Chapter 20

"They're called Lichtenberg scars," Izuku said, shivering as Katsuki's hands traced the branching patterns on his stomach. They were pink and angry now, but he'd been assured they'd fade with time. Izuku was far past caring about scarring now, though. Especially not if it gave Katsuki's fingers interesting things to do on his skin.

"You're gonna run outta skin to scar soon," Katsuki told him, and pressed a kiss into his side. It tickled, and Izuku squirmed away.

"Then I'll just have scars on scars, it'll be fine," Izuku mumbled, pulling the blankets over himself. Katsuki's derisive snort was deafening.

"Deku."

"I swear I'm being really careful!" Izuku pleaded, grabbing Katsuki's sulky cheeks. "Don't pout! I know it's just cause you're jealous I'm actually in the field again. Besides, you're a cute housewife."

Katsuki's eyes narrowed, maroon in the morning light. "Don't get smart with me."

"I'm literally always smart," Izuku chirped, dramatically shoving off the blankets and sitting up. "And in two days, I'm allowed to patrol at full strength!" He was currently working short shifts, and found them incredibly frustrating.

"You're just rubbing it in, you little asshole," Katsuki growled, shoving his head into Izuku's chest like an overgrown cat. A lion, probably. Izuku petted his head despite himself. He needed to get up, and Katsuki made it so hard to leave bed sometimes.

"I gotta go," Izuku murmured. Katsuki made a wordless noise of protest into his chest, then slowly untangled himself from Izuku. Izuku gave him a smile, easy and fond. "I'll be careful, okay Kacchan? You know I'll be back right after my shift's over."

"Should charge you rent," Katsuki grumbled, his eyes flicking down Izuku's bare chest. It was obvious what kind of rent he had in mind. Izuku poked his forehead, pushing him away.

"You know my place will be fixed up soon, and I'll be out of your hair! I guess most contractors were busy repairing the city, but things are settling down so they finally could get someone to fix my lock…" Not to mention that Katsuki had working arms again, even if he still had a good chunk of physical therapy to get through. He didn't need Izuku here all the time, even if he'd been very welcoming.

Katsuki stared at him for a moment, then his shoulders drooped. "Yeah, makes sense," he said, avoiding Izuku's eyes in favor of staring out the window. Little fireworks started sparking in Izuku's heart. Katsuki wanted him to stay, didn't he?

"It's pretty soon for me to move in permanently," Izuku said, making his tone as light as possible. They'd only been officially dating for a few months, even if it felt like far longer. Izuku was the type to move glacially slow in relationships, but maybe that was because he'd never been moving towards Katsuki before.

"Whatever," Katsuki huffed, and Izuku sighed. It was way too early to expect any kind of mature conversation from the man, anyway. The clock read 5:37 AM in blinking, red letters. Katsuki glanced at it, then back to Izuku and visibly softened. "Not gonna act like I don't want you around. I like having you here," he admitted.

"Sure you do," Izuku teased, and Katsuki pounced on him, hands on his shoulders and staring down at him.

"No," he said quietly. "I'm always gonna want you around, Deku."

"Don't get all serious," Izuku said, blinking up at him. Katsuki still had a tendency to get abruptly moody when he was reminded of their past, and Izuku found it helped to keep him grounded in the present. "I know how you feel now, Kacchan."

Katsuki blinked at him slowly. His lashes looked almost white in the morning light. Izuku could stare at him all morning, but Katsuki interrupted his thoughts.

"Do you?" Katsuki's voice was suddenly serious, pregnant with meaning.

"What?" Izuku was having trouble reading his expression. It was something between soft and constipated, which was hard for a normal face to achieve. But Katsuki's face was so expressive, and Izuku was completely at a loss until he said,

"Do you know how I feel about you? You know I…" he trailed off, looking pained. It was Izuku's turn to blink stupidly at him. Katsuki cleared his throat.

"Like you," he finished, sounding defeated.

"I like you too," Izuku said, trying to sound cheerful. He was struggling to parse the moment, because for one golden moment, he'd been sure he was about to hear the word love.

Katsuki… obviously cared about him. Izuku knew it in his bones, could feel it in every interaction they had. Was it love? He was waiting on Katsuki to confirm it, but maybe there was a tiny part of Izuku that still expected to never hear it.

Bakugou Katsuki in love with Midoriya Izuku? More likely than you think , supplied the meme-infested side of his brain. It just seemed cosmically impossible. Too good to be true.

Izuku sighed massively, feeling disappointed with himself. He knew how he felt, and yet had been too cowardly to say it. Maybe Katsuki did still intimidate him, just a little.

"I really like you," Izuku finally said, feeling like a coward. Katsuki wrinkled his nose at him.

"Yeah, yeah, you sappy nerd. Be careful today, okay?"

"Kay, mom," Izuku said, and scurried out of bed before Katsuki could retaliate. As it was, he could hear Katsuki's vaguely worded threats all the way in the bathroom.

And he was technically very careful on his patrols, even if most of his headspace was dedicated to what it would feel like to see Katsuki's lips shape the word love.

"Deku, Ei's coming over! You should shower!"

Izuku blurrily opened his eyes. It was… the evening? He'd been napping, he realized, curled up in Katsuki's bed. He often spent evenings like that, especially after working the ass-early shift. Usually, Katsuki would cook something while he slept, and then kick him out of bed when it was ready. It was great.

Today was different though, because Katsuki wasn't tackling him. Why was he shouting again?

"Deku!" Another drawn out shout. He must be shouting from the kitchen, and was apparently in the middle making something that smelled really, really good, enough that Izuku could smell the sauteed onions all the way in the bedroom. God, Katsuki was the perfect man. Izuku yawned, making no move to get up.

"Get your ass out of bed! You're gross and guests are coming over!"

Almost the perfect man. Izuku could suddenly think of improvements. With a groan, Izuku dragged himself into the shower, and enjoyed the burn of scalding water on his skin. He could hear the muffled sounds of voices as Katsuki shouted something, and Kirishima shouted something right back. Joyful shouting, to be precise. With a lurch, Izuku recognized Kaminari's voice. He was out of the shower and dressed in moments, barrelling into the kitchen.

He drew up short, stopped by the sight of Katsuki bear-hugging Kaminari, nearly lifting him off the ground. Kirishima hovered nearby, looking worried.

"Bro, he just got out yesterday, be careful!"

"I'm fine!" Kaminari squeaked, looking happy. "Dr. Tinubu was amazing! I feel amazing!"

Katsuki gently set him back down, throwing a glance towards Izuku. "She was really good. I think my arms are actually better than before. Apparently she can even reverse past complications from too much quirk healing."

"I wish she'd let me ask her more questions," Izuku muttered, but was quickly overwhelmed by both Kirishima and Kaminari descending on him.

"Dude, that fight was nuts," Kaminari said, draping himself over Izuku's shoulders right before Kirishima managed to wrap his arms around both of them, squishing them all together in a giant hug. "I'm so glad you guys were okay! I was worried!"

"You saved our sorry asses," Katsuki said, watching their antics approvingly, specifically because they were climbing on someone that wasn't him. Izuku was more than happy to take the fall, and embraced his friends.

"Yeah, that was really badass," Izuku told Kaminari, who was hanging off of Izuku's neck. "What was it like absorbing her quirk? Did it feel different from your electricity? Can you tell electricity apart by its origin? Did you-" he caught himself and took a deep breath. "When you're recovered, I'd love to talk to you about it."

"Sure, sure," Kaminari said easily, finally releasing Izuku after a failed attempt to ruffle his wet hair and a subsequent disgusted look at how damp it still was. "I'm gonna back in action any day now! I'm like, super popular now."

"Yeah babe," Kirishima said, pulling Kaminari against his chest. "Right after you follow the recovery instructions to the letter." Babe? Izuku stared. Had they finally started dating? He remembered that night in the club, and how close they'd seemed. Maybe they'd been dating already?

"But Ei," Kaminari whined, "I feel fine. I'm lightning in a bottle, baby... or however that song goes."

"I think it's genie in a bottle," Kirishima said, pressing a kiss onto his head. "See, you still need to recover if you're messing up Christina Aguilera."

"I think he's always been that dumb," Katsuki offered, completely unphased by the familiar way Kirishima was kissing Kaminari. Izuku's jaw was currently collecting dust on the kitchen floor (or it would be if Katsuki would ever let dust build up.)

"Uh," Izuku said. Kirishim and Kaminari blinked at him, then Kaminari jabbed Kirishima in the stomach.

"We still gotta tell him! We talked about this, remember?"

"Yeah," Kirishima blushed. "It's uh, still not that easy."

"It's gonna be fine." Surprisingly, that was from Katsuki. His gaze was trained on Kirishima, a slight frown on his face. Izuku realized suddenly that he was really out of the loop on something.

"We're together," Kirishima finally said, and Kaminari laced their fingers together.

"Congratulations?" It came out like a question, because Izuku didn't understand what was going on. It should be exciting, but Kirishima sounded guilty. Still though, Izuku couldn't see how this wasn't a great thing. "I'm really happy for you guys!"

"We've been in a relationship," Kaminari clarified, blushing a little. Katsuki snorted.

"For how long again?" Katsuki's voice was sly, drenched in satisfaction that the truth was finally coming out.

"Uh," Kirishima looked a little shame-faced. "Six years."

Izuku's jaw was back on the floor. "Years? So wait - this whole time, everyone's been wondering when you'd get together and-"

"We were together," Kaminari said, flashing them with his signature cocky grin, "Ei-babe was shy about telling people, so we just kept it on the DL."

"You guys weren't fucking subtle," Katsuki snorted. "You swear me to secrecy then make out in every damn bathroom in the city."

"A man has needs," Kirishima said weakly. Katsuki just laughed, and turned back to poke at the in-progress omelets.

"Uh-huh. I'm just glad I don't have to cover for your sorry pervert asses anymore."

"You knew," Izuku said, staring at him.

"God, I walked in on so much shit back in the day," Katsuki sighed, pulling a world-weary face.

"Sorry bro!" Kirishima didn't sound sorry at all. He turned back to Izuku with an apologetic smile. "Anyway, I wanted to tell you because of what happened after the Striker thing," he trailed off, looking guilty again. When he spoke again, it was with quiet intensity. "I know Katsuki was covering for me with the press back then, 'cause I couldn't hide what I felt for Denki when I saw him like that and Kats didn't want us to be outed like that."

"It's not your fault, Ei," Katsuki said gruffly. It was a little uncomfortable to be reminded of their recent problems, but Izuku's heart ached at the shuttered expression on Katsuki's face. So Izuku went over to him, forcibly tucking himself under Katsuki's arm. Katsuki gave him a brief, grateful smile.

"Yeah, that woman was awful. Heard she got fired, though!" Kirishima grinned sharply. "Anyway, I felt super bad for putting you in a tough spot because I was too scared to face the world. It's not very manly of me…"

"Hey, don't say that," Kaminari said quickly. "Remember, we talked about this. You don't owe anyone your personal life! I never minded Ei, you know that."

"Anyway," Kirishima squared his shoulders, "We're going public."

"Just do a better job than I did," Katsuki snorted. "Shouldn't be hard."

Izuku might have been annoyed at the flippant way Katsuki was talking about something painful, but Katsuki's hand was rubbing comforting circles into his side. He obviously didn't mean to be hurtful. Izuku also couldn't fault that way his words managed to make Kirishim look a little more relieved.

"Yeah, we're gonna look so cool and mature after what you did," Kaminari stuck his tongue out. Izuku snorted so hard it hurt.

"The bar is set pretty low," Izuku added, nudging Katsuki.

"Fuck off," Katsuki said mildly. "You guys'll be great. And I'll murder the shit out of anyone who gives you crap, okay?"

"Thanks bro," Kirishima said, wiping away a tear. "But homicide is unmanly."

"Then I will be unmanly," Katsuki said, with a decisive nod. "Now quit whining or I'll make the food too spicy for you weak fuckers."

"You wouldn't!" Kaminari whined, striking a wounded pose.

"I would, and you know it."

But Katsuki didn't end up making the food too spicy, because he was obviously soft on everyone present. And Izuku didn't fail to notice how Kaminari did end up with a suspiciously large amount of meat in his serving. Katsuki always had ways of showing he cared, after all, if you knew where to look. Watching Katsuki mother-hen his friends was undeniably heartwarming, and Izuku was once again overcome with just how much he adored this man.

"So, you knew all along?" Izuku was helping Katsuki with the dishes. Kirishima and Kaminari had left earlier, apparently to hype Kirishima up for another meeting with their publicists.

"Yeah," Katsuki said, looking down. "I was the first person Kirishima came out to, actually. Kinda on accident, but yeah. His folks are really… really old school. Nice in a lot of ways, but made Ei super scared of talking about that kind of thing. It's really shitty to have that kind of problem nowadays."

"Mhm," Izuku hummed. "You're a good friend."

"Eh, I just wasn't a huge asshole about one thing," he shrugged. Izuku put away another plate, and tried not to let it get to him. He hated to feel jealous, and he knew their situations were different but still, he'd always wanted that kind of friendship with Katsuki. He'd always wondered why Kirishima was good enough to be Katsuki's friend, but Izuku hadn't been. He swallowed hard, shoving the thoughts down.

Katsuki obviously adored him now. That's all that should matter. He was reaching up to put away a glass when soapy hands wrapped around his waist.

"Nerd," Katsuki grumbled, "I can hear your shitty thoughts again. What's eating you?"

"It's dumb," Izuku protested, not wanting to admit to even more of his insecurities. Katsuki leaned in, lips brushing his neck.

"It probably is," Katsuki hummed agreeably. "But I wanna hear your dumb thoughts."

Oh, that was pretty nice. Izuku felt the tension suddenly leave him, and he relaxed back against Katsuki's chest. "That's better," Katsuki murmured. "Now spill."

"I guess I just get a little jealous," Izuku admitted, turning around in Katsuki's arms. "I know I shouldn't, but I wanted to be your friend all that time. Kinda hurts that Kirishima got to be, and I don't know… it feels like you kinda put him before me back then, and yeah." The words came out awkwardly. Izuku was reluctant to bring this kind of thing up. He was torn between wanting to be honest about his insecurities, and wanting to avoid bringing up the past for no reason.

"Deku," Katsuki said slowly. "I get what you mean, but Ei's been my best friend for almost a decade. He's always going to be important to me."

"And that's a good thing," Izuku said quickly, hiding his face. Even if he knew Katsuki cared about him, it was hard to ask for more. "I just want to be put first, too. I mean, we're together now, and everything. You didn't even tell me why you were so protective of him back then."

He could feel Katsuki's hum in his chest. "It wasn't my place to say," Katsuki said eventually. He was clearly choosing his words carefully. "I couldn't think of the right thing to say in the moment, and you're right. I threw us both under the bus, because I felt like Ei was too vulnerable and I couldn't just let it happen."

"Yeah," Izuku said, quietly.

"You and I have a long history, but we've only been together a few months," Katsuki said. "And we weren't really close since we were kids. My friends are important too."

"I wanted to be your friend that whole time," Izuku whispered, his throat raspy. Katsuki sighed.

"Honestly Deku? I don't think it would have been good for us." Izuku looked up at him, surprised. Katsuki stared down at him, completely serious. "It took me a long time to face my issues. I'm glad that I had time to face my shit before getting close to you again."

"Sometimes I get caught up in thinking about what if we'd gotten together sooner," he admitted. Katsuki kissed him on the forehead.

"I'd have driven you off by being a huge dick, probably. This way is better, 'cause now I'm smart enough to keep you around."

"I don't know, you're still pretty stupid," Izuku smiled, sly and ready to let things lighten up. Katsuki didn't take the bait, though.

"Hey, Izuku, you know you're a priority for me, right? I do get what you were saying. It's just been a long time since I've been in a real relationship, and I'm still figuring out what that all means. I honestly don't think there will be many more situations like this, but I never wanna make you feel like you're not important to me."

"Kacchan," Izuku trailed off, touched by his sincerity.

"I'm sorry I made you feel like you didn't come first, baby," Katsuki said, his voice low and soft. Izuku's heart lurched with affection.

"It's okay," he said. "I guess I'm still getting used to this, too. I know you meant well."

"You're too nice," Katsuki grinned, looking suspiciously mischievous. "You should be harder on me."

"Harder?" Izuku purred, catching on immediately. He ran his hands up Katsuki's chest, lingering over his pecs. "Exactly how hard should I be?"

Katsuki's eyes drifted down as he made a pleased hum. Then he leaned in, rolling his hips against Izuku. "How bout I demonstrate, hm?"

Izuku was very happy with that idea.

Kirishima and Kaminari made a joint press release in the following week. It went over magnificently, and everyone who'd made bets lost a significant amount of money (except for Katsuki). Still, there were plenty of celebrations, and Kirishima was buoyed up by the somewhat aggressive support of all of their friends.

Thankfully, it was only a few more weeks until Katsuki was allowed back on patrol. By that time Izuku was already in the field and dealing with the attention that came from being in the top ten. Katsuki was notably less clingy once he was back at work, and while it was nice to have some space… Izuku couldn't deny he missed it a bit.

But it was a little disingenuous to say that, because it wasn't like Katsuki wasn't still lavishing him with attention. Izuku had somewhat reluctantly moved back into his own apartment once his door was fixed, but still found himself spending the night with Katsuki half the time.

Maybe they could get a two-bedroom? Just to have a little extra space.

Izuku wondered briefly if Katsuki would think he was moving too fast, before realizing that even if he was, Katsuki wouldn't be bothered. Izuku came to the strange conclusion that he wasn't actually afraid to fuck up anymore. He could trust Katsuki to tell him if someone was pushing his boundaries, and then they'd fix it together.

It was relaxing, really. Izuku couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this secure in a relationship. He'd always struggled with anxiety in his past relationship, but Katsuki had a special way with words that seemed to slam the door shut on Izuku's baseless fears-even if that method included a consistently large amount of cursing.

He even made time to visit All Might at his house. It was an hour or two out of the city, but All Might claimed he liked the peace and quiet of the suburbs. Something about having constant problem children at UA, and absence making the heart fonder. Apparently Izuku and Katsuki weren't the last troublemakers UA saw by far.

It was really, really nice to see him, and Izuku felt faintly guilty about not visiting more often. Still, All Might was clearly happy to listen while Izuku told him about everything that happened, his fears about not dedicating enough of himself to being a hero, how Katsuki didn't want him to die earlier and somehow everything came pouring out.

Izuku was crying over his cup of tea, All Might watching him patiently. When Izuku finally calmed down enough, he looked up to see All Might beaming at him.

"Young Midoriya, this is wonderful news! I have to say, when I said you and young Bakugou would make good partners, I didn't quite expect this!"

"Heh, I guess it was kind of surprising," Izuku said, with a wet, awkward laugh. All Might winked.

"Not that surprising. I always thought he watched you very closely. Very closely," he said again, drawing the last words out. Izuku blushed bright red.

"Um! I'm sure it wasn't like that!" He protested automatically—even if he knew it was exactly like that, he really didn't need All Might noticing those kinds of things. All Might just laughed loudly, slapping the table.

"I may be old, but I'm not blind!"

"All Might!"

"Okay, okay," All Might subsided, still smiling. "Well, I never had long-term relationships, as I'm sure you know." He said it with just enough implication to nod at Izuku's irrepressible fan-boyness. "I regret that, now. Sometimes I wonder if I had someone to come home to, if I would have…" he trailed off, looking thoughtful.

"Well," he went on, waving a hand to dispel the thought, "It's not bad to have someone who makes you want to stay safe! And young Bakugou is so strong… I always worried whoever I was with would be used against me, but I believe it would be very troublesome to try and use Bakugou against anyone. He's always been very headstrong."

"Yeah," Izuku laughed nervously. "So, um…"

"So!" All Might said, clapping his hands together, "You came here for a reason! You want to know if I think it's okay not to dedicate your life to being the next Symbol of Peace, don't you?"

"I'm not saying I'm not going to," Izuku said quickly, but All Might cut him off.

"Young Midoriya, I gave this power to you for a reason. It is yours to do with as you see fit. You do not have to follow my path. I don't want you to. I want you to follow your own path, Midoriya. You are an excellent young man, and I trust your judgement."

"All Might," Izuku said weakly, tears springing to his eyes.

"You don't need my permission for this," All Might went on. "But you have it anyway. And nothing would make me happier than knowing you lived a long life alongside someone you love."

"All Might," Izuku said again, this time blubbering. The tears were really flowing, twin rivers running down his cheeks. All Might took the chance to top off Izuku's tea, relatively unaffected thanks to years of exposure to Izuku's impulse-sobbing. Izuku tried to calm himself, watching the steam curl and twist in the air between them. "Is it really okay?" He hiccuped.

"Yes, really," All Might nodded decisively. "I'm glad you came to me with this. I always wanted to talk to you about this, really. I wonder if I failed you students, sometimes. Hero life chewed me up and spit me out-" he raised skinny arms, showing his skeletal form "-and I wanted better for all of you."

Izuku wiped at the tears in his eyes, feeling strangely seen. Validated, once again, by his personal hero. All Might have him a sad smile.

"People like us… it's hard for others to be in our lives. Don't take what you have for granted." There was a certain wistfulness to his tone, and Izuku wondered suddenly if All Might had done just that, at one point. "Bakugou is a, well, an excitable young man. But sometimes I think we need people like that. Someone bright enough, strong enough that even when you feel like you bear the weight of the world, they make you feel like you can set it down for a moment and rest." All Might stopped, and cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Sorry, excuse the ramblings of a sentimental old man. I just want you to be as happy and safe as you can be, young Midoriya. Just take care of Bakugou, and let him take care of you. And if I can ever help, you know where to find me."

Izuku nodded, wordless and overcome with emotion. All Might took pity on him and changed the subject, rambling on about his current batch of students at UA while Izuku mastered his emotions. And when he left, he gave his mentor the biggest hug, nearly lifting him off the ground.

It was a while before Izuku was ready to make an actual statement about the entire Striker incident to the press. All agencies involved, including Izuku's, already released their respective statements. Izuku's agency had done a good job explaining his actions, but it was still expected for individual heroes to have opinions, and Izuku had been in the center of the action. Seeing as he was finally back in action, he really didn't have an excuse to put it off any longer. And besides, this statement was more of a PR opportunity.

Neither he nor Katsuki had made any further statements to the press about their relationship, and things were getting a little out of hand. According to their staff, a measured, reasonable statement of facts would help - if only to provide some frame of reference for the wild rumors that were flying around. One article had even hypothesized they were twins .

Anyway, Suika had spent several meetings coaching Izuku, talking about the kinds of questions to expect, the ones they'd approved beforehand, and the ways he could be blindsided. Izuku still felt dwarfed by the flashing lights of his headquarter's conference room.

It was strange how he'd face down villains without hesitation, but the second cameras were in his face he was nervously sweating like a highschooler again. Still, he managed to make himself stand in a relaxed, open pose while he answered question after question about the fight with Striker, explaining his actions and those of his team.

Why were there only three heroes teaming up against Striker?

What motivated Deku to keep going against all odds in the rescue work?

How did his recovery go?

What were his thoughts on Ground Zero's solution to the Striker issue?

What did Deku think about the use of lethal force as a pro hero?

Did he think the Striker Taskforce was well prepared?

What could the city do to handle a situation like this better in the future?

Izuku had answers to all of these questions. This type of thing was pretty much the norm in post-disaster hero life, and he was feeling pretty good about it.

That lasted right up until they started asking about his relationship. Izuku refrained from telling them to rudely leave, because he was all too aware this was being streamed live. He wasn't going to pull a Bakugou, after all. He was determined to represent himself well.

"So, we hear you are in a relationship with Ground Zero, can you confirm this?"

"We have released a statement already," Izuku said calmly. It had been two short sentences sent out by Bakugou's agency, and had not satisfied anyone's curiosity. Even Izuku's friends were hounding him for details. Izuku took a deep breath and said, "We are in a relationship, and have no plans to publicly discuss it."

"Still, doesn't the public have a right to know? Will your relationship affect your hero work?"

These questions would normally be off limits, but Suika had explained there was no getting past this. Sometimes, it was just better to get it over with and out there. Hopefully, if Izuku addressed enough things now, it would take away momentum from the rabid speculation that half the city seemed to be indulging in.

"Neither my nor Ground Zero's work will not be affected by our relationship," Izuku said, resisting the urge to fold his arms like a cross schoolteacher. "We are perfectly capable of handling our careers and personal lives. If anything, it's easier because we understand what it's like to balance your personal life with a hero career."

"Yes, yes," said another woman, "that sounds very nice, and you seem to be doing very well! We were all very impressed by your post-disaster work Deku, thank you very much."

"I am always grateful for the chance to serve our citizens," Izuku nodded, happy with the change of subject. That happiness lasted right up until she added,

"But Ground Zero seems to be as volatile as ever. He certainly flew off the rails during the Striker Incident. It will take a long time to repair the damage he caused!"

"The damage done by allowing Striker to continue terrorizing the city would have been significantly worse," Izuku said sternly. "It was a difficult decision, and he had to make it in a split second."

"Do you condone lethal force?"

"I trust Ground Zero's decision-making ability," Izuku said instead, because he absolutely did not condone it. But in this case? Even he couldn't see another way out, not without letting Striker become an even bigger problem. "I believe he took the only available course of action."

"And what about his rather surprising outburst afterward? I think we were all quite surprised to hear that."

Izuku reigned in his temper. "It was a difficult situation. Everyone was trying their best. I believe I've made my opinion clear on this, already. Those questions were invasive and unprofessional. Kacchan dealt with it as best as he could." Damn, Izuku had to stop making that mistake, but he was losing his temper and that made it hard to think before he spoke… and he really could understand how Katsuki had flown off the rails. Hearing people talk about Katsuki like this was infuriating.

"Ah, we wanted to know… Kacchan?"

"It's the nickname I've always used for him," Izuku said, making himself smile. "As you know, we've known each other for a long time."

"It seems a little out of character for Ground Zero. Does he really let people call him that?"

"He lets me. You are welcome to try," Izuku laughed. "But I can't promise it will go well."

"Well, we wouldn't want another outburst," the reporter said smugly, instantly snuffing out Izuku's good mood. "Everyone was quite surprised to hear such… explicit details about your relationship. Do you think it was appropriate to share that on live television, Deku? It must have been quite surprising for you, unless you actually want him to talk about you like that."

"I will not answer this kind of question," Izuku said from between clenched teeth.

"I mean, you have to have an opinion. It was certainly surprising to hear about what kind of things the hero Deku gets up to! And Ground Zero is a surprising choice for you, I have to say."

Some of the reporters exchanged uneasy glances. Izuku clenched his fists. Suika had said to put everything to rest so… "We are adults in a happy relationship, and our sex life is part of that. I have no intention to discuss our private lives with the press, however. All I will say is that I am very happy with him, and I love and support him no matter what. Now, does anyone else have any questions they'd like to ask? About actual hero work?"

Izuku left the interview feeling completely exhausted. He'd deflected countless more questions about him and Katsuki's relationship, but ultimately he thought it was successful. The interview was being broadcasted with only a slight delay, a concession made by the media company as an apology for the unprofessional behavior by others in their field.

Izuku made it all the way out of the building and onto the street before he got a call from Katsuki.

It was weird, because Katsuki was on patrol and he usually wouldn't call unless he was on break. Especially now that he was so excited about being back in action. Izuku shrugged, and picked up the phone.

For once, Katsuki had been minding his own blessed business. He was after someone with a lizard quick, and the villain had already regrown several limbs Katsuki had removed via explosion. It was gross. Katsuki was focused, right up until Deku's interview started playing on every TV on the damn city block.

Katsuki was professional. He was focused, and had finally closed the distance on the villain when he heard it. Deku, looking straight at the camera, unbearably handsome and adorable in his hero costume.

"...I love and support him no matter what."

The word love punched Katsuki's heart straight out of his chest. He stumbled over a trash can, flipped through the air and crashed into someone's shitty silver sedan.

"Fuck!" he swore, clutching his shin. But the pain was a distant afterthought to what he'd just heard.

Deku… loved him? Maybe not enough to say so in person, but enough to say it in an interview? Katsuki felt hot all over, his chest unbearably tight. He'd never dreamed—well, he had dreamed of this, but Katsuki had never completely felt worthy of it actually happening.

He knew Deku cared about him. Deku was never shy about showing how he felt, but Katsuki felt so fucking blessed to have gotten this far that he couldn't contain it.

"Hey, fuckface!" he shouted at the villain. The villain stopped, turned, and stuck his tongue out at Katsuki. "Did you hear that?"

"What, how you're failing to catch me?" The villain snickered, tongue flicking out. Katsuki picked himself up off the ground, and brushed himself off.

"My fucking boyfriend loves me!" Just saying the words out loud had him brimming with happiness. The villain stared at him.

"Uh-"

"This is the best damn day of my life," Katsuki shouted, advancing on the villain. "I gotta call my boyfriend and tell him he's stupid, so I'm gonna need you to just give up now."

The villain gave him a very skeptical look, and took off running. Katsuki cursed, whipped out his phone, and called Deku. He had his priorities, after all. Katsuki took off after the villain, the phone's dial tone ringing in his ears. This was why he'd added comm units to his ear protection, right? Right?

"Hi, Kacchan! I just finished the interview!" Deku's cheerful voice came through the phone line.

"HEY DEKU," Katsuki roared. The villain flinched so hard from the sudden shout that he smacked into a store sign and went flying, tumbling out of control.

"Uh, what's up?" Deku said hesitantly. Katsuki barrelled forward, taking advantage of the villain's fuck up to close the distance.

"Die, you scaly fuck!" He shouted, slamming an explosion into the side of its head. The villain tried to dodge, but Katsuki was fast as hell and another perfectly-timed explosion sent the villain flying.

"Um, Kacchan…"

Shit, right. "Deku!" Katsuki roared again, storming over to the villain. "You love and support me?"

Silence, over the phone. Katsuki flipped the villain over, and snapped on a pair of cuffs.

"Oh, uh—"

"Yeah, dumbass. Don't think I didn't hear you saying you love and support me?! Deku, do you, do you-" Katsuki's voice suddenly broke. "Do you love me?" he whispered, strong-arming the villain to his feet.

The villain's golden eyes blinked up at him. "I don't love you," he hissed, clearly furious about being caught. Too bad Katuski didn't care.

"Not you," Katsuki growled, pushing the villain down the street before him. The closest precinct wasn't too far from here, thankfully.

"Um, Kacchan, are you with someone else right now?"

"Yes, you idiot!" Katsuki shouted. "I'm catching a villain, and—"

"Um! Shouldn't you focus on that?!" Deku laughed nervously.

"How can I, when my dumbfuck boyfriend says he loves me on live TV?!"

"Kacchan," Deku trailed off. Katsuki's heart was climbing out of his throat, too big to be contained in his body any longer.

"I love you too!" Katsuki shouted. The villain sighed dramatically, but now that he was cuffed Katsuki really wasn't paying attention to him anymore. His phone was clutched in one gloved hand, and he was seriously fighting tears welling up in his eyes.

"Sorry, I, it just kind of slipped out," Deku said. He sounded like he was crying, which would just be typical. Damn, Katsuki loved him so much. If Deku hadn't meant to say it, Katsuki didn't want to push him.

"Well," Katsuki said, his voice gruff with emotion, "It's fine if you're not ready to say it, Deks. But I meant it. I'm, uh—" he swallowed hard, "—in love with you. So now you know."

There was a long moment of silence, interrupted only by sniffling sounds. "Kacchan, really? You really love me?"

"Of course, baby," Katsuki said gruffly. "I mean what I say, damn it."

"I meant it too." Deku's voice was small, but filled Katsuki with warmth. "I, um, well." His voice got even quieter. The villain was making some kind of noise, and Katsuki briefly shook him to shut him up. He needed to hear this.

"I love you, Kacchan," Deku whispered. Katsuki's knees felt weak. He felt like he was going to crawl out of his skin, like his body couldn't possibly contain the magnitude of what he felt in that moment.

"Fuck, Deku, I'm really fucking happy," Katsuki rasped. "Look, let me hand in the villain and I'll come find you. I really wanna see you right now, okay?"

"But your patrol?" Deku said, like the nerd he was.

"Fuck my patrol! Onito can cover, he owes me. Now where the hell are you?"

"Heading to my place," Deku said, finally sounding a little more alive.

"I'll be there in thirty," Katsuki promised.