Bakudeku/Dekubaku Oneshots

Favorite Flower

“And why exactly do we have to look after her?” Katsuki growled, casting a wary glance at Eri, who was nestled snugly in Izuku’s arms as they walked.

“Because Aizawa-sensei is busy,” Izuku replied. “Come on, Kacchan, you’re good with kids.”

“I am not good with kids,” Katsuki grunted in disbelief. “They cling to me. Besides, unicorn child looks scared out of her mind. I don’t know why I’m here.”

Izuku gasped. “Her name is Eri!”, he said and turned to whisper in her ear. “Don’t worry about him, he can be a little grouchy sometimes.”

“Grouchy? I’ll show you grouchy,” Katsuki said, baring his teeth at Izuku.

“Now now, let’s all get along, shall we?”, Izuku smiled as he lifted Eri down onto the grass, sitting down beside her. “You should sit too.”

The blond rolled his eyes dramatically but listened, arms crossed as he refused to look at Eri. Looking at Izuku didn’t seem to be a better option either, so he glared into the flowers around them.

“That’s right, we’re going to make flower crowns!” Izuku said delightedly in response to whatever the girl had asked him earlier. Katsuki clearly wasn’t paying attention, so the boy turned to him instead. “Kacchan’s really good at making them.”

“I— what?”

“Flower crowns. You should show Eri how it’s done.”

“The f-”

“Language, Kacchan.”

The blond chewed on his inner cheek, weighing the options he could go from here. He could avoid a role in this if he let Izuku do all the work, but that would mean giving up the chance to shine. The two did make flower crowns when they were children, and it stirred up a foreign feeling inside his chest as he lingered on the memory.

Katsuki huffed, uncrossing his arms to gather flowers around them. “Alright, fine. Be prepared to make the best flower crown to ever exist, because you’re about to learn from the best.”

✿

“Ka...cchan-san?” Eri spoke up, putting a finger at her chin and tilting her head sideways, attempting to address the blond.

Izuku flushed and spluttered out an incoherent answer along with a fit of giggles. He had always called his childhood friend by his nickname, but wasn’t conscious of it until someone else said it whilst he was in earshot. “No, Eri-chan. Kacchan is Kat-”, he trailed off, fiddling with the flowers in his hands.

Katsuki wanted to slap his hand over Izuku’s mouth right then and there, but that would seem inappropriate in front of the child. It was embarrassing to hear anyone else say his nickname apart from Izuku, and he hadn’t anticipated his reaction either. Groaning, he dug his cheeks into his palms, rubbing them down his face. He most certainly wasn’t red. Sure, he was pissed off, but he wouldn’t let it out onto the child. Hearing Izuku attempt to say his proper name was refreshing. It was a new experience, but also a very embarrassing one. Half of him wanted to mock Izuku and dare him to say his name, whilst the other half wanted him to stop, because he hadn’t heard “Katsuki” in a decade.

When the blond met Izuku’s gaze, the latter turned away immediately, hiding his own face. A blush crept up his cheeks as he thought about his answer, fingers gripping the stems of the flowers so tightly they might break. Izuku needed to tell Eri that Kacchan was just a nickname, but how could he say Katsuki’s actual name without falling to pieces?

“Oi, nerd,” the blond said softly, urging him to answer Eri, who seemed to be very confused at their interaction.

“Y-yeah yes, Kacchan is...Ka...Ka...”

Katsuki wanted to dig a hole and bury himself alive right then and there. Not only was Izuku taking his sweet time to try and say his name, he was doing such a horrible job at it. He understood his embarrassment, but there was a time limit to what he could stomach.

Sighing internally, the blond spoke up. “Forget it. I’m Ka-”

“Katsuki.”

His heart stopped. Mouth slightly agape, he turned to Izuku with wide eyes, watching his cheeks grow red and damp. It was so foreign yet so breathtaking, he had to wrench his gaze away before he was caught red handed. He stared at the grass in bewilderment, ears straining as he tried to hear him say his name again. It took them both down memory lane to when they were still doing fun things as kids; it was like they were making flower crowns together again without a care in the world.

“Katsuki-san?” Eri echoed, giving the blond a big wide smile. He swore that she was around Izuku too much. Their smiles were equally infectious. “What’s your favorite flower?”

Tugging at the grass, Katsuki thought about his reply. He was still shaken from earlier. “I don’t have a favorite flower.”

Eri smiled brightly, waving her hands around in excitement. “Deku-san can be your favorite flower!”

Katsuki choked on his own spit and Izuku flushed once more. “Eri-chan, I’m not a flower.”

“But you’re so happy and bright just like these flowers!” Eri argued. “Katsuki-san must like you!”

“What? I do not like-”

“Kacchan doesn’t like me, Eri-chan! We’re just classmates!” Izuku gasped, desperate to get the situation under control.

“He called me a unicorn! That means you are a flower!” Eri countered, giggling up at Izuku.

“Okay, listen, that doesn’t make any sense.”

“No, please trust me! I can tell!” Eri refused to give up. There was a spark between the two of them that she couldn’t deny or ignore, and wanted them to see it for themselves. “There’s a reason why you’re called the Wonder Duo.”

That shut them up.

THE END