A Nerd's Guide to Flirting

Izuku tried not to make assumptions about how his conversations with Katsuki would go, seeing as they never seemed to turn out right. Frankly he was just glad that they could have a conversation these days, considering how long they’d been awkward and distant from each other. It was good to have Katsuki back in his life, like he’d had him when they were children, before everything became such a strange mess between them.

If he had tried to predict it though, he’d never have guessed the words that came out of Katsuki’s mouth in that moment.

“I need your advice.”

“M-Mine?” Izuku squeaked, pen falling out of his hand as he froze in his tracks. “S-Sure, Kacchan! What with?”

“You can’t say shit to anyone,” Katsuki narrowed his eyes. “I swear to God if you even think about telling-”

“I wouldn’t!” Izuku assured him. “You know I wouldn’t, Kacchan. So, um, w-what’s the problem?”

Katsuki’s cheeks burned red, and he looked away in a hurry, lower lip jutting out. For a moment, he seemed to regret even bringing it up, but with a deep breath and a hard swallow, he nodded.

“I have… Ugh, I don’t want to use that stupid word.”

“What stupid word?”

“Crush,” he practically spat, the red spreading quickly from his cheeks through to the rest of his face, even the tips of his ears turning pink. “It’s such a stupid word and I hate it.”

“You like someone?” Izuku prompted, smiling faintly. “You don’t have to use the word, what word would you prefer?”

“Ugh.” Katsuki hesitated, considering, and Izuku was surprised to see him gnaw on his lower lip as he contemplated. “Just… There’s a person, okay?”

“Okay,” Izuku giggled, trying his best to look apologetic for it before Katsuki could glare at him. “And you want to tell me about this person?”

“No. God no! Fucking- I just- I don’t know what to do, alright? This stuff is stupid, but I know you talk about that shit with your friends, so…”

“Right,” Izuku nodded, sitting up straighter and swallowing the hard lump that seemed to have settled in his throat. “Do you want to tell this person?”

“No! Fuck no!”

“Are you trying to get over this person?”

“You think I haven’t fuckin’ tried that?” Katsuki huffed, folding his arms. “I want to… Be subtle.”

“Oh! You want to flirt?”

“Do not say that stupid fuckin’ word again or I will punch you.”

Izuku grinned, nodding all the same, and Katsuki seemed to settle down a little with the words out in the open. For a moment they were silent, Katsuki recovering his composure while Izuku thought about the question, and he waited for Katsuki’s face to return to its normal colour before he spoke again.

“I’m sure it goes without saying,” he began slowly. “But a good start would be, you know, being nice to them.”

“Like that’s so damn easy,” Katsuki huffed. “If I say nice shit people just think it’s sarcasm.”

“Well, you do tend to sound sarcastic,” Izuku smiled again, holding his hands up in surrender when Katsuki glared. “Maybe start with using their name? Instead of insulting nicknames, I mean. And say please and thank you. You could do that much, right?”

“No,” Katsuki grumbled. “Next?”

“No?”

“Can’t do that one. Next?”

“Why not?”

“Doesn’t matter. Next.”

Izuku sighed, leaning back against the side of his bed and staring up at the roof. As much as he hated to indulge in his dumb little fantasies, maybe if it was to help Kacchan…

He closed his eyes, letting his mind wander, his heart thumping a little quicker.

Katsuki making him lunch. Katsuki holding his hand. Katsuki sitting with him on the couch, laughing together as they fight over popcorn and watch a cheesy movie.

“Spend time with them,” he suggested finally. “Make time for them, I mean. We’re all so busy all the time, I think just letting them know you want to do something together, and following through, is a good start. Like, it’s nice to know someone made time for you in their schedule, right?”

“Yeah,” Katsuki nodded. “I uh, I can do that. Anything else?”

“I think it’s nice to eat with the person you li- Um, that person. I guess you probably do anyway, you have lunch with all your friends, but maybe you could make them something? Kacchan is a good cook, I think snacks or dessert would be really nice. Even dinner, if you’re feeling brave.”

“I can do that.”

“I think that would be a good start,” Izuku smiled, a lot weaker this time. “Try it out and see how it goes? Maybe it’ll go naturally from there. And if not, it’s at least a step in the right direction!”

“I’ll try.”

“Okay!”

“I’d better go,” Katsuki sighed, gathering his books into his bag. “Need to shower and eat before bed. Um, th-thanks for having me. And… You know. Um, same time tomorrow, right? To finish the project?”

“Yeah,” Izuku beamed. “Looking forward to it.”

“Goodnight nerd. Deku.”

“Goodnight, Kacchan!”

When the door shut behind Katsuki’s back, Izuku let himself relax, the smile falling off his face. It took so much effort sometimes, to keep up the facade, to keep that smile on when every fibre of his being screamed against it.

On some level he’d always known that Katsuki would fall for someone, one day. He supposed he should be happy, really, that they were close enough for Katsuki to open up to him! Then again, he couldn’t exactly talk to his friends about it when it was one of them, right? Izuku was just the next on his list, the next closest thing to a friend.

He should be happy for that. He was happy for that. Truly!

He just wished it was more.

─────

“Okay, so I’ve been researching!” Izuku said brightly, holding up his laptop. “How did today go? Are you ready for step two?”

“Haah?”

“I saw the muffins! They looked tasty! And I’ve been researching what to do next!”

Katsuki flushed slightly pink again, a sight Izuku never thought he’d see, and yet here it was, twice in as many days. He sat down on the floor in his usual spot, reaching into his backpack, and without looking Izuku’s way, offered him a container.

“I made extra,” he grumbled. “Here, eat them.”

“Really?! Are you sure?!”

“The extras said they were good, so I guess you’ll like them.”

“Thank you so much!”

He tore the lid off the container, picking out the biggest of the chocolate chip muffins and biting off a chunk happily.

“They’re so good!” he moaned, stuffing a second bite in his mouth. “So fluffy!”

“Whatever, nerd,” Katsuki huffed, dragging out his thick binder of papers and slapping it in Izuku’s lap. “We only have three days left to finish, get with it.”

“But Kacchan we’re practically done! A proofread and a few staples and the whole report is finished!”

“It has to be perfect,” Katsuki insisted. “We’re working on this every damn night until it’s due, nerd.”

“Okay, okay!” Izuku laughed, setting the container of muffins down and picking his laptop up again. “But first, I found some advice! I looked through a bunch of those teen magazines that the girls read, and I did an extensive search for how to flirt with girls, so I’ve read both sides of the equation and I think I’ve figured it out!”

“Haaah? Why the fuck are you investing so much into this?”

“I want you to be happy,” Izuku pouted. “You asked me to help!”

“Ugh. You’re such a nerd.”

“Do you wanna see what I found?”

“Fine, whatever.”

He shuffled a little closer, leaning over to see the screen, and for a moment Izuku’s breath hitched.

“Okay, so apparently teasing is the best way to get the message across, everyone likes playful teasing! You’ve just gotta be careful to not go too far and turn it into an insult. Make sure you smile as you say it, not scowl, otherwise it’ll sound mean! And be cute! Pouting is cute, sulking is okay if it’s playful, but don’t yell at her.”

Katsuki didn’t say anything, so Izuku just gave him a moment to take it in, scrolling down his page.

“Touching is good too, but gentle. Lean into her, pat her on the back, stuff like that! Not, you know, punching.”

“I’m not stupid.”

“I know that, Kacchan! Just a little socially inept.”

“Oi!”

“See? That’s teasing!”

“Ugh.”

“And look at her when she’s talking! Make it clear that you’re interested in what she’s saying! Just don’t stare or be creepy. But listen to her! Encourage her to continue! Ask questions!”

“I need to stop you.”

“Sorry, is this too much?”

Katsuki shook his head, eyes downcast, and Izuku turned to consider him carefully.

“Is everything okay? Did lunch not go well? Oh no, is she allergic to muffins?”

“No, idiot,” Katsuki huffed. “I just… You keep saying she.”

Izuku froze, jaw hanging open a little as he stared at Katsuki’s oddly nervous expression, still refusing to look up and meet Izuku’s eyes.

“Okay!” Izuku said finally, closing a couple of tabs and flicking to the next page. “So guys usually care a bit more about appearance than girls, they’re a lot more physical. So you wanna make sure you look nice, which isn’t hard with your face and your skin and everything, but maybe try to dress a little nice too? I mean, you do wear your uniform a little… Well, you know. If you’re hanging out outside of class, maybe some jeans and a nice t-shirt instead of the skulls and sweatpants and stuff? He’d probably like seeing you look smart for him, and-”

“You’re seriously not gonna say a word?” Katsuki cut him off, eyebrows knitting together as he finally looked up. “I’ve known you since we were children, and I’m telling you I like dudes, and you don’t even care?”

“Of course I care! That’s why I switched to-”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Izuku tilted his head to the side like a confused puppy, frankly bafflednby the whole thing, and Katsuki grumbled something under his breath.

“Are you gay or bi?” Izuku asked finally. “Or pan? Or something else? Sorry, I’m not always up on-”

“Gay,” Katsuki answered quickly, stopping the mumble-storm before it could fully begin.

“Okay, cool,” Izuku nodded. “Um, I’m glad you trust me enough to tell me, and I hope you know that I respect-”

“What are you, a greeting card?”

“Kacchan, you’re my oldest friend, one of my best friends, and you think I would, what, be upset that you like dicks? I’m happy you told me, really! I feel special! And I would never judge you for something like that!”

“I… Ugh. Thanks.”

“Of course, Kacchan! Alright, so as I was saying-”

Katsuki just sat quietly, listening as Izuku rambled on and on about the articles he’d read, the magazines he’d hunted down, the searches he’d done. He looked when Izuku pointed at the screen, nodded when Izuku looked at him for confirmation, but mostly he just… sat.

“Does that all sound okay?” Izuku asked, tilting his head again. “Kacchan?”

“Got it,” he sighed, leaning his head on his hand. “Pay attention, tease, be nice, touch, look hot, smile, yada yada I got it. Make food again I guess. Spend time together.”

“Yeah! You got it! He’ll be super happy to have your attention, how could he not?”

“Says the damn ray of sunshine,” Katsuki huffed, shoving him lightly. “I’m kind of an asshole, in case you’ve forgotten.”

“No! Kacchan is amazing!” Izuku beamed, ignoring the way his heart grew heavier in his chest. “Any guy would be lucky for you to like him!”

“I thought we agreed not to say that word.”

“Sorry!” Izuku laughed. “I won’t say it again!”

Katsuki cracked the tiniest of smiles, and Izuku felt lighter when he saw, the sinking feeling replaced with a surprising amount of joy.

“Let him see that smile,” Izuku said softly, quickly lifting an arm to block the shove he knew was coming. “He’ll be super happy.”

Sure enough, Katsuki shoved him in the side, dodging the arm he’d so carefully prepared. He stumbled a little, catching himself on his other arm, and Katsuki quickly grabbed his laptop before it could fall to the ground.

“Clumsy nerd,” Katsuki snorted, pulling his hair lightly. “Come on, we need to work.”

“Stop pushing me then!” Izuku whined. “I’m trying!”

Strong fingers wrapped around Izuku’s bicep, dragging him back up, and for a moment they lingered against his bare skin.

“Thanks,” Izuku said softly.

“It’s fine.”

─────

Katsuki looked a little sheepish, for once in his life, when he showed up at Izuku’s door. Izuku pulled it open to find him in a pair of dark jeans, more form-fitting than Izuku had ever seen on him before, and a navy-blue sweater that he suspected might have been brand new.

“Oh! You look so nice!” Izuku praised, looking him over in the doorway. “Have you been hanging out with him? I hope I didn’t drag you away! You could have sent me a text!”

“You didn’t,” Katsuki mumbled, shoving his way through into the room – more gently than he could have, Izuku couldn’t help but notice. “It’s fine.”

“Did you do something with your hair, too?” Izuku hummed, staring at it as he fell into his usual spot on the carpet. “It looks less messy.”

“Haah? It looks exactly the same, no matter what I do to it.”

“Nuh-uh! Oh, did you wash it today? Maybe it’s the conditioner. It looks soft, and like you combed it or something! It looks nice! You really are making an effort, this guy must be super special!”

“And oblivious,” Katsuki grumbled. “It’s whatever.”

“He hasn’t noticed you flirting?”

“Nope.”

“Did he at least tell you that you looked nice?”

“Ah… Yeah, I guess he did.”

“Maybe he’s flirting back and you just haven’t noticed because you’re too caught up in thinking about your own words?”

Red eyes narrowed, meeting Izuku’s sceptically, and after a moment he shook his head.

“Nah, he’s just… Whatever, it doesn’t matter.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Come on, it’s our last night on this shit, let’s get it done.”

“I think it’s done, right? We just need to do a final proofread and make sure! If you want to go back and hang out with-”

“Stop,” Katsuki cut him off, almost pained. “I want this thing to be perfect, just… Let’s just make the most of our last night on it, okay? Even if it’s just proofreading or whatever.”

“Okay!”

It took Izuku far too long to catch on, pausing as he reached to flip a page in the binder, their shoulders pressed together with a comfortable warmth.

“You know we can still hang out, right?” Izuku asked, his voice barely a whisper. “If you want advice, or to talk about this, or just… Anything, really. We’re friends, we can hang out even without a project to do.”

“Whatever,” Katsuki huffed, blushing again – Izuku couldn’t help but notice how damn cute he was when he was embarrassed. “Fine.”

“Okay,” Izuku giggled. “Just making sure you knew!”

“Yeah.”

He paused again when they reached the next page, eyes barely taking in the words on the paper.

“Can I ask who it is?” he asked, his throat strangely dry. “You don’t have to tell me, obviously, I guess I’m just curious since we talked about it a lot, and you seem to really like him, it’s really sweet! So if you don’t want to, that’s fine, but I’d like to hear about it if you want to tell me!”

Names were already rushing through his head, pounding in time with his rapid heartbeat, but Katsuki shook his head faintly.

“I can’t.”

“Can’t?”

“Yeah.”

“Not you don’t want to,” he clarified. “You have no problem telling me when you don’t want to. So… He must be a friend of mine, huh? I guess you and Todoroki got close during the remedial course, so that would make sense, and Iida has that kind of muscular Daddy vibe, so that would be fair too, and Tokoyami is all dark and mysterious which is kinda cool, and I don’t think I even need to say how attractive Kirishima is, so-”

“You like dudes,” Katsuki cut him off abruptly, disbelief lacing his tone. “Are you kidding me?”

“Huh? I like both, why?”

“Why didn’t you say so, asshole?! I was sitting here stressing my ass off about telling you I was gay, and you like guys too?”

“It wasn’t about me,” Izuku pouted. “I’m not gonna answer your nervous coming-out-speech with ‘me too’, that’s just rude!”

“You prick, I can’t believe you.”

“I’m sorry! I thought I was being supportive!”

“Dumbass.”

“Does, um, does that somehow… Change things? Like, you can tell me now suddenly? I guess solidarity is a good thing, like if I think he’s hot too, then-”

“You’re so stupid,” Katsuki groaned, burying his face in his hands. “Are you fucking kidding me?!”

“What, Kacchan? You’re worrying me!”

“It’s you, you damn imbecile. Are you fucking serious?!”

Izuku felt like his brain ceased to function in that moment, staring blankly at Katsuki’s embarrassment and disbelief, his horror.

“You made those muffins for me?” he asked weakly.

“Of course I did, fuckin’ idiot. I made the extras try them and make sure they were okay, but I brought you six.”

“You thanked me.”

“You told me to.”

“Kacchan, you like me?”

“I told you not to use that stupid word.”

“And you’ve been teasing, and touching me, and spending time with me, and-” Izuku almost choked on his own tongue, running his eyes over Katsuki in his little ball of shame. “You dressed nice just for our study date? For me?”

Katsuki conceded a single nod, and suddenly Izuku’s heart was soaring, the widest smile in the world stretching across his cheeks.

“I like you too!” he said brightly, watching Katsuki’s eyes widen as he finally looked up – he’d save that adorable face in his brain forever. “You should have told me, Kacchan!”

He climbed into Katsuki’s lap, cupping flushed cheeks in his hands, and with tears pouring down his face, he pressed a kiss to Katsuki’s forehead.

“It was so hard!” he confessed, his voice barely a whisper. “I was trying so hard to be supportive and helpful because I want you to be happy but I wanted so bad for it to be me!”

“Me?”

“You.”

Katsuki’s hand trembled as it rose, wiping away sticky tears from Izuku’s freckled cheek, and for a long moment they just stared at each other in awe.

“If I was gonna flirt with you,” Katsuki started weakly, his voice barely cooperating. “What would you want me to do?”

“I just wanna spend time with you,” Izuku smiled, leaning in closer. “I want Kacchan, exactly the way he is. But maybe I want you to say nice things about me sometimes, too.”

“Do I have to?”

“Aww, Kacchan learned to tease!” Izuku giggled. “And I wanna hold your hand.”

“Yeah?”

“I’ve wanted to hold your hand for a long time.”

Katsuki took his hand from Izuku’s cheek, leaving a cold spot where his warmth had once been. Instead, he held it out between them, palm up, and just waited.

With his smile wobbly and tears still flooding his face, Izuku accepted, linking their fingers together clumsily. Despite how messy and sudden and unprepared it all was, it was the most perfect moment of Izuku’s life so far, and he quickly ducked his head to hide in Katsuki’s shoulder.

“Thank you,” he whispered. “Thank you for choosing me.”

“Thank you for accepting me,” Katsuki returned, far more easily than he expected the words to come out. “For giving me a chance to make it all up to you.”

“I forgive you for everything,” Izuku assured him, squeezing tighter at his hand. “I just want to do this. Just let me, okay?”

“Every day,” Katsuki promised. “Do you wanna hug?”

“Can we?”

“Obviously, nerd.”

Their fingers parted, and for a brief moment Izuku felt oddly incomplete, until Katsuki’s awkward arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him in closer. A little sob forced its way out of Izuku’s mouth, and beside his ear, Katsuki laughed.

“It’s okay,” he said softly. “Just this once, I won’t complain about all the damn tears.”

“Thank you, Kacchan.”

He wound his arms around Katsuki’s neck, savouring his embrace, and for a solid minute, neither of them moved.

“Alright,” Katsuki sighed, gently pushing Izuku back to see his face. “You hungry, idiot boyfriend? I’m starving. Let’s go get food.”

“But Kacchan, I’m a mess!” Izuku whined, scrubbing at his face with his sleeve. “I can’t go out like this!”

“Then get off me and go clean yourself up,” Katsuki snorted. “Come on, I spent like half an hour on my hair for you, nerd, at least let it be our first date.”

“I knew it!” Izuku couldn’t help but laugh, pinching Katsuki’s cheek when he cracked a smile. “You look amazing, Kacchan. Pick me something to wear, okay?”

“I’ll try my best.”

“Rude.”

Izuku climbed off all the same, stripping his shirt over his head, and Katsuki’s tiny smile stretched into a smirk.

“Like this is good too,” he teased, leaning over to peek at Izuku’s abs. “I’m fine with this.”

“Aww, you really are flirting!” Izuku laughed, leaning down to kiss a flushed cheek. “Two minutes, okay?”

“No rush.”

“You said you were starving!”

“Yeah, but I’ll wait.”

Izuku ducked into the bathroom quickly when the tears started up again, soaking a cloth under the tap, but as he scrubbed tear stains from his face he caught a glimpse of the biggest smile in the world still waiting on his lips.

“Here,” Katsuki offered him a pair of jeans and his favourite All Might shirt, rolling his eyes when Izuku immediately teared up again. “Don’t start.”

“You don’t want me to wear something special?”

“I don’t give a shit what you wear, as long as it’s you. God damn it don’t you dare start crying again we’re meant to go get food!”

“But Kacchan you’re being so sappy!” Izuku sobbed. “You gotta cut it out!”

“Okay, okay,” Katsuki huffed. “No more sappy shit.”

He pulled Izuku into a hug the moment he was dressed, and Izuku curled comfortably into every space of his body, twining them into one. It took him another long minute to calm his breathing, but Katsuki just held him close, keeping him warm and secure.

“Ready now?” he asked, brushing messy curls back from Izuku’s forehead. “I’m still hungry.”

“Yeah,” Izuku laughed. “I’m sorry, I’m just kind of overwhelmed right now.”

“It’s okay. I know you, Deku, I knew exactly what I was signing up for when I fell for you.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Kacchan is such a sap,” Izuku murmured, smiling to himself. “I’m happy.”

“Good. I’m hungry.”

“I know, I know. What do you wanna eat?”

“Tonkatsu?”

“Really?”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

“Okay!”

Izuku stuffed his phone and wallet in his pockets, stepping out into the hall and locking the door behind them. When he turned around again, he found Katsuki’s hand in front of him, waiting palm-up for Izuku to take it. A smile split the freckled cheeks again, and he happily accepted, blushing as they linked themselves together.

“Even in public?” he asked faintly.

“Whenever you want.”

Izuku smiled fondly, squeezing the strong hand a little tighter, and to his delight, Katsuki squeezed him back.

“So when you asked me for advice,” he began, as they stepped into the elevator. “You were just trying to find out what I would want?”

“I did everything you suggested,” Katsuki snorted. “You were just so damn oblivious.”

“Because if it was me you should have just said so,” Izuku insisted.

“It worked eventually, didn’t it?”

“I guess it did,” he sighed fondly, sneaking a peek up at Katsuki’s matching little smile. “Thank you for choosing me, Kacchan.”

“Thanks for being my person.”