Tall Order - Chapter 3

It was still dark when Katsuki gave up on snatching a few more hours of sleep. Between the snoring of the people around him, the tossing and turning and rustling of sheets and blankets, and the ups and downs of people using the bathroom down the hall, it was all too much. He'd been lucky to get an hour at a time undisturbed, and by the time his phone changed over from four to five, he figured it was time to just give up. Maybe he could sneak inside for a nap later in the day, while everyone else was hanging out down at the beach or something.

Quietly he retrieved a pair of leggings and an old singlet from his bag, dressing himself and sneaking out of the room without waking a soul.

Too bad the rest of them couldn't seem to do the same.

With his teeth brushed and the sleep washed from his eyes, he padded down the stairs to pull his sneakers on, stepping out into the crisp morning air. His friends had been right, there were remnants of ice crystals melting in the grass, so it must have been horrific a few hours prior. It was still chilly, though not unbearable, and he knew he'd warm up quickly when the sun rose anyway.

It wasn't far off. He could already see rays of red and orange tinting the treetops, by the time he made it down the hill it would no doubt be light out. If he remembered correctly, from the multitude of flyers and posters Ochako had sent them all, the island was vaguely oval shaped, almost like an egg with a dent in it. Around one and a half kilometres long at the widest point, so his quick and dirty math told him it would be maybe a four kilometer run at best. Not exactly the hour he spent running most mornings, but it would have to do. He could always do it twice. Or three times. 

He jogged carefully down the path to the beach, the trail still dark around him, and took a moment to look out at the sun peeking over the horizon. By the time he got back to the thick parts of the forest he should have some daylight waiting for him – at least enough to keep up a decent pace without tripping and killing himself. He hoped.

Wouldn't that be a great headline? Pro-Hero killed by uneven ground in dim lighting. He'd be rolling in his grave over his friends laughing at him. The joke was on them, though – he would haunt the shit out of them.

Jogging through the sand was a weird feeling, compared to the hard concrete streets he was used to. He got his best speed on a firm surface, where he trusted his footing, but sometimes in the middle of summer he liked to do trail runs to avoid the heat and sun, so dirt and grass was no problem either. What he wasn't used to was the constant shifting of the fine sand beneath his shoes, cursing to himself as it skidded under his touch and slowed him down. 

It was a relief when the sand turned again into thick trees, and he was pleasantly surprised to find the path wasn't as manicured as he'd expected. There was no clean line running along the curve of the island, it was winding and twisty, with ups and downs, and finally he began to breathe a little easier. This was more like it – more familiar, more like home, more him. He could feel his lungs working, taking in the cold air blowing off the ocean, making his chest burn when he got the occasional burst of icy wind. He could feel his legs working, moving at a steady rhythm, feet pounding heavy on the track.

Every so often he came to a gap in the trees, his view opening out over the shining ocean, the sparkling water lit by morning sun, and he smiled faintly to himself when he reached each one. 

Maybe the island wasn't so awful after all.

By the time he rounded the island, the edge of the forest coming into view, the orange hues of sunrise had fallen away, making space for the hot and heavy rays of the island sun. He slowed down when he hit the sand again, grimacing as he raised an arm to shield his eyes, blinded by the damn thing as it sneaked up on him.

“Morning, Kacchan!”

He squinted, just barely making out a shape sitting in the sand, propped up on his elbows to see.

“I didn't see you last night!” he continued, and Katsuki caught a glimpse of a smile almost as bright as the fucking sun behind him. “You go for a run?”

“Yeah,” he grunted, falling into the sand beside him and leaning back a little, making the most of his childhood friend's figure to block the damn arrogant star, cursing them with its blinding rays. Fucking thing gave people cancer and they still treated it like something to be loved. “You?”

“Sunrise!” Izuku said happily. “Wanted to see it!”

“Stupid nerd.”

Izuku laughed. It had been years since he took one of the half-hearted insults seriously, he'd learned way back in high school that they were a sign of comfort and affection more than anything else.

“It's been a while.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Katsuki sighed. “I'm not in town much.”

“And when you are, I'm always gone,” he chuckled. “Mom keeps me updated though, your mother tells her all the fun stories.”

“You probably hear them on the news anyway.”

“Yeah,” Izuku acknowledged. “It's nice hearing your side though, instead of whatever the journalists cobble together.”

“Yeah, I know that game.”

It was strange the way they so quickly fell back into their comfortable friendship. Sure, there were some bumps in the road – mostly caused by Katsuki being an asshole, he didn't deny that fact – but what they'd ended up with was something Katsuki couldn't quite describe. 

It wasn't like his friends from high school, who dragged him out drinking at least once a month and did their best to make him be sociable. It certainly wasn't like his friends from their childhood, who he hadn't seen or heard from since he had even started high school, let alone graduated and moved away. Something about Izuku was just... peaceful. They didn't need to be in touch all the time, didn't need to exchange pleasantries constantly and send apologies they didn't really mean every time they missed a holiday or didn't reach out for a while. No matter how long it had been, every time they came together, they just slotted back into place like a weird kind of puzzle. It was like time had never passed, like they'd never been apart, like it was just another day in kindergarten hoping their quirks would come soon.

“I should finish my run,” Katsuki sighed, when his ass started to go numb where he sat. “And take a long shower to get all this damn sand off me, before anyone else wakes up and takes the bathroom away from me.”

“Enjoy! Maybe tomorrow I'll come run with you.”

“Yeah. By all means, do it. You gotta keep up though, nerd. I'm not waiting for your ass.”

“Of course, Kacchan,” he laughed. “I'll do my best.”

Brushing sand off his leggings, he began his jog back through the sand. He could see the trailhead right down the other end, near the pier where he'd been brought in just eight hours prior, but the damn stupid sand seemed to keep him from getting there as quickly as he'd like. He was gonna have to work on that, it was frankly kind of embarrassing, especially when he knew the damn nerd was watching him go. 

The trail was much more pleasant, now that the sun was up, and as he jogged the twists and turns toward the rooftop peeking through the leaves, he finally managed to get back to a pace he was satisfied with. His feet pounded heavily on the dirt, a little quicker each time, until a final burst across the flat land brought him to a wide-open front door. There were voices inside – too many voices, in fact. As he crept through the hall to check on things, he found the kitchen in disarray – half a dozen useless bodies making a madhouse of an attempt at cooking breakfast for the group, and he cringed when he heard the yells and smelled the burning.

“Fuck that noise,” he grumbled, stripping his sandy shirt off and heading upstairs instead, avoiding the mayhem entirely. “No fuckin' way am I getting involved with that shit.”

─

Breakfast, as it turned out, was even more of a disaster than he'd expected. When he heard all the noise and saw the chaos before him he'd known immediately that it wouldn't be good, but he didn't expect it to be inedible. 

He declined the offers of fish that was raw on the inside and burnt on the outside, brushed off the lumpy, chewy rice, and instead opted to stand in the corner with a mug of dark coffee while the rest of them laughed and ate. In theory, he knew all of the people on the trip – most of them he'd gone to school with, the rest were pro-heroes he'd worked with at some point in his adult life – but he'd never realised exactly how out of the loop he'd become, when he moved away. The rest of them had been out drinking together in the evenings, had met up for group lunches, had grabbed coffee together on their way in to work, but Katsuki was off in his little apartment at the southern end of the island, hours out of the way of any social gatherings he might have deigned to attend, even if he had been invited to them.

Sure, he'd seen a familiar face or two when he went home to visit his parents, and yeah, he'd met up with a few of them for drinks when they ended up on the same jobs – he thought that was enough, but no, apparently all thirty-odd people in the room were best friends except for him.

His only saving grace was the look on Izuku's freckled face: Shy, nervous, a little awkward. The nerd had been busy too, after all. Even being in the same city as the rest of them, it wasn't like he had time to hang out with them every week. Being such a highly ranked pro came with its costs, and Katsuki knew that. From what he could tell, Izuku knew that too. 

That probably explained why the two of them were the only attendees in the top ten.

Part of him was tempted to talk to the guy. Their chat on the beach had gone well, after all. At least it might make them look less awkward and out of place. But no, the nerd had gone and sat himself right in the middle of the madness, surrounded on all sides by people chatting loudly, and Katsuki wasn't enough of a saint to drag him out and save him from that shit. Instead he just watched from a distance as Izuku smiled awkwardly and nodded along, sipping from his coffee mug as the rest of them picked at their food.

He couldn't help but notice, though, as he sneaked glances at the freckled face, that something about him seemed different. Age, he supposed. Now that he wasn't blinded by the sunrise at the beach, now that he could actually see the guy's face, he seemed... Different. That was the only real word for it. There was just something off about him, something that had changed, but Katsuki couldn't quite find the words to put a name to it.

He drained the last of his coffee and headed for the sink, running hot, soapy water to start cleaning up. He suspected he was going to end up cooking a lot of his own food, if the poor attempt at breakfast was anything to go on, and like hell was he gonna do it in a disgusting kitchen. He put all his frustration into scrubbing the pots and pans until they sparkled, glaring at anyone who dared to offer to help – or worse, tell him to relax and let them clean up later. 

Behind him, people began to make plans for the day, and Katsuki was grateful beyond belief when someone suggested the beach. It would give him a good couple of hours alone in the house, to relax and get some sleep finally – maybe even to make some food if he could find any ingredients in the house. The damn cupboards had been practically empty when he went searching for mugs and coffee. How were they supposed to get through a damn week like this?

Katsuki drained the suds out of the sink, reaching for a cloth to dry off his gleaming cookware, barely even glancing back when he heard Ochako getting enthusiastic over someone's suggestion.

“They said there were some coolers in one of the kitchen cupboards, and I made sure there was plenty of ice last night before bed! Mimosas on the beach?”

“Yeah!”

“I think they're in one of the corner cupboards but I haven't really looked closely yet, I only searched through the bottom cupboards when we arrived! I'll take a look, just let me grab a chair!”

“I can do it,” Izuku offered, smiling warmly as he stood up.

“Thank you! Life is always so much easier when I have you around!”

Katsuki scowled, turning his eyes back to his dish towel, but when he felt the warm hand on his head he jumped, almost losing his mug in the process.

“Sorry, Kacchan!” Izuku said in a hurry, taking his hand away. “Did I sneak up on you? Just opening cupboards, didn't want to whack you!”

“Whatever. I'll move.”

“No, no, don't worry! I won't be long!”

He opened the door he wanted, keeping his hand carefully on the outside of the wood just in case Katsuki moved and banged his head. Katsuki had forgotten about all those stupid little gestures. He was always so damn conscious of the people around him, of not getting in the way, of protecting everyone, even if it was just from a stupid kitchen cabinet. He was so damn-

Tall.

Katsuki could have turned to stone for all the movement his body allowed him. In that moment he was practically paralysed with the shock, stunned by the realisation.

The damn nerd was taller than him. 

When the hell had that happened?! Wasn't he just a dumb, scrawny kid last time they saw each other? What the fuck?

“Sorry,” Izuku said again, as he pulled two bags from the cupboard and swung the door closed again. “All yours. You want any help?”

“Like I'd want your shitty hands in here, I'd just have to wash everything all over again if you touched them.”

Izuku laughed surprisingly brightly, nodding once as he stepped away, and Katsuki stared after him in... Amazement? Awe? No, there was no way that dumb quirkless idiot had amazed him. He was just... Surprised, was all.

“Is everything okay, Katsuki?” Ochako asked sweetly, catching a glimpse of his stupidly wide eyes. “You'll come with us, right? The sun is shining, the water will be amazing!”

Izuku looked up at that, his gaze darting back to the kitchen, and Katsuki found himself nodding faintly.

“F-fine. Yeah. I guess.”

“Yay! We're gonna head down in about five minutes, let me put the dishes away! You can go grab your swimsuit! And there are heaps of towels in the hall cupboard!”

“Y-Yeah.”

He stepped back, allowed Ochako to take over slotting things back into their rightful homes, and as he moved toward the stairs he caught a glimpse of Izuku's expression, eyes squinting a little as he flashed his beaming smile Katsuki's way.

“What are you looking at, nerd?” he grumbled, face a little warm under the blinding grin. 

“Nothing, Kacchan! Don't forget to put sunscreen on!”

“Like I'd forget, nerd-ass,” he growled. “You got something to fuckin' say?”

“Nope!”

For a moment Katsuki paused, glancing down at his arms. They weren't exactly pale with all the time he spent working outdoors, but he'd always been prone to burning if he wasn't careful, and Izuku knew it. The nerd, on the other hand, had developed a deeper tan than Katsuki had ever seen on him in the past, his face erupting with more freckles than ever before, and for a brief moment Katsuki almost - almost – asked him where he'd been working as of late, where it had all come from.

“Everything okay, Katsuki?” Eijirou asked, leaning back in his chair to look at the pair of them. “You're gonna come swimming, right?”

“Y-Yeah, I guess,” he huffed. “We're at a beach, I may as well.”

“Cool! I'll wait for you, before we head down.”

“I can walk myself down.”

“We all can, but it's more fun with friends!”

Katsuki scoffed, rolling his eyes, but with one last glance at Izuku's inexplicable height, he nodded faintly.

“Whatever. I won't be long.”

He stormed up the stairs to his bedroom, muttering to himself as he dug for his swimsuit in the deep recesses of his clothing pile, dousing himself in sunscreen just like the nerd had reminded him – not that he wouldn't have done it anyway, obviously, but there was something about Izuku remembering, reminding him, that sat weirdly in his chest. With his clothes pulled back on for some protection against tree branches, and a couple of towels thrown over his shoulder, he plodded back down the stairs. 

“Katsuki! You're here!”

He grunted when Mina dove at him, winding her arms tightly around his slim waist, but he didn't shove her off. In fact, he draped his arms loosely around her shoulders, squeezing her back just once before he stepped away, slipping out of her grip.

“Been a while, Pinky.”

“I'll say! Come on, Blasty, I challenge you to a diving contest off the pier!”

“You're on.”

He shoved her toward the door where their friends were waiting, having a surprisingly animated discussion until they saw Katsuki coming and the words immediately ceased.

“So, Kacchan,” Kaminari teased, draping an arm around his shoulders. “Tell us, how's the love life going?”

“Fuck off.”

“Not good, then, huh? You didn't keep in touch with that dude from the bar last Golden Week? He seemed super in to you!”

“I said fuck off. I'm too busy for all your romance and dating bullshit.”

“Aww man, I liked him,” Eijirou sighed dramatically. “And he was so your type!”

“He worked in a fuckin' office,” Katsuki grumbled. “Boring fucks are not my type.”

“Well then, we'll just have to find you someone more exciting!” Mina grinned, eyes shining at the prospect of attempting to play matchmaker with him for the fifteenth time. “Like... Someone who works at a national park!”

“The fuck are you on about?”

“Someone who likes the outdoors! Someone you can go hiking with!”

“Fuuuuuuck off.”

“Or a racecar driver!”

“I'm leaving.”

“A pilot! No wait, your schedules would never match up.”

“I swear to God, Raccoon Face, if you don't shut your fuckin' mouth right this second I am going to dive off that pier and swim to fuckin' China.”

“I'm pretty sure China is the opposite direction.”

“I can swim around the fucking island, you stupid fuck.”

Katsuki stormed out without another word, face burning as his friends laughed, hurrying to catch up.

They were gonna be the death of him.

─

Katsuki couldn't deny that it felt good to be in the water. The sun was blisteringly hot above them, bearing down with a vengeance, but the ocean remained pleasantly cool.

What he was less pleased about, was the fact that Izuku had remained on the sand all morning, lying back on a towel to sunbathe while the larger group frolicked in the water. Katsuki found himself sneaking glances toward the shore, watching him smile and talk quietly with the people around him. His company changed regularly, swapping in and out as more people decided to swim, and others retreated for water or sunscreen.

Katsuki jumped when he felt a figure behind him in the water, blushing when a short yelp escaped him. A familiar red head went between his legs, hoisting Katsuki onto strong shoulders, and he grinned as he pointed at a few more pairs in the water.

“Come wrestle with me, we'll kick their butts!”

“A little warning next time, shitty hair!” he insisted, thumping his friend on the top of his head despite the laughter it got him in return. “What the fuck, dude? I could have blown your face off for that shit!”

“But you didn't!” Eijirou beamed. “I'm proud of you!”

“What the fuck!?”

He folded his arms stubbornly, huffing, but Eijirou just carted him over to the play area regardless. It did look kind of fun, watching the others fight to shove each other over in the water, but like hell if he was gonna admit to that. He pouted stubbornly until they were called for their turn, sighing as he finally unfolded his arms to wrestle. Denki was facing him, perched on Hanta's shoulders, both of them looking far too eager for his liking. As soon as the others called go, he raised a hand to protect himself, leaning in to the predictable charge forward. Eijirou held his ground, and so did Katsuki, bracing themselves and letting their friends bounce off. With the water making them unsteady, they quickly fell backwards, Denki toppling into the water and dragging Hanta down with him. 

Eijirou laughed brightly at their misfortune, but Katsuki just sneaked another glance at the beach, oddly disappointed to find the shining green eyes weren't on him, watching his every move. When had that stopped? And more importantly, why did he miss the attention?

Finally Eijirou let him down into the water, and he mumbled something about drinks as he stormed off, feet sinking into the hot sand as he stomped over to his bag. He wiped his face and hands on a towel before he dug for a bottle of water in the cooler, struggling to find one beneath all the damn alcohol. Finally unearthing one, he chugged the entire bottle down in one go, then paused to contemplate, adopting a bottle of beer after all as he dropped into the sand.

“Taking a nap, nerd?”

“Hi Kacchan,” Izuku grinned, rolling onto his side. “Having fun?”

“Are you?” he snorted.

“Yeah! It's real comfy here, and lovely and warm, and it's just so relaxing to lie here and do nothing instead of running after villains, you know? I was due for a break, I guess.”

“Is the hero life getting to be too much for you or some shit? Should have known you'd wimp out.”

“Never! Kacchan!”

He sat up to gape in his horror, and Katsuki couldn't help but crack the tiniest of smiles, watching Izuku's face immediately soften again. 

“I believed you,” he giggled. “Oh my gosh. I thought you were serious.”

Katsuki shoved him lightly, watching him fall back onto the sand in a heap of giggles, and he couldn't resist another little snort of laughter as he watched the nerd squirm.

“Katsuki! It's our turn!”

He grumbled as he looked up at Eijirou, waving wildly from the water, and reluctantly pushed himself to his feet. Izuku was still giggling to himself, so Katsuki gave him a gentle kick in the side as he stepped away, pausing for a moment.

“You wanna come play too?”

“No, I'm good. Thanks though!” Izuku shot him another beaming smile, eyes as bright as the sun that was currently trying its best to blind them. “Maybe next time!”

“Whatever.”

He grumbled to himself all the way back to his friends, but this time he didn't complain when Eijirou crouched down, boosting him up onto his shoulders. He could at least take out some of his annoyance by shoving people into the water, since there were no shitty villains around to beat up.

To be completely honest, he wasn't even sure what he was so annoyed about. Maybe there were just too many people around and it was making him irritable, he just needed some alone time. That made sense, right? When everyone else went off for lunch he would retreat into the forest, sit on the edge of some rocks and look at the view he'd glimpsed early that morning. Then he'd be recharged and ready to face the idiots for the rest of the day.

Except, well, he hadn't really been with the idiots for that long, A few words over breakfast, and their time in the water. Even Katsuki could handle a couple of hours – especially when the people he'd been in the water with were his friends. Although he'd never say that to their faces, obviously.

It was the lack of sleep, then. That made sense. He'd been woken too many times in the night, a decent nap – or better yet, a good night's sleep – would set him right. Kyouka usually had earplugs on hand, she'd give him a spare set to block out some noise. It wouldn't help with all the vibrations and the light and the idiots diving on him, but at least it might get him a few solid hours without a myriad of interruptions.

“Everything okay, Katsuki?”

“Huh?”

“You're kinda spacey today,” Denki explained, pulling a face as he looked up at him. “It's not like you.”

“Some idiots kept waking me up last night, I'm tired.”

“Oh, is that all? Okay, sorry, I'll try to be quieter tonight.”

“Huh?”

He stared at Denki blankly, dumbstruck, but Denki simply cocked his head to one side, entirely sincere as he met Katsuki's bewildered eyes.

“It wasn't you,” he said finally. “I mean, except the time you dove on me but otherwise...”

“Oh! I just assumed it was me because you said it in that 'Denki's an idiot' tone.”

“Sorry.”

“What? Why? What's happening here? When have you ever apologised to me? Are you sick? Did someone-”

“I don't even know. Let's just cut it out.”

“Okay!”

He chuckled faintly when Eijirou tapped at his leg, moving them forward to take their next battle position. It was Ochako this time, the party girl herself, and while everyone else might be inclined to go easy on her, Katsuki would never. The only reason they'd become friends in the first place was because Katsuki took her seriously, because he treated her as an equal while everyone else still saw her as a fragile little girl who needed protecting. Screw being the person of honour in the celebration, she was also a hero and it had been a long time since he'd had a decent fight.

They locked hands, straining against each other, pushing with all their might as they shifted their weight to try to throw the other off. Their bases had to grit their teeth and dig in to the ocean floor to bear it, to keep them upright at all, but cheers were erupting through the group and finally Katsuki was smirking. 

He shifted his grip, using her own weight against her, but one small step from Eijirou was too much, and instead all four of them toppled over, landing in a mess of limbs and spitting out salty water.

“Draw!”

“Damn it, Shitty Hair!” he complained, with no real vitriol behind the words. “We had her!”

“You did not!” Ochako argued, splashing him in the face. “There was no way that was ever gonna work in the water!”

“It fuckin' would have if Shitty Hair had stood his ground!”

“There was no way he could stand his ground while you threw my entire weight over your shoulder!”

“You're light as shit! He can take it!”

“Aww, that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me!” Eijirou laughed, draping an arm around his shoulders. “Thanks, Katsuki! You're strong too!”

“Shut up, Shitty Hair. This isn't about you.”

“Then let's have a rematch and find out!” Ochako suggested, the determined look on her face completely ruined by her limp, dripping hair and the clump of seaweed on her shoulder. “Loser has to make lunch!”

“You're on! Pick me up, Shitty Hair!”

“Oh, sure, well, let's see... Uhh, hey, Katsuki, you're looking good in that swimsuit my man!”

“What? What the fuck are you- Oh, haha, real funny asshole. Hurry the fuck up.”

With a grin Eijirou scooped him up obediently, getting them balanced before he turned to face down Ochako again.

“Whatever you do, don't fall over,” Katsuki mumbled. “I'll balance myself on you, you just gotta stay up.”

“Roger that, Captain!”

─

Katsuki braced himself for the worst when he stepped outside, expecting the overwhelming smell of charcoal to hit him, but the evening air was clean and crisp. On the long wooden table lay a buffet of bowls, full of different salads and vegetables and meats, and Katsuki was pleasantly surprised to see that everything seemed to be in decent shape – evenly cooked, fresh, and most importantly, edible. 

He dished himself out a plate and found a seat away from the crowd, giving the food one last inspection before he put it in his mouth. Apparently there was at least one person in the house who could cook – thank fuck, because like hell if he was gonna end up being the only one cooking for the rest of the trip.

The sun was setting over the trees before them, and from his spot he had a perfect view of it, watching as it lit up their world in red and orange hues and cast long, dark shadows from the trees of the forest. Soon Kyouka was joining him, dropping into the chair beside his, and they exchanged brief nods, enjoying the peace and quiet of their little corner. 

“Did you bring spare earplugs?” he asked between mouthfuls.

“Yeah, you need some?”

“Yeah.”

She nodded faintly, taking another bite of rice and chewing for a moment.

“I'll grab them when you go to bed.”

“Cool.”

Katsuki glanced back at the group when laughter erupted, back at all his friends gathered together to tease and joke and share stories. Half of him thought it was ridiculous and stupid, but the other half, somewhere deep down, kind of wished he could join them. He wasn't like them, had never really been like them, but sometimes he thought it might be nice.

He dug his phone from his pocket, grimacing when he saw the “no service” icon still in the top bar. What kind of shitty island had no cell signal in this day and age? With a quiet grumble he shoved it away again, turning to look over the trees.

As the sky grew darker, Ochako began to light little outdoor lanterns, scattering them around the patio to provide the group with a dim glow of light. She smiled warmly at Katsuki and Kyouka as she set one down in front of them, stopping for a moment to chat before she returned to the masses. Katsuki knew no one would believe him if he asked to join them, anyway. They'd laugh it off like some stupid joke.

“It was right on the top of this snowy mountain!” a familiar voice said brightly from behind him. “I was just holding this bus up while everyone filed off in an orderly manner – god forbid the teachers let them have a little haste, right?”

He giggled, and Katsuki found himself cracking a little smile of his own before he quickly turned away again.

“Oh! Kacchan!”

Too late. Damn it.

“You were there, right? I heard after!”

“Yeah,” he grumbled, leaning his head on his hand as he looked back. “I was at the bottom.”

“Did you meet those awful police officers who didn't want to let more heroes in?!”

“Yeah, I just walked right past them and dared them to stop me.”

Izuku laughed, and Katsuki found himself cracking a smile again.

“I'm not gonna let some shitty police officer stop me from doing my job, asshole! What are you laughing at me for?!”

“I did the same thing!” Izuku explained, face flushed with his giggles – and maybe a little help from the alcohol. Who was he kidding? A lot of help from the alcohol, no doubt. “People kept asking me afterwards how I got in there to help, because the blockades wouldn't let them through! I didn't have the heart to tell them I just told the officers to piss off!”

“Who the hell are they to tell us we can't go through and help, anyway?” Katsuki growled. “They want us to just fuckin' abandon a bunch of children because more snow might collapse if we intervene? Fuck that! Why can't they just evacuate everyone in the way of the snow and save the fucking kids.”

“We did, though,” Izuku smiled softly, and Katsuki couldn't help but notice the way the warm glow of the lanterns spread across Izuku's cheeks, dancing off every little freckle. “I didn't even know it was you until I saw the news footage.”

“Me neither,” he admitted. “They just said another hero had gone up, so I figured it was stupid for me to go up too. Believe it or not, snow isn't a great mix with a sweat based quirk.”

“It went really smoothly. I was happy with that one.”

“Me too.”

He smiled warmly, and in the low light, Katsuki noticed his freckles looked... Pretty, almost. Not that Katsuki would ever use that word. He wasn't a fucking wimp who got caught up in shit being pretty, after all, and Izuku was hardly wussy enough to be called pretty anyway – he was lean, hard muscle; broad shouldered, with a killer jawline now that his dumb hair wasn't masking it, and so damn tall when he stood up, he certainly wasn't pretty even if his stupid smile made his eyes wrinkle at the corners, and his nose scrunched up when he laughed, and-

Fucking hell, Katsuki was a tired, tipsy mess. It was time to get out of that damn situation.

“I'm going to bed,” he announced, standing up in a hurry and grabbing his dishes to take to the sink. “You assholes kept waking me up all night, I'm fuckin' exhausted.”

“We'll try to keep it down!” Ochako assured him, oblivious to Katsuki's inner turmoil. “Goodnight, Katsuki! Sleep well!”

He nodded faintly as the others bid him goodnight, only Kyouka following him into the house, rummaging through her bags for a spare pair of earplugs.

“Thanks,” he said faintly, when she tossed him a little foil package. “You still have some, right?”

“Yeah, I brought a bunch. Hey, uh, are you okay?”

“Haah? Why wouldn't I be okay, Shitty Ears?”

“You just seemed off out there,” she shrugged. “Something happen between you and Midoriya or something?”

“No!”

“Alright, whatever. Goodnight, then.”

“Y-Yeah. Goodnight.”

He clutched his fingers around the package, hand shaking a little as he quickly climbed the stairs to head for his bedroom, and when he finally collapsed on the mattress he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. 

It was going to be a long week.