The Perfect Man [Part 3 - The Garden] [FINAL]

[Previous Chapter] 

Izuku smiled to himself as he leaned back against the warm bark of a thick tree trunk. He’d spent the better part of an hour in that spot, soaking in the warmth of the sun from beneath leafy rooftops, protecting him from burning in the process but still letting in all the light and heat. When he leaned over slightly, he landed against an equally-warm side, his smile stretching wider when it nudged him back lightly.

“Target Your Problem Areas With These 12 Moves,” Katsuki read aloud, mock-gagging over the words. “Who writes this bullshit and why do the girls in our class want to read it?”

“I guess they’re insecure like every other teenage girl in the world?” Izuku suggested, crossing it out with his black marker. “They’re not immune to criticism and the media just because they’re training to be heroes. If anything they feel it even more, since they’re in the public eye so much.”

“Stop acting smart, it doesn’t suit you.”

“Don’t be mean!”

Katsuki reached over, scribbling under the blacked-out title, and Izuku smiled when he caught a glimpse of the words.

Simple bodyweight exercises that help get you active if you’re not usually.

“Good choice,” he praised, when Katsuki looked at him expectingly. “I know a lot of our classmates feel like they don’t do enough training outside of class, but we’re all just so tired at the end of the day!”

“There are more important things in life.”

Izuku raised an eyebrow, catching a glimpse of pink in Katsuki’s cheeks before he looked away in an attempt to hide it. An indignant meep came from his lap, and Izuku laughed as Katsuki’s hand moved to it immediately, stroking the soft fur of a fat ginger cat.

“Didn’t mean to disturb you,” he said softly, by way of an apology. “You’ve got a little longer before I have to move.”

The cat’s head went straight back down, resting contentedly on Katsuki’s thigh, and Izuku couldn’t wipe the grin from his face quickly enough.

“Shut up,” Katsuki huffed.

“I didn’t say anything!”

“You laughed.”

“I was laughing at something else!”

“Don’t lie to me, asshole.”

“Sorry!”

“Is there any more shitty language in that article?”

“A little, but I think I can just redact it without affecting the sentences.”

Katsuki looked over to watch, and Izuku carefully blacked out a few particular words, nonsense about love handles and jiggly arms, until the article became a plain, straight-forward guide to correctly performing a few simple exercises.

“Seduce Your Man in Seconds,” Katsuki read, when Izuku flipped the page. “Fucking hell, this stuff just keeps getting worse.”

“Dress like his favourite movie star?” Izuku grimaced, skimming over the subheadings on the page. “What the fuck?”

“You’re hot when you swear,” Katsuki teased, making Izuku’s face burn red. “Don’t distract me with this dirty talk, you damn nerd.”

“Stop that!” Izuku whined, hiding his face behind his arm awkwardly. “Focus on the article!”

Katsuki reached out and Izuku almost flinched away, grateful that the strong fingers went for the magazine rather than for him – for once. He ripped the page out with no hesitation, and Izuku just stared at the torn remnants left in the binding.

“I guess that’s one way to fix it,” he said finally.

“That one was beyond repair.”

Izuku nodded his agreement, but his phone buzzing in the grass distracted him from any response he might have formed, Ochako’s name lighting up his screen.

“What’s she want?” Katsuki asked, when Izuku picked the phone up. “Nagging you to come?”

“No, they were all happy for me to stay,” Izuku assured him. “As soon as I said I was hanging out with you, they urged me to not come with them.”

“Good to know they support your dumb crush,” Katsuki smirked.

“Well yeah,” Izuku grinned right back. “They know exactly how perfect you are.”

Katsuki snorted, and Izuku leaned his had on Katsuki’s shoulder for a moment, each of them blushing equally brightly when they parted again.

“Nerd,” Katsuki huffed quietly.

“Takes one to know one.”

Katsuki didn’t bother to object, so Izuku opened up the message to take a look, chuckling when he saw the group photo attached. The caption was simple, just a wish you were here, but for once Izuku didn’t feel left out by the thought, too busy soaking in the joy of Katsuki’s company – one on one, in a pretty garden, with a purring cat slumbering across Katsuki’s thighs; what was not to love?

He pulled up his own camera to reply, tactfully leaving Katsuki’s soft, blushing face out of the image, instead twining their fingers together and taking a quick shot of it despite Katsuki’s mumbled protests about thinking he’s a sap and giving him shit about his crush all the time.

Ochako didn’t reply right away, but Izuku wasn’t that surprised – she was usually pretty quick, but she was out with almost their entire class, after all! They had better things to do than text him, they could do that any time, they needed to just enjoy their mall trip together first!

“What’d she say?” Katsuki asked, unable to resist sticking his nose into Izuku’s business.

“Just sent a photo of them at a cafe.” Izuku turned it to show him. “I guess they’re testing out food and drink orders, or something.”

“Creeps.”

Izuku elbowed him lightly, making sure not to hit hard enough to disturb Mr. Fluffypants in his lap, but Katsuki still grumbled a protest at the treatment.

“You’ll wake Turbo,” he complained, scratching the cat’s furry ears. “He’s already cranky after that bird this morning got away.”

Got away meant Katsuki had picked Mr. Fluffypants up by the belly, letting him dangle indignantly while Katsuki lectured him and the bird quickly flew away, but Izuku knew it was better not to point that out.

“He’s too quiet to be ‘Turbo’,” Izuku argued instead.

“I am not calling a cat by your stupid name.”

“He likes it! Don’t you, Mr. Fluffypants?”

The cat purred a little louder, though he didn’t wake up, and Izuku grinned triumphantly.

“See! He loves it!”

“You’re so lucky you’re cute, that damn head of yours is empty.”

“Aww, you think I’m cute?”

“Shut up.”

Izuku’s phone buzzed again, and his eyes widened as he glanced down at the message, the photo this time taken from outside the cafe, a wild collection of different expressions on their faces – laughter, frustration, shock, if Izuku could name it, someone was showing it.

We got kicked out of the cafe! The message attached read. “We squealed so loud that they made us leave! Congratulations!!”

I’m so sorry! he typed out quickly. I didn’t mean to get you kicked out!

It’s not your fault!! came back immediately. I’m just so happy for you!!

Katsuki snatched the phone from his hand, and Izuku lurched after it instinctively, getting an indignant mrrrrp from Mr. Fluffypants as it wobbled Katsuki’s lap.

“Sorry!” he said quickly, patting a stripy ear. “Kacchan, give it back!”

“Nope,” Katsuki said simply, locking the screen and setting it aside – on his other side. “What kind of guy texts his friends all through his first date?”

“This is not a date,” Izuku laughed brightly, making Katsuki blink at him in surprise. “I’m gonna take you on a first date, but it’s gonna be all sappy and gross and romantic, not just hanging out in the backyard!”

“Ew.”

“You know you love it!” Izuku teased. “I’m gonna take you to a pretty restaurant, and pull your chair out for you, and gaze lovingly into your eyes across a candlelit table as I tell you how pretty you look in your new outfit you picked up especially for me.”

With a surprisingly loud thunk a chunk of fluttering pages hit him in the face, Katsuki bright red again when it fell away and gave Izuku back his vision.

“You’ve been reading way too much of this shit,” Katsuki protested. “It’s made your brain rot.”

“I thought you said my head was empty.”

“I take it back, empty would be better than this gross bullshit you’ve put in there.”

“You know I’m kidding,” Izuku laughed, squeezing Katsuki’s hand apologetically all the same. “I do have plans for our first date though, so today doesn’t count!”

“Fine,” Katsuki conceded. “But it better be good or I’m never letting you plan one again.”

“Deal!”

When Katsuki tossed his phone back, it came with an image of the girls’ final rankings, putting Izuku in first with thirteen points, Katsuki in a narrow second place with only twelve.

Kacchan should be first, he sent back, despite Katsuki’s objections that it didn’t matter. He’s already the perfect man!

You’re such a sap.

“She’s right, for once,” Katsuki snorted. “I know I am, but that doesn’t mean you have to announce it all the time.”

“But people deserve to know!”

“Shut up.”

One more photo came through, this time featuring a bunch of unhappy faces, reaching and flailing as Shouto held the list up high above his head, flames already consuming the names listed on the page. It didn’t really matter, seeing as Ochako had taken a photo of it, but he supposed the others hadn’t known that in the moment.

“Serves them right,” Katsuki huffed, taking the phone again – a little more gently this time – and speaking aloud as he typed. “Nerd... has... to... go... now.”

He set it down between them, but Izuku made no move to pick it up, just smiling happily up at the handsome face aimed his way and the beautiful red eyes that met his gaze.

“Pay attention to me,” Katsuki said quietly.

Izuku leaned in once more, pressing a tiny kiss to Katsuki’s cheek, and watching as it flooded red again under his touch. Katsuki seemed lost for words for once, not even a sound coming out when he opened his mouth to try, and Izuku could only giggle shyly at the stunned and pleased expression that had taken over Katsuki’s face.

“I’ll give you all the attention you want,” he promised. “But it’ll make Mr. Fluffypants jealous.”

Katsuki smirked, tangling his fingers in Izuku’s hair and planting a firm kiss on a freckled cheek, clearly trying hard to not let himself blush again as he did it. The cat opened one eye again, giving them an unimpressed look, but Katsuki’s eyes stayed locked on Izuku’s.

“Mr. Fluffypants can fucking deal with it.”