Chapter Text
Bakugou Katsuki is an all-or-nothing kind of guy.
After a—very generous, if you ask him—grace period of one week of dating to ensure that Eijirou was positive that the relationship is what he wanted, Katsuki proposed.
He knew that Eijirou was it for him. Eijirou was the only person Katsuki had ever been interested in. All his life, Katsuki never really understood the whole love and romance thing. He was never interested in any of it and that was totally fine by him. Less distractions that way. While everyone else was focused on relationships and dealing with their raging teenage hormones, Katsuki was able to focus all of his energy solely on his goal of becoming #1. He threw himself into training as hard as he could and never taking his eyes off of that pedestal in the sky. He was happy living like that and the lack of romance in his life didn’t bother him in the slightest. He didn’t care about any of it, so no harm, no foul.
That is, until Eijirou.
Suddenly, he started feeling…different around his best friend and although it was confusing at first and he definitely didn’t have any experience with those kinds of feelings, he’s not stupid. He knew exactly what this was.
But the more time he spent with Eijirou, the stronger their friendship—their partnership—grew, the clearer it all became.
Eijirou wasn’t a distraction at all.
They were stronger together. They were better together. They brought out the best in each other and he knows he’s going to be a better hero when Eijirou is standing there beside him.
When he finally came to terms with that, his mind was settled.
Katsuki does not half-ass anything. He’s all in once he sets his mind to something and he’s completely and totally sure that he wants to spend the rest of his life with Eijirou.
So he proposed.
And Eijirou said yes.
And he’s never been happier in his entire goddamn life.
Together, they decided that the second they were able, they were going to get married, start a hero agency together, and take the world by storm as the greatest hero duo to ever grace the earth.
Planning a wedding on top of rigorous hero training, internships, and exams was definitely going to be a challenge, but neither Eijirou nor Katsuki were known for backing down from a challenge.
So the preparations began, with Mina at the helm.
Katsuki would never admit it to anyone, not even Eijirou, that he was endlessly thankful for the dedication and the care she put into the whole ceremony, even the smallest of details. She’s the only reason that they were going to be able to pull this off and he decides then and there, as he’s getting his tux tailored with Eijirou standing next to him, facing another mirror, that he’s going to do something big to repay her. He’s not quite sure what, but he’ll figure it out.
Katsuki is wrenched from his thoughts by Eijirou asking about the wedding party. They’ve been having this not-quite-an-argument for weeks now, which usually ends in Katsuki walking out of the room and avoiding Eijirou for the next 3-5 business days. Eijirou choosing now to lay the argument to rest is strategic; Katsuki can’t escape when he’s pinned into a suit with an extra’s hands all over him. The wedding is a week away so if he walks out now, he won’t have a tux to wear for the ceremony.
Eijirou is such an asshole.
An asshole that he loves more than he can even express, but an asshole nonetheless.
“Midoriya is your best friend, of course he’s gonna be your best man.”
“No, you're my best friend.”
“You’re not allowed to say cute stuff like that while you’re being contrary, Katsuki.”
“Why can’t Soy Sauce be my best man? You got Dunce Face, they’re like a package deal. It only makes sense.”
“First off, that was actually kinda sweet if you ignore the shitty nicknames that I haven’t heard you use in years. Second off, Sero can’t be your best man because he’ll just make his entire speech about how he deserves all the credit for getting us together. I don’t want our families to know that we confessed while we were accidentally high on pot brownies!”
“Fine. Fine! You win! I’ll let the nerd be my best man! But if he doesn’t have a speech ready by next week, that’s on your ass.”
“I told him the night of our engagement that he was going to be your best man; he’s had his speech done for months. He cried for days because he was so happy.”
Pause. “What the fuck?” Shaking his head, Katsuki glances over at Eijirou, who is pointedly only making eye contact with him through the mirror.
“I knew you’d be stubborn about it so I took matters into my own hands. I know you, Katsuki.” A soft smile spreads over his face. “It had to be him. There was no competition and we both know it.”
Katsuki grumbles, crossing his arms, much to the dismay of the tailor currently adjusting his sleeves.
“What was that, babe?”
“I said, you know me too well and it’s bullshit. I rescind my engagement.”
“Damn,” He sighs, casting a faux dejected look down at the tailor pinning the hem of his pant-leg. “Well, guys, I guess this is my new suit for going out. Time to check out Tokyo’s nightlife as you are now looking at hero society’s most eligible bachelor.”
“Like fuck you are!”
Nonchalantly turning from the mirror, Eijirou puts on his best inquisitive look. “What was that, Bakugou?”
“You did not just call me that.” Katsuki grinds his teeth and glares at his fiancé, falling back into old habits.
“Well, I only call my fiancé by his given name and I’m newly single, so,” Eijirou shrugs and flashes a mischievous grin.
“That’s a damn lie and you know it, Eijirou! You call Raccoon Eyes by her given name all the time!”
“Everyone calls her Mina! Even you do sometimes!”
“Whatever you say, liar.”
“You’re the worst.”
“Yeah, well, you’re the sucker I conned into marrying me so,” Katsuki mimics Eijirou’s shrug and mischievous grin, even going so far as to throw in a wink.
With a dreamy sigh, Eijirou reaches across the space to grab Katsuki’s hand and pull him in for a soft kiss. The two part, but stay in close orbit, foreheads just barely brushing, too lost in each other to care much about anything else in that moment. This close, Katsuki can see every freckle on Eijirou’s face. The tiny scar on his eyelid. The laugh lines around his big, expressive eyes.
He didn’t even know it was possible to be this happy.
“I didn’t even know it was possible to be this happy,” Eijirou mirrors his exact thought, another blissful sigh escaping his lips as he whispers, warm breath fanning across Katsuki’s face.
Heart bursting with the reminder that they are always on the same page, Katsuki presses a gentle kiss to the back of Eijirou’s hand and begrudgingly releases it so that they can let the tailors finish their job.
“Neither did I.”
Early on in the planning, the couple had to make the big decisions about the ceremony.
Eijirou wanted a spring wedding, when the sakura are in full bloom, because he’s a goddamn sap who swoons at all of those ridiculous clichés. Katsuki just wanted to call Eijirou his husband as quickly as humanly possible and didn’t hate the idea as much as he pretended he did, so they settled on a date just after they graduated, but right before they were set to start their careers as pros.
As for a venue, the two, much to Mina’s exasperation, couldn’t seem to decide upon a location.
Weeks upon weeks went by without a clear decision and Mina was ready to commit double murder as the date inched closer and closer.
Finally, with only a month left before the ceremony, as the two were walking home after seeing a movie, Eijirou slid his hand into Katsuki’s and whispered, “I think I know the place.”
Katsuki merely nodded and the two hopped on the train towards the mystery location.
Despite Katsuki’s grumbling and annoyed huffs, Eijirou didn’t say a word about where they were going; he just started idly chatting about anything and everything else, gesturing wildly despite the fact that his hand was still intertwined with Katsuki’s, as he kept a watchful eye on the scenery passing them.
Finally, Eijirou quieted and, with a slight tug, signaled their stop and the two exited.
Katsuki didn’t recognize the area, so he shot Eijirou a questioning look. Eijirou simply squeezed his hand and murmured, “Just trust me.”
The two fell into silence as they walked hand in hand and after some time, made it to their destination: a plaza surrounded by cherry blossoms with a statue of All Might at the center.
Kamino.
Ground Zero.
Katsuki’s breath hitched in his throat, heart pounding. Eijirou, ever observant, gave his hand another squeeze and pulled him lightly towards the statue.
He gazed up at the monument and sighed, “This place represents so much bad, Katsuki. The fall of All Might. Your kidnapping. The League. So much death. Fuck, there’s so much horrible shit that happened here. But, despite all of that, it was rebuilt. Look how beautiful it is now.” He sighed again, looking away from the stone man in front of him. “The things that happened here shaped our lives, but I’m done associating this place with bad memories. With nightmares. With desperation and terror so potent it froze me in my place. I want us to start our lives together at the place that solidified our relationship. I want to start associating this place with something good. I want us to be able to rebuild. Together.” Eijirou crouched down, placing his hand beside All Might’s name inscribed in the stone, and smiled sadly before standing back up and looking back at Katsuki.
It took longer than he’d like to admit for Katsuki to process what Eijirou had just said, but once he did, the vice grip around Katsuki’s throat loosened. Only Eijirou would be able to come up with something like this. It still hurt to be there, but Katsuki definitely didn't hate the idea of reclaiming this place.
In fact, this idea was on the same level as him taking on the name Ground Zero. It's a starting point, a place to build up from. And that's exactly what they need to do to move on.
Fat tears started sliding down Katsuki’s cheeks as warmth blossomed in his chest, spreading all the way throughout his body. God, he’s marrying the most thoughtful, compassionate man on the planet.
How did he get so lucky?
Unable to resist, he grabbed Eijirou by the front of his shirt and smashed their lips together. Eijirou, to his credit, was only stunned for a moment before he returned the kiss with equal passion. After just a few moments, the two were smiling so hard they couldn’t continue and parted, just a breath away.
“It’s perfect,” Katsuki whispered and that settled it.
Finally, after what feels like an eternity of waiting, the day of the wedding arrives.
Honestly, it was nothing short of a miracle that Katsuki had waited so long; the fact that Eijirou wasn't his husband at this point was borderline ridiculous in his mind. He'd proposed just eloping more times than he could count, but Eijirou would put on his best pout and talk about how much work everyone put in for them and he'd cave in an instant, willing to do whatever he could to make Eijirou happy.
Much to his displeasure, their friends insist that the grooms cannot—'under any circumstances, Blasty!'—see each other before the ceremony, so the only company he's allowed are his groomsmen and Ochako, who is in charge of his hair and makeup.
She fusses with the spikes on his head, ruffling them to her heart's content, before taking a step back to examine her work. She nods and turns him around in the mirror to get a final look.
He looks amazing, as always, but there's a certain air about him today. Maybe it's the overwhelming happiness he's feeling, just radiating off of him in waves and making him glow like the sun.
Or maybe it's because Ochako did a fantastic job on his eyeliner and subtle eyeshadow and his undercut is freshly shaven. Either way, he looks incredible and he can't wait to make Eijirou cry like a fucking baby when he sees him standing at the alter.
A manic grin takes over his face and he actually, for one, brief, fleeting moment, considers giving Ochako a hug for her help, but decides against it, instead opting for a pat on her shoulder and a gruff 'thanks.'
She tears up at the gesture and pulls him into a hug anyway, careful not to stain his impeccable white suit with her running mascara.
Jesus, she spends way too much time with the nerd.
He lightly wraps his arms around her and pats her back fondly, letting her have her moment.
He's such a good goddamn friend.
Finally, after far too long, she pulls away and smacks a quick kiss to his cheek before ushering him out of his and Eijirou's apartment to head to Kamino.
The trip to the venue is quiet, but it's not an anxious quiet. Katsuki is totally at peace, no jitters plaguing the most important day of his life. In his eyes, he and Eijirou have basically been married since they started dating; he's always been totally devoted to the redhead.
This ceremony is simply a confirmation for him. Eijirou is his and he is Eijirou's and today just makes that official.
As they pull into the station, Ochako squeezes his arm reassuringly, but he brushes it off with a fond roll of his eyes as they exit the train.
He doesn't need reassurance.
He's more sure about this than he's ever been about anything.
The party arrive at the plaza quickly, the groomsmen rushing off to take their places before the ceremony starts.
After giving him a last once-over, Ochako smiles and heads down the aisle, looking flawless in her blush pink dress.She takes her bouquet from Mina and sends him a thumbs-up as the quiet music starts playing, signaling the beginning of the ceremony.
Taking a deep breath, Katsuki looks out at their venue. They had agreed on minimal decorations, opting for a small ceremony for friends and family without being too showy. The only flowers they allowed were bouquets of white roses for the girls of the wedding party.
There is no true alter, just an ivory lace aisle runner up to the foot of the All Might statue lined by white folding chairs for their guests. The sakura are in full bloom, surrounding the plaza in a heart-melting pink and cutting them off from the rest of the world.
It's perfect.
With a sigh, Katsuki runs a hand over the front of his suit and makes his way down the aisle. The faces of their friends and family vary from elated, with smiles so big that their cheeks must hurt, to overjoyed, with red faces and teary eyes.
God, Deku is already a sobbing mess.
When he finally makes it to the alter, he's met with a vision.
The skeletal form of Yagi Toshinori stands directly in the shadow of the impressive statue of All Might, gangly body swimming in his oversized suit.
Katsuki’s heart still stings with guilt after so long, but the pain is duller now.
With the help of Deku and Toshinori and Eijirou and his therapist, he’s finally started to accept that, no matter what, All Might was always going to lose his powers eventually and he would sacrifice them one hundred times over if it meant saving Katsuki, but it continues to be a hard pill to swallow.
There are still days where he wakes up with sizzling palms and the image of an emaciated All Might sneering down at him etched in the back of his eyelids, a repeating cacophony of “this is your fault” and “if you hadn’t been so weak, you wouldn’t have been taken” playing in his mind.
The All Might that stands before him, though—he has a smile on his face, face bright and ready to officiate his wedding.
The ceremony hasn’t even started yet and Katsuki is already close to tears.
Fuck.
"Are you ready, young Bakugou?" Toshinori turns to him, fond look in his eyes, and Katsuki swallows around the sudden lump in his throat before nodding. He's not sure he can speak without his voice cracking.
Toshinori returns the nod then signals to Kyouka to start playing her guitar a bit louder, indicating Eijirou's entrance.
Fuck.
Katsuki isn't ready.
One by one, Denki, Hanta, and Mina make their way up the aisle to him, flashing big smiles as they pass to get into position.
Eijirou is next.
Katsuki's heart jumps into his throat at the sight of his fiancé. He's always been beautiful, but today, he looks ethereal. His freshly dyed hair is braided back into a bun, showing off his dark undercut, with soft, slightly curled bangs framing his face. Mina gave him bold black and red winged eyeliner that accents his crimson eyes and the faint blush on his cheeks brought on by seeing Katsuki at the alter highlights his numerous freckles.
God, Katsuki is so in love.
When their eyes meet, Eijirou brightens impossibly more and visibly stops himself from sprinting to the foot of the statue, making Katsuki let out a wet chuckle.
Oh.
Apparently, he's crying.
Fuck it, it's his goddamn wedding day.
He can cry as much as he damn well pleases.
After an excruciating 20 seconds of quiet sobbing as Eijirou slowly makes his way down the aisle, they're standing before each other, faces wet with tears but bright with happiness.
"You look," Eijirou sighs dreamily, "breathtaking."
"You don't look too bad yourself."
Katsuki is rewarded with one of Eijirou's blinding smiles as he reaches over to grab both of his best friend's hands.
"Thank you all for joining us on such a beautiful day," Toshinori begins his spiel, but Katsuki can't focus on anything besides the love of his life standing before him. Everything else drowns out into peaceful white noise as he looks into those affectionate eyes that he adores.
He only comes back to himself when Toshinori gets past all of the obligatory comments and starts his own commentary, "I've watched these two grow into fine young men and heroes and I could not be more proud or honored to be a part of their lives. Words cannot express the profound love and admiration I have for the both of you. Young Bakugou, your tenacity and endless determination are unmatched and I cannot wait to see you one day become a top hero. At every turn, you have faced hardships and for that, I am truly sorry. But you have faced all of them with a smile on your face and overcome them. You took life's challenges and you became stronger. It is my honor that you and Izuku are my successors. I could not ask for a better pair of young men to carry my legacy."
Katsuki's breath hitches, more tears flowing down his face, as Toshinori addresses Eijirou, "Young Kirishima, your bravery and your compassion are the makings of a true hero and I cannot begin to describe what it means to me to have been there to see you grow into the hero we all knew you could be. I know that you've struggled with what the image of a hero should be, but, son, take it from me, you are the image of a hero. You always have been. I cannot wait to see how far you go. Crimson Riot should be proud to share a name with you."
Eijirou sniffles loudly and hides his face in his hands for a moment as Toshinori speaks to their audience, "But beyond all of that, these two have found something that most do not in our line of work. It's hard to be a hero. It's even harder to be a good partner. Being both is nearly unheard of. There are many obstacles and it will not be easy, but against all odds, I know these two will make it. I am so exceedingly happy for you both and I know the future holds such incredible things for you. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of it all." Toshinori smiles and wipes his eye. "I've been told you wrote your own vows?"
With a shaky sigh, Eijirou rejoins their hands and gives Katsuki a watery smile. "We’ve been through so much together, Katsuki, and it’s taken a lot to get us where we are today. There’s been so many close calls, so many sleepless nights riddled with nightmares, so many hours spent waiting up and praying that something didn’t happen to the other while they were out. It’s been hell. No one should have to go through what we’ve gone through, especially at our age. But it’s been through your support, your encouragement, and your endless love, that I’ve been able to come out of those experiences stronger. You never fail to remind me, though sometimes in unconventional ways,” That earns a laugh from their audience, “that we’re a team and that my struggles are our struggles. You lift me up every day, Katsuki. You make me a better man. I wish I had the words to express how deeply I love you. Sometimes I get overwhelmed and feel like I’m suffocating because of how much I love you. I never imagined that I’d find someone so honest, so driven, so true and kind and patient in the most impatient way. I never imagined that I’d ever find a love this fulfilling, this incredible.”
Throughout Eijirou’s vows, Katsuki can barely see his beautiful soon-to-be-husband because he’s crying so hard.
Eijirou isn’t any better, fat tears rolling down his face and taking shuddering breaths just to finish. “You’re my soulmate, Katsuki. I wish I was better at articulating how much you mean to me and I’m sorry I’m not better with words. All I really can say is: I love you more than absolutely anything and thank you for letting me love you more than absolutely anything. I cannot wait to spend the rest of our lives together.”
“Those were some pretty great fucking words, asshole. How the hell do I follow that up?”
They both chuckle and Katsuki takes a moment to gather himself, wiping his face and breathing deep, before starting, “All my life, all I’ve ever wanted to do was win like All Might. My entire life was dedicated to being the best and being the undisputed champion. I told myself that the only person I needed was myself, that needing other people made you weak. But you and—ugh, I cannot believe I'm including him in my wedding vows—Izuku," He pointedly ignores the hissed 'what the fuck' from behind him, "showed me that I was wrong. Now, I can't imagine going through anything without you by my side. I was so naïve thinking that standing at the summit alone was the ultimate dream. You showed me that there are things more important. You are more important. You gave me a new dream, something new to strive for. Before, I spent every day striving to be the number one hero. Now, I strive every day to love you with everything I have and strive to deserve all of your love in return. I can’t imagine a life without you, Eijirou, and I never want to see one. I swear to you that every day you will feel more loved than you did the day before. I promise to always take your hand when you offer it. I promise you forever and even longer, I promise you my love in this life and every one that comes after. Okay, fuck, that’s it, I’m done, we have the rest of our lives to say sappy shit like this, I can’t keep going. All Might, if you do not make this man my husband in the next twenty seconds, I’m gonna blow us all sky high.”
Toshinori lets out a deep laugh, bright eyes filled with mirth. “Do you, Kirishima Eijirou, take this man, Bakugou Katsuki, to be your lawfully wedded husband to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”
Eijirou hiccups, trying to hold back a sob. “I do.”
“Do you Bakug—"
“Of fucking course I do!”
Katsuki doesn’t even wait for the formal declaration of their marital status before he jumps into Eijirou’s arms, wrapping his legs around his waist and kissing the life out of his husband.
His husband.
His husband.
Holy fuck.
Their first kiss as a married couple is far from gentle and, in all honesty, gross due to the tears streaming down both of their faces, but both Katsuki and Eijirou know that it’s the kiss that they’ll remember for the rest of their lives. There is so much love poured into it, so much happiness being shared between the two, that it feels like this kiss will be etched into their minds forever.
They’re caught somewhere between laughing and crying, smiling and sobbing, and they’re honestly barely even kissing anymore, but they refuse to move away from each other, too caught up in the moment to spare one thought on anything outside of each other.
Eventually, Eijirou pulls away and starts peppering Katsuki’s face with salty kisses, whispering ‘I love you’s before each one, and Katsuki feels like Ochako has used her quirk on him. He’s weightless; he feels like he exists in that quintessential moment right as a roller coaster drops, when you’re falling through the air and your stomach feels like it’s caught in your throat.
It’s better than any adrenaline rush he’s ever gotten during or after a fight, a whole new kind of high that he never wants to fade.
It's love.
And Katsuki gets to bask in it for the rest of his life.