Worth a shot [Pride Month 2023]

Katsuki grimaced as he dropped the shot glass back onto the sticky bar, the whole room blurring before his eyes, until he blinked it back into submission. His head felt fuzzy, like his brain had been replaced with cotton wool, and the voices around him had long since faded into dull drones.

“Are you alright?” a voice asked, so close to his ear that it actually managed to break through the haze, and he was sure he would have jumped if his reaction time had been a little sharper. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired.”

“I’m not surprised,” the voice chuckled. “It’s a little past your bedtime, huh?”

“Fuck off.”

Katsuki pushed his stool back with a loud scrape, brushing off the whines of his so-called friends as they tried to stop him, but as he tried to take a step, his world began to tilt on its axis. The whole room leaned precariously sideways, and he slammed his hand on the bar a little too heavily, closing his eyes to fight back the motion sickness the tilting spawned.

“I’ll walk you home,” that voice said softly. “Come on, let’s go.”

“Fuck off,” Katsuki growled, taking deep breaths to steady himself. “I don’t need your pity.”

“I promise I’m not pitying you,” the voice assured him, sighing. “I’m ready to go home to bed too, so let me walk with you, okay?”

“Fuck you.”

Despite the words, he didn’t stop the footsteps from hurrying after him, that voice calling quick goodbyes back to the group on behalf of both of them.

He managed a solid three steps out the door before his world began to shift again, his stomach swirling, but this time a strong arm caught him, holding him tight and keeping him balanced.

“Sorry,” the voice said softly. “I know you don’t like to be touched.”

“S’whatever,” Katsuki huffed, leaning into the warm touch. “Cold.”

“You’re cold?” the voice clarified. “It is a bit breezy out here.”

The arm left him again, replaced instead with a soft, still-warm jacket, at least two sizes too big for him. Every ounce of self-consciousness and staunchness left his body immediately, and he snuggled into the material. He had never before been so glad that he wasn’t a cat, since his purrs would have given away his contentment.

“You’re welcome,” the voice said knowingly. “Stay warm, it’s not far to go!”

A warm hand stayed on his back as they walked, and he knew his steps were unsteady and all over the place, but the voice never laughed at him or called him out on it. The hand just kept guiding him, leading the way through Katsuki’s blurry world, until they reached a familiar doorstep.

“I’ve got it,” the voice said, when Katsuki started patting his pockets. “Let me.”

Katsuki didn’t remember giving his key to anyone, he was at least ninety percent sure that the voice was lying to him all of a sudden, and it sent his brain into a long, slow spiral – did he actually know this voice? Did it belong to someone good? Had he just given a villain access to his home? Was he about to be murdered in his own apartment? How long would it take for someone to find him, if he got hurt? Could he even use his quirk drunk?

He tested his hand, flexing his fingers, pulling a face as he attempted to push sweat out through his pores. It didn’t come as easily as it usually did, and when he tried to heat it, to make a spark, it took him a long time to get the tiniest pop out of it.

“Kacchan?!” the voice asked, the warm hand leaving him as the person stepped away quickly. “What are you doing?!”

Kacchan

“Why the fuck do you have my key?” he demanded, narrowing his eyes in an attempt to focus. That name was so damn familiar, but he couldn’t seem to get his thoughts straight. “I didn’t give you shit.”

“Kacchan,” it said again, sighing this time. “I have your spare, you gave it to me when you first moved in, just in case you got sick or had to go out of town in a hurry or locked yourself out somehow. Remember?”

Katsuki didn’t remember shit, but that did sound like something he’d do. He was always thinking about contingencies. And that name again, what was with that damn nickname?

“Hey, look at me,” the voice said, two big hands gently cupping his face and turning it. “See me?”

He squinted a little again, making out a blurry green shape, watching it tilt a little as the person inspected him. He pulled away stubbornly, getting another sigh in return, and the green blur turned to push the elevator button.

“You really don’t handle your alcohol,” the voice mumbled. “Not much further.”

“I’m a good drinker,” Katsuki argued.

“Yeah, you sure are, Kacchan,” the voice humoured him, reaching that warm hand out again to guide him between the sliding doors. “The best.”

“If you try to hurt me I’m gonna murder your ass.”

“What?! Why would I try to hurt you?!”

Katsuki just glared – or, attempted to – and after a moment the blur sighed again, patting Katsuki on the head lightly.

“You don’t know who I am, do you?”

“Shut the hell up.”

“It’s me, Kacchan. Izuku. Deku.”

Katsuki felt like an idiot. Even so drunk that he knew he was drunk, he knew the damn name Deku. How had he not recognised the stupid voice of the man he’d known since they were babies?

“I know that,” he snapped instead, cheeks flooding with warmth. “Stop looking down on me.”

“I’m not,” Izuku assured him. “You know I wouldn’t do that.”

The elevator dinged, and Izuku guided him to his door – everything about it felt weirdly intimate now that Katsuki knew who he was. Why did the damn nerd have the way to his apartment memorised when he’d only been there twice in his life?

“You seemed like you were having fun tonight,” Izuku tried, as he reached over Katsuki to unlock the door. “You and your friends, I mean.”

“Fucking assholes,” Katsuki grumbled, shoving his way into the entrance to take off his shoes. “So sick of their shit. Bet your friends don’t pour shots in you and try to make you hook up with girls.”

“Maybe not the shots part,” Izuku laughed. “But they definitely try to set me up with people.”

“So fuckin’ tired of making excuses,” Katsuki complained, hissing as he stumbled into a wall and smacked his shoulder hard. “Fucking doorways.”

“Come here,” Izuku chuckled, taking his arm and keeping him centred in the hallway. “Let’s get you in bed.”

“Gotta brush my teeth.”

“Alright, come on then.”

He navigated Katsuki into the bathroom, waiting in the doorway as Katsuki braced himself against the sink, fumbling for his toothbrush and missing three times before he managed to wrap his fist around it.

“All obsessed with sticking their tongues in gross girls,” he continued to complain, as he attempted to aim toothpaste onto his brush. “Just leave me alone and let me kiss big, strong, sexy dudes, for christ’s sake.”

He leaned over the sink, continuing to grumble to himself as he scrubbed at his teeth, scowling at the shiny silver tap that reflected his blotchy face back up at him. Izuku just waited patiently for him to finish, letting him rant to himself incomprehensibly, then stepped aside to let him stumble back out into the hall.

“Ready for bed now?”

“Thirsty.”

“I noticed,” Izuku mumbled to himself, nudging Katsuki toward the bedroom. “You get comfy, I’ll bring you water.”

“The hell is that supposed to mean?” Katsuki argued, reaching for his pyjamas all the same. “You looking down on me?”

“Never. We’ve been over this.”

Izuku disappeared, off to fetch water from the kitchen, so Katsuki sat down on the edge of the bed, fumbling off his jeans to get changed. He felt like he was underwater, all slow and fuzzy, his eyes refusing to focus no matter how hard he squinted and rubbed at them. He was still sitting there when Izuku returned, gently pushing a bottle of cold water into his hand, and reaching to unscrew the cap before he could try it himself.

“Thanks,” he mumbled, lifting it to his lips and trying his best not to spill it everywhere with his shaky grip. “For... Stuff.”

“You’re welcome,” Izuku laughed. “Arms up?”

To both their disbelief, Katsuki obeyed, but Izuku didn’t miss a beat. He slipped Katsuki’s shirt off over his head, replacing it with his warm pyjama shirt, then handed him his fuzzy pants, turning around to let Katsuki change out of his boxers.

“Done,” he mumbled, kicking his feet up onto the bed. “Fuck, cold.”

Izuku chuckled, reaching for the blankets to cover Katsuki up, and Katsuki curled into a little ball, trying to conserve his body heat. He shivered under the chill of the unused blankets, mumbling a quick threat to blow them up if they didn’t warm the fuck up in a hurry, but the blankets apparently paid him no mind.

“C’mere,” Katsuki grumbled after a minute, shuffling over to make space. “Warm me up, asshole.”

“Me?” Izuku asked, hesitating. “Are you that cold?”

“Get the fuck over here.”

Thankfully, the nerd was a sucker for helping out his friends, so he slid into the bed quickly, letting his body heat seep into the bedding for Katsuki to absorb. He could feel the nerd’s heat right beside him, so damn close and enticing, and throwing any ounce of self-awareness he had left to the wind, he shuffled closer.

“Kacchan?”

“You’re always so fucking warm,” Katsuki complained, pressing himself into Izuku’s chest. “How fucking dare you.”

Izuku chuckled, the mattress jiggling beneath them, but before Katsuki could complain about the movement, a warm, strong arm draped over his side, pulling him close. He snuggled in without hesitation, burying his cold nose in a broad shoulder, and Izuku just held him close, enveloping Katsuki in his warmth.

“It’s okay,” Izuku said knowingly, his voice just a whisper against Katsuki’s hair. “Consider it forgotten, you don’t have to blow me up in the morning.”

“Go to sleep, damn nerd.”

─────

Katsuki rolled over with a groan, his head pounding, and cracked his eyes open just enough to find the water bottle on his bedside table. He had to remember to thank whichever god out there had ensured he had water there the night prior, ready for him to wake up groggy and disgusting. Not to mention whichever one had made sure he was warm, because fuck his hand got cold when he reached for the bottle.

He drained the last of the bottle and snuggled down under his thick duvet, breathing a sigh of relief when the warmth enveloped him again. Though his toes still felt cold as all hell, and that didn’t seem fair. He tucked his knees up to his chest, bringing his feet into a warmer patch, and grumbled to himself quietly about his stupid friends and their stupid parties.

“Morning, Kacchan,” a voice giggled above him, and he poked his head out to get a peek. “Did you sleep okay?”

Above him, a tall, freckled, green-haired man loomed, with the biggest smile in the world, and Katsuki groaned to himself as he retreated straight back under his blanket.

Of course it was Deku.

“I brought you breakfast,” Izuku continued, unphased. “Miso soup just like my mom makes, it always cures my hangovers; and some onigiri with umeboshi, Iida swears it works like a charm.”

“Stop talking.”

Izuku giggled, but stayed silent as he set the plate down. To his credit, the nerd had always been good at following his orders. After a moment, Katsuki emerged from his little cocoon, reaching for the bowl of soup, and Izuku just grinned at his exhausted face.

“Why’re you here?” Katsuki asked, when he’d swallowed his mouthful.

“I walked you home last night, when you were... a little too drunk.”

That sounded familiar. He vaguely remembered zig-zagging down the street on wobbly legs, listening to an incessant voice that refused to stop talking at him. He remembered a warm hoodie draped over him in the cool night air, a momentary panic when the nerd had a key to his apartment, and-

Oh, fuck.

Katsuki slowly tipped his head, looking up at Izuku’s cheesy grin, memories coming flooding back to him as his bowl of soup began to simmer in the heat of his hand.

His brain quickly hit a fork in the road, torn between two paths: he could threaten the nerd into submission, rely on his strength and aggression and power to make the nerd submit to what he wanted, or, he could lower himself to being a pathetic, meek asshole and begging him to stay silent. Either path was awful, one tainted by their history and the other by Katsuki’s pride, but he knew just straddling the fork would get him nowhere.

“You can trust me,” Izuku said softly. “You know that, Kacchan.”

Damn perceptive jerkwad.

“I’m not...”

“Out?” Izuku smiled faintly. “I figured. I mean, I hope I would know if you were.”

“I’m not ashamed,” Katsuki corrected him, face flushed. “It’s just... never come up.”

“Oh,” Izuku said softly. “Everyone just assumed, huh?”

“Yeah. Exactly.”

“Well then, I’m asking,” Izuku said firmly, sitting down beside him on the mattress and getting comfy against the headboard. “What kind of person do you like, Kacchan?”

Katsuki didn’t answer. There were so many answers to that question. But as he thought about it, Izuku’s lips stretched into a little smirk.

“Big, strong, sexy dudes?”

“Oh fuck you.”

Izuku laughed, and Katsuki couldn’t help but smile a little himself, punching Izuku lightly before he took another sip of his calmed-down soup.

“So, gay?” Izuku clarified, when his laughter had calmed. “I’m bi, if you didn’t already know.”

“Gay,” Katsuki confirmed. “I didn’t.”

“You didn’t?”

“Know.”

Izuku’s eyes widened, and Katsuki quickly hid his blush behind the last of his soup.

“I’m sorry,” Izuku said, making Katsuki’s eyebrows knit together. “I thought everyone knew, I would have told you if I’d realised.”

“I mean, I probably could’ve guessed,” Katsuki mumbled. “Like, the All Might obsession, for one.”

“Why does everyone always jump to that?!” Izuku whined. “I did not have a crush on All Might!”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Katsuki snorted. “Always drooling over that one video. Literal footage of people dying and you’re just perving all starry-eyed at All Might’s biceps as he carries the live ones to safety.”

“No one died, he saved them!”

“So that’s the bit you’re gonna deny.”

“He’s practically my dad.”

“Yeah, yeah, we all know about your daddy issues.”

“Kacchan.”

Katsuki smirked, taking a bite of his onigiri – it was always satisfying to turn the tables on him, even if it was too easy most of the time.

“Sorry I never told you,” Izuku said softly. “I shouldn’t have assumed.”

“Yeah, well, I never told you either,” Katsuki shrugged. “We’re even.”

“Okay,” Izuku agreed, smiling fondly. “Thanks for telling me, Kacchan.”

“Thanks for breakfast.”

Izuku couldn’t help but laugh again, and this time Katsuki joined him, giving in to the infectiousness of Izuku’s joy. No matter how he tried, he’d never been able to fully resist Izuku’s... unique charms.

“So you remember last night after all, huh?”

“Bits and pieces,” Katsuki confessed. “Why?”

“Do you remember... being cold?”

Katsuki frowned. That wasn’t exactly a rare event in his life, what was so special about-?

“Oh, your hoodie,” Katsuki acknowledged, glancing around at the empty carpets. “Where did I put it.”

“Oh, no, I’ve got it,” Izuku assured him. “When you put your pyjamas on, I took it back. I hope that’s okay!”

“Then what are you talking about?”

Izuku just smiled faintly, shaking his head, but Katsuki refused to let him get away with whatever stupid emotion-game he was playing.

“Start talking, nerd.”

“W-Well, it’s not big deal, really! Honestly, it’s fine, so we don’t need to-”

“Deku.”

Izuku chuckled awkwardly, rubbing at the back of his neck, but Katsuki stared him down with his fiery gaze.

“Your bed was cold,” he caved. “You um, made me warm it up for you, that’s all.”

“Oh, shit. Ugh. Sorry, that’s weird as hell.”

“It’s fine!” Izuku assured him. “I know things get weird when we’re drunk and stuff, I didn’t think anything of it, so don’t worry.”

“Did you... stay the night?”

“Yeah! I wanted to make sure you were okay!”

“No, I mean...”

“Yeah,” Izuku smiled sheepishly. “You uh, didn’t exactly take no for an answer.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, I mean it, it’s fine,” Izuku insisted, shuffling a little closer to Katsuki’s side and laying a hand on his shoulder lightly. “It wasn’t a big deal, I just knew you wouldn’t want that kind of... intimacy, of me being in your bed, so I wanted to respect that.

“Well... thanks. For trying. And for keeping me warm.”

“Any time, Kacchan.”

Izuku smiled a little more warmly, leaning in closer, and Katsuki caught himself gravitating toward the warmth without even thinking about it. He didn’t even object to the hand on his arm, or the way it crept around behind him, gently pulling him into a hug.

“You’re my best friend, Kacchan. I would do anything for you, whether that’s walk you home, or keep you warm at night, or make you breakfast, or even keep quiet until you’re ready to come out for yourself. You can trust me, okay? With anything. With everything.”

“It sounds like a lot more than a fucking best friend when you say it like that, in that stupid voice and all, while you’re fuckin’ hugging me.”

“Does it?”

“If you wanna say something, just say it.”

“Do I need to, if you already know what I’m gonna say?”

Katsuki raised an eyebrow at him, and Izuku grinned, shrugging.

“It was worth a shot!”

“Worth a- fuck you, just come here.”

He turned, jamming his lips firmly against Izuku’s, and just when he thought Izuku would shove him away or laugh at him, instead his arm tightened. He held Katsuki close, refused to let him back off and take it back, or laugh it off. His other hand rose to tangle in Katsuki’s hair, tilting his head slightly to get a better tangle, and Katsuki felt himself moan into the touch. But Izuku didn’t stop, didn’t laugh at him; he just kissed him a little deeper, hand sliding around to cup his cheek with rough, callused skin, and Katsuki finally let himself relax.

When they finally parted, much to Katsuki’s dismay, Izuku just grinned at him with that same stupid, cheesy smile that he’d worn since they were just stupid toddlers with stupid dreams.

“Gay enough for you?” Izuku asked.

A bright laugh burst out of Katsuki, making him snort with the force of it, and Izuku just watched fondly as Katsuki doubled over, rubbing his back fondly as he waited it out.

“Yeah,” Katsuki choked out finally. “That was gay enough, you asshole.”

“That’s a shame, I was gonna ask you on a date next, if you said no.”

“Like hell you are. I’m the one who gets to ask first, and also, I’m not gonna fucking ask. You’re going on a damn date with me, on Friday night, and we will not be drinking a thousand shots of tequila in the process.”

“That sounds perfect,” Izuku laughed, kissing Katsuki’s cheek lightly. “Can I still walk you home afterward, though?”

“It’s my turn to walk you home, this time.”

“Mm... Your bed is comfier than mine though.”

“I didn’t say whose home I was gonna walk you to.”

“Oh! Then deal!”

Katsuki cracked a smile of his own, leaning in like a damn sap, and Izuku hugged him again obediently, resting his cheek on Katsuki’s head.

“I told you it was worth a shot.”