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Salt and brine are the only things he can smell. They flood his nostrils, overwhelming the sense, to the point he can taste a hint of seaweed on the back of his tongue. It reminds him of quieter days. Of being small and laughing and kicking sand at the ocean, shouting at it like it’s a villain, hurling rocks and chasing his best friend down the beach, as said friend shrieks and cries with equal parts laughter and nerves and awe.
Katsuki glances to his left. They’re not kids anymore, nor are they friends. They’ve reached this sort of silent truce, a better understanding, but it takes more than a fistfight, serving punishment together, and trading a few strategies to mend eleven years of slow-building damage. Sometimes he looks at the frays of what they once were and doubts anything can be repaired, not even with the metaphorical help of pro hero Best Jeanist. Some threads can't be fixed.
The metal safety railing of the ship is a pleasant warmth against his back, soothing against muscles still tender from fighting the worst villain yet and then performing backbreaking work to help the citizens of Nabu Island rebuild what’s been so thoroughly damaged. But they are finally on the mend, and class 1-A has studies to attend.
Katsuki looks at the sparse clouds smearing across a cerulean sky. They are barely anything, just wisps, the faintest traces of the real thing once it comes together and builds over time. Almost a stockpiling, if you will.
His jaw tightens. The ease of good humor slips through his fingers as Nabu Island becomes little more than a roughened speck in the distance. And the object of his frustrations just stays here beside him, arms on the railing, a contented smile stretching his full lips.
This bastard.
Never happy to just leave well enough alone, Katsuki decides it’s time. He’s had several days to consider the best path forward, when in reality, there’s no such thing as a best path. There’s safe and there’s the unknown. The known and the treacherous.
Well, fuck safe. It’s never gotten him anywhere before, and Katsuki’s done choking things down like a goddamn idiot.
He pushes away from the rail, drawing the attention of the boy next to him. Izuku just gives him one of those dumb radiant smiles, visibly pleased with a job well done.
The smile fades a bit when Katsuki opens his mouth.
“We need to talk, you damn nerd.”
***
Katsuki did, of course, scope out the ship prior to all of this. He figured if he broached the subject, they'd need to be unheard, because shit can get messy fast when it comes to the two of them. They have a history, after all.
So he leads Izuku inside, down a ladder, bypassing their peers and down another short set of stairs. When he glances back, he sees Izuku's nervousness coming through in the form of incoherent muttering.
"Stop that," he orders, pushing open the door he wants. "C'mere."
Izuku gives him a doubtful look. "Uh… Kacchan, this is a storage—"
Katsuki grabs him by the stupid tie and yanks him in. Slams the door closed and shoves Izuku against the wall, knocking over a couple brooms.
"Kacchan!" It's darker in here, but Izuku's eyes are enormous and he can still see that stupid face with the sliver of light coming through the bottom of the door. "What are you doing?"
Eyes narrow, Katsuki says, "Were you ever gonna talk to me about what went on back there, or were you gonna just pretend nothing happened?"
Izuku stills. Is silent. It's damn near a miracle.
Katsuki tightens his grip on the stupidly knotted tie. The nerd is hopeless. "Think carefully before you answer, asshole. I already spent months thinking you'd lied to me for years."
A slow, warm breath tickles his face. Katsuki suppresses a shudder that he is not going to think too deeply about right now.
After an excruciatingly long silence, Izuku whispers, "I thought, um… that you forgot."
"Mind's a funny thing, Deku. Memories come back."
"Yeah. You're right. I'm sorry, Kacchan." Izuku's eyes meet his, no less sincere in the cramped dark. "Do you still have it, then? One For All?"
Katsuki's grip slackens marginally. "No. Been trying for days, but I can't summon it. It's gone."
"I see." Izuku sighs and all but goes limp between his fist and the wall. "I wasn't trying to hide anything. It's just that the brain is so delicate, and I didn't know if forcing you to remember would have a bad lashback. Plus, if you didn't want to remember and I pushed too much, you're incredibly stubborn and hate being pushed so the likelihood of you blowing my face off is really high. While I do have a plain face, I think I'd like to keep it over burns… not that burns are bad! Todoroki pulls it off really well! But is that even okay to say about something that traumatic?"
Katsuki grimaces. He hates to admit it, but the nerd's right. Not about Half-and-Half—Katsuki doesn't give a shit about him—but about his own stubbornness.
Aloud, he says, "Shut up, stalker nerd. Your face ain't that plain."
Izuku blinks owlishly. "Oh. Uh… thanks, Kacchan?"
He snorts and eases his grip entirely. "Don't phrase it like a question, shit."
"Sorry. I'm just… surprised." Izuku flashes a sheepish smile. "You don't normally compliment me."
Katsuki bristles. "Fuck off. I compliment you when you deserve it!"
Izuku laughs. "Right. Sorry."
"Ugh, stop apologizing. It's annoying." Katsuki scowls at the sliver of light coming through the door. No shadows, and no sign of anyone coming by to overhear or interrupt. They’re actually, miraculously alone for the first time in… shit, months? Not counting Ground Beta. So…
He feels heat creep across his face. Shit. Is he really going to do this?
Izuku leans forward, frowning. The back of his hand grazes Katsuki’s cheek, then presses a bit. "Kacchan, do you have a fever? Your face is hot."
Fuck yeah, I'm gonna do this.
"Izuku," he says, smirking at the stunned expression on the other boy's face. "No take-backs."
"No… what?” Izuku splutters. “Wait, Kacchan, you just called me—"
Here's the thing: Katsuki is well aware of the concept of consent. He's also aware that Izuku is denser than osmium when it comes to romantic intentions. If he's not literally beat in the face with it, it'll pass him by. Even then, there's no guarantee he'll understand or connect the dots.
So when Katsuki kisses him, it's hard and with tongue and he doesn't let up. With a hand on Izuku's shoulder shoving him back into the wall, teeth biting his lower lip, opening his mouth to swallow Izuku's startled squeaks and invite the damn nerd in. Katsuki doesn’t exactly know what he’s doing, but fuck if he’ll let anyone know that. Not even Izuku.
Here's another thing: Katsuki knows staring while kissing is rude.
But damn if watching Izuku process the kiss in real time isn't entertaining as fuck. Shock to disbelief to an even greater level of shock, then to wonder, then there's the point where Izuku's brain clearly reaches overcapacity and he just slumps into the kiss with fumbling hands and a whimper.
Katsuki doesn’t let up until Izuku thumps the heel of his hand against his shoulder. He pulls away, swiping his tongue over his lips, grinning at the dazed look on the nerd’s face.
Slowly, as though still waking up, Izuku says, “Um… Kacchan, you kissed me?”
“Sure fuckin’ did.” He’ll deny how hard his pulse beats until his dying days.
Izuku blinks a few times. It’s easier to read his expressions now that their eyes have adjusted to the dark a little. He seems confused and a little drunk, the latter of which makes Katsuki quietly preen, because hell yeah, inexperienced or not, he’s responsible for that look.
“Kacchan?”
“Hm?” He leans a bit closer, enjoying the way Izuku’s face burns wildly.
After seeming to agonize over his words for a long moment, Izuku says, “Did you kiss me in here so you could say we came out of the closet?”
This time it’s Katsuki’s turn to fall silent.
Then, with a growl, he bodily slams Izuku back into the wall. “Fuck your shitty jokes, you damn nerd!”
Yelping, Izuku tries to push his hands down from his collar. “Wait, Kacchan—!”
“Shut up! God fuckin’ damn it, why the hell is it always you?” Katsuki knows he’s more embarrassed than angry, but that just makes his word vomit spew out even easier. “You think I’m doing this as a joke? Huh?”
“B-but Kacchan… kissed me?”
“Yeah, you fuckin’ idiot! Because I realized I like you!”
They both freeze at that. Shit. Katsuki didn’t mean to… shit.
Silence swells. Neither dare to move.
“... oh,” says Izuku eloquently.
Flushed, Katsuki shoves away. “Fuck you.”
Panic floods Izuku’s face. “Wait, Ka—wait!” Green crackles, lighting up the room as Izuku grasps his arm and yanks it away from the door.
“Asshole!” Katsuki swings his other arm, but they’re in a tightly confined space. When Izuku attempts to dodge, Katsuki ends up grabbing under his arm, and it sends Izuku into a sudden shriek.
“K-Kacchan! Stop! T-tickles!”
“Fuckin’ suffer then, you dick!” Katsuki just digs his thumb in and Izuku yelps, hysterical laughter exploding out of him. The tussle quickly ends when Katsuki jerks his hand away and they somehow end up half-standing, half-crouching against the door, Izuku gasping for breath and Katsuki trying very, very hard not to notice that he had a slight— slight, damn you— bodily reaction to Izuku’s squirming and giggling.
The universe, however, doesn’t seem keen on letting him off the proverbial hook so easily. Izuku’s eyes swiftly travel down. His breathing labors again.
Katsuki, for his part, genuinely doesn’t know what to say. Or do. So he just sort of glares at the wall and tries to will his cheeks to cool off.
Tentatively, Izuku says, “Kacchan?”
“What, nerd?” he bites.
“Erm, when you say like, you mean… like… this?”
Katsuki gasps, scarlet flooding his face and spreading down to his shoulders as Izuku shifts his leg. This… fucker!
Through his teeth, he says, “S’part of it. Got a problem?”
To his surprise, Izuku shakes his head vehemently. A weird, shy smile flitters across his face as he looks at Katsuki. “Just wasn’t sure.” At Katsuki’s cocked eyebrow, he adds sheepishly, “I didn’t know if you meant like… a demi-romantic way or some version of asexual or, erm… this.”
Bluntly, Katsuki says, “In a ragingly hormonal gay way, you damn nerd.”
“R-right. I got that.” Izuku looks almost dopey now, and it’s just flustering Katsuki further. How the hell is the nerd still holding all the damn cards? “I mean, me too. I, uh. I like Kacchan, too.”
Oh. Well. Not that Katsuki hadn’t hoped so, but it was still a bit of a shock. Because why?
Then again, why not?
Katsuki considers their position for a minute. Heavily, he says, “Much as I want you to choke on my dick, probably ain’t the best place to do it.”
Izuku squeaks and nods, red crawling up to his ears. “N-no! I mean, yes! I mean—”
“Oh, shut the hell up,” grumbles Katsuki before kissing him again.
This time, Izuku flings his arms around Katsuki’s waist, yanking him closer. It’s a messy, uncoordinated kiss now that they’re actually doing it together, but hell if it isn’t fun and Katsuki doesn’t feel a huge weight fall from his shoulders. Like the burden of distaste has finally found its release point and floats off. Sure, Izuku still pisses him off, but it’s Izuku. Of course he does. Katsuki knows damn well they’re simply the type to go about things in the most complicated manner ever.
Besides, he doesn’t feel like dissecting it any further just yet. The physicality of what they’re doing is too good.
Izuku sighs against his mouth. Mumbles, “Kacchan tastes good.”
Equally embarrassed and proud as hell, Katsuki grips his chin. “Then shut up and keep tasting.”
Barely does Izuku get a giggle out before they’re at it again. It’s a bit rougher now, and despite Katsuki’s earlier warning (both to himself and Izuku), they’re getting carried away, shifting against each other, panting softly, mouths wet and eager and—
light floods Katsuki’s eyes at the same time Izuku topples backward. They tumble to the floor in a tangled mess, Izuku squawking and Katsuki jerking his head up to see—
ah hell
Hawks standing in the hallway, looking down at them with undisguised amusement.
“Whoops,” says the pro hero with his lackadaisical cheer. “Thought this was the bathroom. My bad. Whatcha boys up to?”
Izuku stammers, almost purple with embarrassment. Katsuki leaps to his feet and snarls, “Bathroom, my ass! The fuck’s wrong with you?”
Lifting one shoulder in a shrug, Hawks says, “I’m not one half of a couple coming out of a closet. Did that years ago, kiddo.”
“Fuck you!” Katsuki almost trips over Izuku trying to back up. “You two and your shit jokes!”
For his part, Izuku is entirely unhelpful as he looks at Hawks, rubbing the back of his head. “I thought it was funny…”
Hawks flashes him a grin. “Right?”
If Katsuki’s quirk was to kill with glowers, he’d be the world’s strongest villain by now. “Keep your goddamn mouth shut, Feather Brain!”
Chuckling, Hawks says, “Maybe pick a more private place next time.”
Growling, Katsuki starts to storm off. Pauses, then whirls on Izuku. “Nerd!”
Izuku sits up straight. “Yes!”
“Fuckin’ find me later, we ain’t done talkin’.”
Eyes wide, Izuku grins and nods. “Okay.”
“And stop looking so happy! Fuck.” Katsuki stomps up the ladder, grateful for the cool sea air hitting his cheeks as he emerges above deck.
He should’ve known. Fall in love with an idiot, and you’re bound to suffer all idiots.