Work Text:
The sun is rising, as Katsuki drags his tired body through the front door of his apartment.
His body aches, his eyes burn, his hands throb, his muscles feel overworked, and his left eye is twitching.
Katsuki is exhausted.
That's what a twenty-one and a half hour shift can do to a man.
Thankfully, he has the rest of the day off. He planned to flop right into bed and forget food, but future him would be pissed. So a simple rice bowl with left over stir-fry and miso soup will have to do for now.
He flips on the kitchen light. The sudden brightness smacking his senses harder than his mother can throw a sandal. He yanks open the fridge door and pulls out the necessary produce to get started on a makeshift breakfast.
It's almost 6:15am. Which means it should be around 10pm where Deku is.
Speaking of that annoying ass nerd.
Katsuki's phone pings loudly across the counter. He only has four people with their contact notifications turned on. And only one of them, would text him at ass-o'clock in the morning.
He reaches for it and types in his passcode, opening the message app without even checking the name.
Deku's Dumb Ass: Goodmorning Kacchan!
King: Shouldn't you be asleep.
Deku's Dumb Ass: (☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞ ☜(ﾟヮﾟ☜) shouldn't you?
King: STFU
King: What do you want?
Deku's Dumb Ass: .......Video Chat?
King: Hell no.
Deku's Dumb Ass: (ಥ﹏ಥ)
King: Give me ten minutes.
Deku's Dumb Ass: (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ
Katsuki finishes warming up his meal and simmering the miso. He fills a small bowl with rice and stirfry and another of soup, then heads into his bedroom to grab his tablet to plug into the wall charger.
He isn't going to bother calling Deku first. Deku will call him at the exact cut off time. He sets out his meal and a warm cup of tea and props up the tablet on its portable stand.
And like clockwork, at exactly 6:25, the little video chat request notification pops up in the corner of his screen. The blonde takes a sip of tea and presses the green accept button.
The screen loads for half a minute, then the backdrop of a dimly lit hotel with a messy wad of green curls at the center floods the screen. Izuku's eyes are glossy from sleepiness. His freckled face is puffy with exhaustion of his own. Round purple cresents under his eyes. His hair wet from a shower.
What Katsuki wouldn't do just to coil those curls one by one with his own fingers...........
"Kacchan!" Izuku cheers, his hands raised in the air as if he had just scored a touchdown.
"Nerd."
"How did you sleep?"
"Haven't yet." Katsuki answers gruffly.
"What? Why? You got off at like-" Izuku counts on his fingers and checks the digital clock on his left, "-six last night?"
"You're slacking on your stalker skills." Katsuki grins tiredly.
"I'm eight hours away! Give me a break!"
"I got off an hour ago." Katsuki says between bites of rice.
"Why so late? Villian attack?" Izuku asks worriedly. His round green eyes almost burning holes through the screen.
"No. Earthquake collapsed a factory warehouse. Second shift workers got trapped." Katsuki answers him, then takes a bite of rice.
"Oh, did everything turn out okay?"
"Yeah."
"Good. You look horrible."
"Fuck you too." Katsuki glares.
Deku giggles. He actually giggles...
"Sorry! Sorry! I know you didn't get your beauty sleep."
"I don't need beauty sleep, you ass. I'm gorgeous straight out of the box."
"Whatever you say, Kacchan." Izuku twirls in the desk chair at the table he is calling from.
"You just getting off?" Katsuki asks, sipping his tea.
"Nah, I got off at three today. I had to do a signing and a big opening event for tourists. Then there.... was........" Izuku's body shrinks in on itself.
"You wanna talk about it?"
Izuku shakes his head. Green curls bouncing side to side. "I can't. Not yet. I'll fill you in when I get back though."
"You better." The blonde rubs his eyes and takes another bite of cooked peppers. "What did your time sheet say when you left today?"
"Uh, today was nineteen, yesterday was ten, the day before was uhhhhh.......twelve? I don't really remember what the total hours were." Izuku shrugs.
"Nineteen hours, huh? You look worse than I do."
"Kaaaaacchaaaaan, You miss me yet?" Izuku leans forward. His cute little pout makes Katsuki want to rip apart his tablet in frustration.
"Hell no." He grumbles.
"Gasp, you do!" Deku laughs.
"I absolutely do not. The apartment is much cleaner and quieter without your loud messy ass."
"You miss me!" Izuku spins in his chair again.
"Fuck off with that shit." Katsuki waves his right hand dismissively.
"Well, I miss you." Izuku whispers, just barely loud enough for the computer microphone to catch and for Katsuki's hearing aids to register. "Also, it's boring without someone to mess with all the time."
"You antagonizing little shit." The blonde grumbles.
"I'm tired of eating out and getting delivery all the time." Izuku slumps down in the desk chair. "When I get back, will you make me katsudon?" He leans forward eagerly.
"I always do." Katsuki smirks.
"Yis!" Izuku fist bumps the air.
"Why aren't you in bed yet?"
"Uh, no reason. Just sort of..... wanted to talk to someone, I guess." Izuku shrugs.
"Hm." Katsuki hums.
"Naples is nice. I'd rather be home though." Izuku mumbles.
Home.
They've shared an apartment for almost two years now.
Izuku had gotten shot twice in the back and once in the hip during a drug trafficking bust while he was protecting a group of kidnapped kids.
He couldn't walk on his own for a few weeks while the healing quirk sped up his body's natural healing process.
Katsuki forced Izuku to stay with him, and he just........never made him leave.
In fact, he laid out a hastily written budget and expense plan for the two bedroom, one bath, apartment that is now in both his and Izuku's names.
He had slapped it on the table in front of Izuku along with a spare apartment key.
Izuku never said anything else about it. He never teased him or poked fun at the blonde for wanting him to move in. He just brought over boxes of his things and sold most of his old furniture.
The guest room became Izuku's. The blanket on the couch went from a plain grey one, to a fleece blue cloud printed one. Izuku's collectable mugs replaced Katsuki's white ones. Laundry gets mixed together at times. The empty bookshelf in the guest room, became stacked with figures and prized collectables ranging from their friends, to their old mentors. Katsuki handles cooking, grocery shopping, cleaning the kitchen, and necessary maintenance. Izuku does the laundry, keeps the bathroom clean, and the living room tidy.
Now they just......coexist together. As roomates, as friends, and sometimes as rivals.
"Me too." Katsuki answers softly.
Izuku stops spinning in the chair and stares at the screen in awe.
"Oi! Did you eat dinner?" Katsuki growls. Remembering that Izuku has to literally set alarms to remind himself to eat when he gets too caught up in a case.
"Ahahaha, definitely. I certainly did. For sure. I had a real good meal. Anyways uh, what's Shouto been up to? How are Mina and Kiri doing now that they've moved into their townhouse? How is Akio?" Izuku rambles.
"Deku. I swear to god. I have your hotel address." Katsuki picks up his phone and waves it at the tablet camera.
"Listen......... I have a perfectly good explanation." Izuku holds up his hand.
"What a coincidence, I have a perfectly good bullshit detector." Katsuki sets down his rice bowl. "Let's hear it."
"I uh.......don't really have one." Izuku flops back into his chair again.
"Deku, If you don't order yourself something, I'm doing it for you. And it will be all vegetables." Katsuki threatens.
"I already ordered it! It'll be here in like...... five minutes." Izuku checks his phone.
Katsuki squints. "Japan's number three hero my ass. Can't even feed himself on time, but manages to annoy me countries away."
Izuku sticks his tongue out at him, "You love me."
"Fuck no I don't. Stop putting words in my mouth, Shithead." Katsuki collects his bowls and moves to the counter out of view of the camera and takes a deep breath.
"Noooo! Kacchan come back!" Izuku wails.
"Oh my God, chill out." He comes back to the table once he puts his dishes in the sink, and yawns into his elbow.
Izuku smacks the desk as he leans forward into the camera again. "I had the best pasta yesterday. You've got to try it. It had weird noodles but it tasted super good."
"Hmm." Katsuki hums as he sips from his mug.
"Oh! And there is this apple orchard that has super sweet red ones! I love apples."
"They are your favorite." Katsuki agrees.
"Oranges are yours!" Deku says excitedly. His attention span shifts. "Foods here! Be right back! Don't leave." He points threateningly at the screen.
"Don't tell me what to do." The blonde mumbles tiredly. His eyes are bloodshot from exhaustion and his face aches from forcing himself to stay awake.
"Okay, I'm back! I got pizza." Izuku shows Katsuki the box.
"It's fucking 11pm for you, and you ordered pizza." The blonde frowns.
"Well, nowhere else was open." Izuku shrugs.
"Deku, you're an idiot."
"Yes, but I am your idiot." Izuku grins as he bites into a greasy slice.
"Gross." Katsuki grumbles.
"S'good." His freckled cheeks puff up as he chews.
"God, you're disgusting."
"You miss me." Izuku grins again.
"I do not."
"You know you do!" He spins in his desk chair. "Kacchan misses me!" Green curls sway as he rocks himself side to side between bites of pizza.
"I am too fucking tired to deal with your ass right now." Katsuki pinches the bridge of his nose.
"Sorry, Kacchan. I can call you later after we've both gotten some sleep?"
"Nope. You wanted to talk, so talk." He slumps back in his kitchen chair.
They talk idly about work and the new quirks Izuku has found while in Italy.
He is assigned to a secret investigation involving the strange disappearances and kidnappings of young-middle aged adults. He was scheduled to be home already, since he has been gone for almost four months now.
Katsuki does miss him. He misses how the bathroom smells like eucalyptus shampoo and honey scented body wash after Izuku showers. He misses the way Izuku sleepily tells him to have a good day when they pass each other between shifts. He misses the way Izuku mutters about movies and shows they watch.
He especially misses how when Izuku falls asleep on the couch sometimes, he can run his fingers through green curls for a moment without Izuku noticing.
Eventually, Izuku finishes his food and polishes off a bottle of lemon tea while Katsuki lists off the absolute fuckery his idiots have gotten into recently.
Izuku drags the laptop to the bed, laying on his stomach and checking emails on his phone while he keeps the call going.
Katsuki takes the tablet into his room as well. He reminds himself to dust over the bookshelves in Izuku's bedroom. If the nerd came home to a speck of dust on his figures and prized possessions, he would spend a solid two days cleaning each fingertip and divot of every single collectable.
"Bugs-Bunny said you have to do the benefit gala this year." Katsuki mumbles into his pillow. He is laid sideways on his bed with the tablet propped against his spare pillow. A novel sits in between himself and the tablet screen. Its turned to a page that he can read a few paragraphs of when Izuku goes off on the occasional monologue.
"Noooooooo. I hate going to those. They always make me give a speech, even when I didn't win or do anything!" Izuku flops his face into his palms.
"Heh."
"Don't laugh at me!" Izuku whines.
"I do what I want." Katsuki grumbles.
"Uuuuugh.....I'll fake my death while I'm here. Mirko will never know." he whines again.
"I'd come get you." The blonde mumbles tiredly.
"Sure ya would, Kacchan. If you could find me." Izuku props his chin up in his palm.
"Not much a challenge. I'll just set out a bowl of Katsudon and the new bronze age debut anniversary All-Might figure that releases this summer."
Izuku gasps scandalously. "You wouldn't!"
"Oh, I would."
After a few minutes of Izuku's consistent rambling, Katsuki feels the warmth of sleep tugging him into unconsciousness.
Izuku's voice speaks to him in soft murmurs as he drifts to sleep. Filling his thoughts with the scent of eucalyptus shampoo, the sounds of soothing whispers, and the feeling of sleep warm skin against his own.
He is content in hearing that familiar breathing pattern all night, even if it means sleeping in his hearing aids.
"Goodnight, Kacchan." Izuku whispers. "I'll text you tomorrow."
That's a good-bye and a goodnight. Fuckin' rude.
"Deku."
Izuku's head tilts. "Yeah?"
"Lay down and close your eyes." Katsuki grumbles.
"Why?"
"Cause I said so." Katsuki grumbles again.
Izuku squints at him suspiciously, but complies. Locking his phone, he sets it on the small bedside table and turns off the lamp. The only thing illuminating his hotel room is the laptop screen now.
"Now what?" Izuku whispers.
"I dunno."
Izuku laughs softly. "Um..... If tomorrow goes well, I'll be home this week. If it doesn't go well, then I probably won't be back anytime soon."
"Yeah..." Katsuki whispers back.
Stupid mission. Katsuki couldn't go with his hero partner, because having two top Heros of Japan gone for months at a time would be too risky.
Stupid fucking missions.
Childhood friends, turned rivals, turned friends, turned rivals again, turned roomates, turned best friends, turned hero partners cause Deku has the self awareness and safety precaution of a toddler.
The only thing they haven't been to eachother, is lovers.
Katsuki figures it's only a matter of time. Neither he nor Izuku have dated much. A few flings here and there, but nothing ever sticks. It would make sense, for the two of them to be together. To add that last title to their relationship/friendship.
They've been through every tragedy, every natural disaster, multiple wars, endless battles. They've carried eachother through firing bullets and taken hits for one another. They've breathed life back into eachother's bodies when there was a fainting heartbeat. They've held hands during funerals of victims, they've screamed into eachother's chests until their voices left their bodies, and they've held eachother through nightmares on bad nights.
Izuku is.....everything to him.....
"Whatchya thinkin' about?" Izuku asks softly.
"Us." Katsuki answers truthfully.
Izuku peeps an eye open with a small smile. "Yeah?"
"Yup."
"U-Uh.... what about us?"
"We've been through some shit." Katsuki answers gruffly.
Izuku giggles at his answer. "Yeah, I guess we have."
"We've done almost everything together." Katsuki points out.
"Almost? What's missing?" Izuku whispers his question with puffy cheeks and a sleepy pout.
"We ain't gone on a date yet." Katsuki answers, a bit tentatively.
Izuku smiles again. Gentle and sweet. "Not yet, no."
"When you get home then. We can go to a festival. Eat shit food, play shit games, and see shit fireworks." Katsuki says confidently.
"And it'll be a date?" Izuku asks, twisting his blanket up to his chin.
"If you want." Katsuki shrugs indifferently, but his heart thudds nervously against his ribs.
"I'd like that, thank you." Izuku says from behind his blanket.
"It'll be the best date you've ever been on, nerd."
"Cause Kacchan's amazing." Izuku says in a sing-song voice.
"Fuck yeah I am." Katsuki gruffs.
"Would.... we be dating then?"
"We can be dating now. Don't matter to me, as long as it happens eventually." Katsuki tucks his arms under his chest, and presses a palm to his heart. He would wait if Izuku needed time.
"So...... is this is our first date then?" Izuku whispers, opening his eyes to search the blonde's face through the screen.
Katsuki scowls. "I take it back. I'm gonna do it right cause this sucks, and I don't half-ass-shit."
Izuku laughs again. "I kind of like it."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah.... it's sort of..... us, you know?" Izuku hums back.
Katsuki scowls again. "I guess."
"You don't like it?"
"No." Katsuki says, with a barely there pout.
Izuku giggles with a sigh. "Why?"
"Cause I can't kiss you goodnight through a screen, dumbass." Katsuki's eyes narrow in disbelief.
Izuku giggles, and turns his face into his pillow with a muffled scream. After a minute, he rolls his head to look into the camera again. "Is this prank? Am I dreaming?"
"Nope." Katsuki answers.
"You won't forget this conversation when you wake up, will you?"
"Nope." Katsuki answers again. "And fuck you for thinking I would."
"Sorry, sorry. I'm just..... surprised and-and happy." Izuku smiles brightly. Even through a computer screen, even though they're thousands of miles apart, and even though Katsuki has seen that smile millions of times, its still just as bright as the sun. Warming his chest in a familiar feeling of comfort, that only Izuku can give him.
"Good." Katsuki grumbles. "Now sleep, but don't hang up."
"Okay, Kacchan." Izuku tucks himself further into the bed. "Goodnight, sleep well, I miss you."
"Miss you too, Deku." Katsuki says through a muffled yawn.
"H-Hey..... Kacchan?" Izuku whispers more quietly then before.
"Hm."
"I..... I love-"
"No." Katsuki squints with an unspoken threat into the tablet screen.
Izuku flashes a look of hurt. "Sorry..... too soon, I guess. Forget I said anything, please. I don't want you mad at me or to change your mind about the uh-date thing."
Katsuki rolls his eyes. "I'm not letting you drop that on me over a video chat, Deku. Also fuck you, cause I'm saying it first."
Katsuki sees a few tear drops escape from the edges of thick green lashes. Izuku grows still and quiet.
He knows he is just letting everything sink in. Katsuki lets Izuku bask in the moment uninterrupted, to keep from overwhelming him.
After several quiet minutes, he sees green lashes flutter closed, as Izuku's breathing evens into deep soft sighs.
"Goodnight..... Izuku..."
Katsuki leaves one hearing aid in, with his earpiece turned towards the tablet. Letting Izuku's soft snores, be his lullaby for the night.
They always sleep better beside one another. Even thousands of miles away, they rely on eachother's existence like this.
What's one more label? One more title to toss in their ever-growing list of classifications.
Katsuki thinks that.... maybe out of all of the things they were, have been, or will be.....
Partner is the best one.
Both as a hero, and a lover.