I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Warning, it gets increasingly embarrassing as it goes on.

Chapter 2

"Hey, dude! What are you doing calling me? Aren't you supposed to be making heart eyes at Midoriya right now?" Kirishima's voice travels from the other line.

This isn't Katsuki's brightest idea, but he's feeling desperate. And if there was anything that Shitty hair excelled in, it was people. "Shut up, Shit-for-brains. This is a fucking emergency," he snaps back.

"Always here to help a bro out. Hit me with it."

Katsuki pauses. Kirishima hums, unbothered.

Then, "Give me something interesting to talk to Deku about," Katsuki says, uncharacteristically quiet.

He doesn't like admitting these things to himself, come less someone else, but he has this nagging feeling that Deku might be getting bored of him. Whenever Katsuki says anything, the nerd seems to deflate. Whether it's out of disappointment or disinterest, Katsuki isn't sure, but at this rate, Deku will ditch his ass before they even make it to the movies. Oh shit, what if he goes back to the table and Deku is not there? He'll blow the bastard's head off.

"Ask him what he likes to do for fun," Kirishima's chirpy voice comes through.

"Are you fucking with me? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

"Hmm, why am I hearing myself twice? Baku-bro, are you hiding in the bathroom? That's not very manly of you, y'know."

"Fuck off." He doesn't need this right now. Kirishima is proving to be as helpful as used wad of toilet paper. It's pissing him off.

"Look, bro, I can see you're nervous, but if I were you, I wouldn't worry too much. Midoriya's a chill dude. I'm sure if you just asked him a question or two, he'll be happy to lead the conversation. Just let him talk. He wouldn't ask you out if he didn't like your company, you feel?"

"You can't see me for shit, dumbass. And I asked for a topic of conversation, not some sagely advice fuckery. Are you gonna be fucking useful or not?"

"Alright, lover boy. Talk about sport. Or, schoolwork. Or, video games. I'd talk about Mario Cart."

"Lame." Katsuki hangs up before Kirishima gets the chance to reply.

There's a brief flash of relief on Kacchan's features when he comes back from the bathroom, but it's gone as soon as it appears.

He also looks oddly tense, posture uneasy. Most concerningly, he's wearing his 'attack-mode' face; it's the same one he has before making a countermove. Izuku would know, as he has been on the receiving end of it countless of times. According to his Hero Analysis for the Future Notebook #14, there is always a split-second interval where Kacchan pulls back from attacking his opponent directly to formulate a concrete strategy, or deliver a finishing blow, ending the fight in his favor. Although he seems like a ruthless fighter, he is, in fact, an exceptional strategist as well.

This setting, however, is neither combat ground nor a training field, which immediately puts Izuku on high alert. Is Kacchan sensing danger? He gives a quick sweep of the restaurant, taking care to scan the occupants of each tables. It seems relatively safe. Then, what is…?

"How do you- shit- what do you like to do for fun, nerd?" Kacchan says, seeming to be very interested in the fork on the table now.

Oh. This is easy. Typical first date question. Izuku has proudly prepared a list with answers for any possible question Kacchan might fire at him, with an optional anecdote to keep things interesting. He doesn't even need to get flustered for this.

"Me? Ah, well, I normally just hang out with my friends, and we do all kinds of things together, like watch movies, go to the mall, and train. I don't really mind what we do really, so long as we're enjoying each other's company." Kacchan looks up at him, and without meaning to, Izuku finds himself getting prematurely excited. Good, he grabbed his attention.

"Of course, there are times I just train on my own. Actually, I just remembered this really funny incident." Haha, right. "While running behind the school on a Wednesday afternoon, I stumbled on All Might-"

Izuku freezes. He watches in horror as a traitorous drop of spit travels, unwarranted, across the table to where Kacchan is sitting. To his utter dismay, and due to the complete lack of sympathy fate has for him, it lands squarely on Kacchan's right eyebrow, and Izuku wants to die. He wants the floor to gallop him up right now and swallow him whole. In fact, he doesn't even mind if the league of villain crashed the restaurant this instant and saved him from this humiliation.

Kacchan raises his hand and subtly uses his middle finger to brush his eyebrow. Fantastic, Izuku should probably just move out of the country and change his name to 'Spitsuku Salivya', a much more fitting title.

"What happened after you saw All Might?" Kacchan is leaning forward on the table, eyes watching Izuku intently. "Are you finishing the damn story?"

Izuku removes his arms from where they were hiding his face. God, what was he even talking about? Right, hobbies. Interests. Training. "Ah- so I caught All Might just as I was finishing my run behind school grounds." Izuku is thankful he has these stories memorized; he's essentially running on autopilot right now. "I was heading back to the dorms but couldn't help ask if he needed any help with carrying all those stacks of paper and folders. And then he goes,"

Izuku shifts his gears into work mode, applying all the muscle memory he can muster into the final product. He twists his face and Aha! "Never fear, young Midoriya! These arms lifted wrecked multi-story buildings before, I'm sure one pile of papers should be no big deal." Izuku says, with his best All Might-face on, followed by a hearty belly laugh.

Kacchan stares, eyes wide.

This is awkward. Izuku quickly reverts to his normal face, opting to continue to the next part, but is quickly interrupted when Kacchan starts laughing.

Wait.

Kacchan's laughing. It's not a chuckle, or a snicker. He's full on cackling, loud and unrestrained. And, it's beautiful. People are staring. He's listening to Kacchan snort and try to cover it with the back of his hand. It's truly the most magnificent sound he's ever heard. People are staring. Forget about wooing Kacchan; he might be the one being charmed tonight.

Hold on, he just made Kacchan laugh. That's a solid 15 points on his Date Chart. Izuku is scoring, and he doesn't even know what he said that was so funny.

Make Kacchan laugh +15

The blond recovers after a while, and manages to say, "can you…can you do the face again?"

It takes Izuku a second, then his eyes shine, and he nods enthusiastically. He morphs back into his All Might face and forgets about the rest of the story.

Katsuki doesn't usually stay out past 8pm.

Nonetheless, when Deku asked him out for dinner and a movie last week, that wasn't exactly at the forefront of his mind. Not that he would've declined anyway, so really Katsuki can't complain. He is feeling slightly sluggish though. Whatever. Katsuki fought countless enemies before, nighttime is just going to be one of them.

Katsuki lets Deku pay for the snacks and tickets at the cinema. Or rather, Deku fumes about only paying for the snacks and tickets because Katsuki covered their dinner bill ("It's not fair, Kacchan. I picked the place so I should be the one paying the bill." "Can it, shitty Deku. Give me the check, or we're settling this outside."). Deku relented eventually, although he did have to physically pry the receipt from his iron grip. Stubborn ass. The whole ordeal could've been resolved quicker if the waitress didn't leave the bill in front of Deku, giving him the upper hand. Bitch, how dare she.

They're filling in their seats in front of the screen. Deku takes off his suit jacket to drape on the arm rest, then settles down with a large drink and a popcorn to share. When the lights dim, Katsuki pulls his phone out to put it on silent, when a text pops up from a familiar number. He pales.

'look behind you ;)'

What the fuck.

He swivels briskly in his seat. There, a few rows behind him. Bleeding hell. Not only is Shitty Hair here, but he brought the whole ass circus with him. They wave in his direction like the dumbasses they are.

Fuck his life. He gives them the greatest death glare he can muster, promising them substantial pain when this is all over, but like clueless monkeys running into an electric pole repeatedly, their smiles don't waver. Just his luck that he befriended clowns with no regard for their personal safety whatsoever.

His phone pings again.

'don't look angry. i told u i never leave a bro hanging. we are here to support u. 3' -Kirishima

'did u two smooch yet?' -Dunce Face

He throws them the middle finger.

"Kacchan?" Deku is looking at him, concerned and slightly suspicious. Fuck, he can't find out about this.

"Pay attention to the movie, dipshit." He half-shouts, paying the people around him no consideration.

Deku doesn't look convinced, but he stops paying attention to him, at least. He decides to send a quick text to the groupchat before muting his phone. Hopefully, they'll get the hint.

'Go home or die, fuckers.'

Katsuki settles back in his seat and tries to ignore the eyes on the back of his head, choosing to focus on the movie instead. It's the eighth installment of the All Might's Golden Age Chronicles, which is decent enough. Nothing noteworthy in comparison to the rest of the serious though. The actors lack authenticity, and the intimate details of the signature moves are all over the place. He can't wait to complain about this to Deku when the movie's over.

One minute he's watching Sir Nighteye's character explain the hostage situation to a group of pro heroes, the next he's blinking his eyes open to stare at a black screen.

…

What.

His head feels heavy from where it's resting. The faint smell of cologne hits his nostrils when he finally registers the warm figure pressed to his side. No-

Fuck Fuck Fuck.

He fell asleep on Deku's shoulder, of all places.

He springs up, feeling the slight wetness on the corner of his mouth. Shit, has he been drooling too? Great. As if his luck hasn't fucked him over enough. He hurriedly wipes at his chin and looks back to where he was resting his head and holy fuck. A dark patch is starting to form on Deku's shoulder. Fuck this bullshit. Katsuki screwed up.

"Shit, Deku, your shirt."

Deku is just sitting there, stiff as a board, head still facing the dark screen. His lips are trembling, and he seems to be …vibrating? He wouldn't be surprised if Deku decided this whole thing was, in fact, a fluke and walked out on him right now, leaving him with what little dignity he has left.

Still not a sound from the nerd. Is he silently mocking him? Like hell. Katsuki grinds his teeth, and seethes, menacing. "Deku."

Looking like he's just been slapped, the idiot finally turns to face him. "Oh, Kacchan, you're awake? I hope you rested well. I didn't want to bother you, so I thought I'll wait till you wake up. Luckily, the next viewing doesn't start till much later, and the cleaners were kind enough to let us stay a while longer."

Katsuki stares back, dumbfounded and still muddled from sleep. Has he been out for that long? He missed out on most of the movie.

"Well, if you excuse me, Kacchan, I have to use the men's room." Legs somewhat shaky, Deku attempts to stand up. Katsuki quickly grabs his arm.

"What about your shirt?"

"Huh? It's fin- "

"You can have mine." Katsuki makes a move to take off his tank top. He's not about to let Deku walk around with his ruined dress-shirt. What kind of date would he be then?

Deku squawks and awkwardly fumbles to slide Katsuki's shirt back over his torso. "Kacchan, no! Wait. Not here. I mean, you don't have to. Gah- I have to go. Pee. I need to pee." With that, he gets up and leaves their row. He sends a wave and a smile behind Katsuki then stalks away.

Hm, what's that about?

For a sweet blessed second, he forgets about the morons sitting in the back. He growls viciously at them only to receive thumb-ups and hand hearts. Pikachu is making kissy faces. He's going to hurl.

Katsuki tries not to feel dejected as he absentmindedly shakes the empty drink bottle. Stupid Deku letting him nap on his arm like he belongs there or some shit. His hand finds his face. Groaning, he slides down the chair in frustration. That nerd is going to be the end of him someday.

He pulls out his phone to check the time when he notices the screen bombarded with messages.

'wow bakugou you sent midoriya running for his life hahaha' -Dunce Face

'a little early to be taking off your clothes dude' -Tape Arms

'AWWWW NICE MOVES EXPLODY BOY😉' -Raccoon Eyes

'bud u might wanna tune down the slobber for next time just fyi. it's not sexy.' -Kirishima

He doesn't have to read the rest. That's it. They're dead. No mercy. He ignites sparks in his palm and goes for the kill.

It's a chilly night.

That's the first thing Izuku thinks as they step out the movie theatre. From the corner of his eyes, he notices the goosebumps running on Kacchan's arms as he stands outside.

Without delay, Izuku immediately strips his jacket off, and offers it to Kacchan, the sole reason he brought the garment in the first place, who just happens to be gaping at him like he grew another head.

"You can have my jacket." Please take my Jacket. If Kacchan lets him do this, then maybe Izuku can salvage the night. It's a size bigger so it should fit him perfectly.

Perhaps it was the sleep still tethering on the edges of Kacchan's eyes, or the relatively quiet street reverberating Izuku's word, or the darkness of the night shielding them in privacy. Whatever it is that compels Kacchan to nod slowly and turn around to allow him to gently drab the suit jacket over his shoulders. His fingers brush Kacchan's collarbone and Izuku feels butterflies climb their way from his stomach to his throat. His head spins.

He hopes the heat in his face is not visible when Kacchan looks back at him.

They walk in silence afterwards. Izuku wants to bring up the movie for discussion, but Kacchan fell asleep not even halfway through so that might be a sore spot. What a shame. He prepared an incredibly lengthy critique just for this occasion. He doesn't know what else to talk about and he's feeling the pressure to fill the silence.

He sneaks a glance at Kacchan, who is currently clutching the flaps of Izuku's blazer with one hand to keep it around his frame. Izuku tries not to smile too widely in victory. Not to brag, but he feels pretty damn accomplished right now. Giving Kacchan his jacket is ten points on his Date Chart. Ten. Even with the deducted points from the dinner pill (+5 +3), that still brings his sum to 35 points. Which means…

He can hold Kacchan's hand.

His eyes travel to where the object of his affection lays, dangling limply on Kacchan's side, unobscured by the jacket, taunting him. He gulps and tries to ignore his heartbeat thundering in his ears. Come on, Izuku. You can do this.

If he can just hook his pinky to Kacchan's, then the rest should be a walk in the park, right? If he can only overcome this brick-thick barrier and just touch him.

He inches closer to Kacchan's side, without visibly crowding him, in case he wanted to pull away. He tries to casually swing his arm in his general vicinity. He could reach out easily if he wanted to. There is nothing stopping him from lacing their fingers together now.

He's close.

So close.

All things considered, Katsuki was feeling fairly content with where the night was going.

That is until they pass a rowdy local pub and some bastard decides to shove Deku with his shoulder as he heads the opposite way. Deku is completely taken off-balance and staggers forward. Katsuki promptly grabs his collar from the back to keep his nose from hitting the pavement.

"Watch where you're going, dwerb." The man, big built, bald and smelling of alcohol, spits in their direction. Literally. Katsuki is disgusted.

"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to pump into you. I wasn't paying attention," Deku bows his head in apology and Katsuki feels anger boil under his skin.

"Oi, Deku, don't apoloqize to this piece of shit. He's the one strutting around with noodles for legs. Bastard can't even walk in a straight line." Katsuki is now fully facing the bald guy. He didn't come out tonight looking for a fight, but he'd be lying if he said he isn't thrilled at the prospect of one. He needs to show this guy who exactly he's messing with.

"What did you just say, punk? Are you looking to get your teeth knocked out?" The other man gets into a defensive stand, skin on his arms glowing with a layer of…black fluid? Is that his quirk?

Sparks detonating on his palm, hands at the ready, he's gives a miniscule explosion purely for theatrics. Maybe this asshole will be smart enough to back down before things get ugly.

Deku attempts to defuse the situation by standing between them. "Kacchan, please. There is no need for this. It will make a scene; plus, it's unnecessary." He turns his attention to the man. "Sir, we did not mean to upset you. We should be leaving-"

"Hold on. I know where I've seen you and your big mouth before. You're that kid, the one who won the UA Sport's Festival and then got kidnapped," the older man scoffs. "No wonder. How the hell did they let someone like you roam the streets without a leash, huh? What a waste. They let just about anyone become a hero these days."

"Take that back!" Deku cries, unconcerned with the small crowd that gathered outside the pub. Before Katsuki gets a chance to even react, green sparks start heating the air around them as Deku gets into a battle stance.

"How dare you speak to Kacchan that way?"

There is no sweetness, no kindness to Deku's words; the soft tone from before completely abandoned for this hostile demeanor. Face hardened, eyes glistening with determination, Deku is daring this fool to provoke him further, driven by sheer confidence alone.

It is utterly reckless, unbelievably careless, lacking any kind of tact.

It's the hottest shit Katsuki has ever seen.

Now, Katsuki isn't the kind of person to let others fight his battles for him. However, witnessing this side of Deku, the part of him that fearlessly jumps into danger for him, over and over again, he finds it doesn't bother him as much as it used to. It comes to him like an epiphany, a grand discovery. He doesn't mind it. The shame and insecurity have long dissipated with all the ill feelings he harbored in his heart. There is another emotion swelling up inside his chest, making a home there, he can't put a name to quite yet.

It feels… good.

A cocky grin splits his face. "Kick his ass, shitty Deku. Don't embarrass yourself," Katsuki shouts.

Deku turns to look at him, smile as bright as the sun.

"Tch, stupid kids. I'll teach you to behave." Of course, the bulldozer's survival instincts are clearly nonexistent, because his next move is to laugh and charge forward, fully disregarding the red warning signs practically emitting from the nerd.

A sheen of black crystallized substance covers every inch of his skin as he swings a punch aimed to the back of Deku's ear. Huh, turns out the stupid bastard knows a thing or two about fighting dirty. He's trying to knock Deku out for good.

Deku swiftly dodges the punch with a crouch, giving himself the momentum to strike from below. The green lightening disappears as he pulls his fist back and directs his attack under the chin like a shooting rocket.

Katsuki is guessing the guy must possess a type of armor-like quirk, the sort to shield his body from direct impact. Not that it matters, because the moments Deku's fist collide with the man's jaw, shreds of black glass scatter across the pavement, hitting the ground like crystal raindrops. The sound is followed by cheers from the audience they seem to have attracted. Deku didn't even use One For All. Tch.

Katsuki smiles.

That's his nerd.

They are standing on the front porch of Kacchan's house, and Izuku is thinking this might be the right time to ask. He got him home before eleven like he promised. Izuku is a man of his word.

The moonlight basks Kacchan in a gentle glow as he turns to face him, blazer still hanging on his shoulders. He pulls on the fabric. "You probably want this back. Here-"

"Keep it," Izuku insists. "You can return to me on Monday." When they start class again. Another excuse to talk to him then, Izuku cannot pass the chance.

A delicate silence falls between them, and Izuku seizes the opportunity. This date may not have been exactly like he imagined it to be, and he may not have 'earned' enough point to make a move, but looking at Kacchan right now, he is filled with this fuzzy around the edges tangible warmth, and he finds himself brimming with the confidence he wishes he had at beginning of the night. He asks.

"Goodnight hug?" he shrugs his shoulders offering a tiny smile.

He wanted to ask for a kiss, but maybe this isn't really the right time. It's too soon, and the last thing he wants to do is to make Kacchan uncomfortable, especially after all that has happened. It's bad enough he couldn't get to hold his hand earlier, because some jerk thought it fit to crash their date. Yet he still yearns for his touch, and he doesn't want the night to be over without showing Kacchan a single gesture of affection. Of course, Izuku understands if he says no, it isn't his place to demand-

"Okay." Kacchan is standing rigidly with both his arms to his side. He hesitantly takes a small step forward, bringing himself in Izuku's personal space, close but not quite enough. He's looking pointedly at his feet, and is that a blush on Kacchan's neck?

Kacchan is just standing there. Motionless. As if he's waiting for Izuku to reach out first.

Oh.

Oh.

He is.

Izuku doesn't waste any time. He hurriedly springs his hands forward, encircling his fingers around Kacchan's waist and pulling his entire body weight towards him. He obviously hasn't thought this through, because Kacchan gasps and stumbles, hitting his chin on Izuku's shoulder. The poor suit jacket feebly tumbles to the ground in the process. He winces. Is it too soon to count his loses?

"S-sorry."

Kacchan doesn't answer. He simply positions himself upright, and ever so carefully raises his arms and wraps them around Izuku's neck, which fits easily due to the slight difference in height. Izuku takes this as his cue and moves his hands from Kacchan's waist to his back, pulling him closer, until their bodies are flush against one another.

Izuku, cheek pressed to Kacchan's solid bicep, feels his heart beating against his ribcage. He can't believe this. He's hugging Kacchan. After all this time.

The gentle evening air pick up around them as they stand in each other's embrace. The stars the only witness as the moon takes shelter behind the few clouds roaming the sky. And Izuku thinks, he's never felt this happy before in his life, standing here, in Kacchan's arms.

(Holding Kacchan, feeling his heartbeat against his chest, the strong pulse in his neck, his encapsulating warmth making him dazed.)

Izuku feels tears blurring his vision. He tries blinking them away, but they just start falling freely without his permission. With his face nuzzled on Kacchan's shoulder, his waterworks start soaking his red tank top. He panics and frantically pulls away, but Kacchan's hands on his shoulder hold him in place. "Kacchan, I'm sorry. Your shirt- I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay, nerd," Kacchan says, almost affectionately, rubbing the drool spot from earlier with his thumb. "Now, we're even."

Kacchan smiles at him, small and rare, and Izuku can't help smiling back.

Their faces are so close now, Izuku can even smell Kacchan's minty-fresh breath. His grib on kacchan's hips tightens in anticipation (wait, when did they get there?), and he swallows. Oh, no, he's starting to sweat. He tries to look Kacchan in the eyes, unsure of where else to look.

Forest-green eyes meet crimson, and Izuku gulps. Kacchan's brows are furrowed and his lips are upturned, tongue sticking out from the corner of his mouth. He looks…constipated, like he's concentrating very hard.

Hold on. Mint? They didn't have any mint-flavored snacks in the cinema. How did Kacchan-

His line of thought is interrupted by the faint smell of smoke.

Something is burning nearby.

Izuku is about to make a comment when Kacchan launches at him, pressing his mouth to Izuku's face clumsily. Izuku's cheeks are, unfortunately, still damp from his earlier display so Kacchan's lips unceremoniously slide to the junction between his ear and jaw instead of their intended target. Kacchan quickly pulls away, face aflame. In a matter of seconds, he picks up Izuku's discarded jacket and bolts to the house.

The door slams and Izuku is left wondering what just happened.

Did Kacchan just kiss him?

Izuku holds his fingers to where Kacchan's lips met his skin, touching the area gingerly, afraid of waking up if this really was a dream. His eyes go wide, sparkling with glee.

Oh my god, Kacchan just kissed him. Kissed him. He. Izuku. AH!

He pumps his fist in the air in silent celebration, barely containing the grin splitting his face. He has to tell All Might. And his mom. And all his friends. Everyone must know. How is he going to sleep tonight after this? Adrenaline is flooding his system like wildfire. If he only knew Kacchan's kiss would set him ablaze like this, he'd ask him for one before every big villain fight. He'll be unstoppable. That's the perfect strategy.

He pulls his notebook out and quickly flips it to the right page. Hands still shaky from excitement, he hastily scribbles down. Feeling satisfied, he snaps the notebook close and prances to where his mom just pulled up, practically skipping with delight.

Izuku Midoriya's Ultimate Plan to Woo Kacchan and Win His Heart:

Phase three: First Date (SUCCESS)

Kiss Kacchan (cross out) Get kissed by Kacchan [check]

His mother makes a remark on the hand-shaped burn marks on his shirt, but his head is too far in the clouds to pay that any mind.