A/N:
OH. MY. LORD
This chapter is FAAAARRRRRRRR overdue and I can not apologize enough to my loyal consumers of this fic .
I took a much needed break to focus all of my attention on the final smut filled chapter of In His Possessive Hold and YES I completed it but DAMNNNN, writing smut was so much harder than I had first expected. I just couldn't bring myself to leave out any of the details and before I knew it, it was a LOOOOONNNNG chapter 0.0
I thank you all for your amazing patience if you have decided to pick this fic up again after such a long hiatus and wish for you all to know that this fic shall be my one and only writing priority until its completed! I cannot promise weekly posts, but I shall post as often as I am able once I decide the work of each chapter is of good enough quality to do so.
Enjoy 3
Deku had fussed around for days after they had gotten their ears pierced. The nerd flustered about telling their administrator they wouldn't be working, updating their team emails automated responses, and pushed Katsuki time and time again over a time frame for their little adventures so Deku could reach out to the agencies that had shown interest in them. When Katsuki had rolled his eyes in return – time and time again – and grumbled out a "who cares" the nerd had only pouted in return before tuning on his heel to fuss over some other shitty little detail before coming back with the same question the very next day.
Finally, Katsuki lunged for the greenette's shoulders as he passed him in his own apartment – the nerd coming over to stress over pointless shit again – and turned him to face him. Katsuki growled out the words "Would you quit it already" to the nerd's face with yet another eye roll and what he hoped was an over-the-top exhale, "who cares" he tacked on as he let go of the greenette.
I care and so should you, Izuku threw back, taking a step back, you still want to be a hero don't you Kacchan? – he didn't wait for an answer – Because to do that we have to do things properly. We can't just disappear without explaining ourselves to anyone and then expect them to be accepting when we do finally come back. Katsuki twisted his lips with disapproval at that. More so because annoyingly the nerd was right.
Fine. But hurry up. What else do you even need to do? We have somewhere to be later, don't forget, Katsuki threw back in defeat though he scowled about it as he did. He – Deku actually because Katsuki couldn't exactly do a phone call to a business landline/didn't want to – had finally gotten them a reservation at one of the top end restaurants in the city that featured puffer fish on their menu, and they couldn't miss it or they would be waiting a while yet for a new opening.
Well, Izuku began, eyes looking away thoughtfully. Katsuki was certain that if the nerd hadn't needed his hands to sign that he would have had a hand to his chin as he listed the things that still needed to be organised. Katsuki threw his hands up in the air as the nerd prattled on with a "fine, fine" before turning on his heel to make a list before Deku's head exploded from it all.
The restaurant was a damn good one because of course why would have Katsuki settled for anything less. What he hadn't expected was the dress code to enter being so strict and luckily when Deku had made the call prior, they had informed him that it was semi-formal. It seemed like some extra effort just for the sake of tasting some high end, professionally prepared fugu but Katsuki had heard they were the best place in the city to have it so that was settled quickly. Deku had looked concerned at that news, not only because he had started waving his hands about asking if Katsuki was positive that had to go to such a posh place – something clearly outside the nerd's comfort zone it seemed – and because when Katsuki wouldn't budge on it, the greenette had to rush about right then and there to search through his wardrobe to see if he had any clothes that would pass despite the plans being days away still. Katsuki had shoved the nerd out of the way and pulled some clothes from their hangers and threw them to Deku's bed before heading off for the day to do very much the same at his own place. The only difference being that he already knew that he did have clothes good enough for the occasion.
The sun had already set by the time their reservation rolled around several days later, Deku having finalised all the shit he had been panicking about hero career wise beforehand now that Katsuki was in the same corner as him.
They entered in through the lobby of a five-star hotel, the doormen outside already scrutinising their cloths with their eyes before opening the door to them. It hadn't been a necessity to dress so formally just to enter the hotel lobby, but it gave Katsuki the strong sense that the people who stayed at the hotel must live very expensive lives, something even he wasn't accustomed too despite his upbringing. Katsuki's family had good money, his parents' good careers and he a comfortable life. But his parents hadn't spoiled him with the latest gaming consoles or gadgets the moment they were realised and none of it had really phased Katsuki much. He hadn't been a demanding child, or at least not in the materialistic sense.
They didn't need to stop and speak to anyone inside the lobby, turning right for the elevators and heading up to the upper floors where the restaurant was housed. It was more so there, coming towards the double doors of the restaurant that a security guard gave them a much more thorough glance up and down before asking if they had a reservation, or at least that's what Katsuki assumed they were opening their mouth for and Izuku smiled with a reply before he let them pass and a waiter guided them to their table.
The place was over the top with dark burgundy carpet floors, golden tables and chairs and stunning hanging crystal lights that looked like they were floating. They were led to a little two-seater table by the floor to ceiling glass windows. Before they sat the waiter whipped out a pristine white table clothes and draped it gracefully over the small circular golden table with practiced movements, placed a tall candle down in the centre and lit it before waving a hand to offer them their seats that he had quickly pulled out for them. Thankfully, he didn't stick about to push them in like children too, instead leaving to grab them menus and two glasses of chilled water before he left again with practically all the grace of a dancer.
They were left alone sitting opposite one another, the other tables far enough away to not make Katsuki feel like the presence of others was pushing in on him and the space beside the window was a pleasant one, making it feel even more open and he turned his head to look to the many city lights glittering outside. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see green eyes on him and snapped his head back around to face Deku.
This isn't a date, Katsuki waved about when the nerd had flinched at how quickly Katsuki had narrowed his eyes on him. The blonde had felt a wave of self-consciousness as though he had been getting checked out and he wasn't a fan because he already knew damn well he looked good.
I didn't think it was, Deku waved back instantly.
We kissed once so I don't want you thinking that kinda shit, Katsuki rolled his eyes with a sneer, It was all for the sake of the bucket list just like this is.
When Katsuki's eyes fixed back onto Deku, the greenette's cheeks were pink.
You were thinking of that shit, Katsuki would have jabbed at the nerd from across the table if he hadn't been using his hands to communicate because there was no way he was going to be screaming such information such as their shared kiss throughout the restaurant. He figured the renewed sneer and furrowed blonde brows would help drive his point across.
You brought it up, Deku threw back with frustrated flare.
Get over it already, it's not like it was your first damn kiss. Katsuki relaxed back into his seat, finally picking up the menu to look over. But he could feel Deku's eyes on him again, this time lowering his menu with what he hoped passed for an exaggerated sigh and was about to order the nerd to hurry up and pick something to eat seeing as the fugu itself wasn't enough to be an actual meal when he stopped.
Kacchan, his hands paused with hesitation, was it yours? He asked, green eyes fixed on Katsuki.
Did it feel like it was my first kiss? Katsuki threw back confidently with a huff through his nose and an eye roll. But when his eyes came back to the nerd, his green eyes were wide and face pink behind the hands coming together to cover his mouth.
Don't start thinking shit nerd, Katsuki narrowed his eyes in return. Deku's face didn't change as he shook it from side to side with hands still covering his mouth. He could see that the damn nerd didn't believe him, and Katsuki ground his teeth at that, glowering back at the greenette in warning. Then Deku's hands fell away and his mouth opened in a wide smile as he laughed. Katsuki bared his teeth and rose from his seat slightly, almost contemplating lunging across the table to throttle the nerd. Deku responded with waving a hand Katsuki's way in a 'wait, wait' motion.
I'm not laughing at you, Deku informed him once he had calmed enough to look to Katsuki with just a smile again.
Katsuki just flipped him off before returning to sit back in his seat with a sneer.
No, no, Deku waved at him again, leaning forward, It's not that, it's more – he paused, eyes looking to the ceiling as he thought of the word he was after – sweet, he finished.
Katsuki scoffed at him and crossed his arms over his chest. Insulted but not wanting to make a scene just yet. Deku waved his hands about until Katsuki's red-hot glare fixed on him again. The nerd's eyelids lowered a fraction, brows creasing lightly as his smile melted into something more warm and affectionate. His lips parted and Katsuki knew the word that escaped those lips.
'Kacchan'
Katsuki's face involuntarily softened and before he had time to realise and correct himself back into an angry glare, Deku signed to him again.
Thank you Kacchan, he signed with that same damn warm expression, I really appreciate that you did that for me.
Katsuki just flipped him off again, rolled his eyes with a grumble rumbling through his throat and turned his attention back to the menu and from Katsuki's peripheral he could see Deku do the same thankfully.
They ordered some fugu for an entrée and it featured in Katsuki's main as well, while Deku hadn't seemed as much of a fan and after his first tasting of the specialised dish and changed his main to something more fitting for him. Katsuki had rolled his eyes and spouted a "what's the point" at him but Deku had smiled and waved off Katsuki's complaint about taking him somewhere so nice just to try it. The nerd had known Katsuki had only been mocking him and they returned their attention back to their meals. They got dessert after and then Deku dove into waving his hands about over the latest hero news. Katsuki's red eyes watched on, but he had little to input himself and just left Deku to go at it, his green brows furrowing and expressions changing along with his tone as he explained whatever the hell it was he was going on about. Honestly, if Katsuki glanced away for even a few seconds and then looked back he could have sworn the damn nerd had fully shifted topics just to fuck with him. So, Katsuki kept his ruby eyes trained on the other man, nicely dressed opposite him.
Katsuki had stopped by the nerd's prior to them leaving for their dinner and had growled at the nerd over his un-ironed pants, demanding that he take the black things off so he could iron them for the useless greenette. Deku had paired his black pants with some black lace up oxford style shoes that were more textured than shiny with a brown heel, a dark sea green, long sleeve button up that thankfully had been hanging and didn't require ironing. The shirt had details of dark swirling patterns across it that Katsuki's eyes could only manage to catch when under the light. On top of all of that the nerd had thrown on a black button up smart-casual jacket and worn it undone and sleeves down. For someone so useless the nerd had cleaned up pretty well, though he would have looked atrocious without Katsuki there to pick out his clothes prior and to iron the folds out of his pants from being folded in a drawer for so damn long.
Katsuki himself had stuck to the grey scale. Ranging from black pants, black shiny dress shoes, a plain white long sleeve button shirt with sleeves rolled half way up his forearms and completed with layered vests. A grey one with the four buttons done up across his abdomen without covering the white shirt across his chest and a black one on top that he left undone. To complete the look and just because Katsuki was not a tie person, he left the top button undone. There was no need for a jacket to top it all off for Katsuki, his body already running at a warmer temperature than most.
Altogether, Katsuki thought they had done a good job pulling it all off and looked pretty good. Not that he'd ever tell the nerd that though.
At the end of their meal they stood and left together, Katsuki forking the bill seeing as he was the one that had chosen the expensive place so it had only seemed fair to him and it wasn't till he had walked with the nerd from the cab back to Deku's front door that it hit Katsuki that he was treating it like a damn date – not that he had been on one before, though he had a general concept of the basic etiquette from media and overhearing friends talk – and when Deku turned back his way before his apartment door with a smile and looking like he was about to start signing Katsuki's way about how nice their night out had been, Katsuki lifted a hand, palm open and shoved it right into the greenette's face with enough force to push the nerd back a step, bringing it back to himself again before Deku had a chance to raise his own hands to grab at Katsuki's wrist, turned on his heel and left with a grumble.
It was only a couple of days before Katsuki was back at Deku's door again, ready to drag the nerd out for yet another bucket list adventure. The third one for the week. Katsuki knew Deku wasn't exactly thrilled about the not going back to work thing and so he figured the best way to counter the risk of the nerd falling back into a depressive state as he had the last time he had been pulled from work, was to keep the man busy. So, after getting their ears pierced spontaneously at the beginning of the week, trying a new food at a fancy restaurant mid-week, Katsuki had to wait till the weekend before they could tackle the next thing on the nerd's stupid list. This one though was an actual surprise for the greenette seeing as Katsuki could book it online rather than having to rely on the nerd to make calls for him. It wasn't that Katsuki couldn't make phone calls, the wrist watch Deku had gotten him had made that possible, but words to text then back to words was slow and not always perfect so he'd prefer not too where he could avoid it.
So, all Katsuki had told the nerd prior to rocking up at his door Saturday morning was for the nerd to be awake, dressed and ready in something fit for the outdoors. It honestly wasn't a lot to go off and they wouldn't exactly be doing much physical work for this bucket list item so Katsuki limited himself to only an eye roll and a huff of air at Izuku's denim pants and plain shirt with a damn All Might zip-up hoodie before turning on his heel with the expectation that Deku would follow him. Katsuki himself had opted for more cargo style pants so items in his pockets wouldn't be so close to jab into him.
Katsuki remained silent with his hands in his pockets while they hiked down the street to their nearest train station. Deku insisted with his waving hands – something that hadn't stopped the entire time as the nerd ranted on about one thing or another – at one point that they stop at a convenience store for a bite to eat quickly before continuing on their way. Katsuki rolled his eyes and waited out the front, giving nothing more than a quick grunt of thanks when the greenette appeared a minute later with a hot dumpling in hand for Katsuki also. It wasn't until they were seated beside one another on the train out that Deku finally lifted his hands to ask where it was they were even going.
Out, Katsuki lifted his hands from his lap to wave before letting them drop again. Deku pouted back his way.
Out of the city, Katsuki elaborated with another lazy hand wave and the roll of his eyed. Deku's pout melted into an unamused frown as his green brows lowered and he levelled Katsuki with a stare. Katsuki gave a huff and leaned back into his seat to relax. He told Deku what stop they needed to get off at and then let his eyes close for the rest of the trip, Deku leaving him in peace to read articles on his phone of whatever. The only reminder Katsuki had of Deku beside him for the duration of the hour and a bit long ride was the occasional bump of the shoulder as the carriage rocked along the way.
After a while Deku nudged his shoulder against Katsuki's with more purpose and the blonde opened his eyes again, turning them Deku's way and the nerd waved that they had arrived at their stop. Katsuki stood with a sigh as the carriage came to a halt and followed the greenette out and onto the platform, one that was far smaller and more open than the ones in the city were. Deku waited for Katsuki to take the lead seeing as he was the only one who knew what they were doing there in the first place and after a quick glance at his phone, led the way to a little carpark where a white mini bus was waiting for them. A smiling man with a cowboy hat on was waiting outside and greeted them a little too enthusiastically before opening the sliding door for them to step into the bus that already housed other people in half the seats, most in pairs and chatting away happily to one another. A few of them glanced up as Katsuki and Deku entered, ducking their heads in through the door. A couple of the faces looking their way widened with recognition, one even turning to their teenage friend and getting their attention quickly like the pair of heroes before them were rare birds that would fly away any second.
Katsuki gave a grunt at the unwanted attention, shoved his hands in his pockets again and took a seat at the front. Deku was a little slower, offering the apparent fans a quick smile and wave before turning his back to them to sit down beside Katsuki. The blonde could only imagine the hushed excitement he was missing out on and gladly so. He had made plans and forked out the extra money for them to have a private event at their destination, but it hadn't crossed his mind that them getting there wouldn't have been so private. Thankfully, everyone on the mini bus minded their own business and respected their space, no one coming closer to ask for an autograph or photos. And Katsuki swore that if he saw the flash of a camera he would turn around and snarl at who ever would dare to take it. Heroes had come a long way for the public to finally respect their private lives and he was glad that it continued to stand even outside of the city. Word of their little outing would get around but there was little Katsuki could do about that and he couldn't see why anyone, or the media would be much interested in their reasoning for being on that mini bus with those extras anyway.
The driver got in and took off with everyone on board. Deku signed away beside Katsuki, again giving it a shot to guess what they were doing, but Katsuki just crossed his arms with a frown and glared at the nerd out of the corner of his eye, firm that he wasn't even going to offer the greenette a response of 'no' when he guessed wrong.
Skydiving? – he'd paused with a smile pointed Katsuki's way as though he hoped for some sort of hint before jumping right onto the next – hiking? Dirt bike riding? Horse riding? We didn't pack anything so it's not camping. Rock climbing? Bungee jumping? Paragliding? Are we going to a wildlife reserve? A special shrine of some sort? Are we visiting that fox village?
The nerd went on and on, his expressions twisting this way and that between thinking and excitement, listing a couple of things that hadn't actually been on the idiot's bucket list to begin with, so Katsuki took note of them mentally to add to the list.
Eventually the driver pulled off the main road and onto a dirt one, driving down it with confidence. Katsuki had already made sure the weather would be good for the day, but even just a few days of no rain was enough to dry the road to leave a billowing cloud of dust behind the minibus as it went. The driver pulled into a long gravel driveway, decorated with a wood archway featuring horses rearing out of it. Deku's jaw dropped and his face turned to Katsuki when he saw it, finally figuring it out.
Horse riding? He asked with a wave of his hands like he even needed to. Katsuki just frowned back at it, but Deku's mouth fell back into a smile as he looked to Katsuki with silent gratitude. Deep in the green eyes seemed to shine something else, something that made Katsuki's chest tighten momentarily and he turned his face away with a clenched jaw, not knowing what to do or how to feel about the affection he had seen there, or at least that was his best guess as to what it was. It reminded him too much of the similar, yet not the same, glimmer that had been in Deku's eyes after Katsuki had kissed him, and that made his gut twist.
Katsuki silently thanked his own pickiness when it came to booking the horse-riding tour online for selecting the private option as they were pulled away from the rest of the extras filing off of the minibus. They were led to a stable, clean, and presentable with all too friendly horses sticking their heads out to see who the new comers were. The guide with them spewed some nonsense about how long the ranch had been running for, their horses, etcetera. Deku signed his words away a step ahead of Katsuki, but the blonde didn't much care for it. Their guide each pointed them to a horse that would be their companion for the ride. The guide saddled their horses up, prattling more words Deku's way as he did and Deku at least gave up on signing them back Katsuki's way, picking up on the blonde's disinterest and rather just smiled and nodded along at the guide's words. Their guide then handed a lead to each of them and, along with their own horse, led them through the stable and out the other side. They walked a short distance to a field where they were instructed on how to get on the horse and how to properly sit and hold the reins. Both of them managed that – Katsuki getting a leg over cleanly first try, while Deku got it on his second, something Katsuki gave a snort of amusement at – and from their guides smile, were praised for it, though Deku's hands were too busy on the reins to sign the guide's words to Katsuki.
Their horses – Katsuki's a beautiful cream colour with dark socks, mane and muzzle and Deku's a light chestnut colour with white socks and diamond on its head – stood side by side a little restlessly as their guide – their horse much like Deku's but a darker shade of brown – and quickly ran through the basics of how to control the horse and to signal to it what you wanted from it such as what direction to turn, to speed up, slow down and so on, this time Deku being able to sign beside Katsuki now that his horse was mostly still. Katsuki's horse bobbed its head while they stood and took in the brief tutorial.
-and once you've gotten the hang of it, we can head up the trail, Deku signed for the guide, indicating that they were in the field to practice their basic control of their mounts.
They spent the next couple of minutes easing into it, tapping their heels against the horses' sides in their saddles to get them moving and pulling gently on the reins this way and that to manoeuvre the horse in one direction or another. Their guide's attention was caught somewhere else, Katsuki's eyes following their gaze to another member of the ranch staff waving for their attention.
The guide said some quick words, getting Deku's attention, before heading to the edge of the field on their horse to see what their colleague needed. Katsuki's red gaze turned Deku's way so the greenette could pass on the guide's words.
Keep going at it, remember it's not a race and take it slow, Deku signed his way before he picked up the rein again and guided his chestnut horse closer Katsuki's way. The blonde let out a huff and rolled his eyes. He didn't need any words to portray his inner thoughts.
Kacchan, Deku waved before having to grab at the reins again to pull his horse to a stop after it had overtaken Katsuki's by a body length. The greenette twisted his body in the saddle to sign to Katsuki more clearly once his horse had stopped.
It's just some practice, the nerd frowned Katsuki's way, even if you've done it before, I haven't – no shit sherlock, Katsuki thought to himself, why else were they there – and we don't know what terrain we'll be going through so it's best if we –
Katsuki had enough. Loudly barking that he didn't need any damn practice and that he was naturally gifted at everything, but he didn't get the chance to get beyond his first few words when suddenly the horse beneath him reared in a panic and Katsuki cursed himself for being even louder than he had intended. He reached for the reins as gravity suddenly pulled on his body, having not had them in hand whilst standing still, but the sweat on his hands made his grip slip and he cursed himself even further as his back collided with the earth and the horse ran off.
That also reminded Katsuki of another thing….he'd never actually ridden a horse before. That had been a lie, sort of. Katsuki had been on a horse before but sitting on one as it was lead around a small pen as a child probably didn't count.
Luckily the wind hadn't been knocked out of him and he sat up on his elbows with a snarl to himself, his red gaze instantly seeking out Deku, still sitting high and mighty on his chestnut stead and awaited the judgement that he knew was to come once the nerd realised he was okay. And exactly that is what happened.
Katsuki's gaze met Deku's green ones, eyes wide with worry, hands already free from his reins as he had no doubt been ready to leap off of horseback if Katsuki had needed – he ground his teeth at being treated like a damn damsel in distress, the thought annoying him whether it actually happened or not – but the moment Deku saw that Katsuki was alright, that look of concern quickly melted away into a smile that very quickly exploded into laughter. Deku's own horse may have done nothing more that bounce its head and stamp its hooves at Katsuki's suddenly booming voice, but when it was already riled up and with Deku suddenly barking a laugh, it took off.
The nerd's laughter was cut off and his smile dropped away as his horse moved to take off at top speed, Deku not having the time to reach for the reins was bounced out of the saddle, across the back of the horse and taken by gravity just the same way Katsuki had been. Luckily, his horse didn't strike out with a kick as he fell and the greenette instead landed in a heap on the ground not far from Katsuki. The blonde shifted onto all fours from his seated position, crawling forward in his haste before quickly managing to rise to his feet to reach Izuku. But of course, the nerd was fine and once Katsuki was standing over him, the greenette had already recovered enough to beam back up at him from the grass before breaking down into laughter again, his green eyes closing, face flushing and shoulders shaking with his silent laughter. Katsuki didn't need to hear it to know what it sounded like. He had heard it plenty over the years, especially during high school.
Katsuki sneered down at the nerd before taking a step back, kicked up a clump of grass, sending it over Deku's face and showring it with dirt – that shut him up really quick as he sat up and spat out what had fallen into his mouth – before turning away. Their guide was already coming back their way quickly to see what the hell had happened and no doubt checking in that they were both okay.
Eventually they did get back on their horses – after some stern words from their guide about taking care to not spook them again – and got onto the trail. It was a thin dirt track through trees as they went, with very few opportunities for their horses to walk side by side. An hour in and their half way point was marked with a stop at a waterfall location. The water was pristine as the narrow river torrented down the cliff face decorated with even more trees above, before retuning to its calm clear self momentarily after. The water was so clear despite its movement that the rounded pebbles and even some fish could be seen beneath its surface even from horseback. Had the weather been better Katsuki would have had the option to book the next level up from the private tour, the "couples" tour which included a half hour stop at that spot for a swim and were provided lunch, but with the weather cooling and the flowing water no doubt being cold as fuck, that wasn't an option. Katsuki admitted that it would have been nice to do if he could ignore the "couples" part.
As it was, they moved on at a leisurely pace, crossing the water at some points – something that made Katsuki's jaw tense as he felt the horses' hooves slip over the rocky bottom, yet those moments never seemed to bother the horse in the slightest. The experience as a whole was rather calming once Katsuki came to the realisation that despite startling the horses earlier, they knew what they were doing and could probably have walked the track blindfolded they would have done it so many times before. And it remained calm. There were no real moments where the horses had to tackle slippery slopes or pick up their speed and after two hours, they arrived back at the stables.
The original group they had come in with were back already, smiling and chatting away and thankfully not giving the pair of them much attention anymore as they all filed back onto the mini-bus and were returned to the station they were picked up from and headed for home. A couple of the people that had been present were on the same train back and it was only then that another young man made the ballsy approach to say hello to them or more so Deku, who smiled and chatted in return.
Katsuki watched on from the corner of his narrowed eyes, showing no sign that he wanted to engage what so ever and Deku didn't bother signing for him either, knowing that Katsuki wouldn't have cared for it. So why he felt the need to keep an eye on the exchange grated at his nerves. The other man, perhaps a couple of years younger than themselves stood opposite where Deku sat, smiling a little too much for Katsuki's liking and his face looked a little warm as he happily talked away to the greenette. Not at any point did the other man ask for an autograph or photo which surprised Katsuki the most, but he put that down to them trying to be polite, though honestly how polite could one be when bothering a stranger with their unwanted chit-chat anyway. It just reminded Katsuki to later have a quick snap at Deku for being too damn nice and bothering with extras at all, especially when his time was oh so limited apparently. Finally, the chatty extra got off several stations before they did and Katsuki found that he could relax a little more.
This time when Katsuki and Deku ended the day with going their separate ways, Katsuki left him outside the nerd's apartment complex, grunting a quick careless farewell before Deku had the chance to spout his thanks or appreciation or whatever other positive bullshit he'd have ready to go that would only make Katsuki feel uncomfortable.
As the weather continued to cool it limited a lot of the things that were available for them to do from Deku's shitty bucket list. But it did open up the opportunity for a bigger one that the nerd had wanted to do: visit the snow.
They had of course been to the snow more than once during their hero training years at U.A. Primarily to participate in a basic how-to-save-a-dumb-extra-in-a-more-extreme-environment activity, some cold related first aid shit and a test to see how the cold affected or limited their quirks. Katsuki had struggled with that part in particular, the cold biting at him and making him work harder to produce his usual in-excess sweat. Deku hadn't fared to bad, his only challenge at the time being managing his quirk over an icy surface – the nerd had fallen on his ass or slid way too far more than once when trying to make a landing or come to a clean stop – while others in their class like Icy Hot hadn't even sneezed at the cold. Frog Girl was done with right away due to how the cold put her out, Shitty Hair had finally complained about being cold for the first time since Katsuki had known him and Four Eyes for once actually had trouble keeping his engine legs warm enough to even function.
Overall, they hadn't spent more than two nights over their three years of high school there and even then Katsuki hadn't even had the time to throw a single snow ball at anyone for getting on his nerves.
Unlike Deku though, Katsuki had been to the snow for more leisurely reasons before, once with his parents back in his earlier years and again in middle school as part of a two-day excursion. Deku had missed out on that despite being in the same class at the time thanks to a poorly timed cold.
Planning a trip to the snow took a little more time though due to having to wait for the weather to create enough snow fall to make the trip up north worth it and Katsuki couldn't keep this one a surprise, having to tell the nerd in advance not only so they could pack accordingly, but also so they had several days to buy anything they needed. They could hire snow gear up there, but that didn't cover the inner wear, thicker socks, face masks, scarfs, standard gloves and so on.
In the meantime, they did a few other things.
Deku finally got to attend cooking classes several nights over two weeks since now he had too much time on his hands, something the nerd organised on his own and thankfully didn't need Katsuki to hold his damn hand for. At the end of it all, the nerd very excitedly invited Katsuki over and surprised him with a meal as a form of thanks – as the nerd put it – and Katsuki couldn't help how his eyes had grown wide at the delightful taste of it. Even he hadn't needed to use anything spicy on it to improve it, the nerd beaming with pride the entire damn time.
Outside of that over those next couple of weeks before the snow fall was consistent enough to warrant a trip, Katsuki also tried to push the nerd into deciding on a tattoo as that would have been an easy one to tick off the list, but each time Deku had twisted his lips over it and looked to the sky with thought before shaking his head back Katsuki's way, signing that he hadn't decided on a design yet. Katsuki understood that tattoos were supposed to be thoughtful or some shit like that, but he was surprised the nerd didn't just grab at the first All Might tattoo design he could come across – and there were many – and gone with that. It couldn't have been that important after all if the other man was so adamant that his life was coming to an end sooner rather than later – a thought that put a fierce frown back on the blonde's face.
Something else they did though that hadn't originally been on the list was attend a concert. Katsuki had scoffed at the nerd saying he hadn't been to one before but when Deku threw it back Katsuki's way the blonde had to pause for a minute before screwing up his face with annoyance that the damn idiot had picked him right, he hadn't been to a concert before, realising that since jumping right into the deep end of their hero careers after school, they hadn't the time or even fathomed attending one. The idea had arisen when Deku had been lounging around on Katsuki's sofa while the blonde finished some chores around the place. The greenette had no real need to be at Katsuki's place but after becoming a hero duo it hadn't been uncommon, though even back then it had usually been for some work-related purpose or another and honestly, Katsuki hadn't minded it. He never had to worry about getting irked by Deku's mumbling anymore after all. But in these more recent weeks, their visits seemed to be merely social. They would often catch up whenever they were planning on doing something bucket list related, but even without anything in particular to do, Deku seemed to just show up at Katsuki's place every few days to just lounge around, help out or sign his life away with one form of nonsense or another that he thought would be of interest to Katsuki – it often wasn't but that didn't seem to deter the nerd at all. It also didn't help that Katsuki simply allowed it.
He felt he had very little bite in him these days to tell the nerd to fuck off and leave him alone. And that surprised Katsuki a little. It felt almost natural now to be in the greenette's company which was even more surprising since that strange calm change had come to Katsuki in only the last year since their friendship had, well, begun again. Yet Katsuki couldn't put his finger on it as to why he was so relaxed around Deku these days. He could try to put it down to many things such as, they had just grown closer since working together, that they – mostly Katsuki – had matured some and was now just a calmer person in general or that he was subconsciously being more kind and patient to the other man because his life expectancy was apparently ticking away. Or maybe he felt closer to the nerd because they were focusing less on being heroes and instead on living life and making memories together. Or perhaps now that Katsuki didn't have to hear Deku's voice prattling away all the damn time, that the silence was all he had needed to tolerate the greenette in the first place.
Maybe it was an accumulation of all of those things. Maybe more or perhaps even none. It was all speculation on Katsuki's part. He still got irritated by the nerd often, but it never flared up in his chest like it once had, escalating quickly to anger and driving him to the point of having to leave the room or threaten violence. Instead, he felt calmer when he was in Deku's presence, all of his usually more ragged emotions and inner thoughts mellowing out and he felt he could legitimately relax without feeling as much quilt over postponing both Deku's and his own hero careers. When they were together, he didn't stop and think about how many people he could be helping if he were out working instead of sitting on the sofa beside the other man while they watched some documentary or other nonsense. It was a level of calm that he hadn't really felt in himself before. Up until more recent times, Katsuki had felt that his entire being had been built around stress.
Stress to be good at everything and to live up to the expectations of others.
Stress to keep himself in the best shape possible.
Stressing over what he ate.
Stressing on whether his workout routines were the best they could be.
Stress of the job and not wanting to fail anyone.
But beside Deku, taking a break from it all to just experience a normal life for a brief moment, all of that could melt away and the greenette's presence could chip away at the feeling of quilt that he shouldn't be letting go of those stresses so easily. He wasn't free from all stresses – Deku was a form of stress all of his own and the occasional blip here and there was a reminder of that – but a lot of the time he could easily forget about that too.
When Deku had found the ad for the concert while scrolling on social media, he had nudged at Katsuki's side with his elbow and turned the screen the blonde's way. Katsuki had frowned at it. A concert after all was wasted on him and Katsuki's frowning expression had said just as much, Deku pulling the phone away with a gentle eye roll and smile before he placed it down on his lap to free his hands to sign his points Katsuki's way.
In the end, Katsuki went.
The concert was some big-time pop group that was touring the country and the ad listed that they would be in their city Thursday to Saturday, and they snapped up a couple of tickets – Deku did anyway for them both – for the Thursday. Even when Katsuki had his hearing, pop hadn't been his thing. He had generally only listened to music when working out and that hadn't exactly been stuff with many lyrics to it. Back during high school, he had listened to a greater variety of music while studying in his room, but a lot of those genres hadn't fitted the workout mood he had been after, so they had been culled through the years. Deku himself admitted that he didn't know much from the group outside of a couple of their most popular hits he had heard on the radio here and there and wasn't much into music himself. So why the nerd had suddenly decided that a concert was suddenly something he wanted to do was beyond Katsuki, but he had just shrugged along with it. After all, it was the nerd's bucket list, and he could add whatever else he wanted to it anyway.
The event was crowded, and Katsuki had stuck with a dark hoodie to make himself less conspicuous because being left alone while walking down the street or doing their grocery shopping was one thing, but a public event with thousands of people, unlikely they'd be so lucky to not be swamped with fans. Deku had almost just left his place dressed normally before Katsuki had ground his teeth at him and purchased a dark cap and plain thin framed weak magnifying glasses and shoved them at the nerd. Deku had pouted back and signed away about how wearing a cap after dark made no sense to which Katsuki had growled that it's a fashion choice and to shut up and put the stuff on, covering up most of the other man's unruly green hair. As it was, they got a few second glances as they approached the arena the concert was being held in, but once they were in and the lights dimmed, no one paid them much attention.
They had gotten good seats – not that they sat at all since the people in front of them were already standing and vibing along to who ever was opening the show – towards the front in the middle of the arena so they were face on to the stage, several rows back from the mosh pit.
Whoever had been opening the show must have been signing a more calm song that the crowd on the floor ahead of them seemed to eb and flow with and it was only once Katsuki had actually looked up in the direction of the stage that he noticed and interpreter up there, off to one side. His eyes widened at that. He had heard of people who would officially sign lyrics for concerts existed, but he had never actually seen one before, a middle-aged woman with her hair tied back, swaying her hips lightly to what Katsuki could only assume was the gentle rhythm of the song as her hands signed the lyrics to the crowd.
Finally, the opener finished, raised their hand to accept their applause and left the stage. In the moment of nothingness that was between them leaving and the actual act coming on, Deku was nudging at Katsuki's side again, asking quickly if the blonde wanted a drink or anything before the show began. Katsuki sneered at the nerd. He had come along because, well, he had nothing better to do and Deku had insisted once he had learnt that Katsuki hadn't been to one either, but that didn't mean he was so out of his element that he needed Deku to worry over him. Whether Deku came to that realisation or not, Katsuki wasn't sure, but the nerd's smile seemed to widen a fraction at that, and he turned his attention back to the front as the rest of the lights above went out and the only illumination was from the stage ahead of them.
Katsuki didn't need to have working ears to "hear" or more so feel the crowd erupt into screams as the group they had all come to see burst out onto the stage, hopping with energy and arms raised to greet their adoring fans. The sensation of sound passing through Katsuki's entire being was like nothing he had experience before, that was a lie, he had experienced it before but back when he could hear things he had thought nothing of it. Feeling the air ripple with a large explosion that wasn't his own or being hit with Ear's sound attacks in training – he had never stopped to think about how he could feel those sounds with his entire body, he had merely reacted to avoid the attack and defeat his opponent. He hadn't the time to contemplate such little things. But he supposed it wasn't so little anymore when it was all he could receive from an arena filled with other people and it surprised him, lips parting and eyes widening as he took it all in. If Deku was looking his way with a wide ass smile illuminated by the lights before them, Katsuki didn't care to acknowledge it for it gave Katsuki the horrible sense that maybe Deku had brought him along for his own sake and not the greenette's. And Katsuki did not like that. Yet he didn't dwell on it or have the time to do so as the group before them jumped right into singing and dancing on the stage with so much energy it felt almost contagious.
The entire arena was filled with singing voices on top of the performers coming through giant speakers the surrounded the stage. All of that along with the interpreter signing and moving their body along with the lyrics as they too were consumed with the fun energy of the space was like nothing Katsuki had ever thought to experience in his life. He wasn't just "hearing" the music in the depths of his ears, but was feeling it all the way from his toes as the ground shuddered and vibrated with thousands of people jumping in their seats, all the way to the hair atop his head as his body shivered with the electricity of the space. He had never been to a concert before, but he was already wondering out of him and Deku who was having the most profound experience. Katsuki tore his red gaze from the stage and interpreter who were featured on one of the large screen above the stage for all to see, to Deku beside him. The nerd was smiling widely, his green eyes sparkling brightly as they reflected back the dancing lights of the stage and his head bobbed with the beat of the music, a beat that Katsuki could feel reverberate up his spine as the arena stomped their feet and jumped in sync with it.
This went on for the length of several songs with pauses in between where the artists would yell something at the crowd and the arena would roar back their response, before they switched tone a little bit and the group rose their hands and began to clap, encouraging their audience to do the same. Once the crowd had begun to clap in time with the beat, they began their song. It was already a crowded space, but Katsuki could feel Deku come closer to him, looking to Katsuki with the turn of his head. Katsuki turned his face back in silent question as to what the nerd's smile meant and was met with a raised open hand held before him at chest level, like an offering to place something upon his palm. Katsuki looked to it with confusion, not having it in him at the moment to snarl or glare back at the nerd before he ducked his hand down and snagged Katsuki's hand in his own. Katsuki blanched slightly at the sudden contact, but Deku persisted, lifting their hands up together, his hand twisting around Katsuki's with fingers lightly interlaced till the back of his hand faced Katsuki's way. Deku rose his other hand, bringing it over to meet it in a gentle clap with Katsuki's own sandwiched between. He did it again before flashing Katsuki a toothy smile and slowly picked up till he was clapping – not enough to possibly make much of an audible noise – in unison with the rest of the arena all the while Katsuki's hand remained in the midst of it all.
The blonde didn't quite know what to do in this situation. He felt a bit like a stunned fish taking in all of the feelings of sounds around him and then the damn nerd just grabs his hand like that and starts to clap with it like it's a damn musical instrument, but Katsuki couldn't bring himself to feel angry over it, instead just limply letting Deku involve him in participating along with everyone else in the damn arena. What got to Katsuki more was the irritating sensation of heat creeping up his neck that he refused to believe only began once Deku had taken his hand in his own. By the time Katsuki was starting to regain himself enough to pull his hand free, the song was over as quickly as it had begun and Deku released his gentle hold of him and Katsuki could finally begin to cool down again.
The concert went well into the late evening and by the time they were shuffling out of the arena with the rest of the crowd, donning their shitty hat, hood and glasses again – but still not escaping a few curious glances – they headed for home after grabbing a quick on-the-go meal from a convenience store and headed back home, Katsuki leaving Deku outside his apartment building before heading home himself.
Katsuki laid awake in bed for over an hour that night before he finally fell asleep, his body still reverberating with the sensations of music passing across his entire body, and the feeling if his hand lightly interlocked with Deku's.
A/N:
Oh my, what's that.
Thinking of Deku as Izuku instead during a moment of concern?
How sincere ;)
Just a couple of boys ticking off items on a bucket list...nothing to see here...
I think that one little paragraph highlighting how a few of the others from class 1A struggled (or succeeded) in the snow has protentional of becoming its own amusing one off spin off chapter...just a thought for now :P