Izuku let out a soft gasp as Katsuki gently lifted his chin.
“Kacchan..." he breathed.
Katsuki tilted his head, expression solemn, then let go. Lightning quick, his face transformed into a wicked grin as he tussled Izuku’s head roughly. Izuku let out an audible squeak, and Katsuki’s booming laugh that followed reverberated through Izuku’s bones.
“You’re cute, nerd." Katsuki winked and Izuku blushed bright red. “Come on, move your slow ass or we’re gonna be late."
“O-okay!”
And as they walked back to their classroom, Izuku’s heart soared loud and bright.
And Bakugo frowned at that, opened his mouth to complain that Deku didn’t need to make it sound so horrible when he heard a soft sigh and felt a kiss on the back of his neck.
“Oh right. Because it’s you."
Bakugo froze. He bit his lip, a flurry of emotions whirling around his head and nothing came to mind except- “and that’s enough?” In such a disbelieving tone that Bakugo wanted to smack himself.
Thankfully, Izuku only giggled and murmured, “And that’s enough. More than enough."
Katsuki rolled his eyes and walked towards his door. “I was gonna jerk off, but if you fucking NEED the extra homework help-“ he froze, staring down into horrified green eyes.
“Ka- Kacchan..." Izuku stuttered. “Uh, if this is a bad time..."
And fuck, the nerd was DEAD if he thought Katsuki missed the way his eyes darted down to Katsuki’s crotch for a millisecond.
“Um, I can come back later while you.. you know..." Deku gestured something vaguely phallic, then blushed bright vermillion. “OKAY, um, I’mgoingtoleavenowbeforeIdieofembarrassment, BYE Kacchan!”
Katsuki caught Izuku’s shoulder as he turned around, not faring well either with his equally flushed face. “Holy shit, Deku, that was a joke, I wasn’t actually going to jerk off."
“Well you know, guys aren’t really interested in me.”
Bakugo barked out a laugh. “Nice one.” He raised his glass to take a sip, then paused midway, noticing the green-haired man wasn’t laughing. In fact, he looked rather upset. Bakugo frowned and tried to reevaluate what he had said a few seconds ago... then promptly choked on his spit.
“Wait- hold the fuck up. You weren’t... joking?”
The stranger flushed. “Why would I joke about that?”
Bakugo blinked. “Well fuck, I just- how could you- I mean, how could guys not..." He stuttered off, unable to finish the sentence. “I mean, look at you,” He ended off lamely.
The stranger snorted and stared down at his drink. “Yeah, I know I’m plain."
“No, you idiot,” Bakugo groaned incredulously. “How could guys not be interested in you?”
“Oh." The top of the stranger’s ears turned pink, and he bit back a bashful smile. “No one’s ever shown their interest in me.” He gave a light laugh. “I mean-”
He tilted his head and frowned, biting on his thumb. “Well, people passing by have called me ‘darling’ or ‘sweetheart’ or-”
“That’s called catcalling, stupid." Bakugo closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. This stranger, as attractive and built as he was, tested his patience like no one else had.
“Oh!” The stranger’s emerald eyes widened. “Then, when that bartender told me to give him some of that cake-”
“That was your ASS he was talking about, and probably how fucking perfect it is."
At this, the stranger made a small choking sound. “You think my ass is perfect?”
Bakugo startled, realizing what he had just said, then slumped his shoulders, accepting defeat. “Yeah, so what? I bet you get told that all the fucking time-”
“And like I said, guys aren’t really interested in me.”
The stranger seemed to have a death wish with how much he made Bakugo wanted to pull his hair out and scream.
As Izuku clutched his hair in his hands, on the verge of an anxiety attack, he heard the chair from the desk next to him creak slowly from the weight of someone sitting down.
He groaned, already dreading the lecture he was about to receive. “Ochako, I know what you’re going to say, and I fucked up. It’s all a mess, I’m never getting a boyfriend because he probably hates me, and I don’t blame him but I wish that he would just listen to me for once instead of blowing up and leaving!”
Izuku paused. “Well- I, um, I guess he’s allowed to do that. And I probably deserve it, too. But- but it’s just so unfair! Because even after all his yelling and storming off, why is he still so attractive?” Izuku complained while crossing his arms.
“His muscles just stare at me every time we’re in the locker rooms, and I try so hard not to look at anyone because I don’t want them to feel, like, violated!”
Izuku heard a slightly strangled noise next to him and rolled his eyes. “No, listen, he always changes right next to me, and when he catches me staring, he looks at me with that stupid smirk and asks if I like what I see! God! Which, of course I do, but I can’t say that, can I?! So I just stutter out some nonsense and look away. And we fight, too. Of course, you already know about most of them... but it’s so hard to not call after him every time he leaves first. He always leaves first. But I think I’m getting used to him leaving now at least, and-”
Izuku gave a short huff. “And yes, Ochako, I know one day he’ll leave and never come back, just like you always say. And I know it’ll be without me. So when it comes, and he leaves for good, I’ll brace myself. Just- just give me time."
Izuku hated how weak his voice sounded at the last sentence. He closed his eyes and laid his head down on his desk, facing the left to look at Ochako. He opened his eyes to thank the girl for always listening to his rants and froze.
Because Katsuki Bakugo was sitting there instead.
“Wha-” Izuku’s jaw dropped and he sat up hastily, gaping like a fish. “Ka- Kacchan! Don’t tell me you- you heard- did you hear everything?” Izuku screeched.
“Yep." And the way Bakugo replied was through his usual confidence, all edges and smirks, but Izuku caught a pained look in the boy’s eyes... almost like he was hurt before the look quickly went away and Izuku brushed it off as part of his imagination. Bakugo leaned forward, and Izumi scrambled backwards in his chair to maintain any semblance of distance between them, especially considering that he had just rambled about his most embarrassing secrets to his crush.
“So... you like looking at me in the locker rooms?” Bakugo smirked devilishly again, and Izuku wondered how he could have ever thought Bakugo could look hurt from his rant.
“N-no!” Izuku spluttered. “Wha- who says I was talking about you?”
Bakugo frowned, clearly caught off guard by Izuku’s defense. “What? There’s no one else-” He cut off, and Izuku could tell an unpleasant thought had crossed his mind, for Bakugo scowled even deeper and smoke seeped out of his clenched fists.
“Kacchan?” Izuku asked tentatively. “Are you alright?”
“Fuck that,” Bakugo growled. “Answer me, Deku. Were you talking about me?”
And Izuku felt small, overpowered, and overwhelmed by the tsunami that was Katsuki Bakugo. He gazed up and locked gazes with crimson ones.
“Yes,” he answered honestly. Kacchan could always tell if he was lying, so really, there was no point in trying to dodge the question. And Izuku had found that over the years, he didn’t want to lie to Kacchan anyway. There was never any need to.
Bakugo sucked in a sharp breath and sat down, placing himself a good distance away from Izuku (which Izuku silently thanked the heavens for). An awkward silence stretched across the classroom, and Izuku fidgeted with the hem of his sleeves as the clock ticked on by, each second a pressuring reminder of his impending doom.
Finally, Bakugo spoke.
“Why?” He asked, voice slightly cracking.
Izuku’s head shot up in shock. While Bakugo wasn’t in tears, Izuku saw the same pained expression that he thought he had imagined earlier return. So he hadn’t imagined it.
Izuku tilted his head. “How could it not be you, Kacchan?”
Bakugo scowled. “I knew it was me, Deku, it was pretty fucking obvious-”
“No, you’re not getting it." Izuku shook his head firmly, determined to make Bakugo understand. “How... how could it have been anyone else? How could you even think it could be anyone else? You work so hard, and we mostly- sometimes don’t get along but when we do, it feels like we’re flying! Like we’re unstoppable together. And despite the fights, and the mean things you say to me, I’m never leaving your side. That doesn’t mean I’ll just sit there and take it, but I’m staying here, because I know you’re more than that.”
At Bakugo’s look of incredulity, Izuku locked eyes with him once more. “It was always you, Kacchan."
This time, it was Bakugo’s turn to freeze. Izuku lowered his eyes, fear and insecurity returning once more. He felt the desk next to him shift and brisk footsteps followed to the door of the classroom. The door opened, and Izuku wondered if Bakugo remembered what he had said about his always leaving first. And how Izuku had always refrained from calling out. He wondered if Bakugo remembered as the footsteps paused, and silence hung heavy. If Bakugo remembered as he finally exited out of the classroom and down the hall.
Izuku’s heart stuttered as he felt Katsuki remove a curl out of his face, then gently pat the top of his head. He looked up too quickly, eyes meeting an indecipherable expression. Izuku clenched his jaw. He knew what Katsuki was like now. A playboy who tossed feelings around like they were nothing. Katsuki liked dirty flirting with heavy lids and a devilish smile and leaving the victim scraping their broken heart off the floor afterwards. Knowing Katsuki’s history, Izuku felt even angrier at the seemingly caring action. And angrier at himself for feeling flustered.
“Thanks." Izuku muttered out curtly.
He was met with no reply. Izuku glanced up again and was surprised to see a frown on Katsuki’s face.
“Thanks? The fuck’s wrong with you? What’s going on?” The blonde asked, scowling intensely.
“W- what?” Izuku nervously fingered the cuff of his hoodie. “Nothing’s going on. I’m fine."
“Bullshit." Katsuki leaned closer to peer at Izuku’s face, and suddenly Izuku couldn’t breathe. Katsuki was close, too close, far too close-
“Nerd. Snap out of it. You’re clearly not okay." Katsuki tilted his head. “Talk to me."
Izuku’s eyes widened and he felt a jolt go through his chest. “I-I told you I’m fine."
“Really?”
“Yeah.” Izuku’s grip around his cuff tightened, and he desperately tried to rid his thoughts of Kacchan, Kacchan, Kacchan, Kacchan-
“You’re blushing!” Katsuki crowed, a victorious smirk spreading across his handsome face.
Izuku felt like he had been slapped, moreso out of the realization that a reaction was all Katsuki wanted out of him. Another useless, pliant victim of Katsuki’s honey traps, even when he had reminded himself more times than he could count that it was all a lie, it was all fake, Katsuki didn’t really care about him- Izuku stood up abruptly. He had had enough.
“Woah, woah, calm down. Is it because I said something? Or I touched you?” Katsuki’s raised eyebrows lowered and his confused expression turned into that of a teasing one. “Aw, alright, I won’t do it again if-”
“Yes, it was because you touched me." Izuku interrupted, trying his best to glare with a cold, indifferent expression despite his pounding heart. It seemed to be working from the bewildered look on Katsuki’s face. Izuku took a deep breath and forged on. “D- don’t touch me ever again.”
Katsuki’s bewildered expression slipped off into something more incredulous. “Deku, what the fuck are you talking about? Kinda bullshit is that?”
“I mean it." Izuku could now hear his heart thumping in his ears. “Don’t touch me. I’m done with this. With whatever... game you’re trying to play. I’m not playing." Izuku steeled himself for the next part. It was like a dam had broken and all of his unspoken thoughts were rushing out. “So just- just leave me alone! I don’t want to do this anymore.”
With some horror, Izuku realized that his eyes had begun to tear up. It seemed like Katsuki had unfortunately noticed at the same time as he did and was reaching out with a hand towards his face- and Izuku swerved out of the way, stepping back further than necessary but he couldn’t find himself to care. Izuku swore he caught a hurt look flash across Katsuki’s face, but quickly dismissed the thought. Kacchan didn’t get hurt. Kacchan doesn’t care.
Izuku swiped at his tears angrily. “I think- I think it would be better if we never talked again." Then he froze, realizing the gravity of what he had just said. It was as if a switch for noise had been shut off and the only thing Izuku could hear was his haggard breathing. He dared not look up at Katsuki’s face, though noting that it was oddly silent of him. After a few more excruciating moments of silence, Izuku decided he had to do what he did best.
Izuku flushed red, blush traveling up to his ears. “Ah, thank you Todoroki! You look nice today as well."
“Thank you."
An awkward silence ensued. Izuku bit his lip nervously, wondering why the boy had chosen this day of all days to compliment him. Not that it was bad! But the more he thought about it, the more Izuku realized that he didn’t really look different from yesterday or the day before that. It was bizarre, to say the least, but Izuku was still flattered.
Todoroki broke the silence. “Izuku, you’re mumbling."
“Was I?” Izuku flushed red again. “Sorry about that!”
“No, it’s alright. I think your thoughts are interesting."
Izuku smiled brightly, touched at Todorki’s words. “Thank you! I think you’re a really interesting person too, Shoto."
At this, Izuku noticed that Todoroki blushed a light pink, eyes darting to the left. It was a pleasant change from the usually blank exterior.
“And, um, your hair looks soft!” Crap. Izuku covered his mouth with his hands. “Um, not in a weird way! But like, it just looks soft and nice, and, um, I think-“
“Thank you." A small smile graced Todoroki’s lips.
“It just looked- huh?” Izuku blinked, Todoroki’s words processing in his head. “Oh. Oh! You’re welcome? I mean, no problem!”
“Would you like to touch it?” Todoroki’s blank expression was back, looking more serious than he ever had.
Izuku let out an embarrassing squeak. “Well! Uh, sure!”
He slowly reached out to Todoroki’s split hair as the boy lowered his head to make it easier for Izuku to reach, hands almost brushing the strands when he heard a loud explosion and a sudden pull yanking him away from Todoroki.
“Fuck are you DOING, half and half? You and Deku wrapped up in your compliment shit show?”
