Chapter Text
There was a boy, a very strange enchanted boy
They say he wandered very far, very far, over land and sea
[...] And then one day, a magic day he passed my way
And while we spoke of many things, fools and kings, this he said to me
The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return
— Nat "King" Cole; 1947
The city looked prettier at night.
Maybe that's why people kept staying in it despite everything that went on in the shadows, because once the sun went down, once the office towers turned into glittering monoliths and the streets drowned under rainwater and reflected color, the whole place became captivating. Meaner, too. Beautiful as the sharp blade of a knife sinking into the velvety skin of a peach.
Katsuki had been slumped in the back seat of a car, watching the lights smear across the window as the driver cut through downtown traffic, red bleeding into gold into electric blue. Giant holographic ads flickered across entire buildings overhead, illuminating exhausted faces in pulses every few seconds. Heroes smiled down from skyscrapers twenty stories high, all perfect teeth and reassuring promises.
His own face had flashed by three intersections ago.
He looked tired even there.
Funny.
The city never sleeps. Everyone loved saying that like it was some sort of romantic trait, but Katsuki always thought it sounded more like a threat. If nothing was asleep, then nothing ever rested. The whole damn place vibrated constantly, buzzing under his skin day and night, swallowing people whole and dressing them up pretty so that nobody noticed they were disappearing.
Or maybe they noticed. Maybe nobody cared.
“I can’t believe you talked me into this.”
They were sitting in a private booth tucked far off to the side, mostly hidden beneath shadow and hanging strands of glass like a delicate curtain of falling tears. A vodka and tonic in his hand, with a little paper umbrella stabbed into the ice and casually perched on the rim of his glass.
Mina waved her hand in the air while she finished taking a long sip from a colorful cocktail that smelled like melted candy, looking aggressively pleased with herself.
“Oh, relax.” She laughed, slamming the empty glass onto the table. “I need to get another one of these. How’s your Grey Goose?”
An irritated grunt crawled up his throat. He plucked the umbrella from the glass and flicked it carelessly across the club. Mina watched it bounce off the shoulder of a businessman three tables away.
“You’re such an asshole.” She sighed.
“Tch.”
Low music vibrated through the walls, so deep he could feel it in his chest more than hear it properly. The lighting inside the club was dim and red-toned, soft against leather and polished dark wood, making every glass surface look molten. The place smelled faintly of expensive liquor, perfume and smoke.
People lounged close together in shadowed corners, laughter low and intimate beneath the music. Some were dancing under slow-moving lights near the center floor, bodies swaying lazily against one another.
Katsuki took another sip, a sweet taste hit his tongue sharp and citrusy beneath the alcohol burn.
“You needed this.” Mina said, pressing a button to call for service and leaning back against the booth.
Katsuki looked away toward the glimpses of the dance floor he could see through the glass curtain.
He needed this? Need was a big fucking word.
Truthfully, he didn’t even know why he’d agreed to come.
Well.
That wasn’t entirely true.
He finished the rest of his drink in one swallow and the ice clinked softly against the glass as he set it down.
Truth was, he didn’t have time for this shit.
Didn’t have time for awkward flirting in bars or getting dragged through dating apps by his friends or pretending he knew how normal people met each other anymore. His schedule was a nightmare. His face was everywhere. Half the country either wanted something from him or was scared to talk to him in the first place.
One-night stands required effort, relationships required time, and Katsuki had neither of those things. That kind of life was for regular people and Katsuki had stopped being regular a long fucking time ago, which is the real reason why he had agreed to this insane idea.
You’ll blow off some steam. Plus, the boys are really cute. Is what Mina had said.
So, did Katsuki need this?
Yeah. Probably.
“I’m fine.” He said.
“Katsuki.”
“What?”
“You worked seventy-three hours this week. That is not normal.”
“For me it is.”
Mina clicked her tongue. “You’re too tense.” She told him, nodding toward the dance floor. “C’mon, dance with me.”
“Absolutely not. I’m not dancing in this place.”
“In this place?” Mina repeated, sounding somehow scandalized by his remark. “Katsuki, this place is gorgeous.”
He grunted, slouching deeper into the booth instead.
A pretty boy approached their table then, all smooth smiles and suggestive eyes, leaning casually against the edge of the booth. Katsuki flinched when the guy brushed his shoulder with the tip of his fingers and blew him off in under fifteen seconds.
“Could we have another round? Same drinks.” Mina said, flashing him an apologetic smile. “Thanks, honey.”
Once the man was gone and the glass curtain was swaying softly, she stared at Katsuki with an exasperated look on her face.
“I thought we were waiting for your friend.” He muttered.
“Well, yeah.” Mina replied. “Technically. But if you saw anyone you liked–.”
“Tch.” He tapped his short nails against the wooden tabletop, feeling a wave of heat spreading through his neck. “What if someone takes a picture? This could ruin my entire career.”
“Katsuki.” Mina pressed the tip of her index finger against her forehead, most likely trying to find the patience to deal with this conversation for the seventh time. “This is a very exclusive club. Half the people here are public figures, they cannot afford any members of their clientele being leaked. They would be out of business before sunrise.”
Yeah. She had already said that.
But the fact that the club was exclusive did little to calm the nerves that were throbbing beneath his ribs.
He could already picture the headlines.
Caught in The Act! Japan’s #1 Hero: Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight Spotted at Fallen Angels, the Most Exclusive Gay Escort Club.
His PR Team would be the ones having him hanging by the balls before sunrise.
But this wasn’t just about his public image. If Katsuki cared even the slightest bit about what the public thought of him, he might have done something to mend his personality long ago. No. It was more a matter of vulnerability. Of allowing strangers to catch a glimpse of his private life, of his weaknesses, something Katsuki had diligently kept hidden behind the scenes.
“Hey.” Mina snapped him out of his thoughts when she reached across the table and hooked her little finger with his. Katsuki looked up at her. “It’s gonna be fine. You’ll have a great time, and will be thanking me later.”
“I doubt that would ever happen.”
“Well, true. You’ll probably just give me a grunt and a scowl, but I always know when that look of yours means thanks, Mina, you're the best.”
Despite himself, Katsuki chuckled at that, just when the glass curtain swung open glistening under the lights like a shower of diamonds.
“Anybody ordered some drinks?”
“Tooru-chan!” Mina was on her feet immediately, sliding out of the booth to squeeze her friend in a hug, who deftly maneuvered the tray she was holding with the two drinks they had ordered. “It’s so good to see you!”
“You too, darling. I’m so glad you guys came.”
“This is Bakugou, the friend I talked to you about.”
Katsuki was getting rid of a second paper umbrella and bringing the drink to his lips, seemingly uninterested with the friendly reunion happening in front of him.
“Of course. Who doesn’t know the great Dynamight?” The girl with the shimmering multicolored hair sat down across from him and held out her hand, but Katsuki didn't take it. “I’m Hagakure Tooru.”
“‘Sup.”
From the look on Mina's face, Katsuki knew she would have smacked him on the head if she could reach from where she sat.
“Excuse him, Tooru-chan.” She said, stirring her drink with her red straw. “Katsuki is just a bit nervous.”
“Shut up, Raccoon Eyes. I’m not nervous.” He snapped.
“Oh. I see.” And was astoundingly ignored. “You have nothing to worry about. The boys will take really good care of you.”
Katsuki almost choked on his drink. “What do you mean the boys?”
“I mean, whoever you choose. Unless you want to do it with more than one, just say the word and I’ll get it arranged.”
“Fuck no. No. One. Just one. No more than one. Just one.” He bit his tongue to stop from embarrassing himself any further.
Mina was laughing into her drink.
“So, Mina-chan has told me a bit about your tastes. I have a few guys in mind, but I wanted to hear directly from you.” The girl leaned forward, resting her chin on her interlocked fingers. “Which kind of boys do you like?”
Katsuki tensed from head to toe, his skin prickling under the wave of shame that struck him like a bolt of lightning.
“Come on, Katsuki. Don’t be a prude.” Mina said, gesturing for him to start talking. “This is literally her job. She does match-making for a living.”
“Well, technically I’m more of a caretaker.” Hagakure smiled, turning her head to the side. “Making sure the boys are safe and healthy, you know? But for a friend, I’m always happy to help.”
“You’re such a sweetheart.” Mina set her drink down, rolling the ice cubes by stabbing them with her straw. “Like I told you, Katsuki looks all angry and violent, but he’s a big softie on the inside.”
“Fuck you, asshole.”
“See?”
“Is that right?” Hagakure’s attention was now back on him. “You can ask for anything you want, I’m sure we can accommodate. It depends on what you’re in the mood for tonight, really.”
Katsuki was very much in the mood for getting out of this conversation entirely, but the Hagakure girl just kept on going, turning an already uncomfortable situation into an unbearable one.
“Topping, bottoming, a bit of power dynamics… Some bondage maybe? Pet play?”
Katsuki took a long sip of his vodka, downing half the drink, and rubbed his hand across his face to get rid of the itchy feeling he had all over his skin.
“I don’t–.” He growled. “I don’t know.”
“Sometimes it helps if you think about what type of porn you like to watch.” The chick said like this was another fucking Tuesday and she was talking about the weather. “Is there anything you always wanted to try? What did you usually do with your previous partners?”
Hah. That was a good one.
Katsuki had had his fair share of sexual partners over the last decade. He even got close to having something resembling a semi-solid interrelation – whatever that shit was, he still refused to call it a relationship – but the number one problem Katsuki had faced time and time and time again with each of his sexual partners was that people came to him looking for one thing and one thing only. Sex that was rough, aggressive, violent, the outermost layer of Dynamight, regardless of what lay beneath it.
That didn't mean Katsuki didn't enjoy it – far from it, really – but the truth was that, at this rate, he would never have the chance to connect deeply with someone on a different level. Maybe then he could let out something he had been keeping hidden in silence, have a partner he could shower with affection, and, for once, use his hands to care for someone instead of destroying them.
Maybe Mina was right. Maybe deep down he was just a big sissy.
“Well, you see, that’s kinda part of the problem.”
“Shut it.” He warned her. “I swear to god, Mina–.”
“Katsuki here didn’t have much luck with his partners in the past.” She carried on, as if he weren't sitting right in front of her, staring at her as if he could make her head explode with just the sheer force of his will. “That’s what I meant before, he looks so scary and intimidating that everyone always assumes he’s going to be a tough lover.”
“Oh, I see.” Hagakure nodded, completely invested in absorbing every detail that was provided to her.
“They don’t expect how caring he really is. He has so much to offer, and honestly, I don’t think anybody has understood my boy the way he deserves.”
Katsuki found himself praying to the heavens that the booth would split in two and the earth would swallow him up. He had little regrets in life, the biggest one at this moment was ever talking to Ashido Mina about his sexual struggles, or letting her figure it out by the very little information he had actually shared.
“Ah, yes. I hear you.” The other girl snapped her translucent fingers in the air. “I’ve seen that so many times before. If most of the partners you've had have always wanted the same dynamic from you, that doesn't leave you with many opportunities to explore anything else for yourself.”
Hagakure gave him what she probably intended to be a reassuring look, but for Katsuki it was just another way of making him feel frustratingly exposed in front of a complete stranger.
“Is that what you’d like?” She asked. “Someone you can be very gentle with?”
Gentle.
Just like that, a thrilling tingle of arousal ran up his spine.
He’d be lying if he said he had never thought about it, the way other people talked about their intimacy, the way you see it in the movies.
A passion so deep and so fierce that burns in your chest like winter fire. A devotion that takes control over your own mind, that urges you to touch with gentle strokes sending shivers down the spine, to kiss with lips that drink in the taste of skin, that implores you to adore what you hold between your hands like the most delicate marble sculpture.
Sometimes Katsuki couldn’t help but wonder – on sleepless nights and in the sanctuary of his privacy – if he would ever get to experience something like that.
He convinced himself a fucking long time ago that it wasn't possible. Not for him. Not for Bakugou Katsuki. Not for Dynamight. Because who in their right mind would want such an intimate and deep relationship with someone like him?
Now, sitting in a private booth at an exclusive club in the red-light district, he was given the opportunity to stage it.
“Katsuki, sweetie?” Mina asked, after he had spent a full minute in silence.
He gulped down the last of his drink, unsure about when exactly he had drunk it all.
“That–.” The word died in his throat. He cleared it, and tried again. “Fuck. That’d be… good.”
“Excellent!” Hagakure clapped her hands in excitement, making him flinch. “I know exactly the right guy for you. Let me go find him, and I’ll send a bottle of champagne to the table. Anything else you guys want?”
“Uh. Champagne sounds great!” The smile on Mina’s face was almost blinding.
“Super. I’ll be right back then.” Hagakure stood from where she sat and disappeared behind the long curtain of crystals.
Katsuki clutched the empty glass in his hands, letting the condensation from the ice dampen his palms.
“I’m so proud of you.”
He snorted. “Why? Because I’m about to fuck a whore?”
Mina threw herself halfway across the table and slapped him on the arm. “Don’t talk like that! These guys are the elite of professional escorts. Have some respect.”
“I still can’t believe you talked me into this shit.” He grunted, running a hand through his hair and feeling like his entire body was about to combust.
“Honey, you’ve been on edge for months now, a little love making is exactly what you needed.”
“Don't get any weird ideas. There’s no love making in any of this, it’s just a transaction.”
“Well, yeah, technically. But as soon as he’s here and you two are alone then…”
Katsuki launched himself over the table and grabbed her by the wrist, digging his fingers into her flesh, not giving a damn if he left a bruise.
“Don’t you fucking dare, Mina.” His voice sounded raw and pitchy. “Keep your ass on that booth. You do not leave me here alone right now.”
“Oh my sweet lord, Katsuki. Relax! I’m not going anywhere.” She laughed. “Oh, but once you two get intimate then I’m outta here. I’m serious, please don’t tell me you were expecting me to hold your hand while you were getting your dick wet.”
“Shut up, asshole! Jesus Christ, you’re fucking gross.” He yanked his hand away. “I mean now, as in– While we– Until– Fuck. Until we know this dude.”
“Yeah, yeah.” She took a last sip of her drink, biting on the tip of her red straw. “I’ll be here to do the small talk for you, don’t you worry about a thing.”
The curtain suddenly opened again and through it came a tall and lean man, who looked at both of them in turn. Purple hair falling into his tired eyes that somehow managed to stay sharp beneath his heavy lids.
“I’ve brought your champagne.” The guys said, in the most passive tone Katsuki had ever heard. He looked severely unimpressed, the rim of his cigarette hanging dangerously from his lips.
Katsuki and Mina exchanged a dumbfounded look with each other, and he wondered what the hell Mina had told her friend about Katsuki’s taste in men, because by the shaggy looks on the dude standing right in front of him, the translucent chick didn’t get Katsuki’s taste at all.
Mina seemed to have figured out exactly what he was thinking, because she parted her lips and muttered a silent: Not. My. Doing.
The guy summoned as if out of nowhere an ice basket with an expensive bottle and four flute glasses that he set down on the table.
“Oh. Shinso-kun!” Hagakure appeared at that very moment. “Thank you so much. You can leave that here, I’ll take care of the rest.”
“Anytime.” The guy – Shinso – said, and gave them all an uncommitted salute with two fingers on his forehead.
Then, to Katsuki’s everlasting relief, he turned on his heels and made his way out.
“Okay, guys.” Hagakure pressed both hands over her chest, looking at them with a wide smile on her face. “I want you to meet…” She looked left and right, then around, and seemed to realize she was standing there alone.
She suddenly stepped out through the glass curtain, giving Katsuki and Mina just the time to exchange yet another look.
“Why are you being shy all of a sudden?” They heard her say, dragging whoever was on the other side to step into the private booth. She then poked her head through the curtain with a sweet smile. “Bakugou-san, sorry for making you wait.”
Hagakure opened the glass curtain, holding the strands of small crystals in one hand, revealing the man waiting on the other side.
And the first thing Katsuki saw was green.
“This is Midoriya Izuku.”
Green eyes, deep and dark as the depths of the ocean, framed by long thick lashes, and green hair, smooth looking curls that seemed completely impossible to tame.
The second thing were freckles, entire constellations peppering his skin. One second they were there, the next they were fading into the soft blush that was crawling up his cheeks.
“Oh, great job.” Mina blurted out, echoing the same sense of absolute wonder that Katsuki felt in his chest.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” The man said, closing his eyes and lowering his head in a polite bow, the thick muscles of his shoulders and upper back flexed under his white shirt.
Katsuki's lungs tightened, leaving him breathless. He tried to return the gesture but only managed to squirm awkwardly in his seat.
“A pleasure to meet you too, Midoriya-kun.” Mina said, true to her word of being the one to lead the conversation. “I’m Mina, Ashido Mina, you can just call me Mina.”
“Oh, thank you. You both can call me, mmh… Izuku, too. I’m– ahh…” He smiled, his eyes folding into soft, glowing crescents that lit up his whole face. “I’m really excited to be here.”
“And this…” Mina reached out and slapped Katsuki out of his daze. “Gorgeous asshole here is Bakugou Katsuki. He’s really excited to meet you too.”
Katsuki felt a surge of rage and embarrassment flooding his chest, impossible to tell which of the two was stronger.
“I can speak for myself, dipshit.” He barked.
“Oh, sure you can?” She asked with a saccharine tone, playing innocent, and immediately getting on his nerves. “Seemed to me like you needed a little help over there.”
“You wanna fucking die today?”
“Pffft. Give me a break, Blasty.”
Izuku laughed softly from where he stood. “You two seem really close.” He said.
“Oh, like brother and sister.” Mina grinned, gesturing for the boy to join them and take a seat by Katsuki. “Come on, make yourself comfortable. I promise he won’t bite unless you ask him to.”
Katsuki snapped his head toward her, canines peeking under his upper lip.
“Let’s toast first!” Hagakure, who had slipped into the space next to Mina, stood up to reach for the bottle of champagne.
“Oh, Hagakure-san. Please let me do it.” Izuku said, motioning for her to sit back down.
He grabbed the bottle by the neck, pulling it out of the ice bucket. A trickle of water ran down the glass, wetting the sleeves of his shirt.
“Ahh, great…” He muttered, setting the bottle aside and rolling up his sleeves.
Katsuki stared at every inch of skin exposed with each one of his movements. It seemed impossible. Unthinkable. He’d practically been dragged here by Mina, not really knowing what to expect, and now... Now this unbelievably thick and beautiful man was here to spend the night with him.
His heart pounded against his ribs as if it were trying to break free from the confines of his chest.
Izuku picked up the bottle again, crooked fingers curling around it, and pressed two thumbs against the cork. The muscles in his forearms tensed under the pressure. Katsuki let his eyes wander over each of the scars running across his hands, climbing and wrapping around his forearms like strokes of lightning frozen in his skin.
Katsuki sucked in a breath.
Pop.
White foam bubbled up from the mouth of the bottle and trickled down the side, and – Fuck – Katsuki felt heat pooling below his stomach and his dick getting hard under his pants.
Izuku served all four glasses and handed the first one to him, green eyes locked on his red ones, eyelids fluttering slowly. The wet, red tip of a tongue peeked out from between his lips, and he smiled.
“Here's to new friendships.”
Katsuki took the glass he was offered, deliberately brushing his fingers against Izuku’s as he did so. The contact with his rough skin shot a jolt of electricity through his arm, piercing his chest.
“Oh, for the love of God, they’re killing me.” Katsuki heard Mina whisper and he kicked her hard under the table. “Ow! Mean!”
“Keep your mouth shut.”
“I thought you wanted me to talk!”
Izuku laughed again, now finally taking a seat right next to Katsuki. The heat of his body and the intoxicating scent of his perfume – warm and sweet like sandalwood – clouded his senses. He sat close, very close, his knee pressed gently against Katsuki’s leg.
When Katsuki brought the rim of the glass to his lips, ready to chug the whole thing down in one gulp as a way to calm his nerves, those same strong fingers wrapped around his grip on the glass, preventing him from taking a single sip. He turned his head, gazing at Izuku to his left, soft smiles and lit up freckles.
“Wait.” He chuckled. “Don't you want to toast with me first?”
Katsuki could feel his face going up in flames, pulse throbbing like a drum in his ears. He was certain he must have been blushing so hard he was probably glowing.
“Oh, he’s good.” Mina gasped, unable to hold her goddamned tongue. “Bravo, Tooru-chan. Bra-vo.”
“Thank you, dear. I knew they would hit it off.”
Hagakure had raised her glass and Mina was doing the same, but Katsuki was still spellbounded, sitting on that booth with the wall against his back and Izuku so close to him he couldn’t smell anything but him. And right when he thought things couldn't get any harder, he felt the weight of a hand on his thigh.
“Toast?” Izuku asked, raising his glass.
He gently bit his lower lip, and slid his hand up Katsuki’s inner thigh.
For fuck’s sake.
Katsuki cleared his throat with exaggerated effort.
“Sure. Toast.” He said, and raised his glass to meet the others.
The girls were cheering and giggling excitedly, while Izuku’s hand remained on his thigh, tracing circles with a thumb.
Unthinkable.
Insane.
The absurd idea that in a few hours Katsuki was going to take this man into a private room and would be granted the privilege of touching his skin, tracing the shape of his scars with the tip of his fingers, brushing a sea of freckles with his lips, tangling his hands into his curls and kiss him, savour him, fuck him.
“So, Izuku, tell us a little more about yourself.” Mina was already opening a conversation, casual as always. “Are you from Musutafu?”
“Ah, yes. I grew up in the city.” He answered. “What about you, Ashido-san?”
“Mina.” She corrected him with an amused giggle. “I’m originally from Shiba. I moved here like ten years ago or so for high school. That’s when I met Blasty over here.”
“Tch.” Katsuki took another sip of his drink, finding the words in his throat and forcing them out. “Congratulations, Raccoon Eyes. You’ve been a pain in my ass for over a whole decade now.”
Izuku laughed, his hand squeezing the flesh of Katsuki’s inner thigh just slightly.
“I remember.” He said. “I used to watch all of you when I was a kid.”
“Really?”
“Oh, yeah.” Hagakure leaned an elbow on the table. “Midoriya-kun is a big fan.”
“Ahh.” He seemed extremely flustered all of a sudden. “I wouldn’t call myself a fan…”
“Are you kidding me?” Hagakure laughed. “I haven’t put up with you going on and on about Dynamight’s mid-air blast vector control for the last three months just so you can say now that you’re not a fan.”
Katsuki frowned, the hand on his leg suddenly going very stiff, and he turned his body halfway to look the boy in the face, only to find him opening and closing his mouth, not knowing what to say or what to do with himself.
“What are you, some kind of nerd?”
Izuku looked like he was about to explode for just a second, when suddenly he burst into laughter. The hint of panic in his eyes that Katsuki thought he had seen was gone, or perhaps he had only imagined it.
“Well…” He said without erasing the smile. “I’ve always found heroes very fascinating, ever since I first saw All Might when I was a child.”
“Uh-huh, interesting.” Mina smiled into her drink, then took another sip before setting it down. “You know, Izuku, my boy Katsuki here is also an All Might freak.”
“Call me a freak again and I’ll blast you through that wall.”
“You have posters and figures hiding in that locked closet in your apartment, don’t think we haven’t figured out the passcode.”
“Can you not?”
“Really?” And it was just one word, but Izuku’s voice had suddenly moved away from the velvety tone he had been using until now in exchange for something brighter, full of life.
“Oh, yeah! He even has an All Might autograph in his car keys” She gestured excitedly. “Show Izuku. Come on, show him.”
Katsuki grunted, and he would have very much liked to ignore Mina’s stupid suggestion, but Izuku was looking at him now, liquid starlights sparkling in his big green eyes. The hand on his thigh squeezed again, pleading.
He swallowed the lump in his throat and reached for his car keys, dropping them on the table with a thud, only to regret it immediately after, when Izuku moved his hand away from his thigh in exchange for inspecting his keychain.
“Woah! This is amazing! It really is All Might’s signature!”
“Yup.” Mina said. “He was one of our teachers at UA.”
Izuku turned the keychain carefully between his fingers, thumb brushing over the signature with unmistakable admiration.
“That’s incredible.” He murmured. “I’ve only ever seen one authentic All Might autograph before.”
Katsuki snorted. “The old man signs too much shit. Half the agency’s drowning in merch.”
“I don’t know.” Izuku laughed lightly, handing the keys back to him, his fingers brushing Katsuki’s palm when he returned them. “This one’s definitely different.”
“And why’s that?” Katsuki asked before he could stop himself, and Izuku’s lashes lowered slowly, the enthusiastic smile from a second ago now turning softer.
He leaned closer, close enough for Katsuki to smell the champagne on his skin. “Because this one belongs to you.”
His hand returned to Katsuki’s thigh, strong fingers spread slowly over the inside of his leg, thumb dragging once against the fabric of his pants before settling there in a possessive gesture that made heat coil low in Katsuki’s stomach.
“Hmm.” He grunted, exhaling deeply through his nose. It was involuntary, really, the noise that rumbled inside his throat when the hand pressed just half an inch higher.
Izuku leaned into his free hand, elbow resting against the table as he watched Katsuki through the low light, soft curls spilling across his knuckles.
“You know.” He said. “You seem different off camera.”
Katsuki clicked his tongue, taking another long sip from his glass. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Hmm, I guess…” He blinked a couple of times, seemingly looking for the right words. “You have a much calmer voice than I expected.”
That made his jaw clench, embarrassment crawling once again across his neck, reddening his pale skin.
“It makes me wonder, does Dynamight ever get time off from being Dynamight?”
“Dunno.” Katsuki growled into his drink. “Sometimes.”
Mina snorted. “Yeah, right.”
“Oi. What’s your problem?”
“Don’t let him fool you.” She said, talking to Izuku. “This guy does nothing aside from working and working out, and working and working out.”
“Well, I fucking take my job seriously that’s why.”
Izuku laughed, still looking comfortable in that position, resting his head against one curled fist.
“I feel like I once read somewhere that you are really fond of cooking, is that right?”
“Yeah, something like that.” He took another sip, the bubbles tingling on his tongue.
Izuku was scrutinizing him with his eyes, analyzing him, as if he could peel him back layer by layer until he found a crack through which he could reach into the deepest part of him.
“Hmm…” The tip of his index finger traveled up and down Katsuki’s leg. “I bet you like spicy food.”
“How the hell do you know that?”
“Ah. I was right?” Izuku straightened, a proud smile curving his lips. “It was just a lucky guess.”
“Katsuki makes the best mapo tofu I’ve ever had in my life.” Mina jumped in.
“Oh, really?” He purred, leaning just a little closer, his fingers getting dangerously close to Katsuki’s crotch before travelling back down. “I wished you could cook something for me sometime.”
“I’m sure he could. What’s your favourite?”
“That’s easy. Katsudon.” He said. “Isn’t that funny? It seems there’s a lot of things I want to eat that start with Katsu–.”
Katsuki coughed halfway through his drink. He repeatedly pounded his chest with his fist, the champagne shooting down his throat like a dagger. Mina was fanning herself with her top, the pink hue of her cheeks turning almost purple, and next to her, Hagakure was blissfully enjoying the scene.
Izuku laughed again when Katsuki downed the remaining contents of his glass in one gulp.
“Let me get that for you.” He said, standing up from his seat to reach for the bottle and giving Katsuki a much-needed breather. With Izuku just a few feet away, the tension in the air eased, and he felt the air return to his lungs.
“Uh. Sweet Jesus. It’s getting hot in here, isn’t it?” Mina finished her drink and placed her glass on the table for Izuku to refill it.
Once all glasses were full, Izuku returned to his seat, this time sliding his fingers lazily over the side of Katsuki’s left arm resting on the table.
“Do you always drink this fast?” He asked, as if he weren’t the very reason why Katsuki was downing alcohol like it was apple juice.
“I don’t usually drink. At all.”
“Really?” His touch reached Katsuki’s wrist, a thumb pressing lightly against his pulse. “Home-made food, working out, no drinking… You look like you take really good care of yourself.”
Izuku ran his fingers over Katsuki’s palm, gently coaxing his hand open against the table. The touch was unhurried, warm skin sliding against warm skin beneath the crimson glow of the booth.
“Tch. Obviously.” He said, and yet took another long sip.
His hand was smaller than Katsuki’s, but thicker. Rough skin gliding against his own as their palms settled together.
Katsuki realized – a little too late, maybe – that he had been staring at the movement the entire time, at the freckles disappearing beneath red light, at Izuku’s fingers resting so easily against his own. And he didn't know exactly why, maybe it was because the touch was there for him to take, or because Izuku kept looking at him like he wanted it.
Or maybe Katsuki was simply weaker than he thought.
But before he could think better of it, Katsuki threaded their fingers together, thumb brushing softly over Izuku’s knuckles as something dangerously tender tightened in his chest.
Second glass of champagne turned to third, turned to fourth. The conversation seemed to flow naturally as the alcohol started numbing Katsuki’s senses. Mina had been laughing at something Hagakure said. Katsuki wasn’t too sure when, but at some point the two girls made their way out to dance. He didn’t think they were coming back.
Katsuki had placed his arms over the backrest of the booth sometime during the third glass and the fourth, and Izuku had found his spot there, his head resting over Katsuki’s bicep and his body pressed against his side.
They had been talking, Katsuki couldn't even remember what they had talked about. Izuku laughed so easily, whenever he snapped, whenever he cursed, whenever he growled under his breath. So fucking easily, making the corner of Katsuki’s lips twitch just the tinniest bit.
“I guess that makes sense.” He was saying. “Is there anything you can’t do, Dynamight?”
Despite his best judgement, Katsuki let out a bitter groan. The formal distance that became evident every time Izuku used his hero name nagged at him once again, just like it’d been doing all night.
“You don’t have to keep calling me that, you know?” He blurted out.
“I don’t?” Izuku acted surprised, quickly blending it into teasing. “Really? How humble of you.”
Katsuki clicked his tongue, which only made the other laugh again, while he kept tracing a line over Katsuki’s bicep right where his cheek rested, following the track of his veins.
“In that case, can I call you something else?” He asked.
A frown furrowed his face. “Why? What’s wrong with my name?”
“Nothing. But everybody else calls you the same things.”
“And?”
“Don’t know…” He said with a small shrug. His deep green eyes pierced through Katsuki’s. “Feels kinda boring.”
“Alright, smartass. What do you wanna call me then?”
“Hmm…” Izuku brought a hand to his chin, pinching his bottom lip between two fingers. “What about… Tsuki… kun?”
Katsuki snorted. “Don’t kill yourself trying to get original.”
“Oh. I’m getting points for originality then?” Izuku joked, that same playful spark shining across his eyes. “Alright, if that’s the case, what about… Kat… chan?”
“What.” He snapped, almost choking on his own saliva.
He was Bakugou Katsuki. The fucking Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight. A national top hero, 6’1’’ tall and over one hundred and ninety pounds of pure muscle.
What was this nerd thinking, giving him – tough, infallible, rude, and a bit of a… well, a total and complete asshole – a sweet silly name like Kacchan?
“Ahh… Yeah.” Izuku smiled then. When he brushed Katsuki’s cheek with the tip of his finger, Katsuki felt his own face lit up in flames. “I think it suits you.”
He grunted, looking away from him. “Fuck you.”
“I like it. Kacchan.”
He took a last sip from what was maybe one too many drinks and put it down before he turned his head back to look at the man to his left.
With flushed cheeks and freckles dotting his face, Izuku moved just a little closer, pressing his cheek against Katsuki’s shoulder, so close that his warm breath brushed against Katsuki’s lips. Katsuki let his eyes wander all over his face, the thick eyebrows, the long lashes, the small nose, those massive green eyes that threatened to consume his soul, and the lips – Fuck – those red, wet lips, inviting him to close the distance.
The music was pulsing through the club, the red lights casted burgundy shadows on Izuku’s skin, and the glass curtain shielded them from the world out there. He just had to lower his head, just a little, just give it the smallest push, and then… then he could taste him.
“Careful, Kacchan.” Izuku murmured, and Katsuki breathed in every word. “Keep looking at me like that and I’m gonna start thinking you like me.”
His hand moved toward Izuku's face, almost as if it had a mind of its own. He gently stroked his cheek with the pad of his thumb. His skin was warm and soft, and the delicate freckles seemed to spread beneath his touch.
“You’re beautiful.”
The words sounded distant to him, strange, as if they belonged to someone else – someone who wasn’t him, who couldn’t be him – and yet he let them slip out, under the red lights, where it seemed, for the first time, there was someone who was willing to catch them.
“You think so?” Izuku whispered, the tip of his nose brushing against his.
“I know so.” He said, tilting his head slightly, not yet closing the remaining distance between them. “You’re so fucking gorgeous it’s driving me insane.”
Izuku wetted his lips, his tongue touched lightly against Katsuki’s lips, barely there, the ghost of a touch that was as real as it was not.
“I like it when you say that to me, Kacchan.” He said.
Katsuki's fingers moved from his cheek, down to the curve beneath his ear, along his jawline, until it came to rest gently beneath his chin.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Izuku breathed, not quite a word.
He looked so delicate like that, bathed in crimson light, his lips parted, breathing the same air as him. The sparkle in his green eyes shimmered like a reflection of the city lights, like it contained a thousand worlds inside.
Katsuki understood at that very moment everything he longed to do with him that night. Everything he had never allowed himself to want. Everything he realized he’d been needing for so long. To explore the depths of his mouth until he had memorized it with his tongue. To trace the paths of his scars until they became the only road home. To whisper in his ear words he kept hidden deep within his ribs until they were etched into his soul.
But above all of that, above absolutely everything else, for the first time, Katsuki wanted to hold him between his arms and, slowly, while the deep night turned into dawn and the sunlight brushed the concrete, he wanted to make love to him.
Izuku’s breath trembled softly against his mouth.
Katsuki could feel the warmth of him everywhere, wrapped around his senses like smoke. The weight of his gaze and the slow rise and fall of his chest brushing faintly against his own.
One push. That’s all it would take.
His hand remained under Izuku’s chin, fingers pressing against bone, tilting his head just a fraction of an inch. For one suspended moment he simply held him there, forehead nearly touching his, breaths tangled together.
The kiss barely existed at first, just a brush of lips against lips, tentation turned into a question.
He felt Izuku inhale sharply against his mouth.
“Kacchan.” He whispered, like that stupid name belonged only to the two of them, something sacred, something private and intimate beneath the red lights.
Katsuki closed his eyes, and kissed him.
Fire bloomed in his chest, familiar like the aftershock of his explosions and yet so new, so out of control, so impossible to contain as if he had just swallowed the very sun.
Izuku melted into it with a quiet sound that nearly drove Katsuki out of his mind, lips warm and pliant beneath his own. Izuku slid his hand between them, fingers curling, tightening around the fabric of his shirt while their mouths moved together in unhurried strokes.
The music pulsed distantly around them, glasses clinked somewhere beyond the crystal curtains, all of it dissolving into meaningless background noise.
At that moment, there was only this. Only Izuku’s mouth, Izuku’s breath and Izuku’s fingers trembling faintly against his heartbeat.
Katsuki tilted his head deeper into the kiss before he could stop himself, thumb brushing slowly over the apple of his cheek while the heat kept unfurling low beneath his ribs.
Fuck.
He couldn’t remember the last time kissing someone had felt like this. So soft, so tender… So electric his heart rattled in his chest. So dangerous it struck him to his very core.
When they finally pulled apart, they only parted enough to breathe.
Izuku’s lashes fluttered open slowly, revealing eyes so impossibly bright beneath the crimson lights that Katsuki felt the impact of them deep in his chest and, for a long moment, neither of them spoke.
The music still throbbed softly through the walls of the club, low and distant, drowned beneath the sound of their shared breathing.
Izuku smiled, his lips were pink from kissing him, and Katsuki found he couldn’t stop staring at them.
“You kiss very gently.” Izuku murmured.
Katsuki’s thumb brushed once more through the curls framing his face, falling at his temple, before he forced himself to let go.
“Tch.” His throat felt rough when he spoke. “You sayin’ that like you’re surprised or somethin’.”
A small laugh escaped Izuku.
“I’m not surprised.” He lowered his eyes for a moment, fixing them on Katsuki’s mouth. “It’s just so much better than I expected. Makes me think…” He trailed off.
“What.”
“Being so gentle like this…” Their eyes met again, impossible green locking onto his red ones. “Makes me think about what else you could do to me.”
It sucked the air right out of his lungs, as if Izuku had the power to swallow the oxygen from the entire room and leave him gasping.
“What do you say, Kacchan?” He leaned closer once more, placing a gentle kiss on Katsuki’s lips. “Should we head upstairs?”
Heat coiled instantly through Katsuki’s stomach, flames burning him up from the inside, and at that moment he remembered – right – that had been the entire point of all this shit.
Don't get any weird ideas. He had said to Mina only moments ago. It’s just a transaction.
Izuku started to pull away from him, but Katsuki’s hand closed around his wrist with a sudden movement before he could stand fully, surprising both of them.
His green eyes widened slightly, and Katsuki stared at their hands for half a second before loosening his grip just enough not to cross over the line.
“Say, you always ask everyone like that?” He muttered.
Izuku blinked once, his expression still a little startled, slightly confused.
“Ask how?”
“Like that’s what you wanna do.”
For one terrifying second, something unbearable and honest flickered across Izuku’s face, then it disappeared beneath another beautiful smile.
“We’ll do whatever you want, Kacchan.” He said. “What I want is to make sure you enjoy yourself. So I’ll do whatever you ask.”
Katsuki raised an eyebrow almost involuntarily, studying the man in front of him, the soft smile, the rosy cheeks, the endless shades of green hiding inside his eyes.
“Whatever I ask?” He said, his own voice sounded foreign to his ears.
“Absolutely.”
Oh, Katsuki had more than just ideas, but all those fantasies relayed on one fundamental principle, one that would support, like pillars, the entire illusion they would build that night.
And it’s not like Katsuki had any doubt that Izuku would be able to deliver. Just by looking at the length of those lashes, the field of freckles that ran along his collarbone, and the sparkle of those eyes – fuck, his eyes – Katsuki knew with absolute certainty that Izuku was more than capable of carrying out the task. But would he be willing to? That was a completely different question, one Katsuki knew he wouldn’t get an honest answer to, so it was up to Katsuki to figure it out as the night went on.
“You sure about that? Things could get dangerous.”
Izuku laughed, giggles like bubbles of champagne slipping from his throat.
“I don’t scare easy.” He said.
He moved closer then, kneeling on the seat and leaning over Katsuki. He brushed a few locks of blonde hair off his forehead, his fingers travelled over the side of his face, then traced his jaw.
“Tell me, Kacchan.” His thumb brushed over Katsuki’s bottom lip. “What do you want?”
Katsuki swallowed the lump in his throat, pulse throbbing in his tongue.
Yeah. He knew what he wanted. He was very aware that tonight he could grab, own, and taste as pleased. And Katsuki wanted it – all of it – but aside from the touches, the kisses, and the promise of hot, steamy, mindblowing sex, what Katsuki desperately wanted was intimacy, even if it was nothing more than a constructed illusion.
He stood, making Izuku take a couple steps back as he wrapped his hands around Izuku’s waist, pulling him closer, pressing their bodies together. He felt Izuku’s muscles under his palms, thick and strong, flexing when he sank his fingers into Izuku’s hip bone.
Katsuki brought a hand to Izuku’s neck and forced his head up, tilting it back, exposing his throat. He looked down at him, taking in every single detail of his face, the parted lips, the flushed cheeks, the sparks dancing like fireworks in his eyes… He had not even realized how much taller he was over Izuku until now.
Looking at him like this, pressed against his body and held in his arms, looking so damn innocent – huh, yeah – Katsuki had no fucking doubt he was more than qualified for the task. Katsuki would hold him. He would treasure him. He would adore him and peel back his layers one by one, until he found the boy hidden underneath that perfect facade, so he could worship him like he’d never worshiped anyone before.
Katsuki leaned down to brush his lips against his temple – so beautiful – and he placed a soft kiss there. He did the same on his cheek – so fucking beautiful – then his nose. All the way down to his lips.
“I’m gonna say this just once so listen carefully.” He let every word brush against his lips, feeling Izuku’s chest swelling against his own. “You gotta be very careful with what you’re willing to offer, because I’m not gonna be holding myself back tonight. You hear me?” He whispered against his bottom lip, tugging him in and pressing their mouths gently against each other. “Say you understand.”
“I understand.”
“Good boy.” He leaned in, leaving feather touches over his soft lips. “Because what I want tonight is you. I want to have all of you. Are you willing to give me that, Izuku?”
Izuku’s breath hitched, just for a second. “Yes.”
“Tell me.” He whispered, the words drowned out in his own ears under the violent pounding of his own heart, thudding against his ribs. “Tell me you’re mine.”
“I’m yours, Kacchan.”
“Tell me you love me.”
“I love you, Kacchan.”
He kissed him again, slow, tender, memorizing the warmth of his mouth, the feeling of their tongues sliding against each other, the faint sounds that escaped Izuku's lips and lingered there until they were swallowed up.
“C’mon, beautiful.” Katsuki brushed a loose curl behind Izuku's ear before lacing their fingers together. “Show me what’s upstairs.”