Chapter Text
Okinawa is Izuku’s favorite place in the world, he flourishes here. The food is amazing, the freshest seafood available at every street market. The salty, humid air worked wonders on his skin and his hair but most of all, he loved being able to surf whenever he wanted, which was every day.
When he was surfing, he felt free. It’s exhilarating, chasing a wave, getting to ride it like a cloud, but mostly he just likes the bail. Every time he swims out and pops up on his bored, he secretly hopes he’ll wipe out. That moment when you gasp for air and go under and just let the ocean take you. Those few seconds before resurfacing are his favorite.
Today was a particularly humid day but Izuku didn’t mind, he’d be in the water for most of it anyway. He’d woken up, actually, quite late today. He didn’t roll out of bed until after eleven but he didn’t get too upset with himself, granted that the night before was a rough one.
He’d gone out clubbing with a few friends and ended up overestimating how much liquor he could really handle but it was ok, and even though most of it was a blur, he still had an amazing time with his friends. He even managed to bring home one of the most beautiful girls at the club.
Now don’t get him wrong, Izuku wasn’t a ‘player’ or anything but when he talked about surfing and showed off his scars from some of his narlier wipe outs, people just seemed to flock to him. Sometimes it just sparks a simple conversation, and sometimes one thing leads to another and next thing he knows he’s taking them home. And who is he kidding? He’s a single guy, and sometimes he needs some physical attention so he dosen’t always turn them down.
He glanced down at his watch; quarter to five. He couldn’t believe he’d been out here for almost five hours already. Time always seems to fly when he's surfing. An entire afternoon spent at the beach sometimes felt like only a single moment.
The sky was just beginning to fade from its default blue to a pinkish orange. The tide was starting to slowly come back in.
“One more.” He justified, jogging back to the water. The soft waves washed the tacky sand from his toes and soothed his warm legs. This was no doubt his favorite place.
—
Katsuki let his toes sink into the warm sand and closed his eyes. Oh how he’d missed the beach. Maybe that’s why he took that transfer opportunity so quickly, who knows. Whatever the reason was, he was glad. Sure, there were beaches not so far from Musutafu but its not the same.
He hated to admit it, but it was kind of intimidating knowing no one on a completely different island. For once he actually missed the idiots he came to call his friends. But Katsuki is a grown man and this is a big opportunity. He will be just fine here. The beach really helps.
He dropped the bag off his shoulder and pulled out his towel to spread on the sand. He kicked off his sandals and stripped himself of his top. He sighed as he finally laid down and shut his eyes, the sound of soft waves and seagulls in the background. How peaceful. It was already so different from the city, the only noises car horns and yelling.
It was sort of late to be sunbathing, but he wasn’t here for a tan. He thought maybe he could fall asleep here and he probably would have if he weren't disturbed by some idiot. Sand flew over him and he heard the unmistakable sound of two bodies colliding and hitting the ground. He sat up to see what had happened and the air was stolen from his lungs.
His eyes landed on a man and a woman, the man on top of the woman. The man helped the woman up and Katsuki could only assume he’d been the idiot to knock her down, but that wasn’t what had Katsuki so in awe, it was the man. He was tan, tall, covered in unmistakable freckles and an mop of messy, damp, green curls. There was no mistaking him. He knew the shape of him, his muscles, had traced and studied them in awe night after night and had clung so tightly to them countless times as he kissed his lips.
Katsuki looked away, heart racing out of his chest. He realized it was a possibility when he came here, but he wasn’t ready, at all. Maybe it wasn’t him, maybe he was just seeing things. He looked back.
The man rubbed his neck bashfully, just like he did, and smiled, apologising profusely. He turned and looked at Katsuki. His face froze.
No doubt, that was Deku.
—
“I’m so sorry Miss, again.” Izuku knew he was surely bright red. He couldn’t believe he’d been so careless, but he was always a clutz so he supposes it should be expected.
He sighed and drug his hands over hi face in embarrassment. He glanced over to the man he’d no doubt covered in sand when he fell and paused. That couldn’t be him, no way. Right? But by the way he returned his stunned look, he knew it had to be, so he smiled.
“It’s been a minute, Kacchan.” It was surreal, actually seeing Katsuki in person. He’d changed in the few years they’d been apart, he looked good. So good that it almost hurt to look at him. An overwhelming amount of memories flooded his mind. “How’ve ya’ been?”
“Good, actually.” Katsuki flashed a half smile and stood to better look at Izuku as they spoke.
“That’s good to hear.” It was hard not to stare. It was nostalgic, in a way, seeing him again. He thought he’d left that chapter of his life behind a long time ago but when he saw Katsuki he wasn’t sure what came over him. He wanted to catch up, hear about how his life is and everything thats changed since he left. It was almost like his feet moved towards him without him even knowing, like he was drawn to him. “Could you go for some tea?”
—
“So, Katsuki, what is new with you?” Izuku sipped his tea as he sat across from Katsuki. Never, in a hundred years, would Deku have thought he’d see him here.
“Not much really.” Katsuki stared down into his cup, blowing the steam before he could take a sip. He seemed to be ignoring the questions, or maybe just Izuku in general. He hadn’t been very talkative the whole time, which isn’t that strange. There was a sort of awkward tension between them, that usually comes with exes, but Izuku didn’t like it so he chose to ignore it.
“I find that kind of hard to belive.” he smiled and took another sip of his drink. “You’re telling me one of the most interesting and intelligent people in the world hasn’t done anything worth mentioning in the last, what, two and half years?” He laughed, “No. I don't accept that answer.”
Katsuki had a a look on his face that told Izuku he thought he was the most peculiar man on the planet, but he didn’t mind.
“Maybe we’ll come back to that one. What brings you here anyway?” For as long as Izuku had known Katsuki, he’d never known him to take a day off, even when he was sicker than a dog, let alone an entire vacation so he imagined he had to be here on bigger business than a get away.
Katsuki didn’t answer right away. He wouldn’t even look up from his cup, which knowing Katsuki’s confidence on a personal level, was a strange sight. He seemed uncomfortable.
“Well, actually, I just moved here.” He finally looked up at Izuku with a smile that said it all, that showed he knew exactly how that crushed Izuku and how bad Katsuki really felt.
“You, moved here?” the crack in his voice was raw. Izuku’s positive, upbeat attitude was gone and he seemed so utterly hurt.
“Yeah.” Katsuki sighed. “My work offered me some things I couldn’t pass up if I transferred down here so, here I am.” now Izuku was the one staring into his cup of codl tea, unsure of what to say. His mind went back to their last night together and that's all he could think of.
— Izuku, unlike Katsuki, loved being able to get away from the stress of the real world and when he had gotten the chance to go on a trip with Ochacko and Iida, he took it in the blink of an eye. He’d invited katsuki, ofcourse, but he hadn’t come.
The trip was to Okinawa. He’d been once when he was a child and had fallen in love with the island. He realized, after going back, that it apparently Wasn’t just childish idealization. He fell in love with it all over again. He didn’t want to leave, Okinawa was where he was meant to be.
He thought about it for weeks after coming back home. He couldn’t get it off of his mind, but Izuku couldn’t just leave. He was an adult, with adult responsibilities, his friends lived here, and his mother, Kacchan. But Izuku knew this is what he needed, so he told Katsuki.
“Kacchan, I want to move to Okinawa.” He said nonchalantly one night when they were sitting on the couch. Katsuki just chuckled.
“Don’t we all?”
“I’m serious Kacchan.” he put his hand on his arm and pulled the phone away from his face. “I feel like that's where I’m supposed to be.” Katsuki looked at him, baffled, trying to read him. He was serious.
“Deku, you cant be serious.” He scoffed.
“I am Kacchan, this is what I want. What I need.”
“You have got to be kidding me. Your whole life is here. What, your’e just going to leave everything behind? Your friends, Your career, Your mother?” He stared at Izuku and tears started to bubble up in the corners of his eyes. “Me?”
“Of course not.” Izuku held his cheek and wiped the tear that fell before Katsuki could do it himself. “Come with me?”
Katsuki’s face changed quickly and he backed away from Izuku’s touch.
“You want me to come with you?” The panic began to rise in Izuku's chest as Katsuki stood up from the couch.
“Ofcourse! I would never leave you.”
“You are Out of your mind, Izuku!” Katsuki pinched the bridge of his nose and grunted in frustration. Izuku’s heart raced and he stood up. He reached out and placed his hand on Katsuki’s shoulder but he shrugged it off harshley and turned to look at him. His face was wet with tears, same as Izuku’s.
“Kacchan please.” He sobbed. “I love you.”
Katsuki yelled, not any word just a noise of pure, utter frustration and confusion. Fingers balled up in tight fists, so tight they trembled and turned white.
“You are so Fucking selfish!” He shoved Izuku by the shoulders, and Izuku let him. He looked at him with the same hurt, angry look that Katsuki wore, but said nothing. “You can’t just come in here and push something like this on me out of nowhere. Maybe you don’t care about the life you’ve built here but I do! Do you know how hard I’ve worked to get the position I have? I can’t just leave Izuku!” he shook his head and looked at the floor. It was quiet for a moment until izuku spoke, blank look on his face.
“I have to go.” Katsuki looked up at him again, the look of betrayal unmistakable, but then it was gone as quickly as it came, replaced with the same blank stare as Izuku.
“I’m can’t.” —
“I’m still unpacking but” The awkward tension from earlier paled in comparison to now. Izuku pulled himself back into reality and looked back to Katsuki with a forced, small smile. “If you wanted to stop by sometime, that’d be ok.”
Izuku took a deep breath and looked the man in front of him in the eye. His smile widened.
“Yeah.I’d like that.”