meeting up with uraraka for training has become something of a tradition over these past few months. at first, he was on edge about the agreement — something did not line up internally about her asking for his help. she was a rabid fighter and her will was indisputable. uraraka has always been a symbol to him, a sturdy beacon of hope. now that they have fallen into a rhythm, however, their joint training exercises have become a reprieve from long, frustrating days around people he really wished he didn’t have to call classmates.
of course, he had little to no problems with most of the students. some, he would classify as sticks in the mud, others as plain as cardboard. outside of the few people he’s permitted to call him their friend, he could care less about the rest of his class. unfortunately for him, though, aizawa has found each and every way of driving katsuki up the wall with team building, extra classes, and as much busywork as possible. he respects his teacher, of course, but the sheer amount of bullshit he could live without on a daily basis has gotten to him a few times throughout the hero course. each day brings him closer to joining up with an agency and leaving school as a distant memory so each day he can mark off a calendar is a win in his eyes.
a high voice shakes him from his inner monologue, soft and familiar. his hands relax at his sides, thoughts snapping to the present to form a response to her excitement. he pushes off the wall and moves to meet her. his mind falls blank at seeing her companion — deku accompanying her cannot be good. he assesses the boy at her side, his nervous energy enough to put katsuki back on edge. they lock eyes and katsuki can feel his blood boil. something deep and old snaps inside him and he starts off a bark at the boy.
❝ oi, asshole. what do you think you’re doing here? ❞
by now she thought she would be use to the bickering between the two, but the bite in katsuki’s voice was harsh enough to make her frown. izuku had been one of her first friends at UA, now one of her best. since she started studying and training with katsuki she had become a lot closer with him, at least she thought so. she didn’t understand why the two did not get along and as much as she wished they would, she knew she can’t force them to be friends.
stepping forward she turned to face both of them and told them she was going to go put her bag over with katsuki’s to give the two some privacy. walking away from them she sighed softly, she was really excited for his reaction to her news. but izuku’s question for him might be more important, she could speak to katsuki after. at the wall katsuki was standing at earlier she shrugged off her jacket and pulled her gym sweater out of her backpack. once she had her sweater over her shoulders she turned back around to look at the two talking just out of earshot.
auburn eyes scanned the two, trying to figure out what was going on. but her gaze fell on katsuki and his black tank top. the flooding recent memories of him giving her one of his tank tops came over her. one night after studying she forgot a tank top for training and he had offered her one of his. it may have smelled lightly burnt and didn’t really fit her right, but looking back on it she thought the gesture was really sweet. she slowly began to zone out, staring out at the gym wondering if he thought the same. her mind wandered into the that thought to avoid the worries over their current conversation.
