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Izuku doesn't view Katsuki the same as the rest of the world. Granted, they have known each other for as long as either of them can remember, meaning Izuku has seen Katsuki do some rather embarrassing things as a child. Things that will instantly set Katsuki into strong, assertive denial if brought up. This is typically when Katsuki rehashes something cringey that Izuku had done, though Izuku tends to laugh it off, cause yeah, he did do that, huh?
Like the time Izuku got terrified by a jacket hanging on the back of Katsuki's door during one of their first few sleepovers. In his childish eyes, it appeared to be a looming, shadowy figure blocking one of two escape routes, the other, obviously, being the window of the two-story building the Bakugou's resided in. Needless to say, Izuku screamed, bolted to the window he could barely reach, and readily peed himself in terror. The window remained closed as Katsuki jolted upright, disgruntled and mad at the sudden wake-up call, and joined in the yelling. This swiftly summoned Mitsuki, who stormed into the room and flicked the lights on, revealing the trembling mess of Izuku and prompting him to explain himself in wobbly words. The truth was enough to override any embarrassment at the time, but it took years before Katsuki would stop bringing it up.
Katsuki made a habit of spouting some of Izuku's not-so-great moments in front of his junior high friend group, though Izuku refrained from mentioning the time Katsuki followed the wrong woman through the store, mistaking the lady for his own mother from behind. He was found later at the customer service counter, fighting valiantly to hold back tears after being lost for five minutes.
Unfortunately, Izuku hadn't been there for that incident, but Mitsuki came over that evening to recount the day with Inko, both having to choke back laughter as Katsuki screamed his own version of the story, cheeks beet red, eyes still puffy from nearly being orphaned at the supermarket down the block.
Or the time at the beginning of junior high when, during a rare moment, Katsuki would hang out with just Izuku. They went to a park in a further neighborhood, where they were less likely to be recognized. The afternoon was spent by Katsuki displaying some new tricks he discovered with his quirk, Izuku playing the part of a rapt audience member, "ooing" and "awing" over the flashy pops, admiring the control required to make such small, concentrated explosions. Rather like fireworks in the palms of his hands.
Katsuki, preening over the attention, went to use the public bathroom. Though he must not have been paying attention, as he walked right into the woman's side. The park had been rather busy that day, and the restroom was occupied by a group of older ladies, who immediately screamed, alerting everyone within shouting distance of the toilets. Katsuki bolted out, red-faced with a group of women swearing up a storm, throwing out words like "pervert" and "scoundrel". Katsuki didn't even return to where Izuku sat on the grass, instead making a beeline towards the bus stop. This forced Izuku to give chase, stifling laughter the entire ride home, lest Katsuki snap at him.
They stopped hanging out one-on-one after that.
Izuku likes having memories that are good, bad, or funny to himself. Memories that no one else besides Katsuki's parents (and more they don't) will ever know. So while Katsuki told embarrassing moments Izuku had to his posse, Izuku did the opposite, holding Katsuki close to his heart, to later recount fondly when their relationship finally improved. Specifically, after the war, when things were beginning to simmer down.
Anyway, the point is that most people didn't experience Katsuki throughout every stage of his life in a way that not even his parents observed. So, eight years after graduation and being a pro hero, the public eye only witnesses the very outer layer that makes up Katsuki.
To quote a line from a popular movie, "Ogres are like onions. Onions have layers," but replace ogre with Katsuki, and that basically sums up what to expect when dealing with him.
As their relationship developed into something exceedingly less platonic and went public, Izuku hadn't expected the backlash. While Hero Dynamite has a large fan base, he also has a multitude of loudmouth haters. Many people apparently assume Katsuki and Izuku were in a toxic relationship, unknowingly or not, insulting Izuku with their remarks by insinuating that he can't take care of himself. That he isn't the number four hero for a reason. There were even wild claims that Katsuki would ruin Izuku's image.
On the other spectrum, there were others, typically the more parasocial ones, that demanded Katsuki break up with Izuku, claiming Izuku wasn't worthy of his attention. Surprisingly, Izuku was never bothered by those kinds of comments, possibly due to a built-up resistance during junior high and the harsh words spat at him by Katsuki himself. Now that he receives Katsuki's affection daily, who cares what anyone has to say about him when Katsuki loves him?
While Izuku never mentioned that it bothered him how the public made wrong assumptions about Katsuki's character, it finally came to a head when a large news station dropped an article that gained a lot of traffic. It essentially took a clip from Dynamite's most recent heroics completely out of context. Dynamite had thrown a civilian over his shoulder in an impressive show of strength — something Izuku will never grow tired of witnessing. The middle-aged man had been midday drunk and hadn't appreciated the bar being in the crossfire of the latest villain attack, and for reasons that only make sense to a heavily intoxicated person, decided to take it out on Hero Dynamite, who still lingered on the scene. Of course, this was before media personnel had been close enough for footage.
The man had gotten uppity and, in the process, vomited on Katsuki's boots before promptly passing out. But of course, the media only saw the irritation on his face, the unconscious man over his shoulder, and Katsuki ordering the other civilians to clear the area. And because the public only saw one layer of Katsuki, conclusions were made that he had assaulted the man. Nothing that was provable, and downright wrong. Since there was no evidence (because it was false), Katsuki didn't have any repercussions, but it was enough to cause a loud uproar with several other media outlets reiterating the same story in their own words to scavenge off the clicks like the vultures they are.
The drunk man obviously doesn't even remember the incident, but has apparently decided to side with the made-up story, adding a new spin to it each retelling, becoming increasingly more dramatic.
Needless to say, Katsuki was unbothered, though extra annoyed with media people questioning him about it whenever they saw him out and about. This left Izuku to be angry on his behalf, though there wasn't really anything he could do about it, as he himself hadn't been there, nor any other witnesses to corroborate Katsuki's version. Which he has told the public exactly one time, strictly because their PR team required it of him.
It was only a week later when Izuku hatched a brilliant idea. One that won't necessarily clear up the incident, but hopefully help people view Katsuki in a new light, and less with the trepidation they use when dealing with him as if he were actual live ammunition, ready to detonate at any moment...
Well, technically, that still holds true, but he has calmed down as he has gotten older. Izuku can attest to that, as someone who's dealt with Katsuki all his life and currently lives with him.
Does Katsuki yell? Yes, but generally when he was impassioned. Katsuki doesn't yell twenty-four-seven. When they're at home, he's typically rather quiet, taking the time out of public scrutiny to relax and unwind; a rarity in their profession.
Does Katsuki cuss like a sailor? One hundred percent, yes. However, that's thanks to Mitsuki, whom he obviously grew up around, listening to her swearing up a storm. Masaru has a recording of Katsuki's first word, and to absolutely no one's surprise, his first word was a perfectly articulated "fuck"; the video cuts off with Mitsuki hyena cackling in the background.
Does Katsuki insult everyone under the sun? Without remorse. Anyone who actually knows Katsuki understands that for him, it's often used as a term of endearment. Keyword being often, not always. About seventy-five, no, eighty percent of the time, he means the insults directed at other people. What most don't see is that Katsuki has a soft spot for kids, more so now as a pro hero. He won't mention it directly, but Izuku knows Katsuki adores the admiration on their faces, probably recalling how they were as kids and their love for All Might. Though he may call them "brats" or "tiny extras", he never turns down an opportunity to make appearances at schools; the chances are few and far between.
Maybe after Izuku's master plan, more schools will request Dynamite to give a speech on why drugs are bad or to allow children the chance to ask questions about what it's like being a pro hero, offering Katsuki an opportunity to inspire the upcoming generation just as he did Izuku when they were young. The thought makes Izuku giddy with the overflowing love he holds for Katsuki.
Izuku wants the rest of the world to at least see a fraction of what he sees in Katsuki every day, not the volatile hero the media portrays him out to be frequently.
----
His plan was inspired by Ochako. Especially the vlogs she posts randomly for her fans, who eat them up, as it's rather popular recently to get insider perspectives on a pro hero's life. So what better way to introduce the Katsuki he knows to the public than to give fans and haters alike a behind-the-scenes look at their lives?
Of course, he can't tell Katsuki the reason why he starts vlogging, stating he simply wants to do it for the fans. This means he can't blatantly make Katsuki the focus of these videos, but maybe he can work up to that when the concept isn't so new.
It takes a little while for Izuku to find a good reason even to start, still unfamiliar with recording himself. After years of strictly posting pictures on his verified hero account and an unknown private account, he often misses opportunities to begin a vlog. However, there's fortunately a major event coming up that affords Izuku the perfect excuse, because what better first vlog than a GRWM for the annual Hero Gala?
----
Izuku is sitting at the vanity in the master bathroom, hair damp as he's fresh out of the shower, dressed in a baggy shirt and shorts. His phone is held up by a small tripod he purchased last week. He can see what's being recorded through the reflection of the mirror, which has him contemplate buying an actual camera that has a little screen he can flip. He would use the front-facing camera on his phone; however, Izuku still has an older model, so the back camera offers better quality.
"It took me years to figure out what to do with my hair," he says to the camera, his voice echoing slightly around the large space. He pumps some of his curl cream into his hand, then smears it evenly into the other. As he runs the product through the wet strands, he continues, "I used to let it air dry growing up, and kinda just let it do whatever it wants." Izuku pumps a bit more of the cream into his palm. Having thick hair leads to double the product. "It wasn't until after Kacchan and I started dating that I took hair-care seriously."
Feeling as if he should be offering more, Izuku scans the items laid out on the table. Ranging from a variety of products — some of which are not his. Like the mousse.— to brushes and his diffuser. Izuku's gaze falls on his curl cream. He picks it up and angles the brand in front of his phone; peeking around to make sure it's in view, "It took a lot of trial and error, but I really like this brand. It doesn't make my hair crunchy and prevents frizz. Though I can't find it anywhere in Japan." he sets the bottle down, and belatedly tacks on, "Not sponsored, by the way."
Wiping the leftover residue off on a hand towel, he then grabs an old t-shirt. Izuku twists on the stool, giving him the space required to flip his head upside down, and using the shirt, scrunches the strands up against his scalp. This, he knows, takes him out of view of the camera, but this is all a part of the process. When he returns upright, he says, "As you've probably seen, I still let my hair do what it wants a lot of the time. But when I want to be presentable, I take the time to define my curls."
The shirt gets tossed in the general vicinity of the laundry hamper. Though apparently, Izuku used too much force, causing the fabric to smack against the wall and slide down between it and the basket. He stares at it for a second and debates whether he wants to pick it up now or later. Ultimately, Izuku chooses later.
Facing forward once more, Izuku grabs the diffuser, already plugged in and waiting, before repeating the scrunch process by turning so he can flip his head. Fortunately, the diffuser he owns is relatively quiet, so when he flicks the switch, the sound of the air blowing isn't all-consuming.
Izuku aims first for the underside of his hair, digging the prongs closer to his scalp, making sure he doesn't miss a section. This probably takes him longer, considering how much hair he has. Oftentimes, he'll discover small areas that remain damp, thus not drying properly. This tends to look worse than when he lets all his hair air dry, and tonight, he wants to be sure he looks his best. There'll be tons of cameras and paparazzi at the gala, and most of the funds from the guests go to charity, and that's something Izuku can always get behind.
When he's sure the underside is sufficiently dry, Izuku sits upright to focus on the top portion, raking his fingers through the strands to break up any clumping.
During this, Izuku thinks, is this something he should edit out? Not much is happening, and he doesn't have any running commentary to accompany the diffusing phase. Then again, this is supposed to be a Get Ready With Me, so are people expecting the full thing uncut? Maybe he can speed this segment up, so the full process is still technically there.
Hair now fully dry and the diffuser off, Izuku's gaze finally focuses on his reflection instead of the camera. With a hand, he ruffles his fingers through his nicely defined curls, appropriately floofing sections where necessary. This, like usual, has his eyes landing on the scar that bisects his hairline, forcing his hair to part there. In turn, his gaze travels down to the larger, more jagged scar directly underneath his right eye.
He can never hate the sight of them, not for everything that he and many others had to sacrifice to earn this newfound peace, even if the world is still recovering from the aftereffects ten years later. They serve as a reminder of his battle with Shigaraki, of everything he could have lost that day. But most of all, they are a symbol of victory.
Victory and survival.
It's during this scrutiny that Izuku catches movement at the reflection of the bathroom door. A door that typically never has a need to be closed, not when it's just him and Katsuki. Though Izuku has to remember to shut it whenever they have guests, even when their friends are supposed to be banned from entering the master bedroom, thus not having access to the ensuite bathroom. Unfortunately for Katsuki's blood pressure, that rule is often ignored. Especially when alcohol is involved.
"Oi, 'Zuku, you done yet?" Katsuki calls as he steps through the threshold. Instinctively, Izuku smiles at the reflection of Katsuki before turning to face him directly.
"Hi, Kacchan!" he's quick to greet, despite them having just been in the shower together. Katsuki donned the black slacks and deep ruby dress shirt that had been tossed at him by his stylist. The buttons of the shirt aren't fully done up, showing an awful lot of cleavage.
Izuku stands and approaches Katsuki, who is too busy fiddling with the strap of his watch. A watch that rarely sees the light of day, usually only for formal events such as this.
Once he's standing nearly toe-to-toe with Katsuki, Izuku easily slides the buttons into their corresponding holes. When the task is complete, Izuku pats Katsuki's chest with an intense desire to compliment his boyfriend, so he does: "Kacchan's so handsome," he beams up at Katsuki, finally garnering the attention of those fiery red eyes.
"No shit," is the immediate response.
Izuku chuckles, fiddling with the collar of Katsuki's shirt, "Kacchan's always handsome," then he stands on his tippy-toes to kiss Katsuki's jaw, which is the highest he can reach without cooperation. All it takes is for Izuku to send his best pout at Katsuki for him to finally lean down and meet Izuku halfway, planting a solid peck to his lips. Izuku hums happily, temporarily satisfied.
"You're a menace," Katsuki mumbles, kissing him one last time before his gaze sweeps up and down Izuku. His attention focuses on Izuku's head, eyes narrowing in thought; a look that Izuku knows can be interpreted as annoyance to most other people. Unexpectedly, a large hand winds its way through his hair, roughly ruffling Izuku's hard work.
"Hey! Kacchan, I just finished!" Izuku bemoans.
"Hold still," is all Katsuki has to say for himself. His other hand finds its way into Izuku's hair, deft fingers twisting clumps around before pulling his hands outward, letting the sections slide from his fingers. He then carefully situates some of the newly formed curls atop Izuku's head, "There, now it's finished," he proudly declares.
Izuku can only roll his eyes, smitten despite himself, "Whatever you say, Kacchan."
"Good. Now move, you've had your turn," Katsuki pushes passed Izuku, "go get dressed," this is punctuated with a hard smack to Izuku's ass, echoing against the bathroom tiles. Izuku squeaks out a startled Kacchan! as Katsuki traverses further in. He pauses halfway to the vanity, the same time Izuku remembers he's supposed to be in the middle of a vlog.
"Babe, are you vlogging?" Katsuki asks with trepidation. While he isn't against Izuku's sudden passion, though again, he's unaware of the true reason behind it, it is a concept that'll take him some getting used to. Heck, even Izuku's still trying to become accustomed, and it was his idea!
"Yes!" Izuku chirps, rushing in to reclaim his phone, "I thought this would be a good first vlog. Show the fans the process of getting ready for large-scale events."
He's carefully separating his phone from the tripod while Katsuki glares at it, as if he expects Izuku's phone to come to life and try to bite his fingers off.
"The fucking camera better be off when you're changing," the glare shifts to pin on Izuku instead, "you hear me, Izuku?"
"Of course, Kacchan," he appeases with a smile, his thumb sliding over the screen to stop the recording.
----
Izuku isn't able to post his first vlog until two weeks after the gala. Between working at U.A. and as a hero, free time is a luxury Izuku typically doesn't have unless it's planned out at least a month in advance. The fact that Izuku chose to edit the video himself didn't help, but he was simply too embarrassed to send it to Tenya or Denki and have one of them do it. It's not like Izuku lacks experience in editing, as he spent a good chunk of junior high cutting down footage of heroes in action, stitching them together, and applying an appropriate background song over the video before posting it to the internet.
Those videos are still up with millions of views each, but Izuku will never own up to it. It's rather unfortunate that Katsuki figured it out, as he unknowingly watched Izuku's silly little hero edits back in the day. There was a lot of laughter involved when Izuku caved and admitted to it, but afterwards, Katsuki begrudgingly stated he'd replayed most of his videos even years later.
Days when Katsuki's feeling extra playful, Izuku will come home to Katsuki casting one of them onto their big screen TV, and it's always the one Izuku finds to be the most cringe. It's one of his earliest that featured a popular emo song at the time, with dramatic edits and too much contrast, altering the colors of the video to be brighter than they're supposed to be. Katsuki would sing the song as he followed Izuku around, searching for Katsuki's phone or even the remote to put an end to his misery.
Any threats Izuku makes to delete said videos fall on deaf ears, probably due to the fact that Katsuki is fully aware Izuku, for the life of him, can't remember his password to the account. Though Izuku highly suspects Katsuki managed to guess what it was and changed it. Which wouldn't be a strong feat for anyone who knew Izuku during junior high, as it had been the same password he used for pretty much everything and may or may not have been All Might themed. This was why when he attempted that password, and it didn't work, well, then he was stumped and led to the theory of Katsuki hijacking the account, specifically to prevent Izuku from deleting the videos.
Not that Izuku really cares, as they've had some fun arguments and good laughs over it.
Needless to say, Izuku's first vlog did pretty well, attracting millions of views within the first twenty-four hours and climbing. Izuku spent his entire lunch break scrolling through the comments. In the end, Izuku only cut out some bits of the beginning where he was setting everything up and some really awkward initial comments. No one told him the hardest part of starting a vlog was figuring out how to, well, start it. He did speed up some parts and trimmed down the bigger sections where not much was happening, but he made sure to leave the entirety of Katsuki's appearance — small as it may be— in the video. Considering this is technically about him, it would have been counterproductive to remove any. Unfortunately, this means Izuku had to leave the ass slap intact, even if the way it rings throughout the room had Izuku's cheeks heat in embarrassment. Especially the way Izuku exclaims Katsuki's name afterward.
With Katsuki's small supporting role, he did garner attention, ranging from positive and negative. Some were mad about how Katsuki seemingly was treating Izuku, as he was demanding and abusive. After reading those, Izuku had to rewatch the end of the video and repeatedly failed to observe what these people were describing.
Well, Izuku didn't expect immediate results. Now it's time to plan out his next vlog.
----
Per usual, Izuku struggled to find opportunities to vlog. Though he did initiate doing short-form videos during slow patrols, mainly the few times his and Katsuki's shifts aligned.
He figures it'll be less suspicious if he has other content to post, introducing Katsuki in small doses. This has led Izuku to late-night doom scrolling in search of inspiration, though he does find some pretty cool shots that civilians have taken of heroes in action. Part of him is worried for the passerby's safety, while his inner fanboy of all things hero was excited to view the latest fight from a fresh angle.
During his scrolling, he does stumble across a trend that he finds interesting, one where he's genuinely curious as to what Katsuki will say in response. First, however, he had to await a moment when they were both home.
----
Phone recording, Izuku maneuvers through the house, heading for the kitchen, where he knows Katsuki was last spotted.
Izuku peeks through the curved archway, angling the camera to see into the kitchen as well. Katsuki is sitting at the island counter, laptop open and glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. Katsuki hates wearing them, and waits until his eyes are really starting to bother him before he puts them on. They aren't necessarily for his vision, but they help prevent strain while he's looking at a screen for too long, as well as blocking blue light for late nights where he needs to be asleep as soon as possible.
Behind Katsuki, on the stove, their dinner is simmering, and with a soft breath in, Izuku deduces it to be curry. He just hopes Katsuki didn't get carried away with the spices until after Izuku gets his portion.
Anyway, dinner isn't the purpose here.
Katsuki appears to be heavily focused on whatever it is he's doing, with his chin resting on the palm of his free hand. Izuku is actually a little nervous for this. By no means is he a great actor, and he's definitely a horrible liar, so he can easily mess this up before getting any real results. He's replayed what he's going to say and reenacted multiple scenarios on how this could play out before hand, all to be sure he gets this right.
He only has one shot.
With a deep breath in, Izuku rounds the arch before he can psyche himself out. Softly, Izuku pads his way into the kitchen, eyes glued to Katsuki's form: "Kacchan?" he asks quietly, hesitantly. No response. Izuku isn't sure what he's doing, but he's very focused.
"Kacchan?" he attempts again as he draws closer. This time, he gets a grunt in acknowledgement. Here, Izuku actually hesitates, more so because that response wasn't ideal for how he wanted this to begin. For a third time, Izuku repeats, "Kacchan?" and stops diagonally from where Katsuki sits, the counter in the way, while also not wanting to record whatever Katsuki has open on the laptop.
Third time's the charm, Izuku gets a proper response with a snappish, "What, Izuku?"
He pauses for dramatic effect before whispering with as much pseudo-shame he can muster, "I can't pay the mortgage this month." Izuku closely observes Katsuki's face as his words process. One second, Katsuki's expression is blank, and the next, his brows narrow in confusion. When it finally registers, Katsuki glances up at Izuku from over the frames of his glasses.
"What?" The mental disarray is heavy in Katsuki's tone.
Izuku reiterates, slightly louder, but no less chastened, "I can't pay the mortgage."
"I fucking heard you," Katsuki states, sitting upright and giving Izuku his full attention.
"But you asked—"
"That's not what I meant, and you know it," Katsuki interrupts, sliding his glasses off so nothing impedes the full effect of his glare, "Izuku. Baby. When's the last time you paid the mortgage?" Katsuki leans back on the barstool, arms crossed, as he awaits a response.
On Izuku's part, his mouth falls open, speechless. Izuku effortlessly knows the answer to that, as does Katsuki, and they are both fully aware of that fact.
There's a long few seconds of a silent stalemate before Katsuki breaks it, "Never. The answer is 'never', Izuku. We've been over this; I take care of all the boring stuff, and you—"
"—focus on the things I want." Izuku finishes, suddenly shy.
Katsuki's smile is smug: "Correct." he grabs his glasses and slides them back into place, "Now leave me alone so I can finish doing our taxes," a pause as Katsuki's smile turns lecherous, "unless you'd like to find out how you can repay me?"
"Kacchan!" Izuku admonishes, but it's impossible to fight back the laugh.
Katsuki got his "repayment" after dinner.
----
The second video does even better than his vlog. The shorter form, obviously, makes it easier to digest. The video has collected a couple of million likes and even more views. To Izuku's surprise, he saw a snippet of it on an entertainment news station, though the segment was highlighting the trend of significant others admitting to their partners about not being able to pay a bill. With Izuku and Katsuki being public figures, their video easily became the focal point. A lot of the reaction seemed to be of netizens finding Katsuki's response, rightfully, cute, if a little brash.
The negative comments remain, and there will always be hate, but Izuku's goal is simply to bring that number down as opposed to total erasure; an impossible feat for anyone on the internet. Izuku himself receives slander on pictures and videos he posts, most of which take issue with him being a hero without a quirk.
Thankfully, Izuku is finally at a place in his life where being quirkless is no longer associated with all-consuming dread. While it was a massive adjustment mentally, emotionally, and physically to return to life without One For All, Izuku can confidently state — now — that he's happy in his own skin.
The incredibly expensive suit Katsuki funded helped, as it allowed Izuku to live out his childhood dream.
----
The next vlog, for once, came easily to Izuku. After a stressful day as a teacher, to an emergency villain attack at city hall, Izuku was exhausted. But unfortunately, he was too adrenaline-riddled to fall asleep, and Katsuki was still stuck on the night shift to help alleviate his energy. This left Izuku to his own devices at four in the morning, curled on the couch with his laptop and an old All Might cartoon playing quietly on the TV.
Izuku had been browsing various social media, barely retaining anything he saw, but the motion gives his hand something to do, while the other is lightly grasping a worn, sixteen-inch Dynamite plush. It was an older model, based on Dynamite's first costume with the large grenade bracers. He pauses his scrolling, using the light of the laptop and TV to illuminate the plush as he inspects all the wear and tear. One of its arms had fallen off a couple of years ago, and Mitsuki sewed it back on, after persuading Izuku into replacing it — to no avail. There were stains on its face from the assorted times Izuku dropped bits of food while it sat helplessly in his lap.
The doll has definitely seen better days.
This line of thought drove Izuku down a rabbit hole of browsing the newest hero merch, something he hasn't had the time to do in quite a while. Normally, it's something he's always up to date on, especially for his and Katsuki's merch.
So, when Katsuki returns home a little after six in the morning, he finds Izuku in the corner of the couch, his eyes bloodshot from staring at the screen for too long with minimal blinking. From there, Izuku was promptly dragged to bed, all while he excitedly babbled about all the cool new things their coworkers had released.
Cut to a month later, Izuku and Katsuki are sandwiched between the couch and coffee table, Izuku's new vlog camera perfectly aimed at them both. It took some convincing for Katsuki to sit down and do a merch haul with Izuku. Katsuki won't admit to it, of course, but he's been curious as to what exactly Izuku bought, needling Izuku ceaselessly. The planned vlog forced them both to wait and open the boxes until they had a moment together.
It's late at night, and they've just returned from a shift. They've showered and eaten, and are now in the process of winding down before they officially head to bed.
"Okay, where do we start?" Izuku asks, gesturing to the mountain of nondescript boxes laid out on the couch. He only vaguely recalls a few things he added to the cart, so this should be just as much of a surprise to him as it will be for Katsuki.
Katsuki inspects the boxes, probably debating whether a larger one would hold something more interesting as opposed to a small box. In the end, he grabs a medium-sized one from the top. Izuku watches with a content smile as Katsuki instantly goes about opening it, slicing through the tape with the prepared box knife.
Once they moved in together, both of their merch merged, and any duplicates were packed away or left at either of their childhood homes. So when one of them purchases a new figurine or poster, it gets added to one of two rooms dedicated to their collection. So in a way, this new batch of stuff is just as much Katsuki's as it is Izuku's.
Also, Izuku used Katsuki's credit card as it’s his default payment method, and he doesn't always remember to change it. Oops.
Katsuki tosses the shipping box over his shoulder, nearly hitting a shelf containing pictures of them with their friends and families. In his hands, he holds another box, this one colorful with various brands slapped on the sides. Katsuki hadn't exactly been smiling before, though there was a childlike excitement in his eyes. Now, however, Katsuki frowns deeply, more so annoyed than he actually had been in the prior videos. On the other hand, Izuku's smile grows, knowing exactly why.
"Babe," Katsuki starts, "are you fucking serious?"
"Why? What's wrong?" Izuku innocently inquires.
Katsuki growls and spins the box around so Izuku can witness the figurine behind the thin layer of plastic, "Did you seriously buy a fucking Half 'n Half figurine with my credit card?!"
"But Kacchan, isn't it cool? It's Shouto in the Santa outfit from last year!" Izuku reaches for the box. Once in his hands, he turns it to be within view of the camera so anyone watching can see, "It even has ice spikes on his right and a fire on his left!" As he explains, he tries to point to everything from behind the box, "Look! They even included the tear in his suit from when the Christmas Bash was ambushed! Isn't that neat?"
"Super neat," is Katsuki's deadpan retort. He then grabs Shouto's merch and tosses it to the other end of the couch.
Izuku watches, stupefied but not surprised, "Careful, Kacchan!"
"Yeah, whatever. It's your turn."
Giddy, Izuku reaches for the biggest box, as he's positive he knows which one that is, and he really doesn't want to wait. Does he topple some of the boxes that sat precariously on top? Yes. Does he care? A little, actually. He manages to catch a couple of them before they hit the ground, and Katsuki prevents the rest.
"Fucking hell, calm down," Katsuki admonishes, setting the few he saved aside.
Izuku only giggles, slightly embarrassed. He settles his chosen box across his lap and reaches for the box knife by Katsuki's elbow.
"I don't know if I trust you with sharp objects right now."
"It's okay, Kacchan! It has a safety guard!"
"That doesn't mean shit when it comes to you."
Ignoring Katsuki, Izuku continues, carefully sliding the blade through the tape, fearful for the item within. When complete, Izuku sets the box knife back onto the table, where Katsuki instantly intervenes by pulling the knife closer to himself. Once it was safely out of Izuku's reach, Katsuki relaxed against the couch while he watched Izuku peel the flaps apart in interest.
Inside the box is a black plastic bag with a large, orange X stamped onto the front. Removing the bag, Izuku slides the now-empty box underneath the coffee table before swiftly extracting the items within. With a wide, excited grin, Izuku holds up his new and improved, twenty-four-inch Dynamite plush. Unlike the old one, this one doesn't have extremities and is more cylindrical with the classic angry Dynamite expression on one end. It's incredibly soft and squishy, and will definitely make an excellent pillow.
"Look!" Izuku practically squeals with excitement, and he proudly holds the plush on display, "It's the new Dynamite plush! I didn't realize it was released two months ago, and of course, I had to get the biggest size!" Here, Izuku squeezes the stuffed toy to his chest, nearly missing the fond expression on Katsuki's face. It causes heat to rise to Izuku's cheeks once he catches a glimpse.
Izuku clears his throat and delicately lays the Dynamite plush on his lap, "Your turn."
Katsuki doesn't move immediately, his heated gaze locked on Izuku for several more seconds, then seems to realize what was said to him and turns to select another box.
They go back and forth for another hour and a half, opening hero merch like it's Christmas. Their voices grew louder as they debated some of the stories behind one of their friends' changes in uniform and new, iconic poses; and thankfully, they don't have neighbors close enough to be bothered by their rowdiness. By the end, they have a large pile of empty boxes and an assortment of their friends' merchandise scattered about on the coffee table.
There's a lull in their conversation, as the exhaustion is finally starting to settle in. Izuku himself is considering how to conclude the video when Katsuki speaks up, "Izuku, I'm seeing a problem with this."
Izuku hums, only half listening as he stifles a yawn, "What do you mean?" he slowly cranes his head to face Katsuki, who only raises an incredulous eyebrow before simply gesturing to the mess on the table.
"Isn't there something missing?"
Still confused, Izuku regards his newest purchases. His eyes count all the different heroes he has, making sure he hasn't missed any of their friends from U.A. While he does notice a majority of the merch is Dynamite themed, he at least has something from everyone else's lines.
Baffled, Izuku returns his attention to Katsuki, who evidently reads the confusion on his face. Katsuki eyes him like he's the stupidest one in the room, and considering it's just the two of them, Izuku currently feels like it.
"What?" he asks, hoping for a direct answer.
Katsuki sighs, "You didn't get any Deku merch, idiot."
Oh.
"Oh," Izuku examines the items again, "I honestly didn't even consider it."
Katsuki clicks his tongue, drawing Izuku's attention. He pulls his phone out from underneath a scrap of plastic, mumbling, "Guess I gotta do everything myself," and begins to tap furiously over the screen. Izuku silently watches as an all too familiar warmth blossoms in his chest.
Suddenly, they feel too far apart, so Izuku scooches the distance between them until he's practically plastered to Katsuki's side, who, without prompting, lifts an arm to allow Izuku into his personal space fully. Taking the offer, Izuku has his arms snaking tightly around Katsuki's torso and head pillowed on his shoulder. They sit in tranquil silence as Izuku watches Katsuki add Deku merchandise to the cart, watching the total price increase significantly.
"I love you, Kacchan," he finds himself whispering, afraid to break the calm lull. He peers upwards when he feels Katsuki freeze, so he plays witness to the soft blush that dusts the apples of his cheeks. He remains stationary for a beat, then looks down to meet Izuku's gaze.
Katsuki has never been one for words; he uses actions to express himself. But Izuku knows better. He sees his love reflected in Katsuki's eyes, feels the warmth from the palm wrapped around Izuku's waist. And when Katsuki leans down to press and hold a kiss in the center of his forehead, Izuku feels all the words Katsuki does not say.
So when Izuku later uploads this video, he hopes the rest of the world will at least see a glimpse of the Katsuki he loves. That he isn't just one layer of hotheadedness and anger, that Katsuki is capable of so much more than what the media covers.
Even later, as Izuku is half draped on top of Katsuki, still slightly trembling from the powerful orgasm Katsuki wrung from him, Izuku thinks. The world doesn't need to know everything about Katsuki, and if Izuku were being selfish, which he is, then he wants to be the only one who truly acknowledges every aspect of the man he loves. While Izuku is happy to share Dynamite with the world and the first few layers that make up Katsuki, Izuku will hoard the rest to himself.