We have arrived at the end! A little wrap up for everyone that is well deserved. Enjoy some fluff. Note: The olive joke is dedicated to my brother. He came up with the idea and it's his own brand of teasing because he knows that I love them. :P

Thank you all so much for reading and I'm glad you were here. :D

Edit 7/3/2020: This story now has a sequel! But due to its higher rating, it can only be found on my Archive of Our Own Account. Thank you!

Chapter 14

Operation "Get Kacchan on the Rebound after he was Dumped by Daiki" was a total success.

It may have changed names several times during the entire ordeal over the past few months and still wasn't a totally accurate description of events ("I didn't get 'dumped,' Deku."), the end result remained the same: Izuku and Kacchan were dating—practically engaged, even.

(Izuku was well aware he was getting ahead of himself, but he had had one too many "Daiki and Kacchan got married" nightmares to not indulge in a few of his own fantasies!)

Their one month anniversary had just passed and Izuku felt confident their relationship wasn't going to all fall apart at the slightest provocation, unlike the doubts he harbored the day after it really sunk in that Kacchan had asked him out properly.

Izuku even had stopped asking to make sure Kacchan was sure he made the right decision they were dating.

"Would you stop?" Kacchan had said, reaching over and grabbing Izuku's head. He ruffled the hair, messing up the curls and forcing Izuku's head down. "We probably weren't going to work long term anyway. I mean, Daiki likes olives on his pizza. Who even does that? It's disgusting."

"Yeah, awful," Izuku had said, vowing to never eat another olive again in his life. "That definitely would have been a deal breaker for me, too."

"See? Nothing to worry about," Kacchan said.

Truth be told, there was only one moment about a week and a half in where things started to look like there might be trouble, but that had more to do with Kacchan's frustration over his parents trying to catch him and Izuku being intimate together than their actual relationship with each other. Izuku wasn't sure what Kacchan did to make them stop, but it seemed to work and they no longer tried to crash into Kacchan's room when they were making out.

(He also wasn't sure he wanted to know considering it involved Kacchan's mother.)

Best of all, one month had been plenty of time to settle into a comfortable and rewarding routine:

They walked to and from school together once again, which was the most nostalgic of the changes to their dating life. Izuku remembered the days where he'd trail behind Kacchan on the way to school every day when they were younger and he had missed it. There was something nice about seeing Kacchan in the mornings before he had had time to get angry at the day that Izuku couldn't help but cherish.

And now he got to see that face every morning walking right next to Kacchan instead of a few feet behind—a drastic improvement.

Dating Kacchan at school, however, was pretty much the same as not-dating Kacchan at school, funny enough. Izuku and Kacchan kept to their own social circles to keep their friends from rioting. Kirishima and the rest of Kacchan's circle of friends still wanted his time while they could get it and there was no way Izuku was going to miss his own time catching up with his friends. Uraraka and Iida would tease him relentlessly if he did anything else! And now with Todoroki as their back up, Izuku made sure they got their fair share of time talking about things other than Izuku's love life for a change.

(Of which Iida was intensely grateful, Uraraka was disappointed by the lack of gossip, and Todoroki had little opinion about.)

The one exception from their school schedule came on Wednesdays when Kacchan and Izuku dropped their usual lunch tables to eat outside together. The first time they'd shared lunch alone, Kacchan had brought a handmade lunch and Izuku had been so happy he cried. Kacchan panicked, trying to figure out what he'd done wrong, and Tokoyami took a picture as he walked by. Overall it had been a disaster of a first lunch date, but Izuku later convinced Kacchan it was the best lunch he'd ever eaten and he'd just been overwhelmed with joy.

(Izuku mentally apologized to his mother, but it was true. Kacchan was amazing in the kitchen!)

When school ended, Izuku found the best perks of his new relationship status: Getting to be alone with Kacchan.

Everything felt warmer when it was just the two of them. Izuku didn't cuddle in Kacchan's lap like a certain someone else, but he did take great joy in leaning on Kacchan's side, shoulder to shoulder. If he was feeling needy, Izuku helped himself to hugging Kacchan, nuzzling the underside of his ribs while they watched television or caught up with their homework. Kacchan remained a solid figure under his hold, burning warm and quiet in these simple moments were they could be calm.

No yelling. No fighting. No competing.

All of that could wait for the next day during classes where they butted heads and pushed each other to the full limits of what it meant to be a hero.

Here, they were just Kacchan and Izuku.

"You squeeze any tighter and you might actually break my ribs," Kacchan said, dropping his hand into Izuku's hair. He squeezed the top of Izuku's head, fingers digging though his curls as he knocked Izuku's head into his side. "I'm not going anywhere, twerp."

"I know that," Izuku said. He lowered his arms and held Kacchan's waist tighter. He slid down until he could pillow his head on Kacchan's hip. "I just like holding you."

Kacchan's elbow fell loosely over Izuku's shoulders, his fingers still stroking curly hair. They could fall asleep like this, lazy and easy.

Izuku grinned into Kacchan's hip and pressed his nose into the slip of skin that revealed itself from Kacchan's displaced shirt from all the manhandling. "Can I stay over tonight?"

"Do what you want," Kacchan said. He rocked Izuku's head back and forth with a gentle scalp massage. "It's not like I'm going to say no."

"Perfect," Izuku said. He sat up and tackled Kacchan into a hug, throwing them both onto the floor with a heavy thud. Sprawled on Kacchan's chest, Izuku leaned forward holding the sides of his boyfriend's face. Izuku pressed their foreheads together, closing his eyes. "I'm really happy, Kacchan."

Hesitant arms wrapped around his back before squeezing tight. "Me too, twerp."

Izuku kissed Kacchan's neck, loving this intimacy.

(He loved it even more when Kacchan's hand met skin and all of Izuku's overactive daydreams found a foothold in reality.)

Izuku didn't think it was possible to ask for more.

"Daiki asked for help after school, so if you've got other plans let me know now," Kacchan said, checking his phone messages as he leaned against a tree in their usual Wednesday lunch spot. His finished bento box sat next to his thigh and he continued tapping on the phone. "Oh, wait. You don't. So you're helping."

"No," Izuku whined, stuffing a bite of omelette in his mouth. "He's going to make us haul mulch. I don't want to haul mulch everywhere while he orders us around. How did you put up with that for half a year?"

"You can technically lift more than I can so why are you complaining?" Kacchan asked, smirking at his phone. "And I didn't have to put up with anything. I was more than happy to be useful."

"I'm starting to think he only wanted to date you for the free labor and dumping you was a scheme to get two free work hands in exchange for one," Izuku said, staring into the distance. He could believe that. Daiki's garden took up his entire backyard and redid the plants and mulch as often as Kirishima styled his hair. "We've been duped."

"If you really don't want to help, that's fine by me," Kacchan said. He crossed his legs at the ankles, still texting Daiki. "I'll just go over there by myself and get all hot and sweaty in that new tank top I bought yesterday. It'll just be Daiki and I all alone in his backyard where he'll be the only one to fully appreciate all my labor. Maybe he'll bring me some lemonade like those rich house ladies do for their pool boys."

"I know what you're doing," Izuku said, glaring. "It's not going to work."

Kacchan licked his teeth and leaned forward, stretching as he got up. He shoved his phone in his back pocket. "Those green eyes of yours say otherwise."

"My eyes are always green!"

"I know," Kacchan said, having the nerve to laugh. "It's why we're dating."

Kacchan looked both ways before grabbing the back of Izuku's head and kissing him hard on the mouth. Izuku squeaked after he let go and Kacchan put his hands his pockets before sauntering back toward their classroom

"I'm helping Daiki out after school. Come or don't come—it's up to you!" Kacchan shouted over his shoulder as he held his hand up.

Izuku weighed the pros and cons of leaving Kacchan alone with his incredibly attractive ex in the other teen's home turf and growled.

It looked like he'd be hauling mulch this afternoon.

(This had to be revenge for spying on them in a tree. It had to be!)

"That wasn't so bad, now was it?" Daiki asked, setting down a glass of lemonade in front of Izuku. He laughed, sitting in the chair across from him and Kacchan, just as sweaty and covered in dirt. "I don't know why you always complain when the job gets done three times as fast when we all work together."

"He just likes complaining," Kacchan said, smiling too brightly at the lemonade as he sipped it from the glass. "You get used to it."

"I do not," Izuku said, dragging his own glass over. He downed it in two gulps, tipping hi head back. Maintaining One for All at three percent the entire time had been a good practice work out, but now he was parched. "I never complain."

"I think the mulch and potting soil would disagree with you," Daiki said. He leaned back in his chair and looked out over the backyard. "It looks good though. So thank you for your help!"

"Any time," Kacchan said, prematurely volunteering them again. Like some sort of good person. He looked over the expanse of the garden and the flowers they'd just finished mulching and asked, "When's your next show?"

"Two weeks," Daiki said. "The photographer is coming tomorrow to take the preliminary photos, which is why I needed your help so badly today."

"We'll be sure to tell the rest of our class," Izuku said. He sat up, happier with this safer topic. "I know Iida wanted to see your garden again and I think Uraraka wanted some landscaping tips she could pass on to her parents."

"That'll be great," Daiki said. He finished off his drink and practically glowed as he leaned forward. "I hope they can come by when it's open to the judging. It always looks good when guests are impressed."

"They'll be there," Kacchan said. His phone buzzed and he tugged it out, glaring at the screen. "It's the hag. I have to take this."

He yelled "What do you want?" as he got up from the table and retreated to a far corner near the fence, leaving Daiki and Izuku to themselves at the table.

"I've wanted to say this for a while, but we really haven't been alone this past month," Daiki said, cradling his lemonade cup. "But Katsuki looks really good these days. He feels lighter, I think. It's like there's a weight missing, but I never noticed it was there until it was gone."

"Kacchan and I have a very long history," Izuku said, watching the condensate roll down the side of his glass. "While there are some good memories, there's also a good chunk of them that were very painful for the both Kacchan and I. These past couple of months have let us clear up a lot of misunderstandings and hurt that was stuck between us.

"If I had to guess, I'd say that was it," Izuku said, smiling to himself. Kacchan wasn't the only one feeling lighter these days. "I sort of owe you some thanks for that. We never would have worked things out if I hadn't gotten jealous and forced myself to stop standing still with our relationship."

"Always glad to be of help," Daiki said, shaking his head. There was a hint of bitterness, but most of it was amusement. "It's nice getting to see him this happy either way, so it all worked out."

"How are you doing on that front?" Izuku asked. "Kacchan said you were thinking about dating again."

"You could say that," Daiki said. He dragged his finger around the top of his glass, tracing the rim. "I've mostly been thinking about a few things the two of you have said about going for what I want and that I don't have to settle for less than I deserve."

"I'm glad," Izuku said. He knew that Daiki wasn't going to jump straight into another relationship the way Kacchan had, but he did hoped the other found someone special of his own soon. "I wish you luck."

"How about instead you wish that next time around my future boyfriend doesn't have a stubborn childhood friend who's in love with him too," Daiki said, holding up his lemonade glass.

Izuku clinked the glasses together in a small toast and laughed. "I can do that."

"My mom can be such a pain," Kacchan said, stomping back to the small patio table. He collapsed back into the chair between Daiki and Izuku. Kacchan threw the phone on the table and grabbed his lemonade cup. "What'd I miss?"

"Nothing," Daiki and Izuku said at the same time.

Kacchan narrowed his eyes and frowned into his next sip. "Remind me never to leave you two alone again."

Daiki was the first to start laughing and Izuku couldn't help but giggle along. At first he thought it might be a little weird staying friends with Kacchan's ex, but it wasn't so bad.

At least they had good taste in common.

After two weeks had passed, Izuku and Kacchan found themselves back in Daiki's garden again along with a handful of their classmates. Iida and Uraraka spoke kindly with the judges while Daiki answered questions from a few of the open house visitors checking out all the homes on the competition list. Todoroki had also come this time around, wandering around and looking at each of the flowers in kind while taking pictures of a few here or there.

Kacchan had his arm around Izuku's shoulder, loose and secure at the same time. He leaned on Izuku when he got bored with listening to their friends ramble and Izuku loved it.

As the open house event came to a close, Daiki walked over with a grin. "You two have fun?"

"I don't know if I'd call it fun," Kacchan said, tapping his fingers on Izuku's shoulder. "But everything looks great and the judges were smiling, so that's a plus."

"You worked really hard for this," Izuku said. "I'm sure you're going to do amazing during the scoring."

"Thank you," Daiki said. He reached up and tucked his bangs behind his ear and bit his lip. "But I think while I'm still riding the high from the show, I'm going to put all this feel good energy to good use. There's a great chance here and I don't want to miss it."

"A chance?" Izuku asked.

"Remember how I said I realized I didn't need to settle for anyone?" Daiki asked. Izuku nodded and Kacchan glanced between the two of them, confused but still silent. "I'm taking that fully to heart. If I was good enough to date the second best, there's no reason I can't go for first."

Kacchan mouthed, "Second best?"

"Wish me luck!" Daiki said.

He tapped over to a table and picked up a pot of red and white striped petunias before crossing the yard to the other side of the garden. Kacchan and Izuku both watched in awe as he tapped Todoroki on the shoulder and smiled, saying something that made the other boy blush as red as one half of his hair.

"Hey, Deku," Kacchan said, the hand around his shoulder curling into a fist.

Izuku swallowed and glanced at his glowering boyfriend. "Yeah?"

"If half-and-half says yes, we're going to show them just exactly who the number one couple is around here," Kacchan said. His palms sparked as he held a hand out, growling. "I'm not second to anyone! We're going to make him regret breaking up with me if it kills us."

Izuku leaned into Kacchan's hold, resting his head on a shaking shoulder, trembling with competitive anger. Across the yard, Daiki caught Izuku's amused glaring and winked before turning back to his flirting with Todoroki.

Izuku couldn't be too mad, though.

Daiki could take first place when it came to dating companions all he wanted.

If it meant Izuku got to be with Kacchan, he'd settle for second best any and every day.