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Deku always buys things for others.
He looks specifically for things his friends have mentioned in passing years or mere minutes ago, keeps an eye out for gifts his mom or Katsuki’s parents might like or would overwhelmingly enjoy. No matter the price, no matter the time it may take to get or make the thing, Deku will do it.
Because why not? Each person in his life deserves good things, he tells Katsuki, hiding a gift for him behind his broad back despite it being nowhere near their anniversary.
Wonderful things, he insists, picking out a new box of tea for All Might.
So, it's easy to justify doing things for them, he says when picking up a new mug for their old sensei, a curled-up cat printed on the sides and Aizawa’s name written on the bottom in Deku’s quick, slightly slanted hand.
He always shrugs when he says it, eyes warm and tone quiet with his hands full of the candy Kirishima likes, or the mochi Uraraka enjoys, all too selfless in everything he does, especially the small things.
Except, he can never justify doing it for himself. It's not the same, he argues, looking at a plushie of the quickly growing popular hero Lemillion to give to Eri next he sees her. She’s a teenager now, but when it comes to Deku and Togata, she seems to lose years off her shoulders, accepting and giving gifts like nothing would make her happier.
"I'm me, so I know what I do or don't need. Why get something for myself if I can get it for the people I love instead?"
Yeah, fuck that. Deku has spoken a lot of bullshit into existence in the many, many years Katsuki has known him, but this one smells particularly rank.
Deku deserves the goddamn world, and if he can't see that, can't see that everybody wants to do the same for him that he does for them, then Katsuki will be the one to justify that for him. Because sometimes when you can't justify doing something nice for yourself, you need someone willing to justify getting the expensive, inane thing for you instead, to get and do the things you think are too indulgent.
Deku deserves everything, everything and more, but even Katsuki knows that this is… a bit much.
He stares at the large box at his feet, arms crossed and feet bare, not awake enough to critically think about what’s in it.
It’s late. Deku’s already resting in their bed, probably sleep-soft and warm, wearing boxers and an old shirt of Katsuki’s, his hair a mess and smelling fresh from his shower earlier…
Katsuki groans, roughly rubbing his hands over his face. Set up first, smother Deku after.
He looks down at the box again, and somehow is still quietly surprised by how big it is.
“Fuck it,” he mutters aloud, and bends down, hefting the box into his arms with a grunt, carting it from the front door to the living room.
Deku’s the biggest fanboy he’s ever met, bordering on stalkerish, so this is just right for him. It will undoubtedly make the nerd cry and then possibly pass out, maybe even blubber on Katsuki for a couple minutes or hours, so the size won’t even be relevant at that point. It’s been a while since Katsuki splurged on anything, anyways.
Deku’s worth splurging on, even if he doesn’t believe it.
Katsuki carefully sets the weighty box down in the middle of the room and starts shoving the couches back.
Tomorrow is the start of their three-day weekend, and he already knows Deku doesn’t have any plans. Mostly because Katsuki made sure he didn’t plan anything, specifically for the surprise, but still. It was their time off, so what better time will he have to watch Deku fall into his next obsession?
Katsuki is fully prepared for a weekend of watching Deku nerd out and reminding him to eat periodically. He even has a new book he can start so he can still be entertained and near his boyfriend when he’s not paying attention to Katsuki.
Once he pushes the couches back against the wall and clears the floor, taking care to not make any loud noises, Katsuki positions the box so that it’s hidden out of sight from the doorway - just so Deku doesn’t accidentally find it tomorrow morning if he passes by the living room instead of going through the kitchen on his way to work out.
Katsuki nods to himself, satisfied with the simple but clean presentation, and turns off the lights as he walks further into the house, checking their locks and windows as he goes.
He makes a quick detour before joining Deku in their bedroom to Deku’s weird-ass All Might shrine and Katsuki’s own Very Normal And Not-Creepy All Might collection.
He carefully clears out a space in between both their collections, hands more careful than they usually are. Around four feet tall with the stand, maybe a foot and half-wide – that should be enough space. He doesn’t fuss too long, knowing Deku will obsessively arrange it to his liking anyways, and instead finally goes to join him in bed.
Katsuki walks into their bedroom, looks at the bed, and rolls his eyes, failing to stifle a snort and the way his lungs squeeze in protest at the endearing sight.
Deku’s wrapped like a boa-constrictor around Katsuki’s pillow, but there’s a small frown between his eyebrows. He’s restless, dissatisfied by the pillow in his arms, and Katsuki knows exactly why, toeing off his socks and sweats and climbing in next to him in just his shirt and boxers.
As soon as his weight settles on the bed, under the covers and the space of a hand away from Deku, he waits. And, like clockwork, despite being dead asleep, Deku starts moving.
It makes the soft, squishy part inside Katsuki’s chest ache, but he pays it no extra thought, far too used to the way Deku makes him feel too much, even at fuck-o-clock at night.
Almost immediately, Deku starts gravitating towards Katsuki, some subconscious part of him recognizing his presence and searching for him. Little shuffles forward with his hips, a foot sticking out and hooking over Katsuki’s waist to help pull his lower half over, the gradual replacement of the pillow in his arms for Katsuki’s hands, then his arms, and then finally, his entire body wrapped around Katsuki like he was with the pillow.
It happens every night without fail, whenever Deku goes to bed first and Katsuki joins later. Deku uses Katsuki's pillow as a substitute, and then once Katsuki joins him and after a few minutes of shuffling, he latches onto Katsuki like a limpet.
Deku is incapable of sleeping without some part of him touching Katsuki, and Katsuki won’t admit it out loud, but he craves the weight of Deku on his chest far too much to be able to sleep any other way. Deku may be clinging to him now, but come morning, Katsuki won’t want to let go when Deku inevitably gets up first.
But for now, Katsuki just wraps his arms around Deku, tucking him more firmly on top of him and under the sheets, contently closing his eyes. He noses into messy, soft hair, squeezes his arms a little tighter until Deku produces the ugliest yet cutest snuffle-snort grunting sound Katsuki has ever heard (and now needs to hear every night), and falls asleep to the gentle rumble of Deku’s breathing.
Katsuki only wakes once and very briefly in the middle of the night, feeling cold and suspiciously light. He squints his eyes open as little as possible and sees that Deku has turned enough during the night to fall off his chest, back facing towards him.
His head is fuzzy with sleep, and he’s not warm enough, so Katsuki sluggishly pats his hand out in search of getting his warmth back. Instead of pulling the blanket back over them, he shuffles closer to Deku once he accidentally smacks him in the face and hears the resulting grunt, seeking out his heat and blearily wrapping an arm under Deku’s neck and around his front, the other over Deku’s ribs with his hand resting limply on the mattress, and one leg thrown over his hip.
He grunts with displeasure when Deku shuffles in his grip too much and squeezes him closer until he settles down. Deku sighs sleepily, and Katsuki presses a sloppy kiss to the back of his neck, already falling back asleep.
-
Something tickles Katsuki’s face, something squishy, feather-light, and a little scratchy, so he wrinkles his nose in displeasure, turning his face into his pillow and squeezing his arms tighter around the warmth in his arms.
A gentle laugh filters through his ears, and he unconsciously smiles at the sound. The laugh gets a little louder, a little brighter at that, and the same feeling from before touches his face again, this time on the other side.
He grunts, but he’s too tired to turn his face any further into the soft bedding beneath his head. The light behind his eye lids is warm, but soft and barely there, so it’s no trouble to fall back asleep.
“Kacchan,” he hears whispered before he can fully settle back down. The voice is deep from sleep, but its earnest tenor is familiar from years of listening to it ramble directly in his ear. “Kacchan, I need to get up.”
Katsuki grunts again, but in denial this time. He shifts so that his weight is laying over the warmth beneath him more firmly, rolling from his side onto his front with a big sigh. He squeezes his arms tighter around broad shoulders in hopes of a quick descent back to unconsciousness, but despite his best efforts, he starts to wake up.
He’s perfectly comfortable with his face tucked in the space between Deku’s warm neck and the pillow, his body covering Deku’s completely and their legs tangled together but Deku is shaking with little laughs, and it’s enough of a disturbance to force Katsuki awake.
“Kacchan,” Deku says again, a little giggly. “I need to get up,” he repeats, voice muffled against Katsuki’s collarbone. He presses his lips to the base of Katsuki’s neck, and the tickling sensation is just strong enough to make him twitch, Deku snickering at him.
“Mn,” Katsuki says in neither acknowledgement or agreement, and Deku laughs again, but settles down beneath him. His hands are tucked between their chests, softly pressing against the beat of Katsuki’s heart. He regrets going to bed with a shirt on.
He cracks an eye open and is met with green everywhere - a familiar sight, but not what he's looking for. He turns his head down and to the side, peeking past Deku’s wild hair to see his freckles and the lift of a cheek that means his boyfriend is smiling.
“You need chap stick,” Katsuki says, voice low and gravelly, feeling satisfaction lazily curl in his chest when it makes Deku smile even bigger. “Your lips are dry as fuck.”
“Rude,” Deku laughs.
He squirms under Katsuki, trying to hide his ear from where Katsuki had directly spoken the words. It's too late, though.
Katsuki blows air in his ear on purpose this time, and smirks, pleased at Deku's high-pitched yelp and the instinctive jerk of his shoulders to hide his ear from Katsuki. Deku removes one of his hands to slap Katsuki’s shoulder in reprimand, but it’s less of a hit and more of a fond caress. Fucking sap.
Katsuki shifts down so he can see his face clearly, resting his chin on Deku’s chest and slowly blinking his eyes open. Damn, he’s more tired than he thought he was. This is why he doesn’t stay up past his bedtime. It was for a good reason, but now his body’s internal schedule is all fucked up.
That’s why he’s letting Deku get away with being a little shit this morning. That’s the only reason why, even if the warmth in his ribs says otherwise.
“So early in the morning and yet your mouth is still so dirty,” Deku laments, but he’s smiling at Katsuki, tilting his head down to kiss his forehead, so Katsuki counts it as a win. “No ‘Good morning, Izuku,’ or ‘How was your night, my beloved,’ or even an ‘I love you.’ Just a swear word right out of the gate, huh.”
“You like me dirty,” Katsuki grumbles weakly, eyes falling close again, face dropping onto Deku’s shoulder. How the hell is Deku always so talkative in the morning? Katsuki can barely function enough to get out a full sentence, especially as tired as he is.
“Maybe,” Deku says, and Katsuki frowns, the space between his eyebrows wrinkling.
“Fucker,” he grouches, voice muffled in Deku’s chest. He can’t stop the smile that curls the corner of his lips when Deku laughs again.
A familiar hand comes up to card through Katsuki’s hair, and he leans into the touch instantly. He sighs, deep and satisfied, shifting his arms under and around him more comfortably. He's fully prepared to go back to sleep with Deku in his hold, which is why he doesn’t understand when Deku starts talking about getting up again.
“Kacchaannnn,” he wheedles. “Kacchan, you’re heavy and I need to get up.”
Despite his words, Deku’s hand stays comfortably in Katsuki’s hair, and he kicks a leg out of their blankets to wrap around the back of Katsuki’s thigh, curling up closer to him.
“If I’m heavy, then you’re weak,” Katsuki says, grinning groggily when he gasps in offense.
“How dare you,” Deku says. He tugs at his hair rudely, but Katsuki can hear the smile in his voice.
“I dare,” Katsuki promises.
“You always dare,” Deku sighs, voice fond and scratching his fingers on Katsuki’s scalp. He shudders, limbs growing lax and limp around Deku, a soft groan spilling out of his lips.
He’s comfortable and warm, in what might be one of his favorite places in the world, so of course that’s when Deku tries to escape. As soon as Deku presses his hands firmly against his chest, pushing lightly as if to test the weight, Katsuki’s eyes shoot open, suddenly vividly awake.
Deku wouldn't dare-
Being the little shit he is, Deku dares.
"Oi!" Katsuki starts. "The hell are you-"
Deku pushes Katsuki off him with a small hup, laughing at his undignified shout when he’s flipped roughly onto his back. He tries to dive over the side of the bed, but Katsuki snatches Deku’s ankle in time with a firm, unyielding hand, pulling him back into the bed.
“Noooo,” Deku whines.
He keeps trying to roll out of Katsuki’s grip, unsuccessfully and futilely, as he drags him back across the bed, shirt riding up and exposing his little green happy trail as he goes. As enticing a sight that is, Deku's trying to leave when it's their day off, and Katsuki is not going to have it.
“Where the fuck do you think you’re going, hah?!”
Katsuki yanks Deku back under him, this time lying chest to back on him and forcing Deku face down on the bed and into submission with no remorse, his hands placed threateningly high on his ribs and right next to his armpits.
“Wait, no Kacchan, don’t!” Deku pleads, a nervous giggle coming out of him despite Katsuki not moving his fingers.
"And why not?"
Deku turns his head to the side, peeking out from the pillows to glare at Katsuki. It’s weak because he’s smiling so hard and he looks more deranged than anything else, but Katsuki will let him think he’s being intimidating anyways.
“I have patrol in an hour!” he protests.
He's trying to buck his hips up, and consequentially Katsuki, off the bed, but Katsuki lets his full weight fall on him, removing his hands from his side to star-fish out on top, and Deku collapses back onto the bed.
“Oomph,” Katsuki hears float up from the pillows, Deku’s face shoved directly in them. He smirks at the sound, and deliberately settles more comfortably on Deku’s back, grinning when Deku groans at the added weight and at the fact that his harebrained, stupidly pretty, dumb-shit boyfriend forgot they were on holiday for the next three days.
“Nah, you don’t,” Katsuki says, bonking his forehead on the back of Deku’s head.
Deku stops moving, pulling his face out of the pillows again to look to the side, his eyes squinting in concentration. Katsuki pulls back to quietly watch him. His eyes look darker today, not quite the brilliant green hue they are when lit up with One For All, but no less pretty in the weak morning light.
“…What?” Deku asks, confused, and Katsuki wraps his arms under Deku, kissing his neck.
“It’s our three days off, dumbass.”
“That starts this weekend?”
“Yeah.”
Deku continues squinting, but he relaxes under Katsuki.
“Huh,” he dumbly says.
Katsuki snorts, placing another kiss on sleep-soft skin.
“Anyone ever told you you’re stupid pretty?” Katsuki mocks, lightly biting his neck.
“You,” Deku grumbles, squirming again under him. “Often.”
“Oi,” Katsuki says, frowning down at the sudden movement. Deku successfully turns around, his hair a crazy mess and haloed around his head as he looks up at Katsuki.
“So, we aren’t patrolling this morning?”
A sheepish look comes over his face when Katsuki glares down at him, hands idly brushing hair back so he can clearly see Deku’s face.
“No.”
“So, I didn’t have to wake you up?” he feebly asks, faintly blushing. Katsuki drops his forehead down, smacking Deku’s with his.
“No.” He pulls back to watch Deku pout and bring a hand up to his face.
“So, we don’t have to get up?” Deku finishes, whispering awkwardly and rubbing the red spot on his forehead.
Katsuki groans, dropping his face into the crook of Deku’s neck and star-fishing on top of him again, his hips and torso settling comfortably between his legs.
Good, he thinks a little vindictively at Deku’s complaining whine from the sudden weight. It’s what he deserves.
“No,” Katsuki says emphatically, words carefully enunciated despite being muffled. “We don’t have to get up.”
“Ah. Sorry, Kacchan,” Deku apologizes, a hand coming up to card through his hair again, and the other settling around Katsuki’s back.
He just grunts, content to let Deku suffer under his weight a little longer. He doesn’t even try to hide the sigh that comes out of him at the feeling of Deku’s gentle hands in his hair again. Katsuki's used to them pulling at his hair for a different reason, but this is nice too. He curls up like a content cat around Deku and lets him go to work ‘apologizing' even though they both know it’s unnecessary.
They don’t say anything for a while, simply taking comfort in the calm of an early morning with nothing to do and nowhere to go. Deku continues to soothe Katsuki, and Katsuki drops the occasional kiss on Deku’s neck whenever he feels like it, eyes shut and basking in the closeness.
“Kacchan,” Deku whispers sometime later. Katsuki rumbles in acknowledgement, content where he is and with no desire to get up anytime soon.
“I have to go pee,” Deku says.
Katsuki bites Deku’s shoulder in retribution, not stopping even when Deku squeals.
-
Katsuki’s in the kitchen making their breakfast when Deku comes home from his time at the gym.
He’s sweaty from the run back, shirt clinging to his chest and exposing the lines of his hard-earned muscles, his round face flushed and bright from the chilly fall air. Deku’s hair is pushed back with a headband, and the carefree smile on his face is too pure for Katsuki’s current thoughts.
Katsuki turns back around without a word and grips the wooden spoon in his hand so hard it cracks.
I will not fuck the nerd, he reminds himself, stiffly setting the pieces of the spoon down on the counter and grabbing another one from a drawer. He has plans for this morning, and he cannot- will not be sidetracked. I will not fuck the nerd, I will not fuck the nerd, I will not-
“Hi, Kacchan!” Deku calls brightly. He makes a beeline straight for Katsuki, kicking his shoes off like an afterthought.
“Shower,” he immediately says when Deku tries to sneak a peek over his shoulder at breakfast.
Deku groans, dropping his forehead on Katsuki’s shoulder and nudging aside the strap of his singlet to kiss bare skin. As if that’ll bribe me, Katsuki scoffs to himself, focusing intently on not breaking another spoon or the soft, slightly wet press of Deku's lips.
“But I’m hungry!”
“And you smell like wet dog,” Katsuki shoots back, uncaring for the wounded sound Deku makes.
Deku grumbles, but he steps away. “Meanie,” he mumbles under his breath as he slowly walks away and out of the kitchen, dragging his feet.
Katsuki doesn’t even look back when he whips the hand holding the new spoon out and hits Deku’s ass with a resounding smack!
“Kacchan!” he cries out, scandalized.
“Shower,” Katsuki repeats, moving to fluff the rice in the rice cooker.
He snorts when Deku goes off to the shower without another word, face flushed a truly startling red. One would think Deku would be used to Katsuki unexpectedly smacking his ass.
Katsuki smirks to himself, closing the lid and moving to take some bowls out of the cabinet. One would be wrong.
-
“I have something for you, once you finish eating,” Katsuki says when they’re both sitting at the table.
Deku swallows what’s in his mouth, perking up with poorly hidden curiosity. “Oh?”
His hair is still damp, dripping onto his grey shirt with a simple Sidekick emblazoned on the front. He’s wearing one of Katsuki’s sweatpants and a pair of fuzzy socks stuffed into slippers, looking so comfortable and at home that Katsuki has the sudden urge to tackle him into the wall or to squeeze his face and kiss him until he passes out. Normal urges when dealing with Deku, of course.
Instead, Katsuki throws one of his chopsticks at him, nailing him perfectly on the forehead.
“Yeah,” Katsuki says simply, ignoring Deku’s squawk. “Finish your food, then check the living room. I’ll take care of the dishes.”
There's a brief moment where Deku stares at him, still and quiet, before he starts shoveling food in his mouth so fast that his cheeks bulge, clearing his bowl in record time.
“Oi! You’re gonna choke, dipshit, slow down!” Katsuki yells at him, anger giving way to reluctant amusement.
“Am not,” Deku garbles out, looking up at the ceiling and chewing as fast as he can so the food doesn’t fall out of his mouth when he speaks.
“Do not speak at me with your mouth full, you disgusting ingrate-”
Deku ignores him, scooping the last bit of rice in his bowl into his mouth, and standing up so fast his chair skids backwards.
He doesn’t let Katsuki take the dishes, instead snatching Katsuki’s up before he has a chance to stop him and scurrying to the kitchen. When Katsuki follows him to make sure Deku doesn’t actually choke, he drops his forehead into his hand, an unwilling grin crawling up his face despite how hard he tries to stop it.
He’s in love with the biggest dumbass.
Deku is washing the dishes fast. Like, really fucking fast. Suspiciously green fast.
“Are you using One For All?”
Deku, still chewing as fast as he can, answers over his shoulder, “Kacchan has a surprise for me, he never gives me surprises like this, I need to be fast!”
“You're dodging the question. And, what the fuck? I surprise you!” Katsuki defends, leaning against the doorway of the kitchen with a mulish frown.
Deku audibly swallows, hands still clanking around in the sink, and peeks back at Katsuki.
“Not like this!” Deku says, grinning wildly, before turning his attention back to the dishes.
Once he carefully slams the dishes onto the drying rack, he snatches up Katsuki’s wrist with wide, excited eyes and tries to drag him to the living room as fast as he can. He doesn't dare use One For All on Katsuki because despite being a dumbass, he's not entirely without brain cells.
“Let’s go!” Deku shouts. Katsuki refuses to get pulled faster than he wants to, and walks calmly behind Deku, letting him hold his wrist.
Deku whines in frustration, holding his wrist in both hands and buckling down, pulling harder and eyes staring intently at the corner of the hall that leads to the living room.
Katsuki continues at the same pace with a shit-eating grin, leaning backwards to counteract the force of Deku’s pull.
“Come on! C’mon, c’mon, c’mon,” Deku pleads, words coming out quickly as he pulls Katsuki inch by inch to the living room, walking backwards now to try and get Katsuki to move faster.
“What’s the rush, Deku?” Katsuki asks, smirking widely. His other hand is stuffed into the pocket of his sweatpants like he's going for a casual stroll in his own house.
Deku groans and turns around, bringing Katsuki’s arm over his shoulder like a rope and walking forward, committed to taking Katsuki with him and grunting with the effort.
By the time they make it to the entrance of the living room, Deku deems it good enough and drops Katsuki’s wrist like it's hot iron.
He darts into the room, sees the nondescript cardboard box sitting in the middle of the cleared room, and heads straight towards it. He gleefully approaches the box, hands out and fluttering with excitement.
"Ah! Kacchan! It's huge!" Deku shouts, an almost guttural, deeply enthusiastic sound, his voice echoing as Katsuki walks into the room.
"That's what she said," Katsuki says under his breath, but Deku is so focused on the box, he doesn't hear Katsuki. He has a finger to his lip, muttering and analyzing the box, walking around it but not touching. This goes on - for a while; it's just long enough to make Katsuki’s eye twitch.
“Oh, for fuck's sake,” Katsuki snaps, rolling his eyes. “Just open it already!” Amusement laces his tone, though, seeing the way Deku's spine snaps to attention, fists clenched at his sides and a huge grin on his face.
“Mn! Alright!” Deku says, and he marches out of the room, green lacing his steps and coming back seconds later with scissors in his hands to cut through the tape on the box, forgetting in his excitement that he could probably rip it open even without his quirk.
Katsuki doesn’t even pay mind to the faint breeze that ruffles his hair and clothing as Deku sprints past him both times. He’s more worried about the lack of brain cells in his fucking boyfriend’s head because clearly Katsuki was wrong in estimating too highly Deku's level of intelligence.
“Don’t run with fucking scissors, idiot!” Katsuki yells at him, walking further into the living room with a glare. Deku ignores him completely, eyes glued to the box.
The little shit thinks he can ignore him for something like this? Katsuki growls in annoyance, and steps closer to Deku, intent on snatching the scissors away until Deku learns how to fucking use them again like a goddamn kindergartener.
Deku avoids him without even looking his way and when he finally cuts through the taped flaps of the box and folds them back, he gasps, eyes bulging out as he freezes.
Katsuki steps back, having snatched the scissors from Deku's lax hands, and places them on the pushed back coffee table, a self-satisfied grin playing on his face. He already has his phone out and set up on the table, shamelessly recording Deku’s reaction for later blackmail use.
“Kacchan!” Deku says. A mess of words fall out of his mouth, incoherent squeaks and high-pitched noises getting louder and the louder the longer Deku tries to comprehend what he’s seeing, until he’s finally shouting in excitement, hands hovering over the Lego logo and All Might’s smiling face right next to it.
“Kacchan, it’s the limited edition, 10,346 pieces figurine of All Might in his Golden Age!” he yells, hands finally touching the red, yellow, and blue box as he carefully pulls it out of the box it was packaged in.
Deku’s eyes are shining, face flushed with excitement, and he keeps whipping his head between the box and Katsuki in disbelief.
"I-! You-! Kacchan!" he finally settles on, at a loss for words and tearing up.
"The fuck is that face for?" Katsuki asks, the smuggest grin on his face.
That’s right, he got the number one thing on Deku’s not-so-secret wish list: the limited edition, highly expensive, 10,000 lego piece All Might life-like model. Around four feet tall and in his iconic pose, it’s Deku’s wet dream come to life. Literally, though, because he's really starting to cry, fat tears rolling down his cheeks in a steady pace.
"Didn't think you’d hate it so much you'd cry."
"Kacchan!" Deku wails, vigorously shaking his head and still holding the box in his arms, hugging it awkwardly to his chest as he tearfully stares at Katsuki. “I love it!”
“Of course, you do," Katsuki says, walking over to reach over the box and lightly slap his hands to freckled cheeks, wiping away tears with his thumbs. “Now, am I the best boyfriend or what?”
Deku sniffs loudly, smiling bright and still crying. “Kacchan is always the best!”
“You’re damn right I am, nerd,” he says, preening.
Deku puts the box down carefully, patting it like a fucking dog, then immediately slams himself into Katsuki’s chest, ducking his face into the side of Katsuki’s head as he clings tight to him.
“Kacchan, I love you so much,” he cries into Katsuki’s ear, voice wet and pitiful, the strength of his hold anything but.
“Can’t fucking breath,” Katsuki wheezes, putting his arms around Deku’s shoulders.
Deku eases up, but just barely, still sniffling. The heat from his face is seeping into Katsuki’s skin, Deku pressing his smiling cheeks against Katsuki’s as if to transfer his smile.
“You’re the best boyfriend, you’re the best hero, you’re the best person, you’re the best-” Deku starts rambling, and Katsuki cuts him off quickly, the back of his neck heating up as he presses back against Deku’s face and hugs him tighter, smushing their cheeks to get him to stop talking.
“Yeah, yeah, I already fucking know,” he mutters, and drops a kiss on Deku’s neck before pulling back slightly. “So, are you gonna open it or what?”
Deku pulls back too, and his wide smile is almost too much to look at.
Katsuki doesn’t have to tilt his head down too much, Deku maybe half a head shorter than him, but he does so anyways when Deku places a hand on the back of Katsuki’s head, pulling him in for a quick, hard kiss. Deku smacks their lips together, and then backs off completely, already forgetting all about Katsuki for the Lego set behind him.
Katsuki stands there, arms stretched out and hands reaching, the kiss too fast for his tastes.
“Fucking Deku,” he mutters, crossing his arms in annoyance, face a little flushed, but Deku’s excited, unrestrained muttering as he carefully opens the box is enough to settle Katsuki.
Instead of getting a real, proper kiss from his boyfriend, Katsuki gets his phone and stops the recording, checking first to make sure the video is saved and then dropping it into his pocket. He starts to head out the living room to grab his book from their bedroom, but before he even makes it two steps, Deku is already calling for him.
“Kacchan!” he gasps, waving him over. “Look, All Might signed the instruction manual!”
He bounces in place, hopping on the tip of his toes before he lets out a scream and jogs to Kacchan and then back to the box, unable to contain his excess energy.
“Oh my gosh!” Deku exclaims, doing the circuit a few more times.
Katsuki watches as Deku acts uncannily like a rabbit, wishing he’d left his phone out. Fuck, he’s too cute. Katsuki wants to squeeze Deku’s face between his hands, fingers curling and uncurling at his sides from the urge.
Deku kneels next to the opened box and the instructions, vibrating in place. He waves for Katsuki to come over again, biting his lip but unable to contain his huge smile.
Katsuki goes over without a word, mouth tipping up in the corner, and crouches next to where Deku is kneeling. He nods and grunts in the right places as Deku gushes over the instructions still, not even taking out the bags of lego pieces yet. He’s pointing out every little thing that excites him, and Katsuki just watches him, a hand absentmindedly playing with Deku’s hair and affection curling in his chest.
Deku’s almost sparkling in the morning light coming through the windows, eyes catching and reflecting the light like gems, and his hands are fluttering about with energy, face rosy and glowing.
Yeah, Deku is always worth it, no matter what he may think about himself.
Katsuki doesn’t care about and doesn’t catch half of what Deku is saying, but the passion infusing his voice is good enough for Katsuki. Being next to Deku and sharing space with him like this is enough.
He goes to stand now that Deku is sufficiently distracted, stretching his back from being crouched on the balls of his feet for so long, and distractedly checks the time. Not quite noon yet. He wants to make sure Deku eats later, knowing he’ll probably be too distracted to remember, and goes to fill out a water bottle to set by Deku’s side. He’ll get a bottle for himself too, along with his book, and then spend some time prepping for dinner.
He’s expecting Deku to barely remember that Katsuki exists while he’s building the All Might figurine, so there’s a part of Katsuki that’s genuinely baffled and pleasantly surprised when Deku calls for him again, forcing Katsuki to semi-turn back around and look at where Deku stares up at him with imploring eyes.
“You’re going to help me, right?” Deku asks, and Katsuki is almost caught off-guard.
“I thought you’d want to do it by yourself,” Katsuki explains, voice a little grumpy from the quiet shock in his chest and still stuck half-turned in place. “You’ve been wanting to build this for so long.”
Something in Deku’s eyes soften as he looks at Katsuki, stares up at him like he can see straight through to Katsuki’s core.
“Kacchan,” he chides softly, reaching a hand up from where he’s still kneeling by the box. “I would love to build an All Might with you.”
Katsuki flushes but turns all the way around, tangling his fingers with Deku’s in the air.
“That sounds like a fucking marriage proposal.”
Deku laughs, the sound light and suffused in happiness.
“Kacchan,” he starts, with a teasing voice and twinkling eyes. Katsuki groans, dropping his head back to stare at the ceiling and hide his warming face, already knowing what Deku’s going to do.
Deku shifts to sit up on one knee, kneeling in front of Katsuki like he’s proposing. One of his slippers has fallen off his foot, and the sweats are dipping low enough to see the line of his boxers, but he’s so utterly earnest, looking up at Katsuki with wide, green eyes that Katsuki’s thoughts flash to the ring in his drawer. His traitorous heart skips, and Katsuki’s hands grow sweaty enough to be a problem.
Well, shit. The nerd just moved the timeline up. Seeing the image of Deku kneeling like this in front of him just makes Katsuki even more eager to make Deku permanently his.
“Kacchan, will you build an All Might with me?” Deku asks, voice mischievous. He grips Katsuki’s hand in both of his now, pressing the tips of his fingers gently into it and placing a kiss on the back.
Katsuki rolls his eyes, face steadily growing warmer, but he drops onto his ass on the floor next to Deku anyways.
“Fuck off,” he mutters, brushing away Deku’s hands to surreptitiously wipe them on his sweats and ignoring Deku’s laughter. He places his own hand on the small of Deku’s back, steadying him as he eagerly sits next to Katsuki. Their knees knock and shoulders brush as Deku easily rests against his side, smile wide and chuffed.
Katsuki tugs him closer, leaving his hand on Deku's back, then leans in to look at the manual in Deku’s hands.
“What’s first, nerd?”