Bakudeku/Dekubaku Oneshots AU

You're What's Amazing

“So? How does it feel?”

Katsuki leaned forward, intent on the expressions twitching across Izuku’s face. Expectation was like a burgeoning eruption in his chest, hot and exciting as it pressed against his ribcage.

On the other side of the glass screen, Izuku was staring at the palms of his hands, still trailing wisps of smoke that matched the scorch marks on the wall of the little test room.

Next to Katsuki, researchers were frantically tapping at keyboards and scribbling notes as a little hologram of Izuku replayed the last thirty seconds over and over again. Given his vast experience at using several different quirks, not to mention his absolute obsessive nerdiness when it came to all things quirk, Izuku had been the natural choice to test a new quirk transfer technology, and he’d practically drooled at the opportunity to try out Katsuki’s quirk for himself.

Once Katsuki had been able to crush a little kernel of jealousy—after all, nobody could be better with his quirk than himself—watching Izuku use Explosion had been pretty damn awesome.

He leaned on the intercom button again. “Oi, nerd. You still with us?”

Izuku’s head jerked up. “Sorry! Yes! Yeah, I’m good, it’s good—it’s really good! Shall I go again?”

“What do you mean, good—” Katsuki’s question was drowned out as the researcher nearest the intercom dragged the microphone over and began directing Izuku into further tests.

Katsuki huffed through his nose, sitting back and folding his arms. That hadn’t exactly been the reaction he’d expected—screams of exhilaration followed by intense muttering sessions, yes, but good? Maybe the nerd was simply overwhelmed by the sheer power of Katsuki’s quirk.

He watched as the researchers put Izuku through his paces. They measured everything from the heat to the output and size of his explosions; Katsuki couldn’t restrain a smirk when they concluded that Izuku’s basic explosions were weaker than his own.

But he had to admit that Izuku handled it well. Years of throwing himself around with One for All’s various powers had left him lithe and quick on his feet—not to mention Katsuki was absolutely one hundred percent sure that Izuku had full notebooks committed to him stashed away somewhere, the little stalker.

Not wanting to stay in the control room with the excited researchers, who were about to give him a headache from their shrill analyses, Katsuki waited until Izuku was wrapping up and then headed to the locker room.

“Ah, Kacchan!”

Katsuki snorted. A top Pro Hero, and Izuku still startled clumsily as he came through the door, nearly dropping a half-drained water bottle. Snatching the bottle from the air, Kasuki threw it at him with a smirk, then sat himself on the low bench.

“They give you the all clear?”

Izuku nodded as he swiped at his face with a sports towel. There were soot lines on his face, outlining the shape of his costume’s mask in stark black. “Yeah, they said I might have a bit of extra sweat for an hour or two, but otherwise I’m all back to normal.” He laughed quietly. “Kacchan’s quirk is kinda sweaty, huh?”

He yelped as Katsuki kicked at the back of his knee, clutching the open locker door to stop himself collapsing. Despite the laughter that passed across his face, there was something in his expression that had Katsuki on edge.

“That all you got to say for it, then?” Katsuki put an extra growl into his voice. “You were so damn excited about it this morning, and now you look like someone stuck your special edition Golden Era All Might figurine in the toilet.”