The light of the screen burned his retinas, soaking them in tears. The whites around crimson pupils had long faded to look more like its neighbor. Two things kept them from weeping out in agony. Firstly, the owner of such eyes made sure to blink periodically, satiating them with split-second sleep. But the second and more prominent drive keeping them focused forward was sheer will-power.
Yup, another great fucking all-nighter.
Katsuki didn't register that he had spent the entire night in his office until the sun was rising, a click sounding from somewhere behind him to signal the arrival of Ashido for the day. Miss Miko's hip was making staggering improvements, the middle-aged woman convinced that she had to explore the world at least once before she was too old to do so. Now he was challenged with arranging a new regime that fit with a surgery she was getting to remove her appendix next week. However, that itself wasn't what kept him up all night. He was working part-time at a local hospital. Seniors with comforting smiles and twice his age passed the bulk of the workload to him.
His first patient came in half-an-hour late. Something about helping an old granny cross the street or some heroic lie. And really, it was a damn shame that Katsuki didn't have the luxury to yell at the bastard like he wanted to. It wasn't worth the risk of them marching out those doors and bringing their services elsewhere. Only to nearly scream and tear this guy a new one anyway when Katsuki realized that he had gotten to the point of treating his patients like bread which meant to be split to 30-day portions during the apocalypse.
It was nearing the end of his shift when a head of pink poked in, barging the door open without a single knock. Katsuki didn't miss a beat. "For the last fucking time, I don't know what biological reaction a unicorn would have when its horn is ripped off."
Instead of making a face and declaring the blond as lame, something that would guarantee her a clipboard to the face, Ashido furrowed her brow. She was a mix of confusion, frustration, and wonder all in one, a look on her that he wasn't used to. "Someone at the front desk claims to have personally made an appointment with you. Want me to kick them out?"
Counting by the calendar pinned to the wall which confirmed that yes, it was Wednesday in combination with the woman's excited glance, Katsuki knew exactly who it was. He grunted. "Just puthim into one of the rooms. I'll be there in a minute."
Ashido narrowed her eyes. "We're talking about this later."
"No, we're not." But she had already disappeared back into the hall. Really, he couldn't blame her. It wasn't every day that the symbol of hope not only waltzed into your vicinity but also talked to you like a normal person. Katsuki had gotten past the stage of being awe-struck when he was eight, packed away his All-Might infested room when he was twelve, and gave his first punch to a hero in the face when he was fourteen. A Deku didn't do shit to him.
As promised, a minute later saw him leaving his workspace to march into one of the rooms provided for patients to wait in the name of privacy. He only had two, but more often than not those boxed spaces with minimal work-out equipment were more than enough.
Twisting the knob, Izuku was revealed to be a nervous wreck served on a plastic chair. Katsuki pushed his way into the seat across from him. Seeing that the other wasn't letting up his fidgeting any time soon, the doctor sighed. "Calm yourself. Just tell me if you made a decision or not-"
"Is your name really Katsuki Bakugou?" Izuku cut him off. He should smack him for that.
Katsuki leaned back against the wall. Well, seeing as this was an informal check-up, he didn't have to sit like he was at the fucking palace. He was fully aware that demanding that the hero show up at his workplace meant that Izuku would become privy to that bit of information. But between what Pikachu said and the lack of angry heroes bringing down his door as indication that Izuku kept their whole deal a secret, Katsuki couldn't bring himself to give a damn. "What's it to you?"
It was like some invisible string that he wasn't aware of snapped then. The twitch was gone, replaced with a sincere but small smile. "Nothing. I'm just happy to know more about you, Kacchan."
Katsuki whirled. If he had a pen, he would've shoved it into the other's nose and past his puny cranium. "What the hell did you just call me?!"
"I don't know what you're talking about, Kacchan."
"THERE!" He screeched. Maybe Uravity had something going by aligning it with a male banshee. "That. Don't fucking call me that! I hear it againand I'll tear out your tongue and staple it to your back, you understand?!"
"So," Izuku artfully changed the subject. He peered around curiously, that nervous man from a minute ago nonexistent. Green eyes darted past various pieces of equipment, from dressing aids to massage tables to the sturdy but old parallel bars resting adjacent to them. It seemed perfectly fine. But upon closer inspection, the dressing aids were half broken, a sign of being rented out and washed multiple times. The massage table would get stuck when you tried to readjust it, and the parallel bars were from different brands, the second one having collapsed ages ago. "Wow."
Katsuki twisted his expression into something fierce. He wasn't here to be mocked. "Save it, hope boy. What you see is what you get. Make your choice already so we can leave. I've already done my part by getting you in here."
And really, after taking one step into his clinic and seeing what it offered, the beloved hero who could probably purchase half this stuff on pocket change should just make a nice one-hundred-and-eighty degree turn straight the fuck out of here. Katsuki would do the same thing if he were in Izuku's position. At knowing that the doctor himself was quirk less on top, that walk out was looking hellishly likely to transform into a sprint.
But no. Seconds ticked by as Izuku stared into his lap, neither providing his approval nor rejection. It made Katsuki's blood boil. He was about to retort, snap the annoying stain out of his stupor, when Izuku managed to beat him to it.
"I…" Strong start, piss poor end. Try again, Deku. "I want to save as many people as I can."
"Not with your arm fucked up, you can't."
The bluntness of Katsuki's words made him jolt the slightest. "Right." He bit his lip. No hero was a stranger to being at a hospital, where 'maybe's looked more like 'no's and 'yes's were conditional. But it seemed that 'maybe' didn't exist in the angry blond's vocabulary. If his arm was truly doomed to be stuck this way forever, he wouldn't sugarcoat it. Izuku nodded."Okay. I want to try this, if that's okay with you, Kacchan."
Choosing to let the nickname go just this once, the doctor went to snap on his gloves, his business tone taking over. "Before we can start, you need to be well aware that as a physical therapist, I am not licensed to give an official diagnosis. My official capabilities end withsending you to a medical doctor with my opinion and evidence. In other words, you're shooting in the dark with no flashlight and the wrong gun."
The sudden shift in Katsuki's demeanor threw the green-haired hero off for a moment, but he managed to recover to respond within a reasonable interval. "That makes sense. I'm willing to try anything at this point."
"And remember what I said before about what you see being what you get? Yeah, that applies to me as well. You aren't getting any fancy power to make you feel better, Deku."
Izuku shook his head firmly. "That doesn't matter. I'd prefer it that way, actually."
At that moment, Katsuki would never admit it to anyone and would take that secret to the grave, but he felt slightly lighter. He smirked. "Well, get on the exam table, you nerd."
A flurry of exercises that Izuku couldn't begin to comprehend the implications of followed within the next half hour. He knew the basics: which direction to twist his knees so to strain a certain muscle, or what kind of stretch to do to minimize the likelihood of cramping up on the battle field. However, connecting it to any tendon or muscle was a whole other monster he couldn't defeat.
To Katsuki's credit, considering his personality, they weren't as showy as he thought they would be. Most of the check-up consisted of Izuku bending his arm in a certain way and being asked where he felt the pain. Gloved fingertips conducting precise movements guided his wrist and forced his elbow into the cusp of feeling unbearable, but never tipping over would be lying to himself if he wasn't expecting the blond to suddenly scream 'PSYCHE' and take him bungee jumping as a form of examination.
Just when he thought the check-up was over, Katsuki had left to retrieve a handgrip. "Use your quirk and squeeze as hard as you can for five seconds."
Having a pretty good idea what would happen but trying it anyway, Izuku sighed when the handle only budged the slightest amount. He didn't know what he expected. Something better than how he was in high school would've sufficed. Anything that indicated that it was recovering but… as always, there was nothing.
Katsuki swiped the device back after a long silence. A black tip pen wrote notes at a speed rivalling Izuku's. "What routine did you adopt from the other doctors?"
"Arm exercises twice a day." The symbol of hope prattled into a list of work-outs ranging from stretches on an exercise ball to mind had long memorized a regime that would've overwhelmed anyone else. "After that, I ice it for a few minutes. There is a specialized massage Centre that I attend once in a while. Among aspirin, they've given me a lot of other pills to take at varying frequencies but none of them have worked." He paused. "Shock-wave therapy, I did that too."
The blond stopped and sent him a sharp glance. "How long have you had this injury?"
Izuku played with the hem of his shirt. "Six years."
"Fucking hell."
Hearing his companion devolve back to his usual voice would've been enough to force Izuku's head up in alarm. But the accompanying sound of the pen in the blond's grip snapping in two nearly sent him into panic. "Wh-What's wrong?"
Realizing his slip-up, Katsuki slowly walked to where the other half of the writing utensil lay to chuck it in the trash. He felt the hero's eyes following after him like a lost cat, opting to diffuse the situation with a scoff. "Grab your stuff and let's go. I'll book an appointment for an MRI scan sometime next week early in the morning so it doesn't interfere with your job."
Izuku was brought down from his daze. He frowned. "But Kacchan, what happened?"
The addressed peeled his gloves off, dunking them in the garbage bin as well. "Forget it. I'm not going to assume anything without an MRI, Deku. I'm just… I'm fucking imagining things."
And that shut Izuku up faster than he'd like to remember. Looking back, he couldn't recall much of what transpired afterwards. Something with him returning to the counter with the pretty pink lady to request a follow-up visit. He'd imagine he had to grab his coat from the rack if the noticeable weight on his shoulders meant anything. It was all a blur though, his body going through the motions but not truly comprehending them; his mind too focused on one thing.
He'd never heard Katsuki stutter like that.
Whatever was wrong with him, was it that bad?
Being the worrywart that he was, Izuku's brain resorted to playing through a highlight reel of every worst-case scenario he's ever dreamt of in the past six years. Paralysis, loss of One for All, cancer; the list went on. It wasn't until the object of his thoughts ransacked the backseat of his car, ripping through what was in the bags to wave its contents in his freckled face that Izuku flinched back to reality.
"Earth to Deku. I asked: what the fuck are these?" Held between a thumb and ring finger was a familiar puff of fur stylized into a bunny.
Izuku blinked, still a little shaken up. "O-Oh, I almost forgot. Those are going to be complimentary gifts left for the guests when they take their seats in the dining area. Ochaco-san even made chocolates to put inside the baskets. She let me take some home and even gave me the recipe. I brought them both so you could taste."
Red eyes studied the tiny creature with a critical eye. Tugging at the tail, throwing it in the air, even sniffing it because god forbid Deku was one of those people obsessed with scenting everything, Katsuki finally gave it his seal of approval in the form of a slight nod. He opened the basket to shove the treat into his mouth next. If the symbol of hope was actually some crazed serial killer, he'd be screwed. But thankfully, there was no hint of poison.
"How is it? Ochaco-san is a very good cook, isn't she?"
"These are no good."
Freckled cheeks froze, turning to stare in shock with eyelids blinking widely. At his reaction, Katsuki whipped out the crumpled recipe in annoyance. "One of the bride's cousins is allergic to soy, which the brand of icing your friend used has plenty of. Excellent job." He made a clapping gesture with a sour face.
"I didn't notice that! I was too focused oncross-examining what Ochaco actually put in the chocolates and only skimmed through the ingredients of the store-bought icing. Then there were the materials she used to make the actual bunnies. I can't believe how many of them can just fall apart and become a choking hazard-" Cutting himself off, Izuku regarded the other with a bit of an awed look. "You really did memorize the guest list I gave you. That's… wow."
"Stop saying wow. Shouldn't you know that dumb essay you call a list better? You fucking wrote it."
Izuku shook his head, eyes withdrawn. "It's not an excuse, but…"
"But what…?!"
"I don't know that cousin very well."
Now if number four hero Shouto were to slide onto the street with his ice right this second, belting out 'let it go' at the top of his vocal chords, that would've been a suitable physical reenactment of what was going on in Katsuki's head. He noticed while skimming through that upon paragraphs upon paragraphs for Izuku's friends and family ranting on about things that didn't matter, the sections dedicated to the bride's list of guests were chillingly formal in comparison.
He inhaled deeply, relaxing back in the car seat. "Whatever, that's what I'm here for. Just hurry up and drive. We're already late as hell."
Drive he did, though only just barely. Ensuring that his much-less-awesome black vehicle slowed down at every yellow light, Izuku was a safe driver through and through. With every stop sign that Katsuki would've run because there was no one around for fucking miles, Izuku paused for three-seconds on the dot before moving forward. Katsuki tried, he really did, to smack some sense into him but the hero was surprisingly stubborn on driving like an old granny.
Finally, after over an hour of this, they pulled up to a building which looked more like a stadium than an aquarium. Katsuki made a show of bursting out of the car and landing on his arms in the surrounding grass. "Goddamn land. Thank fuck. I thought I was about to die from overexposure to your lame-ass driving."
He made a face. "I drive just fine."
"Yeah, if zombies were chasing the car and you wanted to get eaten first."
The green-haired man ignored the comment, choosing wisely to lock the vehicle before making his way to the entrance. Katsuki was quick to follow and overtake his strides, marching past the glass doors like he owned the place. A middle-aged brunette with hair tied in a top knot was there to greet them with an overly-exaggerated smile, no doubt tired from a day of entertaining preschoolers. Izuku was quick to return the pleasantries along with a warm smile.
"So, where's this shit happening?" What? He was grumpy and high on coffee from his all-nighter.
Izuku gaped. "Kacchan!"
Thankfully, the owner only chuckled good-naturedly. Her blue-rimmed glasses were delicately removed and slotted into her pockets in relief. "Follow me downstairs. You may already know from the photos, but we have two rooms where the main event can take place. Seeing as you rented out the entire aquarium for that day, feel free to arrange any other activities around the premises under my preapproval."
Venturing down a spiral staircase after her, a year's supply of rendered-down images and fuzzy videos could not have prepared Izuku for what was on the other side. He froze, limbs motionless and nearly causing the blond who was walking behind him to crash into his back. Katsuki stepped away just in time, sending him a sneer. "What?"
"It- It's beautiful."
Following the other's line of sight, Katsuki could see what he was so enraptured by. The staircase they entered through was only one of two placed on opposite ends of the wall. On closer inspection, the misty green tube that the stairs surrounded housed several fresh water creatures, invisible until the owner went to flip on the lights with a twitch in her lip.
What really blew them both away however, was the floor. At Katsuki's feet, he could spot yellow-and-green fins brushing past, making way for a shell designed in intricate patterns that left him staring. He was standing on top a god damn Hawksbill Turtle, its beady eyes looking his way for a second before continuing its swim. The glow of the reef filled with coral below, separated from them only by four layers of bulletproof glass, illuminated the room in a natural refraction. Red eyes darted around, bewildered on where the light was coming from but not finding its source.
"It's passable." He replied.
Izuku didn't seem to want to leave. Red sneakers were careful in avoiding sudden jerks in movement that would startle the underwater animals, allowing him to crouch down and use his finger to outline a starfish hanging against the glass. At seeing the not-so-asleep critter inch away in alarm, a dimple worth a million stars worked its way onto freckled cheeks. "I want the altar to be in here." He whispered.
The owner laughed, pride alight in her own eyes in response to their awe. "Now, we still haven't seen the other room or even the rest of the aquarium! Are you sure about that already, honey?"
Izuku shot his head up, feeling weirdly dazed but more coherent than in battle. "Yes."
At being the recipient of her expectant glance, obviously asking Katsuki for his own input, he shrugged. His own chest felt hot at seeing the other man so happy. Maybe it was the weird chemicals of the place impairing his judgement. "If I don't call it stupid, then whatever the nerd decides is what we're going with."
Her expression softened. "I see."
The next room wasn't nearly as impressive but just as spectacular. The centerpiece was a giant glass cylinder in the middle, big enough to catch the eye yet still small enough to allow plenty of space. It was its own tank, separated from the ocean they witnessed and allowing for any variety of water compatible creatures to be placed inside for the night upon request. In place of wallpaper for two of the walls, there were floor-to-ceiling tanks inhabited by manta fish. It was a reasonable backdrop for guests to eat and dance to, so was appointed the reception room without much hesitation.
Stepping back into the room with the ocean floor, Katsuki got right down to business. He had a sketchbook out within moments, finding a nice bar in the back where they could collaborate. "Okay, we got the rooms. But before anything else, I need to know what pathetic activities you and your friends came up with."
A little distracted by the school of clown fish beneath them, Izuku barely answered in time. He reached into his oversized backpack, passing along a sheet complete with poll results. "I asked all of them for suggestions and put in my own, then had everyone vote for the two things that they wanted to see the most. A Photo booth with props was the indisputable winner, followed by a giant chocolate fountain. My friend, Asui-san, suggested performing a water show with some of the other heroes and got everyone else in on it. It received the third most number of votes."
Pointedly choosing to ignore the last place choice which consisted of strippers, Katsuki grunted. "The chocolate fountain can be packaged next to the desserts and the photo booth can be thrown anywhere, but where exactly are you planning to have this fancy as fuck water show?"
The owner, listening in and expressing no disapproval upon the three attractions thus far, chimed in. "We do have a show room, in fact. It's only opened once a month but I can make an exception if your friend can provide us with their hero license and sign a contract agreeing to follow our policies."
"Damn, woman." Katsuki rose a brow. "You're like the water freak version of my fashion freak mom."
"I'll take that as a compliment." She unfolded her glasses to push back against her nose. "Well, I must be returning for a meeting. Is there anything else which I can be of service?"
"Actually, yeah." Katsuki turned to his companion who was still focused on the clown fish submerging back into their anemone home. "Deku, you need to choose a style for the dinner; sit-down, buffet, or cocktail. What you pick will dictate the size and shape of the tables that we need to get off of this lady."
The addressed blinked. Dredging up memories of passing experiences at get-togethers and parties, he shook his head at the idea of cocktail-style serving. They would all be too hungry for that. Dine-in was an option but Izuku wasn't confident in his classmates' ability to sit down peacefully. So, he voiced the option that they all enjoyed the most. "Buffet, definitely."
"That means the table arrangements have to be rectangular. The glass tank is in the middle though." Katsuki groaned. "It'd be in the fucking way of everything."
Thinking hard for a moment, Izuku jumped out of his seat to scurry into the other room. The blond blinked, following after him with a confused scowl and the owner of the establishment bringing up the rear. What they found on the other side of the door was a very determined symbol of hope staring at the glass tube with an intensity that would've made Katsuki think it murdered his entire family.
"-But if I think about it, the chocolate fountain would most likely be round in shape as well. Unless we scour, the radii would be vastly different, so finding tables with an equal width to both would be impossible. There are too many guests to be able to space them out properly and design two different arrangements. We'd have to minimize the attention on the two but how-"
Katsuki promptly stomped up to the hero and pulled harshly on his hair. "Stop your bitch-ass mumbling!"
Izuku whelped, smacking the other's arm away only to trace soft fingers over his green locks. "Kacchan, you could've just asked me to stop."
"That wouldn't have been as fun." The blond bit back without remorse. "Besides, why in the hell would you want to bring attention away from the chocolate fountain and tank? They're the best part of the entire reception!"
"I…" Izuku paused. His breath halted halfway in his throat in realization. "Oh, so you're saying we should make them both the focal point instead?"
"I never said…" Katsuki trailed off. He could physically see the lightbulb in his head go off at the same moment that the other did by the beam rivalling sunshine emerging on freckled cheeks. "Wait, what if…"
"-instead of trying to conform the water tank into the seating plan-" Green eyes shone.
"-we arrange the seating plan around the water tank!" Finishing the sentence with a smirk, he almost smacked himself for his own idiocy. If they weren't in a place where smashing something would inevitably lead to drowning, he would've punched a wall in relieved frustration. "Shit. It was so obvious."
The brunette behind them, and Katsuki swears he forgot she was even there, quirked her mouth up slyly. "It wasn't. Quite impressive, you two. With how in-synch you are, I'm sure you'll have a very happy married life."
Izuku, stunned into silence, felt his face turn red all the way up to his ears at about the same time Katsuki reconsidered smashing a wall in after all. By the time he composed himself enough to give that damn lady who should stop sticking her nose into shit a piece of his mind though, she was already passing along a flyer with the dimensions of their available rectangular countertops and sauntering back upstairs. Her heels clicked in the distance, snapping them both out of it.
"Uh…that happened." The symbol of hope laughed nervously.
Katsuki snapped his mouth closed, the clank of his teeth hitting each other making the other jump slightly. "No, it didn't. Listen, Deku. The day that I'm in synch with a hero suck-up ass like YOU is the same day I QUIT being a doctor to pick up cereal boxes for a living!"
"Okay, okay!" Frantic arms danced in the air. "Let's just… make the floor plan?"
They don't talk much outside the topic of the wedding after that. With his sketchbook out, the blond made quick work of drawing both rooms from a bird's eye view. Shapes littered the maps expressing to-scale depictions of each landmark's area and location. Izuku wordlessly followed instructions with a trusty measuring tape, only giving his own two-cents on the matter when voicing that square tables seating four people was probably the best if any last-minute changes to the guest list were made.
The end product was the cylindrical tank and the fountain placed a meter apart resembling an eight. The buffet tables surrounded the centerpiece in a much larger shape, leaving gaps between as curious guests made to get a closer look at the fish or to dip their desserts in the fountain. Barricading both structures also helped to solve the possibility of drunk idiots stumbling in and ruining it for everyone with their body fluids.
All in all, after changing mindsets, the layout of the room itself was a piece of cake. The half of the hall with the fountain would be for eating, while the other half provided sufficient room as a dance floor. Katsuki hastily sent the dimensions to Kaminari in his phone.
The real issue, the real kicker of the night came when the two fully-grown men actually sat down to discuss where the hell all these people were sitting. And god, Katsuki felt like he was an elementary school teacher dealing with a class of rambunctious little assholes all personified into a single seaweed-hair bundle. Izuku seems to have it in his head that he'd somehow hurt someone's feelings by seating them across from their best friend rather than beside, or by arranging them a few feet closer to the bathroom than another guest. Katsuki wasn't touching that fucking mess with a hundred-mile pole.
The level of stupid required to seat Grape Juice next to a female, or Tsukuyomi adjacent to a light quirk-user were the only things that had Katsuki shoving Izuku to change it. As long as the older guests were near the center to hear any speeches and the younger guests were with their families, he didn't give a fuck.
At least, he didn't. He was doing a pretty good job at not giving a fuck up until the point that half of the tables were filled. Eyeing the group of Inko, All Might, Eraserhead, and Gran Torino with disdain, Katsuki brought a strong finger down on the book with a scowl. "What the fuck is that?"
Izuku dropped his pencil, stretching his right wrist out. "I figured that it would be better to stick all of the retired heroes and my mom together. They get along but don't see each other very often so it'd be a great opportunity to catch up."
"Not that." At the confused blink, Katsuki hovered his finger over to the opposite end of the sketchbook where another table lay and gestured between them in disbelief. "What virus infected your brain to think that placing your family and the bride's family so far apart was a brilliant idea?"
"Oh…" Izuku fidgeted with the pencil. "You're right. We should change it."
Contrary to the hero's expectations, this only deepened his toothy scowl. "Cut the bullshit. You're lying because you think it'd inflate my ego."
When Izuku didn't respond, eyes trained on the wooden stick like it was the most interesting thing in the world, Katsuki snatched it away from him with a growl. "Stop being a fucking coward. Unless you're honest about what you want like you were about the shitty ring, there's no point. Don't even get me started on this." Here, his finger moved to the next culprit, stabbing at a lone square like Zeus laying back and deciding who to shoot with lightning on this fine night. "Why are you and the bride smack down on the other side of the fucking room and alone?"
Finally finding his voice, Izuku avoided making eye contact while he spoke. "That's what Atsuko wants."
And really, after his big amazing speech, Katsuki was totally justified in yelling then. "And WHAT is THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!"
"N-Nothing! I'm just saying that she had the tables that way in the last wedding and was pretty adamant about it, so who am I to complain about it? I don't mind sitting with her. It's our wedding and we have to cherish the night since it'll only happen once. Plus it makes her feel like we're the most important and what other feeling are you supposed to have on your weddin-"
"Oh my god, SHUT UP." Green eyes widen in horror when Katsuki, fangs barred, dives in to erase the square like it's a disgrace to the earth and redraw it in between Aoyama and Inko without a second thought. Satisfied with the results, Katsuki glares at him sourly. "Don't look like I just stabbed your cat with a carrot. If it were up to me, your table wouldn't exist."
"What- where would we sit, then?!"
Running out of the patience he treasured in the past hour, the blond feels his mouth curl in a threatening grin. "Oh I don't fucking know, Deku! How about in the awkward metaphorical line separating your own friends and family from the bride's like they're avoiding the shitty century plague?"
That hit Izuku hard. He flinched away, all hopes that his companion wouldn't notice dashed away. "They…" He mumbled the last part.
"What?! Speak louder!"
"THEY DON'T GET ALONG, OKAY?!" It felt good to scream. It shouldn't, but Izuku felt the beginnings of relief seep through his veins more and more with every word.
Katsuki leaned forward, eyes dark. "Who the hell are you talking about here?"
It seemed like a dumb question. Izuku thought it was at first, but seeing how serious those crimson orbs observed him, he gulped. The truth somehow spilled out of him when he was pierced by them. "Us and everyone else. Her family and my friends. My family and her. Us and her friends. My friends and her friends. Her and-"
"Fuck. Okay. I get it." Taking in just how much he was missing here, Katsuki sat back with a glare. "Now look me in the goddamn eye and tell the truth, Deku. Where do you want to sit?"
Izuku glared back, stubborn. "I already said where I want to sit."
"If you want me to believe for one second that you want to sit with your back against the aquarium and staring between an exit sign and your bride's fucking face, then you're a piece of shit."
Really, it just wasn't fair. Kacchan didn't understand. Staring at an exit sign was infinitely better than facing everyone and their expressions filled with expectation and pride. All Might's supportive grin reminiscent of his days as the number one hero, no doubt ending in a small shoulder grab. His mom's own tears, spilling from happiness and ramblings on what he should take with him lest something happens. His closest friends, Ochaco and Tenya gesturing widely every time he and Atsuko were seen together, emulating their pride. And finally, Shouto who would despite offering a smile and words of encouragement, not look in Izuku's eyes directly for days afterward.
And all of a sudden, an exit sign didn't seem so bad.
"Home." A shaky voice croaked out.
"What?"
"At home. I want to sit at home, with hot tea, watching reruns of my favourite All Might cartoon, and eating my mom's cooking."
The next minute was interrupted by nothing but silence and the occasional sniffle from Izuku trying his hardest to keep from bawling. He felt so pathetic, crying for his mom to get away from whatever was happening inside his head. He was a hero, the symbol of hope, but all he could feel this moment was despair clawing its way through his stomach.
Finally, the tension was broken by Katsuki chucking the pencil down at the table. He sighed. "We're taking a break from this."
That was supposed to be it. The doctor would leave him be in the aquatic room to wallow in his pitiful sadness until sundown, possibly taking a bus back home or if Izuku was lucky, return and pretend nothing happened. So imagine his shock when he felt a strong grip take his arm and force his body into a standing position. Izuku blinked wildly, taking the back of Katsuki's head in as the angry man dragged his limp body up the spiral staircase.
Izuku didn't know where they were going, and couldn't bring it in himself to care. The other led him past the main lobby where families with young children gawked at an octopus and into a more secluded branch of the aquarium. The owner was thankfully nowhere to be seen, likely assisting with a tour on the other side of the building. Soon enough, the metal floor transitioned from white to turquoise and the chatter around them faded into whispers.
"Look up."
Izuku looked up. And gasped.
They were standing at the midpoint of a long hallway that connected from one wing of the building to another. There was no ceiling, rather one single wall which curled around in a semi-circle of glass from one end of the floor to the other. What really had him in awe was that it was completely submerged in sea life. A jelly fish, transparent with orange trimmings pumped itself past them and into a formation of rocks. Behind another school of sea bass, a sword fish brushed by and scared them off.
Eying a group of koi fish lazily swaying next to them, Izuku couldn't hold back the tears anymore.
Now that the dam was gone, they came out like a waterfall with the intent to flood the floor. Resisting the urge to chuck the hero out the nearest window, Katsuki cursed loudly. "I thought you like this dumb shit, for fuck's sake! WHY ARE YOU CRYING? What in the hell is wrong with you?!"
Instead of answering, not only his bawling eyes but Izuku's mouth chose that moment to abandon its owner as well and do whatever it liked. It ran off a mile a minute, its volume combined with the thick tears making the words nearly indecipherable for the blond. "K-Kacchan, did you know Koi fish are really popular in Chinese culture? They represent perseverance and ambition due to their ability to swim upstream against the strongest currents. When two koi with contrasting colours are placed together, they're said to symbolize two halves of a whole or yin-and-yang. Many raise koi as a way of bestowing good luck for a happy marriage and-"
"Deku," he grabbed his shoulders. "By all that is sane, calm down."
"I… sorry." Izuku took a deep breath, scraping up his will power to collect any amount of control over his emotions. The waterworks slowed but still continued. He wiped them on his sleeve, residue from his nose detaching themselves from his face to wet his shirt in small patches. Once he felt composed enough to speak again, his next sentence was still barely a murmur. "I know what the theme of the wedding should be."
"So, what? You want to have the theme be two koi fish reuniting? That sounds just like the cheesy thing you'd think of." But Katsuki had to admit, the orange and red would contrast nicely with the natural blue light of the setting.
Izuku shook his head. "No. I want one koi."
At the other's skeptical look, Izuku smiled shyly. "The colours will represent one koi, fighting against the current and reaching the other side. It… it reminds me of when I was at Yuuei, when people said I couldn't become a hero but I did. Or when I saw Ochaco defeat Tokoyami at our first Sports Festival despite everyone doubting her. Tenya took on the name Ingenium to commemorate and surpass his brother even though it was so hard for him to do so. Shouto-kun worked up the courage to talk to his mother again knowing that it could've destroyed him."
Katsuki was speechless. What do you say to that? But the green-haired hero wasn't expecting him to for he pinned him with his determined green eyes next.
"And you… you became a doctor even though you're quirkless." Izuku took in an emotional breath, heart beating fast. "I want the message of the wedding to be inspiration."
"You're… what the fuck, you don't even know me."
"Sorry." In contrast to the apology though, he didn't back down. "But I mean it. I think you're amazing, not any less amazing than everyone else who fought tooth and nail to become a hero."
Katsuki looked away. "Don't say crap you don't mean."
"I mean it." Izuku frowned. "I mean it one-hundred percent."
He didn't grace that with an answer, grumbling nothing under his breath before making his way back to the basement. "Whatever. If you're done crying, let's finish this stupid thing and leave."
But Izuku didn't let up. He ran after the blond, hot on his trails. "You don't believe me." When the target of this chase only sped up, Izuku heightened his pace to match. It was ironic, how they were repeating the same dance that they did the last time they met up but now reversed. "Kacchan, what can I do to make you believe me?"
"Nothing, don't do anything."
"I can't do that!"
They rounded back to the spiral staircase, Izuku struggling to stay at his side before Katsuki changed his pace or made some maneuver around a corner to throw him off. Finally, they were back in the room with the oceanic floor. The starfish that once only inched away now shot off in a random direction at the sound of their footsteps.
Fully aware of what he was about to do, Izuku blurted out. "I used to be quirkless too."
The blond halted, turning his head around with an inquisitive brow.
Realizing that he couldn't back down now, the symbol of hope continued. "I just- I can't explain it but I feel like you have to know that no matter what. I was quirkless before, andwasn't given one until I was thirteen. I can't tell you anymore but… I don't know what I would've done, if I stayed quirkless. If I could've done what you did with your life. If I could've stood against the symbol of hope at the altar and go through all odds to defeat him like you did, no matter how much you say it was luck because of my injury."
Katsuki wasn't stupid. He didn't know how much of this was truth and how much of it was a pretty lie, but being called quirkless was considered one of the lowest derogatory terms in society. For the number five hero to even subject himself to that would be humiliating enough, but he went the extra step of making it his hero name. And, it deserved some respect. He faced Izuku fully, brow raised. "So you're serious about thinking I'm amazing."
"Dead serious."
It was silly, but it wasn't the words that caught him off guard. It wasn't even the thought of having someone at the top of the food chain look at him with such inspiration. It was being the target of an unwavering emerald gaze, posture full of fire and determination. With the reflections of light bouncing off unruly hair and into gleaming eyes, Katsuki never noticed how green they were until now.
And if that was a sparkle that he was beginning to see in them, he would say it was his imagination.
