Archive of Our Own

It's been years since we last saw each other.

I've almost forgotten how Kacchan looks like— not that I'd ever forget! His fluffy hair and red eyes would haunt my dreams at night, but that's not the point.

He stills, purposefully shielding himself with the bodies of other customers, as he watches a familiar patch of blond hair move through the crowd. Izuku was not expecting a potential reunion of childhood— 'friends' this morning when he decided to get ice cream at his favorite corner-shop.

What is he doing here? I- I mean of course he has every right to be shopping for snacks at 7 am but I've never seen him around these parts before? W- well— we do go to the same school,, but doesn't the hero students have strict policies about when and where they could leave the dorms? Is this a coincidence?? Of course it's a coincidence Izuku what are you thinking—

His mumbling was cut short when he reaches the register, after fumbling to get his wallet and paying for the cold snack, he rushes out of the place, taking a small breath of relief as he takes his time to gather himself back into a peaceful state of mind.

"Oi— watch it!"

He silently cursed as a body colided with his own, making him almost drop his ice cream. Goddamn it, Izuku was not in the mood to go back in there and buy another one when Kacchan is potentially still roaming around in the store—

He hears a sharp inhale, blissfully unaware of his own. Kacchan,,, oh shit it's—

"Deku?"

His overly hunched figure almost got whiplash from how fast he spins his head around to look at the figure behind him.

This is perhaps, the most awkward encounter he has ever had, more than that one time he met Togata-senpai and wrongly assumed that he was a new test subject for the support students— but no, no, this is not the time.

"Uhh,,,, h- hey Kacchan," perhaps it is a blessing that the other boy has not point out how weird he looks, back hunched and clutching on his ice cream like his life depends on it. Kacchan just seems as suprised as he is.

"What— You— argh-" he nervously sweats as the perpetrator of attempted murder towards his sweet ice cream grabs his bicep and drags him away from the shop.

Oh wow, Kacchan is really strong– I mean he's always been strong but WOW those muscles—

He blinks as his childhood friend had sat down on a bench and let out a grunt, "Next time, don't just fucking stand in front of doors, people walk through that shit y'know, they don't look twice to see if anyone's on the otherside, you could get hurt."

"Oh, ummm..." he took the liberty to sit next to him and actually eat his ice cream before it melts, "why were you in there Kacchan?"

"The idiots around me wanted to get snacks but they're too fucking lazy to go get their own, so I took my time and energy to actually go out and get one,,, for myself." He raises the small plastic bag in his hand to emphasize his point.

Izuku can't help but let out a snort, then it dissolves into giggles, "Kacchan that's so mean."

"Not my fault they're so fucking lazy."

"But what I meant is, why are you all the way over in this part of the town? I- I mean— can't you just go to a place near U.A? 'Cause y'know you guys live there and it's been three years since the dorms were built and I thought It'd be just more effiecient and faster if you go to the one near—"

Kacchan shot him a glare, "Shut up and eat your goddamn ice cream."

And just like that, Izuku's mouth clamped shut and he did as he was told to. It's weird, he hasn't seen Kacchan for so long in his years at U.A, granted he always tried his best to avoid him at lunch and wherever he may be,,,

But it's like Kacchan never changed, except that's what he would think if he didn't know Kacchan any better.

It's subtle, I guess, Kacchan still has his really loud and brash personality on the outside, but he— he took Izuku by the arm and advised him to not do something stupid that'll get himself hurt, and he also hasn't threatened him! or tell him to get lost, or made any attempt to stay away from him at a 5 mile radius at all costs (not like Izuku has been doing).

"I don't know," Izuku's attention is immediately back to his company, "I just felt like going here okay? Wanted to see some new shit or whatever, gets tiring seeing the same shit again and again. My body just lead me here,, but s'not like it was leading me to you so don't start muttering about sappy shit or whatever the hell you do in that nerdy mind of yours!"

"You mutter a lot too Kacchan.."

Maybe it's the gap, the three year gap of not seeing each other that made Izuku grow some sort of a back bone, or maybe the sass has always existed in his small little green body and now it's inevitably seeping out of him.

Kacchan stared at him with the brilliant expression of a gold fish. Okay, maybe he regrets it a little bit now, maybe Kacchan is going to tell him to fuck off then he's going to storm off and leave Izuku all alone (he doesn't wanna be alone)—

"Shut up, damn it.." he trailed off, Kacchan is looking away from him, is he... is he pouting? Oh my God is Kacchan pouting???

This is so unfair, I can't handle this, please God, I am not your strongest soldier, I am not even a soldier! I'm just a humble gay high school student that wants to live till 60, you can't bring upon a pouting Kacchan on me and expect me to not flop and dIE—

Whilst Izuku was silently gay panicking over his crush friend,, Katsuki lets out a sigh as he glares at the ground like it was mocking him.

"Hey Izuku."

Silence envelopes the atmosphere, both parties waiting for the words to come out. It's funny (it isn't), Katsuki has rehearsed this scene in his head multiple times ever since he got his shit together in therapy, but now when the boy was actually in front of him, he finds his mind blanking and his mouth dry.

"Kacchan?"

He glanced over to his left, the nerd's pink freckled face curiously looking at him with a small smile, as if telling him, go on, take your time, I'll listen to whatever you say all day.

Goddamn it nerd, why does he always have to be so fucking— UGH— no idiot, STOP WITH THE GAY THOUGHTS, JUST GO ON WITH THE DAMN—

"I'm sorry."

He watches the nerd's viridian eyes widen while his body flinched, as if he just told him the world was ending.

Katsuki's breath hitched, it hurts. Of course, the nerd wouldn't expect him to apologize, he's been so fucking shitty to him in the past and he still is an asshole, he doesn't deserve forgiveness or his attention but the nerd deserves an apology, his fucking therapist told him that even if you apologized to someone, it doesn't mean they are going to accept it and give you forgiveness– and that's okay. Katsuki can live with it, he's strong enough to handle that shit even if sometimes it becomes unbearable,he'll say sorry to him, Izuku can rain hell on him for all those years he tortured him, then he'll get up and go on his merry way so the nerd will be at peace and never see him again—

"I forgive you. Kacchan. I've forgiven you along time ago,,, I- I know that it's not really what I'm supposed to do! I mean my friends told me that I really shouldn't just accept it like that but I just,,, I can't hate you, I know you were going to be a great hero someday and you're actually a good person but the way we grew up and the people around us encouraged you to be a jerk and I did nothing but sit there and let you treat me like that– so really it's on me—"

"Shut up."

"W- what?"

Katsuki glared at him as his hands squished the idiot's round cheeks, like a sandwich.

"Are you fucking kidding me? Why do you have to be so selfless and never think about yourself? God— shit— that's because of me isn't it? Fuck. No, don't you dare interrupt me. I did you wrong, I fucked up horribly and yeah we were kids and whatever and half of it is the adults fault but I BULLIED you, Deku. Izuku. I pushed you around and insulted you, I fucking gave you BURNS, fuck, I told you to JUMP OFF A ROOF! I made you feel worthless and like shit but you never stop chasing me, you never stopped looking at me like I'm some kind of God. News flash nerd, I'm not, okay? I wasn't a good person, and it's not your fucking fault that I was an asshole so stop blaming yourself."

The sound of his own heavy breathing was the only thing he heard once he finished his speech. It was supposed to be HIM apologizing, it was supposed to be Izuku getting angry, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND.

"Wow."

Katsuki gapes at him as his hands fell onto his lap, letting out a sound of disbelief, "Wow?"

"I... I mean, that was a lot Kacchan,, I didn't know you could give pep talks."

Katsuki huffs out a laugh, "Really? That's all you have to say?" the nerd's face explodes into a reddish color, like a fucking tomato, "It was a lot to process okay? Kacchan! Stop teasing me."

Katsuki shook his head at his antics. He rolls his eyes as he felt the nerd's eyes glaring at him. "Okay, fine, I'll stop."

Silence took over them once again but this time, it felt peaceful. Katsuki lets his eyes roam to the apple trees around them, the rusty monkey bars, the families walking around the streets, the flowers and bugs littered all around the park they're sitting in. He took a deep breath, Katsuki felt like a large weight he's been carrying around since his first year has been taken off of his shoulders. If he could, he'd stay here with the nerd,, forever.

"Kacchan."

Green eyes meets his own.

"I still forgive you."

Izuku smiled at him so widely, Jesus Christ, is this guy sunshine reincarnate? Katsuki will never admit that his heart skipped a beat at the sight.

"Kacchan,,,"

"What?"

"Can we stay here? Just a little longer,,, please?"

"I'm not going anywhere, nerd. I'll stay."