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“What about this one?”
“That’s the ugliest fucking pumpkin I have ever seen.”
“I think it’s cute,” Izuku huffed, puffing his cheeks. “It has personality.”
Katsuki rolled his eyes, ignoring the pumpkin in Izuku’s hands. “It doesn’t have ‘personality’, it has fucking warts,” he scoffed, already moving on to another patch.
“You have warts,” Izuku grumbled.
“Haah?” Katsuki spun around, pinning Izuku with a dangerous glare.
“I said you are cute,” Izuku grinned brightly, patting Katsuki’s cheek as he walked past him, pumpkin still in his arms. “I’m getting him, you go find your perfect pumpkin.”
Katsuki’s hand on his waist stopped him, and he turned expectantly. The October sun glared brilliantly in the sky, illuminating Katsuki’s hair in a halo of orange and gold, his piercing eyes a vibrant red reflection that stole Izuku’s breath.
“ You’re fucking cute,” Katsuki grumbled, pulling Izuku in with warm hands and an even warmer smile. His lips were soft and sweet, and Izuku felt himself melting, crumbling, falling deeper and deeper into love with every shared breath and stolen gasp they exchanged.
Katsuki pulled back, then just as quickly pressed a light, lingering kiss to Izuku’s cheek, right where he knew his freckles were the brightest.
“My pumpkin will be the best damn pumpkin in this patch, and you’ll regret your shitty little one with ‘personality’,” Katsuki declared, jerking his head up to glare haughtily down his nose at Izuku.
“Okay, Kacchan,” Izuku laughed, his insides molten with how happy he felt. “I believe you.”
Katsuki spared Izuku one more look, amusement dancing in his gaze, before stomping off for his prized pumpkin.
The bright red wagons matched his shoes.
Izuku kicked his foot out, smiling when he rested it against the wagon in comparison. He placed his perfectly acceptable pumpkin into the carriage of the wagon and reached into his pocket for his phone. He snapped a picture and brought up the groupchat class 1A still used three years after graduation.
Deku: Meet our son. @Kacchan
Ochako: Omg! He’s so cute! What’s his name???
Deku: O: Kacchan what should we name him?
Kacchan: that thing is not my fucking son
Deku: KACCHAN!
Ochako: That’s so rude, Bakugou, that is your child
Eijirou: BRO congrats omg I’m so happy for you
Kacchan: it’s ugly
Deku: I love him.
Kacchan: deku no
“Izuku!”
Izuku put his phone away when he heard his name actually being called. He glanced up and met the eyes of a very excited Katsuki.
“Izuku, I found it.”
“Oh no,” Izuku sighed when he noticed there was no pumpkin in Katsuki’s hands.
“Shut the fuck up,” Katsuki said, but he was still grinning as he reached for Izuku’s hand. Izuku quickly grasped the wagon’s handle and allowed himself and his cargo to be dragged along by his boyfriend. The pumpkin patch they were visiting was small and relatively empty, but Izuku still smiled brightly when a child stopped their parents to point and wave at him.
“There’s a fan,” Izuku said softly, colliding into Katsuki’s back when he suddenly stopped. “Ouch. That hurt, Kacchan,” he frowned, letting go of his wagon to rub at his nose.
Katsuki shot him a quick look, shrewd eyes assessing his face. “You’re fine, you fucking baby,” he snorted. “Where’s the fan?”
Izuku nodded his head in the kid’s direction, and they shared a brief look before walking over. The little girl was decked out in merch–a hat meant to replicate Deku’s Cowl was smooshed over red curls and underneath her Dynamight hoodie, Izuku could see a Wonder Duo shirt. Her skirt was green and her black leggings had little grenades on them, even her scuffed red shoes were a perfect match to Deku’s.
“Holy shit,” Katsuki muttered under his breath. Izuku sent a subtle elbow into his side before smiling wide and waving. The kid started jumping in place, tugging on her mom’s pants and pointing as they made their way over. The girl beamed, dimples flashing and tears welling.
“Hi,” Izuku grinned, sharing a look with her parents before crouching down in front of her. “What’s your name?”
“Ah-Aki–,” she sniffed, breaking off as more tears spilled over.
“Akiko Ishimoto,” her mom finished gently
“That’s a beautiful name, Akiko,” Izuku said, “it’s so nice to meet you.”
Akiko wiped at her face, glancing nervously when Katsuki crouched beside Izuku. “You...I’m––” she broke off with a soft cry, and Izuku’s heart tripped over itself.
“She’s a very big fan,” her dad said gently, patting Akiko’s head. “Would you like them to sign something, darling?”
She glanced up at the touch, holding her arms out when her mom pulled a notebook from a bag and passed it to her. Her hands shook when she held it out and Izuku carefully took the notebook and began flipping through to an empty page. Beside him, Katsuki tugged lightly on her jacket, grabbing her attention.
“You wanna be a hero, kid?” He asked. Izuku looked up when he heard her parents' gasp, glancing over to see that Katsuki had his hands held out in front of him. Akiko’s eyes widened, lips wobbling as she nodded, her own little hands rising.
‘Yes!’ She smiled, chubby fingers signing every word carefully, even as fresh tears fell. ‘But I don’t think I can.’
“Why not?” Katsuki continued signing. Akiko sniffed again and slowly pointed to her ears, lightly cupping them and shaking her head.
“When she got her quirk last year, we noticed a rapid deterioration to her hearing,” her dad explained. “Her vision is breathtaking–she can see in the dark like it’s daytime and she can spot the tiniest of details from a mile away.”
“Her hearing was never great to begin with,” her mom continued, “but now it’s just...almost completely gone.”
Akiko’s eyes dropped to the ground, kicking lightly at the dirt. Katsuki leaned forward, tugging lightly on her jacket again. Her face was pinched and upset when she looked up. Katsuki tilted his head, turning it slightly so Akiko could see his profile.
Izuku’s breath caught when Katsuki tapped lightly against his ear, showing off the little orange colored hearing-aid that sat nestled there.
‘Am I a hero?’
Akiko’s watery eyes were so wide, it would have been comical in any other situation. Instead, Izuku felt every breath punched from his lungs in a litany of proud, proud, proud .
She nodded and hesitantly reached out, her chubby fingers brushing lightly over the scarred ridges of Katsuki’s cheek before landing gently on the little device.
‘The best!’ Akiko quickly signed, eyes flicking to Izuku then back to Katsuki.
‘Damn right, I’m the best,’ Katsuki grinned playfully, ‘even if I can’t hear, I’m still able to capture all the bad guys.’
Akiko stared at him with stars in her eyes, tears drying as her mouth wobbled into a smile.
“So what if you can’t hear,” Katsuki said aloud to accompany his signing, “don’t let anything stop you from chasing your dreams.” Katsuki shot her parents a pointed look, then Akiko was launching herself at him, little arms wrapping around his neck and head tucked against his shoulder. He raised a tentative hand to slowly, carefully pat her back once, twice, before gently untangling her arms from around him.
Izuku’s smile was watery when Katsuki turned to him. He bit back his laughter when Katsuki rolled his eyes at whatever expression was currently on his face, and handed him Akiko’s notebook. As Katsuki wrote something, Akiko turned to Izuku, face suddenly shy and bashful. Izuku smiled wide and bright and opened his arms so she could barrel into them. He gave her head a little pat, then pulled back slightly so she could see his hands.
‘You can be a hero.’
Akiko’s smile was blinding when Katsuki handed her back her notebook, and together he and Izuku stood up.
“Don’t let her give up,” Katsuki directed at her parents. They silently nodded, expressions an amalgamation of shock and admiration. With one final wave, Akiko clutched her notebook tightly, and then the family was on their way.
Izuku silently reached for Katsuki’s hand, intertwining their fingers as he studied his boyfriend.
“Stop fucking looking at me like that,” Kasuki grumbled, squeezing Izuku’s hand. Izuku squeezed back, swinging their arms gently.
“You’re not even looking at me.”
“Yeah, but I know you,” Katsuki scoffed, finally turning to catch the emotion in Izuku’s eyes. There was a galloping thunder racing over Izuku’s chest, seeping into the very marrow of his bones until all he could do was bleed and breathe and cry--
“I love you so much.”
A lovely shade of pink bloomed furiously over Katsuki’s cheeks, flushed his ears and neck as he scrunched his face and looked away.
“Shut your fucking mouth,” he mumbled, but it was soft with the sounds of I love you– pressed into every syllable, every silence, when the words themselves stayed trapped in his throat, his head, his heart.
Katsuki didn’t have to say it, Izuku always knew.
“No.”
“The fuck you mean ‘no’, this is the perfect pumpkin,” Katsuki declared, hands resting against his hips triumphantly.
“We can’t fit this in our car, Kacchan!” Izuku protested, warily eyeing the pumpkin Katsuki currently had his foot propped on. It came up to Izuku’s knees and was almost as wide as the wagon.
“Of course we can,” Katsuki said. He looked between the pumpkin and Izuku’s little red wagon. “Definitely won’t fit in that, though.”
“So, what, you’re going to roll it to the car?”
“No, I’m going to fucking carry it,” Katsuki rolled his eyes. Izuku stared at Katsuki in disbelief, flapping his arms around uselessly.
“You can’t carry that–”
“Excuse the fuck outta you?” Katsuki cut him off. “You saying I’m too weak to carry one goddamn pumpkin?”
“No,” Izuku sighed. “I’m saying that thing probably weighs almost 100 pounds, and you’re going to carry it around the whole time?”
“Yes.”
“Kacchan.”
“Izuku.”
“You’re being ridiculous.”
“And you’re being a weakass bitch.”
“Fine, have at it,” Izuku took a step back, spreading his arms wide in acquiescence. “You get to wrangle it into the car.”
“Fuck you, I will,” Katsuki grunted, stepping off the pumpkin so he could bend down and heft it into his arms. Izuku couldn’t even see his face once it was fully in his arms, and he sighed again. “Stop sighing at me, damn Deku.”
“I’ll stop sighing when you stop being so stubborn.”
“I’ll stop when I’m dead.”
“That’s what worries me,” Izuku huffed, ignoring the pang of fear at the words. He quickly shook it off and pulled out his phone to snag a quick picture, silently shaking with laughter when all he could see was tufts of blond and combat boots poking out.
“If you post that in the groupchat you’re fucking dead,” Katsuki growled.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Izuku said, posting it in the groupchat.
The cashier had given them the most unimpressed stare Izuku had ever seen, which was saying something, considering the almost seven years he had known Todoroki.
“That isn’t for sale,” he deadpanned. The pumpkin slipped an inch in Katsuki’s grip, and Izuku started to fear for the cashier’s life.
“Then why the actual fuck was it out there?” Katsuki sneered.
“Because...it is a pumpkin patch, where pumpkins grow.”
Izuku felt his very soul leave his body when Katsuki dropped the pumpkin, just barely missing their feet. “Who the fuck–”
“That’s no problem, sir!” Izuku intercepted, wrapping an arm around Katsuki’s waist so he couldn’t take another step forward. “We’ll uh–actually, can we just um...leave it here? Or, no that’s rude, we’ll bring it back. Unless, we shouldn’t? What do you–”
Izuku broke off when the pumpkin accidentally rolled over his foot, shooting Katsuki a glare. His boyfriend must have seen something in that look, because his eyes briefly widened before he turned away with a pout.
“Fine,” he ground out, “but I’m not bringing it back. You can fucking deal with it yourself.”
“Whatever,” the cashier intoned, face still impassive. “Give me the other one.”
Izuku grabbed his little pumpkin from the wagon and handed it over to be weighed, fishing his wallet from his pocket. Katsuki’s hand covered his briefly, before ripping the wallet away and stuffing it back down into his pocket.
“Don’t say a single fucking word,” he hissed, using his own money to pay for Izuku’s ugly, perfect, wart-covered pumpkin.
“Sorry about your pumpkin, Kacchan.”
“I thought I said not to say a goddamn thing.”
“No, you said not to say a single fucking word.”
“...”
“Please don’t try and kill me right now, I’m driving.”
The sun was but a lazy tune of lilac pinks and sweet, lavender kisses when they finally pulled up to the coffee shop.
Twilight whispered between the clouds in a gentle breeze that smelled of honey and vanilla, the aroma enticing them towards the small cafe tucked away from the busy streets and evening crowds.
Izuku hopped around the car, breathing deeply the crisp Autumn air that gently ruffled Katsuki’s hair when he emerged next to him. Izuku reached for his hand with a soft grin, leaning over to press a quick kiss to his cheek.
Katsuki’s eyes were bright in the amber light, shades blending together into a jeweled galaxy of red. The corner of his mouth twitched once, twice, before he let the smile bloom naturally and the breath caught in Izuku’s chest.
“What?”
“Nothing,” Izuku shook his head, ignoring the rush of free-falling into unknown depths of emotion that sat too heavy on his tongue. He pushed away from the car, blinking rapidly as their hands swung gently between them.
“Hey,” Katsuki pulled him back. He lifted their joined hands, guided them on a voyage together before coming to a stop, finger extended to the sky. “First star.”
It was a dim little thing, barely noticeable amongst the swathes of crimson clouds and golden skies of the setting sun. Though faint it was, Izuku still squeezed his eyes tightly and let a wish build inside him. He didn’t open them again until warm lips settled in his hair, stealing the breath from him in a pleased sigh.
“Oh,” Izuku smiled. “There’s another one!” Katsuki glanced up, following Izuku’s gaze. There it was, another light but a breath away, twin stars shining brilliantly in the darkening Autumn night.
“What’d you wish for?” Katsuki asked quietly.
“If I tell you, it won’t come true,” Izuku grinned as he started towards the cafe again, pulling Katsuki along with him. “What about you?”
“No need,” Katsuki shrugged, side stepping Izuku when he came to a dead stop in the middle of the road. “The fuck?”
“I–” Izuku broke off, feeling the whirlwind of sentiment and warmth twist in his chest again. He shook his head and continued walking. “I just really–”
“Yeah, yeah, nerd,” Katsuki cut him off, reeling him into an embrace. “Me too,” he breathed against Izuku’s lips, before capturing them in a deep kiss that sent sparks of pleasure down his spine, lifting him from his feet with the first brush of tongue, and had him grasping Katsuki’s jacket tightly in his hands.
“Damn,” Izuku pulled back with a gasp when he realized his feet actually were literally off the ground. “Oops,” he grinned, reveling in the low chuckle pressed against his lips.
“Fucking control yourself, Izuku,” Katsuki snorted. “We’re in public.”
“You’re the one who kissed me,” Izuku noted, voice ripe with satisfaction, “like that .”
“I sure was,” Katsuki smirked, swooping in to press one more kiss to his lips before pulling away to head into the cafe. Izuku took a calming breath, patting his warm cheeks a couple times before following him inside.
“Just get the latte, Kacchan.”
“No.”
“I literally will not tell a single person as long as I’m alive.”
“Of course you won’t, because the second you do, you’re fucking dead.”
“That’s not very plus ultra of you.”
“I actually hate you so much.”
Izuku took a small sip of his coffee and smiled when Katsuki eagerly downed his still scalding pumpkin spice latte.
“Glad you got it?”
“Shut up,” Katsuki rolled his eyes, but a grin tugged the corners of his mouth up.
They were sitting on a plush, red couch that gave them plenty of access to the small fireplace that was heating the coffee shop. Katsuki had his boots propped on the table in front of them, claiming his feet were cold, and Izuku had simply reprimanded him with a good-natured laugh.
“Mm, this couch is comfy,” Izuku hummed, wrapping an arm around Katsuki’s shoulders and pressing their cheeks together.
“You mean I’m comfy,” Katsuki scoffed, gesturing at their position. “You’re half in my lap.”
“I think you mean you’re half in my lap,” Izuku pulled him closer, grinning when Katsuki lifted his leg slightly so Izuku could slide his thigh underneath.
“Whatever, semantics,” Katsuki argued, but he let his body relax further against Izuku, head tilting back slightly to rest against his arm.
They were quiet for a moment, each in their own thoughts as they drank their coffee. Izuku stared into the fire, watched the embers spark and burn and fizzle into nothing. Fire would always remind him of Katsuki, and maybe it would be more apt to say it reminded him of Todoroki, but for as long as he could remember, seeing flames dance and spiral always filled his chest with warmth and happiness and Kacchan .
He shifted closer to Katsuki and rested his cheek against his head. He felt Katsuki let out a long breath, and smiled against his hair. It blew his mind sometimes, when he stopped to think about how their lives had twisted around each other, connected and shaped one another and turned them into what they are now.
“Hey,” Izuku murmured, reaching for Katsuki’s hand. “What do you think our younger selves would say if they could see us?”
“Why?”
“Don’t know, just curious,” Izuku hummed.
“Of fucking course.”
“What, that I’m curious?” Izuku asked.
“No,” Katsuki said, “it’s what I would say.”
Izuku shifted slightly so he could see Katsuki’s face, squeezing his hand tighter. “What does that mean?”
“It means of fucking course,” Katsuki rolled his eyes. “Pretty self-explanatory.”
“No, no–” Izuku shook his head furiously, “nothing self-explanatory about that. You–well, you wanted nothing to do with me for years .”
“Yeah,” Katsuki said plainly, “but if you told young Katsuki that this is where he would end up, and who he would end up with, he wouldn’t have been that surprised.”
“You hated me.”
“Debatable-”
“What?!”
“-but if there was ever a person I ended up with, of fucking course it would be you. It’s–” Katsuki paused, seeming to gather his thoughts in a deep breath, “it’s always been us . It’s always been you .”
The words were lodged in Izuku’s throat, burning on his tongue as he swallowed heavily around the pounding, resounding feeling of love that had made a home in his heart years ago.
“I–I would have said ‘thank you’ , “ Izuku finally whispered. “I was always watching you, wishing I could be part of your world again, and–and this, it would have been...well, it would have felt too good to be true.”
Katsuki sniffed, head dropping so it rested against Izuku’s shoulder again. His warm hand held Izuku’s tightly. “I was an ass,” he started quietly, “but you never realized, what I didn’t want you to realize–I was watching back. All those years, I was watching you right back.”
“Let’s–” Izuku swallowed again, embracing the swirl of emotions in his chest, “let’s go home.”
He felt Katsuki’s grin against his shoulder, and then his boyfriend was untangling their bodies and standing up, one hand offered to help Izuku up. Izuku took it and didn’t let go, allowing Katsuki to guide them towards the exit so they could toss their cups and leave.
The cool air nipped at Izuku’s nose, his cheeks, but he barely felt it through the blanket of warmth Katsuki’s presence provided.
“Hey.”
Katsuki’s hand on his waist stopped him, and he turned expectantly. The night sky was awash with blues and purples, threading together into a woven tapestry of twilight galaxies. The rising moon illuminated Katsuki’s hair in a halo of cool silver, his eyes a bright, vibrant, effervescent red that filled Izuku’s every waking thought.
“I love you.”
Izuku pulled Katsuki towards him, pressed every feeling, every thought, the very core of his being, against Katsuki’s lips. Warmth flooded his veins, tapped a heady dance across his heart and flowed directly into Katsuki.
“I love you, too,” Izuku breathed. “Stay with me forever.”
“Of fucking course.”