It was shortly before eight.
Nothing had happened all day.
No message, no peep from Kacchan.
The weekend was over, school went on… but today… for the first time there was a sudden stop in communication, all progress, everything.
Was today the day where it ends? The thought felt bad. Izuku had had bad feelings often and long enough, his tolerance was practically non-existent. He didn't want to feel bad. He would rather pull the splinter out now than suffer for a long time.
So he goes upstairs. And … knocks. On Kacchan's door.
To his surprise, the door opens shortly after he knocks, and he almost misses his cue to grin.
"What - Deku?"
"H-hey."
"You okay?"
You …. what …. ?
Badum badum.
What a question!?
In the silence of the hallway, surrounded by nothing but darkness, aside from the light flooding out of Kacchan's room from behind him, this question echoed inside him.
"I… I was worried," he got right to the point, clenching his fingers.
"Not unusual."
Would Kacchan invite him in? Would he let himself be invited in? He had not prepared any topics to talk about! And today, there would be talk, right? Could he-
"Is that what this is about?"
Before he could reply, Kacchan had reached deep into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. Izukuh blinked open-mouthed at the note, then up into neutral red eyes. Kacchan watched him.
"Yes."
"I read it."
"OH, o-okay," his sweaty fingers found their way into his sweater pocket and began to wrestle with each other, "But you don't want to get what it says."
Otherwise, he would have told him what it said sometime today. Kacchan had read it, but hat ultimately decided, to not pursue this calendar stunt any longer.
In the next room, Kaminari roared, then something banged against the door. He and Kirishima were probably playing Gamecube. Kacchan still looked at him, but the hallway was too dark for him to focus on anything else. Instead, he lowered his eyes and took a small step back. "It's okay - it… I wasn't really thinking about all that when I gave it to you. Somehow, in some small part, I even expected you to reject it. The whole calendar," he shrugged, "But the week was fun."
Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Kacchan's hand, the one holding the note, slipping back into a deep, soft pocket, then Katsuki leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, waiting.
When Izuku realized that Kacchan was waiting - WAITING - for him to finish his thoughts, he began to spiral miserably. Why would he wait for Izuku do start his ramble? WHY didn't he just go in? Why so modest? Why so nice - why not throw the door shut and leave Izuku standing there like always? His tongue moved, producing speech, words, although he couldn't even say what he was thinking!
"And um, it was fun, wasn't it?" he stammered, not knowing what else to say, "I don't mean the joke, but… us? That we can chat so much? And - and, uh, how are your hands? I haven't even asked if you liked it? The massa-"
"If I hadn't liked it, I would have thrown you off the balcony," was the simple answer and Izuku fell more in love than ever with the soft scratching of Kacchan's voice in the silence of the hallway, "before you could have fled like a hen in roosterseason."
His heart acted as if he had loaded it with too much Black Whip and now had to suffer the consequences. His mouth did what it wanted, his feet stayed still even though he was screaming at himself to get back. And his hands? A moist clump in his sweater. He resembled the incarnation of a teenager who had spent weeks working up the courage to confess. Damn it.
Izuku had to leave. Right now.
"Sorry."
His back arched out of sheer habit and he bowed to his childhood friend before he knew what he was doing. What the flip. He had probably reached the top of the creepy&awkward scale.
"Deku what the fuck," the words were accompanied by a breezy laugh, and he jerked his head up to see what Kacchan looked like. (Apart from gorgeous)
He watched him with a shake of his head and uncrossed his arms to tap his pocket with the note.
"I didn't say I didn't want it." Omgomgomgomg- "But I don't need it right now."
"What is it?" Izuku blurted out, holding his breath as if his life depended on this answer. Partly, it did.
"My secret for now."
Izuku couldn't breathe. Katsuki was so … so soft. So normal and human and neutral plus borderline amused…!
"Okay," he choked, remembering that it was okay to breathe, "Does that mean," he gestured stupidly with his hand knot in his pocket towards Kacchan's room, "that you'll - we will continue tomorrow?"
"Sure."'
"Wha- o-okay!!?"
If emotions were visible, a monstrous wave of relief would have risen up the stairs, washed over Izuku and maybe dragged him down again if he was lucky. But that wasn't the case and he had to walk alone. Upright, with dignity.
"Okay," he repeated, taking a breath, and then a much too wide, probably much too ugly grin crept onto his face. But he was able to free his hands, so he covered his mouth with one and waved goodbye with the other before turning on his heel and making no secret of the fact that he was fleeing again. He was terribly excited, but damn it, he had just made a fool of himself!
He peeked back over his shoulder and found Kacchan still standing in the doorway, casually waving back at him.
His heart stopped at the same time as one of his feet, and Kacchan was the last thing he saw before he crashed loudly down the dorm stairs.
