"Bakugou will probably be the one coming after our flag," Todoroki says. "If it looks like we're about to lose, you should distract him, Midoriya."
That jolts Izuku out of his muttering. He looks up at the rest of them, confused. "How?"
"Pretend to break up with him," Iida says flatly.
"Tell him you're pregnant," Todoroki deadpans.
"Seduce him!" Uraraka says, grinning.
This is going to be a disaster.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Rating: Teen and Up Audiences
Pairing: Bakugou Katsuki/Midoriya Izuku
Tags: Insecure Bakugou Katsuki, Established Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Silly, Training, Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Angst, Fluff, Dekusquad, Hurt/Comfort, Dekusquad Shenanigans, Light-Hearted, Midoriya Izuku is Whipped, Not Canon Compliant, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead is So Done, Not Serious, Self-Indulgent, Sensitive Bakugou Katsuki, Soft Bakugou Katsuki, Kissing, Idiots in Love
Summary:
"Midoriya, Bakugou, your teams are up next. You'll have fifteen minutes before the exercise begins to strategize and sixty minutes to capture each other's flags. Head out onto the field and get ready."
"Yes, Sensei!" They both shout, before exiting the room with their teammates. Izuku and Katsuki glance at each other for a second before they exit. Katsuki grins, cocky and excited for the challenge ahead. Izuku smiles back at him with determination.
Right before they have to part ways, Katsuki says, "Good luck, nerd. You're gonna need it."
"We'll see about that," Izuku replies. They gazes linger on each other even as they turn around, heading towards the opposite ends of the dense, forested field.
"You guys are so cute," Uraraka says. "Getting all dramatic and intense."
Todoroki adds, "Agreed."
Izuku blushes, shyly rubbing the back of his head. "Um..."
"Please don't let your guard down," Iida says.
"Right," Izuku says. "Of course! Let's figure out a strategy. Kacchan's team has Yaoyorozu, Jirou, and Tokoyami. It's not going to be easy to sneak past them, especially with Jirou on their team."
"Our best bet for winning"—Uraraka pauses momentarily, warm brown eyes darkening into something colder—"might be psychological warfare."
Iida says, "Loathe as I may be to admit it, I must agree."
"Hm..." Izuku pinches his bottom lip, contemplating. His thoughts spill out on their own, slowly devolving into muttering. "How do we distract them enough to split up though? They likely won't fall for our bait unless we use the flag, but if we're not careful, they could turn the tables on us in an instant..."
"Bakugou will probably be the one coming after our flag," Todoroki says. "If it looks like we're about to lose, you should distract him, Midoriya."
That jolts Izuku out of his muttering. He looks up at the rest of them, confused. "How?"
"Pretend to break up with him," Iida says flatly.
"Tell him you're pregnant," Todoroki deadpans.
"Seduce him!" Uraraka says, grinning.
This is going to be a disaster.
Izuku balks at them, shocked and disturbed. "I-I can't do any of that!"
"It would be funny to see Bakugou's reaction after revealing a pregnancy," Todoroki says.
"I think it would be funny to see Deku-kun's seduction skills in action," Uraraka giggles, and Todoroki nods along. Izuku sputters, for once at a loss for words.
"It's just a precaution," Iida says, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "If the situation becomes dire, please consider it at least."
Izuku gives in, defeated by their expectant looks, especially Todoroki and Uraraka's excited faces. "A-Alright. Can we focus on our main strategy now?"
They hammer out the details of their plan right until the timer runs out. A loud beep rings out across the field, signaling the start of the exercise. Things start off slowly at first, but rapidly devolve into chaos once Katsuki approaches their base. They manage to defend their flag fairly well—
That is, until a surprise attack is launched against them by Tokoyami and Yaoyorozu.
The attack was completely unexpected, since they didn't think Katsuki's team would leave their flag so vulnerable. Not only do they manage to stop Iida, who was supposed to steal Katsuki's team flag, but they manage to create the perfect window of opportunity for Katsuki to steal Izuku's team flag. Katsuki blasts off at full speed toward the other side of the field, while Izuku and the others chase after him, fighting against Yaoyorozu and Tokoyami at the same time. Things weren't looking good for Izuku's team.
"Deku-kun!" Uraraka shouts from below, swinging a tree towards Tokoyami. "It's time for Plan B!"
Izuku groans as he shoots out blackwhip towards Katsuki, who dodges the attack with ease. "Do I have to?!"
"Yes!!!"
"Keep your eyes up here, dweeb!" Katsuki exclaims, aiming an explosion right at Izuku's face. Izuku barely reacts in time to block with blackwhip. "What are you scheming, nerd?!"
Katsuki is relentless in his barrage of explosions, which was making it very difficult for Izuku to concentrate on his words in between dodging Katsuki's attacks. "Nothing! I'm not scheming anything! But—Woah!"
Izuku rolls midair to avoid an AP shot to the chest. He flies backwards, and wraps blackwhip around Katsuki's torso, floating in midair with him. Izuku's eyes flick down to where his team's flag was rolled up into the waistband of Katsuki's pants. "Have I ever told you that you have beautiful eyes, b-baby...?"
"Hah?" Katsuki blasts himself backwards, yanking Izuku along with him. Izuku yelps, forced to release blackwhip in order to save himself. Katsuki smirks over his shoulder, propelling himself forward. "That shit isn't gonna work on me, babe. Maybe you should try a little harder!"
Izuku trips over nothing in the air at the nickname. He sputters, struggling to come up with a retort as he rights himself, chasing after Katsuki.
"Your seduction skills are terrible!" Uraraka calls from below, struggling to fight off both Yaoyorozu and Tokoyami with Todoroki.
"Try my idea!" Todoroki yells, targeting Tokoyami with his flames.
Izuku resists the urge to hide his face behind his hands. He was beginning to regret every decision that has led him to this moment. As he chases Katsuki's back, he hopes to distract Katsuki for a second. Just a second is all he needs to snatch his team's flag back.
But god, this was embarrassing!
Crap, Katsuki is getting farther and farther away. Panicked, Izuku screams without thinking. "KACCHAN, I'M PREGNANT!!!"
Above the field in a room filled with monitors, where Class 1-A was watching a live feed of the fight, Aizawa face palms.
Katsuki falters. His explosions stop. This is Izuku's chance—!
Katsuki free falls and Izuku manages to fly ahead of him, facing him directly. Time slows down for Izuku at what he sees, his breath catching in his throat. Katsuki's face is absolutely lit up with joy as clutches at his stomach, doubling over with laughter. It's loud and ugly and all kinds of horrendous. He sounds like a cackling witch.
It's so adorable!
Izuku just watches, completely lovestruck, as Katsuki wheezes like a kettle.
"That was...so...stupid..." Katsuki manages to gasp out in between laughs. Down below, Uraraka was also giggling at their conversation, and Todoroki was hiding a smile behind his hand while holding off Tokoyami's attacks.
"Midoriya-kun, grab the flag!" Iida shouts at him from below, struggling to escape from Yaoyorozu's net trap tangled around his legs.
"Oh, crap...!" Izuku mutters, snapping out of it. He shoots out blackwhip, but it's too late. Katsuki has already recovered. He blasts away blackwhip and flies off, hurtling towards their home base. Izuku could see Jirou in the distance, guarding her team's flag. If Katsuki crosses over into his team's territory, it's game over for Izuku's team.
"Midoriya-kun!" Iida screams in the distance.
Katsuki glances over his shoulder with a smirk. It was as if his smile was saying "I've already won!"
The pressure was weighing on Izuku, his frustration with himself rising like a tsunami wave waiting to come crashing down. And so, for his last ditch effort, he speaks without thinking.
"Kacchan, let's break up! I'm tired of this!"
Katsuki abruptly stops, landing upright on the ground. His stance is battle ready, remaining on guard. He's frowning as he speaks. "Oi, even if you're trying to piss me off as a distraction, don't go saying bullshit like that—"
"It's not bullshit!" Izuku shouts, squeezing his eyes shut. Lying wasn't his strong suit, so he overcompensates by raising the volume of his voice and avoiding the sight of Katsuki's face, which probably looked either amused or annoyed. "I'm tired of having to deal with you! You—You suck at being my boyfriend! I've been wanting this for a long time, but I kept hoping you would do better. I was trying to put up with it all day, but I couldn't hold my real feelings back anymore. I really, really hate you!"
Izuku rambles nonsensically, trying to buy time for Uraraka, Todoroki, and Iida to catch up to them. He blathers on and on, but loses momentum in his muttering when he realizes Katsuki hasn't interrupted him yet. Izuku opens one eye, peeking at Katsuki hesitantly.
Instantly, his heart drops at what he sees.
Silently, tears slide down Katsuki's face.
He looks absolutely heartbroken.
His face crumples up. He instinctively reaches up to wipe away the tears, only to realize that he can't because his gauntlets are in the way. His voice comes out soft and delicate, mumbling quietly, "I didn't know. I'm sorry."
Izuku is left speechless for a second. It feels as though the world is ending right before his eyes. Katsuki actually believed him? How could Izuku have fucked up this badly? He didn't think Katsuki would take him seriously!
"I had a feeling," Katsuki continues, staring down at the ground. His breath comes out shaky and unsteady as he struggles to keep himself together enough to speak. "But you've always seen the best in me, so I thought it was alright for someone like me to be with someone as good as you, even though I...I knew I didn't deserve it."
Katsuki's voice breaks and the sobs come out harder. He hangs his head low, struggling to hide his face.
Kacchan is crying for real.
The others finally catch up to the two of them. Dread overcomes Iida, Todoroki, and Uraraka when they see Katsuki, while the others share looks of confusion. Jirou comes jogging down from where she's supposed to be guarding her team's flag, protectively wrapping an arm around Katsuki's shoulders. She glares at Izuku. "Dude, I heard everything with my quirk. Did you seriously have to do this right now? In front of literally everyone?"
Her words snap Izuku out of his disbelieving shock. He takes a step forward, reaching out. "No! I-I didn't mean it! Seriously!"
"It was our idea for Izuku to mess with Bakugou!" Uraraka chimes in.
"It was Iida's idea for Midoriya to break up with Bakugou," Todoroki says flatly, pointing shamelessly at Iida.
Iida gawps, then bows rapidly. "This is my fault!"
"No, it's all of our faults!" Uraraka says, bowing with him and Todoroki. "We're sorry!"
Katsuki sobs taper off into hiccups and sniffles. He looks at them in confusion, tears still streaming down his face. "But it didn't sound fake..."
Aizawa's irritated voice suddenly booms out across the field from the speakers. "Get off the field, now! All of you!"
They walk back to the room overlooking the field in silence, with Jirou quietly comforting Katsuki and Izuku anxiously glancing in his direction. They shuffle into the room nervously, with Aizawa glaring at them as they enter. Most of the glaring was aimed at Izuku and his team.
"Stand over there," Aizawa says. He turns to the other students waiting awkwardly on the other side of the room. "The rest of you, head out onto the field to start the training exercise. Bakugou, Jirou, Yaoyorozu, and Tokoyami, go wait outside in the hallway."
As the rest of Class 1-A does as he asks, before Katsuki leaves the room, Aizawa grabs his shoulder to stop him for a moment to hand him a pack of tissues. Katsuki takes it without a word and follows the rest of the team, leaving Aizawa alone in the room with Izuku, Todoroki, Uraraka, and Iida.
"Care to explain what happened out there?" Aizawa asks.
Iida speaks up first. "Well, Midoriya-kun said some things that upset Bakugou-kun—"
Aizawa cuts him off. "I heard and saw everything. What I'm asking is why any of you thought this would be a good strategy. I appreciate that you wanted to consider alternative strategies in case you couldn't physically beat your opponent, but this was a training exercise. It's just practice." Aizawa levels his gaze at Izuku and Iida, frowning. "For you two to personally attack your classmate and"—Aizawa's gaze lingers on Izuku for a moment—"your precious person on a matter completely irrelevant to the class was, frankly, cruel and irresponsible. If you value your relationships with the people closest to you, you shouldn't treat those bonds so lightly."
"Yes, Sensei," Iida and Izuku say solemnly, lowering their heads. Izuku's lips wobble, desperately holding back his tears. All he could think about was how upset Katsuki must be after that whole debacle.
"And you two." Aizawa shifts his attention to Uraraka and Todoroki, activating his quirk with his death glare. The feeling of Erasure crawls down their backs, uncomfortable and intimidating. "Is this Hero Course a joke to both of you? It's one thing to have fun during training, but it's another to pass off your own desire for entertainment as a strategy. Clearly, neither of you were taking the exercise seriously. If heroism is easy enough for both of you to goof off during class time, maybe it's time for you to leave the course and figure out a way to debut on your own."
Neither of them have a response for that. They both bow their heads. "Sorry, Sensei."
Aizawa eases up on the kids, releasing his quirk and turning away. "You're all working to become heroes. Act like it."
"Yes, Sensei!" all four of them shout together.
"Needless to say, you all will be failing this exercise for today, and you will have to retake it at a later date with Bakugou's team. Understood?"
The four of them nod with no complaints. Aizawa sighs, already tired out from giving them a harsh lecture and silently wishing for his sleeping bag. "You three, step outside. Midoriya, I'll give you a minute to speak to Bakugou. But the next time you"—Aizawa gives a pointed look at the others—"or any of you waste class time on personal problems, there will be consequences."
"Thank you, Sensei," Izuku says, bowing low. They leave, and Izuku is left alone in the room, waiting anxiously for Katsuki to come in. Izuku cut deep into Katsuki's insecurities without realizing it. He had no idea Katsuki had been holding in those feelings throughout their relationship, but Katsuki didn't deserve to feel that way, not even a little bit. Izuku had to make that clear to him so they could put this behind them.
But what if they couldn't put it behind them?
What if Katsuki can't forgive him for this? What if he wants to break up for real? What if—?
Quietly, the door slides open, and all of those uncertain, shaky thoughts disappear in an instant. Because, when Izuku sees the unsure look on Katsuki's face, he knows—no, he wants, needs—to be the strong one, the determined one, this time for Katsuki. Because Katsuki has always been the strong one for him, Izuku wants to be the strong one for Katsuki's sake this time.
Katsuki's face has already been cleaned up, but his eyes are still red from crying, and he's avoiding Izuku's gaze.
Izuku takes a step forward. "Kacchan, I'm so sorry—"
"No," Katsuki cuts him off, grimacing. "Me first."
Izuku frowns, but waits patiently for Katsuki to speak.
"I...I said some stuff I didn't want you to hear today." Katsuki keeps his gaze low to the ground. "What you said really hurt and it was fucked up for you to say that shit in the middle of training in front of everyone."
"I know," Izuku says desperately. "I'm sorry—"
"Stop apologizing!" Katsuki suddenly snaps, startling Izuku. He clenches his fists, his head hung low. "Let me finish! I wish you didn't say what you said in front of everyone, but whatever. It's done now. I know you said you didn't mean it, but..."
Katsuki falters, as if he doesn't want to say it aloud. "I mean, it seems like you really—"
Izuku grabs Katsuki's wrist, pulling him in close. The motion startles Katsuki into finally looking up, into Izuku's fierce, steady eyes.
"Kacchan, I love you," Izuku says, like it's the only thing that's ever mattered. "I love you so much I don't think I could live in a world without you. I was making up stuff to distract you. I could never hate you, Kacchan."
"Oh," Katsuki says softly. Gently, he intertwines their fingers together. It's like the emotional exhaustion catches up to him all at once, and his entire body melts. He rests his head against Izuku's shoulder, hiding his face in the crook of Izuku's neck. He lets out a shaky sigh, grumbling quietly. "Then don't say stuff you don't mean, dummy."
He's trying to sound angry. Izuku knows how Katsuki tries to hide behind his anger as a shield, but this time, the emotions underneath are a little too overwhelming for Katsuki to hide behind his usual mask of anger. Izuku pets Katsuki's hair, feeling even worse for putting Katsuki through this emotional distress, especially in front of other people.
"Hey, Kacchan?"
"Mm."
"That stuff you said earlier, about not deserving to be with me—"
"Shut up. I didn't mean it either."
"It sounded like you did, though."
"..."
"Please, Kacchan, we need to talk about this. If it's because of the bullying—"
"It's not just that," Katsuki says quietly. "You're so good and I'm...not. I can't be nice or reassuring like you are. You deserve someone you can give you what you need—"
Izuku's hand stills atop Katsuki's head. "How long has this been on your mind?"
"Since we started dating."
Izuku grasps Katsuki's face, lifting him up to look directly into Izuku's eyes once more. "I know our past wasn't great, but we've both changed so much since then. You don't hurt me anymore, and I'm not afraid to stand up to you either. We balance each other out."
Katsuki tries to look away again, but Izuku doesn't let him. He leans in close, enough for their breath to intermingle in the air between them.
"Kacchan, you're amazing, and you're a great boyfriend. I'll say it to you as many times as you need to hear it, so don't hide these feelings from me anymore, okay?"
"Okay," Katsuki whispers, closing his eyes. Izuku presses his lips against him, pouring all the reassurance he can into the kiss. Katsuki reciprocates, slowly and sweetly with just as much love as Izuku gives him.
Izuku deepens the kiss, pressing his hand against the small of Katsuki's back to push him flush against Izuku's body. Katsuki makes a soft, needy noise, with one hand gripping the fabric of Izuku's costume and the other gripping Izuku's bicep. Before the kiss can get even more heated, Aizawa's unamused voice calls out from the doorway.
"Alright, that's enough of that."
Izuku and Katsuki jump apart as the others come back into the room. The two of them had forgotten that the others were waiting for them outside in the hallway.
Iida, Uraraka, and Todoroki sheepishly approach Katsuki.
Uraraka starts first. "Um, we feel like you owe you an apology too, Bakugou-kun. It was our idea to begin with. We're sorry!"
"Sorry," Todoroki says.
"We apologize," Iida says.
Katsuki grins ferociously, slamming his fist into his open palm with an explosion. "I'll definitely be getting my revenge on you shitheads next time. And that includes you too shitty nerd!"
Aizawa sighs, tired of this nonsense. "No more talking. We're wasting class time now. Let's get back to watching your classmates on the field. We will be having a discussion afterwards about their fighting styles."
The class continues on as normal, with Izuku glancing over at Katsuki. Silently, Izuku promises to never make Katsuki cry like that again, and to always make sure Katsuki knows how much Izuku wants him in his life. It's a promise he'll end up keeping for the rest of their lives, but for now, it's enough for Izuku to shoot Katsuki a smile whenever he looks his way.
✧ summary: Izuku and Katsuki head home after a New Year's Eve party with the rest of their old classmates. Izuku tells Katsuki how grateful he is for their relationship, to the point that even if they broke up, Izuku would be happy they had these past few years together at the very least. Katsuki, however, is not pleased by Izuku's choice of words and shuts that insecure attitude down immediately with a few choice words of his own.
✧ word count: ~750 words
✧ tags: sfw, fluff, established relationship, soft bakugou katsuki
The streets are silent at this time of night, the sky dark and uneven between the flurry of snowflakes rushing through in the air. The soft, golden glow of the streetlamps and twinkling fairy lights on trees and storefronts guide them through the night. It almost looks like the stars have fallen out of the sky and onto the Earth, like they're glimmering and shining just for the Izuku and Katsuki. It's beautiful, and the thought makes Izuku smile to himself.
He breathes out—slow, steady, warm—and a white mist forms in front of him, spreading out and disappearing like a puff of smoke. It's past midnight now, and Izuku was heading home from the New Year's party with Katsuki. They walk side-by-side together, hands just barely brushing against each other with every step. Izuku glances at Katsuki, and finds Katsuki already staring right at him.
"Your face is so red," Izuku says, noticing the pink flush across Katsuki's cheeks and the tips of his ears. "Are you cold, Kacchan?"
Katsuki lifts his scarf up to cover his face. "No."
Izuku reaches out, linking his pinky finger with Katsuki's. "Here, you can hold my hand to warm you up."
"Hah?" Katsuki exclaims, all bark and no bite. "I'm not cold! Don't do something so unnecessary!"
They've both grown so much, but moments like these remind Izuku that his Kacchan will never stop being adorable.
"Come to think of it..." Izuku says, leaning in close to Katsuki. Their shoulders brush, and Katsuki lowers his hand, watching him with the usual mixture of anger and curiosity. "It's been three years since we've been together. I never thought I would selfishly be able to keep you as my own, yet here we are. You accepted my confession and lived with me."
Izuku closes his eyes, smiling softly. His nose brushes against Katsuki's, bringing his lips closer and closer to meet Katsuki's own. "I'm really too blessed. Even if one day you don't want me anymore, these past three years are enough to comfort me—Gah!"
Katsuki suddenly grabs Izuku's face, shoving him away. He squishes Izuku's freckled face tightly as he growls out, "This idiot."
Izuku squirms. "Ehhhh? Why?"
"Cuz you just said something really stupid!" Katsuki snaps. "Even if you're just spouting drunk nonsense, I'll still kill you!"
"Huh—?"
"You keep following me around no matter how hard I try to push you away," Katsuki interrupts. "You barged your nerdy ass into my life, then forced me to accept this shitty bond of ours. It's been that way ever since we were kids."
Time and time again, they've been drawn to each other. When one pulls away, the other is dragged along behind them—a constant, magnetic tug of war between the two of them. It's been that way when they were kids, it's still that way now in their daily lives and their careers as partners and pro heroes, and it's going to stay that way until the day they die.
"Lose interest? Break up?" Katsuki scoffs, then shouts. "In your dreams, nerd! If you start something, then finish it until the end, jackass!"
Katsuki's voice is firm and final. There's snowflakes dusted across his spiky blonde hair and wool jacket, and his face is still flushed red. From the cold or this conversation, Izuku couldn't tell. Even though they're dating, Izuku wonders to himself about whether or not he's a hindrance to Katsuki. But looking at him now, into those bright, burning red eyes, it's as if the cracks in Izuku's heart have been seared shut, his insecurities melting away to make room for their future together. And inside his chest, his newly forged heart sings a sweet melody, a thought that repeats itself over and over again in Izuku's mind and soul.
Kacchan, I want to be with you next year, and the next year after that, forever.
He wants to say it aloud, wants to shout it from the rooftops and whisper it gently into Katsuki's ear. But tears prick at the corners of his eyes, and he finds himself choking up. So, instead, Izuku smiles, swallowing down the sobs and grasping Katsuki's warm hand in his own. And softly, he speaks his wish for the new year aloud.
"Please keep taking care of me this year too, Kacchan."
Katsuki huffs, rolling his eyes. "As if I wasn't planning on doing that already."
They walk shoulder-to-shoulder, side-by-side, into the new year, with both of them looking forward to spending it together as they should.
I had so much fun working on my piece for this zine! We all worked hard on this project and explored through Shouto's eyes what it means to love in so many different ways. If you've got any love for Shouto, go check out the zine!
little inconsistencies that at first you assume "oh, the author must have fucked up", but then later on you realize that no, it was on purpose, they wanted you to think they fucked up but they hadnt
I'd much rather see one thousand "graphic design is my passion" canva book covers and scribbly ms paint covers and poorly scanned colored pencil covers than a single AI generated book cover
once you recognise the ubiquitous and inevitable fandom life cycle it becomes much easier to free yourself from it and just keep enjoying things in a more healthy way while still thinking critically about them
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