A/N;

Two songs come to mind/helped inspire this chapter:

1. Alps - Novo Amor & ed Tullett
This gentle songs makes my heart swell at some notes the way I imagine Katsuki feels when he wakes in the morning and sees Izuku standing on the shore watching the horizon. I can picture it almost perfectly with his open shirt and green hair moving in the wind, his body illuminated in the occasional sunlight whilst the wall or grey clouds sits in contrast. The same way the leaves on the trees catch the light when the sun breaks through the heavy rain clouds. I always love when that happens 3
Although Katsuki doesn't yet understand his own thoughts and feelings yet, I can imagine him looking back at that scene and knowing that it was one of the moments that he first gazed upon Izuku and felt something flicker inside his chest.

2. Caffeine - Kiro Akiyama
Make what you with of the lyrics, but hearing this without knowing them it felt fun and light hearted and I can see Izuku relaxing and just having a good time to the sound of this song. I can see the pair enjoying their evening in the town and Izuku coaxing Katsuki to join him. I'm sure that weak explanation will make more sense towards the end of this chapter.

This time when Katsuki woke, it wasn't from receiving direct sunlight in his face or from the smell of a freshly made breakfast or from Deku moving about. It was the first time in a long time he felt that he had slept till his body naturally woke him. No alarms or disturbances.

Sitting up he found that he was alone in the room yet again and gave himself a much needed stretch with arms high above his head. The room was dim though, duller than it should have been considering the time when Katsuki glanced at his wrist to check it. It was just past ten in the morning and yet it was as though the sun hadn't risen yet outside. Still dressed in the same shirt and shorts he had gone to sleep in, Katsuki headed for the back doors, sliding one open to look outside. The beach was washed grey from the heavy rain clouds covering the sun and sky from view. It wasn't raining yet, but the clouds carried the promise of it. Further into the distance, over the rougher than usual water washing against the sand, darker clouds loomed on the horizon. They carried the occasional flash of lighting that seemed to ripple throughout the mass of moisture and air that promised a storm was on it's way, rolling in from the sea.

Lowering his gaze, green caught Katsuki's eye and he stepped out onto the thin strip of decking when he saw Deku out there, standing on the sand just out of reach of the waves, watching the dark clouds loom closer. Katsuki stepped onto the sand and headed Deku's way.

Unlike Katsuki, Deku had changed before leaving their room and now, having stepped out from the protection of the inn, Katsuki could feel the wind against his side as it began to whip about from the oncoming storm, attacking his legs with pin pricks of blowing sand. Deku wore light denim shorts that were rolled just above the knee and a pale open button shirt that now whipped around his sides as though it were alive and was trying to escape. The clouds above opened up just a fraction to let down a moment of sunlight that latched into Deku and made him stand out against the dark landscape before them. The sight made Katsuki's footsteps slow to a halt.

Deku must have picked up on his foot steps and shifted a foot back, turning his body to face Katsuki coming his way. The greenette had to raise a hand against the onslaught of wind to keep his hair from his eyes. The other man gently smiled Katsuki's way, but something in his eyes seemed different. The way they half closed despite his smile not being large enough to force them to do so.

The look Deku had given Katsuki the night before after he had ended their kiss flashed in Katsuki's mind for no more than a second. That look in Deku's half lidded eyes back then, Katsuki couldn't put a word on it. Affectionate perhaps or something more powerful than that like lust maybe.

Had he turned Deku on last night? He hadn't thought about it at the time and it hadn't been his intention either. He surely wouldn't have been about to stop and check back then nor was he going to ask now. But being turned on from a kiss was normal wasn't it, or perhaps everyone was a bit different. It had certainly gotten Katsuki's heart racing and blood flowing to areas it shouldn't have, but Katsuki put a lot of that down to the fact that he had never kissed anyone before and in his mind the act of kissing someone was linked to the concept of liking that person in a romantic or sexual way. Or at least that is what the world of media had reinforced anyway. That and his mother always telling him when he was a tiny brat that kisses were meant to shared between two people who cared deeply about each other.

Well, he cared about Deku. Katsuki knew that much. Deku had been a part of his life for as long as Katsuki could remember no matter whether they got along or not. They had practically grown up alongside one another. It would be weird if Katsuki didn't care. Sure Katsuki had spent many years being an absolute ass to the nerd and had tormented him, but that had never meant that he had wished bad things on the other man. Even when he said the terrible things he had said, he had never intended for Deku to act upon any of them. Deku was his hero partner too on top of that and it was Katsuki's job to care about the nerd.

So this kiss didn't need to mean anything more than what it was, simply ticking that item off of Deku's bucket list. And the nerd shouldn't think too much about it. Katsuki only did it as a favour to the other man. He told him as much.

Deku blinked his way, his smile fading as he listened and Katsuki shoved his hands deep into his pockets with a frown. Once Deku's brain had registered the blonde's words, his lips turned up into a bigger smile and he closed his green eyes as he beamed Katsuki's way.

Katsuki immediately felt a pain in his chest at the loss of Deku's forest eyes right in that moment because when he opened them again, he realised that the smile wasn't all that natural, the nerd forcing it a bit and he missed what he had seen in those eyes moments before he had opened his damn mouth. Only when that look in his eyes had gone did Katsuki realize what that look had been: Affection.

It's alright Kacchan, I understand. Thank you, Katsuki frowned as the nerd went on, I really appreciate that you want to work through a bucket list with me.

Katsuki clenched his jaw, feeling his teeth grind. Why did Deku's gratitude at him kissing him last night bother him so damn much?

Katsuki gave a huff to force his face muscles to relax so he could bark at the nerd that of course he was going to help with his bucket list. Why else would he have pushed the nerd to make one and seeing as Katsuki was still the only person who knew of the nerd's condition, who else would go through it with him.

Deku smiled at that and signed his gratitude again Katsuki's way which the blonde snorted at. There was a brief moment of nothing between them that made Katsuki worry that perhaps he had made things awkward and even if he was alright to deal with that, if Deku wasn't then how was Katsuki supposed to behave around the nerd if they were the one being weird?

Before Katsuki's mind could spiral any further on that, Deku's attention perked up and he moved his head to look past Katsuki. The nerd opened his mouth, yelling something past Katsuki and stepped forward to head back to the inn. Katsuki turned in the sand to see what the fuss was about and saw Deku jogging to help the elderly man who owned the inn, who was currently struggling to put a more solid timber exterior door on the tracks in preparation for the storm. Deku rushed over and took it from the man with a smile, his mouth moving with no doubt promises of how he – and by extension Katsuki – would do that job for him. All Katsuki could do as he took action to follow was yell a reminder for the nerd to not use his quirks to get the job done.

The inn wasn't a large building but it was traditional in design, with majority of it's exterior being made up of thin sliding doors so anyone could gain access to the thin deck that ran around the perimeter of the building from any room. That meant that there were a lot of solid timber sliding doors to be placed on the second set of tracks to protect the much thinner sliding doors around the building and Katsuki, along with Deku, spent the next hour doing just that, going back and forth from a little shed out the back which sole purpose was the house the exterior doors.

The owners of the inn were very grateful to the pair of them and as a thank you made them lunch which they took a moment to sit on the deck to eat while the incoming wind made Katsuki's body cool far to quickly after sweating so much from the labour and he had to suppress a shiver.

They finished the job and then took turns showering before hunkering down in their room as the storm rolled in. The elderly woman visited their room and offered them some candles, matches and an extra large blanket big enough to cover both of their futons if placed beside one another for extra warmth. Deku took the items with an appreciative smile and nod her way.

Katsuki didn't need his hearing to know that the storm was a strong one. Through the mostly timber inn he could feel the building shift in the wind and feel the odd draft working it's way in around the reinforced sliding doors with a chill. Deku lit a candle as a precaution and set it on the kotatsu table in case a black out claimed the one light their room had and with the solid timber doors in place, no natural light could make it in, creating an almost late evening feel to the room despite it only being the early afternoon. And now that they had both finally stopped, Katsuki didn't know what to do with himself. He had already told Deku that the kiss they had shared was purely to scratch it off the nerd's bucket list, so why did it keep coming back to the front of his mind like a bad itch?

And lose their light they did minutes later when the power was lost and Deku glanced up at the now dead ceiling light with a frown like looking sad about it would change anything. Katsuki instead gave a huff and turned for his futon that had been folded back up and stored at the edge of the room. The blonde dragged it out towards the centre where he usually laid it down, not going all the way this time seeing as the nerd seemed to have no intention yet of moving from where he still stood by the dead light and Katsuki got about laying out his futon. If it was dark and the weather too bad to leave, then he would sleep. Eventually Deku made a move to do the same as Katsuki and dragged his bundled futon towards the centre too and began to lay it out with a little less care than Katsuki had. By the time the nerd was done with that and had stood up straight again to judge his work in the flickering candle light, Katsuki had already laid down. But rather than turning away from the only light source in the room to sleep, he couldn't tear his gaze away from Deku, the flickering orange light capturing half of his body in it's light whilst the other remained in shadow. The way the light seemed to move against the nerd was hard to look away from. But Katsuki being Katsuki, his staring and annoyance at his own staring, scrunched his face into a sneer naturally so when Deku's eyes passed over him to turn his attention back to the candle, he spotted Katsuki's unintended sneer and paused at it, blinking a couple of times in quick succession as though he was asking a silent question: What did I do?

Before Katsuki could correct his face or spit some excuse on how the nerd had irritated him, Deku flinched at what Katsuki could only assume had been loud and sudden burst of thunder. The flinch had been minor, the nerd's feet staying firmly on the ground, with only his widened eyed and tensed shoulders betraying his surprise at the sudden sound. Katsuki felt his throat roll with a hum of amusement and smugness, Deku's green eyes fixing on him again where he lay.

Loud? Katsuki signed the nerd's way with a smug grin from where he lay, the candle light enough to catch his hands moving through the air.

Deku gave a nod.

Sounds like a you problem, Katsuki gave a bark of laughter at how being deaf was finally working in his favor to which Deku twisted his lips and lowered his eyelids in a unamused fashion. Katsuki would have gone on to express how being deaf also worked well for him considering his hero partner never shut up, but before he could another roll of thunder must have erupted because Deku's head seemed to naturally turn towards the back doors and his unamused expression melted back into a plain frown. With the storm raging as it was, Katsuki may be the only one getting any sleep.

Then a thought crossed Katsuki's mind that he just couldn't manage to shove back into the far reaches of his brain. A thought that tempted to scratch that reoccurring itch. And so, instead he closed his eyes for a moment and let out what he could only assume was a sigh of defeat. Luckily Deku didn't seem to hear that part, not looking Katsuki's way again until the blonde spoke up and waved a hand the other man's way, inviting him over.

Deku seemed confused at that, simply blinking Katsuki's way before the blonde barked it out again more sharply and Deku took a tentative step his way. As the green haired nerd came closer Katsuki let his eyes roll before lifting an arm along with the blanket as an open invitation. The nerd's face twisted a little with uncertainty at that from what Katsuki could tell via the candlelight, before lowering himself to his knees beside Katsuki's futon. Green eyes met red with silent questioning before Katsuki waved his lifted arm with annoyance as a reminder that yes, Katsuki was sure and that the nerd should hurry up and lay down.

Without any hint of a smile – his face still too busy with uncertainty – Deku slowly laid himself down on the single futon beside Katsuki and wriggled his way down till he was laying perfectly beside the blonde and Katsuki let his arm drop, lowering the blanket. With the pair of them on their backs, shoulder to shoulder, there wasn't an awful lot of room on the single sized futon. In fact, Katsuki was certain that at least a third of Deku's side was probably not on the futon at all or covered by the blanket, which kind of defeated the point and hadn't been what Katsuki had been going for at all.

With a rumbling growl to himself, Katsuki barked at the nerd to move closer and could literally feel the nerd's shoulders tense at his words. Katsuki grumbled again, taking action himself rather than wasting his breath explaining what he meant.

Katsuki rolled his shoulders, unintentionally pushing the nerd further away as he pulled up an arm and thrust it towards the other man, forcing it under his shoulders. He wrapped his arm upwards, forcing Deku to roll towards him and if he hadn't been deaf, he was certain the nerd would have squeaked at least at his sudden actions. Finally Katsuki came to a stop, having pulled Deku in closer and left his hand resting at the man's shoulder. In their new position Deku was on his side and pressed in close to Katsuki's own. He had pulled his head back to keep it off of Katsuki though until Katsuki barked at him for it, saying words along the lines of, "put your head here" and the nerd sheepishly did as he was told. With Deku's head resting atop Katsuki's chest, he could feel the green waves brushing against his chin and turned his own head away to save it from the irritating sensation. Deku was tense though, that much was painfully obvious and Katsuki didn't need his smart watch to know the nerd's heart was racing. He could feel it himself. Or perhaps it was his own heart that was racing. Or both. Hard to tell, but with Deku's head right on top of Katsuki's heart, the thought that his own heart could be racing just as much, he contemplated pushing the nerd away just to save himself the embarrassment.

Deku suddenly flinched beside him from another boom of thunder no doubt and something about that sparked Katsuki's resolve. Katsuki didn't know how quiet his voice must have been when he opened his mouth again to tell Deku that if the storm was too loud, that he could just stay where he was and listen to something else – that something else being Katsuki's stupidly loud heart right now, but he wasn't about to voice that level of sappy shit.

The words felt soft, so unlike Katsuki's usual self that he could feel his ears burn with embarrassment that they had even managed to escape his throat, yet at them, Deku seemed to relax some. The motion was slight, shoulders untensing and the release of a pent up breath and that was all the encouragement Katsuki needed to lift his remaining free hand and cross it over his own body to reach Deku's head. He placed his warm hand over Deku's remaining exposed ear to cover it lightly in an honestly pathetic attempt to block out any more rumbling thunder that may come and go from outside, but the nerd accepted it. He didn't flinch or tense up again at the extra touch and with he other man finally relaxing, Katsuki's heated ears could start to cool and his heart start to relax as he let his eyes close with one long exhale and sleep.

When Katsuki woke, he woke to a numb left arm and the weight of an oversized koala pressed against his side. Deku wasn't a koala, sure, but the way the nerd had leaned in closer to rest his head in the centre of Katsuki's chest, draped his arm across Katsuki's body to loosely hang off the other side and one of his legs had crept up over Katsuki's, he may as well have been.

If it weren't for the fact that Katsuki was to blame for inviting Deku to sleep beside him, then he would have exploded right then and there. As it was, the usually hot headed blonde remained where he was, in fact laying so perfectly still that he could have been an actual tree for said koala to be clinging to. It dawned on Katsuki that he really hadn't thought any of it through last night – if it was in fact the next day yet at all, the room still dim with the almost burnt out candle still flickering away – when he invited to nerd onto his futon with him so now, he didn't know what to do about it.

Every time his eyes had gazed over Deku earlier, he would suddenly and very painfully be reminded of the fact that he had kissed that very same nerd and worse yet, it wasn't actually painful in the sense that Katsuki was grossed out about it, but more so the fact that he wasn't. The look in the other man's eyes when he had ended their kiss clung to him and it made Katsuki's skin crawl as though he was vibrating with electricity. It made heat creep up the back of his neck and sweat creep on his brow, yet he didn't exactly hate it. He just hated the fact that he didn't hate it. That and the chaos it was causing both his mind and body.

As it was, thinking such damn things and having Deku pressed against him was doing horrible things to Katsuki as his temperature spiked as heat reached his cheeks and he was screaming inside at the urge to push the nerd away and dive into the sea to cool the fuck off. But then, if he woke the nerd, he would have to face him and he didn't know if he could do that. Making a beeline for the sea was a good idea, but Katsuki had no clue if it was night or day outside, nor if the weather had improved enough to allow it. Katsuki thought that it was mighty preferable if the other man stayed asleep for however long it took for Katsuki to get in control of himself.

Seriously, what had he been thinking before, inviting the nerd to sleep with him like that? He never would have done that before. The only thing that had changed between them was that they had kissed and why had that fucked Katsuki's head up so much, enough for him to literally invite the other man to fucking snuggle up to him like they were gross ass lovers or some shit? It was complete bullshit is what it was. Was this how everyone felt after locking lips with someone? Did everyone's' mind apparently turn to complete and useless mush afterwards? Apparently not because Deku had been acting perfectly fine, or mostly at least anyway – that forced smile still gnawed at Katsuki – it was Katsuki who was the problem. But then again, when Deku had mentioned wanting to kiss a guy and pointing out that he wasn't gay per say that would indicate that Deku had at least kissed girls before, so that would mean that his kiss with Katsuki was not the nerd's first and perhaps that was why he was handling it so much better than Katsuki was, seeing as it was the blonde's first kiss. So that must just be it, since it was Katsuki's first kiss, that was why he was handling it like shit compared to the other man and that was, well, pretty fucking pathetic and embarrassing.

So he didn't want the nerd to wake up to this! If Katsuki could just manage to sneak his way out from under Deku's limbs slowly enough, perhaps he could get out and go drown himself in the sea before the nerd woke and realised that they had slept together. If that didn't work, a blast to the head may be enough to bring on a case of short term memory loss and then – but what if Deku forgot about their kiss….why did that secondary thought make Katsuki frown?

Everything was just starting to piss Katsuki off.

Deku parting his lips whilst he slept on Katsuki's chest right at the moment and drooling did not help the situation. Feeling the warm liquid seep into his shirt and against his skin lit a fire under the blonde and before he could even think on it, he was raising his arms, shoving the sleeping nerd to the side and getting to his feet with a hiss in a matter of seconds.

The nerd rolled off the futon, springing to all fours and looking this way and that, blinking in quick succession as though he was concerned they may be under attack and was trying to wake himself in a hurry, while Katsuki pulled his shirt away from his body to hiss down at the wet spot before pulling it up and over his head, tingling arm be damned. Deku rose to his feet, looking rather uncertain about what just happened just as Katsuki threw his ruined shirt across the room with a snarl.

So much for not waking the nerd up. Luckily for Katsuki though, the other man looked pretty dazed and confused about what just happened. In the candlelight, Deku rose his hands to sign Katsuki's way.

Is everything alright Kacchan? The nerd signed.

Katsuki spat back with what the exact problem was which was that the nerd had just fucking drooled on him. He bit down in the inside of his cheek when he realised his mistake. If he hadn't said that, there was maybe a small chance that the nerd wouldn't have realized they had been cuddled right up against each other, but no, Deku's shoulder rose as he tensed, lips pressing into a thin line and turned his gaze downwards all the while his hands signed an apology Katsuki's way.

Katsuki tilted his head back to the ceiling with an exasperated exhale at his stupid mushy brain before turning his attention back down at his futon and lowered himself to straighten out his blanket. He told the nerd to just go back to sleep and when Deku hesitated, he made it clear he meant for the other man to sleep on his own futon this time and Deku turned on his heel quickly and did just that, kneeling down to smooth out his blanket – just how Katsuki wished he could smooth out his own mind – before lifting the blanket and settling himself down. Katsuki shuffled to the kotatsu to check his phone for the time, seeing that it was just past one in the morning and reminding himself that at that time, he probably shouldn't go try drown himself in the sea and should just sleep instead.

This time Katsuki blew out the candle before settling himself back down to sleep.

When Katsuki woke, it was Deku's fault again, the nerd poking him awake to let him know that breakfast had arrived. It was apparent that the elderly owners of the inn knocking on the door to let them know that they had delivered breakfast had woken Deku too because after he had left Katsuki to retrieve their meal, he set it down on the kotatsu beside the melted blob that was what remained of their candle and went to slide open the rear doors, sunlight flooding the room enough for Katsuki to screw up his face and for Deku to raise an arm and shield his own eyes.

The storm had passed, leaving not a cloud in the sky to keep the sun away. The power was still out, their breakfast consisting of simpler ingredients that hadn't required cooking and outside the beach was littered with branches, litter and even a random shoe that had been blown about overnight.

Without having to discuss it between them at all, after eating they both got straight into helping remove the heavier exterior doors and clear all the crap that had been blown about the property and beach front from the storm. The town had always seemed on the more quiet side as far as beach front towns went during summer, but that meant they had a close community and that really shone through when they quickly found they weren't the only ones volunteering to clean more than just the property they were currently staying on. Many of the locals where walking up and down the beach picking up whatever didn't belong, while in the streets they worked to clear fallen branches and picked up litter.

The tight knit community atmosphere was refreshing to Katsuki and he could practically see Deku basking in its warm glow as the residences ended the warm day with everyone bringing tables and chairs out from their homes and filling the main street along the beach with them before crowding the tables with home cooked meals, the power having been restored just after midday. The entire town it seemed came out of their homes to take part and Katsuki had honestly never seen anything like it before. You just didn't get this kind of wholesome shit in the bustling cities where closing down even a single street would cause anger and chaos at the change of traffic flow.

The pair of them helped the elderly couple join in the festivities by lugging a dining table and chairs over for them whilst they brought food. They stayed and Deku nodded his head with a smile and no doubt kind words as locals thanked them for their help – quirk free – throughout the day. The greenette never strayed from Katsuki's side, offering to sign whatever kind words the locals where spouting Katsuki's way to which the blonde would just give a small nod and grunt in return. No one seemed to take offence at Katsuki's lack of a verbal response.

They were free to roam the various tables stretching through the street to taste what they liked, Katsuki coming across a table of home made spicy food that he liked especially though he couldn't spot who made it to give his kudos to the chef. Further down teenagers had pulled out some multicolored fairy lights and strewn them from one second story window to the next across the street. The section of lights had become a bit of attraction among the locals as the sun disappeared and many of them seemed to pool under them to eat, talk and laugh with one another. If the sun hadn't already left the evening pleasantly warm, then the atmosphere filling the town would have.

They were halted by a middle aged couple who were smiling and flapping their mouths at Deku who smiled away and made conversation like he always bloody did, leaving Katsuki to roll his eyes to the rainbow of lights above and shove his hands in his pockets. It wasn't that they had somewhere to be or a time to return back to the inn, it being only the early evening still, but constantly stopping for chit chat got on Katsuki's nerves. Katsuki let a scowl settle on his face and turned his head Deku's way beside him in an attempt to get the nerd to hurry the pointless conversation along before Katsuki decided to leave him behind – not that he wanted to because he hated the idea of someone approaching him and being stuck in a shitty situation without the nerd to cushion the interaction – but he was starting to consider it. What Katsuki hadn't expected was for his chest to tighten for a fraction of a second as he took in Deku beside him. His dark hair was mottled with reflected coloured light and the freckles across his cheeks seemed to swim in the lights showering them from above. The scowl he wore faded.

Deku's hand waving in front of Katsuki's face made Katsuki pull back and blink back at the nerd.

You alright Kacchan? Deku signed his way with a small smile, the couple having wandered off. Katsuki felt heat creep up his neck and touch his face with irritation that he had lost seconds of his life over nothing and responded by letting his lip curl with annoyance at the other man. Deku's smile only grew with the normalcy of Katsuki's response and that just irked the blonde more, raising a hand, pressing it against the nerd's face and forcing him away with a grumble. Deku took a stumbling step backwards before swatting Katsuki's hand away, revealing a bright smile beneath it that Katsuki had to tear his eyes away from and marched onwards before he was blinded too.

Deku followed a step behind as Katsuki lead the way from the colourful lights strewn over the street and turned down stone steps to meet the sand of the beach. He had thought things may have been less populated there but he was wrong. On the sand ahead of them, having been hidden from view by shops and homes, was a growing bonfire fuelled by the collection of fallen branches that had dried under the hot sun during the day. A good amount of the branches hadn't been dead, creating a plume of smoke that thankfully rose up into the night air rather than being blown around at ground level. Surrounding the fire were more townspeople, dancing around the fire with laughter and smiles, a band playing instruments off to one side while others further away sat on blankets and in camping chairs to talk and watch.

Deku stopped beside Katsuki and the nerd's face lit up at the sight of the festivities around the fire. Bright green eyes turned Katsuki's way and the blonde could almost feel a shiver run up his spine at the knowledge that Deku wouldn't be able to resist going over. The nerd didn't raise his hands to sign to ask if Katsuki wanted to go that way before stepping forward with full confidence that Katsuki would follow, and filled with annoyance at himself, Katsuki did just that, hunching his shoulders and shoving hands deep in his shorts pockets as he trudged after the green haired man he stupidly called his partner. As they neared, they were greeted with turning heads and smiles. It was no secret to many of the townspeople that they were heroes. After their many successes and the news storm that was Katsuki's deafness, they were fairly well known all over it seemed. Thankfully Deku was the perfect defence, with his warm and welcoming aura, majority of people were drawn to him and away from Katsuki who would usually glare or have a snarl on his face just to act as an extra deterrent. The fact that they had been helping out for the better part of the day only added to the towns positive attitude towards them.

Deku stopped by a trio of ladies who waved him over and had brought out camping chairs to sit on the sand. They were middle aged women with kids buzzing about them which made Katsuki stay back an extra step. Kids had never been his forte. They smiled and spoke to the much more friendly greenette who smiled and opened and closed his mouth in return before the kids seemed to become riddled with energy and darted for the bonfire with no doubt squeals over whatever the hell it was that had gotten them so damn excited in the first place. In their wake they latched onto one of the woman and Deku and pulled them with them and the two stumbled after them with wide smiles. Katsuki merely narrowed his eyes and watched the greenette be dragged away. He was glad he hadn't been standing close enough to have been swept up in the excitement or chaos or whatever. Unfortunately, that meant Katsuki had been left alone and the attention of the two remaining seated women turned Katsuki's way with smiles that made Katsuki frown. The last thing he wanted was to be dragged into conversation. They waved him over, indicating the recently vacated seat between them and with a glare, Katsuki claimed it, sitting down heavily and crossing his arms over his chest. Anything to give the impression that he wasn't open to talking.

Whether the women knew he was deaf, thought he was listening dutifully or just didn't care, they both talked around him and that was perfectly fine with the blonde, who slouched down in the canvas seat and let his glare rest towards the fire ahead of them where the nerd was currently being shown by the brats how to do certain dances. The green idiot was smiling away, moving his body this way and that, sometimes messing up on purpose and grinning like an idiot when the kids barked at him and did their best to correct him. How the literal incarnation of sunshine dealt with such irritating interactions would forever puzzle Katsuki to the point of frustration. It always had and always would no doubt.

Despite Katsuki's clearly grumpy demeanour, as the kids scurried elsewhere, Deku's eyes turned back Katsuki's way in search of him and the moment their eyes met, the greenette's face lit up with a wide smile lit in the darkness by the burning flames. Deku waved a hand Katsuki's way, attempting to call him over, but Katsuki only deepened his glare in return. Deku tried again with both hands to which Katsuki tilted his head back to exaggerate his eye roll seeing as the nerd was too far away and the lighting not good enough for the other man to see it otherwise. Deku shook his head to himself with a smile as he came closer across the sand to stand before Katsuki and held a hand out in offering to join him. The blonde kept his hands over his chest and grumbled out that he simply didn't dance, but the nerd only leaned in more, bringing his open hand in closer to Katsuki with silent insistence. Katsuki's mistake was lifting his glare from Deku's hand to his face and something inside him gave at the way the nerd looked to him. His green eyes were soft, closing partially with his lifted freckled cheeks as he smiled warmly back at Katsuki through closed lips. Katsuki looked away, let out one long huff through his nose and put a hand in Deku's. The nerd lit up at Katsuki's touch and pulled him up and out of the seat before turning, still holding Katsuki's damn hand and pulling him closer to the roaring fire.

Once they were close enough to feel the warmth, Deku turned back to face Katsuki and reached for his other hand, grabbing it in his own before Katsuki even realised he had been after it. His movements started slow, holding Katsuki at a relaxed arm's length, pushing and pulling one arm forward at a time, his shoulders following each movement. Katsuki reminded the nerd that he couldn't dance even if he wanted to because he couldn't hear the music, but to that Deku's smile only grew more sincere and it caused a pain somewhere deep in Katsuki's chest and drained what stubbornness he had left in him.

Deku started to move more, letting his body sway this way and that to the silent music, his hands in Katsuki's gently guiding him along to the music surrounding them. Arms took turns moving back and forth between them, shoulders and hips tilted this way and that in sync with their arms and lastly, as even Katsuki's body started to move more fluidly lead by Deku's, their feet began to move. Only the occasional small step here and there, but Deku began to add them with each sway and Katsuki followed without having to think about it. When Deku moved a foot forward, Katsuki's moved back and slowly they were moving across the sand in sync with one another just as smoothly as they moved together in battle. Deku's smile grew till Katsuki could see teeth, the nerd's eyes closing further and his freckled cheeks pinkening under the moving flames they danced around, but his green eyes, showing nothing but happiness, remained on Katsuki and he felt like a new fire was being lit inside his chest that made his stomach twist in an uncomfortable way.

Katsuki vowed he would never kiss anyone again if it made even his organs turn to mush afterwards too.