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“What the hell is a fanfic trope?”
Katsuki glared at the extra cowering in front of them. She was anxiously wringing her hands together, gaze darting between Izuku and Katsuki. In contrast, Izuku was practically vibrating with excitement. Katsuki knew he’d have pulled a notebook out of who knows where to take notes if they weren’t supposed to be undercover and not drawing attention.
“I’m so sorry!” That didn’t answer Katsuki’s question. He let out a huff as, instead of explaining, the woman apologized yet again, bowing deep enough to draw a few stares from passersby.
So much for not drawing attention.
Well, they had lost any chances of subtlety when they had bumped into this woman as they were tailing their suspect. Izuku had been watching their mark with such concentration that he didn’t notice this extra cross his path, and she was doing who-knows-what when she should have been paying attention to walking. (It wasn’t Katsuki’s fault he had been distracted by the tight fit of Izuku’s jeans, his eyes drawn to the thick thighs straining against denim rather than focused on the area around them. It was definitely the fault of whichever agency extra was in charge of their disguises for this mission.)
So, the three had collided. Startled, the woman accidentally set off her quirk. A bright light encompassed Izuku and Katsuki, fading after a moment. Not only did their suspect get away, but they were now drawing the eyes of dozens of passersby as they stood in the middle of the busy sidewalk, trying to understand the quirk they had just been hit with.
At the present, nothing seemed different, but the woman looked embarrassed as she continued to try to explain.
“It brings fanfic tropes to life,” she repeated. “So, you know, like…”
“Fake dating! Enemies to lovers! Coffeeshop AU!” Izuku burst out. “Oh, my god. That’s fascinating. So your quirk manifests those scenarios? How does it work if it’s an AU like soulmates or no quirks? Those types of alternate universes wouldn’t just affect the people hit by your quirk, but the whole construction of the world in general… It must be very powerful! Do you have any control over the trope that occurs or is it completely random? How—”
“Oi, nerd, shut up!” Katsuki’s head was spinning with all the random phrases and terms Izuku was spitting out. He didn’t understand any of it. And the woman was shrinking even further under the interrogation.
“U-um, I’ve never studied it entirely, but AUs do happen,” she replied. “From what I’ve observed, they only affect the people my quirk hits, and then after it runs its course they return to normal. I don’t have complete control over the trope, but it seems to often choose a trope based on the relationship between the people it hits. Whatever it thinks will help them the most…”
“Fascinating,” Izuku said, hand coming up to cup his mouth as he started to mutter under his breath.
Katsuki did not think it looked cute.
“How long will this last?” he asked.
The woman jumped at his harsh tone. “U-um, unclear. Until the trope has a chance to fulfill itself.”
Katsuki groaned. Great. This could throw a huge wrench into their mission, depending on what happened.
He nodded to the woman, ignoring her repeated apologies, and dragged the still-mumbling Izuku away. They needed to let the agency know.
✧✦✧
Luckily the agency didn’t pull them from the mission, once Izuku had assured them it didn’t seem to be a trope that would affect their cognitive functions. Like omegaverse, whatever the hell that meant. Katsuki didn’t know how Izuku knew all these tropes or how he could rule out certain ones immediately, and he didn’t really want to know any more than what he’d overheard.
However, they had lost their target. They didn’t have any other intel on his movements, except for an exchange happening the next day. Meaning they would need to check into a hotel for the night. It wasn’t difficult to get a room last minute, but the moment they stepped into it, Katsuki froze. Izuku bumped into his back with a small noise of surprise.
“Tch, they made a mistake,” Katsuki grumbled, staring at the single king-sized bed in the middle of the room. He swore he had asked for two beds. Was everyone incompetent today?
Izuku peered around his shoulder and gasped. “Kacchan! It’s our trope! The only one bed trope!”
Katsuki whirled around to face Izuku, who was staring at the bed with wide, excited eyes. “Hah?!”
“Only one bed! It’s when two characters have to share a single bed due to circumstances, encouraging intimacy and bonding between them. The close proximity forces them to confront their repressed feelings for each other, and often ends with them finally getting together!”
Katsuki flushed as Izuku’s explanation went on. No. No way. No way was he sharing a bed with Izuku. No way was this quirk making him reveal his feelings for the nerd.
“I’m going to ask for a different room.” Katsuki pushed past Izuku, stomping down the hall.
“Kacchan, it won’t work! The trope!” he heard Izuku sing-song behind him.
✧✦✧
Izuku was right. Somehow the hotel that had been completely empty when they arrived had absolutely no other rooms available not even ten minutes later. Katsuki couldn’t believe it, but not even throwing around his hero name could convince the desk clerk to find another room, or even a spare cot or futon.
So here they were, in the middle of the “only one bed” trope.
Katsuki had considered offering to sleep on the floor, or demanding that Izuku do so, but he immediately tossed that idea. They were both active heroes on a mission. They needed their bodies in peak condition tomorrow, not sore from sleeping on an inadequate surface. He was being childish. The bed was absolutely big enough to fit both of them with space in between.
To ensure they didn’t get close, he even built a wall between them with extra pillows ordered from room service. (Plenty of extra pillows for their non-existent extra beds. Katsuki scoffed.)
“The wall will come down, Kacchan,” Izuku stated, eyeing Katsuki from his side of the bed.
“Is that a threat?” Katsuki added a few more pillows, fortifying the wall even more. He didn’t know how much Izuku moved in his sleep; he couldn’t risk him taking out his defenses.
Even now, Katsuki was struggling. Izuku looked much too inviting, laying on his own stack of pillows, wearing an old All Might shirt and looking at Katsuki with soft, sleepy eyes. Katsuki was tempted to destroy his own wall and tuck Izuku tight into his arms.
“No, Kacchan.” Izuku smiled up at him. Katsuki’s heart fluttered—definitely a leftover effect from the war. Satisfied with the wall, Katsuki threw himself onto his own pillows so he didn’t have to look at Izuku anymore. “I’m just saying, the trope will win.”
Katsuki shifted further to the edge of the bed. Not if he had any say.
✧✦✧
Izuku was right, yet again. Katsuki really needed to accept that Izuku knew more about these “fanfic tropes” than he did.
Something had awoken Katsuki. It was the middle of the night and the room was pitch dark. He lay there for a moment, trying to figure out what had woken him up. That’s when he realized that the wall had been destroyed. And he couldn’t completely blame Izuku. Yes, some pillows had been knocked over onto Katsuki’s head, but he had also migrated in his sleep, pushing offending pillows away in order to brush a hand against Izuku’s.
Horrified, Katsuki pulled his hand away, cupping it to his chest. Why was his body betraying him?
That’s when he heard it: a soft whimper. That’s what had awoken him.
He sat up, looking down at Izuku. Katsuki’s eyes had adjusted to the dark, and he could make out Izuku’s furrowed brow. His limbs were twitching, sweat beading on his forehead. Another whimper as Izuku’s head pressed into the pillow, the tendons in his neck straining.
Was he having a nightmare?
Katsuki hesitated for only a moment before he gently laid a palm on Izuku’s brow, soothing the furrow away. He was only doing it for their mission. Izuku needed to have a full night’s sleep to be in top shape…for their mission.
At the touch, Izuku’s eyes fluttered open.
“Ka—”
“Shh.” Katsuki pushed the remaining pillows away and shifted closer. “Shh, I’m here.”
Izuku’s half-asleep gaze struggled to focus on Katsuki in the dark. After a moment of staring, his face crumpled, tears welling in his eyes.
“Kacchan!” he gasped, hands darting up, reaching, grasping for Katsuki. “Kacchan!”
“Izuku, shh.” Katsuki pressed close, laying down next to Izuku and wrapping his arms tightly around him, pulling him close. “It’s okay, c’mere.”
Izuku sniffled, nuzzling into Katsuki’s neck, still not fully awake. He placed a hand on Katsuki’s chest, calloused fingers digging into Katsuki’s bare skin, directly over his heart.
Oh.
Katsuki tugged Izuku tighter to him, shifting so Izuku’s head rested on his chest.
“I’m right here, Izuku,” Katsuki murmured through a tight throat. “I’ll always be right here.”
Close enough to hear the sound of Katsuki’s heart, to feel his voice rumbling in his chest, Izuku seemed to calm down. Katsuki rhythmically stroked a hand through Izuku’s soft curls. Eventually, he felt Izuku’s breathing even out as he drifted back to sleep. Katsuki soon followed, the two entwined so tightly it was as if they were one.
✧✦✧
Katsuki’s internal clock had him blinking awake shortly after the sun rose. Surprisingly, he wasn’t the first one up.
“What the hell, Izuku?” Katsuki yelped, jerking away from the wide green eyes way too close to his face. Izuku smiled smugly, though his ears were tinted pink.
“Sooo, what did you think of the only one bed trope?” Izuku asked. “I told you your wall wouldn’t work. The couple always ends up cuddling by morning.” He glanced down, directing Katsuki’s attention to their positions.
Sure enough, they were still cuddling, Katsuki’s arms wrapped loosely around Izuku, their legs a tangled mess beneath the sheets. Izuku’s face was close, close enough that his breath ghosting over Katsuki’s bare chest was sending shivers down his spine.
“Couple, huh?” Katsuki echoed, ignoring the warmth rising in his cheeks.
Izuku flushed, starting to pull away. “I—if you don’t want…”
“Shut up, nerd.” Katsuki reached up, tugging Izuku down. He pressed his lips to Izuku’s in a searing kiss, which Izuku returned with enthusiasm. Lips slid together, tongues gently probed, and Izuku’s shifting body caused warmth to pool in areas Katsuki couldn’t ignore. A moan escaped as Izuku pressed Katsuki into the mattress, so many parts of their bodies touching, touching, touching.
Katsuki couldn’t believe this was happening. This was something he had desperately wanted for years, but barely allowed himself to think about, forcing himself to be grateful for Izuku’s forgiveness, Izuku’s friendship. That was enough. That had to be enough.
Izuku pressed even closer, clutching at Katsuki’s shoulders, tugging at Katsuki’s hair. As Katsuki’s senses filled with nothing but Izuku, Izuku, Izuku, he realized he could never go back. Being friends would never be enough anymore.
But they were still on a mission, Katsuki remembered through the haze of Izuku in his brain. …And partially under the influence of a quirk, he realized. He was sure the quirk didn’t force these feelings upon them. The woman had said the trope was chosen based on the relationship between people, and Izuku had said that “only one bed” brought together those who were repressing feelings for each other.
Katsuki knew his feelings were true, and he didn’t doubt Izuku’s were too, now. But he didn’t want to take this further until they were absolutely free of the quirk.
It felt like both an eternity and only a moment had passed when Katsuki pulled away. Izuku whimpered, chasing Katsuki’s lips and managing to land a chaste peck before Katsuki turned his head.
They’d have plenty of time to continue this once they were home, with the option of their own separate beds, no quirk forcing their close proximity.
Though looking up at Izuku’s big, longing eyes and glistening, spit-slick lips, Katsuki didn’t think they’d really be using separate beds, rooms, or apartments for much longer.
Katsuki tightened his grip on Izuku, pulling him back down onto his chest. “As much as I want to keep going, we’re still on a mission.”
Izuku grumbled, pressing a sneaky kiss to Katsuki’s chest. Katsuki sucked in a breath. No fair.
“C’mon, Izuku,” Katsuki pleaded, running a hand up Izuku’s back. “The mission…”
Izuku raised his head, eyes meeting Katsuki’s, pupils blown wide. “You can’t break the rules just this once?” Katsuki stared back, unsure what to say. If Izuku kept pressing, Katsuki would definitely lose his conviction. But after a moment, Izuku sighed. “Fine, you’re right. Plus, the quirk. But when we get home…?”
Katsuki swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. He quickly nodded. “Yeah, when we get home.”
Satisfied, Izuku settled back down onto Katsuki’s chest. “We have time before the mission. Let’s just lay here a bit longer.”
That Katsuki could do. He hummed in agreement, pressing his lips against Izuku’s hair, just breathing him in. Izuku let out a soft sigh, breath ghosting across Katsuki’s skin. Katsuki’s heart skipped a beat, but this time he wouldn’t even pretend it was because of the war. It was because he was tangled up with Izuku—his childhood best friend, his rival, his hero partner, his everything—all thanks to a damn fanfic trope.