Archive of Our Own

Katsuki Bakugo is five years old, at the park, looking at Deku’s wide smile when he decides, Yeah. I want him. 

It’s a warm day in the park, and the sun is shining down in a way that just makes everything around them seem so peaceful. He’s staring across the way, so he’s not next to Deku, but he can see the way the smaller boy is smiling brightly up at Auntie.

Deku might be quirkless and scrawny, but Katsuki doesn’t really care about that. He likes the way that Deku laughs at his jokes, and he likes how Deku lights up when he talks about Heroes. He likes how Deku doesn’t back down from a fight, even when the other kids pick on him. He just likes Deku. Yeah, he’s gonna be there for Deku. Forever. Yeah. Deku is his person . Katsuki is gonna be the number one hero, and he’s gonna do it with Deku by his side.

So he marches over, takes Deku’s tiny hands in his own, and stares down. He takes a breath, and with an air of confidence only little kids can really have, he says the words that change everything.

“Deku. When I become the number one hero, you’re going to marry me.” His red eyes stare at Deku’s intently. No room for argument. He doesn’t ask, he tells, because asking would leave room for a no. Bakugo Katsuki is a fairly spoiled child, so he isn’t used to not getting what he wants. 

Deku doesn’t seem to mind. His eyes sparkle with happiness, because he loves his best friend Kacchan, why wouldn’t he marry him? He’s five, and he doesn’t really understand much about romance, but Mama says marrying someone is the best way to tell them you love them. 

Somehow, his smile widens even more as he nods, saying, “Okay, Kacchan! When you become the number one, I’ll marry you for sure!”

Distantly, there’s the sound of their mothers giggling as they look on, Inko’s hand over her smile and Mitsuki grinning with abandon. Katsuki pays it no mind. He hands Deku a daisy that he picks out of the ground, and grins when Deku picks the one next to it to give to him. 

It’s a promise. 

When Katsuki Bakugo becomes the number one hero, Midoriya Izuku is going to marry him. 

Izuku is six years old when they move away. 

Despite Kacchan’s best efforts, bullies find a way after a quirkless and scrawny kid faster than a moth to a flame. Six year old Katsuki couldn’t protect him from everything, no matter how hard he tried. Katsuki blames himself. Izuku never blamed him, but Mama says that they have to go because Izuku keeps coming home with bruises. 

He doesn’t want to go. He wants to be with Kacchan.

It’s a nightmare, for their mothers, to watch them as they fall apart. They scream, and cry, and hug each other as they plead to stay together, and Inko feels her heart break for her son. Still, this is something she has to do. For Izuku . 

If they stay, it’ll only get worse. Katsuki can’t protect him alone, and there’s no guarantee that he’ll be able to protect him forever. The city will be better.

Katsuki takes Izuku’s hand, looks him in the eyes and says, “Remember to keep our promise, Deku. I’ll find you.” He says, gripping Deku’s hands tightly. He doesn’t want to let go, but maybe this is better for Deku after all. Katsuki wants Deku to be happy, but he also wants him to be safe.

Deku smiles, even through tears, and he nods. “Of course, Kacchan!” His lip wobbles as he rubs his eyes. 

They hug one last time, and then it's over.

They move to Tokyo. He adjusts, but the new school is scary. This time, he doesn’t tell his mother when people are still mean to him. He doesn’t like this school, but he doesn’t want to move again, any further from Kacchan. He learns to hide his bruises, and he doesn’t make any friends. Some people are nicer to him, but nobody goes out of their way to hang out with him. It isn’t the same.

How could they want to be friends with him, anyway? They don’t. 

They find out he is soft spoken, so they ignore him. 

They find out he is quirkless, so they hate him. 

They find out he wants to be a hero, so they laugh at him. 

He misses Kacchan. 

Kacchan calls. At first, it was every day. They talk about their days, and Izuku doesn’t tell him that people are still mean. It would only make Kacchan sad. Then it turns into calls once a week, conversations feeling dry. Then once a month, and then it stops altogether. Izuku doesn’t try to call Kacchan. Izuku wants to know why Kacchan stopped calling, of course he does. Maybe Kacchan has started hating him, too. Maybe he’s just as much of a bother to Kacchan as he is to everyone else. He resolves himself, next time Kacchan calls, I’ll ask. I’ll ask him what's wrong and then we can go back to being friends again.

Kacchan never calls again. 

It hurts. Of course , it hurts. His one friend, his best friend, had abandoned him. Kacchan didn’t know he’d been lying when he said he’d made new friends. He’s six, and he’s sad, so he spends a week crying about it. He doesn’t tell his mother that it bothers him, and he stays in his room. 

Somewhere on his bookshelf, there’s a daisy, dried and pressed between the pages of one of his favorite notebooks. He gets angry. Angry at Kacchan, angry at bullies, angry at his mother. Angry at the stupid daisy. He thinks to himself, I should throw it away. 

He doesn’t. 

Life, as it does, moves on. The daisy is forgotten, still sitting on that same bookshelf as he grows up alone. Midoriya Inko is smart, and she loves her son, but she works long hours to afford Tokyo rent, so she doesn’t notice when Izuku comes home battered up. She doesn’t notice when Izuku gets more anxious than ever, jumpy and scared. She doesn’t notice that he never brings his “friends” over, and she doesn’t notice when he’s too choked up to speak sometimes.

He doesn’t mind. He doesn’t want to burden his mother. He’ll take the suffering, if it means his mother can breathe easy. (He’s young, and he’s naive. He doesn’t realize not telling her hurts her too. Not yet.)

He lost Kacchan. He doesn’t want to lose her too. But with every wall growing between the two of them, he feels like he already has.

He continues to analyze his heroes, despite realizing that heroism isn’t in the cards for him. He loves quirks, of course he does. So he picks them apart for lack of anything better to do. He doesn’t have friends, so he can do whatever he chooses. 

He chooses to study, because there is nothing else for him.

He’s fifteen, and sometimes, he dreams of I’ll marry you, Kacchan! But it’s faint. He misses Kacchan like a phantom limb. He’d been Izuku’s only friend. They’d made a promise, even if it was silly and a kidlike thing to do. 

He shakes his head. He shouldn’t miss him. Everybody leaves at some point. Kacchan left you, too.

He wonders why then, more than anyone else who’s left him behind, he misses Kacchan the most.

Izuku is seventeen when he stands at the podium, valedictorian of his graduating class. He gives a speech in stutters, even as the other kids laugh at him. 

He talks about duty; even if they do not become heroes, they should perform every action with that same heroic justice. He talks about kindness; they should do their best to be kind to those who need a hand. Finally, he talks about the future - You can only move forward. Do not hesitate. Do not look back.

Big words, for a quirkless Deku.

He holds his head high, even as someone tosses a graduation cap at his head. He hisses in pain and rubs the sore spot. The teacher standing next to him says nothing. Thank god his mother isn’t here. When she watches the tape, he’ll be sure to skip this part. He could just edit it out himself.

He’s walking down the steps, and he thinks I wonder if Kacchan made valedictorian, too? He shakes the thought as soon as it comes with a grimace. Why does he even care? Kacchan left him behind when they were six . It’s been so long since back then. He shouldn’t still be thinking about him. 

He frowns to himself knowing that somehow, he’s always going to care. It makes him angry . Why can’t he get Kacchan out of his head? 

He doesn’t even remember Kacchan’s real name anymore. It’s been too long, and he’d made a point to avoid any mention of the boy. His mother certainly had avoided the topic; and though he isn’t sure why she doesn’t bring him up, he’s glad. He hardly remembers what Kacchan looked like, besides a flash of red eyes and light hair. 

He doesn’t remember Kacchan’s quirk, even. He’s sure he’s got it written down in a notebook somewhere, likely the same one as that stupid daisy, but he’s never gone back to look at it and he doesn’t plan to.

(He pointedly ignores the voice in his head telling him he could have thrown that entire notebook away ages ago. Instead, he’d taken it with him every time he’d gone somewhere for longer than a week, and he’s planning to take it with him to college too.)

He’d read about how memory gets altered with time - something about how viewing a memory repeatedly causes a person to actually misremember things. Visual memory in humans is really poor compared to auditory memory, so your brain fills in the gaps until you remember someone or something completely wrong. Maybe that’s what happened with Kacchan. He doesn’t really know.

He remembers that Kacchan was his friend, and that he was kind, if a bit harsh. He remembers that Kacchan made him laugh, and was competitive and fun to be around despite his harsh words. 

 Izuku isn’t going to give Kacchan any more power over him by thinking about him for too long. 

You can lie to yourself if you want, his conscience says, It won’t make you miss him less.

He sets his jaw. He’s not going to let Kacchan hurt him anymore. 

He’s not.

When Izuku is twenty-one, there’s a hero rising through the ranks really quickly. He’s strong - he’s got an explosion quirk. Something itches at the back of Izuku’s mind, but he ignores it. He’s taking notes and doesn’t want to get distracted. He watches the news coverage as the new hero - Ground Zero - explodes an enemy with a vicious looking grin, shouting out, “DIE, motherfucker!” 

Izuku snorts. Even though the hothead kind of seems like an asshole, he likes Ground Zero. He’s undoubtedly extremely strong, with a powerful quirk and an extraordinary amount of drive. He’s attractive too - tall, and muscular, with arms that look positively sinful. Izuku has had some, ah , interesting dreams involving the hero, if you catch his drift. His face flushes even as he writes his notes. 

Over the years, Izuku becomes even more infatuated with him. Ground Zero isn’t just attractive, he’s funny, honest, and mischievous. He’s not what one might consider kind, but Izuku can see the kindness in his actions rather than his words. Izuku watches interviews, where Ground Zero talks about his victories, and his rescues, but never goes into detail about his personal life. He’s surprisingly a pretty private person, and only does interviews about his career rather than answering any questions of a personal nature. 

Except for exactly one time. The footage shows Ground Zero after winning a big fight, and rather than ask about it, the reporter asks if he’s seeing anyone. Ground Zero is exhausted enough to answer the question honestly, rather than his usual fuck off .

I’m engaged, He says.

Izuku finds such information shocking, but then he thinks Oh. Well. Of course he is. Ground Zero has it all. He’s a hero, he’s strong, and he’s got a powerful quirk. He’s probably got some extremely beautiful woman just waiting for him to come home. Why should that be bad? 

Something in his throat burns. His chest squeezes painfully. He frowns. Ground Zero is a hero - sure Izuku’s got a hero crush, he’s had plenty of those. So why…

Why does hearing that make his heart hurt so much?

Izuku is twenty-four. He’s happy. 

Well. 

He’s not unhappy.  

Two years ago, he had finally, finally made some friends. There’s Hitoshi Shinsou, who he’d met at the comic book store. He’d talked the boys ear off about an issue of Plus Ultra! and they’d really hit it off. He’d been mortified to learn that Hitoshi was a hero, by the name Persona. He’s new - and underground. Izuku had heard of him, but hadn’t recognized him outside of his costume. 

Still, they made fast friends, bonding over their shared love of comics and the cat cafe they’d visited. He was kind in his own way, if a little - a lot - petty. The hero had been surprised when he’d told him that he was quirkless, but he’d taken it in stride. Izuku had felt all warm and fuzzy then, since most people were pretty rude about it. Hitoshi had shared a bit of his own experience with his quirk, and it was nice to feel like someone could understand, if even a little. 

Then there’s Momo, soft and sweet and Izuku had definitely recognized her upon their first meeting. She made the top ten before even turning twenty-two, how could he not recognize her? He’d seen her at a bar. She was there doing some undercover work. A man had been getting a little too forward with Izuku, and she’d punched the guy for him and Izuku had cried, seemingly continuing the trend of embarrassing himself in front of newly made friends, not that he had known it at the time.

Afterwards, Momo handed him her number. If you ever need a friend, she’d said. Like she’d taken one look at him and known he was lonely. It didn’t take long for him to discover that, actually yes, she had known that just by looking. 

She’s got this incurable itch of being a mom friend. Because she’s a popular daylight hero, Izuku doesn’t get to hang out with her as much as he hangs out with Hitoshi, but he texts her about his problems on a daily basis. She always answers. Izuku really likes Momo. She’s a wonderful friend. 

He has two friends, but more than that he has a very promising career. 

He’s a quirk analyst, freelancing from his home office and sending out analysis reports to hero agencies that discuss heroes and villains alike. Analysis to help the heroes get better, and analysis to help exploit the weaknesses of villains. He loves his job, and his services are quickly becoming the top in the business. 

He’s even branching out these days and including analysis on support gear. Mei Hatsume trusts him with doing analysis on almost every piece of gear she creates - you’re the only person who knows how to make my babies better, aside from me of course! She had said. Hatsume is nice, even though she’s a tad much sometimes. They’ve been chatting about stuff outside work sometimes too, lately.

So, he’s got two, maybe three, friends, and a great career. 

He should be happy. He should be, but he can’t bring himself to feel that unbridled joy he so desperately aches for. He’s not unhappy. He’s not drowning in self pity anymore, and he’s very glad that things have been looking up lately. He tries not to feel ungrateful. He loves his friends. He loves his job. The weather these days is really good, and he’s finally a little more financially stable.

I wonder if Kacchan is happy?

He scowls at his dinner. 

Katsuki Bakugo wakes up on the morning after his twenty-fifth birthday to a phone call from Eijirou. He picks it up, ready to let loose a torrent of yelling at his friend for waking him, when Eijirou rushes to speak. 

“Dude!!! You did it? You made number one? Fuck you! I knew you could do it, asshole!” Eijirou is saying. Something in Katsuki’s heart flutters. No way, already?  “Bro? Are you there?” Eijirou asks. 

“Fucking told you so, Shitty hair.” He says emphatically, with a confidence he doesn’t really feel. “I’m the fucking best.” He’s actually pretty shocked. He’s gotta be one of the youngest to ever do it, and the thought makes him feel even more victorious, if that’s even possible. He’s worked his fucking ass off to get here, and his grin shows how proud he is, even if Eijirou can’t see it.

Eijirou laughs at him. Maybe a few years ago that laugh would’ve made him angry, but today it makes him smile. Eijirou is a really good friend. The best. He doesn’t tell him so. Ever. Only one person will ever get to see that mushy side of him.

As if reading his mind, Eijirou says softly, “Are you gonna go find Deku?”

The entire class - actually, almost the entirety of their graduating class knew about Deku. Katsuki had never kept him a secret, so when girls from other classes started asking him out he’d told them the truth; he couldn’t be with them, because he’d promised to marry Deku. 

Of course they’d been curious - he was only fourteen then, why would he already be thinking of marriage? So they asked about Deku, the only one in Katsuki’s heart, wondering who could ever want to marry an abrasive and rude guy like him. Katsuki obliged, telling them everything but Deku’s real name. That’s just for me. When I find him again, I’ll introduce you all to him.

They’d been regaled with tales of a boy with a kind heart but a weak constitution, a boy with freckles and a wide smile. Katsuki thinks of him every day when he wakes up and every night before he goes to sleep, and he’s still hurt by the way Inko’s voice had shaken when he’d told him to stop calling. He needs to make new friends, she had said.

He thought that was bullshit, but he couldn’t do much when Inko refused to let them speak to each other. So he resolves himself to keep his promise. He won't bother Deku, not now. Not until he’s number one. They’ll both be adults then, and he’s sure that Deku will wait for him. They promised. 

What do you mean, then? You’re number one now, idiot. 

It’s time to find Deku. 

It’s easier than he expects. He knows they’d moved to Tokyo, and a quick search turns up his high school. He grins as he sees Izuku was Valedictorian. Hell yes. That’s my Deku. He watches the video record of Izuku’s speech. He’s gotten taller, a little, but he mostly looks the same, at least here. His voice sends butterflies to Katsuki’s stomach, as he smiles at Deku saying please remember to be kind, above all else. He frowns a little when he sees another kid toss his graduation cap right at Deku’s face, but he’ll ask about that later. 

He finds out Deku works freelance - quirk analysis, how fitting - so he probably works at home. He’d call Inko for Izuku’s address, but she probably wouldn’t give it to him, and he’s not looking forward to speaking with her again anyway. 

After a few hours, he finds Deku’s address on an old university profile - you’re still a fucking idiot, Deku. Fucking delete that shit. He’s not sure if the information is up to date, but he’s willing to try and find out. 

It’s the day after his twenty-fifth birthday, and he does his early morning patrol. That’s all he has today, and it’s only eleven when he gets on the train to Tokyo. It’s twelve-thirty when he finds Deku’s building, and it’s twelve-thirty-two when he reaches Deku’s door.

He takes a deep breath.

He knocks.

Izuku is twenty-four, not happy and not unhappy, when he hears a knock at the door. 

That’s odd, Hitoshi hadn’t said he’d be coming over today. Not totally unusual though, Hitoshi has shown up without warning plenty of times. He looks down at his outfit, a loose Ground Zero shirt that’s a size too big, along with sweats. Good enough. He sets his tea down on the table and goes to open the door without looking. “Hitoshi, what are you -”

Then he looks. 

Ground Zero is on my doorstep. 

“Um.” Izuku says, heart pounding in his chest. Oh god. Ground Zero. Ground Zero. 

He’s wearing Ground Zero merch in front of Ground Zero, who is on the doorstep of his home. Something - what is this, something is itching at his head like he’s forgotten something, when he should be freaking out. 

Wait no , he is freaking out. “Ground Zero? W-what - what are you doing here? Did you…” He looks around, even as the man in front of him gets this fond smile on his face, one that Izuku has never seen in the hero’s interviews, “Did you… um, did you get lost?”

The man snorts and rolls his eyes. In that positively unfair voice of his, he says, “Deku, I’m number one. I’m the number one hero now.”

Deku. 

It feels like Izuku’s brain comes screeching to a halt, restarts, and crashes again as he realizes several things at once. 

No. No, no, no. No way. 

There is only one person on the whole damn planet who ever called me by that name. 

Deku, when I become the number one hero -  

This cannot be happening.

His brain is jelly, and his mouth won’t listen. “Kacchan?” He asks, like he’s not sure. “You’re… Kacchan. Ground Zero.” He says. He holds his head in his hands as the man in front of him gives him a confused look. “Ground Zero is Kacchan. Oh god, I promised to marry the number one hero when I was five, oh my god.”

Katsuki crosses his arms and huffs. “You didn’t remember me?” He asks, hurt. He’s pouting, which is kind of cu- wait, no. 

Izuku is angry . He stops panicking. Grips his door, about to slam it. His angry look startles Katsuki, who’s mouth drops open in shock. 

“Don’t pretend to be all hurt to me, Kacchan. I remembered that you were my friend. I remembered that we promised… that. I remembered that I liked you.” He glares. “ I remember that you left me behind. ”

He slams the door in Katsuki’s face. 

Katsuki doesn’t knock a second time. 

To: Momo <3

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

HELP ME. Something terrible has happened.

Like, really bad 

Momo seriously help me

From: Momo <3

??? Midoriya-san, please calm down! What happened??

Are you hurt!?

To:  Momo <3

NO! Sorry. Not hurt. This is just emotional damage (T - T)

Um. Do you remember when I told you about the childhood friend I promised to marry

when we were five, who I mostly forgot about but was really hurt that he left me behind?

Yeah so. He showed up at my door this morning.

HE’S GROUND ZERO. 

I PROMISED TO MARRY GROUND ZERO WHEN WE WERE FIVE. 

From: Momo <3

OH MY GOD, YOU’RE DEKU????

Ahem. He never shut up about you, Midoriya-san. He was always talking about how

sweet you are. He was right, of course. He never told us your real name though, so I never would have thought it was you!

Small world.

Izuku’s face flares red. What? Katsuki had talked about him? It must have been in public too - Momo and Katsuki - Kacchan - had never been close. So the only way Momo would know is if Katsuki was public about it. 

So then, why? Why would he leave Izuku behind like that? Only to talk him up to an entire class of heroes? He flushes even redder. Oh god. They all know about him. He wonders if Katsuki had said anything else, but - he wants to know why, first. 

He’d promised himself to stop hurting over Kacchan. Kacchan had hurt him. He could end this here - he could never speak to Katsuki again, and he could continue as he is now. He could move on from this, and he could put all of this behind him like he’s been trying to do for so, so long. 

But then he thinks about how continuing as he is means not happy, but not unhappy, and he thinks about how Kacchan had smiled when he’d opened the door. He thinks about Ground Zero, an inspiration, a hero that Izuku had fallen for just as much as he’d missed Kacchan.

He thinks, fuck it. I miss him anyway. 

To: Momo <3

Ahhhhhg, really? that’s so embarrassing  o///o

I think I might. Um. 

…Do you have his number?

Momo texts him back a number, and he spends all day fretting over it. He does his work for the day, though he’ll have to go over it all again tomorrow - he’s too stressed out so he needs to double check that it’s all correct before he sends it out. 

It isn’t until later, after he eats his dinner and the sun has already set that he finally opens the text. 

He stares at the number Momo sent back. He can do this. It’s just a phone call. He’ll call, and ask. Nothing else has to happen after asking why the hell Kacchan never called him again. He can get an answer, and then he can finally have some closure and he can move on. Or maybe even…

Don’t get your hopes up.

Before he can chicken out, he hits the call button. It rings twice, before there’s a gruff, “Who the hell is this?” Kacchan’s clearly annoyed. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea after all. He convinces himself not to immediately hang up. He just has to get through this conversation. 

Izuku sucks in a breath, “Um, sorry, it’s -”

“Deku.” The voice is notably softer, more patient. “Hey.” 

Izuku makes an agreeing noise. “Um. Hey.” He swallows. Already, his lips tremble as he tries not to cry. “I wanted to… to say sorry for the other day…” That wasn’t the main reason he called, but it’s still true, he does feel a little bad for getting so angry when clearly there’s something else going on.

On the other end of the line, Katsuki laughs. “Yeah I was pretty surprised you didn’t recognize me.” Izuku feels even worse, because that has to hurt. Kacchan sounds sad. “But I guess - I talked it over with one of my asshole friends. We were six years old. I can’t expect you to remember all that. Sorry I blindsided you.” He says. 

Izuku laughs a little, but it feels hollow and it threatens to turn into a sob. “I remember the way I felt,” He says, “I just… I guess I kind of wanted to forget you after you stopped calling.” He’s sitting on his bed against the wall, and he brings his knees up to his chin. “Why did you stop calling?” He asks, and it sounds broken even to his own ears. 

Katsuki doesn’t speak for a moment. When he does, it’s like a thousand knives to Izuku’s heart. “She didn’t tell you? Deku, your mom told me to stop fucking calling.” Izuku freezes. What? “She said you needed to make new friends and I was holding you back from that. Seemed like you were doing fine to me,” He grumbles. “When I kept calling anyway she wouldn’t let me talk to you.”

His mother? She had - okay . Worry about that later. Katsuki is here right now, and he’d never wanted to leave. Deal with this first, and then he will be having a conversation with his mother. 

“I wasn’t.” He says. Elaborates, “I lied about making friends so nobody would worry. I… I didn’t want to move again. It doesn’t matter anyway. Even after you stopped calling I didn’t end up making any friends until a few years ago,” He says softly. “I can’t believe she would - I’m so sorry, Kacchan.” He says. He feels the tears finally pour down.

Katsuki’s voice goes all soft. “Don’t cry, Deku. It’s not your fault. I promised myself that I’d be here now. So I am.” He lets out a laugh, and says again “I am here!” in an imitation of All Might. Izuku giggles, and Katsuki melts.

“Can I see you again?” 

It sounds... vulnerable to Izuku, and he treasures it. “Yeah, Kacchan.” He holds the phone to his ear like it's a treasure.

The next day, Izuku goes to meet with his mother. She’s still in their old apartment in Tokyo, tidying up as she hums. When the door opens, she hugs him just like always, and she goes about preparing to make dinner.

He wants to wait, to talk with her more before he says anything. But he can’t, because after all this time, he’s tired of it. Tired of pretending that everything is okay, just to make her feel better. He wants to know. He takes off his shoes, and he joins her in the kitchen.

“Mom.” He says, softly. With caution. “Why did you tell Kacchan to stop calling, back then?” 

His mother sighs. She sets down the pot that she’d been filling with water. She doesn’t turn around. It’s an old hurt, for both of them, the Bakugo’s. Her and Mitsuki had fallen out, and Izuku and Katsuki kept talking until Inko drew a line, apparently. “I wanted… you to make new friends.” She bites her lip, cautious. She’s being honest now; She’ll ask the same of him. 

She finally turns to look at him. “Did you?” 

He looks away. “No. I didn’t.”

Inko holds her head in her hands and cries. 

For the first time in a long time, it feels like the walls between them are crumbling.

He can see how it might’ve looked to her. Kacchan was his only friend, but they couldn’t meet up. He can see how she might think that Kacchan was the reason he couldn’t make new friends. It should have been obvious that wasn't the case, but her judgment was clouded by her anger at Mitsuki and her desire to see her son happy. She wanted something to blame; something she could fix. 

Izuku had lied, said he’d made friends, and things were fine at school. So she’d assumed the problem was fixed, and that she had been the one to fix it. 

“Why don’t we ever - Mom, I want to forgive you.” He says. She looks crushed. “You’re my mom, and I love you. I did my own part lying about how bad everything was at school. I want to forgive you, but I need…” his mother is crying, and so is he, but it needs to be said. “We have to start being honest with each other.”

He bites his lip. He has to say it: “We can’t just keep pretending that everything is okay.”

Inko nods. She nods, and she smiles, and then she bursts into tears. They talk, and talk, and talk, about past hurts and unrighted wrongs that they’d let each other bury. I didn’t want you to worry, they say, and it’s laughable how much the other had worried anyway. 

It’s painful, and Izuku feels like a bad son, but it’s all worth it when Inko looks to him and says, “I’m so sorry, Izuku. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me. I don’t want to hurt you anymore.” 

He swallows, thick around the lump in his throat. “Me too, mom. I love you.” 

It’s not perfect. He’s not happy. Not with her, and not with himself. But it’s better, because he isn’t unhappy, either. He’s hurting now, but someday, they’ll be able to forgive each other. They will. That day isn’t today, but it’ll happen. He still loves her, of course he does. So he stays for dinner, and they chat about their lives, and he mentions that he’s going to see Katsuki again.

She smiles, and she says, “Good, Izuku. He made you so happy back then.” 

His heart thumps, and he tries not to blush too hard when he says, “I think he still does.”

Izuku agrees to see Katsuki again. He had agreed on the phone, and their plans are solidified when Izuku asks him if he wants to go to a cafe together the next day. A cafe is a safe choice - everybody likes them, and they’re public, so if something goes wrong he’ll be able to run away. Not that he’s planning to. Just - you know, just in case. 

He thinks about how he met Hitoshi after ranting about Persona to him at the comic book store, how Momo had seen him crying the first time they’d met, and how the last time he’d seen Kacchan he’d slammed the door in his face, wearing his merch.

If he runs, it’ll be because he’s so damn embarrassing. 

He stands outside the patisserie looking at the door as if it’s going to swallow him whole. Does he really want to do this? He’s inevitably just going to get sucked into feelings again. His heart clenches. He can’t fall for Kacchan. Kacchan’s already got someone else, and really he’s happy enough to be his friend. 

I’m engaged. Kacchan had said. That was two years ago. Hell, he’s probably married now. Can Izuku really do this? 

No time to decide now. From behind him, an amused voice says, “Well, you going in, Deku? Or are you planning to break the door down with that shitty glare?” Kacchan. Right. Izuku’s face burns red and he doesn’t turn around. He can hear Kacchan laughing at him.

“Um! Yes.” He says, not looking behind him as he opens the door. He can feel Kacchan behind him, standing close - too close - as he walks up to the counter. He opens his mouth long enough to stutter out his order and they find a booth, drinks in hand. 

They talk about small things - “So, I saw you’re a quirk analyst, seems like a perfect fit for you.” Kacchan brings up, and Izuku lights up, telling him about all the cooler quirks he’s gotten to study even as Kacchan just nods along.

He’s been going on for almost five minutes when he stops, shrinking, and interrupts himself, “Um, sorry, I get - I mean you know me, I get pretty carried away about this kind of thing.” 

He picks at a loose thread on his jeans. He’d picked a pretty casual outfit, because this isn’t a date, Izuku, get a hold of yourself. So, jeans and a thin green sweater it is, and Kacchan himself is looking pretty hot - er, casual, in his tight black jeans and that skull tee. Briefly, Izuku giggles at the thought that Kacchan had bought it - he’d had a similar one when they were kids after all, did he like it that much?

Katsuki hums. “I like seeing you all passionate, and shit,” He says, face red as he admits it. “It’s cute.” 

Izuku feels his face go beet red again, and briefly wonders if blushing so much is bad for his circulation. Probably. He’s smiling at the compliment, but then he remembers. Right. He’s fucking married, you idiot. Get it together. 

So he just nods, and asks about Katsuki’s life as a pro hero. Kacchan is a good storyteller, even with all the cursing, and he finds ways to make Izuku laugh with his exploits, and stories about his hero friends. They seem a little airheaded, but if Kacchan likes them they must be good people. 

Halfway through their get together, Izuku finishes his whole coffee. He sets it aside, before Katsuki stands, and says, “Hold on one fucking second, Deku.” Izuku blinks and assumes that Kacchan is going to use the restroom, and blinks again when a second coffee comes down on the table. 

Izuku gapes at the drink. He reads the label - it's exactly his order. Which wouldn’t be so surprising, except that Izuku has a very particular coffee order. That’s thanks to Hitoshi, his coffee drinking buddy. It’s a nightmare of different flavors and two different kinds of milk, and even if he’d said the whole thing in front of Kacchan not twenty minutes ago, there’s no way Katsuki could remember it unless he’d memorized it. 

“Um. Thanks, Kacchan, you didn’t have to…” He says, as he takes a sip of his admittedly unique coffee and hums. It’s exactly right. “How’d you know to get this?” He peeks up at Katsuki, who’s staring. Huh.

“Deku, I memorized it. What kind of… of course I’m going to memorize your fucking coffee order.” He says with a huff. That’s a little confusing - why would he need to do that? Izuku doesn’t question it, though. Just sighing as he lays his hands on the table. 

He goes to ask a question, opens his mouth, and then - wait. Kacchan. He looks down. 

Kacchan is holding his hand. 

The blond is red faced and not looking at him. “Kacchan?” Izuku breathes out, not daring to hope. “Why… Why are you holding my hand?”

Katsuki gets angry, because he’s embarrassed. “Hah? Our first fucking date and you’re not even gonna let me hold your fucking hand?” He yells. “The fuck, Deku!?”

Huh.

First date?

“Wait… Kacchan, aren’t you, um, aren’t you married?  We can’t date!” Izuku says, ripping away his hand. Katsuki, looking less hurt, makes a confused face.

“Hah? The fuck would I be married for Deku!? Why the hell would you think that!?” Kacchan is yelling, his brow furrowed in confusion. Izuku starts losing his nerve. Kacchan… he had said he was engaged… right? 

He swallows. Okay. “That interview…” his voice is small, “Two years ago, in that interview you did with Mount Lady, you said you were engaged. Sorry, are you… still just engaged? I didn’t mean to assume…” He looks down at his lap, gloom coming off him in waves. Katsuki softens.

“Deku, you are so fucking stupid.” He says. Izuku feels his heart catch.

Shit, did he find out? Can he tell that it upset me? I fucked it up on our first meeting together I really am an idiot - “You are so dumb. You are so fucking dumb, and I fucking love you, you stupid piece of shit.”

Wait, what. 

“Um. Kacchan. What?” He asks. Christ, he really is an idiot. Kacchan loves me?

“You are so fucking stupid.” Kacchan says again. “Deku, what was the first thing I said to you when you opened the damn door?” He looks at Deku intently. He’s being patient, Izuku can tell, his expression exasperated. 

Izuku thinks back. Deku, I’m number one. I’m the number one hero now. Wait. No way. He’d come to Izuku’s door, after years apart, the very same day he’d become the number one hero. He’d come, and he’d said, Deku, I’m number one, like that was the most important thing. 

He thinks back to their promise, when they were kids. Deku, when I become the number one hero, you’re going to marry me. He’d said that, but Katsuki had gotten engaged, right!? He’d - Oh my fucking god. Kacchan. 

“Kacchan.” He says pointedly, not looking up at him. “When you said that you were engaged. Did you mean…” He can’t finish.

He feels a hand on his chin, raising his face to look Katsuki in the eye. “I proposed a long fucking time ago, you fucking nerd. I know we're doing it backwards, but don’t you think it’s time we at least dated?” He asks, and Kacchan’s eyes are scary - they always have been, red and angry - but when he looks at Izuku, they’re soft, and full of affection .

“Yes - Yes, Kacchan.” Izuku says, holding a hand against the one on his jaw, softly sighing as he sees Katsuki give him a little smile. He never smiles on TV. 

This smile - it’s just for him. 

When he visits Kacchan’s apartment not two hours later, he’s told to wait in the living room while Katsuki grabs him a drink. He peeks around the space. It’s undeniably Kacchan - dark wood floors and a black leather sofa, orange throw covering one of the couch arms. There’s a big fireplace below the TV, black painted bricks below a mahogany mantle. 

On the mantle, there’s pictures. Many of them are recent, photos of Katsuki grumpily posing with his hero friends. There’s a class photo, and he sneakily takes a picture while he waits so he can hold it over Hitoshi later. There’s one of Katsuki and his mother at the UA graduation, and there are a few of Katsuki and a little girl with white hair. There are two photos of him and Katsuki as children, one on the beach and another at the park. 

In the center of a mantle, there’s a frame, with a pressed flower behind the transparent glass. It’s a daisy. It’s the daisy that he’d given Kacchan to seal their promise. He hears Katsuki coming back into the room, but he doesn’t move, holding the frame in his hands as he stares down at it. Then suddenly there’s water on the frame. Drip, drip, drip. 

Oh. He’s crying. 

He feels arms circle around his waist from behind, a soft, “Deku?” coming from Kacchan. 

He shakes himself off. Sets the frame back on the mantle. Turns around, still in Katsuki’s arms. He lets out a sob, smiles, and says, “Kacchan, someday, I’m going to marry the shit out of you. ” He laughs, and some of the tension leaves Katsuki’s face. And maybe it’s too early, but - “I love you, Kacchan.” He leans up, and captures Katsuki in a kiss, wet with his tears but neither of them care. 

For their first real date, Kacchan takes him to the opening of a museum exhibit about heroes. He acts all nervous at first, and Izuku is puzzled until Kacchan questions, “Deku… you still fucking like all this hero shit, right?” 

Izuku barks out a laugh, and Katsuki’s face scrunches up in indignation. Before he can start shouting, Izuku says, “Yes, of course, Kacchan I’ve been keeping up less with most heroes but I’ve been watching every interview yo-”

…And then he snaps his mouth shut. Oh god. Kacchan stops on the sidewalk, and Izuku doesn’t dare look back at him now. Not when Katsuki’s practically radiating with pride, Izuku can feel how smug he is. 

Why did I say that? Dear god, it’s me, Izuku. Send help.

He puts both hands over his face and groans when Kacchan laughs, “Oh? You’ve been keeping up with me, shitty nerd?” Izuku can hear the grin in his voice. “Didn’t know you were a fan - guess I should’ve…” 

Izuku is really not prepared for when Katsuki walks up to him and whispers in his ear, “After all, you looked really fucking good in my merch.”

The screech Izuku lets out isn’t manly, or cute by any stretch of the imagination, but Kacchan is laughing, and that makes him feel a little better. Katsuki’s face when he’s laughing isn’t beautiful - he’s laughing at Izuku, so he looks a bit sadistic to be honest - but Izuku likes seeing him happy.

After that, It’s easy to take Kacchan’s hand and drag him all over the exhibit, talking a mile a minute about every hero he knows. He’d feel bad, but he knows that deep down, Kacchan is just as much of a hero nerd as he is. A fact that is revealed true when Katsuki pitches in comments here and there, corrections to Izuku’s ramblings or opinions of his own.

 They spend no less than three hours at the exhibit, and by the time they leave it’s dark outside. Izuku feels like he’s never had so much fun in his life. When he says so, Katsuki scowls at him and says “Hmph. This wasn’t the whole date, Deku, so shut up.”

They go out to eat, and Katsuki picks a place that has katsudon that should be illegal it’s so good. They take a walk down by the river, and in the light of the moon Bakugo Katsuki leans down and kisses him within an inch of his life. 

It isn’t their first kiss, but it feels just as electrifying, and Izuku hopes that he can get away with many more after this one. Katsuki’s lips are soft, and he’s so tall that Izuku has to stand on the tips of his toes to reach. His hands snake their way around Kacchan’s neck as the taller man ties their tongues together, and when they break apart, he’s left aching, his heart full and his body reacting. 

“My place?” Izuku breathes against Katsuki’s lips.

“Fuck, yes.” Katsuki groans. 

Hitoshi is surprised to learn that Izuku is Deku. He laughs for a solid ten minutes at the idea that the “mysterious true love” of the great number one hero Katsuki Bakugo is his nervous best friend. Izuku pouts. Is it really that hard to believe Kacchan likes me?  

He stops pouting when Hitoshi can finally breathe enough to say, “Sorry, Izu, it’s not you.” He wipes his eyes, which teared up in his laughter. “He just talked about you like you were some kind of sweet and perfect angel, but I’ve seen you go batshit crazy over bidding on eBay for All Might figures. Love really is blind, huh.” Izuku no longer thinks Hitoshi is mean, but his face is too red to say that he forgives him.

“It was a limited edition collector item! I wasn’t going to let anyone else get it!” He whines. “I still can’t believe he talked about me so much in front of you.”

Shinsou grins.

“Wait until you meet his friends.”

After a few weeks, meet them he does. Subsequently, he wishes he could be erased from the face of the earth. 

It’s a little bit like how when you have a friend over, and your mom shows them your baby pictures. Except in this scenario, Kacchan is his mom - ew, I made the metaphor gross - and his baby pictures are childhood stories, and he never actually invited any of the friends over. They came anyway, and they're getting the baby pictures free of charge. 

It's embarrassing.

The point is that now they all know about his childhood exploits, like how he yelled at pro hero that one time when they were four because he said Kacchan was cute. Kacchan’s not cute, he’s handsome! Besides, only I can say so!

Mortifying. 

His face feels like it might never be blush-free again. Still, they’re very nice. 

“Wow, so you’re Deku? I can see why he waited for a cutie like you!” Denki says, throwing an arm around his shoulder. Izuku tries not to flush. Oh my god, Chargebolt called me cute.

“Oi! Paws off, Dunce Face.” Kacchan yells, whacking Denki in the head. Izuku giggles behind his hand. Katsuki is really obvious. He loves his friends even if he’s a little mean. “You can’t have him!”

“Relax bro!” Eijirou says. Izuku likes him, he’s really nice and makes Izuku feel more relaxed around the others, who are also nice but a little more ah, obnoxious. Loud. “We’re not going to take him away or anything. I mean, this is the guy you waited your whole life for, he’s all yours!”

That makes both Izuku and Katsuki turn red, and as a result they get laughed at profusely. Izuku pouts. “I waited for him too, you know.” He says.

He did not mean to say that. 

Mina turns her eyes on him like a hawk. Not unkindly, she asks, “Didn’t you forget him, though?” It’s not intended to be mean so Izuku doesn’t take it that way. She’s just asking. 

“Um, well - I remembered his nickname. And I thought -” He scuffs the floor with his toe, “Even though I thought Kacchan wasn’t coming back, I was never interested in anyone else. I love Kacchan.” He says, and the friends all coo. 

He really hadn’t meant to tell anyone that, especially not with Kacchan in the room, but whatever. It’s true. Embarrassing, but true.

He feels a hand pull at his wrist, and then Katsuki is kissing him, right there in front of all their friends, his hand still around his wrist. Izuku pushes him away as soon as he hears complaints from the boys about PDA, even as Mina says, shut the fuck up they are so cute, and he groans with embarrassment. “Kacchan! Bad!” he smacks the blondes - extremely well toned - chest.

Kacchan just grins down at him, and he can’t find it in himself to be mad. 

Two months later, Katsuki buys him a ring. We’re getting married, so I got you a ring. He’d said. It’s beautiful. It’s titanium, a wide band with two daisies engraved into the metal. Izuku cries some more, and he says, Kacchan, I really will marry you, but we have to wait at least a year. Katsuki understands, of course he does. He hadn’t wanted to get married immediately anyway. They’re adults, and they’ve hardly gotten to know each other again.

Katsuki doesn't mind. Still, he’s absolutely sure. Deku is it, for him. You’re the only one I want, Deku, he’d said in response, So I’ll wait however long you need. 

It’s two months and seven dates later before Katsuki is “introduced” to Momo and Hitoshi. It’s not that either of them are feeling shy or anything. Momo is the number five hero and Katsuki is number one. Plus, Hitoshi works nights, and Izuku is quite busy himself, working long hours drafting analysis papers for agencies. Primarily it’s just pretty difficult for them all to find a time when they're all free. 

Kacchan had been surprised to learn that Izuku had somehow accidentally made his only friends out of his classmates. So that’s how you got my number, he’d said. He’d asked how they’d met, and laughed loudly about Hitoshi being a comic book nerd. Apparently only Izuku had known he liked them. He’d been fond when he’d said, Yeah, Ponytail is a really nice person, even though Izuku remembers Momo saying some fairly unflattering things about Katsuki himself. When he’d said so, Kacchan only smiled. She tells it straight. I like that. 

It had been an awkward affair, since Momo and Shinsou had spent all of high school listening to Kacchan, according to Momo, gush about him, and then subsequently their adult careers getting to know Izuku himself. They spent a lot of time embarrassing the both of them - Izuku, did you really throw a rock at a bird because it pecked Katsuki? Or, Katsuki, I can’t believe you asked him to marry you when you were five years old!

Kacchan hadn’t been embarrassed, though. He smirked at them, and raised an eyebrow, one hand gesturing to his other, intertwined with Izuku’s, where the ring sits on his finger. “It worked, didn’t it?”

Yeah. It did. 

When Katsuki leaves to use the restroom, Momo laughs softly, hand covering her mouth. “Well, I suppose I should’ve realized you were Deku anyway, Izuku.” She says. “After all, he never stopped talking about you. I probably knew, but I suppose - I wanted you to be happy, Izuku. Are you?”

And Izuku pauses to think for a moment, because he doesn’t want to lie to her, or to Hitoshi, or to himself. He doesn’t want to pretend that things are okay, not when he’s seen how that can hurt people. 

At this point, he and Kacchan have practically moved in together. It’s been around four months since they started dating, and three since they started telling everyone. He spends most of his time with Kacchan, and spends most of his nights there. 

He thinks, Am I happy? 

He thinks about waking up in Katsuki’s arms, muscled chest pressed against his face. He thinks about candlelit dinners, games of chase whenever Katsuki gets irritated. He thinks about how Kacchan makes him breakfast nearly every day, and dinner every night, and how they do dishes together and fight with the soap bubbles.

He thinks about movie nights curled together on the couch, long conversations about the things we didn’t share, and tea on the balcony under the moonlight. He thinks about the daisy, pressed in glass on the mantle, and the way Kacchan is always happy to see him when he returns from patrol. Soft kisses and whispered words, long nights filled with pleasure, and fragile moments that feel too good to be true. 

More than that, he thinks Kacchan loves me. He thinks Katsuki is still his best friend. His best friend who had never wanted to hurt him, and his best friend who helps him through every hurdle. 

It isn’t even a question, are you happy?

He could lie to himself before, and say he was not happy, but not unhappy. And really, maybe that was true, but this? This feeling, it is leagues and leagues above whatever he felt back then. 

Am I happy?

“Of course, I am.” He says, smiling broadly, eyes locking on Kacchan’s, who’s walking back towards their table. “Finally, I am.” He says. His friends, both of them resolutely not huggers, grip him tight and force Katsuki into a group hug when he arrives, and the blond grumbles the whole time.

Izuku can see him smiling, but he won't say a word. 

It’s the eighth time Katsuki has stayed over at Izuku’s much smaller apartment, and nearly six months have passed since that day Katsuki showed up at his door. Usually they stay at Kacchan’s place, but he has some work stuff he needs to do at home. He’s sorting through documents - “Make yourself comfortable Kacchan, I still have a bit more work to do.” The man grunts, dropping a soft kiss on his forehead before heading off to Izuku’s room. 

Izuku is finishing up, organizing the stack of papers and setting the unnecessary ones aside, when he hears Kacchan call out to him. “Hm?” He hums, not looking up. He’s distracted, so he doesn’t notice the shake in Kacchan’s voice the first time. 

“Deku.” Kacchan says again, more insistent, so Izuku raises his head. There Kacchan is, with tears on his face. Kacchan doesn't cry. Something is wrong. At first, Izuku panics, standing up so fast he bangs his knee on the table. He rushes over, placating words already on his tongue, when he sees it. 

In Katsuki’s hands is a notebook that has moved with him - from six years old to Tokyo, to each of his college dorms, and to this apartment after that. It’s blue, and it’s clearly very old. It’s faded, and wrinkling around the edges. The handwriting on the front is chicken scratch, and barely readable anymore. It’s open to a page, but there’s nothing written there.

No, because on that page lies the dried and pressed daisy. The very daisy Kacchan had given to him.

“You kept it?” He asks, wonder in his voice. His hands shake even as he lovingly strokes the paper next to the daisy. “I thought - you forgot about me, so I thought that you would have thrown that shit away, or something,” He whispers. 

Izuku feels the tension flood from his body. Kacchan never cries. He doesn’t, but these are happy tears. Thank god. 

“Kacchan, of course, I kept it.” He says. He holds Katsuki’s chin to look him in the eyes. “And I told you before, didn’t I? I remember all the important parts. I forgot the details, like your quirk, and yes, I forgot your real name too.” He winces, guilty at himself even though it isn’t totally his fault. He was six, and his mom had done her best to get Izuku to forget, too.

He smiles, “But I remembered Kacchan. I remembered that I loved you. There was a time, when I was six, that I thought that I should throw it away. To get back at you.” He looks away, biting his lip. “But I didn’t.”

Katsuki is staring, like the words he’s saying hold more weight than Izuku could ever know. Maybe they do.

“I didn’t, because I knew I loved you. Even if I’d forgotten every other thing about you eventually, I still would have wanted to remember that.” He says.

In the end, Katsuki stops crying. He stops, and he threatens Izuku with bodily harm if he ever tells anybody the event occurred. Izuku just laughs at him, but swears to never tell, Nobody would believe me anyway, Kacchan!

When they get back to Kacchan's apartment, Katsuki pulls his framed flower down from the mantle, and very carefully opens the back, laying Izuku’s daisy next to his. 

He pauses for a moment, then pulls the notebook page out too, laying it behind the two flowers. There, It’s more like you, that way. Of course, an action like that makes Izuku cry, and Katsuki calls him a crybaby as they set the frame back up on the mantle.

“I’m glad you kept it, Izuku.” Katsuki says, and it’s soft, something so relieved there that Izuku can’t help but be glad that he did too. 

So: “Me too,” he says.

A year later, they’re going to get married on Dagobah Beach. 

Katsuki get’s All Might to officiate it, much to Izuku’s excitement. Katsuki introduces the two beforehand, so that Deku doesn’t absolutely lose it at the wedding (Kacchan’s words), and Izuku gets the autograph he’s always wanted, even if All Might is retired now. 

It’s a flurry of excitement, the two gushing over their favorite heroes (he never knew All Might is such a huge fanboy, Katsuki is suffering). They laugh, and talk about their personal lives while Katsuki goes about wondering what their color scheme should be, and does Deku like chocolate or vanilla cake better? Maybe he likes carrot cake. He looks enough like a bunny.

Deku wants a western style wedding, and Katsuki will give him pretty much anything he wants, as long as he gets to pick things like colors and flower settings. He likes western weddings just fine, and his mother is having a field day with choosing outfits for everyone, so it’s okay with him. He doesn’t mind, as long as he gets to call Deku his husband and take him away for what’s about to be a frankly filthy honeymoon. 

After they meet with All Might, Izuku runs off - he’s got a fitting for his tux, and afterwards him and Shouto are going to visit Icyhots mom together (He’s still pissed that half and half is one of Izuku’s closest fucking friends now, because honestly, what the fuck. He supposes it's due to Momo finally asking him out, but still, of all people for Deku to get attached to, why him? ). 

All Might waves Izuku a goodbye, and then he turns back to Katsuki. He’s got a funny fond look on his face. “He’s a very good young man,” All Might says. “I can see why you like him.” 

Katsuki smiles back at him, because this is All Might. Probably the only person aside from Deku - and maybe Aizawa - that gets to see this side of him. “Yeah. He’s the best fucking thing that ever happened to me.” 

All Might somehow booms with laughter, even in his skinny form. It’s not ridicule, this Katsuki knows. It’s just - joy. “I’m glad, my boy.” He speaks after calming, “I'm glad you have each other.” 

When Izuku Midoriya is twenty-six, he walks down the beach, arm in arm with his mother. “Thanks, Mom,” He says softly, under his breath. It’s enough to know that she’s here. 

When he’d told her that they were getting married, after they’d set a date six months ago, she’d asked, Isn’t it a bit soon, honey? And he’d laughed, Yeah mom. It is. But I just - I know. It’s him. He’s my person. She’d taken it in stride. She’d even apologized to Katsuki himself, and that had gone a lot smoother than anyone involved had expected. 

Regardless, he’s glad she’s here. She grips his hand tightly, smiling at him, “I’m really happy for you.” She says back. It’s a thousand flowers blooming in his heart. 

I’m happy.

On the makeshift altar, Katsuki is smiling, soft as always whenever he’s with Izuku. Izuku wants to laugh, because he’s happy , and Katsuki is marrying him. 

Katsuki is strong, his hero, and the person who completes him in every way. He’s not always kind, and he doesn’t always let people help him when he needs it. He’s gruff, and he can be soo fucking irritating, but Izuku loves him. He’s not perfect, but he’s perfect for Izuku. 

He steps up, and they smile widely at each other before it’s time for vows. 

“Izuku. When I first met you, I knew you were the one. We were five, and I was a dumbass kid, and I thought to myself, yeah, that one’s mine. I didn’t ask - I told you that one day we were going to get married.” He’s smirking. “You’re kind, you’re sweet - everything I’m not. I love that you were brave, unapologetically yourself even in the face of adversity. I love that you were always quick to defend my honor - against pro heroes and pecking birds alike. I love that you wake up in the morning because you can smell the breakfast I’m cooking, and I love that you put your shoes on sock-shoe-sock-shoe, even though that’s so fucking dumb.” The crowd laughs at the story even as Izuku flushes.

“I love that you always know what to say to make me feel better, and I love that you never stopped loving me even if you forgot my name. I love you Izuku. I promise to be there for you, no matter what. To have and to hold, and all that shit. I’ll say again; I didn’t ask to marry you, I told you that you would. So not so fucking humbly, nerd, I fucking told you so.”

Izuku cries. He cries, a lot, and everyone in the crowd is laughing as he wipes his eyes. He gets it together. He feels like his heart might beat out of his chest.

“Kacchan, when we were five years old, you told me that you were going to marry me. At the time, I didn’t really get it, but you gave me a daisy. It was a promise, and you were my important person.” He grabs Katsuki’s hand and smiles up at him. 

“Today, that daisy is in a frame on our mantle next to the one I gave you in return. I am so, so happy with you Kacchan, and I want to make you happy too! Even when we were apart, I thought about you every single day. I love you, Kacchan. I love how strong you are, and I love the way you smile when you win, whether it’s a fight with a villain or even when we’re playing video games together. I love the way you take care of people.” He can see Kacchan preening, so he grins. “I even love how proud you get when I praise you, it’s cute, Kacchan!” 

The blonde sputters at being called out, and the crowd laughs some more.

“Most of all, I love seeing you smile, Kacchan. I can’t wait to see it every single day. I love that you never gave up on me. I promise to never ever let you go Kacchan.” He swallows, holding back his tears. “A long time ago, you gave me a daisy. Now, I want to give you everything. You said you were gonna marry me, Kacchan.” He smiles, “You told me so, so no take backs! You promised.” 

Katsuki squeezes Deku’s hand with a smile so soft that the 1-A graduates in attendance wonder if he’s been replaced with an imposter. But no - Katsuki just loves this man.

When All Might’s booming voice lets out “ you may kiss,”  Katsuki feels like it hasn't come soon enough. 

He’s kissed Deku hundreds of times by now, and done a lot more, but this kiss feels like magic. Their first after being married. It’s soft, and Deku’s smiling a little too much for it to go any further than sweet, but it’s everything. When they break apart, and the crowd coos and cheers, Katsuki and Izuku are standing in the summer breeze grinning at each other.

Katsuki, a bit choked up, says again, “Fucking told you so, nerd.”

Izuku bursts out in happy laughter, a few joyful tears finally falling down. There’s a sparkle in his eye as he finally gets to speak through his laughter. “Yeah. You win, Kacchan.”

Katsuki gets through the cake, the reception, and all the congratulations, and all he can think is yeah, Deku, I fucking won. He watches Izuku, dancing with his mother and laughing brightly.

It chokes him up a little, to see all their friends and family in one place celebrating the life they’re about to start building together. 

He doesn’t care if he won, even though he’s going to remind Deku I told you so, for years to come. He’s really just glad that he’ll be able to say it all, every night before they get in bed. He loves Deku. 

What does winning matter, if I get to wake up next to you?

Married life is… better than anything Izuku could have hoped for.

The consequence of being friends with so many pro heroes is a good one - he gets new friends, and a huge pay raise. Before, Momo would get him analyst work with her agency where she could, but she herself does a lot of her own analysis work so it wasn’t much, and Hitoshi’s underground so while Izuku did do a lot of analysis for him, it didn’t pay very well.

Not to say that the self-deemed BakuSquad are unintelligent but… they could certainly brush up on their observational skills, just saying. Or maybe not, because they’re giving him a lot of work, and most of them are in the top 50 heroes, which means they’re also giving him a lot of money.

Not that he really needs it - Kacchan is the number one hero, after all. They’re married now, so they share their incomes, and he’s fairly sure Uraraka-san was right to go into heroism if she wanted the money because… wow.  

The point is - he doesn’t need the salary he’s making. He ends up sending most of it out as donations - Quirkless funds, medical expenses for heroes and children, anti-bullying campaigns. He donates to schools, too, because he knows lack of funding is what causes a lot of those problems at schools in the first place. 

He can’t be a hero, and he gave up on that dream a long time ago anyway, but he still wants to help people. 

Some of the schools he donates to ask him to come around and give a speech so they can honor him. He’s obviously not enthused with the idea - he’s Deku, the kid who stuttered his way through high school. Most of these requests he turns down - he’s not donating for glory. 

Except one. There’s a school in Musutafu, a public school that brands itself for “troubled” children. Izuku only knows about it because it’s the school that bullies told him he should go to instead of theirs. That school for villains, one had said, You aren’t evil, but you’re just as disgusting. 

When he sees the name of the school in the email, he has to pause and take a breath. Katsuki, ever observant, drops a kiss onto his temple from where he sits next to him. “What’s up, Deku?” He asks off hand.

Izuku finds his smile again. “I’m going to give a speech at this school.” He shows Katsuki the email, and sees the understanding flicker across his face. He would know about it, Izuku reasons. Katsuki lived in Musutafu until he graduated high school, and even a little after that. There were bound to be rumors. 

“Do you want me to be there?” Katsuki asks, serious. 

Damn, Izuku loves him. He doesn’t question the choice - doesn’t say, Deku, you can’t give speeches . He doesn’t laugh, and he doesn’t ask why. Instead, he supports him. He offers his hand, like he did all those years ago, and he keeps his promise. 

“Yeah, Kacchan. Please.” Izuku smiles at him. 

The high school is smaller than he’d thought. The school boasts a total of around 250 students - not an especially high number. Honestly, Izuku doesn’t know if that should make him feel better or worse about the kids who do go here. 

He’d been happy to see that the teachers are all very kind, though. He hadn’t enjoyed the same luxury at his own high school, though he didn’t have to face any retribution for simply attending his large Tokyo high school like these kids did here. The teachers are all kind to him, even knowing he’s quirkless. 

The students seem… sad isn’t the right word. They seem subdued, like nothing they do will amount to anything. 

It’s an eerily familiar feeling. 

Not happy, but not unhappy…

“The last time I gave a speech, someone threw a graduation cap at my head,” he says first. It’s a surprising opener, and many of the students who’d resigned themselves to a boring assembly sit up in interest. Some of them laugh, but many of them don’t. 

“I was the valedictorian of my high school - I went to a pretty big school in Tokyo. That was ten years ago, so forgive me if my speech giving skills are a bit rusty.” This does inspire some laughter, and it’s more genuine this time. 

“There weren't many people who were there for me, then.” He says softly. The students sit at attention. “I was quirkless, and I didn’t even like myself - I couldn’t ask anyone else to do it.” 

He shoots a look over at Katsuki, who stands by the other teachers with a pinched look on his face. Izuku smiles at him. He shouldn’t feel guilty anymore. 

“I told myself over and over that by protecting my secrets I was protecting myself.” He grimaces. “I wasn’t. I was letting myself get hurt over something I couldn’t change because I hated myself just as much as they did. I told myself that if I were different, they wouldn’t treat me that way, so I must have been the problem, and that it was fine.”

He swallows. 

“I told myself I wasn’t unhappy.” He says softly. “Because it was easier to pretend things were fine.” He looks at Katsuki again. “And it wasn’t until I was happy that I really understood it at all. I wasn’t happy, and all of that, all of it, could have changed if I’d just admitted that.” It hurts even to admit this - but he must. 

He looks at the students. He looks at the faces of children who have been told they are worth nothing, who have been told they are evil. He meets their gaze, sure and true, and he urges them, “ Please, if you learn anything from me, let it be to be honest with yourself.” 

“Let yourself be happy - let yourself be sad, too. Remember that in the end, the only person you’re always going to have to live with is yourself. Let yourself feel the things that you might not think are allowed, and if you need to, tell someone about it.”

He’s crying, he can feel it.

“Don’t lose yourself to the feelings you lock away. I urge you, I beg you, let yourself be happy.”

He bows, his exit. A glance at the crowd shows that they are shocked by his words. He hopes dearly that they will take it to heart. 

Afterwards, Katsuki squeezes his hand and whispers congratulations to him. Nice speech, shitty nerd, he says, and it’s warm and Izuku wants to kiss him. But they’re in public, so he can’t really do that without embarrassing himself. 

Good thing he doesn’t, too, because he’s stopped on his way out by one of the students. 

It’s a girl - she looks like a second or third year. She’s got brown hair, freckles, and wide blue eyes. She grabs his shirt and when he turns to see her he notices her shoes.

Oh. 

Katsuki notices too - the red shoes are a dead giveaway. This girl is quirkless. Izuku makes a mental note to send his next donation towards a shoe company to get something other than those bright red sneakers. He hadn’t minded himself - he likes red, it’s his favorite color. But that doesn’t mean it should be the only option.

She looks at him, and her mouth opens wide, once, twice, three times before she gains courage.

“Do you think I could -” She laughs a little. “I just have one question.” Her resolve becomes absolute at that moment. 

“Are you happy, now?”

Izuku smiles, because it’s not even a question. 

“Of course,” He says, looking the girl in the eye. He wants her to understand there is hope. He closes his eyes and he takes a deep breath. “Of course, I’m happy.”

She smiles, and there are tears in her eyes. She runs off, and Katsuki raises an eyebrow. “You sure, Deku?” He asks once she leaves. “You got that fucking look on your face, the one you make when you wanna cry or some shit.” His tone is light, and not insulting.

Are you happy? 

“Yeah Kacchan.” He steps close and buries his face in his husband's neck. “I’m really, really happy.” 

Of course, I'm happy.

Finally.