A Calming Effect [Part Three - FINAL]

[Previous Part] 

“Oh my God.”

Izuku looked up, surprised to find Mina’s eyes locked on him.

“Is everything okay?” he asked, a little awkwardly. “Did I spill my lunch?”

Mina held up her phone, and Izuku squinted a little to make out the image, small and far away and a little blurry from being zoomed in too far.

“Is this you and Bakugou?” she demanded, a smile tugging at her lips. “Why didn’t you tell us?!”

Izuku’s eyes widened, staring blankly at the fuzzy image, and for a moment he couldn’t find any words to answer – although he supposed that was answer enough.

“Where’d you get that shit?” Katsuki asked, making Mina jump so hard that Izuku was surprised she didn’t hurt herself. “And what’s it to you?”

“You were in the background of the news footage!” she explained, grinning again already. “Talking about some cute little market that got flooded out?”

“Oh.” Katsuki shrugged. “Yeah, it was shitty, but we made it work.”

“What were you even doing there?”

“We were on a date, obviously.”

A resounding clang echoed from the kitchen as someone dropped one of their bowls on the tiles – Izuku liked those metal mixing bowls, he hoped it hadn’t gotten too beaten up in the fall. Footsteps hurried toward them, and Izuku watched in disbelief as half a dozen of their classmates burst into the room, squeezing through the doorway in a disorganised cluster.

“Did Bakugou say he went on a date?!” Ochako squawked, making Kyouka wince behind her. “With who?”

Izuku raised a hand awkwardly, face burning, and for a moment Ochako just stared at him, before a huge, shit-eating grin broke across her face.

“Are you serious?” she asked, eyes flicking back and forth between them like they’d broken out in a round of Surprise Tennis. “Are you, like, a thing now, then?”

The entire group just stared, waiting for a response, and Izuku glanced over at Katsuki nervously, stunned to find Katsuki looking back. His eyes were wide, almost as wide as Izuku felt his own had to be, and for once in his life, he didn’t seem to have any kind of retort loaded and ready to fire.

“Aww,” Mina teased, “Look at them, like lost little puppies.”

“Haah?” Katsuki demanded, trying his best to hide the innocent expression he’d just worn – too late, Izuku couldn’t help but think. “The fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“I’m glad you finally found the courage to ask him!” Mina continued, ignoring his objections. “It’s been so exhausting watching you dance around him. You are a thing, right? A couple?”

Katsuki still didn’t answer, lips twitching a little as he fumbled for a response, and for once in his life Izuku decided to be bold, to throw caution to the wind.

He took Katsuki’s hand.

“Yes,” Katsuki said, cutting Izuku off at the pass. “We are.”

He squeezed Izuku’s hand lightly, and Izuku couldn’t help but grin as he squeezed back, glancing over at Katsuki’s surprisingly pleased face.

“Awww, congratulations!” Ochako fawned. “I’m so happy for you both!”

“It’s about time, asshole,” Mina smirked, slinging an arm around Katsuki’s shoulders. “You’ve only been ranting and rambling about him for years.”

“Don’t forget the sleep-talking,” Kyouka added. “All that mumbling about ‘his Deku’ all night, it’s exhausting.”

“I need to call the guys, hold on.” Mina tapped at her phone quickly, and Izuku heard the ringing faintly before she held it to her ear. “Yo, Eiji, get your butt down here; you’re never gonna guess who got himself a boyfriend.”

“Cut the shit,” Katsuki huffed. “Don’t make me come over there.”

“Oh yeah, you’re gonna let go of your Deku’s hand just to come punch me, sure.”

“I’m happy for you.” The voice made Izuku jump, and he turned quickly to see Shouto hovering at his side, looking painfully sincere. “I’m sure it must have been difficult to make the first move.”

“The fuck did you say?” Katsuki demanded, forgetting Mina in an instant. “Who the hell said he asked, huh?!”

“Bakugou, even I know that you’re too emotionally stunted to ask for something like that,” Shouto said flatly, making Izuku blink at him a few times, half-expecting to wake up confused in his bedroom. “I, at least, have been trying to understand my friends and classmates, but you seem perfectly content to be emotionally repressed.”

“Woah, he’s getting self-aware,” Denki teased, patting him on the back as he slid into the group. “Did you get a boyfriend?”

“No,” Shouto shook his head, pointing at the pair of linked hands before them all.

“Oh, I take it back, you’d have to be blind to miss that one.”

“Don’t be mean,” Eijirou reprimanded him, laughing all the same. “Bro, that’s so manly, admitting your feelings! I’m proud of you!”

“Poor Midoriya,” Hanta chimed in, making Katsuki groan.

“Is there a fuckin’ clown car of idiots in that doorway suddenly?”

“We could hardly resist when Mina called!” Hanta grinned. “We all had to see what the fuss was about.”

“I’m fuckin’ leaving.”

He turned to leave, and Izuku just stared as Katsuki tugged at his hand, looking back at him pointedly.

“What?” he grunted. “You’re coming with me, Nerdass.”

“I am?”

“Yeah, Deku, you are,” Katsuki huffed. “We had plans.”

“We did? I thought I was meant to be making the next plans.”

“You two need to work on your couples codes,” Ochako laughed brightly. “He wants you to save him from us.”

“Oh!” Izuku turned bright red, nodding hurriedly. “Right, yes, our... our plans.”

“You’re so lucky you’re cute, Dumbass.”

Katsuki ignored the coos and jeers behind them as he dragged Izuku away, but Izuku didn’t miss the hint of pink in his ears from behind. He didn’t get to see Katsuki blush very often – or, he hadn’t until they’d started dating – and honestly he kind of loved it.

“You’re pretty,” he blurted out, getting a glare over Katsuki’s shoulder. “I’m serious! I like seeing you smile and blush and stuff, it’s like we’re kids again, before you got so stern about what you’d let people see. It’s like you’ve taken off that mask for me, like I get to see the real you again, underneath it all.”

“Don’t get all sappy on me again,” Katsuki huffed, cheeks reddening a little more despite himself.

“Sorry,” Izuku chuckled. “Never again.”

“Liar.”

“Okay, Mister ‘I’m not sick’.”

“It was one time, let it go.”

“Never.”

Katsuki led the way straight to his bedroom, much less dark and dreary with him feeling better, but still with those knitted stripes slung across his bed. Izuku smiled at them, even as Katsuki dragged him on top of them, shoving him up against the headboard with a pillow at his back and a hand still twined with Katsuki’s. Wordlessly, Katsuki flipped on the little TV at the end of his bed, pulling up a movie Izuku had never heard of, and settling in for what looked like it was going to be a long time – not that Izuku minded.

“This doesn’t count as a date,” Izuku whispered, wriggling in a little closer. “This is just hanging out.”

“Fine.”

“I still get dibs on planning our next date.”

“Whatever, nerd.”

“I’m gonna take you strawberry picking.”

Katsuki pulled a face, but he didn’t object, and Izuku smiled a little wider.

“And we’re gonna have a picnic.”

Katsuki grunted.

“On the beach.”

Izuku wasn’t sure he’d ever seen Katsuki try so hard to contain his ire.

“And then star-gazing from that same spot on the beach.”

Katsuki’s eyes darted to him briefly, and Izuku grinned as he leaned in a little closer.

“Just our naked eyes, not a telescope in sight.”

“Why the fuck-”

His protest was quickly cut off by Izuku’s laughter, shaking the entire bed with how hard it hit him, and Katsuki could only stare, his anger quickly fading.

“I’m messing with you, Kacchan!”

“So... you are bringing a telescope?”

“The whole thing!” Izuku insisted, laughing even harder – Katsuki hadn’t thought that was possible.  “Are you serious, Kacchan? I know how much you hate sand, let alone how bored you’d get picking fruit for a date.”

A tiny smile tugged at Katsuki’s lips, watching his nerd all but roll around clutching his sides, and after a moment he leaned in, planting a tiny peck on Izuku’s curls.

“I don’t think I’ll ever understand you,” Katsuki admitted, accepting readily when Izuku leaned into him, getting cozy against his side despite the chuckles still finding their way out. “You’re somehow the person who makes me mad the most often, and yet, the person who calms me down in an instant every single time.”

“Because you loooove me,” Izuku sang, planting a cheesy kiss on Katsuki’s cheek. “I’m glad I can make you smile.”

“Shut up,” Katsuki huffed, smiling all the same. “So no sand?”

“No sand,” Izuku promised. “I saw this cute little street market on the news, apparently it got flooded the other day and they had to close? But I thought it would be a fun date idea, when it’s back up and running.”

“You’re a prick.”

“I know,” Izuku grinned. “What do you even see in me?”

“I wish I knew.”

Despite the words, Katsuki pulled him a little closer, snuggling up to him in a way Izuku knew he would deny if he dared mention it in front of their classmates

“I was gonna look up some good hikes you haven’t done yet,” Izuku said softly. “I thought we could hike up to the top of some mountain on a Saturday afternoon, camp at the top for the night, then come back Sunday morning.”

“I’m bringing my telescope.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

A familiar voice from the TV drew Izuku’s attention away quickly, staring wide-eyed at All Might’s much-younger face on the screen, and Katsuki snorted at him knowingly.

“Should I start it over?” he suggested.

“Is this the new documentary?!”

“Yeah, Nerd.”

“I didn’t notice! Oh my gosh! When did you get this?! Where did you find it?! Start again please!”

Katsuki smiled surprisingly fondly, reaching for the remote obediently, and Izuku vibrated next to him with his excitement, unable to contain the sudden burst of energy.

“You’re such a nerd,” Katsuki said fondly.

“Sorry,” Izuku grinned sheepishly. “I’ve just been wanting to see it for so long!”

“I know,” Katsuki assured him, ruffling his hair fondly and making Izuku laugh all over again, the bed threatening to give up under the weight of his enthusiasm. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”