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.
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."
