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“You made a mistake coming here.”
Some of the hero wedding guests that Katsuki and Izuku had grown close with in their adult years did a double take and faltered in their own personal battles. Was that really Deku talking? Could a sound so bone chilling, low, dangerous, and murderous have come from Japan’s sweetheart himself? Their old UA friends, however, knew what that sound meant.
The fight was over.
The wrecked cathedral was consumed with dark purple smoke. Smoke screen wrapped around the collapsed pillars, debris, and split apart decorations of flowers strewn across cracked marble floors that had once represented the journey of an unbreakable bond, the commencing of a union, a marriage.
His groom was wounded, his wedding destroyed, and so the savior of the country, wielder of 7 quirks, was done holding back.
The remaining villains who hadn’t yet been incapacitated suddenly felt dark tendrils slink around their necks, the original heroes they’d been fighting either faltering a step back in surprise, or letting out sighs of relief.
The villains were dragged into the air, chocking and scraping at black whip in an attempt to free themselves and regain the ability to breathe.
And there, hoisted 15 feet into the air of the lofty ceilinged, ethereal cathedral they had just disastrously destroyed, was Deku.
Raging teal energy reminiscent of scorching flames illuminated the hero’s wrathful eyes. Twisting and demon like trails of black whip shot out from behind him like the wings of an angel. His green hair and what remained of his once intact tuxedo buffeted in the offset air that brimmed with ultimate power.
The gang of criminals were completely at the mercy of this beast, and yet his face looked like it held no intent of forgiveness. There were no remnants of his usual pacifist nature, no trace of the compassionate and smiling protecter the world knew. No, those eyes raged with judgement.
And just like that, the fight was over almost as quickly as it had begun.
25 minutes earlier.
The floral scent of the lime green hellebores decorating Katsuki's hair along with the assorted bouquet of orange and green flowers he held in his arm tickled Masaru's nostrils as he finished straightening the lapel of his son's silk white suit.
Satisfied with his work, he shuffled back and looked up at Katsuki, only smiling fondly as he found his boy staring intently at the velvet and lace curtain that served as a separation between the lobby area and the cathedral.
That flush fabric was the only thing keeping him from all of the people he'd grown the closest with throughout his entire lifetime up until this point. The only thing separating him from the eager wedding guests awaiting his arrival.
Katsuki was growing so restless he almost wanted to just get it over with, rip the curtain open and book it all the way towards his soon-to-be-husband. His heart skipped a beat at the thought of that green haired idiot waiting, just on the other side.
"Nervous, Kats?" Masaru asked, placing a loving hand on his not-so-little-anymore son's shoulder.
Katsuki scoffed in response. "What's there to be nervous about? It's just stupid Izuku. Nerd's been in my life since the earliest memory I can remember.”
But his softer than normal scowl and the extra sweet candy store smelling aroma wafting from nitroglycerin sweating palms betrayed his attempted portrayal of nonchalance.
Masaru chuckled, heart swelling with love as he gave Katsuki's shoulder a little squeeze.
"I remember when I first saw your mother come walking to me down the aisle. It's a wonderful feeling, Katsuki.”
The blonde grinned and cocked his head to the side making the long and flowy white lace ribbons clipped to the back of his scalp rustle with the movement.
"Bet you never thought you'd be walking your son down the aisle, huh old man?"
"No," Masaru admitted, gaze tender. "But I know I'm going to love every moment of it.”
"Tch," Katsuki huffed, happiness spreading in his chest. "Sap."
The other man let out a content sigh, bringing a hand up to rest on spiky blonde tufts, carefully making sure not to jostle any lime green flowers.
Warm chocolate brown eyes met fiery ruby reds, and all of a sudden it hit Masaru what was really happening here. Orchestra music gently played from the other side of the curtain as Masaru took Katsuki's scarred hand into his own, the one that wasn’t cradling a bouquet. Masaru was almost shocked when he found their hands were now the same size, if anything Katsuki's was a bit bigger.
And that almost struck him as odd, because he could've sworn just yesterday he was sitting next to Mitsuki in the hospital as his son reached for Masaru, tiny infant hands only large enough to wrap around one of his father’s thumbs. It seemed the years had slipped past him without his consent or knowledge.
He felt a sting behind his eyes and his vision blurred with unshed affection.
"You look nice, Katsuki," gentle voice cracking and upturned lips quivering as Masaru squeezed the hand he was holding.
His son let out a huff at the praise, a radiant smile finding his lips. Man, he sure loved his dad. Being the one to walk down the aisle wasn’t such a bad deal after all.
"Katsuki Midoriya?" the older added, tilting his head forward a bit with a hint of liveliness in his sweet tone.
Bakugou, in response, felt his face flush as he vehemently spouted something about how doing the walk was where he ‘drew the line at the wife shit.’ ‘I’m already holding a fucking bouquet!'
His father let out a burst of laughter.
"Does my hair look okay? Is there something in my teeth? Oh gosh, I swear I can feel something in my teeth! Wait can you take a look-? Hold on! Do you maybe have a mirror by chance-?”
"Since when do you care what your hair looks like?" Ochako, Izuku’s maid of honor, interrupted with a teasing smirk.
Izuku groaned and put a hand up to his freckled cheek. He opened his mouth to continue with what Ochako assumes was going to be another onslaught of nonsensical overthinking, but it was halted when Shoto placed his palm over Midoriya's motor mouth.
"Izuku, there is nothing in your teeth," Shoto reassured in his usual monotone way of speaking.
The half and half hesitated.
"Wait, actually let me check one more time-"
"Shoto! Don't enable him," Ochako sputtered as Todoroki began prying open Izuku's lips with his index and thumb while bending down with squinted eyes.
Midoriya let out a nervous chuckle, restless fingers finding the hem of his pristine black attire. By now, Todoroki had straightened back up and peeled his fingers away from the groom’s mouth (with help from a light smack on his wrist from Ochako).
"I don't get what you're so nervous about. It's just Bakugou,” Uraraka smiled. “Same guy that used to slap you around back in UA, and middle school, and elementary, and your toddler days.” She looks away from her dear friend, gazing out at the white curtained archway.
Eri was currently making her way through the aisle, pastel orange dress swishing around her legs as she sprinkled petals of forest green and shades of sunset around the carpeted floor where she walked.
Family members and friends seated in chairs on either side cooed as she passed them by with her shy smile. The sight of her filled Izuku with joy, but also anxiousness. He knew who was set to come out after the flower girl.
Izuku’s 10 mile a minute thoughts were put on hold as a boney hand sweetly ruffled the top of his head. He looks up and instantly lights up like a Christmas tree upon meeting familiar blue eyes of the wedding officiant. His teacher, his hero, All Might.
“No need to look so nervous, young Midoriya,” the old man comforted. “This is going to be one of the happiest moments of your life. I feel so very honored to share it with you.”
Just from touch and words alone from his beloved mentor, Izuku felt himself relax just a hair. His shoulders sagged as he exhaled a breath. As he replies with words of gratitude, Kirishima, Bakugou’s best man, speaks up.
"It's funny, you never break a sweat when you see a big bad villain, but you're shaking in your boots just from the thought of seein’ Bakubro.”
A rugid hand rubbed at the back of green curly hair, a nervous habit Izuku has been doing since high school.
"I'm just so excited!" he burst, voice shaking with sporadic emotion. "Can you believe it? I'm marrying Kacchan! The Kacchan. Isn't that amazing? He's amazing!"
Ochako giggled lightly at the fanboyish praise. There wasn't a type of love that she could ever imagine purer than the love between Bakugou and Midoriya. Dynamight and Deku. Katsuki and Izuku.
Kirishima's spiky teeth glistened as he smiled.
"C’mon dude, you can't cry just yet," he began playfully. "Can't let Denki beat me out of 10 bucks.”
“I think he already did,” Shoto put in. “14 times.”
Izuku chuckled and shook his head, blinking back the tears that were clouding his vision.
"Kirishima, you should've known better than to take the ‘after’ position. Don't you know me at all?"
Before the reception, Kaminari had made a bet that Izuku would cry before Katsuki walked out, in which Kirishima retorted by saying that the flood would come after.
It was evident from the way Izuku had teared up every single time one of the members of the wedding party came out from behind the curtain and made their way to him at the alter, that Kirishima had long lost that bet about 10 minutes ago.
Heck, Izuku already had had tears flowing down his face the moment him and his mother were walking to the alter themselves. A similar tidal wave of snotty sobs were leaving Inko's mouth as the two Midoriyas cried enough liquid to drown the entire ceremony's guest list.
"When we were getting a tour of the venue a year ago, we had to hold his arms to guide him around since he couldn't see through his tears," Shoto informed Kirishima, the ghost of a smile splaying across his stoic face.
Kirishima let out a boisterous chuckle while Uraraka put a hand on her chest as she laughed. Izuku felt his ears grow warm as he rolled his eyes and giggled at the embarrassing memory.
"I wonder if Katsuki's crying right now too,” Kirishima questioned.
Uraraka let out an incredulous noise. "I'd pay to see that.”
Turns out, she actually might get to see it for free, because in that moment the velvet curtains in front of them peel back while the melodic orchestral music reaches the climax of its symphony.
There he was, clutching the arm of a misty eyed Masaru, was the Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight clad in an elegant white suit. Flowers of all shades of lime decorated his blonde hair while wavy lace ribbons flowed down from the back of his scalp like glimmering waterfalls.
Across from eachother, about 15 feet away down a decorated pristine venue surrounded by their closest loved ones, Katsuki and Izuku locked eyes for the first time that day. It was like time had halted.
Katsuki was walking towards him.
Just like that, years of staring at Katsuki's back with his arms outstretched, longing to be even a sliver as incredible as he, years of loathing Izuku and insecurity festering into deep rooted anger and hatred, all that time they’d chased each other in a seemingly endless battle— it had all finally reached its end.
All the loss, and the apologies and the love and the pain- oh, so much pain, all of it had brought them here today. Together as rivals. Together as equals. As hero partners. As husbands.
A small shudder left Izuku's lips, then a second later, almost comedically, tears violently erupted from his eyeballs, more than all of the previous crying fits combined (which was really saying something). The crowd let out amused laughter at the sight.
Somewhere among the venue, Iida's worried voice could be heard calling out: "Midoriya! I'm sure you're terribly dehydrated by now!"
Katsuki's and Izuku's eyes never left each others during the traverse down the aisle. Onlookers followed Katsuki's path in awe and familial warmth.
The blonde only looked away from his groom as he passed by his mother. The two reached out to each other and interlocked fingers. Mitsuki let out sharp intakes of breath as she looked into the rose red eyes of her only child, her baby.
"Be good to Izuku. Don't embarrass me, brat," she all but cooed, voice lacking its usual bite as a gushy smile painted across her teary face.
"You do the embarrassing enough to yourself," Katsuki remarked quietly, smirk as soft as clouds.
She squeezed his hand extra tightly and held on until their fingertips disconnected while he continued walking to his husband-soon-to-be.
Izuku stood waiting for him at the flowery archway with a smile that was so blinding Katsuki felt the need to squint. He tried (and failed) to contain his sobs as loud gasps and sputters escaped from his chest while a never ending flow of tears continued to pour like rain.
Katsuki rolled his eyes, corners of his mouth upturned with care, so much goddamn care. He took in the lovely face of the boy he loved far too much for far too long, and a feeling of peace, warmth, and calm spread across his body.
The flutter of his heart backflipping inside his rib cage was almost nostalgic. If he were wearing his heart monitor, his phone surely would've alerted him for warning of hypertension.
That lovestruck feeling was exactly how he’d felt as an emotional teenage boy. He could say with confidence that he was still the same amount, if not more, head over heels in love with Izuku Midoriya as the day he first realized he loved him all those years ago in Ground Beta.
Katsuki Bakugou couldn't believe that someone as mean, cruel, and undeserving as him had the privilege of being loved back by someone as kind, caring, and good hearted as Izuku. But he sure as hell wasn't going to take it for granted or mess it up.
He loves Izuku. He wants to love Izuku. And as he takes the final steps to his partner and hugs his dad farewell, releasing Masaru's arm, Katsuki makes a promise to himself. He is going to be one hell of a husband, nothing less than the best for Izuku.
This moment; it was perfect.
Then, a loud explosion echoed through the cathedral. The attendees screamed in alarm as heroes in the venue tensed and instinctively took combative positions. The ground shook in a rumbling earthquake and to Katsuki’s horror, a portion of the ceiling blasted into a crater sized hole.
Countless villains poured in through the new opening, armed with weapons and looking ready for a fight. The sharp cacophony of shattering glass reverberated through the ceremony as even more attackers blasted through the large windows. Upon their entrance, they used their quirks, weapons, just about anything, to smash whatever caught their eye.
The next moments went by in chaos, a rush of motion, screaming, and fighting. The civilians sprang up from their seats and scurried towards the cathedral's nearest exit, taking refuge away from the sudden ambush.
Alarmed green eyes found just as shocked fiery red ones. For a moment, Katsuki’s feet were planted to the floor. Is this really happening right now? Seriously? Right now?
The two soon paid the price for their hesitance as a villain’s quirk sent Izuku flying and smashing right into the flowered archway he had been standing under waiting for his groom.
Snapping out of whatever trance he’d been in, Katsuki burst into action to aid his partner, but was halted when a burly enemy caught him by the wrist, pulled him close, and struck him across the face with a force only a strength quirk wielder could have.
”Holy shit!” the large villain cackled as his eyes trailed over the mighty King of Explosions with flowers in his hair and laced ribbons flowing down his back.
Somewhere between grabbing Bakugou’s wrist and punching him across the face, the villain had snagged his beautiful orange and green bouquet and was squeezing it in their grasp with an ecstatic snarling smile.
“Boss was right. Number 2 and number 1 were getting married here!”
“Fuck you!”
Katsuki saw red. Turns out, the immense amount of clammy sweat of anticipation and nerves that had built up on his palms turned out to be quite useful. With a raging bellow, he launched a catastrophic explosion at the man in front of him, then blasted himself forward to inflict more offense.
The sudden switch from the warm, mushy, loving atmosphere from before to the all out brawl now made Katsuki's head spin with how quickly the emotions across his entire being had flipped.
A villain grabbed him by the neck and smashed the back of his head against the hard marble floors. Katsuki saw stars.
Just a few moments ago, he was smiling one of the sweetest and softest of smiles that had ever found the lips of the brash brute that was Katsuki Bakugou, and now he was ruining his once spotless silk white suit, ruining the beautiful cathedral venue, ruining his perfect moment, just to fight some fuckass villains that shouldn't even be here.
The fight was an out of body experience as he moved on instinct and pure autopilot. It was as if he were watching a video of a body-cam, not truly experiencing it himself in the moment. His brain was having a hard time catching up with the sudden change in situation.
Anger coursed through his veins. They can't have anything can they? Just one day. One day without having to be a hero. Is that so much to ask?
He let out a roar of fury as he outstretched his palms and let out unforgiving explosions on a group of villains beginning to surround him.
He dodged a swing, blasted. Dodged again. Takes a hit. Smashes into a piller. Dodge. The pillar comes crumbling down in a heap of rumble.
Katsuki cringes as he takes in the destruction happening to the once extravagant building. There wasn't enough time to dwell on it though, because another villain popped in and was taking a swing to his head with a sledgehammer.
The group was big. There were about enough villains to counter the amount of hero guests in the wedding venue. They’d organized this attack, planned it, premeditated it. The voice of the strength quirk villain from before echoed around in Dynamight’s skull. ‘Boss was right! Number two and number one were getting married here.’ Katsuki’s unbridled frustration only grew.
How could they have known that? Did they think that they could take advantage of the vulnerable moment and catch him and Deku off their guard? Admittedly, they had succeeded in that for a second, but that plan itself was idiotic because the venue was filled with other pro heros.
Katsuki let out a startled yell as he felt himself be snagged backwards by the ribbons on the back of his head. He chocked as a harsh blow was dealt right to his spine by a perpetrator behind him.
He spun around, ready to blast the villains face off when bolts of teal energy beat him to it. The villian was catapulted across the room and blasted through a wall.
Katsuki and Izuku met eachother’s eyes. Normally, Katsuki would've huffed with annoyance and bitched about not needling help, but right now wasn't really a situation Bakugou deemed as normal.
He wasn’t looking at Deku clad in Gran Torino’s scarf, bulky support items, and cyan blue hero costume. He was looking at Izuku with a jet black tuxedo and white undershirt with an orange bow tie, hair neatly combed and ready to be married.
Izuku looked angry. From the twisted expression on his not-yet-husbands face, he could tell they were both thinking the same thing. The villains weren’t doing this because they expected to win this fight. They just wanted to do as much as they could with the time they have. It was an act fired by hatred, not a desire to succeed.
The battle around them raged on. The ceremony, once overrun with tooth rotting sweetness, now a violent and decimated battle ground.
Suddenly, Katsuki’s vision began to swim and his brain felt like it was pulsing beneath his skull. He clutched his forehead and gritted his teeth, doubling over as a throbbing pain overtook his system.
Izuku’s eyes doubled in size, concern washing over his features. In an instant, he was at Katsuki’s side and putting worried hands on his shoulders.
”Kacch-!….Hey!…..-alright?”
Bakugou blinked slowly as he watched Izuku’s mouth continue to move but no sound came out. Maybe it was a concussion forming from crashing onto hard marble, or his body physically reacting to the emotional turmoil he was in right now, but something was wrong.
That was an understatement, everything was fucking wrong. Him and Deku should be sharing a tender kiss right now under the blossoming flowery arch alter as their family and friends cheered around them. They should be running down the aisle, hand in hand while they passed by clapping and tearfully smiling loved ones. Maybe Bakugou would even scoop Deku up in his arms and dip him into a passionate kiss at the end of the walkway.
Instead of that, the two were battling villains who were tearing the scene to pieces. Ruining the event that Katsuki had been looking forward to for a year now. An event that Katsuki used to daydream about and stupidly grin to himself like a lovestruck school girl fantasizing about her crush.
Something inside Katsuki began to hurt, and apparently it was evident on his face. Because after wiping something from Bakugou’s eyes and placing a gentle, loving kiss onto his lips, Deku leaned away and said something else to Katsuki that he thankfully, finally heard.
”I’m going to stop them.”
Then, smokescreen engulfed the cathedral.
The fight ended after a few more minutes with only minor injuries to show for it. After all, some of the best pro heroes were present here in support of the Symbol of Hope and the infamous number 2 hero, god of explosions.
A wedding was what they were here for.
The quiet after the fight was suffocating. Their friends murmuring and whispering hushed words of surprise, confusion, and shock. Some sat down and tentatively pressed a hand to their injured bodies.
Katsuki's chest raggedly rose and fell as he caught his breath. The adrenaline that had been fueling him slowly fizzled away. His eyes were down cast as he glared holes into his own brown dress shoes, shiny smooth leather now covered in scratches and debris. A large crack in the previously pristine marble floor stretched out under his foot and spanned farther out of his view.
He huffed, barred his teeth, and his breathing grew heavier.
"Kacchan.”
The lividness of his rage slightly tampered down when he met the bewildered gaze of his still-fiancé. For a moment, they stood there in silence, just catching their breaths and staring at each other.
Around them, some of the infrastructure continued to crack and break into pieces. The flower archway alter where they were going to exchange their vows was torn down, contents of greenery splayed and twisted across the floor. The white curtain that Katsuki and his father had waited behind with giddy excitement was now torn and burnt to partial ash. Multicolored glass littered the floor, sunlight reflecting off the pieces and shining in an array of rainbow on the catastrophic scene.
"It's okay.”
Katsuki wondered what expression he was wearing on his face that had made Izuku feel the need to say that. His question was answered when Izuku was suddenly right in front of him, reaching up to his face and delicately wiping away the drops of tears that had at some point spilled across Katsuki’s cheeks.
Oh. So that’s what had made Izuku lose his shit earlier. Huh, he hadn’t even known that he’d been crying. The blonde felt his eyes grow wider than before, looking at his love in utter disbelief. Izuku’s calloused hand lingered on his skin, cupping the side of his face. Izuku even had the audacity to smile. A shaky, forced, and tight one that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
"It's okay," Deku repeated again, voice even more breathy than normal.
"No, it's not okay!" Katsuki shot back, raspy shriek echoing through the vast wreckage.
Izuku tilted his head, a wounded frown overcoming the fake smile.
The heroes in the room awkwardly turned their backs, giving the couple privacy. Some took a few respectful steps away while some of their closer friends, like Todoroki and Kirishima, watched from a safe distance with sympathy etched on their features.
"This is bullshit, Izuku!" he powerfully kicked a piece of broken wood from a chair that had been splattered on the floor near them. "We can't have one day- one day for ourselves. Today was supposed to be for you and me. Now look at what they've done!"
His arms shot out to his sides as he gestured around them. Windows shattered, floors cracked, walls broken, a gaping hole in the ceiling that was currently breaking more bit by bit.
Izuku stood before him, hand still caressing Katsuki’s cheek and expression distraught. The sleeves of his suit and orange bow tie were ripped and one of his pant legs were completely torn off. Dust and dirt stained his skin and matted in his hair when there had been so much care done to make his appearance as clean as possible for the ceremony.
Katsuki broke out of his daze of anger, realizing Izuku needed him. He needed Izuku too. He reached for the hand of his supposed-to-be-husband-by-now that was shaking at Izuku’s side. Izuku accepted and brought his other hand down so both were encompassing Katsuki’s. They stood together in the havoc of what was once their perfect venue.
Their friends and family stood in various places around the scene in somberness and hushed whispers.
‘My outfit’s ruined!’
‘Poor Izu and Katsuki…’
‘What do we do? Should we say something to them?’
‘Hey hang on, let them have their privacy..’
By now, the non hero guests were cautiously making their way back into the main room, troubled expressions finding their faces and sounds of gasps the moment they took in the extensive damage that was dealt.
Katsuki looked down at his chest for the first time, and felt a pang in his heart as he realized how torn his own outfit had gotten. During the fight, Katsuki had unconsciously torn it at some of the seams to increase the mobility of the form fitting fabric.
There were stains in the previously shining white silk, rips and holes in his pants, some flowers in his hair now crumpled and wilting from when a villain had smashed his head against the floor. The once flowing lace ribbons on the back of his hair were halfway ripped and splitting apart at the ends from when another villain had snagged the material in her claws.
Normally, Katsuki wouldn’t give two fucks about some clothes being ruined in a fight, but these clothes weren’t just any normal set of attire nor his hero costume. This fight wasn’t out on the street or at the tops of skyscrapers during a run in on patrol. There wasn’t even supposed to be a fight today.
Katsuki Bakugou wasn’t one to back down from a fight, but today was different. For just one day he wanted to simmer down, take a break, focus on a day that was just for him and Izuku after everything they’d been through together.
Ripped and shredded pieces of his wedding suit hung down above his knees and he felt his hands beginning to shake in his not-husband’s firm but gentle grip.
"Hey, it's alright," Izuku smiled, looking up at Katsuki while his round eyes glistened. "I mean... it's just a room, right? It really didn't matter. I mean, we can still get married. It's really no problem! It's o-"
"Izu," Katsuki interrupted gently. "Talk to me.”
'Talk to me,' that's what Katsuki requested. Talk to me without the martyr bullshit. Talk to me without forcing yourself to stay optimistic for the sake of others. Talk to me as Izuku Midoriya, not number one hero, symbol of hope: Deku. Talk to me honestly.
Izuku crumbled like the once beautiful venue around them as his face twisted in distress. His lip quivered, and when he spoke his voice was all broken and wobbly. The fury he had felt before, reserved for the villains, had now been replaced by grieving sadness in the comfortable presence of his lover.
“That archway of flowers was gorgeous,” he began pitifully. Said archway was mutilated into bits. “And the whole place- Oh, I just loved…” he trailed off with a whimper. “-don’t you remember when we saw it for the first time?”
“Yeah, of course I do. You were bawling like a baby the whole tour,” Katsuki answered quietly, pulling Izuku closer and holding him tight.
Izuku exhaled a sob into the fabric of Katsuki’s ruined and not so white anymore suit.
“There were so much of them, and did you notice it was like they were trying to do as much damage to everything as possible?”
Katsuki nodded into green curls, eyes outcast at the wedding guests standing on the other side of the room, unsure of what to do. Him and his best man found each other’s sorrowful eyes.
“T-they planned it all…They just wanted to ruin it for us. That was their goal. It must’ve took weeks of planning. How could th- h-how…why?”
Izuku rambled in high pitched whispers, voice trembling as he clutched onto the other male whose lips were restrained in a tight grimace.
”I know, I know. It’s fucked up…” he soothed, cradling the back of Izuku’s head comfortingly.
“Why would they do that to us, Kacchan? Why would…”
Midoriya trailed off with a hiccup, lifting his face from his supposed-to-be-spouse’s chest and trailing woeful eyes around the room.
The situation was almost like a scene ripped right from a movie. The wedding reception wrecked and destroyed while the melancholy couple stood in the middle of it all with torn formal attire hanging on their frames.
Katsuki carded his hand through Izuku’s hair, resting his chin against his lover while his other hand rubbed slow, comforting circles on his back. He pressed a gentle kiss on Izuku’s forehead.
“I don’t know, Izu,” he replied, tone low and tired and venomous. He didn’t have the fire in him to yell and scream right now. The anger he felt in this moment was different than his usual fiery fighting outbursts of wrath. “Sad shitty people do sad shitty things.”
As the man he hadn’t married yet gently sobbed against him, Katsuki felt a familiar blanket of fury drape across his soul. Maybe the boy breaking down in his arms had something to do with his unwillingness to shout his rage out to the heavens right now. The rage instead bubbled inside him, ugly and all consuming like a storm.
Screw the villains. He wishes he could personally blast each one of them straight to hell for ruining the day and making Izuku cry with saddness. Screw the planned attack. Screw whatever weak ass security system had let them pass through to the reception.
Katsuki knew he was thinking on a broken heart when he started cursing the very thing he loved and had dreamt for all his life; being a hero. He cursed the persona: Dynamight, cursed the number 2 hero spot, he cursed his UA days, and all the unimaginable debt that it all has brought him.
If they weren’t heros, they would’ve never been targeted. If they weren’t heros, this attack would have never happened.
But if they weren’t heros, what else would Katsuki do with his life?
Across the room, Kirishima helplessly watched as the two strongest people he knew grieved and held each other on a day where they were supposed to feel nothing less or more than utter joy and love.
Katsuki and Izuku were heroes, the best of them. Why did they have to suffer when all they have ever done in their lives was help other people? Kirishima wanted to help them, needed to help them. These were his friends. The people who he would rush into battle for head first without a second thought if it meant keeping them safe.
Katsuki and Izuku had saved him time and time again. Their influence of protection spread and touched the lives of millions of people across Japan. Now it was time for somebody to save them.
He hadn’t realized he was already padding his way towards the pair until he was more than halfway there. Broken glass crunching under his shoes and footsteps echoing around the ceremony. He barely registered Mina’s whispered: ‘what are you doing?’ as he left her side.
The low timber of Katsuki voice found Kirishima’s ears the closer he got. He was saying something quietly in Izuku’s ear while the two still stood in an embrace. Then, calculating crimson eyes looked up and found Kirishima’s.
Izuku too turned his sweet face to inspect who had approached.
“Someone die or something?” the red riot began, tone light.
Bakugo gawked, blinking his eyes a bit at his friend’s strange words. Whatever he was predicting Kirishima was going to say, it wasn’t that.
“Those villains knock a few brain cells loose in that head of yours or something, Shitty Hair?” he barked, unwrapping himself from Izuku and laying a grounding hand on his groom’s shoulder instead.
“I could ask the same to you,” Eijiro replied easily, a hint of a smile on his face.
His own green tie had been torn in half at some point during the battle and the back of his clothes had been badly shredded, but here he was, grinning at friends with those pointed molars as if nothing was wrong.
Katsuki opened his jaw to retort, but Kirishima beat him to it. “It’s not like you guys to give in so easily.”
Izuku stared at him with those glossy, larger than life eyes, lips slightly parted as he processed his high school buddy’s words
“I’m really sorry about what happened, you guys. It wasn’t supposed to go this way. And as mad as I am at the villains that did this, I know sulking isn’t gonna change a thing.” He met Katsuki’s eyes as he said this.
Back in UA, after the war, class 1A was there for each other. Through feelings of anger, loss, despair, and trauma from witnessing things young eyes like theirs’ never should’ve seen. The walls of the dorms held stories of comfort through nightmares, breakdowns of emotions, quiet whispers in the night to close friends about what the hell had happened to them during the battle against Shigaraki and All For One.
One day, Katsuki told Kirishima: ‘Everything’s gone to shit, but sulking about it isn’t gonna change anything. Life’s a bitch and it’s tough, but you’re tougher than that, and a bigger bitch. So get the fuck up, Eijirou.’
“We’re all alive, aren’t we?” he continued, placing a hand on both of his friends shoulders and giving a firm squeeze and encouraging flash of his teeth. “You guys just kicked villain ass! I couldn’t think of a more manly way to get married.”
“Spare us your motivational speech,” Katsuki groaned grumpily. “Look around, stupid Kirishima. We paid so much money and waited for so long just to have everything ruined.”
“That might be true,” the red head began. “but we’re all still here aren’t we?” he gestured behind him to the rest of the wedding guests, everyone watching the three quietly with curious eyes.
“You guys can still get married. It’ll be different than what we were going for, but hey…”
Kirishima reached out and gently brushed away a tear that was making its way down Midoriya’s face, putting a streak in the debris that still covered his cheeks.
“-when has it ever not been?”
When has it ever not gone wrong for all of them? When have things ever gone their way without any repercussions?
Their high school years were forever marked by unfortunate events, things that happened to them because they were unlucky. The career of being a hero was no different. They watched their friends die, they had to swallow the guilt after every failed rescue attempt, they constantly stared death in the eye as they fought to protect. Ochako was right all those years ago.
‘The heros are the ones that are getting dirty!’
Upon these thoughts, a watery smile broke across Midoriya’s face and a weak giggle erupted from his mouth.
“Of course..” he breathed, shaking his head as if the understanding of something obvious had suddenly dawned on him. “You’re right, Kirishima.”
“About what?” Katsuki questioned bitterly, fingers curled around his still-not-husband-yet’s wrist.
“This,” Izuku began, gesturing around to the destruction softly. “-is what it is to be a hero.”
Katsuki eyed him, scowl twitching slightly. He thought back to when he had previously silently cursed his career choice moments ago. He told himself he was tired of the stress, the death, the destruction, the way being a hero consumed his life and dictated his every move. How being a hero ruined everything, and now even his own wedding.
Then as he pondered on it more, he found that even though he was so good at hating things, he could never truly hate being a hero. Never. It just wasn’t something his heart was capable of.
“This is a privilege. Destruction is just what happens to great heros like us. I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Izuku’s determined voice cut through Katsuki’s deprecating thoughts.
Expression softening, he turned to his groom. “I’m just grateful to still be here beside you, Kacchan.”
Any lingering resentment in his being immediately fizzled out the moment those damn green eyes met Katsuki’s. He swears the nerd has an 8th quirk or something with how efficient Izuku was at defusing the short fused ticking time bomb Katsuki called his temper.
The idiot bent down, slowly picked up Katsuki’s discarded bouquet from the cracked ground. The green and orange assortment of flowers were now badly torn and wilted. Izuku spoke again, almost shy.
“If you want, I’d still love to marry you,” he outstretched the bouquet to Katsuki as an offering.
At those words, Katsuki lowered his eyebrows. Izuku bristled.
“Oh! U-unless you don’t wanna- I mean that’s fine too, of course! Uh-um I just thought-“
“No, nerd,” Katsuki interrupted, swiping the ugly bouquet from Izuku and snickering a bit. “I was just questioning why you phrased it like it was up for debate. Of course we’re still doing this. What kind of idiot idea were you trying to pull by saying ‘if you want’” he mocked, using his fingers to put air quotes around the last few words.
“Well, I mean, I didn’t know if you wanted to postpone or something to do it again when everything’s fixed. And can you blame me, Kacchan? You were complaining and everything a few seconds ago! How was I supposed to know you still wanted to?” Izuku wailed, voice raised an octave.
“I wasn’t complaining, I just wasn’t being delusional!”
“Optimism isn’t delusional, Kacchan, it’s- WAH!”
His words were cut off by hysterical high pitched chortles as Katsuki snagged him closer and began tickling the hell out of him. Izuku twisted and squirmed as he tried to break free of the hold, unable to contain his hysteria.
He half heartedly pushed against Katsuki’s chest. “Stop it! Stop it!” Izuku laughed, tears beggining to prickle at the corners of his eyes and threatening to spill over the edge. “I’m already really dehydrated-! AHAHAHA!”
Kirishima watched them with happiness, face lighting up at how adorable his friends were sometimes. And their smiles, Kirishima was glad they were back.
He left their side and trotted his way back over to the half of the wrecked cathedral where a larger portion of the wedding guests were situated. Seeing the couple at ease had helped the previously somber atmosphere immensely as the two’s delighted chuckling and playful banter echoed around the place.
“Hey! All Might!” Kirishima called out with a grin as he caught sight of the lanky previous symbol of peace, still clutching onto the matrimonial officiant book.
A pleasant smile stretched across wrinkled features and he nodded in understanding, making his way over to the alter that still lay in pieces upon the ground.
The rest of the guests took that as an initiative to move. Some took their seats while others stood where their chairs had been before being smashed into bits or exploded in battle. The groomsmen and groomsmaids took their respective spots around the destroyed alter, green or orange clothes disheveled and ruined but smiles on their faces nonetheless.
Katsuki grabbed his father by the collar and hauled him towards the charred curtained archway after a tenacious declaration of ‘We’re doing this again!’
Masaru did not protest as he stuck a happy thumbs up to his son, allowing himself to be hauled out of the room.
Ochako took Izuku’s hand in hers and guided him back to his spot at the alter’s center (now a floor decoration).
After a bit of uncertainty, hesitation, and glancing around wearily, the orchestra began to play their sweet song once again.
“Hey! We can still see you!” Mina shouted out at Katsuki and Masaru, whose shoes and bottom portion of their pants could be seen below the now partially torn and ashy curtain.
Numerous wedding guests chuckled as the two pairs of legs hastily shuffled behind the wall and out of view.
The music came to a climax and the curtains peeled back for a second time. The audience cheered and clapped at the appearance, Katsuki’s head held high and a wicked grin on his face. His still carried the now mangled green and orange bouquet in his clutches, displaying it proudly as if it were the most beautiful array of flowers.
“Izuku, shouldn’t you be crying?” Uraraka playfully jested to her best friend who was watching Katsuki approach while quietly giggling to himself.
“Oh right!” Midoriya startled.
He scrunched up his face and squinted his eyes as if he could will the tears to come out. The only thing he succeeded in was making Kirishima laugh his ass off at the sight of his friend contorting his expression trying to witchcraft the liquid out of his eyes.
Suddenly, water sprayed across the room and landed on his cheek. Izuku choked and gasped at the abrupt attack.
The ring barer, Kota, sat in his seat with a mischievous glint in eyes, finger outstretched after having used his quirk. The groom snickered and blurted out a ‘oh, thank you!’ Effectively, there were now tears (just regular water) running down his face.
A sharp growl echoed from the middle of the aisle.
“This is taking too damn long!”
Without wasting another second, Katsuki gripped his dad tighter and began running down the duration of the way to the alter, feet pounding heavily and Masaru letting out startled yells as he stumbled and was half dragged along across the carpeted floor.
“Brat! Quit fucking dragging him like that! He could break a hip!”
“I’m not that old!”
And now Katsuki and Izuku were in front of each other at last. The once beautiful arch of flowers and leaves now lying at their feet. Once pristine clothes hung off them in bits, and their faces were splattered with debris and materials of the cathedral that had fallen onto them during the attack.
The situation was a tragedy. It was the embodiment of the shit show that they called “being a pro hero.”
Izuku broke first, sweet laughter echoing around the damaged high ceilings of the room. A glowing warmth overtook Katsuki’s chest and face at that wonderful sound. He let out an amused snort.
That blinding smile, those stupid green doe eyes, those scattered freckles, that screeching childish laughter. Katsuki loved all of it, and after today, he would get to live with it all for the further duration of his life.
All Might, after a fond smile at his two students he’d watch grow into fine young heros, cleared his throat and commenced with the union.
“Dear friends and family, we are gathered here today to celebrate the bond of Katsuki Bakugou and Izuku Midoriya…”
Nearby, another decorative pillar groaned, then caved in on itself, crumbling onto the cracked marble floors in a heap of rubble.
Katsuki’s eyes never left Izuku’s. They joined hands.
It was perfect.