Archive of Our Own

The longest hour of Katsuki’s life was one in the morning every Friday. Most people his age were either fast asleep, or drunk at a party they would regret the next morning. College life meant the choices could be switched around depending on the time of year, with finals or breaks changing people’s dedication to either lifestyle. He wanted to say that the idiots around him spent less time wasted at the end of each semester, but his first hand knowledge proved this idea to be sorely mistaken. 

And since he was one of the campus safety guards meant to keep the blasted idiots safe, he would know better than most. 

“Fuck,” he muttered into the small space of the office, flipping through the papers in his book bag. “Did I forget my Polymers sheet in my room? The one time I need it— and I bet Shitty Hair ain’t in the dorm.” 

He could take a chance going to his room to snag the paper, but Shoji was already on a request. Friday nights were calmer than Saturdays, where most of the serious parties took place, but he wasn’t going to risk his job on a lame homework assignment. College was expensive, especially with a double major. Though his parents made good money, Katsuki refused to take their handouts when he could make his own means. Working for the campus meant a good chunk of his dues were written off, and Tsunagu was a good (despite his weird obsession with jeans) boss that didn’t treat him like a child. 

Plus, Katsuki got extra for working weekend overnights, meaning he would graduate with barely any debt if he played his cards right. 

“At least Spark Plug and Flat Face prepared me for drunk idiots,” Katsuki grumbled, kicking his feet up onto the desk once he gave up on his homework. 

After spending way too many times sober and annoyed at lame parties, dealing with the rambling drunks over the weekend had just become another part of his routine. So long as none of them puked, or tried to make a move on him, Katsuki could handle their pointless shenanigans. Fridays tended to be the longer shift of the weekend, and he bit back a groan when glancing to see only a minute of time had passed from the last time he looked. 

Thankfully, someone above had heard his silent plea and enticed the phone to break the silence. 

“Here we go.” Pulling it off the receiver, Katsuki slumped lower in his chair and pressed the outdated plastic to his ear. “UA safety line. This is officer Bakugo speaking. Please state your name and indicate if you need assistance or if you’re reporting a crime.” 

“Oh, um… My name’s Ochaco Uraraka, and just assistance, please. Or, well, a check-in and possibly an escort to the dorms.” The woman on the other line didn’t sound drunk, but he’d been fooled plenty of times before. Jirou could take four shots of tequila and still recite the Declaration of Independence without any slurred speech. 

“Alright, how many and how drunk are we talking?” He knew his script was a little looser than his boss liked, but he took the worst shifts of the week. If anyone had the right to cut off the fluffy words meant to ‘comfort and validate’ the student, it was him. 

“Oh, nothing like that!” Her panicked rushing to correct the normal expectation made him arch his eyebrow. “It’s my friend, Izuku. He’s in the engineering lab, and I haven’t heard from him in about an hour. I don’t want him to sleep there again, so could you go over and escort him home?”

Though he wanted to ask what ‘again’ meant, a bigger question took over his mouth. “Who the hell hangs out in the labs at one in the morning? Everyone is supposed to be out of there by eleven on the weekends.” 

“Yeah, Izuku has his ways that I don’t try to understand.” Her fatigue over the mysterious friend filled her voice, sighing deep enough to crinkle the receiver. “He’s probably fine, but I don’t have a way to get in and he tends to wait until it’s too late to call for help. Could you please just do a wellness check on him?”

“Oh, don’t you worry. I’ll make sure your little nerd is breathing before I kick his ass out of the building.” 

“Hey, Izuku’s not a—” 

Whatever protest she made, he didn’t hear, hanging up on her before he pushed out of his seat. With a quick radio call to Shoji about the dispatch, he shrugged on his campus jacket and headed out of the office. Fall had just started to dip into the colder temperatures at night, meaning he had to wear his compression shirt under the stupid uniform. He knew his friends teased him about his ‘sexy cop’ get up, but there was nothing attractive about itchy fabric and terribly sewn seams that fit too snuggly on his biceps. Shoving his hands into the pockets of his thicker jacket, Katsuki huffed out a puff of white air before moving toward the familiar lab.

The walk wasn’t long, the path deserted from any souls lingering on the campus. Once he got to the front door, he yanked out his administrative keycard, swiping it once to gain access to the locked building. Though he wasn’t allowed to use it on his days off, the trust Tsunagu gave him when providing the useful tool proved he was seen at a higher level than most of the safety officers. 

“Fuck this place is creepy at night.” 

Though Katsuki lived in the building for half his week, it was when students filled the place with chatter. Now vacant of all life, the void and eerie silence sent a shiver down his spine, though he refused to let the perfect horror movie scene stop him from completing his job. What intrigued him more was the person who willingly lingered in this place long enough that their friend had to reach out to check in on him. The girl (whose name he’d already forgotten) had made it seem like this was the nerd’s norm, but any four-eyed extra he saw in the lab normally looked scared of his own shadow. 

Except him, of course. He was always the outlier in the sea of nerds.

Once he got to the third floor, it wasn’t hard to figure out which lab held the target of his call. With a low light spilling into the hallway, Katsuki sighed and wandered down to turn into the second doorway on the right. He stuck his head in first, wondering if he’d find a murder scene or passed out freshman needing the fear of God instilled in him. What he found was neither; a man close to his own size was hunched over the lab table, back blocking him from seeing anything but the ugly sweatshirt that reeked UA pride.

He didn’t plan to check out the sturdy frame of the requested escort, but Katsuki was only human. Guys were hot, and he had no qualms admitting it. Why waste the time having a crisis that only added to his dating pool? Though the thick sweatshirt hid some of his body, the waist down was a pleasant surprise. Even with the sweatpants falling loose under the knees, the fabric clung to the thighs and ass of the nerd who continued to break each expectation Katsuki laid on him. 

Wanting to confirm he at least looked dorky from the front, Katsuki cleared his throat and smirked at the high-pitched yelp he earned in reply. “Yo.”

His cockiness lost the plot when the other turned around, Katsuki blinking in annoyed disbelief. Sure, he had all of the features that should have made him fit the bill. Freckles, round cheeks, a button nose and eyes that made him appear way younger than his body implied. But somehow, despite every checkbox on the nerd-o-meter, the guy was… the weirdest mix of cute and hot he’d ever seen. How could someone look like they’d bake cookies for orphans and be on the cover of a fitness magazine without either feeling off? What genius looked at this attractive cherub and thought stuffing him in the ugliest sweatshirt could somehow make him more adorable? He hated that person, yet also wanted to buy him a drink. 

But Katsuki had a job to do, and the chibi Adonis had to go. “So you aren’t dead.” 

“Uh… not yet?” The voice matched the timid expression, though both morphed into the same fiery determination a kitten grew when trying to bat a pitbull away. “How did you get in here? Nobody’s allowed to enter the labs after eleven on the weekend.”

“Kettle, meet fucking pot.” He tugged on his jacket, making sure the ‘officer’ part of the badge hit under the lowlights of the lab. “Don’t you think I’d know the rules of campus better than some vigilante nerd? The policies that were put in place so nobody was left alone in a building at one in the morning .” 

“I-I’m not breaking any rules!” He spun around after his claim, pushing around the papers scattered on the table while he continued. “And how did you even know I was in here?”

“You’re Izuku, right?”

“I’m kind of scared to answer that.” 

Katsuki rolled his eyes. “Oh, now you get a sense of danger? Glad to see two of your brain cells are working. But no, I’m not some creepy stalker. One of your friends called me and said you hadn’t answered your phone for an hour. She said something about you sleeping in the labs?” 

“Oh, that must have been Ochaco.” The movements paused, Izuku thinking something over before he shook his head and resumed his searching. “But she knows I don’t do that anymore.”

“Why is this somehow a normal expectation in your universe?”

Instead of answering the valid question, Izuku’s eyes lit up before grabbing a paper, almost hopping over to hold out the offering to Katsuki. “Here, look. I promise I was given permission from Mr. Yagi to use the facility post-hours for our experiment.” 

“What the hell…” Snagging it from the smaller hand, he scanned the make-shift permission slip. He tried to keep his face impassive over the fact that Izuku was working with his low-key idol, though he might have sold his soul to have the same opportunity. The one drawback of doubling his majors meant he couldn’t fit anything beyond his job into his intense schedule.

“See? Told you I wasn’t breaking in.” 

“Yeah.” One look at Izuku’s face was enough to realize he wasn’t sleeping properly. The bags under the pretty green gaze made Katsuki scowl, tossing the paper back at Izuku before he crossed his arms. “Except I still have the right to kick you out when I’m getting missing person calls.” 

At least Izuku had the decency to look guilty about that. “Ah, sorry. My phone died, and I didn’t realize it until you said something. I’ll bring a charger next time.” 

“I don’t care what you do, Nerd. My only job is to get you home to stop your little friend from losing a kidney. So pack your shit and let’s go.”

“Right now? Couldn’t you come back in an hour—”

“What the hell do you think I am, an Uber?” Before Izuku could open his mouth again, Katsuki narrowed his glare. “You leave in the next three minutes, or I tell Mr. Aizawa what you and Mr. Yagi have been doing after hours. How much do you wanna bet he didn’t ask the hobo before he let you loose in here?” 

“Okay, there’s no need to bring the dean of the department into this.” That was enough of an answer to prove Katsuki’s theory was correct. “Fine, you win. I’ll let—uh… wait, I didn’t catch your name.” 

“And you won’t get it until I see your ass moving out of the building.” The small pout proved there was more fire to the nerd, and Katsuki bit back a smirk when seeing him huff and turn to collect his things. “Why is Mr. Yagi putting his neck out for this? You his teaching assistant or something?” 

“Actually, yes. I’m the TA for his and Mr. Yoichi’s classes.” 

“You should be in Ms. Shimura’s lectures, cause she’s killing us with all her crazy pop quizzes.” He learned a lot in her sustainable energy course, but he felt his soul leave his body after every intense class. If he wasn’t naturally intelligent, he wasn’t sure he’d have been able to keep his straight As. 

 Izuku’s head popped up with his shock. “You take chemical engineering classes?” 

“I’m double majoring. This and organic chemistry.” 

“Oh, wow.” The nerd looked ready to vibrate out of his shoes at the provided information. “That’s so cool. I could never double up like that.” 

“That’s cause you can’t multitask; your shit’s still all over the place.” 

“Oops.”

Though he did manage to collect his papers and shove them into the backpack with his laptop, Izuku’s mouth didn’t stay quiet. The several questions about Katsuki’s school balance and the reason he chose the two majors filled the air, which he begrudgingly answered. Another curveball tossed itself into the moment when Izuku rushed across the room to yank out a skateboard, looking too comfortable with the mode of transportation to be a simple aesthetic. 

“You skate?” He asked, following Izuku out of the lab after shutting off the lights. 

“Oh, yeah. It helps me get around a lot quicker between classes and my job.” He rested the board against his neck, hands curling by his ears to keep it in place while he peered up at Katsuki. “Do you? Skate, I mean.” 

“I can, but I ain’t obsessed with it like my roommate. Shitty Hair practically lives with his boyfriend in the skatepark next to the campus.”

“That’s an interesting nickname,” Izuku said, both men casually descending the stairs toward the lobby. 

“Not my fault Kirishima’s too long to say every day.” 

“Oh, Ejirou’s your roommate? Which means the boyfriend you’re talking about is Kaminari.” Before he could ask, Izuku explained the connection. “I tutor other students at the library. That’s my job on days I’m not working on the experiment here.”  

“Do you haunt there when it closes, too, or is that superpower just saved for the lab?” He asked, the bite of the early morning air grabbing his cheek when they slipped out of the building. 

“I already said I had a reason for that!” 

Katsuki didn’t hold back his snort. “Whatever Nerd. Which dorm is yours?” 

“I’m in Nabu. Since I have weird hours, I moved there for a single room. You?” 

“Why, you planning on stalking me?” 

“I don’t even know your name, which you said you’d tell me once we left the lab.” 

At Izuku’s passive-aggressive reminder, he shrugged. “Katsuki Bakugo. And we’re in the Kamino building.”

“Oh, lucky. I heard they’ve got really nice beds there.” When he shrugged, Izuku let out a soft sigh and looked up at the night sky, keeping the skateboard on his shoulders during the casual walk toward the mentioned dorm. “I’m sorry Ochaco called you for this. I know we’re only supposed to use it for emergencies, and this isn’t anything urgent. Just me forgetting to charge my phone.”

“Do you walk alone every weekend at this time?” Katsuki asked, displeasure growing at the quiet nod. “Stop doing that. Didn’t you listen to that shitty safety measure orientation freshman year? The whole point of my job is to do shit like this so some creep doesn’t jump you.” 

“But I’m trained in self-defense and I always keep mace on me.” At least he wasn’t completely useless. “And if you’re here with me, someone that really needs you might not get help.” 

“Relax, idiot. We’ve always got multiple officers on to make sure we can take care of everyone. Drunk girls are just as likely to get picked off by some b-rate serial killer as you are, so stop having an identity crisis.”

“But—”

“Look.” Annoyed with the martyr complex, he stopped in their walk to make his point clear. “I ain’t telling you to keep breaking the rules and sneak into the lab after hours, but since I know you’re gonna, then listen up. If I find out you’re walking around campus alone after midnight, and you didn’t call the safety line, I’ll come here and kick your ass myself. You got it?”  

“Ah, if you’re sure…” He wasn’t sure how likely it was that Izuku would actually follow through with the command, but the softer rounding of the eyes under the campus streetlight meant something got through to him. “You really care about being a safety officer, huh?” 

“Hah? Who said that?” 

“I mean, I can’t think of a better job to have on campus.” Izuku shrugged and started walking again, the dorm in question starting to appear in the distance. “You get to help and feel like you’re making a difference. Without you, students could get really hurt. There’s a literal hotline where people can call for rescue. If you think about it, you’re like the campus hero.”

“The only thing I’m saving these morons from is Jose Cuevo.” 

Izuku’s laughter filled the cold air, his smile never fading as they wandered to the front of the dorm. Katsuki scrunched his nose to get feeling back into the tip, disliking the cold. If Izuku noticed it, he didn’t complain, jogging up the few steps before turning back to look down at him with a wave. 

“Thanks for walking me home.” 

“It’s my job. Make sure to tell your friend you’re not dead.” When Izuku nodded and started to turn away, Katsuki gave a final shout. “And don’t let me catch you in the lab that late again!” 

“Right, only until midnight.” 

“Do you want me to kick your ass for breaking the rules?” 

“Not at all!” Izuku paused mid pull of the door, looking back with a smile that was anything but innocent. “But if I do, I’ll get to see my hero again, right?”

The sass threw him off, shock making him flush in the chilly night. Izuku’s bravado seemed short-lived, his own freckles diving under a red hue before he squeaked out a quick goodbye and scampered into the glass doors. Katsuki stood there for almost a minute after, unsure if he wanted to strangle the menace or…

“Fucking cute ass nerd.” Knowing only the moon heard his confession, Katsuki spun away from the dormitory, scuffing his boots against the sidewalk when heading back to the safety office. 

When Shoji asked about his call, Katsuki realized he didn’t have anything to complain about.

~**~

“We could play Goldfish.” 

Katsuki closed his eyes, silently counting backward from ten before answering Todorki’s offer. “For the last fucking time, it’s ‘Go Fish’, not Goldfish . And since I’m not four, I have no reason to play that stupid game.”

“I thought it was fun when Ida showed me. We played for two hours, and it was quite enjoyable.” 

Todoroki, in a nutshell, was a contradiction in every sense of the word. His simple brain didn’t make sense to Katsuki, knowing how intelligent he was despite his lack of common knowledge. While the Todorokis made his family look poor in comparison, the sheer disdain Todoroki had for his father made him pick up the safety officer job in spite. He knew five star Michelin chefs, but preferred chicken nuggets from McDonald’s. The terrible stories he told without blinking about his family made even Katsuki flinch. Yet it was the stupid relationship between the puppy and horse on the superbowl commercial that made him cry. 

And while Katsuki cursed and insulted him at every chance he got, Todoroki continued to request working with his ‘close friend’ on the terrible Saturday overnight shift. 

“I can’t believe you got your weird friend to play a child’s game for hours.” Katsuki blew out a huff of breath, feet propped up on the desk between them. “And where the hell are all the drunk idiots? We’re almost two hours into our Saturday shift, and we’ve only had one call.”

“Well, the bars don’t close for two more hours.”

Katsuki ignored him to continue his griping. “Eleven-thirty is plenty of time for people to get sloshed. Did the city ban drinking and not tell me?” 

“Historically, Prohibition has proven to be a terrible method of alcohol management.” 

“Thanks for the history lesson, Icyhot, but I also graduated from the fifth grade.” He rubbed his temple, pressing his palm over his face. “God, I can’t imagine you drunk.” 

“We could try it sometime.” Todoroki shrugged, overlooking the insult. “I’ve been told I’m quite flirty when tipsy, so I’ll apologize if I do something to create mixed signals between us.” 

“Relax, Casanova. Just cause you’re hot doesn’t mean I’d fuck you.”  

“Oh, thank you. I think you’re handsome as well.” The happiness in the reply held no romantic interest, but enjoyment over what Todoroki probably saw as a positive conversation. 

Despite his ridiculous answer, Katsuki barked out a laugh and shook his head. “I’ve worked three years with you, and you still make no sense to me.”

Before Todoroki could say something he was sure would give him a headache, a blessing came in the form of the phone ringing. Silently thanking whatever karma he’d cashed in, he watched Todoroki reach over to pick up their request line. The rule between them was simple; whoever took the last call was off the hook for whatever was called in next. He wasn’t going to let Todoroki slack off because of his pretty privilege. Though he would still be bored out of his mind, at least he’d have a little bit of peace and quiet while Todoroki was taking care of whoever—

“He’s stuck inside the lab?” The question paused his thoughts, Katsuki shooting up in his seat to stare at Todoroki’s passive expression. “Oh, okay. So it’s more of a concern for his well being? Ah, that does sound like him... No, it’s fine, I can assist him on his return back to his dormitory. Thank you for reaching out to us, Uraraka. Please be safe, and tell Ida I say hello.” 

He waited until the call ended to cut in. “Was that a call for the engineering lab?” 

“Yes. Apparently, my friend Midoriya was supposed to do something tonight with one of our friends, but he never showed up. Uraraka believes he’s locked himself in one of the research labs again, and has stopped answering his phone. I shouldn’t take too long—” 

“I’ll do it.” 

Todoroki blinked when Katsuki rose from his seat, already moving to grab his jacket without getting an answer. “It’s my turn, and I already know Midoriya.” 

“What, you want a metal? Everyone knows the nerd.” He tugged on his collar, zipping himself into the outerwear to insulate from the colder weather. “And why am I gonna send a business major over to the engineering lab? You’ll get lost and just stare at the wall for an hour. I’ll do this one, and you can take the next two to make up for it.” 

“If you feel this strongly about it, I won’t stop you.” Todoroki turned toward his laptop, pulling up his internet search. “I’ll look up things we can do when you come back.”

“Can’t wait,” he muttered, letting his sarcasm drip off the words before he left the office.  

Colder than it’d been the week before, Katsuki blew hot air into his hands before rubbing them while he walked toward the lab. With the earlier time of the call, students were still wandering around the campus, groups with more sober people still able to lead their drunk companions to safety. He caught sight of some of his own friends crossing the main road of the campus, flipping them off when a few wolf-whistled at the ‘sexy cop uniform’. Despite life in the parking lots and closer to the dorms, the lab was still just as dead as the first time Katsuki swiped his keycard to enter. Which made sense, since nobody should have been in it so close to midnight. But the nerd seemed immune to timezones. 

Like deja vu, Katsuki followed the path up the flights of stairs and into the hallway, the same low light glowing from the lab. He crept in quietly, finding support for his shoulder against the doorway while he watched Izuku’s nerdy movements. Most of it was the same; the quiet muttering, the alluring frame, the mess of papers all over the table. But unlike their first interaction, one piece of their strange puzzle didn’t match. Though not loud, a steady flow of music spilled out from the phone sitting on the charger next to Izuku.

If it played music, then it wasn’t dead, meaning Izuku was getting the messages and calls from Ochaco. 

“Nerd.” 

Izuku popped his head up from his work, blinking once before recognition filled his bright gaze. “Oh! Hello again.” 

“You should be saying your prayers, not hello.” Katsuki crossed his arms, glaring. “I thought I said not to be here after the lab closed?” 

“I was going to leave by midnight. I set a timer and everything!” As if he didn’t think it was a believable story, Izuku lifted his phone and showed the countdown covering his screen.

“So you can use your phone for that, but not to stop your friends from losing their minds?” 

“Ah, well…” scratching his cheek, Izuku glanced away, putting his phone back onto the table before tapping it nervously. “I’m sort of avoiding Ochaco.” 

“Why?”

“I was supposed to meet her friend for dinner, but I got distracted and completely spaced out. By the time I remembered, I would have been late, so I canceled.”

“And now she’s calling you to ream you a new one for being an idiot.” Katsuki sighed when Izuku shrugged, rolling his eyes. “Who ditches a date for a chemistry project?”

 “This is a really important experiment! We have to log in the changes every six hours in order to make sure our data is valid.” Then, as if the reasoning wasn't good enough, Izuku looked down at his research and mumbled. “And I wasn’t really into him anyway. I was just doing it so her fear of me ending up alone with a bunch of cats would go away for a bit. That’s why she ratted me out so early tonight.”

“I don’t care what weird soap opera you and your nerdy friends are going through. You still have to leave.” He watched Izuku sigh and nod, noticing the slight slump in his shoulders when he started lining up the papers. His lips twitched with his discomfort over the image, slow to groan and break the silence. “What’s wrong with the guy you were set up with?” 

“Oh, no-nothing. He’s a very friendly, extroverted guy. Think star quarterback kind of personality? And there’s nothing wrong with that! I just…I know I’m a little more of a homebody, and it’d end up being a problem.” Izuku then glanced up at him, the smile holding a hint of hesitation. “Plus, he’s really into himself.”

“Yeah, I’ve met a few assholes like that. Way too many conceited dicks on this campus.”  When he earned a laugh from the nerd, Katsuki continued. “My dormitory is filled with them. I chewed out a few when they were hosting a party while I was trying to study.”

“And they listened to you?” Izuku asked, tossing his backpack on his shoulder and following Katsuki into the hallway.

“The last thing people want to do is piss off a safety officer who can tip off the real police on underage drinking pretty quickly.” 

“That probably doesn’t make you a lot of friends.”

Katsuki showed how little he cared with a scoff. “Good thing I’m here to learn shit, not make friends I’ll never talk to again after graduation.” 

Izuku smiled despite the harsh words, bumping their shoulders together while they moved down the stairs. The first time he’d entered the desolate lab, the creepiness chilled him to the core. But now on their second passing through, he didn’t mind being alone with the nerd. The streetlights outside of the building cut over the rounder cheeks when they moved past the open windows, Katsuki noticing how dark the green eyes looked out of the lab’s fluorescent shine. 

Once outside and securing the lab’s door, he spun around and nodded toward the Nabu dorm. “Alright, get moving.” 

“Okay. Um, also… I’m happy I got to see—”

Whatever Izuku meant to say was cut off when a loud gurgle echoed in the night. Katsuki blinked before glancing down at Izuku’s stomach, which frantic knuckles covered as if to hide the noise. But the damage was already done, the nerd’s body screaming protest over being ignored. 

Katsuki gave a dry look when sheepish eyes floated back up to him. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those destructive idiots who doesn’t bring dinner when he’s gonna be distracted in the lab for hours.” 

“I can’t do that. Food is against the rules.”

“You’re literally being escorted out of a closed building after I kicked you out a week ago. I don’t think a sandwich is gonna make Mr. Aizawa ban you from the program.” 

“It’s different.” 

“ How ?” Izuku only gave an innocent shrug, and Katsuki tried not to let his scowl be swayed by the cute image. “Wow, you’re completely useless. No wonder your friends always call the safety line to keep you from killing yourself.”

“That’s not true!”

“Alright, Deku .” The play on the other’s name made freckled cheeks flush, and Katsuki grinned when he huffed and pushed up on his toes to even their gazes. 

“I’m not useless. I totally have my life under control.” 

“Yeah? So you got something in your dorm to eat for dinner? You know, since the dining hall has been closed for an hour.” 

“Uh, I think I’ve got some Doritos from lunch. Or did I throw those out…”

“Jesus, you— fuck.” Yanking his radio from his belt, he pressed the call button and grumbled into the speaker. “Yo, Half-and-Half.” 

A heartbeat of awkward silence settled between them before a crackle started Todoroki’s reply. “Bakugo, is everything okay? Does Midoryia need assistance?” 

“Y-You work with Shoto?” 

“Trust me, that’s not my choice.” When Izuku’s face paled, Katsuki arched his brow. “What, you got a crush on him?” 

“No! Nothing like that.” Despite the denial, Izuku chewed his lip, like there was something lingering on his mind.

“Weirdo.” Then he clicked back onto the radio. “Yo, I’m heading to McDicks. Guess your brain dead friend decided to starve himself for the greater good of science, so now I gotta feed him.”

“O-oh, you don’t have to—”

Katsuki ignored Izuku’s protest to continue his demand. “Text me what you want for food. Maybe, if I’m feeling nice, I’ll bring it back for you.” 

  His logic behind the olive branch was simple; to keep Todoroki from prodding into what took Katsuki so long on the escort request, he needed a bargaining chip. And though he wasn’t making friendship bracelets and braiding red and white hair, he knew one thing; Todoroki loved disgusting food. The greasier and carb heavy, the better, leaving everyone confused how he managed to stay in such good shape. Katsuki wasn’t the biggest fan of fast food, but the circumstances left him with limited choices. If he could feed Izuku under the guise of bribing Todoroki, then he could kill two annoying birds with one corporate stone. 

He didn’t think about why taking care of the wide-eyed man watching him was so important. 

“Ah, okay. I’ll send my order now,” Todoroki answered, seeming none the wiser of his plan. “Please take your time. I know how difficult Midoriya can be regarding self-care.” 

“Shoto, please spare my pride…” Izuku groaned and covered his face, Katsuki smirking before he answered the radio.

“Yeah, I’m getting that feeling. See ya soon, Candy Cane.” After he shoved the radio back onto his belt, he jerked his thumb over his left shoulder. “You’re lucky the McDonald’s lobby stays open until one. Gives us an hour to get there and get some food.” 

“It’s really okay!” Popping out of his palms, his face proved he was still recovering from the hit to his ego. “And it’s not like I can get anything. I left my wallet in my dorm.” 

“I said I’m getting you food, idiot. That means I’m paying.” He held up his hand before the protest could leave the other’s lips. “Argue all you want, but I ain’t budging. So either say thank you, or shut up. Either way, get your ass moving.” 

Then he turned away, casual in his walk toward the restaurant just outside of the campus. He tried not to show how focused his ears were on the noise behind him, finally catching the scratching of sneakers against the gravel. He didn’t expect the warmth wrapping around his bicep, Katsuki glancing down to see two arms cradling his limb with Izuku’s chest pressing against it. Though he disliked romance movies, he wasn’t dumb enough to miss how someone could see the intimate pose as something other than platonic if they didn’t know the circumstances. 

Even if he planned to protest the predicament, the little murmur near his shoulder burned away any thought of resisting. “I’ll keep close… you know, in case I need you to protect me.” 

And though he remembered the safety measures Izuku had explained the last time they walked together, Katsuki didn’t call him out on it. The comfort that settled his racing heart wasn’t the worst feeling he’d ever experienced, and having the nerd hanging off him made his job easier. If anyone asked, he could always claim Izuku was drunk. 

“Yeah, whatever,” he mumbled, stuffing his other hand into his pocket despite already feeling warm enough. “Tell me what’s so special about you and Mr. Yagi’s project.” 

“R-Really?” 

The glimmer in the surprised gaze caught him off guard, Katsuki shrugging with his free shoulder. “Why would I ask if I didn’t want to know?” 

“Sorry, I just…” Then Izuku smiled softly, pressing even closer before he took a gentle breath. “Okay, so Mr. Yagi works with small pulses of biomolecular energy which he calls ‘vestiges’...” 

The food reeked of salty regret, and Todoroki’s milkshake was way too expensive. Everything in the fast-food lobby was tacky and too bright for his taste. By the time he got back from the Nabu building, Todorki had done enough requests to cash in for the rest of their shift. When he managed to find his bed the following morning, he was tired and cranky from the rapid calls regarding drunk people. Two tried to fight him, one asked for his hand in marriage, and his uniform smelt of way too many liquids for him to identify. Really, it should have been the worst shift he had ever worked. 

But getting to watch Izuku’s face light up while he rambled about his nerdy research somehow made his lips twitch into a smile against his pillow before he passed out.

~**~

“Do I know Izuku Midoryia?” 

Katsuki rubbed between his eyebrows as he held back his groan over his roommate’s stupidity on the phone. “Yes, him. He’s your tutor, right?” 

“Oh, yeah. He’s the best!” Like an overeager puppy, Kirishima’s voice jumped around with his excitement. “And he’s super smart. I don’t get how he stores all that information in his brain, but he does. Wait, why do you want to know about him? You don’t need a tutor.” 

“Obviously not, I’m not a dumbass like you and Dunce Face.” The glance to the clock on the wall made him scowl, unsure what to label the weird sensation bubbling in his stomach.

It’d been three weeks since their… routine had started. All throughout October, Katsuki’s weekends were filled with soft curls, freckled cheeks, and green eyes that had far too deep bags underneath them. The safety line got used to Ochaco’s friendly greeting when she called, acting as more of a reminder than an actual concern. Shoto, Shoji, and the other officers who worked with Katsuki never complained about him taking the request, or the length of the time it took to escort one nerd from the engineering lab to Nabu dorms. Everyone seemed invested in his well being. Then again, when their payoff was free food and less work, why would they?

Izuku had settled on leaving before midnight each time Katsuki knocked on his lab entrance, though the incentive of dinner and a friendly conversation about his recent work seemed to be the payoff for that. The constant outings had hurt Katsuki’s wallet, especially when he was working with Todoroki and his stupidly sweet tooth. Katsuki had begun adding extra reps into his workout to combat the gross late-night snacking. But his mind settled into the idea that both consequences were somehow worth it. It was the only time he got to talk with Izuku, whose little pouts at teasing nicknames or his wide grins over inquisitive questions tickled Katsuki’s brain on days he couldn’t see him.

“Yeah, you’re probably just as smart as Midoriya. So, what, you looking for a new job as a tutor or something?” 

“Stop trying to guess shit. I just wanted to know why you’ve never dragged him to hang out with us.” Because everyone knew Kirishima was the ambassador of making new friends. His sunny personality and welcoming aura was the only reason Katsuki had more than one friend. 

Kirishima’s side of the phone went muffled for a moment, as if Kirishima covered it to yell at someone in the background. From the low pulsing bass, he knew he’d called at a terrible time. Then again, it was almost one in the morning on Halloween. It wasn’t surprising that his social friend was out partying. 

Despite the inconvenience, Kirishima returned to the call like he was simply hanging out in their room. “Man, I’ve tried. Everyone, and I mean everyone , loves Midobro. He’s nice, funny, and does everything he can to help people out. But the little guy turns me down each time I ask him to hang out.”

“Hm.” Katsuki rocked the chair he was in on the back two legs, balancing himself without effort. “Any idea why?”

“I mean, our friends are pretty close, so I know he likes everyone in our group. Ochaco says he prefers smaller events, so it might be an anxiety thing? Hey, now that I think about it, maybe I should introduce you to him. You know, since you hate parties and good times, too.”

“What the fuck does that mean?” 

“I’m just saying you two would be a perfect match!” Kirishima laughed at his own joke, though Katsuki was more focused on something shattering in the background of the call. “Hey, you never told me how you even found out about Midoriya. You only get nosy about people when you like them— oh, wait. Bro!”

“Shut up, enjoy your shitty party.” 

He ended the call before he had to deal with Kirishima’s excited squeals. His only hope was that the alcohol would make him forget about the conversation, though his friend had sounded way too sober to put money on it. He already had Todoroki calling him and Izuku ‘aesthetically pleasing together’, whatever that meant. The last thing he needed was another dumbass on his tail about feelings he had no desire to discuss. 

“Why is everyone around me so annoying?” He muttered, running his hands through his hair before looking at the clock again. Seeing how late it was without the familiar call made his skin itch, scoffing before he glared at the homework he couldn’t focus on. 

It was almost an hour later when the call he’d been expecting finally came, Ochaco’s tone holding the slurred edge he’d hoped Kirishima had before. “Bakugo!” 

“What the fuck took you so long?” He snapped out, uncaring if the recorded line was reviewed later. Katsuki was almost positive the warning was just a scare tactic to keep people from prank calling, anyway. “You let the nerd stay in the lab until two in the morning? I had him on a damn schedule—” 

“Uh, actually, he’s not there.” Her giggle didn’t fit the stone that dropped Katsuki’s stomach.

“Explain.” 

“Well, it’s Halloween. We couldn’t let him be alone in that creepy lab! So me, Shoto, and our other friends convinced him to come to a costume party.”

The deviation from their routine ruffled his feathers, but he tried to ignore the ridiculous sensation to huff out his response. “Fantastic, why the hell are you calling me then? He doesn’t need an escort if he’s hanging out with friends.” 

“That’s the thing; I think he accidentally drank some spiked punch. He’s not a drinker—”

“No shit,” Katsuki said, already on his feet to pace as far as the cord would let him. “Only Deku would accidentally get himself drunk at a college party where you're meant to get wasted. Are you all too drunk to get home? Cause my coworkers are already on calls, so you’re gonna have to wait.” 

“No, that’s not exactly the problem. I’m tipsy, but I could definitely get us home safe.”

His blip of anxiety sharpened his voice. “I’m getting mixed fucking signals here.” 

“I think it’ll be easier to explain in person. Uh, and maybe hurry? He’s getting pretty impatient.”

“What does— ugh, whatever. Tell me the address and make sure he doesn’t do something stupid.”  

When Ochaco offered the location of the party, he scowled. Technically, the house was off campus, which meant he didn’t have an obligation to go. It was outside of his patrol area, and his safety privileges didn’t have any power on student housing off campus. But it was Izuku, and he needed help, so he waved off the option to decline and called the request over the radio before heading out. 

The party, despite the late hour, was still packed. The costumes filled his line of sight, and far too many people mistook his actual uniform for something with more sexual implications. A hand squeezed his ass with a giggled ‘handcuff me anyday, officer’, but before Katsuki could chew off the person’s face, they disappeared into the sea of people. Fighting back his urge to break something, he tried to locate what he’d come for. Never meeting Ochaco in person, despite talking to her multiple times a week, meant looking for her was useless. He had no idea what she had dressed up as, and people were too drunk to point him in the right direction.

Luck seemed to shine down on him when he passed through a hallway, almost missing a familiar voice hooking his eardrum. “He’ll be here soon, Izuku.” 

“When?” The one word was more than enough for Katsuki to hear the alcohol painted on Izuku’s tongue. Wearing what looked like a white sheet with mismatched patches, the nerd seemed smaller than normal, curled in the corner of the bedroom the two had claimed as their own. “I wanna…be escorted by Kacchan.” 

“What the fuck’s a Kacchan?” He asked when entering the room, squinting when both round faces popped up to look at him. The girl dressed as a witch had mousy brown hair curled around her chin and matching eyes, and he could only assume she was the one he’d spoken to a half hour before. Somehow, she looked exactly how she sounded; kind, bright, and probably too bubbly for his normal liking. 

“Bakugo, there you are.” Her relief relaxed her body, a hand reaching out to pat Izuku’s cheek. “See? I told you he’d be here. Now can we get you home?” 

“How long has he been like this?” Katsuki walked across the floor to crouch in front of them, eyes naturally swaying back to look at the joy covering the drunken face. “And why is he in the corner?” 

“Because when we mentioned going home, he suddenly got super upset that ‘Kacchan’ wasn’t here,” Ochaco explained, somehow keeping her soft tone despite the fatigue in her voice. “He kept telling me to call for security, and that he promised he wouldn’t walk home after midnight without his hero. When Shoto tried to pick him up, Izuku kicked him in the knee, called him Kacchan’s ‘arch rival’,  and shoved himself in the corner so nobody could get a good angle on him. That’s when I called you.” 

“I would have paid to see that.” He made a note to make fun of Todoroki tomorrow during their shift, though the unanswered question came back again. “And I still don’t know why you called me if he wanted a… what the fuck did you call it? A—”

“Kacchan!” Izuku launched forward without warning, the sheet fluttering around him when he dove into Katsuki’s chest. The force made him grunt, almost falling back on his ass from the solid muscle under the costume. His pride alone forced him to stay upright. There was no tension in the body pressed to his, turning into a ragdoll after warm arms wrapped around his neck. Katsuki’s stomach fluttered when a nose nuzzled into his neck, lips humming with a pleased noise. “Kacchan, I didn’t walk home alone. I waited for them to call you, just like you told me to.” 

“The one time you follow a rule…” The body only squirmed closer, tossing knees over one of Katsuki’s legs to plant his butt on his crouched thigh. Katsuki tried to ignore the easy way they fit together to look back at Ochaco. “Is he always this clingy when he’s drunk?” 

“He doesn’t drink, so I’m not sure.” 

“Right. Fantastic.” His mind flipped through the best way to deal with the situation, knowing Izuku was too gone to trust walking on his own two feet. “Guess I’m gonna piggyback him back to the dorm.”

“Oh, good idea! Here, let me help.” 

Ochaco’s gentle tone helped peel Izuku off him with only a few whines, guiding his swaying body to flop onto Katsuki’s back once he was in the right position. Strong legs wrapped around his body like a starfish, and Katsuki learned the true meaning of ‘compact muscle’ from how much heavier Izuku was compared to his appearance. Silently promising to add more squats to his routine, Katsuki forced himself up to his full height, settling his human backpack better against his spine. Once sure he wouldn’t lose his grip on the rolled up pants, he glanced back to Ochaco and tilted his head toward the exit.

“Alright, time to get the lightweight out of here. I’ll have him text you in the morning.” 

“Thanks.” Her smile fell into something more genuine when she glanced between them. “Not just for this, either. Thank you for taking care of him over the past month. I know it doesn’t mean much to you, since it’s your job, but if you're Kacchan, Izuku… he talks about you a lot.”

“Probably to complain that I’m ruining his lab time,” he muttered, glancing at the shoulder Izuku had plopped his head onto. “Stupid nerd.” 

“But he’s not so bad, right?” When he looked back, Ochaco’s gaze held a little too much implication for his comfort.

Needing to escape the situation, he scoffed and turned away. “Mind your business, Pink Cheeks.” 

“Says the one blushing.” 

“Shut up and go fall in a hole!” 

He stormed out of the crowded house as quickly as he could without bumping into people, though most seemed willing to step out of his warpath when seeing his flustered glare. The frosty air helped the red flush fade away, though Izuku’s shiver as he huddled closer on his back proved the sheet was useless against the cold. If he’d been smart, he would have shoved his uniform jacket onto the nerd before they left, but it was too late now. The last thing he needed was the idiot to run off into the night because he took his eyes off him for a second. 

“Kacchan,” Izuku said, alcohol still slurring his voice while his nose buried under the jacket’s fur-lined collar. “You smell good.” 

“Yo-You’re a creep.” He wanted the insult to have more bite, but he nearly stumbled at the tickling sensation across his sensitive skin. “And why do you keep calling me that?” 

“So I can talk about feelings without Shoto… you know. Being Shoto-y.” The sentence didn’t feel fully developed, though his brain wasn’t firing on all cylinders. Apparently, alcohol swapped Izuku’s intelligence for bravery. “And cause I like it. Makes my heart feel all fluttery.” 

“Tch.” How was he supposed to ask the idiot to stop when he said something like that? Not wanting to give him explicit consent, he switched the subject while crossing the street to get back onto campus. “You could have gone home with your friends. I said not to wander around alone after midnight.” 

“But they’re not my hero.” 

“Candy Cane is a safety officer, too.” 

Izuku shook his head, squeezing his limbs around Katsuki. “But Kacchan always comes when I need him.”

“Nerd—”

“He helps me not overwork myself, and he feeds me.” A soft hand reached out to press over Katsuki’s chest, palm resting where his heart beat beneath his rib cage. “Listens to me when everyone else tells me it's too complicated. And if he doesn’t understand, he demands I tell him so he can. Like it matters to him what I care about. And…and he’s really pretty. Isn’t that what a hero is?” 

Katsuki tried not to notice how quickly his pulse jumped at the drunk words. “I think most would call that a hot friend.” 

“No.” He jumped when something sharp grabbed his ear, face quick to change colors when realizing Izuku had bit the lobe in his protest.

“What the fuck?” 

“I don’t like that.” The watery wobble in the emotional kaleidoscope laying on his back washed away his immediate irritation. “Kacchan is different from my friends. He’s special to me, even if he finds me a-annoying.”

“Oi, no crying over whatever your drunk brain’s telling you.” 

The sniffle he got in return didn’t bode well. “But I don’t even know if Kacchan likes me the same way I do. I-I’m a guy, and… an-and he’s probably too popular to see me. A hero always has a pretty love interest, not some… some nerd.” 

“You are the stupidest genius I’ve ever met.” 

“Guess I am pretty dumb, huh?” Izuku’s words hurt despite the lopsided chuckle that came with them, the relaxed body snuggling closer to his back. “Staying late every night at the lab, just to spend time with Kacchan…” 

“Fuck.” Sighing, Katsuki closed his eyes, tilting his head up toward the night sky to aim his honesty at the moon. “Deku, if I didn’t want to spend every shift listening to you nerd out about the amazing work you’re doing with Mr. Yagi, I wouldn’t. I’d let other officers answer Round Face’s calls, I wouldn’t skip over the rotation to take your request, and I sure as hell wouldn’t buy all the extras silence with disgustingly overpriced food. The only reason I do that shit is cause it gets me time with you. Time I wouldn’t trade for any other nerd. So you may be an idiot, but you’re in some good-looking company.”  

“Kacchan…” Izuku’s body trembled, but he couldn’t tell if it was from the chilly breeze or the emotion laced through his words. “I don’t wanna forget this, but I th-think I’m drunk. Tell me again when I’m sober?”

“Fat chance in hell that’s gonna happen.” Because he knew he’d rather cut his tongue off then get that mushy when the alcohol wouldn’t erase it. 

Having security privileges meant Katsuki was able to enter the dorm despite it not being his living residence, using the elevator to get to Izuku’s floor. Finding the key in the costume was a little more embarrassing, trying to keep his touch professional despite Izuku’s giggling and pressing into the searching fingers. Taking a slow breath, he snagged it from the back pocket of the brown pants, trying not to notice the soft curve to move onto the next objective. 

After yanking off the costumed bed sheet and scrounging the dresser Izuku pointed to, he tossed clothes at the tipsy man before raiding the mini fridge. He collected a bottle of water and a sleeve of crackers to place on the nightstand for the predicted hangover. Izuku managed to get himself under the covers, but couldn’t parse through his foggy memory to identify where his Tylenol was. After tugging open a few handles (face going scarlet when discovering the concerningly organized sex drawer), he managed to find the medicine bottle, placing it with the other supplies before sitting on his bed.

“You owe me so much for this,” he mumbled, though didn’t plan to mention the difficulties to the man half-asleep against the pillow. Too tired to fight his instincts, he reached out, brushing his thumb against the freckles covering the soft cheek. Long lashes fluttered open, a dopey smile making Katsuki’s heart twist in affection. 

Shit, I really do like this nerd. 

“Thanks for being my hero, Kacchan.” 

“Yeah,” he choked out, clearing his throat through the ball of emotion. “Anytime, Freckles.” 

He sat there long enough to feel Izuku’s breath even into the steady pace of sleep against his palm. After making sure he wouldn’t wake him, he took one final sweep of the apartment. Snagging a notebook and a pen, he wrote his order to contact Ochaco when he woke up. Then, before he could think better of it, he added one more line.

‘Tell me when you’ve returned to the living, Deku.’

He left his number scribbled below before rushing out of the room to finish his shift. 

~**~

Texting Izuku wasn’t as strange as he’d expected it to be. 

Ochaco still called the safety line on the weekends, though she spent more time asking how Katsuki was and updating him on her life before putting in her request. He didn’t know why the nerd didn’t just text him, or why all of his co-workers kept letting the strange ruse continue. Somehow, as the month dipped deeper into November, it became an expectation. A list of food orders for the night were taped to Katsuki’s locker every weekend. The other safety officers picked up requests they deemed were too close to ‘The Nerd Escort’. When Izuku heard they’d made a protocol around his unique need, he only blushed and stuffed his face with a handful of fries. 

But Todoroki did come in the next day with perfectly baked chocolate chip cookies for the officers, stating Izuku made them as a grateful apology.

The only difference after the phone number exchange was that they got to talk throughout the week, as well. They still hadn’t hung out besides their late night dinners, but Katsuki used the chat to make sure the idiot ate throughout the day. In return, he got pictures of jam-smeared cheeks and hints of mustard in the corner of Izuku's smile, proving he was keeping himself sustained. Katsuki didn’t snap as many photos, though would occasionally send one of himself doing something random to watch Izuku keysmash in return. The annoying extras pointed out the interactions as ‘boyfriend behavior’, stating Katsuki was going soft. But seeing how happy the simple exchanges made Izuku meant he didn’t care what anyone else thought. 

“Okay, but why don’t you hang out?” 

Katsuki’s eye twitched at Kamnimari’s head tilt, crossing his legs on the top of the half-pipe. Though he’d brought his board with him to the skatepark, he’d left it leaning against the railing of the ramp. “Because he’s busy. We’re both busy. It ain’t like we’re lazy like some people.” 

“Ouch, harsh. It’s not my fault school takes more effort for me. Babe, tell your bestie to stop being mean.” 

Kirishima laughed when he skated up to the top of the ramp, nudging Kaminari’s side with a playful wink. “You have to cut him some slack. He’s not used to wanting to hang out with people.” 

“Why did I even bother coming here? You both suck.” 

“Don’t be like that.” Kaminari blew a kiss from the other side of the half-pipe, Katsuki pretending to bat it away. “You love us like family. And I mean literally, cause I’ve seen how you and your mom fight.”

“We don’t fight,” he replied. Kirishima dropped in to ride the slant, popping next to Katsuki to do a kickflip before easily landing back inside the half-pipe. Though he’d never let Kaminari do any trick that close to his face, he trusted Kirishima’s skill enough not to flinch at the move. “The old hag just doesn’t know as much as she thinks she does.” 

“Let me guess; you asked her about our little cherub tutor?”

Katsuki narrowed his gaze on the blond that was too far away to hit. “You have a boyfriend, you creep. Stop drooling over Deku.”

“I mean, he is adorable.” Kirishima quickly held his hands up after he landed his trick on the other side of the jump, as if prepared for Katsuki’s nasty glare. “But I’m totally happy with Kami, and Midobro’s only got eyes for his hero.” 

“Ugh, shut up.” He laid back on the lip, cushioning his arms under his head to stare at the clouds above them. “Fuck Round Face for telling people about that.” 

“It’s kind of sweet that he only wanted to see you when he was drunk.” Though he couldn’t see his best friend, he heard the creak of his weight dropping down, feet kicking from where he sat. “You two still haven’t talked about Halloween, right?”

“Wait, seriously?” Kaminari asked, and Katsuki felt his teeth grit together at the surprise. “Why not?”

“What the hell do you want me to say? ‘Hey, when you got sloshed, you low-key said some shit I’m not sure you really meant. Wanna clarify?’ That is the dumbest idea ever.” 

“Do we even know if he forgot what he said? Cause let me tell you, I’ve taken six shots in an hour and still remembered every place I threw up that night.”

“Sweetheart, that’s not exactly as manly as you think it is.”

“But the point still stands!”  

Groaning at the two lovebirds across the jump, Katsuki blew out a short breath through his nose. “Either way, I ain’t bringing it up. If he wants to, that’s his choice. I’m not trying to embarrass him if he’s avoiding it for a reason.” 

“Oh, so you’re being considerate of Izuku’s feelings at the expense of your own sense of mind? Aw, Kacchan —” 

“That’s it, I’m killing you!” 

Katsuki sat up to strangle his ex friend, but he stopped before dropping off the lip when something familiar caught his eye. The Sunday afternoon’s chill chased green waves under a gray beanie, matching the fleece and black cargo pants. Hideous red shoes didn’t seem tight enough to be safe for skating, though it matched the cool designs of the skateboard he held under one arm. 

The other limb swung when holding a little boy’s hand, who was happily chatting away with a pigtailed girl rollerblading on his other side. The kids were covered in elbow and knee pads, shiny helmets hiding most of their matching brown hair. Katsuki didn’t need to know them to see the similarities in the two children. They had to be siblings, though their connection to Izuku was unknown. He could only pick up that the girl’s taller height and protective grip on the brother’s hand proved she was the older of the two. The boy looked content walking between the two, his smile small but hopeful when peering up at Izuku.

“Midoryia has kids?!” Kaminari’s shout was too loud, catching the attention of the new trio entering the skatepark. Katsuki sent a death glare to his friend before he snagged the skateboard behind him, pushing it to the edge of the lip before he dropped in. He didn’t follow the curve, easily hopping off the smoothed wood to skate toward Izuku. 

He had to shove down his bloom of pride seeing how welcoming Izuku’s face became when their eyes met. “Kacchan? What are you doing here?” 

“What, you think I live in the safety office?” Smirking, he stopped in front of them before kicking the board up to tuck it under his arm. “Nah, sometimes they let me stop babysitting nerds and go touch grass.” 

“Don’t be mean to Izuku.” The quick protest from the little girl cut in before Izuku could, her glare pretty impressive for the young age. “We don’t like hanging out with bullies.” 

“Y-Yeah!” Following his sister’s footsteps, the younger boy quickly bit his lip after his support, glancing at Izuku. “I thought all babysitters were nice like you?”

“It’s okay, Kacchan’s joking. He’s not a babysitter, he just likes to be funny.” 

“He’s not very good at it.” 

Katsuki’s eye twitched when he heard two distinct snorts from behind him at the girl’s comment, crouching down to meet her eye-to-eye. “I’d say you should say it to my face, but you’re about six feet too short to do that.” 

“Good,” she answered despite the flush in her cheeks. “Because I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near your ugly face.” 

“Ugly? Do you need your eyes checked, brat?”

“No, but you need your attitude rearranged!” 

He growled when she turned her nose to the air after her insult, though he rose back to his full height when Kaminari’s snicker cut through. “Bakugo getting bullied by a little girl was not on my bingo card for today, but I am all for it.” 

“Kaminari, Kirishima. So that’s why Kacchan’s here.” Izuku went to wave, though paused when realizing he was still holding the boy’s hand. “Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t even introduce everyone. Guys, this is Katsuma and his big sister, Mahoro. They’re kids I hang out with on Sundays while their dad’s working. Can you two say hi to my friends?” 

“Hello,” Katsuma said, polite in his bow.

Mahoro, still refusing to look at Katsuki, barely gave the two other men a glance. “Hi.” 

“Hey there, nice to meet Midobro’s little buddies.” Kirishima, being friends with Katsuki for too long, didn’t mind the cold shoulder. He had been trained in how to get under other people’s armor. “I like your skates. They look pretty comfortable.” 

“Oh, um, thanks.” Sure enough, her little pout faded at the compliment, letting her feet sway back and forth in the rollerblades. “My dad got them specially made for me.” 

“What, seriously? I’m jealous!” The over exaggeration made Katsuki roll his eyes, but he didn’t interrupt to let Kirishima work his magic. “I’m guessing you’re here to try some of the new ramps?”

“Izuku’s going to teach me how to skate!” Katsuma’s eagerness over the plan made the heels of his shoes leave the ground, squeezing both hands he held. While Mahoro tugged her grip away, Izuku bore the added pressure with a nod.

“Nothing too big until he’s got the hang of how the board moves. Mahoro’s been wanting to try her skates on actual ramps, so I thought getting her on the launch box would be a good start.” Izuku glanced at Katsuki, the slight movement of his lip hinting he’d started chewing on it. “Would you three like to join us? Unless you’re busy doing something else, which is totally fine.”   

“Oh, I’m so down.” Kaminari jumped at the chance, waving to both kids while rolling the electric yellow skateboard. “I’ve fallen on every ramp in this place, so I can definitely teach you how to avoid that.” 

Kirishima pulled out his phone, typing while he spoke. “We’ve got this really cool friend named Jirou who loves rollerblading. I think she’s just about to get out of work, so I can see if she’s free to come hang out with us. Her skates have sparkles in the wheel.”

Katsuki caught the moment of excitement on Mahoro’s face before she quickly schooled her expression and gave a shrug. “That sounds okay, I guess.” 

“Yeah, act like you ain’t tickled pink.” Katsuki smirked when she stuck her tongue out at him, flicking her helmet just to tease her more. Once hearing her huff, he turned back to Izuku, nodding to his skateboard. “And how about you? I don’t see you wearing any protective gear. Might hurt that nerd brain of yours if you ain’t careful.”

“I think I’ll be okay, actually.” The pleasant surprise came when Izuku rose to his challenge, tilting his head with his words. “But if I need a hero to save me, I know who to ask.”

“Is that so, Freckles?” He grinned at the new energy of their banter, a more relaxed flow outside of his job letting his mouth run. “Let’s see if you’re any good with those clown shoes.”     

Despite the insult, Izuku laughed, shaking his head before he glanced between the children. “Do you want to show Kacchan our amazing skills?” 

“Okay!” Katsuma pumped his arms at the thought, Mahoro skating past Kaminari and Kirishima to head toward the small ramp in the corner. 

“I’m gonna make him eat my dust, just watch.” 

“That’s the spirit!” Kirishima cheered like he wasn’t Katsuki’s best friend, Kaminari dragging his eyelid down with a finger while rolling past him. 

“I’m Team Mahoro. Down with Kacchan.” 

“If you don’t cut it out with that sh—” a quick clearing from Izuku cut off his swear, Katsuki wrinkling his nose at the censoring. “That stuff , I’m going to drop your toothbrush in the toilet.” 

“Ew, that’s icky.” 

“Yes, Katsuma, that’s very icky.” Kirishima licked his lip and shuddered like he could taste the dirty water. “Please don’t do that, bro. I don’t want to kiss a toilet bowl.” 

“Would you still love me if I tasted like toilet water?” Kaminari asked, Katsuki mirroring Mahoro’s disgusted face at the terrible flirting. Izuku didn’t seem bothered, his smile too fond watching the idiots.

Kirishima shrugged. “Well, they make breath mints for a reason.” 

“Aw, you do love me!”

“Boys are stupid,” Mahoro said, rolling her eyes before doing a small hop over a crack on the concrete. Her little smile wobbled with the same force of her arms trying to keep her steady, Katsuki keeping a close eye on her balance in case she needed help. Once she settled, she released her breath, then spun around with her hands planted firmly on her hips. “See, Izuku? I’m getting better.” 

“You did amazing. I’m so impressed!” 

Like a proud father, Izuku beamed, dropping his skateboard to the ground to let Katsuma step onto it. Holding both of the smaller hands in his own, he took his time letting the wheels slowly move forward on the flat surface. Katsuma’s knees wobbled with lack of understanding of how to shift his weight to make the skateboard move, but Izuku kept a good control of the route to avoid hitting any cracks or people on the slow roll. 

“A-Am I doing it?” Katsuma asked, and Katsuki moved to skate parallel with the snail pace. 

“Kid, keep your back foot near the tail of your board, so you can choose where you’re rolling. Deku won’t let you fall, so use him to practice your steering.” At his redirection, he slipped in front of Katsuma, showing the shift on his own board. “See where my back foot is? Try that.”

When he looked over his shoulder, he caught Katsuma’s slow inching into the directed position. “Like this?”

“Good enough. Now, if you lean on your toes, you’ll go right. Put your weight on your heels, and the board’s going left. Simple as that.” 

Like any kid with a new toy, Katsuma rushed to try the instructions, his mouth dropping open when he shifted left from Izuku’s straight path. “Oh! I did it.”

“Woah, look at the little dude go,” Kirishima said, jumping onto his own board to skate around Mahoro. “Looks like your brother’s got some moves, too.” 

“But I can do tricks!” Like most siblings, Mahoro exposed her jealousy when she huffed and looked at Katsuki. “Teach me things, too. Don’t play favorites.”

“Oh, does someone want my help now? Not too ugly to look at anymore?” Before she could express her anger at the taunt, Katsuki skated toward her, nudging Kirishima’s side. “You go help the nerd with his squirt. Spark Plug and I will take on the brat until Ears gets here.” 

“Aye, aye, captain.” With a playful salute, Kirishima followed the order without protest, though planted a kiss on Kaminari when passing. “So happy you don’t taste like toilet water.” 

“Stop smooching and get moving!” 

The afternoon slipped by with more ease than Katsuki thought it would with four kids (two chronically, two mentally). He liked getting to help Mahoro work through her frustration when not landing her new tricks properly, putting good use to her knee pads in the rare times Katsuki wasn’t close enough to catch her. Kaminari took to his role of making a fool of himself seriously when her eyes started swelling with angry tears, letting her expel her energy into laughter. Once she collected herself, Katsuki gently tugged one of her pigtails and told her to try again, helping her push back onto her skates once she gave a determined nod.

Jirou stole the show when she arrived with her special skates, exuding her cool aura while easily showing her newest fan some simple tricks. Once sure Mahoro was in good hands, he switched his attention to Katsuma and Izuku. The nerd was in his element in the teaching role, jumping between role modeling and guidance once putting Katsuma back on the board. Kirishima was his normal cheerleading self, focused on showing his unconditional support, but Izuku’s kind soul was too bright for Katsuki to look away from. 

When the day finally slipped into the dusty evening, Jirou made her exit, too tired from her long shift at work to stay long. With a promise to show Katsuma more tricks next time, she hopped on her bike and sped off. The group only lasted a little longer before the lights kicked on, proving it was time to wrap up the fun day. But a new problem arose; Mahoro and Katsuma, after taking off their equipment and putting them into Izuku’s sports bag, had curled up together on a bench. While the adults exchanged goodbyes, the two tired children passed out. 

“It’s okay!” Izuku kept an optimistic view on the situation despite the lack of a plan, waving at the concerned look of their friends. “I got them here, so it’s my responsibility to get them home. It’s only ten minutes away. Please, don’t worry about us.”

“Are you sure?” The wounded puppy eyes from Kirishima showed unearned guilt. 

Izuku only shook his head. “I wouldn’t want you to miss your movie because of my problem.” 

“If Kami and I hadn't already bought the tickets…”

“You two deserve a nice date night!”

“Yeah, but—”

“Oh my God.” Katsuki growled and stomped forward, lifting Mahoro under her knees and shoulders to hike her into his arms. For a moment, he worried that his abrupt movement would jar her out of her sleepy state. But her little snuggle deeper into his hold held no tension, yawning while her legs swung freely over his forearm. Letting out a silent breath, he glanced up at Izuku, nodding toward Katsuma. “Grab the squirt and your bag. I’ll walk you back to their house.”

“Aw, that’s our favorite hero,” Kaminari cooed, and Katsuki wished he had a third arm to strangle him with. 

But Izuku’s face, with pink cheeks and doe eyes highlighted in the dimmed light, made his friend’s stupidity worth it. “Yeah, he really is.” 

“Knock it off.” Katsuki glanced away with a huff, adjusting Mahoro a final time before walking toward the skatepark’s exit. “Let’s go before I change my mind.” 

Izuku followed him without another word, their walk quiet to avoid waking up the sleeping children in their care. Even when approaching the quaint home, and helping Izuku transfer them inside, they didn’t speak. It was only after they slipped back out onto the porch, both kids settled on the couch behind Izuku’s frame in the doorway, that he got to hear the familiar voice again. 

“Thank you for helping me, Kacchan.” Then he rocked on his feet, offering a sweet smile. “And for hanging out with us today. I know you weren’t working, but the kids had a lot of fun.” 

“Probably cause they found a common playing field with Dunce Face.” Resting his hands on the back of his head, he glanced away and shrugged. “And I don’t gotta be on the clock to hang out with you, Nerd.” 

“Really? So you’d… come back to the skatepark with us again?”

“Obviously.” Izuku brightened, and Katsuki rolled his eyes before reaching up to flick his forehead. “I don’t hand out my number to everyone.” 

“Well.” For a moment, the glimmer from before dimmed, Izuku’s fingers linking nervously in front of his hips. “You didn’t really have a choice because of what happened on Halloween.” 

He thought over the earlier conversation with Kirishima and Kaminari, and the gray area he’d left between them after the drunk encounter. And maybe he didn’t have to fully jump into Izuku’s inebriated ramblings to poke around the edges. Taking a chance, he leaned forward to rest his forearm against the doorway over Izuku’s head. The quickly flushed cheeks and wider eyes helped ease any hesitation that tightened the muscles in his back.

“Let’s get one thing straight here.” He kept his words low, but refused to let the eye-contact break. “I don’t do anything I don’t want outside of my job. Hell, I barely tolerate things there that bug me. And I don’t know how much you remember from that night, cause you were wasted, but I was sober. I listened to all your mumblings, discovered your weird nickname for me. I even let you bite my ear—”

“I did w-what?!” 

He ignored the panicked squeak, cutting to the point. “If after all that, I left you my number to bug me more , then maybe use that big brain to figure out why.” 

“K-Kacchan…” Izuku’s lips parted again, but no words came out. 

“Think about it, and let me know when you have an answer.” Leaving the ball in the other man’s hands, Katsuki pinched his cheek before he stepped away, cocky in his casual stroll down the front walkway. “Later, Deku.”

And though nothing had really changed between them, Katsuki felt lighter than before his trip to the park.

~**~

“So, that’s it?” Kirishima looked like an idiot on his side of the dorm room, head tilted from where he sat on his bed. “You’re really not gonna ask him out before the winter break?” 

“It ain’t my move, idiot.” Katsuki closed his eyes, ignoring the snowy weather outside that would make his late shift even worse. 

He knew it’d be the last busy one for a while. Most students went back home after their finals were done. Since only a tenth of the college lived on campus, and even less stayed, the probability of his overnights having real traffic diminished. The one real downside of the month break was that Izuku’s research with Mr. Yagi would also be wrapping up, and texts between them implied he planned to go the hour ride back home. Ochaco had already packed up her bags and left that morning (he wasn’t sure how she got his personal number, though he had a green-haired guess), meaning he wouldn’t get his normal nightly call on his Saturday shift.  

He wasn’t sure what the change really meant for him and Izuku. 

“I don’t get it. It just makes sense for you two to start dating, right?” As if saying it would will the thought into existence, Kirishima counted his talking points on his fingers. “You have a special protocol for him at work. You bring him on dinner dates every weekend that your whole job supports. You text him daily with super flirty messages—”

“I’m gonna kill your boyfriend.” Because only Kaminari had the guts to look over his shoulder and announce the messages between him and Izuku to the rest of their embarrassing group.

“For the past month, you’ve gone to the skatepark every Sunday to help him teach Mahoro and Katsuma. You let him call you the cutest nickname from when he was drunk. And, most importantly, you’ve both told the other you’re interested. Do you really believe you’re not boyfriends?” 

“No, we’re not. I told him to think about it and let me know. It ain’t like I’m in a rush or anything.” 

“But don’t you want to spend the holidays with him?” 

The constant nagging made Katsuki grit his teeth, pushing off his bed to start yanking out his uniform. He still had an hour before his shift, but he needed to do something to avoid the truth in Kirishima’s words. Each time they hung out, they exchanged more touches, their playful flirting dancing around in each of their conversations. He knew Izuku picked up on the romantic changes, leaning into the energy without putting an actual title to it. Katsuki had made a mental promise not to push the envelope until Izuku was ready, but the month since their talk on the doorstep had started to let slivers of insecurity creep in. 

“This whole thing is stupid,” he muttered, tugging his work shirt on with more force than necessary. 

Kirishima was quick to try and soothe his rough edges while Katsuki wiggled his ugly pants on. “Hey, it’s okay. I promise he’s totally head over heels for you. Midobro talks about you during our study sessions, and I can see how much he wants to be something special in your life.”

“He already is.” Katsuki paused at his slip-up, narrowing his glare when seeing the beaming grin across the room. “You have such a punchable face right now.” 

“It’s okay to have big feelings for him. Admitting you like him is super manly!”

He scoffed while looping his belt, barely clicking it into pace before his phone lit up. Glancing at the screen, he scowled at the familiar phone number that texted, though rarely called. Their routine on Saturdays before his shift followed a regular pattern; because it was one of his tutor nights, Izuku spent most of the evening with his clients. Being more respectful than most people their age, he left his phone in his bag, keeping his focus on the person in need. The only message he sent was a text letting Katsuki know he’d made it to the lab safely, where Katsuki would later meet up for their night walk home. 

“Why is he calling me?” Katsuki didn’t wait for Kirishima to answer the rhetorical question, reaching out to accept. Pressing the phone to his ear, he moved toward the mirror to slip the pre-knotted tie over his head. “What do you want, Deku?”

“Hi, is this the safety line?” Though the strange introduction to the call could have been a playful ruse, the strain in Izuku’s tone made his body tense with trepidation. “I’m calling to get an officer to walk me to my dorm from the library.” 

“Nerd, you know I’m not in yet.” 

He didn’t expect another voice, deeper than Izuku’s, to come from the other side of the line. “Hey, you don’t need to bug them. I told you I’d be more than happy to walk you home. It's the least I can do for being such a good tutor for me.” 

“Ah, that’s okay!” Izuku’s rushed tone sounded sweet, but Katsuki had listened to his voice long enough to catch the panic underneath the laugh. “Thank you for the offer, but this is my job. I don’t expect anything in return from my clients. It wouldn’t be very business-like if I did.” 

“We don’t have to keep everything professional, Teach.” The nickname wound up a coil of anger in Katsuki’s stomach, though his real rage came from the obvious discomfort in Izuku’s tone.

“Um, I…” 

“You tell that asshole that I’m on my way to punch his fucking teeth in,” he said, ignoring Kirishima’s confused noise when he snagged his uniform jacket. After stuffing his feet in his boots, he rushed out of the dorm. He didn’t care about the quick steps behind him or the call of his name when he stomped down the hall, focused on Izuku’s squeak. 

“Ka-Kacchan, don’t say that.” 

“Kacchan? I thought you called the safety line?” The soon-to-be dead student asked, Katsuki growling when he ignored the elevator to sprint down his stairs. 

“I-I did call a safety officer. I, uh… I actually know them!” 

“Leaving my dorm now,” Katsuki said, trying to help Izuku gauge the time between him and the library. “Tell me this idiot’s name in case he does something I need to report to the cops.” 

“Oh, okay. Um…Kai, would you like a security escort to your dorm?” The quick thinking to relay the information without setting off any red flags proved how intelligent Izuku was outside of his dorky experiments. Except Katsuki nearly slipped on the icy crosswalk across the parking lot when the next sentence slipped from quick moving lips. “My boyfriend’s working right now, but we can have one of his co-workers swing by to pick you up if you need it.” 

“Jesus, Deku, y-you fucking…” Face filled with heat from the sudden title, he ducked his head down when a few people passing by sent him a confused glance. 

“You have a boyfriend?”

There was still another parking lot between him and the library, leaving him to do nothing but increase his speed and listen to Izuku’s adoring rambling. 

“Oh, yes! It’s kind of new, but I’ve liked him since the start of the semester. Kacchan’s the best boyfriend ever. Sometimes he visits me while I’m in the lab, and he’s so sweet with kids. He cares for me everytime I forget to eat o-or I get into something a little over my head. Even when he teases me, I know it’s cause he cares. Kacchan’s more than just my favorite person; he’s my hero.” Despite the relationship being spun on the spot, he wasn’t stupid enough to believe the words weren’t directly from Izuku’s heart. “There’s nobody else who makes me feel safer than him. I am really the luckiest guy that Kacchan looks my way. And I… I hope he feels the same. Sometimes it’s hard for me to think he’d ever really want me as his.”  

He stopped just outside of the library, eyes frantic when trying to locate the man spilling his insecurity into his ear. His heart leapt into his throat when finally spotting Izuku by the library’s entrance. Though they were standing under a small portico, snow fell into the uncovered green hair. As soon as he had the nerd away from the creep standing next to him, he planned to bite the other’s head off about not checking the weather. But for now, he could only admire how perfect the man looked in the winter wonderland, ignoring the extra to bask in his beauty.

Grinning while he walked forward, Katsuki lowered his voice to speak into the phone. “Hey, Nerd. Why are you looking at other guys when your boyfriend’s right here?”

“You’re—where?” Izuku’s head whipped around while he spoke, Katsuki knowing the moment he was discovered when green eyes gleamed with relieved happiness under the streetlight. 

“Yo.” Smirking, he hung up, shoving his phone into his pocket. Izuku rushed out from the mini shelter, running with no hint of slowing his speed. Realizing the nerd was willing to go the extra mile to sell their relationship, he prepared for the collision before Izuku jumped onto him. Like a repeat of Halloween, firm thighs wrapped around his hips, Izuku’s face burying against his cheek like they hadn’t seen each other the night before. 

“Kacchan.” The hug squeezed around him like a welcome home, seeming content to cling on him for the rest of the night. Katsuki glanced over his shoulder, locating the guy who seemed less than pleased over his arrival. 

Smirking at his immediate victory, he slipped his hands under Izuku’s thighs for ‘support’, barely brushing the bottom of his ass. “You miss me while tutoring the losers?”

He didn’t get time to revel in the jealous fury on the extra’s face. Izuku leaned back, sliding chilled hands to cup Katsuki’s warmer cheeks. Though the soft touch was surprising, he almost choked on his own spit when Izuku settled lower into his touch, forcing his finger to curve along the skin he’d dreamed of holding. 

Despite the bold move, the face framed by the snow falling above filled with sweet adoration when looking down at him. “Of course. I… I always miss you.” 

“Yeah?” The act slipped away without effort, and Katsuki took his own risk when dropping his eyes to the mouth he wanted to taste. “Prove it.” 

If Izuku had any reservations, he didn’t show it. Even as a pink hue spread over his cheeks, he leaned down, pressing their lips together gently. The fingers twitched on his face at the soft exchange, like a current of built up electricity flowed between them. There was no facade or fake intent behind the connection, lips seeking mutual warmth without fear of being rejected. He didn’t bother comparing it to other kisses he’d shared, because it’d be pointless. Nobody clicked so easily in his arms, enjoying the heavy weight that left him on his toes each time they interacted. 

When they broke away from the simple kiss, Izuku didn’t move far, letting his question dance over Katsuki’s lips. “Is he gone?” 

“Who fucking cares,” he replied. “I’ll kick his ass if he’s still there.” 

Katsuki kept his eyes closed, feeling the hot breath tingling his skin. “My hero.”

“My nerdy ass boyfriend .” 

He swallowed Izuku’s happy laugh with a deeper kiss, making sure to show how little the rest of the world mattered at the moment. The pleased hum and eager response flooded his body with warmth, swiping an eager tongue over easily parted lips. Izuku melted in his arms like the snowflakes around them, leaning into his chest and giving in to Katsuki’s needy teeth and mouth. 

Except the slow clearing of someone’s throat behind them ended the connection, Katuski growling low enough to make Izuku shudder in his arms before glaring at the voyeur. 

“Uh…” Kirishima’s sheepish laugh and flushed cheeks proved he’d been there for a while, and Katsuki wondered how he hadn’t noticed his friend following earlier. 

“Why are you here?” 

“You said you were going to fight someone. Obviously I had to come support my bro!” Kirishima’s blind faith in him almost made Katsuki forgive the nosy friend, if not for the sheepish glance between the two. “So I guess my pep talk worked?” 

“I’ll show you a fucking pep talk—”

But before Katsuki could drop the nerd to kill the intruder, the firm palm on his cheek turned his face back to Izuku, who nipped his lip with a force that felt possessive. “Later, Kacchan. You’re busy right now with your boyfriend, right?” 

“Don’t tell me what to do.” Except even when he muttered the complaint, he let Kirishima snicker through his escape, focusing on the slow kiss Izuku pressed over his waiting mouth. 

And if he was an hour late to his shift, with a new holiday plan and a few hickies he couldn’t hide under his uniform, a ten nugget meal with an extra large milkshake kept Todoroki pleasantly silent for the rest of the night.