Izuku Midoriya heard the tinkle of the bell and muffled yelling, but didn't look up. His bookstore, Bookmarked, was along a busy market street, packed full of little stores selling clothes, jewellery, shoes, anything you could think of; muffled yelling was part of the white noise.
He couldn't care less about the commotion and knew that one of the other two clerks, Ai or Daisuke would greet the customer who just walked in and asked if they needed assistance, so he continued to read the article on Dynamight, the up and coming hero, set to become the next Endeavour.
It was an article that grasped Izuku's curiosity because it claimed Dynamight, Katsuki Bakugou to Izuku who knew him once upon a time, was exactly like Endeavour in all the worst ways. Aspiring to be on the top by whatever means necessary, incredibly unlikeable to the press, was scary and intimidating to the victims he would save, and to make matters worse, his last relationship ended in an explosion, much like his quirk. This was the nail in the coffin because his romance with his long-time girlfriend had been a redeeming quality and proved his humanity to doubters. Reporters near to the couple heard Ochako Uraraka yelling something about never having time for her, and their relationship was a joke.
"Ugh, this is getting ugly." Izuku muttered under his breath. His mind disagreed with the word ugly when it roamed Katsuki's face, frowning at the camera with a furrowed, slightly bloody eyebrow, after blasting piece of a building into powder before it fell on nearby civilians.
"Hey."
Izuku looked up and blinked. He looked back to his phone and thought maybe in some twisted way, his brain had manifested Dynamight, in full costume and everything, just for a minute. He had a smudge of something on his cheek and his mask was pushing his hair off his forhead.
"Shit okay. You recognise me. How are you?" Dynamight looked back over his shoulder but Izuku couldn't see past him even if he wanted to. Then Dynamight smiled brightly at him, flashing pointy incisors Izuku had imagined nipping at his neck too often. He blinked stupidly again. "Listen, kiss me." Dynamight said out of the corner of his mouth, the smile still in place.
Izuku shook his head to clear the illusion in front of him. Katsuki didn't recognise him. The store was deathly quiet. He couldn't tear his eyes off Dynamight and the big red x across his chest.
"What?" he said dumbly.
"Kiss me, and I'll do whatever you want." Dynamight, Katsuki, whoever, Izuku's brain couldn't decide, looked down at the counter between them as a way to say 'can't, this is in the way' and Katsuki leaned in on his elbows and smiled widely again; charming and gorgeous, opposite to any angry furrowed brows and concentrated expression mid battle. Was he flirting?
Izuku's chest would burst if he didn't breathe because what the fuck was happening?
"Could you maybe look less surprised and more like you want me?" Dynamight/Katsuki asked him. Izuku blushed. He did want Katsuki, for as long as he could remember. And then he was famous and he was fed daily, images in the media of Dynamight half naked, or simply in his skin tight outfit and Dynamight/Katsuki's face widened in a bright smile Izuku never saw in the news. Izuku was blushing and he knew Dynamight/Katsuki read everything on his face.
"Yea, like that. How bout that kiss?" Dynamight/Katsuki leaned in so that only Izuku could hear the words where he was frozen in place. "I'll be on my way, I'll contact you for your reward, you never hear from me again."
So Izuku steeled his limbs and whispered back into Dynamight/Katsuki's ear trying not to be intoxicated by the smell of nitroglycerin and smoke, the unmistakable sweaty smell that melded with his musk from the day and he said, "What's in this for me? A one time reward? I think not." He was only half joking. He wasn't even sure this was happening or if it was all in his head.
Dynamight/Katsuki pulled back and stared at him in surprise and his mouth twisted in a smirk so wicked, Izuku would use it to jerk off to later.
"I'll get you a meeting with All Might." Dynamight/Katsuki flicked at Izuku's All Might beanie that covered his green curls and basically screamed nerd. Izuku wanted to meet All Might very much, but curiosity about what Dynamight/Katsuki would get from this also made him want to demand more. Because how important was it that Izuku kissed him right now?
"Nah." Izuku smiled as he leaned back and away from Dynamight/Katsuki. "This sounds like a lot of work for something a big shot like you could find someone else for."
Izuku was sure Katsuki didn't recognise him. Just, Izuku knew he was a little annoying to the boy in their teenage years and they had only known each other since they were four; it had been seven years since Katsuki had seen him and Izuku was taller and lither with a runner's build. His hair was covered and his freckles had faded because it was mid-winter and he hadn't run outside in months.
"Come on. What can I give you huh?" Dynamight/Katsuki asked. It was then that Izuku felt the burn of a flash in his retinas and he realised that two photographers had snuck in amongst the bookshelves and were taking photos.
"Is this because of your breakup?" Izuku asked, amused. "I'll take the All Might meet, and a date. I don't kiss men I don't date." Izuku shrugged to emphasise his point. He was definitely joking, he just wanted to know how long it would take for Katsuki to recognise him.
"A date." Dynamight/Katsuki asked. He tilted his head side to side a little like he was juggling the idea. "I can make that happen. One date. If you come around here and hug me like you love me."
"From requesting a kiss to a simple 'I love you'? You aren't demanding at all, are you?." Izuku was already coming around the counter. Katsuki was laughing like he actually meant it; charmed and warm and rumbling, a sound Izuku didn't know Dynamight/Katsuki could make. He was mentally cataloguing it and decided he liked it very much.
Izuku was taller than he was years ago, but fucking hell, Dynamight/Katsuki had to be around six-foot, two inches. His forehead met his chin. When Dynamight/Katsuki opened his arms and Izuku leaned into him and almost drowned with the way his body was immediately engulfed, then he wasn't even in himself anymore.
He barely registered the furious clicking of the shutter and he didn't know what he was doing but he pulled away and looked up at Dynamight/Katsuki with their mouths inches apart and he smiled.
Then tiptoed and kissed him.
The photos of them in his little bookshop were plastered on every paper the next day. Either in the corner of the front page or across the entire surface and Izuku stared at it. That photographer made him look long, even with Katsuki's obvious height difference. His heels were off the floor where he raised onto his toes, his legs looked fantastic, his t-shirt had pulled taught over his back where his arms stretched to wrap around Katsuki.
And while Izuku thought he looked good, holy shit did Katsuki look glorious. His torso was wide, one of his arms pulled at his shoulder for the hug while the other, in this photo, his fingertips were brushing the underside of Izuku's jaw. His lips were smiling in one corner in that wicked smirk. Katsuki Bakugou's lips were pressed against his.
Izuku brushed his fingertips against his mouth and if he closed his eyes, he remembered exactly what it felt like. Katsuki tasted of citrus, like he had drank orange juice, or lemonade. His mouth was soft, gentle, different from what he thought he might be with such an aggressive exterior and mannerisms. His tongue had sneaked a brush against Izuku's own and he found himself semi hard in his pants then, and now even thinking about it.
Then Katsuki pulled away with a low chuckle, and leaned in to whisper. "I think I just found someone to meet my demands ." he had said. Then he turned on his heel, pretended the photographers weren't there, and said loudly enough for the entire store of seven people to hear, "I'll see you tomorrow, babe!"
Babe. He had said that. In front of everyone. So it wasn't a surprise that accompanying that very memorable photo, was the equally vilifying headline. "Mystery boy the reason for Uravity and Dynamight breakup?" Subheadlined, "Hidden affair with quirkless man might have been happening for months leading up to breakup".
They found out his name and it was posted there, along with the shop's name and address, so it was no surprise that Bookmarked was overwhelmingly filled with fangirls and boys. Some were media, those who hadn't given up on calling him. Izuku's phone was on silent since he woke up at five am this morning to it ringing an hour before his alarm because a reporter wanted the scoop.
Izuku left the store in the care of Ai and Daisuke while he ducked into the manager's room to deal with filing papers and completing orders.
There was a quiet knock on the door and he looked up to Ai, her short shiny bob of black hair falling over her cheek as she leaned in with wide eyes to peer at Izuku.
"Hey, um." she sounded nervous then she glanced over her shoulder at the service door that was along the corridor behind her and led to the back of the store. "You have a visitor."
"Who is it?" Izuku frowned. His mother would have just been let to the back if she wanted to see him, so it couldn't have been her. Ai and Daisuke have been dealing with the reporters by offering them books upon books and pretending they weren't reporters, so Izuku knew noone would be allowed back here.
"He's at the back door, should I just let him in?" Ai asked nervously, her body still awkwardly half in and half out of the room.
"Him who?" Izuku thought he would call. Why was he showing up again. And while the store was so busy? He wouldn't.
"Him. " Ai glanced over her shoulder again. "He said it was important? And you guys have a deal?"
Izuku cleared his throat and stood up. Ai backed out of the room and stood away from the door as Izuku passed her. He paused when she didn't move and looked at her expectantly.
"Is this about yesterday? What did you get yourself into? He's so scary-" Ai wrung her hands and Izuku held up a palm to silence her.
"I'm fine. He can't hurt me. He won't hurt me." Izuku explained as Ai still wrung her hands. "Go sell some books. We'll be okay. I'll be okay."
"I'll put on the coffee." Ai gave a weak smile and disappeared.
Izuku opened the door and standing there with a baseball cap pulled low, a medical mask on his face, and shades over his red eyes, was Katsuki Bakugou. In an oversized sleeveless t-shirt, short, loose running pants over black leg warmers, and sneakers, looking like he came from a sports magazine.
"Goddamit nerd, what took ya so long?" Katsuki growled before he pushed past Izuku and strode into the corridor, pausing to look at Izuku expectantly. Nerd. Izuku's heart had skipped at the old nickname. It was said differently than he recalled.
"You remembered." Izuku shut the door and the last draft of cold made him shiver.
"You coulda said we went to school together." Katsuki pulled his shades off then his mask. He wasn't warm, or kind, or soft anymore. Those soft, citrusy, pink lips were pulled into a shadow of a disdainful smirk.
Izuku shouldered him as he reentered the manager's office, Katsuki followed.
"I woulda never done that if-" Katsuki was saying in a rushed, apologetic kind of tone that made Izuku turn around and sneer.
"If what ?" Izuku took a calming breath. He unscrambled his thoughts because after all, he didn't have to push it so far, and he definitely didn't have to kiss him. He could have hugged him, called off the date and been done with it. After a moment of silence, the air thick between them, he said evenly, "I've hated you forever, you know?" Izuku sank into the chair. "But it's whatever, Kacchan."
Katsuki looked momentarily winded. His mouth opened like a goldfish before he sank into the chair opposite Izuku. "I haven't heard anyone call me that since-"
"I've been the only one to call you that." Izuku said tiredly. "Listen, I was teasing you yesterday. I was surprised you didn't recognise me, then you were asking me to kiss you to pretend for I don't know what because the headlines today are worse than before, and all you need to do is leave and never come back? Alright? You're off the hook."
"Look." Katsuki dragged his hand across his jaw, scratching loudly enought that Izuku knew there was near invisible stubble there. "You did me a favour. The stories are scandalous, but no one's talking about how close I am to becoming the old man. Fuckin' assholes think I'm some sorta monster." Katsuki rubbed his eyes with his forefinger and thumb. "I didn't know they'd find out your name, your address, then plaster all your information everywhere like that. I don't want to be let off the hook."
"Why not?" Izuku was surprised, because he had given him an out. And he wasn't taking it. He had got what he wished, Katsuki knew it was him, and Katsuki was choosing to fulfil his promise despite their past.
"I'm a man of my word. If it's anythin' I don't do, it's lie or go back on my promises. A date huh? That all you coulda thought of in the moment?" Katsuki was cracking into a smile again, though his eyes were exhausted and shadowy.
"I thought you'd leave me alone, to be honest." Izuku returned his smile. Then he frowned. "You're confusing me, Kacchan. Was the headline the only thing you needed from me?"
"I-" Katsuki hesitated. Then Ai was at the door with two cups of coffee on a tray, with creamer and everything was clattering on the surface, her hands shaking as she avoided looking at Katsuki. Katsuki rose to his feet, she almost tumbled over, and he caught the tray before he smiled at her and she practically ran out of the room. "Well she's skittish." Katsuki placed the tray down. "I didn't even get to say thanks. What was I sayin'?"
Izuku looked at him bewildered. He was so frightening when he was angry or whatever that emotion was like when he burst through the door three minutes ago. But he was standing there, being nice? If he wasn't mistaken, he had tried to help Ai with the tray, and he was smiling now. Full blown, relieved, and a shy smile on his face.
"Dek-" Katsuki swallowed. "Izuku."
"Sorry, I feel like I have no idea who you are." Izuku admitted. "You scared Ai, you scare people. How are you so nice right now?"
"I'm in therapy." Katsuki shrugged. Izuku's cheeks stretched into a disbelieving smile.
"Therapy?"
Katsuki nodded. "I don't wanna be like that old bastard. I ain't anythin' like him."
Izuku thought about it and he had agreed with the papers. Katsuki was power hungry and bullheaded and everything like Endeavour had been in the shadow of All Might. Bitter, and aiming too high, while his people's relations had suffered. It aligned exactly with the Katsuki he grew up with, the bully he had become.
But Katsuki was in therapy. He was trying. And Izuku had forgiven him years ago because holding onto that meant he was bitter and wasting his life. He did mean it when he said he hated Katsuki, because it was past tense. But he had also admired him and his amazing quirk and all that he had made it into. He was brilliant. Maybe he could prove to himself that he had moved on by simply letting Katsuki keep his word.
"Well. I guess you owe me a date, and a meeting with All Might," Izuku poured cream then three heaps of sugar into his coffee. Katsuki's eyes silently counted the sugar and an eyebrow quirked higher with each tiny scoop. Izuku didn't notice. "Then you get to keep your promise of me never hearing from you again." He raised an eyebrow at Katsuki who laughed that low, rumbly laugh that Izuku could still feel against his chest.
"You really can meet my demands."
Izuku sipped his coffee as Katsuki gulped a mouthful of his unsweetened, black coffee.
Red eyes met green, and for a brief moment, Izuku wondered if Katsuki was thinking about what it was like to kiss him too.