Work Text:
The apartment was slightly chilly as Izuku worked. He’d gotten home hours ago, and was starting his weekend of grading papers and working on evaluations. The apartment was dark, save for the light on his desk that illuminated the space just enough for him to read by. He’d turned it on when the sun had started to go down, but he hadn’t realized how dark it had gotten since then, too absorbed in his work. Hours had gone by, and the teacher was so wrapped up in what he was doing, that he didn’t notice anyone approaching.
Izuku was snapped out of his concentration when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his middle. He looked down and saw a head of spiky ash blond hair, and a tender smile spread across his face.
“Kacchan,” Izuku breathed out a laugh, adjusting his arms as his partner burrowed deeper into his side, providing a very welcome source of warmth in the cool apartment. The angle was awkward, as Izuku’s desk chair wasn’t exactly built to accommodate anything other than sitting, but neither man seemed to mind. Izuku certainly wasn’t complaining.
For a few minutes, they stayed like this, with Izuku finishing up the last paper he was on before speaking again.
“How was your day?” he asked his partner, pushing away slightly from his desk so they could both get more comfortable. He reached his hands out to bury them in the other's soft hair, gently massaging his scalp and behind his ears.
“Fine,” was all Katsuki said in response, his words muffled from where he was buried against Izuku.
“You, didn’t get hit with a Quirk, did you?” Izuku asked tentatively. He didn’t mind the attention, not at all, but he wanted to make sure nothing had gone wrong. He knew from experience that some Quirks made people’s behavior change, and that the person being affected weren’t always acting on their own will or doing things they wanted to actually do.
“No, just missed you,” he mumbled, his face still buried in Izuku’s hip. His smile widened in response, his heart warming in his chest. He often wondered how they managed to get to this point, but he wasn’t complaining. The ups and downs of their relationship deepened it more than he could ever hope to articulate, and in the end, they got here.
They stayed like that for a few more minutes, with Katsuki on his knees as Izuku bowed over him, both content, for the moment, to stay in this position.
“I only have a few more papers in this stack to grade,” Izuku told him, withdrawing his hands from the depths of his hair to stroke the top of Katsuki’s head. “Can you wait?”
The half grunt half whine he received in return affirmed Katsuki’s begrudging acceptance of his words, and Izuku went back to grading. He didn’t want to, not really, but he still had work to do and he wanted to get it off his plate so his weekend would be free. He couldn’t deny that he was distracted the whole time, as he was all too aware of Katsuki’s body pressed against his. He sent out a silent apology to his students for his light grading, but he had more pressing matters to attend to at the moment.
“Alright,” he smiled to himself, clicking his pen closed and gently pushing away from his desk. He turned his chair as Katsuki adjusted to the turn, making it so he was fully draped across Izuku’s lap head on, arms still firmly wrapped around his waist. He resumed petting the top of his partner's head, his other hand resting gently on his shoulder. He wasn’t tense, Izuku could feel it under his fingers, but he gently began kneading the muscles there, causing the ash blond to let out a little sigh. Izuku loved seeing him like this, totally relaxed and unburdened by any worries.
As far as he could tell, Katsuki wasn’t showing signs of stress or aggravation. He truly just missed Izuku, and the realization made his heart swell with affection.
He placed both hands on the side of Katsuki’s face and tilted his head up, smiling gently at his partner as he used his thumbs to caress the tops of his cheeks. The ash blond leaned into his touch, his eyes droopy and relaxed under Izuku’s ministrations. He really did look like a cat, lazily accepting the affection he was being given without protest, even leaning into it. Izuku continued to caress his face, lovingly brushing against the scar on his cheek with a reverence only they shared. Katsuki let out a sigh again, letting his eyes close as he sagged more of his weight onto Izuku’s lap. The teacher was convinced he’d fall asleep then and there if he allowed it, but knew the ash blond wouldn’t be happy about it in the morning.
“Alright, why don’t we head to bed, yeah?” Izuku suggested, gently patting his shoulders. The pro let out a rare whine of displeasure, but got to his feet with a grunt. He didn’t back away, not giving Izuku much space to get up without colliding into Katsuki’s chest. This was by design, of course, as Katsuki wrapped his arms around Izuku as soon as he stood up, holding him close in a safe, loving embrace. His arms had enclosed around his shoulders, making it so Izuku couldn’t escape as he pressed tender kisses to the top of his head.
“Kacchan,” Izuku let out a laugh of mild admonishment, though he made no move to escape, instead just returning the hug as he accepted the kisses. Katsuki moved slowly across his head, like he was planning on showing each curl individual attention. The two gently swayed in each others holds, just absorbing the presence of one another. Still, Izuku was keen on getting to bed, so he, reluctantly, pulled away from his partner.
“C’mon,” he beckoned to the taller man, taking his hand and leading him out of his office.
They lazily went through their nighttime routine, which was a bit difficult to maneuver when Katsuki refused to keep his hands off of Izuku. Whether it was an arm around his waist, a hand on his hip or his elbow, a finger grabbing onto his shirt, Katsuki insisted on touching Izuku in some way. It was reassuring, in a way, to see Katsuki like this. Izuku often worried that he was being too much; too clingy, too oozy with affection, too overwhelming with his compliments. Yet, seeing Katsuki in the reflection of their mirror, always catching him staring with those eyes, half lidded with a mix of relaxation and exhaustion, made him think it was alright if he was too much. Their life, their relationship, their love had always burned with an intensity that would burn anyone else. The fire hadn’t gotten less bright, but it had, through communication and understanding, become more easy to contain and withstand, less volatile and dangerous. He was always endlessly glad that they were able to have these moments with the man he loved.
Once their routine was completed, they laid down in bed and immediately tangled themselves together under the sheets, Katsuki burying his face against the dip of Izuku’s neck. The pro hero’s strong arms circled the teacher’s waist again, holding him securely to his body, but not like he was scared he’d disappear. The ash blond just wanted him as close as possible, to make the most of the scarce amount of alone time they were afforded.
“Izuku,” he breathed into his skin, ducking his head and pressing his ear to his chest to listen to his heartbeat. Izuku did his best to breathe evenly, to allow Katsuki the clearest sound he could hear. He cradled the back of Katsuki’s neck as they stayed like that, allowing the ash blond to do what he wished, clearly taking comfort in the sound of Izuku’s heartbeats. Izuku himself brought his hand close to the pulse of Katsuki’s neck, reassured by the rhythmic beating under his own skin, reminding himself that he was alive and breathing and here with him. He’d have to send Edge Shot another gift basket soon.
The pro hero moved, adjusting himself on the bed so that they were eye level. Katsuki tenderly held Izuku’s face, mirroring what Izuku had done earlier. They held each other’s gaze for a moment, simply adoring each other in the dark of their bedroom, the only illumination coming from the twinkling city lights that they could see from their window. The green haired male was a little disappointed that he couldn’t see Katsuki’s eyes as clearly, his back facing the window and obstructing a clear view. Still, with the light gently bathing his outline, molding to every dip and curve of the man he loved, it was still an amazing view. Izuku’s eyes closed as Katsuki brought his face closer, soft lips pressing gentle kisses across his freckled cheeks, nose, and eyelids. He then went over to the scar under his eye, and kissed each spot where a freckle had once been. The slighter male smiled as he was showered with attention, able to feel the unspoken promise that each kiss held. He faintly smelled of smoke, a scent Izuku associated with comfort and strength. He could also smell faint traces of his cologne, mixed in with the smoke in a way that was nearly intoxicating. He leaned forward and buried his nose against his jaw, where Katsuki usually applied his cologne, letting out a pleased sigh as he did. Of all the places in the world, being in Katsuki’s arms was his favorite, and he felt like every moment together was something to be treasured.
He had every smell committed to memory, every scar and dip in his skin. Izuku wormed a hand under Katsuki’s shirt, allowing it to drift up his back to the scar that bloomed exactly opposite where his heart was. He lovingly traced the edges of it, the pads of his fingers dragging against every spire that spread out from the center. He felt Katsuki shiver slightly at the touch, his vulnerability a sight only afforded to Izuku in the seclusion and safety of their home.
“I love you,” Katsuki mumbled against his temple, his breath blowing against his hair, tickling his face. Izuku smiled against his skin, giving him a gentle squeeze in response to his words. Sometimes, Izuku felt like he was dreaming. Being in Katsuki’s arms was a heavenly sanctuary that he wished he could live in forever. In his arms, he felt unstoppable.
“I love you too,” Izuku told him as they adjusted again so that Katsuki’s face was resting against Izuku’s chest. He was gently dragging his nails along the base of Katsuki’s neck, through the shorter strands of hair that grew there. Katsuki reached up for one of his hands and brought it to his lips, pressing sweet, supple kisses to each scar. He kissed every knuckle, every tear and jagged line that decorated his skin. Izuku used to be somewhat self conscious of them, only begrudgingly accepting them because it was a consequence of One for All. It was Katsuki that made him truly fall in love with his own hands, replacing wincing glances with prolonged stares. How could he hate a part of himself when his Kacchan loved them so deeply? He traded shame for pride, knowing that these scars were a sign of his strength. It was Katsuki who helped him truly see that. “And I missed you. You were on my mind all day,” he revealed.
Normally, this type of sentence would earn a sarcastic, sharp remark from the man in his arms, his nature compelling him to tease and poke fun at how much of a sap Izuku was. He never minded.
Tonight, however, the ash blond just sighed, content oozing off of him in waves. It filled Izuku’s heart with elation, knowing his words evoked such a response from him.
“Me too,” he mumbled against his collarbone, his breath warm and damp against his skin. “Couldn’t come home fast enough. Couldn’t get you out of my head.”
Izuku grinned like an idiot.
“I’ll always be waiting, Kacchan,” he promised, kissing the crown of his head. “Always for you.”
“I love you,” he whispered, his fingers digging into the back of his shirt.
“I love you too.”
-
The next morning, Izuku woke up alone, but he could smell the breakfast Katsuki was making in the kitchen. He was a little disappointed, having hoped they’d be able to spend the morning lazily cuddling as the sun rose, but this was nice too. He sat up with a grunt, stretching his arms above his head to work out the tightness that never seemed to go away. He had forgotten about them last night, the dull pain being pushed to the back of his mind as he and Katsuki had embraced. It was funny how the ash blond had that effect on him.
He climbed out of bed, enticed by the smell of food and of the prospect of seeing the love of his life, making his way to the main room of their apartment.
“About time you woke up,” Katsuki barked in lieu of greeting as Izuku lazily shuffled over to him.
“Mm, good morning,” Izuku replied through a yawn, immediately walking up behind his partner and hugging him from the back. He could hear the ash blond gear up like he was going to complain, but instead just grumbled to himself. Izuku nuzzled against the back of his neck, and pressed a kiss along his shoulders through his shirt. Izuku looked up and noticed the tips of his ears and the back of his neck were slightly pink.
“I missed you,” he whispered softly against his spine, hoping to catch a tendril of the sentiments of last night. He was prepared for Katsuki to brush him off, not unkindly, just in his usual way. To his pleasant surprise, he didn’t, instead leaning some of his weight against Izuku as the tension in his shoulders lessened.
“Idiot, I’m right here,” he mumbled, bringing a hand up to his stomach to cover Izuku’s. “M’not goin’ anywhere.”
“I know,” Izuku smiled into his neck, the spiky strands of Katsuki’s hair tickling his face.
It was slightly cool in their apartment, the tile of their kitchen chilling against his skin. Izuku didn’t feel it anymore, not when he had his Kacchan in his arms.