Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

If you asked, Katsuki would say he had no regrets.

Well, what he would most likely say is 'None of your fucking business' or something to that tune. But if he thought about it, he was pretty sure he had none. Sure there were some things that could've been improved on, moves he could've used, words he could've said, but those weren't real regrets. 

Right? 

There was no use in getting hung up over what you couldn't change. Unless you had a quirk that enabled you to see the future, there was no way you'd actually know it was a mistake until it was too late. 

For instance, he couldn't have known about that hand bastard showing up at their local mall, threatening someone he knew, on a trip he'd refused to join. 

He'd done nothing wrong. There was no way he could've predicted that. 

He had no reason to wish he'd done differently. 

So why the hell did he? 

He'd spent that day training and getting packed for camp. After listening to his mom nag him for hours about remembering to pack this, don't forget that, and so on and so on, he used jogging as a perfect excuse to get out of the house.

Kirishima called him in the middle of a breather about twenty minutes in. 

"Whadda' ya want, Shitty Hair?" 

"Dude! Holy shit! You will not believe what just happened." He sounded even louder and more excitable than usual. 

"I couldn't care less what crap some extras pulled off in their spare time." Katsuki scoffed.

"No, seriously listen! Remember that hand guy from the attack on USJ?"

 Katsuki straightened up. "Shit, don't tell me that fuckwad was actually there!" 

"Not only that, he cornered Midoriya!" 

 "Deku? Why her?" 

"I'm not really sure, I haven't heard a lot of the details yet. It was so weird!" 

"What do you know?." 

"Okay. As I understand it, he was disguised as a regular civilian without those creepy hands things. He snuck up to Midoriya, grabbed her by the neck, and threatened to use his quirk on her and anyone else he could reach if she didn't come quietly and answer his questions." 

The bottom of Katsuki's stomach dropped out. "He put his hand around her neck?!" 

"Yeah! She's okay, but what a creep!" 

Katsuki started feeling sick.

He remembered, in high definition detail, what that man's touch did to Aizawa's arm, making the flesh crumble and break off down to the muscle. And that was just his elbow. What happened if he'd done that to someone's neck? 

It took a couple of tries to get his voice working again. "What happened after that?" 

"He just took her aside and asked some questions about All Might and the Hero Killer." 

"What kind of questions?" 

"I dunno'. Hoping to gather some kind of intel, maybe? That guy's pretty screwy, if I remember right." 

Kirishima did, in fact, remember right. "And after that?" 

"Urakara walked in on them, and he just left. Completely disappeared in the crowd. The girls called security, who called the police, and the whole place got shut down. They've been questioning our class." 

"Wait, you mean they even didn't catch that bastard?"

"Wish they had." 

"One of the most wanted villains in Japan practically dropped into their laps! How could they let him get away?!" 

"I know! How screwed up is that?" 

'Screwed up' was such an understatement it was practically a sick joke. "Why didn't that shitty nerd use that crazy-ass quirk of hers? That's what she's been training for ain't it?" 

"Didn't you hear me? He threatened to kill bystanders. That's gotta be at least twenty people." 

Katsuki's old enemy,helpless frustration, crawled its way up his spine. "She's always scribbling hero and villain shit int those goddamn notebooks of hers! She really couldn't think of anything better to do than just sit there like a fucking lump?" 

"Hey man, you weren't there. You didn't see what it was like." 

The reminder made something knot uncomfortably in his chest, which of course only served to piss him off even more. "I don't need to be there to know useless when I hear it!" 

"Hey knock it off!" 

Having a rare display of Kirirshima's outrage aimed at himself took Katsuki off guard. 

"A dangerous maniac who decays anything he touches was threatening to kill her and several civilians. But nobody got hurt, because she kept a level head. How many of us would've done that, Bakugo?" 

"I can keep my fucking head plenty level!" 

"I didn't say you couldn't! I'm just saying..." 

"And now that scumbag's free to hurt more people! Probably more than he would've in the mall!" 

"How do you know that? Could you really make that call?" 

Katsuki ground his molars, tilting the phone away. 

What kind of hero let a villain corner them like that and not even try to subdue him, or even ruin his day? It could've been so simple to knock him out and turn him over to the police.  

 "Bakugo? you still there?" 

He took a deep breath and held it, somehow managing to lower the pressure between his ears to a dull roar. "Of course I am, Moron." 

"The police said she did the right thing." 

Of course they did. 

"Does this mean they'll cancel training camp?" 

"I think it's too early to tell." 

Katsuki glared holes into the sidewalk at his feet. Kirishima cleared his throat awkwardly."I had a thought, but you probably won't like it." 

"Then don't tell me." 

Of course, Kirishima continued heedless. "You and Midoriya live in the same neighborhood, right?" 

"Yeah." 

"Listen, I know things aren't the best between you two..." 

"No shit." 

"But, considering the hard time she must be having, maybe you could bury the hatchet for a couple hours and just... you know." 

"I ain't playing messenger boy. You wanna' talk to her, go see her yourself." 

"No, I was just thinking of you visiting her. Showing some solidarity between heroes." 

He made a disgusted sound. "Some of that hair gel seep into your skull? I'm not paying a pity visit to fucking Deku of all people." 

"No one's making you, bro. But it would be pretty damn manly if you did." 

Katsuki snorted. 

"I'm sure maybe just a text would lift her spirits." 

"I'm hanging up now." 

"Just think about it." 

Grunting, he ended the call and shoved his phone back in his pocket. The rest of his jog was filled with mounting frustration, brain swelling with everything his friend had told him, along with the anvil chorus of You Didn't Go. 

It would've turned out so much differently if he had. He would've blasted that decaying motherfucker's ass right to prison, and they would all sleep just a bit more soundly. 

But he hadn't. 

Like Kirishima said, he hadn't seen what it was like.  

After his jog, he went home, showered, had dinner, and then wasted about thirty fucking minutes glaring at the number taunting him from his phone's screen.  

It wasn't that hard. Just type a couple words, send, and done. 

And yet it wasn't that simple. 

He huffed a sigh and raked his fingers through his hair. Thanks to Shitty Hair's phone swiping skills and insistence that Katsuki have their entire class in his contacts (under their proper names of course) he was just a couple steps away from sending a message to the one person who somehow managed to annoy him more than all their classmates combined. 

Why? He didn't know the fuck why. Maybe it would keep Kirishima's comments from burrowing under his skin. 

Maybe because, as much as he couldn't stand Deku, the fact remained she had been a hair's breath away from antagonizing death by neck-rot. And his brain would not let him forget that. 

Just get this shit over with. keep it short and simple. 

So what if the last time you talked directly to Deku you said you'd literally rather flunk than team up with her... 

[Me] 7:43pm : Heard what happened. That fucking sucks. 

He hit send before he could change his mind. 

He was an asshole. But not a complete asshole. 

He saw the response when he checked his phone the next morning. 

[Midoriya] 11:00pm: Sorry I just saw your text and don't know when you'll read this but thank you!!!! 

He just clicked his tongue in annoyance. 

 "Could you try to put on a slightly less unpleasant face?" 

"Why the hell should I? I never wanted to come along." 

Mitsuki elbowed him in the ribs. "We're not going over this again, brat. Inko said they'd be delighted to have us over, so here we are." 

After hearing about the mall incident his mom, thinking along the same lines as Kirishima, decided that what the midoriyas needed right now was the sight of familiar faces. 

Never mind the fact this family was absolute shit this kind of thing. 

"Look, all I ask is that you try to be a little more courteous. They've been through a terrible time, so the very least we could do is..." 

"I know, damn it! I'm the one who told you about the fucking mall in the first place." 

"And don't use that language!" 

"Could we maybe save this for later?" Masaru interrupted carefully. "We're almost at the door." 

After exchanging one last glare, mother and son sheathed their claws for the time being. 

 Auntie Inko looked ten years older than the last time he'd seen her.

"Mitsuki! So great to see you again!" 

 In spite of the waves of discomfort he was no doubt emitting, she turned to him next. "Katsuki! My gosh, you've gotten so tall already!" Her soft hands looked tiny holding his. "I know you're probably sick of hearing people say that, but I keep forgetting how fast boys grow at your age." 

No for the first time, her candid warmth left him at a loss for words. "Yeah...well... it's whatever." 

Smiling as if she understood, she then turned to his father. "And how's your studio doing Masaru?" 

"Oh, about the same. We just finished a beach shoot." 

A door opened down the hall and the frantic scuffle of socked feet headed their way. 

"Izuku, they're here." 

The small, deflated figure came in with badly hidden reluctance. "Hi. I heard you come in." 

Everything about her screamed uncomfortable. From the wobbly, uncertain smile plastered across her face and rigid set of her shoulders, to the cornered rabbit look in her eye. 

Yup. This was a bad idea. 

"Good afternoon Masaru-san, Auntie, Kacchan." Her voice wavered a little in the middle of his name. 

His mother tsk-ed. "Why so formal?" She pulled Deku into a hug, surprise making the girl even more tense. "Child, this is us you're talking to. We've known you most of your life." 

He doubted his mother could really be that oblivious to the antagonism between the teens, the tension of which could be so strong it made small children in the vicinity burst into tears.

But then again, she'd always held a soft spot for Deku. Probably started planning their future wedding the first time that shitty nerd started following him around. Refused to accept that whatever passed as friendship between him and Deku was dead and six feet under. 

"So," Inko jumped to her daughter's rescue. "Anyone want something to drink?" 

It was just as painful as he knew it would be. 

Their parents kept trying to fill the silence with conversation, acting as if it hadn't been at least five years since Katsuki set foot in this apartment. Meanwhile the two teens just sat there pretending not to notice each other. The whole time Deku kept up that phony smile, nervously fiddling with the knuckles of her right hand. 

He'd never really noticed how messed up it was.

And he'd forgotten that she could look smaller than she really was. She looked tired. 

But what did she expect? Jumping into the ring where she had no business being. As long as she kept this up, things like this were going to keep happening, maybe get worse. 

Pissed him off. 

The last few days he'd been trying really, really hard not to think about that incident, imagine it as Urakara must've seen it, but it kept coming back, always bringing with it the question what if you'd gone? And now that he was sitting here, looking at Deku, it was that much harder to push the images away. 

He knew what face she must've made. Terror, forced under an ill-fitting mask of calmness, maybe holding a thread of anger. Did no one really notice the hooded weirdo with a hand around a teenage girl's neck? What else would he have gotten away with, if he'd tried? 

How far would he have pushed before Deku decided a rotting throat was a better alternative? 

Something in Katsuki coiled tight, making it hard to breathe. 

He needed to stop it. Stop dwelling on what he couldn't change, it was pathetic. 

But it made him so angry... 

Why didn't you just stay where you belonged?  

"He did WHAT?!" 

Inko's shout startled him back into the present, in time to see her turning to her daughter with a shocked expression. "You never told me this!" 

Deku squirmed. "I didn't think it was important at the time." 

Katsuki's brow furrowed, trying to remember the previous snippets of conversation that had reached him while he was zoned out. 

"I knew it was supposed to be intense," Inko continued. "But Izuku... I never thought he'd be capable of such a thing!" She shot a brief look of distress in his direction. 

"Mom, he was playing the villain! He couldn't just go easy on me!" 

Realization came first. Then resentment, making his lip curl into a sneer. 

 Inko didn't know the gory details about their slamfest, back when they'd been teamed up against each other in Ground Beta. And now, she was going to learn them all. Right in front of him and his parents. 

"No wonder your back was such a wreck!" 

He thought he could remember a moment, when he'd aimed and fired, without pity, watching with satisfaction when she arched and yelled in either pain or horror. 

Something grabbed his insides and squeezed until they hurt. 

All he'd wanted to do was scare her. Teach her a lesson. Make an example of what happened when people tried to make a fool of him. Make her sorry she hadn't listened to reason. 

That was what he'd meant to do. What had he actually done? He couldn't even remember. 

Inko was talking again. "The idea! Picking up a person and swinging them to hit someone else! Whoever heard of such a thing?!" 

Wait. 

What? 

"Actually that didn't hurt so much as the New Hampshire Smash. That's what injured my back." Izuku clarified. 

He'd missed something vital to this conversation. "The hell is everyone talking about?" 

The first time he'd spoken since the beginning of the visit. Small wonder everyone looked so startled. 

Mitsuki glared. "You weren't even paying attention?" 

Masaru leaned farther into Katsuki's line of site. "Your mother just asked Izuku if All Might really used her to hit you during the final." 

"I can't believe you actually told them that." Deku mumbled. 

"Only 'cause they kept pestering me about the goddamn sneaker marks on my costume. I thought you told your mom everything." 

She looked down at her hands "I guess I kind of forgot..." 

"How the fuck do you forget something like that?!" 

She flushed. "Everything was a blur! And a lot's happened since then!" 

"Someone picks you up, swings you like a baseball bat to hit another person, and you just forget? If I'd been a ball he would've gotten a home run! Fucking hurt!"  

Deku stared at him. 

Then snorted. 

Expression morphing to horror, she clapped both hands over her mouth, but the snorts only grew into giggles and kept leaking out. 

Katsuki gaped. "Are you... laughing at me?!" 

She shook her head, still giggling. "No... I just...I just..." 

"The fuck is so funny?" 

"What you... said....know I shouldn't..." The giggling turned into full-blown, slightly hysterical laughter. 

"Moron, You've finally snapped your twig!" 

"Katsuki!" Mistuki swatted the back of his head. 

Deku covered her face with her hands, still laughing. "Can't stop... why can't I stop...?" 

"Hey, come here." Inko pulled Deku into her side, rubbing her back in soothing circles. "I know you've been keeping up a stiff upper lip for me, but you still have limits." 

At this point it was hard to tell if she was still laughing or crying. Rather than looking alarmed like rational people, the three adults appeared serene and accepting of the situation. Relieved even. 

"Is this normal?" 

"We all release stress in many different ways." Masaru assured him. "You kids have gone through stuff that would rattle most of us. If you don't let yourself go crazy once in a while, you'll go crazy for real." 

That sounded stupid, and yet made some sense. But he felt so helpless watching it happen. "But still..." 

"Katsuki..." His mom gave him her you-gotta'-trust-us-smile. "It's okay." 

He stopped trying to make sense of it. 

By now, Deku had calmed down, breathless and a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry Kacchan. The way you said it, the whole thing just struck me as hilarious all of a sudden." 

He sunk down into his seat, crossing his arms. "I knew it. You're a freaking masochist." 

"I don't think so." Her mouth pulled into a shy smile. "It would explain a lot, wouldn't it?' 

It took him a full ten seconds to realize that she had just made a joke. 

And that this was the first time he'd heard her laugh at something he said since they were ten. 

Why those two facts rattled him so much, he couldn't guess. 

Most of the tension had left the room, and both Midoriya women seemed to enjoy the rest of the visit more. Damned if he could figure him out. 

As his family walked home, Mitsuki smiled fondly and give his hair a light riffle. 

 "What the hell was that for?" 

Her grin grew wider. "Oh, just because." 

But he didn't miss the proud spark in their eyes. 

God, his parents were weird.

Chapter Text

They both stood. They both waited. Calculating, measuring each other up like a million times before. 

 Mind tensed with every muscle, she searched his face for any tells, finding none. 

Suddenly he was heading right for her. 

He sent a left hook, which she dodged, then an uppercut with the right, which she deflected. And the blows kept coming. 

Izuku avoided every single one. 

"Why are you doing this?" 

He deflected her kick, snarling. "You're in my way!" 

"That's not what I meant!" She grabbed his wrist and and tried to flip him, only for him to land on his feet and skid away. 

"I don't have to explain myself to anyone! 'Secially not to you!" 

His foot hooked her ankle, nearly knocking her over before she recovered. His arm whizzed over her head with another missed hook. "This isn't like you, Ground Zero! You laughed at them when they tried to win you to their side!" 

"Yeah? Well maybe I just got tired of everybody on my case all the time!" He launched himself toward her, only for her to use the opportunity to tangle them together and throw him off.

"Always, 'You're too violent',"

His elbow made contact with her shoulder, knocking her off balance. "Or 'try to be nicer'." 

He jumped to avoid a kick aimed to knock his legs out from under him. "And 'stop scaring people'."

He grabbed her arm and flipped her over his head. Her knees hit the floor, and she tried to use the momentum to drag him down, but his arm slipped out. 

"Made me sick!" 

Suddenly her arm was in his grasp, pinned behind her back, making her yell in surprise rather than pain. 

His eyes burned into hers, his attitude becoming almost lofty. "You don't know me Deku. Not really." 

"But... you wanted to be number one!" 

The fire in his eyes grew. His face twisted into that feral grin that once haunted her late childhood, making her breath catch as he leaned so close the ends of his hair touched her forehead. 

"I'm already number one." 

`````````````````````````````

"Stop! Ground Zero LET HER GO!" 

Their heads snapped toward the figure that just leaped into their line of sight. Taking advantage of the distraction, Izuku yanked herself out of Katsuki's hold, putting distance between them and spinning around into a defensive stance, grinning ear-to-ear. "Ground Zero, I don't think you've met my newest sidekick." 

Her rescuer raised his fists into the air, eyes gleaming. "I am Dragon Man, here to stop you villain!" 

With a scoff, Katsuki lowered himself into a fighting stance, smoking palms exposed, a derisive sneer on his face. "Just gonna' sic your boy-scout on me Deku? It'll take a lot more than...OOF!" 

Dragon Man launched himself right for Katsuki's middle, knocking the air out of him and sending him toppling to the floor with a pained grunt.

"You did it!" Izuku pumped her fist in the air. "You saved me dragon Man! You saved the world!" 

Katsuki craned his head to look at her upside down, arching an eyebrow. "The world?" 

She crouched by his head. "Don't think we don't know about your plan for taking over the world." 

Her husband rolled his eyes with an amused huff. "Way too much trouble. Terrorizing Japan is good enough for me." 

"That's enough out of you! Time to lock you up and throw away the key!" Declared Dragon Man.

AKA, Bakugo Yamato. 

Katsuki jutted his chin forward in a challenge. "I'd like to see you try, hero." 

"Okay, you asked for it!" He then proceeded to pummel his father's chest with harmless play punches, though his tiny four-year-old fists wouldn't have done any real damage anyway. 

"Police brutality!" Katsuki hollered. 

"You never should've become a villain Da... um, Ground Zero! Crime doesn't pay!" 

Katsuki raised his head to shoot him a conspiratorial look. "It does so pay." 

"No it does not!" 

"Villains don't have to eat their green peppers." 

The mere mention of the reviled vegetable made Yamato shudder, but he rallied quickly. "I need green peppers. They'll help me grow big and strong." He flexed a stubby arm for emphasis. 

"That's just what she wants you to think." 

"Kacchan!" 

"Your lies won't work on me! you're going to the slammer!" Yamato hopped off and started pulling on Katsuki's upper arm. His father simply crossed his arms and went limp, feigning a bored expression as Yamato grunted and strained, little feet digging into the carpet. "C'mon Dad, you need to move." 

"Can't. You knocked me out." 

"No I didn't." 

"Did too." 

"How are you talking?" 

"Part of my quirk." 

"No it's not." 

"If we're pretending I'm a villain, we can pretend I have more than one quirk." 

Izuku just sat there and laughed at the whole thing, until the timer in her phone buzzed.  "Well Dragon Man, It's eight'o clock. Time to hit the sack." 

Katsuki jumped to his feet, snatching up Yamato and earning a yelp as he tucked him under his arm like a wooden plank. "Say goodnight to your mom." 

"Awww man! Just a teeny tiny bit longer, please?" 

"The deal was until Eight, Short stack." Katsuki headed toward the hall. "We held up our end, now you hold up yours." 

"YOU'LL NEVER GET...!" 

"Not so loud! You'll wake the baby." 

"You'll never get away with this!" Yamato declared in a stage whisper. "Deku, help me!" 

She caught up with them, bending down to plant a kiss on her son's forehead. "Goodnight faithful ward. See you in the morning." 

"Mother! How could you?!" His voice faded as they disappeared down the hall. 

"See you in the morning."

After checking on Kyou to make sure he was still asleep, Izuku waited in the living room for Katsuki to return from his task of putting their oldest to bed.

"How was it?" She asked as he plodded out of the hall and plopped down next to her on the couch. "Did he give you much trouble?" 

He gave a light shrug. "No more than usual. Fell asleep the second his head hit the pillow. Tch. Kids." 

Laughing lightly, she pressed up into his side and draped an arm loosely over his middle, only to withdraw it when he flinched. "Wow, he really did a number on you." 

Katsuki absently rubbed his upper belly. "Nothing I can't handle. Didn't leave a bruise, but it'll be sore for a couple hours. The hardest part was not saying 'fuck'."

"Well, that was some fine acting, Ground Zero. Thank you for keeping it G-rated, mostly." 

"Mostly?" 

She raised an eyebrow at him. "You kind of got a little carried near the end." 

"What? Twisting your arm?" 

"I mean that little innuendo, in that particular tone, looking like you wanted to eat me alive," 

He adopted an innocent look. "I don't know what you're talking about." 

"Oh really? 'I'm already number one'." She mimicked the low, smoky tone he used. "If that's not meant to be a double entendre, I don't know what is." 

 He rolled his eyes. "It's not like you've complained about it before." 

"Because you never did it in front of kids." 

"They don't know what it is. That's the beauty of double entendres, people can listen and think they 're exactly what they sound like. And I could do a lot worse than an ambiguous voice. I used to hang out with fucking Kaminari all the time, I've heard 'em all." 

"Like?" 

"Like," He glanced at her under heavy lids, lowering his voice. "It's gonna' be a great bang." 

She burst into disbelieving laughter. "That's terrible!" 

"Show me your weapon, and I'll show you mine." 

"Stop!" 

"My lair or yours?" 

"Kacchan, I'm begging you!" 

"I'll gonna' invade your perimeter before... oh fuck it." He tackled Izuku and swallowed her giggles with a solid kiss. 

"God," She sighed. "When did we get so cheesy." 

He smiled ruefully. "I've got news for you Deku, we've always been cheesy as fuck." 

"And you wouldn't have it any other way." 

"Hell no."

Chapter Text

That Bakugo Katsuki would get inked came as a surprise to nobody. He'd only been eighteen for a grand total of six weeks before he left one Saturday morning without saying where, then sauntered into the common room that evening sporting a comic book explosion on his left forearm. 

Of course, Class 3A being Class 3A, everyone had to crowd around him to see and offer their own opinion (all of them variations of How cool!) 

Sero whistled. "That's some sweet tat you got there." 

"But you could've been a little more original." Kaminari said for the sole purpose of getting Katsuki's goat. The exploding hero only flipped him off. 

"I admit that the placement is quite clever." Iida remarked."It'll be hidden by your gauntlets, and since employers can be pretty finicky about tattoos..." 

"What made you decide to get it?" Mina interrupted what promised to be an informative rant. 

"Just felt like it." Katsuki replied as if it were blatantly obvious. 

Izuku couldn't help but wonder. "How do you plan to tell your mom?" 

He made a face like he had a lemon wedge under his tongue. "She's got eyes, doesn't she?" 

"Why Bakugo," Kaminari grinned, apparently feeling especially reckless that day. "You're not afraid of her reaction, are you?" 

"Fuck off! Nobody scares me! 'Specially not that hag!" 

"I've always wanted a tattoo, they're probably one of the manliest things invented." Kirishima practically gushed. "Hey! What if I got a matching one?" 

"Fuck no!" 

"Just messing with ya." 

"I think it suits you." Izuku decided. 

Kacchan's mouth twitched into a tired smirk. "Think maybe you can tell my mom about it? She listens to you." 

 About a year later he got a new one, the chemical formula for nitroglycerin on the outside of his right ankle.

It was probably to celebrate buying his first apartment, which was small and humble, but his. And because it was his, he could do whatever he wanted in it, such as prop his feet up on the coffee table, which was how she noticed the tattoo in the first place. 

She couldn't resist teasing. "And you call me a nerd." 

"I make nerd look badass. You're the 'thank God that's not me' nerd." 

"You're so mean!" 

"Wasn't that what you're goin' for?" 

"Why would I want people to be glad they're not me?" 

"Didn't mean it exactly like that. I mean...sympathy? Empathy? Shit like that." 

"That's not what empathy means." 

He crossed his arms behind his head. "Maybe I just said it to ruffle your feathers. You're hilarious when you're tryin' to be mad." 

Pouting, she tried to shoot him her most formidable look, but if anything it only amused him even more. "I hope you don't treat all your guests this way Kacchan." 

"Just the ones who call me nerd." 

For the third, he got the beta symbol on his right wrist. She and All Might were the only ones who made the connection. 

He caught her studying it, his face softening slightly, the Kacchan equivalent of a warm smile. "Like it?" 

"It's fine, but why would you get it?" Her own memories of Ground Beta were far from happy ones. 

He lifted his arm to glance at it. "Every time I was there, I learned something important, and got knocked down a peg or two when I needed it most. Sometimes, when I get full of myself, I need to remind myself I'm not the greatest thing." 

"That's very mature of you." 

He grunted "If I was really mature I wouldn't even need it." 

"But you would get it anyway, just in case." 

"You don't know what the hell I'd do." He muttered, but without any bite. 

The fourth tattoo was barbed wire wrapped three times around his right forearm, trailing off into a series of silk threads.  When asked about it, Katsuki only shrugged with a dismissive, "Liked the way it looked." 

Izuku was pretty sure there was a deeper meaning than that. Some overt symbolism of his newer self, along with a nod to Best Jeanist. Even though he still complained about that internship being a waste of time, she strongly suspected he was now developing a grudging appreciation for the pro's influence. 

But she could only guess. 

 The fifth was the most ambitious and elaborate. She noticed something on Katsuki's back through the material of his t-shirt, and when she asked about it he pulled up the hem to give her a better look. 

Covering nearly a fifth of his back was a tree partly engulfed in purplish black smoke, intricately drawn and beautifully detailed. It was so pretty she had to curl her fingers to fight the urge to touch (she'd rather keep all her digits, thank you). 

The smoke was familiar, giving her a shudder. But the tree confused her. "What does it mean?" 

He pulled his shirt back into place. "Remember training camp, with the Pussycats and Kamino?" 

Yes. Vividly. "Why would you want something to remind you of that?" 

"It changed everything." His tone said that was all the explanation he would give. 

Izuku thought she understood. 

The sixth was a small red western dragon on the outside of his left ankle. Inconspicuous and kind of random. But Izuku knew him enough to make an educated guess. "Is that supposed to represent Kirishima?" 

Katsuki pulled a face. "Don't tell him. It'll make him impossible." 

"Then why get it in the first place?" 

"No guarantee Hair-for-brains will figure it out." 

She laughed so hard her stomach hurt. "You're so weird Kacchan." 

"Look who's talking." He grinned. "President of All Might Stalkers Anonymous." 

"I do not stalk him and you know it!" 

"Whatever you say." 

She changed the subject. "Maybe I should do something like that. Get a tattoo to represent Ochako." She didn't mean it at all seriously. 

"You with a tattoo?" Katsuki snorted. "That's like Minnie Mouse getting a a tongue stud." 

"What if it represented you?" 

She wasn't expecting him to look so scandalized, until she realized with some horror the many possible ways that sentence could have been taken, and that the tone she'd used could've almost been considered... coy. 

This had been happening more often actually, it was the darnedest thing. 

"I-I mean...You know...like a...a grenade...a tiny one...on one finger..." 

He studied her carefully, as if looking for something he'd missed. He finally looked off and muttered, "Maybe stick with cute shit like flowers and butterflies." 

The seventh came shortly after All Might's memorial service.

Without prompting, Katsuki showed her five-point star done in red, white, and blue, bordered with golden yellow below his rib cage on his left side. 

This time she let herself touch it with her fingertip, knowing that it was allowed. Just like she was allowed the other light, casual touches that had been happening more often. Just like He was allowed the spontaneous displays of physical affection like ruffling her hair to make her squeak in indignation, or resting his chin on top of her head when they both looked at something. 

"He'd love it, Kacchan." 

"Ya' think so?" Not so much a question as an agreement. 

Seven tattoos. Seven glimpses into his shell, each giving clues of who he was and who he loved  

But the eighth and last tattoo was the most personal. 

Four years after graduation, six after their second fight in Ground Beta that changed everything between them, he took her aside saying there was something she needed to see, then pulled down the neckline of his tank. 

Etched on his left pectoral, just an inch and a half long by an inch and a half wide, as close to his heart as it could be without showing in his hero costume... 

The symbol Midori. In grass-green.  

She wasn't sure if her heart lodged in her throat or stopped altogether. 

To most it would probably seem totally random, even dumb. But to the people who knew them... to her... it was eighteen years of frustration, growth, friendship, rivalry, breaking down, building up, forgiveness, shared passions, shared goals, driving apart, coming together, fear, tears, laughter...

Love. 

Katsuki couldn't have declared his feelings louder if he'd shouted them from the roof. 

She wasn't going to cry. She was not. 

"Oi, you okay?" 

He was looking painfully unsure of himself. 

"Yes! Yeah I..." She blinked furiously to keep them at bay. "It's just... you... Kacchan... it's so..." 

Shoulders sagging in relief, he shot her a knowing smile, cupping her face in his hands. "Christ, don't hold that in. You look like your face'll explode."

Once she started, she couldn't stop. Wet, noisy, messy. Smearing tears and snot in his shirt when she buried her face in his chest and wrapped her arms tightly around his middle.

 He just held her, muttering a fond 'Crybaby' under his breath.

"Well, let's see it." 

She faced away from him. "You'll have to look down my shirt a little bit." He pulled her collar away to get a better look.

A pale blue infinity sign graced the space between her shoulder blades. Right underneath, the English words One For All written in white ink, just barely legible. 

"S'nice. Looks good on you." He planted a light kiss on the infinity. 

She smiled at him over her shoulder. "Even though it's not cute shit like flowers or butterflies?" 

"Beats a fucking grenade."

Chapter Text

Whatever Ochako had planned for that evening, it didn't include a frantic knock interrupting her studies, then opening it to find her best friend's stricken face on the other side.

"I've made a terrible mistake!" The other girl practically wailed, 

"Deku-chan, what happened?" She pulled her in and closed the door.

"I don't know what to do!" Izuku tangled her hands in her hair. "I'm dead meat! Why didn't I pay attention?" 

"Why? What's going on?" 

Her friend managed to take a few calming breaths before proceeding. "Kaminari was texting me about about Kacchan, I sent him a reply, then noticed it was... it said..." She gave a helpless whine. 

"What? What did it say?" 

"My spellcheck changed one of the words, but I didn't notice until I'd sent it!" 

"What did it say?" Ochako repeated. 

Izuku covered her reddening face with her hands. "Oh Gosh, I can't even say it!"

Ochako put a hand on her shoulder. "Can you show me then?" Izuku's strong emotions sometimes made her overreact a little. Maybe it wasn't as bad as she thought. 

Mutely, the other girl got out her phone and pulled up the conversation before handing it to Ochako. She took a look and... 

Wait. 

Oh. 

Oh wow. 

"This went to Kaminari-kun?" 

"Yes." Izuku whimpered.

Okay. Yeah, that was pretty bad. 

Kaminari stared, blinked. Brain coming to terms with what his eyes where telling him.

He reread the text. Then re-reread it. 

No way. 

A surprised laugh escaped him. 

No way in hell. 

Kirishima looked up from his magazine. "What's so funny?" 

"Ssshhhh!' Kaminari gestured for him to be quiet, glancing around the common room to make sure no one else was in sight before leaning forward and answering in a low voice. "Midoriya just sent me a text that's got either the funniest typo or worst Freudian slip in the history of text messages." 

"Really? What's it say?" 

"Here." He handed the phone to Kirishima. 

His friend snorted. "You've got her under 'Broccoliqueen'?" 

"Just read it, dingus." 

Kirishima's eyes flitted over the screen. Frowned. Re-read the last part. His eyebrows shot up and let his mouth fell open. "No way." 

"I know, right?" 

Kirishima clapped a hand over his mouth, but wasn't able to stifle the laughter. "Oh man. Oh man! Poor Midoriya!" 

"Exactly!" But Kaminari was laughing along with him. How could they not? 

 Chuckles trailing off, Krirshima handed it back. "Seriously though, you need to erase this, dude." 

"Darn. I was hoping to get it framed for Mina's birthday present." 

"I'm serious Kami." 

"Just kidding with you man. Of course I'll delete it. If anyone else see's it the whole dorm'll know before class tomorrow. And the last thing we want is for Bakugo to find out." 

"Find what out?" 

Both jumped and snapped their heads to see the very man they'd been discussing shuffle into the common room. 

 Kaminari immediately clasped his phone to his chest. "Nothing!"

Bakugo's eyebrows pinched skeptically. "Nothing? Nothing is the last thing you want me to find out?" 

"It's just a....a.." Kirishima said the first thing that came to his head. "A dumb cat video." 

"Why the fuck would I care about some lame-ass cat video?" 

"'Cause... uh... Didn't you say you hate cats?" 

Those red eyes narrowed dangerously. 

Suddenly there was a blur of movement, and Kaminari gave a small scream as he found himself pinned by Bakugo to the floor with one hand, the other snatching his phone. "Hey!" 

Bakugo read the texts, then stopped, eyebrows furrowing a fraction more. Then his eyes slowly, very slowly, grew wider, the tips of his ears burning red. 

If they hadn't been so scared for Midoriya's sake, it would've been hilarious. (Okay, it still was hilarious, but more on that later) 

The message read thusly: 

[Me] I don't know how we put up with him. 

[Me] Aside from the fact he's cool and fun to annoy. 

[Me] How did you put up with him all these years?  

[Broccoliqueen] People have asked me that. I don't really know what to say. 

[Broccoliqueen] I guess I always found something lickable about Kacchan.   

A muscle in Katsuki's jaw started twitching. 

"It's gotta' be a typo." Kirishima hastened to say. "You know how spellcheck does shit like that?" 

"Yeah!" Kaminari added. "This is Midoriya we're talking about. 'Lickable'? Pffft! No way she'd say that in a million years!" 

Katsuki's expression didn't change, but his grip on the phone tightened enough to bend the case. 

"Dude no!" Kaminari yelped. "Please, I'm begging you...!" 

The device blew up before he could finish the sentence, scattering pieces around the room and forcing the two boys to duck. 

And with that, Katsuki turned on his heel and marched toward the stairway  

Kirishima scrambled to his feet. "C'mon, we gotta' make sure he doesn't kill somebody!" 

"My baby." Kaminari whimpered, cradling phone pieces in his hands. "You were so young..." 

"Dude!" The redhead grabbed his friend by the arm and hauled him to his feet. "Get a grip! Bakugo. Angry. NOW!" 

The two boys tailed the explosive teen up the stairs. Every time they glimpsed Katsuki's back they saw the tension in his neck and shoulders. That coupled with his uncharacteristic silence rang all kinds of alarm bells. 

They were fully expecting carnage and Izuku's life hanging in the balance. To their great surprise, their quarry headed straight for his room and locked himself in. They remained in the hallway, breaths held and ears straining for any loud sounds. 

When none came, they both sagged against the wall in relief. 

"Okay." Kaminari sighed. "Crises averted... I think?" 

Kirishima nodded. "For now maybe. But I don't think she's quite out of the water yet." 

"What was that?" Izuku looked toward the door with a frantic expression."Did you just hear an explosion? I know I heard an explosion!" 

"I did hear something," Ochako admitted. "It sounded like a door slamming." 

Izuku sank onto the floor with a bone-weary sigh. "This is insane. I need to get a grip." 

"Do you really think Kaminari would share that text with everyone?" 

 "No. I don't know. Maybe? He wouldn't humiliate someone on purpose. But will he take this seriously enough?"  

"Izuku, It's just an embarrassing typo. It's not the end of the world." 

Izuku looked no less miserable than when she'd first came in. "If Kacchan finds out, it'll be the end of my world."

Kaminari was cornered by Izuku the moment he stepped into the common room the next morning. She looked like she hadn't gotten much sleep. 

"Listen Kaminari-kun, about that text I sent you..." 

He tried to shoot her a reassuring smile. "Yeah, I knew it was just a glitch. Happens to everyone." 

"You didn't tell anyone, did you?" 

"Well, just Kirishima..." 

"WHAT! WHY?!"  

A couple of their classmates looked in their direction. 

"Shh! He was right there, and I knew he wouldn't tell anyone. But, I'm really sorry." 

Izuku managed to calm slightly. "Well, I guess that's okay, If it's only Kirishima. Could you maybe just delete my text though, if you didn't already?" 

Kaminari suddenly looked constipated. "It is. Kinda'." 

"Oh thank good...wait." She noticed his expression. "What do you mean kinda'?" 

He fidgeted. "Well my phone sorta'... kind of... blew up."  

First Izuku's face went blank.

Then rapidly filled with a level of terror Kaminari had never seen outside a horror movie.

Then she let out a full-bodied scream that would've done Wes Craven proud. 

Only one thing made phones explode in this building.

The rest of the room went silent, everyone's attention snapping to her. "Midoriya-chan, are you okay?" Tsu asked. "You look pale." 

"Pale? She just screamed!" Hagakure pointed out. 

Izuku didn't notice them. She was too busy hyperventilating. 

"He knows! Dear God he knows! What do I do?! I'll have to move to another city and change my name!" 

"Hey," Kaminari raised both hands as if approaching a deer. "It might not be as bad as all that. You never know what...shit!" 

The resident phone exploder had just walked into the room, looking ready to set something on fire.

His eyes scanned the room until they found Izuku, then he marched right up to her, stopping less than three feet away. 

For a beat he just glared down at her. 

She tried valiantly to explain. "K-Kacch... I... it..." 

He held his hand out palm up and muttered, "Gimme' your phone." 

 She blinked owlishly. "W-What?" 

"Did I fucking stutter?" 

She quickly yanked her cell out of her pocket and handed it over. 

He pulled up the incriminating conversation, selected her response, and deleted it, expression relaxing just a fraction. 

"Fucking read your texts before hitting send, Nerd." He grunted as he shoved her phone back into her hands.

And with that he headed to the kitchen, snagged an apple, then went back to his dorm.

Leaving a room of stunned, confused silence behind.  

Izuku looked more dazed with each passing second. 

Todoroki broke the silence. "What just happened?" 

"THAT'S IT?!" Kaminari shrieked. "He couldn't' have done that with my phone?! Do you know how much info I lost from... woah!" 

He caught Izuku as she flopped forward in a dead faint. 

The others were immediately spurred into action, running forward. 

"Oh my gosh, Deku-chan!" 

"Lay her down, Kaminari! On her back you idiot!"  

"Should we wave a bottle of nail polish under her nose?"

"She's not breathing! She needs mouth-to-mouth!" 

"She is too breathing you purple sleaze!"  

"Seriously," Todoroki pressed. "What just happened?"

Chapter Text

Izuku had felt fine that morning. Fit as a fiddle. But by the time lunch rolled around, she started feeling queasy and a little achy.

She limited herself to a bowl of rice and some unseasoned chicken, making sure to drink Gatorade to stock up on her electrolytes. 

If she'd had half a brain, she would've just sat out gym class altogether. But like the stubborn fool she was often accused of being, Izuku went along and used up some much needed strength reserves. 

By the time it was over, she felt feverish and her stomach was protesting in an insidious, passive aggressive way. 

Normally she had a pretty strong immunity system. So strong it won the envy of some peers (not naming any Bakugos). It had nothing to do with her quirk, it was just something that came naturally. After the usual gamut of sore throats and ear infections during the first five years of her life, her body cracked it's metaphorical knuckles and decided no more games. 

Since first grade, she rarely got anything more than a twice-yearly fever, which happened either during flu season or when she'd compromised her defense system with insufficient sleep or stress. 

But she couldn't hide forever. 

During late spring of second year, a particularly nasty stomach virus swept through the campus. Each class had a least one student fall victim, usually more. Poor Recovery Girl, who hardly ever had a day off, was up to her neck in nauseated students. A few even had to go back to parents living nearby. 

Momo was the first casualty In Class A, followed by Kouda, then Ojiro. 

The class took action. Several of the teens started bringing bottles of hand sanitizer in their bags. Iida actually started wearing a surgical mask and promoting (or enforcing) a strenuous hand washing routine.

Kaminari and Mineta developed their own less orthodox method, which involved leaping away with impressive speed and agility, sometimes even from their desks, whenever someone nearby sneezed or coughed. 

(Aizawa had rolled his eyes heavenward and muttered, "Only my class..." and All Might wondered why they never showed such reflexes during quirk training.) 

And now, barely two weeks since it first appeared among them, the bug seemed to have claimed its fourth victim. 

She hated to miss class, especially after the days she'd lost to house arrest several months earlier. 

Just Social Sciences left, she reminded herself as Class A left the gym, then school would be done for the day, and she would go to bed, curl up under the covers, and maybe sleep for three days. 

"Oi." 

She turned to see Kacchan's scrutinizing look pinning her down. "You okay? Ya' look pretty shitty." 

Izuku pouted. "Thanks a lot. Is that a nice thing to say?" 

He rolled his eyes. "I mean you look sick. Plus this is the longest you've spent without talkin' someone's ear off." 

"That's not much better." 

 "He's right though." Ochako caught up to them, studying her friend closely. "You don't look at all well." 

"I'll be fine. I just want to make it through the next hour." 

"Not if you've got the bug that's been going around." The other girl pointed out. "It could get pretty serious if you're not careful." 

"I'm just going to be sitting at my desk writing notes. I'm sure I could handle that." 

Katsuki crossed his arms. "No one's gonna' want to see you blow chunks in the classroom, Deku." Ugh. Did he have to use that particular simile? "For once in your life, don't be a stubborn idiot and just go to bed." 

 Ochako shot her a pleading smile. "I'm actually with him on this one." 

Izuku tried to look confident. "I appreciate your concern you two, but one hour is all I'm asking. After that I'll take time off, I promise." 

She turned away from the matching looks of clear exasperation and headed off. 

She stopped in the restroom to freshen up a bit first, splashing cool water on her face and neck. 

The face in the mirror made her grimace, with its grayish tinge and dark under-eye circles. Izuku briefly entertained the idea of bringing makeup in her backpack for similar occasions in the future, but decided people would be more suspicious if she started wearing blush all off a sudden. 

Just an hour of writing notes. She could handle that. 

Twenty-five minutes in, she was starting to realize she'd made a mistake. 

Even the short trip to the classroom had taken up more valuable energy. And sitting still only made her more aware of how much everything ached, how crummy her stomach felt, and how cold the classroom was. 

The pointed glances Katsuki kept shooting her over his shoulder certainly didn't help things. 

It was getting harder and harder to stay focused, her head filling with cotton and her eyelids drooping. For the first time since starting in this school, she wished Aizawa-Sensei's voice was a little less monotone. 

Maybe if she rested her eyes for just a second... 

"...Midoriya? Midoriya, wake up."  

Her brain partly registered the sound of her name.

But is was the loud POP! that jerked her awake. 

"GAH!" She bolted upright in her seat. "Wha... m'awake! I'm awake!" 

Aizawa was looking down at her, arms crossed. Katsuki was turned in his chair with a smoking hand held palm up. Both wore reproving looks. 

"Midoriya, you really shouldn't be here if you're sick." Her teacher admonished. "What advantage could you have from making it worse?" 

"Uh." She replied eloquently. 

The older man sighed. "And because I realize who I'm talking to, I'd also like to point out that several of your classmates haven't gotten it yet and are still vulnerable." 

"Oh." She had tried to keep her distance from everyone, but that seemed like a poor defense now. 

"Now, will you please go to recovery girl?" 

"Yes sir, Sensei." She packed her things and stood a little too quickly. The room spun a little, making her stagger before regaining her footing. "Just give me a sec..." 

Aizawa exhaled sharply through his nose. "Perhaps I should send someone with you just to be on the safe side." 

"Oh no sir." She immediately protested. "I'll be okay, really. I'm just a tiny bit woozy, but..." 

"Fucking..." With an annoyed growl Katsuki got up from his seat. "C'mon moron." 

Without any further ado, he planted a hand in the middle of her back and propelled her to the door, ignoring her half-hearted protest and their classmates' knowing laughter. 

 Stubbornness, thy name was Deku. 

It didn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure out that she'd caught the virus going around, in spite of her usually vigorous immunity (which he was NOT jealous of). Probably too many late night studying sessions, or pushed herself too hard during her secret training with All Might. 

And, even with only thirty-five minutes left in class, she still had to be practically manhandled into visiting the nurses office. Surprise surprise. What else could you expect from an idiot who was willing to get her bones smashed into matchsticks... repeatedly? No way was a little stomach flu gonna' stop her. 

The moron. 

"Ah, welcome back you two." Recovery Girl smiled pleasantly. "No injuries this time? that's a change." 

The door to the adjoining bathroom was closed. Occupied by some poor bastard puking his guts out, from the sound of things.

Deku turned paler. "Um... I've got the flu that's been going around." 

"So does poor Awase in there. Have a seat." 

Katsuki remained standing while Izuku perched on the edge of the bed. The older woman pulled out a digital thermometer, placing a disposable plastic cap on the end before popping it in Izuku's mouth. She took the young girl's vitals while waiting for it to register. 

"Have you thrown up?" 

"Mh-mh." Deku hummed a negative. 

"Feel like you might?" 

"Mm-hm." 

"Did you eat anything today?" 

"Mm-hm." 

The thermometer beeped. Recovery Girl tossed the cap while reading the number. "A temperature of ninety-nine. Bad, but could definitely be worse. When did you start feeling sick?" 

"Around lunchtime. It didn't get really bad until after gym." 

Recovery Girl nodded. "Well, It's pretty straightforward, Dear. A mild fever accompanied by vomiting and diarrhea." Izuku turned red and scrunched her face in embarrassment. "The most important thing it to drink plenty of fluids, keep your electrolytes balanced, and get lots of rest." 

The vomiting noises in the bathroom resumed. Deku looked distinctly uncomfortable, chin wobbling. 

"Young man, could you had me that bucket on my desk?" 

Katsuki immediately complied. The nurse handed the plastic bucket to Izuku to hold under her chin. 

"The worst of the symptoms shouldn't last much more than forty-eight hours. If they're not better by that time, either call or come to me immediately. And I know..." 

She paused when a panicked look came over the younger woman's face, the remaining color draining from her face. Seconds later Deku was emptying her stomach into the bucket.

 Katsuki grimaced and fought back his own encroaching nausea. 

When it was over, Recovery Girl poured Izuku a cup of water, gently patting her back with a tiny hand as she rinsed her mouth out. 

"And I know you won't want to eat anything," The diminutive woman resumed. " But you should probably keep something on your stomach. Preferably toast, bananas, or rice. Aspirin will help the fever, and ginger tea can help with the nausea." 

Izuku nodded weakly. "I see." 

"Do you have any questions?" 

"No ma'am." 

Recovery Girl took the bucket away. "Do you feel like you can make it to your dorm, or would you like to rest here for a while?" 

Izuku thought for a second. "I should probably get going. It'll get harder the longer I stay here. Besides, I'm feeling a little better after..." She cringed. "... that." 

"Alrighty then." Recovery Girl grabbed a plastic sack and filled it with supplies, including a new bottle of water, a packet of aspirin, and what looked like an airsick bag, then handed them to Izuku. 

"Young Bakugo, If you would kindly escort Midoriya to the dorms." 

He grunted an affirmative, waiting until his friend got to her feet and joining her at the door. 

Her second wind didn't last long. By the time they got to her floor she looked like the smallest breeze could knock her over.  

"Thank you for walking with me." She said softly. 

"Yeah, well, somebody's gotta' make sure you don't keel over in the hallway." 

She gave him a little smile. "All the same..." 

"Don't thank me, Nerd. Lets just get it over with." He took her wrist in a loose hold and pulled her to the door with the All Might name plate. 

"Um... What are you doing?" 

"Making sure you do what you're fucking told for once." 

 "I'm sure I can take it from here." 

"Not takin' any chances." He opened her door and pulled her in.

He was perfectly willing to leave if she seemed truly uncomfortable, but Deku didn't seem to have any reservations. 

He grabbed the sick bag and placed it's contents on her bedside table while she devoted her remaining physical and mental energy on the task of removing her tie. But By the time he'd opened the water bottle and extracted an aspirin tablet, she'd only succeeded in getting it in hopeless knots and was grumbling in frustration. 

"Just let me do it before you strangle yourself." He snapped. She didn't protest, only letting her arms fall limp. 

When he'd finally removed the pesky article with a few jerking tugs, her face went pale and panicky again. 

"Oh no..." 

She shoved him away, but wasn't fast enough. 

Okay. Gross.  

"Shit."

Izuku's face contorted with mortification. "Oh God..." 

Well, there was one upside. She hadn't gotten any on the carpet. 

She covered her burning face with her hands, whimpering, "Oh god! I'm so so sorry Kacchan!" 

"Just... here." He handed her the water and got up. "Clothes are easier to clean than floors. Be back in a few minutes." 

His shirt was off before he even made it to the laundry room. After rinsing it in the sink, he tossed it in the washing machine. He then hurried to his dorm for a change of clothes and took a quick shower. 

He got back to Deku, and fight back a tired sigh when he saw she'd fallen asleep on top of the covers, still in uniform blouse and skirt. Katsuki woke her up with a light shake.

She looked confused when she noticed what she was wearing. "I thought I took this off..." 

"I draw the line at helping you with that." He informed her. "I could text Cheeks..." 

Her face turned pink. "No, that's not necessary. Just get my pjs out for me... please?" 

 He headed over to her dresser. "Which drawers?" No way in hell was he gonna risk peaking into her underwear. 

"Third one." 

He selected an over-sized t-shirt and a pair of shorts, wadding them up and tossing them to her. "Need anything else?" 

She mumbled "No thanks." 

She looked as if she wouldn't mind dying at that moment. Christ, she was dramatic.

"Cut out with the hang-dog look Deku. I'm already fucking over it." 

"I know but..." she gave a whine, burying her face in her hands again. "Dear God, that was horrible! I haven't thrown up on someone since I was three!" 

Maybe she didn't want to admit it, or even realize it, but she was probably more embarrassed at being dependent on someone else for simple tasks, like a small child or someone very old. It wasn't often he asked himself what Kirishima would say in this situation. But he was phenomenally shitty at this. 

"You've never been to a rock concert, haven't you?" 

 She looked confused. "Well, no. Neither have you." 

"That's not the point dipwad. The point is, some idiots think it's... punk, or some shit like that." 

"To throw up?" 

"God, never mind. Just go to sleep and get better and shit."   

She cracked a tiny smile. "I will." 

He turned and left.

"Thanks again. You've been great." 

 "Yeah yeah." He muttered. 

"So, how's the patient, Doctor Explosion Murder?" Kirishima asked when the rest of the class returned to the dorms. 

"I didn't do squat. I just walked with her so she wouldn't pass out and break her face or something." 

"Okay then. How's the pedestrian, Crossing Guard Explosion Murder?" 

"Get bent." 

"Seriously though," Uraraka came in with an anxious face. "How is she?" 

"She's not dying, if that's what you're wondering." 

"Bakugo!" 

Katsuki rolled his eyes. "She's fucking fine, Roundface."

Yaoyorozu caught his eye. "Oi, Ponytail. You got any tea with ginger in it?" 

The tall girl's head bobbed in a nod. "I was just thinking of getting her some. It helped when I was feeling ill." 

"How bad are the symptoms?" Tsuyu asked. "I hope she's not really miserable." 

"She's got a fever. And puked twice. Once on me. Yeah, I'd say she's feeling pretty damn lousy." 

Mineta gave a small shriek of horror. "Then what the hell are you doing in the kitchen?!" 

"I'm not an idiot! I took a goddamn shower first!"

"Needless to say," Iida interjected, still wearing that stupid mask. "I hope you remember to take plenty of vitamin c." 

"I know how to take care of myself, Glasses." 

Deciding he'd had enough dealing with people, Katsuki left to do his homework, but couldn't help grinning when he heard Ochako tell Iida to take that mask off, for goodness sake. It was the stomach flu, not the plague...

Katsuki should've known it wouldn't be that easy. 

As Class A was finishing their dinner (made more enjoyable by the fact that Mineta and Kaminari were giving him a wide berth), the elevator dinged open, revealing what looked like a walking corpse clad in oversized t-shirt and crowned with a green bird's nest. 

"Deku!" 

"Igor, It lives!" Kaminari pronounced his his worst mad scientist impression, as if he hadn't just been treating Katsuki like a walking bio-hazard.

"What on earth are you doing out of bed?" Iida demanded. 

With a sheepish smile, Izuku held up an empty plastic bottle. "Ran out of water." 

"Then fucking ask next time!" Katsuki snapped. 

"Bakugo's right." Uraraka guided her friend out of the elevator. "You could've texted one of us and we would be more than happy to get whatever you needed." 

"Well, I didn't want to bother anyone...' 

A collective groan of fond exasperation emitted from everybody in the room. 

"We would rather be 'bothered' than let you get sicker." Todoroki said on everyone's behalf. 

"But I don't want to give the germ to somebody." 

"Tough luck." Katsuki grunted, shoving a new bottle into her hands. "We're not letting you wander around, and that's that. Got it?" 

She sighed. "Oh fine." 

"Good." Uraraka shoved her lightly back toward the elevator. "Now back to bed with you!" 

As the elevator closed, Kaminari gave a laugh. "The Apocalypse must be near! Dead people walking, Bakugo agreeing with people..." 

"When did he become such a mother hen?" Todoroki asked Iida. 

"Fuck all of you!" 

But did she learn her lesson? No she didn't. 

Sometime around midnight he got up to take a piss, and was getting back in bed when he heard sounds coming from the stairwell, like someone was going into the common room.

There were four possibilities. Burglars, villains, a classmate getting a midnight snack, or that crazy blond fucker from class B trying to play a prank (he wasn't ready to rule that out). 

He crept downstairs as quietly as he could, one hand raised to employ his quirk if need be. 

The room looked empty in the dim light, until a shadow moved towards the kitchen. 

(It might have scared the shit out of him, but he would deny that to his dying day.) 

"HEY!" The warning pop from his hand added gravity to his voice. 

But rather than the sounds you'd expect of a frustrated criminal or prankster, the shadow gave a terrified squeak and tripped over their own feet. 

Katsuki was next to them in three bounds, gripping them by their arm and hoisting them to their feet. A familiar figure swayed in a daze, her eyes glassy with more confusion than fear. 

"Oh my God, Deku what the actual fuck?"

"Oh it's you!"  She gasped in relief. 'Why did you scare me like that?" 

"Cause I came downstairs and found some fucking weirdo prowling the common room!"  

"I ran out of Gatorade." She retorted plaintively.  

"What did we just get through telling you?" 

"But everyone's asleep. I didn't want to wake anybody up." 

"Probably too late for that now." Why no one else was coming to investigate the racket they'd just made, he could only guess. "Anyway, I'm awake now. Let me get your damn drink and go the fuck back to sleep." 

"But..." 

"No buts! I'll get you water, I'll get you tea, I'll even get you fucking caviar from Ponytail's room if you ask! Just. Go. To. Bed!" 

Blinking, she tried to obey, but fell over the arm of the closest sofa. 

"Shoot, hang on a sec..." 

Katsuki ground his teeth together. "Can't you even... Ugh!" Growling with resignation, he picked her up and slung her across his shoulders like farmer with a calf, earning a confused peep. 

"Wha... Kacchan?" 

"Not a fucking word." He grit out as he marched them over to the elevator, pushing the button for her floor and setting her on her feet inside it once the doors opened. "Just go back to your room and I'll bring the goddamn drink." 

She opened her mouth, but the doors closed before she could make a sound. 

Izuku was already asleep and buried under a pile of blankets when he arrived. Her gave her a firm but not hard nudge. 

"Here." He twisted the cap open. "Was that so Fucking hard?" 

Her response was muffled under the covers. 

"Come again?" 

"Thank's, 'chako." 

Frowning, he pulled the blanket down enough to uncover her head. "Do I look like Round Face?" 

For a second her brow pinched in confusion, before smoothing over. "Oh, right." 

He fought back a sigh. She murmured something else. 

"What?" 

"I said, sorry for waking you up." 

"I was already awake, Moron." 

"Oh." She started to drift back again. 

"You should drink some of this before you go back to sleep." It would at least make him feel a little better. 

Her answer was so slurred he couldn't understand it. 

"Look, I know I keep telling you to go back to sleep but..." He did not want to either examine or admit the fact he really needed to see her drinking some before leaving. "You still here?" 

At first she didn't respond. Then she slowly sat up, eyes still half mast, accepting the bottle when he handed it to her and raised it to her mouth. 

"Think you'll need some aspirin?" 

She mutely shook her head. 

He re-capped the bottle and placed it next to the water, getting to his feet. "You're free to sleep now." 

She pulled the blankets up to her ears. "Hm. G'night Kacchan." 

" 'Night." 

"Love you."  

It was said so easily, so casually, that it didn't sink in until he'd closed the door behind him. 

Then it hit all at once, like lightening. 

Holy. 

Flying.

Fuck!

Katsuki was having a crisis. 

Sleep was the last thing on his mind right now. It was too busy holding on to those two words, picking them apart and peering at every angle. 

What the hell was wrong with him? 

Why was he making such a big deal about this? 

She probably meant it in a platonic sense. He could easily imagine her saying it in the exact same tone to Uraraka or Inko.

Of course. that had to be the case. 

He knew she considered him important to her, might even tentatively call them friends again. And Deku tended to feel very strongly for things, never doing anything by halves. It made a lot of sense that she would care that much for him, as a very good friend. 

Yet that tiny, persistent little voice in the back if his head kept asking... 

What if she didn't? 

 His breath got stuck in his throat. 

How do you look at someone and know that? Know that they think of you that way, but didn't want you to know. 

Infatuated fangirls were something he was used to dealing with. Not to say he dealt with them in the way he should (though most of them probably recovered pretty quickly) but he did deal with them. Declarations of love and devotion that probably ran no deeper than a rain puddle, and were easily replaced. 

But, as much as teenagers would deny it, there was a huge difference between a crush and loving someone. Even an emotionally repressed knucklehead like Katsuki knew that. 

And, as already established, this was Deku.  

 Deku who actually knew him. 

Deku who received the brunt of his frustration and hostility for too long. 

Deku who still found something to admire in him, even knowing what a shitty bastard he was.

He wasn't sure which of them was the bigger idiot.

For two days and one night, Izuku found herself alternating between feverish sleep and mad dashes to the restroom.

Thankfully, she was feeling much better by the second evening, and was able to visit Yaomomo when the other girl brought her the following day's homework assignments. 

"Has anyone else gotten sick?" Izuku asked her. 

"I don't know. We thought Bakugo might've been coming down with it..." 

"What? Oh I knew this would happen!"

 "He didn't get it from you. The incubation period is too long for that. We're not even sure he has it anyways. He just seemed tired the day after you got ill, like he hadn't gotten enough sleep. And he's been... preoccupied somehow. Distracted. Not quite himself." she looked like she was planning to say something else, but seemed to think the better of it. 

"Really? Well, I can understand why he was tired. He'd gotten up late to get me something that night." 

"Hm." Judging from Momo's face, the taller girl had suspected as much. 

That afternoon she emerged to take a shower. And who should she run into on the ground floor than the man himself, back turned to the elevator while he mixed himself some kind of protein shake in the kitchen.

"Kacchan." 

He jumped. Actually jumped. Nearly dropping his drink and snapping his head back with a look that on anyone else might almost be described as panic. 

But it was gone so quick she had no time to really tell. Immediately replaced in rapid succession with annoyance, anger, and embarrassment. It was no mean feat to startle Katsuki. The fact she'd done so took her a little of guard. 

"What the hell are you doing out of bed?!" 

"Uh... shower." 

She expected him to tell her why that would be a bad idea. To insist she return to her room until he deemed her well enough.

Instead he asked in a low voice, "That really wise?

"I don't plan on doing laps in there. I just want to feel clean." 

He put the lid on his cup and strode out of the kitchen, muttering "Knock yourself out." 

"Wait a sec." 

He growled but stopped, but didn't face her. "What?" 

"I was also wondering how you were doing." 

He shot her a suspicious, wary glare over his shoulder. "Why?" 

"Yaomomo said you've been acting like you don't too good." 

A flicker of that earlier emotion passed through his face, only for it to settle into his usual scowl. "Not that it's any of your business, but I'm doing just fine."

He left before she had a chance to respond. 

The good news was, Izuku was back on her feet in five days. 

The bad news was, someone else was off of theirs. 

"I'm really sorry for this." 

"Quit fucking apologizing." Katsuki grumbled from his bed like a wounded tiger. "I'll be just peachy if you morons would give me some peace and quiet." 

She crossed her arms. 'Kirishima said something about you trying to fix yourself breakfast this morning..." 

"Like fuck am I gonna' let those morons cook rice." 

Her grinn didn't match her scolding tone. "This from the man who yelled at me if I so much as grabbed a tissue without assistance!" 

"I'm in bed, aren't I?"

"I give up." Shaking her head, she got up from her seat a t the edge of his bed. "If you want anything, you know the drill."

She'd figured out that asking him if he wanted assistance was better received that asking if he needed assistance.   

"Yeah, whatever." He pulled the blanket over his head.

Kirishima met her in the hallway. "How's he doing?" 

"As okay as he can be. He's much more cooperative than I thought." 

Kirishima snorted lightly. "Only for you. When I tried to drag him out of the kitchen this morning he threatened to brain me with a skillet." 

She raised her eyebrows. "Is that what all the yelling was about?" 

"How do you do it? He's a snapping lion to everyone else, but the minute you come into the room he's a lamb."  

She gave him a look. 

"Well, maybe not a lamb, but at least like a wet house cat."

"I don't know." It didn't escape her notice that his manner towards her was, subdued. Almost constrained. 

While she could blame that on him not feeling one hundred percent, it didn't explain the number of times she'd caught him studying her carefully. 

As if he was expecting her to say or do... something.

"I really don't know."

Chapter Text

Hawks took a brief moment to survey the scene. 

Two opponents on his left, and one on his right. He'd lost sight of his teammates already. Judging from the sounds, though, they were doing fine, if a little busy. 

He tapped his earpiece. "Shouto, do you read me?" 

"I read you." 

One of the villains on his left started tearing out chunks of concrete while his partner used his stretching quirk to make himself into a human slingshot. The villain on the right darted in front of Hawks, her skin flashing like a flock of paparazzi cameras in an attempt to distract him from seeing the projectiles headed his way. 

"Edgeshot, how about you?" He bobbed and weaved, dodging the concrete pieces with minimal effort. 

"Everything seems to be fine at my end." 

Hawks shot out enough feathers to pin the three villains to the ground. "Deku, how are you holding up?" 

"I'm A-okay Hawks!" 

So that only left... 

"EAT THIS YA' PUNK ASS BITCHES!" 

 Okay, everyone present and accounted for.  

"What about the one that was armed? She still got any ammo?" 

"She already let off four rounds." Deku informed him. "It looks like a Glock, so that leaves no more than eleven."  

He nodded to himself.  "Okay. Keep sharp everyone."  

Katsuki grinned when he spotted the large woman currently trying to run from the two pros that were thoroughly thrashing her teammates, forming a shield out of her own bones pushing through her skin. 

Gross, but kinda' cool. 

Katsuki shook that last thought from his head. Deku was starting to rub off on him. 

"GO TO HELLL!" 

He shot off and grabbed the villain, knocking the air out of her. Seconds after they hit the ground, he was back on his feet to latch on the quirk cancelling handcuffs attached to his belt. 

"Bastard!" She spit out. 

"S'not the first time someone's called me that." Katsuki grinned. 

"Ground Zero!" 

He turned in time to dodged a fist the size of a baked ham, Bony spikes pointing from the knuckles. 

"I'll teach ya' to throw my sister around!" The grunt roared, swinging at him again with surprising speed for his size. 

Katsuki avoided the punches, snorting. "Great. She can make you a 'World's Greatest Brother' mug in the prison workshop." 

"ST. LOUIS SMASH!!" 

Suddenly the goon was struck down by a flash of green, hitting the ground hard enough to leave a shallow crater. 

Katsuki glared at the figure standing atop the villain. "Oi! That one's mine! Get your own!" 

"Sorry!" Deku chirped, voice slightly muffled by her mouth guard, before bounding off like a giant jackrabbit. 

"No ya' ain't." He grumbled as he ran after her. 

The sound of a gunshot had them both darting for cover behind a parked car. 

"Gorgon's back!" Deku pointed out the obvious. 

"Great. It was gettin' too easy." 

She shot him a weary look. "Please tell me you're being sarcastic." 

"Not a chance." He risked a peek through the cars windows. 

The villain in question had nothing in the way of quirks except for a pair of boar-like tusks protruding from her jaw (probably the inspiration for her name, if he remembered art history correctly), which weren't very useful unless someone got within biting range. But according to her file, she more than made up for it by becoming an excellent shot. 

She was hiding. Calm and patient. No way were they going to out-wait her. Thankfully, a handgun wasn't much asset held up against two pro heroes.  

"Think you're faster than a speeding bullet, Deku?" 

"I've never tried to find out." 

He shot her a wild grin. "Now's as good a time as any." 

"Hoo boy..." 

"I'll distract her, you come up behind her and take her out.'" 

"For the record, I do not like this." 

"You don't have to like it, just do it. " 

He rocketed off before she could have a chance to argue.

He kept moving, trying to be a harder target. As he'd hoped, Gorgon poked her head out from her hiding place and took a a couple shots, one of them pinging off his gauntlet.

"That all ya' got, Tooth fairy?" 

He aimed a blast in her direction to flush her out, grinning when a third bullet whizzed past his ear. He ran serpentine to the nearest building and ducked behind it.

Deku should know where she was now. He just had to give her an opening. 

He peered from his spot. As hoped, Gorgon saw him, mouth pulling into a smile as she took aim. 

Then several things happened at once. 

The gun fired. Deku slammed the other woman into the ground. A sharp cracking sound erupted right by Katsuki's left ear. 

Then pain exploded in his left temple, making everything vanish a flash of light and color.  

The next thing he new, the whole world seemed to have gone sideways. His ears rang and his temple pounded rhythmically. He distantly realized he was lying on his side.

"Ground Zero!" Deku skidded to a halt in front of him, eyes wide with worry. 

"M'fine." He grit out automatically. His tongue was heavy in his mouth, slurring his speech. 

Kneeling beside him, Deku activated her earpiece. "Deku to Hawks! Deku to Hawks! Come in Hawks! Man down! I repeat, Man down! Ground Zero's been injured! Blow to the left temple!" 

Everything started getting fuzzy. Katsuki shook it off, trying to sit up, making the world spin and forcing him to lay back. 

A tinny voice buzzed in his ear. "Hawks to Ground Zero, do you read me?" 

"Yeah..." Warm wetness slowly trickled down the side of his head. 

"Remain in your location. I'm sending Shouto over for assistance." 

Annoyance flared over the pain. "I'm fine." he growled, as much to the tide of dizziness as to his senior.  "Don' need..." 

Something dark and filmy crept in the edges of his vision, forming a tunnel. 

Izuku lowered her mouth guard. "There's an ambulance coming. You'll be okay." 

Her face didn't match her tone. 

The tunnel was growing narrower. 

She looked so scared. 

"M'okay..." 

Everything felt heavy. His head was filling with water. 

The tunnel kept closing. 

No! Stay awake... 

"Kacchan, try to keep your eyes open! 

I'm trying... 

"Kacchan!" 

Can't...

Frightened eyes were the last thing visible. 

I'm sorry...

"Love ya..." 

The smell hit him first. 

The smells of sterilized surfaces, cheap cotton sheets, and rubbing alcohol. All very familiar. 

They indicated that the first thing he'd hear would probably be machines beeping, strangers talking, the squeak of rubber-soled shoes. And that the first thing he'd see would be white walls and fluorescent lights. 

A pro hero's home away from home. 

His eyes pried open, confirming what he'd figured.

Hawks and Izuku were both in the room, their own injuries tended to, locked in a quiet conversation.

"Oi..." 

They both looked at him, the older pro grinning. "Morning, Sleeping Beauty. Feeling like your winsome self again?" 

His thoughts were scattered, disjointed, floating to the surface like objects from a shipwreck. It took a few second to remember how words worked

"Got.. got 'em all?." 

"Everyone was apprehended."  

The left side of his head throbbed. He passed a hand over the gauze taped to his temple. "She hit me?" 

"Not with a bullet." Deku spoke softly. 

Hawks clarified. "The bullet hit a cinder block right next to your head. It was a piece of flying cement that clocked ya'." 

Katsuki groaned, head thumping back against the pillow. "Fucking stupid." 

Izuku mumbled something that sounded like 'I didn't think it was so stupid... 

"How long ...?" He struggled to find the words. Thankfully Hawks picked up on it.

"You won't be doing field work for a while, I'd imagine. At least four weeks, maybe more." 

"Shit." 

"you'll have to ask your doctor for more details. I'll see if I can get her." He rose from his chair. "Deku, make sure he doesn't try anything funny." 

"Fuck you, Bird Brain." 

The older hero just gave a casual wave over his shoulder. 

The room fell into a kind of tense silence. Deku finally broke it by clearing her throat. "Just so you know, I called you parents. They're in the waiting area right now." 

Katsuki growled. Just what he needed. The old bat screeching at him for endangering himself. "Why?" He asked in a tone a little too close to a whine. 

Izuku gave a light shrug. "They were going to find out anyway." 

He heaved a long-suffering sigh. "Fine. But m'upping the an... anes... pain stuff." 

She just stared into her lap. 

Something about her seemed off, but the fog in his brain made it hard to pinpoint.

"Everyone make it out okay?" He asked

She cracked a smile. "Yeah. We all got some bumps and scrapes, and Shouto sprained his wrist. But other than that, everyone's fine." 

So Katsuki was the only one who needed a hospital stay. Fan-fucking-tastic. 

Once again, Izuku lapsed into silence, playing with the drawstrings of her borrowed sweatpants. There was a kind of restrained agitation about her.  

"Sure you're okay?"

She turned pink.. "Yeah. Yeah, I-I'm just... it's been a long day. And I was wor... concerned about your concussion." She crossed her legs, pulling on the fingers of her right hand. "And.. and I'm really tired, so...." 

He squinted at her. 

Something about this picture was all wrong. There was a faint sense that he'd forgotten something.

"Anyone get killed?" 

"No!" She answered quickly. "Nothing like that, nothing bad..." She bit her lip. 

He had no time to respond, because a wave of maternal relief and outrage came barreling through the door. 

"KATSUKI! OH THANK GOD!" 

He cringed as her loud voice echoed around his skull. Where the fuck was the morphine pump? 

Mitsuki darted to his side and immediately cupped his cheek with one hand eyes shining with relief, followed by a slightly more mellow Masaru. "Some idiot said you'd been shot! Scared the hell out of us!" 

"Although it seemed like an easy mistake to make, considering how it happened." Masaru pointed out. 

"Didn't get shot. Yer' not rid of me yet." 

"Don't even joke about that!" His mother snapped, lightly swatting his arm. "I thought my baby had a bullet in his brain! We were literally worried sick!" 

Some of the tension left him. "Not gonna bitch at me for being reckless?" 

"Of course not! what do you take me for? There was nothing you could've done to avoid that." 

Movement from the corner of Katsuki's eye caught his attention. He looked in time to see Deku quietly close the door behind her as she slipped out. 

According to Katsuki's doctor, the CT scans showed no lasting damage, so he would have to remain in the hospital for only four days. It would take four weeks before he could even consider returning to field work. 

Four long weeks. 

Katsuki was always at his worst when he was laid up and forced to rely on other people. And the frustration of having to stop and think when the nurses asked him questions like "Do you live nearby?" probably didn't help  things. 

So he was in no mood to see Todoroki the following morning. But apparently it was taken out of his hands. 

The young man strode in, sporting a brace on his wrist and a determined look on his face. 

"Don't try me, Icy Hot." 

The other man sat in the bedside chair, unfazed. "I'm not planning to try anything." 

"Then why are you here?" 

The mismatched eyes studied him carefully before replying."To tell you something you'll probably want to know." 

"Which is?" 

Growing even more solemn, he leaned forward. "Have you noticed Midoriya acting strange since you woke up?" 

Katsuki scoffed. "Don't tell me, you know why." 

 "What's the last thing you remember before losing consciousness?" 

Damn if he was going to let his own brain frustrate him in front of Half and Half. He closed his eyes and dug down. 

Pain.

Deku calling backup.

Trying to stay awake.

Seeing her so afraid.

Wanting badly for her not to be afraid.

Saying...  

Saying... 

His eyes flew open. 

"SONOFABITCH!!"  

Todoroki flinched from the volume. "Glad you remember."  

He gasped for air. Everything started undoing, unraveling...

Oh fuck. Oh Fuck. Holy shit. No. This wasn't happening...

Katsuki clenched his teeth, eyes squeezing shut. 

His fight or flight response demanded action. But he was in no condition to run, and he couldn't set off an explosion in the fucking hospital. He settled for tugging at his hair."God fucking dammit!" 

Shouto calmly resumed speaking. "Hawks sent me over to help you two. I got there just in time to here you... confess." 

Confess. 

Now it had a name. It was a reality. A deep dark secret pulled out by strong emotions and a compromised state. 

"I can't fucking deal with this..." 

"I'm afraid you'll have to." 

He remembered Deku's avoidance. Trying to deflect his questions. "Why won't she just get it over with?" 

Todoroki shrugged. "She probably wants to wait until you're less... vulnerable." 

Katsuki bit his lip hard enough to taste iron. 

His former classmate looked him straight in the eye. "I know that the last thing you want to do is hurt her. So I'm asking... not demanding, not ordering, asking... that you think long and hard about this, and proceed with the utmost caution. For both your sakes." 

Katsuki didn't know what he'd expected, but it wasn't that."You're not gonna' tell me to piss off?' 

"Why would I do that?"

"'Cause I'm..." 

He halted, another painful vulnerability lodged in his throat.

Shouto's face softened slightly. "What? Not good enough for her? No, you're not." He stated flatly. "But then, who is?" 

He had a point there. 

"However, you are good for her. And she's good for you. You make each other happy. You're willing to do what's best for each other. I'm no expert, but having grown up seeing what a relationship shouldn't be, I'd say that was enough." 

Katsuki rubbed a hand over his face, snorting. "Since when do you give a rat's ass what happens to me?" 

Todoroki calmly got to his feet. "Just because we butt heads doesn't mean I don't care." 

Having said his piece, he headed toward the door. 

"Wait." 

Shouto looked over his shoulder. 

"You never asked if I'd meant it." 

The ghost of a smile twitched across the other man's mouth. "Because I know you did." 

So there was a God. And He hated Katsuki's guts. 

As good as Todoroki's intentions were, Katsuki was in no condition to face this. It was like running in frantic circles with a sprained ankle.

It would've been so much easier if he'd addressed this thing a long time ago. But he hadn't. No surprise there. Just kept on pushing the emotions into the broom closets of his mind, lying to himself that he'd look at them later, but knowing he wouldn't. Because if he stopped to examine them, he would know them for what they really were. 

 But just because his brain didn't knowledge them didn't mean his heart and soul were kept in the dark. And apparently they'd both decided they'd been quiet long enough. 

Now, this partnership, this trust and camaraderie they'd carefully built piece by piece... 

Where could they go from here? 

He was afraid to guess how Deku felt. Not when he'd spent nearly twelve years thinking she was looking down on him when in fact she'd been doing the opposite. Some textbook projecting right there, if he ever saw it. 

He knew she admired him. Cared for him, very much. It was possible she'd crossed the line into infatuation before things got really bad. But how she felt now... 

He didn't know. 

He just didn't know. 

 For as long as he could remember, his first response to fear was facing it head on. Jumping in head first. Never flee, never let it make him feel small. 

But for the first time in his life, everything in him was screaming to run. Run far, run fast, until he couldn't run anymore, then hide. 

But he wouldn't.

He owed her that much.

 His chance to make his move came the next day. 

Izuku came in that afternoon toting takeout bags from Katsuki's favorite restaurant, smiling as if nothing was wrong. 

"What's that?" 

"Lunch." She lightly waved the bag. "I did a little research, didn't find anything about curry aggravating head injuries." 

He felt a sharp lump form in his throat. 

"Didn't hear from you yesterday. Where've you been?" 

 She sat in the chair and started opening one of the containers. "At the agency, mostly." She set the container on his bedside table. "Paperwork, accident reports, you know how it is." 

So she hadn't really been trying to avoid him. At most, maybe she'd been giving him some space. 

She pulled out the box containing her own meal and started to open it. It was just like so many times before. All the quick lunches they'd shared, some at the agency, some in the hospital like now. Moments of a routine that Katsuki had once vowed to never take for granted after all the work it took to get there. 

Fuck, he couldn't do this. He couldn't. 

No. He had to. Was going to. Now, before it got harder.

He took a deep breath and jumped. 

"I remember what I said." 

She looked up. "When?" 

"Before I went under." 

Her smile dropped, grip on the chopsticks going slack.

Pink bloomed over her cheeks. "Oh... oh, um..." 

He took another fortifying breath and launched into the speech he'd spent more than twelve hours composing. 

"Yeah. I remember saying that I... y'know. And before you ask, no, I did not mean as a friend. I'm really heels-over-ass gone for you, Deku. Don't know how long. Probably since graduation. Not sure I even really knew it until now. So... there it is." 

Izuku gaped at him, mouth hanging open. 

He'd well and truly broken her brain. 

"I know you got stuff to say about it, 'cause you've got stuff to say about literally everything... so... please, don't just sit there." He fought back a cringe at how needy his voice came out.

Her mouth closed, then pulled into a slow smile.

 Something bright and radiant was slowly unfurling in her face.

"I'm not happy about the circumstances around it, but I'm... I'm so happy to know." 

The breath whooshed from his lungs. 

"Because I..." 

He'd thought being rejected would be the worst thing. He was wrong. 

 "Don't!" 

She jumped. "What?' 

"Don't do this to yourself! Don't say it!"

"But I..." 

"Don't give that to me!" The frantic words kept piling up. "Don't give that to the selfish bastard that made your life a living hell and didn't see you for what you really are! You can't! You just can't!" 

"Kacchan, you don't..." 

"I'm not worth it!"  

There it was. Ripped out from someplace deep and dark. 

He felt his heart thudding like a drum, throbbing starting to bloom from his injury. 

For a moment Deku just sat. Stunned. 

Then her shock morphed into outrage. 

"How dare you! How can you say that? With all the people who love you? With all the ways you've changed and grown?" 

He choked on a bitter laugh. "Like that makes up for it." 

 Izuku looked like she didn't know whether to laugh or scream. "Do you really think I've been keeping score? That I've been holding on to all that? When you're with me, when you treat me as a friend and equal, it that all to repay some debt?" 

"Of course not, but that's..." 

"Then why would this be any different? Can't I just give this without us needing to be... even, somehow?" 

Breathing hard, he pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes.

"You... you've already given me much more than I deserve." 

"If everyone only got what they deserved, no one would ever be truly loved." 

"You would." 

He heard her breath hitch. Then she grabbed his hands and gently took them away from his face so he couldn't hide from her pleading eyes.

"You still don't understand! I get it, you weren't a good person, and you hurt me many times, in ways that took years to heal. But that isn't you anymore!" 

He closed his eyes, shaking his head. struggling to find the holes in her argument, knowing they were there, but in no state to remember them. 

Her fingers slotted between his. "You save and protect. You care so much. You love people, even if they drive you crazy. Even when things between us were at there worst, when you tried to break me down, you were an inspiration. Building me up without knowing it. I'm not excusing what you did, but there was still a silver lining." 

He didn't realize he was crying until he felt her wipe the wet trails from his face. His lungs felt like they were failing, like his ribs had been cracked open and everything inside yanked out. He couldn't have felt more exposed and vulnerable if he was naked.

And she still wasn't done. 

"Now you build me up willingly, every chance you get." She rested her forehead against his. "I know you're still far from perfect, but you're still learning and growing." 

His brain struggled to accept all this, replaying images of a younger Izuku crying, flinching away from him. Every harsh word and action toward her becoming a dart that lodged where it hurt the most. 

She was good. So good. And he'd treated her like trash. 

Todoroki was right. No one deserved Midoriya Izuku. Least of all Katsuki. 

Something soft pressed against his forehead. "If you'd rather we didn't act on this... I'll be okay with that. Being friends with you has made me so happy..." 

But why give her something she was simply okay with, if he could give her something greater? She deserved joy and love. Could he give her that?

Katsuki choked out."I want to be... so fucking badly. But I don't know how to... I'll fuck everything up." 

"You don't know that." 

"Fuck, I'm so..."

I'm so scared. 

"Me too." 

He opened his eyes, seeing her warm smile, just centimeters from his face. And he realized something. 

It didn't feel strange to have her this close. 

Izuku asked. "Can I say it now?"

Eyes falling shut again, he gave a light nod. 

"I love you Kacchan." 

He wasn't prepared for that. Never would be. 

And it was incredible. 

"...Back at ya'." 

He had no warning. Only her wet laugh fanning over his face and hands cradling his jaw. Yet he wasn't surprised when something warm and yielding pressed against his lips, molding to their shape and filling him with a rosy kind of warmth, like arriving somewhere and realizing 'This is where I belong'. 

Izuku broke the kiss to wrap her arms around his shoulders and bury her face in the juncture of his neck, and Katsuki allowed himself the privilege of winding his arms around her waist and enjoying the closeness.

Both of them forgot the door had a window. 

Thankfully, as soon as Shouto and Hawks saw what was happening, they respectfully turned away, wearing satisfied smiles. 

"I believe," hawks remarked, "I owe Lemillion three thousand yen."

Chapter Text

"Can't believe it's already coming! The big eighteen! What do you want to do?" 

Kacchan poked his lunch around with a disinterested air. "Nothin'." 

Izuku cracked a grin. "Somehow I figured. But we probably won't be doing nothing if our classmates have their way." 

He gave a discontented grunt. "They've gotta' catch me first." 

She chuckled through a mouthful of rice. "That's a big milestone! You need to have some fun and celebrate it!" 

He glared out in the direction of the trees."I will have plenty of fun if everyone leaves me alone." 

Izuku raised her eyebrows. "Everyone?" 

Katsuki paused, glancing at her with a vaguely guilty expression. "Well, maybe not everyone." 

She supressed the urge to wiggle in delight. "We can do something small, like eat out or go to the movies." 

He took a bite of egg, thinking while he chewed. "Maybe. We'll probably have to enlist Cheeks and Shitty Hair to throw every one off our scent again." 

 "You mean like, the four of us just going to hang out, but they separate from us once we're far off campus?" 

Katsuki shrugged. 

Izuku pressed her lips together. "I don't know. That seems like a lot to ask them..." 

"If they wanted in on the secret, they've gotta' help us keep it." 

"I guess." She sighed. 

Their lunch finished, they got up from the secluded bench and headed to the exit door. But before opening it, Izuku stopped Kacchan, feeling heat rising to her face. 

"Um, before we rejoin everyone..." 

She stood on her toes, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek, then dashed inside all aflutter.

"SeeyouinclassBYE!" 

She was pretty sure she heard him laughing. 

It was still new and a little bit fragile, this thing between them. 

Less than two months ago, they somehow managed to stumble over their hesitations and decided to become a... a... thing. 

Kacchan's only request was that they keep it under wraps for a while. Not because he was embarrassed, he hastened to assure her, but because he didn't want their classmates pestering them and making a big hoopla, scrutinizing their relationship and its developments like specimens under a microscope. 

This was pretty reasonable. True, Izuku didn't like keeping secrets from her friends, especially since she was so bad at doing so (key example: telling Kacchan about OFA, before they were even friends again), but she definitely understood where he was coming from, and agreed to wait and see how things developed first. 

Actually, it was kind of fun. All the secrecy and hiding gave it an air of excitement. Almost like a game where the objective was seeing what they could get away with before somebody noticed.

The only exceptions were Uraraka and Kirishima, by virtue of being best friends with the couple in question and because it payed to have allies in keeping it undercover from so many people. 

And right now, their assistance was going to be pivotal.

Uraraka was the first person to bring up the subject while they were studying together.

"So, what are you and Bakugo planning to do for his birthday?" 

Izuku glanced up from her notes. "Nothing really big. We haven't really decided yet." 

"Well, you'll have to move fast. There's probably a party in the works" 

"Speaking of which, we were wondering... if it's not too much trouble,of course... if you two would help us out again?" 

 "Of course! Speaking for myself, at least. Though I'd be pretty surprised if Kirishima wasn't going to be on board." 

 "It should be pretty simple. I figure Kirishima takes Kacchan to hang out for his birthday, maybe invites us to go along with them. Once we're off campus you two can do whatever you want." 

Uraraka raised an eyebrow. "You seemed to have planned out quite a bit already." 

"Well, it's just an idea." 

"Have you two even been on a real date yet?" 

Izuku flushed a little. "Um, define a 'real' date." 

"You go out and about, just the two of you, doing whatever. And by out and about, I mean off school property." 

Izuku drooped. "No. No, we haven't." 

Her friend became very serious and determined. "You poor thing! Tell me how to help you!" 

"Still working on it."

"Well whatever you decide, I'll help in any way I can!" 

Izuku smiled. "Which is exactly why we trusted you." 

 Uraraka fiddled with a strand of hair as she thought. "We'll need to call the boys and set up a meeting. Then you and your guy can figure out what you want to do." 

"A meeting? Won't that be a little... conspicuous?" 

"Not if we do it right?" 

"And how's that?" 

"I'm not really sure." 

The four students managed to meet in Kirishima's dorm without drawing any attention. Because, apparently, at least half of their class was busy with other plans.

"We really gotta' hustle." Kirishima said after closing the door. "Ashido and Kaminari are leading some Party Committee, and I'm not sure how long I can hold them off." 

Kacchan rolled his eyes. "Just tell 'em I don't want a goddamn party. Problem solved." 

"I did!" Kirishima plopped down on the floor to join them. "I've been saying it 'til I'm blue, but they're convinced you're secretly hoping for it, and just saying claiming you don't to keep up your, quote, 'Likable sourpuss image',." 

"Sourpuss?" Katsuki sputtered. 

"Either that," The other boy continued. "Or you'll end up liking it in spite of yourself." 

"They can't make me like it!" The exploding teen stated.

Izuku tried not to snicker. Uraraka didn't bother stifling her own giggle. "You sound like a bratty five-year-old. Relax, we'll all figure something out." 

The beginnings of an idea begin to take shape in Izuku's head. "Wait, who says we have to avoid their party to go out?" 

"I don't follow." Kirishima admitted. 

"Well, what if you got them to have the party later in the evening. We would still have plenty of time to do a few things, like eat lunch and watch a movie." 

Kirishima scratched his head. "I guess it's worth considering." 

"It sounds doable to me." Uraraka put in. 

Kacchan, however, looked the opposite of thrilled. "You mean I gotta' sit through all that shit anyway?"

 "Maybe. This is just sort of a backup plan." Izuku specified

 "I'd rather have fire ants eat my eyelids." He grumbled. 

Kirishima raised an eyebrow, exchanging a knowing look with the girls. "I think you'll survive with minimal trauma." 

After three days of brainstorming and undercover work, they ended up going with Izuku's idea. 

Katsuki gave a few token grumbles, but went along with it once the day dawned. Since it would give their classmates plenty of time to arrange everything, they were only too happy to see the four go. 

"What are you two planning to do while you wait for us?" Izuku asked Kirishima and Uraraka as they walked to the bus stop. 

"I figured I'd run a couple errands." Ochako said. "I'm getting low on a lot of toiletries." 

"I plan on going to the arcade." Kirishima answered, clearly looking forward to it. 

"And for lunch?"

"We might find some cheap ramen stand." Kirishima turned to Ochako. "That okay with you?" 

"I have enough money." The other girl nodded. 

Izuku couldn't help but feel honored and humbled at her friends' selflessness. "I can't believe you guys are willing to go through all this trouble just so we can have a secret date." 

"Your very first date." Ochako pointed out. 

"On Bakubro's birthday." Kirishima added. 

"I'm not sure if I we could make a habit of it." Ochako continued. "But doing it a couple times is kinda fun." 

"We won't make you do it again." Kacchan said. 

Ochako looked hopeful. "You two plan on going public?" 

Katsuki briefly glanced at Izuku. "Before long, yeah." 

Smiling wide, she grabbed his hand. 

The four stopped off at the mall, and it was there that they separated. 

The first thing Izuku and Katsuki decided to do was grab lunch. Beforehand they'd picked a cafe with a fictional comic book hero theme, figures like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, etc. 

They were still holding hands as they navigated the stores. She noticed that Kacchan was a little restless, and that his eyes kept moving around, almost like he was looking for something or someone.  

"Are you okay?" 

He gave her a puzzled look. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Just wondering." She decided to drop it for now. Then she spotted the restaurant. "Ah! There it is!"

After they ordered a couple of sandwiches and sat at their table, an Iron Man deco caught Kacchan's attention for a moment.

 "I've been wonderin', before the old man and picked you to be his successor, did you ever plan on pulling a Tony Stark and just build yourself a bunch of fancy gadgets and shit to do hero work?" 

"It was one of my many options," She admitted, stirring her soda with a straw. "I had several, kind of vague concepts of what I could do to make up for being quirkless." 

He frowned. "I think some part of me was terrified that you would. That maybe you'd... I dunno'... start a movement that made quirks less relevant. Thus, making me less awesome, or something like that." 

Izuku found this incredibly amusing. "Really? This whole time you were afraid I'd make you a has-been?" 

His mouth twisted a little. "Probably would've served me right." 

"I don't think so. Then you'd have a real reason to dislike me, and we wouldn't be here where we are now."

He looked down into his drink, thinking it over. 

Biting her lip, she asked a question that had been weighing heavily in her mind for some time. "Do you really, honestly think things would've turned out any better if I'd been born with my own quirk?"

He looked a little surprised. "What brought this on?" 

Izuku shrugged. "I just think about it from time to time." 

He squirmed in his seat, clearly less than comfortable with this kind of question. "Hell, I dunno'... probably not? I mean..." 

"Yeah, I don't think they would've." 

"Maybe I would've ended up less of a dick if I'd had you to put me in  my place earlier." He growled. 

"I still could've, maybe if I'd been less starstruck and more sure of myself..." 

He suddenly looked up, eyes wide. "You're actually blaming yourself for the shit I did!?" 

She hadn't realized it came out that way. "No! I mean... maybe there were things I could've done to handle it better..." 

Katsuki's hands curled into fists. "I can't believe I'm hearing this! I was an arrogant bastard and you think it was your fault!" 

"I never said that!" She quickly tried to diffuse the situation. 

He looked like he might start yelling, but stopped to take a deep breath through his nose before leaning forward and speaking in a low voice.

"Listen Izuku, everything I did was nobody's fault but my own! I decided to treat people like trash because I chose to believe it would make me look better! You don't have to take responsibility for they way other people treat you! Especially not people like me!" 

"I don't! I didn't! But don't you sometimes look back on a bad situation and think of all the things you could've done to... well... not fix it, but make it a little better? Even if it wasn't your fault?" 

He clenched his jaw, lip curling. "Everything I wanna' fix was my goddamn fault!" He grit out. "The way I treated you... treated everybody... "

He looked up and stopped abruptly. Izuku turned and saw that the server was heading over with their orders. For a few awkward moments she pasted a smile on her face and thanked the happily oblivious waitress. 

As soon as the girl had left she started talking. "I'm sorry Kacchan, I shouldn't have brought that up. We can't change what we've done, but that doesn't mean it should ruin what we're doing now, or will do later. Please try to forget I said anything." 

He glared down at his sandwich, but didn't argue. 

They ate in uncomfortable silence, Izuku mentally kicking herself for ruining their first actual date. She'd already known he'd been holding on to some regrets, but she'd underestimated just how close they lay to the surface. 

"Deku," 

She looked up to see he'd unwound a little.

 "Ya didn't do anything wrong, I'll be fine." 

"You sure?" 

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "When you said you could've handled it better... it scared the shit outta' me." 

Kacchan never admitted to being scared by anything. "Why?" 

"I read somewhere that victims of abuse often blame themselves for what happened to them, maybe as a coping mechanism? I dunno'. So hearing you say that just... I was afraid that...." 

She reached across the table to grab his hands. "I don't blame myself for the things you did, Kacchan! I know you were responsible, I've just forgiven you for them!" 

He heaved another sigh. "I know. I just..." he folded a in a little bit on himself. "S'hard to get it outta' my head, sometimes." 

Izuku knew nothing she could say would really make him feel less remorse. At least not yet. "I'm sorry I even brought any of this up." She murmured, squeezing his hands. "This wasn't a good time to talk about all this." 

"I'll be fine." He repeated. "Just need to think of something else for a while..." 

Izuku bit her lip, thinking. 

"So, what movie do you want to watch?" 

The corner of his mouth quirked up, shoulders losing some of their tension. "Feel like a thriller?" 

By the time they made it to the mall's theater, he had relaxed from the earlier stress, and it seemed the day was till salvageable. 

The psychological thriller he suggested was a real nail-biter, in the best possible way. Most would assume that the only kind of movies Katsuki liked were action flicks, or anything with a lot of fighting and violence. But he also liked films that were a little more in-depth, that made you really think, and left you on the edge of your seat.

Izuku appreciated them too, though maybe not in heavy doses, since they usually left her racking her brain through most of the movie, which inevitably lead to her muttering and disturbing anyone sitting nearby. 

She definitely took a lot of enjoyment from peeking at Kacchan while he watched the screen, the engrossed look on his face was adorable as heck. 

Too soon, it was over and they were walking out to meet Uraraka and Kirishima at the mall entrance. Once again, holding hands the whole way while they discussed the movie. 

"Can I ask you something?" She really hoped she wasn't opening another can of worms. 

"If you want." 

"When we got here, you seemed almost... nervous?" 

He looked confused for a second, then a little sheepish. "Oh. It showed, huh?" 

"What was it?" 

He looked away, turning pink. "It's really dumb." 

"Can you still tell me?" 

His shoulders hiked up. "It's just... we've never held hands in public before... and I..." He shrugged. "It was weird knowing people could tell we were a couple just by looking at us... not that I'm fucking embarrassed about it, or anything... just tryin' to get used to it."

She gave him a sweet smile, lightly bumping her shoulder against him. "But you're okay now?" 

His grip on her hand grew tighter. "Of course I am! Ain't nobody gonna' tell me what I should be embarrassed by!" 

Izuku giggled. "You know you're blushing?"

"No I'm not." He insisted, turning redder. 

"If you say so." 

"I'm not."

"Uh huh." 

Uraraka and Kirishima were already at the entrance, and heard them coming a mile away. "You two kids have a good time?" The latter asked with a wiggle of the eyebrows. 

"I did." Izuku said with a little smile. 

"It was... nice." Kacchan admitted, which was equivalent to most people saying they'd had a wonderful time. 

"Glad to hear it!" Kirishima gave them a thumbs up. 

"Same here." Ochako giggled. "Think they're ready for us back home?" 

"Oh God," Katsuki growled, "Can't we just stay here and tell them we took the wrong bus, or something?" 

"Now Kacchan, these people care a lot about you. I know it's not your favorite thing to do..." 

"Alright, alright, I'll fucking do it. Don't need those losers givin' me the kicked-puppy look for the rest of the semester."

"Great!" Kirishima cheered. "Just be sure to put on your best scowl." 

Katsuki flipped him off. 

As soon as the four stepped into the common room, their classmates popped out of hiding.

"SURPRISE!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!" 

Katsuki didn't even bother with pretending to be surprised. Just rolled his eyes toward the ceiling. "Somebody kill me." 

"Awww, we love you too, man!" Sero chuckled, draping an arm around the grouchy boy's shoulders. 

"Get your butt in here!" Mina demanded. "Satou found a recipe for Mexican chocolate cake that even you will love, and we've got presents for you to open!" 

"Don't order me around, Raccoon eyes!" But he didn't fight Kirishima when the other boy pulled him by the wrist to the couches. 

"Alright! Everyone put your gifts in an orderly pile right here." Iida gestured to a spot on the birthday boy's right. "We will proceed by order of classroom seat number. Aoyama, that makes you first" 

"Oui, Mon ami!"  The young man didn't even both pulling it in the pile, presenting a package wrapped in glittering red paper. "Pour vous!" 

Kacchan made a face like he'd swallowed a cockroach. "Shit on the inside better not be nearly as shiny as it is on the outside." 

"Of course not." Aoyama stated simply, dropping the package unceremoniously in the other boy's lap, hard enough to make him wince. "Give me some credit."

Upon unwrapping, the gift turned out to be a large-ish bottle of Himalayan red rock salt. Katsuki picked it up to examine, his glare losing some heat. "Huh." 

"You're very welcome!" The supposed Frenchman beamed. 

"Great!" Mina clapped. "My turn! My turn!" 

One by one the presents were all unwrapped. All of them were very thoughtful, ranging from gift cards and school supplies to handmade items (the black bead bracelet Tsu made for him had been unexpected, but not nearly as much as the way Kacchan wordlessly slipped it on his wrist before moving to the next gift). As time went on, his annoyance melted into a quiet, deadpan expression, which everyone knew by now meant he was actually enjoying himself a bit. 

 Izuku had gotten him a simple All Might pen set that she knew he'd be using often in the privacy of his dorm. His response was an eye roll and a fond "Damn Nerd," that could have been taken as platonic. 

"Only Mineta and Yaoyorozu are left." Iida announced. 

Most of the class groaned. "Can't we just skip the little jerkface?" Hagakure suggested. 

Iida raised his hand to silence them. "I know he has done many highly contestable things, but I don't want him complaining to our teacher of unfair treatment, however deserved it may be." 

"I don't give a flying fuck." Kacchan grumbled. "Let's just get it over with." 

All that remained of the pile was a tastefully wrapped, shoe-box sized package (undoubtedly Momo's) and a simple envelope with Katsuki's name written on it (had to be Mineta). "Ya' sure you wanna' touch that without gloves?" Sero cringed as Kacchan picked up the envelope. 

"Probably something like a subscription to some sleazy magazine" Jiro muttered. "Where is the little douche bag, anyway?" 

Kaminari shrugged. "Went off to use the restroom. I told him he'd probably miss it, he didn't seem to mind that much." 

The room fell into nervous silence as the envelope was ripped open, only to release into sighs of relief as Kacchan extracted an ordinary birthday card, and a gift card to a sports store in the mall that he frequented. 

"I don't believe it." Ochako laughed. "He actually gave you something decent." 

Kacchan opened the birthday card to read the message inside. 

Then his eyes grew wide. 

Then his expression morphed into a snarl of rage. 

Iida peered at the note over his shoulder, gasping in shock and outrage. "Why I never!"  

No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the note was incinerated.

"WHERE IS THAT LITTLE FUCKER?!" Kacchan demanded as he jumped to his feet. 

"What did it say?" Izuku asked. 

A small Ding interrupted them, the elevator doors sliding open to reveal Mineta, looking surprisingly calm. Almost as if he'd been expecting this. 

"GRAPE!" 

"Problem?" The diminutive teen asked with feigned innocence. 

"I'LL SHOW YOU A PROBLEM!" Katsuki charged toward him, only for Mineta to quickly press the button that closed the doors. 

Katsuki screeched to a halt, slamming his fist on the metal before sprinting to the stairway, the rest of Class A running behind him. 

"What the hell was on that note?" Ojiro asked. 

"Don't ell me Mineta was coming on to him." Kaminari wondered out loud. "My God, Mineta's bi?" 

"I refuse to accept him into our ranks!" Jiro stated adamantly.

The group rounded a corner, causing several students to crash into each other. 

"Iida, what did you see?" Satou asked. 

"It was disgraceful! Mineta was offering to..." He trailed off a bit, turning red. "Erm... steal an article of undergarment from one of our female classmates." 

Izuku's stomach twisted into a knot of dread. Kirishima and Uraraka both blanched. 

"Um, from anyone specific?" Kirishima asked tentatively. 

Whether Iida heard or not became irrelevant as Kacchan's cursing echoed through the stairwell and he came running in the opposite direction, indicating that his quarry was now traveling down, causing everone to fall over each other in the attempt to turn around. 

Yet somehow they all managed to beat Mineta to the ground floor, and he let out a panicked yelp at the sight of his most fearsome classmate's red face appearing as the elevator doors opened.

He quickly tried to press the 'close doors' button again, only to be foiled when Tsu's tongue darted in and wrapped around him, hauling him out with a squeal. As soon as she dropped him on the floor, Katsuki grabbed him by the front of his shirt and picked him back up again. 

"You scumbag, I oughtta'...!" 

The smaller boy didn't look as panicky as one would expect. "Well, you seem pissed." 

"No shit!" 

"You could've just said you weren't interested." 

"Shut up ya' weasel! I'm gonna' pin your sorry hide to the wall!" 

"And why are you so high and mighty with your morals all of a sudden?" Mineta demanded. 

"What the fuck are you talking about?" 

"I've been chasing these girls for three years, and you've never batted an eye! Now all of a sudden you're ready to tear out my spine?" 

"I don't have to explain myself to the likes of you!" Katsuki's free hand started glowing.

"It's because I wrote Midoriya's name, isn't it?!" 

Izuku felt the blood in her veins run cold. 

The anger in Kacchan's face washed into stunned blankness. He said in a very low voice, "...What?"

Mineta broke into a triumphant grin. "I fucking knew it!" 

"What are you talking about?" Kirishima demanded to know. 

Mineta looked at the rest of the class. "Haven't we all been driving ourselves crazy trying to figure out whether or not anything's going on between these two?" He gestured between Izuku and Katsuki. "Well, I've finally solved the mystery! I was never gonna' steal anything, I just wanted to see his reaction!" 

The knot in Izuku's stomach tightened so hard, she was sure she would throw up.

Everything finally sunk into Kacchan's mind. A quiet, dark rage clouded into his face. "You...!"

"That's right!" Mineta crowed, pointing at him. "You swallowed the bait, pal! hook, line, and sinker! So... So there!" 

And with his spiel ended, he scrunched his eyes shut and braced himself. 

The onslaught never came. 

Katsuki dropped him to the floor, and started marching toward the stairway.

But then he stopped himself, pausing a second, then turning around and heading over to Izuku. Without a word, he grabbed her hand and pulled her to the stairs with him, the two disappearing. 

Shocked silence fell over the class. Mineta had started frantically feeling himself for injuries, unbelieving of his good luck. 

Iida was the first to speak. "Of all the vile, despicable...!" 

 "That was seriously fucked up, dude." Kaminari agreed, to the surprise of most. 

"You've used deception and perversion to manipulate our friends into exposing a secret they weren't ready to share with us!" The class rep continued to scold. 

"Hey, I didn't actually break any rules!" Mineta pointed out, though not sounding as sure of himself as he had a second ago, probably having expected at least Kaminari to side with him. 

"That doesn't make it any less wrong!" 

Ochako's rage finally boiled over. "Oh! You little monster!" She stomped over to him, only for Tsu and Momo to hold her back to prevent a potential lawsuit. "I oughtta' drop a car on you!" 

Todoroki crossed his arms, glaring down at the short boy. "Proud of yourself?" 

Mineta looked at all his classmate's angry, disappointed faces, the gravity of his actions finally starting to catch up to him. 

"...Not really."  

Izuku found herself pulled up all four stories then farther, all the way onto the roof. As soon as the door closed behind them Kacchan let go of her hand and stomped to the center of the roof. He let out a roar and released a volley of fire into the sky. 

"GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!!! THAT FUCKER!!!" 

 At that point she finally broke down into sobs, feeling so angry and humiliated. 

She had wanted so badly to tell everyone. Instead the secret had been exposed by a prank.

And not just any prank, but one that made it feel like she and Kacchan had been doing something illicit. Something cheap and shameful. 

They hadn't done anything to warrant this, but still... 

She was distantly aware that the shouting and explosions had stopped. 

An unsure voice said, "Deku...?" 

She opened her eyes to see him standing much closer now, watching her cry, clearly out of his depth. 

"I'll..." She hastily tried to wipe the tears and snot from her face. "I'll be okay." She hiccuped pitifully. "I'm sorry... I just..." 

"No you're fucking not!" He spouted. "Don't apologize! You've got every damn right to cry! I should crush that little shitstain into jelly!" 

His wording made her laugh, a kind of choked, gusty sound. "But it... it's making you... uncomfortable..." 

"I don't care! I'll get over myself!" 

She put a hand over her face, "They shouldn't have found out like this..." 

She felt him, rather awkwardly, wrap his arms around her, letting Izuku bury her face in his shirt. The surprisingly tender gesture only made her bawl harder. 

"Wish I knew what kinda' shit to say..." He admitted, sounding a bit frustrated with himself. 

She shook her head, smearing snot in the cotton. "It's f-fine. Just... st-stay like this..." 

He waited until she'd cried herself out, letting her be the first to pull away. "Sorry for losing it." She murmured, still hiccuping.  

He snorted. "Ya' call that losing it? Whadda' ya' think I was just doing?" 

She managed a chuckle.  

Kacchan stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked out toward the campus. "Now what?" 

Izuku stared down at her feet. 

Even average people would have trouble dealing with the level of humiliation they'd just experienced, let alone someone like Bakugo Katsuki, who had trouble dealing with emotions and human interactions. Would this all set him back? Would it sour him on relationships permanently? 

Would he, on some level, resent her for this? 

She took a shaky breath.

"Listen, if... if this is all too much... if you maybe want to... put things on hold, for a little bit... I'd understand." 

He whipped back around. "Heh?! Are you fucking serious?!" 

"Please don't feel like you have to stick with this. If you really feel...cornered...." 

He suddenly got really quiet, staring at her with his lips pressed in a thin line.

"Do you want to end this?" He finally asked, struggling to keep his voice neutral.

"I really don't. But the option's..."  

 "Then no fucking way!" 

She sagged a little in relief. But still had to ask. "Are you sure? Really sure?" 

Glowering, he gripped her shoulders firmly, but not hard. "You really think, after that talk we had earlier, I'd ditch you over a little embarrassment? Hell no! I knew going in it wasn't gonna' be easy! It's gonna' take a fuck of a lot more than that to ruin one of the best things to happen to me! I'd.." 

She gasped. "What?" 

Suddenly realizing what he'd said, his mouth snapped shut and he flushed right down to the roots of his hair. "Shit..." 

Her heart was trying to beat its way out of her body. "This is... You really think...it's really one of the best things to happen to you?" 

He rubbed a hand over his face, groaning.

 "Including getting your license and your hero debut?" Izuku pressed.

"Yes!" he snapped, face redder than Kirishima's hair. "It's right up there with all that shit! And I'll be damned if I let it go just 'cause some pervert tried to impress his loser friends!" 

Oh no, she was crying again. 

This was... the closest Kacchan had ever come to saying he loved someone. And it was directed at her. 

"I... I..." 

He bit his lip, looking away in embarrassment. "Ya' don't have to say anything. You've ... had to absorb a lot of shit from today." 

She wasn't sure her body could contain all the emotions swirling through her. "I want to say something! I want to do something! I... I... can I kiss you?"  

His eyes widened in a way that almost made her laugh. Then they suddenly narrowed in a familiar look of determination. 

The next thing she knew his lips were slanted over hers in a firm, quick kiss. 

For a minute she was stunned into silence. Then broke into breathless laughter. "No fair! I wasn't ready!" 

"Then do something about it, Nerd!" He challenged with a budding smirk. 

It was easy now that she knew he wanted it too. She planted her hands on his cheeks and pulled him down until his lips met hers again.

This time they stayed that way for a while. Not moving, just enjoying. Kacchan's hands resting lightly on her waist. 

If she hadn't already known she loved him, it would've been clear now. 

When they finally walked back down, their friends had returned to the common room. They could hear their voices even from up on the top floor. 

But everyone fell silent when the couple joined them. Holding hands.

Kacchan's grip tightened, like a subconscious challenge to everyone watching. Izuku flashed everyone a smile.

Then the noise started up again, the whole class running forward to surround them in a friendly mob. 

"Oh my God! I'm so happy for you guys!" 

"So, how long's this been going on?" 

"I was rooting for you two from the beginning!" 

"We're so sorry for intruding on your privacy!" 

"Quiet now, everyone!" Iida's voice rose above the din. "These two have already been through enough as it is!" 

Katsuki glared at the class president. "We don't need you to defend us, Glasses." 

"But thank you anyway." Izuku added. 

Mina pushed her way closer. "Uraraka and Kiri said they've been helping you guys keep it secret, but they won't answer any other questions." 

"We told them," Ochako said. "It's your business, not ours." 

Izuku rubbed the back of her neck. "We're sorry if you're upset at us for not telling you. We were going to, soon. We just wanted to see how it turned out first." 

"Of course we're not mad." Tsu said. "It's your relationship, you can tell us whenever the heck you want, kero." 

"We understand perfectly." Todoroki added with a nod. "Life in the dorms doesn't afford much privacy." 

"Damn straight." Katsuki muttered. 

Iida cleared his throat loudly. "Before we continue, Mineta has something he wants to say to you." 

"Well I don't wanna' hear it." Kacchan growled.

Izuku wasn't ready to forgive him either, but Mineta had never apologized for his behavior before. It must've been pretty hard to swallow his pride enough to start. "I guess I'll listen." 

The small teenager cautiously stepped forward, eyes averted, actually looking contrite as he stood before the two. 

"Listen, uh... that was a really dumb thing I did." He scuffed his toe against the floor. "Didn't mean to hurt anyone. I just thought you guys would end up laughing it off with everyone, or... whatever. I thought you were just keeping it secret 'cause you were... I dunno'... shy, or something." 

Izuku crossed her arms. "I understand your reasoning, but that still doesn't make it alright. You're a third-year high-school student, almost a legal adult. You should know better. Your actions will have more serious consequences." 

The grape-headed teen grimaced. "So they tell me." 

"With good reason." Iida stated. 

"So," Mineta continued. "All that to say... um... sorry you guys." 

"I accept your apology." Izuku told him . "This time." 

"But if you ever pull a shitty stunt like that again," Katsuki snarled. "I'm sendin' you straight to the burn unit." 

Mineta shivered. "D-duly noted." 

"Well!" Mina shoved him aside. "Now that we've got that settled, I'd like you to know we're having a girl's night in your honor!" She beamed at Izuku. "My room, seven-thirty! You don't have to bring anything except your lovely self!" 

"Uh..." Izuku had a distinct feeling a friendly interrogation was looming ahead.

"The guys are gonna' be hangin' too." Kaminari informed Kacchan. "Down here in the common room. Be there with bells on!" 

"No fucking way!" Katsuki turned to Ochako and Kirishima. "You just gonna' leave us to these piranhas?" 

They both gave the couple sheepish grins. 

"Sorry dudes." 

"We tried." 

While heading up to their rooms to change into their pajamas, Kacchan started saying, "Remember earlier today, you asked me if I thought things would've been better if you hadn't been born quirkless?" 

"Yeah." 

He wet his lips. "They wouldn't have." 

She smiled. "And what makes you say that?" 

He stopped to look her in the eye. "The person you are, everything about you, is because of what you've had to go through. You were always wanting to help people, and determined as hell. Or stubborn, more like..."  

 "Hey!" 

"... But, if you'd had a quirk from the beginning, you wouldn't have appreciated it as much. You wouldn't have had to work so hard to prove yourself in such a short time, and inspire everyone to go far beyond their limits. You wouldn't be you." 

Her eyes started watering. 

"Plus..." He continued. "You wouldn't have needed to grab on to All Might so he could tell you if you could still be a hero. He wouldn't have seen a quirkless kid try to save me when the other pros were afraid to, and he wouldn't have known that you were the person he needed to pass on One For All to." 

Izuku smiled through her sniffling. "Darn it! You're making me cry again!" 

"Sorry." He planted a kiss on the top of her head. 

She wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you so much." 

He returned the hug. "My line, Nerd."