-- filler for something bigger --
Katsuki slung his training bag over his shoulder, wincing as it came down on a fresh bruise induced by one of Izuku's shoot styles. He decided to hold the strap instead. It was a close fight, but he had lost again, and as much as he was pissed about it, he was glad Izuku wasn’t one to gloat.
The room was quiet except for the shuffling of fabric, which was odd. Izuku loved to debrief after spars and offer his advice or ask for Katsuki's criticisms.
He should have a dork blabbering in his ear by now.
Looking back, he found Izuku staring at him strangely. And Katsuki held eye contact, expecting him to look away, but he didn't.
Finally, "What, nerd?" Katsuki frowned, turning his back toward the other boy as he opened the door, "Like what you see?"
Izuku shook his head with a blush, stammering and rushing to follow behind, "Oh, oops, sorry! I was, uh–"
Admiring the view, he could say.
But he didn't, and luckily, Katsuki changed the subject.
"You got any plans?" Katsuki asked him conversationally, kicking the pebbles under his feet.
"Ah, no, not really."
In response, Katsuki hummed with implication. Izuku didn't know what the implication was, and he gave the blond a confused look.
They had finished class for the day. Earlier than normal, considering there was a small attack downtown that their teachers had to cover. The class was free until tomorrow, however, not many people knew what to do with this unexpected free time, and it was hardly afternoon.
They walked for a while in comfortable silence. It was a silence that they were fine marinating in. Especially when Katsuki seemed to be thinking. Like Izuku, Katsuki had long-winded thought patterns as well. He just preferred to keep them inside his mouth, behind his teeth like little prisoners.
Katsuki felt like he was falling behind. Falling behind as if Izuku was slipping through his fingers again. Because he could admit there might be a possibility of Izuku reciprocating Ochaco's feelings. He wouldn't say there was no chance of it, that would be nïave.
He couldn't stop thinking about it. It was distracting, to say the least, and he would instead focus on other things but he found the subject perpetually on his mind.
He had noticed that Izuku and Ochaco came back alone (loss of Shoto and Iida) a few days before. It was really bothering him, but it wasn’t as though anything happened, right? Katsuki and Izuku had never discussed their crushes before. Not that they could have considering…things. However, Katsuki would’ve liked to believe Izuku would be open with him about those he liked. But, hell, he didn’t even know Izuku’s sexuality. He was walking a tight line.
Yet, Katsuki wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't at least try to get what he wanted.
At least tell him how he felt sooner or later or maybe never.
He took a deep breath, "Izuku," Katsuki prompted.
"Yes, Kacchan?"
"You wanna do somethin’ with me?"
Izuku looked at him with shining eyes and a grin, “Yeah!” He answered immediately, “What?”
Katsuki’s chest ached and he turned his head away. He shrugged his shoulders with a smirk, “Secret.”
“Hey,” Izuku pushed him to the side playfully, “You can’t just say that. How do I know you aren’t driving me off a cliff or something?”
“First, I ain’t gotta car, so lower your expectations. Second, how dare you assume such things,” Katsuki placed a hand to his heart, feigning offense.
“I mean, it’s always a possibility.”
“Yeah. I might rent a car just to dispose of your dumbass.”
Izuku laughed, “Nooo! Kacchan, spare me!”
“It’s too fucking late for begging.”
“It’s never too late for begging. That’s always my last option.”
“Nah, you shouldn’t need a last option. You should always be beatin’ ass and winnin’.”
“Would that be better than begging? You’re saying I can beat your ass and win instead?”
“Never.”
“Really? ‘Cause I think I just did,” Izuku giggled, referring to their earlier fight in the training room.
The blond glared at him, “Fuck you,” Katsuki reached out and buried a hand in Izuku’s hair, ruffling his unruly curls for a little longer than necessary before his arm fell hopelessly to the side.
Izuku looked over at him through his messed-up hair, his lips quirking up. Katsuki rolled his eyes with a smile of his own. And amid their peace and warm hearts, the wind pushed back against them as though it was saying ‘mayday, do not return’ every step closer they got to the dorms.
But unfortunately, the boys were monolingual, and the wind was speaking a foreign language. Maybe a distant, wailing whistle was a more accurate comparison.
The clouds ran across the sky, and the world smelled like the threat of rain, as a few frowning clouds swept above. The trees looked like their neck were about to snap. It seemed like at any moment, a cloud would overflow, break down, sob, and spread its tears. Katsuki was just happy that what he wanted to do was far enough away to escape the rain.
“It looks sad,” Izuku held his hand out as if he was waiting for a raindrop to fall into it.
Katsuki looked up as well, “The sky? You gonna hug it and kiss its boo-boos?”
“I would if I could,” Izuku said wistfully. Then he looked over with an apprehensive look, “Will…this interfere with what you wanted to do?”
Katsuki eased Izuku’s anxiousness with a gentle look, “Nah.”
The freckled boy smiled, “Okay. I’m glad.”
When they went back inside, Ochaco was already waiting there. It really pissed Katsuki off because it felt like she was materializing whenever he didn’t want to see her face. She was trailing behind Izuku as if she was afraid to let him out of her sight. And Katsuki didn’t have a problem with Ochaco. He didn’t. Sometimes he wished he could blast her into the sun, but not in a hateful way.
The brunette was the only one there and was obviously looking for Izuku. She immediately looked up from where she was waiting on the couch, standing and making her way over. Katsuki resisted the urge to throw Izuku over his shoulder and turn right out the damn door.
“Deku-kun,” Ochaco greeted eagerly. She turned her eyes to the side a bit, “Hi, Bakugo.”
Katsuki grunted.
“Hi! What’s up?” Izuku asked as he exchanged his shoes for slippers, grabbing a pair for Katsuki as well.
Ochaco watched them both closely, rocking back and forth on her heels, however, she didn’t say anything for a few seconds. Katsuki got up from where he was and tossed her a side-eye as he walked past—one she could interpret easily as an annoyance—as he walked to the kitchen.
She gave him a tight smile.
“Um,” Ochaco said finally as she turned back to Izuku, “Are you up to anything?”
Katsuki froze from his spot in the kitchen, hands paused as he opened a protein bar, extending an ear to the conversation.
He furrowed his brows when Izuku took a beat to answer.
“Oh, um–--I think so,” He looked over her shoulder at the blond thoughtfully, “Why?”
Ochaco flushed, “I was wondering if you w–”
No way.
Katsuki had called unofficial dibs minutes ago.
So, “Izuku!” Katsuki shouted at a ridiculously high volume, gritting his teeth and leaning against the counter. He had been scowling at the sink, but now that the room was silent, he turned toward the pair with a forced smile (and twitching eye), “How ‘bout my offer?”
“What offer?” Ochaco questioned as she glanced between them.
Izuku rubbed his neck awkwardly, “Ah! Kacchan asked me to do something with him, I’m sorry.”
“Aw, can it wait?” The girl asked audaciously, wearing an air of innocence even as she stared at Katsuki with a challenge.
“Hah!?” Katsuki snapped.
She looked at him with inauthentic purity, “Oh? Is something wrong, Bakugo?”
The blond glared at her as though he could shoot lasers through his eyeballs. And Ochaco smiled fakely at him with a tilt of her head, “Well, is there?”
Katsuki could practically smell the facade radiating off of her. But fine. Two could play at that game, “Oh, I was just hoping to spend quality time with Izuku here–” the other two looked at him, gobsmacked “–You don’t mind, do you?” He gave her a (fake) hopeful smile that made his face feel like it was melting right off.
That was unexpected.
Ochaco opened and closed her mouth a few times like a fish. Finding she had nothing to say, she turned to Izuku, and the way he was looking at Katsuki would have floored anyone. His irises were practically glowing, if not from admiration than the tears rimming the edges of his large, expressive eyes.
Izuku placed a hand over his mouth, never taking his eyes off the blond, “Kacchan,” He said tearfully, “You…want to spend time with me?”
Katsuki, momentarily forgetting there was another person in the room, felt the heat creeping up to his face as he looked at Izuku. The blond smiled, “Yeah.”
When the boys looked at each other, it felt like tension was creeping between their eyes, igniting the room in a strange, electric pressure.
What was going on? She thought.
Ochaco watched Katsuki with confliction, her mouth agape before she gave in, “It’s…okay. You two have fun!”
The spell was broken, “Thank you, Uraraka!” Izuku said too quickly, smiling, “W-We can still hang out later if you want to.”
“Alright,” Ochaco smiled at them both, desperate to leave, “Later!”
“Cya,” Katsuki called after her distantly as she exited the room.
She started running to the stairs the moment she was out of sight and clambering onto the level where she knew Mina’s floor would be.
Ochaco was panting by the time she got there, not even bothering to glance up as she threw open the door without warning, running a hand down her face. She never would have thought she would see such affection Katsuki’s gaze. The assumption came to her instantly. She never would have thought about this suspicion, but Mina was one of the blond’s closest friends, so perhaps she would know. And Ochaco didn't want to interfere if she knew Katsuki had the same feelings toward Izuku as she did. Heck, she thought, Katsuki deserved him.
“Hey, hi! Does Bakugo like anyone? A guy?” Ochako closed the door behind her, only registering there had been laughter when the room when silent.
She blinked stupidly at everyone, embarrassment running through her body. Denki and Sero stared wide-eyed at her out of confusion. While Kirishima looked at her with something akin to panic. Mina, the last of the bunch, was raising an eyebrow.
“Urgh!” Ochaco shook her head, putting her hands over her ears, “I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have just barged in here like that.”
Mina laughed, a little awkwardly, and patted a spot on her bed, “Come in?”
Ochaco walked with her head down to the spot, the room deathly silent the entire time. When she sat down there was a strange springing noise that seemed amplified by the quiet, a sound you wouldn’t normally hear. It was suffocating.
The brunette buried her hands in her face, “Can someone say something?!”
“Sorry,” Denki blinked himself out of a gaze, “Uh–why do you think that?”
Ochaco looked up at everyone, “Well, it seems weird to say it now! And it’s not really my business, I guess.”
Kirishima cleared his throat, “Yeah–”
“Nah, tell us. It’s not like we care if he likes sweaty men or not,” Sero shrugged with a nonchalant smile.
“Who says he likes ‘em sweaty?” Mina asked with a look of disgust, a scrunch in her nose.
“Should we be talking about this?” Kirishima tried to include awkwardly, worry in his expression, “Isn’t it private?”
“C’mon dude, now I’m curious,” Denki admitted, turning to Ochaco, “Why?”
Under the attention, the brunette felt hyperaware of herself, “I-I, um, just the way he looks at some people…or…I dunno.”
They all looked at her.
“And?”
“Sorry, it isn’t my place. If it’s private, I totally get it. That was rude of me. I was just wondering if you knew.”
The group of friends glanced around at each other, reaffirming the question with their looks, although it seemed obvious by just this that no one knew. However, Kirishima did refuse to engage in eye contact with the rest of his friends. But Ochaco didn’t think much of this. And, after looking around, the friends reached the consensus that no one knew anything.
Mina vocalized it, “Don’t think we know.”
“Yeah, no problem!”
“Although,” Denki tapped his chin, leaning back in one of Mina’s leopard prink bean-bags, “I think we should expand on this more.” He spread his hands wide for emphasis.
Sero nodded, “I concur.”
“I thought we agreed this was private!” Kirishima interjected, standing up with his hands on his hips, and looking at everyone sternly.
They promptly ignored him.
“Has he ever seemed interested in girls?”
“I think he hates everyone.”
“No! He loves us!”
“And Midoriya.”
“Oh, yeah, him too.”
“Is that who Ochaco was talking about?”
“Let’s move on!”
“You’re such a party pooper, Kiri.”
“He may have had very few crushes?”
“Not that he would share them, anyway.”
“Who is he interested in, then?”
The thing was that Katsuki had been interested in one person his entire life. One person that made everyone else seem invisible and incomparable.
One person that took his breath away.