Gotta catch 'em all

Happy birthday Arysa! I have spare ponies if you still need one

─────

Izuku was waiting eagerly in the hallway when Katsuki returned, Eijirou talking his ear off as they headed for their bedrooms. He did his best to keep his mouth shut, but he was practically buzzing with his excitement, and Eijirou grinned when he saw it.

“Hey, Midoriya!” he beamed. “How's it going?”

“Good!” he grinned back. “How are you?”

“Doin' good too! We were in the gym this morning, Bakugou is showing me up again! Gotta work harder!”

“He's good motivation,” Izuku agreed with a chuckle. “Every time you think you're catching up, he's pulling ahead again.”

“Keeps me working hard, though! Did you guys have plans? Sorry I kept him so long.”

“No, it's okay!” Izuku assured him, holding up a shiny new game console sheepishly. “I just got a new game and wanted to show him. Kacchan there's a fancy new pony, have you seen? He's not a fire pony anymore he's a unicorn.”

“Like I care about that shit,” Katsuki blushed, stomping to his bedroom door. “Don't bother me, Shitty-Hair! It's my introvert recovery day!”

“Got it!” Eijirou winked at Izuku behind Katsuki's back. “Enjoy your rest!”

“You got Shield, right?” Katsuki muttered, the moment Eijirou's door closed.

“Of course!” Izuku grinned. “I knew you'd want the Sword Puppy, and I like the Shield Doggo!”

“They have names, idiot.”

“Yeah! They also have nicknames, after I catch them!”

“Dumbass,” Katsuki mumbled, unlocking the door and leading Izuku inside. “Sit your ass down and catch me a pony.”

“I haven't started yet!” he objected, lower lip jutting out. “I thought we could start together?”

Despite how damn sappy the sentiment was, Katsuki found himself nodding, hating himself for being such a sucker.

“Fine, sit.”

He dropped onto his bed, tossing his jacket aside and shucking off his jeans. Propping his pillows against the headboard, he shuffled over to the wall side, laying back comfortably in his baggy singlet and dark boxers.

“You gonna sit, nerd?”

“Coming!”

He didn't bother to undress the way Katsuki did, already in his comfiest pyjama pants for a lazy day, a fluffy hoodie swamping his frame with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows.

“Alright, let's do this.”

He picked up his own console from beside the bed, firing up his new game, ready and waiting from where he'd bought it the night before. They settled in comfortably as they watched the opening cut-scenes, the beginning of an epic battle, cut off too soon in favour of a little sheep. Katsuki scowled when they cut, but Izuku cooed over the fluffy boy, already planning nicknames for his army of sheep.

“Why do they always have such lame hair?” Katsuki mused, eyeing his little avatar, blond but otherwise completely unlike him. “And they never have a green option for you.”

“I liked the old one with the salon, I hope they bring it back this time. I've been trying to avoid spoilers.”

“Fingers crossed, I guess.”

They finally reached a point where they could move their characters, and Izuku immediately began spinning in circles, delighted when his character twirled like a little dancer.

“Come on nerd, let's go get our damn starters.”

When the game halted for them to watch a sheep headbutt a fence, Izuku's face fell. Before Katsuki knew it, he was already trying to save the sheep, attempting and failing to push it away from the fence as he pouted at the screen.

“Come on, nerd,” he insisted, reaching over to push at the thumbstick. “Leave the dumb sheep alone, you can catch it later.”

“But I want it now,” Izuku whined.

“You don't even have a ball to catch it in, come on.”

Reluctantly, Izuku finally left the sheep to its endeavour, following their purple-haired friend down the street.

Even though they weren't actually in each other's game, Izuku felt like it was Katsuki he was following. A little more enthusiastic maybe, with a bigger smile, but still it felt like he was chasing his best friend again, just like when they were kids.

“Idiot reminds me of you,” Katsuki mumbled, when they stopped again beside some grass. “Constantly gets side-tracked from the mission by talking about boring shit.”

As the dialogue progress, Izuku couldn't help but snicker.

“Always wants to be the best, doesn't he?” Izuku read, getting a scowl from Katsuki. “What were you saying?”

“Shut up.”

Soon they were in the front yard of a digital house, watching the cutest little animals dart around, spitting water and banging on things with sticks.

“Look at this crybaby asshole,” Katsuki snorted, when one of the creatures burst into tears. “What an idiot.”

Despite his words, the moment they were given the chance, Katsuki ran to the blubbering blue thing, hitting the button to select it. Izuku didn't even notice at first, too busy adopting his adorable little fire bunny, full of a familiar energy and a readiness to fight that he loved so much.

Would you like to give it a nickname?

K a c c h a n

He looked over just in time to catch a glimpse of Katsuki's screen as he hit continue, and his eyes filled with tears when he saw the name.

“He's a crybaby like you,” Katsuki grumbled knowingly. “And a lizard.”

“A deku-gecko?”

“Yeah. Decko.”

“You're the best,” Izuku grinned, stuffing his face into Katsuki's shoulder for a moment. “He's adorable.”

“Shut up, nerd,” Katsuki snorted, patting his head awkwardly all the same. “Come on, I wanna fight this nerd. He seriously picked the one weak to mine?”

“I guess they wanted to ease us into it.”

“Where's the hard mode option?”

“It's meant to be fun, Kacchan!”

“What did you pick, anyway?” he leaned over, watching as Izuku chose an attack. “Typical, Deku picked a bunny, what a surprise.”

“I like him!” Izuku pouted, “he's like a little martial artist boy, ready to throw a flaming punch or a kick.”

Katsuki rolled his eyes when he saw the nickname, but didn't bother to protest, sitting back to finish his own battle. It was still simple tutorial stuff, Katsuki liked to just get through it as fast as possible to get on with the rest of the game, but Izuku always liked to take his time working through the story, getting immersed, and Katsuki begrudgingly slowed his pace to let the nerd have his fun.

Finally free, the game sent them back home to begin their adventure for real, but just as Katsuki was about to be pleased, the damn rival or friend or whatever the hell he was meant to be decided to stop them again.

“The sheep!” Izuku insisted, turning to give Katsuki a pitiful look. “I told you we should have saved the sheep!”

“It's a game, idiot, we couldn't save the sheep. We're doing it now, get your ass in that forest.”

It took them the entire weekend to finally reach the little enchanted forest, glowing with pretty mushrooms, and Izuku grinned as he leaned into Katsuki's side. It had taken them a long time to get there, but every time he got to be so close with his Kacchan it still brought him a wave of delight. Katsuki propped his console on his knee, winding an arm around Izuku's waist while he fought a battle, since he didn't need both hands for it.

Izuku squealed when the pony finally popped up, shaking Katsuki until he looked over obediently to see the majestic creature.

“Name it Princess Explosion Murder,” Katsuki instructed, as Izuku carefully wore down its health and threw the first ball.

“Too long! They only give us like twelve characters, remember?”

“Explodohorse.”

“If you want a pony, I get to name it.”

“Ugh,” Katsuki grunted, but didn't voice an actual protest. “You're gonna name it something dumb.”

With a big smile, Izuku tapped out his letters, tongue poking out the corner of his mouth.

Glitter Baby.

Katsuki snorted when Izuku hit accept, elbowing him in the ribs.

“Your pony is a stripper?”

“Kacchan!! No!!”

“Sure sounds like it.”

“Besides, she's your pony.”

“Hah? It's the first one, idiot. Unless you've been playing without me.”

“I would never!! But Kacchan gets the first pony, I don't mind using the second one!”

Something about it was weirdly touching, and as they connected their devices, Katsuki found himself staring at the sparkly little digital horse.

“Thanks,” he said finally, as the creature was sent his way. “I, um, I love it.”

“I know!” Izuku grinned, leaning on him a little more heavily. “You always love your ponies.”

“If you tell my asshole friends, you're dead to me.”

“I would never! Your secret is safe with me, Kacchan. No one needs to know about your love for cute little fire ponies. And fairy unicorn ponies.”

“Shut up, nerd.”

All the same, he smiled when Izuku slotted his new companion into his main team, making room for his new little pink friend.

“He has your face,” Katsuki informed him, gesturing toward the big eyes and the little tongue sticking out. “We'll have to do a tradeback later to evolve him though.”

“I love him!” Izuku grinned, shifting a little to kiss Katsuki's cheek. “Am I missing some hidden meaning behind his name?”

“Nah,” Katsuki shrugged. “Just seemed like what you'd name the little idiot.”

Izuku smiled fondly, his cursor still hovering over “Fluffy”, the little cotton candy creature.

“Figured you'd pout if I named it anything cool,” Katsuki added. “Damage control, or whatever.”

“I love you.”

“Whatever,” Katsuki blushed, resting his cheek on Izuku's hair. “It's getting late. Do you want to stay over?”

“But I gotta catch 'em all, Kacchan!”

He giggled when Katsuki snatched the console stubbornly, saving their games and setting them aside, but when Katsuki pulled him into his arms, he could hardly protest.

“Thanks for playing with me this weekend, Kacchan.”

“We can play tomorrow night,” Katsuki answered knowingly. “After homework and shit.”

“Okay!”

“And my pony is gonna kick your rabbit's ass.”

“We'll see about that.”