The Deku-Shaped Hole - Chapter 12

Izuku grumbled when he began to stir, feeling Katsuki slide out of his grip and reaching desperately after him. All thoughts of complaining about Izuku curling up to him in the night were quickly forgotten. Instead Katsuki chuckled, squatting down to brush soft hair out of Izuku's face, watching his eyelids squeeze tighter to keep out the light.

"Good morning," he said softly. "You wanna come have a bath with me?"

"Mm... Yes. In an hour."

"No can do," Katsuki said apologetically. "You can sleep instead if you want, but if you want a bath it's gotta be now. Your choice, what do you need?"

"Bath," he sighed, eyelashes fluttering as he cracked his eyes open. "It's early, Kacchan."

"I know, sorry. We have a long day ahead."

He pulled his yukata back on from the night prior, and by the time he'd tied his belt Izuku was untangling himself from his blankets, his own clothing still on but wrinkled to high hell.

"Come on, nerd," Katsuki said fondly, hooking his arms around Izuku's waist and hauling him up. "Grab your crutch, I have everything else."

Izuku accepted the tool reluctantly, steadying himself, and waited patiently while Katsuki fussed over him, straightening his robe and combing fingers through his hair fruitlessly. 

"Alright, let's go soak."

The bath was occupied this time when they arrived, though only by three little old men, and Katsuki gave them a nod of approval when their eyes met briefly. There weren't many people who hauled themselves out of bed before dawn just to have a good bath, he had plenty of respect for other early risers like himself.

Izuku fared a little less positively, still yawning as he let Katsuki bathe him once more, rubbing at his eyes stubbornly. Katsuki hated to admit how cute he was when he got like that, but when the nerd looked up at him with sleepy eyes he felt his heart pound a little harder.

"So early, Kacchan," he murmured, closing his eyes as droplets trickled down his face. "Why so early?"

"Just sit still, don't worry about it."

Izuku conceded, too tired to argue, and soon Katsuki was supporting him over to the edge of the bath, lowering him into a comfortable spot before he climbed in to join him. All five occupants sat on the same side, talking quietly amongst themselves, and Katsuki couldn't stop his grimace when he caught them glancing at him for the dozenth time.

"Yeah," he said firmly, shooting them a warning look. "What of it?"

The oldest of the men lit up at the words, shuffling over a little closer, and Katsuki had to repress a groan.

"We've been following all the news," he explained. "I never expected to see you in our tiny little town. What brings you both? Not a villain, I hope."

"I have to go visit my agency up north," Katsuki sighed, glancing across at Izuku with his eyes still drooping. "Deku seemed like he could use a break, so I brought him along. The baths are supposed to promote healing, y'know?"

"It's so good to see you both relaxing!" one of the barely-younger men exclaimed. "It must be such a stressful life!"

"It can be, but neither of us would dream of doing anything else."

"Even now," Izuku agreed sleepily. "I just wanna do it again."

"Fight again," Katsuki clarified. "He can't wait to be back in action."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it! The accident was unfortunate, of course, but it's good to see you back on your feet!"

The men hushed when the colour of the sky began to change, and Izuku was suddenly far more awake, looking out at the pink glows spreading from the horizon. He reached for Katsuki's hand under the water, locking their fingers together, and Katsuki squeezed him back knowingly.

"It's so beautiful," he whispered, the light casting golden hues over his dumb face again. "We got a sunset and a sunrise?"

"Yeah. Thought you'd approve, even with it being early."

"You're amazing, Kacchan."

He shook his head, smiling even so, as he looked back out at the changing colours in the light.

"I'm just glad you're here," he said quietly. "It wouldn't be the same on my own."

"Me too, Kacchan. I can't think of anyone I'd rather watch with."

─────

"Can we just live at an onsen?" Izuku asked, waving goodbye to the staff in the carpark as they pulled out. "Would they let us? I want to come home from every mission and take a bath like that."

"We could probably buy an onsen, between us."

"That seems excessive."

"We could go visit one every night?"

"Not very convenient."

"We could get a hot tub and some of those packaged bath salts?"

"Works for me!"

Katsuki met his grin with a surprisingly bright smile of his own before he looked back to the road again, joining the steady flow of cars making their journeys to wherever they needed to be so early on a Saturday morning. Izuku was snuggled in with his blanket and pillow again, belly comfortably full of the beautiful breakfast the inn had put out for them while they bathed, and with a contented little sigh he leaned his head against the window.

"You gonna take a nap?"

"No, I shouldn't, it's early."

"If you're tired, you should," Katsuki argued, reaching over to shove him lightly. "We've got a way to go, you may as well snooze."

"But I should keep you company while you're driving."

"I've driven this route alone plenty of times, it's no big deal. I can just stick my headphones in."

"Oh! Music won't wake me up!" Izuku assured him, catching on quickly. "You should turn the radio on!"

"You sure it won't keep you up?"

"Nuh-uh! When I sleep, I'm out like a light!"

"Alright, plug my phone in then, would you?"

Izuku reached for the cable near his feet, picking up a surprisingly heavy phone and slotting it into place. He inspected it for a moment as it loaded, eyeing the thick rubber casing hidden beneath his Deku-branded cover.

"In case of quirk accidents," Katsuki explained, never once taking his eyes off the road. "Not such a problem these days, but when I was in middle school it happened a lot."

"Clever choice!"

Finally the menu popped up on Katsuki's phone, and he hit the 'shuffle' button, flicking at the little Deku charm hanging from the case before setting it down to play. Izuku smiled as he leaned against his window again, relishing the cold glass against his perpetually flushed face, and with a faint hum he let his eyes sink closed.

"Say something nice, Kacchan."

Katsuki glanced over at him, smiling faintly when he saw the peaceful look on Izuku's face, the little smile that stayed on his lips even as he relaxed. He blushed before he'd even begun to speak, grateful that Izuku wasn't looking at him, that the nerd was already beginning to drift off.

"Sleep well, sweetie. I love you."

─────

Izuku limped through the door when Katsuki waved him on ahead, marvelling as he looked around the clean, white walls. It was a nice place, Katsuki was pretty proud of it, honestly. It was out of the main city, so much less expensive than it looked, and significantly less expensive than anything in Tokyo. His friends had been amazed when they first came to visit, congregating from around the country to sleep in Katsuki's living room. 

Izuku kicked his shoes off and hobbled his way in, glancing through to the kitchen, then the living room, before he froze. Katsuki took far too long to catch on, groaning as Izuku hurried into the room, following to find him staring up at the collection of photographs lining his wall. 

"It's so sweet, Kacchan!" he exclaimed, before Katsuki could speak to defend himself. "I've never seen this one before!"

He was looking at the photo with Aizawa, right in the middle of the wall, surrounded by family and friends. Katsuki softened a little, draping his arms around Izuku's waist and peeking over his shoulder.

"Third year," he explained. "He said he was proud of me for being humble."

"You became a much better actor over the years," Izuku teased. 

"I had a good fight, that year," Katsuki grinned. "First year was that shit with half-and-half, second year was you, I didn't get a satisfactory final until the halfie bastard got his shit together."

"It was a really cool fight," Izuku acknowledged, ignoring the dumb slight about their face-off. "I'm surprised you don't have photos of the fight up here."

"That piece of shit? On my wall? No way. Only people I like get to be up here."

"Like your parents?"

"Shut up before I make you."

"You're so cute," Izuku giggled, shuffling along the wall to continue surveying the photos. "So the list of everyone you like in the world includes your parents, Aizawa, your high school squad, and..." 

Katsuki groaned when he leaned in to inspect the crumpled old picture.

"And me?" he asked quietly, eyes watering already. "Kacchan, this is..."

"You know I regret being an asshole to you," Katsuki grimaced. "That was the only one we took before shit went stupid."

"Come here." Izuku demanded, as he dug in his pocket. "We're taking a picture."

"What?"

"Now, Kacchan! Things aren't stupid anymore, we need a photo!"

"Fuck off."

"No!" Izuku pouted, leaning heavily against Katsuki the moment he tried to step away. "I'll fall, Kacchan."

"You piece of shit. Would serve you right if I let you fall."

"You would let me fall when I'm still recovering?"

"Of course not you little shitbag, but if I did you'd deserve it."

"Photo," Izuku grinned, holding the phone at arm's length. "Uh, hold on, let me, uh..."

Katsuki tightened his grip around Izuku's waist to balance him, and with a little smile Izuku leaned his crutch against the wall, freeing up one arm. He wrapped it around Katsuki's shoulders, leaning a little more weight on him, and despite his complaints, Katsuki leaned in to let Izuku frame the photo up. 

Izuku's face looked oddly thin in their reflection, a little too tired for Katsuki's liking, but still he stretched a beaming smile across his lips as their heads tilted toward each other.

"Smile, Kacchan!"

Katsuki sighed, but did his best to soften up a little. Even he could see the awkwardness in his face.

"Okay, hold on, let me try something."

Izuku turned in, planting a big kiss on Katsuki's cheek, grinning when the pale skin flushed pink. It didn't produce a smile like he'd hoped, but he snapped a photo anyway, satisfied with the rush of embarrassment in Katsuki's face instead.

To Katsuki's dismay, he immediately set it as his wallpaper.

With a sigh Katsuki hauled Izuku up, throwing him over a shoulder to a chorus of giggles and whines, and dragged him to the end of the hall. His bedroom was through the last door, with a soft double bed in the middle, but again Izuku's eyes went straight to the worst possible place.

"Is that a Deku figure?!"

"Shut up, go to sleep."

"I wanna see!"

Katsuki dumped him on the mattress stubbornly, but returned for the figure anyway, plucking it off the desk where his laptop usually sat and shoving it in the nerd's outstretched hands.

"This is the expensive one!"

"I'm a fuckin' hero, Deku, I can afford a fucking figurine."

"I'm just really happy!"

"It's the one with the nicest ass on it," Katsuki smirked, slapping lightly at the real thing and making Izuku whine.

"Meanie."

"It's mean to think you have a nice ass?"

"It's mean to say the other ones are bad!"

"Take it up with your manufacturers," Katsuki snorted. "Gimme a sec to grab your stuff."

He disappeared to the living room again, returning with Izuku's crutch and water bottle and setting them beside the bed. He opened his mouth to speak, but was quickly cut off by Izuku stubbornly patting the mattress beside himself.

"Sleep with me again?"

"You'll get hurt, shitty nerd. You take the bed, I'll sleep on the couch."

"Mm... The bed is bigger."

"Yeah, so are you, what's your point?"

"If I sneak out to join you on the couch it'll be cramped, you should take the bed."

"Don't sneak out, dirtbag."

"Nah, I'm gonna."

"I'll lock your ass in."

"I have a pretty good quirk for forcefully opening doors."

"I hate you."

"I know. Sleep with me?"

Katsuki sighed, but nodded faintly, before pinching roughly at Izuku's cheek.

"But none of that tangle shit, you hear me? If you so desperately want to... ugh, to cuddle, then we've gotta come up with something else."

"But I like to tangle," Izuku pouted. "I liked being all wound up with you."

"Then you can do that shit when you're better. For now, um... You gotta be the fuckin' little spoon, yeah? I'll hug you, but you gotta face the other way."

Izuku considered it for a moment, then pointed stubbornly at Katsuki's arm.

"Okay, but you gotta let me use your arm as a pillow."

"Fine, whatever."

"Okay! Spooning yay!"

"And if you try any funny business, you sleep alone next time."

"Fiiiiine."

Izuku stripped down to his red, white and blue boxers, earning another complaint from Katsuki, then lay back on the pillows to wait. He watched as Katsuki tossed his own clothes aside, admiring the way his biceps flexed as he switched to a clean tank top, and how his back muscles tensed as he leaned over to tear off his pants. Katsuki raised an eyebrow at him when he caught the stare, but Izuku only smiled.

"Bend over again, would you?" he requested. "From the hips more, this time."

"You trying to look at my ass?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Pervert," Katsuki smirked. "You'd rather look instead of getting your cuddles sooner?"

"Ugh, don't make me choose, Kacchan."

Katsuki shook his head fondly, but Izuku's wish was granted when he pulled a pair of clean boxers from the drawers, bending over to change them quickly. His bare ass made Izuku breathless, and briefly depressed as hell when it disappeared beneath dark cotton.

"You should change yours too," Katsuki suggested, tossing him a clean pair from his backpack. "Don't want your swamp-ass in my bed."

"I'm perfectly clean," Izuku huffed, changing anyway when Katsuki turned his back. "Jerk."

"You decent yet, nerd?"

"Yeah."

Katsuki turned around to consider him once more, hands on his hips as he frowned.

"What now?" Izuku asked, a little tentatively.

"If you're gonna do this," Katsuki began, reaching for him again. "Get your ass over your own side."

Izuku giggled as the hands shoved him over, unable to resist the cute little smirk Katsuki gave him. He let himself be shoved to the other side of the bed, and when Katsuki flopped down beside him, he immediately reached out for a hug.

"Hold on, hold on."

He passed the crutch and water bottle over in case Izuku needed them during the night, then tucked the blankets up over them both. They'd had a nice dinner on their way through the city, had even stopped for dessert at a fancy crepe place Katsuki knew his nerd would adore, and by the time they stumbled in the door, Katsuki too was ready for sleep. He closed his eyes right away, pulling Izuku into his chest, and Izuku settled comfortably in Katsuki's arms.

"Hug me, Kacchan."

"I am."

"More."

"I can't, asshole. I told you, another time."

"Mm... Fine. But as soon as I get better, I'm coming to stay with you."

"Deal."

For a minute they fell silent, as Katsuki berated himself for enjoying the scent of Izuku's hair in his face, but then, of all people, it was Katsuki who broke the peace.

"When you're better," he began slowly, his voice barely a whisper. "We'll take a photo. In costume together."

"Yeah?"

"I'll hang it with the others."

"That sounds great, Kacchan," Izuku smiled, snuggling into Katsuki's warmth. "Goodnight."

"Sweet dreams, Deku. I love you."

"You're learning. I love you too."