Work Text:
Fuck Your Closet
Katsuki loved many things about Izuku. When they were younger, he had often denied this fact, but these days, he was more than happy to let anyone know his claim to Izuku. To everyone around the two, the connection had always been obvious, even as they fought like cats and dogs. Subtly was something that neither of the men had much of a grasp of.
Yet Katsuki found that despite the almost overwhelming love he felt towards Izuku, there was one thing he couldn’t get past. Izuku had completely horrendous taste in clothes. Now maybe to most, this wasn’t that much of an issue. But for Katsuki—whose parents had an immaculate sense of fashion that they had ingrained into him as well—it was hard for him to ignore. He wouldn’t feel justified if he didn’t know that Izuku’s friends also recognized the issue. Most simply dismissed it as an endearing trait—but when Izuku still couldn’t get his shit together for public events, they started to come to the same conclusion as Katsuki.
Katsuki had finally reached the last straw when Izuku chose to wear an absolutely awful All Might graphic t-shirt for an interview. For a week, Katsuki had suppressed the desire to explode the entirety of Izuku’s wardrobe. He had nearly succeeded when Izuku entered their apartment in a new t-shirt with the words ‘Tank-top’ across the front. Katsuki’s eye twitched as he stared at it with disdain. At that point it had become a matter of pride for Katsuki—no boyfriend of his was going to be seen dressed like… that .
So that night as the pair sat on the living room couch, Izuku against Katsuki’s chest, Katsuki decided there’d be no better time to bring it up.
“Hey, baby,” he started, using the pet name that Izuku was fond of, “You dress like shit.” He spat out bluntly. He expected some sort of outrage or hurt since he’d just insulted the other.
Izuku simply looked back at him, an eyebrow raised. He was confused as to why the topic of his poor dressing had suddenly popped up. He had no problem with that observation, however. He was well aware of his lack of style—he just couldn’t be bothered to care.
He simply responded, “Probably. I just buy whatever is comfortable.” Thinking the answer was obvious.
Katsuki would disagree that it was a sensical conclusion. Everyone had to have at least some preferences for their style. Yet at the same time, he realized that this was Izuku he was talking about—what might be common sense when it came to other people was illogical with him. Since the conversation was going better than Katsuki had anticipated, he figured he could continue with the plan he’d come up with earlier that day.
“We’re both off Thursday, yeah?” He asked.
Izuku tapped his fingers on the couch as he recalled his schedule for the week in his mind. It was rare for them to have a full day off overlap in both their schedules.
“Yeah, we are. We have the entire day off!” Izuku replied happily. The thought of being able to spend an entire day relaxing together was definitely something worth looking forward to in Izuku’s mind.
“Good,” Katsuki said. “We’re gonna get you some decent fuckin’ clothes. You need to stop dressin’ like you shop at a discount store. It ain’t like we can’t afford it.”
Izuku’s face fell into a pout as his hopes for Thursday were dashed. Though he didn’t really want to go shopping, he figured it at least wouldn’t be entirely awful if Katsuki went with him. He did debate arguing against the shopping trip but decided against it knowing that once Katsuki was on a mission, there was no deterring him. They shared that trait. It was part of the reason they were such a good match.
“Okay, Kacchan.” Izuku spoke before he twisted around from where he sat between Katsuki’s legs and pressed his ear to the blond’s chest, his heartbeat lulling Izuku into sleep.
Thursday had come upon them quickly amid a hectic work week. Nothing major had occurred on duty for either hero—but the paperwork had kept them both trapped at their desks later than their shifts.
So when the alarm clock started to beep that morning, Izuku wanted nothing more than to fling the annoying thing at the wall and roll over into the broad and warm chest to let himself slip back to sleep. For a moment, he thought he would get his wish when Katsuki sat up and shut off the alarm. However, Katsuki had no intention of allowing him to drift back into the dredges of sleep.
From where Katsuki was sitting, all that was visible of Izuku was the pile of green curls sticking out of the bed sheets, his body curled up under the covers. He watched as Izuku’s form beneath the covers shifted with the rise and fall of his breaths, but made no indication of any attempt to leave the warmth.
“Izu, baby. Wake up.” Katsuki said, his voice soft as he tried to rouse the other. Instead, he received an annoyed groan as Izuku snuggled deeper into the blankets
Gently waking Izuku up was not in the cards for Katsuki that morning, he realized. So he resorted to a more abrasive method of waking the other up. In one smooth motion, he pulled the covers down from over Izuku’s head, exposing his freckled form to the morning sunlight as he remained tightly curled into a ball.
Izuku whined as the cold air hit his body, the sun shining from behind his eyelids forcing him further into the waking world.
“Kacchan! Just five more minutes.” he pleaded.
Katsuki snorted a laugh at that. Five minutes for Izuku was never really five minutes—it didn’t matter if it was work, sleep, or training.
He prodded Izuku’s side with his finger to annoy him before saying, “Nope. Up Izuku, Time to shower.”
Izuku’s eyes finally slid open to shoot Katsuki an angry glare beneath his green curls. He agreed to the shopping trip—not to be woken up so early on his free day. On top of that, he was still a little upset that they wouldn’t be spending the majority of their day in their comfy king-sized bed.
Katsuki barely managed not to laugh at the adorable glare Izuku was shooting his way—he had no intention of aggravating him further. Katsuki opted instead for his foolproof method of getting Izuku to cooperate—he got up and extended his hand down to Izuku to pull him out of bed. They both knew it was a cheap shot—Izuku would always take Katsuki’s hand if he offered it. And that was exactly what Izuku did before being tugged out of the bed and to his feet, then steered away from the bed, half-awake and disgruntled. Once in the bathroom, Katsuki turned on the shower before he stripped Izuku of his boxers and guided him into the warm stream of water from the shower head. Katsuki pulled off his sweatpants and stepped in behind him.
Izuku was still more asleep than awake as he leaned his full weight back onto Katsuki’s chest. It wasn’t the first time Katsuki had bathed him. Izuku’s complete trust in Katsuki left him as putty in the other's hands. Katsuki scrubbed his fingers along Izuku’s scalp, which caused him to hum a happy noise of encouragement for him to continue.
It brought Katsuki satisfaction to know that this was an Izuku only he knew. That it was because of Izuku’s absolute faith in Katsuki Izuku allowed himself to act this way. Katsuki started to lather up Izuku’s body when his fingers grazed a sensitive area a little too hard, causing Izuku to whine and wake a bit more. Katsuki hadn’t intended to provoke a response from Izuku and quickly shot off an apology.
“Sorry, Baby. Go back to sleep.”
“Kacchan. C’mere.” Izuku mumbled, arms open, an indication he wanted Katsuki to hug him.
Katsuki put down the soap, stepping closer before turning Izuku to face him. Izuku secured his arms around the blond’s waist as he stretched up to cover the few inches that separated them, pressing their lips together lazily. Katsuki responded, running his tongue along Izuku’s lower lip, his hands climbing from his waist to tangle in the freshly washed green curls. Izuku met his advances, allowing his lips to separate, and Katsuki’s tongue slid along his teeth. The two stood half under the warm water as they kissed languidly, simply enjoying being with one another. When Katsuki finally pulled back, Izuku clamored to keep his hands on the other's shoulders—but Katsuki didn’t go far before he pressed their foreheads together.
“You taste gross.” He whispered, a teasing smirk on his face.
“I haven’t brushed yet.” Izuku mumbled back.
Katsuki hummed a response. He let his hands rub up and down the freckled back, and he could feel Izuku’s hold loosening as he drifted back into a half-conscious state. He finished cleaning Izuku up with a couple of nonsensical comments coming from the other as he went. As he washed himself, Izuku leaned on him and Katsuki was careful not to disturb him. Once done, he guided Izuku out, helping him into a robe before sitting him down on the toilet seat—wrapping his own towel around his waist before drying Izuku’s hair. Then he dragged the sleepy man out to the bedroom and sat him on the bed, returning to the bathroom to dry his hair, brush his teeth, and get dressed before he headed to the kitchen to start on breakfast for them both.
When Izuku found himself completely awake, he was sitting on the bed in a robe, his hair almost dry. With a sigh, he stood, picking clothes out of the dresser to put on, and went to the bathroom. He brushed his teeth and hung his robe on the hook before getting dressed and following the smell of coffee and food to the kitchen.
He found Katsuki dressed and cooking as he plopped into a seat at the counter. A little out of his reach, he saw Katsuki’s coffee cup, the warm liquid steaming slightly. Eyeing the cup, he decided that if Katsuki wanted him to be awake, he needed coffee. He leaned forward enough to reach the cup and snatched it off the counter. He held the cup between his hands, savoring the warmth before bringing it to his lips and taking a sip. His face fell as he tasted the coffee. He went to take another sip and confirmed what he’d thought. Despite being in Katsuki’s mug, it had been prepared to Izuku’s preferences. He sat the mug down to shoot a dirty look at Katsuki’s back.
“You wake me up like that and you can’t even give me the satisfaction of stealing your coffee?” he griped.
Katsuki didn’t respond to the half-hearted complaint. Izuku had a habit of wanting to whine in the mornings—it was why he had made sure to put Izuku’s coffee in one of his mugs near where Izuku would sit. His own coffee—black, of course—sat next to the stovetop where he cooked the eggs, rice, and vegetables. When he was done, he split the food into two portions, placing one in front of Izuku and the other next to him as Katsuki grabbed his coffee and walked around the counter to take his seat.
Izuku stabbed a vegetable with his fork before shoving it into his mouth. He ate silently, but by the time his plate was clean and his cup was empty, he realized he was in a much better mood.
Katsuki had also noticed and when he stood up, he fluffed Izuku’s green curls before pushing them back and pressing a quick peck to his forehead.
“You good to head out in ten?” He asked as he gathered their dishes and moved them to the sink.
“Yeah. That’s fine. Are we going to the mall?” Izuku asked.
“Mmn. So don’t forget your hat and mask.” Katsuki replied as he walked out of the kitchen and down the hallway towards their bedroom.
Izuku got up from his seat, stretching as he walked to the sink to wash the dishes. There hadn’t been many, so he finished the last plate just as Katsuki walked back in, making his way to the door to put on his shoes. Izuku dried his hands and grabbed his mask and hat from a basket in the living room before sitting next to Katsuki to tug on his red shoes. They put on their disguises before heading out of the apartment.
They managed to make it to the mall without issue and Katsuki was watching as Izuku flittered between store windows—not one of them a clothing store. He’d made the mistake of entering the mall near the merch stores, resulting in Izuku darting off immediately. He realized this would likely be more of a challenge than he had originally thought. While Izuku was distracted by a display, Katsuki walked up next to him and laced their fingers together—essentially leashing Izuku to his side. He tried to steer him away from the stores, but was met with resistance.
Katsuki offered a compromise then, “We can look in these stores later. We needa get you some clothes first or we won’t get done.” Izuku accepted the compromise as he let Katsuki drag him toward the clothing stores.
The first store they entered was a casual clothing store that Katsuki was familiar with. Once they had crossed the threshold, he released Izuku’s hand, knowing he wouldn’t leave the store as long as Katsuki was still shopping. Izuku wandered off to look on his own as Katsuki searched for something that would look good on Izuku.
Katsuki looked through a rack of crewcut pullovers, throwing two solid colored ones over his arm before continuing towards the pants. While Izuku’s pants were not the same nightmare as the shirts, Katsuki definitely wanted to buy a pair that did Izuku’s body justice. The loose-cut pants he wore did nothing but obscure his well-toned legs. Katsuki thought that after all the work Izuku had put into his legs through his hero training, he should show them off on occasion. Katsuki wouldn’t deny, however, that his stake in buying the pants was being able to see Izuku’s ass.
Keeping in mind Izuku’s preference for comfort, he chose denim blends in hopes of the pants being worn regularly. As he walked through the store searching for Izuku, he picked up one or two more things that stood out to him. He found Izuku in the rear corner of the store next to a sock display, an especially busy pair of socks in his hands.
Katsuki lifted the arm that the clothes were tossed over to show Izuku, “Come try these on.”
“Alright.” Izuku responded as he followed Katsuki to the fitting room, socks in hand. Katsuki gave the pile to Izuku to take with him as he sat outside the fitting room stall.
Izuku put on one of the pullovers and a pair of distressed jeans that were far tighter than he normally wore, though he was pleased to find they were pretty comfortable despite that. He stepped out to let Katsuki see the outfit.
Katsuki looked up and down Izuku’s form and was quite pleased with how it looked—even with the red shoes Izuku insisted upon wearing. Izuku flushed a little under Katsuki’s scrutiny and tugged at his pants, which Katsuki immediately clocked.
“Are they too tight or are you just used to wearin’ pants that don’t fit?” Katsuki asked.
“Are you sure they look okay?” Izuku sounded uncertain.
Katsuki quirked a brow. “Course they do. I picked ‘em. Did you see anything else you want besides the shitty socks?”
Izuku went back into the fitting room as he considered it. He honestly had tried to look around for a few minutes—but he soon grew bored with having no clue what made one style different from another. The only item that had stuck out to him was a jacket he thought Katsuki would look nice in, and he noted where it was. After more failures in finding anything he liked, he wandered off toward the colorful sock display, becoming totally distracted.
As he exited the dressing room, he decided to grab the jacket to show Katsuki. “Yeah, give me one second.” Izuku said as he walked back into the store.
Katsuki grabbed the rest of the clothes from the stall, waiting for Izuku to return. he reappeared a moment later with a hooded black leather jacket that was a few sizes too big for him and not something Katsuki could see the other wearing. What surprised him even more was the fact that it was an attractive style.
“That’s not gonna fit you.”
Izuku rolled his eyes at that. “I know that. That’s why this isn’t for me. I thought it would look good on you. Do you hate it?”
Katsuki looked at the jacket again—trying to see if there was something weird about it—but he found nothing.
“Nah, I like it, actually. Just didn’t think it’d be somethin’ you’d pick.” He stuck his hand out to Izuku. “I’ll get it.”
Izuku surrendered the jacket to Katsuki, who added it to the clothes he picked for Izuku before they headed up to the cash register to pay. They then exited to proceed to the next store.
Once again, Katsuki picked out clothes for Izuku, who would look seriously for a few minutes before wandering around. This time, Katsuki ended up with more pieces for Izuku since he liked this store's aesthetic more for the other man. When he went to find him, he had sweaters, button-ups, and some tasteful graphic t-shirts tossed over his arm. He found Izuku had picked out some shirts from around the store. When Katsuki looked at Izuku’s selection, he immediately groaned.
“Nope.” He said as he reached over and snatched a particularly chaotic All Might t-shirt from the top of the pile.
“But Kacchan! It’s All Might.” Izuku whined.
“You have plenty. I know you aren’t gonna let me toss those, so no more.”
Izuku looked quite upset at this, so when Katsuki saw another All Might graphic t-shirt—a vintage style with more muted colors and simplistic design—he grabbed Izuku’s size and tossed him the shirt.
“How ‘bout that one?” Katsuki asked.
“Okay, but I like that one better.” He shrugged at Katsuki, motioning to where the other shirt now hung.
Katsuki snorted, “And that is why we’re doing this, nerd.” He passed Izuku the clothes he had picked, taking Izuku’s pile to see what else he needed to veto.
Once again, he found a piece among the selection that was stylish, but was definitely not Izuku. He checked the size this time and sure enough, it was once again something he’d picked for Katsuki. He stared at Izuku, who was looking through the clothes that Katsuki had chosen for him.
“Izu, do me a favor,” Katsuki started, his voice curious and somewhat amused. “Go pick something out for Cheeks.”
Izuku looked at him in confusion for a second, then silently handed over what he was looking through and walked deeper into the store. A few minutes later, he returned with a pink long-sleeve crop top and a pair of black denim overall shorts.
“Are we getting Uraraka something? It’s not her birthday for a while yet.” Izuku asked, tilting his head.
Katsuki tried to restrain his laughter, but it broke through as he looked at Izuku’s confused face.
“Baby, how’s it you pick out clothes for other people fine, but everything you wear is a mess?” Katsuki managed to get out between his bursts of laughter.
He thought that there was something so very Izuku about being able to pick out clothes for his friends, but having no idea how to dress himself.
Izuku flushed as he watched Katsuki laugh before crossing his arms and mumbling, “Mean.”
Katsuki was still laughing as he stepped forward and flicked Izuku’s forehead beneath his cap.
He leaned in and whispered—loud enough for only Izuku to hear, “Yeah, but you like it.”
He then stepped back and made his way to the cash register, leaving Izuku frozen in his spot for a moment before he chased after Katsuki.
When they left that store to head for the next, Katsuki could tell Izuku was reaching his limit for looking at clothes. Katsuki glanced at the bags they were carrying and decided that the next store would be the last before they went to the merch stores that Izuku had zoned in on when they had entered.
“Last one.” Katsuki promised as he practically dragged Izuku through the store doors.
The promise that this was the last store excited Izuku, but it was also the store he dreaded the most. Formal attire. He couldn’t stand when he had to dress in formal wear. He hated how uncomfortable and inflexible suits were and avoided formal wear as much as possible. Unfortunately, being a hero meant that he had to attend events with formal dress codes. The last event he attended had only made his dislike stronger. He had to stand next to Katsuki—who looked like a celebrity—while he looked like a kid playing dress-up in their parents' suit.
“Do we have to?” Izuku asked, despite knowing the answer.
Katsuki didn’t bother to respond to that. This was the part that he’d been looking forward to the most. He had learned a while ago that he had a weakness for Izuku in formal wear. That was why, when he had seen how he was dressed at the last event, he’d wanted to wring the neck of whoever picked out Izuku’s clothes. They had put Izuku in a black tuxedo and bowtie that hadn’t been tailored to fit properly. Katsuki was determined to find at least one outfit that was a proper fit and style for Izuku while they were there.
Unlike the other stores, Izuku trailed close behind Katsuki, watching as the blond picked a white button-up, a black suit vest, a pair of straight-legged suit pants, and a green tie a couple of shades darker than Izuku’s eyes. When they got to the fitting rooms, Katsuki shoved Izuku and the clothes into the stall.
With a sigh, Izuku started to change into the clothes and was shocked to find that the clothes didn’t feel as restricting as he normally found formal wear. Once he was dressed in the outfit, he exited to show Katsuki.
Katsuki looked Izuku up and down as he stepped out, admiring how the clothes accented Izuku’s features. He stepped forward and rolled the sleeves up to just below Izuku’s elbows, showing off the muscles covered in various white scars and a scattering of freckles.
“There.” Katsuki said as he stepped back. The pants could stand to be tailored a bit, but it was already far more flattering than what he had last seen him in.
“Looks good. Real good. You like it?” He asked.
Izuku stepped out further and studied himself in the mirror. He was surprised to find that he did look good. No part of the outfit sat awkwardly askew on his frame and he felt like he looked his age instead of like a child.
He completed his assessment before responding, “Yeah, I do. It’s not that uncomfortable either.”
Katsuki reached a hand forward and ruffled the green curls atop Izuku’s head. “Change and we’ll check out and go to the merch stores you were lookin’ at when we got here.”
Izuku’s face lit up as he turned on his heel and entered the dressing room to change. Katsuki collected the clothes from over the door and went to pay. When he returned to the dressing room he found Izuku waiting—bouncing between his toes and heels—all signs of fatigue gone at the prospect of not looking at any more clothes.
“Ready, Kacchan?” Izuku asked.
Katsuki hummed as he enjoyed how cute Izuku was when he got excited. He allowed Izuku to lead them, hands intertwined, from the store and towards the part of the mall where they’d entered.
When they arrived, Katsuki watched as Izuku raced around, excitedly mumbling to himself as he appraised the different hero merch. Katsuki would never cease to find Izuku’s fascination with heroes—despite being one and knowing many more—funny. It was a reminder that while many things change over time, some things don’t.
After a few minutes of watching, Katsuki started to look around himself and felt a sense of nostalgia as he thought of coming to these stores with Izuku when they were just kids. His eye was caught by a little Deku stuffed toy that characterized the number one hero as an adorable little bunny. He couldn’t help but grin as he pictured the energetic Izuku as a rabbit. He picked one up and determined that there was nothing wrong with him getting a plushie of his boyfriend. If he had to justify it, he could always argue that it was nothing compared to Izuku, who had collections of all his classmates. Katsuki smirked as he thought about Izuku’s Dynamite collection being the biggest next to his All Might collection.
Katsuki walked over to Izuku, who was looking at a figure of Uravity with a look of awe on his face.
“Kacchan! Look how well they represented Uraraka! They even gave her a great pose.” Izuku said as he examined it from different angles.
Katsuki looked at the figure and had to admit it was pretty well done. “You get what ya wanted, nerd?”
“Yep!” Izuku cheered as he held up the basket to show Katsuki.
“Give it. I’ll pay. You did good with the clothes.”
Izuku hesitated in handing over the basket but soon relented and Katsuki took the basket and to the counter, tossing in the Deku plushie at the last second. He retrieved the bag and returned to Izuku.
“You wanna look at the other one? Or are you good?” Katsuki asked.
Izuku considered it for a moment, but they had already looked in the store he really wanted to and it was getting to be a little later in the day.
“It’s fine! Let’s head home. I don’t want to get trapped out when it's busy.” Izuku responded, bringing his cap down a little lower over his hair.
With that, the pair made their way back home, managing to miss most of the afternoon traffic. Unlike most days, they managed to escape recognition while they were out.
The rest of the day was spent watching TV and playfully arguing over clothes. Katsuki wanted to toss the entirety of Izuku’s closet and Izuku opposed the loss of his name t-shirts. They eventually agreed that Izuku could keep some of his name t-shirts with the condition he’d only wear them at home. Katsuki chose to consider that a win. After all, He may hate how Izuku dressed, but he loved Izuku. So what were a couple of awful t-shirts if they kept the nerd happy?