Izuku

Izuku was late to the game when it came to college parties. Seeing how he'd spent the first two years of his higher education at a community college, there weren't as many opportunities to go out. And considering how tame his friend group was - barring Ochako when she had a few drinks in her - there were few parties they had the desire to go to. Well. That, and it wasn't often that Izuku actually got invited out.

They'd just finished midterms, too. He needed to unwind after cramming to get all of his portfolio pieces in because as always, he'd procrastinated on getting them done until the last minute. So, when Katsuki begrudgingly told him that there was a house party in the neighborhood that he'd been invited to, Izuku had begged him to go.

"Not dressed like that, shitty nerd," Katsuki said, giving Izuku a quick once over.

He looked down at his own clothes. He was in sweats and a graphic tee. He didn't think he looked that bad, but apparently Katsuki thought differently.

"What's wrong with this? It's comfortable," he asked.

"You look like you're about to work out. How the fuck does that say you're going to a party, fuckin' Deku?"

The greenette could only shrug. He preferred comfort over fashion. "Uh? I'll be comfortable dancing?" he supplied.

Katsuki rolled his eyes before he pushed past Izuku. He watched as his roommate threw open his closet and started digging through. Izuku grabbed the few articles of clothing that Kacchan threw his way, looking at them with intrigue. Sure, these were all his clothes, but these were articles he never usually wore. Things that Ochako had gotten him for his birthday the year before and had tried on once to simply appease her.

"Are all the shoes you own red sneakers?" Katsuki groused as he looked over the four pairs that Izuku had brought to Yueii with him.

"Uh. No. I have snow boots, but they're back home. I didn't need them since it was summer," he said.

"We're the same size. You're lucky I run small. You can borrow something of mine so long as you don't fuck it up."

"That's so nice!" Izuku said excitedly. "Thank you Kacchan!"

Katsuki scowled in response. "Go change. No fuckin' arguments."

After placing the shoes by the door of the dorm, Izuku nodded and padded out of the room. Just as he walked out, he caught a glimpse of Katsuki digging through his own closet. He changed in the bathroom. Kacchan had given him a pair of ripped dark blue jeans that Ochako had bought for him because they were 'sinfully tight'. God, did she mean it. He could hardly get them up his ass and buttoned. He felt like a sausage, but when he looked in the bathroom mirror, he had to admit they did make his ass look nice.

Maybe nice enough for Kacchan to want, he thought before giving himself a horrified look. He couldn't think like that, especially if there was going to be alcohol around. He still was having issues with forcing the thoughts of Kacchan's bunny hunt from his head. He didn't need anything else traitorous to invade his mind.

Shaking the thoughts from his head, he pulled off his graphic tee and tugged the plain, white v-neck over his head. That, too, was tight on him. It pulled against his chest, accentuating the muscles of his upper body. Finally, he pulled the thin, medium-length, forest green cardigan over his arms. It was cozy enough for the night time while not being too warm for the late spring weather. He gave a quick glance in the mirror. Hmm. He had to admit, he looked pretty decent. It was better than his paint covered artist clothes or his graphic t-shirts. Something about his current appearance screamed starving artist, but he didn't mind. He figured he'd have a lot of those days in his future anyhow. He still looked good and in these jeans, maybe even borderline attractive.

Had Kacchan picked this because... NOPE! He was not going there. Not tonight. Not when they were going to a party together. He couldn't afford to sport a chub all night, god forbid a straight hard on.

After he was fully dressed and he'd forced all unwanted thoughts from his mind, he made some attempt to tame his curls. He could probably use a haircut. They were getting so thick and full. Maybe an undercut? Ochako had suggested it to him before. It would look good, wouldn't it? It might help him with the frizz monster on the top of his head. It would make it all so much easier to tame... He really just needed to find the time to get off campus to go get it done. If he cut out his All Might: the Animated Series binge the next Monday afternoon, he could squeeze it in. Or. If he got up early enough, that could help do. Maybe Kacchan would like it if it was less of a mess, too. He always complained that his hair got everywhere, especially in the shower drain. It would help with the whole dying process, too. Come to think of it, he was due-

"Why am I not fucking surprised?" Katsuki asked, his voice bouncing around him because of the acoustics of the bathroom.

The greenette jumped, his eyes landing on the reflection of Katsuki in the mirror.

"You've been in here for a solid ten fuckin' minutes. I was wondering how long it takes for one shitty need to change," he said. "But instead, I come to find you muttering to yourself again."

Izuku gave a bashful smile. "Sorry, Kacchan. You know how it goes."

"Whatever," he said. "I thought I told you to stop apologizing all the fuckin' time."

"Right."

Jump scares aside, Izuku took a moment to fully take in Katsuki's appearance. He seemed a lot more relaxed than Izuku felt. He wore ripped black jeans and a simple grey v-neck. He also wore a black and grey flannel with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. On his head, he had a black beanie. He was so casual, but he was still so mouthwateringly attractive.

"You look-" Izuku paused. All of the compliments he wanted to give Katsuki rested on the tip of his tongue. He could easily just spill them right then and there. But risking whatever semblance of a relationship he'd built with the guy thus far wasn't worth it. So, instead, he settled with, "You look great, Kacchan."

It still earned him one of those rare and attractive blushes that the blond desperately tried to hide. He never seemed to take compliments well, but it only made Izuku want to give him more. If it meant that he could see the little blush and the smile he tried to force out of sight, then he'd do it a thousand times over.

"Whatever, shitty nerd," he said. And then a pause. "I guess you look passable."

Izuku beamed, the corners of his eyes crinkling with his smile. "Thanks, Kacchan!"

Izuku lost Kacchan in the sea of people only forty-five minutes into the party. One second he was there, and the next, he was gone. It didn't exactly help that Izuku couldn't hear a thing. Parties were not his forte. The music was loud. Too loud. Loud enough to where his hearing aids still picked it up even on their lowest volume setting. He still found that the pounding bass and lyrics gave him a headache. He ended up ripping them out of his ears completely in frustration and stuffing them into his front pocket. In hindsight, that was probably his first mistake of the evening.

Izuku weaved his way through the sea of sweaty bodies, his hand clenched around a red cup with a mixed drink sloshing around inside. This was his second drink, something Kacchan had given him earlier. He wasn't exactly sure what it was. He thought the blond had said something along the lines cranberry juice and vodka? It definitely had that cranberry flavor. Well, whatever it was, it was sweet enough for him without being too overpowering.

The greenette didn't drink much. He knew from his twentieth birthday with his friends that he was a lightweight. He'd gotten through all of four bottles of beer before he'd been too drunk to stand upright. Ochako, the next morning, had said he'd puked in the bathroom and then passed out in the tub. Definitely not one of his proudest moments. Usually, he didn't drink much at all simply because of that one occasion, but the party had his nerves running high. The drinking did so much to assuage those nerves.

He was close to the bottom of this second drink, and he was definitely feeling it. His chest felt light. He didn't have the clench of anxiety in his stomach. He was smiling as he danced with random students throughout the room. Some of them tried talking to him, but he'd gestured to his ears and signed something simple to let them know. They didn't seem to mind. They just kept dancing.

Now, Izuku was by no means a good dancer. He had no sense of rhythm. He could sway his hips to a beat, but beyond that, he was awful. After he'd met Ashido, she'd made some attempts to teach him to dance, but they'd all failed miserably. And by dancing, he meant she tried to teach him to twerk. Still, what she'd taught him wasn't completely useless. She's helped him to feel the beat as opposed to listening to it. Even though he was completely devoid of all sound right now, he could still feel the bass thrumming through the air. He could feel the energy coming off of everyone around him, and it helped him develop his own song in his head to dance to. The combination of it all kept his mood and spirits high.

That. And everytime he was sure his cup was empty, he found that it was full again. It was likely that new ones had just kept getting shoved into his hand without him really noticing. It was always the same drink, though, so he didn't mind.

Izuku lost track of the number of people he'd danced with. His body had been pressed close against so many others. Each person brought with them another way to dance. Another beat to fall into. He was having the time of his life. Laughing. Dancing to the beat of his own drum.

After what was probably his third or fourth drink, though, Izuku was starting to feel it. His happy buzz had turned into pure drunkenness. His urge to pee had become unreal. He stumbled away from the mass of swaying bodies, steadying himself with the edge of the drink table. He set down his half empty cup, a giggle escaping his lips. It would probably be smart if he found a bathroom.

But he had no idea where to start. He looked around, completely lost. It was dark in the house, which didn't help. He couldn't see past the sea of bodies. He had to look just as lost as he felt because a hand fell on his shoulder, warm and heavy. He turned to face the owner, hoping it was Kacchan. The smile that was on his features fell as soon as he saw that it wasn't.

The man that had caught his attention was at least a head taller than him. He had dark, curling black hair and grey eyes. His new nickname was Grey Eyes until otherwise noted. He offered Izuku a smile before he started talking. And it all fell on deaf ears, pun intended. It was too dark. He couldn't read his lips, especially with how fast he spoke. So, instead, he stayed quiet and still, like a deer caught in headlights. Izuku knew Grey Eyes was confused by the way he furrowed his brows and tilted his head when Izuku didn't acknowledge anything of what he said. It took him a moment to kick into action. Right. Strangers never knew he couldn't hear them.

The greenette blinked his big, doeish once, twice, three times before signing very slowly, "I'm deaf."

That only seemed to confuse Grey Eyes even more. Izuku rolled his head and stood on the tips of his toes. He grabbed the back of the guy's neck, bringing his lips close enough to the other's ear to where he was sure he'd be able to hear him. He could feel his vocal cords move as he spoke very slowly in order to articulate what he needed to say properly.

"I'm deaf. I can't hear a word you're saying," he said to the guy.

When he stepped back, realization dawned on his features. He nodded. He fished his phone out of his pocket and quickly typed out a message for the greenette. Once complete, he turned the device to face Izuku.

It read, You look lost.

Izuku nodded to him, and once again brought himself closer to Grey Eyes.

"I'm drunk, and I have no idea where the bathroom is," he replied sheepishly.

The other male's eyes lit up, and he gestured for Izuku to follow him. Izuku only made it one step before he was nearly falling. Yeah. He didn't feel so good. He was probably going to hurl if he didn't sit down soon. Grey Eyes looked back at him and made a quick move to wrap an arm around Izuku's waist to help steady him. He shot the taller man a grateful smile which was reciprocated with a reassuring one by the other man. Yeah. He was going to need the help. He shouldn't have drank so much, but it tasted so good. Grey Eyes led him to a flight of stairs that led up. He couldn't even attempt them. He gripped the railing tightly, swaying where he stood. Black spots had begun to appear at the corners of his vision.

"I-I'm not gonna make it up," he said to Grey Eyes. "I think I'm gonna-"

The world was spinning around him, and before he knew it, he was falling. Before he hit the ground, however, sturdy arms caught him. Grey Eyes looked down at him, and he saw his lips move, but he couldn't make out what he was saying. He just nodded along. Grey Eyes slid one arm beneath his knees and the other around his upper body. He carried him up the stairs and down a hall. Izuku wasn't familiar with the house, so he had no idea where they were going. He hoped it was a bathroom. Maybe if he puked, the world would stop spinning.

Grey Eyes brought him into a dark room and shut the door behind them. Before he knew it, Izuku was being laid down on a soft surface. He let his hands roam across the surface. It definitely wasn't a bath mat. It felt softer, larger. More like a bed? Izuku lifted his head from the mattress and stared at Grey Eyes. The smile that was reassuring before had changed.

Into something predatory and dangerous.

Something icy washed over Izuku. The sudden urge to flee. He needed to get out now.

"I think I'm just gonna go find a bathroom," he said despite not being able to hear whatever was being said back to him.

As soon as he moved to get up, the dizziness returned. The world spun all around him, and his vision was blurry. His head hurt. Everything hurt. And before Izuku knew it, blackness blanketed him like an old friend.

Katsuki

"Oi! Mother fucker! Have you seen a nerd with curly green hair and freckles literally all over the fucking place?"

An irritated plain-faced girl that he didn't give a fuck about finding the name of gave him a shake of her head before flipping him off. Katsuki returned the gesture before pushing deeper into the throng of people that filled the house. None of them, as far as he could tell, were Deku. He had no idea where the stupid fuckin' nerd went. Katsuki had told him to wait on the couch so he could go get him a bottle of water because that second drink was gonna get him way more drunk than he needed the nerd to be. When he'd returned to the couch, the nerd was nowhere to be found. No outside. Not in any of the bathrooms. The dance floor was his only option, but it was so crowded with people that he hadn't made it very far into his search before he had to go back outside to catch a breath of fresh air. The smell of sweat and shitty booze had been too much for him.

Katsuki gave a groan of frustration as he stomped back outside. Maybe Deku had gone out there finally. Not that the blond hadn't checked there four times already. Maybe, just maybe. It didn't help that the nerd had taken his hearing aids out as soon as they got there. He was entirely deaf. He wouldn't be able to hear Katsuki's shouts. Fuck. He couldn't even hear the music. Fat fuckin' chance he'd hear anything he-

Another, louder groan burst from within him. Deku had taken out his shitty fuckin' hearing aids as soon as they'd gotten to the party. He probably didn't even hear him when he'd announced that he was going to get them drinks. He let his head fall into his hands. Yeah. He'd fucked that up pretty damn good. The nerd probably thought he'd ditched him and walked his happy ass home.

This is why Katsuki usually didn't go to parties without the extras. Believe it or not, he did care about those dumbasses, and having the additional eyes on the floor made it easier in case one of them got separated from the group. But he didn't want to bring the extras with them. He'd just wanted it to be him and Deku. Well, that fuckin' backfired.

Katsuki reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He quickly scrolled through his contacts until he found Shitty Hair and in parentheses, Kirishima. He picked up after two rings.

"Hey Bakubro. What's up?"

"Shitty Hair. I'm at a party and-"

"What?! No invite?" Kirishima lamented. "That's not manly at all, bro!"

"Shut the fuck up and let me finish," Katsuki snapped.

"Sorry man."

"I'm at a party with Deku, and I lost him. I can't fuckin' find him anywhere," he admitted. "And the nerd took out his hearing aids, so not only is he drunk but he's also one hundred percent deaf."

"Isn't he always deaf?" Kirishima asked.

"That's not the point, Shitty Hair. Focus," he growled. "I lost Deku, and I haven't been able to find him for the last forty-five minutes. And by now, he's probably way past drunk."

"Kat, are you worried?"

"Kirishima!" Katsuki all about shouted into the microphone.

"Alright! Alright! I get it. It's serious. Text me the address. I'll bring Mina and we'll find him. Don't worry."

"I'm already fuckin' worrying," he admitted. "What if the dumb fuck decided to walk home?"

"He's probably just dancing. Keep looking. We'll be there soon."

"Fine. Bye."

Before Kirishima could respond, Katsuki ended the call. He shot him a quick text with the address before ducking back into the house.

It smelled just the same as the last time he was in there. Boozy and sweaty. Fuckin' nasty. He stood on his toes to see if he could catch sight of Deku, but the shit lighting and the sea of bodies around him made that impossible.

He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and glanced at it long enough to see Kirishima stating they'd be there in seven minutes. Considering how far the party was from his and Pinky's apartment, the pair of them were probably sprinting.

Katsuki was worried. The feeling sat in the pit of his stomach, roiling and making him feel nauseous. And the alcohol wasn't even a factor. He wasn't some lightweight like Deku. He could handle his liquor. He'd only had one drink. He was fine. This feeling in his gut was solely because Deku still hadn't made an appearance after all this time. He had to keep his thoughts positive, but that was so fucking hard. He was worried that Deku was walking home. Or getting into trouble. Or fucking dead. And if anything happened, Katsuki would never forgive himself. It would be his fault if anything happened to the nerd. He was the one who told him about the party. He was the one who told him he could come. He was the one who made sure he was dressed like he was ready to be devoured. Fuck. He needed to find him.

He continued asking people in the crowd, his voice raw with desperation. He normally wouldn't let himself show such vulnerabilities, but this was Deku. This was more important than his pride.

A hand touched his shoulder and he wheeled around to face the owner. He couldn't ignore the way his stomach dropped when it wasn't Deku. Instead, it was the plain looking girl from before.

"You were looking for the green-haired kid, right?"

"Yeah. You seen him?" he asked. He didn't want to get hopeful, but-

"He just went upstairs-"

Katsuki felt a weight come off of his shoulders.

"With some guy-"

And the weight was dropped straight on his heart. Had Deku gone off to get laid with some random fuck he'd met at a party? He couldn't help but feel crushed. Angry. Distraught. He was a whole mixture of emotions that he couldn't exactly explain. Anger triumphed over everything. Fuck Deku. Fuck him for going off to make a stupid, drunk decision like that. Fuck him for-

Plain Girl interrupted his inner ragings. "I don't know what he looked like when you last saw him, but the guy looked pretty out of it. And the guy he was with, Shindou Yo. Yeah. He's an asshole. I'd check on your friend if I were you."

Katsuki's heart skipped a beat. He picked out the words that mattered from what she'd said. Out of it. Shindou Yo. Asshole. Check on.

Fuck. He needed to get to Deku now.

He could only get out a single, monosyllabic word. "Where?"

Plain girl pointed to the stairs that led to the second floor. He had no idea when he hadn't checked there before. God, he was so fuckin' stupid. He made a beeline for the stairs, shoving his way through the sweaty, dancing bodies. He got a couple of shouts from the people, but he'd just roared at them to fuck off before he started up the stairs. He took them two at a time. His heart was pounding. He needed to find him. He was halfway up when he heard his name.

"Bakugou!"

Katsuki turned, only to see Kirishima and Ashido standing in the doorway of the house. He fixed them with a horrified look before he darted to the top. He only hoped that they would follow. As Katsuki made his way down the hall, throwing open doors as he went. For the most part, they were empty aside from a few kissing couples. None of them were Deku. There was only one door left, but when Katsuki tried to turn the handle, he found that it was locked.

His blood ran cold. Deku had to be behind that door. He had no doubt about it. Giving not a single fuck about the homeowner or property damage, Katsuki put as much force as he could into kicking the door open. After two heavy, adrenaline fueled hits, it splintered open. And there in the darkness stood a man with dark, curly hair with his pants halfway down his thighs. On the bed in front of him, with his jeans and shoes gone and milky thighs showing brightly in the darkness, was Deku. From what he could tell, he was completely out cold.

Katsuki saw red. Within a matter of seconds, he had this Shindou guy by the collar of his shirt. Katsuki drew back his fist and socked the guy straight in the nose. The guy crumpled to the ground, groaning and clutching his now gushing nose. He refused to pay him any more attention. He'd deal with the fuckin' scumbag later. His priority was the greenette passed out on the bed.

The blond crossed over to him and gave him a quick once over. A breath of relief flowed out of him when he saw that the nerd's boxers were completely untouched. They hugged his hips innocently, just as if he were sleeping in the dorm. Katsuki slid his arms beneath the smaller male, lifting him into a princess carry. Just as he lifted him, the lights in the room flipped on. The sudden brightness assaulted his senses, but familiar voices followed soon after. He turned to face his current favorite two extras.

"What the actual fuck?" Ashido asked.

He followed her line of vision to Shindou, who was struggling to get his pants back up with that bloody fuckin' face of his. Ashido quickly approached the douchebag, pushing him against the wall.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" she hissed.

"Baku. Get him out of here." Kirishima said. He had Deku's jeans in his outstretched hand. "We'll take care of him.

Katsuki took them and swept from the room with Deku. He was so limp in his arms. Pale and completely, utterly out of it. He just wanted him to open those stupid green eyes of his already.

"C'mon, Izuku," Kastuki muttered, even though he knew he couldn't hear him. "Wake up. I need you to wake up."

He pushed through the crowd with Deku until he'd made it through the front door and into the cool, spring air. He laid him down on the small outdoor couch on the patio. He then tore off his flannel, draping it over the smaller man's legs to provide him some coverage. After he was certain he'd covered him enough, Katsuki dug through the pockets of his jeans. He found Deku's hearing aids and what he was really looking for, Deku's phone.

He guessed the nerd's password easily. It was the date All Might: the Animated Series first aired. He scrolled through the nerd's contacts until he found Half-and-Half - er - Todoroki's number. He hit call. Half-and-Half picked up almost immediately.

"Hello?"

Katuski froze. He hadn't really decided what he'd do when he made it this far. He just knew that Deku needed a ride, and Todoroki was the only one who had one.

"Izuku?"

He opted for the truth.

"Hey. Todoroki. It's Bakugou," he said.

"Bakugou? Where's Izuku?"

"Something happened to Izuku. I-It's my fault," he said, his voice cracking slightly. "I need you to come get us. I'll explain more when you get here, but please."

Half-and-Half was quiet for a moment. The silence nearly killed Katsuki. He just needed Deku out of here, somewhere safe, away from prying eyes.

"I promise I'll personally plan your death if you hurt him, Bakugou," Todoroki said. Katsuki nodded to himself more than anything. "Send me the address."

The call dropped, and Katsuki sighed heavily. And now to wait.

The car was silent all the way back to Kirishima and Ashido's apartment. They'd decided it was probably best to head there as opposed to the dorms. It would be a little bit more private. They didn't need to carry a half-naked, passed out Deku into the dorm building. Half-and-Half hadn't asked any questions. Hadn't said a word to any of them as they all piled into the car. Katsuki and Ashido sat in the backseat with Deku laying across their laps.

Katsuki absently threaded his fingers through Deku's soft curls in a soothing manner. He knew the greenette would probably be dead to the world for another few hours, but he wanted to do whatever he could to make him feel safe. He didn't care if he was showing his affectionate side to the rest of the extras. He was more worried about Deku.

While he sat there, all of the what-ifs floated through his head. What if he'd never brought Deku to the party? What if he'd kept a better eye on him? What if he'd not found him in time? What if Shindou had actually gone through with it? But what was done was done, and Katsuki couldn't live in the past or the what-could-have-beens. He needed to focus on the now. On the attempted rape of Deku.

There was no point in getting the cops involved. They wouldn't do shit to help them. The rape laws in the country were so fucking skewed as it was. It made it damn near impossible for victims to get adequate help. The fact that Deku was male didn't help matters, either. There was that natural stigma in life that men couldn't be rape. Fucking load of shit that was. He'd just witnessed an attempt with his own eyes.

No. The cops would only make shit more convoluted and painful for Deku in the long run. So, Katuski would have to help Deku on his own. He'd have to get his friends together and surround the nerd with as much happiness and love and support to get him over this traumatic shit. He'd do his fucking best. Katsuki never half-assed anything in life, and he definitely wouldn't start with Deku.

When they'd finally made it upstairs, they'd laid Deku down in Kirishima and Ashido's spare bedroom. Ashido opted to stay with him, assuring that matters would only be worse if the greenette woke up alone. Kirishima worked on making some food. Katsuki and Todoroki sat on the couch in the living room.

It wasn't until they were finally alone that Todoroki spoke. "What happened?"

Katsuki snorted. Dude didn't beat around the bush...

"Deku and I went to that party. He took out his hearing aids cause I guess the music fucked with them, so he didn't hear me when I told him I was gonna get us more drinks," he said. "When I came back he was gone. It took me damn near an hour to find him."

"What happened to his pants?"

Katsuki's mouth went dry. It was easy with Kirishima and Ashido. They'd been there. They knew what had happened. He didn't need to put it into words for them. But Todoroki didn't have that information. He came late to the party, both literally and figuratively.

"Some scumbag tried to..." he said. But he couldn't get the words out.

Todoroki seemed to understand, though. His mismatched eyebrows shot high and his eyes filled with concern. But thankfully, he didn't ask Katsuki to elaborate. He just stayed quiet.

"I got there just in time to stop the fucker," he said. He looked down at his knuckles, which were bruised and bloody. "And break the fucker's nose. But it's my fault any of this happened. I-If I'd just kept my eyes on him..."

Todoroki snorted. "Look, Bakugou, I'm not happy about what happened either, but you can't blame yourself," the monotone bastard said. "You were there to protect him when it mattered most, and for that, I'm grateful. I'm sure Ochako, Iida, and Izuku would say the same."

Katsuki nodded, but that pit of guilt and blame still settled in his stomach.

"Bakubabe!" Ashido called as she came down the hall. "He's up. He wants to talk to you. I don't know what he remembers, so don't drop any bombs on-"

Before she could finish the thought, Katsuki was up, breezing past her to the little bedroom down the hall. He slipped in after knocking twice on the door.

Deku sat in the middle of the bed, the blankets covering his legs. He'd shed his cardigan and replaced his hearing aids in his ears. When he saw Katsuki, he gave the blond a weak smile.

"Hey Kacchan," he said.

"Hey Deku," he replied.

"Why are we at Kirishima and Ashido's?" he asked gently. "What happened to the party? Did I get too drunk? Oh, I probably did. I don't remember anything. I'm sorry-"

Before Deku could get too deep into his word vomit, Katsuki pressed his hand against his mouth. He didn't need the nerd thinking too hard.

"Don't worry about it tonight, Deku," he said. It was best that they told him when he was surrounded by people he loved. "We can talk tomorrow."

Katsuki sat down on the foot of the bed, but he couldn't bring his eyes to meet Deku's. He felt too guilty to. He deserved better than Katsuki, someone who almost allowed something so terrible to happen.

"Kacchan? What happened to your hand?" Deku asked suddenly, snatching up his battered right hand. The one he'd give a killer right hook to Shindou with.

"Oh. This? I punched something." More like someone.

"Kacchan!"

"Don't worry about it. Bruises and cuts heal, Deku," he said. "They're just party tattoos. Their colorfulness is just colorful regrets."

Before knew it, Deku had lifted his battered hand to his lips, pecking a soft, gentle kiss on it. His face turned a bright shade of red that only Deku could make him produce. He snatched his hand back.

"Don't do shit like that, fuckin' nerd!" he snapped.

"You know, you're really cute when you're bashful, Kacchan," Deku said.

Katsuki's brain short circuited. What the fuck. He wasn't even going to focus on what had made Deku call him what he had. Nope. He was going to focus on the four letter word that had just fallen from Deku's too pink lips. Cute. He'd called him cute. Now, he would have greatly preferred sexy-gorgeous-awesome-hot, but he'd suffice with cute, especially if it was Deku - no, Izuku - calling him that.

"You're still plastered, aren't you?" he asked.

And considering it had only been forty-five minutes since they'd left the party, that was really likely.

"Nooooo," Izuku said. But the pitch in his voice gave him away. That and the smell of stale alcohol that poured from his mouth. All of that weak bashfulness was gone now that the nerd was so outwardly flirting with him.

"Uh-huh. You're still drunk. Kirishima is making food. I want you to eat and go back to bed, shitty nerd," Katsuki groused.

"Aweee. Kacchan! You're being so nice!" Deku exclaimed.

Yep. Still way too fucking drunk. And much to his utter horror, Deku slipped out from under the blankets and made his way toward him. He sat down right next to Katsuki.

"What do you want, nerd?" he asked, turning his face away from Deku to hide that same blush on his cheeks that the greenette always seemed to cause.

"I need to tell you something, Kac-chaaan." He said Katsuki's nickname in a sing-song voice that made him absolutely melt.

"What?"

The nerd leaned in close to him so that his warm breath ghosted over Katsuki's ear. "I like you. I like you a lot."

Yep. Clearly drunk. There were too many levels of nope going on here. Katsuki stood up quickly, the blush on his cheeks spreading to his ears, neck, every ounce of skin, really. He wanted to die. Not only because Izuku said he liked him, but also because the nerd was drunk and this shit couldn't be true.

"Alright drunk ass. Get up. Go eat something," he admonished.

He didn't miss how Deku's face fell just a little bit as he got up and left the room as fast as his legs would fucking carry him.