Archive of Our Own ^beta

1. 3 weeks

“Dynamight, watch out!” a sidekick warns through the comms as he dodges the villain’s big boulder.

For some reason the agency decided Katsuki was the man for the ‘big boulder villain’, which is nothing more than some guy who can turn anything he puts his filthy hands on into stone and then throw it like mere pebbles. It doesn’t matter though, he breaks explosions that make him reach the villain faster even if he goes out of his way to dodge a few rocks, and in less than 15 minutes the matter is taken care of.

Katsuki taps the comm in his ear, as he steps on the unconscious man on the ground “Cellophane, I have the guy knocked down here, do you copy?”

“Copy that.” Sero replies “Can you hold him for a little longer? I’ll make sure to tape him up nicely.”

“Don’t talk like that, it sounds nasty.”

Sero laughs at the comment and Katsuki can’t help but chuckle. He watches as the other hero rapidly approaches their location. Their surroundings seem okay, the sidekicks are cooperating with the police to ensure there was no critical damage. One of the sidekicks – who he, for the love of everything, cannot remember the name of – smiles and nods his head, meaning there were no casualties besides what they can clearly see. Thank God he decided to take public transport today, at least his car isn’t damaged.

“Hey man, ‘tis the guy?” Sero asks.

“Yeah.” Katsuki looks down and the guy groans. He stomps on him “Shut the fuck up, why are you going around throwing rocks at people? Don’t you have anything better to do?”

The so-called villain lets out a groan “I wanted to be on the news!”

Sero laughs, Katsuki doesn’t get the joke “Tch. You’ll be in debt too, after all the fucking damage you’ve done to people’s belongings!”

“Alright dude, I can take it from here.” Sero starts collecting tape and wrapping it around the guy as he cries out “I’ll take him to the police station. Were you too busy?”

Katsuki shakes his head “No, just on patrol, but I’m clocking out now. I’ve seen too much shit already.”

“Dynamight’s cruel.” The villain cries out to Sero.

“Get a job.” He snaps back “See ya, Flat Face.”

The blond waves to Sero as he turns his back towards them. The pathway to Best Jeanist’s agency is not too long, he can walk calmly as he waits for his shift to end, if there isn’t a, let’s say, bird villain who decides to summon all the pigeons in town. It happened once, and he still remembers the smell of bird poop infecting his nostrils like it was yesterday.

Before this he was patrolling. There haven’t been many incidents lately, and that’s good, but he secretly wishes there was a different – and more interesting – villain just to spice up his day. The most eventful thing that happened lately was when he had to rescue a kid who decided he was big enough to climb up a tree, only to find out that he could not get down. Dynamight was asked to go into the scene because he was closest, but he was so mad at the kid he swears the tree could have been chopped in half just because of his yelling.

He takes out his agency card and walks through the gate, walking fast towards the elevators. Spring is coming, which means he will have to ditch the winter costume soon, and the arguments with Best Jeanist about needing a bigger locker will arrive again. At this point he does it for tradition, he already got his double-door locker that holds all his essentials, but they argue about it every spring so why not? For now, it holds its essentials and different uniforms quite well. He takes off his mask and clothes, quickly putting on the clothes he arrived with. Today was a pretty minimal look since it’s Friday and, well, he likes to think that Fridays are days to give up and do whatever. A black T-shirt with a red jacket and black jeans will do.

Katsuki grabs his bag, and his eyes glance at the photos he is avoiding right now. Photos that he didn’t put there, someone else did, and he uses them as a reminder to know what he defends and what (or who) he wants to protect. Just thinking about those photos makes him worried, anxious even. He picks up his phone and turns on his data and ah, there it is, the reason he has been feeling so uneasy for the past month.

IZUKU: hey, can we talk?

Sure, of course they can talk. It’s not like Izuku has been missing for nearly a month. He’s avoiding Katsuki, for some reason, and no matter how hard he tries he cannot get in touch with Izuku. When he does, he is pushed away, but it wasn’t like this, it happened overnight, and that’s what’s killing him. The feeling that they were going in the right direction faded as soon as Izuku started to reschedule whatever plans they had, with no possible date. He tried to understand that Ochaco and him had just broken up, so hey, he must feel bummed up about it right? Right. So, Katsuki tried his best to get him out of the house and put his mind somewhere else, but he appeared to be unbothered about the break-up. Too unbothered, weirdly unbothered. He thought that maybe Izuku was just bottling up his feelings. His plan to take his mind off of the situation seemed to work, but only for the first two days. After that, the nerd disappeared, and he couldn’t get ahold of him. So yes, of course they can talk, but Katsuki will make sure he gets a piece of his mind.

BAKUGO: Long time no see, fucking nerd

BAKUGO: Where do you want to meet?

Katsuki swears he has become a calmer person since the war. His outlook on life changed completely, and therapy helped a lot with his outbursts and anger issues. He understood that sometimes people are just dumb, and there is nothing we can do about it! They are stupid because they want to, and they let their feelings get in the way. He, of course, is no exception, as his feelings for Izuku have been getting in his way since he was in diapers. Once again, and due to his stupidity, it took years and a death experience for him to realize who he wanted had been right in front of him the whole time. His heart broke into a million pieces after Izuku started dating Ochaco, and it was stomped on whenever she asked him what kind of presents Izuku would like, because he always knew. He can’t help but admit that when they broke up a few weeks ago his heart skipped a beat. Izuku wasn’t even upset, he seemed calm about the situation, and as soon as they were over, he went to meet up with Katsuki and… well, that must mean something, right? Probably not, he’s just being delusional. Afterall, the nerd ghosted him after the big break up, so he doesn’t even know what led to it. All he knows is that, these days, Izuku asked to switch to the evening patrol, which means he’s not working with Katsuki.

The Pro-Hero leaves the agency, waving goodbye to Best Jeanist, who is still overworking himself at whatever he likes to do in his office after working hours. He zips up his jacket and puts his headphones on as he walks towards the train station, trying to take his mind off Midoriya. His phone buzzes again, it’s probably the green-haired bastard who needs to learn how to not avoid people. We’ve had one too many ‘vigilante Deku’ situations that had him suffering for weeks.

He’s too hung up on it.

IZUKU: UA’s rooftop?

Katsuki stops in his tracks. UA’s rooftop? This is weird. He feels weird about all of this. What the hell could Izuku be planning?

BAKUGO: Weird place

BAKUGO: Why would we go there?

IZUKU: I’m still organizing some papers, so I could wait for you. And I’m not doing any shifts tonight

IZUKU: Plus, you can see all the city lights turning on with the sunset

IZUKU: It’s very pretty

Katsuki furrows his eyebrows and blushes. It almost seems like a date.

BAKUGO: You’re being a creep

BAKUGO: Sure, I’ll meet you there

IZUKU: How long are you taking?

BAKUGO: 20 minutes tops

IZUKU: Don’t blast through the city! Public transportation is good for you. Last time you did that the power went out in Shibuya!

BAKUGO: I do what I want, Shibuya’s incident was a technical misunderstanding

BAKUGO: Leaving now

Katsuki puts the phone in his pocket and walks back to the agency. He’s not waiting for a response. His stomach hurts, he’s nervous about seeing Izuku. The break-up is too recent, but the scenery seems so romantic. He smiles awkwardly as he enters the elevator and goes up to the rooftop. Katsuki goes to the highest point in the roof and checks the map for the direction to Musutafu. While UA is two hours away by train, his uncovenient travelling skills allow him to reach it much faster. Today he decided to be a good citizen and take the train, but Izuku had to come and ruin it. It’s okay, he would do anything for Izuku.

After checking the location, he starts doing jumping jacks. Anything to get his sweat going so he can get a good headstart. No matter how he tries to avoid it, he can’t help but smile. He’s seeing Izuku, in less than 20 minutes. He can finally know what’s going on and well, maybe there will be a good surprise for him. If there isn’t then, well, he got to see Izuku, and that has been enough for him.

He counts down in his head. One. Two. Three. Explosions echo through the sky as he defies the laws of gravity just to see the man he yearns for. Katsuki passes by a few kids hanging out on a school rooftop, managing to hear a “Dynamight!” calling out to him. He reaches a forest area and aims for a tree branch, he’s almost there. One. Two. Three big explosions. He sees the familiar building approaching rapidly and intensifies the blasts, aiming for the rooftop. When he gets there, the space is still empty, so Izuku must be coming up.

Katsuki pants heavily and takes out a towel from his bag, cleaning up the sweat. He takes out his perfume and sprays it, hoping the smell won’t turn into poison. There’s a clean window where he can see himself, so he fixes his hair. He wants to look good for Izuku, and he feels like something major is happening in a bit. His stomach twists as he hears the door opening and closing.  Katsuki turns around and blushes as Izuku smiles at him so happily. He tries to hide it, of course.

“Kacchan! I knew I saw a shooting star crashing into UA.” Izuku approaches him, clutching his bag in his hand “You smell good, did you even sweat?”

“S-Shut up.” Katsuki walks past him “Thought you wanted to see the city lights.”

Izuku follows him to the bench they once set up to hang out, and to this day it hasn’t been removed, so he’s pretty sure some students also use it as a spot. But it will always be our spot, Katsuki scoffs at the thought. He sits down, dropping his bag on the floor. Izuku sits next to him and hands him a ham sandwich, the synonymous of fine cuisine to the young teacher who cannot get a recipe book to save himself from misery. Katuski accepts it, side eyeing him.

“I’m mad at you.” the blond snaps at him.

Izuku hums, “I thought so.”

Katsuki turns to look at him, infuriated “What in the world happened that made you think was okay to just avoid me for weeks? What have I fucking done?”

Midoriya shakes his head “You didn’t do anything. I’m sorry, I’ve been dealing with some stuff.”

“You’ve been doing your shifts separately for me.”

“I know.”

“Why have you been on night patrol?”

“I asked for it.”

“What have I done?”

“You haven’t done anything. The night shift was more useful right now.”

Katsuki crosses his arms. He tries to avoid thinking about how pretty Izuku looks right now, with his stupid freckles and stupid suit with a stupid tie that makes his stupid eyes stand out. Stupid.

“A stupid sandwich is not going to fix it.”

“I know.”

“This ham is dry.”

Izuku laughs and nudges him, a teasing tone taking over his voice “I’ll get it wet for you next time.”

Katsuki blushes and sits normally, facing the city lights. That’ll shut him up.

They stay silent for a few minutes. Katsuki doesn’t know what to say, but Izuku doesn’t seem to be making any moves. At least not the moves he was hoping for, so he obviously read the situation all wrong, again. It’s all his fault for being delusional, again.

He looks at the city lights. There was a time after the war when they had been on this very bench, and Katsuki almost confessed. He always imagined that when he’d do it there should be a beautiful scenario, because that’s what Izuku deserves. The rooftop was their spot to just hang out and talk about things only they could understand, no matter the subject. There was always a connection between them, even if Katsuki messed it up for the longest time. A geared-up suit didn’t seem like enough, and as Katsuki looks at Izuku, who is enjoying the breeze as the sunset kisses his skin, he decides that his heart would never be enough, because Izuku will always deserve more.

He is truly, madly, deeply in love with him.

“How… how have you been?”

Izuku looks at him, his green eyes shining “I’ve been dealing with some stuff, Kacchan. I’m so sorry that I disappeared, but I needed some time to... to get back to you.”

Katsuki turns his body to him and Izuku mimics the movement. They are now facing each other; an unspoken tension airs between them.

“If you don’t mind me asking, but I don’t think you ever told me…” Katsuki starts, biting the last bit of his sandwich “What happened between you and Pink Cheeks?”

Izuku smiles and looks down “Let’s just say we want different things, and we realized it too late.”

Katsuki rolls his eyes “It’s not too late, you’re 24. You still have a whole life ahead of you.”

Izuku chuckles sadly. He tenses up, and Katsuki notices “Yeah…”

Katsuki tils Izuku’s head up. He has tears in his eyes, threatening to fall. He is instantly worried.

“What’s wrong, nerd?” Katsuki asks “You can talk to me.”

“I-I have to tell you something.” Izuku shifts closer, tears start falling from his eyes as he stares into Katsuki’s “I’ve been holding it in for these past few weeks and I haven’t told anyone yet, not even my mom. I was really shocked at first but-“

This is it, Katsuki is eager, he’s confessing, he’s going to say he loves me. Katsuki’s heart is hopeful, but the rambling is postponing the moment he has wished for so long. Katsuki puts his hand on Izuku’s mouth, stopping him from talking. He takes a deep breath and prepares for what’s coming.

“Quit the rambling and spit it out.”

And then he regrets taking his hand off.

“Ochaco’s pregnant.”

Katsuki’s whole world stops spinning. The oxygen leaves his body, his hearts stops and shatters once again. He feels miserable suddenly. He can’t stop repeating the word in his brain, as if the dictionary was taunting him. Pregnant. Pregnant. Pregnant. Pregnant. His stomach drops, he wants to bang his head against the concrete floor just to try and get amnesia. Katsuki is staring at Izuku, whose tears keep coming, but not in a loud way. They’re quiet, these aren’t the first tears he has had about this matter because when Izuku cries for the first time he cries. Their silence has been going on for a long time, he’s not sure what to say. Everything feels fragile right now. He wants to cry right now.

“Pregnant.” That is all he manages to spit out. He stops looking at Izuku and runs a hand through his face, letting it rest on his forehead “She’s… pregnant.”

Izuku nods “Yes.”

“Fuck, Deku, I… I don’t know what to say. How did… I ain’t asking that.” Katsuki looks up, he’s going to cry soon “How far long?”

“3 months, which is pretty much the last time we… you know.”

Katsuki sighs “I see… how long have you known?”

“Well, when I went to see you after we broke up. She had a doctor’s appointment, and they had some blood tests, just a routine check-up. That’s how she found out, and then she told me.”

“So… right after you broke up.”

Katsuki looks at him, at those puppy-dog eyes who are staring into his soul, waiting for an answer. He feels so stupid, he can’t believe he thought Izuku would reciprocate his feelings. He can’t believe he thought Izuku was going to confess tonight, and that Katsuki could finally kiss him for the first time. Hold him properly. Instead, he’s met with the news that someone else is having a baby with the love of his life. His love for life.

He’ll never feel like this for anyone else.

They stay in silence, looking over the horizon and then at each other. The words don’t seem to leave his head. Pregnant. Pregnant. Pregnant. Ochaco’s pregnant. He doesn’t know what to say, or what questions to ask. It’s Izuku, no questions are forbidden questions, so he wonders.

“I’m sorry for asking but have you thought about… you know.”

“We spoke about it, obviously, but neither of us wanted to go ahead with it. We decided to keep it. She hasn’t told her family yet.”

“So… I’m the only one who knows. Besides you two.”

Izuku nods and smiles at him. How can he smile at a time like this? “That’s right.”

Katsuki him, and silence consumes the area as the sun goes down. They can only hear the cars echoing and watch UA’s staff starting to leave. Katsuki bites his lip as the tears threaten to fall out, so he decides to look up again, as if the stars could solve his sorrow.

“Are you getting back together?”

Izuku puts his hands up in the air, he looks surprised “Of course not! We realized we wanted other things, and our relationship just hasn’t been the same for a long time. Let’s also say that Ochaco has someone in her life who loves her more than I could ever have.”

Katsuki looks at him, arching his eyebrows “Pink Cheeks cheated on you?”

“No!” Izuku spats out, Katsuki was ready to blast Ochaco’s house down “As soon as she realized she had feelings for someone else and that she wanted to go through with it we started the break-up process and, well, it became official a month ago.” He scratches the back of his head and looks away, red creeping up his neck “And after thinking about my… life, in retrospective, I never felt like she was my forever person either. It was friendly.”

“Oh.” Katsuki blushes when Izuku looks at him. Part of him wonders if there’s still a chance. But now is not the time to be selfish, there are new… add-ons to the situation.

He sighs “This came as a shock for me too. I needed to leave for the past few weeks so we could go to doctor’s appointments and to plan our next few months. It’s still 6 months away but… I want to be ready for when Izumi arrives.”

Katsuki lets his arm rest along the back of the bench, his hand nearly touching Izuku’s cheek. He smiles at the love of his life, as if his heart wasn’t mixed between shattering into pieces and building itself up with the rest of hope he still had “Izumi, huh? You naming the kid practically after you.”

“Yeah, it’s a girl.” Izuku smiles warmly “And if you don’t mind… I would love if you accepted to be the nazuke-oya.”

Katsuki blushes “I didn’t even name her, you already did that.”

Izuku laughs “I know that but… you’re very important to me, Kacchan. You don’t have to accept, but Ochaco was thrilled about it too.”

Katsuki has mixed feelings about everything. He’s sure Ochaco must have caught onto him, but he always tried to remain respectful of Izuku since he was dating someone else. He tries to remove himself from the situation, thinking that maybe accepting to help mentor and guide Izuku’s child through life is not a smart idea, considering the overwhelming feelings he holds for the other man. On the other hand, he can’t say no to Izuku, and Izuku’s heart breaking means his heart breaks too.

“Of course, nerd.”

Izuku holds him almost immediately. He holds Katsuki tight in his arms, and he can’t help but hold him back, embracing him tightly, inhaling his perfume. If things weren’t the way they were, the way they are looking right now, he would nuzzle his face into Izuku’s neck and kiss him endlessly.

“Thank you so much Kacchan, I’m so happy.” Izuku pulls away, keeping a close distance between their faces, looking into his eyes. Katsuki can only hope his overwhelming love isn’t visible to the naked eye, although he doubts it “You’re my favorite person.”

He smiles softly, holding his tears as best as he can “Everything is going to be fine, Deku.”

“Yes.” Katsuki holds his breath as Izuku brings a hand up to caress his cheek. He swears there was a tender gleam all over the shiny green of Izuku’s eyes “Let’s have this baby, Kacchan.”

His heart shatters and then builds itself up again. Constantly. On loop.

Katsuki smiles, he can’t do anything else right now.

“I’ll be there.”

2. 6 months

There are blasts and explosions everywhere. Controlled, of course. Destruction for the sake of the greater good, at least that’s what he usually thinks. Sometimes he’ll even practice small but calculated explosions on the training grounds at UA – perks of knowing everyone’s favorite part-time teacher and part-time pro-hero. It also means that he can go in after hours to practice, if principal Nezu authorizes, and he always does.

This time it’s different, though. This villain is tougher than the ones he had been beating for the past few months. This time there’s a quirk-enhancing drug gang involved, and it’s their mission to make sure shipments are not coming out of this harbor. Unfortunately, that also means Katsuki must make use of his controlled explosions and grenades, to not damage any evidence or cargo.

“Die!” Katsuki says as he blasts the boss’s face. The guy is already knocked out, he’s just making sure he is truly unconscious before Shoto comes in and freezes him “Half-and-half, you can come now.” He orders through the comms.

“I’m already here.” Shoto says “And stop bossing me around.”

“Stop with the attitude.”

“I like to be honest with my friends.”

“I’m not your friend.”

“You are.” Shoto says as he freezes up the villain.

They take them to the crew responsible for the arrest. The police thank them for their hard work, offering a voucher for a crepe place close by. Katsuki scoffs, all this work and he gets a free crepe? He looks over at Shoto, who looks radiant with the gift. Sometimes Katsuki wonders what is going on in his head, the guy doesn’t seem to take a guess at social cues or anything at all.

“Let’s go get a crepe.”

“I’m not getting a crepe with you.” Katsuki walks off “I’m going to bed, it’s eleven o’clock.”

Yet Shoto follows him “You’re getting a crepe with me.”

“Stop being insistent, Icy-Hot!” he complains, but Shoto remains undefeated. They walk to the police car to retrieve their personal belongings. Katsuki wasn’t expecting the air to be so cold but, thankfully, he was wearing his winter outfit already. He grabs his phone and turns it on, still looking at Shoto “You can take my fucking ticket and take someone on a date.”

“I don’t want to date, I want my free crepe.”

“Then eat two crepes, dammit!”

Katsuki widens his eyes once the notifications start coming in and blasting through his phone. Some are about the rescues he had done yesterday, others were news about the operation they had just pulled. But other notifications make his heartbeat faster.

IZUKU (14 missed calls)

IZUKU (2 voicemails)

Who the fuck leaves voicemails?

IZUKU: Kacchan, it’s happening

IZUKU: I know you’re at work but come to the hospital asap

IZUKU: She’s coming! :D

These were all 4 hours ago. Katsuki doesn’t waste any more time, there are important things to do. More important than a crepe with Shoto, that he was not eating. He rushes to put his phone in his bag and puts it on. He tightens it and hands the grenadier bracelets to Shoto. Before Half-and-Half can ask where he’s going, he’s already blasting off, setting the police sirens on.

It’s time to meet Izumi.

***

Katsuki lands just outside the hospital, only because he doesn’t want to cause a commotion inside the area. The gates open for the ambulance to come through, and he takes the opportunity to rush to the security window to go through the other door. If he doesn’t follow the protocol they might just send him away and he doesn’t get to see Izuku and meet Izumi tonight. The officer inside has his back turned to the window, he seems to be watching a telenovela. Katsuki bangs his fist on the window, and the guy doesn’t seem to listen to him as he wipes his own tears while the wedding scene plays. He’s getting angry, what the fuck is this guy doing?

“Hey! Shit head!” He yells, but he still doesn’t listen. Katsuki decides to throw an explosion into the open air – the security officer jumps out of the chair and looks at him “What the fuck are you doing?! Open the fucking door!”

“D-Dynamight! Sir!” he gets up miserably “It’s such an honor, I love your work, please sign my-“

“I’m not signing shit! I’ve been here too long! Open this fucking door.”

“Sir yes sir!”

The door opens almost automatically, and he stomps his way inside, but first, he must give the security officer a threat. He turns back rapidly and points his finger at his forehead, watching how the man shivers under his gaze.

“And I’m making a complaint about you after this!”

Katsuki runs to the emergency room, which is not far away from the entrance – however, it feels like it’s kilometers away. He must see Izuku, he can’t even imagine how he feels right now. Excited? Scared? All he knows is that he must be by his side, if his presence lowers his worries. He couldn’t wait to see him and congratulate him, but part of him couldn’t help but feel jealous. Izuku’s first child… even if his love was unreciprocated, he can’t help but wish that was him. That he was the father of Izuku’s first child, even if it was through adoption or through surrogacy; whatever it was, he wishes life had given him that chance, but the odds are not always in our favor.

He tucks his feelings away, now is not the time to be selfish. Izuku needs him right now, and he shall put his own haunting thoughts away to be there for him, even if the moment haunts him for life. Katsuki walks up to the information desk, banging on the window. Why is everyone distracted from work today?

“Dynamight!” the lady gasps “What are- “

“None of your business.” If he wasn’t athletic, he would be out of breath “Ochaco Uraraka, where is she?”

“Sir we can only give a patient’s information to registered family members.”

He growls “What the hell?! This is serious bullshit, I need to know-“

“Bakugo.” a voice calls for him, his head turns quickly in its direction.

Himiko Toga.

He should expect her to be there. After all, she is Ochaco’s special person, as Izuku explained that day. Katsuki turns to the worker, pointing his finger at her.

“I’m making a complaint after this.”

He’s not. He’s just very stressed, he’s aware of that. Katsuki stomps his way in Himiko’s direction. She’s dressed in regular clothes, even though she started working as a nurse during the war. Katsuki is still wary of her these days, despite knowing she went through a full reform, using her quirk to help with blood transfusions and patients in critical condition. He almost thought she was going to be part of the birth, but it seems like she wasn’t.

“Space buns, where are they? No one is giving me any information-“

“Calm down.” She states, smiling at him “Everything is fine, come with me. I had a card for you.”

She hands him a visitor’s card, and he pins it to his uniform, blushing, because that means they were expecting him to show up at any time. He forgot how flashy he looked, still in his hero costume. Of course he’s getting stares. Not only is he dressed in a peculiar way, but he is also dressed as one of the top 10 heroes right now, even though his position is unstable due to his attitude. He’s been working on it, but maybe loudly threatening half of the hospital staff with complaints is not going to do wonders for him.

“I thought you were going to be part of the birth, since you work here and all.”

“I didn’t think it was my place to be. Significant others stay outside in these situations, if they’re not directly involved as a parent or with the medical team.” She looks back to smile at Katsuki “I thought we could support each other right now.”

Katsuki pretends to ignore her comment.

“Where’s Deku?” he asks as they step into the elevator.

“He’s in the delivery room. It must be nearly over.”

His breath tightens. It’s all becoming too real. Izuku becoming a father is becoming real, and he doesn’t know how to deal with it. Stop being selfish, he thinks, this is now about you, this is about the nerd and baby nerd.

They step out of the elevator into the maternity floor. Everything is pink and decorated with baby drawings, the lines on the floor indicate where they should go, and Toga appears to be following the yellow line that leads to the waiting area outside the birth room. She sits down on the sofa, probably made to be comfortable due to the long waiting hours for this type of thing, and pats the spot next to her, signaling for Katsuki to sit down as well. He complies, fidgeting with his own fingers as they sit in silence. His body is tense, he’s nervous about Izuku and for his own feelings. How happy will he be after this? Or worse, is he going to feel destroyed? He can’t help but think that he will never be able to see that baby with honest and kind eyes. Will he be able to, maybe, confess his feelings for Izuku someday, even though there is a baby? Katsuki feels selfish because even though a good thing is happening, he can only think about Izuku and Izuku himself. He’s never been good about confronting reality, he’s either too honest or too delusional. Which is it right now?

Will he ever be enough for Izuku?

Himiko looks at him and puts her hand on his, stopping his fidgeting.

“You’re nervous.”

“I’m not. I never am.”

“It’s okay.” she whispers “Pro-heroes can get nervous too. Also, it’s a personal occasion.”

Katsuki looks at her, feeling anxious. Personal? This was anything but personal, it had nothing to do with him directly. He was here for support.

“I’m here for Izuku.”

“I know, and I’m here for Ochaco. But we also need to be here for Izumi, don’t you think?

There it is, the implication that he was being selfish “I’m here for Izumi too.”

“I know.” She sighs “Even though I care for her, I’m thinking mostly about Ochaco. She’s my priority.”

Katsuki looks down at his gloves. He would lie if he said Izuku wasn’t his priority right now. There’s a baby coming, he cares about Ochaco too, but he can’t shake away his feelings for Izuku at this point, no matter how hard he tries. It’s strange to think that he would be emotionally relating to Himiko Toga.

“I know what you’re thinking. Why am I feeling the same thing as her?” When the fuck did she develop a mind-reading quirk? “These past few years I realized that even though someone is suffering, you tend to go to people who you care about the most. It’s okay to care about everyone, but you don’t always feel it so intensely. I care about Izumi, and I care about Izuku too, but Ochaco is the love of my life. She’s my priority. And I think you understand that too, because we’re going to be part of them for the rest of our lives.”

Katsuki turns to look at her, widening his eyes. His body has become tense.

“I don’t know what you’re implying.”

“You do.” she states “And it’s okay.”

Katsuki can’t say anything, he doesn’t know what to say. He doesn’t know if it’s the anxiety or the exhaustion from work, but he doesn’t have it in him to counter Himiko’s words right now. She’s not lying, he does know what she is implying, and he wasn’t expecting to be caught by Himiko of all people.

“Don’t tell a soul.”

“Don’t worry about that. If you pay close attention-“

The door burst open, both jumping at the sudden sound. Out of it comes an Izuku Midoriya, wearing a surgical mask that rests under his chin, a sterile gown, a head covering, and the biggest smile he has ever seen that man wear. He bursts into tears as soon as he sees them, but his gaze is only meeting one person. Katsuki gets up and his feet move on its own as he runs to him. Himiko follows.

“Kacchan, you made it in time!” Izuku hugs him tight, sobbing into his chest.

“What happened? Are you okay?”

He nods and pulls away, keeping his arms around Katsuki’s waist and gazing into his eyes. Katsuki blushes as he holds Izuku’s face with both his hands, as if that would steady his own heart.

“Yes. Everything is okay. More than okay. Everything is amazing!”

“How… how is she?” He doesn’t know if he means Ochaco or Izumi. Suddenly he’s aware of the situation, and that Himiko is watching all of this “Let go of me, shitty Deku, you smell like birth.”

He laughs, “The most beautiful baby I have ever seen.” Izuku turns to the woman, putting a hand on her shoulder “Himiko… thank you, for everything. Thank you so much.”

She shakes her head, hugging him as he breaks out of Katsuki’s embrace. “I wouldn’t have missed this for the world. How’s my girl?”

“She’s going into the room right now.” Izuzku starts walking to the room, they follow him closely “I don’t know how she’s doing it after 5 hours of hard labor but… Ochaco is as energetic as ever. I think she’s ready to fight a few villains, no quirk!”

Himiko laughs “That’s my girl.”

“This is it! Izumi is in the Baby Nursery down the hall.” Izuku opens the door carefully, but his posture changes after he steps foot into the room “Ochaco! Where did you get that?”

“Izu!” they hear her exclaim.

They walk into the pink and white room. Being a pro-hero has its perks, Ochaco managed to have a single room, and the conditions seem pretty good too. Katsuki takes in his surroundings, watching the ballons that say Congratulations and It’s a girl!, but his attention is turned to Ochaco when Himiko leaves his side to sit beside her and hold her. He looks at the trail in front of the brunette.

“Why the fuck do you have 40 mochis right now?” He’s shocked “Where did you have time to get 40 mochis?! You gave birth half an hour ago!”

“Bakugo! Thank goodness you’re here, I was getting worried.” She smiles at him “I wanted to go meet you guys after the whole ordeal was finished, but they didn’t let me get up! I feel fine, I could take anything down right now!”

Her stamina is monstruous, Katsuki thinks. He almost looks life Dunce Face after being electrocuted by his own quirk.

“’Chaco… That still doesn’t explain the mochis.” Izuku laughs nervously as he takes out his birth room attire, walking to her side “I didn’t pack those!”

“Well, I wanted to get up, but they didn’t let me. Something about rest, but I’ve had worse injuries.” Himiko kisses her head, knowing she’s referring to when she saved her during the war “We negotiated. I told them that if they got me a mochi for each week of pregnancy then I would sit still, and it worked! It’s like a reward!”

“Babe…” Himiko started “You had mochis while you were pregnant too.”

“Those are details. But hey! I’m doing fine now!” She looks at Izuku “How’s our baby girl?”

“She’s the most beautiful baby I have ever seen.” Katsuki clenches his jaw “They’re running a few tests just to make sure everything is fine, then you can go see her.”

“’Zuku, you were amazing. Thank you so much for supporting me, I couldn’t have done this without you.” She gives him a smile that could open the skies. Katsuki grips the end of the hospital bed, he doesn’t know what to do, he feels out of place. Ochaco looks at him “Bakugo… thank you for coming too. You came in your hero costume too and everything.”

He chuckles, he’s unable to take a compliment “Someone had to look good for the little brat, first impressions matter. You look like shit, Pink Cheeks.”

They all laugh at the snarky remark. It’s obvious that she had been giving birth: her hair is all over the place and you can see that she had been crying before, probably from all the pain and effort. Still, it wasn’t an easy thing to do, and it took a long time. Katsuki gives them a soft smile.

Ochaco touches Izuku’s hand to grab his attention “Deku, I don’t have anything to down these mochis with. You’ve had a long day too but, if you don’t mind, could you grab some tea for me? From the cafeteria? Any kind.”

He nods eagerly “Of course!”

“I’ll go too.” Toga places a kiss on Ochaco’s cheek and gets up “I’m feeling kind of hungry. Do you want anything Bakugo?”

He hasn’t eaten since lunch, but he swears his hunger went away with all the anxiety. Still, it’s not good to neglect your body’s need.

“It’s alright, I can go with-“

“Nooo!” Ochaco says “I want company! I just gave birth!”

Katsuki stays still, he doesn’t know what to do. He’ll give in, for the sake of her.

“I think they have Mapo Tofu for take-out.” He gives his wallet to Izuku “Grab something for yourself too, my treat.”

A better present will come later.

“Okay, Kacchan.” Izuku grabs his bicep and caresses it “I’m really happy you’re here.”

Katsuki blushes and nods. He’s sure that he has a stupid look on his face as they walk away. For the past few months, Deku has become touchier with Katsuki, but he takes it as developing the ‘dad’ persona. He always knew Deku was sweet, and that sweetness towards the world would only intensify as soon as he became someone’s dad. He, of course, feels guilty, because he doesn’t mind the touching at all. They had been touchy before, sure, but now it feels different. Katsuki decides he’s being delusional.

“Stop overthinking.” Ochaco says, forcing him to look up at her. She points to the chair Izuku was going to sit in “Sit.”

“What the fuck Cheeks? You don’t order me around.”

“I’m a mother now, I have to be stern. Sit.”

He huffs, she won’t boss him around like a dog. He decides to sit anyway, but out of pity for the tough situation she had been in. Maybe he’s excusing all of it with the possible traumatic experience that can be giving birth. Katsuki sits down and crosses his arms.

“You’re being pretty bossy.”

“I was giving birth for hours, that was so exhausting.” She lays back against the raised mattress and lets out a breath “I think I finally understand how Denki feels after being electrocuted.”

Katsuki lets out a laugh. Dunce Face seemed to be on everyone’s thoughts today “How was it?”

She taps her finger into her chin “What I expected, honestly. Izuku passed out once but gathered himself quickly. He wasn’t even seeing anything, I think he was just nervous!”

Katsuki smiles at the ground “That does sound like him.”

The image of Izuku passing out on the floor but getting up just in time was more endearing than funny. They have known each other for so long that Katsuki just felt like that was going to happen. Izuku is one of the top heroes, sitting at number 4, but everyone knows he deserves more than that, as rankings are based purely on popularity, which is why Dynamight’s attitude does not always work for him. His body still leaps into action if it means helping someone, but will he do that now that he has a daughter?

A daughter. It sits heavily on his chest. Izuku is a father now. He grips his own biceps, thinking deeply. Will their relationship - no, friendship, change now? What if he doesn’t react well to the baby? What if they start to pull away from each other? Worse, what if he can’t handle it and starts pushing Izuku away? His heart beats fast, why does he feel like this baby changes everything?

“Stop overthinking.” Ochaco breaks the silence. She reaches out to Katsuki, putting a hand on his shoulder “It’s not all that.”

He shakes his head “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You’re thinking too much about this. About the baby.”

Katsuki holds his breath. Their eyes interlock, but she’s looking at him so kindly that he doesn’t know how to react.

“I’m happy you’re here, Bakugo. I know how happy you make Izuku, and he deserves to have someone special with him today. Inko’s flight was cancelled last minute, and she hasn’t been able to book another one.” So that’s why he’s here “But you had to be here regardless. You’re special to us, to him. He wanted you to be here more than anything.”

Did everyone develop a mind-reading quirk today? Is this some kind of infection? Also, why is everyone meddling in his business today? Today is not about him, it’s about Izumi. Katsuki is not used to talking about his feelings outside of therapy, and he didn’t want to do it today of all days. Today is about welcoming a new life into the world. It’s about love, support and friendship. It’s about family. A family you’re not a part of, the evil voice inside him says. He can’t stand it, he’s sure he’s going to cry anytime soon.

“I’m here for all of you.”

“You’re part of this too, Bakugo. You have always been. I see the gleam in his eyes when he speaks about you, he’s happier when you’re around, and your biggest goal is to make him smile even if it’s only for a second. You want to protect everyone, but he’s special. I know all about it.” She squeezes his thigh “Because I felt it with Himiko too.”

He stares at her with his mouth agape. She figured it out.

“I’m not going to intrude in your family.”

“Well,” she clicks her tongue “It’s your family too.”

Because Izuku and him are friends, that’s why. Close friends, all the way from childhood. Best friends, hero partners.

He was going to reply, but Himiko and Deku walked in with the food. Ochaco greets them as if they weren’t having a deep conversation prior to this, and he still doesn’t know what to say about what Ochaco said. Izuku pulls up a chair next to Katsuki and hands him his meal. Their shoulders touch as they eat, Midoriya brought Katsudon with him to eat as well. Bakugo looks at the clock, it’s almost two in the morning now, but he has tomorrow off so it’s okay to stay longer. His sleep schedule doesn’t matter, Izuku is having a happy moment and he wants to be there to witness it. His hair is messy from the head covering, and the marks from the face mask are slowly clearing up. His eyes look happy, brighter, full of life. If he didn’t know, he would say Izuku just won the lottery and spent it all on a 3-month vacation abroad. The father persona suits him. Katsuki realizes he had been staring when Izuku looks at him with a mouth full of pork, blinking rapidly.

“Do I have something in my face, Kacchan?” he asks, cleaning up his mouth with his wrist.

Katsuki nudges his shoulder with his own “Use a napkin, nerd.”

***

Ochaco fell asleep around 3AM. Himiko left a little after that, promising to be here first thing in the morning to take care of Ochaco before her shift. Both went to see Izumi before she left, but Bakugo stayed behind while Izuku went to call his mother. He can’t bring himself to do it yet.Meanwhile, Izuku went to the help desk to request another bed in the room, so he could stay with her for the night in case she needed anything. She sent him away, but he was insistent that it was one of the fatherly duties he promised his daughter (“I already told her that I am only leaving the hospital when she does! And for Ochaco too, of course.”). Katsuki decides this is the right time to pass by the desk and wish him a goodnight, before heading out. He feels like he smells bad, and he hates smelling bad, especially near Izuku. Plus, he’s still in his hero suit, which is not good hospital attire when you’re a visitor. Time, place and occasion.

He closes the door carefully as he steps out, making sure not to wake Ochaco up. She managed to have 30 of her 40 mochis, so at least her stomach is full of something. Katsuki hears the ‘click’ of the door and lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. It was worse than chasing villains on stealth mode.

“Are you leaving?” Izuku says behind him.

Katsuki turns to him, scratching the back of his neck “Yeah. I, uh, should be going. You need to get some sleep too.”

Izuku frowns “No, don’t leave yet. I want you here.”

Katsuki hides his face behind the high collar of his uniform. His heart started pounding in his chest, only to be intensified by Izuku’s puppy eyes. He looks away to avoid those big green eyes.

“It’s alright, I’ll come by tomorrow.”

“Pleease Kacchan,” Izuku whines, getting closer “can you stay a little longer?”

“Well,” he swallows heavily and looks at the other man “do you need something from me?”

Izuku nods “I do…”

“Spit it out, Freckles.”

“I want you to meet my daughter.”

Katsuki tenses up. He knew this was going to happen, but he was sure he could just flee the scene to prepare himself for what was about to happen. He feels like he’s exaggerating, it’s just a baby. This situation isn’t as dramatic as it seems, right?

Izuku doesn’t seem to wait for his answer. He grabs Katsuki’s hand and leads him down the hallway. The blond complies, of course, as if he would truly refuse any of Izuku’s requests. He’ll fight and bicker of course, but he always ends up giving in. He’s hit by the realization of how much he loves Izuku as he drags him through the hallway. The green-haired boy looks back at him just to smile, that million-dollar smile that makes Katsuki’s heart skip a few beats. He’s trying so hard to make Katsuki a part of this, after all, he did ask him to accompany his daughter’s growth as one of his closest friends. Katsuki’s heart hasn’t stopped beating rapidly in his chest, and it only worsens as Izuku intertwines their fingers as they stop next to a big window. Green eyes meet red, but this time Katsuki can’t look away.

“Are you ready?” Izuku asks.

No. “Which brat is it?”

They turn their heads to the room. There are so many cribs he can barely count, but one of them stands out. The pink blanket with a green pillow catches his eyes, and even though he can’t see the baby clearly, he already knows what baby it is.

“That one, with the pink blanket.”

He nods and keeps staring. This is real, this is truly real.

Izuku hasn’t let go of his hand. Katsuki grips it tighter. He doesn’t care what it looks like right now, he needs to stay grounded. Izuku pulls him to the door, knocking on it before entering the room. Bakugo is left at the entrance of it, just outside the door -he can’t bring himself to come in, not yet. His breath shivers as Izuku turns around to look at him, a concerned look on his face.

“Kacchan, are you alright?” he wonders “Do you not want to meet her right now?”

He does, fuck, he does. He truly does. He’s nervous and he doesn’t even know the reason for it. First, all newborn babies look the same to him. What if Deku asks him if she’s beautiful and he says ‘yes’, and it shows that he is not being honest? Second, what if Izuku wants him to hold her and he drops her? The kid could die, or worse, be as dumb as Todoroki. And third, what if she doesn’t like him? What if, of all people, Katsuki is the only person she doesn’t like? Afterall, he is dressed in scary clothing, for a baby. Finally, he still hung up on the fact that meeting this baby means the distance between him and Izuku will be growing more and more until they vanish. He likes to have him in his life, even if it’s not in the way he intended.

Would he be ready to hold the love of his life’s daughter? He doesn’t know, so he makes up an excuse.

“I’m still in my uniform.” He states “I just got out of a mission too. I must have germs all over me.”

“Oh…” Izuku looks down, sadly “Okay, you can… you can meet her another time.”

His heart aches as he watches Izuku wave goodbye to the nurses and walks towards him. No, no, no, this wasn’t supposed to happen. Katsuki decides that he must grow a pair and face reality, the reality that will sit right in front of him for the rest of his life. He inhales and steps inside the room, walking past him. Izuku looks surprised his mouth agape as he stops in his tracks.

“Grab me whatever you were wearing earlier.” Katsuki takes off his gloves and mask as he walks towards a small sink, washing his hands “I’m washing my face too.”

Izuku nods, he’s smiling now. Smiling so so brightly. He runs up to the nurse, but Katsuki can’t hear anything. She glances at the hero and then at Izuku, covering her mouth and nodding. Whatever the nerd told her it worked, because three seconds later he was handing him what he needed (and he was wearing a matching set too).

“So you don’t feel lonely. They didn’t have hair caps though, sorry about that, Kacchan.”

Katsuki hums “It’s okay.”

“Come.”

Katsuki lurks behind him, as if staying a meter away from Deku would make him less nervous. Izuku walks around the crib as they arrive and leans towards it. As he approaches, Katsuki feels his throat closing due to his nervousness. He’s never like this, what the fuck is happening right now?

“Izumi, meet Kacchan.”

Katsuki arrives at the crib and looks down at the baby. Suddenly, all his nerves seem to wash away as he sees the little one for the first time. The round cheeks are a perfect mixture between her mother’s and father’s cheeks. They are currently being caressed by her father’s finger, that seems like the size of a boulder next to her baby face. Her cheeks are rosy, just like her mother’s and her hair is brown too, but when she opens her eyes and looks at Katsuki… those are the green eyes he fell in love with when he was a child. Despite having Uraraka’s characteristics, she looks just like her father.

They stare at each other, and Katsuki doesn’t know what to do or say. If we’re honest, he doesn’t know how to act around babies, but around Izuku’s baby? Even less. Whenever people ask him to take pictures with babies, he always pulls this weird face. He likes babies, he swears, he just doesn’t know how to act around them. Izumi is moving her arms around and makes a sound. Katsuki’s heart nearly melts, he’s grabbing the side of the crib now too.

“She’s wonderful.” He blurts out.

“Isn’t she?” Izuku asks softly, looking down at her “She’s the most beautiful baby I have ever seen.”

“She looks just like you.” He blurts out, once again.

Izuku smiles at him. Their eyes meet, and this time the air feels different. Katsuki swears he has never been more in love with Izuku than right now, and if it wasn’t for the circumstances, he would be confessing his feelings. He seems calm, collected, as if the world’s population was only the three of them. Katsuki feels it too. He’s so in love his heart aches.

“I know I’ve said this a lot today but…” he looks down at his daughter “I’m really happy you’re here, Kacchan. You’ve been my anchor, I couldn’t have done this without you.”

“Well, what are friends for, right? Dumbass.” He chuckles nervously.

Izuku laughs softly, wearing a warmth that reaches his eyes “Whatever you wanna call it.” Huh? “Do you… want to hold her?”

He trembles. “What if I drop her?”

“I’ll be by your side.”

Katsuki nods and watches as Izuku lifts the little one, cradling her in his arms and walking towards Katsuki. At first he looks at her on Izuku’s arms. The baby looks at her dad, then at him again. Katsuki points his finger at her and she grabs it (“They have these reflexes as newborns,” Izuku explains “So she’ll only be grabbing intentionally in a few weeks.”). For some reason this newborn baby decided to inherit her mother’s strength, and she doesn’t want to let go of him for the sake of the world.

“Let go brat, I was trying to be cute.”

Izuku laughs silently “That just means she likes you.”

Katsuki’s leaning so close to them it they almost seem like a family. He’s been hearing about it all day, about how he is part of this family, which is to expect considering all members of Class 1A act as family members to each other, even dumb Mineta. He knows for a fact that Mina was the one who knitted the blanket, and Tsu crafted the pillow. The sleepsuit she’s wearing? Gifted by Momo. The plushie at the end of her bed? A Red Riot limited edition baby figure, which means Kirishima. The gifts from other members will arrive eventually, and he would have to get his own too, but everything seems so mediocre. He looks up at Izuku, who stares down at his daughter with the biggest grin on his face, despite the eyebags.

“Kacchan time!” he whispers softly, not too wake the other babies.

“W-what?!”

As soon as he’s finished talking, there’s a baby in his arms. Izuku positions them correctly, and Izumi never takes her eyes off of Katsuki. He stares down at her too and feels his chest bursting open again, but this time… this time he can’t help but feel an unfearingly amount of affection. He points his finger at her and she grabs it again. The room felt too quiet for how loudly his heart was beating. He was expecting to keep some careful distance but the moment he saw her small, blinking, real, something inside him softened in a way that frightened him. It was a sudden need to protect her. He caught himself watching the slow rise and fall of her chest, and the movement of her eyelids, as if some part of him had already begun arranging itself around her without permission – it was natural, sudden, it made sense. It was unsettling, how quickly this fragile, brand-new life had crawled her way to smash through his walls and settled somewhere his heart couldn’t quite understand yet. What is this feeling, if not finding someone to protect at all costs?

He only felt like that towards one person, turns out, there was a place waiting for Izumi all along.

“She loves you, Kacchan.” Izuku says, getting closer just like Katsuki had been before “I was expecting that.”

Katsuki looks at him, their faces are close. Izuku’s hand rests behind him, not touching him, but quite close, as it sits on the counter. His eyes trail the other man’s face, his mouth slightly open. His vision becomes blurry and soon he feels a tear stream down his cheek. He has never felt more welcome than right now. All the anxiety sailed away as soon as he looked at Izumi and decided that he must protect her with his whole life, no matter what the cost. Izuku stared back at him, smiling and wiping the tear off of his face.

“I didn’t think you’d cry, Kacchan.” He retorts, but not in a way that would make fun of him “I’m sorry.”

Katsuki lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding “I will protect her with my life.” Izuku widens his eyes “I will never let anything bad happen to her, and if it does, I’ll take the motherfucker down.”

Izuku laughs “Don’t swear near my child!”

Katsuki furrows his eyebrows “I mean it.”

Izuku nods “Thank you, I’ve always known my Kacchan would be the greatest hero of all time.”

He smiles “I am.”

Katsuki feels Izuku’s breath on his face as he laughs. His eyes land on Izuku’s lips, looking so welcoming even in the dim light of the Nursery. He swears Izuku is getting closer, his eyes fluttering. His hand rests on Katsuki’s hip right now, squeezing it lightly. Katsuki doesn’t pull away, he doesn’t mind, he feels like he’s on top of the world right now. He closes his own eyes and prepares for their lips to touch.

“A picture?” a voice says, and they pull away immediately, smiling awkwardly at the nurse. He remembers that there is a baby in his arms, looking at him with curious eyes.

Izuku’s hand hasn’t left his hip though.

“Yes, please.” Izuku replies to the nurse. She wasn’t the same they had been talking to before.

Dammit, dammit, dammit! Shit. Fuck. Motherfu-

“Alright, smile!”

Izuku hands her the phone and leans towards him, his hand still rests on his hip as he pulls him closer, so close that they almost become one. Katsuki adjusts Izumi and leans toward Izuku as well, reciprocating his advance. He smiles and realizes that this might be the first picture he takes with a baby where he does not pretend to smile (and has tears in his eyes too). She takes the picture and coos, handing him the phone.

“You guys are the perfect little family!” she trails off, leaving Katsuki dumbfounded with a baby in his arms.

Katsuki blushes and doesn’t even have time to retort before Izumi yawns too evidently. He gives her a kiss on his head (he couldn’t avoid it, she’s too cute) and gives her back to Izuku, who does the same thing before placing her in the crib.

“We should be going now, she needs to sleep.” He punches Izuku’s shoulder “And so do you.”

“Aah, Kacchan is always taking care of me…” Izuku says, scratching his cheek.

“Someone has to, otherwise you’ll be found roaming the streets.”

They walk out of the room disposing of their oh-so-glorious attire and gathering Katsuki’s gloves and mask. They walk to the entrance of Ochaco’s room, whose snoring can be heard even in heaven. “Do you already have the second bed?”

Izuku nods “Yep, it’s probably all set up now.”

“Okay. That’s… good.” He replies.

He finishes tying up his mask and puts on his gloves. They stay silent, it seems neither of them is going to mention what almost happened in the nursery. Katsuki decides to be the first to break the silence.

“I’ll be going now.” he starts walking away, slowly.

“Goodnight Kacchan. Will you be here tomorrow?”

He stops in his tracks and looks behind. Fuck it, he thinks, after that I have nothing more to lose.

Katsuki walks back the few steps he took. He stands right in front of Deku, their height difference noticeable. The corridor is empty, so at least it’s slightly private. He tilts his head to the side and kisses his cheek before he gives it any more thought. He lets his lips linger, his eyes closed to savor the moment. Katsuki sighs, pulling away softly. He looks at Izuku’s expression, and his eyes are wide. The taller one ruffles the green curls, smiling shyly.

“Congratulations, Freckles. I’ll… see you tomorrow.”

Midoriya doesn’t reply, he just nods (about a hundred times). Katsuki leaves, trying to appear confident, but his face doesn’t say the same. As he steps in the elevator he sits on the floor, hugging his own knees. He can’t stop thinking about tonight’s events, but especially, how he felt when he was holding Izumi. The amount of affection and care he felt for her was out of this world, he had never felt anything like this before, and he couldn’t decipher it yet.

He hopes Midoriya sends him the picture soon. It will be the first he puts in his own locker.

The people he wants to protect.

His priorities.

3. 4 years later

Katsuki stands in front of the mirror, adjusting his orange tie. His suit is clean, polished, and a shade of grey that complements his features nicely. You couldn’t even tell he’s had it for a few years now, waiting for a moment to wear it, and it seems like now’s the time. After all, they are the first people from Class 1A to get married, not that he wasn’t expecting this, it was not that surprising and long overdue. He wasn’t expecting to get his own separate dressing room for the ceremony, so that was a nice surprise. Well, it wasn’t really his room, afterall, he is on ‘taking care of the flower girl’ duty

The door opens, revealing a dressed-up Midoriya Izuku “There you are!”

Midoriya was part of the bridal party, just as he should be. Himiko and Ochaco didn’t settle on specific genders for the respective bridal parties, and Izuku was an obvious choice to be part of Ochaco’s, Tsu being the maid of honor. He was wearing a dark blue suit, with a pink flower peeking out from his chest pocket. He looks dashing, stunning even, Katsuki decides there are not enough words to describe what he is feeling right now. He can, however, describe what the pink tie looks like.

“Your tie looks like shit.” He observes.

Izuku sighs and walks up to Katsuki, standing in front of the mirror right next to him. Bakugo blushes at the sight of them standing in suits next to each other, he can only contain his imagination so much. He watches as Izuku fixes his eye with a defeated look on his face, removing it completely.

“I can’t do it to save my life!” He hands the tie to Katsuki “Please Kacchan, you always do it better.”

“Tch. I’ve always been one step ahead of you.”

He wraps the tie around Izuku’s neck, mentally cursing his hands for trembling as he is nervous about the sudden proximity. He handles the fabric carefully so there are no wrinkles left and it stays flawless. It looks weird, it’s time to undo it. The fact that he feels nervous is not helping. He looks up from his own work and locks eyes with Izuku, who is watching him with a kind smile, his kind smile. Right now, Katsuki must focus only on the twists and turns of fabric right now.

“What are you looking at, shitty Deku?” he asks.

“I like looking at you Kacchan.” Izuku states, Katsuki nearly falls to his knees.

“I’m not that interesting.”

“Anything you do is interesting.”

He needs to end this subject before he loses control of his quirk and blasts the room. He can almost feel the sparks incoming. Katsuki straightens the tine one last time, making sure it settles Izuku just right.

“Where’s the brat?”

“Oh, she should be here any minu-“

“Pop-Pop!” a high-pitched voice echoes through the room.

As expected, Izumi has grown a lot since she was a baby. She still had Ochaco’s features, but her eyes and freckles were all Izuku’s. She’s wearing a white dress with pink satin around her waist, that ties up into a bow in her back. Her brown hair has a little braid, barely noticeable due to the flower crown resting on top of it. Natural flowers, he has been told, match the ones arranged in her mother’s bouquet. Along with that, she has green earrings. She runs to Katsuki, jumping as soon as he lowers himself to the ground and opens his arms to hold her.

“There is the problem child.” He kisses her forehead when they pull away “Where have you been?”

“I was with mommy and mama Miko.” she smiles brightly.

“What did you think about mommy’s dress?” Izuku asks, lowering to their level.

“I loved it, daddy! I want to have a dress like her, right now!”

“Too soon for that.” Izuku responds almost immediately “The one you have right now is beautiful too.”

Izumi crosses her arms and looks at Katsuki “Pop-Pop, can you give me a dress like mommy’s?”

Katsuki chuckles and flicks her forehead “Am I the bank, kid?”

“What’s that?”

“Doesn’t matter.” He replies, “I’ll buy it for you tomorrow, deal?”

Izumi nods eagerly, and Katsuki hopes that she forgets about it, otherwise he will have to look for a new dress while hungover, and he cannot yell at another store owner because they don’t have the right size for Izumi. He has spoiled her too much these past few years, but he can be strict too, and this helped them develop a close relationship, where Katsuki is the only person who Izumi can take seriously and see authority in, aside from her parents (Himiko included).

“Well, you’ve created a problem for yourself.” Izuku adds “These days she has decided to have exceptionally good memory.” He looks at his watch and kisses Izumi’s forehead “I have to go. Will you be okay, my love?”

“Yes, daddy! Are you going to be there?”

“I will, Izu, but you’ll be spending this part with Kacchan, okay? So do as he says! Pinky promise?”

Izumi nearly jumps into the deepest parts of the universe. She gets her energy from her father.

“I promise!”

“Alright! I’ll see you there!”

Izuku pinches her cheek and gets up, straightening his suit one last time in the mirror. Katsuki follows, watching as he fixes himself up and turns around to meet his eyes. Izumi goes to the bathroom attached to the dressing room. She has become too independent too soon, Katsuki often feels like she’s growing up too fast. Katsuki tightens Izuku’s tie one last time, giving it the perfect touch-up. He investigates his eyes, smiling without a care in the world and putting his hands in his pockets.

“We both look very handsome today.”

Izuku giggles “Kacchan, if you’d just said that I looked handsome I would have said ‘so do you.’.”

Katsuki shakes his head “I couldn’t take that chance.”

“Well…” Izuku steps closer and rests his hand on Katsuki’s shoulder. They’re not touching directly, but it burns. The blond feels heat rising his cheeks as Izuku’s eyes fill with something he cannot describe. He swears his voice lowers “I do think you are very handsome.”

If there were any words coming out, he would choke on them. Midoriya looks devilish right now, and Katsuki is not used to it at all. Of course, through these years they’ve had a few moments where he could swear Izuku was flirting with him, but it was always over too soon, so he supposes he’s just joking, like friends do. The problem is, Katsuki’s heart beats faster when it happens, and sometimes he lets himself go with the fantasy and dares to flirt back or, well, joke back. This is one of the moments where he doesn’t know what to feel, and he swears the sparks are threatening to come out because the Pro-Hero couldn’t control his quirk well-enough to go along with the playful banter of the love of his life. Not that the love of his life knows he’s the love of his life, but he’s sure the joke is going too far when Izuku starts moving his hand along Katsuki’s arm and stops at his wrist, caressing it. Katsuki tilts his head down a little bit, just in case Izuku means for something to happen. They stay close, but as the green-haired man starts getting closer, his phone rings, along with his smart-watch.

Shit.

Izuku let’s go of his wrist and steps back, clearing his throat. Katsuki steps back too, turning to the mirror as he pretends to fix his suit for the hundredth time that day. There’s an obvious blush haunting his face.

“Yeah, I was just dropping Izumi off with Kacchan. I’ll be there.” Izuku hangs up “So… I’ll see you at the ceremony, okay?”

Katsuki looks at him through the mirror and nods, “I’ll take care of the wild card.”

Izuku thanked him and walks to the door. He’s almost out of the room, but turns around “Before I go… I have a request.”

Katsuki looks at him, watching as Izumi comes out of the bathroom and sits in front of the mirror, right on Katsuki’s feet.

“Whatever you need.”

Izuku gulps, his eyes drifting off to the floor “I want to talk to you. Later, and alone. Do you mind?”

Katsuki shakes, anxiety rising in his stomach “Sure, after the reception?”

“Yeah, after the reception.”

Izuku leaves and closes the door. He can only imagine what is going on through the teacher’s head. Is he moving? No, he wouldn’t move away from Izumi, and they were very clear about her living arrangements. Is he going full-time as a Pro-Hero? Katsuki can only hope, but the nerd seems to be too attached to his students to quit his job at UA. There’s only one option, the one he has been dreading all this time. Izuku must have found out about his feelings, and he’s going to make it very clear that he either stops them or stays away.

“Pop-pop, do you think I look pretty?” Izumi asks, looking up.

His cares all seem to go away as soon as he focuses on the little one sitting at his feet. The nickname, the one Izumi crafted specifically for him, was the first word she managed to say clearly. It happened when he was babysitting her, since Izuku was grading tests and Katsuki had a day off, so he decided to keep them company and help Izuku along the way. To entertain her, he showed off small explosions right at the tip of his finger, and they almost looked like fireworks. Suddenly Izumi blurts out ‘pop-pop’ and they both freeze (“Kacchan!” Izuku yells “That’s her first word!”), and thus, the name stuck, because that was Izumi’s way to call for Katsuki.

“You look like a million bucks, brat. Now get off my feet, we have to get you ready for the wedding.”

Izumi stands up and twirls “I’m a princess! And you’re my knight!”

“Yeah, I am.” He kneels, taking the flower crown off her head. The brat has been messing with her hair-do “Were you messing your hair up in the bathroom, kid?”

She looks down “Yes…”

“Well, now I gotta do it again.” He sits on the floor, groaning.

“I’m sorry Pop-Pop… I wanted to wear something special.”

Katsuki starts separating the hair, hoping to do a good braid like the one she had before. He’s had his few shares of braid-making these past few years, since Izumi asks for them all the time. And it always involves bows, sometimes multiple bows. The kid loves bows too much.

“Well, you are already special, and that’s enough.”

“Yes but...”

Her dress had a pocket Katsuki didn’t realize was there. She reaches for something, but keeps her fist closed around it. He finishes the braid, waiting for her to show, but she’s visibly nervous.

“Izumi… can you show it to me please?” he asks nicely as he ties the flower crown in the back of her head, making sure it’s stable.

“M-Mommy said it was okay. And mommy Miko too.”

“So it’s fine.” Katsuki states “Does your dad know about it?” she shakes her head “Well, today is not about him so I don’t care. Show me.”

She opens her tiny hand, and Katsuki feels his chest filled with love and appreciation at that very moment. There Izumi holds two small hair clips that resemble the headpiece from his first hero costume. It was part of the limited-edition Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight hair accessory collection, and this hairclip was extra limited-edition, because it was made only for Izumi. He stares at it and doesn’t know what to say – he feels like he’s intruding in the ceremony. The flowers on her head are for Himiko, the pink sash is for Ochaco, and the green earrings for Izuku. But the hairclip… Katsuki is not part of this family, not like this, so he shouldn’t be part of the ceremony like that. He’s on flower girl duty and that’s it.

“I don’t know, Izu’.”

“Pleeease Pop-Pop!” She begs “They look so pretty.”

“They look out of place.”

“But… mommy said I’m wearing something for everyone.” She looks down, her voice cracking. The flower girl cannot cry right now “I want to wear this for you.”

He sighs, running a hand through his face. His heart is bursting out of his chest “And your moms said you could wear this?”

She looks up at him and nods “Yes, ‘cause you’re my Pop-Pop. Mommy gave them to me.”

Katsuki gives in, surprised with Uraraka’s actions “Okay, but only one.”

“Thank you!”

Katsuki grabs one of the accessories from her hand, and settles it near the flower crown, in the back of her head. She seemed happy about it. The tears that had been almost falling out disappeared completely when he went with her request. He puts the other hair pin in his pocket and fixes her bow one last time before they leave the room and walk towards the space where the ceremony was being held.

They were staying at a farm, not too far from Tokyo. Himiko and Ochaco decided to have a nature wedding, so everything around them was vegetation. It provided more privacy, which was deeply requested in weddings with a lot of Pro-Heroes and scholars. They decided to keep it small, only inviting close friends and family, but since Ochaco is friends with everyone the guest list was a little bit… off the handle. Himiko had to step in to stop her from inviting the mailman.

The farm had a house close to the area where the ceremony was being held, which is where they had been getting ready. After this, they would be going to the reception, held on the ball room on the other side of the farm. Guests who requested stay would also be allowed to do so, and Katsuki was one of them. He got a room for himself but, unfortunately, it was right next to Kirishima and Mina, who are known to be… loud. Either way, he hopes to get drunk enough to fall asleep quickly, after Izuku rejects his feelings and tells him he’s going to stay away forever.

He sighs. Now is not the time to think about it.

That’s a problem for evening Bakugo.

They reach the entrance, and guests are seated. The bridal parties are standing on each side. The wedding was smaller than Katsuki expected, Himiko must have really stopped Ochaco from inviting her middle-school teacher too. The woman didn’t even remember who she was last time she saw her.

Himiko stands at the altar and waves to Bakugo, who gives her a nod. She’s wearing a simple white dress, holding a bouquet of pink and white flowers. There are empty seats on the front row on her side, and as controversial as it is, Katsuki doesn’t care, because they were her family. On Ochaco’s side there are two empty seats on the front row. Himiko signals that they are for him and Izumi, so he just gives her a thumbs up. Katsuki’s eyes search the bridal party and there he is, there’s no denying it. Izuku looks as flawless as he did minutes ago, hell, he looks as beautiful as he looked years ago. The evidence of war splashed across his cheek never took away his beauty and it made Katsuki wonder, awe, admire how it was possible to be so infatuated with someone like he has always been for Izuku. Their eyes lock and Katsuki waves hesitantly, the green haired boy smiles at him and looks away. Katsuki swears he sees a faint blush and a tease from Momo, who noticed their interaction very clearly.

He looks down at Izumi, who is staring blankly ahead as they step on the carpet that leads to the altar. He lets go of her hand and grabs the basket filled with red rose petals for her to throw along the way.

Katsuki kneels next to Izumi, who fumbles with the basket handle “What’s wrong?”

Izumi sniffles “What if I fall?”

He ruffles her hair a bit, but not enough to ruin her hairstyle “You won’t. You’re the strongest person here.”

“B-But-“

The music starts, which means Ochaco is arriving soon.

“I’ll be right at the front, kid.” Katsuki explains “You just have to walk and throw the petals, think you can do that?”

She nods “I can, Pop-Pop.”

“Good.” He kisses her forehead “I’ll see you there, bud.”

Katsuki walks to the front row and stands in front of his seat. Izumi doesn’t move, she looks at him and shakes her head. The music stops. He walks to the end of the carpet quickly, almost instantly, and kneels beside her. She’s nervous, the tears from earlier start falling now. She really is her father’s daughter.

“Hey, hey! What’s wrong?” he whispers.

“I want you to come with me, Pop-Pop.”

He freezes. Everyone is looking at them, waiting for something to happen. Izuku looks concerned and Katsuki waves him off, as if to signal for him to stay in his place. He can solve this.

“I can’t do that, Izu’. It’s your mommy’s wedding, and you’re her grown-up baby. Daddy is waiting for you too at the altar, see?” he points to Izuku, who looks concerned.

“Y-Yes but…” she sniffles, wiping her tears with her wrist “You’re my Pop-Pop too. And you’re not there.”

“Your… Pop-Pop too?” he raises his eyebrows, confused.

“Yes.” She sobs “Like daddy.”

He tries to deny the implications of the phrase. Now is not the time to correct her, to tell her he’s not her dad. His chest aches, he almost feels like crying too at the realization that she has always felt like a daughter to him, no matter how much he tried to avoid the feeling. He never meant to get attached, and even though she had parents of her own who were very present in her life, he always tried to get away from it because of his feelings for Izuku. Maybe he let the fantasy of a family go on for so long that now he must find a harmless way to fix it. He decides that later, when he speaks to Izuku, he’ll confess his feelings, but it will be the beginning of pulling away just enough so he stops meddling in their family life. Katsuki feels guilty and happy at the same time, it’s conflicting – to finally understand that all these years, Izumi was calling him dad. The words echo in his head, as they tend to do, and he can’t break a child’s heart today, not on a happy day. You’re my Pop-Pop too. And you’re not there. Visions of a baby Izuku crying his soul out due to an absent father flash through his mind. He can’t break her expectations, not right now.

“I’ll walk with you, honey.” He stands up and grabs her hand, smiling “But you better wipe those tears away and show them the best damn petal show those losers have ever seen!”

Katsuki decides to put on the Dynamight confidence. He carries it with him, every day, it’s undeniably him, but Izumi and Izuku are his soft spots. His reasons to protect peace. He thinks back to the photo on his locker from the day Izumi was born. How natural and right it feels. It’s excruciating.

“I love you.” she says.

He must stop himself from crying.

“I love you too, kiddo.” He says, “Now let’s go kick their asses.”

She nods and smiles brightly, just like her father. He wasn’t expecting her to blurt out the next phrase as she started walking.

“Start again, extras!”

Izuku slaps his own face as the crowd erupts in laughter. Katsuki cheers but decides he needs to apologize to Ochaco for making her daughter sound like a rebel minutes before she walks down the aisle. The music starts again as laughter dies down. Izumi lets go of Katsuki’s hand to throw the petals as she walks through the carpet, with Katsuki walking beside her, walking at a slow pace. People fawn over Izumi, who wears a smile so bright you couldn’t tell she had been crying a minute ago. Katsuki raises his head and his eyes lock with Izuku’s again. He can almost fantasize that he is the one walking down the aisle, meeting Izuku at the front before professing a small fraction of his undying love. He holds his breath as Izuku gives him a warm smile, tears threatening to fall down his eyes. He really is his father’s daughter. Katsuki fidgets with his fingers, he’s not the one getting married and he’s feeling nervous about it, all it took was looking at Izuku and thinking about what he would look like as a groom. As his groom.

Izumi reaches the end of the altar and gives the basket to Katsuki before running towards her father. Izuku holds her tight and kisses her cheek, praising her for being brave enough to walk down the aisle and ask for help. She lets go of him and runs towards Himiko, who picks her up and peppers her face with kisses too. Izuku calls for his attention, making Katsuki turn his head to look at him.

“You did great.” He winks.

Katsuki blushes and turns around, walking towards his seat. He hears Momo’s giggling and glares at her, making her stop. Izumi runs towards him and stretches her arms out, so he picks her up.

“You have a chair, brat.”

“I want to sit with my Pop-pop!”

There it is. The nickname that has a double meaning now.

Himiko gasps, making Katsuki look back. Ochaco stands at the end of the aisle with her arm tangled in her father’s. She’s wearing a white dress too, more detailed than Himiko’s, with a white flower crown resting on top of her head, similar to Izumi’s. Her bouquet matches Izumi’s flower crown, as expected. The music starts again and Ochaco starts walking down the aisle. She looks breathtaking, you can see it in her eyes that she does not regret a single decision about today. She’s determined, strong, and most importantly, she’s exactly where she wants to be. As she reaches the front row, she looks for Izumi, smiling brightly as soon as she sees her. Katsuki lowers Izumi to her height and she gives Izumi a kiss on the cheek.

“I love you, my baby. The petals look very pretty.” She nuzzles her nose against her cheek.

“I love you too, mommy.”

“Are you happy?”

“I’m so happy!”

Ochaco chuckles and gives Katsuki a kind smile “Thank you.”

Katsuki gulps and nods. He doesn’t know what he’s thanking her for but now is not the time for explanations. She walks up to the altar and kisses Himiko, earning a few whistles from the crowd.

“Now’s not the time!”

They sink back to their seats, Izumi demanding that she sits on Katsuki’s laps for the entire ceremony. Kirishima is sitting behind him.

“You having fun?” the red-haired boy whispers.

“Tch, it’s a wedding. Shut the fuck up.” He whispers back, careful so Izumi doesn’t pick up on swearing now.

“Damn, you really are respectful at weddings Bakubro,” he chuckles “Wonder when it’s going to be your turn.”

Katsuki’s body stiffens, widening his eyes. He doesn’t reply, because he knows what is plan is. It’s either Izuku or nothing, and since Izuku does not reciprocate his feelings, it’s safe to say that Katsuki has decided to be a bachelor for life. It would be nice though, to have his turn at getting married. He hadn’t thought about it, not until he realized what his intense feelings towards Izuku really were.

If he had been there in time, maybe ten years ago when they were still in high school, he could have had a chance. Izuku had told him that he liked men too, he should have taken a shot on that night, but his brain had an epiphany on graduation day. He almost confessed his feelings that day, right at the gates of UA High School, but Izuku was swept away by the other members of Class 1A who were too invested on his early acceptance to college to pursue teaching. He decided to take that as a sign that he shouldn’t be confessing at that time. Then, he was so busy working crazy hours to pay for Izuku’s suit that he couldn’t spend quality time with him – and if he’s starting a relationship with Izuku, he knows that quality time and words of affection are thing that make him feel truly loved. Then the suit came, and he was planning to confess at the party, but Izuku started dating Uraraka on that night. Katsuki decided that day wasn’t good either, and they fit so well that he decided there was never going to be a good day. They break up and he decides to confess his feelings, then Ochaco’s pregnant, so it’s not the best time to confess too. Then Izumi comes along, and Katsuki doesn’t want to take Izuku’s focus away from his daughter or put him in any distress, and he never confesses.

He’s been on dates throughout the years, of course. He tried to shake Izuku from his mind as much as he could, but nothing worked. They were never Izuku, his Izuku. They may have had kind smiles, but they couldn’t even reach his feet. They might have challenged him, but not in a way that makes him feel seen and excited. He tried to have a boyfriend once, but it failed after a week, he was always comparing him to Izuku. They would never be him, and that was the worst part. His love was one of a kind.

Katsuki realizes he’s been staring at Izuku for too long when the teacher raises his eyebrow at him, mouthing ‘are you okay’. The blond nods, sadness feeling his chest as he ruminates about how he’s never going to have that chance with Izuku, and he must settle for it. His eyes travel to Izumi, who sits on his lap, appreciating the world around her.

“You having fun?” he whispers.

“My mommies look so pretty.” She stares in awe.

Ochaco has been bawling her eyes out this entire time. Katsuki can’t help but laugh. He looks at Izuku again, whose eyes are stuck to him while Himiko and Ochaco recite their vows. Green meets red, and they remain entranced as Himiko speaks her truth.

“In Les Miserables, Victor Hugo writes that ‘to love another person is to see the face of God’. When I look at you, Ochaco, it feels as though heaven itself has leaned closer to earth. It’s warm, bright, and impossibly kind.”

Katsuki doesn’t tear his eyes away from Izuku, and Izuku doesn’t let go either. Thoughts run to Katsuki’s mind once again, but this time they are accompanied by a false sense of calm and security, as if he touched heaven.

I love you, he thinks. I love you, Izuku. I’m in love with you.

***

The ball room was decorated with beige and pink ornaments. The chairs were covered by individual cloths, strapped by pink and beige ribbons. They chose a very earthy theme, so the centerpieces alluded to nature-like elements (for example, ‘fauna’ and ‘flora’). Each round table holds about 8 people, and there is a lollipop for each person, courtesy of Izumi, as a way to fully include her in the wedding. The brat will become so spoiled, it will be very difficult to humble her when she gets older. Of course, Katsuki contributes to that.

He has Kirishima on his left and Sero on his right. The table is also composed of Denki, Shoji, Tokoyami and Todoroki. The girls are part of the bridal party, so they sit on a separate table near the brides’ table, with Izuku, of course. Izumi is sitting with Ochaco’s parents and Inko, who had obviously been invited to the wedding. Katsuki managed to keep her a bit of company too while they waited for Himiko and Ochaco to take their wedding photos. The lady is as nice as ever and loves her granddaughter so much Katsuki bets the ocean wouldn’t be enough to cover it. He learns that she’s taking Izumi for a small vacation after the party, so the newlyweds and go on their well-deserved honeymoon and Izuku could rest from all the duties he has had leading up to the wedding days before starting the new school year. Inko mentions that she insisted, because Izuku can’t spend too much time away from Izumi just yet. Katsuki could only chuckle, of course the nerd would be the helicopter parent.

“This food is nice.” Todoroki says, eating the sekihan “I want to take it home.”

Kirishima smirks “Speak for yourself Shoto, I’m taking one of bridesmaids home.”

“… But I thought you were dating Mina?”

Tokoyami sighs “That’s the one he’s taking.”

“Dumbass.” Katsuki points out.

“Well, I bet our explosive fella is taking someone home tonight too.” Denki teases.

“Quit it.” He would never “I’m on standby to play the drums, you useless fucks can’t find anyone in time for the first dance.”

“Actually,” Shoji starts “I’ll be doing that.”

He yelps “What?!”

“You’ve had flower girl duty all day bro, just rest and enjoy the party.” Kaminari waves him off “Get shitfaced. But you can only pass out after the dance.”

“Yeah bro, last time we went to the club you almost fought the bouncer.” Kirishima starts “I’m not carrying you again, almost broke my back last time.”

He crosses his arms and scoffs “I’m finishing my meal and checking up on Izumi.”

Tokoyami nods “We have to start getting ready too. It’s almost time for the dance.”

Katsuki eats the last bit of his strawberry mochi and wipes his mouth. He fixes his suit as he gets up and looks for Izumi in the crowd, walking towards her. As he approaches the spoiled child, he sees a set of green curls crouching between her and Inko.

“You hiding, nerd?” he teases, his hands in his pockets.

Izuku looks up at him and grins “Just checking up on my little one, you?”

“Same thing.” He turns to Izumi, pulling her hear playfully “You ate your soup, mini nerd? There’s no dessert if you don’t eat the soup.”

She giggles “I did, Pop-pop!”

He hums “Okay, you can eat your dessert then.”

Midoriya gets up and adjusts his suit. Katsuki makes small talk with Inko and Ochaco’s parents as they wait for the rest of the guests to finish eating. Time passes by, and soon they hear the rumbling of the instruments being set up. Ochaco and Himiko disappeared from their table, which means the first dance is about to start. Izuku takes Izumi’s hand and they walk to the front of the row, Katsuki follows them, and grabs Izumi’s hand too when she reaches out for his.

“Alright guys, welcome to our favorite girls’ wedding.” Jiro introduces, strumming the guitar “We had a special request from the brides. They wanted the best band in the world to perform at their wedding. Unfortunately, it seems One Direction are not available at the moment, so you’ll have to stick with us.”

The crowd laughs. The stage was composed of Jiro as the lead singer, Kaminari as a guitarist, Shoji on the drums, Tokoyami on the keyboard and Eri as the bassist. As much as he would love to play the drums, it was nice of them to let him have a free night. However, he knows that he’ll have to talk to Izuku after this. These are his last moments before letting go.

“Please welcome, Uraraka and Uraraka!”

The guests clap as the two brides walk to the dancefloor, hand in hand. They position themselves in the middle, waiting for the song to start. The beat of the drums start, along with the strums of the guitar. Kaminari has his eyes closed, as if he’s focusing on the notes. Katsuki has never seen him so focused.

“There’s another special request.” Jiro continues “The brides thank you for your presence. If you’re here, it’s because you are special to them, and they want to share this moment with you. Grab someone and hop onto the dancefloor.”

“Pop-pop, come!”

With her incredible strength, Izumi pulls Katsuki onto the dancefloor. He looks back at Izuku with a surprised face, and the nerd could only giggle at the sight in front of him. Izumi extends her arm and Katsuki takes her other hand, smiling at her as the music starts. One last moment before he starts drifting away.

We could leave the Christmas lights up ‘til January

This is our place, we make the rules

And there’s a dazzling haze, a mysterious way about you, dear

Have I known you 20 seconds, or twenty years?

Katsuki looks at Izuku through the corner of his eye. He remembers a few weeks ago, when they were driving together after Izuku helped him pick a wedding gift for Ochaco and Himiko, this song played on the radio. Izuku was humming it happily, and pointed out that this song made him feel as if he had been in love for years. Katsuki couldn’t help but agree, and the conversation came to an end as he dropped Izuku at his door.

Can I go where you go?

Can we always be this close, forever and ever?

And ah, take me out, and take me home,

You’re my, my, my, my

Lover

Izumi swings their arms as they dance. Katsuki notices she is getting tired, which was proven by her yawning. It’s eleven PM, and her bedtime is ten-thirty. He looks around, and watches as the newlyweds look into each other’s eyes, whispering sweet nothings as they hold each other. He watches them, wishing he had a chance to live that kind of love with the one he wants.

“Alright pumpkin, it’s time to go to bed.” Izuku says, Inko trailing off behind him. He picks Izumi up and kisses her temple “Goodnight, my love.”

“But I wanna…” she dozes off before finishing the phrase, proving her dad’s point.

Inko takes her from Izuku’s arms and wishes them both a goodnight, signaling to the cake. Katsuki makes sure to save a slice for her. She skips to the girls and they give a quick kiss to the toddler, who has already fallen asleep even with the loud music.

“I’ll be going too.” Katsuki says. Before he can walk off, Izuku grabs his wrist and pulls him.

“Hey! Where are you going?” He asks “I’ll fill in.”

We could let our friends crash in the living room

This is our place, we make the call

Izuku wraps his arms around Katsuki’s neck, making it evident to the world that he’s slightly shorter than him. Bakugo has is arms by his side, blushing at the sight. Izuku chuckles and puts Katsuki’s arms on his waist, before putting his own back in the same place as before. He looks up at him and smiles. Katsuki can’t look at him for too long before blushing, they had never been so intimate, so close.

And I’m highly suspicious that everyone who sees you wants you

I’ve loved you three summers now, honey, but I want ‘em all

“You were really good with Izumi today. I was expecting that.” Izuku points. “My Kacchan really has grown up.”

“Y-Yeah…” Katsuki replies “It’s fine. I love her.”

Izuku hums, getting closer to Katsuki. The taller one gasps when Izuku starts playing with the hairs on his nape, twirling them. It feels good, to be this close to Izuku, even if he’s just filling in the spot so Katsuki doesn’t lose his dance partner. He could have gone away, it’s okay, he’s not even a good dancer.

“Why don’t you look at me?” Izuku blurts out. Katsuki takes it as a challenge and looks down at him.

Big mistake.

“I’m looking at you.” He has to find a way to escape it “Give me a twirl, nerd.”

Izuku laughs and Katsuki makes him twirl, but as soon as he comes back, Izuku presses against him again. They are closer than they were before. Their noses brush, he can count the sparkles in Izuku’s eyes and trace the freckles on his face with ease now. Instinctively, he pulls Izuku closer, drawing small circles on his back. His head feels fuzzy, his heart feels warm. He wishes he could stay like this forever.

“You are now.”

Can I go where you go?

Can we always be this close, forever and ever?

And ah, take me out, and take me home,

You’re my, my, my, my

Lover

“The next part is my favorite. Did you know that?” Izuku tilts is head, singing along.

Ladies and gentleman, will you, please, stand?

With every guitar string scar on my hand

I take this magnetic force of a man to be my lover

Jiro, of course, sang “woman” instead of “man”. But Izuku didn’t. He didn’t sing that as he swung his head and looked into Katsuki’s eyes, caressing the space between his jaw and neck with his thumbs, his hand holding Katuski’s nape. Bakugo’s heart beats faster, as if that was even possible. He can feel Izuku’s breath on his face, their noses brush as he jams his head along with the soft beat of the drums. Katsuki closes his eyes, savoring every bit of the moment.

My heart’s been borrowed and yours has been blue

All’s well that ends well to end up with you

Swear to be overdramatic and true to my lover

Katsuki can’t avoid it anymore. His wants and wishes have become too strong, they have become unbearable at this very moment. “Don’t they sound like wedding vows to you?” Izuku had asked him on that day. Katsuki had brushed it off, thinking it was better for his own feelings if he avoided the question. He was never good with feelings.

He opens his eyes and investigates the deep portals that are Izuku’s. In a few minutes he has to talk about letting go, but right now, right here, he wants to be selfish. He has to be selfish.

And you’ll save all your dirtiest jokes for me

And at every table, I’ll save you a seat, lover

Katsuki decides to be selfish when he leans in, cursing the years he has been waiting for a chance and yearning for Izuku to be his. He closes the small distance between them and presses his lips against Izuku’s, who sucks in a small breath. Katsuki closes his eyes, wrapping his arms around Izuku’s waist and letting their chests touch. His perfume is intoxicating, but somehow Katsuki wants more of it. Izuku’s lips are soft but have a rough patch on where he picks the skin off of it. He tilts his head to deepen the kiss, his mind becoming numb. This is intoxicating, it’s everything he has dreamed of.

For a moment, can you be mine?

He pulls away and whispers, without opening his eyes.

“I’m sorry.”

Can I go where you go?

Can we always be this close, forever and ever?

And ah, take me out, and take me home,

You’re my, my, my, my

He feels Izuku shake his head.

“Shut it, Kacchan.”

Suddenly, the hands on the back of his neck pull him closer. Izuku brings Katsuki in for a kiss again, and the taller one complies. He tilts his head so Izuku can get better access. Their lips move against each other as they keep kissing. Not passionately or in a rush, but sweet enough to leave Katsuki wanting more for the rest of his life.

He barely hears Jiro’s voice now.

Oh you’re my, my, my, my

Darling you’re my, my, my, my

Katsuki pulls away and opens his eyes slowly. Izuku is staring at him, pressing his lips into a thin line. Katsuki feels nervous, and takes in their position amongst the crowd. He can’t decipher Izuku’s thoughts, but he immediately regrets being selfish enough to embarrass Izuku in front of everyone. He probably had a bit too much to drink, that’s why he kissed Bakugo back, Izuku is a touchy drunk.

At least around him.

Lover

The crowd claps as soon as the performance is over. Jiro says a few words, but the buzzing in Katsuki’s ears is so loud he can’t bear it. He pulls away from Izuku, leaving the other man with his arms hanging in the air.

“I have to go.”

“Kacchan wait!”

He doesn’t want to wait, not anymore. He walks up to his table and grabs his wallet. Kirishima tries talking to him but he’s not in the mood to hear it. Shitty Hair is the only person who knows about Katsuki’s feelings for Midoriya, and after displaying all of them on the dancefloor at a wedding, he decides he’s not in the mood for snarky remarks. This is an evil thought, he knows, Eijiro is a very understanding friend, but he’s not in the mood to talk after kissing Izuku.

Bakugo steps outside the ballroom into the gardens. It was cold and the walk to his bedroom was a bit long. He didn’t feel like going, not yet. He pats his jacket, feeling his pockets, and finds the small bottle of liquor. He doesn’t feel like going, not yet, he didn’t even congratulate Ochaco and Himiko properly. Maybe if he waits a bit, the party will die and he can have a quick chat with them before fucking off to bed. He starts walking towards the garden where the ceremony was held.

“Kacchan!” there’s only one person who squeals like that.

He decides to ignore him and keep walking. Maybe if he ignores him, he’ll go away, and they won’t have to talk about the hard truths.

“Kacchan, wait!” Izuku yells. He swears he can hear him sprint.

“Stop bothering me!” He groans “Go back to those extras!”

“You have to talk to me!” is his voice closer?

“I don’t have anything to say to you!”

Katsuki only realized he had reached the ceremony grounds because his body was tackled and he fell on top of the carpet. He thought the workers would clean it up after, but maybe not. Either way, his thoughts are swept away by the huffing boy sitting on his back. Fortunately, Katsuki is much stronger, and gets up without any effort, Izuku’s body falling back.

He can’t look at him, not now. He has to rehearse what to say and visualize the many scenarios where this is not fucked up. But it is. In every universe, he feels like he fucked this up the moment he decided to kiss Izuku during the ballad. It hurts, his heart hurts, so he covers his eyes as if that would stop him from crying.

“You have to talk to me.” Izuku says “You can’t do this-“

“Do what?!” He snaps, turning around. They’re standing at the beginning of the carpet.

Izuku looks wrecked. His tie is loose and he’s sweating a bit, even though it’s cold outside. He’s huffing, which proves to Katsuki that he really was sprinting to meet him. His skin shines in the moonlight, his bright eyes look determined instead of joyful. He clenches his fists and opens his mouth, closing it again.

“You can’t kiss me and ditch me.” He sounds hurt.

“Well…” Katsuki says “We have to talk then.”

Izuku nods “I’m all ears.”

Katsuki takes a deep breath and sits on a chair, facing the corridor. Izuku stands in the same place, but his demeanor has changed. He’s picking the skin off his lips, a sign that he’s feeling anxious, that his thoughts are turbulent. Katsuki rests his hand on his forehead and sighs, trying to think of a way to fix up the mess he made.

“Fuck, Deku, I-“ his hands are trembling “I don’t know what to say. I got carried away in the moment a-and I shouldn’t have. I shouldn’t have kissed you without asking you.”

“Kacchan-“

“No.” Katsuki gets up and looks at him “Let me talk, please.”

Izuku nods. His shoulders relax, but his fists are still clenched. Katsuki knows his eyes well enough to know he’s going to start crying no matter what words he says next. But he can’t, he can’t hide all of this anymore, not after today. The way they’re standing, looking at each other, it feels like that day in the outskirts of UA, where Bakugo and the rest of the class fought to get him back.

“I’m not meddling in your family anymore.” Katsuki states “Today, Izumi said… she said that I’m just like her daddy, in a sense that I am also her father. And that’s not right. I’m sorry that I got carried away, she felt like a daughter to me, she always has.” He chuckles “I was really anxious about meeting her when she was born, you know? I felt like I couldn’t handle it. I couldn’t handle meeting your baby because of how I… How I feel for you.”

Izuku gasps and opens his mouth to speak. Katsuki covers it with his hand. He’s on a good streak, and if Deku says something that throws him off his way, then the whole speech will be ruined.

“When I held her in the hospital for the first time, it felt like magic. I felt… like a father, and I’ve been feeding off the illusion that I was part of the family for years now. That’s not right, not to you, not to Ochaco or Himiko and not to Izumi, who got her thoughts and feelings mixed up now.”

Deku looks at him, tears streaming down his face. His mouth is still covered.

“I’m… fuck, I’m in love with you Izuku. And today, when I saw you standing at the altar… I wanted it to be us.” He admits. Izuku’s eyes widen “I’m tired of imagining a life with you or pretending to have one when I know you don’t feel the same way. I’ve been in love with you for so long, for years now, and I’ve been careful not to tell you because it wasn’t the right time. But after today, I can’t do this anymore. I can’t pretend that my body doesn’t get all fucked up because I know you’re going to be somewhere. I think the best thing is for me to… step aside. Slowly, so Izumi doesn’t feel the loss.”

Izuku grabs his hand and removes it from his face, holding onto it. That’s fine, Katsuki is almost finished anyway.

“I don’t want to be the one to ruin your family.” He looks down, tears falling “Izuku, I love you so much, I’m sorry-“

“I love you.” Midoriya states.

Katsuki stares at him with his mouth agape. A breeze passes through him, making him feel like something major is happening. He drops the small bottle of liquor he was holding, trying to comprehend what is happening right in front of him. He stays silent, looking for something in Izuku’s expression that tells him this is a lie, that he’s just playing along with some joke. The problem is, Midoriya would never do that. He’s honest, reliable and truthful. He’s a bad liar too.

“You don’t have to say that to pity me.” Katsuki says “It’s fine, I swear.”

“No.” he pushes through “I’m not letting you deny my feelings any longer.”

He squeezes Katsuki’s wrist, moving his hands so their fingers intertwine. Katsuki is confused, he doesn’t know how to react. What is happening?

“Izu-“

“No.” he interrupts “I’m doing the talking now.”

Katsuki nods, gulping. They stare at each other, Deku still wears the determined look on his face. The one he sees is especially when Izumi throws tantrums when Bakugo is about to leave.

“When Ochaco and I broke up, we realized we had been in love with other people for long. We were place-holders for each other, if you wanna call it that.” He gulps “I was going to tell you how much I loved you, but then we found out about Izumi and, well… I couldn’t confess to you. How was I going to tell you that? With a baby on the way? You would have been so stressed, and after what you did for me, the suit,  I couldn’t do that.”

Izuku lets out a shaky breath and closes his eyes, composing himself. Katsuki decides to stay silent. This feels like a dream.

“I remember what I told you when I told you about Izumi. I told you that Ochaco was not my forever person, and that I knew that. The problem is that I realized it too late. My forever person is you, Katsuki.”

Izuku holds his face, wiping the tears with his thumbs. Katsuki’s head is fuming. Did Izuku just use his name?

“Izumi explained to me, as soon as he managed to form a sentence, that you were her father too. I never thought otherwise, you are her father too. She doesn’t see you as anything else, and I feel that too. I feel it in my heart.” Izuku kisses his cheek “You have always been a part of my family, because you are my family, Kacchan. And ever her mothers know that, they have been pushing me for years to do something, b-but I had to be sure… that you were in love with me too. I couldn’t risk losing you. I wanted to confess my feelings and today, when I saw you with Izumi… I decided I had to do it. No more fear.”

Katsuki wraps his arms around his waist and holds him, tight. Tight enough to never let go. Izuku holds him back almost immediately, wrapping his arms around his neck.

“Kacchan… I’ve wanted to be with you, all these years. You and Izumi are the things I want to protect, my reason to protect peace.”

Katsuki tightens his arms around him and sniffles. That’s his train of thoughts, that has been his train of thought all along “Do you mean it?”

He can’t believe this is happening.

Izuku nods, kissing the spot below his ear and resuming the hug. They look like fools, standing in the middle of a wedding aisle almost in the dark, crying and holding each other as if the world was ending tomorrow. Katsuki buries his face in Izuku’s neck, grabbing a fist of his jacket, making sure they never let go.

“I-I love you, Izuku. I love you so much, fuck. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted.”

“My Kacchan… I love you so much. I’m so happy.”

They pull back, staring at each other. Katsuki laughs and Izuku follows. Katsuki leans forward, brushing their noses.

“What are you waiting for?” Izuku teases “Kiss me, bastard.”

Katsuki chuckles “My Izuku being rude? For me? Well, don’t mind if I do.”

Katsuki leans forward and kisses his smile. Their teeth clash before they manage to kiss properly, it’s messy and weird and happy. He doesn’t want to let go, he never wants to let go of this. Was he really thinking about leaving before? When what he wanted actually wanted him back? Has he been reading the room wrong all along?

“I love you.” Izuku says in between kisses “I love you, I love you so much.”

“Mine.” Katsuki says, kissing him deeper “Mine, forever.”

“Oh Kacchan, proposing at another person’s wedding?” Izuku teases, nuzzling his cheek “On their aisle? That’s not appropriate.”

Katsuki laughs “You’re right, I’ll have to do it later.”

They stand there, holding each other and kissing for a few more minutes. Katsuki’s heart took a turn for what it had been feeling before, a turn for the better. His therapist is right, he’s quick to make assumptions, to take action without questioning others. He looks at Izuku and decides that, if he wants to keep him forever, he needs to work on his communication skills, so they never go to bed mad at each other.

Forever, it sounds nice. Maybe he’ll think about it later.

“So, let’s go back to the party?” Izuku pulls away, intertwining his fingers with Katsuki’s.

The taller one nods “Okay. That’s… fine. What are we going to tell the others?”

“The truth.”

They walk back to the party very slowly, stopping along the way to share and steal kisses. Katsuki’s heart is fluttering, he feels like he’s floating. He looks down at their scarred hands, close, intertwined, becoming one. He didn’t think this would happen, not for a second. How was he going to explain this to Izumi? She would be thrilled, but she already thought they were dating, so it wouldn’t be much of a change.

Now Katsuki really needs to control his language around her.

“So, before we go in…” Midoriya looks to the side, tilting his head “I wanted to ask you something…”

“Alright, spit it out.”

“So… my lease ends in two months.” Katsuki blushes, he can see what’s coming “And the house next to Ochaco’s is for sale. It’s a… reasonable price, good conditions, it has three bedrooms and-“

“Yes.” Katsuki interrupts, his blush spreading through his face.

“Kacchan are you su-“

“We’ll move in together! Dammit! I said yes!” He steps inside the ballroom, his eyes drifting away from Izuku’s face. He just knows the motherfucker is grinning “Now step in so we dance, eat leftovers and then I’ll take you to your room.”

“Oh, I’ve already texted the wedding planner about that.” Izuku walks toward him and leans up, his lips brush against Katsuki’s ear as he runs his hands through his back “I’m sharing a room tonight. Got that?”

Katsuki nods fervorously. What happened to his sweet innocent Izuku? Had he unleased a monster?

Izuku greets the people behind them, in a different tone of voice. Kirishima smirks at Bakugo and the whole table raise their glasses at him. Katsuki grabs the small bottle of liquor that he had picked up earlier and raises it too, earning a cheer from the guys. Even Shoto, who usually looks confused, cracked a smile and a cheer. Katsuki decides to walk up to the table, but first, he passes Izuku, who is talking to Himiko and Ochaco.

“So, I see you got your head straight.” Ochaco says, smirking.

“It’s about time.” Himiko complements.

“Now now, let’s stop the teasing.” Katsuki pulls Izuku closer “You’ll be getting noise complaints from the staff tomorrow.”

Izuku blushes, punching his chest “Kacchan!”

Katsuki kisses him and walks away to meet the guys, who greet him with cheers and an undying amount of alcohol.

And if he decides to buy an engagement ring the following week…

That’s none of your business.