Archive of Our Own

Be it luck or skill, Bakugou Katsuki finds himself a billionaire at the young age of 25. He invented some new explosive compound as a freshly graduated chemist and then bam, he was set for life. His success came overnight and caught Katsuki completely unprepared.

And if there’s something Katsuki would never admit to is being unprepared—even more unprepared for success. He spent his whole life screaming to whoever was close enough to hear that he was the best and would win in life one way or another. Now that victory came and caught him unaware, he went ahead and did everything a young billionaire was supposed to do.

With his new fortune, he bought a huge modern mansion in a trendy, upscale gated community where most of his neighbors are celebrities. He hired a stylist and filled his closet with designer clothes. Even though he never cared for driving, he decided he should have at least a couple of expensive sports cars in his opulent garage. And as he had no need for more money, he started going to work just once or twice a week.

Rich, young, living in a mansion, with nothing to do all day—it was natural that he started hosting parties. Huge pool parties, filled with models, singers, and actors, all the young and rich of his generation. The booze was plentiful, the DJs never went to sleep, and the paparazzi camped in front of his driveway.

It was great. Until it wasn't.

Because parties can't actually last forever. Eventually, everyone goes home, the staff cleaned everything and Katsuki was left in that huge house all on his own. 

Party friends aren't actual friends. They don't stick around if there isn't an open bar. And Katsuki is well aware that he's an asshole. He doesn't let people in his inner circle as he does in his house. He doesn't even know the name of most of the extras that parade around his living room in swimwear. So it was natural that when there wasn’t obnoxious electronic music playing that no one would stick around to deal with Katsuki’s obnoxious ass.

With time, the parties start getting duller, no matter how many models he invited. The spark of having celebrities laying around drunk goes away. All the parties become blurred. The whole thing starts to disgust him. And then the stretches of time he's all alone become longer.

There isn't a special moment when he decides he won't throw parties anymore. He just stops wanting them to happen and they naturally become scarce.

When Katsuki realizes, it's been months since a DJ played by his pool. Meaning, that it's been months since he has seen any of his "friends". The fuckers won't even message him to check if he's still alive. A quick browse through social media shows that there's a new place for parties, some other dumb fuck is paying for the booze. Katsuki doesn't even know how to feel about it.

He doesn't miss the extras or the mess. But he does miss something.

Katsuki misses not feeling alone in that huge, empty house.

There are three dining rooms, and he eats alone standing over the kitchen island.  There are eight bedrooms, but he sleeps on the couch in the living room closest to the kitchen. It feels weird to occupy the master bedroom because it's on the other side of the house, three flights of stairs up. It takes him 15 minutes to go down for breakfast. 

Katsuki doesn't even know how many sitting areas and living rooms there are in the mansion. They all kind of look the same. The house came already decorated.

All that Katsuki uses is the kitchen (cupboards completely empty because he doesn't need all of that to cook for one), one couch, and the gym. Everything else is left alone to gather dust, but even the dust doesn’t settle since the house has a full team of workers to keep it clean.

It feels oppressive. It doesn't feel like home.

The house staff looks at him weirdly when they find him sleeping on the couch by the kitchen. He's pretty sure they all think he's crazy. He wouldn't know for sure since none of them ever talked to him.

It's a lonely, empty life. So when he sees his old childhood friend at the park—dressed in disarray, one shoe missing, carrying a backpack as if it's his only belongings in the world—he doesn't think twice before telling Deku to follow him home.

***

It says a lot about Katsuki and Deku's friendship that Katsuki just led him home no questions asked even though he looked like a hobo—and that Izuku followed Katsuki's command without any protest.

At least, that's what Katsuki wants to believe. Even though he hasn't seen Deku since the end of middle school. And that they didn't exactly have the best relationship at the time.

Katsuki used to be a bullhead idiot and Deku... Deku was the small, sweet kid that got bullied because he looked too feminine, was too gentle, speaked too quietly. Years later, Katsuki came to terms with the fact his attraction for Deku probably contributed a lot to the bullying, but by then, Deku and he were already in different high schools, living different lives.

Now, ten years later, he finds Deku in a park, looking like he had nowhere to go. Katsuki needs to find out what happened.

"Do you want something to drink?" he offers to break the silence between them as Deku sits by his kitchen island.

"T—tea would be nice," Deku stutters. "Thanks..."

With a nod, Katsuki prepares some tea for them. He curses under his breath the fact that all his kitchen appliances are hidden away in high cabinets. The designers probably planned for the utensils to not screw up the kitchen's aesthetic by being visible, but it makes it a drag to cook anything.

Deku stays quiet, looking at his own hands, as Katsuki works. 

"Here," he says, pushing the steaming mug to Deku.

"Thanks..." Deku mumbles. "You have a beautiful house, Kacchan."

"Yeah..." It's too big, too lonely, and too unwelcoming, but it's definitely beautiful. "What were you doing at the park?" he goes straight to the point. 

"I was sitting," Deku shrugs as if that explained anything.

"Deku..." Katsuki growls a warning.

"I—I didn't have anywhere to go..." he whispers the truth.

"Your home?"

"Evicted... About two weeks ago."

"And your mom's?"

“Passed away," he says, without meeting Katsuki's eyes.

"I'm sorry," he says truthfully.

Aunty Inko was a kind woman that Katsuki remembers dearly from his childhood days.

"It's been three years," Deku explains.

"And you don't have a job," Katsuki says more as a statement than a question.

"Is 'struggling artist' a job?" Deku asks with a hint of humor. "I—I work freelance… But the bills started piling up, and the debt for mom's treatment..." 

Katsuki nods in understanding. Sometimes it's hard to remember he lucked out in life—to discover the new explosive compound was equal parts luck and knowledge. Lots of other chemists with more years of study than him never got a chance like that. And the people he grew up with certainly didn't have either.

"And your parents? How are they?" Deku pulls him out of his thoughts

"They're fine. Moved to Europe, France, for their design work," Katsuki explains.

"That's great," Deku says, offering him a bright, honest smile.

There's a lull in the conversation again as they both finish their tea. Katsuki still has a thousand questions to ask but is afraid of pushing Izuku too much. He knows he’s not entitled to Deku’s whole life story, and he probably already got more answers than he deserved. But Deku has always fascinated him and Katsuki can’t help but be curious about him.

"Thanks for the tea, Kacchan," Deku says when he's done. "I should be going."

"Bullshit," Katsuki huffs. "Where the hell are you going? You just said you didn't have anywhere to go."

Izuku shrugs resigned. "I'll find a way... There's a shelter I go most nights and the park—"

"Fuck that. I'm not sending you to a goddamn shelter," he barks, annoyed that Deku would even suggest that.

"It's a good place, Kacchan... The people there are kind," Izuku offers another sad smile.

"Just stay here. I can be fucking kind." 

Well, he can. He just chooses not to, on most days.

"Oh no! I could never—! I don't want to impose!" Deku rushes to say.

"I'm the one imposing you stay here, Deku," Katsuki states the obvious.

"But I don't want to get in your way!"

"Have you seen the size of this house? You couldn't get in the way even if you tried," he scoffs.

"But—"

"You don't even have fucking shoes, Deku," he accuses, making Izuku look away ashamed.

"I had an accident..." he mumbles "But I was gonna find a way..."

"And you just found it. Your way is staying here."

Katsuki dismisses every single one of Izuku's arguments until he gives in. He’s not sure why he’s pressing the issue so much, but he can’t fathom Deku leaving after they just found each other again.

"Al—alright... Just for a few days... Until I find a new place to stay," Deku acquiesces.

"Good," he nods. "There are two guest bedrooms on this level and three more on the second floor. Just pick whichever, I don't care." 

Izuku still looks unsure, but he drags his beat-up backpack to one of the bedrooms, the one closest to where they are.

Once he's gone, Katsuki picks up his phone and starts online shopping for clothes and shoes. It's time to put his money into something worth it.

***

Izuku looks around the room completely overwhelmed. It seems straight out of a magazine. Everything is decorated in neutral tones of beige and grey, with sleek and almost invisible furniture. The bathroom is all marble, and it looks like it's never been used. There isn't dust anywhere, to the point that it barely seems real.

It's the complete opposite of the moldy, rundown room he used to rent where his kitchen and bathroom were basically the same place and barely fit the single-sized mattress on the floor.

It’s crazy to think Kacchan would allow him to stay in such a place. Izuku doesn't feel comfortable touching anything, fearing he'll get it dirty. He supposes that means he should hop in the shower.

Izuku peels his clothes away, making a mental note to ask Kacchan to use his laundry room later. He then walks into the shower.  He doesn't even remember when he had such a nice shower—perfectly warm and with great water pressure. The shampoo and soap are in elegant matching bottles and smell really good. Izuku loses track of time under the water, washing away the last couple of weeks (and maybe months). 

After washing himself, Izuku gets dressed in his slightly-less-dirty clothes and lays down on the huge, king-sized bed to take a nap. The shower made the exhaustion he was feeling clearer and he made the executive decision that he can wash clothes and fix his life after sleep.  The bed is extremely soft and comfortable, though Izuku feels like it's too big for him. That doesn't stop him from falling into a deep slumber as his head hits the pillow.

He wakes up several hours later. The room is dark because the sun went down and there was no more light coming from the huge picture windows that show him Katsuki's backyard and pool area. It takes a moment for him to remember where he is and what's going on in his life. He hasn't slept so profoundly since he got evicted.

When he gets situated, he grabs his pile of dirty clothing in a ball and walks back to the main area of the house hoping to find Kacchan. It seems like he's in luck because Kacchan is playing with his phone in the sitting area by the kitchen, where they had talked before.

"Kacchan?"

"Look who is up," Katsuki greets him. "You sleep like the dead."

"I was tired," he confesses.

"Yeah, figured that much," Kacchan says, then points to the clothes on Izuku's hands. "What's that?"

"I was hoping I could use your laundry room," he asks awkwardly.

"Why?" Katsuki frowns. "Just leave it in the bathroom. Tomorrow the staff can sort that out for you." 

"I—I don't want to be a burden for anyone... I can wash my own clothes."

The idea of having a maid wash his dirty clothes is something totally out of Izuku’s realm of reality. It’s crazy to even think about it.

"Bullshit," Katsuki dismisses Izuku as he’s been doing so often. "And if those are the clothes you were wearing before, they don't need washing, they need burning."

"Kacchan!"

"For real, though. For a second I thought you were a hobo," Kacchan scoffs. 

Izuku bites his tongue to not berate him for the fact that 'hobo' isn't a nice term to use and that he was, in fact, homeless.

"These are all I have. I need them," he prefers explaining.

"No, you don't. I got you something better," Kacchan says with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

He then gets up from the couch and grabs a few bags that are on the floor.

"Here, check it out," he says, offering the bags to Izuku.

Izuku grabs them tentatively and looks inside. In the first one, there are clothes. Some basic t-shirts and a green hoodie. In the next, there are a couple of sweatpants and some jeans. And in the last one, there's a shoebox that Izuku opens up to find bright red sneakers.

"Just like the ones you used to wear," Kacchan says proudly.

He didn't have to, though. Izuku remembers how much he loved red sneakers. His mom would always buy him red ones, he wouldn't wear any other color. The first time he didn't have red sneakers was in college when his old pair got a hole and he had to buy new ones with his own money. Struggling as he was at the time, he couldn't justify himself for being picky about color. He bought the cheapest pair he could find and has kept this up until now.

"I—I can't afford—," he tries saying as he pushes the bags back into Katsuki's hands.

"It's paid for."

"Then you keep it,” he insists.

Katsuki huffs and crosses his arms to not grab the bags. 

"This shit is for you. I don't even fucking fit in those, and I have way too many clothes already."

"Kacchan... I can't accept it..."

Izuku already is taking too much advantage of Katsuki's kindness. He can't accept new things on top of a place to stay.

"You can and you will. Are you being ungrateful, Deku?" Katsuki asks, squinting his eyes. "Are you denying my gifts?"

"N—no!" He stutters, terrified of Kacchan thinking he’s not so very thankful for everything he’s done. "I just—"

"Then you just need to go to your room and put these in the closet while I make us some dinner." 

And with that order, Katsuki turns on his heels and marches to the kitchen.

Izuku is left with the bags, not knowing what to do besides following Katsuki's lead. It seems like their relationship hasn’t changed much from their childhood years. Resigned, Izuku takes the bag to the guest bedroom, trying to convince himself he’ll pay Kacchan back one way or another. 

A few pesky tears made their way down Izuku's cheeks as he tried on the shoes. They were a perfect size. Kacchan probably checked it on his old shoes. But he doesn’t allow himself to get too emotional. He doesn't want to burden Kacchan with having to deal with Izuku having a meltdown over sneakers. So he swallows the knot on his throat and goes back to the kitchen to see where he can help.

He finds Kacchan frying something on the stove.

"Can I do anything?"

"You can set the table. It's almost done," Kacchan says.

"It smells good," he comments.

"Of course it does," Kacchan grins pleasantly. "You know I never half-ass shit."

"Yes, Kacchan is amazing," Izuku agrees.

Katsuki stops what he's doing and looks up at him with a weird expression on his face.

"Kacchan?"

"Didn't think I'd ever hear that again," he speaks softly.

"Really? I mean... I think it's pretty obvious. Look at this house!" Izuku looks around the open floor house, he could see from the kitchen all the way to the bar area passing by two living rooms and one dining room. "How could you not be amazing when you achieved all this?"

Katsuki clicks his tongue dismissively. 

"Ain’t you gonna grab the plates? Stop thinking useless shit. They're in that cabinet," Katsuki points to the place. 

Izuku nods and quickly gets to work, carefully picking the expensive dinnerware. He gives them to Katsuki, who plates hefty portions of Katsudon. Again, tears threaten to break on Izuku's face as he wonders if Kacchan remembered it to be his favorite.

"Eat up. I don't wanna see even one grain of rice left," Katsuki orders when they're both sitting by the kitchen island. "God knows you look like you need every calorie you can get." 

"It's not that bad," Izuku argues as if he hasn't been rationing food since college.

Katsuki just clicks his tongue in response. After the first bite, Izuku moans in pleasure and praises the food. 

“It's delicious, Kacchan!! I haven’t eaten anything this good in years!" 

"It's not half bad," Katsuki says, the proud smirk on his face telling a different story.

Silence stretches on as both men enjoy the food until Katsuki breaks it with a silent confession he never dared to say out loud to anyone before.

"I got lucky."

"What?" Izuki raised his head confused.

"I'm a chemist. I was just playing around with shit during my break at my first job. Created a huge explosion. At first, I didn't even know why. But then I figured it out, created a patent, and got rich. It was just fucking luck," he shrugs.

Izuku thinks for a moment before saying, "Sure, there was luck involved, but it wasn't just luck. You went to college, learned things, got a job, and then realized why the explosion happened. It's way more than most people do, Kacchan."

Katsuki shrugs again, trying to play it down, so Izuku continues.

"I went to college too... Arts degree. But I couldn't keep paying for tuition after mom got sick. So I tried working part-time jobs and doing art on the side. In the end, I couldn't do either."

"What kind of art do you make?" he asks with genuine curiosity

"I started with fanart—"

Katsuki's chuckle interrupts him, "yeah, you were always a nerd."

“Then in college, I tried developing a style of my own. Did a lot of digital stuff and played with all kinds of mediums in class. But in the last couple of years, all I could afford is charcoal and paper."

"Let me see it?" he asks instantly.

When they were little, Izuku would draw the best pictures in class. During middle school, everyone saw he was always scribbling away in notebooks, but Izuku was quite protective of those and didn’t let anyone see it.

Izuku chuckles awkwardly, "I'm really not that good, Kacchan"

‘I highly doubt that’, Katsuki thinks but what he says is, "I still want to see it."

"Ahn... Alright? I have a sketchbook in my backpack…"

Instantly, Katsuki gets up, "Then let's go."

"Now?" Izuku asks in disbelief.

"Yeah, aren't you done eating?"

"Y—yes but I was about to wash—"

"The staff, Deku. I told you already, they'll be here tomorrow morning. Now let's go see your art!"

Izuku lets Kacchan push him back to the guest bedroom, where his backpack was waiting on the floor. A little bit shaky, he grabs the beat-up campus notebook and offers it to Katsuki. He didn't really want to show it to anyone, but he could never say no to Kacchan. Even less now when he owes the man so much.

In the notebook, there are charcoal sketches of people and sceneries he sees at the park and the neighborhood around it. It's nothing fancy—a girl with her balloon, a young mother and her baby, an old man playing chess...

"This one..." Katsuki murmurs stopping in a page. "This is very Deku..."

The picture he's talking about is a random scenery at the park, but it has a surrealist spin to it because Izuku drew the silhouette of a hero flying over the park. It’s just the black shadow of a man in a cape between the clouds. Izuku drew it in a moment where all he could think was that he was needing a hero himself.

"Yeah, I like this one..." he whispers.

"Can I keep this?" Katsuki asks.

Izuku nods since it seems like very little to ask for in exchange for new clothes, new shoes, food, and a place to sleep.

"Thank you," Kacchan answers. "Go to sleep, nerd."

"Good night, Kacchan."

***

Katsuki spends most of the night flipping through Izuku's sketchbook. It's beautiful. The nerd captures life and soul in every one of his sketches. He can even hear the laughter coming from one of the pictures of two children running at the park. Once he gets to the last page of the notebook, he starts again. It's soothing. It makes him forget he's sleeping on the living room couch instead of a bedroom. Makes him feel like life is more than emptiness.

After a while, he gets his phone, enters the website of an art supply store, and orders every single item listed. 

He doesn't know what Deku likes and he's sure that if he asks, he'll receive an 'I don't want to bother you, Kacchan' as a response. So he just buys it all from pastels to oil canvas. Then he goes to another store, buys a computer and a drawing tablet. In another, he buys a nice, big backpack so Izuku can keep all his shit.

After every order is placed with the 'next day delivery' rush paid, he settles down to sleep. It’s way past his usual time, but he feels more whole and fulfilled than he has since—He doesn't even remember when. 

Even though he's still on the couch, Katsuki sleeps soundly. He doesn't even wake up when the staff arrives and starts to fix things. The only thing that finally wakes him up the following day is a discussion happening right in the kitchen.

"No, no! I can do it! Don't worry!" 

"But sir, it's my job! Please! Just let me—"

"I don't want to be any trouble, I can help too!"

Katsuki grumpily gets up from the couch to find Deku holding onto a pan while his chef tries to take it from him.

"Deku! The hell are you doing?"

"Kacchan!” he jumps in surprise then offers an awkward smile. “Good morning! I was just trying to make breakfast?"

"I tried explaining, sir," the chef says apologetically. "But he's adamant."

"Deku, let the woman do her job. Stop harassing the staff."

"Bu—but I don't want to—"

"You're more of a bother by getting in her way than letting her work. Do you want her to be out of a job?"

"What?! No! Never!" Deku screeches horrified.

"Then leave her in peace," Katsuki says, pushing Deku out of the kitchen.

"Al—alright..."

"Watch the morning news with me before breakfast," Katsuki says, sitting them down on the small table at his covered patio where he has a tv for watching in the mornings.

Deku behaves nicely and offers small comments to everything Katsuki barks at the tv.

"These damn leeches... It's well past time they passed that damn bill."

"I'm sure our representatives are working hard, Kacchan..." 

Soon the chef brings them a full breakfast and they calmly eat. It's incredibly nice to not be the only person at the table, to be able to share the food and talk about the news and which breakfast items are their favorites.

"I didn't even realize there was this table here yesterday," Deku says when they're done eating.

"I only use this one for breakfast when the weather is nice. There are way too many eating and sitting areas around the house," he grumbles.

"I see... It's a pretty big house."

"Do you want a tour?"

"Sure!" 

Katsuki starts from the main floor, which goes from a bar area to a formal living room to a dining room to another living room to the kitchen in an open design—there are absolutely no walls dividing the rooms which makes it great for parties and great for feeling the impending doom of loneliness when he’s by himself. Behind the kitchen, there are the pantry and service rooms such as the laundry. Katsuki thinks. He’s never been to that part of the house and he’s sure the staff would freak out if he did.

A hallway leads to the two guest bedrooms on the first floor, one of which Izuku occupies now. All of these rooms have huge glass doors as walls that open up to the backyard, where there is the pool, pool house, outdoor dining, and covered patio. Katsuki lost track of how many times he caught random people having sex by these windows.

Upstairs, there is the media room (basically a small cinema), three guest bedrooms (as if anyone would ever want so many guests staying at their house), a big veranda, the gym and the master suite with two closets, a giant bathroom, and an outdoor patio with a jacuzzi that Katsuki never actually used.

Izuku 'uuhs' and 'aahs' at every new corner. Katsuki remembers being impressed too when he first saw it, but now he sees it for what it really is—a house way too big for one person and without any kind of personality. All the rooms are decorated in boring shades of beige, without any personal touch, looking more like a hotel than a home.

When they go back to the main floor, one of the housekeepers lets him know that his deliveries arrived. Excitedly, Katsuki rushes to check the bags and is pleased to realize everything is there—every art supply, ink, paper, canvas, computer, tablet, everything.

Happiness blooms in his chest as he imagines everything Izuku will be able to create now. Katsuki rushes towards Izuku's room—just to see him sneaking away with his dirty laundry.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Izuku gives him a guilty smile, "going to the laundry room?"

"Why do you insist on harassing the staff?" Katsuki asks, feigning annoyance.

"I don't! I—"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just leave the clothes here and come with me.”

Izuku pouts but does as Katsuki says. In the living room, the bags wait for them on top of a couch.

"Open them!" Katsuki demands, excitedly.

"Kacchan... Please tell me you didn't buy more clothes..." Izuku begs.

"I didn't buy more clothes," he says carefully.

"Then, what—?"

"Just open!" Katsuki presses, excited as a kid on Christmas morning, even though the gifts aren’t for him.

Izuku opens the bags and his face slowly morphs into complete disbelief.

"Kacchan! This—this is too much! I can't accept it! It's all so expensive! You even bought me a computer!"

"You have to connect the tablet somewhere," he shrugs as if he wasn’t proud of his conclusion.

"Kacchan!" Deku screeches.

"Come on, stop complaining! How will you work if you don't have the supplies?” Katsuki scoffs. “This isn't an expense, it’s an investment. Besides, I took your sketchbook away, I had to give you another one back."

"I—I don't know what to say..."

"What about 'thank you'?" he offers with a smirk.

"I—... Thank you, Kacchan," Izuku says, tears silently coming down his eyes. 

For a second, Katsuki feels the urge to hug him, but he stops himself. He's already pushing Izuku too much. He can't push him more.

"You're welcome. Just—… Show me what you create".

"I will," Izuku promises with a wet smile.

***

Katsuki knows that maybe he should give Izuku space. It's clear that the guy went through some shit and is still hurting. But he also is just really excited about having a friend around for the first time in forever.

So, the next day, he decides it's movie day.  After they have breakfast together, he orders a bunch of shitty food—chocolates, candy, Cheetos, popcorn, hot dogs, pizza, the works. Then he sets up everything in the media room, connects the projector to his computer, and marches to Deku’s room.

"Deku! Are you busy?" he asks, after knocking.

"Hi, Kacchan... Not really, I was just thinking about what I could do today...."

"Great! Let's watch some movies!” he says, already pulling Izuku by the wrist towards the media room.

"Movies? What movies?"

"Any fucking movie you want. I have all the streaming services," he says cockily. 

Katsuki sits them down on the huge, fluffy couch, food all around them. It’s the first time he actually used the media room so he’s a bit excited about it.

"So, what do you wanna watch?"

Izuku looks around for a second then very hesitantly asks, "Can we watch All Might?"

Katsuki grins wildly, "For fucking sure."

Excitedly, he smashes the keys on his laptop and puts the latest All Might movie to play.

It's everything he needed—and maybe what Deku needed too. They get totally immersed in the movie, laughing, cheering, and exclaiming in the best parts. It's like they're four years old all over again, watching movies at their parents’ house on the weekends. Katsuki half expects his mother to show up with cookies and juice at any moment. Though they have better snacks than cookies now that they dig into the moment the credits roll.

Izuku forgets himself for a second and goes on in a long speech, pointing out the best parts of the movie, trivia about the production, and his personal opinion about the adaptation from the manga. And, naturally, the need to watch older All Might movies to debate their differences arises.

One movie turns to two turns to three turns to five and when Katsuki realizes, the moon is high in the sky. They spent the whole day watching movies, eating snacks, and talking about superheroes. It was awesome.

Katsuki's face hurts from laughing so much, and his stomach hates him right now. But it's so damn worth it. When was the last time he felt so happy? Probably when he was four and used to watch movies with Izuku.

Suddenly Katsuki realizes that in all the happy memories of his childhood he had Izuku by his side. And he hasn't felt so happy since he was a brat. Maybe having Izuku around is the secret to his happiness.

Katsuki only hopes that Izuku feels the same.

***

Living with Kacchan has been… Unique.

Every day, there's a new activity to do around the house. Be it cooking together, watching movies, or even playing in the pool. Every morning Kacchan seeks him out and invites him to have fun doing something—and sometimes gives him gifts for it, like new swim trunks.

It's like an endless sleepover, made a bit weird by the fact that they're no longer children.

Izuku thinks this is Kacchan's way of cheering him up and making up for lost time. In the moments they aren't doing anything together, Izuku picks up the art supplies Katsuki gave him and tries to create something. Very often, Kacchan asks if he can sit around and look at Izuku working.

It was a bit unnerving at first. Never before had someone asked to watch Izuku as he painted. Not even his mother who was a strong supporter of his passion ever had the patience to just sit and watch as he worked.

But Kacchan does. It's calm and peaceful. There's always a serene silence—a privilege that comes with Katsuki's massive state. Izuku took a liking to working at the table on the open patio and Kacchan lays down on the couch next to it. The afternoons pass by calmly as Izuku reconnects with mediums he hasn't used in years.

On the first few times, Izuku just played around with the oils and pastels, just enjoying the chance of working with colors again.  Then he started sketching the house itself. Izuku never really focused on architecture, but the grand modern mansion is a nice challenge to tackle.

However, as the second week rolls by, Izuku gets tired of sketching the same pool and backyard, so his eyes naturally turn to the man laying down next to him. Kacchan is traditionally handsome. Strong features; harsh, masculine lines; prominent jaw; angular eyes. His colors are also very striking — the tanned skin from so many hours at the pool, the light blond hair, the deep red of his eyes.

When Izuku realizes, he has drawn Kacchan. The moment he looks at his piece of paper and sees the copy of his friend, Izuku freezes. He hasn't asked Kacchan's permission to draw him! And Kacchan always checks to see what he created at the end of the day!

Izuku's brain runs crazy, trying to come up with a way to hide the picture. Maybe he can sketch something really quick to show Kacchan? And throw this drawing at the pool? But he actually likes what he created, he doesn't want to destroy it—

Before Izuku manages to make up his mind, Kacchan wakes up from his nap.

"Hey nerd," he grumbles, still sleepy. "Are you done already?"

Izuku is frozen in place and doesn't manage to answer the question. Not really noticing Izuku's inner turmoil, Katsuki gets up from the couch and approaches the table.

"Did you use the pastels today as you said?" he asks and then he sees it. 

Silence stretches on as Katsuki reaches for the drawing and carefully looks at it without uttering a word. His lack of reaction makes Izuku freak out even more and he enters damage control mode.

"I'm so sorry, Kacchan! I didn't mean to—I just—I don't even—I won't—" 

"Chill, nerd," Kacchan says, gently putting the drawing down. "It's fine."

"It is?" Izuku asks, surprised.

"Yeah. It looks nice. You can draw me whenever you want. It's fine," he says, and playfully messes with Izuku's curl. "Come on, let’s see what we can make for dinner" 

Izuki's heart beats wildly in his chest and he feels his face heating. Kacchan is truly nice and gentle. Izuku doesn't know what he did to deserve a friend like him.

***

It takes almost a whole month of living with Katsuki for Izuku's fantasy to shatter.

That day, he's mindlessly sketching in his notebook while Kacchan watches the news when the tv anchor comments on the day of the month.

It may not sound like much, but this is when Izuku realizes he has been living a dream, completely detached from his reality. Finding out the date makes him realize that it has been a month since he has last been in the shelter, a month since he saw his caseworker to try and find a new job for him. 

It was way too easy to fall into the trap of believing he could live his days without worry. But Izuku knows deep down that this isn't right. He can't depend on Kacchan forever. One month and he hasn't done anything to fix his life. If he left today, he'd be in the same situation Kacchan found him.

This realization makes Izuku feel ashamed of himself. Embarrassed of how he could let himself go, give up on trying to get his life on track, and lose track of time living in Kacchan's fantasy life.

That night, he couldn't sleep. He tosses and turns in his bed, trying to find a solution. Though now he has the supplies to do art, it’s obvious that he isn't good enough to make a living out of it. He tried and failed before, and he can't take the luxury of failing again.

So his best alternative is to go back to the service work he used to have. Being a part-timer at a grocery store or a 7/11 doesn't pay much, but it's better than nothing. He wouldn't have lost his job if he hadn't gotten evicted—and he'd have found another one if he wasn't homeless. Good companies usually ask for proof of address to hire. No one wants an employee who will show up unshowered and with dirty clothes because they couldn't get to the shelter on time and had to sleep at the park.

But now... Maybe Kacchan will let Izuku use his address when applying for jobs. Kacchan is kind and way too nice to Izuku; he feels like if he asks, Kacchan won't oppose it even if it inconveniences him.

The only issue with this arrangement is that, during this time living with Kacchan, Izuku fell in love with his childhood friend. 

How could he not? Kacchan is literally his hero, his savior. And he's so gentle, so caring. Even though Izuku knows Kacchan does that out of kindness, his silly heart couldn't resist. When he realized it, it was already beating harder every time Kacchan smiled at him. 

To use Kacchan's address to get a job would force Izuku to live at the mansion for at least a few more months until he got enough money for a deposit. And he doesn't know how painful it'll be to live with the object of his affection in a platonic way for so long.  But the alternative is going back to the park, the shelter, and not having the means to get a job.

The next morning, Izuku gets up with his mind made up. He'll ask Kacchan to use his address when searching for a job, and damned be his feelings.

During breakfast, Izuku is pure nerves. His mind goes back and forth between 'what if Kacchan kicks me out' to 'what if Kacchan lets me stay', both options terrifying in their own accord. Kacchan notices Izuku's anxiety coming off from him in waves and prompts him to talk. 

"The hell are you so weird about today?"

"What? Weird? I'm not weird," Izuku tries to deny, but he's so stiff and jumpy that it sounds fake even to his own ears.

"And I'm the fucking Easter bunny," Kacchan says sarcastically. "Spit it before I make you, nerd." 

"Ahn—I was thinking... I know I've been here too long already... And I don't want to impose any longer... But I do need a job and—and to get a job, I need an address… So I was thinking if I could use your address when applying? I mean, I know it’s a lot to ask and I’d never do that if I had other options, but it’s hard to get a job if I put the shelter as my address. Employers don’t really like that. And I’m totally prepared to pay rent as soon as my first check comes in!"

When Izuku finishes, he raises his head and sees Katsuki frowning deeply.

"Why the hell do you need a job for?" he asks as if the words themselves insulted him. "Aren't you an artist?"

"I—I am, but art doesn't make me any money, Kacchan…” he confesses in a small voice. “And I need to save for a deposit if I want to get my own place and leave you in peace."

"So you wanna leave? This house isn’t good enough for you?" Katsuki spits furiously. "You're going to give up on your art and accept whatever shit gets you away from here faster?"

"Kacchan... Please... I just want a job…" Izuku pleads with tears in his eyes. 

He knows Kacchan is a big supporter of his art, but Izuku needs to be realistic. He'll never have the breakthrough he hoped for during college. Hell, he didn't even manage to finish college. 

"Just do whatever the fuck you want, Deku. Use the address, leave, whatever. See if I give a damn," Katsuki growls before getting up from the table without finishing his breakfast.

Izuku is left crying, though he doesn't even know what happened. All he wants to do is not be a burden for Kaccchan anymore. How could this have gone so wrong?

***

After Deku got jobs, life became boring. It was like the light of Katsuki's days was gone.

Even if Deku still lived there and they had breakfast and dinner together, they barely talked. After Katsuki's outburst, Deku became wary of him and Katsuki is still too hurt to breach the gap created between them.

And what hurts him the most is knowing Deku is right. He has the right to want a job and the means to support himself. If Deky was any other friend of his, Katsuki himself would be making calls to get them back on their feet. 

But Deku isn't anyone else. He's Deku. And Katsuki loves him.

Having Deku around was not just like having a friend to play with. It was like Katsuki reencountered a part of himself he was missing. He found his spark to win, to have fun, to enjoy things, and to be his best.

And this was thanks to Deku and his art. When Katsuki saw himself in Deku's drawing it was like he was truly seeing himself, everything he was and could be—not the shadow of the man he sees when looking in the mirror.

Deku sees the best in him and this makes Katsuki want to be the best.

He used to think he wanted to be the best a lot during middle school, but somewhere during college, work, and the parties, this was lost. ‘Good enough’ became the norm as there didn’t seem to be anything to strive for.

To live with Deku was always a new day of wonder, of trying his best, and of falling in love. 

Now he's back to living on his own, alone in that dreadfully big house. And now it's even worse because Katsuki knows how good it can be when he has someone he loves by his side to enjoy all the amenities the mansion has to offer.

That's why Katsuki took to running in the park more often. He'd do anything to stay away from the house. Today he left in the morning for a run, then killed some time listening to music by the pond, ate some lunch in a nice coffee shop, went to the mall to walk around, and even caught a movie in the local cinema. 

It was a good day. He managed to keep himself busy until the middle of the afternoon and barely thought about how Deku was doing in his grocery store job. (Though he still hopes no shitty customer is giving him a hard time.)

When he gets home, he's ready to take a nice bath and relax.

So you can imagine his surprise when he reaches his house and sees dozens of expensive, luxury cars in his entryway. The vibrations in the air tip him that there's music being played really loud inside and instantly he knows what this all means—there's a party going on in his house.

Furious, Katsuki barges in, wanting to find out what the hell is happening.

He passes by bikini-clad models in his living room drinking colorful cocktails. There must be a bartender around. Whoever put this together went all out. 

On the poolside he finds dozens of people dancing and having a good time—dozens of people he can hardly remember ever meeting. These are probably guests he used to have over often, but now it’s clear to Katsuki that he never even bothered to learn their names or remember their faces. 

Walking around the pool, Katsuki's eyes zero on the DJ booth set up there.  Finally someone he recognizes.

"Kaminari!" He roars, marching towards the DJ.

"Yo! What's up, Baku!" Kaminari says, pulling his headphones down.

"What the hell is all this?" he hisses. 

"A party!" the other answers proudly.

"I fucking see that. I want to know why the hell it’s in my house!"

"Yo, you see, the place we had for today got canceled! And we already had all the booze and stuff ready! And the girls got sad about it. You know I can never leave the girls sad. So I thought 'who has a cool place where we can crash?' And bam! I remembered you! Pretty cool, right?"

The DJ finishes his explanation with a proud smile on his face. Katsuki wants to punch his teeth out.

"WHY THE HELL DID YOU THINK YOU COULD DO YOUR PARTY HERE?"

"Bro, you said your house was always empty and that every excuse to party was a go," Kaminari says, arching an eyebrow.

Katsuki really wants to kill him. Actually, he wants to kill everyone in this goddamn house. But mostly, he wants to kill his past self because that is exactly the kind of shit he'd have said months ago.

"Yo, have you seen the babes I brought? All lingerie models!" Kaminari says, completely clueless to Katsuki's turmoil.

Anger throbbing in his temple, Katsuki turns around and walks away before he actually does punch the idiot. 

Inside the house, there's basically the same chaos as outside. Way too many people getting drunk in his kitchen, randos making out on the couch he usually sleeps in. From the noise coming from upstairs, the situation is the same. Katsuki knows that way too many times he caught people fucking in the bedrooms.

He feels trapped and disoriented at his own house, not knowing where to go. By chance, as he walks aimlessly around the hallways, he sees the door to Deku's room. 

The door is closed and there's a handwritten note that says ‘Private Quarters. Do not enter’.

One of his staff must have done that to protect Deku's things. It should tell Katsuki something about the fact that his staff doesn't extend this same courtesy to the master bedroom.  But, honestly, he probably had it coming as he doesn’t know the name of any of the staff and Deku does. Also, right now the fact that there's one room in the house empty of random drunks sounds way too good for him to contest.

Without a second thought, Katsuki enters it and closes the door. Just as the door clicks close, a loud burst of laughter sounds from the hallway, and in a moment of panic, scared someone might find him and force him to interact, Katsuki rushes to hide in the closet.

There, he sits down by the door and takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He was on the verge of a freak out just now and he needs to ground himself.

Even inside the closet, he can hear the thump of the DJ’s bass vibrating the air. But he feels somewhat safe there. No one will find him. All he needs to do is keep hiding until the party dwindles down. Usually by night most people are too drunk and go home. 

Katsuki should be used to it. This was his life just a few months ago. Now, all that he wants is for the party to end.

***

Izuku feels very, very confused when he gets back to Kacchan's place after his shift at the coffee shop. There's a crazy party going on.

The moment Izuku opens the front door, he's welcomed by the sight of a girl in a latex dress dancing on top of the dining room table.  Kacchan had commented that he used to throw parties before. He probably decided to do that again, to have fun with his cool, rich friends.

Not wanting to get in the way, Izuku decides to hide in his bedroom so he doesn't bother Kacchan and his friends. He walks as close to the walls as possible to not be seen by anyone and only breathes in relief when he enters his room and closes the door.

However, his relief is extremely short-lived. When the door clicks closed, he hears something shuffle inside his room. He looks around spooked, trying to find the invader, but the room seems empty.

Izuku breathes deeply to force himself to relax. It must have been noise coming from outside.

He swings his backpack off his shoulder and takes his coat off. Then, planning on taking a shower, he enters the closet to put away his things and get clean clothes. Just to see Kacchan sitting alone, on the floor of the dark closet.

"WAAH-CCHAN!" he screams.

"Shh! Shut up before someone hears you," Katsuki hisses.

Loud laughter coming from just outside his window gives weight to Katsuki's words.

"What are you doing here?" he whispers.

"What does it look like, Deku?" Katsuki asks with little patience.

"That you're hiding..."

"No shit, dweeb," Kacchan says, looking away.

Confused, Izuku plops down by Katsuki's side so they can talk better.

"But why are you hiding? Shouldn't you be having fun with your friends?"

Katsuki clicks his tongue and rolls his eyes. "What fucking friends?"

"The ones out there having dance-offs on top of the furniture?"

"I dont even know who those fuckers are," Katsuki sighs.

"What?" Izuku exclaims. "Did they break in? Should we call the police?"

"What? No!" Kacchan exclaims back but another sound of people outside makes them go back to whispering. "It's not like that. They're the people who used to party here and I may have said to the DJ that they could come whenever and then forgot about it. It's shitty, but I'm not going to call the goddamn cops. It'd just make a bigger mess than what we already have. Knowing these assholes, the paparazzi would come and the fuckers would sue me later. So it's best to just let it end on its own." 

"Oh… right...." Izuku whispers back. "I just don't understand why you're not enjoying the party since it's already happening."

"I—" Katsuki sighs "—really hate these parties. They're just a bunch of drunk idiots."

"But you used to have them a lot, you said."

Katsuki shrugs, "I thought that was the point of having money. Now I found better things to do with it."

"You did? Like what?" Izuku asks, honestly curious.

He doesn't see Kacchan spending a lot of money on himself. A hobby would be good for him since Kacchan doesn't have a lot to do with his time. But the answer he receives is undoubtedly something Izuku wasn't expecting.

"You," Kacchan says, looking straight ahead to the empty shelves of the closet.

"Me? What?" he asks, confused and flustered. "Why would you want to spend money on me?"

Kacchan just shrugs. "You look cute when you get gifts. You create beautiful things with the art shit I buy you. I just like taking care of you."

Izuku's cheeks heat up quickly and he scrambles on his words, not knowing what to say.

"Wha—Kacchan! This doesn't make sense! I—I—why would you like to take care of someone like me? You—you—"

Katsuki turns to him, ruby eyes looking straight into Izuku's soul, and says with an almost bored voice.

"Because I love you. But there's no need to freak out. I know you dont want me or my shit. You don't need to take this so seriously."

And with that, Kacchan goes back to looking at the empty shelves, pretending he didn't just drop that on Izuku's lap.

"But I will. I will take this very seriously, Kacchan," Izuku says with a shaky voice.

"I just told you—" Katsuki tries interrupting him, but Izuku doesn't let him.

"You're right. I don't want your things or your money," he says, and Kacchan turns his face away. "But I do want to keep you," Izuku says gently. "I—... I love you too, Kacchan."

Katsuki turns his face towards Izuku so fast he might have whiplash. 

"You do?" he asks in disbelief.

"Of course," Izuku smiles. "Kacchan is amazing."

"Can I—Can I kiss you?" Kacchan’s voice is wavering, unsure, as if Izuku hasn’t been dreaming about kissing him every night for weeks.

Izuku nods, his cheeks burning in embarrassment. Kacchan gently cups his face and brings their lips together. Their kiss is sweet and slow, but their hearts beat like thunder inside their chests. 

"You scared me saying shit like you were saving money to leave," Kacchan confesses.

"I'm sorry I scared you," Izuku grabs his hand tightly. "I didn't mean to leave you... I just want to not be a burden to you."

"You could never be a burden." 

"But I need to have my own work, make my money, Kacchan. That doesn't mean I don't want to be with you."

"I know," Kacchan grumbles. "It's just—It's fucking shitty to live alone in this freaking huge house. It's not made for one."

"Kacchan… Honestly, this house isn't made for two either. It's made for the party going on outside right now."

Kacchan sighs. "You're right. Shitty big house. I fucking hate it. It takes me ten minutes to go from the master bedroom to the kitchen. That's why I sleep on the living room couch." 

"You actually sleep there every night? I didn't—I thought you just waited for me there in the mornings."

"As if I could come down those stairs before my morning coffee," he says, shaking his head.

"Yeah, the stairs are awful," Izuku chuckles. "Glass railings? With glass steps? Who thought that was safe? I never go upstairs because I'm afraid of it."

"I should hire someone to change the stairs."

"I think we should move," Izuku says without really thinking.

"What?" Kacchan asks, surprised.

"I—I mean—If you don't like the house and—and it really isn't a good fit for us,” Izuku says awkwardly, suddenly realizing how entitled he's sounding.

Kacchan doesn't seem bothered, though.

"We'd look for a place together? You and me? For real?" he asks with a child-like wonder in his voice.

"I—I think so? You—you said you wanted to keep living with me, so I assumed—" 

"Fuck yeah! Let's fucking move!" Kacchan says with a bright smile. "Let's get away from this hellhole and find ourselves a nice place!"

Katsuki's excitement translates into another kiss between them.

"Let's do it," Izuku agrees when they pull back. 

"Someplace near the University, so you won't have to commute too long for classes."

"Classes?" Izuku frowns. "What do you mean classes? I don't—"

"I'll pay your tuition so you can go back to school," Kacchan says as if that’s the most obvious and easiest thing ever.

"Kacchan! I just said I don't love you for your money!" he protests. 

"I know," Kacchan says smiling. "But I still have way too much money and nothing to do with it. And I love your art. I want to provide everything you need to keep seeing you create stuff."

"I'll feel like I'm taking advantage of my boyfriend," Izuku pouts.

"I receive payment in art. Just show me everything you make, and we're good. Also, call me boyfriend again," Kacchan says with a mischievous smile.

"You're impossible, my boyfriend," Izuku answers smiling before giving him a peck on the lips. "I'll pay you back one day."

"Sure, when you're an internationally famous artist" Kacchan agrees.

"I love you, Kacchan," Izuku says because his heart feels too big for anything else.

"I love you, Deku," Katsuki responds, leaning down to steal his lips again.

And they lived happily ever after in a reasonably sized home.