Chapter Eight

Katsuki shoved Levi into Gym Gamma and locked the door. The lights overhead burned brighter as the sun set over the U.A. campus. The gym always felt strange to be in after dark, especially when they didn't have Mr. Cementoss or Midnight to oversee their training. Katsuki knew that if any of the teachers found out what he was doing they would be furious. Too bad he didn't care. After everything that happened in the city that day, Katsuki figured the only place they could go was the gym. The only place he could help her heal was there with him.

She stumbled a few feet before whipping around to face him.

"What are you doing Katsuki? I told you I want to be left alone."

"Sucks to be you then, doesn't it?" Katsuki walked up to Levi and gave her shoulder a slight push. "Fight me."

"What?"

"Did I stutter? Fight me."

"You're high." She pushed past him towards the door but he grabbed her by the arm before she got too far away. He shoved her back. "Get out of my way, Katsuki."

"Make me."

"Fuck off." She tried to walk past him again, but like the first time Katsuki stopped her. That time he shoved her a little harder, though.

As much as he wanted to, Katsuki couldn't just tell Levi that he wanted her to fight him for her own good. That he knew, because they were so similar, that the only way to help her feel better about what happened with James was to give her an avenue with which to expel the rage building up in her. In all the time they spent training together Katsuki learned a lot about her. One of which being no one could just tell her anything. It was infuriating, but at the same time he was glad he didn't have to deal with someone like Kat-someone who probably wanted to talk about their feelings.

With every failed attempt to get away from him Levi endured, Katsuki could tell she was growing more fed up. Finally, when her last attempt to leave him failed, Levi snapped.

"Fine! You want to fight so bad? Let's fight!" She threw her arms out and blew him away with her telekinesis.

He landed hard on the far wall and fell down to the floor. He looked up at her with a smirk. "That's what I'm talking about! Come at me with all you've got!"

Levi screamed as she charged him. Katsuki exploded himself off the floor and into the air to get out of her way at the last second, and when he landed Levi reached out with her quirk to drag him back into range. He let himself get caught, let her slam him to the ground a couple of times before deciding he'd had enough and used his explosions to propel himself away. She charged after him and he kept her running, always remaining just out of reach, then when he thought she was about to give up and leave he would fall back into range and let her get ahold of him again.

As he threw blast after blast at her and she shielded herself from it Katsuki tried not to think about the look on her face when they found Kat's brother-it was on par with how she looked when she lost to him that first time. When he caught her cutting her hair. He might not have known who that guy was at first but it didn't take him long to figure it out. Seeing Levi's face . . . it told him everything before Kat announced who it was. From then on it was a matter of metigating the damage. How much could he protect Levi from when he knew there was no way she would get out of that moment without a broken heart?

They'd had such a good day too . . . training went well, and tagging along with Kat and Icy-Hot proved to be more entertaining than he first thought. Levi was cute when she got mad about her pockets. Even cuter when she was tormenting her friend and the guy her friend had an obvious crush on. If Icy-Hot was going to keep being a slow-witted idiot about noticing that Kat had a crush on him, he deserved whatever Katsuki and Levi could throw at him. Kat was just an unfortunate casualty.

Then Levi made kissy-face at him to tease Kat, and even though he knew she was joking around his heart still did a flip. Part of him wondered what would happen if he'd kissed her for real . . .

But that was stupid. He didn't like Levi like that, no matter how often he admired the way her ass looked in the tights of her hero costume or sometimes wished he could pop a few buttons on her already straining school blouse. Or how seeing her laugh made him happy. Or how when she was sad he wanted to kill the thing causing it. Or how getting to be around her was always his favorite part of his day.

No, he didn't like her like that. That was stupid.

Levi grabbed him with her telekinesis and chucked him against the far wall. He gasped as the wind was knocked from his lungs and he slid all the way down to the floor. Shit, maybe he'd let her get a few too many hits in. His body ached so much he could barely move. He'd have one hell of a time explaining his wounds to Recovery Girl.

Katsuki tried to push himself back up onto his feet, and as he did Levi approached him. At that moment, when he looked into her face, he saw tears welling in her eyes. Her whole body shook. Her bottom lip quivered.

"ARE YOU DONE NOW?" She screamed and knocked the tears loose. His stomach clenched and he thought he'd puke. She took in a deep, shaky breath. "ARE YOU?"

Instead of answering, Katsuki stood up in a single fluid motion and pulled Levi into a hug.

Neither spoke. They just stood there in the silent gym, lights buzzing overhead, with Katsuki holding Levi so close he could feel the catch in her breath and the rapid beating of her heart. He wondered if she could feel his breaking when she started to cry silently into his chest.

In class that next day Katsuki couldn't focus. All he could think about was that night in the gym. He had no idea how long Levi cried for. At the time it felt like hours, but it might have only been a few minutes. Then without warning, she pushed herself out of his arms and they started fighting again. He held his own against her because he knew it was what she needed. Then she would stop and cry a little more, then start again. This cycle went on long into the night. In the end, he let her win.

It wasn't until they'd finished fighting for real that Levi said anything at all.

"I still can't believe . . ." she sniffled. "I can't believe he left us. Fuck, I'm getting all snotty and gross."

"It's fine." He sighed. "I'll kill him next time we see him if you want."

She shook her head. "I just want to know why. He acted like he didn't want to leave us, so why did he? I should've held him in my force field better. I shouldn't have been so weak. You know me, my force field can hold up so much better than that, so why did I let something like that make me so fucking weak?"

"You're not weak. You're hurt and surprised. Anyone would've acted the same way." They'd sat together on the far wall, Levi close enough to put her head on Katsuki's shoulder. He gave her arm a light punch. "He's still here somewhere. This is just a setback. We'll find him and we'll get answers, I swear. I'll hunt the bastard down myself."

At the time she'd acted like that helped, but now that they were back in class around everyone else he wasn't so sure. She'd been so quiet. Didn't try to irritate Ida or anything, and that was one of her favorite past times. Even Mineta, who often made comments about wanting to touch her big boobs, was too scared to approach her in this state. She radiated pain and rage and there was nothing Bakugo could do to help.

"Bakugo." Katsuki glanced up from his textbook. Mr. Aizawa stood before his desk, frowning. "Do you have any idea where Garrison and Todoroki are?"

He rolled his eyes. "Why would I? I'm not their keeper."

"Aren't you? You've been hanging out with Todoroki more since Garrison and Kane showed up. I thought you'd know."

Katsuki grit his teeth. "Well, I don't."

"Fine, but watch the attitude." He looked over Katsuki's head. "What about you, Kane? You and Garrison are usually joined at the hip, and she's been gone for a week and a half straight. Care to explain?"

A huge wave of anger crashed into Katsuki. He wanted to scream at Aizawa for bothering Levi at a time like this. She was already hurt, and Kat was too, and that damned Icy-Hot probably took it on himself to help her. Why couldn't Aizawa just let them all be?

"She's been sick," Levi answered, her voice so dull it cut into Katsuki's heart. "Couldn't say about Todoroki."

Though Bakugo could tell Aizawa wasn't satisfied with that-he was too smart of a teacher to believe such an obvious lie-Aizawa still didn't press the matter. He just nodded and went about his lessons. Lessons which Bakugo barely heard any of. He was too busy thinking about taking Levi back to Gym Gamma when he was sure everyone would be gone and giving her another chance to vent her rage. He'd take as many throws to the wall as it took to see even a small smile again.