An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Author: Maxine
Pairings: DekuBaku
Rating: PG-13
Chapters: 1/1 - COMPLETE
Word Count: 13,612
Notes: Secret Santa 2026 fic. :)
Summary: “Oi, nerd. What’re you doing next week?” Katsuki asks, no preamble.
“Uh.” Izuku blinks wide eyes up at him. “Hi, Kacchan. What am I – wait, what? When?”
“Next week,” Katsuki repeats, and oddly, Izuku seems to go pink across the bridge of his nose. “Over break? You got plans or what?”
“I mean. Not really? I guess I’ll probably just be at home. If you…” He pauses, swallowing, then plows on determinedly, “If you want to come over or anything. I know you haven’t really been to my place in years, but – well, you know. If you’re bored.”
“So you’re free,” Katsuki confirms.
Izuku squints at him. “Yes…?”
“Okay.” Katsuki falls silent, trying to work out a not-stupid way to ask, and then decides that asking at all is actually the stupid part. Why let him say no? “Come skiing with me,” he demands.
Featuring snowy hills and private hot springs, a little healing, lots of talking, nosy parents, and Katsuki & Izuku remembering what it's like to be friends.
And then learning how to become more.
~~~~~
PREVIEW
Izuku hums a bit, still sort of staring at his arm. After a moment, he lifts his eyes to catch Katsuki’s gaze. “How is it?”
“S’fine,” Katsuki says automatically, and Izuku’s lips purse.
“It’s–” Katsuki stops. Clenches his hand again, then lets out a long, low breath. “…It’s pretty fucked. Still. I’m getting strength back, but.” A frustrated sound escapes him. “It’s taking way longer than I thought it would.”
“You’ll get there, though,” Izuku says softly. “I know you will, Kacchan.”
“You know they offered to give me a prosthetic instead?” Katsuki huffs out a bitter laugh. “Like Mirko has. They thought I might as well just get rid of it because the alternative was so hopeless. I told ‘em to fuck off with that noise.”
Izuku darts his own hand out to clamp around Katsuki’s. Gentle but firm, and Katsuki’s breath gets momentarily stuck in his throat as knobby knuckles curl around him. “It’s not hopeless,” he says, eyes blazing. “Even if it takes until we graduate. Or longer! That’s how you use your Quirk. So no matter what, it’ll be worth it in the end.”
Katsuki chuckles again, almost helplessly this time, and Izuku blinks at him. “Yeah…” He gives Izuku’s hand a tentative squeeze. “That’s exactly what I said.”
“Great minds,” Izuku says. He sounds oddly breathless and clears his throat immediately afterwards. “You won’t give up because you’re stubborn.”
“You usually say that like it’s a bad thing,” Katsuki murmurs in a low rumble.
Izuku shakes his head. “It’s not. Maybe sometimes it’s frustrating. Or scary.” He draws in a shaky breath, then continues determinedly, “But it’s why you’re still here.”
“Frustrating and scary, huh?” Katsuki’s eyebrows arch in a pointed way. “Sounds familiar. Gee, who was the freckled nerd who took off all on his own because he thought he had to carry the weight of the world by himself? I think I know someone like that.”
Izuku’s gaze goes round. “You were scared?”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Katsuki uses their clasped hands to shove at Izuku, and then they both quickly seem to realize that they are, in fact, still holding hands, and hastily untangle themselves. “…It sucked,” Katsuki says after a semi-awkward pause. “It sucked a lot.”
“Seeing you…” Izuku trails off, throat working. “Before Edgeshot–” A sharp inhale. “That also sucked,” he finishes quietly. “More than you can imagine.”
“Sucked going through it, too,” Katsuki says dryly, and a wet, disbelieving laugh tears out of Izuku’s throat. “That shit hurt.”
Continue reading at AO3.
COMPLETE!
