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“What’s wrong?” Round Face asks immediately after the call connects, and it catches Katsuki off guard enough for his reply to be a genuinely confused-sounding,
“Huh?”
The alarm remains apparent in her voice. “You never call me, Bakugo. What’s wrong?”
Ah, he supposes that’s fair. He didn’t really consider how it might come across, calling his classmate so late like this, especially while they’re all home for the holidays. In his defense, he really doesn’t know who else to ask.
“Nothing’s wrong, Cheeks.” He gruffs out. “Just need your help.”
A beat passes, and then another, and then a few more of utter silence. Long enough that Katsuki has to pull back his phone to check that the call’s still connected. It is, and he doesn’t hear any kind of interference through the speaker, so eventually he’s forced to speak again with an aggressive,
“Hello?!”
He really doesn’t have time for this shit.
A surprised sounding whistle comes through the other end, and Katsuki plops down onto his bed at the noise. “Hell has frozen over.” Comes the thoughtful and dripping in sarcasm response from Cheeks, causing Katsuki to roll his eyes in annoyance.
“I ask for help.” He argues, failing to keep the exasperation out of his voice, because like he said, he really doesn’t have time for this shit.
“Mm, sureeeeee.” Katsuki checks the time on his alarm clock. 10:42 PM. And it’s not getting any earlier. “Can you just say that one more time so I can record it?”
The amusement in her voice is palpable, and he’s about to just hang up and figure something else out when an image flashes in his mind. An image of a certain green-haired nerd who would be rather upset with him if he cussed out his best friend. Gritting his teeth, Katsuki decides to play his most desperate (and most shameful) card.
“Please, Uraraka.”
He does his best to ignore the sharp intake of breath he can hear through the speaker. “Shit, okay.” Pink Cheeks whispers, seemingly to herself. Then, louder, responds. “Okay, you’re serious. What do you need?”
Finally, Katsuki thinks. Now they’re getting somewhere.
“Did you get Deku a Christmas gift?” Katsuki stands up as he asks, and starts pacing his bedroom.
“Yeah?” She replies, sounding confused about the question. “Why?”
He pauses now, hand clenching the side of his dresser in stress. “What did you get him?”
“Oh!,” She starts, and Katsuki squeezes the wood in his hand. “Same thing I got all my friends: hand-knitted beanies in their hero colors! Silver for Tenya, green for Tsu, for Todoroki I’m doing white and red, but on the opposite sides as his hair, and for Deku —”
“I don’t know how to knit!” He interrupts, turning back around to continue pacing. Great. All this and he’s still at square one.
Through the phone, Round face pops her lips. “Were you going to steal my gift idea, Bakugo?”
“No,” He insists, “But I was hoping for some — I don’t know, fucking inspiration or something.”
A pause, and then she responds, “For Deku?”
“Nerd texted me —” He glances back at the clock. “Twenty minutes ago asking if we could meet at nine so he could give me my Christmas gift.”
He gets annoyed again just saying it out loud. Fucking nerd, always trying to make him look bad.
“And you didn’t get him anything?”
“Mhm.” He angrily confirms the obvious.
“Christmas is tomorrow, Bakugo.”
He seethes, barely contains an explosion and answers her through gritted teeth. “I realize that. Why do you think I called?”
Pink cheeks sighs in understanding, and almost immediately Katsuki can hear her name being called from far away through the phone. She at least has the decency to sound remorseful. “I gotta go. I’m sorry I couldn’t be more help, but look. It’s Deku, just explain the situation to him, I’m sure he’ll understand.” Another call of her name, this time sounding more insistent. “Bye, Bakugo. Merry Christmas.”
He mutters back a half-hearted Merry Christmas and hears the call disconnect.
It’s confirmed. He’s screwed.
“What if you just distract him?” Denki screams through the phone, so loud it forces Katsuki — even with his poor hearing — to hold his phone several inches from his ear. Apparently, the Kaminari’s take Christmas Eve very seriously. And by Christmas Eve, he means spiked eggnog. If he had known this, he probably wouldn’t have even called in the first place. But he’s desperate and Denki’s spent all of December bragging that he got the perfect gift for Ears to commemorate their first Christmas together as a couple, or whatever. Katsuki wonders if it’ll make up for the fact that he’s sure to be hungover when he gives it to her.
“Distract him?” He calls back, trying to keep his volume down as he’s sure his parents are trying to sleep.
“Yeah!” Denki affirms, as though that clears it up, just as Katsuki can hear someone in the background call for MORE SHOTS, BABY. “One year, I forgot to get my mom a birthday gift, so I short-circuited the power in the house and started a fire in our kitchen!”
Katsuki fights the urge to face palm.
“She forgot all about her birthday gift after that!”
The disgusting sound of Denki swallowing what Katsuki can only assume to be more alcohol pauses his story, and Katsuki’s stuck listening to the absurd bass of the party music.
“Though, they did get me a quirk tutor after that, so your choice man!”
Certainly not doing that, Katsuki gives up on Denki as well, “Bye, idiot.”
“Byeeee Kacchan! Merry Chris—”
He hangs up the phone.
“This was actually my first year buying Christmas for my mom and siblings. Natsuo thought it would be a good way for us all to feel like we’re a – ” Half-and-half pauses, “normal family —” Another pause, and then,
“I did air quotes, Bakugo.”
“I gathered.”
“Okay.” Talking to Todoroki is like scratching his nails on a chalkboard, pulling teeth, and any other stupid-ass metaphor out there. But he’s one of Deku’s best friends. So.
“According to my research,” Oh, here we fucking go. “The best gift is one that shows you truly know the receiver. Something relating to an interest of theirs is great, and to add a more personal touch, get something relating to a shared interest between the two of you.”
Despite the fact that it sounds like Icyhot read that from the Google AI overview (Katsuki briefly considers the possibility that Torodoki himself is just a really advanced AI bot, before deciding that no, they wouldn’t possibly pre-program a robot to have daddy issues) it’s not bad advice. The problem is, he’s out of time to take it.
“You could get him something All Might related?” Icyhot suggests, and again, it’s a solid idea. And, he has plenty of stuff laying around the house he could regift, plenty of action figures still in their original packaging and lots of memorabilia he’s kept in such good shape it’s practically still new.
Something just doesn’t feel right about that, though. Not even the idea of regifting, just the fact that it’s All Might, well,
“Isn’t that a bit obvious, though?”
It’s not a video call, but Katsuki can practically see the blank stare Todoroki is giving him when he replies, “Does that matter?”
He sighs. “Yeah, kinda.”
“Because of your romantic feelings for him?”
Katsuki freezes, cheeks heating up immediately. “Because of my —” Who the fuck told Icyhot? No way he’s that obvious. Right?
Right?
Murmuring comes through the other end of the call as Katsuki replays every public interaction he’s ever had with Deku. His brain just begins forming the terrifying thought of what if Deku knows about his feelings when Todoroki interrupts his mind to end the call. Seems to be a common trend tonight. Even if it is Christmas Eve.
“I have to go. My sister says we have to open one gift before we go to bed. Even though she also told me we open all the gifts together tomorrow morning. I think breaking the rules together is supposed to be part of the family bonding, but I’m not really sure how that’s meant to —”
Silence.
“Did you really just wake me up on break for something that isn’t an emergency, Bakugo?”
“Sorry, Sensei.”
There’s a thudding sound coming through the phone, like Aizawa set his phone down on a table, but he forgot to hang up. Curious, Katsuki listens as a male voice asks something, but it’s too far away to make out what. Closer to the phone, his homeroom teacher answers,
“It’s fine, Hizashi. Go back to sleep.”
And then, an unmistakeable,
“Okay, baby.”
Katsuki hangs up the phone in a rush, face heating up at the idea of spying on his teacher in bed. And with another man, no less. Despite trying distinctly not to think about it, Katsuki can’t help but realize that the other voice sounded incredibly familiar to him.
Hizashi…
Hizashi…
OH.
“Why don’t you just put a bow on it?”
“Go fuck yourself.”
“Meens, you are my last hope here.” He pleads with his friend, checking the time with dread and seeing that it’s nearly midnight. Every store will be closed, it will be too late to get anything of substance, Deku will be disappointed in him, he’ll decide that Katsuki isn’t boyfriend material, they’ll never have any shot of getting together, Katsuki will spend the next ten years pining over someone he can never have before he inevitably dies of some unexpected disease caused by the excessive stress of never getting to be with the person he loves and everyone will say he was too young and he was too young, he never got to have the promising hero career he worked so hard for because now he’s dead at twenty-eight all because he couldn’t think of a good gift to give to the love of his —
“KATSUKI!”
“Yeah?”
“You’re not going to die.” Mina reassures him, and as embarrassing as it is to realize he said all that out loud (picking up on the nerd’s habits, too, damn), he must admit that his friend’s soothing tone is already helping to calm his nerves.
He still has no idea what he’s going to do, granted, but if anyone could figure it out, it’s Mina fucking Ashido. Really, he should have called her first. Not that he’d ever tell her that.
“You want to give him something genuine. Something from the heart. And you can’t buy anything at this point…” She trails off, and Katsuki knows after witnessing enough of her insane ideas that this is the part where he shuts the fuck up and lets her think.
And lo and behold, just a few anxious seconds later, she’s snapping her fingers and giving him the best idea he’s heard all night.
“Cook him something!”
And yes, that’s it. He doesn’t need to go to the store: check. It’s homemade, and therefore inherently sentimental: check. He already knows Deku loves his cooking, so he’s sure to like it: check!
He doesn’t mind staying up all night if he has to, so it’ll look like Katsuki’s had this planned for weeks and gave himself an ample amount of time to prepare an amazing Christmas dish for his best friend. Yes, this is perfect. He just has to go downstairs — quietly, so as to avoid waking his parents, who are sure to disapprove of his midnight cooking session — check the fridge for ingredients…
“Fuckkk.” He whines into the phone. “We just got back from visiting my grandparents. We have no food in the house.”
“C’mon, you’ve gotta have some stuff.” Mina insists, and then, when he doesn’t immediately answer her, “At least go check before you prepare yourself for an early death.”
Yeah, okay. She’s right. It can’t hurt to check. And really, it’s his last hope. May as well follow through with it.
Through the call, Mina yawns. “I’m gonna go to bed. You got this, okay?”
Given how late it is, he can’t blame her. He also suspects it means he’s on his own from here on out. “Thanks.”
“Merry Christmas, Blasty.”
He was right, and he’s so screwed. They spent the week leading up to Christmas at his grandparent’s house and just got back home a few hours ago. His mom cleaned out the fridge before they left, and they haven’t had time to grocery shop after. Since they’re spending Christmas Day at his aunt’s, they haven’t had a need. Which just makes it official, with no food to cook and no backup plan, Katsuki is screwed.
He sighs, fighting the urge to slam the refrigerator door. How was he supposed to know Izuku was going to get him a Christmas gift? They’ve never done that for each other before! He would have, if he knew, he would’ve gotten him the best gift he’s ever received. But he didn’t know! And now, he’s going to look bad to the one person he’s spent the better part of his teenage years trying to prove that he’s changed. That he’s a better person now.
A better person that doesn’t get their best friends Christmas gifts, apparently.
Just as Katsuki is about to ascend the stairs back up to his bedroom, he notices a soft light on coming from the living room. Curious, he changes direction and pads quietly over to find his dad sitting on the couch gazing at the lit tree with a glass of liquor in his hand.
“Thought I heard you up and around,” He turns to Katsuki, a kind smile on his face. “Come sit, kiddo.”
Grateful for an interaction that isn’t through a phone call, Katsuki plops himself down next to his dad and stares with him at their Christmas tree.
“What’s got you up tonight, hm?”
Katsuki debates spilling his guts right then and there, telling his dad everything from his feelings for Deku to the situation he’s in. But it’s late, and he’s tired, and he’s not sure he wants to get into it all right now (his parents don’t know that he’s gay, but they don’t not know either). And really, all he wants is some decent advice on the situation. Luckily for Katsuki, he can usually count on his dad not to pry too hard.
“Did you ever not know what to get mom for Christmas?”
"Oh, yeah.” He answers immediately, and Katsuki perks up, giving his dad his full attention. “Our first holiday together. We were only dating for, oh, six months at the time. And I wanted to surprise her, but it was hard, because your mother knows what she wants and gets it herself.”
Katsuki nods along, blushing at the sideways look his dad gives him that says, you’re the same way, you know. Yes, he does know.
“So I show up empty handed to our exchange, convinced she’s going to break up with me, and the moment I saw her was the first time I told her I loved her.”
“And she didn’t mind that you didn’t get her anything?”
His dad snorts. “Oh, she minded.”
Katsuki checks the time on his watch before shoving his hand back into his pocket. He still has five minutes until 9, standing outside of Izuku’s apartment complex. He figured the least he could do was be early, even if he did show up with no Christmas gift.
Despite the dread in his stomach and the chill cutting through his jacket, Katsuki can’t help but light up inside at the sight of Izuku walking out of the building and towards him. He’s wearing a giant puffer jacket that swallows him completely — not an easy feat, these days — and a fluffy santa hat atop his head. To put it simply, he looks fucking adorable. Katsuki isn’t going to survive this.
“Kacchan!” Deku beams at him, nearly skipping until he’s in front of the boy, then stops to say, “Merry Christmas!”
And he means to say it back. That would be the normal thing to do. That would be the appropriate thing to do. But his dad’s words from last night ring in his ear, and, well, he is a Bakugo after all.
“I love you.”
Oh, Jesus Christ.
“Will you be my boyfriend?”
Fuckkkkkk.
Okay, okay, he said it. It wasn’t very eloquent, wasn’t the speech he’s rehearsed hundreds of times in his head. He’s fighting the urge to hide his face, or perhaps run far, far away. But Deku hasn’t said anything yet. And he’d never forgive himself if he ran away before at least getting to hear the nerd’s answer, even if this is the most embarrassing moment of his life. Katsuki tries desperately to read the answer off Deku’s face, but all he’s getting is confusion. Confusion isn’t a no, but it also definitely isn’t a yes.
“Kacchan,” He starts with wide eyes, and Katsuki holds his breath. “Do you mean it?”
And that breaks him. Because of course this wonderful ball of light in his life would question his confession. For all of Izuku’s strengths, self-confidence isn’t one of them. He’ll help with that, though. Starting right now.
Taking a step forward, Katsuki closes the gap between the pair. He pulls his chilly hands out of his pockets and cups both of Izuku’s cheeks, thin wool gloves now the only barrier between them. He cocks his head teasingly, ignoring the blush that’s sure to be plastered on his skin – he can blame it on the cold — and scoffs as he answers him,
“Of course I do.”
Izuku’s eyes widen at the words, and before he knows it, his hands are being shaken off at the ferocity of the nerd’s nodding.
“Yes.”
It catches him so off guard that he nearly forgets the question he asked. Nearly.
“Yes?” He has to be sure.
“Yes.” Izuku laughs, and it’s the best thing he’s ever heard.
Katsuki lets out the breath he absolutely knew he was holding and contemplates what to do with all the built up joy in his chest. He thinks back to his millions of fantasies of this exact moment — the good ones, at least — and recalls what always came next.
Looking into his favorite green eyes, he softens his voice, and asks, “Can I kiss you?”
And Izuku answers just as softly, barely a whisper, with his new favorite word, “Yes.”
Katsuki leans forward, quickly closing the gap between their faces, and pauses just as their noses start to brush. He’s not expecting it when Izuku wraps one of his big hands around his waist, so he knows his cheeks must be exploding with a bright red blush right now. Izuku confirms it when his eyes dip down and back up, and then he lets out a quiet, breathy laugh.
To save himself the embarrassment, Katsuki closes his eyes, dips his head forward, and presses his lips to Izuku’s. It’s bliss for a soft moment, Izuku letting out a soft sound of surprise even though he’d projected his actions. And asked him first. Still, it’s music to Katsuki’s ears and the fact that Izuku doesn’t pull away motivates him to deepen the kiss. Wrapping his arms around the other’s neck now, he pushes their bodies closer together, a move that feels wonderful, until he gets shoved back by the hand on his side.
“Kacchan!” Izuku snaps as they separate, but his voice is light and teasing, so Katsuki can’t find it in himself to be too worried. “You’re squishing it!”
At the words, the boy unzips his jacket partway down and pulls out a rolled up piece of paper he was keeping close to his body, likely to protect it from the elements.
“What’s that?”
Izuku’s smile drops, turning into a sheepish look. “Your Christmas present.”
Curious, Katsuki holds out a hand and looks inquisitively at the other. Izuku hands it off, though he looks hesitant to do so. As much as Katsuki wants to pry, to do whatever it is he needs to do to wipe the doubt from his mind, he’d spent way too long agonizing over the paper in his hands to not find out what it is.
He gently pulls at the rubber band keeping it rolled until it slides off one of the ends, then unrolls the white construction paper to reveal a drawing. It’s not bad, careful lines of colored pencil, clearly with a lot of thought put into it. It’s just that, he doesn’t know what it is.
In the center of the page are two large capital letter D’s, overlapping with an ampersand in the space between. The background consists of a well-drawn explosion that’s seemingly encased by green lightning. Again, cool, but —
“Come on, say something!”
Izuku interrupts his train of thought, bouncing on the balls of his feet like he is truly going to start flying away if Katsuki doesn’t say something soon.
“What am I looking at here, nerd?”
At the question, Izuku’s eyes widen, seemingly shocked that he doesn’t know. “It’s a logo. Or, an idea of one.” He answers in a small voice. Then, clears his throat, and much louder, asks, “Kacchan, when we graduate in a few months, do you want to be hero partners?”
Now it’s Katsuki’s turn for wide eyes, as he looks back and forth from Izuku to the paper in his hands, digesting the offer. It makes sense now: D&D, Deku and Dynamight. He lets his mind consider the idea for a moment: working with Izuku for the rest of his life, having each other’s backs in the field, being partners in every sense of the word.
He forces himself to look back up from the paper to Izuku, truly thinking that this moment is the happiest he’s ever been.
And in this moment, unbeknownst to Katsuki, Izuku stares back at him, thinking that the blinding smile on his new boyfriend’s — and hero partner’s — face is the best Christmas gift he’s ever received.