A/n: Just their everyday school life in this one guys!
…
School Days
Izuku kept peeking glances at Kacchan from the corner of his eyes. They'd talked of course, but only about their studies, and for a good portion of the day Kacchan had worked out at the gym and Izuku had hung out with Hitoshi in his dorm. Izuku had needed the quiet. He'd had a lot to think about after talking with Ivy. He'd even done some drawing for fun and made up some schedules for study groups, but now he was wondering if Kacchan was mad at him.
Of course he's mad! Izuku yelled to himself. He cares about you, and you kept something from him that you knew he'd want to know.
"Kacchan," he called, grabbing the blond's wrist before he could walk out the clinic door.
Kacchan turned to look at him, his brows furrowed.
Earnest, heart pounding in his throat, Izuku said, "I was more effected by that pool than I realized and pushed it away so hard that I honestly didn't think about it again. I didn't mean to keep it from you on purpose, but I did and I'm sorry. I'm going to work really hard in therapy so that it never happens again."
Kacchan studied his face. "I know," he said shortly and pulled his arm away.
Izuku's heart dropped. "Are you mad at me?"
"Of course I'm fucking mad," Kacchan answered with a glare.
Izuku nodded, hanging his head. He deserved it after all.
Kacchan suddenly yanked him forward. With a gasp, Izuku lost his balance and crashed into Kacchan's chest. Kacchan hugged him almost painfully tight. "I'm fucking mad at the situation. I'm mad at fucking All Might and those fucking idiots from 1-B." He pulled back and looked into Izuku's eyes with the fearless honesty Izuku loved so much about him. "But I'm not mad at you, Izu. You really couldn't help it this time, so don't worry about it."
Izuku couldn't help frowning at this. "Of course I'm going to worry about it," he protested hotly. "I messed up. But I'm going to work on fixing it so I don't keep things from you again."
"I heard you the first time." Kacchan let him go. "Come on. We're going to be late."
Izuku let it go. Kacchan wasn't in the best of moods, and he didn't have a lot of patience when he got like this. Words never really impressed Kacchan all that much, anyway. Izuku could say he was sorry until he was blue in the face, but Kacchan would only be annoyed by that. Actions mattered more. He had to think of something that he could do that would show his remorse and appreciation for all that Kacchan did for him.
"Deku!"
Izuku turned to see Uraraka waving him down. He'd been so lost in thought that hadn't even realized he'd made it to the classroom. His smile faded however when he got a look at her serious face. "Uraraka?"
"I need to talk to you," she said firmly.
Grabbing him by the arm, Uraraka led him away from the classroom and down a side hallway. She pulled him against the wall so they wouldn't be blocking anyone's way. Izuku tried to ask her what was wrong, but she shook her head and gave him a serious look.
"Pony told me what you did."
Izuku flushed. "Oh."
Large brown eyes stared at him in accusation. "You had no right to go around spreading my personal business. I trusted you with that information and you immediately went behind my back. I'm a big girl, Izuku. I can solve my own problems. I know it looked like I couldn't because I had a fever, but I would have figured it out on my own."
The longer she talked the more his stomach sank. "I — "
She held up her hand, expression still hard, but then suddenly she gave a nod and flashed her usual cheerful smile. "I forgive you."
Izuku blinked at her. "What?"
"I forgive you," she repeated and then glared in warning. "Don't do it again, though."
Izuku nodded quickly, his eyes huge and pleading. "I won't. I promise. I really was trying to help."
Uraraka's pink cheeks went a little darker. "I know," she said. Looking down, she twisted the bottom hem of her jacket in a show of nerves. "Pony told me why you did it." Suddenly she leaned in and kissed his cheek. "I care about you, too," she said almost all in one breath before running away.
Izuku stared after her. "I really hope she meant as friends," he muttered to himself, suddenly worried.
…
Katsuki was thinking. About a lot of things, actually.
One, he'd noticed Izuku had begun avoiding Cheeks. He had a suspicion on why Izuku was doing so. The girl blushed and looked away every time she accidentally met Izuku's eyes. She could be embarrassed because the nerd got involved in her personal shit and hooked her up with a roommate (apparently she'd hit it off with that 1-B chick and she'd moved in with her), but Katsuki had a feeling it was something else. He wasn't quite sure where that was going to go, but he wasn't saving Izuku's ass on this one. Katsuki was actually kind of looking forward to seeing how Izuku would handle it. It should prove interesting.
Two, something was up with Aizawa and the other teachers. They were purposefully keeping him and Izuku apart, and it was starting to piss him off. Almost every assignment this week in every class was partner or group work, and Izuku was never in his group. Even when they let them pick teams or partners, the teachers made them both team captains, so they couldn't pick each other. Katsuki had a few theories, and the one he thought most likely was that Aizawa had told them to. Likely because of the locker room incident. And that pissed him off! Did Aizawa not trust him to keep his word?
Three, the practice exam was now only two weeks away, and that Ponytail-loser had beaten him in two quizzes this week! Like hell was he going to let that pampered princess beat him!
Four, he'd hooked up with Kirishima a few times to help him study and was surprised at how far behind the teen had gotten. Red would need more intensive coaching than Katsuki had originally thought.
Five, he'd been doing his own research about compartmentalization and anxiety disorders ever since Izuku had told him Ivy's preliminary diagnosis. Katsuki had to admit, even after the little research he'd done, it sounded spot on. He still didn't trust her all the way, but he had to admit there had been a change in Izuku. The nerd was more thoughtful and less manic. He wasn't compartmentalizing so hard and was actually starting to express a range of emotions throughout the day more than he had been.
Six, Katsuki was still really fucking pissed with All Might, and he didn't know what to do about it. The hero knew it, too. All Might hadn't been able to meet his eyes since the confrontation outside the clinic.
Seven, the next full moon was in eight days.
"Bakugo? You in there, bro?" A hand waved in front of his face. "If you glare at the window much longer, it's going to shatter."
Katsuki turned his glare on the annoying redhead. "The hell do you want?" he groused.
Kirishima raised an eyebrow. "Class is over, man."
Katsuki scanned the room. Everyone was packing up.
"We still on for a study session?" Red wanted to know.
"Yeah, sure." Katsuki got up and called to Todoroki. "IcyHot! Wanna help me school this idiot?"
"Hey!" Kirishima protested.
Todoroki met his eyes and shrugged.
Katsuki grinned. Good enough for him.
An hour later, Kirishima looked exhausted. "I don't think it's fair that you guys get to tag-team," he groaned, rubbing his forehead. "There's only one of me, you know. I can only learn one thing at a time."
"You don't have time for that," Todoroki told him seriously, brushing bangs that were half white and half red out of his eyes.
"It's your own fucking fault!" Katsuki told him and hit him hard with a rolled up notebook. The teen reflexively hardened his head. It made a loud THWAP sound. "How the hell did you let it get this bad? You must have been sitting there confused for a month!"
"Yeah," Kirishima sighed. "We just had so much other stuff going on."
"No excuse," Todoroki countered and tapped at the paper in front of the teen. "What formula would you use for this problem?"
"Um… y=mx+b?"
Katsuki beat him with the notebook in fury. "We went over this problem twenty minutes ago!"
"Hey! Be careful with that notebook," Kirishima protested pitifully. "I'm going to need it later!"
"You need a new fucking head!" Katsuki snarled and fell back into his chair in frustration.
The door to their study room opened and Izuku entered pushing a silver dining cart.
"Maybe you can make a dent in this idiot's stupidity," Katsuki told him and then narrowed his eyes. "What the hell is that?"
Izuku pushed the cart up to their table and pulled off the large domed lid. Katsuki's eyes widened. There were at least a dozen bowls of ice-cream in all different flavors, and next to them sat an entire jar of rainbow sprinkles. "I thought you guys could use a snack break," he said cheerfully.
Katsuki felt the tension fall from his expression as he smiled at the nerd. "How the hell did you get this?"
Izuku grinned and took the seat next to Kirishima across from them. "I asked," he answered as if it wasn't a big deal.
Katsuki snorted. Was there anyone alive who could resist a begging Izuku? Jesus! He even had the kitchen heroes wrapped around his fingers.
"None for you," Izuku told Kirishima, wagging his finger at him when the redhead tried to reach for a bowl. "Not until you answer three problems correctly. And you'd better hurry or they'll eat it all."
Kirishima looked like Izuku had just punched him. "Are you serious?"
Izuku gave him a sweet smile that nonetheless made it clear that yes, yes, he was. "Three problems, please."
Grumbling, the redhead bent to his task.
Katsuki laughed around a large spoonful of ice-cream and sprinkles. Fuck, he loved the nerd.
"Sorry, guys. I've got to go," Izuku said about fifteen minutes later. He'd stayed just long enough to let Katsuki eat his full. "I told my mom I'd eat dinner with her tonight. See you tomorrow," he said with a smile, waving.
"I didn't know you liked sweet things," Kirishima said with a pout. The ice-cream had mostly melted by this point.
Todoroki waved his right hand over the bowls and froze them mostly solid. "I knew," he said and cast Katsuki a sly glance.
Katsuki sat back with a smirk. "What can I say. I like the way sweet things melt in my mouth."
Todoroki went bright red and coughed hard.
Kirishima reached over to pat his back. "You okay, man?"
"I'm fine," Todoroki answered and shot Katsuki a glare.
Katsuki lifted an eyebrow. "You guys ready to get back to work or what?"
…
Izuku was proud of himself for arranging the ice-cream cart yesterday. Kacchan had been in a dark mood all week, but today he finally seemed to relax a little. Kacchan gave him a trademark smirk from across the platform they stood on. Excitement sparkled in his eyes.
They were in one of the largest gyms on campus. It was as big as a football field and contained an elaborate obstacle course maze set out on a grid. The grid would shift and change while a team was running through it, making it impossible to navigate to the other side without a tactician working from above. Izuku's team would try to get to the other side without being captured by Kacchan's team. If even one of Izuku's team made it through, Izuku won. The same for Kacchan's team. At each side of the gym was a flag. Kacchan's was blue. Izuku's was red. The goal was to steal the other team's flag.
Each of Izuku's teammates had ear pieces that connected to Izuku's microphone. He could talk to them all as a group or single them out and only talk to them one at a time. Izuku would have to observe the changing terrain from a second story balcony overlooking the gym and manage his communications successfully to guide his team across.
"You ready to get killed out there, nerd?" Kacchan taunted. He wore a headset that matched Izuku's. He would be standing on the balcony on the other side of the field giving his own team instructions.
Izuku felt his heart thud hard behind his ribs. He set his feet and lifted his chin. "I'm not going to be easy to beat, Kacchan," he said with quiet confidence.
Kacchan's grin grew wider. "I'm fucking counting on it, Deku." Then, turning, he stalked away.
…
Izuku's team: Yaoyorozu, Aoyama, Ashido, Ojiro, Koda, Sato, Shoji, Jiro, Sero, and Hitoshi
-vs.-
Kacchan's team: Hagakure, Tokoyami, Kaminari, Todoroki, Mineta, Kirishima, Iida, Asui, and Uraraka
…
Katsuki had his team circled around him. He crossed his arms and stared at them in challenge. "You already know I fucking want to win. The question is, do you?"
Kirishima grinned and slammed his stone fists together, creating sparks. "Hell, yeah!"
"I know you extras love Deku, but going easy on him isn't the way to show it," Katsuki said lowly, shooting Glasses and Cheeks in particular a sharp look. "If you really want to show him how much you appreciate all his efforts, then you go out there and show them how much stronger you've become. You go out there and kick his ass!"
Most of the kids around him gave nods at this. Katsuki made note of the ones who didn't.
"Alright. I know most of you guys don't like me," he said with brutal honesty. "But I know you know I'll do whatever it takes to win, so fucking listen to me when I tell you something." Eyes intense on all of them, he put his hand in. "Let's fucking do this."
One-by-one, everyone in the circle put a hand on top of his.
…
Izuku's hands flew over the communication controls, his attention sharp and focused. To Yaoyorozu, "Two enemies one o'clock. Camouflage. Don't let them see you. Distraction incoming." To Sero and Hitoshi, "Nine o'clock. Two ground enemies approaching friendlies. Tarzan distraction. Chase them west." To Aoyama and Sato, "Pit full of spikes in thirty feet." To All: "Hunker down! Hunker down! Three, two, one!"
The grid of obstacles shifted. Anyone not braced for the movement was flung to the ground. Izuku's mind whirled with calculations. To Jiro and Koda, "Move east and circle around. Stay alert. Three non-surveillance enemies in front of you. You have advantage." To Ojiro, "Retreat! Tsu is in the pool ahead. You're at disadvantage."
…
Katsuki crouched and looked over the ever-changing field. Izuku's team was split up in pairs. They all moved for the goal, which was Katsuki's flag. The strategy was sound. The more pieces moving toward victory, the higher the chance of taking it. However, Katsuki was employing a different strategy.
He'd chosen to split his team into one set of two, one set of three, and four who were left to move individually. Three of the four individual pawns were to defend the territory they've been given. Frog-girl was positioned at the water obstacle. She would take out any of Izuku's team who tried to get past her. The idiotic blond was stationed at the wire fences, turning them electric, and Tokoyami was stationed at the mouth of the tunnel obstacle.
He'd paired Todoroki with Kirishima. Todoroki was good with distance fighting and Kirishima was good at close fighting. They were pushing through for Izuku's flag. Glasses, Cheeks, and the Pervert were the decoys and defenders of the core pair. Having four of his team work individual jobs, he could essentially ignore them, which let him focus more on just the two groups instead of dividing his attention with multiple moving parts unlike Izuku.
To Red and IcyHot, "Airborne monkeys. Watch your asses." To the Trio, "Cover your ears. Don't let the Jukebox scare you off course. Pingpong." He watched as the Pervert reluctantly began to tear off balls and fling them all around himself. In the artificial jungle vegetation, they weren't easy to see. Glasses and Cheeks stopped, pretending to argue about which way to go.
Suddenly, a sound wave made the trees and bushes shake, and Animal boy came bursting out with capture tape at the ready. Glasses swung his leg out in a powerful sweep that sent the Pervert flying directly into one of his own purple balls. He bounced and slammed right into the enemy, flinging the animal-whisperer right into another pile of sticky balls. Unlike the Pervert, he stuck, but not before Earphone jack girl wrapped up the Pervert in capture tape. Cheeks chopped her in the back of the neck and down she went.
"Glasses, wave your arm if you can hear me!" Katsuki yelled. The boy shook his head and didn't wave his arm. "Shit." The sound attack had damaged their hearing. They wouldn't hear his warning in time. The flying monkeys, unsuccessful in turning his duo, had now swung back around. "IcyHot, Red, the trio's not going to make it. You're on your own. Push through hard and fast!"
…
Izuku couldn't believe what he was seeing. Kacchan had put all of his chances on just two classmates. The rest were on defense now that Iida, Uraraka, and Mineta had just been taken captive. Izuku had lost Jiro and Koda in the taking, but that was still a heavy blow to Kacchan's team, especially as Izuku still had four pairs moving in on Katsuki's flag while Kacchan only had the one pair left.
To Yaoyorozu and Ashido, "Move east. Get out of the jungle and approach the pool. Tsu is guarding it. You're the only two who have a chance to get past her." To Ojiro and Shoji, "Directly north-west of your position is the tunnel obstacle. Tokoyami is standing guard. Shoji, try and sneak up on him. Ojiro, distract him." To Sero and Hitoshi, "Head directly north. Go for the flag as hard as you can. Beware the fence. Kaminari is charging it. Take him out."
Then everything went black.
…
As soon as it had became a race, Katsuki would have won. Katsuki's defenders would have held off Izuku's team long enough for Red and IcyHot to run the obstacle course without contestation and grab the flag, but they didn't have to bother. Before Izuku's team could even challenge Katsuki's defenders, the horn blared, letting them know the battle was over.
Katsuki flashed a sharp-toothed smile and opened his communication to all. "And that's how you fucking win a war!" He stood and saw Izuku's flag waving by itself in mid-air. His assassin, the Invisible girl, had just taken Izuku out and claimed the flag.
…
Izuku came awake with the sound of an argument ringing in his ears.
"… was completely underhand and unheroic!" Yaoyorozu protested.
"We would have won regardless," came Todoroki's logical response.
"But when did he even set that up?" Uraraka wanted to know. She didn't sound upset like Yaoyorozu, just confused.
"What did you think I'd be doing as a hero?" came Hagakure's hurt response. "I'm invisible. What did you think I'd be using that for? Frontal assaults? I'm supposed to be sneaky!"
"But that is not what this exercise was supposed to be about," level-headed Ojiro protested.
Izuku sat up and rubbed the back of his head. He had a dull headache, but otherwise he was unharmed. Aizawa was leaning against the wall, arms-crossed and eyes closed. "You're not going to weigh in?" Izuku asked him.
"I want to see what they decide," his teacher answered unconcerned, not even bothering to open his eyes.
"Where's Kacchan?" Izuku asked, looking around.
Hitoshi offered his hand, and Izuku took it. The teen pulled him to his feet. "He's sitting over there, glowering."
Izuku looked and saw that Kacchan was sitting against the wall, glaring at their classmates who stood in a loose huddle, arguing. "How long's this been going on?"
Hitoshi looked at the clock on the wall. "About fifteen minutes."
Izuku couldn't help it. He laughed. The sound of his laughter silenced the group, and they turned to look at him with wide eyes. Izuku ignored them. His attention was on Kacchan. "Good win," he called. "I'll remember that next time."
Kacchan snorted, his expression softening into a smile. "Always watch your back, Deku. You know better than that."
"I usually have you watching it for me," Izuku admitted ruefully. "I've gotten sloppy."
Yaoyorozu crossed her arms. "You're not mad about how he won?"
Izuku tilted his head. "Why should I be? We're training to be heroes. You think the people we're going to fight are going to be nice and play fair? If it could mean saving innocent people, a sneak attack is absolutely worth doing, and we need to be prepared for the villains who do the same." He looked around at his classmates seriously. "I know we're in school and our exams are right around the corner, so we can lose sight of what we're really doing here. This isn't PE class or a game. We're preparing for war with real life and death consequences. Hagakure was amazing today. I totally didn't sense her. If this had been a real fight with villains, I would be dead. I needed to know that so that I can get stronger."
"You make a good point, Midoriya." Yaoyorozu stood with her shoulders back and her chin lifted. "But like you said, we're training to be heroes. We can't stoop to the villain's level."
Izuku frowned. "We're all figuring out what kind of heroes we want to be. Maybe that's your way, but it might not be other's."
Yaoyorozu spun on her heel, her ponytail whipping behind her and stomped off. Jiro and Ashido followed her after shooting an apologetic look Izuku's way.
"That's it for today, kiddos." Aizawa opened his eyes and pushed off the wall. "You guys have a lot to think about."
"I think it was manly! Way to go ending the fight before any more casualties were taken," Kirishima said in his loud, boisterous way, slapping Kacchan hard on the shoulder.
"Don't make me kill you," Kacchan growled up at his friend.
Izuku laughed.
"Are you in pain?" Hitoshi asked softly.
Izuku turned to see his friend stood with his soft, purple hair drooping slightly from sweat and his cheeks flushed with color from exertion. The dark circles under his eyes were lighter than they had been in awhile. "I'm fine," he assured him with a smile. "Just a small headache. She did a good job." They started heading toward the locker room. "You were amazing out there, by the way. Your control over your scarf has really improved. You moved almost as well as Sero, and he's had years to practice swinging around on his tape!"
Hitoshi's lips curved into a small smile. "I've been practicing with Aizawa-sensei every evening."
"What about your quirk?" Izuku asked. He opened his locker and grabbed a towel to rub his face and neck dry. "Have you figured out a way to get around the fact that everyone knows not to respond to you?"
"We have ideas about that," Hitoshi answered mysteriously, saying nothing more.
Of course, that made Izuku even more curious.
…
"Where do you think he goes?" Izuku asked the next day at lunch.
Hitoshi had disappeared. He'd been doing that a lot this week. In fact, ever since the disaster with the 1-B boys, he hadn't eaten with them once. Was he upset by what happened? Or was he working on his quirk?
"Who cares?" Kacchan asked as he sat down.
"Shinsou doesn't really like hanging out," Kirishima answered. "He's a lone wolf."
"He's pretty shy," Iida agreed.
Izuku frowned.
"Why don't you go look for the loser if you're so worried about it," Kacchan groused.
Izuku stood up. "I think I will." Tossing a wave over his shoulder, he called back, "See you in Heroics!"
It took him nearly half-an-hour before he found Hitoshi. The teen was sitting outside on the steps. He had a cat in his lap. Izuku's heart melted as he came and sat down next to his friend, very careful not to disturb the kitty.
"What do you call her?" he asked with a smile. She had a white face and soft orange fur with a patchwork of black.
"Cali," Hitoshi answered. "I found her the other day."
"Why don't you take her to your room? I'm sure they'd let you keep her."
Hitoshi shook his head. "I don't think she'd like to be locked up."
"Well, you could let her out every morning and take her in every evening." Izuku looked into Hitoshi's lavender eyes. "Having a home isn't the same as being locked up."
Hitoshi looked down at the cat in his lap. He didn't say anything.
Izuku leaned back and looked up at the fluffy clouds in the sky. "1-A is different from the Gen Ed class, isn't it?"
Hitoshi was quiet a minute, but he finally admitted, "Yeah… It was quieter there…"
Izuku tilted his head so he could see his friend. Hitoshi was scratching behind Cali's ears. Her eyes were closed in bliss as she leaned into Hitoshi's gentle touch. Hitoshi had a pretty blank face most of the time, but Izuku could see the sadness in his eyes.
"I'm glad you're here," Izuku said earnestly, up looking through his bangs. "I think you'll be a great hero."
Hitoshi leaned forward, bracing his forearms on his thighs. "I didn't come here to be a hero, you know."
Izuku smiled softly. "I know." He reached over to run gentle fingers down Cali's back. The cat opened an eye, weighed him, and then closed it again. Izuku beamed happily.
Hitoshi smiled and scratched her chin. "I really want that. To be a hero." His smile fell as his hand clenched into a fist. "To be someone who helps others. I want to leave the Institute behind, but at the same time I miss it. Things were less… complicated there."
Izuku frowned. "I'm sorry."
Hitoshi shook his head. A minute of silence lapsed between them when suddenly he asked, "You really think they'd let me keep her?"
Izuku looked down at the cat purring in Hitoshi's lap and smiled. "Yeah, I think so."
…
"What's the big rush?" Katsuki demanded as they practically ran to the classroom the next morning.
"I have to ask Hitoshi something," Izuku answered.
Katsuki scowled. Braindead nodded to whatever Izuku asked him, and Izuku flung his arms around Hitoshi's neck in a happy hug. Bright green eyes turned on him, and Katsuki knew he'd be dragged into whatever it was those two were up to.
"Kacchan! Come shopping with us after school."
"Fine." Katsuki justified caving so easily to the fact that the full moon was in five days. Whatever kept Izuku happy and distracted was worth doing.
"What about me?" Red asked as he yawned and took his seat behind him.
"What about you?" Katsuki glared back at him.
"You can come with," Izuku said cheerfully as he came up to them, eyes sparkling with excitement. "Why don't you guys study at that fast-food restaurant while Hitoshi and I pick up a few things. We can meet you there when we're done."
Katsuki folded his arms over his desk and put his head on them. "Whatever."
As they were leaving school later that day, Katsuki was already regretting agreeing to go. He hated crowds, and this was the busiest time to go out. A lot of people were getting off work, so the train was standing room only. Not to mention they had somehow picked up an additional extra along the way. The nerd, Red, and the idiotic blond from class just wouldn't shut up. They talked excitedly about music and movies and heroes nonstop. Katsuki found himself sharing a commiserating look with Braindead and immediately scowled and looked away. He didn't want to agree with that loser on anything!
"So any funny stories about this one when he was a kid?" Red asked, slinging his arm over Katsuki's shoulders as they walked off the train.
Katsuki shrugged him away. "Get off me, loser."
"He was always confident," Izuku admitted with a smile. "He was the first to have his quirk manifest in our preschool class, and he's always been super popular. There was this one time he beat up some fourth graders who were picking on kids in our class. We were only in first grade at the time!"
"That's so manly!" Red exclaimed.
Katsuki smirked. "What the hell did you expect I was like as a kid?"
"Okay, guys." Izuku pointed out the fast-food chain. "We'll meet you there when we're done! See you in a bit." And, waving, he went off on his own with Braindead trailing in his wake like a lost fucking puppy.
"I thought you were here for them," Katsuki said darkly, glaring at the idiot blond who still stood by Kirishima.
"Aw, come on, Baku-buddy," Red whined. "He really needs some help and I told him what a good teacher you were…"
"If I'm such a good teacher, why haven't you fucking learned anything?" Katsuki snapped, crossing his arms.
"I've learned tons!" Red protested. He pressed his palms together and bowed. "Please, Bakugo, I'm begging you."
Katsuki glared darkly. He didn't like being manipulated into things! "You should have fucking asked," he snapped and stomped into the restaurant. He picked a table away from others and sat down. "Well," he asked the two idiots standing awkwardly by the table. "Sit the fuck down!"
The two scrambled into the chairs across from him.
The blond fidgeted with an uncharacteristically seriousness expression on his pretty-boy face. "I'm a slow learner. It has to do with my electricity. It messes with my head, but I have to push through it if I'm going to get stronger. Aizawa and Recovery Girl know about it, of course. They keep track of my brain scans and stuff. They want me to limit overloading to no more than once a month. I studied with the others a bit, but they go so fast." He looked down in shame. "Kirishima thought I could try studying with you guys and see how it worked."
Katsuki stared at the teen. He had dark yellow hair with a black stripe that looked like lightning running through it on the left. He had large eyes, but his irises were on the smaller side and a bright golden in color. When he wasn't shouting idiotic stuff at the top of his lungs, he wasn't too intolerable.
Katsuki put his elbow on the table and rested his cheek in his hand. Closing one eye, he stared at the two misfits. "Let's start with math," he said, resigned.
The two shared a smile and then got out their notebooks.
An hour later, Katsuki was starting to get a handle on the blond's issues. He had a hard time staying focused, but once he worked through something and understood it, he was able to remember it. Kirishima on the other hand would forget stuff he learned if he didn't practice it over and over, but he was able to stay focused a lot better than the blond.
"Good job, Pikachu," he said with a huff, sitting back. "You're about all caught up with the class now."
The blond stared at him with wide eyes. "Wow…"
"Did you hear that?" Kirishima exclaimed. "Once he gives you a nickname, you're in!"
Katsuki glared at him. "The hell?"
Kirishima ignored him and flung an arm around the electric blond's shoulders. "Congrats, man! You're officially a part of our group!"
Katsuki kicked the redhead under the table and his foot met solid stone. He scowled even harder.
"Thank you, Bakugo!" Kaminari shot him a bright grin. "You were a lot more patient than I thought you'd be. Plus, it was a lot easier to stay focused with you breathing down my neck! Do you think I could study with you again?"
Katsuki crossed his arms. "Fine. Whatever. Go get me a soda or something."
"Right away!" Kaminari bolted from the table.
"Not you," Katsuki growled when Kirishima stood up. "You still have work to do, shithead."
"I like Red better." Kirishima sunk down into his chair with a pout.
Katsuki flashed him an evil grin. "Quadratic functions."
Kirishima groaned and let his head drop onto the table.
They were just finishing working through the third problem when Izuku and Braindead found them. They each had a bag from a pet store.
"Midoriya, Shinsou!" Kirishima cried in relief. "My saviors!"
"They're letting you keep a cat in your dorm?" Katsuki asked, eyebrow raised.
"She's so cute! Her name's Cali!" Izuku exclaimed and began to show them the collar and matching water and food bowls they'd chosen. Suddenly he frowned. "Where's Kaminari? Wasn't he studying with you?"
Katsuki tossed a thumb over his shoulder. "He's flirting with some girls."
"And he's drinking your soda," Kirishima said, leaning over to see the blond strike out miserably.
The idiot didn't seem too disappointed, he came over with a big, goofy grin like normal. "Hey, Midoriya! So you were shopping for your pet?"
"Hitoshi's actually," Izuku answered with a smile.
"Deku's always wanted a fucking pet, but his mom's allergic," Katsuki explained, rolling his eyes.
Braindead lifted his eyebrows. "I was also not allowed a pet." He looked down at the bag full of pet goods. "I think I will like having her around." Looking back up at Deku, the purple-haired teen offered, "You may come visit her whenever you wish."
Izuku practically lit up.
Katsuki glared at the punk, catching the small smirk at the corner of the freak's lips. The asshole was messing with him, he just knew it! He caught sight of Izuku's happy face and shelved the confrontation. But if that shithead thought for one minute he was going to get away with using Izuku to mess with him, he had another thing coming!
Katsuki was more than ready to go home and was the first out the door when the electric blond suddenly grabbed him, Kirishima coming close on his other side.
"I want a picture to commiserate the moment I joined the Baku Gang!" the blond practically shouted in his ear.
"It's commemorate, you idiot!" Katsuki snapped.
Kaminari held out his phone and took the picture, grinning like a loon.
Katsuki glared as Izuku asked him to share it with him. Izuku gave him big eyes with a sweet smile, and Katsuki huffed and looked away, shoving this hands into his pockets.
…
Katsuki had to wait two days. Izuku was practically glued to Braindead's fucking hip since he got the cat. They disappeared together at lunch and hung out after school, but Saturday was a half-day and directly after class Izuku went to see Ivy in All Might's office. Katsuki waited for the asshole outside his dorm. Braindead saw him leaning against the wall and hesitated, but then he continued forward, expression blank.
"What the hell are you playing at?" Katsuki demanded, voice low. "If you're messing with Deku just to piss me off…"
"You'll what?" Braindead challenged. He stood straight, taller than Katsuki by a few inches, and looked down at him.
Katsuki took an aggressive step forward. "I'm cr — " Everything went muted.
"Creative?" Braindead asked sweetly, looking into Katsuki's blank red eyes. "Huh. You don't look half so scary when you're not glaring."
"Let him go." The words were hard and dangerous, as was the expression in Todoroki's two-colored eyes.
Katsuki gasped as the hold on his mind was released. He lunged forward and slammed Braindead against the wall. "Motherfucker!" He pulled the teen off the wall only to slam him back against it again. "The hell is your fucking problem?" he growled lowly, furious.
Eyes narrowed into slits, the bastard spat, "I don't like you."
Katsuki released him, tearing his hands violently away. "Feeling's fucking mutual," he growled. "Come at me all you fucking want." Stepping close again, Katsuki glared into his eyes. "But if you're fucking messing with Deku, I'll fucking kill you," he promised.
…
Izuku wiped at his tender eyes. He didn't think he'd cry so much in therapy, but it felt good. He felt lighter. Shielding his eyes from the setting sun, Izuku realized he'd been with Ivy for about four hours. They'd talked about a lot and he felt good, but he was exhausted.
Hiking his backpack higher up on his shoulders, he turned the corner and saw Hitoshi sitting on the steps with his cat. He smiled. "Hey."
Hitoshi looked up in surprise. "You're still here?"
Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "I have meetings with All Might on Saturdays," he lied. "How'd Cali like her new stuff?"
Hitoshi looked down at her and rubbed her belly. "She's still getting used to it." Expression intense, he looked up. "I got into a fight with Bakugo earlier."
Izuku's smile fell. "Why? What happened?"
Hitoshi looked out over the school grounds. "He just pisses me off. He thinks he's always right. He never doubts himself. He's rude and aggressive, and yet people still like him." Head lowering, he said, "You like him."
Izuku studied the frustrated and confused expression on Hitoshi's face. "Of course I like him, Hitoshi. He's my best friend."
"He's obnoxious and rude, and no one calls him on his profanity," Hitoshi continued, talking more to himself than Izuku. "He's brilliant, I'll give him that, but that doesn't explain why he gets so much special leeway."
Izuku had a flash of empathy. Maybe it was because he'd just come from intensive therapy himself, but he suddenly understood Hitoshi. He crouched so they'd be at eye-level. "Katsuki is the exact opposite of what you were allowed to be. Loud, honest, free. You resent him, and you're jealous."
Hitoshi's face went red. "No!"
Izuku smiled sadly. "I'm jealous, too, sometimes. I've been running after him since I was four years old. Trying to compete, trying to show him I'm just as strong, just as smart."
"How can you stand it?" Hitoshi demanded, fists clenching.
"Because I admire him. Why else would I be jealous? You must admire him, too, Hitoshi." Izuku laughed at his friend's expression. "You know, another thing helps."
Hitoshi looked away, glaring. "What?"
"He faces me," Izuku explained. "He accepts challenge after challenge. No matter how many times I lose, he takes me seriously. And I'm thankful. Because as long as he faces me, I have the chance to grow stronger. So really I have no reason to be jealous. It's not like he's hoarding his strength, you know?"
Hitoshi frowned. "I get what you're saying. It would totally piss me off if he refused to fight me," he said thoughtfully.
Izuku reached forward and scratched Cali's ears. The cat gave a big yawn and batted at his hand.
"I should apologize."
Izuku laughed again, this time at his reluctant expression. "You can, but Kacchan won't care. He cares more about actions."
Hitoshi nodded. "I can see that." Lifting his chin, he said firmly, "But I should still apologize. I was out of line today."
"It couldn't have been that bad," Izuku said encouragingly.
Lavender eyes serious, Hitoshi said, "I used my quirk on him."
Izuku froze. "What?"
Hitoshi's eyes widened at the change in Izuku's demeanor. "He was waiting for me outside my room. He confronted me about my feelings. I was frustrated and couldn't back down, so I… I used my quirk to take control."
"What did you make him do?" Izuku asked quietly.
"Nothing," Hitoshi quickly assured him, lifting his hands in surrender. "I let him go almost as soon as I grabbed control."
"Don't do that." Izuku lowered his head so his bangs hid his eyes from view. He knew they had gone cold. "Fighting Kacchan in a clear challenge is one thing, but if you ever purposefully hurt him outside of that…"
"I'm sorry…" Hitoshi reached out a trembling hand. "I'm sorry, Izuku."
Izuku took a deep breath and let the anger go. He took Hitoshi's hand and held it firmly. "It's okay, but be careful, Shinsou. As powerless as you feel sometimes, as caged, the reality is you have an incredible power over other people. That power strips them of their freedom entirely. I think your quirk can save a lot of people, but only if you choose to use it that way. A hero's way." Letting go of Hitoshi's hand, he stood. "I'll see you Monday. I hope you work things out with Kacchan." Turning, he grabbed the straps of his backpack and walked away, leaving his friend sitting wide-eyed on the steps behind him.
…
Katsuki heard Izuku's steps outside the apartment and turned off the tv. He got up and went to the hallway just as Izuku came in. The green-eyed teen saw him and his whole expression lit up, making Katsuki's stomach flutter. Izuku practically flew out of his shoes and ran into his arms. Katsuki caught him with an 'omph'. Izuku held him tight.
"You okay?" Katsuki asked quietly.
Izuku pulled back and smiled. "Yeah. I'm good."
Inko came to stand in the kitchen doorway. She was wiping her hands on a rag. "Izuku! How did it go?"
Izuku pulled away from Katsuki to hug his mom. "It was… good. I mean, it's hard to talk about some stuff, but Ivy really helps me understand what I'm feeling."
"I'm so glad," Inko said with a wobbly smile and brushed Izuku's hair gently from his forehead. "Did you discuss the full moon?"
Izuku nodded. "I'm going to stay at UA," he said firmly. "I'm not saying I'll never isolate myself because I might have to at some point, but Ivy and I think that the way my quirk's changed might really help me." He looked from his mom to Katsuki and back again. "One of the hardest parts of my visions was how powerless I was. I was constantly a victim, but now I have the chance to fight back. Ivy thinks it's possible it will help me find closure and heal a bit of the trauma I've suffered."
Katsuki nodded, accepting that. "Whatever you need," he said firmly.
"If you're sure," Inko said softly, clearly worried. She would much rather prefer Izuku going away to a remote location and not have visions at all.
"I'm sure, Mom." Izuku kissed her cheek. "I'm going to get a shower and change. Is that alright?"
"Of course, honey." She patted his cheek and turned back to the kitchen. "Dinner will be ready in thirty minutes."
"Thanks, Mom!" Izuku called after her and grabbed Katsuki's hand. "Wanna take a shower with me?"
Katsuki's heart rate picked up. "You sure?" he asked with a smirk. "We probably won't be done in thirty minutes."
Izuku gave him a grin. "Then we'll just have to be fast." He was already pulling him down the hallway to the bathroom. "I wonder who can make the other cum first?"
"Deku!" Katsuki laughed at his boyfriend's boldness, then he narrowed his eyes at the challenge. "You're on!"
…
Katsuki walked into school on Monday with Izuku chatting happily at his side. They'd had a good weekend, starting with the shower (Katsuki had won, of course) and cuddling and hanging out all day Sunday. They went for a run, did some yoga, and played video games. They didn't once talk about quirks or the full moon or studying. It had been good, really good, and now this fucker was standing outside the classroom with his arms crossed, clearly waiting for him.
"We need to talk," the purple-haired freak said, meeting Katsuki's eyes boldly.
Izuku looked between them, a worried frown on his face.
Katsuki gave him a tight smile. "We'll be in in a minute."
Izuku cast the freak a worried glance. "If you're sure." When Katsuki said nothing, he nodded and slipped inside.
Katsuki crossed his arms. "Well? The fuck you want?"
The freak bowed deeply. "I'm sorry, Bakugo. I was out of line Saturday. I was frustrated and I took it out on you. It won't happen again."
Katsuki gave him a very unimpressed look. "Is that all?"
Braindead straightened and gave Katsuki a hard look. "I want to be clear. I know I was flaunting my friendship with Izuku, but that won't happen any more. I only did it because I noticed it bothered you, and I wanted to get under your skin. I really do care about him, Bakugo. You don't have to worry about me ever hurting him."
Katsuki glared, letting the rage in his core show through his eyes. "I'll fucking kill you if you do," he promised with brutal honesty.
Braindead nodded. "I'm fine with that."
Katsuki sucked his teeth in disgust and stalked into the room. He flung his bag down next to his desk and slouched in his chair. His eyes followed the loser as he made his way quietly to his own desk. If that asshole thought some stupid declaration was going to change his mind about him, he was dead wrong. Katsuki was going to keep his eye on him, and if he ever betrayed Izuku, Katsuki would make sure he paid for it.
…
Izuku rolled his shoulder. They'd sparred without quirks in Heroics class and Kirishima had managed to flip him over his shoulder and onto his back, twisting Izuku's arm in the process. He would definitely be careful of that move in the future.
"Sorry about that, man," the redhead said remorsefully. "Want me to go to the clinic with you and get ice?"
"No." Izuku flashed him a smile and stopped rubbing his shoulder. "I'm fine. You did a great job. Why don't we study for a bit in the library? Anyone else want to join?"
Kaminari immediately raised his hand. "I'll go!"
Before he knew it, everyone in class agreed to go. The practice exams started next Wednesday, after all. They had six days left before they were ranked, and only a month after that before they took their real exams.
"Can I invite Pony?" Uraraka asked, her brown eyes shining hopefully.
"Of course," Izuku assured her, still really happy that the two girls had hit it off.
Class 1-A took up two tables and half of class 1-B joined them as well, following Pony. Izuku bounced around from table to table, helping where he could and giving suggestions. It was actually pretty fun, and he was happy to see most of the class had improved since the last time he'd checked on them. Before he knew it, it was dinner time, the sky flushing a bright orange as the sun began to set.
"See you tomorrow, Deku!" Uraraka called, waving. "Thanks for the help!"
Izuku waved at her with his good arm. "Bye!"
"What's the excuse for missing school tomorrow?" Kacchan wanted to know as he walked with Izuku toward the cafeteria.
"Training with All Might," Izuku answered with a sigh. "Unless you can think of anything better?"
Kacchan shrugged. "It's none of their fucking business, anyway."
Izuku gave him a warm smile and took his hand. "You're doing a great job with Kirishima and Kaminari. They've made a lot of progress."
Kacchan shrugged. "They're still behind."
"But not as behind as they were," Izuku stated firmly. "Thanks."
"They're the ones doing the studying," Kacchan denied, looking away.
Izuku smiled to himself and let got of Kacchan's hand as they walked into the cafeteria. "What do you want to eat? I feel like spaghetti."
They ate, and sooner than Izuku would like they were heading to the guest room next to the clinic. Izuku felt his heart start to race and nerves descend into his stomach. The spaghetti he ate churred. He shouldn't have eaten so much!
His mother, Aizawa, and All Might in his hero's form were standing by his door. Izuku forced a smile and hugged his mother. "You didn't have to come."
"Of course I did," she protested and kissed his cheek. "Are you sure I can't stay in the room with you?"
"No, I'm sorry," he said gently but firmly. "I need to focus, and if you were there, I'd be worried about how you were doing."
Inko didn't like hearing this, but she nodded. "I'll be just down the hall, okay?"
"Thanks, Mom." He hugged her again. Smiling at his teachers, he bowed. "Thank you for coming and taking care of my mom."
"It's no trouble, young Midoriya," All Might assured with a massive hero's grin. He flashed a thumbs up. "We are here if you need us."
"Thank you," he said again, blushing. He was both grateful and embarrassed by all the attention. Kacchan grabbed his wrist and pulled him inside. Izuku sighed in relief as soon as the door shut behind them. "Time?"
"Two hours," Kacchan answered. He leaned against the door, expression calm. "Do you still want me to tie you up?"
Izuku ran a shaking hand through his hair. "I… yes?" He looked at his boyfriend helplessly.
Kacchan came off the door and pulled him into a kiss. It was soft, but it was also commanding. Izuku melted into it, his hands twisting into Kacchan's shirt. The kiss grew deeper as Kacchan wrapped his arms around him and held him tight. Izuku felt the tension in his shoulders relax. It felt good. Safe. The kiss broke and Izuku's eyes fluttered open.
"Yes. I want you to tie me," he said softly with utter trust in his eyes. "But just my arms please. And the gag."
Kacchan nodded and made to pull away, but Izuku held on as a sudden worry spiked in his chest.
"Don't leave me. Not until I really wake up."
Kacchan stared into his eyes and promised, "I won't."
"Don't let anyone else in here?" Izuku asked, knowing it was impossible. Helpless tears filled his eyes.
Kacchan grabbed his hands tightly. "If that's what you want, I'll make sure it happens." He stared intensely into Izuku's eyes. "Do you trust me?"
"Yes," Izuku answered wholeheartedly and felt a lot of the anxiety he was feeling bleed away. "Yes, Kacchan. I trust you."
"I'm going to take care of you," Kacchan promised fiercely. "You're safe here with me. I've got you."
Izuku closed his eyes and surrendered gratefully.
Chapter end.
A/n: Next chapter will be his visions and the aftermath. It promises to be intense.
I posted some pics that inspired me on SensiblyTainted Instagram, if you want to check it out.
See you next week!
