jealous?! yes, no, maybe so?!
As Katsuki spat his flaring insults, a fist to accompany it, Izuku threw his head to the left to avoid being knocked into next Tuesday. He scrambled to get up and had hardly any time to recover, hastily throwing up his arms to block a wave of hot air. Izuku smiled from behind his arms.
Kacchan was so cool.
“What’re you smilin’ about!?” Katsuki roared over the sound of his quirk, ducking as Izuku threw a kick toward his head, “Something funny, nerd?!”
“No!” Izuku launched himself in the air and spun, flying back with newfound velocity. Before Katsuki could move again, Izuku shot a string of blackwhip around his wrist and spun him up, getting him off balance, “You’re just cute when you think you have the upper hand!”
Katsuki felt heat rushing to his face, but before it became a problem, he set off a chain of explosions that warmed the room like a sauna. Izuku dropped the blond with a cough and rolled back on his heel. He wouldn’t let up now.
“You still think you’re hot shit?” Katsuki shouted, trying to see through the dust created by his explosion. Wait, no, not his explosion. That nerd was using smoke screen, wasn't he?
Katsuki dropped down into a crouch, narrowing his eyes and spinning as he tried to peer through the purple smoke surrounding him. Izuku wasn’t replying, obviously, he was trying to be stealthy.
“Oh, so ya think you need cheats to win, do ya?” Katsuki taunted to mask how inconvenient this was for him, “You that desperate?”
The silence waking his words was worse than a reply. He felt suspense pricking the hairs of his neck and making his heart race as he threw his head around. Seeing was fruitless, so all he could do was keep his guard up. But patience had never been Katsuki Bakugo’s best virtue. He thrashed his arms around as though he was throwing a tantrum.
“Damnit, Izuku! Stop fuckin’ hiding!”
He felt a sudden warmth materialize behind him, but before he could move, he felt a hot breath tickle his ear, “Come and get me, Kat–suki.” Izuku whispered lowly.
Katsuki felt like his reactions were delayed-- like he couldn’t think straight--because before he could retaliate, his wrists were snatched and restrained behind him. Izuku shoved his face forward onto the ground with a foot placed between his collarbones. He used blackwhip as though he were using handcuffs, holding his wrists in place. And Katsuki couldn’t tell if the heat in his face was from anger or something else, but he was suddenly hyper-aware of the fact that he was about to lose. He thrashed up but Izuku wouldn’t budge.
Katsuki attempted to raise his head up but was stopped when Izuku reached down to push it back down, his hand gripping Katsuki’s spikes.
And so, cheek pressed to the hard floor, Katsuki threw a glare behind him, “Get the fuck off me.”
“Nah, I kinda like it like this!” Izuku grinned cheekily at him and pressed his foot down harder for emphasis.
Katsuki averted his eyes when a blush rose to his face, “We get it, asshole, you won.”
Izuku released the grasp on his wrists and moved his foot to the side, patting him on the back before he stood up. Katsuki grumbled something about balls and swan shit (?) but got to his feet with as much dignity as he could muster.
The other boy was already near their things.
“That was fun, Kacchan!” Izuku immediately smiled at him, throwing him a water bottle, “I was thinking something about your quirk.”
Katsuki wiped a string of sweat off his forehead and took a long sip, “What?”
He was done pretending he wasn’t interested in what Izuku had to say. Also, it benefited him too. It was nice to accept help.
It just took him a while to learn that.
Izuku practically bounced over to him, “You could use your explosions to create a smoke screen effect if you wanted! Setting them off could be really disorienting to your opponent and could give you a second to benefit from their confusion.”
“Huh, you think?”
“Yeah!”
“It’s like you’re usin’ fucking cheat codes with all your shit,” Katsuki grumbled over his water bottle.
Izuku laughed, “Is that your way of complimenting me, Kacchan?”
Katsuki capped the bottle and chucked it at him, smirking when it collided with his chest, “You fucking wish, nerd.”
“Yes, please!” He smiled.
“Don’t beg,” Katsuki grinned with a superior, “It’s unflattering.”
“I was not begging!”
“Yes, you were.”
Izuku seemed to sputter for a second before spitting out the first thing that came to mind, “You wish!”
Katsuki gaped at him, water dribbled out of his mouth and down his chin. He shook his head to correct himself, “What the fuck!?”
Izuku gestured around with his hands in a flustered manner, “I don’t know!” He raised them in defeat, “I’m sorry!”
“Yeah,” Katsuki began stalking over to him with his own flushed face and angry scowl, “I’ll kick your ass so hard you’ll beg for mercy!”
“Can we–uh–reschedule?” He asked with a sheepish smile, backing toward the door with his hands creating distance between them.
Katsuki tried to mask the amused smile twitching his lips, “I'll do you one better. How 'bout one now and you get another one later? On the house.”
“I-I don’t really like that deal.”
“Too fucking bad.”
“That's, uh, not how negotiation works, Kacchan.”
Katsuki lurched forward to try and grab his collar. However, Izuku pushed the door open just in time to escape with a manic, genuine laugh as he started running out of the gym. Katsuki couldn’t suppress his own laughter. He tried to shout but kept getting interrupted by his own painfully obvious joy and it was annoying.
His chest felt warm as he called between his cackles, “Yeah! Keep running, Izuku!”
The other boy laughed as well.
“I plan on it!” Izuku called over his shoulder with a bright smile.
“Plan on what?” A new voice entered the conversation.
Both boys halted to a stop, however, they underestimated their speed and Katsuki ended up colliding straight into Izuku’s back. They fell onto the ground with a groan.
Izuku rubbed his head, opening his eyes to see Mina standing above them with her hands on her hips and an unimpressed look on her face.
“What are you idiots doing?” She asked.
Izuku and Katsuki sat up on their forearms, exchanging a look.
“Nothing!” Izuku replied quickly while Katsuki responded, “Kicking ass.”
They tried to nudge each other at the same time but it turned into their elbows knocking on each other painfully. They both winced.
Mina raised her eyebrows.
Stifling a giggle, and maintaining professionalism, she crossed her arms.
It was then that another familiar figure came into view.
“Uraraka,” Izuku said with an air of surprise, “Hi.”
Ochako waved shyly and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She was wearing another dress, which seemed unusual considering she didn’t really like them much. This one was a light blue color with a fitting form. Katsuki eyed her suspiciously. Then glanced at Pinky. He wondered if the so-called “match-making prodigy” was to blame for her change of style. He personally thinks people should wear whatever the hell they want. Or…
Katsuki observed the way Ochako was blushing as she noticed Izuku’s disheveled appearance and training clothes.
Maybe her crush had something to do with this.
The entire class knew, and Katsuki Bakugo was no exception. It really got under his skin. But still, he supposed it really wasn’t his problem.
Katsuki clicked his tongue, irritated at Izuku’s cluelessness, and got to his feet. He then helped Izuku up without a word. As he did so, he tried to make his face look begrudging, but he really just looked constipated.
“The fuck do you losers want?” Katsuki asked politely.
Mina rolled her eyes, “Ochako was looking for Midoryia.”
“Oh?” Izuku tilted his head, being brought into the conversation, “What for?”
The enlightened three exchanged brief eye contact. Izuku looked between them expectantly. He tried to catch the hidden words being exchanged between their eyes, "Is something wrong?"
"DEKU I–" Ochako blurted out before slapping her hands over her mouth. Izuku raised his eyebrows at her. She muttered an apology before continuing at a lesser volume, "I-I was wondering if you would like to…hang out–" Mina nudged her side "–go out! I mean. Would you like to go out?"
"Go out?" He tilted his head again, "And do what?"
Mina facepalms.
"Like, for food, or something?" Ochako asked shyly, "With me?"
"Now? Later? Anytime? Why do we need to leave campus? We could eat lunch togeth–"
"Midoryia, for God's sake!" Mina shouted, squeezing her temples, "What are we going to do with you?"
Izuku blushed in embarrassment, clearly missing something, "Wha–"
"Yes, say yes! You big dummy!"
"Uh–I–okay–um, sure, yes we can…"
"Perfect!" Mina smiled, her mood changing as quickly as a switch. So much so it was surprising, "You two will meet tomorrow in the common room at 5 pm for dinner!"
Izuku’s eyes widened and he brought a hand to his chin. The signature indicator that he was about to begin muttering a storm, "D-Dinner? Is it formal? What should I wear? I don’t have many formal clothes. A polo shirt, I think. But–eh–I could buy one. But I wouldn’t use it much anyway. Is it worth spending money on? Oh, wait, how much do nice clothes even cost? I have an allowance but I wanna use it on other stuff too. What would I use it on, actually? Isn’t there a convention coming u—?”
“O–kayyyy! Cya!” Mina called after her patience ran into threads, leaving Katsuki alone with a muttering Izuku.
She grabbed Ochako by the arm and dragged her away. The brunette girl tried to wave over her shoulder but Izuku was in his own world of words, currency, and All Might memorabilia.
Mina got close to Ochako’s ear, whispering in low, disappointed tones, “Babes, sometimes, I can’t believe you like him.”
Ochako flushed a little with a nervous smile, “He’s cute!”
“Ugh,” Mina sighed deeply on behalf of all women, “The bar is in hell.”
Meanwhile, back at the main scene, Katsuki had been so busy fuming over the situation–-how it scratched his chest and made his skin crawl with distaste–-that he had forgotten to tell Izuku to be quiet. Regaining himself, he shoved the muttering boy’s head away lightly, clicking his tongue. Izuku blinked rapidly after being snapped out of his haze.
“W–What? Oh, um, where did they go?” Izuku looked around, his brows furrowing in confusion.
Honestly, when Izuku was thinking, no one knew where his mind went. As if his consciousness was its own world that only hecould occupy. However, it seemed that Katsuki could find Izuku’s mind when it was lost. Lost and wandering. Katsuki could always bring Izuku back. And if not, he could locate just where he was. Just where his mind was going.
“They left, dipshit,” Katsuki rolled his eyes, “Are you really that nervous?”
Izuku shrugged his shoulders and continued walking back to the dorms, prompting the other boy to follow, “I don’t know…”
The sag in his shoulders, the biting of his lip, the deflation of his words. The way, when Izuku looked at him, his eyes weren’t as bright as usual. And, as always, Katsuki knew just where his mind was going.
“Do you even wanna go?” Katsuki questioned. No matter the response Izuku gave, he would know the truth.
“It’s just a dinner with friends,” Izuku replied (and Katsuki had to refrain from spilling that no, it’s a date, you thick-headed shitface). The oblivious boy continued, “I was just hoping we could Smash tomorrow or something.”
“Smash?”
“Super Smash Bros, Kacchan.”
“Oh, shit–right.”
Izuku smiled at him with a bit of disappointment, “It’s okay! We can play some other time.”
“Or you could admit you don’t wanna fucking go,” Katsuki punched his shoulder playfully, “You gotta do what you want, nerd.”
Izuku punched him back, “I already agreed to it. Besides, it’s not like I don’t want to go.”
Katsuki raised a doubtful eyebrow at him.
“Urgh, don’t look at me like that! I promise.”
“You promise? That’s pretty damn bold.”
Izuku stopped walking and held out his pinky, “Pinky promise.”
Katsuki blinked at him. He smiled a bit, amusement tugging at his lips, “You’re so fucking stupid.” His voice was fond.
“You gotta pinky promise me back!” Izuku grinned and wiggled his finger.
“Fucking fine,” Katsuki groaned so loud it probably woke squirrels from hibernation, “Promise.”
They interlocked their fingers to seal it.
“Pinky promise, you mean.”
“I hate you.”
He sighed dramatically, “Oh, Kacchan, I know,” Izuku teased, placing a hand on his heart, “Poor Kacchan.”
“Yeah, poor fucking me. I should get paid for putting up with your shit. It’s making me age ten times faster.”
The boys continued walking toward the dorms. Soon, the sparkle in Izuku’s eyes returned, and Katsuki knew he had done his job. They laughed some more, it is the best medicine, after all. The next time Izuku gets hospitalized, he should request an hourly dosage of Katsuki’s humor to clear his wounds.
Before they stepped inside the building, Izuku paused with his hand on the handle, “Can you help me find something to wear?”
“Sure, nerd,” Katsuki paused to think, “But don’t stress over it. It’s prolly fine if you wear whatever.”
“Hopefully! I need your fashion designer genes. They’re helpful!”
“Being a fashion designer isn’t biological, dumbass. My style is just superior.”
“Yeah, of course! I mean to say it’s good.”
“I know it’s good.”
“Good!”
“Good.”
They smiled at each other.
Then Izuku pushed the door open and they were swept away in the bustle of their class.
The day went on without abnormality. It was Saturday, so everyone could indulge in whatever they wanted for the time being. That consisted of doing nothing alone, doing nothing together, or sleeping. A few people watched television downstairs while others went into town just to walk and enjoy the autumn weather. By Katsuki’s standards, it was already freezing, so he preferred to stay inside.
Izuku and Shoto went out to step on leaves together. More so, Izuku hopped on the leaves while Shoto stood off to the side taking candid videos because he believed it was quite fun to watch. They made a satisfying crunch when weight was put on them, so Izuku went around and demolished them until none was left and they had to go back inside.
Katsuki, Eijiro, Mina, and Denki played a few games of cards. Katsuki was quickly obliterated in all of the games, so in retaliation, he blew up the deck. But to be fair, there was a disadvantage when everyone had a secret alliance against him.
Katsuki bought them a new deck!
Kyoka listened for a while as Momo played her keyboard, smiling softly as the calming tunes flushed her room. She did enjoy it, even if she preferred more intense music. They hummed together. Then, Momo covered her ears with a supportive smile as Kyoka started playing metal on her guitar.
Ochako read some novels in her room while Iida polished his shelves of glasses.
When it came time for dinner, everyone ate at different times, just coming and going whenever it fitted them. However, Ochako kept an eye peeled for a specific green-haired boy in the kitchen. She waited. And, when he finally did appear, she made her entrance.
As he ate some chicken and rice at the table, she sauntered over and took the seat in front of him. Smiling sweetly, “Hey, Deku-kun!”
Izuku startled and looked up at her wildly, taking a moment before returning the smile, “Hey, Uraraka! What’s up?”
“Nothing,” she casually rested her chin on her hand, “You excited for tomorrow?”
Katsuki glanced over from his spot on the couch.
Izuku nodded, “Mhm! It should be fun! Where are you wanting to go?”
“Maybe boba or something? Do you like that?”
“Yeah! I love it. How about you?”
“I do too!” Ochako smiled wider, “What’s your favorite?”
The blond boy gritted his teeth–-No, he thought, he doesn’t wanna go out with you. Take those balls and shove ‘em up yo-
A sweet voice burst his thoughts.
Izuku hummed in consideration, “I tend to like things that are pink. Like strawberry or cherry, stuff like that. But I would probably say strawberry!!”
Katsuki–-who was continuing to eavesdrop for the rest of the conversation--narrowed his eyes at the two of them. The way Izuku was with someone else; going out with someone else for one of his favorite treats. It just pissed Katsuki off.
And the small talk was awkward as hell, even for him to witness.
Maybe he was just trying to find bad things in the normal...
He hadn’t realized he was clenching his fists until Eijiro tapped his hand. The redhead leaned forward to catch his eyes, “Hey dude, you okay?”
Katsuki stopped watching the scene and turned away with a scoff, “Yeah. Fine.”
From the other side of him, Kyoka inserted herself, “You were staring pretty hard.”
“Shut up, ears,” Katsuki snapped without much malice, “I zoned out.”
“You got that pissy look, bro,” Eijiro reasoned. He touched the blond's shoulder with a friendly hand, “And it’s not just your RBF.”
Katsuki scoffed a bit at that, “I said I’m fine, alright?”
“Okay.”
“Mhm.”
Eijiro looked around for a second to ensure everyone did their own thing. Then, he whispered for only Katsuki to hear, “Is it about Midoryia?”
Katsuki nearly jumped at the sound of his voice, “Shut up.”
“Got it. Talk later!”
“Whatever.”
They left it at that. And Katsuki was really grateful for his friends.
He was ready, anyway.