AN: Not a lot of music in this one, but oh boy is the next chapter going to be fun. There will be a lot of music, hilarity, fluff, etc. See you for that next week~

Izuku was in training to become a hero. No, a pro hero. The number one hero, the symbol of peace. He already had his provincial license. He'd faced danger again and again in the form of the League of Villains, the Hero Killer Stain, and the Eight Precepts of Death. He'd nearly died a few times, fought until he scarred himself, yet was strong enough to take down even some of the nastiest villains (Muscular, for example). As nervous and timid as he could be at times he was nothing if not brave. He never gave up.

It was because of all these experiences and attributes associated with the young hero that even Bakugo was vaguely caught off guard when the greenette simply… ran away.

The moment Izuku realized he'd spoken aloud he activated One for All Full Cowling in order to make a quick escape from the gymnasium. Bakugo had expected him to at least stutter out that his mumbling had been accidental, which it almost always was. He deserved some kind of explanation either way. Who did Izuku think he was revealing to someone that he was in love with them just to bolt like a scared deer? And if it wasn't enough his mic hadn't even been turned on, which meant everybody else in his class was staring at him awaiting details on what had just occurred.

"Dude," Sero voiced as most of the class wrenched their eyes away from the door Izuku had exited, "what the heck did you say to him? I don't think I've ever seen him run from you like that before. Not even during that first fight at the beginning of the year, and you looked terrifying back then."

"Deku-kun looked scared." Uraraka spoke sadly. It only took her a moment for her protective side to come to light though, putting her hands on her hips and eyebrows furrowing in anger as she marched towards the explosive blond. "You'd better go fix whatever you did, Bakugo! I know you guys have been on better terms lately, and I cannot fathom what you could have said to him to make him take off like that, but you're going to talk to him and apologize for whatever you said to upset him."

"I didn't say anything!" Bakugo growled defensively. Explosions escaped his palms but Uraraka stood her ground. "He accidentally mumbled something he didn't mean to, so shut the hell up about his actions being my fault!"

"Really?"

His classmates blinked. Some were surprised, and some were suspicious.

"What did he say to you for him to run out like that?" Iida questioned. "It must have been something for him to act so uncharacteristically. He looked quite red too. Was he feeling unwell, perhaps? It could be that he overexerted himself with today's events and it hit him all at once. I do hope he's okay."

Mineta shook his head, a hand coming to his chin as he showed off a suggestive look.

"I bet he said something embarrassing like which girl in the class he has the hots for."

Tsuyu tilted her head thoughtfully. "Hmm, in a less derogatory way that could have been the case. Is that what happened, Bakugo?"

When Bakugo's face took on an obvious shade of pink, his classmates became even more confused. None of them had the opportunity to figure out why the usually angry boy was embarrassed though unless it was for Izuku.

With a string of curses Bakugo turned on his heel before blasting himself off of the stage and stomping out of the gymnasium. Uraraka and Iida turned to the members of the Bakusquad once he was out of ear shot.

"You guys are better friends with him than us. Do you know what might have been said to him to make him honest to God blush like that?"

Kirishima shrugged. "We're close, but not even I can get everything out of Bakugo. I do think it has something to do with his relationship with Midoriya though, not some crush on a girl thing."

"Wrong."

Suddenly a peal of laughter turned everyone's attention to the sparkling blond boy near the back of the stage. Eyes looked at him curiously until he straightened up, wiping away a stray tear from the corner of an eye.

"All of you are really too blind to see it, aren't you?"

"See what?"

Aoyama grinned, a finger rising to his lips.

"It is none of my business to say. This is something Midoriya-kun and Bakugo must deal with among themselves, if you catch my drift."

He watched as the gears turned in their heads, realization dawning on those closer to the two boys before the others. The looks on their faces once they connected the dots were hilarious to see.

"All of those songs about his hero. Not all of the songs were referring to All Might; he even said it himself that first night when he sung some of them for us." Jiro whispered.

"He's always been so amazed by Bakugo. He admires him more than I admire his manliness."

"His reaction when he got kidnapped was pretty heart shattering, ribbit."

"How did we not see the signs?" Iida berated himself and Uraraka.

"None of you knew?" Todoroki asked, his voice betraying his amusement. "It was quite obvious."

The entire classed turned on him on shock.

"How of all people here did you know?" Kaminari shouted. "Did Midoriya tell you?"

Todoroki shook his head. "Midoriya and I spar a lot, and after a few sessions I brought up how his movements emulate those of Bakugo's. It didn't take more than a few minutes of his mumbling of all things from Bakugo's skills throughout the years to knowing his favorite food to guess maybe he felt more than just admiration for him. After hearing him talk about Bakugo this and Bakugo that I honestly expected for the blond to realize it far before Midoriya accidentally told him, which is what I guess must have happened with that mumbling habit he has. Midoriya is quite hopeless despite his amazing heroic qualities."

Mineta seemed like he was about to faint. "B-but Midoriya would always get all blush-y around girls! How could he be gay?"

Jiro sent him a scathing glare. "Bisexuality exists too, you little pervert."

"Bakugo though? Of all of the dudes to fall for it had to be that hothead. Oh no, what if Bakugo breaks his heart? Midoriya is a cinnamon roll who won't be able to take a harsh letdown." Kaminari bemoaned. Hagakure seconded him.

Tsuyu made a noise, deep in thought. "I don't think Bakugo will reject his feelings in the end. While I do worry about how a relationship between the two would continue to work out, I think they will end up together after a bit of struggle. The getting together part is what is going to hurt the most."

"In the end? Struggle? Hurt the most? What do you mean?" Mina worried.

The green-haired girl sighed. "I'm pretty sure Bakugo is going to do something foolish like tell Midoriya his feelings are wrong and that he's being delusional, and until he gets over his little crush that they will need space. As academically smart as Bakugo is he's also not used to feeling a lot of, well, feelings. His emotions are usually some variation of anger, frustration, and the occasional guilt or satisfaction. For Midoriya to admit he likes him more than that of a friend is probably overwhelming. He's not going to know how to handle that affection."

Yaoyorozu frowned.

"He's going to reject it because he's never had to deal with it on this level. Is that what you're saying?"

"Yeah."

Uraraka seemed sick after the exchange, and she hadn't overused her quirk. Turning to Iida, she tugged on his nearest hand.

"Yes, Uraraka?"

"We should go check on Deku-kun before bed. If what Tsu guesses comes true, then he's going to need some of his friends tonight."

In Izuku's room...

Tsuyu had been right.

Izuku lied on his bed trying to stop his tears from flowing. His arm was wet with failure at this, his eyes reddening as his tear ducts worked harder than they had in a while. The most recent conversation was still fresh in his mind, and every second the sadness in his hollow chest threatened to send more tears.

"You can't be in love with me, Deku." Bakugo had started with after catching up to Izuku and forcing them to talk in the younger's room. "I don't care how amazing you think I am. I will never be good for you, and with the way you constantly are hurting yourself following in All Might's footsteps neither of us should burden each other by getting into a relationship. We'll only end up hurting each other."

"That's not true, Kacchan! There are plenty of hero duos and heroes in relationships. I know it would be challenging at first, but—"

"It's not going to happen. We are not going to happen."

The first tears collected in Izuku's eyes. Anger became apparent in them as well.

"You're absolutely sure about that?" The question was more of a plea, to which Bakugo answered with regret lacing every syllable.

"Yeah, I am."

Izuku felt the unrequited feelings sear his heart painfully.

"Fine! If you're going to reject me you though, you should at least tell me you just don't like me in that way instead of going with the other countless reasons we might not work out!"

"I never said I didn't like you back! Shit, I care about you more than anyone else in my life. Even my own parents."

"But if you return my feelings, then why can't we—"

"Because I'll never be who you need me to be!" Bakugo shouted, tears springing to his own eyes in frustration. "You spent our entire childhood chasing my back, and sooner or later you'll be ahead of me. I'll only drag you down to my level. Hell, you haven't improved your quirk in a while and for all I know it's because you're still too focused on me."

"That's not—"

"If you would just stop following me then maybe you'd be closer to becoming the next Symbol of Peace like you're destined to!"

"Kacchan, I can only become the Symbol of Peace because of you. Without you pushing me to give it my all and do my best no matter the hardships I wouldn't be here! Don't you get it? You can't let the past go, but I have, and I'm telling you that I really, really like you! Why can't you give me a chance? Give us a chance."

"You're head is still stuck in the clouds after all these years. Maybe in your fantasy we'd be together and happy, fighting side by side against villains, even be number one heroes together, but life doesn't cater to your every need or desire. You knew that the day you were deemed quirkless."

Izuku flinched. "Please don't walk away because you're scared, Kacchan."

"I'm not fucking scared!"

"Don't lie to me."

Bakugo let out a small explosion intending to get Izuku to shut up. Instead, Izuku surged forward after his friend's hands stopped sparking and chanced pulling the angry boy into a tight hug. Bakugo did not return the gesture, yet he didn't push him away either.

"I'm scared too, you know."

"Shut up, Deku."

"Kacchan, can't you be selfish this one time and listen to your heart instead of your brain?"

"Shut up, Deku!"

Izuku lost his patience a second before Bakugo did.

"No!"

Finally having had enough, Bakugo pushed Izuku away before grabbing the other boy by the front of his shirt. Red eyes glared into unwavering green as Izuku stood his ground. That tough façade shattered in an instant when Bakugo crashed his lips to his own in a rough first kiss.

The feeling caught Izuku off guard, his brain stalling and body relaxing at the sensation. He could feel his hands reaching for Bakugo to pull him closer. However, the kiss barely lasted a few seconds. Before Izuku could bring himself to grab onto the blond he was already being shoved away again.

"I'm sorry."

With those two foreign words as his parting ones, Bakugo fled Izuku's room before the fallen boy could pick himself off of the floor.

"Why does he have to be so stupid?" Izuku spoke to his ceiling, head throbbing from crying for so long. From his phone he had his "heartbreak" playlist playing which probably wasn't improving his mood. The lyrics of "Impossible" by Shontelle made him want to shove his face into his pillow and scream.

"I remember years ago someone told me I should take caution when it comes to love. I did. And you were strong and I was not." Wasn't that the truth? "My illusion, my mistake; I was careless, I forgot. I did. And now when all is done there is nothing to say." There was, but Izuku had no idea what to tell Bakugo to change his mind. "You have gone and so effortlessly, you have won. You can go ahead tell them."

"Tell them all I know now. Shout it from the roof tops. Write it on the sky line; all we had is gone now. Tell them I was happy, and my heart is broken. All my scars are open. Tell them what I hoped would be impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible..."

He was probably becoming dehydrated at this point. He'd always been a heavy crier, a trait his mother and he shared. Still, he didn't want to go downstairs where he knew his curious classmates might be hanging around overly concerned for his well-being as always. He wasn't ready to talk to them yet. He would probably just burst into tears all over again.

His lips still tingled too.

As fate would have it though, the universe was against his wishes. Just as he told himself he needed more time to calm down a soft knock at his door sounded.

"Deku-kun?" Uraraka's worried voice came from the hallway. "Can Iida-kun and I come in?"

"If not then please just tell us how you're doing. It is past curfew, but I do not think I can sleep without being assured you are okay after seeing you leave the gymnasium so quickly. We're your friends, Midoriya. You can talk to us."

Curse Iida-kun for using the same words I used on him, Izuku thought hopelessly. He knew he needed to talk to the two of them. They were his best friends; it was about time he came clean if not for their sake then for his.

"Come in."

When Uraraka and Iida entered they made sure to close the door behind them before rushing to their friend's side. Almost immediately Izuku burst into tears at the obvious concern on their faces, and suddenly the three of them were pulled into a group hug. They stayed like that for some time as Izuku told them about his longtime feelings for Bakugo and how they had developed.

This meant he told them everything. The time when they were best friends as kids, the downfall that took place when he was deemed quirkless while Bakugo had gotten an amazing quirk, the years of bullying this had caused not just by the blond's hands but others who followed his example. He didn't even leave out the incident at their middle school about the room before moving onto the story of the slime villain everyone had seen on the news. Even as he got into his perspective during the heroes versus villains battle in their Foundational Hero Studies class the two consoling him kept quite. He could tell at times they wanted to say something, sometimes very badly, but they stayed silent for his sake.

Soon he was telling them about how he'd felt during their final exam against All Might. How frustrated he'd been when Bakugo admitted he would rather lose than work with him, and how that had hurt worse than any explosion he'd ever been hit with. The admiration and genuine care Izuku expressed for Bakugo as he spoke were beginning to make sense to the two listening to his perspective.

"Uraraka-kun, you were there when Kacchan got taken by the League of Villains." He said brokenly. "When he vanished in the warp gate, he told me to stay back. The look in his eyes when he told me that wasn't anger. He looked terrified, but I don't think he was really scared at that moment for himself. I could have reached him, could have been pulled in along with them, but after everything that had happened between Shigaraki and I as well as my injuries Kacchan knew something I would understand until later. If I had gone through that gate after him I might not have survived. In the state I was in I would have been absolutely useless. Shigaraki told me the next time he saw me that he would probably finish me off, and how would my death have helped rescue Kacchan? It wouldn't have. So the fear in Kacchan's eyes when he told me to stay back was because he was scared for me rather than himself. For a while I had been losing hope that Kacchan actually cared even a tiny bit about me. Part of me was beginning to become convinced that he really did hate me. But how can someone who doesn't care about me be scared for my life?"

He continued telling them about their encounters, one of which being the fight that led to them both getting detention (although he left out the part about One for All). The meaningless fight it had started out as had become all but meaningless when it ended with them becoming proper rivals.

"But we didn't just become rivals then. We had always been rivals despite it being a healthy rivalry or not. After that fight we finally started talking to each other. It might have taken years and years, I might have given him too many chances to get to that point, but that night we slowly starting becoming friends again. Of course Kacchan is still Kacchan. Even so, I could feel those feelings of love begin to suffocate me all over again as if they'd never stopped. And then tonight, he admitted he cared about me more than his own parents. H-he kissed me. It was only after he told me we would never happen though, and before he apologized. He's never apologized to me my entire life. N-never."

Once he was finished explaining everything nearly an hour had passed. Iida was getting tired, but Uraraka knew they couldn't leave their friend like this.

"Deku-kun," she started after the trio had pulled away from one another. "If what you're saying is true then Bakugo does like you back! That means you can't give up now. You just need to get it through his thick skull that your feelings are real, and that you two can work if you just try. You're not going to let him go now after everything you just told us, are you? You're the Deku that does his best! The Deku that can do anything; even this."

Iida placed a comforting hand on Izuku's shoulder, squeezing lightly. "I agree with her. While I never could grasp your feelings towards Bakugo before after hearing your story I think I am beginning to see the connection. It still pains me to know how horribly he treated you in the past even if it was somewhat of a misunderstanding on his part. If he is who you want in your life to make you happy though, then I trust your decision. You are strong, Midoriya. You can take care of yourself should the relationship between you two revert back for worse. However, you have taught me people can change. The changes Bakugo is going through are slow, but he is becoming a better person and it is because of you."

Izuku let out a small laugh, a smile gracing his wet, red face. With a shaking hand he put his hand atop Iida's. His other hand found Uraraka's open palm.

"Thank you," he stated sincerely. "Both of you are the best friends I could ask for. I love you guys."

"Aw, Deku-kun! We love you too!"

"Midoriya, you are too kind!"

After much humbleness, the two visitors went to leave. It was only at the doorway that Iida thought to warn his friend about the rest of his classmates.

"By the way, the rest of our classmates questioned Bakugo after you left tonight. While he didn't answer any of their inquiries we all managed to put two and two together about your mutual feelings for one another, and we anticipated Bakugo would be rash at first leading to your rejection. I would advise you just ignore everyone tomorrow as they most likely will be able to read the energy of the room and will try not to mention Bakugo in your presence. Anyway, try to get some rest."

With that the duo left, leaving Izuku blushing and gaping at the door.

"E-everyone knows?"

The next day…

To say the following morning was awkward would have been an understatement.

"Good morning!" Izuku smiled at his friends as he stepped into the classroom. He greeted Uraraka, Iida, and Todoroki in turn before Aoyama stopped him, a handkerchief of assorted cheeses being shoved into his hands. The gesture, while a tad strange, warmed Izuku's heart. After politely thanking him and biting into a block of cheese for good measure, the greenette made his way to his seat behind Bakugo like he would any other day. It was only once he'd sat down that Sero, who sat beside Izuku, noticed a lone ear bud in one of his ears.

"Listening to music this early morning, Midoriya? You really have been spending too much time with Jiro."

Izuku smiled sheepishly. It was forced just like the one he'd given upon entry to the classroom, but no one dared to comment on it.

"Jiro-kun is pretty cool. As for the music, listening to it has many beneficial qualities. The short walk to class was peaceful to say the least."

"What are you listening too?"

The smile on his face faltered. The question was born from curiosity, but Izuku didn't want anyone to know the depressing songs that made up his "heartbreak" playlist. If anyone ever found out he had a playlist like it in the first place he would be beyond embarrassed.

"Ah, it's nothing! Just the music for the upcoming performances."

He felt bad for lying, but it was for his friend's sakes as well as his own. If they knew he was listening to such sad songs they would just worry even more.

"What hurts the most was being so close and having so much to say," played from his single ear bud, "and watching you walk away. And never knowing what could've been, and not seeing that loving you is what I was trying to do."

Izuku really needed to pull himself together.

From there the tension in the room settled down some, his answer satisfying Sero. He put his ear buds away a few minutes later when the door opened to reveal an ever-tired Aizawa inching his way in clad in his telltale yellow sleeping bag. As he began his lecture most of class 1-A gradually forgot about the crisis two of their classmates were currently going through. That was until later in the day during their Foundational Hero Studies class being taught by Aizawa and All Might; they just had to pick that day for a supposed to be low stress game of tag.

"The objective is simple," their homeroom teacher began in an almost bored tone. "One of you will be 'it' while the rest of you will have to avoid that person like the plague. If you are tagged you are not allowed to tag the person who tagged you back. The game ends in half an hour and those who remain un-tagged throughout the game, and if the original person who is 'it' does not get tagged back once tagging their first victim, wins. Hagakure, you're 'it' to start."

Several students groaned at that, Hagakure cackling as she took off her gloves leaving her completely invisible to everyone. She would be tagging somebody in no time. After that it would be a simple game of hide and go seek for her, except there would be no way to find her once she tagged the first victim.

"Oh," All Might spoke up just as Aizawa was going to tell them to begin, "and don't forget to utilize your quirks! If someone who is 'it' comes after you you're allowed to use your quirks to escape or even fight the person off. No seriously hurting each other though. Have fun!"

Fun, he said. If only he'd known how chaotic having a class of heroes in training playing tag in a limited area (about five city blocks by four city blocks) would turn out to be.
As Hagakure would have it, Ojiro was tagged first.

"Aw man," he said with a wry grin, "I should have known you'd come after me. Oh well. Good luck out there, okay? You might be invisible but you might want to be careful of peoples' quirks." With that he took off, his tail propelling him in the direction he'd seen Sero, Kaminari, and Mina take off in.

Halfway through the game nearly half of the class had been it at some point. Ojiro had tagged Kaminari, who in turn happened upon an all too trusting Kirishima, who tagged Mineta, who miraculously ran into Koda (literally), who then got Aoyama mid-monologue, who used his laser to blast him straight into Yaoyorozu, who tricked Todoroki into tagging himself (she pretended to need help and when he grabbed her hand his fate had been sealed), who finally had made it a point to go after a strangely more reserved Bakugo. It had taken him nearly five minutes of using his ice and fire to outmaneuver the blond, and one of the prop buildings had its windows blown to pieces, but once he had tagged the explosive teenager he couldn't help but feel some pride. He knew Izuku was hurting because of Bakugo's hardheadedness. Making the blond lose was almost a form of revenge with how serious he was about winning.

And then things took a turn for the worse.

Izuku, who had been on the move with Uraraka and Tsuyu, ran around the corner of the building Bakugo and Todoroki were currently standing. The trio of newcomers looked between the two boys apprehensively. It was only after Todoroki pointed to Bakugo and stated "he's it" that anyone started moving. When they did start moving, however, everything happened fast.

Tsuyu immediately wrapped her tongue around Uraraka's waist and flung the girl back around the building. As she prepared to do the same to Midoriya, she caught explosions from the corner of her eye. Bakugo was rocketing towards her faster than she would be able to get away. She was fast when it came to jumping sure, but she was nowhere near fast enough to evade an intent Bakugo who had just "lost" the game. Just as she was prepared to be tagged though, a ripple of power came from the boy standing next to her.

"I don't think so, Kacchan."

The force of Izuku's kick created air pressure that not only took Bakugo by surprise, but the classmates that were nearby as well. From the shadows Tokoyami hummed in surprise as the raw power he'd witnessed. That was not a move they had ever seen him use before. They knew he had been getting in some training in the mornings, yet to have a new move that powerful showcased during a game of tag was something else. The move was also long-ranged which was completely different from Izuku's usual close-combat fighting style. Todoroki's eyes widened in shock as he came to a realization. The move reminded him so much of one of All Might's punches that it only reaffirmed his guess that Midoriya had to be his secret love child. Maybe his friend would never tell him the truth, but he would believe it until proven otherwise.

Bakugo used explosions from his gauntlets to break his fall. He still landed quite a distance away though, a spark of anger lighting up his eyes.

"What the hell was that, Deku? Have you been holding out during our sparring sessions?"

"We haven't sparred for over a week, Kacchan, and I've been working on that move for only about five days. Why, are you worried you won't be able to tag me now that I've improved a bit more?"

"Yeah right. Prepare to die, Deku!"

With that the blond threw himself forward, changing course in midair to come from the side rather than an all out assault. What he didn't expect was Izuku to flick his middle finger similar to how he used to do when he'd first gotten his quirk. The resulting billowing force that came from the attack wasn't the 100% the blond was expecting, perhaps just over 22% since the output felt a little stronger than his most recent 20%. His finger wasn't broken or even bruised either from what he could tell.

Izuku had improved since the last time he'd asked, it seemed.

A grin cut across the blond's face, red eyes simmering in challenge rather than anger as they locked onto Izuku's own burning green ones. The shorter boy's entire demeanor screamed desire for a fight. For a moment Bakugo thought perhaps his friend had taken the rejection worse than he'd originally guessed he would, that he was choosing to fight because he was angry or upset. As he stared into his eyes though he realized that wasn't the case. Izuku wasn't burning with anger or sadness; he was burning with determination. He sought this fight because he wanted to prove himself.

"Another meaningless fight, huh?" Bakugo called from across the road. From his periphery he noticed several other classmates watching them in mute worry. It seemed they wanted to step in, yet understood this was between the two of them only.

Powering up One for All at a lower capacity, Izuku's body glowed white with power. "You could say that."

From the observation room in a nearby building...

"Oh dear," All Might groaned as he watched the two most problematic students of the class hurtle towards each other. From where he stood next Aizawa watching the events from the screen he had to say he was proud of Izuku. The move he'd used to stop Tsuyu from getting tagged was nearly perfectly executed. On the other hand, the way the two are going at each other now is worrisome. Something is definitely different between the two. They've been getting along rather well lately though, so did something happened without me knowing? The energy and stakes of this fight seem much higher than they should be for such a simple exercise.

The underground hero next to him merely sighed, a hand coming up to rub the bridge of his nose in irritation.

"These two kids are going to be the death of me. I should just expel them both now and be done with it."

"Don't be too hasty, Shouta. They are just playing a very serious game of tag it seems."

"That's not the point. Knowing them they're going to just keep fighting instead of letting the game go on as planned. This was supposed to be a low-stress exercise, but just look at them. They're destroying building after building. This is not a healthy way to work things out among each other."

"They are still technically playing tag though. Sure it would be child's play for Bakugo to go after someone else, but Midoriya seems to be who he's decided to target. And they are technically allowed to use their environment to their advantage. This isn't a mission, so any destruction is allowed. Maybe fighting like this will help settle whatever little quarrel they got into this time."

Aizawa turned to glare at All Might as if he were the biggest idiot in the world. "Little quarrel? Yagi, do you have any idea what is happening between those two boys?"

"What do you mean? They're proper rivals I know, and I believe they are becoming friends. Why?"

"You seriously have no idea." The dark-haired adult clicked his tongue. "Even Present Mic and Midnight are more perceptive than you, and that's saying something."

All Might frowned. "Was there a development I might have missed? Surely it isn't something too bad. Was it another fight like from before the internships?"

"Not really a fight per say, from what I gathered from some of my most chatty students." He would need to give Hagakure and Mina a talk about gossiping. "It appears the two have feelings for one another. Romantic feelings."

This was a surprise to All Might. He had always thought he had a thing for Uraraka, perhaps even the young Todoroki. After spending a few seconds processing the news part of him did see the connection between the two more clearly. Suddenly his successor harboring romantic feelings for the other made sense. Bakugo returning those feelings though... now that All Might could not fully comprehend.

"Well," he managed to stutter out awkwardly, "good for them! As long as they both are happy and treat each other right, then—"

"It seems Bakugo rejected Midoriya last night."

All Might froze. Then, after slowly turning to face the other teacher, he spoke.

"He what?"

Now All Might wasn't a perfect man. While he did do decade's worth of hero work and saved more lives than he could count, he could blunder. His refusal to make amends with Sir Nighteye long before the incident that brought them together being just one of his mistakes. It was also true that he didn't get angry all too often outside of dealing with villains. Right then, however, a fierce feeling of protectiveness surged in his chest that he'd never felt before.

Midoriya wasn't his biological son, but he loved the boy like his own.

"If you're going to say to stop the exercise because you want to speak with either one of them, forget it." Aizawa warned tersely. "This is something they need to figure out. If you butt your head into their romantic life, then chances are you are just going to make things more strained."

A loud boom made its self known then, the entire building they were in shaking from the force of whatever had caused the sound. The adults immediately turned their attention back to the screen before their eyes went wide.

There in the middle of a pile of rubble that used to be a two-story building was Bakugo. Broken concrete and glass littered the ground around him where he lied on his back in a small crater. A few other students gaped at the destruction, eyes all zeroing in on the figure slowly making his way towards the fallen blond. Said figure was out of breath and trembling, but his eyes seemed to glow as he made his way to stand before Bakugo.

"You went easy on me."

The words were so quiet Bakugo almost didn't hear them.

"You went easy on me," Izuku repeated brokenly. His eyes welled up with tears as he attempted to glare at his childhood friend and crush. "Y-you've never gone easy on me! And you did it knowing I wanted to prove how much stronger I've gotten. Why, Kacchan? All I wanted to do was show you I have improved, and that you're not the reason I wasn't getting stronger. You were supposed to fight back."

Bakugo stayed silent, his lips sealed shut as Izuku clenched his teeth.

"I guess this was just a meaningless fight after all."

With that Izuku walked away, turning his back on the blond fully. He brushed past a stock-still Iida who had been observing the fight nearby in case he needed to intervene.

"I'm going see Recovery Girl," Izuku stated tonelessly.

The class rep nodded. Anything he wanted to say to help his friend would have to wait until they were in their own company.

Back at the dorms, after school…

"I ruined the exercise, didn't I?" Izuku moaned in anguish.

"Not really," Uraraka comforted. "After you left Kirishima went to see how Bakugo was and got tagged again. He got Mina and the game went on from there, although everyone decided to leave Bakugo alone for the rest of the game. He seemed more despondent than usual. I think he was just really lost in thought."

Izuku nodded mutely. Todoroki and Iida didn't offer anything either, so Uraraka sighed before trying to lift the mood again.

"You proved yourself to Bakugo like you wanted though, didn't you? Those new moves you used were insane! I mean, you literally blew him away. Multiple times."

"He was holding back," Todoroki stated bluntly. At this Iida and Uraraka seemed skeptical, but Izuku merely murmured in agreement. "Both of them were holding back, to be honest. Midoriya was still respecting the rules of the exercise by making sure not to physically hit him. While he did indeed keep Bakugo from touching him, therefore tagging him, he could have done more damage than just demolishing an entire building and breaking several windows. Bakugo could also have attacked more powerfully, but he chose not to."

Iida hummed in thought. "Perhaps he was going easy on him unconsciously? Part of him might have been guilty about rejecting him last night, or maybe after realizing his feelings for Midoriya he decided he didn't want to really hurt him."

"They did kiss last night," Uraraka mused, "so maybe that has something to do with it?"

Todoroki's brows furrowed. He turned to Izuku, eyes doubtful. "You kissed Bakugo?"

The greenette blushed deeply. "He kissed me, actually. After he said he doubted by feelings for him to be anything more than a delusion."

A few seconds of silence passed before the fire and ice user suddenly spoke. When he did his tone was incredulous, as if he didn't understand how no one had thought of his idea beforehand.

"Midoriya, if he rejected you because he doubts his feelings for you, then why not just do something to prove yourself sincere? Surely he'd have to rethink things then."

"He also doesn't think he's good enough for Deku-kun," Uraraka added.

"What would he do to prove to Bakugo his feelings and intentions are true, and that he is good enough for our friend though? Surely it would take more than a simple conversation or small gesture to get the point across. I also feel like it would take more than just Midoriya to convince him of this." Iida said.

Todoroki, Iida, and Uraraka brainstormed a few things aloud, but none of their ideas seemed good enough. None of the ideas seemed grand enough to break through Bakugo's stubborn head and in turn soften his heart. That was until Izuku suddenly yelled "that's it!" before jumping off his bed and onto the floor.

"Guys, I have an idea that just might work. It's going to be a bit embarrassing, but I think if it goes well Kacchan will finally listen to me. The only problem is I'm going to need a lot of help."

Iida raised his hand in question. "How much assistance do you require? The three of us here will surely help in any way we can, rest assured."

Izuku smiled, gratitude for his friends overflowing as the other two nodded in agreement.

"For what I'm planning I'm going to need the whole class to help me out. Do you three mind discretely asking everyone to meet in the gymnasium after dinner? Kacchan will probably go up to his room to do homework alone as long as everyone pretends to be busy with their own thing right after we eat, and then we can slip away without him catching on."

"Of course we can do that!" Uraraka ensured with a fist-punch to the air. "But what exactly are you going to do to make Bakugo swoon?"

The greenette sheepishly pointed to the ear mic sitting on his dresser.

"I'm going to sing."

After dinner, in the gymnasium.

"Oh my gosh this is going to be like high school musical, but better because we're in it!" Hagakure gushed. Her enthusiasm spilled over to the rest of her classmates. It seemed every one of them wanted to help either Izuku or Bakugo out.

"If they get together, then there will be more girls for me," Mineta tried to give as his explanation for helping. Everyone knew he just wanted Izuku to be happy though. Even if he was a pervert, Izuku was still his friend.

"It's more of a flash-mob than a musical, but I am still totally all for it!" Mina grinned.

Jiro nodded. "Izuku and I will put together a remix of what songs we're all going to sing then. We can probably get done tonight actually, since I did my homework before dinner. What do you say, Midoriya-kun?"

"That works for me! I already have some song lyrics picked out, so after splicing things together to flow better we can probably email it to everyone tonight. Is everyone okay if we assign parts to you all beforehand? That way I can just tell you which part or parts before we practice tomorrow."

His classmates agreed after a few requests, a couple of them being vetoed by either Jiro, Izuku, or the entire class.

"Okay, so we meet here tomorrow after dinner again. What if Bakugo notices we're all missing though?"

Izuku held up his phone a bit guiltily. "I sort of texted Shinsou-kun to act as a bouncer of sorts for tomorrow already. We were going to spar after class as it was, and he said he'd be happy to keep Kacchan from finding out about the surprise as long as he could watch our... impromptu performance."

"Sounds good to me," Jiro said with a shrug. "Alright everybody, we meet here tomorrow a little bit after dinner. We practice until we get it down. After that, Kirishima fetches Bakugo and Midoriya-kun sweeps the explosive idiot off of his feet. Everyone got that?"

"Yeah!"

In order of appearance:

Impossible by Shontelle (James Arthur version is okay too)

What Hurts the Most by Rascal Flatts