The community pool was bustling in the heat of the nearing summer weather and most of Class 1-A was already waiting. Katsuki sat with some of the guys, wondering why he kept agreeing to these social gatherings.
'I hate coming to these things, so why...?'
He looked up when he heard someone calling out Rui's name and saw her running towards them, apologizing for being late once she reached their group. 'She's not late, though.'
"Who are we still waiting on?"
"I think it's just Midoriya, Aoyama, and Uraraka."
"Hmm, I wonder what's keeping them?"
"I can call Izuku real quick, if that helps?" Rui offered.
"Sure, and I'll call Aoyama. Toru, can you call Uraraka?"
"Okie dokie!"
Katsuki watched Rui, Mina, and Toru as they bantered back and forth. Hearing Rui say Izuku's name, however, struck a bit of a nerve.
'Still don't understand how they could be so friendly right off the bat like that... and why does that even bother me..? It's not like they're together or anything... Stupid Deku has a thing for that gravity chick... So why..? Tch... whatever...'
He continued to watch her as she stepped off to the side, her phone to her ear as she called Izuku.
'So the damn nerd is going to be late, huh? Figures.'
"So, Izuku is running a bit late but he said he'll be here shortly. Any news from the others?" Rui asked.
"Aoyama said he's already here, he's just taking care of a few things? Whatever that means." Mina said.
"Uraraka's bus came a bit late, but she's almost here." Toru added.
"Well, why don't we head on in and they can join us later?" Tenya Ida suggested.
"Sure, that works." Mina looped her arm through Rui's. "Come on, let's get changed!"
Katsuki and the guys went to find seats by the pool as the girls all got changed, but he still couldn't get Rui off his mind. He didn't understand why it bothered him so much to see her around other guys, laughing and smiling or just talking with them. He didn't understand what it was about it that kept drawing him back in.
'Are we just catching up on lost time..? he wondered, lounging back in the seat he claimed for his own.
While Katsuki was lost in thought, Rui and the girls finally joined the guys- each sporting a different kind of swimsuit from bikinis to one pieces to the halter top skirt bottom suit Rui wore. Minoru, of course, drooled the most out of all the guys as they admired the girl's swimwear choices, but Katsuki wasn't really paying attention. Not until Rui came over and tapped his shoulder to get his attention.
"You OK, Katsuki?"
Katsuki glanced over at her, not expecting a simple and not so revealing swimsuit to suit her so well. He quickly sat up and looked away, hoping he could hide the blushing in his cheeks from her. "I'm fine. Took you guys long enough."
Rui rolled her eyes and offered him her hand. "Come on, grumpy gills, let's go swim."
Katsuki eyed her for a moment, then gave in to her smile and took her hand- letting her pull him up and drag him along as everyone headed into the water.
Rui and Class 1-A enjoyed the numerous slides and pools available- Izuku and the others joining them shortly after. The lazy river seemed to be a favorite among the more relaxed personalities of Class 1-A like Momo and Tsuyu, while the slides were the favorite among the more boisterous personalities like Mina, Denki, and Eijiro.
A few games of chicken, dozens of trips down the waterslides, several rounds on the lazy river, and even a couple games of water polo later, over two hours had passed and everyone was starting to get hungry.
"Man, I'm starving!"
"What do they have here?"
"Not much, really. It's pretty much all vending machines."
"Nah, that's lame. I want some real food!"
Rui giggled as she watched the others deciding what to eat from where she sat with Katsuki.
"You're in a good mood."
Rui shifted her gaze to Katsuki. "And why wouldn't I be? I get to relax and hang out with friends on the weekend after a very long week."
"Uh huh."
"Besides, I always enjoy myself when I'm with you." Realizing what she had just said, Rui started blushing and looked away in an attempt to hide it from Katsuki.
Katsuki, meanwhile, was blushing a bit himself at her comment. It had been a long time since anyone had genuinely enjoyed themselves around him- aside from his parents. He was convinced that most people pretended to like him or put up with him just to keep the peace. But he also couldn't blame them considering how he was with almost every person he knew.
"Hey, you guys up for ramen?" Eijiro called over, grabbing their attention.
"S-Sure, that sounds great." Rui replied, offering a smile and hoping she wasn't blushing so much that the others would notice.
"Ya, whatever, that's fine." Katsuki added.
"Well, then, let's get going!"
Class 1-A took the lead as they left the pool and started making their way down the street a few blocks to the nearest ramen restaurant. Rui trailed behind in the back, checking her phone as a message came in from her mother.
Izuku noticed she seemed a bit worried by something, so he waited for her to catch up and asked if she was alright.
"Uh, yeah... sorry, my mom texted me."
"Is she OK?"
"I think so. She just doesn't usually text me, and even when she calls, it's usually every couple of days just to check in. It's just a bit odd."
"Maybe she just misses you?"
Rui sighed, tucking her phone back into her bag. "Maybe. I've never been away from home before, so this is new for both of us. I just hope that she's holding up alright."
Up ahead a ways, Katsuki noticed that Izuku had slipped to the back of the group to talk with Rui. Seeing them talking so nonchalantly and so friendly really bothered him, but what really pissed him off is not knowing why it bothered him so much.
'Damn it, what the hell is wrong with me?'
As Katsuki brooded and argued with himself, Izuku noticed his glare and gulped a bit.
"So, when are you going to tell him?" he asked, trying to ignore Katsuki's piercing gaze.
Rui followed his line of sight to Katsuki, who immediately looked away. "I don't know... but I need to do it soon... If I wait any longer, it'll only get harder..."
"It won't be easy." Izuku sighed.
"I know..."