Thread by @amarisllis

#bkdk #fluff #bkdkhalloweek2022 #BkdkHalloweek

slightly late sappy romantic dorks.
Prompt: Day 4 - pumpkins
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Izuku walks into the kitchen to find an astonishing sight, and he can only blink stupidly as he takes in the spectacle before him.

Kacchan is standing in the middle of the dorm kitchen, the orange apron with a bomb on it that Izuku got him for Christmas last year tied snugly around his waist. The countertop is a *mess,* even though Kacchan of course had the foresight to put a tarp down.

And Kacchan, well…

Kacchan’s arm is buried elbow-deep inside of a pumpkin, scooping out seeds and pumpkin guts with painstaking care.

Izuku can’t help it. He laughs. “Uh… Kacchan? Why are you murdering pumpkins in the kitchen?”

Kacchan doesn’t look up from his work, simply humming and nodding—

a greeting. Izuku’s smile grows, and he can’t resist invading Kacchan’s space, standing at his side and leaning up to kiss his cheek. He tries not to think too hard about how Kacchan leans towards him, presenting his face to Izuku’s waiting lips like a reflex.

Like it’s an afterthought, like it’s as natural as breathing to let Izuku kiss him.

They’ve been together for almost a year now, and it still sends butterflies flying through Izuku’s stomach.

But Kacchan still hasn’t answered his question. “What are you doing?”

Izuku spots an additional untouched pumpkin on the side of the counter that seemingly hasn’t been cut open and disemboweled yet.

“The hell does it look like?” He pulls out another handful of pumpkin guts, dropping them unceremoniously into the bowl next to him.

“Um. I know,—

but why?”

Kacchan looks at him like he sprouted a second head. “So we can *carve them,* dumbass, why the fuck do you think?”

Izuku’s mouth drops open for a moment, before a bright, happy smile takes over his features. “*Really?*”

Kacchan’s expression turns softer.

“Yeah, really. You like this shit, right?”

“Well, yeah, but last year…” Izuku trails off, a blush sprouting across his face. Last year they were still trying to find their way back together after the war, all awkwardness and walking on eggshells around each other.

Not like they are now. Kacchan had said last year that he would never carve a pumpkin, that it was stupid and childish and he didn’t have the time.

Now, Kacchan goes back to the pumpkin, scooping out another handful of it’s insides before inspecting it and placing the top back—

on. “Fuck last year. You wanted to carve a pumpkin, so we’re carving pumpkins.”

Izuku can see Kacchan’s face turning pink, and he *beams,* wrapping his arms around his neck and kissing his cheek again. It takes all his efforts not to squeal like a kid on Christmas, but he—

somehow manages to refrain. “And we can bake the seeds!”

Kacchan’s smile goes all soft and gooey again. “Sure, nerd. Pumpkin seeds ain’t bad if you season ‘em right.”

Kacchan reaches for him, intending to ruffle his hair, but Izuku bats his hands away with a pointed glare.

“*Gross,* Kacchan.”

Kacchan laughs, briefly walking away to wash his hands, and when he comes back he’s all up in Izuku’s space again. He finds Izuku’s lips, kissing him breathless for a moment before he pulls back and smiles.

It’s a little surreal, how horribly homey and—

domestic it all is. It feels like they’ve been doing this for years, *decades* even, like they’ve already made a life and home together despite only being 18 year old high school students.

Izuku hums, happy and content as he kisses Kacchan back. Maybe he’s thinking too far—

ahead, but they fought a *war* together and won. They’ve been through more than most people have in a lifetime, so maybe it’s normal to move a little fast, after that.

Slowly but surely, an idea starts to form in Izuku’s brain, and he pulls back with an all-too-familiar grin—

on his face. Kacchan notices immediately, smirking back at him.

“Alright, idiot, what are you thinking?”

Izuku cocks his head, faux-innocently blinking up at him. “What do you mean?”

“Competitive little shithead. You’re planning something. Spill it.”

And *oh,* Izuku loves this, the way that Kacchan instantly falls into step beside him, like they’re really equals now. He spent so long fighting to stand at his side like this, so to see him so eager to work *with* him even for something so small still does thinks to his—

poor, fragile heart.

And Izuku *is* a competitive little shit, just like Kacchan, so he laughs again, leaning up to kiss Kacchan’s nose. “We could make this *interesting,*” he drawls, raising an eyebrow and waiting for Kacchan to catch on.

When he does, his smile turns downright *feral.* “There’s no *way* you can carve a better pumpkin than me,” he says, without skipping a beat.

“Oh?” Izuku says, in that faux-innocent tone again. “Then what have you got to lose?”

“*Fuck,* I love you.”

It’s so quiet that Izuku nearly misses it, but the words go right through him, settling inside his chest and turning his insides into a giant, gooey mess. Kacchan doesn’t say those words often, but every time he does, they carry so much weight.

But then, the moment is broken—

by Kacchan shoving him back, crossing his arms and glaring at him defiantly. “What do I get when I win?”

*There’s* the Kacchan he loves so much, so confident and self-assured even for something as stupid and dorky as carving a pumpkin. But Izuku *knows* he’s damn good at—

pumpkin-carving, so he’s not letting his boyfriend win without a fight. “*If* you win,” he starts, making sure to emphasize the “if” because he knows it’ll get Kacchan riled up. “I’ll let you pick every movie we watch for the next 3 weeks. *And* I’ll hike up that giant mountain—

you were talking about with you.”

It’s a tempting offer, and Izuku knows it, but Kacchan simply raises an eyebrow. “And if you somehow manage to win?”

There’s that confidence again. Doesn’t Kacchan know he’s not going down easy? Oh, but the look in his eyes tells Izuku that—

he *absolutely* does, and he loves the challenge just as much as Izuku does. “*When I win,* you’re going to the Tokyo Museum’s hero exhibit with me.”

Kacchan’s eyebrows climb sky-high. “That’s kinda steep for a pumpkin carving bet, isn’t it, nerd?”

“Is it? Or are you just—

scared you’ll lose after all?”

Kacchan’s smirk turns downright deadly again. “*Bring it,* loser.”

—

A half-hour later, they’re both standing in the kitchen, aprons on and carving tools in hand. The pumpkin seeds are in the oven after Izuku helped Kacchan painstakingly season—

to perfection under his expert supervision. Kacchan doesn’t let Izuku cook with him often; he always says that cooking alone is a good way to clear his head and give himself a break. But the two of them making pumpkin seeds together on a crisp fall afternoon is just about the—

most romantic thing Izuku can think of, so he’s glad they got to do it.

Now, they’re both staring defiantly at each other, Kacchan all cocky bravado and Izuku doing his best to match him when he would kind of rather kiss Kacchan until it hurts instead. Some of the class has—

gathered to watch, and Mina actually seems to be organizing a betting pool amongst their friends. Izuku looks scandalized when Uraraka bets 1000 yen on Kacchan to win, and she simply shrugs apologetically while Kacchan cackles next to him.

(Kirishima's on his side, though.

Kacchan threatens to kill him for that one, and Izuku just smiles at him like the cat that got the cream).

Todoroki, Momo and Iida are their referees. Todoroki to keep their antics to a minimum, Iida chaperoning to keep everything in line, and Momo because she has a keen eye—

for aesthetics and can effectively judge pumpkin design.

Iida actually gives them a countdown to start, and somehow the theatrics make everything more fun. And then they’re off like rockets, both of them working furiously to carve their respective pumpkins while their friends—

cheer them on.

Izuku cheats a bit, using Blackwhip to grab various tools before Kacchan can get to them, and Kacchan retaliates by tickling him until he nearly knocks his pumpkin on the ground. He just shrugs when Izuku yells at him, giving him that *look* that he knows for a—

*fact* turns Izuku into putty.

*Mean.*

Izuku isn’t sure quite how much time has passed before they both finish carving, but it’s long enough that they had to take a break to get the seeds out of the oven. When they’re both suitably cleaned up, and the whole class is munching—

on pumpkin seeds, Izuku proudly displays his pumpkin with a satisfied grin. He *knows* it’s a masterpiece. He worked so hard, and their friends *ooh* and *ahh* appropriately at his handiwork.

It’s All Might themed, of course, a perfect pumpkin rendition of his Silver Age look.

He even managed to split the stem in half in a way that mimics the stuck-up pieces of All Might’s hair, and he made *excellent* use of negative space, if he says so himself.

“Not bad, nerd,” Kacchan mutters, looking at his pumpkin approvingly. But there’s something off about—

him all of a sudden; he’s chewing on his bottom lip, his eyes shifting down and away. Izuku can see the flush creeping up the back of his neck. It’s nothing like the cocky, confident grin he was sporting when they made the bet. He actually looks nervous. Scared, even.

Izuku is about to ask what’s wrong when Kacchan slowly, *shyly* turns his pumpkin around, rubbing the back of his neck as he looks anywhere but at Izuku’s face. Izuku can only gasp loudly, his eyes immediately *flooding.*

He looks at Kacchan’s pumpkin and sees *his own face*—

staring back, and Izuku can only gape at it amid the loud *awwws* coming from their assembled circle of friends. It’s his side profile, his brow furrowed like he’s deep in thought and concentrating intently on something. Almost like… *Did he really?*

The look on Kacchan’s face—

seems to confirm it; he’s got that shy, earnest expression as he meets Izuku’s eyes. He shrugs, trying to stay nonchalant even though he just dropped something so stupidly, intensely romantic at Izuku’s feet. “You looked pretty while you were carving,” he admits, turning a—

violent shade of red.

He looks so *sincere,* so adorable and earnest and hopeful that Izuku starts blubbering like a baby immediately. The craftsmanship is *immaculate* too; Kacchan put just as much work into carving it as he does everything else.

His own pumpkin is great,—

sure. But how in the heck is Izuku supposed to compete with *that?*

He can’t help it; he throws himself at Kacchan, arms locking around his neck and lips finding his. Kacchan barely has room to set the pumpkin down onto the counter with the way Izuku scrambles to get as close—

as possible, but once he does, his arms lock around Izuku’s back and he returns the kiss with just as much fervor.

His hands are hot against Izuku’s back when he breaks away, pulling back just enough to look Izuku in the eye. “Does that mean I win?” he asks, smile wide and eyes—

bright.

Izuku sniffles, nodding frantically before kissing him again, pointedly ignoring the whoops and jeers erupting from the rest of the room. Of course Kacchan wins. Kacchan’s *amazing.*

—---
Later that night, the pumpkin earns a prominent place on Izuku’s desk,—

displayed where anyone who enters his room can see it. Izuku’s pumpkin winds up in the common room, but he wanted to keep this one all to himself.

Izuku will be sad when it finally wilts, but maybe he can ask Kacchan if he’ll draw the picture on something more permanent.

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[THE END!💚🧡 once again this one got longer than i expected it to because to use the words of @creativgoggles i am a long winded fuck.

I hope you liked it!!! i was in the mood for something mindless and sappy and here we are lol] ko-fi.com/amarisllis

It’s now on AO3!!! archiveofourown.org/works/42749832

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