The Proximation of Hello and Goodbye

33

"It can't be that bad, can it?" Izuku laughs nervously. Katsuki looks away. "Katsuki? Is it really that bad?"

"You haven't been watching the news have you?" Katsuki asks, and Izuku shakes his head. He sighs and takes his hand starting the walk home. "The United States has made it illegal to do hero work, and Japan will likely be taking action of its own in time. At the very least, putting your life on the line will be pointless and I'm scared I won't be able to protect you as I have been. I fear that something is coming that I won't be ready for."

Izuku stops and turns so that he's facing Katsuki. His hand cups his cheek, a gesture that he's come to love more and more with each time Izuku does it. He nuzzles into the touch and breathes deeply. "I believe in your capability to keep me and everyone else safe, you need to do the same. If you can't do that, then why become a hero? I can see it in you, the fierceness and the drive that it takes to be a hero. I see your desire to win and to protect, to save and endure. It's all there. I see it, and you need to feel it. No matter what happens, I know I'll be okay as long as you're the one that comes for me in the end. You'll be the best hero the world has ever seen, better than even All Might. I know it."

Katsuki remains quiet, trying to avoid Izuku's loving gaze, the one he feels unworthy of at this point in time. What if he's wrong? What if I'm not capable of anything he says he sees? What if I fail? What if--

"Katsuki," Izuku says. He looks up and Izuku kisses him with gentle lips that hold all the care in the world. "Don't worry about it. We'll be okay. I won't go out late again without E or Su, okay? But, I'm already here, so let's enjoy our walk. Okay?"

He nods. "Okay. That sounds nice," Katsuki whispers. He can't believe how lucky he's been that despite the odds, he somehow ended up here with Izuku's hand in his own and the taste of his lips lingering on his. Somehow, someway, he must've done something beyond merely good to deserve this. Whatever it was, he's grateful to his past self for doing it. "Hey, what do you say we take a little detour and pick up some food on the way home? Maybe eat somewhere on the way there?"

"That sounds wonderful, Kacchan," Izuku smiles.

With that, Katsuki leads him through the streets, calling in an order for them along the way to the restaurant. They walk and talk about their days as they go along. They stop briefly to pick up their food and carry on about their way. It's only when they reach the tallest building in town that Katsuki brings them to a stop. He smirks at Izuku, "You know, I'm shocked about something."

"Oh, what's that?"

"You never asked me about my quirk," Katsuki chuckles. "You asked all about training and the licensing exams and what the job is like, but you never asked about my quirk."

Izuku places a finger to his chin and ponders. "Hm, I guess you're right. What is your quirk, Kacchan?"

"You sure you wanna find out right now?"

"Well, I guess--"

He wraps his arms around Izuku and he grins. "Hold on tight, nerd." Izuku frowns questionably, tilting his head and asking why he would need to hold on tight. Katsuki can only chuckle as he points his free hand toward the ground. With that, he propels them upward and Izuku's grasp around him increases exponentially. He lets off a few bursts that land them on the rooftop before he lets go of a trembling Izuku. "How was that, nerd?" he asks with a cocky grin.

Izuku sets the food down and sits on the ground, his eyes wide as if his whole life is flashing before his very eyes. "Terrifying. Exhilarating. I never want to do that again, but I only ever want to travel like that for the rest of my life. I have a lot of thoughts," Izuku mutters. "What is that, explosion? How does it work? Do you realize what kind of applications that could have in battle and in everyday life? You could be unstoppable. You're like a storehouse of raw power, Kacchan." Katsuki laughs as he takes his seat beside Izuku and starts unpacking their dinner so that they can start eating. Izuku haphazardly takes his food from Katsuki as he continues to ramble. "Wait, is that why the coffee shop was blown all to hell the night that Ena was almost taken? Was that you?" Katsuki nods. "So that must mean you must have been the anonymous donor too. You really paid for the shop to be repaired and upgraded like that?"

Another nod. "Well, sort of. Some of it was my money, the rest came from the commission, I work for. And, that stays between you and me, got it?"

He nods with conviction, "Any secrets you share with me are safe. I would never dream of betraying your trust. I want you to be as comfortable with me as I am with you."

Katsuki feels his world slow to a stop as he looks up at Izuku. They'd talked about the concept of comfort with one another before-- how important it was, what it meant to them, and so on. Yet, it hasn't clicked with Katsuki just how important and how seriously Izuku took it until just now. He sets his food down with shaky hands, "You're really that comfortable with me?"

Izuku nods. "I've never been more comfortable with any one person before than I have been with you. You make me feel safe and secure. More than that you make me feel loved and seen. I can't imagine living another day without you by my side, it just wouldn't be the same. I--" Izuku falters for a moment before swallowing his hesitation and continuing. "I love you. I love you so much it feels crazy sometimes. I loved you before I could even admit it to myself, and loving you has been by far the best decision I've ever made. I've made a lot of mistakes when it comes to loving people, but you aren't a mistake. Loving you could never be a mistake. Loving you will be the one thing that people can look at me and say that they're proud of me for."

Katsuki pulls Izuku in for a kiss. It's deep and passionate, his fingers tangling into his curls and pulling him closer, almost as if he's scared he'll disappear. The thing about Izuku though is that he never goes anywhere. He's always there. He pulls away, breathless and smiles. "Izuku, there are so many things that people are proud of you for. But, if loving me is what you say it is, it's an honor to be the one that you love so much. I love you too. I love you more than all the stars in the sky could love the moon. I love you more than every grain of sand on the shores of the seas could love the oceans. I love you more than every cell in my body could ever dream of. I love you."

Izuku straddles Katsuki's lap, pulling him in for another kiss. His hands wander the rise and fall of his back, roaming over his shoulder blades, down his spine, and to the small of his back. "You have no idea how loved you make me feel," Izuku says between kisses. "And it is truly everything I could have asked for. It's more."

"You're more," Katsuki answers. "Always more."

The two kiss until the food is long forgotten, untouched save for taking it out of the bag that they brought here in. Their meals have gone completely cold as they stay wrapped up in each other's embrace and lips remain locked with one another. Even after the kissing comes to a stop, they lay on the rooftop, hand in hand, staring up at the sky and pointing out constellations to one another as if they are trying to find more than the other. And though Katsuki knows where to find every constellation in that sky, he's far more about finding them in Izuku's eyes. The starlight that washes over Izuku gives him an ethereal glow, a halo on top of his head of green curls. Even the constellations hidden in the splattering of freckles on his cheeks are far more interesting than the constellations in the sky, right now.

He wants to commit everything about the sight of Izuku at this moment to his mind. He always does. The curve of his nose, the shape of his smile, the sound of his voice, the way his hand draws over the constellations like he's playing to connect the dots. The way he looks at him with awe in his eyes. "You haven't pointed one out in a while. You just that into the idea of losing to me?" he teases.

Katsuki shakes, "No. That's not it."

"Then what is it?" Izuku laughs.

"Just that you capture all of the beautiful things in the world within yourself."

"You're such a sap," Izuku smiles.

"And you better not tell anyone about it either. Especially not Metal Face or Polka Dot Brows."

"They're the first I plan on telling," he giggles.

Katsuki rolls his eyes, "Fine, but you owe me."