Imperfections | Bakugou Katsuki
It takes three months into dating to find something Katsuki is bad at. It’s frustrating really, his cocky attitude can’t be faulted when he really is that good.
He’s strong. He’s in the top ten on the hero charts now, you’ve gotten the pleasure to watch him first hand. Not only does he lift weights like they’re flimsy toys, his body control is something supernatural— the way he twists and flips midair, launching his body fifty meters high, a rag doll at the mercy of his own explosive strength. Yet he makes falling look like flight.
He’s handsome. Those deep red eyes, glistening like rubies in a glare best described as burning (you can’t help but melt under the intensity of it), his jaw and cheekbones so perfectly sculpted, a confident grin crossing his face when he catches you staring. You think it’s that smile against your lips that makes your mind go hazy when you kissed him for the first time.
He cooks well. Your second date is at his apartment, where he cooks you a meal that easily rivals the one you had at a five star restaurant for the first date— private dining in his modern lofted unit is just a plus. It’s satisfyingly clean too, counters sparkling, clothes put away, a little monstera plant by the window. You spend at least an evening a week there with him, curled into his side while watching a movie on the couch, telling him about your day, enjoying the presence of the man you’re slowly but surely falling hard for.
You should’ve looked closer at the monstera.
You think everything will be fine when you leave Katsuki the keys to your unit, telling him to water your plants while you’re away on a mission for a month.
“It won’t be long,” You say, taking one last glance over your balcony herb garden, “Just make sure to water them like I told you, maybe prune the basil once or twice.”
He swears he did what you told him to. He watered the ones you said to water, he plucked the basil back and checked on the plants every day while you were gone.
So why is it then, that you returned to wilted leaves, shriveled buds, and straggly stems?
“Katsuki, how?!” You exclaim, picking up a small pot of what was once rosemary and turning it, shocked at how the poor thing could be in such a condition.
“I don’t know!” He huffs. He paces at the door, throwing his hands up in exasperation. “I’ve never done this shit before!”
“You have a plant at home!”
“Yes you do!” You argue, “You literally have a monstera plant in your living room! It’s not that different!”
He smacks his palm against his forehead in frustration. “That’s a fake fucking plant!”
“It… is?” You look at him in surprise. It looked very real, but then again, with his kind of money… yeah, he would buy an expensive, realistic looking monstera just so he wouldn’t have to water it.
He nods, his frustrated expression slowly transforming into something more boyish, almost guilty. He tucks his hands in his pockets, looking at you only in his peripheral. Moments ago your first fight as a couple was about to be over a few herbs on the balcony, but now you can’t help but smile a little to yourself.
“So you, Bakugou Katsuki, can’t keep a plant alive?” You circle him, trying to make eye contact as he continues to scowl, “You can save hundreds of people, but not a pot of rosemary?”
“So what if I can’t?” He grumbles, “Can’t do everything at once.”
“You did a good job making me think it was possible.” You wrap your arms around his torso, hugging him from behind. “But I knew you couldn’t, somewhere deep down.”
His hands clasp yours as he relaxes into your embrace. As much as your teasing makes the heat rise to his ears, he’s relieved you’re not angry. You don’t think he’s ever let you keep him in a hug this long.
“Were you waiting for it?” He asks. He’s not sure if he should, but the words are out before he can further contemplate.
He hesitates before he finally clarifies for fear of the answer. “For me to mess up.”
You turn him around, pushing your face against his chest as you pull him closer. His heart beats solidly against your cheek, fingers tightening on your shoulders, waiting for an answer. If you knew he wasn’t perfect, then why wouldn’t you be waiting like everyone else, waiting for him to finally misstep? He knows the kinds of adjectives that describe his name in headliners, preying on him ever since his debut.
“Katsuki,” His heart beats faster when you say his name, he wanted to be perfect for you the same way he’s always been, only the best.
“I wasn’t waiting for you to mess up,” You look up at him, anything but disappointed. “I was waiting for you to open up. Anything to show that even Dynamight is just a guy, that Bakugou Katsuki is just a guy. I’m not perfect, I don’t want you to be perfect either.”
But you are perfect, he thinks, at least for him. Maybe sometimes you don’t put your clothes or your dishes away, he’s watched you trip over the doorstep and scramble to meetings ten minutes too late, but none of that has ever skewed his perception of you. Those are never the things he thinks of when someone mentions you, he hears your name and he thinks of the sweet scent of your perfume, the way your hair blows in wisps around your face and how your laugh sounds. He thinks of moments like this, you staring up at him, wide-eyed, warm, loving, telling him exactly what he needs to hear even if it’s not always what he wants or expects— that’s you.
So why wouldn’t you see him that way too? It takes a minute for him to wrap his head around the concept: imperfections overlooked because they’re attached to a person that is more than their flaws.
But he couldn’t explain what he’s thinking if he tried. Plants aside, words have never been his strong suit either. Instead he presses his face into your hair, breathing a sigh of relief.
“I’ll get you new plants.” He says.
Even if he can’t take care of plants, he’ll do his best to nurture the relationship that’s beginning to grow.
Date posted: January 31, 2023
A/N: Hadn’t posted in a while so I reflected on one of my personal Katsuki headcanons and made a ficlet out of it— hopefully it’s not a mess and gets my blog running again haha
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