Chapter Text
Izuku watched from the crowd as his best and only friend walked across the auditorium stage to get his diploma.
“Congratulations, Katsuki Bakugo,” the headmaster said when he handed the blonde a scroll and posed for a picture.
When everyone had made their way across the stage and was seated in their seats, the student council president walked up to the podium and gave a beautiful speech about new beginnings and how excited he was to start high school. Junior high school graduations weren’t something important to most people, in fact, most schools didn’t even have a ceremony. But to Izuku, it mattered a lot. It meant that he would be alone. Katsuki was one year older than him, so his graduation meant that he was moving on. Izuku knew he would get into UA and become a great hero one day, but while the blonde was fighting for his dreams, Izuku would still be in their middle school. His last year in a prison with his bullies. Katsuki had always defended him, but that didn’t stop the verbal assaults that were thrown at him whenever the blonde wasn’t around. He was terrified for what it would be like roaming the halls without his protector.
When the ceremony ended, all the graduates went into the crowd to their friends and families. Izuku embraced Katsuki in a bone-crushing hug, tears streaming down his face.
“Why’re you crying Deku?”
“I-I’m just so p-proud of you,” he stuttered out. It wasn’t a complete lie, he was really proud of his friend, but couldn’t deny that his tears were also because of his fear.
“Stupid Deku,” Katsuki said with a laugh when the greenette pulled away, “you’re graduating soon, too.”
“We’re proud of you, son,” his father said, bring the boy in for a hug.
“Thanks, but wait ‘til I get into UA, then I’m expecting some real fucking congratulations!” Katsuki declared, puffing out his chest. The small group of Bakugos and Midoriyas all burst into laughter.
“ If you get in, brat!” Mitsuki challenged.
“WHA! I’m definitely getting in, right Deku,” Katsuki looked at him to emphasize his point.
“I don’t know Kacchan… you were kinda slow walking across the stage earlier… are you sure you’ll have the stamina for it?” Izuku responded, barely able to keep in a laugh.
“WHA!!” Katsuki yelped, not expecting the taunt from his usually timid friend, “I’ll prove it to all of you!”
Once again the group erupted into a chorus of laughs before walking to the Bakugos’ car. They had all shared a ride to the school for the ceremony and once again piled into the SUV to go back to their respective homes. Once they arrived and got out of the car, Izuku pulled Katsuki into one more hug and whispered into his ear, “don’t worry, I bet you’ll be the best out of everyone at the entrance exam.”
“I know,” Katsuki whispered back, a blush slowly creeping across his cheeks, “stupid Deku…”
Izuku giggled and gave the blonde a tight squeeze before waving goodbye and walking next door to his own home.
The greenette watched from his window as Katsuki left his home in workout gear to train, not wasting a single hour. As the tanned, shirtless back ran out of view, Izuku sighed. Katsuki really was a perfect alpha. A small smile graced his lips as he turned back to his painting. Izuku was making a painting to congratulate Katsuki after he got accepted into UA. It was an image of him in the hero’s uniform Izuku found designed in the blonde’s bedroom one night. Katsuki was getting yelled at by his mother per usual, while the greenette snooped through his desk, trying to come up with an idea for the present. That’s when he found the meticulous design hidden underneath the alpha’s chemistry notebook. He took a quick picture with his phone which he used as a reference for the painting. He paired the figure with an explosive background and debris flying everywhere. He gave the blonde a mysterious yet serious facial expression as he stared into the distance. Izuku was proud of his work and of the hero that it encapsulated.
A few weeks after the graduation, the time for the entrance exam arrived. Izuku wished Katsuki luck before his parents drove the alpha to UA. The school was about a six-hour drive from their homes, so the family was going to stay there for a few days as a sort of mini-vacation to explore the area Katsuki would soon be living in.
By then Izuku had come to terms with the fact that he would never be a hero. He had run into All Might a few weeks prior to the graduation and that encounter was the final hit to break the greenette’s dream. It was okay though, he was exploring his interests and trying to come up with a new dream. He loved analyzing, painting, cooking and really anything artsy. Above all, he loved helping people. He was thinking of becoming a nurse or doctor. If he was a pediatrician he could even use his skills in art to make the kids little gifts or things like that. The more he thought about it, the more the idea appealed to him. He could be a different kind of hero. Besides, even if being quirkless wasn’t an issue, he couldn’t even defend himself against junior highschoolers and their taunts, consistently breaking out in tears, how could he expect to go up against a real villain? He gave a small chuckle. It actually felt good to let go of the dream, he could see it in his mother’s eyes. The pity that was once there in abundance started to fade.
Izuku spent the time that Katsuki was away working on his baking skills. It was fun to do and after he made a dish he and his mom would go to the local homeless shelter and donate it. He made everything from simple strawberry shortcake to hasamigiku. He liked learning recipes from different countries as well as different regions of Japan.
“Wow, Izuku, this tastes great! You really do have a natural talent with baking! Have you thought of opening your own bakery, honey?” His mother asked while enjoying some lapis legit, an Indonesian cake.
“Hmm? I’ve never really thought about it… I guess I could, though. It sounds really fun! But I was thinking of being a doctor or something like that… I really want to help people, you know?”
“Well don’t stop baking, okay? You can do it as a hobby and keep donating to the homeless shelters. I know Ms. Tanaka really appreciates what we’ve brought throughout the years. Everyone at the shelter talks about your progress. You’ve gotten really great since you started in elementary four!”
“Thanks, mom! I remember the first cake I made on my own when I was nine…”
“You got distracted by a news report on All Might!”
“And I ended up burning it so bad that the oven started smoking,” Izuku remembered with a laugh.
“Izuku, sweetheart, are you excited about the retreat this year?”
The annual retreat. Every year, during the summer, Aldera Junior High had a retreat for all its students. Izuku would usually go, though reluctantly, because Katsuki really enjoyed the trips. However, this year his protector wouldn’t be able to go.
“I don’t think I want to go this year, mom. Katsuki’s going to UA soon, I’d like to spend as much time with him as I can before he leaves…”
“Oh? That’s sweet, baby, but I think Katsuki will already be in Musutafu moving into his dorm by then. I’ll call Mitsuki to double-check the dates.”
“Oh… Okay, well if he’s already going to be gone, I guess I’ll go.”
“What is it this year, honey?”
“A camping trip.”
“Oh, that sounds like loads of fun!”
“Haha, yeah.”
Izuku never told his mom about the bullying, he didn’t want to worry her, and he convinced Katsuki to stay quiet about it too. It was only words, after all.
“Hey, nerd,” Katsuki greeted Izuku after waking him up at five in the morning. It was the day after he got back from Musutafu.
“Kacchan? It’s too early for this…”
“You don’t even know why I’m here!”
“It’s too early for anything …” He groaned.
“Hmph, well I was going to take you with me to hang out at the beach, but if you don’t want too…”
“WAIT! The beach?” Izuku jumped out of bed.
Katsuki smirked, “Yeah, I thought I’d be fun to hang out together… My aunt’s going to pick me up soon. She has a little villa right on the water, it’s really nice and my parents volunteered me to house-sit while she’s in the US on a trip.”
“That sounds amazing, Kacchan! And I can come?”
“Yeah, I said I wanted to spend some time together before I have to go to Musutafu and our parents agreed. So, pack your bag, Deku.”
“O-okay!”
Katsuki watched as the greenette darted around the room packing things into a bag.
“Wait, Kacchan, how long will we be there?”
“Two weeks. We’ll be back right before the UA letters come out.”
“Okay.”
Katsuki laid down in Izuku’s bed as the younger took a shower and finished getting ready. He was more excited about this than he was letting on. He was sad he would have to be so far away from Izuku for so long and was ecstatic that they got to spend a whole two weeks alone together. The greenette was going to turn fifteen a few months into the next school year and he hated that he wouldn’t be with him that week. He wanted desperately to be near the younger when he presented, but with his birthday in July, it would be right around UA’s sports festival. The blonde gritted his teeth thinking about it.
“Alright, Kacchan, I’m ready!”
Katsuki grabbed the black duffle bag Izuku had packed and started walking down the stairs. He was excited to spend time with the greenette, yes, but if he was being honest with himself, he was more excited about sharing the little villa with just him. Throughout the past year, the blonde started to notice that his heart would give a little squeeze whenever he saw Izuku, and if he smiled that adorable smile of his, the alpha’s stomach would flip. He knew what that meant, but he wouldn’t admit it to himself. He was leaving in just two weeks and three days. Then he wouldn’t be able to see Izuku for who knows how long. The hero training is intense, so most school breaks are filled with extra combat training. He had no idea when he would be able to return home to see his family or friends. What he did know was that he wouldn’t have the time to keep up a relationship, especially not a long-distance one. So he shut away his emotions and pretended all Izuku was to him was a friend. Part of him knew being alone with the boy for so long was a bad idea, but he didn’t care. He was thrilled.
Soon his aunt arrived and said a quick hello to his parents while Katsuki packed both the boys’ stuff into the car. She was his dad’s sister and much like her brother, she was calm and quiet. The car ride was peaceful and in the early morning, Deku fell asleep. Katsuki chuckled to himself before drifting off with the younger teen. His aunt’s house was a good three hours away so they both enjoyed a nice extension to their night’s sleep.
When they arrived at the beach house, Katsuki’s aunt gave Izuku a tour while the alpha unpacked the car and moved their things into the bedroom. As the brunette showed the younger teen around the house, his eyes sparkled. The place was really nice and there were windows everywhere that let them see the bright blue ocean and sandy beach. There were a few people relaxing in the sun and Katsuki’s aunt quickly explained that it was a private beach and only residents of the people along its coastline and about two blocks inland, along with any owners of businesses in the same area, were aloud on it. When she finished explaining all the plants in the small greenhouse and their care routines, an alarm went off on her phone and she wished both the boys a nice stay before getting back in her car and heading to the airport.
“Come on, Deku, I’ll show you around the neighborhood.”
“Okay, kacchan.”
Katsuki grabbed his hand as he led the way out the house. He showed Izuku everything nearby. Izuku took note of an ice-cream shop he definitely wanted to go back to and the nearest grocery store. Katsuki showed him a large parking lot and explained that once a week there was a farmer’s market there where they sold a lot of fruits and homemade pastries and jams.
“We have to go, Kacchan! There’s probably a lot of good stuff!”
“Okay.”
They walked around the town until the sun started to set, the whole time Katsuki pointing out fun hidden gems and retelling memories from the time he would spend there with his whole family.
When they got back to the house, Izuku watched as Katsuki immediately went to the fridge and started to pull out ingredients.
“Are you making dinner?”
“Yeah, I think I’ll make a beef stir fry since she just has a lot of random shit in ‘ere.”
“Okay, that sounds good! Maybe if they have some good apples at the farmer’s market, I can make some apple pie later. I can make one normal one for me, and an angry one for you.”
“An angry one? How the fuck do you make an angry pie??”
“Haha, it’s just what a spicey apple pie is called.”
“Oh.”
Izuku thought about the pies and how he should make the top crusts. He planned their designs as he watched Katsuki cook, the dish soon scenting the home and making Izuku’s stomach grumble. His sense of smell was quite weak since he hadn’t presented yet, but he could still smell a hint of cinnamon amongst the food. He imagined what it would be like to smell Kacchan after he presented. Most scents have multiple components, but all Izuku could make out from the alpha was the cinnamon. He couldn’t wait to smell the intricacies of the other’s scent, as well as fully develop his own. He knew he was most likely to be a beta, as is 85% of the population, so he would never be able to smell everything like an alpha or omega could, but he was still excited for the improvement.
Katsuki could feel the greenette’s eyes on him as he mixed the herbs into the stir fry. Every now and then he glanced back towards the boy to find him lost in thought. The sunset coming through the window gave Izuku’s ivory skin a warm glow in the otherwise dark home. Katsuki smiled as he took in the greenette’s calm expression.
When he finished cooking, he plated up the food before adding copious amounts of chili flakes to his own portion.
“I don’t know how you eat something that spicy, kacchan,” Izuku said, his face scrunching in distaste.
“I don’t know how you eat something so bland, Deku”
“It’s not bland! You added plenty of flavors it’s just…”
“Bland,” Katsuki finished when the other couldn’t think of the right word.
Izuku huffed and the blonde let out a chuckle. He liked this. Watching Izuku as they ate without any interruptions. A calm silence settled into the room as Katsuki’s eyes were continually drawn to soft, pink lips.
Izuku ate as he watched the sun set over the waves, completely oblivious to the blush creeping up the skin of the boy in front of him.
When they finished their food, Katsuki pulled up Netflix on the living room TV and they looked at which movies to pick.
“So, Deku, what do you wanna watch?”
“I think we should watch an old time crime.” “Old Time Crime” was what people called crime dramas that were set in a world without quirks.
“Okay.”
“What’s that one?” Izuku asked, pointing to a thumbnail with a fancy wood box with a red button on top.
“The Box: the consequences of pushing a mysterious button are as clear as life and death. It’s the decision that’s strange,” Katsuki reads off the screen, “sounds okay, wanna watch that?”
“Sure.”
Pulling the throw blanket tighter around them, Izuku cuddled up against Katsuki who draped his arm around the younger boy’s shoulders.
Half-way through the movie, Katsuki looked over to find the greenette asleep on his chest. He pressed pause and picked up the younger teen, carrying him into the bedroom. Since his aunt lived alone, there was only one bedroom. The house technically had two, but she converted the other into a craft room about three years ago when Katsuki’s parents decided to stop spending the holidays there and instead go to different areas of Japan when they wanted to get away. Admittedly, Katsuki forgot about that detail when he asked to bring Izuku with him. He pulled off the greenette’s shirt and pants before changing him into his pajamas. Izuku was a deep sleeper and it was near impossible to wake him up. This was something Katsuki had done numerous times when Izuku slept over at his house. He tucked the freckled teen into the covers before changing himself and joining him. Whenever they slept over, one of them would sleep on the floor. That had been the arrangement for years since both boys had small beds. But this bed was queen-sized, so there was plenty of room for them both. Katsuki wanted to pull the boy closer and hold him, but instead, he turned his back to the greenette and sighed. Maybe this was a worse idea than he thought.