I won't let it go

Happy birthday Amirah!!!

───── 

Katsuki felt weirdly light-headed as they walked, trailing through the streets that would taken them back to the school. It had been a rough fight, and somehow they had been the first on the scene – the people who had to figure out the quirks and hold them at bay until the Pros arrived. It was two of them against three villains, but... Well, Izuku wasn't such a bad partner in a fight. They'd learned to work together, to fight together, in their time at school, and no when it came time to take down a villain, there was... Well, there was no one Katsuki would rather fight with, honestly.

Not that he'd ever say that to Izuku's face.

He almost tripped when they ran into roadworks down a side street, blinking stupidly at the bright orange cones. They hadn't been there when they'd walked through earlier in the day, and he was kind of amazed at the amount of progress they'd made in just a few short hours, even if it had led him to almost trip into a hole.

They wove their way through the mess, taking a winding little passage that led them around the worst of the construction, framed by metal scaffolding to protect them from dust and rubble. They had to revert to walking single-file, but Izuku didn't protest when Katsuki stepped ahead, more than willing to hang a step behind where for Katsuki it felt like defeat.

The school gates were closed, understandably, so Katsuki pulled out his ID when they got there, scanning it on a little electronic reader. It beeped at him but didn't open, and with a frown he tried it again. Nothing.

Izuku dug his own card out, reaching across to scan it, and once again the machine beeped but didn't budge.

"Hello?" he spoke, hitting the intercom button. "Um, my ID isn't working? Is there something wrong with the system?"

"Name?"

"Midoriya Izuku."

"And Bakugou Katsuki," Katsuki cut in quickly. "Neither of our IDs are working."

"Oh! Welcome! I apologise for the inconvenience, come on in!"

Katsuki pulled a face, but Izuku just shrugged it off, watching the gates slowly crack open and stepping through when the gap widened far enough. As they wandered up the path, Katsuki stuffed his hands in his pockets, scowling at his surroundings. Something was... off.

"Oh, they changed the flowers," Izuku mumbled, staring at a nearby garden. "I wonder when that happened? I don't remember seeing it before. Did we walk out this gate this morning? We probably used the gate nearer the dorms, so maybe we didn't walk past here."

"Deku," Katsuki cut in, gritting his teeth. "Shut the hell up."

"Sorry."

They walked the halls in silence, only a faint hum of teachers and classmates speaking beyond the walls, until finally they reached the massive door labelled 2-A. With a sigh, Katsuki pulled it open, gesturing to Izuku to do the explaining for them – he was too tired and headachy to bother doing it himself.

"Sorry, Aizawa-sensei," he began, stepping inside with a sheepish smile. "We got caught in a fight, I swear it was an accident! And- Wait, uhh..."

He trailed off, staring blankly, and when the storm of muttering began it took Katsuki far too long to catch on.

"Who the hell are you assholes?" he asked, eyes falling on the class of confused students. "You replace all your first-years or something?"

Aizawa seemed surprisingly awake, when their eyes met, but he huffed a sigh all the same.

"Wait here, I need to go make a call."

As soon as he left, the whispers began, gossip quickly spreading between desks. Katsuki opened his mouth to yell at him, but the scraping of a chair halted him in his tracks. The girl who stood up was tall and skinny, with wavy grey hair pulled back into a ponytail, her eyes wide as she stared at them across the room.

"Is it really you?" she asked, stepping away from her desk and approaching them cautiously. "This isn't some kind of trick?"

"Eri?" Izuku asked, before Katsuki could speak. "Is that you? What happened?"

He burst into a fit of mutters again before the girl could offer any help, hand pressed to his chin as every eye in the room turned to him in shock.

"Time travel?" he asked, snapping out of it as quickly as it came. "Did that quirk send us through time?"

The girl nodded, and Katsuki's eyes narrowed.

"I think so. You're so young! But we've met, right? You know who I am?"

"Of course I do! I could never forget you!" Izuku pulled her into a tight hug, tearing up already. "I'm so glad you're safe and healthy! And happy?"

"Yeah! Very happy!"

"Oh, um, you probably haven't met Kacchan, right? Kacchan, this is Eri. I helped saved her last year! Oh, uh, I guess it's more than that, now. It was last year for me, though! Um, how old are you?"

"E-Eighteen! Um, we must be about the same age right now? That's... So weird."

"I'm seventeen! You're older than me!" Izuku laughed, finally releasing her from her hug. "Please look after us, Senpai!"

Eri burned bright red in the face, and Katsuki was struck by the sudden urge to punch something – Izuku being the number one option. Thankfully Izuku was spared from his fate by Aizawa's timely return, looking a little more tired and annoyed than when he left.

"You're a stubborn brat, you know," he complained, patting Katsuki on the head in an oddly affectionate way that Katsuki was certain had never happened before. "Never listen to a word I say."

"Tell me something I don't know," he grumbled, pulling away with his cheeks flushed slightly pink. "So what?"

"Is Deku on patrol?" Eri asked knowingly. "I can walk them to the agency, if you like?"

"Would you mind?" Aizawa sighed. "Maybe he'll listen for once, if he sees them in person."

"I wouldn't count on it," Eri giggled. "I'll take them! I'll be right back!"

"Thank you, Eri."

She ushered them out the door and back the way they came, a bright smile on her face that Izuku couldn't stop staring it. Katsuki once again found himself strangely irritated by it, watching the way Izuku smiled so softly at her, so enraptured by her attention. They spent the walk talking about her classes, about how school was going for her and what kind of hero she wanted to be – typical nerd stuff, because it was Izuku so of course it was nerd stuff. Katsuki walked a few steps ahead, turning occasionally when Eri called it out ahead of time, but mostly just staring up at the buildings around them.

Most of the city seemed unchanged, even though it had clearly been years. He wasn't sure exactly how many, even though Izuku and Eri must have worked it out – he wasn't going to ask, after all.

"I've never seen him look so tired before!" Eri giggled, when Izuku asked after Aizawa. "The moment you walked in, it was like he aged ten years! He looked like he desperately needed a nap!"

"But that's how he always looks?" Izuku's eyebrows knitted together. "He always needs a nap, that's like... His entire personality. Sleep-deprived."

"What? No!" Eri gasped, shaking her head. "He sleeps well every night! I've never seen him tired! I wonder what changed?"

"Huh. Well, um, I'm glad! That he gets healthier, you know? I'm glad he sleeps well, now!"

"Yeah!" Eri grinned, looking over at Izuku again and taking a step closer. "Am I taller than you?"

"I think you might be," Izuku hummed, raising a hand to squish his hair down, testing. "Yeah! Wow, you got tall! I'm so proud of you, Eri!"

"Thank you!" she giggled again, ruffling his curls back into their normal messy nest. "I didn't know how cute you were, when I was a kid! You're so little!"

Katsuki growled to himself as they laughed and teased and blushed together, glaring back at them but going entirely unnoticed. They travel through time and the first thing the shitty nerd does is find a girlfriend? Gross.

His annoyance was forgotten, though, when he spotted the huge building at the end of the street. He'd seen it before, in some sense – from memory, it used to be a small office block. The front at least had been entirely redone since he last saw it, though. It was shining clean and new looking, with new security technology and marbled stone walkways. What shocked him the most, though, was the big sign across the front, bold letters emblazoned above the door for everyone to see – even from a mile away, like where Katsuki currently stood.

"We work here?" Izuku asked, voice surprisingly quiet.

"You own it"

Katsuki opened his mouth to complain, to argue that he would never work for the shitty nerd and there was clearly some kind of misunderstanding going on, but before he could manage the words, Eri cut him off.

"You both own it."

She pushed open the shiny front doors and walked in like she owned the place, weaving expertly through the people in varying states of hero costume who rushed back and forth across the lobby, yelling directions at each other as well as a younger group who he could only assume were their interns. It was the one thing they'd reliably had in common, when they discussed their future agencies they wanted to open. They changed their minds constantly about when and where and how, but they both knew they wanted a big intern program. After some of the experiences they'd seen and heard about and even experienced in their time at the school so far, they knew the world needed more good internship programs.

"Is something going on?" Izuku asked, narrowly avoiding careening into some older man with a massive stack of books in his arms. "Is there a big job? An Attack? A raid?"

"No?" Eri asked, blinking at him with her typical innocent look. "This is how it always looks."

Izuku ddn't seem to have an answer for that, but Katsuki cackled, side-stepping to avoid a cluster of little first-years who ran like ducklings after a brisk-walking duo in bright blue jumpsuits.

"Hi!" Eri said brightly, when they made it across the room to a massive reception desk with three secretaries scrawling notes and taking phone calls. "I'm gonna go upstairs, okay?"

"Go ahead, Eri!" one of them called, as she handed a stack of paperwork to another hero Katsuki didn't recognise. "Take care on the stairs!"

"I always do!"

Katsuki quickly understood why, when they began their climb. People were rushing everywhere, darting between floors, bumping into each other as they switched places. Eri kept herself pressed carefully to the outer wall, and for once Katsuki didn't try to go on ahead, content to follow Izuku and Eri in a sngle-file line.

Things began to quiet down as they got higher, the people thinning out steadly, until they reached the sixth and final floor and met dead silence.

"This way!" Eri said cheerfully, practically skipping down the hall. "Right through here!"

The door had no nameplate on it, looked like any other office door, despite the little plaques on every other one they'd passed. She knocked briefly, pushing it open without waiting for a response, and Katsuki stopped dead in the doorway.

"Asshole Aizawa didn't tell me this," the older Katsuki scowled, standing up from his desk with anger contorting his face. "What the hell?"

"What did he say?" Eri asked sweetly, leaning against the desk and resting her head on her hand. "Did he just ask for Deku? You know it's a weird one if he asks for Deku."

"He requested assistance with a small problem at the school," the older Katsuki explained, through gritted teeth. "Your asshole father needs to learn how to make a damn request for help. I told him to do it himself if it's small shit, he's meant to be a hero too."

"Well if you were busy with something important he wouldn't want to make a fuss," Eri shrugged. "It's not like they would be unsafe at the school. Just, I dunno, made more sense for you and Deku to take them?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Stop coming here to do his damn dirty work." He reached out, messing up her hair with a surprisingly fond touch. "That piece of shit did this on purpose, so he wouldn't have to talk to me."

"He loves talking to you, that's why he invites you over for dinner so much."

"He can't even cook!"

"Then maybe you should invite us over," she grinned. "I'm sure he'd happily accept!"

"Shut up," the older Katsuki grumbled, shoving her away lightly. "Get back to school, little shit. You're skipping your fuckin' math class again, aren't you? I swear to God if I have to come down there and sit beside you the entire hour I'll fuckin' do it."

"Helping with my homework is enough," Eri grinned, straightening up from her spot. "I'll leave it to you, then! Work hard, Boomy!"

"That's still not my fuckin' name, kid!"

"Pretty sure it is!"

"Eat a healthy lunch, you hear me?" he yelled after her as she skipped away. "Plenty of protein!"

With a last hug for Izuku in the doorway, she showed herself out, and Katsuki locked eyes with his older counterpart. He didn't look much different, truth be told. A little taller, his arms a little thicker, but otherwise just the same. Izuku seemed to disagree, though, considering the way he'd already started mumbling again, staring at the older Katsuki and scribbling invisible notes in the air.

"Alright," he sighed, hauling himself out of his chair and scanning from his younger self, to Izuku, and back again. "Let's go to the break room, I need to refill my water."

He picked up an empty bottle from the desk, leading them down the long corridor, until they reached the door labelled "break room". He was tempted to ask why there was no nameplate on the office door, but he supposed it didn't matter all that much anyway. It was probably stupidly obvious or mundane, not worth talking about anyway. He'd feel stupid to ask.

"Help yourselves to food and drinks and shit," he instructed, waving toward the cupboards as he filled his bottle from a water cooler. "It's all company supplied, you don't need to worry about taking other people's shit. If you take the last of something, put it on the list."

Katsuki glanced across to a notepad hanging on the fridge, a few items scrawled on it in different handwritings.

"We have a couple more hours until Deku finishes patrol," he explained. "I need to do some work, so just stay here and be sensible and shit. I sweat to God if you get yourselves hurt and ruin everything for us now, I'm gonna kill your ass."

"But then you'd die too," Katsuki pointed out stubbornly. "Whatever, just leave us with an internet connection and a laptop."

"Nuh-uh, not giving you any crappy future knowledge, don't even try it."

"What the fuck are we supposed to do, then?"

He pointed stubbornly at a bookshelf in the corner, and while Izuku smiled faintly, Katsuki just scowled.

"I mean it, kid. Stay in this fucking room. I have security cameras everywhere, I will know."

"Whatever, asshole."

Katsuki fell onto a sofa, folding his arms stubbornly, and the older version just sighed at him. He turned and walked away without another word, and as the door closed behind him, Katsuki smirked.

"You wanna sneak out?"

"Kacchan."

"I'm kidding, nerd. Christ. Pass me some of those spicy chips."

Izuku threw him a bag from the cupboard and headed for the bookshelf, investigating the little collection. He recognised a few of his old favourites, and even some of Katsuki's, but more importantly he found a shelf packed with old, worn notebooks. He plucked out the cleanest looking one, thumbing through a few pages, and smiled when he came across a diagram. It wasn't his own drawing, he could tell that immediately. In fact, he could tell exactly who it belonged to.

"Hey, you wanna know secrets about your new gear?" Izuku asked, flopping onto the couch cushions at Katsuki's side. "Looks like you helped me out with the nerd books."

"Give it here," Katsuki demanded, snatching the pages from him.

He didn't protest when Izuku leaned in to read with him, resting against his side a little – in fact he kindly moved the book over, settling it between them to read together. There were diagrams and explanations of all his new tech upgrades, from his costume designs and materials to the tweaks he'd made on his gauntlets, but he glanced up when Izuku ran his thumb along the page title.

"Triumph," he giggled. "Is that what you picked?"

Katsuki huffed, looking away with a pink tint burning in his cheeks, but Izuku just smiled.

"I like it, it suits you."

"Whatever," he grumbled, running a hand through his hair. "They wouldn't accept my other ideas."

"What, the ones with "murder" in the name?"

"Yeah."

"I wonder why that could be," Izuku smirked. "I can't understand it."

"Shut up."

"You should have told me."

"It's stupid."

"It's not," Izuku pouted. "It's what you value most and what you always strive for. Not just a win but a triumph."

"Yeah."

Feeling bold, he turned sideways on the couch, kicking his feet up and leaning back against Katsuki's side. Katsuki gave him a little shove, but didn't force him off, looking back over to see the notes again.

"So we work together, huh?"

"Like we always planned!" Izuku grinned, tipping his head back to see Katsuki's eyes. "Number one hero duo!"

"That's not how I remember it," Katsuki mused, flipping over to find much messier scribbles dotting the next pages. "I'm pretty sure I said you could be my sidekick if you had a cool enough quirk."

"You don't think my quirk is cool?"

"It's alright."

"That might be the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

Katsuki snorted, slapping him in the face with the little booklet, but as he levered himself out from under the heavy body he couldn't resist a tiny smile.

"Move over, make room," he demanded, as he scanned through the bookshelves and picked out a fairly recent hero journal. "It's time to study."

─────

It was dark outside, and dozens of heroes had come and gone, but still Katsuki sat on the comfortable sofa with Izuku at his side, flipping through books and journals. He was starting to wonder if they'd been forgotten about, but he was at least almost certain that he could never forget about something so big. Unless he'd had a major head injury at some point in the last few years, he supposed. That was probably something he should have asked about.

Finally, when the agency seemed empty below them, he heard footsteps thump on the stairs. He looked up as the door swung open, locking eyes with dark green, and for a moment they just stared silently.

"What happened, Kacchan?" he asked, his voice laced with fatigue. "Some kind of de-aging quirk?"

"Time travel," a voice corrected him from the hallway. "They're real."

His eyes finally moved, spotting the matching little Izuku on the sofa, a whirlwind of emotions running through his face as he stared at hs older self standing before him.

"I'm too tired for this," he sighed finally, heading for the little kitchen area and sticking his head straight under the water tap. "Give me a minute."

The older Katsuki sighed at him, leaning against the doorway as he waited, and after a solid minute Izuku straightened up. His smile was back on his face, splitting his freckled cheeks. His face was tanned from summer patrols, his freckles bold and uncountable, but his eyes were as bright as ever.

"Okay!" he grinned. "Baby Kacchan and Baby Izuku it is! Like a day, right? They can stay with us!"

"Yeah, that's what I figured," the older Katsuki nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Come on, we need food. What the hell kept you so long, anyway?"

He jerked his head for the younger pair to follow, and Izuku scrambled to put their books away, hurrying after them into the hall. Katsuki was more leisurely in his pace, trudging down the stairs a few paces behind as the older Izuku yammered about his patrols. His own Izuku was hanging on every word, enamoured by the experiences that he himself would be facing down in just a few years.

"How old are you?" Katsuki cut in, when the older Izuku paused for air. "How long has it been?"

"Ten years," Izuku answered, before either of the other heroes got a chance. "Sorry, I should have told you! I forgot you don't know how old Eri is!"

"It's whatever."

"And before you ask, neither of us remember this," the older Izuku smiled. "We know it happened, but everything was really foggy in our memories. I used to dream about it sometimes, like there was a flash of my future right there waiting for me and I couldn't quite reach it. I'm kind of happy that we finally get to remember. Or... Get to know, at least."

"How do we get back?"

"The heroes in your time are hunting down the villain. When they catch him, they'll make him release it, and you'll just pop back to your own reality like nothing ever happened!

"Does it... Leave any effects, or something?"

"Not that we ever noticed!"

With the two Izukus immediately babbling away about their theories, Katsuki stuffed his hands in his pants pockets. He couldn't help but notice that his older self was quiet too, leading the way out of the building rather than weigh in on the conversation.

"Ramen?" he asked simply, when the door was locked behind them. "I'll buy."

"Hmm... Sushi?"

"Again?"

"Yeah!"

"Dumb nerd is on a crab kick," he explained, when Izuku looked up at him curiously. "keeps asking for crab sushi and crab tempura."

"I don't think I've had crab before," Izuku mused. "It must be good!"

"Alright, alright," the older Katsuki sighed, digging out his wallet. "We'll buy the damn sushi."

He didn't bother asking what anyone wanted, when they stepped into the quiet little store. He just listed off items, rattling them off like it was second nature, and hovered until they handed him a bag filled with little containers.

"Enjoy your meal! Thank you for your hard work!"

He grunted in acknowledgement, nodding faintly, but a quick elbow to the ribs opened his mouth in a hurry.

"It's our pleasure," he drawled, as if he were reading it from a script. "Thank you for your continued support."

Izuku giggled at them as they left, enjoying the conversation made entirely of facial expressions and mouthed complaints, and as he sidled up closer to the older Katsuki's side, the younger felt that same weird urge to beat someone up.

It faded in a hurry when they stepped into an elevator, shooting straight up to the top floor, and he saw the spacious penthouse apartment open up before them. It wasn't really much different from his parents' house in terms of the size of the living area, but something about it was just co clean and airy, making it feel like the most luxurious place he'd ever set foot.

"It's alright," the older Katsuki acknowledged, as if he could read the other's mind. "I liked the decorating and the kitchen."

"Yeah?" Katsuki mumbled, eyeing the place as he kicked his shoes off. "Show me the kitchen."

"Please?"

"Who the fuck are you?"

A familiar smirk flashed his direction, and he rolled his eyes as he followed. Wide hands spread the sushi packets all over the countertop, opening them up for everyone to help themselves, and he nodded when red eyes met his.

"It's nice," he admitted, snatching a piece of tempura before the Izukus could scoff it all. "Clean."

"Happens when you're never home."

"Yeah, I guess so."

They sat down to eat at barstools along a kitchen island, and as Katsuki surveyed his surroundings, he couldn't help but notice something was off. Assuming a toilet and a bathroom, plus the closet that was too small to be anything else, there was only one more room off the hallway. Only one bedroom. So if this was his apartment, in the future, then why did the older Izuku follow him home so late at night without question? Or maybe it was the older Izuku's apartment, and Katsuki had just helped him pick it out? It didn't add up.

The thought weighed on his mind in a weird way as he stuffed himself full of cheap sushi dipped in hot sauce like the heathen he was. He was kind of amused to see that his older counterpart did the same, that the habit his parents had yelled and begged him to quit had continued despite the nagging. Meanwhile, the Izukus shared platters of deep-fried crab tempura and fresh crab sushi rolls, feeding the addiction apparently so recently developed.

He hoped that was included in the list of things they would forget about when they went back, he wasn't sure he could stand ten years of cheap sushi from a chain store on their route home from work.

Then again, why did he assume he would even be there? Surely they were only together in that moment because of the quirk, and yeah, they owned an agency together, but that didn't mean they had to spend every moment together. Yeah, they had the Twin Stars agency they'd talked about even as children – though the name had come from overhearing Aizawa and All Might talk, so that was a new addition. A little cliche, sure, but even Katsuki wouldn't deny that the two teachers meant a lot to him. To both of them. It made sense, even if it was cheesy.

The little motto emblazoned on their posters and stationery was newer too, another addition from their early high school days. "Save to Win, Win to Save" had become their mantra before the end of their first year, two sides of the same coin, a reminder that both parts were equally important.

"Everything okay, Kacchan?" Izuku asked through a mouthful, swallowing before Katsuki could tell him off. "What's up?"

"Only one bedroom," he answered, before he could think better of it. "Uh, no guest room."

"We have a couple of futon in the closet, don't worry! We'll set you guys up in the living room for the night!"

Izuku seemed to catch on before either of the older pair, his eyes widening as he looked around their surroundings.

"Uh, you said you both live here, right?"

"Oh."

The pair exchanged a look, and Katsuki could only stare at them, stunned into silence.

"We, um, share a room."

"For... Financial reasons...?"

"No, silly," the older Izuku giggled, his Katsuki softening in response. "For, um, dating purposes?"

"No fuckin' way," Katsuki growled. "There is no way that I agreed to date your ass. Look at me! I could have any damn guy I wanted!"

"Yeah, and you wanted me!" he laughed. "I don't get it either, trust me."

"No way," Katsuki repeated shaking his head. "The shitty nerd?! You're fucking with me."

"Shut the hell up," the older Katsuki snapped, eyebrows furrowing. "Get the fuck over yourself. I know you, asshole. Stop with the petty bullshit, this is why it took so damn long for us to get together."

"Kacchan, it's fine," the older Izuku reached for him, touching his shoulder lightly. "We were idiots as teenagers, it's okay, we got there in the end!"

He planted a tiny kiss on his Katsuki's cheek, and the younger Izuku was inexplicably the one who blushed. He mumbled to himself again as he pieced things together, occasionally sneaking glances at each of them in turn, but for once he was too quiet even for Katsuki to overhear.

"I'm gonna go take a bath," the older Izuku smiled, patting his Katsuki's shoulder lightly. "You mind getting the stuff out?"

"Yeah. Wait for me."

"Of course!"

"Ugh," Katsuki scowled, looking away and trying to hide the little pout that itched to come out. "We can do it, go do your damn sappy shit."

"Alright," he got a sharp nod, and the pair headed off to the bathroom. "Don't break our shit."

"Like I would."

Izuku and Katsuki refused to speak of it, when they were left in the quiet room. Izuku quickly skittered off to open the closet, pulling out bedding for them both, while Katsuki set to work cleaning up trash and washing dishes. He knew their older selves would be planning to do it themselves, after they were cleaned up from their day of work, but it was probably the least he could do for staying in their apartment. And criticising their relationship, that... That wasn't cool, and he knew it.

"We'll talk about it in the morning," Katsuki said quickly, when Izuku opened his mouth. "Just... Let me think about it."

"Okay," Izuku smiled, watching Katsuki collapse onto his futon, stripping down to his boxers to get comfortable. "Take as long as you need, Kacchan. We won't remember it when we go back, anyway. You don't have to be okay with it."

"But you are?" he asked stubbornly, reaching for the remote to turn out the lights.

"We'll talk about it in the morning! Sweet dreams, Kacchan!"

"Whatever, nerd."

─────

When morning same, Katsuki felt like he'd come to terms with the whole concept. He'd had a lot of stupid dreams, contemplated it in the dark and the silence when he woke in the night, and finally... He'd accepted it. He had a crush on the nerd – had done for a long time, even if he didn't quite realise what it was, at first. He was just going to have to deal with that fact, as annoying as it was – at least he knew he was gonna win.

He woke up to the two older men sneaking out the door, the sun barely beginning to rise outside the living room windows. He hadn't heard a sound from either of them, until the front door closed a little too heavily, and it took a moment to piece together what was going on. He hadn't slept well – had barely slept at all, honestly – but he was also busting to take a piss, so he got up all the same.

He saw green eyes blinking up at him, woken by the same noise, and as he walked by a sleepy little smile flashed at him from the chubby cheeks.

"Morning, Kacchan," he said softly, snugglng in again and closing his eyes despite the words. "It's early."

"Go back to sleep."

He found breakfast waiting for them on the stove, courtesy of an older Katsuki since it was clearly edible, a little note left beside the plates that reminded them to be safe and hang out until their patrol was finished. When he'd relieved himself and washed his hands, he took the food back to Izuku in the living room, sitting down on his futon and propping himself up against the couch.

"Oi, eat," he instructed, as Izuku sat up groggily. "Wanna watch cartoons?"

"With you? Really?"

"Mm-hm."

"Yeah!"

Katsuki flicked on the television, propped on a little wooden unit not far from their feet, and for a solid hour it was like old times again – laughing and cheering on the familiar cartoon heroes, stuffing themselves with bacon and rice, even arguing semantics over the completely ridiculous quirks some of the heroes had. Something about accepting the way he felt, acknowledging it even if only to himself, made him feel... Free, in a way. Not to tell anyone, or act on it, but to be around the nerd without stressing so much.

"You wanna snoop through their room?" Izuku asked, as the credits rolled and they set their plates aside. "Might find something cool."

"Or hilarious," Katsuki agreed with a smirk. "Let's go."

Still dressed only in their underwear, they began to dig through drawers, peering under beds, exploring every corner of the closet. It was more than he'd bargained for, though, when Katsuki held up a pair of thick steel handcuffs.

"Of course you like to be handcuffed," Katsuki snorted, waving them in Izuku's face. "Because why wouldn't you, huh? Freaky nerd."

"Um... I don't think so, Kacchan," Izuku squirmed.

"The fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"I just... really don't think so," Izuku blushed. "I think, um... Just maybe..."

"Fuckin' forget it," Katsuki cringed, tossing them aside. "Think they keep anything else weird around?"

"I mean, there's this?" Izuku offered, holding up what could only be a bright red ball-gag.

"Okay, that's probably mine," Katsuki admitted. "You'd get sick of listening to me yell at you when we're in the middle of shit."

"Mm... I don't think you'd cope with being gagged. I probably mutter during s-sex and you don't like it?"

"Oh hell, I never even thought of that, ugh! Your shitty little muttering habit going on about how you can feel the sweat from my hands and it gets you hard as fuck because you're such a nerd for my quirk? It would be the biggest turn off in the world."

When the older duo returned from their first patrol, to check in and make sure the boys had eaten, they found a pair of energetic teenagers dancing around their room in their underwear, laughing and goading each other ad they had a floppy dildo sword-fight. Neither of them even seemed to notice the interruption, and the older Katsuki could only sigh at them, golding his arms across his chest. He knew there was a reason he didn't want kids.

Before they knew it, the older and more muscular of the Izukus was tackling them both at the bed, laughing as he declared punishment by snuggles, and to everyone's disbelief, including his own, Katsuki laughed.

"You're so cute!" Izuku praised, grinning at his little blush and even smaller smile. "Look at you, Baby Kacchan! You're adorable!"

"Shut up!" he spluttered, rolling away from the grip but dragged right back in. "I'm not cute, I'm fuckin' hot. Look at me!"

"All I see is a cutie!"

"Shut up!"

It took far too long for the mess to quiet down, for them all to sprawl exhausted across the bed, adult Katsuki only joining them when his Izuku made grabby hands and whined at him wordlessly.

"Where do you keep your laptop?" Katsuki asked, oddly breathless from all the wrestling and tickling. "I couldn't find it."

"Hidden from your ass," his older self snorted. "What are you trying to look up, huh? Lottery numbers?"

"Wanted to see which one of us is in first place."

The older Katsuki simply looked away, but his Izuku smiled widely.

"Oh, no, you don't have to worry about that! Were you arguing about it? No, it's okay, Endeavor is still in first!"

"What?" Katsuki demanded. "Fucking Endeavor?! Even Deku would be better than that shit-head! What the fuck is wrong with these people?! Haven't they seen Deku's Smash?"

Izuku could only watch in awe as Katsuki ranted – not about his own inability to take the spot, but inexplicably, offended on Izuku's behalf.

"Turns out it's easier to stay in first than to get there in the first place," the older Katsuki acknowledged with a huff. "It's a pain in the ass, but we'll get there. Just gotta keep working."

"What the fuck kind of attitude is that?!"

"Shhh, Kacchan, please," the older Izuku interjected. "It's taken me a long time to calm him down about this, don't ruin it for me!"

He stared at the older pair in confusion, at the resignation and frustration in both their faces, hidden so well to the average onlooker.

"Right," he acknowledged, nodding. "Uh, yeah. Just... Y'know, get there, alrght?"

"Obviously."

The older Izuku glanced at his watch, smilin to himself as he plucked both the dildos from the bedcovers and tucked them away in the closet.

"Go get dressed, boys!" he instructed. "Time is almost up!"

"Wait, already?"

"Uh-huh! Just be careful in the street, okay? Don't get run over when you pop up out of nowhere!"

"I'll, uh, do my best," Izuku agreed, scurrying out to the hall. "Um, sorry about the... Toys."

"It's okay," his older self laughed. "No harm done!"

They dressed themselves in silence, and Katsuki suspected it was the weight of forgetting that weighed on both of them. They'd both gotten used to the idea so quickly, had both realised how much sense it made in the space of just one night, and now they were going to lose it all.

The older Izuku planted a big kiss on Katsuki's cheek, then Izuku's to match, grinning as he began a little wave, and Katsuki felt his head go foggy. He was dizzy again, like he had been the morning prior, after their fight. Only this time, he thought maybe he understood why

"Take care of each other," the older Katsuki instructed. "It's worth it."

"Thank you."

─────

Katsuki was snapped out of his thoughts by an angry honk, looking up to see Izuku bowing to a driver in the street, smiling sheepishly as he hurried out of the way. His brain felt damp, like it was caught in a sudden downpour and just beginning to dry out, as Izuku ran over to him outside the convenience store.

"Kacchan!"

"My head feels weird," he admitted, before he could think better of it. "What just happened?"

"Oh," Izuku gaped. "Yours too? I feel like I've forgotten something?"

"A bunch of things," Katsuki agreed. "What the hell is going on?"

"Bakugou! Midoriya!"

He looked up to see Aizawa running toward them, surprisingly hurried considering his usual disposition, and surprisingly awake for once in his life.

"You look okay," he acknowledged. "When will you two stop putting me through so much trouble?"

"Never," Katsuki smiled, gone as quick as it came, wondering why the word had even slipped out in the first place. "Uh, I mean-"

"Midoriya? Okay?" he prompted, ignoring Katsuki's stutters.

"Yeah! I just feel... Weird? It's like I forgot something important, and like... It's there, but I can't quite reach it?"

"You were hit by a time travel quirk," Aizawa explained, watching both pairs of eyes widen at him in unison. "Do you remember any of it?"

"Last thing I remember was crossing the street," Katsuki shrugged. "So no, I guess not?"

"Alright, that's probably a good thing. You're dismissed from class today, go to Recovery Girl and get checked out just in case. I need to go let everyone know you came back."

"Were you worried, Sensei?" Izuku asked, smiling faintly. "You seem relieved."

"I wad," he admitted, surprisingly open about it. "I nearly lost Bakugou once already when he was in my care, and god knows you've nearly killed yourself a dozen times. If anyone was going to get themselves lost in another timeline, it would be you two."

"We're okay," Bakugou assured him, running a hand through his hair. "We'll go see the creepy nurse."

"See that you do."

He disappeared toward what Katsuki suspected would be a police station, and as he and Izuku went the opposite direction to the school, he tried to remember even just a little of what had happened to him in the future. It could have been such valuable knowledge, a way to get ahead, but the stupid quirk just had to account for that.

"Do you remember anything?" Izuku asked knowingly.

"No. Do you?"

Izuku shook his head, but as they stopped in a quiet little courtyard out the front of the school, ready to pass through the doorway into what would soon become their normal lives again – thoughts of future worlds long since forgotten, ready to come as a surprise just like for everyone else – Katsuki knew there was one tiny shard left inside of him, a shard he should hold on to.

As much as he may not remember their experiences, he certainly felt something.

"There's something I want to do," he admitted. "Can I?"

"Whatever you want, Kacchan!"

Not giving himself time to second guess it, he leaned in, planting a short, chaste kiss on chapped lips, watching emerald eyes shoot open, then flutter closed, before Katsuki pulled away.

That tiny shard was tight in his grip, now, and despite his stubborn pride and a little confusion, he knew he didn't want to let it go.

"You can do that any time you want," Izuku said gleefully, his smile as bright as the sun surrounding them. "Maybe there's a memory in there after all, huh?"

"Should we go inside?" he asked, looking pointedly at the fingers tangled in his sleeve, so quick to grab when the kiss began. "You done?"

"Okay," Izuku giggled, "but I'm not letting go!"