Chapter Text
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Katsuki is waiting for homeroom to start when it happens.
He's currently practicing to write with his left hand. He will, no, he is definitely going to master writing with his only currently usable hand. His right arm is still in a sling, but it's on the path of healing. When he can use both of his arms again, he'll be ambidextrous.
But first, he's going to make his left hand his bitch—
"KACCHAN!"
Katsuki's pencil snaps in half. The whole of Class 2-A jump at Izuku's yell, some are quick to get into battle stance to assist their frantic classmate, while the others merely raise an eyebrow at his... excitement?
The green haired boy ignores the stares as his sparkly eyes focus only on Katsuki. The blond, meanwhile, gapes as this is the first time since the war that he has actually seen Izuku smile so widely and genuinely. None of that fake demeanor (that would soon be followed by the familiar phrase of, "I'm fine.") is present anywhere near the boy.
"What's with all the ruckus, nerd? H-hey!" Katsuki yelps as his childhood friend runs towards him even faster than four eyes could and puts his hands on the blond's waist to lift him up. "I-Izuku?!"
Katsuki immediately puts his arm around Izuku's neck for leverage as he is spun around like he weighs nothing while Izuku laughs without a care in the world. "Kacchan! Guess what! Guess what!"
Katsuki splutters, "What?! And put me the fuck down!" The hell? What has gotten into the idiot? Doesn't he realize that they have spectators? And just yesterday Katsuki had to force Izuku to eat dinner because he was feeling melancholy over his fading embers. It's like he was hit by a fucking happy-go-lucky quirk.
"I have One For All!"
The whole class, including Katsuki, let out a gasp.
"The vestiges, I mean, the previous users of One For All appeared in my dream and they said that they used the last of their powers so that instead of disappearing for good, the embers will get stronger and stronger until I could use One For All fully again. They said I could use their quirks until I'm old and grey! When I woke up, I felt it, Kacchan! Even now, I can already feel One For All, stronger than I've ever felt these last months! Oh, but—" Suddenly, Izuku halted. His cheerfulness begins to dim as he mumbles, "the past users... they— they're gone now. I-I'm gonna miss them so much, Kacchan. I'm so grateful. I feel bad, but— but I also can't help but feel so relieved and so— so happy. And maybe I don't deserve it, but the thought of being a hero again—"
"Stop right there." Katsuki glares at him.
"H-Huh?"
"You fucking deserve this power, Izuku. You've made it your own and there's nobody else more suitable in using it. The past users, you say? They wouldn't have given you this gift if you weren't worthy of it. Hell, those powers are worthy of you!"
"Kacchan..." Tears begin to fill his green eyes but Katsuki doesn't stop.
"And you are a hero. You've always been a hero and will always be a hero, whether you have a quirk or not, got it?" Katsuki places his palm on Izuku's right cheek so the other sees his eyes and accepts the truth in his words. "Put it through your head! You don't have to feel bad, in fact, be more selfish, would you? You have a right to be happy about this!"
Throughout Katsuki's speech, he watches as more tears gather in Izuku's eyes and fall down his cheeks. He expects Izuku to break down, to drown this classroom with his waterfall of tears, but what happens next not only make the whole class gasp again, but also scream.
Izuku, war hero, user of One For All, All Might's successor and the future Symbol of Hope, is kissing him.
Izuku has Katsuki in his hold, arms around his waist and is putting their lips together.
It's Katsuki's first kiss.
It only lasted three seconds.
When they pull apart, Katsuki feels his heart stop beating while Izuku's face turns as red as a ripe tomato.
"I-I-I-I'm so—" Izuku falls into his knees, head bows low against the floor. "I'M SO SORRY, KACCHAN!"
And then, fucking chaos.
"Whoaa! Go Midobro!"
"THAT WAS SO MANLY, MIDORIYA!"
"YEAH! GET SOME!"
"Inappropriate acts in class are not allowed, Midoriya-kun! Bakugou-kun— ack!"
"Now's not the time, Iida-kun!"
"But, Uraraka-san— ack! Asui-san?!"
"Let them be, class rep."
"My best friends are getting together. I approve."
"Since when is Bakugou your best friend, Todoroki?"
"Since forever, Sero."
"Hell yeah, Midoriya's back!"
"Give it a few weeks and the Wonder Duo's gonna kick our asses in practical exams again."
"That was so romantic! Look at Blasty being swept off his feet~!"
"Midoriya's got balls!"
"Somebody check if Bakugou is still alive! I don't think he's breathing."
"His heart monitor! Nooo!"
"Should we take him to Recovery Girl?"
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, Kacchan!"
The boy sounds genuinely upset that Katsuki snaps out of his frozen state.
He has no choice but to try and comfort him, even though he doesn't think he could calm himself down. "I-Idiot, relax," The other's head snaps up, teary green eyes meeting Katsuki's dazy reds.
"B-B-B-But I violated you! I didn't mean to— no, wait! I mean, I wanted to! I wanted to k-kiss you, and never ever violate you," Izuku places his scarred palms against his flushing face, yet the blond can still hear every mutters, "You told me to be selfish so I did, and I was filled with so much adrenaline that I can't help doing the one thing I've wanted to do since we were four!"
"Four?!"
"You bastards better shut the fuck up before I blow this whole building up!"
"No! Bad, Kacchan! Think of your heart!"
"Since he was four, he says. Someone write this down so they could make a drama out of this—"
"I swear to god, Dunce Face, Purple Balls..."
"Eep! No, wait, dude—"
Cutting off everyone's rackets, Izuku groans loudly into his hands and suddenly, purple smoke starts to come out of his form.
Shocked at the onslaught of gas, the class is once again filled with yells and loud complaints. In mere seconds, the room is covered in purple smoke, and it doesn't take long for the extras to start coughing while trying to fan the air away.
Most of them scramble to open the windows and doors, but Katsuki has a different priority.
He quickly catches Izuku's wrist, knowing full well that the latter is strategizing his escape. Bolting out the door or floating out the window, either way, Katsuki isn't about to let him go. Not again.
"Don’t you dare run away from me again, Izuku!" Having One For All or not, Katsuki refuses to budge when Izuku tries to pull away.
"Please let me go! I know you don't like to be touched, Kacchan, and I forced myself on you! I don't want to hurt you—"
"Idiot! The only thing that would hurt me is if you leave!" He pulls Izuku towards him with all his might.
Anything that would have come out of Izuku's mouth is swallowed by Katsuki's lips as this time, the greenette is the one being kissed by the blond.
Izuku makes a sound of surprise, but Katsuki ignores it as he places his arm back around Izuku's neck. Once the latter got over his shock, he slowly but surely circles Katsuki's waist again and kisses him back.
Right here, hidden by Smokescreen, one of Izuku's powers that they thought is on the verge of being lost forever, uncaring of the chaos around them, Katsuki lets Izuku be selfish. He gives himself to his childhood friend, letting him take control of the kiss as Katsuki tries and fails to control the rapid beating of his heart.
Izuku tilts his head, deepening their kiss, making Katsuki let out a small moan. In the back of his mind, he's secretly glad that their friends are being loud enough to cover the noises he's making.
It felt like years, but they eventually pull away. Breathless and dazed, Katsuki bravely meets Izuku's eyes.
"I've wanted to do that since my birthday last year." That was the first time Katsuki felt himself falling.
"R-Really?" Izuku gulps when he nods.
"When you left, I realized how much I took you for granted." Katsuki places his palm on Izuku's chest, holding onto the front of the other boy's uniform like a lifeline. It's not easy, bearing himself like this, even if he now trusts Izuku with his whole being. Still, he needs Izuku to understand, "I want you, Izuku. I was serious when I said that I want us to compete with each other for the rest of our lives. If— if you'll have me,"
One of Izuku's arms leaves Katsuki's waist so his scarred hand engulfs the one holding his shirt. Izuku's hand is bigger than his, he realizes, but Katsuki doesn't feel small. He feels safe and warm.
"Of course, I'll have you. I want to have you." Izuku smiles through his tears. "I want all of Kacchan."
Katsuki feels himself falling deeper. He embraces that feeling.
Izuku expected to lose One For All. He had known it would happen the moment he chose to save Tenko, and if he had to do it all over again, he would — a hundred times over.
He would always keep reaching his hand to help.
But...
But it doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt. It doesn't mean that he wouldn't scream in frustration. It doesn't mean that he wouldn't break down in the privacy of his own room. It doesn't mean that he wouldn't give a fake smile every time his mother, teachers and friends ask if he is okay. That he wouldn't weep until he struggles to breathe, only for Katsuki to find him and comfort him as he cries to sleep.
He had felt the embers fading, disappearing, like some kind of tether was pulling his soul away from him. Slowly. Cruelly.
After all of his failures that had happened in the war, he thinks he deserves to lose the powers that weren't his in the first place. Everyday, he expects to wake up quirkless again, that he'd wake up without the one thing that had made him reconnect with someone special. Everyday, he lied to himself, telling himself that he was fine with this outcome.
Now, a few months after the war, he is back to chasing his dream.
He's lucky. He's privileged. He—
"You fucking deserve this power, Izuku."
Izuku doesn't believe in himself yet, not like before. But Katsuki believes in him. His friends and family believes in him. For now, that's enough.
It will take time, but one day, Izuku will finally accept that he deserves this. He deserves being a hero with Kacchan by his side.
I want to be the greatest hero.
After a long time, Izuku begins to hope again.
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