A/N: According to my research, Japan doesn't do expulsion when it comes to their students. It's forbidden, and suspension isn't even an option in Japan. In most schools, they kind of just call the parents of the students and leave the punishment up to the parents. Due to these reasons, bullying in general is viewed as a problem in Japan due to the lack of consequences for a student's bad behavior. Not to mention, as of April 1st 2020, they're going to ban corporal punishment of children in Japan as a whole. So… yeah. Don't know how much that's gonna remedy the bullying problem, seeing as some kids in real life really should get spanked in order to set them in line, in my opinion.
Katsuki and Mitsuki have been walking from school to their home for five minutes now. Mitsuki hasn't uttered a word since they left the building.
Katsuki is absolutely lost on what to make of this.
"So… are you mad at me, Mom?" He asks finally.
Mitsuki's breath hitches in her throat.
"It's good that you were defending Izuku-chan, Katsuki. But I'm not okay with the fact that you had to resort to violence."
"Well, what was I supposed to do? Let one of those boys land the first punch?"
"I don't. Know." She replies. "All I know is that kid's nose is pretty messed up, and that no matter how many times I punish you, you still get yourself into these types of situations."
Katsuki figures this is his cue to feel guilty, but truthfully, all he feels is pure confusion over the events that transpired today.
Well. That's a lie.
He's been feeling confused ever since that damn day he met Izuku.
"No play dates or TV for two months." Mitsuki says resolutely, interrupting his thoughts momentarily.
Katsuki opens his mouth to give a counter-argument as to why that punishment is just flat-out cruel, but after a moment of pondering, decides against it.
His mind is occupied with other thoughts that he just can't be bothered to put up a fight right now.
"Thank you, Kacchan." Izuku's words replay in his brain.
That idiot. What gives her the right to call him his crummy nickname and to just hug him out of nowhere like that, anyway?
He shakes his head and then chuckles inwardly.
Who is he kidding…
He has no right calling her an idiot.
He's the one who offered to lie for her in order to protect her. And now he's the one who's grounded.
Just…
.
.
Why did he do that?
"Oh, Izuku. I'm so sorry you had such a rough day at school."
Izuku doesn't say a word as they walk in the direction of their home. Guilt has been prying at her ever since they left the school.
Did she and Katsuki really make the right decision by lying to the teachers about who delivered the punch? The boys were quick to tell the teachers that Izuku was the one guilty, but when Katsuki stepped in and said he was, the adults believed him almost instantly without so much as batting a lash.
She's worried about what Katsuki will face from his parents.
But most of all. She's worried that he will end up resenting her for this.
As Izuku waits in front of the classroom for the teacher to come the following day, she notices Katsuki walking towards her.
"Ka—Kacchan!" She calls out and darts toward him.
She's met with an icy glare. She stops in her tracks, and feels her heart stop for a moment; her earlier fears of him hating her resurfacing.
"Are you okay?" She asks uneasily. "How did your parents take what happened yesterday?"
"Don't talk to me right now," he replies, and walks on past her.
Izuku has trouble focusing on anything for the duration of class.
All she thinks about is the cold way Katsuki brushed her off.
I knew it. I knew that he'd hate me after all this. She thinks to herself repeatedly, her chest starting to hurt.
By the time the bell rings to signify the start of recess, Katsuki exits the room without sparing Izuku a glance.
She smiles ironically.
So… it's back to that, now is it?
"Pass me the ball, Taichi. I need to practice scoring some hoops."
Taichi complies but sends him a concerned look beforehand.
"You doing okay, Katsuki? You've been frowning ever since recess started."
"I'm fine," he answers tersely and throws the ball in the basketball hoop.
"H-hey, Kacchan." A annoyingly familiar voice calls out softly behind him.
He whirls around to find Izuku standing before him, her gaze averted from his.
He sighs, and glances at Taichi, who has a smirk plastered on his face.
"Get lost." Katsuki tells him swiftly.
Taichi under normal circumstances would have gotten mad at the choice of words Katsuki used, but he isn't. He's amused.
"You know, if you wanted some privacy with your girlfriend, you could have just asked me nicely." He chimes, and passes Katsuki the basketball before walking away.
Katsuki's definitely going to teach Taichi a good lesson or two in wrestling for having made that comment.
Once Taichi's out of sight, Katsuki turns back to Izuku.
"What do you want, nerd?" He asks, his tone exasperated.
Izuku doesn't say anything at first. When she tries to finally speak, she finds she's choking on her own words.
"I'm sorry, Kacchan…" Tears burst forth like water from a dam, "It was all my fault… I should have taken the blame. I shouldn't have let you get in trouble. I'll even go and tell the teachers what really happened, if you want… just… please, please. Don't hate me, Kacchan."
Her eyes are on locked on the ground, so she has no idea what Katsuki's feeling as he starts to advance toward her.
"Izuku." He says once he's close to her, voice soft.
Then;
"QUIT CRYING SO MUCH YOU DAMN NERD!" He hollers at the top of his lungs.
Izuku nearly faints from the shock, and her tears desist. She stares at him, mouth wide open.
"Tch," He clicks his tongue, "I don't hate you, you moron. And I'm not even mad at you. " He grumbles, and turns away. "I'm mad at myself. Ever since I met you, I've been acting and feeling like the lamest person on the planet."
"Katsuki, you know that isn't true—"
"Be quiet, he snaps. "I have. I keep doing these… dumb things, because of you and for you, and it's so damn annoying."
"I'm… sorry," she tries, before Katsuki glares at her.
"Don't apologize. I did what I did yesterday because I wanted to. So don't even think about telling the teachers what really happened."
"I… just don't understand… if I'm so annoying, then… why are you doing this for me?"
"You're not annoying. You make me do and feel things that I normally don't." He says warily. "And that's what's damn annoying."
For some reason, Izuku sees a deeper implication to Katsuki's words.
"Kacchan… what do you think of me?" She asks before she can stop herself.
Does he have to say it? Hell, even he doesn't know.
"I'm not really sure." He replies, "All I know for sure is that, I would have never considered being friends with a girl before I met you."
"Does… does that mean you view me as a friend, Kacchan?" Izuku wants to hear him say it.
He turns away.
"I wouldn't have gotten myself grounded for you if I didn't."
What's weirder is that Katsuki isn't so sure he considers her a friend. He would have never helped anyone else in the way he did for her.
She's something… different to him.
But she doesn't have to know that.
At his words, Izuku can't help but smile.
"Kacchan…" she says warmly.
"So, are you two lovebirds done talking, or what?" Taichi's sudden appearance has Izuku squeaking in alarm and Katsuki growling in anger.
"You're just begging for someone to beat you up, aren't you?" Katsuki tells him threateningly. Taichi chuckles.
"Take a joke, will ya?" Taichi answers smoothly, "And since you think you're such tough stuff, let's see if you can even beat me in a game of basketball."
Katsuki grins devilishly. "You're on."
Izuku fumbles with her fingers, unsure if her presence is wanted anymore.
Katsuki's words that follow suit confirm that it is. "You wanna play with us?"
Izuku feels like her heart might burst out of her chest. "Y-yes!"
A/N: Despite Katsuki resenting his own nickname… as you all can see, he hasn't told Izuku to stop calling him it. Make of that what you will, readers.
