Spoken For [Semi-Exclusive]

For Deku: Pro Hero, Pro Lover Zine

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“It’s starting to feel like there are no single guys left!” Denki laughed, elbowing Izuku in the ribs. “You’d better hurry if you want to snap someone up!”

“Oh, really?” Izuku laughed awkwardly. “I’m not really looking, anyway. I’m okay!”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you date someone,” Denki continued. “No one at school, at least.”

“He’s right,” Eijirou hummed. “I don’t think you’ve ever mentioned anyone. Have you dated before?”

“Um, w-well…” Izuku burned bright red, ducking his head. “There was… Someone. Before U.A.”

“Ohhhh? Tell us about him!” Denki insisted. “Was he cute? Did you go on any good dates?”

Katsuki slammed his locker when the nerd began to mumble, gritting his teeth as he retrieved his uniform to get dressed. It was bad enough that the idiots had been nagging him about dating, always trying to set him up with some random extra he couldn’t care less about, but he decidedly did not want to hear about the damn Deku’s dating history too. He didn’t even know the idiot had dated anyone before; how had Deku even managed it without him noticing? He was supposed to be…

“And he used to give me flowers a lot, because he saw his Dad get flowers for his Mom. It was really sweet, even if he was picking them from the neighbour’s garden.”

Izuku smiled to himself at the words, a soft look of pleasant nostalgia. It made Katsuki ball his hand into a fist, thumping it on the wall of lockers, while the other threw his dirty costume haphazardly into his bag. The whole damn concept of Deku dating someone made him inexplicably mad, and he didn’t want to subject himself to it for any longer than was entirely necessary.

“We had sleepovers a lot too, but mostly we hung out in the park. There were these woods where the little kids explored and played, and it kind of felt like its own little world. I liked that spot a lot as a kid, so we used to hang out there most days after school and stuff.”

“Aww, that’s so sweet! What happened to him?”

“Oh, not much, we just… Grew apart, I guess. He um, found some other friends to hang out with.”

“Well, I would totally take you out if I was single,” Denki assured him. “You’re super cute!”

Izuku burned red, and Katsuki barely resisted the urge to punch something. He shoved Hanta aside to get to the rest of his belongings, ready to storm out and be done with it all, but Hanta caught the look on his face - Tape Bastard was too perceptive for his liking; his smirk was far too knowing.

“Someone a little jealous?” he teased. “It’s okay, Boom Boy, you’ll meet someone one day.”

“Screw you!” he sneered, shoving his way through a little more roughly this time. “I could date any asshole I wanted to date, I’m perfect. These damn extras just aren’t worth my time.”

Izuku went quiet, and Denki slung an arm around his shoulders as they watched Katsuki storm out. He didn’t say a word, but somehow Denki just knew, and Izuku could only smile awkwardly.

“You’re more than good enough,” Denki assured him. “I get it, he’s hot, but you could do way better.”

The rest of the room joined in, echoing his words, and they stuck in Izuku’s mind on a loop as he made his way back to the dorms. People laughed and joked around him, but Izuku could only hear those same words: You’re good enough. It wasn’t often that people told him he could do things, and it was… nice, really. He kind of wished he heard them more often, even though that felt conceited.

They all parted ways in the common room, and Izuku retreated to his dorm alone. He ditched his bags and reached into his wardrobe, digging out an old cardboard box, and from within it, a much smaller one. It had been bright red once, though it had faded a little over the years, and it housed one of his oldest and most beloved possessions: a tiny ring, painted gold, with All Might’s carved face stuck to the top. They had been an ultra-rare gacha prize, once upon a time, with something like one chance in a thousand to pull one, and Izuku was the esteemed owner of one of the few in circulation. It was a little more beaten up than he’d have liked, since he’d spent so much time wearing it rather than keep it mint, but that only added to the love and memories it held within its plastic confines.

He tucked it over the end of his finger, too small to make it beyond the first knuckle even on his littlest one, but he still couldn’t help but smile fondly at the feel of it against his callused skin.

“Oi, nerd!” Katsuki yelled, banging on the door and making Izuku jump. “Let me in, asshole!”

Izuku set the box down quickly, hurrying to the door before Katsuki could break right through it, narrowly avoiding a punch to the face when Katsuki continued banging as he pulled it open.

“Can’t you knock like a normal person?” he huffed, closing it gently after Katsuki barged his way through. “You’re gonna break something, one day. I’d rather it wasn’t my door.”

“What the fuck do you mean you dated someone?” Katsuki demanded, cornering him against the wall like he hadn’t even spoken. “Which shitty extra was it, huh? If it’s that asshole half-and-half I’m gonna kill him, but you said it was back home so was it some stupid prick from middle school? How dare you? You promised you would be mine, nerd! We got married. Did that mean nothing to you?!”

The room fell silent, and despite his disbelief, laughter bubbled up in Izuku’s chest.

“Kacchan, I was talking about you!”

“You were?” Katsuki asked, voice oddly quiet. “You said all that shit about dates.”

“Well it sounds kind of silly to just say I haven’t dated since I was six because I got married on the playground and didn’t want to break my vows,” Izuku said sheepishly. “I just… Told them about when we used to play together. You… Didn’t notice?”

Katsuki paused, piecing it all together in his mind, and finally conceded a little nod when Izuku tilted his head to the side like a confused puppy.

“I guess that does sound a little dumb,” he admitted. “You really haven’t dated anyone else?’

“Of course not, I promised! Um, did you?”

“Haah? Obviously not.” Katsuki snorted. “I don’t break my promises either, nerd. I just thought, after... everything. You might not...”

He trailed off, gaze dropping, and Izuku smiled awkwardly when the sharp red eyes landed on his ring. He cupped his other hand around it protectively as Katsuki stared, and for a moment there was just silence between them. Then, Katsuki turned away, walking out without another word.

For a minute, Izuku waited. Then he sat, and waited some more. Browsed on his phone, did his homework, went and got food when it was time for dinner, and finally, gave up and went to bed.

All the while, he waited.

He’d always been waiting for Kacchan.

*

When morning came, Izuku slept late.

With their class schedule extending into Saturday mornings, weekends didn’t offer the students many opportunities to do things purely for themselves; the one moment Izuku managed to take every week though, without fail, was his Sunday morning sleep-in. He cuddled into thick, fluffy blankets, and for a while he just stayed there, comfortable and cozy, until his bladder screamed at him to haul himself out.

By the time he dragged himself downstairs for breakfast, half his classmates were peering through the front windows, watching something outside as they talked in hushed voices. Ochako looked up when he arrived, grinning as she waved him over, and through the glass he saw Katsuki, sitting alone, something dangling from his hand as he waited with a surprising amount of patience on his face.

“Go talk to him,” she whispered. “We’ve all tried and been sent away, it’s your turn!”

“W-What? No! If Kacchan wants to be alone, he should be able to-”

“He’s waiting,” Ochako insisted. “He didn’t say he wanted to be alone, he said he was waiting.”

Izuku hesitated, but Mina gave him a little smile and a nudge, and reluctantly Izuku reached for the door handle. He pulled it open, watching red eyes dart up at the sound, and took a few steps forward tentatively.

“Good morning, Kacchan!” he called, forcing a wobbly smile. “Is everything okay out here?”

“There you are,” he grumbled, standing up. “I knew you slept in, but this is insane.”

“Y-You were looking for-? Oh, uh… Let’s go around the corner.”

He moved away from the windows quickly, relieved to find Katsuki following him when he glanced back, only stopping when they were finally out of sight of their nosy classmates.

“Here,” Katsuki said flatly, thrusting a fist out, the other jammed in his pocket. “For you.”

Izuku’s gaze had been glued to his feet, but at that, his head darted up. Katsuki clutched a handful of pretty flowers in his grip, and for a moment Izuku just stared at them, stunned out of words. Katsuki was still waiting, searching for something in Izuku’s expression, so Izuku flashed him the biggest smile he could manage as he reached to accept.

“Are these the same ones?” he asked in disbelief, finally recognising the familiar petals in his hand. “You remembered the random wildflowers you picked for our wedding a decade ago?”

“They’re not wild this time,” Katsuki grumbled, finally taking his other hand out of his pocket. “I didn’t know where to get any, so I went to a damn flower shop and got the closest thing I could find.”

“Kacchan, that’s so sweet,” Izuku gushed, heart pounding. “And is that…?”

He looked pointedly at the free hand, at an old, frayed thread looped around his ring finger. A much younger Izuku had spent hours braiding together red and orange strands until they were perfect, bright and bold just like his Kacchan’s eyes, clean and even just like everything else in his Kacchan’s life.

“Took me a minute to find it,” Katsuki said softly, almost like it was an apology. “I had to go home, in the end. Old hag hasn’t cleaned out my room yet, thank god.”

“You went back home just to get the ring I made you? Last night?”

“Figured it would get my point across easier than trying to say shit.”

Izuku teared up, clutching the flowers between his trembling hands, and Katsuki just watched him for a moment, face carefully neutral. Izuku couldn’t help but notice it was surprisingly soft-looking, too, compared to his usual scowls.

“I know we’re already married,” Katsuki began slowly, unblinking. “But go on a date with me.”

“I’d love to.”

Izuku didn’t even hesitate with the words, and Katsuki cracked a smile at the enthusiasm, eyes softening when they saw Izuku beaming up at him.

“A proper one, though,” he clarified. “No parents, and not just to the park or some shit. We’re gonna do all that gross sappy stuff; hold hands, gaze into each other’s eyes, and kiss goodnight and shit.”

“That sounds perfect.”

“And you’re not going out with any of those shitty extras who were throwing themselves at you in the locker room. Ever.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Izuku grinned, tears pouring down his cheeks all the same. “Thank you, Kacchan. I can’t wait to go on a date with you.”

Katsuki’s hand was shaking slightly when it reached for Izuku’s, so he settled for looping their little fingers together lightly instead. Izuku allowed it without hesitation, shifting his pretty bouquet to one hand so Katsuki could take control of the other, and watching as he gently pulled it to his lips.

“I’ll get you a ring that fits,” he promised, kissing Izuku’s ring finger with the lightest touch in the world. “Just give me some time to find one that’s perfect for you.”

“I’ll wait as long as it takes,” Izuku assured him, his smile stretching wider as he watched Katsuki blush. “I just want to be with Kacchan.”

Katsuki nodded faintly, and for a minute they just stood there, staring at each other like idiots. Izuku knew that if any of their classmates decided to sneak a peek, or just happened to be leaving the dorms at that moment, they would never live it down. Even so, he couldn’t bring himself to break the tenderness between them that was so long in the making.

“The extras probably think we’re fighting,” Katsuki mumbled. “I guess we should go in.”

“Probably,” Izuku agreed reluctantly. “But we can go on a date later?”

“What, tonight?” Katsuki snorted, finally cracking a smile. “Someone is eager.”

“Every night,” Izuku grinned back. “And every day!”

“You’re such a dork.”

“A dork you married.”

“Yeah, a dork I married,” Katsuki agreed, his smile strangely fond. “Alright, let’s get dinner tonight.”

Their hands remained linked as they walked back to the dorms, a bounce in Izuku’s step like he might burst into a skip at a moment’s notice, and they found their entire class eagerly awaiting the results of their long, secretive chat.

“Me and Kacchan are getting married again!” Izuku blurted out before they could even ask, his whole body buzzing with excitement. “Look at these flowers he got me! Aren’t they amazing?”

Ochako practically dove on him, squeezing him in a tight hug as she congratulated them, and Denki and Eijirou weren’t far behind, grabbing at Katsuki and clapping him on the back fondly. Soon half their class was absorbed into the huddle, sharing hugs and squeals and congratulations, and Katsuki could only groan as he waited for it to stop.

“Okay, okay, that’s enough.” Tenya stepped in, calmly splitting them up. “Let them have some space before Bakugou blows the room up. We’re all proud of you for finally admitting your feelings for each other, but I hope you will keep things professional in class and not let this affect your work ethic.”

“Of course,” Izuku assured him, reaching for Katsuki quickly to stop him from arguing. “Thank you, Iida. Don’t worry, school always comes first! We want to be the best heroes, after all!”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

“And speaking of which, I’m gonna go start my homework. Kacchan, let’s have a study date!”

“Sure.” Katsuki snorted, shrugging. “My room though, your All Might shrine is creepy.”

“Deal!”

He led Katsuki through the masses to escape the noise, still smiling fondly as they stepped into the elevator, only catching one last voice as the doors slid shut behind them.

“Wait, did he say again?”