toward an actual compliment. So what the hell did he do wrong this time?

"Please don't call me that." 

Oh. 

Katsuki hadn't even intended to call him that. It just sort of... slipped. Force of habit, nothing more. He cringes inwardly, knowing that this interaction is forever fucked now, too. There's no taking that back. 

Katsuki clenches his jaw as he tries to form some kind of apology, but no matter how hard he tries, he can't get anything to leave his mouth. 

"That'll be seven hundred eighty yen, by the way," Izuku says, pointing to the drink in his hand. 

Katsuki sets the drink down and scrambles for his wallet. He pulls out the cash and hands it to Izuku but also decides to leave a hefty tip in the jar on the counter. Izuku says nothing about this--no thanks or anything. 

Izuku remains silent as Katsuki picks his drink back up and makes a swift exit. 

* * * 

Izuku is now frustrated. 

He'd been mentally preparing in case Bakugou had decided to make another appearance, and he thought he had it handled. But then he had to go and call him by that stupid nickname, and all it did was bring up a bunch of memories he'd rather forget. It made him freeze up. He was holding his own in that conversation pretty well, but as soon as that nickname came out, everything he was working so hard to portray crumbled around him almost as fast as a Nature Valley granola bar. 

No one likes Nature Valley granola bars. If they did, they were stupid. And Izuku didn't even know why he couldn't stop thinking about the silly granola bars now. 

The door behind the counter swings open, and Toga steps out from the back. 

"Well, that was something," she chimes.

Izuku sighs. "Yeah." 

"What crawled in and died in your coffee this morning? I don't think I've ever seen you act so rudely to a customer before," she says as she leans against the counter. Izuku picks up a rag and starts to wipe down the expresso machine, trying to do anything to calm the stupid nerves in his body from seeing the blonde again. 

"That guy used to bully me in middle school." 

"Oh," Toga says, her eyebrows shooting up. "Why do you think he came here? He seemed kind of rude but also kind of nervous. His heart rate was like, through the roof; I could smell his blood all the way from the back, and he was definitely nervous. Think he's trying to reconcile or something?" 

"It definitely didn't feel that way," Izuku replies, ignoring the weirdness of her statement. When it came to Toga, he learned it was best not to question things too much, even with as interesting as her quirk was. 

There was a time when he'd be all over something like that, asking all sorts of questions. When he was a kid, he always wanted to be a hero, but after failing the entrance exams for UA, he swiftly retired from that dream. He decided it was best not to rub salt in the wound by keeping up his quirk analysis hobbies. All it did was make him think of the reason he started doing that in the first place, and that was something he'd rather forget and move on from. 

And as far as Bakugou went, retribution wasn't it at all--but he could not figure out what that interaction meant for the life of him. Everything that Bakugou said was laced with his familiar venom, even if the words themselves weren't so terrible. He really couldn't tell why he came back. 

* * * 

Three days later, Katsuki still couldn't get that stupid cafe out of his mind. It frustrated him to think about it at this point, and whenever the memories started replaying themselves behind his eyelids, he audibly grumbled. 

He couldn't figure Izuku out, and it was bothering him. 

Well--maybe it was the fact that he did have him figured out that was bothering him. 

It was understandable that Izuku would have a grudge against him. But from what he remembered about Izuku from their childhood, grudges really didn't feel like something Izuku frequently kept. If anything, he might have expected Izuku to pretend nothing had ever happened between them at all. 

"Bakubro, man, you feeling alright?" Kirishima asks from across the table, pulling Katsuki back into the present. 

He was currently having lunch with Shitty Hair and Dunce Face (God knows why he agreed to it in the first place), and he couldn't keep himself present enough to hold a conversation with them. 

This is how it's been for him ever since he decided to visit that stupid cafe. Even things as simple as lunch with his friends were becoming a chore. He was more irritable than average, which also affected his work. He was getting reprimanded for his attitude toward civilians more than normal, which said a lot. He already got reprimanded for that on a normal basis, but it was becoming more of a frequent thing. 

He couldn't help it that he snapped at stupid people, poking their heads where they didn't belong. He just wanted to do his fucking job, do it well, and go home. But no. Instead, his mind was plagued with a stupid green-haired barista and memories of their history, making him feel shittier than he usually did. 

"I'm feeling just fine, Shitty Hair," Katsuki barks. "'Fucking fine. So keep your nose out of my business!" 

"Whoa, man," Kirishima says, lifting his hands in defense. "Didn't mean to get on your nerves there. I was just checking in. You're quieter than normal."

"You've got that look on your face, too," Kaminari adds. 

"What fucking look?!" Katsuki growls, leaning forward, gripping the edge of the table aggressively.

"You know- the one you make when you want something to die, as you put it," Dunce Face replies with a grin. 

Katsuki audibly growls and leans back in his chair. 

"Look, bro, I'm just looking out for you," Kirishima reiterates. He folds his hands together on top of the table. "You've been way angrier than normal, which is kind of a lot. You're already a pretty angry person."

"I'm not angry." 

"No?" The redhead asks, raising his eyebrow. "Then what is it?"

"It's fucking none of your business is what it is." 

Kirishima sighs. "I'll stop poking then. But if you have something you want to talk about, I'm here for you, bro!" 

"Same goes for me," Kaminari adds through a mouthful of rice. Katsuki scrunches his nose in disgust. 

He sighs inwardly. He's not about to tell his friends he used to bully someone, and now he doesn't know what to do about it. Or tell them that he can't stop thinking about some barista. He would never hear the end of it if he told them something like that. This wasn't the kind of thing he could just go and tell anyone. 

* * * 

That night, when Katsuki gets home, he toes his shoes off at his apartment door and flips on the light. The space is quiet and clean, like always. He's never been big on owning many material items, save for a few All Might collectibles here and there, so the apartment itself is pretty minimalist. It's a smaller apartment, only holding the things he really needs. It does have a nice kitchen, though, which was one of the main things he was looking for when apartment hunting. He's not usually into eating takeout or convenience store food all that often, so having a space where he could prepare his own food and do meal prep was a must. 

Once ready for bed, he flops on his mattress with his hands behind his head. He stares off into the ceiling and finally allows his mind to run freely. 

Of course, the first thing his mind pulls to the forefront is Izuku and his stupid freckles. His pulse picks up just at the thought of the stupid nerd. 

The coffee there was good. That's all this is. He's just excited that he finally found a place that can make a decent mocha. There's nothing else to it besides that, he tells himself. The weird feeling in his chest when he thinks of Izuku isn't about him. It's just about the coffee he makes. 

It has nothing to do with his stupidly cute freckles or the fact that he's still as pretty as he was when they were kids. Yes, Katsuki always found the nerd to be pretty. Sue him if you must. 

This feeling has absolutely nothing to do with his big, beautiful green eyes, the way his forearms flex when he operates the expresso machine, or the infectious smile that he had on his face when Katsuki entered the coffee shop--when he was playing the piano with the little brat. 

No. The stupid, tingly sensation he has in the pit of his stomach has fucking nothing to do with Izuku. 

Katsuki groans and sits up on his mattress, swiping his hands over his eyes, trying to erase the images from his brain. 

Okay. 

He's not stupid. He knows that. 

Anyone who looked at Izuku could see how attractive he was. There was no denying that Izuku was attractive. 

But Katsuki Bakugou didn't have silly little schoolgirl crushes on baristas. No fucking way. 

He did not have a fucking crush on Izuku Midoriya for crying out loud!

Chapter 3: Maybe It's Not the Mocha

In the days that followed their last interaction in the coffee shop, Katsuki couldn't have been more confused.

He should have asked Izuku what was in the coffee. Maybe then, he could have had a different barista in a different cafe make it, and he would have the answers he was looking for.

It was a rainy day, which already had him pissed off. Colder weather always meant slower starts, and with all his various healed injuries from the job, his body tended to ache in the cold. Ever since he was a kid, he always hated the rain.

With his mood already soured, he decides to forgo coffee that morning, but he can't decide whether that is the right choice. Now, he doesn't have any caffeine in his system, and he didn't get to see Izuku like he planned (not that this was a huge goal or anything). He needed the caffeine, too, because he hadn't been able to sleep very well as of late.

His dreams have been weird and plagued with a familiar green-haired barista.

Never mind the fact that he keeps waking in the mornings bricked up as a motherfucker from the weird context of his dreams. He didn't even want to think about what those dreams meant.

Aside from the weird ones, he was also having dreams that took him back to his middle school era. Izuku was also in these dreams. The context here was less... whatever you'd call the other ones, and more violent.

They were memories. And Katsuki didn't like it. He'd rather forget about that and move on, but ever since he walked into The Little Leaf Cafe, the memories have been coming back stronger than ever.

With the intention of forgetting about the stupid dreams, Katsuki tries his hardest to lean into his work the next few days, crossing all his T's and dotting every I on his incident reports. And when he's out patrolling the streets, he does his best to keep his head in the game.

This is more difficult than he thought it would be, though, taking into consideration the proximity of Izuku's cafe to Endeavor's agency. He patrolled around the same area as the cafe a few times, and his mind couldn't help but bring up Izuku.

A few days later, it all comes to a head on a random Wednesday. Bakugou's plan to avoid the cafe altogether is forced out the window. 

Some villain with the ability to control actual fucking sewage is rampaging down the streets, bursting sewage pipes under the streets, and causing total, shitty mayhem.

Of course, Ground Zero is near the incident when it starts to go down. He sighs and takes off down the street, avoiding the geysers of raw sewage bursting out of the cement, trying to find the source. He lets out an explosion, rounds a corner, and finally spots the disgusting bastard standing atop a familiar building.

It's The Little Leaf Cafe.

And right in the middle of the street, shouting something incomprehensible as he tries to avoid the rivers of shit and piss on the sidewalks and streets, is Izuku. He's yelling something at the villain on top of his building, trying to get the guy's attention as he jumps and skips over the mess the villain is creating. 

Katsuki rolls his eyes and swoops down onto the street next to Izuku.

"Are you stupid?!" Katsuki shouts at him, gripping his arm.

Izuku turns around with a squeak.

"He's right on my building; I need to get him away from there! If he wrecks my building, there's absolutely no way I can pay for-"

"Hey, slow down," Katsuki says, gripping Izuku's arm tighter, yanking him against his chest as another crack in the street appears below them, signaling the start of another shit geyser. Izuku has a distressed look in his eye, and even though he's shaking, he stands firm, shooting Katsuki a desperate look as he clings to the hero. "I'm here now, I'll handle the fucker. Just get off the damn street, got it?"

Izuku sucks in a breath and nods. Katsuki gives Izuku a push, shoving him in the opposite direction. He has to block a few of the villain's attacks as Izuku makes his escape before turning around to face the villain. 

Once the barista is away from the scene, Katsuki lets off another explosion and propels himself through the air toward the shitlord perched on the roof of Izuku's cafe. The smell is near fucking unbearable, making his eyes water and his nose burn. He's going to need a million fucking showers to get rid of today's activities when he's done with the villain.

And this is personal, too. Or, at least, it feels that way, with Izuku's cafe being tossed into the equation.

The shitlord is screaming, prattling on with some villain's monologue about how the sewage represents society or something, but Katsuki isn't paying attention. It doesn't matter, anyway. It's just the same shit, different villain, different day--pun not intended. They always have some stupid monologue that they think the world will care about, but they're all just the same in Katsuki's eyes.

"Shut the hell up and die, shitstain!" He yells as he lets off a sizeable explosion toward the villain. He's careful to keep his aim steady so as not to damage Izuku's cafe. The last thing he wants to do is give Izuku another reason to hate him.

"You! The truest sewage of society, how dare you try and stop me?!" the villain shouts, propelling himself into the air via a giant shit wave, and good god—the smell.

Oh fucking god-

-the smell.

It might be worth cauterizing his nose closed so he never has to experience anything like this again.

The villain attempts to give chase, but Katsuki catches up to him and apprehends him rather swiftly, careful only to touch the fucker where he has to. He doesn't want the smell to linger anywhere on him, though that might be unavoidable at this point.

Once everything is tied up and the reparation and clean-up efforts have begun a short while later, Katsuki wants to check on Izuku. He heads back toward the coffee shop and almost steps inside, but Izuku rushes outside and closes the door behind him.

"No offense, but I don't want you inside right now," Izuku says, pinching his nose shut. "You really need a shower."

Katsuki rolls his eyes and grunts, even though he knows it's true.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay," Katsuki finally says. He never quite knows what to say to the barista--so, he decided just to start being honest. Maybe then, he can avoid making his typically sharp and defensive statements. Maybe it'll help him figure out all of the confusing feelings and shit he's feeling, too. "I didn't see you after everything went down, so I thought I'd stop by."

"I'm fine," Izuku states. "Thank you for getting him off my building! I really don't know what I'd do if something happened to it. I literally sank all my savings into the place."

"You really like what you do? Coffee and all that?" Katsuki asks. Izuku looks at him inquisitively.

"Obviously," Izuku responds. "I wouldn't spend my savings on restoring the building and opening the place if I didn't at least like it a little. Why do you care?"

"I don't," Katsuki bites. He squeezes his eyes shut and sucks in a breath. "Sorry. No, I do care. I do."

"Why?"

"I just want to make sure you're happy. You at least deserve that much."

"I am happy, Kacchan." 

Izuku shifts uncomfortably, and Katsuki takes that as his cue to leave. 

"Well, I'm glad the place didn't get wrecked. I'd miss the coffee. See you around, nerd." 

* * * 

All in all, it was a weird day for Izuku. Even though heroes and volunteers with water quirks were out cleaning the streets from the day's earlier events, the smell still lingered in the air. He ended up closing early that night and decided to keep the place closed for the rest of the week so the clean-up crews could finish. 

He didn't think he'd have many customers for a few days, anyway. No one wants to enjoy their coffees and teas with the smell of raw sewage hanging in the air. 

Izuku's apartment is on the basement level of a much larger apartment complex. The ceilings are low, the lights in the hallways are an odd yellowing color, and there are always sounds filtering through the walls from other occupants. He lets himself into his apartment after jiggling the key in the lock a few times to get it to pop. Once inside, he flips on the lights and surveys the space (something he always does, seeing as he doesn't live in the best neighborhood). You never know if someone decided to make themselves at home while he was out. 

There were a few areas of his life that he had to cut back on in order to afford opening The Little Leaf--his living space being one of those areas. Being single with no family or pets, he doesn't need much. And he can definitely handle a burglar or two if he needs to. He's not lacking in his gym routine. He found a twenty-four-hour gym that he visits a few nights a week after closing the shop in order to keep himself in shape. 

Being quirkless, there's little he could really do to defend himself if someone with a mean quirk decided to target him. But he'd do what he could to not be entirely defenseless. 

Izuku pops two of the leftover bagels from the cafe into the toaster in the quaint kitchen before heading into his bedroom to take off his work clothes. He puts those clothes directly into the washing machine to keep the day's lingering smell out of his living space. Once the laundry is started, he heads back to the kitchen and grabs his dinner. 

He settles on the dingy, green sofa in the living room and pulls his legs up onto the cushion as he flips on the the TV. It turns on to a news station that happens to be covering the day's events. There are a few blurry pictures of the sewage villain standing atop his cafe, and he sighs. 

His shop is finally getting some kind of publicity, but that's not exactly what he'd call good publicity. 

The station then cuts to a short interview of Ground Zero. 

The reporter shoves their microphone into Bakugou's space, and he glares at them as he answers a few questions with short and to-the-point statements. Seeing Bakugou on the TV makes Izuku think of their interaction after everything went down. 

Izuku still isn't sure what to think. 

There's no reason for someone like Bakugou to worry about whether or not he is happy. He certainly ensured that was never the case back in school, so he wonders what's causing his sudden change of character. 

If anything, he might expect Bakugou to act like nothing happened--for him to treat Izuku like a regular citizen. Realistically, there's no reason that Bakugou should keep popping up in his life like this. All it does is cause Izuku to spiral and think about things he'd rather forget. 

Not that forgetting is easy, either. It never has been. Every day, he's constantly reminded that all men aren't created equal. Even when meeting new people and trying to make friends, one of the first questions people always seem to ask is what quirk he has, and the answer always leaves them feeling uncomfortable. When Izuku decided to hire a few baristas to help him run the cafe, that was also hard because no one wants to work for someone who's quirkless. People who don't have quirks are viewed as the lowest members of society, and even people looking for minimum-wage work aren't willing to be employed under a quirkless boss. 

The employees he did hire were great, though, and he couldn't ask for anyone better. He currently employs three people, all of whom know each other outside of work. 

He got Himiko Toga first. She was there for a whole month while Izuku tried and failed to hire others. When she mentioned having friends who might be willing to take the openings, Izuku quickly agreed to give them interviews. That's how he ended up with Tomura Shigaraki and Jin Bubaiguwara. They were all a little bit odd, but Izuku didn't mind. He was a bit odd, himself. 

Each of them came with their own challenges, too. Toga was great and did the job well, but sometimes said things that weirded people out. Other than that, she was great. 

Shigaraki had an attitude problem in general but did the job well. So what if he was a little dry? It was alright. He could make a mean matcha tea. 

Bubaigawara was a great guy but definitely wasn't suited for handling customers. Izuku and the rest of the staff understood him and how he spoke well enough, but the customers didn't. He quickly learned to keep Bubaigawara away from the customers, schedule with someone else, and to never let him run the register. Other than that, he was a model employee. 

Once Izuku's leftover cafe bagels are gone, he flips off the TV and heads to the kitchen to drop off his plate. A few other dishes are in the sink, but he's tired and decides it could wait. He pads across his small apartment and heads to his bedroom. 

After flipping between social media apps for a good while, he decides it's time to try and get some sleep. 

This has been the most challenging part of the day lately. It wasn't so much falling asleep that made things difficult. 

No--it was the dreams that plagued his sleeping hours that he dreaded. 

They were less dreams and probably qualified more as nightmares. They were all callbacks to his middle school days and featured a certain blonde that he'd rather not think about at all. Bakugou's continued appearance in his life probably brought this on; all Izuku knew was that he wanted it to stop. He just wasn't sure how to get that to happen. 

It's not like he could just ask Bakugou to stop coming into the cafe without a good reason. 

'Hey, sorry, you can't come here anymore, you give me nightmares!'

No, that would probably just make things worse. Bakugou would probably blow up at him if he ever said anything remotely close to the truth. 

So, kicking him out of the coffee shop wasn't an option. Izuku wasn't really sure what to do about it. At least he had the next few days off to think about it and hopefully get some better sleep once he found a solution to his Ground Zero problem. 

Chapter 4: Obsession

Katsuki prides himself on his cooking abilities. He's always been good at throwing together awesome dishes out of whatever ingredients he has in his kitchen without recipes to guide him. 

So how hard could it be to figure out what's in the mocha Izuku keeps making him?

Fucking hard, that's what. 

The process takes nearly two weeks. In those two weeks, he scours the internet every night before bed, trying to figure out how Izuku makes that stupid coffee taste the way it does. It can't be that difficult or have that many different ingredients. It's a fucking mocha that he whips up in less than five minutes, for Christ's sake. 

But every night, he thinks he has the recipe down, and every morning, he strolls into a different coffee shop and tells the baristas exactly what to make. And every morning, he's left with a disgusting-ass mocha that he doesn't finish. 

Something that should also be noted is that Izuku is majorly underselling his abilities. Regarding coffee prices, Izuku's were on the lower end. With the quality of the drinks he made there, he could be charging an arm and a leg, and people would still pay for them. But, of course, Izuku was underselling himself. That's the way the nerd's always been. 

After a lot of trial and error, Katsuki finally receives a drink that tastes almost identical to the one Izuku makes. Part of him still thinks it's not as good, but that's neither here nor there. Doesn't matter. He finally got his damned drink. 

The first sip tells him that it's the right drink. But there are no butterflies in his stomach. 

On the second sip, it tastes just as good, but still no weird tingly feeling in his chest. 

By the third drink, he's beyond frustrated. 

Everything is perfect. He finally got it right, but everything is still so wrong. Why doesn't this drink make him feel the same way? It just doesn't make sense, no matter how he looks at it. Why the hell doesn't the drink make him feel the same way?

Katsuki decides that tomorrow, he must return to The Little Leaf Cafe. This way, he can settle shit once and for all. He'll be able to figure out why the hell Izuku's coffee makes him feel differently than any other coffee.

* * * 

The following day, it's perfectly sunny and even a little warm as he walks to the cafe. He keeps a brisk pace, eager to get this over with once and for all. The minute he steps through the doors, Izuku's head whips around, and their eyes lock across the room. Katsuki sucks in a breath and struts up to the counter. It's just Izuku today behind the counter, but the cafe is full of customers and light chatter. Soft lo-fi music plays in the background, creating a pleasant, light atmosphere.

"Same thing as usual?" Izuku asks. "Or can I make you something different?"

"Make me something different this time," Katsuki replies, interested in seeing what else the nerd can come up with. 

"Anything in specific you're wanting to try? Or can I pick? I kind of have something I wanted to try out."

"Just something different; I really don't care." Katsuki shoves his hands into his pockets and focuses on the counter space between them. 

"Alright, give me just a little bit, and I'll have it right out!" 

He grunts in reply and leans back on his heels as he watches Izuku work. The nerd's wearing a light blue polo that's about a size too small, giving Katsuki a perfect view of Izuku's muscles as they flex and move beneath the fabric as he operates the expresso machine. His eyes catch on his forearms as he holds the small milk pitcher below the steamer. Part of him feels silly for watching Izuku so closely, but his back is turned, so there's no one to catch him staring so creepily. 

The minute Izuku turns back around with the new drink in his hand, Katsuki snaps back to attention and pretends as if he wasn't staring at all, letting his face fall into its stern gaze. 

"How much do I owe you?" Katsuki asks. 

"I've got this one, don't worry about it!" Izuku smiles. "It's actually a new recipe I've been wanting to try, but I couldn't think of anyone else who might be willing to try it." 

With his interest piqued, he brings the paper cup to his lips and takes a sip. The flavors spill over his tongue, and it's definitely... different. He can't recall ever having tasted a coffee like this one before. 

"What's in it?" he asks. 

"Dark chocolate syrup and chili powder," Izuku states, his eyes shining. "I was thinking about those expensive chocolate bars you can get that have chili powder in them, and I was thinking, 'why not try it in coffee'?"

Katsuki takes another sip, and he can definitely taste the kick that comes from the chilis. 

"So?" Izuku prods, looking at the drink in Katsuki's hands. 

"It's alright." 

"Just alright?" Izuku presses. "Nothing else?"

"What else did you want to hear? It's good." 

Izuku chews the inside of his lip and averts his gaze. For some reason, this makes him feel bad. But what was the nerd expecting? A full review with a rating and extra notes? It's a good drink. It's as simple as that. He'd expected nothing less from him. 

"I'm glad you like it," the barista finally says. "You still like spicy things, right? I remember you used to like spicy foods when we were kids."

"Some things don't change that much," Katsuki replies, then adds, "but other things do." 

Izuku raises an eyebrow. 

"Like what?" 

"You, for starters." Katsuki doesn't even know what he's talking about--doesn't know why he's even running his mouth right now. 

"Me? How?" 

Katsuki tries to think of an acceptable reply to that question but comes up blank. He's not about to tell Izuku that he thinks he's hot. No way. He can already feel the tips of his ears burning just thinking about it. 

Suddenly, another customer enters through the door and gets in line behind Katsuki, and he takes that as his cue to leave. 

"It's nothing," he dismisses. "I'll see you around. Thank you for the coffee." 

* * * 

Following the sewage villain incident, Bakugou disappeared from Izuku's life altogether, save for a few appearances on his television or smartphone. 

It didn't bother him exactly, but it made him feel just a tad weird. 

Bakugou had seemed so intent on coming to his shop on a pretty regular basis--at least a few times a week. But it had been a while now, and there was no sign of the explosive hero. Nothing. 

He didn't know why it was bothering him at all. Wasn't he just saying to himself that he needed to figure out a way to get the hero to stop coming there? So why was he feeling weird about the fact that he wasn't showing himself? 

It didn't make sense. But then again, nothing seemed to make sense when it came to Katsuki Bakugou. The adult version of the kid he used to know was a complete enigma; he still had all the bark and bite, but it was almost as if someone had taken him and smoothed out a few of the sharper edges. 

He didn't seem as intent on giving Izuku a hard time. If anything, he'd been Bakugou's version of polite and friendly, and it was throwing him for a loop. 

His obsession over Ground Zero became palpable when Izuku was in the grocery store one night after closing down the cafe. He was perusing the candy and sweets aisle when he came across a section of fancy chocolate bars because sometimes, he liked to look and see what kinds of sweets were being sold to develop new ideas for his menu. When he stumbled upon a dark chocolate bar with chili powder, it instantly made him think of Bakugou. 

There wasn't much of a market for spicy coffees, so there really was no excuse when Izuku purchased a bar of the weird chocolate and took it home that night to taste test. He rose abnormally early the following day to give himself time to turn that flavor into a drink, all with Bakugou in mind. He didn't really intend to put a drink like that on the menu, nor did he plan on regularly stocking the ingredients required to make such a drink. 

But then again- what if Bakugou came back, tried the drink, and liked it? He would have to make sure the drink was always an option in case that happened! He only hoped that the whole thing wasn't a bust. 

That's mostly why it irked him so much that Bakugou was evading the cafe in the mornings. Izuku had perfected the drink and was prepared to make it for Bakugou. He was genuinely excited and even a little bit nervous about serving it. 

When Bakugou finally made another appearance and even requested something different, it felt like fate! It felt like a lot was riding on this single mocha. 

So when he handed it to Bakugou to try, and the blonde had little to say about it, he was disappointed. He was mostly disappointed in himself for expecting anything grand or different to happen because of it. If anything, he felt a little silly. 

The rest of the day, he felt off. His mind was elsewhere, and he even dropped a drink he'd just made, which never happened!

"Everything alright?" Bubaiguwara asks after the drink is remade and served to the customer, who leaves the cafe looking a bit irritated. Then, he adds, "I don't care about you! You stink!" 

"I'm fine," Izuku tells him. "Just tired." 

He leans against the counter and lets out a hefty sigh. 

"You seem a bit out of it today. Get your head in the game, idiot!" 

"It's really fine!" Izuku reassures him, turning to give him a smile. As fake as it is, it seems to ease the other barista's mind, who grabs the broom and heads out onto the floor to sweep up a few messes made during the rush earlier that day. 

Izuku frowns. He shouldn't let something as silly as one interaction affect him like this. It was one drink that someone didn't like. He shouldn't be letting it get to him!

He tells himself that it's bound to happen occasionally and just needs to get over it. 

* * * 

The test was a failure. 

Or, maybe it wasn't. All Katsuki knew was that he really enjoyed the new drink. He should have stuck with the same thing and rechecked the baseline for how that drink made him feel before trying something else. Because now, he wasn't sure if it was the drink or not that had him feeling the way he did. He liked both drinks. Both drinks had him feeling a little fuzzy and weird inside. He didn't know how else to describe it. 

Katsuki sits on his couch in silence, trying to piece everything together. 

He enjoys the cafe's atmosphere, he supposes. Maybe that has something to do with it? He also knows he enjoys looking at Izuku, but that has nothing to do with the coffee. That was a moot point. Both drinks were good, and both left him feeling weird. 

He lets out a loud groan and rubs his face, scrubbing away all of the confusing thoughts and feelings. While he's rubbing his eyes out of their sockets, his phone rings on the cushion beside him. he checks the caller ID and groans inwardly before picking up. 

"Dunce Face," he greets dryly. "What do you want?"

"So mean! And here I was going to invite you to a party!" 

"I don't do parties." 

"You're going to come to this one," Kaminari states. "Class reunion, remember? I mentioned it a few weeks ago. I wanted to double-check and make sure you were coming." 

"I'm not."

"I'll tell Kiri that it's a yes, then." 

"You better fucking not!"

"Be there or be square, dude!" 

Kaminari hangs up on him. He tosses the phone back down onto the couch and groans again. 

Spending his Friday evening with a bunch of idiots was not his preferred method of relaxation. But despite what he'd told Kaminari, he was going to go--or at least make an appearance. Last time, he stayed too late and ended up driving home a car full of waster pro heroes, who all should have been arrested for improper use of their quirks. Somehow, he always ended up being their designated driver despite his protests. 

So, he'd just have to make his appearance short and sweet. 

He goes to bed that night with a mind riddled with unanswered questions, all of which lead back to Izuku and his stupid cafe. He was going to have to go back. He had to figure this thing out once and for all so he could finally stop thinking about it. 

Chapter 5: Katsuki Bakugou Doesn't Get Crushes!

The day was a busy one right from the get-go. 

There was no Bakugou that day, which bothered Izuku some, but he doesn't dwell on it. There was no time--not with the line out the door that they'd had all morning. 

They finally reach a slight pause between rushes mid-afternoon, and Toga takes that opportunity to step into the back for a break, leaving him at the counter alone. He lazes against the counter to relax, but the moment he does, the little bell above the door rings. Moving back into a standing position, he turns to greet the customer.

 "Hi! Wel-" he cuts himself off mid-sentence when he sees who it is. 

As much as Izuku likes to say he doesn't care about heroes anymore, it still doesn't stop him from fangirling whenever he sees one in person. 

"Hey, there!" says the hero. 

"Chargebolt," Izuku breathes. "Ohmygosh, hello! What can I make for you? It'll be on the house of course; I can make you anything you want!" 

The hero gives him a quick up-and-down glance as he struts over to the counter. 

"You can call me Kaminari if you want," he says. "Cuties like you shouldn't have to call me by my hero name." he winks, and Izuku immediately feels a blush creep up his neck. 

"Right, um, okay! What can I make for you?" He tries to keep his cool, but he's ninety-nine percent sure that the hero might be... flirting. 

"What do you recommend?" 

"It depends on what kinds of flavors you like, I guess. I can really make anything if I know what your tastes are." 

"I like them sweet." He leans against the counter with a grin. "Strong, by the looks of it, and maybe a tad... fruity?"

Izuku blushes. Hard. 

"So, like... tea? Maybe?" 

"Whatever you make, I'm sure I'll love it!" he chuckles and gives Izuku a thumbs-up. 

Tea it is. 

He turns around and starts to make the drink. The air is tense, but he pushes through, trying not to be as awkward about this as he would typically be. Not only does he have a hero in his coffee shop, but he's like way sure he's being hit on. Or maybe he's just being nice... Izuku isn't sure. He's never been good at recognizing that kind of stuff. 

He's severely inexperienced in the dating department. 

"So, what's your name, cutie?" Kaminari asks. 

"Izuku Midoriya!" he squeaks, not bothering to turn around. He knew he must be red as a tomato by now and didn't want to embarrass himself. 

"That's a pretty name," he replies smoothly. "So, Midoriya, are you single?"

Dang, that's forward. 

Now he knows for sure he's being hit on, and he's not quite sure what to say or do about it. While he's flattered, he's not interested. He hardly has time for himself right now, so even considering the idea of dating seems like a joke. 

"I don't date." There. Simple. Straightforward, but not a harsh rejection. Right? 

He has no clue how this sort of thing is supposed to go. 

"That's a shame!" Kaminari laments. Izuku turns around and sets the tea on the counter. "Such a waste of that pretty face of yours. Thank you for the drink!"

Izuku blushes yet again, and the hero takes his drink and leaves. 

* * * 

Friday rolled around much quicker than Katsuki wanted it to. He rolls up in front of the bar that the class rented out for the reunion and heads inside with a sigh. 

Light chatter flits about the room, soft music plays over the speakers, and a number of the class is already present. Upon entry, he heads to the bar and immediately grabs a drink to remove himself from the running as designated driver. 

The minute the drink hits his hand, he's surrounded on both sides by Kaminari and Kirishima. 

"Yo, Bakubro! You came!" The redhead exclaims.

"Tch, 'course I did!" 

"Told you," Kaminari says to Kirishima. 

"I'm not driving any of your asses home this time, so you all better drink responsibly!" 

"Such a mother hen, you are," Kaminari teases, pinching Katsuki's arm. He immediately takes Kaminari into a headlock, growling at him in response to the insult. He's freed a few seconds later when another class member struts up behind them. 

"Fighting already, Blasty?" Ashido chides, putting her hands on her hips. 

"You're all insufferable!"

"Oh, but you love us," she replies. 

The rest of the night goes as smoothly as one might expect. He greets a few other classmates but mostly sticks to himself at the bartop, letting them come to him if they really want to say hello. 

Later that night, he ends up at a table on the other end, sandwiched between a very drunk Kaminari and Kirishima. He could realistically leave at any time now, and it wouldn't be considered rude by the standard Katsuki's held to by the others, but he's got a nice buzz going and is having a decent time--even if he'd never admit it out loud. Sero, Ashido, and Jiro join the table a little while later, and the conversation grows to be loud and boisterous. 

He'd been tuning the idiots out and enjoying the atmosphere until a familiar-sounding place came up in their conversation. 

"...it was The Little Leaf Cafe," Kaminari states. "It's a newer place down kinda by Endeavor's agency." 

"What about it?" Katsuki pipes in, not caring when he completely speaks over top of Kirishima. 

"He was just telling us about a super yummy-looking barista he met!" Ashido gushes.

Katsuki's eyes narrow at Kaminari.

"What did he look like?" 

He knows there's a couple other guys that work at Izuku's cafe, but bets are he's talking about Izuku. The other two wouldn't really constitute as 'yummy-looking' in his opinion. 

"Green hair. Super cute freckles. Thighs that looked like they could crush whole watermelons." 

Yep. That's Izuku. 

"He said he doesn't date, but I was thinking about testing that theory next time I stop in," he grins. "There's no way he can say no to all this!" He makes a stupid-looking kiss face and motions to himself, causing the rest of the table to laugh. 

"Nope. No way," Katsuki states. Kaminari quirks his eyebrow at the other blonde. 

"What? Why? You know him or something?"

"Go near him again and die, Dunce Face." His tone is calm, but those words are laced with poison. There is no fucking way he's letting an idiot like Kaminari try to date Izuku. The nerd deserves better than that. The thought of someone dating Izuku in general just didn't sit right with him. Imagining someone like Kaminari taking him out on dates made his stomach churn. 

"Ooh, someone sounds defensive!" Ashido says. "What's it to you, Blasty? How do you know him?"

Katsuki groans and pinches the bridge of his nose. He's not quite sure how to explain the weird relationship they have with each other. 

Well, in all actuality, there isn't a relationship. He doesn't think they'd qualify as friends. Not even acquaintances. Ex-childhood best friends--ex-bully. How was he supposed to explain that to them? Nothing had ever been simple when it came to him and the nerd.

"I went to school with him," he finally says. He takes a swig of his drink and slams the glass back down on the table. 

"Like before UA? So what are you? Friends, or something?" Kaminari asks. 

"It's not like that."

Izuku is attractive. He knows that. But He doesn't have a crush on the nerd or anything! His face burns as he thinks about it, but it's definitely just the alcohol in his system, warming his blood and quickening his pulse. That, and all the idiots surrounding him. Being around his friends always raised his blood pressure. 

"Then what is it? You got a crush on the guy or something?" 

"No!" he instantly replies, angry that they'd even suggest something so stupid. "Not a fucking chance. I don't get silly little schoolgirl crushes on random extras like you bunch of losers." 

And that was the truth. Just like any guy out there, he found people attractive, and that was the end of it. It was healthy to feel sexually attracted to people. But there were no feelings here. None whatsoever. 

"If you don't have a crush on him, then you shouldn't mind if I ask him out." 

"Die, Dunce Face!" he shouts, clutching the empty drink glass. His fingers flex around the glass as he sucks in a breath. He knows he shouldn't be getting so worked up about something so stupid, but the thought of someone like Kaminari going out with Izuku just made his blood boil. 

The table laughs around him, seemingly amused over the fact that they're all about to be six feet under the ground. 

"Now I feel like I need to visit this coffee shop," Sero interjects, propping his elbow on the table. "If someone's got Bakugou's attention, then they must be pretty special!" 

"I don't have a crush on him! That's just fucking stupid!" He yells. "And you all better stay the fuck away from there!" 

"You can't control what cafes we go to, Blasty!" Ashido points out. "I'm curious, too. I'm definitely going to stop in now!" 

"You can all go to hell!" 

* * * 

It was the strangest thing. 

Ever since Chargebolt- or Kaminari- stopped into his cafe, an increasing number of heroes turned up for coffee. He was never on their radar before, but he was now. 

Maybe Kaminari really liked the tea he made him and suggested the place to some of his colleagues. It's nice to think that his drinks are becoming popular with local heroes! 

So far, he's met the heroes Pinky, Cellophane, and Earphone Jack. Izuku knows that all these heroes graduated in the same class at UA, so there was an obvious connection there. He was being talked about in some regard between heroes, and the thought that he might start receiving more high-profile traffic put a smile on his face and a spring in his step. 

It definitely became a notable pattern when Red Riot decided to stop in, too. 

Izuku welcomes him in with a smile. He's less flustered by seeing heroes in his shop now, which he supposes is good. Of course, he's still fangirling on the inside, but he's getting better at not externalizing the excitement. 

"What can I get started for you, Red Riot?" Izuku asks. 

"You can just call me Kirishima, bro," he replies brightly.

"Oh, alright! Well, what would you like?" 

He still feels really weird about the fact that all of these heroes have asked him to call them by their names instead of their hero titles. It all just feels a little too personal and a little surreal. 

Kirishima gives Izuku his order, and he turns around to start making it, but the hero grabs his attention again. 

"Hey man, can I ask you something?"

Izuku pauses for a moment before continuing to brew the drink. He's unsure how to read Kirishima's tone, so he has no idea what he wants. 

"Um, sure," he replies. 

"So you know Bakugou, right?" 

Izuku momentarily freezes and glances over his shoulder at Kirishima before returning to the expresso machine. 

"Kind of?" he replies while he works. He's not really sure how to answer that question. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he waits for whatever the hero has to say next. 

"Are you two, like, friends?" 

"Um, that's a difficult question," Izuku scrambles. He focuses on stirring the drink in front of him while he tries to come up with a reasonable response. "I'm not really sure? I don't think so. I mean, I don't think he would want that or anything, given our history." 

"History?" 

Izuku reddens. He's not sure that he wants to divulge their past to a random hero. He doesn't know how well Kirishima really knows Bakugou or if he should tell him this. 

"Well- yeah, we used to know each other. We went to the same middle school and stuff. We grew up together." 

Kirishima raises an eyebrow, his interest obviously piqued. "Yeah? So you two are like old childhood friends?"

"Well, n-not really," he stutters. "We're not friends anymore. I hadn't spoken to him in years, but we ran into each other here a few weeks ago is all. He comes here for coffee, but that's it. So I wouldn't really call us friends." He pops the lid onto the to-go cup and turns around to face Kirishima, sliding the drink across the counter. "Do you mind if I ask why you want to know?"

This doesn't make sense to Izuku. He can't imagine Bakugou talking about him to any of his friends. Their interactions aren't all that special. Nothing is interesting to note about the short conversations they'd had when Bakugou had stopped in for coffee. All they had was a barista-customer relationship. Nothing more. 

"Oh, it's nothing serious!" he tells him as he picks his order up off the counter between them. "One of my friends mentioned this place a few days ago, and it came up that Bakugou knew you. He wouldn't really elaborate much, so I was just curious, is all." 

"Oh." Well, that settles that. Kirishima pays for the drink and turns to leave. 

"Well, thanks for the drink, man! See you next time!" 

Izuku lets out a hefty sigh as soon as the door closes behind him. He wonders what the context of the conversation was, but from the sounds of it, Bakugou hadn't divulged that much information. He was positive that he wouldn't go telling his friends that he used to bully someone in middle school so that probably wasn't the context of whatever conversation happened--but he was still curious. 

He hated how often he was thinking of Bakugou these days. He also hated that he knew that Bakugou must be thinking about him, too, at least a little bit, given the fact that his friends were now staking out his cafe. 

Chapter 6: The Deal

Notes:

I may or may not have enjoyed an entire family-size box of Chicken In a Biskit crackers while writing this one.

Enjoy!

"I told you not to go near that place!" Katsuki exclaims. Kirishima had just popped into his office and mentioned that he stopped by The Little Leaf Cafe against his wishes. He can only wonder which of the other idiots decided to do the same thing. 

"Hey man, like Mina said, you can't control what cafes I go to!" he replies, leaning against Katsuki's desk. "And he's cute. Almost too cute. Didn't know that was your type!"

"I don't have a type!" Katsuki yells. "Just get the hell out of here and stay away from him! He doesn't need you idiots in there making his job harder!" 

Katsuki crosses his arms over his chest. Kirishima doesn't leave. 

"What the hell did you even say to the nerd anyway?" he asks the redhead, narrowing his eyes in his direction. 

"I didn't say much," he grins. 

"Shitty Hair, you better spill." 

"Seriously man, it was nothing. Just asked him how you two knew each other. He was just as tight-lipped about you as you were about him." 

And that made sense. Of course, the nerd wasn't going around telling people that he used to get bullied--especially pro heroes. If the nerd still had any semblance of the kid he used to be, he was a massive dork for heroes. He was probably too busy geeking out to say or do much. 

Katsuki remained silent with his arms crossed over his chest. 

He really wasn't sure what to do about all of his friends poking their heads where they didn't belong. It was annoying the hell out of him, and they obviously wouldn't stop. 

"What's up with you and him?" Kirishima asks. "There's obviously more going on between you than what you've told me." 

"It's literally nothing." 

"I don't believe that. Nothing gets you worked up like this if it's nothing." He holds up his hands and uses finger quotes to accentuate the last word in his statement. 

Katsuki leans forward and slaps his palms on the surface of his desk, the loud slapping sound reverberating through the room. "I am not worked up! What the hell makes you think I'm worked up?"

"Pot meet kettle." 

"You-" 

Katsuki slams his jaw shut. 

Okay. Even he can recognize when he's being ridiculous on occasion. Yeah, maybe he's a little angry right now. But it is not for the reasons that Kirishima is trying to insinuate. He's irritated because they won't let up about it. They're taking nothing and attempting to turn it into something that it isn't. That's all it is. Whatever they're trying to imply is going on between him and Izuku is entirely false. 

"Alright man, I'll shut up about it if you really want me to," he says. "But if you wanna talk or end up having anything to tell me, I'm all ears." He grins and leaves Katsuki's office. 

He immediately slams his forehead down on his desk with a thump and lets out a growl of frustration. 

* * * 

It's a Sunday, which means it's Izuku's day off. He leaves the cafe in the hands of his employees on the weekends, giving himself Saturdays and Sundays to relax and get things done at home. Of course, he'll always go in if needed or if one of his employees calls him for something. His mind never strays far from the cafe, even when busy with other things. 

Around noon, his phone rings loudly from the living room while he's attempting to catch up on some cleaning in his bathroom. He slips off the rubber gloves, moves from the kneeling position in front of his tub onto his feet, and follows the ringtone until he locates his phone. It's Toga's name on the caller ID, so he picks it up. 

"Hello? What did you need?" he asks. 

"Oh, hi! That totally cute blonde guy is in here asking about you. Thought I'd let you know." 

Izuku's body instantly tenses up. 

"Bakugou?" he asks shakily. "He's-"

"No, not the angry one," she laughs. "The other one. The skinny one with the lightning bolt-looking streak in his hair? He was in here a few days ago, and you saw him." 

"Oh." 

His face reddens when he realizes his mistake. Of course Bakugou wouldn't be asking about him. Izuku was stupid if he thought that he was thinking about Izuku that much. 

"He left his phone number. Told me to tell you to call him." 

"Oh!" He reddens even more. "Well, that's- that's certainly something." 

"So?" 

"So, what?"

"Are you gonna call him?"

Izuku scrunches his face and makes a noise somewhere between a squeak and a screech. The fact that a pro hero is showing interest in him feels absolutely surreal. 

"I don't know." Chargebolt is cute, yeah, but he didn't pique Izuku's interest that much. He thought he wouldn't ask again after the last time, but he was wrong. Kaminari was nothing if not persistent, it seems. 

"I'll text you the number just in case, Zuku!" 

And she does precisely that. 

Thirty minutes later, he's staring at the phone in his hand, the screen stuck on the recently added contact. He isn't sure what to do. It would definitely be rude not to message or call him at all, so he feels like he should at least say something, but he's not sure what that something should be. 

He opens up a chat with Kaminari and starts to type a message. 

Izuku: Hey, Toga gave me your phone number. It's Izuku Midoriya! 

There. He'll send him a greeting, and then tell him he's uninterested. Simple as pie, right? 

He receives a reply not even a minute later. 

Kaminari: Oh hey ;)

Izuku: So I just wanted to reiterate what I said last time you came in. I don't date people! I'm flattered that you asked about me but I just wanted to let you know that I'm not interested! Thank you for stopping in and stuff, though! 

Kaminari: Awww, are you sure? Give me one date, and I'm sure I could convince you otherwise

Izuku: I'm sure. Sorry!

Kaminari: I was actually going to invite you to hang out this Satuday. Like a group thing. If you hang out with me just once, and still feel the same way, I'll drop it! But I'd really like you to at least give me a try ;))))))

Izuku scratches his head and thinks about it for a second. He supposes there's no harm in going out once. That way, he can convince Kaminari that he's not interested--because Izuku is one hundred percent sure that he's not. 

Izuku: You say it would be a group thing? Who else would it be with?

Kaminari: A few friends of mine. They're pro heroes and super cool and nice! I'm sure you'll like them!

Izuku: Okay fine. One date. But no promises that it'll change my mind. 

Because it won't. He's sure of it. 

* * * 

Saturday rolls around, and Izuku is a nervous mess. He's trying not to take the whole thing too seriously, but it's hard when he's been told that he's about to be hanging out with a bunch of pro heroes. 

He's not even nervous about the 'date' aspect of it. Sure, it will be a bit awkward, but he's only doing this to prove that he's not interested in going on another date. That's the deal he was given, so he intends to do just that. 

It's just the pro-hero part and the fact that Kaminari didn't elaborate on who would be there. It could seriously be anyone, and he would have to try his hardest not to geek out the whole time. 

He stands in front of the full-length mirror in his bedroom, eyeing the outfit he picked out for the 'date.' It's a light blue, short-sleeve button-up, and he's paired it with light gray jeans and a white t-shirt underneath. He plans on wearing the same red trainers he always wears, unsure of what else would even go with what he's wearing. He's never been big on fashion, so he's sure that anything he puts on will look dorky. Then there's also the fact that he doesn't want to look like he's trying too hard. He doesn't want to give Kaminari the wrong idea--but he also doesn't want to look like a total geek in front of pro heroes! 

He's supposed to meet Kaminari at the bar at six. He checks his phone for the time and heads out of his bedroom, his heart rate picking up as he slides his shoes on and heads out the door. The walk to the bar would have been pleasant, given the nice temperature and light breeze in the air, but Izuku didn't have the mental capacity to enjoy any of it as he trekked toward the meeting location. His nerves were going haywire already. He wasn't sure he would get through this in one piece. 

When he arrives, Kaminari instantly spots him and waves him over to a table that's already surrounded by other heroes. He spots the heroes Pinky, Red Riot, Cellophane, and Earphone Jack. He spots another familiar face when he gets closer, and his heart instantly leaps into his throat. 

It's Bakugou. 

He's seated at the other end of the table from Kaminari with a glare on his face, and he doesn't bother to note Izuku's presence as he takes the empty seat next to Kaminari. 

"Hey, I'm so glad you came!" Kaminari says as he sits down. 

"Thank you for inviting me," Izuku replies, his voice slightly high-pitched and shakey. Everything about this situation is making him uncomfortable. There is no way this isn't going to be the most awkward thing in the world. 

"Want something to drink?" he asks, sliding a hand onto Izuku's shoulder. He instantly reddens but doesn't make a move to remove the blonde's hand. "I'll pay since I'm the one who asked you out!" 

"Oh, um, sure!" Izuku replies. He tells Kaminari what he wants, and the blonde leaves the table and heads to the front of the bar to put in the order. 

"I'm Mina Ashido, by the way," says someone to his left. He turns, and it's the hero Pinky. 

He supposes he should call them all by their names since they're hanging out like this. It might be a little weird if he keeps calling them by their hero names now. 

"You're a cute thing, aren't you?" she says. "All red in the face and stuff. Makes me just want to eat you up!" 

"Hey, Mina, chill out," Kirishima interjects. "Don't wanna scare him off just yet!" 

Izuku looks down at the table in front of him. He's doing everything he can to avoid staring across the table. Bakugou was all glares when he walked in, so he's betting he's not happy to see Izuku here. 

"Yeah, sorry about her, she has no chill," someone else pipes up. "I'm Sero, by the way. It's nice to officially meet you, man." 

"Yeah, nice to meet you too!" Izuku replies sheepishly. 

"And this is Jirou, though she's a bit on the quieter side," he says, motioning to Earphone Jack. She looks up from her drink and waves, and Izuku smiles in return. 

"And you know Blasty over there, right?" Mina says, motioning to Bakugou. He would have laughed at the on-the-nose nickname, but the minute his eyes snapped up and met the ones across the table, the tension he'd been feeling all night seemed to tighten as if a line had been cast between the two of them and pulled taught. With the narrowed look Bakugou was giving him, he knew that he felt it, too. 

"Oh! Well, um, yeah- sort of," Izuku responds after he remembers that she asked him that in the form of a question. 

"Sort of?" 

"Well- I mean, it's complicated?" he shrugs and grimaces. 

Bakugou scoffs from the other end of the table and folds his arms across his chest. His eyes never leave Izuku's--his crimson eyes cutting into Izuku like knives. 

"Got something to say, Blasty?" Mina shoots. 

"Nothing to say to you idiots," he retorts. Kaminari is just returning to the table, and thankfully, the conversation shifts from that line of questioning. Everything is made even more awkward when Kaminari slips his arm over the back of Izuku's chair as he sits through, causing Izuku to squirm in his seat. 

After that, the conversation flows for a while, and while Izuku still feels uncomfortable, he slowly starts to loosen up a little--thankful for the drinks that Kaminari keeps buying him. He's careful not to overdo the drinking, though. He doesn't want to make a fool of himself. He even keeps himself from asking embarrassing questions about the hero's quirks and jobs, opting to keep the conversation casual and oriented away from hero work. He's sure they don't want to spend their time off talking about that, anyway. 

The later it gets, the more everyone seems to loosen up--well, everyone except for Bakugou. Every time Izuku feigns to look in his direction, his eyes are narrowed into slits, staring angrily at him, and he's not sure what to think about that. 

He doesn't recall having done anything as of late to make him that mad at him. He actually hasn't seen Bakugou look at him like that since they were in middle school, which causes Izuku to shiver. He wracks his brain, trying to think of anything he might have done to make Bakugou this angry, but he keeps coming up blank. 

All in all, aside from Bakugou, things are going well. Kaminari is keeping the touches to a minimum, which makes Izuku happy. It's less to worry about. But he's laughing alongside everyone and getting on with them really well. They share jokes and stories, and it all just feels so natural. Izuku has never made friends easily, so this is really nice. 

But then, the awkward question people always ask him comes up in conversation. They were talking about school and some of the quirks of their old classmates and stuff, and they thought to ask Izuku that dreaded question. 

"So, Izuku, what's your quirk?" asks Kaminari. 

"Oh, um, I'm quirkless, actually..." he replies softly, hoping that no one makes a big deal out of it. 

"Oh," he replies. "That couldn't have been easy." 

Izuku stares down at the drink in his hand. "No, it wasn't." He swallows. "Back in school especially." 

He recalls his earlier years. He got bullied a lot for being quirkless--not just by Bakugou. It was everyone, really. It's getting increasingly rare to be born quirkless these days, but he was just that unlucky. 

"Did you get picked on for it or something?" Kaminari prods. 

"Yo, man, you don't have to talk about that," Kirishima interjects. "I bet it's not fun to think about." 

"No, it's fine," Izuku responds calmly. "Yeah, I was born quirkless, and yes, I got bullied and stuff for it, but that was a long time ago. I've gotten used to it now, so it's not that big of a deal!" 

"Kids can really be so mean!" Ashido exclaims. "Must have been some pretty shit humans for doing that. I personally know better than to judge someone by that crap! Just the other day, I nearly got my ass handed to me by a villain, and I didn't even learn until after the fact that he was quirkless!"

A chair scrapes across the floor on the other side of the table, and when Izuku looks up, Bakugou is on his feet and storming out of the bar. 

Izuku should have just kept his mouth shut. He didn't even think about the fact that Bakugou was sitting right there. He didn't know his friends would say stuff like that, though. It must have been hard for Bakugou to hear. 

"Yeesh, wonder what his deal is!" Kaminari remarks. 

"I'll go see what's up with him," Kirishima responds. 

Izuku feels guilty. He really shouldn't have said that.

 

Chapter 7: The Past

Notes:

To continue the story of the Chicken In a Biskit crackers from last night, I spent all day on the toilet today.

I do not recommend downing an entire family-size box of those crackers in one sitting.

Enjoy this chapter!

He couldn't fucking take it anymore. 

His friends were so over the fucking line. 

Katsuki steps out of the bar and leans against the brick exterior of the building. He takes a few deep breaths and tries to calm himself down, but he is so, so exponentially pissed at them right now. 

Not only did they go against his wishes and go to Izuku's cafe, but Kaminari fucking asked him out. And then proceeded to take him on said date right in front of Katsuki. 

And then they had the audacity to ask Izuku about his past like that. Katsuki already feels shit enough about it, but he doesn't need to hear his friends say how shitty he was for it, even if they didn't know it was him they were talking about. 

He runs his hands through his spiked hair and closes his eyes, trying to reign in his temper. They know they're pushing his buttons. All of this was on purpose, and that's what he hates about it the most. 

He just can't figure out why the hell they would do this. What were they getting out of it? 

"Hey, man," Kirishima says, and he snaps his eyes open. 

Katsuki doesn't respond.

"You okay, man?" 

"Does any of this look okay to you? Why the fuck are you guys doing this? And fucking roping Izuku into this, too- just to piss me off? What kind of stupid, sick game are you guys trying to play?"

His words don't even cover half of what he's feeling right now. 

"I'm sorry," Kirishima says. When Katsuki looks at him, he genuinely does look sorry.

"You fucking did all this on purpose." 

"We had no idea it was going to make you this upset, we were only-"

"Only what? Just wanted to torment me? Why? Fucking tell me why." 

The redhead is silent for a few beats before responding. 

"Honestly, we thought we were doing you a favor." 

Katsuki's mind reels. In what fucking world did that make sense? He had no clue what they were talking about or how this could possibly constitute as a favor. 

"What?" he breathes, his eyes narrowing to impossibly tiny slits as he stares down his 'friend.'

"You and Midoriya." He shifts his weight on his heels. "It was Kaminari's idea, actually. We thought if we could make you feel jealous, you might realize-"

He cuts Kirishima off. His blood is boiling at this point. 

"Might fucking realize what?" he reels. "Is this about all of that stupid crush bullshit? I fucking told you that you thought wrong! I don't have a stupid crush on Izuku." 

"Then why are you so upset right now? I was sure that was it." 

"No, I-" Katsuki wipes a hand down his face. "It's not that. It's what you were all talking about in there. I just- fuck."

Kirishima stays silent and waits for him to finish his thought. 

"He talked about getting bullied. Back in middle school." He cranes his neck and stares up at the sky, focusing on the stars he can see instead of the swirling, piling guilt he can feel in his stomach, threatening to spill over and ruin him. 

"Yeah, he did. Is that why you were upset?"

"It's not- look, please don't hate me, okay? I didn't ever want to bring this shit up, but you fuckers forced my hand here." 

"Just say what you gotta say, man; I'm not going anywhere. I could never hate you." 

His shoulders relax the tiniest bit at hearing that, but he still knows there's a chance that Kirishima's opinion might change when he hears the truth about Katsuki. He looks at Kirishima and takes a quick inhale of air. 

"I was the one who bullied him." 

The other man's eyebrows shoot up. 

"Oh. That's-"

"Complicated. Yeah." 

"Well, you're not like that anymore." 

"Aren't I, though?" 

"What makes you say that?" 

Katsuki sighs. How doesn't he see it? How can he ignore Katsuki's behavior? Katsuki knows that he's not the nicest person. He struggles with it every day, knowing that people hate him for the way he is. Honestly, hearing that Katsuki used to be a bully shouldn't even be a surprise. 

Being this honest with someone about this shit just makes him want to curl up and die. He feels exposed like this, and he hates it. 

"I'm not the nicest person. I know that. But I don't know how to be any other way, sometimes." 

"Well, here's how I look at it," Kirishima says. "I see you. Like, really see you, man. I know that you can be harsh and stuff, but I know what's underneath all of that crap, and I know what you mean and how you are underneath all of it. And in my opinion, if Midoriya didn't hold a similar opinion, he probably wouldn't keep being around you." 

"There's no fucking way he's forgiven the things I did. You don't know the things I did and said to him. It was fucking terrible, and I don't deserve to be fucking forgiven for that shit." 

"Well, that's not really for you to decide, fortunately!" Kirishima says brightly. 

"What the hell do you mean by that?" Katsuki scoffs. 

"The only thing you get to decide is how you're going to act moving forward," he explains. "It's up to you to decide to be better and do better moving forward. But the forgiveness part, whether someone decides to forgive you or not, that's on them. All you can do is try to show them you've changed. That's all you can do." 

He already knew this was entirely out of his control, but that statement made it seem even more suffocating. The past few weeks, he'd been trying to prove that he's changed. He'd been forcing himself to be kind to Izuku, even when he wanted to snap. He liked the nerd's coffee and was starting to realize that he didn't hate Izuku as much as he thought he did in the past. 

He was a stupid kid. Many of his own issues that he hadn't worked through caused him to act the way he did—things he's still trying to work on and fix to this day. 

If Izuku never forgave him, he couldn't blame him. Because he couldn't forgive himself, either.

"One last thing," Katsuki says. 

"Yeah, what's up?"

"I'd like it if you didn't tell any of the others what I told you. It's- it's not something I want them to know."

"Yeah, of course. Your secrets are safe with me!" 

The conversation tapers off after that, and the duo decides to head back inside. Kirishima says nothing else to Katsuki or anyone else about their discussion, leaving it behind them as promised.  

Katsuki steps through the doors, and as he nears their table, he notes that Izuku and Kaminari are nowhere to be found. His stomach rolls as his mind ponders the possibilities of where the two might've gone off to. 

"Where'd Dunce Face and Izuku go?" he asks Jirou and Sero, interrupting their conversation as he approaches the table. 

Sero points to somewhere across the room, and his eyes follow the line before falling on the pair. 

The lights on the dance floor bathe the pair in hues of gold and rainbow light as they dance together, their bodies pressed up against one another. Denki is whispering something In Izuku's ear, and when he pulls away, he notes the faint blush on the nerd's face from whatever was just whispered to him. 

For some ungodly, unknown reason, his blood is boiling. The sight of the two of them together just makes him physically sick. Deep down inside of him, something is chanting, not right, not right, not right, and he's unsure of what to make of it. His jaw tenses, and he can't take his eyes off the scene. 

His eyes go from Izuku's face to his chest, where Kaminari has his hands splayed wide across his pecs, and then lower, where Izuku's hands are gripping the blonde's waist. His fingers twitch with the desire to do something- but he can't for the life of him figure out what that something is. 

* * * 

"It's just dancing!" Kaminari says as he tries to pull Izuku up from his seat. "C'mon! It'll be fun!"

Izuku held his ground and stayed in his seat. 

"I'm a terrible dancer, trust me," he tries. "I'll just end up embarrassing you."

"Doesn't matter if you can't dance! I'll lead, and you can just follow what I do. Pleeease?" 

Izuku sighs and finally lets Kaminari drag him to his feet. 

"Okay, fine, but only for a little bit," he relents. 

"Yay! Let's go!" he leads Izuku out to the middle of the bar, where many people were already dancing to the music playing over the speakers. 

The blonde does as he promised, grabs Izuku's hands, and directs them to his waist before depositing his own on Izuku's chest. They stand close together as they rock and sway to the music--Kaminari smiling up at Izuku as he follows the blonde lead nervously. The current song ends, but he shows no sign of letting Izuku go free just yet. 

Kaminari suddenly leans in closer, his lips pressing up against Izuku's ear. He blushes at the sudden contact. 

"You lied to me, mister," the blonde teases.

"W-what?" Izuku reels, pulling his face slightly away from him. 

"You can dance." 

"W-well, not very good, but I guess I can some-" 

Kaminari presses his body even tighter against his own, and Izuku can only clutch onto his waist and wait for this to be over. 

Suddenly, there's another hand on Izuku's shoulder. Someone clears their throat, and Izuku turns. 

It's Bakugou. 

He pulls him away from Kaminari, who doesn't make a move to protest. 

"Tch, fuckin' nerd," he growls. "I wanna talk to you." 

"Oh! Um- right now?" Izuku says. He stares down at his arm, which is still being held captive by Bakugou. 

"Fuckin' obviously!" he replies. He starts to drag Izuku off the dance floor, and he can do nothing but follow along. He throws his head over his shoulder and mouths an apology to Kaminari before it's too late. 

He's dragged out a back door, and the cool night air hits Izuku's skin, causing his arms to pebble in the unexpected temperature drop. They're standing in an alleyway behind the bar now, and Bakugou still hasn't said anything. He finally lets go of Izuku's arm, but his eyes are fixed somewhere on the ground between them. 

Izuku flexes his hands at his sides, trying not to make this awkward by opening his mouth and saying the wrong thing. He's sure this is about the conversation that happened at the table. He's sure of it. Bakugou is angry with him. There's no other reason he would have dragged him out here!

"Kacchan, I'm sorry about earlier," he starts. "I shouldn't have brought that up, and I'm sorry if that offended-"

Bakugou pops a hand over Izuku's mouth, cutting him off mid-reply. Izuku's eyes widen, but he makes no move to remove the blonde's hand. 

"Don't fuckin' apologize for that shit, you idiot." His eyes dart up to Izuku's momentarily before falling back to the ground. He finally removes his hand from Izuku's mouth. "Don't apologize to me because I bullied you." 

Oh. 

If that's not what this is about, what else could it be? 

"I'm sorry for all that shit back then," Bakugou continues. His jaw is tight, and his eyebrows furrow as he speaks. "I- I was a little shit, and it wasn't right. So don't you dare apologize to me for making me feel uncomfortable. That's not on you."

"Still, I didn't mean to-"

"Izuku." 

"No, it wasn't okay. I shouldn't have-"

"Izuku," Bakugou cuts him off again, calling his name a bit sharper. 

He closes his mouth for good this time and doesn't try to apologize again. The air is thick and silent at that point, and the feeling that many words are going unsaid hangs heavy in Izuku's chest- but he's unsure how to proceed. 

"I'm the only one who should be apologizing." He looks up, and their eyes finally meet. Izuku can feel that string again- it's pulled tight between them once more, Izuku's end wrapping around his throat, making it nearly impossible for him to form a reply. 

Bakugou's chest moves in shallow succession as they continue to look at each other, his eyes searching Izuku's face for something. He's not sure what he's looking for or whether he'll find it. His cheeks are tinged red, probably from the alcoholic drinks he'd had, much like Izuku. 

"Your freckles," Bakugou suddenly says, causing Izuku to freeze. 

He covers his cheeks with his hands. 

"W-what? What about them?" 

"They're cute. Fuckin' distracting and shit." 

Oh. Oh. 

Bakugou just called his freckles... cute. If his face was flushed before, it certainly is now. 

The blonde grabs Izuku's hands, pulls them away from his face, and drops them back to Izuku's sides. 

"Don't cover them up, idiot." 

A beat of silence passes between them. 

"Can I touch them?" 

Izuku's eyes widen again, and now, he must be rivaling freaking beets in terms of redness. 

"Y-you want to touch my freckles?" he asks, his voice raising in pitch. 

"Tch," the blond looks to the left, pretending to focus on something at the far end of the alley as he pockets his hands. "Fuckin' forget it. We should probably go back inside. Your date is waiting for you and shit." 

Oh. That's right. 

He'd completely forgotten about Kaminari the second Bakugou had yanked him outside. 

Chapter 8: Cold Sweats and Cold Brews

Notes:

Continuing the Chicken In a Biskit debacle, my fiance mentioned that he considered buying me the smaller box but didn't, under the guise that he thought the big box might last me longer.

We all know what a lie that one turned out to be.

Please- someone tell me why my asshole is *spicy*...

Enjoy the chapter! This one was a little tough to write.

Katsuki woke up in the middle of the night, his body slicked with sweat and his limbs shaking. 

He hadn't even drank that much at the bar earlier, but he felt more hungover than he'd ever been in his entire life. And, of course, like everything fucking seemed to do so nowadays, it had to do with Izuku. More specifically, it was the dream from which he'd just woken up that had him fucking sweating and shit. 

And he was fucking hard. 

But that was neither here nor there, and he was electing to ignore that fact right now- as impossible as it seemed to be because he couldn't get the dream's contents to leave his mind. 

In his dream, he finally got to touch those freckles like he'd wanted to earlier that night. He traced his pointer finger across Izuku's cheek, drawing lines between them, finding the hidden constellations within their expanse. In his dream, he discovered that the freckles went beyond the neckline of his shirt and spread across Izuku's chest and stomach. He let his hands roam over his skin, discovering the muscles usually hidden beneath the nerdy shirts that he always wears. In his dream, he was able to press kisses into Izuku's skin and breathe in his scent, which smelled like sweetened coffee, probably from how much time he spent at his cafe. 

In his dream, he got to touch those freckles. He got to kiss them. He got to listen to the little breathy sounds that Izuku made when he kissed his neck. 

He shakes his head and groans, trying to delete those images and sounds from his brain. 

It wasn't real. It didn't mean anything. 

It didn't. 

It fucking-

He sucks in a breath, noting the tightness in his chest. The weird fuzzy warmth when he thinks of Izuku's smile- and the awkward way he tends to stumble over the words in his mind whenever the nerd is present. 

Katsuki considers that maybe-

Just maybe-

His friends might be right. 

And maybe, it really wasn't the mocha after all. 

He ends up sleeping very little that weekend. Every second he spends awake, he tries to fill it with something because whenever he lets his mind run, it always returns to Izuku. Usually, he might spend his time off hanging out with friends, but he wouldn't be able to stomach hanging out with them right now because they knew how he felt even before he did. 

It's like a sickeningly sweet feeling seated itself in his gut and won't leave. 

He works out for hours at the gym on Saturday, and he will most definitely regret it when he has to go to work tomorrow. That night, when deciding what to make for dinner, he realizes he has all the ingredients to make katsudon, so that's what he does. Only then does he wonder if katsudon is still Izuku's favorite food like it was when they were kids. He frowns while he eats, scarfing it down much quicker than he wanted to before taking an ice-cold shower. 

The stupid nerd is on his mind again as soon as he's laid in bed, trying to sleep. He wishes that he could sleep with music on or the TV running in the background--anything to keep his mind occupied enough to fall asleep, but that would keep him up even worse. 

That night, he goes to sleep and dreams of Izuku yet again. 

* * * 

By Monday, it's getting old. He can't sleep. He can't eat. He wakes up in the morning covered with cold sweats and can't do his job properly when he keeps thinking about those stupid freckles. 

Not knowing what else to do, Katsuki calls Kirishima. Having never experienced this shit himself, he's at his wit's end. Maybe the fucker will have some advice since he was able to spot this shit a mile away. 

The phone rings for a few seconds before Kirishima picks up. 

"Hey man, what's up?" 

Katsuki pauses. He feels so stupid for doing this already, and now he doesn't even know where to start or what he's supposed to say. 

"I don't know what to do." 

"About what? What's going on? Are you okay?" his friend's voice is laced with concern. 

"Izuku. I- fuck! I don't fucking know how to get rid of this." 

"Are we burying a body? I'm so confused, dude. You're gonna need to elaborate." 

Katsuki paces the length of his kitchen and debates hanging up. His chest is constricting the more he tries to talk about it. Why couldn't anything ever be simple when it came to Izuku?

"You were right. All you idiots--you were right." 

Kirishima goes silent. A beat later, he replies. "You love him." 

"What? No! Who the hell said anything about love?" 

"Well, you have feelings, then, we can just call them that. How big are we talking?"

He pauses and considers things for a second. He lets himself feel the weights bearing down on his shoulders and chest. Warmth spreads across his cheeks when he envisions Izuku's eyes and imagines his soft laugh.

"As big as it gets," he replies softly. 

"Okay, so big feelings. So what's the problem here?" 

"How the hell do I get rid of them?!" he shouts. 

"Dude. Chill. How about I come over? I'll order some pizza or something, and we can talk about this." 

"Fuckin' fine," he growls. Katsuki hangs up on Kirishima as he starts to say something else. Slamming his phone on the granite counter, he pads across his apartment and into the bathroom. 

He splashes cold water on his face, then looks at his reflection in the mirror, gripping the edges of the sink in a white-knuckle grip. 

The face staring back at him is paler than he's used to seeing. His eyes frantically search for something he recognizes, but the person standing before him is a mystery. The tension in his face that's usually there has wholly dissipated and morphed into something else. 

He almost looks frightened. 

And fuck that nonsense. 

Katsuki Bakugou doesn't get frightened, for Christ's sake! 

But then again. 

Katsuki Bakugou also doesn't have crushes on people. But here he is- suffering from the biggest, most stupid and awkward feelings for someone. 

Rolling his eyes at himself, he exits the bathroom and collapses on the living room couch, waiting for Kirishima to show. 

As promised, the redhead shows up with pizza. 

"Hey," he says upon entering. "Not going to lie, you look like shit, dude." 

"I know," Katsuki sighs. 

They get comfortable on the sofa, turning the TV on to some rerun of an old hero show from before quirks. The show doesn't matter though, because Katsuki couldn't pay attention to it if he tried. 

"So," Kirishima starts after a while. "You've got a crush. And you want to know what to do about it?" 

"I fuckin' guess so," Katsuki states. 

"Well, for starters, you should tell him how you feel." 

Katsuki freezes mid-bite on a slice of pizza. 

No. 

No, no, no. 

He can't tell Izuku that he likes him. No fucking way. There's absolutely no fucking chance in hell that Izuku feels the same way--not with their history. So no, he cannot tell him. 

"Not a chance in hell I'm gonna do that sappy shit!" he snaps. Then, he sucks in a breath, reeling himself back in. "I just need to know how to get rid of whatever this is. It's distracting me and shit, and I can't have that."

"Why don't you want to tell him?" 

Katsuki takes a bite of his pizza slice. He chews it slowly, then swallows. 

"He doesn't like me very much. Simple as that. There's no reason to do that stupid schoolgirl confession bullshit when I already know how it's going to go." 

"You really can't know that for sure! Honestly, I've noticed the way he looks at you." 

"He looks at me like he's afraid of me."

"No, he doesn't!"

"He fucking does, too." 

"Only when you're mean-mugging the shit out of him!" 

Katsuki scoffs and takes another bite. 

"Look, you just gotta tell him. You really won't know for sure unless you do."

Rolling his eyes, he considers what might happen if he tries this. As it stands right now, he can keep visiting Izuku in the coffee shop. It's already awkward, but if he tells Izuku about his feelings, it will only make things worse. And he can't have that.  

* * * 

When Izuku returns to the cafe on Monday to open, his mind is still at the bar- more specifically, behind the bar, where he and Bakugou had talked. 

Where Bakugou had called him cute. 

Well, he called his freckles cute, but it's the same thing, right? 

He rounds a corner in the cafe's kitchen and slams his hip into the edge of the counter with a tray full of hot croissants in his hands, and the whole thing goes flying. The pan (and Izuku) fall to the ground with a loud clatter. 

He sits up and sighs, looking at the mess around him. Removing his Wild, Wild Pussycats-themed and very dorky oven mitts from his hands, he starts to pick up the now unservable croissants. 

A head pokes through the door. 

"Hey, you okay?" Shigaraki asks. 

"Yep! Just tripped. Everything's fine!" he replies, his voice several octaves higher than usual. 

"Alright, then," he replies, backing himself out the door. 

Izuku grumbles to himself about how stupid he's being. He receives a single compliment from Bakugou (a drunken compliment at that), and he's completely letting it run his mind. Ever since he said that to him, he hasn't been able to think clearly. 

Shaking himself off, he continues his opening chores, carefully avoiding further accidents. 

The day goes pretty smoothly, and Izuku silently thanks the gods for having kept Bakugou out of the cafe for at least today. Seeing him in person might have just done him in at that point.

Afternoons tended to slow down quite a bit at the cafe, so it's primarily empty as Izuku sweeps the floors and idly hums to himself. 

Then, the little bell above the door sounds, and he whips his head around to give his typical greeting. 

But the words never leave his mouth when he sees who it is. 

"All Might," he whispers to himself. His face pales, and he quickly jumps behind the counter to take the man's order. 

"W-what can I get for you, sir?" 

The old hero no longer looks the way he used to. His current form is the deflated version of what the public is used to seeing. Of course, Izuku was one of the first to see All Might like that at all, back on the rooftop that day. 

It was the day he was told that someone like him could never be a hero. After the sludge villain attack, he'd completely given up on his dreams of being a hero. Not only did he hear those words from the number one hero- his idol- but he also saw how useless someone like him would be in a villain attack when he attempted to help Bakugou when he was captured. 

The whole day is one that he'd rather forget. All he can hope for is that All Might doesn't recognize Izuku.

All Might shifts his eyes from the menu on the wall behind Izuku, their eyes meeting. 

"Let's have a cold brew coffee with that macadamia nut cream. Sounds tasty, doesn't it?" 

"I-it's very good, sir! We'll have that right out!" 

With his hands shaking, he inputs the order into the register. Behind him, Shigaraki gets to work making the drink. 

All Might pays for his drink and sits at a table in the back of the cafe, near the piano. If Izuku hadn't been running on autopilot just now, he might've had half a mind to give the ex-number one hero his drink on the house. But it was too late for that now. 

He takes a deep breath and eyes the ex-hero from across the cafe. It didn't look like Izuku was recognized, which was good. It was a silly notion anyway, thinking that All Might would have remembered someone like him. He sees hundreds of fans--there's no reason Izuku would have been remembered. 

"You wanna bring it to him?" Shigaraki suddenly asks from behind, causing Izuku to jump. He turns around and eyes the finished drink in his hand. 

"You put it in a to-go cup. It looks like he's sitting in, though," he states. 

"I personally want him to get the fuck out of here." 

Izuku's eyes widen. "Shigaraki!" He lowers his voice to a whisper-shout. "Not so loud! He probably heard you." 

"I don't care. I've never cared for him." 

Izuku rolls his eyes. 

"I'll bring it out. Just keep your voice down if you're going to talk like that!" 

Izuku brings the coffee out to the ex-hero but doesn't say much. He just can't bring himself to. 

At one point in time, this might've been the greatest moment in his life, having his former hero in his cafe. But after Izuku gave up on his dreams of becoming a hero, idolizing All Might was something he forced himself to stop doing. Of course, he still had still held onto his All Might merch, but it was all boxed up and kept at his mother's house. Half the time, he just couldn't bear looking at or thinking about that stuff. 

All it did was force him to remember things he'd rather forget. 

But life seemed to have been doing that to him a lot lately, forcing him to relive and think about the past. It was becoming an unavoidable pattern, and he was getting extremely tired of it. 

Chapter 9: A Misstep

Spotify playlist I listen to while writing this!

* * * 

A week had gone by at the most grueling pace known to man, and Katsuki decided it was high time he stopped avoiding the cafe like a little bitch with his tail between his legs and face this thing like a man. Undecided about what he was going to say to Izuku about his newfound feelings, he proceeds through the front door of The Little Leaf Cafe with caution. 

But then, their eyes lock across the room, and everything goes blank. 

"Hi, long time no see," Izuku smiles. Katsuki doesn't respond. Someone must have hit the reboot button hiding in the back of his brain because forming a coherent thought seems like an impossible task.

Izuku clears his throat, and Katsuki realizes he's been doing nothing but stare. But how can he not stare when Izuku's eyes are that fucking big, green, and beautiful? 

"Did you say something?" Katsuki asks. 

"I asked what you wanted to drink." 

"Same thing as last time would be fine," he replies, caging his arms over his chest tightly as if to keep his heart from leaping out onto the counter. 

"Oh, um, I can't make that one, actually." Izuku rubs the back of his head and gives him a sheepish smile.

"Why not?" 

"Well, I don't stock the ingredients for that drink." Izuku fidgets with the tie of his apron as he speaks. 

"But it was good. So why wouldn't you do that?" 

Izuku's expression falls, and Katsuki's heart sinks right along with it. It's his first instinct to do anything to wipe that look off the nerd's face. 

"W-well, you said didn't like it. I kind of made it with you in mind, so I didn't see a point in keeping it on the menu." 

He'd made the drink with him in mind. And Katsuki gave him the impression he didn't like it. He wants to kick himself. If he could, he would. 

"I liked it a lot. I'm sorry I didn't make that more clear." 

And I like you. Sorry I can't make that more clear, too. 

"I can definitely be more prepared next time, then, if you really did like it! I'm sorry I can't make it for you today," Izuku says. Katsuki notes the faint blush creeping up his neck as he flounders for a polite response. 

"You don't need to go out of your way for someone like me," he says. "You can make me anything. If it's you making it, I'm sure it'll be good." 

"A-alright," he stutters. "Okay. Just a minute, then. Sorry again." 

"Quit apologizing for stupid shit!" Katsuki scolds as Izuku turns around to start preparing the drink. 

"Right, sorry- I mean, not sorry?" Izuku mutters. "Sorry. I mean- geez. Okay. I'll shut up." 

Katsuki cracks a half-grin behind Izuku's back, never having realized until now how fun it is to fluster him. 

When Izuku turns around again and their gazes meet, Katsuki makes a split-second decision to do something stupid. 

Something really, really stupid. 

"Izuku," he says as he hands over the drink in a to-go cup. 

"Hmm?" 

"Go out with me." 

"What? Like a date?" His cheeks paint themselves an even prettier shade of pink than they were a few moments ago. 

"Obviously," Katsuki grumbles. Their fingers touch as he reaches for the drink, and he swears he can feel electricity tingle through his fingers, almost as if he'd just received a shock from Kaminari. 

"No. Sorry." 

Katsuki's heart drops. His chest tightens. He takes the coffee from Izuku and grips it tight, trying not to let the sharp words on his tongue see the light of day. 

"Why not?" 

"I don't date. I just don't have the time." 

But that didn't make sense to Katsuki. Wasn't it just last week that he agreed to go on a date with Kaminari?! There had to be other reasons, and he was afraid he already knew the answer. Still, he couldn't stop himself from prodding further. 

"You were just out last weekend," he argues. "What was that, then, huh?" 

Izuku's eyebrows press together into a thin line. "I only agreed to that so he'd stop asking me." He clasps his hands together tightly, squeezing the hell out of his fingers. "He said if I agreed to go out once, he'd stop bothering me about it. So I did. And now he's not bothering me anymore." 

"What if I promised you the same thing?" Katsuki scrambles, trying to save the request in any regard at that point. "One date. After that, you can choose whether or not we keep seeing each other. If you really don't want to by then, I'll drop it." 

Izuku pauses for a few beats before responding. 

"I'm sorry, but it's still a no." 

"Fine." Katsuki turns to leave. Right before he heads out the door, he turns around to say one last thing. "And what did I tell you about apologizing for shit?" 

* * * 

Izuku's eyes remain on the door long after Bakugou walks out. 

So many questions are swirling around in his head, and he's unsure how to make sense of it all. 

"Someone's been pretty popular recently," Toga chimes from behind, startling Izuku from his thoughts. Eyes finally tearing away from the door, he faces her with a blank expression. "That's the one you actually like, right? I mean of course I'm right, I can smell it." 

Letting out a big sigh, he rubs his palms down his face. "What does that even mean?" 

"People smell different when they have crushes," she explains, hoisting herself onto the counter to sit, crossing one leg over the other. "You at least think he's pretty to look at. But him?" she chuckles. "He's got some biiig feelings." 

It is indisputable that Bakugou is pretty to look at. He's got flawless skin and pretty eyes, and despite his usually sour disposition, the intensity is attractive on a baseline level. 

But feelings? No way. There's no way that someone like Bakugou actually likes him. If anything, maybe he wants a hookup or something like that. It's hard to imagine that he would want anything more, being the way he is. But Izuku doesn't do that kind of thing, either. 

Or, maybe it's pity. 

Maybe Bakugou just feels bad about the past and is trying to make up for it. That would make sense. Even though he's adamant that he's not interested in receiving what Bakugou has to offer, the thought is still disheartening. When thinking about it further, there's nothing else it could be. 

Izuku decides that even if he did have feelings for him, there's no way he can say yes to a date- not with their past. There's no way to know for sure that it's not just a pity date, and if Izuku let himself catch feelings for someone like that, it would probably crush him to find out that was the truth. 

* * * 

"I messed up." Katsuki grips the phone tightly, trying not to crush it altogether. His mocha still sits atop his desk next to the keyboard, glaring at him. 

He knew he shouldn't have done that. He told himself he wouldn't. But the minute he stepped through those doors and saw Izuku, every flying fuck he ever had flew out the window faster than he could say his own name. 

"What did you do?" 

"I asked him out." 

"That's so manly, dude! So? What did he say?" 

"He said no." 

"Oh. So what are you going to do?"

"Fucking nothing, Shitty Hair! I took your stupid advice, and look where that got me! You think I can show my face at that coffee shop again? No fucking way. It's over. It's done." 

A loud sigh could be heard coming from Kirishima through the phone. In all honesty, Katsuki wasn't even sure why he called. He didn't call with the intention of blaming this all on the redhead; it wasn't Kirishima's fault. He wasn't the one who barged into that coffee shop and opened his stupid mouth. That was all Katsuki. 

"You could always try again." 

"No way." 

"Just keep going back there. Keep being nice, to show him you've changed from when you were younger. Maybe eventually, he'll say yes." 

"It's kind of a dick move to pester someone like that! Just because that worked for you and Raccoon Eyes doesn't make it right!" 

"Dude, I didn't say to pester," he says. "Just go in there, be all sweet and stuff, and make him realize he's missing out." 

Katsuki pinches the bridge of his nose. He supposes he could do that. But the fact of the matter is- Izuku isn't missing much. 

He's a bully, and he's not very sweet or friendly. Izuku is everything that Katsuki is not. Izuku is sweet and kind and encouraging and polite. Being complete opposites, they most likely wouldn't work together. He should give up now and try to eliminate the feelings altogether. 

* * * 

It was harder to avoid the cafe than Katsuki thought it would be. 

He'd been working on his motorcycle whenever he had the time to do so, but he still hadn't found out why it didn't want to run correctly. This meant that he had to walk by the cafe on his way to the agency in the mornings instead of being able to zip by and forget about it altogether. 

There was always public transportation, but that was a hassle for people like Katsuki. He didn't feel like getting ogled by extras the entire commute to work and preferred the freedom that walking had to offer. And to hell with taking a rideshare- he'd had enough awkward conversations in the backs of those cars with nosy drivers than he cared to remember. 

So walking it is. 

On day one, he sees Izuku through the big, old windows that adorn the front of his building, smiling and laughing as he chats up a table of customers. Quickly averting his gaze, he stomps down the sidewalk and away from the scene with his hands in his pockets. 

The second time he walks by, Izuku is sweeping. He watches the nerd's arms flex as he pulls the broom back and forth. As soon as Katsuki realizes he's staring, he stalks away, scoffing at himself for being so obtuse. 

On his third pass by, he's staring again. Izuku is just standing at the counter. A customer leaves the cafe, and Izuku looks over in the general direction of the door and happens to spot Katsuki. 

Whatever it is, it's electric. His green eyes swirl with questions, and Katsuki gazes back at him, hoping to give him all the answers he seeks. One of the other baristas starts to say something to Izuku, and he turns his head to reply. With their connection broken, Katsuki walks away, ignoring the tightness in his chest. 

The fourth and fifth times, Izuku sees him again. His expression tells Katsuki nothing. 

Things change when Izuku spots him the next time. Katsuki intends to ignore him and move on like he's supposed to be doing, but the nerd runs for the door, nearly tripping over nothing to meet Katsuki on the sidewalk. 

Part of him debates walking away. It would be best for both of them if Katsuki could just move on with his life and pull his head out of his ass- but he stills, waiting for whatever the nerd has to tell him. 

The door opens, and Izuku marches straight up to him. 

"You're avoiding me," he pouts. "On purpose." 

"So what if I am?" 

Izuku's brow furrows as his gaze falls. 

"It's what you wanted, right? For me to leave you alone. That's what I'm doing." 

"It's not, though. You walk by here almost every day. You're purposely showing off the fact that you're avoiding me, which is completely counterintuitive, and I don't get it. You either want to come in or you don't- but I just can't figure you out." 

"Why do you care?" 

"Well-" Izuku reddens. He rubs the back of his head. "I mean, I don't- I'm just confused? I don't get it." 

"What don't you get? I'm walking to work. Your cafe happens to be on the way. I'm not required to stop inside." 

Izuku's jaw flexes as he tries to come up with a reply. Katsuki, on the other hand, is trying to reel back his temper. There's no reason for him to be snappy right now. It's a defense mechanism, and the alarm bells are ringing in his head- telling him to bite. But he's forcing himself to take a step back- to not be an ass. 

Be nice. Like Kirishima told him to. 

"I guess that's true." Izuku frowns and shifts his weight from one foot to the other. "I- I got the ingredients. For the drink you like." 

Katsuki's eyebrows shoot up. He ignores the warm tingle in his chest. The nerd had been thinking about him. Again. 

"I thought- I mean, it's okay if you don't, but I thought you liked my coffee." 

"I do." Regardless of what Izuku says, it's evident that he's searching for Katsuki's approval in some regard. The thought warms Katsuki again, but he quickly shoves those thoughts to the back of his mind where they belong. 

"So why aren't you coming inside?" 

Because he's embarrassed that he got shot down, and he's trying to get rid of the feelings he has for Izuku. 

The response that Katsuki wants to give is vulnerable and sensitive- but he can't. He just cannot bring himself to say those things. Not when Izuku is looking at him like that. 

He's angry at himself for the way Izuku is reacting. He's chasing after Katsuki's approval like it's the only thing that matters, and he can't help but think about where this stems from. It's the same now as when they were kids. Izuku was always trailing after Katsuki on the playground or in the woods when they played, eager to please and to reach out a helping hand. It's the same now, and Katsuki hates it. He hates that Izuku feels like he has to please Katsuki- especially after rejecting him. Even though Izuku wants nothing to do with him, he's still seeking that validation. 

"I just don't want to," Katsuki finally says, breaking the small silence that filled the space between them. Before Izuku replies, he's continuing his walk toward Endeavor's agency. 

He considers changing his route to work in the mornings. Yeah, he'd have to leave sooner, and it would take longer to get there, but it would avoid all of this awkwardness and all of the stupid feelings bubbling inside of him every time he has to look at Izuku. 

Chapter 10: Friendly Neighborhood Ground Zero

He won't forgive him, and Katsuki knows it. That's why he said no. There's no other explanation, seeing as he agreed to go out with Kaminari but won't even give Katsuki a chance.

There was definitely a line in the sand between them, but he couldn't tell where it was. Izuku didn't want to go out with him but seemed sad that Katsuki had stopped coming inside the cafe. 

Was he just sad he was losing customers? Or was it more? Because the nerd had looked disappointed that Katsuki hadn't been coming in. And he even started stocking the ingredients to make the drink that he liked. If he didn't know any better, he might say that Izuku has feelings for him, too, but with Izuku, it's impossible to tell. He's so polite in general that maybe that's all it is. But Katsuki's stupid heart wanted to turn it into more. 

There was also a small part inside him that didn't want to take Izuku's no for an answer. He knew what he should do—respect his wishes and stay away—but he really didn't want to do that. It was an ingrained personality trait to go after what he wanted with full force until he had it. Everything inside of him was screaming for him not to give up.

Maybe he should take Kirishima's advice. 

He could keep going to the cafe and maybe befriend Izuku first. Perhaps then, he could get him to agree to a date. He feels that if he can just get him to agree to a single date, he'd have this in the bag. 

It's Katsuki's day off, which makes for a perfect opportunity to stop at the cafe. He even brings his laptop and intends to sit in and get some of his pesky desk work done while he's at it. This way, he can maybe have more than a quick conversation with Izuku. It seems like a good plan in theory, but the minute he steps through the doors, it's the same story as it usually is. His common sense meter is resting at zero, but every other sensor in his brain goes off, making it impossible to focus on anything other than Izuku and his stupid eyes and freckles. 

"Hi," Izuku says when he comes up to the counter after depositing his bag at a table near the windows. Izuku raises an eyebrow. "You're sitting in today?" 

"Obviously." The word comes out sharper than he intended, and he silently scolds himself. He acts quickly to change the subject and leave that mistake in the dust. "You said you stocked the ingredients for that drink I liked, right?"

"Oh, yeah." Izuku smiles. "Is that what you want?"

Katsuki nods. He pays for the drink, then heads to his table while he waits for it to be finished. He pulls his reading glasses out of his bag--nerdy, he knows--but it's something he realized he needed after hours of staring at computer screens and papers when doing incident reports and other desk work at his agency. Even though his laptop is now open and a report pulled up, his eyes can't stay on the screen- not when Izuku is right there, with his back turned, for Katsuki to freely gawk at. 

Izuku is confident behind the counter, switching between tasks quickly and efficiently as he brews the drink, biting on his lower lip as he focuses on the task at hand. He watches his hands move as he works, the muscles in his forearms flexing as he operates the espresso machine with practiced precision. Izuku glances over in Katsuki's direction, and he quickly averts his eyes, pretending he was staring at his laptop all along. 

When the drink is finished, Izuku brings it to the table in a little mug. He looks at the drink as he sets it down, noticing the latte art that Izuku put on the top. Katsuki whips out his phone and snaps a quick picture of the perfect drink before looking up at Izuku. The barista's cheeks are tinted a pretty pink color, causing the spool of nerves in Katsuki's heart to tighten on instinct. 

"It looks good," he says. 

"Oh, t-thank you! I've been practicing latte art; I'm not super great at it yet." 

Katsuki almost doesn't want to drink it because he doesn't want to ruin the design on the top. But he picks it up and takes a sip, letting the chocolatey, spicy flavors wash over his tongue. It's just as good as the last time he had it- if not better. 

"It's perfect."

"You like it?" Izuku says, his voice raising in pitch like it often did when he was flustered. 

"I don't say shit I don't mean, nerd." He carefully sets the mocha back down on the table. 

"You're calling me a nerd?" Izuku laughs. "You're the one wearing those dorky glasses." 

Oh, so he wanted to be a cheeky little shit today. Katsuki narrows his eyes at him before sliding the glasses off his face and dropping them on the table with a clatter. Izuku's lips form a pout. 

Fucking All Might on sale, how he wants to kiss that pout off his face.

"Why are you pouting?" Katsuki grumbles. 

"I was only teasing," he says, folding his hands behind his back. His voice lowers a bit. "And they looked good on you." 

"What'd you say?" Katsuki asks, raising his eyebrow. He heard him, but he wants to hear him say that again. 

"T-they look good on you. The glasses. They suit you. Not nerdy at all!" he squeezes his eyes shut as his face turns even redder from reiterating his compliment. 

"Tch- of course they look good on me!" he barks, ignoring the heat in the tips of his ears. "Don't you got some work to do or something?"

Please don't leave- please don't walk away... 

"Oh, yeah, I guess so. Sorry for bothering you! Enjoy your drink!" And then he makes his way back to the other side of the counter, leaving Katsuki to grovel in his stupid solitude. He picks the glasses up and puts them back on. 

Katsuki is left completely alone the rest of the time he's in the cafe, much to his dismay. 

As one last reaching act, he pulls a sticky note from his bag, writes his number on it, and sticks it on his empty mug. The chances of Izuku messaging or calling him are low- but not zero. It's a reach by all means, but he's at least letting Izuku know that his intentions of getting to know him are still there. 

* * * 

 The next day was busy for Izuku. Customers came in nonstop all day, and he hardly had a chance to do any side work. That meant they were probably going to leave later than expected after closing. 

Sometime after the last customer leaves, his phone notification goes off. He throws the handtowel he'd been wiping counters down with over his shoulder and digs his phone out of his apron pocket. It's a text from an unknown number. Curiosity piqued, he opens the chat and reads its contents. 

Unknown: I got your number from Kaminari, if that's okay! It's Kirishima. 

Izuku's eyebrows shoot up into his hairline. He wonders what the hero wants. 

Izuku: That's fine! Did you need something? 

Kirishima: Mina and I are having a movie night at our house with some of our friends this weekend. We all got along with you pretty well last time at the bar, so I was curious if you wanted to join us. 

Kirishima: No big deal if you don't. But it'll be fun, promise!

Izuku chews at the inside of his cheek. He must remember the last time they all hung out differently because, from his point of view, it was a disaster. Not only had he managed to upset Katsuki, but Kaminari would likely be there, and he wasn't sure how the blonde would act around him at this point. 

But it does sound fun... 

Izuku doesn't get out as much as he should; part of that is from a lack of friends, and the other half is his busy schedule. But he is off weekends. Deciding what to do, he sends his reply. 

 Izuku: I'll be there! It sounds fun :)

Kirishima sends him the rest of the details after that. After pocketing his phone, he continues with his closing chores for the night. 

Upon arriving home, he collapses onto the sofa and lets out an audible sigh. He's pretty confident that Bakugou will be at this movie night thing, but he's still unsure how he should act around him. 

The blonde switches between insults and sweet compliments so fast that it gives him whiplash—and he doesn't even know if he can accept the compliments, given their tangled, messed-up history. At this point, it's ingrained in him to take everything Bakugou says with a grain of salt. 

As a kid, he was so easy to forgive and forget and keep chasing after Bakugou, every second of every day. So intent on receiving the blonde's approval, he set aside every awful thing he said and did to him. He took it in stride, never faltering and letting it get to him. 

But then middle school came, and he somehow got even meaner. Everyone got meaner and harsher, and every day, he was going home with new bruises and tear-stained cheeks that he had to brush off and explain to his mother. The words stopped bouncing off of him and instead soaked in, seeping down to his bones, weighing him down. And of course, things only got worse from there. 

He failed his UA entrance exam, as everyone said he would. At that point, there was nothing he could do but give up on his dreams and find another. The bullies were all the same in high school, too. After class, he hated going home to see his mother's face when he was covered in scrapes and bruises, so he chose to avoid that altogether. Instead of going home, he opted to spend his time in a cafe near the school, where he could work on his homework in peace. 

The cafe owner was a nice old man who often gave Izuku free snacks and drinks just for being there. He made it his mission to try everything on the menu at least once to keep himself entertained, but that slowly developed into a love for coffee—wanting to know every reason why the drinks tasted the way they did, wanting to know exactly how to craft these drinks and brew the perfect blend of coffee. 

That's how he ended up with an after-school job at the cafe, learning all the cafe owner's tricks and tips. His new job gave him something else to focus on, so Izuku poured himself into it, learning everything he could about the craft. As it turned out, he was good at it, too. He'd never been particularly good at anything before, so he decided to stick with coffee. 

Opening his own cafe had been a massive milestone in his life. It felt like for the first time in a long time, he was breathing in fresh air and starting all over for real. But then, everything changed the second Katsuki Bakugou walked through those doors. Everything came rushing back to him in that moment, and ever since then, he'd been plagued with memories and snippets of his past that he tried to bury a long time ago. While he can't deny that the blonde has calmed down quite a bit, it doesn't change that just seeing his face puts him into fight-or-flight mode. 

He throws his head back on the sofa and debates backing out of the movie night. Avoiding awkward and uncomfortable decisions has always been something he was good at. But recently, life had just been shoving his past down his throat, forcing him to swallow and digest it. His stomach was always in knots, trying to process everything he bottled away and forgot about. 

High School Izuku had shoved all of these memories and repressed feelings into a glass jar, screwed the lid on tight, and swallowed it. But it felt like someone had punched him in the gut and burst this jar open; all of the glass was puncturing his insides, causing him to bleed and to taste the feelings he'd long forgotten about. It was all he could do to keep swallowing down the blood that snuck into his mouth and keep that passive, friendly smile on his face. 

Sleep never came that night. Instead, he was plagued with anxious thoughts about this weekend. He couldn't hide himself behind the counter at work and pretend to be busy while Bakugou sat at the other end of the room. No- he'd be forced to finally converse with him on some level, and he wasn't sure if he was ready for it. 

As a last-ditch effort to make himself more tired, he grabs his phone off the nightstand and opens Instagram. His eyes widen when he sees the number of notifications he has in the app. Curious about what they're from, he clicks open the post they're for. 

It was the picture that Bakugou had snapped of the mocha when he was in the cafe. He'd tagged Izuku in the post and even linked the location. Suddenly, the random onslaught of customers he had today made sense. They were all just trying to see the place the pro hero had posted about. He sighs and leaves a like on the post before turning the phone off and setting it back down. 

Even his phone wasn't able to distract him right now. It seemed he couldn't outrun Bakugou if he tried. 

 

Chapter 11: Why Am I Even Here?!

Notes:

Sorry about the delayed update! The last two days, I've gotten home from work and completely clunked out on the sofa at like 7pm like an old person.

I am my father. I hate it. At least I don't snore.

Enjoy this chapter!

The day of the movie night comes, and Izuku is a complete ball of nerves. He feels ridiculous in every outfit he puts on his body, wondering whether or not he's supposed to dress nice or comfortable for something like this. It's hard, not having a close friend in the group that he can ask. 

Whenever he'd hang out with Toga, his other baristas, and their friends, it didn't matter what he wore or how he acted. They were all a little strange in their own ways, and that's the reason their group gelled so well together. He didn't hang out with them often due to his schedule, but when he did, there were never any issues. 

But this movie night was its own monster. Not only was this an entirely new group of people he'd only met a few times, but they were all pro heroes for crying out loud! 

And his ex-bully, who supposedly wanted to date him, would be there. 

And a guy he'd already gone on a date with. 

Both were awkward in his mind, and he did not have a good answer for how he should act going into this sort of thing. 

He ends up in the most plain-looking outfit, not having much else for options that were casual but not too casual. He wore a plain blue T-shirt and his favorite pair of gray pants. Easy and simple. He steps away from the mirror in his bedroom and shoves the topic of clothing out of his mind. There's already too many thoughts rolling around in his head, and even just one more might make him implode. 

Locking the door behind himself, he leaves his apartment and makes his way down the janky hallway and out onto the streets. Noting that the address he was given for Kirishima's house was all the way on the other side of the city, he uses a rideshare app to request a ride. He doesn't like standing outside in his neighborhood too long, considering it's not the best place in the city to live. 

Heroes don't visit his neighborhood much. He supposes there's more glory to be found facing villains in the middle of the city, where there's more likely to be news coverage and all that kind of stuff. Because of the lack of heroes in his neighborhood, there are a fair number of thefts, break-ins, and that kind of thing. 

His ride is there a little while later, and he gets in the back seat feeling just a little bit jittery, and he blames it on having stood outside for so long while he waited. The ride is nice and quiet, and besides the initial greeting, the driver is thankfully silent the rest of the time. 

He arrives at Kirishima's house and takes a deep breath as he approaches the front door. Before he can knock, the door swings open to reveal a bright and smiley Ashido. 

"Midoriya!" she greets loudly. "So glad you came! Come on in!" 

He pockets his hands and follows the acid hero inside quietly, making sure to keep his lips glued shut so that he doesn't start muttering, as he tends to do when he's nervous. 

Inside the house, Kaminari and Kirishima are in the kitchen, and a few people are in the living room that he can hear but can't see. Ashido leads him into the kitchen, where Kaminari immediately thrusts a drink into his hand in a red cup. 

"Hey, good to see you, man!" Kirishima smiles. 

"T-thank you for the invitation," Izuku replies. He stares down at the drink in his hand. It's red in color, but when he brings it to his lips, it's got a heavy alcoholic flavor. There's no telling how much alcohol is actually in it, so he makes a note not to accept more than a couple of whatever they are. 

Kaminari slides against the counter and right up against Izuku. "Really glad you came," he says with a sly smile. Izuku is immediately blushing red. 

"Dude, Denki, chill out!" Kirishima says, grabbing the blonde. "Sorry about him. He doesn't know how not to flirt, I swear!" He drags Kaminari away, who's still smiling at Izuku. From what he can tell, he's already pretty buzzed. Following them from the kitchen, he's now in the living room. 

He spots Jirou and Sero, but a few unfamiliar faces are there, too. He spots the hero Uravity at the other end of the room next to the half-hot, half-cold hero, Shouto. 

It really is a full house in here tonight. Thankfully, Kirishima's house is relatively large; the living room sports a gigantic flatscreen TV that could probably fit eight of Izuku's TVs inside of it, as well as three large couches organized in a U shape around a long, skinny coffee table that takes up the length of the sofa in the middle of the three. The table's surface is covered in snacks and drinks- everything from popcorn to bowls of chips and candy. It's a sizeable amount of food, but he supposes this is a pretty large group to feed, so it makes sense. 

Almost on instinct, Izuku whips his head in the direction of the hallway the minute a familiar face steps out from what he presumes is the bathroom. He exits the darkened hallway and enters the living room with an indiscernible expression, and his hands shoved into his pockets. It's Bakugou. 

Their eyes lock. 

It makes Izuku's skin tingle--whatever it is--and he immediately turns his gaze to the floor. 

Then, before he can think too hard about it, someone's tapping his shoulder. 

"Hey! I haven't seen you at one of these before!" says a cheerful voice. He swivels around to face Uravity. "I'm Uraraka! Who are you?" 

"Oh, I'm Izuku Midoriya!" he replies, his voice raising in pitch like it often did when he was nervous. 

"Well, it's nice to meet you! It's not often we see new faces around here! Who invited you?"

"Um, Kirishima did," He replies. "I, um, well, we met a while back through Kaminari." He stares down at the drink in his hands and adjusts his hold before looking back at the brunette. 

"Oh!" she says, her eyes lighting up. "You're the barista that everyone can't shut up about!" 

"W-what?" Izuku stutters. What could she possibly mean by that?! 

"Your coffee shop," she says. "You apparently make good coffee, though that's not why everyone's been so curious about you. I haven't had a chance to stop into your cafe yet, so you might see me in there soon!" 

Izuku nearly folds in on himself at hearing that. Knowing that the heroes like his coffee makes him feel good, but he's also shy about all the recent attention he's been getting. He can already feel the tips of his ears getting warm. 

"Y-you said everyone's been curious about me?" he queries. "Why? I'm nothing special." 

"Oh, but you are," she giggles. "I don't want to say too much, but I'll just say that there's someone here who's probably really happy to see you."

The heck?! Who would that be?! 

No, it couldn't be Kaminari. Maybe it was- but that didn't make total sense. They only went on a single date, and it wasn't exactly a successful one. There was only one other person he could think might feel some type of way about seeing him, and that was Bakugou. But he didn't seem the kind of guy to be excited about anything or to tell anyone that he might feel that way. 

Then again, he's not sure why Kirishima invited him at all. The whole thing was starting to make less and less sense. 

And if Bakugou was somehow happy to see him, he wasn't saying anything about it. They'd hardly shared anything more than a glance since he'd arrived. That's all. 

The TV in the living room is turned on. 

"Hey, we're gonna start, guys!" Kirishima calls, and everyone heads toward the couches. Someone dims the lights, and Izuku follows the rest of them over to the sofas, where he searches for somewhere to sit. 

They're mostly full when he gets there, but there's still an end spot on the middle couch. He looks to see who he'd be sitting next to, and of course- of course, it's Bakugou. Their eyes meet, and his crimson eyes pierce through Izuku's, but the blonde says nothing. His arm is thrown over the back of the empty spot on the sofa, which causes Izuku to have a mini freak out. Determined not to make a big deal out of it and cause any kind of scene, he sets his drink down on the coffee table and sits down next to him carefully so as not to touch him by accident. Leaving a healthy few inches of space between their bodies, he tries his best to focus his attention on the screen in front of him and block out any and all thoughts about Bakugou. 

He keeps his hands in his lap and his knees pressed together to take up as little space as possible as he sits there. The movie starts, and there's a little bit of chatter flitting about the room, but it's mostly silent. 

'I can get through this, I can get through this,' He chants in his head over and over again. It's just one movie, and then he can leave this awkward situation behind. Just two hours, then he's free to go. And- oh. 

Bakugou spreads his legs a little wider, and their knees touch. 

Yeah, he knows it's not a big deal, but it is, and he's freaking out, and he doesn't know why. Being on the end and already squished against the armrest, he has nowhere to go. And no, he did not forget about the arm that Bakugou has slumped over the backrest behind him. 

Sitting this close to Bakugou was like sitting near a fireplace a little too closely. He doesn't mean literally, though he is also kind of warm, now that he's thinking about it. Sitting this close to him, his nerves were zipping with energy that was giving him completely mixed signals; on the one hand, he wanted to bolt away from the sofa and maybe even out of the house altogether--to disappear and never be seen again. On the other hand, that small and annoying part of him was telling him to just relax, and to maybe scoot a few inches closer in order to close the small gap between their bodies...

But he knew where his head was at. He knew that wasn't something he should do. Not with someone like Bakugou. Even though the hero had expressed that he'd like to date Izuku, that just wasn't something he could let himself do. No matter what his body told him, he had to stick to his guns. He had to keep his head and keep everything else out of the equation. 

* * * 

Katsuki knows that Izuku is having some kind of war inside his brain right now, though he doesn't know what it's about. While he hasn't started muttering yet, his lips move with unspoken words as he sits as stiff as a board. Katsuki knows it bothers Izuku when he stretches his legs out and lets his knee rest against his. But some small part of him just wants to watch the nerd squirm. 

Of course, he won't push it further than that. 

He's supposed to be the nice guy right now. He's supposed to be backing off- trying to befriend the nerd first before he can touch and talk to him like he wants to. If he ever gets that far. But the proud, always-winning asshole inside of him is telling himself that he will, and that's why teasing him is okay- because eventually, Izuku would come around. 

He has to. Katsuki doesn't know what he'll do with himself if he doesn't. 

His hand twitches on the back of the sofa. Feeling restless, he flexes his fingers, opening and closing his hand into a fist a few times before setting it back down on the backrest. Again, his fingers buzz, almost tingling with the desire to reach out. Izuku is right there, and he just wants to touch. But he knows he can't. Not now. 

He scrunches his eyebrows together and turns his attention away from the screen and to Izuku's face, which is a poor decision on his part. Because now, he can't not look at the nerd. Not when his freckles look so pretty in the low light of the movie playing on the flatscreen, the colors and lights flickering across his perfectly shaped cheekbones, and in his eyes like shooting stars against an emerald sky. 

The nerd's expression twists into pure focus as he stares at the screen. He takes his bottom lip between his teeth like he always does when focusing on something, which drives Katsuki crazy. He ignores the way his breath stutters when Izuku lets go of his lip, watching it pop back into place. It's glistening with a thin sheen of his saliva, making his already kissable lips look that much more kissable. 

He should not be thinking these things. Not when he knows Izuku isn't interested in him. It's stupid, really, to let himself look at all. He averts his eyes and ends up meeting Ashido's stare. She grins and jokingly raises her eyebrows a few times at him. He rolls his eyes and lets his focus fall back onto whatever shitty movie they picked out. 

Chapter 12: The Truth

Notes:

Someone take away my adult money, because I have a cart worth $200 of MHA figures sitting in my Amazon account right now. One comment, and I'll fucking buy them, I swear to god.

Anywho, enjoy this chapter!

The movie finally ends, and Izuku waits a few minutes for everyone to get up and disperse before he gets up from the sofa. He sneaks down the hall toward the front door, avoiding the lit-up kitchen at all costs. He intends on making what's called an Irish Exit--which is to leave without saying goodbye to anyone. 

He's mulled it over, and it's his best course of action to avoid any more awkward situations. 

And he's almost there, he's so close- his hand is on the doorknob, and he's ready to twist it and be free-

"Izuku." 

His entire body tenses, and he glances over his shoulder with wide eyes to meet the ever-intense eyes of Bakugou. 

"Kacchan," he says back, the nickname coming out a tad breathier than he'd intended. He turns his attention back to making his exit. The door is open, and he's stepping outside. When he goes to close it, a Bakugou catches it and follows him out, closing it behind both of them. 

Izuku finally turns to face him fully. The blonde stands on the dimly lit porch with his hands crossed over his chest. 

"C-can I help you?" Izuku squeaks. 

"You're leaving without saying goodbye." He then adds, "To anyone." 

Crickets. Literal crickets are chirping somewhere around them, filling the silence that comes after Bakugou's statement. "I have somewhere to be early in the morning," Izuku lies. "I didn't want to stay too long." 

"Sure." His eyes narrow at Izuku, and he lets his arms fall to his sides. 

"Well, goodbye," Izuku smiles, then turns to leave once more. 

Then, there's a hand on his shoulder. "Wait." 

Ignoring the stupid, tingly sensation he feels whenever they make contact, he faces Bakugou again. He searches his face for any indication of what this might mean, but like usual, he comes up blank. Whenever it comes to Bakugou, he can never figure him out. 

"I know you said no, but I'm gonna ask again," he says as he lets his hand fall from Izuku's shoulder. "Please go out with me. Just once. Please." His voice is low and earnest this time, the quick desperation of last time's request nowhere to be found. 

"I- I, um," Izuku stutters, tripping over his thoughts as he tries to collect them and form a coherent sentence. "I said no for a reason, Kacchan." 

"What, because you're busy?" he huffs, immediately falling into defense. "You seem to have plenty of time to go around behind my back and hang out with my friends." 

Izuku scoffs. "Does that bother you or something? You don't like me being around your friends?" 

It was clearly an issue, seeing how Bakugou had reacted the last time he was around them. He glared at Izuku the entire time and probably didn't like the fact that the sad little kid he used to bully was hanging out around his friends. Izuku's sure that it must be awkward for him. 

"It does! I fucking asked those idiots to stay away from you, and they wouldn't fucking listen!"

Oh. So it's really true, then. 

Izuku's shoulder cave a little bit as he takes in Bakugou's words. This right here--the intense anger--now that was the Bakugou he was used to. 

"There you are," Izuku frowns, crossing his arms over his chest. "You haven't changed much." 

Bakugou opens his mouth but then closes it again, his jaw muscles working as he grinds his teeth in frustration. 

"I'm plenty changed," he grits. 

"Then what do you call this?" Izuku throws his hands up. "If you don't want me around your friends, then I won't come around anymore. I'm sorry that they invited me without checking with you first." Izuku isn't quite sure where he's going with this, but the words don't stop pouring out. It's everything that's gone unsaid since the day Bakugou walked through the doors of The Little Leaf Cafe. "You say you've changed, and I almost would have believed you too. You've been unbelievably sweet and kind to me since we met again, but this right here just proves that nothing is different, and it won't ever be." 

His eyes are glassy with tears that threaten to spill down his cheeks, but he uses every ounce of willpower he has to keep them from falling. 

"I've known all along what this was," Izuku continues. "It was some way to prove to yourself that you're worthy, or whatever. Did you finally find out that you can't be a good hero if you don't care about anyone? Is that what happened? Because if you're just doing this to prove something, I want no part of it!" 

Izuku turns and finally leaves. This time, Bakugou doesn't stop him. He doesn't call out for him or even make some kind of comeback as he usually would. 

He makes it about a block away when he finally releases the tension in his body and lets the tears fall. It makes no sense that it would affect him this much, seeing as they're practically strangers. 

The part that hurts the most is that Bakugou doesn't want him around his friends. Sure, it was awkward hanging out with pro heroes, but he did genuinely enjoy their company. Aside from them, no one's really tripping over themselves to hang out with Izuku. 

* * * 

"That was rough, Blasty," Mina sighs the minute Katsuki re-enters the house. "Not that I was eavesdropping or anything." 

"Get out of my fucking way, Raccoon Eyes!" he growls. He pushes past the woman, finds where he left his shoes in the entryway, and stomps them on before turning to leave again. Part of him wants to chase after Izuku and apologize, but he's far too stubborn for that, and he hates himself for it. 

He wants to apologize, but he can't. Hearing what Izuku had to say and what the nerd thought Katsuki had been doing all along frustrated him. There wasn't a single minute where Izuku believed that Katsuki was being genuine, and he knew it. Izuku had been waiting for Katsuki to blow up on him like he always used to, and that's precisely what happened. 

Izuku can't and won't forgive him. It seems much more evident now, and he doesn't know what to do about it. 

He is hopelessly and utterly head over heels for the stupid nerd. And that's why he has to let him leave right now- why he just has to let this go. It's obvious that Katsuki being in his life is causing a lot of friction and confusion. 

Before he has a chance to leave, Kirishima catches him. 

"Hey man, are you good?" he asks. 

"Do I fucking look like I'm good?" he explodes, further proving that he's a terrible person. He just can't stop himself. "This is all your fucking fault, you know. You just had to fucking meddle in shit that wasn't your business, and you've fucked it all up!" 

He explodes on Kirishima, digging himself an even further hole, pushing himself deeper into the dark pit he can feel forming in his chest. He sinks lower and lower into it with every passing second, realizing that this was his fate all along. Katsuki could pretend all he wanted that he was a changed man, that he was different, but Izuku had seen through him in the very beginning. There was no changing for someone like him. He was terrible to be around, and that was the fucking end of it. 

"Katsuki, man, I didn't mean to mess anything up," he back peddles. "What happened? Mina said that Izuku left." 

Just shut up, he tells himself. Shut up, shut up, shut up!

"Of-fucking-course he did!" he yells. All eyes are turned to him now, watching as he combusts in on himself and everyone around him. "Stay the fuck away from him. I fucking mean it this time." His words are seething, dripping in anger and poison. With the way Kirishima looks at him, he might listen this time. 

Katsuki slams the door behind him as he leaves. 

* * * 

 He wanted to believe that it was real. Maybe, that's why he'd gone to the movie night to begin with. Some small part of him wanted things to be different, even though he knew it wouldn't be the case. 

That's why it was dangerous to let himself think too hard about Bakugou to begin with. It was clear that he was trying, but the minute he was backed into a corner, he reverted right back to the way he was when they were kids. You couldn't say a single thing to Bakugou as a kid without him completely blowing up in your face. 

Until tonight, Izuku had been tiptoeing around him, careful not to make any sudden movements or say the wrong thing. But he slipped up, and the facade the hero carefully kept up around Izuku had fallen. 

This time, though, Izuku wouldn't be afraid to bite back. Yeah, he's crying in bed right now, but Bakugou doesn't know that. He'd managed to keep the tears from falling until he was out of the blonde's presence. He'd said his piece. 

If Bakugou wanted to apologize or continue trying to prove that he was somehow different, it was entirely out of Izuku's hands at this point. 

He would no longer be attending any kind of hang-out with Bakugou's friends. He would limit their interactions and keep himself guarded around him. He couldn't slip again. This is what happens when he lets himself get too comfortable, he reminds himself. It always ends up with him in tears, feeling sorry for himself. 

But the ball was in Bakugou's court now. 

Part of Izuku was really hoping that he would apologize. But the other half of him wanted the blonde to finally stay away for good. He didn't know why he didn't like either of those possibilities. 

The Monday after everything happened, Izuku considers not even opening the cafe. The thought of possibly seeing Bakugou before he's had a chance to process everything properly fills him with dread. Even though he'd spent the rest of the weekend mulling everything over, he couldn't come up with any conclusions regarding the situation. 

Interacting with Bakugou gave him whiplash. Simple as that. The blonde needed to figure himself out before conversing with him again. 

He leans against the counter after a long and unrelenting morning rush. He closes his eyes for a second and takes a deep breath, trying to let some of the tension roll out of his shoulders. 

"You're off today," Toga says behind him. He looks over his shoulder and shrugs. 

"I am." There's no point in denying it. While he did accomplish the feat, it was difficult for him to smile at his customers today. Usually, he was pleased to serve them and excited to have the business, but today, everything felt like a chore. He was mentally exhausted, and it was affecting his work. 

"Why's that? Got something to do with your cute blonde?" 

Izuku sighs. 

"I'll take that as a yes," she says with a smirk. "What's got your panties in a twist?"

Izuku faces her fully, leaning his elbows on the counter behind him. "I saw him this weekend and some of his friends. He was an ass."

"You said he used to be your bully, right?" she picks at her cuticles as she talks. "Why would you wanna hang out with him- well, outside of the fact that he's so steamin' hot?"

A light blush appears on Izuku's cheekbones, but he shakes his head, clearing his mind of those kinds of thoughts. Thinking about that always led to him making decisions he shouldn't. 

"He's been nicer recently. I almost thought things would be different this time." He runs a hand through his green curls with a sigh. "But he cracked. He went right back to the way he was before."

"And what prompted it?" she prods. "If he's been trying to act different, I'm assuming something must have happened." 

"He tried to ask me out again, and I declined. Again." 

Honestly, it seemed to him that Bakugou was just upset that he wasn't getting what he wanted. That would be a very childish thing if it were true. 

"Well, he's persistent, I'll give him that! You are pretty cute, ya know? I wouldn't give up if I were him, either!" 

"That's not helping, Toga!" Izuku blushes. He rubs his cheeks, trying to scrub away the redness brought on by the compliment. 

"I'm only stating facts." She hoists herself up onto the counter and sits down. "If I were you, I might be flattered. But it sounds like the man's got some issues. Again, wouldn't bother me, but I know it's different for you." 

Izuku rolls his eyes. 

"You should try to talk to him." She swings her legs back and forth as she talks. "From what I'm hearing, he really likes you. Maybe you should give him a chance to prove he's changed." 

"He's already proven that he hasn't."

"He sounds like he was just frustrated." 

Izuku frowns. "Why are you defending him, anyway?" 

"He's hot." She grins. 

Izuku rolls his eyes again. 

But maybe she has a point. Maybe he should give them a chance to talk things out. Unfortunately, this might require that he backtrack on his earlier refusal of a date. If nothing else, a date would be a good opportunity to talk one-on-one, since they haven't really had that before. Even if Bakugou doesn't get whatever he's after out of this date, Izuku might at least get some closure. 

He pulls his phone from his apron pocket and opens up the conversation with Kirishima. He sends a text, asking for Bakugou's number. He then silences and repockets his phone, electing to ignore it and everything else until he's off work.

Chapter 13: Uncertainty

Notes:

Okay. So I totally meant to update this yesterday, but I was drunk as shit, so that didn't happen. I sat down and maybe wrote a hundred words before I realized that it wasn't gonna go the way I wanted it to. This chapter is a tad longer than normal, so I hope that makes up for it! I'm already working on the next one, too!

Enjoy 💕

Izuku lays on his bed, staring at the text he sent to Kirishima. He's been sitting on 'read' since that afternoon. He bites at the inside of his cheek with worry, wondering if what he said to Bakugou messed things up so badly that he wants nothing to do with Izuku anymore. 

It would make sense. 

Now that he thinks about it, he said some pretty hurtful things- things he would take back if he could. 

He has no doubt that Bakugou is an excellent hero, and he never should have thrown those insults at him when he was upset. His insides twist uncomfortably at the thought of having upset the hero. The hurtful things he said make Izuku just as bad as he claimed Bakugou was being--if not worse. 

He clicks his phone off and shoves it under his pillow, letting the darkness in the room consume him. 

There's no clear solution to this mess. Not only does he have no way of contacting him, but he doesn't know where to find him outside of seeing him in the cafe. It's always been Bakugou seeking him out, and never the other way around. 

He can't give up, though. He just can't stomach leaving things like this. He has to apologize to him. It's only then that Izuku remembers he also has Kaminari's phone number. Turning his phone screen back on, he quickly navigates over to the corresponding conversation and sends the same request to Kaminari. The reply is almost instant, even though it's close to midnight. 

Kaminari: Hey! So Kats actually asked us NOT to talk to you anymore. So I don't know if I wanna be the one to share his number with you. 

Izuku frowns. Of course, Bakugou had gone that far. Still, he wasn't giving up. 

Izuku: Please? I really need to talk to him. It's important. 

Kaminari: I really shouldn't. He's already pretty mad at us, and I don't want to do anything else to upset him. 

Izuku: Really? I'm sorry... it's my fault! I promise I really am just trying to fix all of this. 

He bites his lower lip in frustration, hoping to get Kaminari to bend. If he can't, there's nothing else he can do but wait, and waiting won't guarantee results, so he can't do that. 

Kaminari: ....fine. But don't tell him it was me who gave it to you. 

Izuku lights up with victory and sends a quick thank you. He saves the number he was just sent into his contacts before opening up a new conversation. 

Now for the hard part: figuring out what he would say to Bakugou. It takes him a few minutes, but he has a message drafted up. He only needs to hit 'send,' and then he'll have to be patient. 

Izuku: Hey, Bakugou. I'm really sorry about how our last conversation went, and I wanted to apologize for saying the things I did. In person, preferably, if you're willing to meet up. I'm ready to take you up on that date if the offer is still on the table. It's Izuku by the way!

* * * 

 Completely baffled, Katsuki stares down at his phone. Around midnight, he'd been sent the text, and it was the first thing he woke up to this morning. He knew that the responsible thing to do was to ignore it- to move on with his life and leave Izuku alone is what's best for everyone in this situation. 

Still, the nerd had finally agreed to the date. Even though Katsuki knew it was just a pity thing and he only wanted to apologize, there were still warm feelings sprouting in his chest at the prospect. And on another note, Izuku had nothing to apologize for at all. There were no lies in what he said. He wasn't a nice person. He knew that. As far as apologies should go, it should be the other way around; Katsuki should be the one groveling at his feet, begging for forgiveness. 

Throughout the day, his phone is like a brick in his pocket, weighing down his every action. All day, it's all he can think about. 

By the end of the day, he crumbles, not having taken much to do so. He kicks himself hard as he opens the chat and starts typing a reply. 

Katsuki: Saturday at 7, I'll come pick you up for dinner. 

There. Straight to the point. No bullshit. No stupid feelings or extra garbage to get in the way. Izuku sends a confirmation minutes later, and Katsuki can't help the jolt of nerves that shoot through him like a tangled mess. This is his only chance to rectify things for good. He really, really can't mess this up. If he makes a mistake now, things will be over and done with for sure this time. 

Another text comes in, an anxiously written one in true Izuku fashion, asking where they're going and what he's supposed to wear. 

Honestly, Katsuki hadn't thought that far ahead. He has no idea where he's taking the nerd. 

Katsuki: Just wear something comfortable. 

Izuku: That's not a good enough answer!!! If you say comfortable, I'll show up in athletic shorts and a T-shirt. 

Katsuki snorts out a laugh. As funny as that would be, he's not that mean. He finally picks a restaurant and sends the name of it to Izuku. It's a casual place- nothing too fancy. The last thing he wants is for Izuku to think he's overdoing it. He doesn't want to scare him off again. 

* * * 

Okay. Maybe Izuku didn't think this all the way through. 

It's finally Saturday, and he's completely stressing out over this supposed date. Is it really a date? How is Bakugou looking at it? What if it's a complete disaster? There's no telling how this is going to go. There's no telling for certain what Bakugou is genuinely thinking. 

All he knows is that he has to apologize for the things he said after the movie night. 

He's standing in front of his mirror, deciding what kind of outfit qualifies as casual dress. They're going nowhere fancy, but that doesn't stop Izuku from worrying, seeing as it's literally what he does best. 

He's wearing the same outfit he wore to the bar when he went out with Bakugou's friends last time. It's a blue button-up and the same gray pants he always wears, but he's not sure it's good enough. Deciding not to dwell on it too long, he steps away from the mirror and tries to focus on something else until seven rolls around. 

Sitting down on the couch, he turns on the TV and tries to focus on whatever the news is talking about. His knee bounces, and his hands fidget in his lap, unsure of what else to do with himself. He's still got about twenty minutes to go, and they're crawling by as slowly as possible. 

Eventually, it's five til seven, so Izuku decides to go to the street to wait for Bakugou. A few minutes later, a sleek, black car pulls up, and the driver's side opens. Bakugou steps out and approaches Izuku, who stands on the sidewalk. 

Bakugou is standing there, his face a cold and unreadable cut of stone. He's wearing black pants and a black button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled to the elbows and the buttons nearest to his neck undone. 

"You ready?" he asks. Izuku straightens up, realizing he's just been staring. 

"Y-yeah!" he says, following Bakugou to the car. The blonde even opens the passenger door for him, and he thanks him quietly as he takes a seat. After securing the seatbelt across his body, he rests his hands on his knees as Bakugou gets in the car and prepares to drive them to the restaurant. 

They're driving for a minute before Bakugou speaks again. 

"You live in a crappy neighborhood," he notes. 

"It's not the greatest, but it's very affordable!" Izuku replies. "Besides, I'm not home much. Most of my time and energy is spent at the cafe anyway." 

"It's unsafe," Bakugou continues, glancing over at Izuku for a second. "Don't you ever worry about break-ins and that kind of shit?" 

"W-well, of course it's a concern." Izuku fidgets with the hem of his shirt. "But like I said, I'm not there much anyway. I don't keep a lot of nice things in my apartment, either, so there's nothing really to break in and steal I guess?" 

Bakugou grunts in response as the car comes to a stop behind a line of other cars. He glares at the road ahead, his knuckles tightening around the steering wheel, his irritation levels increasing in response to the traffic.

"Fucking idiots, all of them," Bakugou grumbles. Staying silent, Izuku looks out the window, ignoring the fact that his nervous system is lit up like a freaking Christmas tree due to the proximity of Bakugou right now. 

The silence in the car is incredibly awkward. They sit there for almost five minutes before Izuku starts to feel antsy, so he reaches out to fiddle with the climate control, but his hands are slapped away. "Don't touch that shit," Bakugou scolds. 

"Sorry." Izuku pouts and rubs at the back of his hand where he'd been slapped, and Bakugou sighs when he looks over at him. 

"Don't apologize," he says. "Are you cold? You can turn the AC off if that's what you were trying to do." 

"N-no, I'm fine, I swear!" Izuku stutters. He's not about to tell Bakugou that he was only going to touch it out of boredom. 

The traffic eventually clears up, and they find themselves pulling up outside the restaurant a short while later. They exit the car, and Bakugou remains close to Izuku's side as they enter the establishment, even going so far as to grab his elbow and lead him inside gently. Izuku's skin tingles where there's contact, and he does his best to ignore the way it makes his chest stutter. 

The pair are seated on the patio behind the restaurant. The slatted ceiling above them is covered in flowering vines and lit up with pretty and soft string lights, creating a pleasant and comfortable atmosphere. However, it gets awkward again once they're handed their menus and left to their own devices. 

Izuku peeks over the top of his menu at the man across the table, his eyes curiously skating over his face, taking in his sharp yet soft features. His crimson eyes scan back and forth as they take in the menu, completely oblivious to Izuku's staring. Then, Bakugou looks up. Izuku immediately returns his eyes to the menu. 

And when he does, his stomach nearly falls from his ass. 

He'd noted that this was a pretty nice restaurant, but he didn't know it was this nice. It's the prices- they're through the roof! There's no way he can pay for this. No way in hell, not with most of his money going toward running the cafe at the moment. 

"Hey." Izuku looks up at Bakugou as he speaks, startled out of his train of thought. 

"Y-yes?" 

"You're muttering." The blonde's expression doesn't change. "I'm paying, idiot. Don't worry about it." 

Izuku frowns. 

"But I technically asked you- doesn't that mean I should pay?" Izuku lays the menu down flat on the table, and Bakugou scoffs at his question. 

"I've been trying to get you to go out with me for weeks." He takes a sip of the ice water in front of him. "By your rules, I should definitely be the one paying."

"We could always-"

"Not gonna happen," Bakugou says, shooting down his idea to split the bill before he can verbalize it. 

"Um, okay, fine," Izuku says. He looks down at the menu, purouses the options for a moment, and eventually settles on something cheap, regardless of the fact that Bakugou is taking care of it. 

The waitress eventually comes and takes their order and removes the menus from the table. After she leaves, a thick and tense silence falls between them again. Izuku's eyes dart around the patio, falling anywhere but on the blonde in front of him. 

He knows he needs to bring up their last fight, but he doesn't know how to do it. There really isn't a right time to just spring into an apology like that, especially with the things he'd said. 

"Hey, um," Izuku starts. Bakugou looks at him. "So I am really sorry about the things I said. At Kirishima's. I didn't mean what I said." 

Bakugou leans back in his chair, and his chest rises and falls as he sighs. 

"You don't need to apologize." 

Izuku shifts uncomfortably, unsure of what to say next. Still, he forces himself to trudge onward. 

"No, I do," he states firmly. "It wasn't right, and you shouldn't accept any of the things I said. I've felt bad about it since it happened, and I'm really sorry that I said those things at all. I was frustrated and overwhelmed, and I took it out on you." 

"We can just forget about it and move on, if that's what you want." 

"I'd like that." A small smile spreads across Izuku's face. 

Bakugou tenses his jaw, a look of uncertainty crossing his features briefly before his usual coldness settles back into place. This makes Izuku feel like everything is not okay despite the apology. 

"You're still mad at me," Izuku says quietly. 

"I'm not mad at you, Izuku," Bakugou frowns. He crosses his arms over this broad chest, the muscles in his firearms flexing with the movement. "I can't stay mad at you. Ever." 

The softness in Bakugou's tone doesn't go unnoticed. Izuku ignores the warm, bubbly feeling in the pit of his stomach, shoving it further down to bottle up and forget. 

"It's okay to be mad at me," Izuku pushes. "I haven't exactly been the easiest to get along with lately." 

Bakugou rolls his eyes, his expression shifting to something sharper. "You need to stop bein' a fucking doormat for two seconds and listen to me." 

He leans across the table, and Izuku shrinks in his chair. 

"I am not upset with you. Get that through your stupid head, okay? I'm not fuckin' mad." He scoffs and looks away. "It literally doesn't matter what the scenario is, but there is no fucking reason you ever need to be apologizing to me. If you're saying shit, it's probably because I deserve it. I should be apologizing to you. There's a lot of shit we haven't talked about, and I know that shit's just going to get in the way if we continue on like we've been."

Izuku's eyes widen at the blonde's words, but he remains quiet, unsure of how to respond. 

"I'll start by saying this again- I am extremely sorry for the things I did you you when we were kids. Not a day goes by where I don't think about how much of a fucking shitstain I was back then. Walking into your cafe was like fate to me. I thought for the longest time, that I could ignore everything and just move on with my life. That I could try to be better and do better, and the stupid way I feel when I think about you would go away. But it didn't. And then, I saw you that day when I went into your cafe, and part of me thought that maybe I could finally apologize and move on from everything for real. But I understand if that's not something you can forgive me for. I wouldn't blame you, and I don't expect you to." 

Izuku takes in the hero's words. It's everything he wished for so long to hear, but for some reason, it doesn't resonate with him the way he thought it would. 

He forgives him. He does. He can see in every little action of Bakugou's that he's changed. It's as if someone took the sharpened copy of Bakugou he knew from when they were kids and sanded down all the edges, turning him into something you could easily roll about your palms without cutting yourself. He was inherently the same, still intense and competitive, yet Izuku knew that nothing the blonde did was with the intention of hurting him. 

It made his heart feel warm and floaty, seeing that the childhood friend he had chased after for so long had turned into such a respectable hero during the years they were apart. And maybe it was those stupid, warm feelings that tainted everything. 

They might be on a date right now, but Izuku knew what this was; it was just Bakugou's way of getting Izuku to see that he'd changed, and nothing more. It was just a way for him to reconcile with the past and find an avenue to apologize because there was no way that someone like Bakugou actually wanted to go on a real date with Izuku. That's how he'd felt all along, and maybe that's why he was so hesitant to agree in the first place. 

"I accept your apology, Kacchan," Izuku says, feigning a small smile. "I appreciate you saying all that. I really do. Thank you for being brave enough to tell me how you feel." 

Bakugou looks at Izuku again, and his gaze is raw and full of emotions in a way that Izuku has never seen before. Seeing him like this is like a punch to the chest- and not in a good way. 

It's not good. Not at all. He already knows that he's attracted to the blonde, but he can't let it go any deeper than that. He can't let himself fall. He knows that if he stumbles, he won't stop falling down that slope until he hits the very bottom and that it'll be the end of him if he lets it.  

It looks like Bakugou is about to say something else, but the waitress suddenly appears at the side of the table, bringing them their orders. They both smile and thank the woman before turning their attention to the food in front of them. Their soft and honest moment passes, and anything that Bakugou is going to say is whisked away into the air as they eat their food in near silence. 

Chapter 14: Feelings

Notes:

This chapter was a fun one to write! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

The rest of the date and the drive back to Izuku's apartment were tense. Katsuki could tell that the other man was feeling off. He'd accepted his apology. He'd smiled at him and accepted it. Katsuki hadn't even expected that much. 

But still- with everything that Izuku felt being written across his face like always, Katsuki knew that everything wasn't alright. 

Izuku's eyes never left his lap on the drive back. He didn't even notice when the car stopped in front of his apartment building. 

"Izuku," Katsuki says quietly, and Izuku jumps in response, whipping his face around to face him. Only then does he notice that the car has stopped. He hurriedly unbuckles himself and turns to exit the vehicle, but Katsuki grabs him by the shoulder. 

Outside the car, there's a few shifty-looking people, milling about in the dark. Again, Katsuki feels a surge of frustration in his chest upon seeing Izuku's living situation. It's probably one of the worst neighborhoods in the city, and he lived here alone. 

"I'm walking you inside," Katsuki says. That way, he can at least make sure he makes it inside without getting hurt. 

"Oh, you don't have to do that! I'm fine. Really." 

"I wasn't asking." 

"Oh. Okay." Izuku quickly turns and exits the car, and Katsuki does the same, meeting him on the sidewalk. Izuku straightens his shirt by rubbing his palms across his torso before looking at Katsuki. 

He follows Izuku inside, his hand gently resting on his shoulder as they walk past the people outside the entrance. He ignores the way his hand tingles and twitches with the need to squeeze and to touch as he rests his hand there. Izuku is tense under his fingers as they go down the dimly lit hallway. The ceiling is low, and the carpets are well-worn in the skinny space. All Katsuki hopes is that Izuku's apartment doesn't resemble the crappy hallway. He couldn't imagine living somewhere like that. 

They finally reach Izuku's door, and he waits as Izuku pulls his keys from his pocket and unlocks the door. Once it's open, Katsuki takes a quick glance inside, noting that the apartment isn't in much better shape. It's at least a bit cleaner- but still. He hates that Izuku has to live somewhere like this. 

"Well, um," Izuku starts, rubbing the back of his head. "Thank you. For dinner, and for walking me inside and stuff." He takes half a step backward into his apartment but doesn't close the door. His big, green eyes dart back and forth across Katsuki's face, unspoken words swirling beneath the surface. 

Katsuki isn't ready to let him go just yet. He's unsure what else to say or do, but he doesn't want to let Izuku go inside—his heart rate spikes with his nerves. 

"Let's do this again sometime." Izuku's eyebrows shoot up at the blonde's words.

"You want to go out again?" he asks. He sounds genuinely surprised, which irritates Katsuki. 

"Tch, obviously. If you want, of course. Don't want you doing anything you don't want to do." 

The nerd takes his bottom lip between his teeth as he thinks about it, and Katsuki's breath stutters at the small action, his eyes laser-focused on the expression. It's stupid, really, how such tiny things make Katsuki's heart clench and sputter in his chest when it comes to the man in front of him. It always makes him want to reach out and touch him, to smooth the crease between his brows when he can see him overthinking shit, and to press his thumb against his pouty lips and knock the expression from his face. 

Before he even realizes what's happening, he's doing just that. The tips of his fingers brush along Izuku's jaw as he brings his thumb up toward those pretty, pink lips, and he gently caresses the corner of Izuku's mouth. His green eyes are wide with surprise, but he makes no move to stop Katsuki, instead his cheeks turn a shade of bright pink. 

The space between them manages to feel infinitesimal and infinite, all at the same time, and all he can think about is how easy it would be to take a step closer, and-

Izuku places his hand over the top of Katsuki's as he rests it on his face, that worryline between his eyebrows a canyon, and Katsuki's heart and mind just can't keep up anymore. No, it's entirely impossible to stop himself from what he does next. 

His other hand comes up to cradle Izuku's cheeks to finally touch those stupid freckles. His thumb gets a little braver, running across his bottom lip. Izuku's eyes are wide and-

"P-please stop," Izuku whispers. It's a barely audible request, but Katsuki's arms recoil to his sides quickly as Izuku steps back into his apartment again. "Sorry. I'm, uh, I'll text you or something. Goodnight, Kacchan." 

The door closes, and he stands there, completely stunned by his own actions. 

He shouldn't have done that. He really, really shouldn't have done that. 

The entire way back to the car and during the drive back to his own home, he's beating himself up. It's ruined. Everything is ruined. He did what he does best, and he overstepped that line in the sand that he can never find, making Izuku uncomfortable. He should have woken up from that stupid moment sooner and realized his actions were wrong. 

* * * 

Izuku's heart is beating out of its cage in his chest, threatening to leap out and escape and curse at Izuku for stopping what had just happened. 

He had to. He had to tell him to stop. It didn't matter that it felt good. No, it was better than good- those simple, small touches were amazing. And that's why he knew he had to stop it. Keeping his stupid heart in line and out of danger was the best thing he could do for himself. 

So maybe Katsuki was actually attracted to him. He knew that it stopped there, that there was no way that he wanted anything real with Izuku. So he couldn't let Katsuki look at him or touch him like that. All that did was jeopardize all the hard work he'd done building the walls around his heart. 

After all these years, he never thought the relationship between him and Katsuki would ever shift into something like this. He also didn't know that his stupid hands and fingers would feel so good on his skin. It was stupid, really, that they had to feel that good. 

Izuku's pacing the length of his living room. He hasn't even taken off his shoes or anything because he couldn't. All executive functions in his brain were turned off at the moment, and all he could do was try to stop his mind from running and messing everything up. 

All it really came down to was that he was scared out of his mind. It was scary how much he'd liked that; it had been all too easy to forget everything he'd told himself and all the rules he gave himself regarding Katsuki when he was touched like that. 

So gently. Like he cared. 

Oh God. Did he care?! 

Realizing he needs to calm down, he finally takes his shoes off and changes into a pair of sweats. A few minutes later, he falls onto the sofa with a huff. Then, another thought crosses Izuku's mind. 

Katsuki had wanted to go out again.

The only thought running through Izuku's head at that point was, 'how soon is too soon?' 

* * * 

Katsuki doesn't pop into the cafe the following week, and Izuku's not sure what to think about it. Maybe the blonde got what he wanted--he got to apologize--and now he's done with Izuku. Perhaps that's all it was, like he thought from the beginning. It would make sense if this were the case, and he couldn't even blame him. Katsuki has no obligation to Izuku. He's already gone above and beyond his expectations by apologizing in the first place. 

He pulls his phone from his pocket and stares at Katsuki's contact in his phone. Maybe he could text him. This way, he could send him a basic greeting, maybe start a conversation, and get a feel for things that way. Sighing and leaning against the counter, he decides that's what he'll do. 

Izuku: Hey! How are you?

The response, surprisingly, only comes a few minutes later. 

Katsuki: Miss me already?

That reply has Izuku blushing. It may or may not be accurate, but he'd never divulge that kind of thing to the blonde.

Izuku: You wish😝I was only asking how you were..

Katsuki: I'm fine. Been busy as hell or I would have stopped by the cafe to see you. 

Izuku: You don't have to go out of your way to come to the cafe. Not that I don't want to see you, but don't trouble yourself! What's got you so busy?

Katsuki: They have me working with a stupid high school intern. They can't tell their head from their ass. They're a real fucking handful. 

Izuku chuckles at the thought of Katsuki having to train interns. Teamwork hasn't ever been his thing before, so he can't imagine how someone like Ground Zero would react to having interns follow him around all day. He must be super annoyed. 

At least Izuku knows he's not being avoided on purpose. It puts him at ease, knowing he did nothing to cause Katsuki not to stop by. Still, he wishes he could have seen him in the cafe. 

Yeah, okay, maybe I do miss him, Izuku thinks to himself. Sue me. 

Another text comes in from Katsuki. 

Katsuki: I'm on a break for lunch right now. I'll see you in a minute. 

Izuku straightens up, quickly pocketing his phone at the unexpected message. He's coming here, right now, and while he has no real reason to be nervous, he definitely is. Recently, every time he's seen Katsuki, he's been a bundle of nerves. 

It's the never-knowing-what-to-expect aspect of everything that's always got him on his toes. 

His heart wants one thing, but his mind is telling him another. While he knows he needs to keep his walls up, his heart has actively been trying to tear them down the minute Katsuki popped back into his life again. 

* * * 

"Don't fuckin' say anything when we go in here, got it?!" Katsuki barks at the intern, who tenses up. 

"Yessir, Ground Zero, sir!" they chirp while they give a mock salute with her gloved hand. They're still in their hero uniforms, seeing as they're only on a small break. The intern's hero suit consists of a brown bodysuit with large, tan gloves and tan boots to match. They've also got a helmet with a visor that most definitely must impede their ability to see, given how slowly they respond to shit on the field. But that's neither here nor there. 

The whole intern thing had been thrust upon him first thing Monday morning, and it's had him in a foul mood since. Being followed around by some high school student like a mother fucking duck with her chicks wasn't something he signed up for upon becoming a hero. 

The intern isn't all that terrible; they've got a gnarly rock manipulation quirk, which is highly versatile. It wouldn't be half bad if the stupid brat could figure out how to use it worth a crap, but of course, she fucking can't. She doesn't know her head from her ass, and apparently, it's Katsuki's job to teach her that.

He's walking down the street with the intern in tow, heading toward The Little Leaf Cafe with only one thing in mind. Izuku. It's always Izuku in his mind, no matter what he's doing or where he is. It doesn't matter if he's facing some stupid villain or stuck at his desk filing reports. It's always Izuku, right at the forefront of his mind, taking up his entire mental capacity to do anything else properly. 

 The door swings open, and the little bell above it rings, causing Izuku to peek up from behind the counter. He stands up quickly, dropping whatever is in his hands upon seeing who it is. The sound of something hitting the floor and scattering can be heard as Katsuki approaches the counter. 

"Oh, crap!" he sighs as he disappears behind the counter again. 

Katsuki turns to look at his intern. "Go sit at that table over there," he says, pointing to one as far away from the counter as he could find. "And don't go anywhere. Got it?"

They nod and scurry off in the direction of the table. 

Katsuki peeks over the counter and sees Izuku bent over, picking up a scattered mess of takeaway coffee cup lids from the ground. The barista looks up with reddened cheeks and utters a hello. Upon standing back up, he smacks his head on the counter's edge and drops the box all over again, causing Katsuki to crack a grin. 

Izuku just stands up and ignores the chaos at his feet as he rubs the spot he hit on the back of his head. 

"Hi," Izuku squeaks out again. 

"Rough day?" 

"I guess." He bites his lower lip with his teeth and lets it go before speaking again. "You said you're on your lunch break, right? Did you want to order something? And who's that with you? Is that the intern?"

Katsuki glances over his shoulder at the kid, whose eyes dart back down to the tabletop when they realize the hero caught them staring at her. 

"Yeah. Had to bring them. Sorry." 

Izuku's eyes widen. "You don't need to apologize for that! You're working!" he looks down at Katsuki's outfit; he's still in his hero costume, except for the gauntlets and eye mask. The nerd's eyes linger on his torso for a few seconds before meeting Katsuki's gaze again. He's muttering something under his breath, but Katsuki can't hear what he's saying. 

"You're muttering," he states. "Speak up if you got something to say, nerd." 

"Oh! Um, it's nothing!" His cheeks turn a delicious shade of pink as he stutters a reply. "So. Coffee. Did you want something?" 

"Oh. Yeah. Just make me whatever it is you always make me." 

"Alright, got it! Does your intern want anything?"

Katsuki turns to look at the kid again, who's nervously tapping his foot under the table. Feeling slightly sorry that the kid had to come along at all, he sighs. 

"Hey! Brat! Get over here!" he calls. 

The kid all but scrambles from his chair and up to the counter. 

"Want anything?" he grunts. 

"Ack! Um, sure!" she chirps. She gives Izuku her order. 

"So, who are you? What's your hero name? And your quirk?" Izuku asks animatedly. 

"I'm Terra!" the intern smiles. "My quirk is rock manipulation!"

"Oh, cool! Does it only work on naturally formed rocks, or what about things like concrete and cement?" 

The two launch into a conversation about the intern's quirk, and Katsuki tunes them out, instead opting to focus on the excited expressions that cross Izuku's face as he talks the kid's ear off. He watches how Izuku switches seamlessly between talking and making their drinks, his eyes undecided on whether they want to follow his hand movements or focus on his eyes. 

"So, are you two dating or something?" the stupid intern asks, and Katsuki's heart nearly stops upon hearing it. He turns and shoots the brat a glare as Izuku looks back and forth between them, his face burning as he trips over his reply. Katsuki and Izuku then look at each other, and neither says anything for a second. 

They're not dating, but Katsuki hates that answer. He doesn't want to vocalize his inability to make Izuku his. 

"Oh, um, w-we're not dating or anything like that!" Izuku says, dismissively waving his hands. He looks back down at his workstation and finishes the drinks by popping the lids on top. "Just friends right now." 

Right now. 

Katsuki's head swims. 

Right now. 

Izuku had said that. He said that they were friends right now, but what about later? What about the future? Did that mean he had a chance? 

"Ground Zero, sir, your coffee," the stupid, shitty, meddling intern says quietly. He startles from his train of thought and grabs the drink off the counter before looking at Izuku again. 

"Thank you." He clutches the cup in his hand tightly, ignoring the fact that he can feel the heat on his cheeks, knowing that meant it was probably visible. 

Katsuki Fucking Bakugou doesn't blush. 

But here he is, blushing like a fucking schoolgirl. That meddling fucking shit. Terra would definitely be stuck working on all the annoying-ass paperwork from now on as punishment. 

The pair unceremoniously turn to leave. 

"It was good seeing you, Kacchan," Izuku smiles. Terra fucking snickers. As they exit the cafe, Katsuki pops her on the back of the head. 

Fucking interns. 

Chapter 15: Old and New Wounds

Notes:

These two knuckleheads might finally be crossing some sort of bridge.

Also, as a side note, I wanted this to be a short fic. Like 30 - 40k words. That definitely did not happen. I am long-winded as fuck, so I don't know why I thought it would happen in the first place.

Anyhoo, enjoy!

Izuku Midoriya was not stupid. Well- maybe a little- but he knows two things right now. 

One: Katsuki Bakugou had blushed. Izuku has never known this to happen before. This was entirely new and could indicate a few different things. Then again, he really shouldn't try to read into things too much, just in case it didn't mean what he thought it did. 

Two: Izuku had feelings. It's been obvious to him for a while now, but it had always been in his best interest to completely ignore them and pretend they weren't there. But with everything that's happened as of late, it's getting harder and harder to deny himself the thing that he wants--that thing being Katsuki Bakugou. 

But Izuku was scared. Whenever things started to seem like they were moving too fast or in a direction he didn't have control over, he instantly felt the need to pull back and isolate himself from the situation- much like what had happened after their first 'date,' if that's what you could call it. 

Izuku still wasn't sure if that qualified as a date or not. They talked, and Katsuki apologized, but that was it. The conversation didn't flow outside of that topic almost at all. While Izuku had an image in his head of who Katsuki was, it was a messy amalgamation of the Katsuki he knew when they were kids and the one that was in front of him now. It's like they were two entirely different people, and while it was a change for the better, the new Katsuki was a complete stranger. 

Katsuki might have been quick to jump into things and try to ask Izuku out, but he still felt like he needed more time to figure the blonde out before he could offer himself entirely to the other. 

Having been completely lost in thought, Izuku realizes the pot of noodles on the stove is boiling over right in front of him. He rushes to turn off the burner and pull the pot from his stove, accidentally grabbing the boiling hot handhold and scalding his fingers. His hand recoils, and he lets out a hiss of discomfort before hurrying to the sink to run cold water over his digits. 

Like always, he was an utter disaster in the kitchen. It was a funny thing; people might think that because he could bake and make good coffee, he would be talented in every part of the kitchen, but when it came to making real food, he was absolutely abysmal. 

As he was running his hand under the faucet, his phone rang on the other counter. Ignoring it, he continues to let the cool water run over his fresh burns. The call rings out through the kitchen loudly, and as soon as it stops ringing, it starts again. Izuku frowns at the device from across the kitchen and lets this process happen once more before finally pulling his hand out from under the tap. 

He almost grabs the phone with his dominant hand (the one he burned) but stops himself and grabs it with the other hand. His heart flies into his throat when he sees the name on the screen. He accepts the call and holds the phone to his ear. 

"Kacchan?" he greets. 

"What took you so long to answer?" Katsuki grumbles on the other end. 

"Oh, um, I was cooking, and I ruined my pasta and burnt my hand," Izuku sighs. It was this whole thing. Anyway, did you need something?" 

"If you burned your damn pasta, what are you eating for dinner?" he asks, completely evading Izuku's question with one of his own. 

"I hadn't thought that far ahead yet." 

"Idiot," he sighs. "If you can get here in thirty minutes, I can make dinner for you." 

"A-at your home?" Izuku stutters, the request not fully processing. He reaches out to grip the edge of the counter and hisses in pain when he remembers his hand is still burnt. 

"Tch, where else? You coming or not?" 

"Okay. Yeah. I'll come over." 

"Alright. Don't be late." Katsuki hangs up without giving Izuku time to respond. A text comes through with Katsuki's address, so Izuku gets ready to head over. He's running on complete autopilot as his brain overthinks absolutely every aspect of this. 

Katsuki is just being nice. If Izuku ever were encountered with a similar situation, he'd offer this to someone, too, if he could cook. That's all it could be. 

But then again, the blonde had never told him why he was initially calling, so there's that. 

He uses an app to get a ride to Katsuki's home address, and he's at the hero's front door with ten minutes to spare. His knocking echoes, and he hears movement on the other side before the door swings open. Izuku rather shamelessly looks Katsuki up and down, totally not noticing how good his biceps look in the black tank top or how the sweatpants seem to hang just right on his frame. No, he totally doesn't notice those things. 

"You just gonna stand there, or are you coming in?" Katsuki says. Izuku jumps a bit, then follows Katsuki inside. 

And yet again, he may or may not be shamelessly checking out the hero's ass, but like, who wouldn't? All those years of training definitely did something for the man. Who was Izuku to deny that fact? 

The smell of a familiar food fills Izuku's nostrils as he follows the blonde into the kitchen, and when his eyes fall onto the stove, a broad smile spreads across his face. 

"Katsudon!" Izuku exclaims. "That's my favorite!" 

Katsuki tends to the pan on the stove as he replies, "I thought so. Good to know." 

"How would you know that?" Izuku asks, leaning against the counter. He grabs onto the ledge at his sides (again, forgetting that he just burnt the crap out of his hand), and he yelps in pain, causing Katsuki to turn around with a start. 

"What the hell was that?" he frowns. 

"Oh. My hand." Izuku holds it out between them as he comes closer. "I keep forgetting I burnt it, and I keep touching things with it." 

Katsuki takes his palm into his, flipping it to examine both sides of his burnt fingers. "You're such an idiot," he barks. "You didn't wrap this?" 

"I didn't think to, no," Izuku replies, biting the inside of his cheek, his face tilting toward the floor. He lets go of Izuku's hand and crosses the kitchen back to the stove, pulling the pan off the hot burner. 

"I'll be back in just a second," Katsuki says as he heads out of the kitchen. "Don't go anywhere or do anything stupid." 

Izuku watches Katsuki leave and does as requested, staying in the same place he was left. Examining his own hand, it looks a lot worse than it feels. The burns are starting to blister up, and his fingers feel stiff when moving them. 

Katsuki returns and deposits a small handful of things onto the counter before holding his hand out between the two of them. "Give me your hand," he orders, and Izuku complies instantly, carefully setting his injured hand in the blonde's. 

He grabs a tube of something from the counter, pops the cap, and squirts a bit onto Izuku's fingers before massaging it in. 

"What's that?" Izuku says. It's an instant relief, whatever it is. 

"Burn cream, idiot," he grumbles. "It's what you should have done at home before coming over here." 

"It's really fine, it doesn't hurt that much!" Izuku tries to reassure him. 

"Doesn't matter. It'll heal faster if you take care of it like a normal fucking person." He continues his ministrations, working the burn cream across Izuku's scalded skin before reaching for something else on the counter. 

He takes a roll of bandages and starts to wrap each of Izuku's fingers individually so they don't chafe against one another. Once he's done, he lets go of his hand and returns to the stove quickly, never looking Izuku in the eye. 

Izuku, on the other hand, is stunned by the tender and caring action. He looks down at his hand, wondering where this suddenly caring side came from. 

"Thank you," Izuku simply says, unsure of what else to say. 

"Don't be an idiot and do it yourself next time," Katsuki grumbles as he plates their dinner. "You're lucky I had the stuff to wrap it for you." 

"You're a pro, so it makes sense that you'd have this stuff." Izuku follows Katsuki as he brings the food to the next room, setting the plates on the dining room table. "Do you get hurt a lot?" It's a sudden thought that Izuku has. Thinking about it, Katsuki may sometimes end up in hospital beds, and the idea is like a weight in his stomach. 

"Tch," he scoffs. "I'm good at what I do. It's rare that a villain is actually good enough to put someone like me in a fucing hospital. The fuckers hardly ever get away with putting a scratch on me." 

Well, that's good, Izuku thinks. He sits across from Katsuki at the table, and his eyes fall on the beautifully plated dinner. His stomach grumbles just looking at it. 

"Thank you for making me dinner, Kacchan," Izuku says brightly. "Really. I don't know what I'd be eating right now if you didn't. And I prefer this over pre-packaged ramen noodles any day." 

Katsuki snickers. "You burnt yourself that good making ramen? Did I hear you right?" he sends a mocking look across the table right as Izuku takes his first bite. The flavors are perfect, melting beautifully across his tongue, lighting up his tastebuds in all the right ways. 

"I'm not a good cook." 

"You literally work in a cafe for a living." 

"It's different, I swear! Plus, a lot of learning went into making coffee, so it's something I'm really good at now. Cooking, on the other hand, I've never had any talent for." 

Katsuki chews and swallows a bite of his food before replying. "Guess that fuckin' makes sense. You are really good at what you do. I can tell you put a lot of time and attention into it."

Izuku might be blushing from the compliment, but he ignores it. "Thank you, Kacchan." He takes another bite of his katsudon and focuses on his plate rather than on the set of crimson eyes that are currently burning a hole in the top of his head. 

"This is really good, Kacchan," Izuku says through a mouthful of food. 

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Deku," Katsuki remarks. 

The nickname makes Izuku frown. No matter how often he heard it as a kid, it's still hurtful. Hearing it again in adulthood is extremely jarring and instantly makes him want to curl in on himself and hide away from the outside world like he did as a teen. 

"Please don't call me that." He looks across the table at Katsuki, whose eyes are slightly widened. 

"Izuku, it slipped, I'm sorry," he defends. 

"Because that's still what you think?" he asks quietly. "Is it? Because I can't think of any other reason why you'd just 'slip' and call me that." 

Katsuki's jaw tenses, and he sets his utensils down on his plate before reaching across the table to place his hand on Izuku's uninjured one. "I swear, that's not what I think," he says. "It's the opposite if anything. I swear, when I say that, it's not because of the meaning behind the name." 

"Then what is it? I don't understand."

"It's just a name in my head, nothing else. I haven't thought those kinds of things about you in a really long time. Not since middle school. I swear, okay?" Katsuki gently rubs his thumb across the top of Izuku's hand. The small ministration only distracts Izuku from what's happening, so he pulls his hand away and onto his lap under the table. 

"Well, I don't care what you think when you say it. I don't want to hear it at all." Izuku's words are firm, his eyes shining with indignance. "Whatever it means to you doesn't matter--because when I hear it, it's like we're back in middle school, and you're calling me a useless idiot, pushing me down and making fun of me. I don't like it." 

"I get it. I won't do it again. I promise, okay? I really didn't mean anything by it." 

Izuku crosses his arms over his chest tightly, the food in front of him almost forgotten by the sudden onslaught of memories that come with the name he was called. He hates that it happens, but he feels tears start to form in the corners of his eyes. Maybe it's everything finally coming to a head; being around Katsuki again and being thrust into all of these uncomfortable situations tied in with how the past seems to hang over him like a grand piano about to fall on top of him. Whatever it is, he's feeling overwhelmed, and it's taking every single ounce of his willpower not to let the tears fall. 

Still, Katsuki must notice. He's suddenly at Izuku's side, kneeling by his chair, trying to get Izuku to look at him. "Izu, please don't cry, okay? I swear I didn't mean anything by it." 

It's the soft gesture of Katsuki's thumbs coming up to stroke his cheekbones that finally causes the dam to break. It starts with a single tear, and when he finally can't tense up and hold his breath anymore, a small sob. Katsuki's hands cradle his face, wiping away the tears that spill down his cheeks. 

"Kacchan, I- I just don't know about this. About any of it," he says, his voice broken up between tears and sobs. "It's like I'm stuck. Between everything back then and now. You're so sweet and caring, but I feel like I'm always on guard around you, and I have no idea how to make it stop. It's so exhausting." 

"Then what do you want, Izuku?" Katsuki asks softly. "Just tell me what you want, and I'll do it. Whatever it is, I'll make it happen." 

He falls silent for a second before his words return, quieted and pained. 

"If you want me to leave you alone, I will. I can." 

"No." Izuku's answer is almost immediate. Yes, things are hard. Yes, it's difficult for him to traverse these changes, but he's completely sure of one thing. "That's not what I want. I don't want you to leave me alone. I- I think I'm tired of that. Of being alone, you know?"

He takes a deep breath before looking down to meet Katsuki's broken and raw gaze. 

"I'm used to being alone. I thought I could just stay that way for a while, and I'd be fine. But then you have to show up and make everything so difficult." He laughs softly through the tears, wiping his face before continuing. "When you're around, I think it might not be so bad. Having someone around, that is. If it's you. Even if it's hard." 

"Then I'll stick around," Katsuki returns. "If that's what you want. The last thing I want to do is make your life harder." 

"You definitely make things harder," Izuku laughs. Then, he tenses up, turning bright red when he notices the innuendo of his statement. "N-not like that! I mean, I don't- god, you make things so difficult."

Katsuki snickers as he wipes Izuku's face one last time. When Izuku is finally done crying, he returns to his place across the table. This time, though, he reaches across and takes Izuku's hand. It's like a grounding weight with everything going on. Izuku doesn't want to let go. He likes the way it feels. 

"I'll continue to be in your life, then," he says. "But you just give me the word, and I'll do whatever you think will make you happy. I want you to be happy, Izu. It's really all I could ask for." 

Izuku feels his cheeks burn again at the blonde's softly spoken words. 

"You do make me happy," Izuku says. "Don't get me wrong, okay? It's just me and my stupid brain that keep messing things up. I promise it's not you. I'm just really good at freaking out and messing things up." 

"Well, it's gonna take a lot more than a few tears to scare me away," Katsuki grins. "I don't give up. Whatever you throw at me, I can take it. I want you. Whatever it takes." 

I want you. 

The words ricochet around in Izuku's brain. It's the confirmation he's been looking for this whole time--hearing it finally put into words makes his head swirl. 

"You want me," Izuku parrots. 

"Tch, obviously." He rolls his eyes. "I don't put this much time and effort into just anyone. You're special to me, so I'm gonna treat you like it. Speaking of time and effort, your food is getting cold." 

Izuku jumps. "R-right! Food! Sorry." He picks his utensils back up and takes a bite of the katsudon. "Thank you. Sorry I'm such a crybaby."

"Mouth closed when you chew, please," Katsuki says, returning to his usual, rough self. 

"Right. Sorry." He brightens up just a bit as he eats, and the katsudon does a good job of lifting his mood. Well, that and Katsuki. Katsuki was there with him, and despite everything confusing and difficult about it, he felt better when he was with him. 

Chapter 16: Tremors

Notes:

Well, hello, my amazing and beautiful readers! Sorry for not updating the last couple of days! I just finished a 50-hour work week, so I'm rightfully zonked. The good news, though, is that we finally hired some more help at work, so I can go back to my part-time schedule. That means more time to write for me, hopefully!

Anyhoo, enjoy!

The next, most reasonable step was to take Izuku on a real, proper date. No more beating around the bush, and no more misunderstood intentions. It was time for Izuku to know that Katsuki was completely serious about him- more so than he'd ever been about someone before. 

The only problem is that Katsuki has never planned such a date before. Making big, sappy gestures has never been his thing. He wants to completely knock Izuku off his feet, but he has absolutely no idea where to start. 

So, that's where Katsuki's friends came in. He'll admit they were right about everything, and while it pains him to have been wrong, there was no excuse for how he'd treated them over how things were going with Izuku. He supposes that letting them help plan the date might serve as some kind of apology. 

That's how he ended up at Kirishima's place, surrounded by friends as they tried to come up with ideas for what to do. 

"You could always do the whole beach at sunset thing," Kaminari says, raising his beer. "Guys like Izuku would swoon hard for that stuff!"

"No," Katsuki replies. "That's too basic. It's not good enough." 

He takes a swig of his own beer, his cheeks warm with the few drinks he's already had that evening. 

"I get it, I get it, big feelings, so you gotta make a big gesture," Ashido chimes in, leaning over the back of the sofa, leaning on her forearms. "This is so sweet! Who knew you had it in you, huh?"

"Shut your mouth about it, Raccoon Eyes!" Katsuki growls. "It's just what the nerd deserves, is all." 

And wasn't that the truth. After everything that Katsuki has put Izuku through, it was the least he could do to put effort into this date. He needed his intentions to be absolutely crystal fucking clear. 

"Aww, don't be grumpy, Blasty! We're the ones helping you, after all!" Ashido grins. She jumps over the back of the sofa and plops herself down between him and Kirishima, who slings his arm around her shoulders. 

On the adjacent sofa sat Kaminari and Sero, who were locked in their own debate about which flowers were more romantic- roses or lilies, and-

Was he going to have to get the nerd flowers? Was that something he was supposed to do?!

He rubs his temples, overwhelmed by all the little pieces he will have to worry about. By the end of tonight, he wants to have a set plan on what he was doing, where they were going, and every little detail in between. There could be no margin for error--not at this point. He can't afford to make even one more mistake after everything that's transpired between them. 

"You know," Jirou pipes in as she re-enters the living room, coming in from the kitchen. "There's always that big firework festival on the river." 

Now this piques Katsuki's interest. 

"It's in like, two weeks, or something; last Saturday in July. That's like super cliche date material, but it might work if you do it right." 

"No, no, you're onto something," Ashido says. 

"She's right," Kirishima pipes in. "It could be the perfect way to end the date. You know, take him out to eat somewhere nice, and I think you can even reserve spots to watch the fireworks so you don't have to worry about the time." 

"That's not a bad idea," Katsuki supplies. "It's a good start." 

They spend the rest of the night hashing out the exact details, and by the end of it, Katsuki thinks that this date just might work. 

* * * 

He hands the latte to the customer in front of him, smiling and thanking him for coming in. It's the last customer from a large rush that lasted well over an hour. Once they've left the cafe, Izuku heads out to the floor with the broom to clean up under some of the tables. As he sweeps and hums along to the music playing in the space, the little bell above the door rings, and he twists around to see Katsuki coming through the door with his intern in tow. 

"Hey," Katsuki says, approaching him with a stony face like always. Izuku likes to think he's getting better at reading the blonde; he can see the slight uptick of his mouth in the corners and the way he can't hold eye contact with him for too long, and he hopes that it's because the blonde has feelings for him. 

Well, he knows he does. Katsuki made that clear. 

But where to go from there, Izuku wasn't sure. They were in limbo with each other, neither having said much of anything after dinner at Katsuki's place a few days prior. His burns were still wrapped and bothering him, having started itching the day after the accident happened. 

"Hi," Izuku breathes, his cheeks already warming just from being in the hero's presence. 

"You two should just kiss," the intern says behind Katsuki, who turns around with a snarl. 

"Shut your mouth, got it, Rockhead? I mean it." He turns to face Izuku, his cheeks dusted a light shade of red. 

And there goes Izuku's heart; he's blushing again, which might just be the most delicious thing Izuku has ever seen. 

"Oh, um, did you want something?" Izuku asks, his brain finally kicking into barista mode like it's supposed to. 

"He needs a kiss," the intern says with a wide grin. Katsuki turns around, small explosions popping in his palms. Terra holds up her hands in defense and swivels around to head for the door. "I'll be waiting outside!" she calls as the bell above the door rings with her exit. 

Maybe Izuku feels just a tad brave because he suddenly wants to tease Katsuki. It might not be the smart thing to do, but then again- if he can make Katsuki blush more, consequences be damned. 

With a smile on his face, he steps just a little closer to the blonde. "So what is it you needed?" he asks, lowering his voice to hopefully increase his appeal to him. 

Katsuki doesn't respond. Izuku leans just a tad closer yet. He stares up at the blonde through his eyelashes, a small smile of his own sitting on his face. "Kacchan?" he asks softly, innocently. 

The hero opens his mouth to say something, then closes it tightly. 

He'd intended to be a tease, but standing this close to Katsuki sends him into all kinds of swirling emotions and sensations that make it hard to focus on the task at hand. He didn't anticipate the strong pull he would feel when standing this near to the object of his affection. The hero's soft scent of caramel and gunpowder overtakes his senses, effectively turning his brain to mush. Still, he proceeds with his plan, bravely placing his hand on his broad chest. Katsuki's pulse thrums under his hand, letting Izuku know he's just as worked up over this as he is. 

He realizes that subconsciously, he's been leaning closer all this time. And Katsuki hasn't moved. He stands stock-still, his eyes fixed intently somewhere on the lower half of Izuku's face. 

"You little shit," Katsuki whispers. "You trying to seduce me or something?" 

"Is it working?" Izuku asks, perhaps a bit too eager and honest. 

"What do you want, Izuku?" Katsuki's words brush across his skin, his breath tickling his cheeks from how close they've gotten to each other. 

"Me?" he breathes. 

Bless that intern for putting this stupid idea into his head, Izuku thinks. This is further than they've ever gotten, further than Izuku has ever let himself go with Katsuki. It's exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time, waiting to see what Katsuki will do next. His pulse is hammering, just like Katsuki's, beneath his fingertips. 

"Yes, you," Katsuki says. "Tell me what you want. No more teasing." 

Izuku opens his mouth to respond, but a sudden, earth-rocking quake breaks out beneath them, almost knocking both of them over. Their heads whip to the big windows at the front of the cafe. They don't see anything, then suddenly-

Katsuki grabs Izuku, covering his body with his own as he crouches them low to the ground when another earthquake rips through the ground. The sound of the windows shattering rings through the air, and glass goes flying everywhere. A shard of it flies across his cheek, and he feels the sting, lifting his fingers to the spot to find blood where he'd touched. 

The intern is in front of the cafe. There's shouting, but Izuku's ears are ringing from the blast that shook the ground and shattered the front of his cafe. 

Oh God, his cafe. 

It's his only thought as he tears himself out of Katsuki's arms and hurls himself toward the windows to look outside and see what caused the blast. He leans out through the broken window and peers down the street. There's dust and debris everywhere, and he can't make out the source of the commotion. 

He's suddenly ripped back against something hard, and when he turns, he's looking up at Katsuki. His lips are moving, but Izuku can't hear him. Holding tightly onto Izuku's arm, he leads him to the back of the cafe and sits him down. The ringing in his ears slowly subsides, and he can hear Katsuki's last words. 

"Stay here. Don't do anything stupid, got it?" He's in full Ground Zero mode, and his intensity has turned up to the highest setting. It's an order, not a request, Izuku realizes, so he nods, and then Katsuki is off. 

Another quake rocks the very foundation of the cafe. Izuku huddles by the wall, keeping his hands over his head as things fall away from the counters and shelves. He can't help it when he starts to cry, thinking about the damage to his coffee shop and about Katsuki, who's out there right now, trying to put a stop to whatever is going on. 

* * * 

Katsuki launches himself full-speed into the dust cloud, searching for whoever is causing this mess. 

In the middle of the dust cloud, an ominous-looking figure in a long, black coat stands amidst the wreckage. He stops a ways away from the villain, not wanting to get too close until he can see the full picture of whatever this guy's quirk is. 

"Hey, fucker!" he calls. The man turns, a Cheshire Cat smile falling into place on his face. 

"Ground Zero. How fancy seeing you here. I was hoping they'd send someone tough. It's more fun when they fight back before I squash them." 

"The only one getting fucking squashed is your ugly mug!" He launches himself toward the villain, preparing to shield himself against the guy's quirk, whatever it is. 

It's completely unexpected when the villain crouches down and then leaps into the air, launching himself almost a hundred feet above Katuki's head. He comes back down swiftly, another large tremor ripping through the ground the minute his boots make contact with the pavement. Katsuki takes that opportunity to launch himself at the villain as he's still recovering from using his quirk, tackling the man to the ground. The fucker fights against him, and he manages to kick his foot down against the ground, sending another tremor through the ground, completely rocking Katsuki's brain in his skull. He knows the migraine he's going to get from that will be killer. 

Terra is suddenly in on the action, reaching down to touch the pavement, sending two columns of concrete up to encase the villain as he wiggles out from underneath Katsuki. She traps his legs and arms, leaving no room for him to wiggle and create any more shockwaves.

Katsuki picks himself up off the ground and faces the villain, watching him to make sure he's properly detained before addressing Terra. 

"Good work, kid," he says. And he means it. She grins at the praise, rightfully so. 

"Thank you, sir," she replies. 

Yes, Katsuki does prefer to work alone. But his intern is competent sometimes, and he'll always give praise where it's due. He's not that much of an asshole. 

His next thought was Izuku. 

After checking in with the police and making sure the villain is completely taken care of, he takes off down the street toward The Little Leaf Cafe. When he gets there, the sight he sees completely shatters his heart. 

Izuku is standing in the middle of the cafe, the tables and chairs wholly strewn about on a debris and dust-littered floor. His shoulders shake as he inhales between quiet sobs. 

He immediately approaches him and wraps his arms around him to comfort him. It's the only thing on his mind—to make Izuku stop crying, to comfort him. 

The cafe is a complete wreck that will take days to repair and reopen. He can see that. Izuku is rightfully upset at this turn of events. 

"Izuku," Katsuki coos, burying his nose into his hair. He wraps his arms around him tightly, and Izuku grapples onto him, his tears still falling in rivulets down his cheeks. When he finally turns around to look at Katsuki, he looks absolutely wrecked. "Hey, it's gonna be okay." 

"It's really not," Izuku says, nuzzling into Katsuki's chest. His fingers tightly grip the back of Katsuki's hero suit, the small tremors in his body growing stronger. "I- I don't know how I can fix this. I don't have the money to come back from this. It's over." 

"Hey, no, it's not over," he says. "There's grants and shit. There's ways to get reparation money for this kind of thing. You just gotta apply, and I'm sure that the rest will be taken care of. I'll help you. It's not over, Izu." 

"I'm just glad no one else was inside," he says quietly. "And you're okay. I'm okay. But- the cafe. It's-" his words are cut off by a broken sob that Katsuki feels in his bones. All he can do is hold and reassure him that things will be okay. 

He'll make sure that they are. He can't stand seeing Izuku like this, so he'll do everything in his power to ensure that Izuku can reopen the cafe. 

Chapter 17: Kiss Him Better

Notes:

Here, have a treat!

I hope you enjoy it!

The following day, Katsuki heads into the agency like a man on a mission. He'd been up all night researching different kinds of relief funds for damage done by villains, realizing that Izuku would have to apply for that kind of financial aid and that it would have to be approved and paid for by the agency whose heroes responded to the crime. 

That meant the request would go through Endeavor's agency. Katsuki didn't really care about the details—Izuku would be getting that money, regardless of literally anything. 

Once he's in his office, he logs onto his computer and goes through the directory to find whoever's in charge of distributing that money. Once he gets a name and an email, he finds the link to the application and sends the information over to Izuku. He doesn't plan on leaving things there, though; he intends to see this through. He will keep pestering the relief funds department until it's seen and accepted. 

A text from Izuku comes almost instantly after he sends the link. 

Izuku: What's this?

Katsuki: Fill that out and send it to that email address. 

Izuku: Yeah, but what is it?

Katsuki: Did you even read it? You're gonna get some money to help with the cafe. Fill it out. Send it in. I'll take care of the rest. 

Izuku: I don't need help with this. I can handle it, Kacchan.

Katsuki sighs and leans back in his chair. Of course, the nerd wouldn't want any handouts. But that's not what this is. 

Katsuki: It's an application for relief funds specifically for this kinda thing. Fill it out. Send it in. Like I said, I'll take care of it from there. Don't be stubborn, Izuku.

Izuku: Fine, I'll do it. You don't have to do anything extra for me though. 

Katsuki: I don't do shit I don't wanna do. So shut up. 

He locks his phone screen and tosses it down on his desk. All he can do now is wait and see if Izuku follows through with the application. The nerd would be stupid not to; he was so devastated that he wouldn't be able to pay for the repairs, so this should be exciting news. Izuku could be incredibly stubborn, almost as much as Katsuki, but he wouldn't let this opportunity slip through Izuku's fingers. 

As he thinks about Izuku, he wonders if he should still ask him on that date he planned for the two of them. A lot is going on in Izuku's life right now, and he doesn't want to stress Izuku out even more by making him worry about something like that, so he doesn't know what to do. The fireworks festival is in just two weeks, which doesn't give them much time to sort everything out before then. 

Hopefully, with Katsuki being a hero at the agency, the process can somehow be expedited. He's not sure how the whole process works, but Izuku's application will not be waiting in some damn queue like any random extra. No--this is his Izuku he was talking about. He should be and will always be the number one priority. 

* * * 

The application was asking for a lot of information--things Izuku didn't know off the top of his head. They wanted a detailed list of everything that was damaged, all the way from the actual structure to everything inside. If he wanted to do this properly, he would have to return to the cafe. 

He'd needed to do that soon anyway, to somehow cover the windows and clean up a little to prevent further damage. Given that he doesn't have anything else to do with his time right now, nothing is stopping him from going, but he still hesitates because he knows that seeing the cafe in that condition will be hard. 

So much work and effort went into that business. Seeing all of his hard work crumble before him with little he could do to stop it was tough. Until it was fixed, he was shit out of income and would have to lay off his employees. 

As expected, his heart sinks at the sight when he gets to the cafe. Heading inside, he picks up the broken chairs and tables, shoving them toward one side of the room. The old piano in the back is somehow still intact, but when he hits some of the keys, the sounds of the keys are but a muted thump, indicating that the inside of the piano didn't fare as well as the outside. Shattered pots from his plants litter the floor, the poor greenery strewn about in clumps of crushed and dirty leaves, the roots left exposed and torn from their homes. How one villain managed to do all of this is beyond him. His quirk was gnarlier than most normal earthquakes, and it didn't help that the villain was so close to the cafe when he struck. Looking out the large holes left by the shattered windows, it appears the rest of the street didn't fare as well, either. This was bad news for Izuku and his business. Even if he somehow managed to get the cafe up and running again, foot traffic on the street wouldn't be the same until every other business could do the same.  

Behind the counter, his very, very expensive espresso machine is resting on its side on the floor, most of the moving parts broken off and littered across the ground. He pulls out his phone and starts to type up a list of everything broken or missing so he can fill out the report, ignoring the burning sensation in his eyes. He has already cried over this, and there is no use crying over it again. Tears did nothing to help the situation, so there was no place for them. 

Once the list is complete, he leaves the cafe. The next mission is to cover the windows so that the weather can't tear up any more of the cafe while he waits to repair it. He takes public transportation to the nearest hardware store and comes away with a large roll of heavy-duty plastic sheeting and a few rolls of duct tape. With his budget, he supposes this will have to do for now. 

By the time Izuku finishes up with the windows, it's late in the afternoon. Right as he takes a step back to appraise his work, his phone rings. Digging it from his shorts, he sees the name on the screen and accepts the call, putting the phone up to his ear as he begins the walk home. 

"Kacchan, hi," he greets, wiping the sweat off his forehead. Who knew that covering windows would constitute as cardio? That, and he was hardly tall enough to reach the tops of the windows, even with the chair he'd fetched from inside.  

"Hey," Katsuki replies. "Are you good? You sound out of breath."

"I'm fine," Izuku breathes. "I'm just at the cafe."

"Doing what?"

"Cleaning up a little and doing a damage assessment for that application and stuff." 

"That's good. Did you need any help? I can come down if-"

"I'm fine," Izuku interrupts with a sigh. "I'm already done, anyway." He's already heading home, resigned to the fact that there's nothing more he can do, which he hates. 

"Oh. Alright. Just let me know if there's anything you need help with." 

"Thank you, Kacchan, but I think I'm good for now. Other than the application, there's not a lot left that I can do right now." 

And Izuku hates that this is the truth. There's nothing more he can do but fill out the application and wait to see if they accept him into the relief program. If they don't, then-

No, he doesn't even want to think about that. 

"Have you eaten?" Katsuki asks, pulling him from his train of thought. 

"Not yet, no." His stomach chooses that second to start grumbling, and he rubs his hand over his abdomen and recalls that he hasn't eaten since breakfast. He'd been so preoccupied with everything else that food wasn't even something on his mind until now. 

"Come over, I'll make you dinner. We can watch a movie or something, too, if you're up for it." 

"Okay, Kacchan," he replies softly. They hang up after that, and Izuku changes his route, heading to the blonde's home instead of his own. 

* * * 

He shows up at Katuki's door a little while later, looking completely dejected and exhausted. The minute he steps through the threshold, Katsuki is wrapping him in a hug, breathing in his familiar scent of sugar and coffee. He'd like to say that the hug was for Izuku's sake, but it's just as much for Katsuki. 

He's gone on too long, denying himself. If he wants to hug Izuku, then he's going to do it (so long as that's what the nerd wants, too). But Izuku is wrapping his arms around Katsuki just as tightly, telling him with his actions exactly what he wants to hear. When they finally part, Izuku's eyes brightened slightly, making Katsuki smile. That's exactly what he wants to see. 

"Smells good, Kacchan," Izuku says as he follows him into the kitchen. "What are you making?" 

"It's just a curry, nothin' too crazy," he replies. 

"Not too spicy, I hope?" 

"Don't worry," he chuckles. "I made separate ones for you and me. I know you can't take the heat." 

"I can take the heat!" Izuku defends. "I just don't see the point in torturing myself like you." 

Katsuki shrugs. It's a fair point, but he's always had a high tolerance for spice, the heat levels not mattering to him as much as the other flavors he gets from using spices and peppers. 

Once the food is plated, he hands one to Izuku. "We can eat on the couch and put on a movie." 

Izuku nods and follows him into the living room. 

They eat mostly in silence as the movie plays on the TV. He tries his best to keep the conversation light so as not to upset Izuku any further about everything happening. As things stand right now, nothing can be done, so talking about it won't do much. It's in Izuku's best interest to have his mind taken off of things. 

Once the food is gone, Katsuki returns the plates to the kitchen and deposits them in the sink before packing the leftovers and putting them in the fridge. When he comes back to the couch, Izuku is frowning at something on his phone. 

"You look like a kicked puppy. What's that you're looking at?" he asks as he sits beside Izuku. He gently rests his arm around his shoulders as he peers over the nerd's shoulder at his phone screen.

"It's the list." 

"Of?" 

"Things I need replaced. And fixed. It's going to cost so much." 

Katsuki reaches for Izuku's phone, but he evades him. "What are you doing?" Izuku grumbles. 

"There's no point worrying about that right now. Just put it away, okay?" 

"I'm gonna worry regardless." 

Katsuki, having seated himself so close to Izuku, is suddenly getting ideas. They'd almost kissed in the cafe before the incident—or at least that's what he hoped was happening. He suddenly brings his lips close to Izuku's ear with a smirk. 

"Maybe I can help distract you, then." 

"H-how?" Izuku asks. He sets down his phone, but his eyes stay fixed upon his lap. 

"I'm sure you can think of something, can't you? You're smart." He lets his lips graze Izuku's ear as he speaks. Watching Izuku turn red and squirm in his seat is like a treat, and he is all too happy to eat it right up. Izuku suddenly turns to face him, and their noses bump together, causing Izuku to suck in a sharp breath. Their lips are so close now that Katsuki can almost taste them. All he has to do is lean forward, and- 

Before he has a chance to make the move himself, Izuku snakes a hand around Katsuki's neck and pulls him in, bringing their lips together roughly. 

It's messy and completely imperfect, but Katsuki is still completely taken under by the kiss. At first, there's a slight bumping of their teeth, the kiss not quite lining up as it should, but as it continues, they quickly get the hang of each other. Katsuki can't help himself when he digs his fingers into those perfectly soft, green curls, urging Izuku closer, deepening the kiss. He ravages Izuku's mouth with the same intensity with which he approaches everything in life, making every unsaid word and intention known by how he worships Izuku's perfect, pink lips. Then, Katsuki bites down softly on his lower lip, drawing out a quiet whimper from Izuku. When he parts his lips to let the sound out, Katsuki takes that as an opportunity to push his tongue past his lips to explore the inside of his mouth. 

Their bodies are pressed against one another now, with not an inch of space left between them as they continue their kiss. He runs his tongue over every place he can reach inside Izuku's mouth, which only causes Izuku to let out even more beautiful, breathy sounds. 

And it's better than he'd ever dreamed. Because, yes, he'd dreamt of kissing him before, but it never felt or sounded like this.

When getting close to other people, kissing had never been like this. He always felt he had to do it to build up and get to something else, but when kissing Izuku felt this good, he'd be satisfied if this were as far as he got. It was perfect; Izuku felt perfect beneath his hands, and he could do it for hours. 

Eventually, though, they pull away from each other, the movie long forgotten, as they stare at each other with wide, curious eyes. Izuku looks perfectly debauched, and that was only from kissing him. It makes Katsuki wonder how he might look and sound if they were to take things further. He won't, though, not tonight. Right now, he's perfectly happy with the way things are. He's perfectly happy to have Izuku in his arms like this- close to each other, the way he's wanted it since he laid eyes on Izuku those few months ago. 

"Kacchan," Izuku says, his eyes never leaving the other's. 

"Yeah?" He traces his fingertips across Izuku's cheeks, admiring the beautiful blush that covers his stupidly cute freckles.

"Can we- I mean, d-do we have to stop?" His puppy dog eyes look up at him through his long eyelashes as the flush of his cheeks intensifies, and Katsuki chuckles. He leans forward and peppers kisses along Izuku's nose, cheeks, and jaw, which causes Izuku to let out a small laugh of his own as he tries to chase down Katsuki's lips with his. He eventually stops teasing and lets their lips connect again. As soon as they're kissing again, he doesn't know why he was teasing in the first place when kissing Izuku feels this good. 

He spends the rest of the evening kissing Izuku stupid, making sure to leave no part of his face and neck unkissed, as it should be. The movie eventually ends, but neither of them moves to put on another or go anywhere. They remain on the couch in their own little bubble, enjoying each other's company and forgetting about everything else happening on the outside. 

 

Chapter 18: New Beginnings

Notes:

We're almost at the end, ladies and gentlemen! It's probably gonna be two or three more chapters, but we'll see considering these two have a way of writing their own story, despite my input.

Enjoy!

While it had been entirely unceremonious, Izuku had stayed the night at Katsuki's after their dinner/movie night. He slept on the couch, and Katsuki retreated to his own room to give Izuku space. 

Izuku didn't want space, but he was too shy to say that to Katsuki, even after they'd made out for well over an hour last night. Whenever he thought about last night's events, his pulse immediately picked up. The kisses were perfect, and Izuku hadn't wanted to stop. It was only when Izuku was practically falling asleep in Katsuki's arms that they stopped, and he suggested Izuku stay over. 

That's how he got where they are now: Katsuki stands over the stove as he cooks them breakfast, while Izuku sits on the counter beside him, still wearing the oversized T-shirt and sweats he'd been lent the night before. He liked how they smelled, and he was constantly lifting the shirt's neckline up over his nose to breathe in the addicting scent. 

Just as he's doing that, Katsuki gives him a sideways glance, his crimson eyes filled with amusement. 

"You're such a dork," he states. Izuku lets go of the shirt, letting it fall back into place around his neck. 

"But Kacchan smells so good," Izuku pouts. The blonde reaches out and ruffles Izuku's curls with a firm hand, effectively ridding his face of the pout on his lips, replacing it with a lopsided smile. 

Katsuki finishes making breakfast, and after they'd both sat down and eaten, Izuku wonders what happens next. He should probably go home and work on the application and leave Katsuki to do whatever it is he does on his days off. The last thing he wants to do is annoy Katsuki by overstaying his welcome. 

"Izuku, I can hear the gears turning in your head," Katsuki says, coming up behind Izuku, wrapping his arms around his waist. He leans close to Izuku's ear. "What are you thinking?"

"I should probably go home now, right? I'm sure you have things to do, and-" 

"I don't want you to go." His hands tighten around Izuku's waist. 

"Oh." Warmth swells in his chest at the blonde's words. 

"You can work on the application here. I've got the day off, so you can stay as long as you want." 

"Alright," he responds softly, turning his face so he can kiss Katsuki's cheek. The blonde instantly responds by attacking him with kisses all along his ear and neck, making Izuku's heart flutter in his chest. He leans into the kisses, relishing in the sensation of his soft lips dragging across his skin. 

They end up on the sofa, Katsuki's laptop balanced on Izuku's legs as he sits between the hero's thighs, his back pressed up against his chest. It's hard for him to focus when he can feel Katsuki's heartbeat on his back, but he manages to fill out the application, even as kisses rain down on his cheeks, neck, and head. 

Throughout the rest of the day, they do nothing but laze about the house, Katsuki's hands never leaving Izuku for a minute. Izuku initially worried about being too clingy or annoying, but Katsuki has completely quelled those worries with his behavior, and Izuku couldn't be happier. 

It feels perfect to be with him like this. Despite everything else happening in his life, he feels at ease in Katsuki's arms. He makes him feel like everything is going to be alright. 

* * * 

The reply came fast, much to Izuku's surprise. He'd been pacing his apartment the entire day, waiting for any kind of response to the application. Even a message letting him know they received it would have put him at ease, but nothing like that ever came. 

That was until the afternoon rolled around, and there was an email in his inbox letting him know he had been approved for the relief funds. He may or may not have cried happy tears, but immediately after that, he called Katsuki to tell him the news. There would be a check waiting for him at the agency that he could pick up at any time, and reading through the email, he noted that the amount he'd been granted was plenty to get the cafe up and running again. 

It was all happening so much faster than he thought it would. There was always the possibility that Katsuki might have had something to do with it, but that was neither here nor there. All that mattered was that he would be open for business again sometime soon. Things didn't seem as bleak as they did the day prior. 

The line rings, and Katsuki picks up. 

"Hello?" 

"Kacchan!" he says, unable to contain his excitement. He bounces back and forth on his feet as he talks into the phone. "I got it! I got approved! It's all okay, just like you said it would be." he starts to cry again, feeling completely overwhelmed by everything happening inside of him. 

"Of course, it's okay. I told you it would all work out, didn't I?" 

Izuku chuckles through his tears. "You did. Thank you for being there for me. I really don't know what I'd be doing right now if it weren't for you." 

* * * 

Katsuki strolls down the hall with quick strides, watching the numbers on the office doors as he goes down the unfamiliar hallway. Once he reaches where he's headed, he knocks on the door with a heavy fist. 

"Come in," a voice calls from inside. He pushes the door open and strides in, stopping in front of the desk, eyeing the woman behind the computer. She pushes her glasses up with the tip of her finger, raising her eyebrow at the hero's sudden intrusion. 

"Can I help you, Ground Zero?" 

"Yeah, you can," he replies. "You're in charge of the relief fund applications, right? You're the one who picks which ones get approved?" 

"Yes, but-"

"There's an application that was submitted yesterday, and it needs to be approved today." 

"It doesn't work like that, Ground Zero, sir, there's a queue, and we process them in a specific order-"

"I don't give a rat's ass about any of that. Pull up the application now. It's getting approved today." He crosses his arms over his chest in defiance. 

The woman sighs. "Name on the application?" 

"Izuku Midoriya." 

Her eyes scan the computer screen until they zero in on the right one. "Ah. Here it is." she takes a second to look it over. "This is a cafe," she points out. "That's not really an essential business. These ones take longer to go through." 

"Like I said, I don't care! What else is needed for it to go through today? Someone's livelihood is depending on this grant, so I don't see why it's any less important than the others." 

"Like I said, we process them in the order they come in." 

"Well, expedite it, then. I'll keep coming in here and bothering you until you do. I know that the old man who runs this place has plenty of cash to throw around," he says sharply.

She sighs. 

"I'm really not suppose to bend the rules for anyone." She gives him a sympathetic look and hopes that means she's cracking. Just a little more, and he might have it. 

"Well, you're gonna do it this once." He gives her a sharp look. 

She lets out yet another sigh, this one longer than the last. 

"Fine."

"Fine? You'll do it?" 

"I'll do it. But don't think I'll do anything like this for you again. This is your one freebie." 

"Thank you," he says with a genuine smile, dropping the intensity he'd walked in with. He can't hide how excited he is about this one bit.

* * * 

It's finally the weekend, and Izuku finds himself in Katsuki's home again, this time surrounded by the hero's friends at the dining room table, attempting to play Monopoly. 

With how competitive Katsuki is, it's safe to say that things aren't going as well as they could be.

Everyone is a few beers deep, the table is loud, and Izuku is pretty sure that Jirou has been nabbing Kaminari's cash the whole game while he wasn't looking, not that he's going to call her out on it. She's winning (albeit because she's cheating), and Katsuki is losing his shit over it, which makes Izuku laugh. He went bankrupt about an hour ago, so he's just been watching the game unfold from where he sits beside Katsuki. 

Despite the angry countenance that Katsuki presents to the rest of the table, his hand has been on Izuku's thigh under the table the entire time, slowly stroking patterns into his skin where his shorts have ridden up. His skin tingles where his fingers make contact, filling Izuku with a comfortable warmth, which, paired with the alcohol in his system, makes him feel like he's floating. 

He feels better than he has in a while. Not only is he surrounded by people he hopes he can call his friends, but he's finally with Katsuki, which, by default, makes everything better. 

Suddenly, the gameboard is flying, pieces and fake dollars flying through the air. Katsuki is standing over the table, his eyes staring daggers into a very smug-looking Jirou. 

"You," he seethes. "You fucking cheater! You've been cheating this whole time!" 

Izuku snickers. Katsuki turns, narrowing his eyes at him. 

"You knew." 

"I did," Izuku says, hiding his smile behind his hand. 

"You all disgust me," he says, leaving the room. The minute he's out of earshot, the table erupts in laughter, Izuku included. Yeah, he doesn't like seeing Katsuki get so worked up, but over a game of Monopoly? It's hilarious. 

Giving Katsuki just a few minutes by himself to cool off, Izuku leaves toward the kitchen to find the blonde downing another shot. He slides up beside him and bumps their shoulders together. 

"No, nope," Katsuki says, scooting away from him. "You may as well have been her accomplice. No." 

Izuku wraps his arms around the other man's torso, clinging on as the other tries to pry him off. 

"Kachan!" Izuku pouts. "Just hug me back!" 

"No." 

"What if I say I'm sorry?" He looks up at Katsuki as apologetically as he can. 

"Are you?"

Izuku chuckles again before he can stop himself. Katsuki looks at him like he's about to push him away but instead bends down and plants a rough kiss on his mouth. "Don't laugh at me, you little shit," he says. He kisses Izuku again, this time lingering just a little bit longer. They quickly fall into each other, Katsuki's hands finding Izuku's hair as the latter clings to the front of the hero's shirt. Just as Katsuki is pressing his tongue against the seam of his lips, someone else enters the kitchen. 

"Aww, so romantic!" It's Kaminari, who's grinning like an idiot. He's by far the most intoxicated one there, hanging onto the edge of the counter to keep himself upright; there was a reason it had been so easy for Jirou to steal his Monopoly money all night. 

"Fuck off, Dunce Face," Katsuki says before pressing another kiss to Izuku's lips. 

"Mm, but you guys are so cute," he replies, nearly tripping over his own feet as he adjusts his stance. "I wish I were you, Kacchan." 

And that does it for Katsuki. He steps away from Izuku, his palms sparking with explosions as he shoves Kaminari from the kitchen. 

"Go near him and DIE!" Izuku hears him shout in the other room. He sighs and follows behind them to make sure that Katsuki doesn't get charged with murder.

* * * 

"So when are you gonna start working on the cafe?" Katsuki asks him. They're cuddled up in Katsuki's bed, both pleasantly buzzed from their earlier activities. Izuku rests his head on Katsuki's chest, feeling himself get drowsier by the second as he listens to his heartbeat. 

"Monday," Izuku tells him. "I need to start right away so I can be open again as soon as possible." He yawns, and his eyes water from holding them open. He doesn't want to fall asleep just yet; he wants to enjoy Katsuki's warm presence as long as possible.

"You should go to sleep," Katsuki whispers into Izuku's hair. He places a kiss on the top of his head. He wants to stay in Katsuki's bed, but he doesn't know if that's weird or if he's expected to move out to the couch or not. They didn't talk about it or anything like that, and the last thing Izuku wants to do is make Katsuki uncomfortable. 

"Want me to move to the couch?" he asks groggily, hardly able to keep his eyes open at this point. 

"Hell no," the hero replies, holding Izuku tighter. "You're not going anywhere." 

"Mmkay," he breathes. Closing his eyes, he finally lets himself drift off, surrounded by Katsuki's comforting scent. Normally, he might be freaking out about falling asleep in someone else's bed, but he's too tired and too comfortable to care. 

* * * 

Monday rolls around, and Izuku is preparing to head to the cafe so he can figure out where to start. He's already ordered replacement equipment to be delivered in about a week, but he still has to worry about replacing his furniture, repainting both the interior and exterior, as well as finding replacements for the windows in the front. The old ones were the original windows on the historic building, so Izuku was incredibly sad to have lost them. The natural light and the nice view of the world outside were one of the main reasons he chose the building he did. They were really old, and it would cost a lot to have mock vintage-style windows put in to replace them. 

Almost the entire inside needed to be gutted and refurnished. It would be a long process, and even though he had the money now, he felt overwhelmed by the amount of work he would have to do. He wasn't given enough money to hire any kind of help, so it would be a long and arduous process that was entirely on him. 

There was even more work to be done on the building than when he originally bought it, so he needed to learn how to do many things to make this happen. 

As he approached the cafe, he was confused when he saw people around his cafe with the doors already open. The closer he got, he started to recognize faces, and he nearly cried on the spot. Upon finally reaching the cafe, Katsuki appears in front of him with a smile on his face. Behind him, Katsuki's friends were there, as well as a few other heroes who looked to be from Katsuki's old UA class, whom he hadn't met yet. 

"What is all this?" he asks, peering around Katsuki's shoulder. They were already being put to work, clearing out all the debris and broken furniture from inside. 

"I got you some help," Katsuki says, and Izuku's chest is instantly tight with emotions he has no idea how to control. The blonde grabs his shoulders just as he starts to cry. "You didn't think you were doing this all by yourself, did you, ya idiot?" 

"I- I can't pay them; I don't have enough for that," Izuku sobs into his chest. 

"They volunteered." Katsuki wraps Izuku in a tight hug. "I told Kirishima to ask around if anyone was willing to help, and they all wanted to help out." 

"I can't believe this," he says, still not grasping the situation. 

"Well, you better, because you're gonna be open for business again soon. They've all agreed to help out until it's finished, when they can with their schedules, of course. Did you really think you'd be stuck doing all that work yourself?" 

"That's what I assumed, I mean-"

"You're such an idiot sometimes." Katsuki pulls away and ruffles his curls. "What kind of boyfriend would I be if I let that happen?" 

A pang of shock jolts Izuku at his words. 

"Kacchan is my boyfriend?" he says, clutching his chest in some poor attempt to keep his heart from leaping out onto the pavement. The blonde suddenly averts his eyes, a faint blush appearing on his cheeks. 

"If that's something you want. I don't wanna assume," he says, lowering his voice. 

Izuku rushes forward and hugs him again, nearly knocking both of them over. "Of course I want that." He lowers his voice to a whisper. "Kacchan is my boyfriend," he says with wonder. 

"You're such a dork, you know that?" They both smile and laugh as they hold each other. With everything that's happening right now, he feels happier than he's ever been in his life. He has no idea how he got lucky enough to call someone like Katsuki his boyfriend. 

"You two lovebirds gonna help out, or what?" Ashido calls, coming out of the cafe. 

The two finally part and head into the cafe, ready to start the long, work-filled road ahead of them. 

Chapter 19: All That Sappy Shit

Notes:

Someone recently commented that they thought this story had too much fluff and didn't like that they weren't able to communicate properly for most of it. Can you believe it?

1) I put in the tags that there would be lots of fluff.
2) I also put in the tags that they're bad at feelings.
3) What the hell would the plot be if it weren't for these two things? It would be like two chapters if they got along right off the bat?

Anyway. That was my first mean-ish comment ever, and I've been writing fanfiction for a few years now, mostly on other sites before this, though. I deleted the comment because it irked me so much.

What also irks me is the fact that they read over 40k words and THEN proceeded to tell me they didn't like it? Like bud, no one forced you to read it.

Anyhoo. I hope you enjoy this one! Lots of fluff, if you're not aware of the fact that that's what most of this story is. Sorry, fluff haters. You can't take away my keyboard, nor can you take away my love for fluff!

The repairs were well underway, given all the help that Izuku was getting. Every day, there were at least two or three or sometimes more of the heroes who showed up to assist him, thanks to Katsuki and his friends. Like the others, Katsuki couldn't be there every day, given that they all still had their hero shifts to work, but it was more than Izuku could have ever asked for. 

He had been ready to bear the weight of everything himself, but his boyfriend (yes, his boyfriend!!!) ensured this wasn't the case. 

Everything felt perfect. Even though much work was still to be done, he felt better than he had in a long time. Despite the messes created by life, he now had people beside him to support and help him, which is something he'd never had before. No matter what happens, things will never be like they used to be. 

In the cafe, Izuku was stripping out the old, cracked floors with Kirishima and Uraraka so they could put in the new tiles he'd picked out. He kept most of the theme the same, with a few changes here and there, the black-and-white checkered tile floors being one of them. The walls would be repainted the same sage green as before, and he was opting for darker woods for the tables and chairs. 

Izuku finishes the section he's working on, then sits back on his haunches as he wipes the sweat from his forehead. With the summer temperatures, the work was hard. He remembers this part all too well from the first time around with the cafe, having worked on it during the same time of year back then, too. It was hot and demanding, but that didn't deter him from working hard and fast. 

Right as he's getting ready to start again, someone is coming through the door behind him. He swivels around to see Katsuki in his hero uniform, save for the gauntlets, with his mask pulled up on his forehead, pushing his hair back out of his face. It's completely noteworthy to mention the fact that Ground Zero was voted one of the sexiest heroes last year in a magazine, and even more notable, in Izuku's opinion, to point out that this was his boyfriend. His. 

"Hey," Katsuki says. 

"Hi!" Izuku stands up and wipes his dirtied hands on his shorts before approaching the hero. Behind him, Kirishima also gets up to greet Katsuki. 

"Hey, man? How's it going?" Kirishima smiles. 

"It's hot as fuck today," he says. "I'd hate to be you guys. Nothin' but purse snatchers and petty shit to deal with today." 

"We're making great progress here, man!" Kirishima says, motioning to the floors. 

"Thanks to all the help, it's definitely going faster than I thought!" Izuku chimes in, smiling brightly at Kirishima and Uraraka. "Thank you so much, guys." 

"No problem!" Urarak says, giving him a thumbs up. 

Suddenly, Katsuki grabs Izuku's arm and tugs him toward the back room of the cafe. "Izuku's taking a break," he says before closing the door behind them. Izuku lifts his eyebrows in question, but before he can ask, Katsuki's lips are on his as he presses him up against the wall. The barista lets out a surprised squeak but quickly falls into the motions of the kiss, parting his lips against the blonde's to give his tongue access. Katsuki's hands roughly grip Izuku's sides, finding the spots where his T-shirt is riding up so he can slide his hands underneath and touch his skin. Their tongues dance together as they share the sloppy kiss, and Izuku tries his best not to make any surprised sounds that might alert the others in the next room over of their activities. Every time he makes any kind of sound, Katsuki bites down on his lower lip, which only makes it harder for him to keep the noises inside. 

The hero eventually pulls away and looks down at Izuku, who's been left out of breath. 

"What was that for?" Izuku says with a small smile. Katsuki rests his forehead against Izuku's. 

"Can't stop thinking about you and your stupid fucking freckles," he growls. 

"I can't tell if that was an insult?" Izuku asks like it's a question. Yeah, his freckles might be stupid, but Katsuki must like them if he came all this way just to pin him against a wall and kiss him like this. 

"I wanna ask you something," the blonde suddenly says, shifting the conversation. Izuku doesn't reply; instead, he looks at him, waiting for what he has to say. 

"I wanna take you on a real date." 

"What do you mean, 'real date?'" Izuku asks. 

"Like romantic, or whatever. I wanna spoil you, Izu." He slides his hands up Izuku's sides, and he shivers under the soft touch. 

"Okay."

"Okay? So that's a yes?"

"Duh," Izuku laughs. "Did you think I'd say no? You're acting like rejecting you is something I'd do. Which at this point is completely ridiculous."

"You rejected me before." Katsuki looks away. "I just- I wanna make sure you know how much you mean to me. I want you to know how serious I am about you." 

Izuku's heart swells at his words, and a smile finds its way onto his face as he notes the slight blush on Katsuki's face, which is becoming more of a regular thing at this point. Still, it never fails to make his heart soar, no matter how many times it happens. "I'm serious about you, too," Izuku tells him. "I'm yours. So yes, I'll take you up on that date." 

Katsuki kisses him again, this one softer and more chaste than the last, but not any less intense. 

* * * 

The day of the date comes, and Katsuki is a mess. He knows that Izuku is most likely going to swoon for all the cheesy shit he has planned, but what if he doesn't? What if he just thinks it's cheesy and doesn't enjoy himself? What will he do then? 

"You're overthinking this," Kirishima says, flicking him on the forehead. "I can tell." 

Katsuki grabs Kirishima's hand and yanks him closer. "Don't fuckin' touch me! And fuck you, I'm not overthinking shit!" 

Kirishima takes his hand back and rolls his eyes. "Dude. Chill. It's gonna be fine." 

Raking a hand through his hair, Katsuki takes a deep breath and checks the time on his phone. He needed to leave in fifteen minutes to pick up Izuku, and the waiting was killing him. He should have timed his getting ready better so that there was no dead time like this to overthink anything. 

"What if he doesn't like any of it?" Katsuki asks, not looking at Kirishima. 

"Bakubro, he is crazy about you. You could take him on the crappiest date ever, and I'm sure he would enjoy it. By the looks of things, he just enjoys being around you, regardless of what you're doing." 

"Bullshit. I gotta impress him." He needs Izuku to know how he feels, even if he can't tell him. He's never been good at all that sappy shit; talking about feelings wasn't something he was good at, so if he could show Izuku with actions instead, he would. 

Thanks to the brainstorming his friends had helped with, he had the entire evening planned out to a tee. Kirishima had helped him get ready, ensuring he wouldn't forget anything. 

So, as he heads to Izuku's apartment, he's as prepared as he can be for this. 

He knocks on Izuku's door, lilies in hand (Sero had said that Izuku didn't seem like a roses kind of guy, and he listened). The door swings open, and right off the bat, Izuku's smile lights Katsuki's insides on fire, it's so bright. 

"Hey," Katsuki says. 

"Hi," Izuku breathes. "You're so handsome, Kacchan." His cheeks are red with blush as he looks down at the flowers in his hand. "You brought flowers." 

"Yeah." He hands them over to Izuku, who motions for Katsuki to follow him inside. 

"I'll put them in some water, and then we can go! Thank you Kacchan, you're so thoughtful!" He watches as he digs a vase out of one of his cabinets and fills it with water. Once the lilies are properly arranged in the vase, he turns and wraps Katsuki in a hug. "They're so pretty, thank you!" 

Katsuki ruffles a hand through Izuku's soft, green curls. "You look good, Izuku," he says against his ear. He can't help it when he leans forward and nips the lobe, which makes Izuku shudder against him. Being this close to Izuku does nothing to satiate his need to touch him; when they're pressed up against one another, it only makes him want to run his hands across his skin, kiss him stupid, and listen to the pretty sounds that he makes when he's touched like that. It's addicting, and if Katsuki isn't careful, he could ruin the entire date by instead taking his time to do all of those things he wants to do.

But they're on a schedule tonight, and if they don't get moving soon, he could throw the entire thing off. 

"You ready to go?" he asks him. 

"Ready when you are," he says before brushing his lips across Katsuki's jaw. The little shit even pauses to nip him back in the spot just below his ear. His hands tighten around Izuku's waist as he tries to ignore the stirring heat inside of him. Parting himself from the other man, he grabs his hand and leads them out of the apartment and to the car. 

He hopes Izuku will like the first stop. It's an old arcade, much like the ones they used to have when they were kids. There were all sorts of games they could play, so hopefully, Izuku would enjoy it. 

From the looks of things, he would.

His eyes were lit up with all the various lights from the arcade games around them as they made their way into the building, a near-childlike smile on his face. Izuku grips Katsuki's hand tightly, the excitement from both of them palpable in the air. 

"I love arcades!" Izuku says. "I never have time to do anything fun anymore, so this is great! It's been so long since I've been to one." 

"Well, you better be ready to have your ass beat at whatever we play," Katsuki grins. Despite his efforts to make the date fun for both of them, he can't deny his competitive side the stimulation. He would not be going easy on the nerd. 

"You're on," Izuku grins, determination shining in his eyes. 

They spend the next while switching between the games, finding ones they can compete in together, going victory for victory until they aren't even counting anymore. 

Afterward, they return to the car, heading to their second destination. He wants to make sure that Izuku gets something to eat before they go to the fireworks show, so they stop at the restaurant where he made reservations. 

It's a small restaurant that apparently serves some of the best katsudon in the city, which seems right up Izuku's alley. The building is a cute brick building with partitioned-off booths inside that offer privacy to those dining there. Katsuki's never liked having people up in his business, so it seemed like the perfect choice. 

"It smells so good in here," Izuku notes as they enter the establishment. 

"They make really good katsudon here," Katsuki tells him, and Izuku's eyes light up yet again. 

They're seated at a table by the windows, their order is taken, and now they're waiting for their food. 

"This has been really great," Izuku smiles. "I'm having a really good time, Kacchan." 

"Good." Katsuki reaches out across the table and takes Izuku's hand. Whenever they're with each other, it's much to his preference that they are touching somehow. He just feels so much better when he can feel Izuku. It's the corniest shit, and he knows it, but who is he to deny himself of what he wants? Especially if that thing is right in front of him and wants all the same things. 

They spend the rest of dinner talking about many different, mostly meaningless topics, just getting to know each other better. He's so glad he's got to know Izuku again and can see the person he grew up to be, despite the past. He's so strong and way more confident, but his warm and sweet smile is the same; it never fails to heat him up on the inside when he sees it, despite how fucking cheesy that sounds. 

Yeah, he's into all that cheesy shit now. Fucking sue Ground Zero for liking his boyfriend, if you must. 

They're onto the last stop now, walking from the restaurant down to the river, where the fireworks show will be; Izuku is completely oblivious, apparently unaware that anything like this is happening today. Confused by all the people out and about, he's completely clueless as to where they're headed. It's not until they're seated in the spot that Katsuki reserved for them to view the show that he has the pieces put together.

Sitting beside Katsuki in the grass, Izuku is nearly vibrating with excitement. Katsuki can't help but smile at Izuku when he's all excited like this, his warm and broad smile hidden by the darkness around them. Just looking at Izuku makes his heart almost burst in his chest. It's stupid, really, that something as simple as sitting next to the nerd manages to make him feel this way. 

Being around other people has never felt this way before. No one has ever managed to make Katsuki feel this way. When he looks at Izuku, it feels like he finally has things figured out--like everything will always be okay and turn out good, so long as he's by his side. 

Even when the fireworks start, Katsuki can't afford to look anywhere but at Izuku for even a second because he doesn't want to miss a single expression that Izuku makes. The fireworks echo out over the river, making them sound louder than a standard fireworks show, but the sounds are nothing compared to the beating of his heart in his chest. He reaches out and brushes a curl behind Izuku's ear, unable to keep his hands to himself. How can he, when Izuku is sitting right there, looking the way he does? 

Izuku spares him a small glance and smiles before turning his attention back to the scene in front of them. Katsuki still can't look away. His freckled cheeks are lit up by the various colors exploding in the sky above, and-

Katsuki just can't take it anymore. He knows what he has to say and what he has to do. The thought is terrifying, instantly causing the smile to fall from his face as he considers doing what he's about to do.

Because he will do it. He will tell Izuku he loves him. Nothing has ever felt more true in his life, so he has to. 

Leaning closer so he won't have to shout, he brings his lips close to his ear. 

"Izuku." 

"Hmm?" He responds without taking his eyes off the sky. 

"Izuku, I wanna tell you something." 

He finally looks at Katsuki, the light display reflecting in his green eyes. "What?" 

There's a short pause as he waits for his heart to calm down enough for him to let the words fall from his mouth. 

"I love you." Right as he speaks, an especially loud boom sounds above them, drawing Izuku's attention back to the sky. 

He didn't hear him. 

"What did you say?" Izuku says, glancing sideways at him. Katsuki leans even closer, snaking his arm around the other man's waist. 

"I said, I love you." 

Izuku whips his head around so fast that their foreheads crack against one another. He lets out a small curse, backing his face up a bit so he can look at Izuku. 

"You... love me." He parrots, rubbing his forehead with his fingers. 

"Yes." Very much. 

Izuku looks down for a moment, and Katsuki's heart sinks. He doesn't know what he was thinking or why he thought this would go over okay. It was so soon; they'd hardly started dating, and he must have ruined it all just now by saying this too soon. 

"Katsuki, look at me," Izuku says softly, grabbing the hero's chin. Reluctantly, he lets his eyes find Izuku's again as he prepares for the worst. 

"I love you too." 

Izuku's words hang between them for a moment before Katsuki can fully register them. 

"You do?" 

"Duh." Izuku smiles and leans forward to kiss him, which Katsuki happily accepts, his mind still reeling from the returning confession. They kiss softly and slowly as the fireworks continue to burst overhead, but neither moves to part from the other--not even when the finale begins, and the sky is practically on fire, begging for their attention. No, they stay there, lips connected, as the sky burns above them--because nothing is better or more deserving of Katsuki's attention than the man in his arms. 

Chapter 20: The Future

Notes:

This chapter's not quite as long as the others, but I felt I'd written all I needed to at this point. This one's just a short little epilogue to tie everything up!

As I mark this story complete, I'd really like to thank everyone who's read it so far and enjoyed my writing! I really appreciate all the comments and kudos I've gotten. Nothing makes me happier than waking up in the morning and getting to read through all of the lovely comments I've been left by everyone. So thank you!

It was only Izuku in the cafe that Saturday, where the last touches were being put in place so he could open the following Monday. 

The last few weeks had been full of hard work, but he'd had the opportunity to get to know all of Katsuki's former classmates and could call lots of them his friends now, which he was thankful for. Despite everything that led up to it, he was happy with what he got out of it. 

Almost the entirety of the inside of the cafe was new, save for the old piano that still sat on the back wall. With the mentality that he could do anything he put his mind to, he was able to fix the few problems that resided within the piano, and it was functioning once again. It wasn't perfectly in tune, nor did it look super great on the outside, but it only added to the charm. Maybe, it was there to serve as a reminder of the way things were before Katsuki had strolled into his life. 

Things had worked; Izuku had been able to truck along, day by day, and get things done. But where would that leave him in the end? With the way things were before, there was never a clear path in front of him. He knew that he wanted to keep running the cafe, but outside of that, life had held little else for him. 

Thankfully, he no longer had to think about things like that. He had Katsuki; no matter what life had in store for him, he knew it would be okay. He was no longer taking things day by day and instead could think about the future--like the one he would have with Katsuki. 

He was absolutely spoiled by him and lucky to have him. Every day, the hero was there, reminding Izuku in every way possible that he loved him and was in it for the long haul. 

Another change with the reopening was the menu prices, which Izuku still wasn't sure about. Katsuki had been adamant about it, stating that he'd been underselling himself all this time. It had taken quite a bit of convincing, but he did end up raising the prices. Hopefully, the changes will go over smoothly with the reopening and everything else. 

He knew he had at least a handful of heroes who were already posting about the reopening and how excited they were to stop in. Izuku was incredibly thankful for all their support over the last few weeks and had no idea what he'd done to deserve it, or how he'd be able to replay the kindness he'd been given. 

Right as he's exiting the cafe and locking up, his phone rings. It's Katsuki, and when he answers, he's requesting that Izuku come over for dinner. Like always, he agrees. 

He spends the rest of the evening at Katsuki's, spending their time like they often do, wasting away on the couch, watching movies as they cuddle. 

It's surprisingly easy dating Katsuki. Izuku has had little experience trying to date, but his boyfriend has made everything perfect and easy. Sure, there's an insignificant argument here and there, but they always get over it and can work through things together. There's never even a second where he doesn't feel loved or appreciated, and he hopes that he can make Katsuki feel the same way. 

The following day, he's still with Katsuki after having spent the night at his house. He makes breakfast and lunch for him and even takes him home to change his clothes. 

Katsuki keeps noting that running between their homes is pointless because he's always at Katsuki's now and should just start leaving his clothes there. 

It still feels too soon for Izuku to start doing anything like that. Katsuki doesn't usually push it, aside from his minor remarks here and there, which he appreciates. 

They're back at Katsuki's, and Izuku can tell something is up. It's the night before his cafe reopens, and Izuku wants to make a trip there to ensure everything is in order for the morning, but Katsuki won't let him. He's not exactly holding him hostage, but he's giving him every reason as to why he shouldn't go to the cafe. 

It's suspicious, according to Izuku's Professional Katsuki Opinion. 

As they sit on the couch, Izuku presses up against the other man's side; Katsuki keeps glancing down at his phone but won't show him what he's looking at. 

"None of your business," he keeps saying. Izuku has finally had enough. 

"You're acting strange, Kacchan," he states. "What's going on?"

"Fucking nothing, that's what," he says sharply. 

"You're fibbing." 

"Fibbing? What kind of elementary bullshit is that?" 

"You're a big fat fibbing fibber, and I want you to tell me what's wrong!" Izuku exclaims with a frown. 

Katsuki chuckles at his choice of wording. "Nothing is wrong, Izu, don't worry." He ruffles Izuku's curls, which he often does, before getting up off the sofa. 

"Where are you going?" Izuku asks, getting up to follow the other as he walks through the house. 

"You want to go to the cafe so bad, then let's go," he relents, putting on his shoes. 

"If you really don't want to go with me, I can go by myself," Izuku offers, putting his shoes on as well. 

"I don't do anything I don't wanna do, nerd," Katsuki says, heading out the door. 

Izuku can only follow him as he begins the short walk to The Little Leaf Cafe. The journey is mostly silent, aside from Katsuki's short answers to Izuku's prying questions, who is still not letting up on the conversation from earlier. Something is definitely up; he just can't figure out what it is. 

But then, the cafe comes into view, and all the questions are answered. The lights are on (not the way he left them), and through the big windows on the front of the building, he can see that it's filled with familiar faces. He grips his boyfriend's hand tightly as they enter the cafe, the little bell above the door ringing upon their entry. Like a Pavlovian response, his heart immediately swells upon hearing that sound, realizing that he will finally be open for business again tomorrow, thanks to all the people in the room who are smiling at him. The little bell will be ringing like it always used to, and things will return to normal. 

Well, not quite normal, considering all of the significant changes in his life as of late. But things will be just the way he wants them. 

He's suddenly surrounded by hugs and greetings from everyone, all happy that he finally gets to reopen. It's a party for the cafe, and everyone who helped Izuku in the last few weeks is there, along with his baristas, whom he hadn't seen much of during the cafe's closure. 

"Thank you guys so much," Izuku says, holding Katsuki's hand tightly. He focuses on the way his hand feels, using it to anchor himself and keep from tearing up over all the emotions swirling inside of him. 

"We're all so excited to see you open again!" Kirishima tells him. 

"It's all thanks to you guys, or I wouldn't be able to open again for even longer." He wipes his hand across his cheeks, having been unable to keep himself from crying tears of happiness. It's all just too much to hold in anymore. 

He's just so happy. Genuinely. He doesn't remember the last time life felt like this. 

After the initial thanks and greetings are out of the way, someone brings out a cake and some drinks, and they all celebrate the reopening with Izuku. 

"Who knew that Blasty would ever find love?" Ashido remarks. Izuku snickers, but Katsuki doesn't find it funny. 

"Go to hell!" he shouts. Everyone in the room must be used to his outbursts by now because it phases no one. Some even laugh. 

"If it makes you feel better, I always thought you were capable," Kaminari says, placing a hand on Katsuki's shoulder. Katsuki immediately turns around and grabs his hand, twisting his arm behind his back. Kaminari lets out a string of garbled apologies, and Izuku rolls his eyes with a smile and decides to intervene- if only to make sure that Katsuki doesn't get charged with assault.

After everyone is a few drinks deep, Jirou is in the back, plinking away on the piano, filling the space with music, and everyone's in their own little groups chatting; Izuku finds himself seated on the counter with his legs between Katsuki's thighs as he stands in front of him.

The blonde gives him a chaste kiss, and Izuku smiles, burying his head against his chest. Katsuki leans down and places his lips on top of his head. 

"You make me really happy, Izu," he says, smiling into his hair. "I love you so much." 

"I love you too," Izuku says, shifting his head to face Katsuki. He bumps their noses together, silently asking for another kiss, and Katsuki is all too happy to oblige. They don't care who's watching (or who's whistling behind them, probably Kaminari, Izuku notes) as they get lost in each other. 

"Thank you," Izuku says as they part from each other, their hands lingering on one another. 

"For what?" He brushes his fingers across Izuku's forehead, pushing his hair from his face and tucking it behind his ear. 

Izuku huffs out a sharp breath. "For literally everything, Kacchan. I seriously don't know what I'd be doing right now without you."

He can't even imagine his life without Katsuki in it anymore. Part of that scares him, but he's okay with it. He's okay with being scared. As long as he's got Katsuki by his side, then things will be okay. 

 

Notes:

A special thanks to my cat, George, who sat on my lap and gave me company while I wrote this.

Most of the time, he lays in my lap in a way that he'll fall off if I don't hold him, so you can thank him that I wasn't able to write this any faster.