All Your Favourite Things [Kacchan Birthday 2024]

Izuku’s face lit up when their call connected, and Katsuki felt himself smile back, his expression growing far too fond and sappy despite his best intentions. He missed seeing his boyfriend in person every day, but at least they had technology to let them see each other’s faces. Every evening, without fail, Izuku popped up on his laptop screen with that same cute face, the same bright eyes, and the same unmatched enthusiasm like they hadn’t seen each other in months.

Which, admittedly, they hadn’t other than on a screen, but that wasn’t the point.

“Happy birthday!” Izuku said immediately. “You look old!”

“Shut up.” Katsuki snorted, shaking his head fondly. “It’s good to see you.”

“You too! Have you had a good day?”

“It was fine,” Katsuki assured him. “The agency brought in a cake and they all learned how to say ‘happy birthday’ in Japanese which was thoughtful, I guess.”

“Awww, that’s so sweet!” Izuku gushed. “I love that, they sound like such a nice group!”

“Yeah, they’re alright.”

Apparently, Katsuki had learned, he was considered exciting in foreign countries. Instead of rude and brash and overly direct, he was fascinating and, dare he say it, cool. It wasn't like he wanted people to flock around him all the time, but when he was alone, on the opposite side of the world from all his friends and family, sometimes it was nice to have the option.

“I saw your parents this morning,” Izuku told him, smiling softly to himself. “They’re doing well, but they miss you a lot. Did they call you earlier?”

“Yeah, we talked a bit when I got home. I think they ducked out of work early to catch me, the idiots.”

“Well, you might have had plans tonight!” Izuku pointed out. “Other than talking to me.”

“Nope, just you, nerd.”

“I’m glad.” Izuku’s smile faded a little, and he glanced off to one side of his screen – apparently he was the one with other plans, from the look of it. “You look really handsome, Kacchan, I’m sorry I called you old.”

“I know I do.” Katsuki smirked. “You’re allowed to make jokes, I’m not offended.”

“I know, I just felt a little bad when you’re so gorgeous and I’m so lucky to have you. I swear every time I see your face I fall in love with you all over again, and I know you’ll say that’s too sappy and to shut my mouth and stuff, but I mean it. So thank you for being born, Kacchan.”

“You’re an idiot,” Katsuki huffed, his face burning. “It’s not for much longer, you know that. You’ll still be waiting for me in a few more months, right?”

“I’m counting down the days,” Izuku assured him. “I would wait forever if I had to, you know that.”

“Me too, nerd. Izuku. I uh, I love you.”

“I love you too!”

Izuku glanced off to the side again, then flashed him a much brighter smile. Something had been hiding deep in his eyes, lately, but in that moment they were back to their usual shining glory, as they looked at Katsuki through his screen.

“Okay, your present should be arriving about now!” Izuku said, excitement coursing through him, almost as bright as the green lightning that filled him during a battle. “In five... four... three... two... one!”

Katsuki’s doorbell rang, and he raised an eyebrow, staring Izuku down through the camera. Izuku gave nothing away, though, and with a sigh, Katsuki pushed his chair back.

“How did you do that, nerd?” he demanded. “Delivery trackers aren’t that accurate.”

“I got Hatsume to hack your doorbell!”

“You did what?”

“Go get your present, Kacchan! But don’t open it right away, bring it back first, I wanna see your face when you do it!”

Katsuki shook his head fondly as he walked down the short hallway, opening the door to find a big, dark basket waiting for him, loaded up with items he tried not to look too closely at, as he carried it back to the table.

“What is all this?” he asked, holding it up to the camera. “This is way too much, nerd.”

“Nothing is too much for my favourite boyfriend!”

“Oh yeah? And who’s your least favourite boyfriend?”

“You as well!”

“Good save.”

Izuku giggled, the sound echoing through Katsuki’s room, and he couldn’t help but smile again as he set the basket in his lap.

“Okay, can I start looking now?”

“Yeah!”

Right on the top was a bouquet of fresh, bright, red and orange flowers. They were beautiful, he had to admit, and as he picked them up he gave them a little sniff, breathing in their subtle scent. No one had ever pegged Katsuki as a flower guy except Izuku, who knew how much he loved hiking and camping and nature in general. He was sure anyone else in his life would laugh at the idea of giving him flowers, but Katsuki loved it more than just about anything else, when Izuku brought him home flowers for his birthday each year, or their anniversary, or occasionally as an apology after he did something particularly stupid.

“They’re perfect,” Katsuki told him. “They’re so vibrant, I’m really impressed.”

“I’m glad! I thought they looked super pretty, so I had to get those ones for you!”

“You know me well.”

“I know you like the back of my hand,” Izuku agreed. “Except you’re much prettier.”

“Shut up.”

He set the flowers aside carefully, and reached into the basket again, finding a whole collection of his favourite Japanese snacks and ingredients. It was perfectly timed, since Katsuki had been craving a decent home-cooked meal for about a week, and hadn’t been able to find all the right ingredients to make something himself. He hadn’t even told Izuku that, but somehow Izuku had just known.

“A taste of home!” Izuku said happily. “I thought you might be missing all your favourite foods, by now. I know you’re getting far spicier stuff there, which must be nice, but sometimes you just need a good fix of nostalgia in your meals!”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you how excited I was for all of these,” Katsuki told him. “I’m already planning out what I’m gonna have for dinner, which things I’m gonna put in my work locker for snacks, which ones I’m gonna keep for after a long day...”

“Don’t eat them all at once!”

“I won’t, I’m gonna savour them for as long as I can physically make myself wait.”

“Okay, keep looking now!”

Katsuki reached into the basket again obediently, removing a layer of tissue paper to see easier, and his throat swelled when he found the pair of black-and-orange striped mittens and a matching, slightly wonky scarf, all made out of the thickest, softest wool he’d ever felt.

“Did you make these for me?” he choked out, holding them to his chest. “Seriously?”

“Yeah! They’re definitely not perfect, but I thought with winter coming up, over there, you might start getting chilly soon. And this way you can think of me every time you wear them.”

“You’re too good for me,” Katsuki said softly, running his thumb over the scarf reverently. “When you said you took up knitting for your fingers, I thought it would just be a bunch of squares or something, I never realised you could do this.”

“And yet you encouraged me anyway?” Izuku asked, his smile twitching a little wider. “Even though you thought I’d be shitty at it?”

“That’s not what I said! I just... forget it, you know what I mean.”

“I know.” Izuku laughed. “I think there’s one last thing in there.”

Katsuki nodded, picking it up and holding it to the camera, smiling fondly to himself as it swung lightly on his finger.

“Because I missed new year?” he asked.

“Exactly,” Izuku agreed, nodding. “I thought about getting you a love charm, but I thought you’d say that was silly since nothing is ever gonna stop us loving each other, or maybe you’d think it was a hint to try to make you propose or something, so I went with the safer option!”

“Victory,” Katsuki read from the little charm, unable to resist the laugh that bubbled out of him. “I love it, I’m gonna put it on my belt or something so it can come protect me at work.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

“I love it. All of it. You’re way too good to me, and for me, even though you’re literally the only person in the world who could possibly be better than me at anything.”

His doorbell rang again, and Katsuki raised an eyebrow, watching Izuku stifle a giggle on his screen.

“Are you just gonna do that randomly to get my attention, now?”

“Maybe you missed part of your present!”

With a fond sigh, Katsuki stood up again, walking back to his front door to take a look. He doubted anything was there, Izuku was just having way too much fun with his new remote-doorbell-ringing button, but maybe the nerd had ordered him dinner or something, so he had to at least check.

When he opened the door, the first thing he saw was red shoes.

No bags or boxes, no more baskets, just a pair of stupid, overly-bright, worn-out, too-big, ridiculous, beautiful red shoes, attached to a pair of jeans, and then a dumb, baggy t-shirt, and then...

“I lied about the doorbell,” Izuku said.

Katsuki flung his arms around Izuku so hard that they almost crashed into the wall, Izuku managing to take a couple of steps back and brace himself just in time to avoid disaster. He laughed as he wrapped his arms around Katsuki’s back, holding him just as tightly, and Katsuki squeezed his eyes shut, burying his face in Izuku’s neck and not even bothering to hold back the painful sob that wrenched its way out of him.

“Oh, Kacchan,” Izuku whispered, lifting him off the ground effortlessly and carrying him back inside. “I’m sorry, I should’ve told you, I know you don’t like surprises.”

“Don’t you fucking dare,” Katsuki choked out between sobs. “I’m so fucking happy to see you, you have no idea.”

“I missed you, too, Kacchan.”

Izuku had never been to Katsuki’s apartment, but he’d seen enough of it on their calls to find his way to the living room, flopping onto the couch and tucking him in close. He hummed quietly as he stroked Katsuki’s back, and when Katsuki found the strength to turn his head slightly, he found just as many tears falling from Izuku, too.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” he whispered, when he managed to get a little air into his lungs. “I never even imagined... Shit, Izuku, you’re so perfect, I can’t believe you came.”

“It’s been a while, huh?” Izuku said fondly, smiling despite his tears. “I can’t believe you’re real.”

“Did you stand in the fucking hallway to talk to me, just for the sake of that stupid doorbell joke?”

“It wasn’t just for the doorbell joke!” Izuku laughed, his chest bouncing Katsuki up and down lightly with the movement. “I know it was kinda silly, but I thought it would be fun, seeing you get all happy about the little gifts, and then showing up afterward. I picked them out myself, you know. I got some weird looks carting my suitcase around as I picked out a basket and found a florist, but I wanted it to be perfect.”

“It was,” Katsuki assured him. “But you could have shown up empty handed and I’d still have been so fucking happy, you know.”

“I know,” Izuku laughed. “It was tempting, trust me. I thought about just running straight here and diving into your arms without even an ounce of thought, but it’s your birthday, I wanted it to be even more extra special.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Kacchan.”

For a long time they just lay there, snuggled up on the couch, with Izuku stroking Katsuki’s spine and Katsuki kissing every freckle on Izuku’s face; with Izuku nuzzling into Katsuki’s hair, and Katsuki sliding his hand up Izuku’s shirt to trace his scars; with Izuku holding him so tight it would probably leave bruises, and Katsuki hugging him back just as hard.

“I need to put my flowers in water,” Katsuki mumbled, after what was probably an hour, but felt like a second. “And you’re probably hungry, by now.”

Izuku’s stomach growled in response, and Katsuki finally smiled again, looking up at Izuku with the sweetest, fondest expression Izuku had ever seen. Every moment apart had been worth it, just to see that one smile.

“I’ll cook you dinner,” Katsuki offered. “With some of my proper Japanese ingredients.”

“Let me help.”

Izuku wasn’t much of a cook, but there was something so sweet and domestic about pottering around the kitchen together; he’d always loved to hang around and pass ingredients or measure things out while Katsuki cooked. He was the number one kitchen helper, and Katsuki never seemed to mind having him there by his side.

“Okay,” Katsuki agreed, without a moment of hesitation. “How about soba?”

“Shouto would be proud.”

“Shut up,” Katsuki snorted, jabbing Izuku in the ribs and making him laugh. “You brought my favourite noodles over!”

“I know,” Izuku grinned. “Soba sounds great, Kacchan. But tomorrow you have to buy me something local, so I can tell our parents I tried something new.”

“Deal.”

Katsuki froze midway off the couch, slowly turning to look back at Izuku again, at his beautiful face and his smile like the god-damn sun.

“How long are you staying, anyway?”

“You want me gone already?” Izuku teased. “A whole week.”

“Fucking amazing,” Katsuki mumbled, pulling him into another tight hug before he finally stood up. “I’m so happy.”

“Yeah?”

“This is the best god-damn birthday ever.”

“I love you too, Kacchan.”