After The Rain [Chapter 2 - Green]

[Last Chapter] 

Every part of Katsuki’s body was screaming at him, and no two parts were even screaming the same thing. He’d dragged himself out of the house after his mother had yelled at him about getting out of his “damn, depressing room”, about going somewhere other than bed and the therapist’s office. He didn’t want to go anywhere, but in that moment, it had seemed like a better option than listening to her for another moment longer. 

Masaru had given him an apologetic look as he stomped up to his bedroom to get dressed, trying his best to play peacemaker between them, but Katsuki just shook his head – it wasn’t his fault. Katsuki and his mother had been butting heads since he was a toddler, it was nothing new.

Masaru had followed him up to his room, standing outside the door as he gathered clean clothes, timidly suggesting that maybe he go for a hike, since it had been so long. It had sounded like a good plan at the time – some peace and quiet out in nature, away from everything, where no one could nag him endlessly – but by the time he reached the park at the bottom of the hill, his body had been ready to just shut down.

His thighs were screaming about the angrily-fast walk, after spending so long in bed. His feet were screaming about his shoes, which were way too old and worn out to really be doing any kind of exercise in. His head was screaming about him being a coward, for walking out instead of fighting back.

“Kacchan?”

Katsuki’s head darted up, wide-eyed, just in time to see the brightest smile in the world bloom across freckled cheeks, red-shoed feet hurrying toward him like it was suddenly the most important thing in the world, like nothing else mattered except getting to Katsuki as quickly as he possibly could.

“It is you!” he beamed, stopping in front of the bench Katsuki had claimed as his own. “I thought I recognised that hair! It’s been so long! How are you?!”

It took a moment for Katsuki to find his voice – a surprise, considering his usual temperament – but Izuku didn’t seem to notice.

“Since high school,” he choked out awkwardly. “I uh, I’m okay. You?”

“I’m good! Can I sit?”

He pointed at the empty space on the bench beside Katsuki, and Katsuki just nodded faintly, a little awkward. After the way he’d acted in middle school, he was surprised Izuku wanted anything to do with him.

“Are you here visiting your parents? Oh, are you gonna hike to the top? I know you used to do that a lot. It must be pretty up there, I don’t think I’ve ever been! I’m terribly unfit though, I don’t think I’d make it more than five minutes. Did you already go or were you getting ready?”

“Not going,” Katsuki answered, when Izuku paused for a moment to breathe. “Changed my mind.”

“Oh! I’m not holding you up, then?”

“No.”

“Cool! We should catch up then!”

“You don’t have work or something?”

“I’m good!” Izuku assured him, still beaming. “Tell me how you’ve been! You’re staying with your parents?”

“Yeah,” he said awkwardly. “I uh, left my job. So I’m here for a bit while I... Figure things out.”

“Oh, that’s so great!”

Katsuki blinked at him, but Izuku didn’t seem to notice, still smiling as brightly as ever.

“I did the same thing a few years ago! I just got so tired of working a nine to five job, doing the same things every day, just trying to look busy all day. It was awful. So I quit, and I moved back in with Mom for a bit, and it’s just so nice to do something you love, you know? I hope you find your passion soon, it feels so good when you do!”

“Art?” Katsuki asked, old memories poking at his brain incessantly. “I mean, is that...?”

“Yeah!” Izuku nodded. “I’m surprised you remember! I do a lot of painting, plus I have kind of a small business? Selling prints of my work, and stuff like that. It’s pretty cool! I’ve been super busy lately, but I’m glad people like my artwork!”

“Yeah, that’s cool,” Katsuki agreed. “You’ve... Really flourished.”

“That’s sweet of you to say! Thank you!”

The man in front of him was barely even recognisable as the nerdy, over-excited boy he’d known as a child. All Katsuki’s memories of him were of his obsession with comic book heroes, always begging his mother for new merch, doodling pictures of them in the margins of his notebooks. All Might had been his main obsession, a love that they’d had in common when they were very young, but Katsuki had become one of those I’m too cool for this pre-teens that every adult hated – his love for the heroes and adventures had become confined to his bedroom, where old toys and pictures still remained on display. Katsuki still saw them every night, before he burrowed down into his dark nest.

Honestly, Katsuki wasn’t sure why he’d given the kid so much shit. He’d always been so friendly, so bright, ready to share his lunch with you or give you the clothes off his back if he felt like you could even slightly use the help. He still vividly remembered the day Izuku had handed him a little notebook, a birthday present he'd had to have worked on all year, and Katsuki, the ungrateful brat that he was, had thrown it in the fountain out the front of their school building.

“Hey,” he spoke up, when Izuku paused in his babbling. “The notebook you gave me.”

Izuku visibly tensed, but still his smile didn’t waver – he was stronger than Katsuki had ever thought he was.

“I’m... Sorry. For being such an asshat.”

“Oh,” Izuku answered, his mouth falling open – Katsuki had known he’d end up ruining that smile eventually. “Well, thank you! It’s sweet of you to say that, after so long. And it means a lot, actually.  So yeah, thank you.”

“You always saw some kind of good in me that no one else did.”

“Of course! Kacchan is amazing!” Izuku answered, with no hesitation, not a hint of force or doubt. “You were always so strong and so cool, I wanted to be just like you! Comic heroes were great, but you were right there next to me, and I felt like you were just as cool as the fictional heroes were.”

“God, I was such a brat,” Katsuki huffed, leaning his head on his hand. “How was I such a stupid little asshole when you were there acting like I was the best thing in the world?”

“We were kids, Kacchan!” Izuku chuckled. “I mean, it’s really sweet that you’re apologising, but I’m just glad to see you’ve grown! You’re still so cool, just like you were back then.”

“I wish.”

Izuku tilted his head slightly, confused, but Katsuki didn’t elaborate, and Izuku didn’t push it. Everything about Izuku just seemed so carefree – Katsuki wasn’t sure he’d ever felt that way. He certainly couldn’t remember it if he had. Something about it was so magnetic, like Katsuki was drawn to him in a way he couldn’t ever hope to match.

“You seem happy.”

“Yeah?” Izuku asked, blinking at him. “I am! I mean, it’s nice to catch up with you, after all! And such a pretty day today, perfect for a walk! And I’ve gotta pick up groceries for Mom, but that means she’ll cook something nice for me for dinner, so even that’s nice!”

“And work?”

“Mm... I have some prints and stickers I need to package so I can mail them out in the morning, and I should do some sketches for a commission I’m setting up, but nothing major! Nice and relaxed, today!”

“That’s... Good.”

“Yeah! How about you? If you’re not going hiking, what are you gonna do instead?”

“Go home, I guess.”

“Spend some time with your parents?”

Katsuki grimaced, and Izuku laughed brightly.

“Still like that, huh? You and your Mom always clashed.”

“Yeah,” he sighed. “She uh, pretty much kicked me out, today. Said I needed to get out of the house for once, or whatever.”

“Well I’m glad she did! Otherwise we might not have met up!”

Izuku beamed at him, and Katsuki couldn’t help but soften a little – he knew the enthusiasm wouldn’t last, not when Izuku heard the rumours that were quickly spreading through their small town, but for the moment, he couldn’t help but appreciate how genuinely enthused Izuku was over their random encounter in a tiny park.

“Can I get your number?” Izuku requested. “I’d love to keep in touch, this time. I want to hear about all the new things you try while you figure out what you love!”

“I guess so,” Katsuki agreed, accepting the phone Izuku handed over – with an All Might case. Typical. “I’m saving it as Katsuki.”

“It’s okay, I can change it to Kacchan myself!”

“Jerk.”

Izuku just grinned at him, still so eternally bright, and something about it made Katsuki relax a little more. No one else had ever looked at him the way Izuku was, not even his girlfriend, there was just so much unconditional care and support in his eyes. It made him stand a little taller, unwilling to shatter the illusion and see the disappointment it would bring to that face. One day, probably soon, he was going to find out the truth about why Katsuki was back home, was going to hear whispers from people who saw him sitting in the lobby at the therapist’s office, but until that day came, Katsuki was going to relish that look of admiration, the look he didn’t get from anyone else.

“We’re gonna hang out again, while you’re here,” Izuku said firmly. “Promise me?”

“Haah?”

Izuku held out his little finger, a stubborn look on his face, staring Katsuki down until he awkwardly linked it with his own.

“Good,” he said firmly, shaking Katsuki’s finger up and down. “I’m gonna text you later so we can sort out a time. And something to do! Maybe we could get lunch somewhere?”

“Fine,” Katsuki grumbled, his heart already racing at the thought of having to go out in public with all those eyes on him – he could only hope that Izuku would take all the attention on himself, considering how well-loved he was in the town. “Text me, I don’t have your number anymore.”

“Doing it now!”

Sure enough, Katsuki’s phone buzzed almost immediately, and when he opened the message he found a dumb little bunny sticker, peeking out of a hole to wave at him.

“Idiot,” he mumbled half-heartedly, saving the number under Deku and turning it around to show him the screen. “Got it.”

“Yay! No fake numbers!” he laughed, making Katsuki crack the tiniest smile, just for a moment. “Later then, okay? I’d better go get the groceries before Mom starts to worry. Get home safe!”

“Yeah. Um, you too.”

“Thanks! It was good to see you! Byeeee!”

He waved as they parted, walking backwards to the street just so he could keep waving, even though he almost tripped over his own feet to do it. He rounded the corner, immediately poking his head back out to wave one last time, his freckled hand lingering behind him for as long as it physically could. When his last fingertip disappeared, Katsuki waited a little longer, watching, half-expecting him to dart back around the corner with one last smile to flash at Katsuki before he finally disappeared.

When it didn’t come, he looked down at his phone again, at the tiny bunny waving hello to him.

He rolled his eyes, but opened the sticker menu all the same, picking out a goofy teddy bear to wave back.

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