A/N: I made this for a friend. It was her birthday a month and two days ago. I hope you enjoy this, ninjaki. Even though I just realized you don't like smut, so I'll try to gloss over those bits. lol
edit: Please leave me alone, bots. Also, I made so many typos.
Vacation Vices
Izuku couldn't recall the last time he savored the flavors and feelings of the winter holidays. The last winter holiday of his high school career, UA allowed the school's top student to venture out and see one of his best friends, Uraraka Ochako. His mouth melted into a smile when he sank into the plush, heated seats of the first class car.
Finally, he could stream his lo-fi playlist that he curated for these rare occasions where he found a respite from his action-packed life. He pushed in his Sony earbuds that he received for his last birthday.
Snowboarding, skiing, and hot springs with Ochako. A simple invitation with the dates and location was all he needed to see her. While he doubted that they'd be alone in the mountains together, he had to wonder if she invited anyone else. Ochako had admitted that she wanted more with Deku than a friendship with tears that he wished he could forget.
The train attendant announced the impending departure of the train.
Adjusting his neck pillow, Izuku sank into the sounds of his music. She confessed at a bad time. Maybe it made sense to her, but she couldn't have expected him to drop his dreams to stay with her.
"Deku! What the fuck are you doing here?" roared Katsuki. He carried a bright orange mountain climbing backpack that he couldn't have possibly fit into the overhead luggage.
Knowing Katsuki, he'd find a way.
Izuku reluctantly pulled out the earbuds that saved his hearing from his classmate's outcry. "Kacchan," he greeted with a frown. "You're here, too?" His grimace deepened. That meant there would be other people. Maybe he wasn't invited.
UA sent both Katsuki and Izuku on trips together, so traveling with his blonde childhood friend felt more like work than a vacation to Izuku. When he realized Katsuki had nothing else to say, he went back to his Relaxing Road Trip Chill-hop Mix that he desperately hoped to hear in its entirety. After all, they'd be on the train for hours.
A single song passed by the time Katsuki finished putting away his luggage. He snatched the earbuds from Izuku's ears and claimed the seat next to him. "Didn't think you could look like more of a dork with those glasses on."
Lifting an eyebrow, Izuku forced a smile. "They're for reading - you know that. At least I don't have to deal with contacts." Once he realized that Katsuki had a bark without a bite, Izuku spoke his mind whenever he wanted.
"Talking shit, Deku?" scoffed Katsuki before he propped up his legs and leaned back in his seat. "I'm just saying the other pair looked better."
Sweat slid down Izuku's temple. A compliment in retrospect here or there. Positive remarks behind each others' backs. Unsaid flattery. That's how they worked, and as long as they hadn't killed each other, then such a relationship didn't bother Deku. Too much. "Is that it?" Fortunately, in first class, he didn't have to share an armrest, but four hours would be a lot to endure Katsuki's close-quarters company.
The two had learned not to scramble to fill in their occasional moments of quietude. There was no such thing as awkward silence. They expected every beat.
Yet, Katsuki spoke. "You talk to Ochako today?" he asked, rubbing his neck.
"Y-Yeah," Deku stammered. He pulled a leather-bound notebook out from beneath him. "Her birthday is coming up."
Pulling a charcoal skullcap over his hair, Katsuki scoffed. "Thursday. 27th."
"Crap, really?" Izuku fumbled with the pages of his notebook. He missed birthdays all the time. Between academics and extracurricular athletics, he only spent time with his classmates in class. That included the estranged and elusive Ochako that gave him a friendly hug and greeting every time whenever he returned.
Heroism: his purpose and dream but not his happiness.
"How the hell do you remember stats and rankings but not birthdays? Fuckin' loser. At least, remember her birthday." Pushing Izuku's head away with two fingers towards the window, Katsuki scowled.
Odd. Izuku noted his emphasis on "her." A shaky smile grew on Deku's face. "Y-Yeah? Well, I'll pick something out when I get there."
"Tch, what?" he scoffed. "You better not get her another fucking gift card."
Eyes shooting open, Izuku stopped to catch his breath. "What? What's wrong with a gift card? I don't get to see her a lot or anyone since we started that internship, and then my dad's been bringing me to America to build an international brand, too." Birthdays, favorite foods, movie nights with his friends all fell to the void between their first and third years.
Katsuki's sullen, red eyes lingered on Deku's burgundy sweater. Shifting in his seat, he sighed and tugged at the rim of his hat. "Knowing her, she'll probably get wet over seeing your face."
"Kacchan, please!"
Oddly enough, Izuku knew he could trust Katsuki with personal information because Katsuki didn't talk to anyone. However, he had no shame in dredging up the past to Izuku, so he knew everything about Izuku's fall out with Ochako - possibly even more than Izuku did.
With Ochako, Katsuki typically bought her at least two gifts out of reciprocity for the two gifts she'd give him. Deku got her one gift a year in addition to the obligatory chocolate. Late. He couldn't play favorites without giving her the wrong impression!
Out of the corner of his eye, Izuku had noticed that Katsuki swooped to her side like a vulture picking at the carnage of his neglect. Whoever thought Katsuki, Ground Zero, would play damage control for Deku? But only with Ochako.
Honestly, Izuku wouldn't have wanted the situation any other way. He recalled finding Katsuki scrolling through her Instagram in the dead of night, scouring through her profile with bloodshot eyes and heavy breathing. A complete weirdo.
"Who would have thought that everybody would want to jump on fucking Deku's dick?" Katsuki noted before he quickly glanced at the Android smartphone in his pocket.
"Girls would probably like you more if you -"
Holding up a gloved hand that grappled the air, Katsuki scowled, "Shut the fuck up. Maybe I don't want girls to like me. Ever thought about that?"
Izuku tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. "Why?" he accidentally asked out loud. Quickly, he covered his mouth with both his hands. But, what a foreign concept! The green haired hero had come a long way from the days where he hoped women would talk to him. Now, flocks of women enjoyed the masculine definition in his pubescent physique. His angular jawline, deepening voice, and steadily increasing height made the ladies swoon like it was his second quirk.
The musical bell of the departing train rang throughout the car. Moments later, the train finally took off on its long-awaited journey to the north.
Staring past Izuku, Katsuki watched the rushing blur of urban scenery speed across. "None of that matters in the end."
Izuku's mother texted him a picture of an apartment in America's Pacific Northwest. They spent a portion of the Winter holiday making plans to move overseas. He managed a quick reply before tucking the phone back into his pocket.
How long did Katsuki plan on delaying his decision to leave Japan? Over the past year, he declined various offers with agencies across the world. By the age of 18, the boys had outgrown their hometown that could only market them as local heroes. Both of them had the potential to fight crime internationally under the Worldwide Hero Agency.
As the train pushed forward, Izuku realized how much he still relied on Katsuki's beacon of victories. They reached the same milestones around the same time, and blood rushed through Izuku's veins whenever they fought together. Side by side or head to head. For these past months, Izuku had prepared to say goodbye to UA but not his rival and old friend, Katsuki.
"Kacchan, did you decide what you're going to do after school?"
Light snores hit Izuku's ear as Katsuki leaned into his shoulder. At first, his body froze, wrought with shock from the abrupt interruption of thoughts. Izuku kept his left arm straight and stiff. After all, Katsuki always woke up ready to fight. He frowned. Unanswered questions rarely bothered Deku. However, the inertia of his resolve hitting against this obstacle annoyed him.
"Kacchan," groaned Izuku. Izuku didn't hate much, but he resented these loose ends of leaving his hometown and country behind him. He hated the tug at his heart that happened whenever he thought of fulfilling his dream and abandoning friends like Ochako and Shouto and Katsuki. Of course, he would return, but until then, he wanted a neat ending to this chapter of his life.
Flashes of scenery skated by in the form of greens, blues, browns. The latter part of his high school life had already passed in such a way. People hooked up, broke up, got injuries and scars, and there was only so much of their lives that he could catch during his brief times with social media. Katsuki was a useless liaison, but he had been the most constant person in his life for the past two years.
Well, constant until he wasn't.
Izuku squirmed and dug for the insulated water tumbler in his carry-on bag.
...
Evening. The tangerine sun encroached on the horizon and dragged the light down with it. The guys arrived with their luggage in tow but no lovely round-faced host to greet them. As travelers scattered and gathered through the grand doorways, Izuku held out hope that they'd find Ochako sooner or later.
Wait. It was below freezing. No wonder they had no train of thought. They both shivered and groaned and quickly dressed in the puffy coats from their luggage.
"Fucking cold," cursed Katsuki.
Upon checking his phone, Izuku noticed the message he must have missed while roaming the country. "Oh, she said something came up and that we should meet her at the hot spring inn. Here's the address." So then, she expected them to meet.
Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed Katsuki quickly check his phone before shoving it back into his pocket with a scowl on his face. "What? What's the address? She expects me to take a cab with you?"
They took a cab. Together because Katsuki may have been stubborn, but he could sit in a car with Izuku. The driver smelled like the fresh forest just like the air around them. He had been to rural areas high in the mountains a few times, but between the open fields and towering trees, Izuku didn't understand how someone could settle down there. Nothing happened in places like that.
Once they traveled down the gravel-covered road, Katsuki finally pushed his phone into his pocket. His ruby eyes glued to the window, gawking at the scenery without a word of commentary. A small smirk sat on his lips. Excitement? No, something deeper caused such an expression to surface.
Comfort.
Izuku frowned and silently studied him, bemused by the Katsuki blatant delight. "I didn't think you'd be into the countryside." But, that would make sense, wouldn't it? Katsuki enjoyed free nights by watching television in their hotel room or in his dorm room alone with a book or Netflix series. He preferred jogging trails on sunny days to fluorescent, bustling gymnasiums.
"It's alright," Katsuki admitted.
And, he didn't enjoy attention from the masses and media. Izuku had overcome barriers to learn how to speak and maintain an image. He could go out on outings with friends in his rare free time. Once he learned how to socialize, he enjoyed it.
If Izuku asked if Katsuki would stay here, his childhood friend would accuse him of getting too chummy. So then, he relented and checked through his phone.
"I'm just surprised because you hate the cold," Izuku forced a chuckle then cringed. What was he doing? Regardless, he still leaned in to hear his reply.
Without glancing at Izuku, Katsuki readjusted his position in the back seat of the car. "It's whatever."
Izuku narrowed his eyes. He had cursed the cold earlier that same evening! Without heat, Katsuki couldn't sweat. Without sweat, he couldn't make explosions. Not even his skintight sweatsuit could get him to his prime condition.
Moreover, Katsuki never admitted things like this.
"Ochako," Izuku began.
Katsuki's back straightened, and he turned to face Izuku. He wrinkled his nose. "What about her?"
"Ochako will be happy to see us here. She's been wanting me to come up here since her parents inherited the hot springs," Izuku explained. Immediately, he caught the disturbance in Katsuki's disposition as he stirred in his seat. Izuku hated to admit it, but he enjoyed the possibility that he had a stronger relationship with her than his childhood friend did. "I wonder if she'll tell us what her plans are after high school."
Then, a giant grin grew on Katsuki's face. "Yeah, Deku," he snickered. "I fucking wonder."
What did that mean?! Izuku checked his phone and typed a quick, "Be the soon." On top of that message, he added a simple, smiling emoji! Immediately after, he pushed his palm against his forehead. Why'd he sent that? It even had a typo!
...
By the time they reached the hot springs, their legs had fallen asleep. Izuku and Katsuki fell out of the car in an exhausted mess only to meet with a scenic stone pathway to the warm lights of the building. Fountains melted into the long ponds that lined the path up to the archway. Snow topped the round stones that bordered the property.
They traveled up the trail in silence, eagerly awaiting the atmosphere of the inn. Katsuki wore the same smirk of satisfaction that he had the entire cab ride there. He picked up the pace by the second until they finally entered the inn. Heads turned to notice them past the point of recognition. Their accomplishments and triumphs over villains throughout the years earned them a title of local prodigies.
Upon taking off their shoes in the toasty foyer, a woman with chocolate brown hair and pink cheeks greeted them. Her eyebrows were thick and long, and her face had a matured jawline. Beautiful and aged like wine but not Ochako.
"You two are a lot more handsome in person. I hardly recognized you from the last TV appearance you had on the Musutafu Morning Show."
Katsuki puked after that appearance. Limelight made him green with sickness ever since he started minding his outbursts in public. The savage tabloids often brought up his kidnapping from their first year. Only Izuku could recognize the self-conscious side of him, however. To the world, he had a schtick - a gimmick for being the aggressive yet lovable boke or wiseguy.
The blonde failed to make eye contact with Ochako's mother. His narrowed line of sight skated across the room and surveyed every area but her.
Izuku bowed to greet her. "It's a good thing we got here when we did. There's a snowstorm passing through here tomorrow," he said in his kiss-ass voice as Katsuki called it. Unlike his fighting partner, Izuku took the public speaking class that their school recommended.
"Kiss ass."
There it was. Izuku sighed and stood up straight and pushed his glasses up his nose. Why was he still wearing those? He didn't need them anymore. Once he realized the redundancy, he tucked the pair into his pocket.
"Oh," she giggled. "Are you doing okay, Katsuki? Can I get you anything?"
"Ochako," he replied in a low grunt, finally connecting eyes with the woman. Then, he further clarified, "Where is she?"
Katsuki's focus on Izuku alarmed him, for the green-haired hero recognized his partner's quiet enthusiasm that pulled at him stronger than the shallow excitements of victory and battle. By the glint in his eye, Izuku and everyone around them knew Katsuki had something he wanted.
An empty pit sank in Izuku's stomach. Whichever way he looked at it, Katsuki's presence changed the currents of his winter vacation. So when Ochako's mother told them where Ochako slept, Izuku stayed silent and still and allowed that followed Katsuki's absence to pass by him.
The weight of his heavy eyelids and under-eye circles darkened his disposition into a dim glower. His nose tilted to the floor as his sight trailed Katsuki's steps down the shadowy corridor.
So, that's how it was.
Izuku turned to Ochako's mother with a dazzling smile as if no shadow had ever crossed his face. He rubbed the back of his head and grinned. "Mrs. Uraraka, Ochako told me about your Katsudon."
As he dined at the bar of the inn, a woman from Nikose University sat next to him and took a selfie with him as well. Everyone wanted to know where he would go after high school, and he had yet to publicly declare his plans. He hadn't even told Ochako which he intended to reveal that trip.
Mio wore her hair in a sloppy, dirty blonde bun. Her emerald green snowsuit with white faux fur complemented her ruby necklace. Busty. Fashion conscious. She stirred her bowl and had nibbled at her vegetable curry as she had already eaten earlier that evening.
She giggled. And touched Izuku's knee like they knew each other, but Izuku had grown accustomed the effect he had on women his age (and older.) Sure, she served as an ego booster that repaired a bit of doubt in his heart.
However, Izuku never used girls. When they craved him in a particular way, he stayed chaste and resisted the temptation through his nights of sulking. Perhaps, this would change one day, but All Might had given him a talk about it years ago.
The emotional vulnerability was something he had learned to read, and he knew not to mix it with sexual desire. Not that Mio wanted him in that way!
"Are you here alone?" she finally asked, combing back a side bang with her fingers. She bit her lip. Folding her hands, Mio pushed her breasts together and smiled.
Well, maybe she wanted him that way. After all, she said she worked part-time at the ski resort nearby and could give him a discount for ski supply rentals. Some girls knew what they wanted, and that was always something Izuku could respect.
Izuku softly chuckled, "No, actually. I'm here to see Ochako." But even if she were only looking for a good time, it wouldn't be fair to her to agree to anything when his mind was somewhere else.
"Ochako?" she asked like she was familiar. Leaning forward, she whispered, "That's my younger cousin, you know. I'm Yoshimizu Mio. Tsumugi is my aunt. They inherited this part of the business after our great-grandmother passed."
What?! Now that she mentioned it, they had the pink cheeks, big amber eyes, but no one could out round Ochako's round face.
Touching his face, Izuku laughed again, "Oh, I guess now that you mention it, you two look a lot alike." They didn't look too much alike. The resemblance wasn't uncanny.
The smartphone near her vibrated.
Izuku jumped at the sound. His foot kicked the wall of the bar where he sat.
"Oh, I think that's my dad. I've got to go. I'll see you around, right?"
Izuku nodded and grinned.
...
After Izuku cleared his bowl, he decided to finally unpack and unwind in the room assigned to him. He had chosen to calm down regarding Katsuki's whereabouts, for he was sure he was sleeping by that point. Ochako's mother had said that their room was directly next to Ochako's.
However, sliding the shoji open, Izuku only found the western style suite with neatly made beds untouched by Katsuki's aggressive way of jumping into bed. The sitting room remained empty as well.
Dropping his bags just as Izuku had set out to do, he finally collapsed onto the bed.
Just as his body melted into the plush cotton sheets, he heard something wooden crash into the ground in the other room. Izuku sat up and walked to the wall to put his ear against the wall. An altercation?
Were Katsuki and Ochako fighting?
Another crash and a cry.
"Why the hell are you being so sensitive?" shouted Katsuki.
Without being too hasty, Izuku crept out the door and around the corner to Ochako's room. Something wasn't right. He knew to approach situations like these quietly. His energy rose up the base of his spine. His vision became sharper in the dimly lit hallway.
"You're being rough," cried Ochako.
Izuku immediately opened the sliding door to something he never wanted to see. His eyes met with Ochako's dilated, wide amber eyes as she had her legs wraps around Katsuki's waist. Her hair clinging to Katsuki's bare shoulders with sweat. He could lift her without the support of a wall. Welded together like two lovers in the night.
Isn't that what they were?
Katsuki didn't stop. He shoved his member into her at consistent rhythm like he didn't want to miss a beat. His glistening back proved that he could work up a sweat in below freezing temperatures. He kissed her neck, licking up the surface to her earlobe where he bit to tease his hunger. The way he carefully cradled the small of her back proved his desire for her came with care.
This was something that Izuku shouldn't have seen, but he couldn't look away. He stayed still as a stone and quiet despite the audible pleasure between the alleged couple. All he had to do was push the door close and walk away.
Katsuki suddenly ceased thrusting into her.
Izuku froze.
"What? Should I stop? I don't know what you expected when you told me to fuck you silly," complained Katsuki.
Ochako's face reddened further than Izuku thought it could change. She finally broke their stare and beamed at Katsuki with a furrowed brow and nervous smile. "N-No," she whimpered. "I need it. Don't sto-"
Without another word, Katsuki pushed Ochako's back against the wall and guarded the back of her head with his hand. Her moans became louder when he continued. Then her eyes met with Izuku's once again. She caressed Katsuki's jaw and lured him in for a passionate kiss.
That gave Izuku to quickly and quietly close the door.
He jetted to his room where he collapsed on the bed. Grabbing at his hair, he grimaced. "Shit," groaned Izuku. Why the hell was he there?
A/N: Is this angst? lol Oops. I wonder who Deku is jealous of. I hate calling him Izuku, but this story is a lot more fun from his perspective.