Izuku stumbled out of his room, pulling on the blazer and buttoning up the vest in the elevator. After he got the last button secured, he checked the time on his phone. He still had plenty of time, so he took a deep breath and shook the stress from his shoulders. Izuku squinted at his reflection in the stainless-steel doors of the elevator as he ran a hand through his hair.

He scowled down at his tie as he walked off the elevator, muttering to himself as he tried to go through the steps to tie it.

"Oh my god, Izuku?"

He looked up as Mina squealed and bounded over. "Hey, does my hair look ok? I tried to smooth it down." Izuku laid a hand on the top of his head praying that he got the mess of curls wrangled into something decent looking.

Mina gripped him by the shoulders. "You look amazing!" She stepped back to look at him in full. "Where did you get a suit?"

Izuku tugged on the vest and jacket so that they laid better. "I was in the design course for two years. I can get my hands on a suit," he said, huffing as he pulled apart the failed attempt to tie his tie. "I always forget how to do this."

Mina pressed a finger to her lips as she looked at the tie hanging rumpled about Izuku's neck. Her eyes flicked up as the elevator dinged open. "Hey Bakugo, you know how to tie a tie, right?"

"Why—" Bakugo cut off as Izuku turned around, his eyes going wide. "What the fuck?"

"The gala's tonight," Izuku explained as he hurried over to Bakugo and Kirishima. His steps slowed when Bakugo abruptly turned back to the elevators, but Kirishima grabbed him and spun him back around.

Kirishima laughed off whatever threat Bakugo whispered to him and shoved Bakugo forward. "Bakubro's got you," he said with a wide grin, clapping Bakugo on the shoulder before he split off to the kitchen.

"Please, Kacchan," Izuku pleaded, pulling his phone out to check the time. "I can't figure it out and I'm gonna be lat—"

"Shut the hell up, Deku," Bakugo grumbled, grabbing Izuku by the tie and tugging him forward. "Can't even tie a fucking tie. Honestly. What the hell were you doing for those two years?"

Izuku tried to focus on Bakugo's hands or form some answer, but his eyes were drawn up to his face. Bakugo kept muttering and complaining as he tied the tie, his movements clipped but precise. Izuku knew he should be paying attention to whatever Bakugo was saying, but all he could do was stare at the pink blush flitting over Bakugo's cheeks, trying to figure out if it was a trick of the light.

"There," Bakugo bit out, drawing the knot flush against Izuku's neck. His eyes lifted to Izuku's almost hesitantly. "You look don't look like an idiot anymore."

Izuku took a slow, deep breath as Bakugo's hand pulled away. That breath caught as he saw Bakugo's eyes look him up and down again. Slowly. As Bakugo met his eyes, Izuku focused on that blush. He froze as his mind supplied pretty. After a moment of reboot, Izuku stepped back.

"Thanks, Kacchan," Izuku said, quickly tucked the tie into his vest. He checked his phone again with slight panic and spun on his heel. "I'm gonna be late."

"Bye, Izuku!" Mina called from the kitchen, a laugh in her voice as she waved. "I better get some pictures with Heroes!"

Izuku waved back to her as he pushed open the door and made his way down the stairs. Hatsume was outside her dorm waiting.

"You ready?" she asked, meeting him in the courtyard.

Izuku glanced around at the other Support Course students milling about in suits and dresses. "You look great."

Hatsume shrugged. "Get's the job done. Let's go." She hooked her arm around Izuku's. "Did you finally figure out how to do it?"

Izuku looked down at his tie.

Pretty.

"Uh. . .no." He cleared his throat. "Kacchan tied it for me."

"Oh?" Hatsume asked, eyebrows raising with curiosity. "That was nice of him."

Izuku hummed in agreement, his throat feeling too tight to answer. He kept thinking back to that damn word.

Pretty.

That pink blush on his pale skin made his red eyes seem bright. Of course, that's pretty. On anyone. It'd be pretty on anyone. Izuku wasn't blind and Bakugo wasn't ugly. Objectively, Bakugo was handsome. He had tones muscle, a nice jawline, and his cocky attitude tended to draw a lot of attention.

Izuku had watched more than a few girls fawn over Bakugo while they were on patrol with Mirko. So, objectively, Bakugo could be considered pretty.

Izuku took a deep breath as they approached the building holding the gala, pushing the thoughts out of his head. "It's been a while since I've been to one of these," he said, looking at the reporters and security walking around the entrance.

Hatsume gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. "You'll do great. Just be yourself."

If he could handle dinner at the #1 Hero's house, then he could handle a few hours chatting with the top 50. It also helped that they still had time before the Heroes started showing up. When they entered the building, Izuku saw many students running around still in their uniforms as they added last-minute touches to decorations. They froze when they saw Hatsume.

Hatsume nodded as she looked around. "It's perfect!" she declared, and the students released a breath. "Go get ready. The Heroes will be here soon."

The other students jumpstarted back into motion and ran to a door towards the back of the room. Izuku looked around in awe. "You really went all out."

"We weren't actually expecting all fifty to show up," she huffed. "My calculations have never been so off."

"But it's a good thing, right?"

"Sure. It's amazing." She grinned, looking around proudly. "But we were totally planning for only half to come. It was almost a disaster." Hatsume grabbed him by the arm and dragged him through the carefully arranged tables. "We have you seated with Mirko," she said pointing to a table. Izuku barely caught sight of his name before Hatsume pulled him over to the long table displaying support items that would be demoed during the dinner.

Izuku picked up a small sphere no bigger than a marble. "What unsuspecting first-years did you kidnap this year?"

"Oh, the usual," she said coyly, a smile curling her lips. "That's a new surveillance item."

Izuku let her take the orb. She pinched it between her fingers and wings shot out from its sides. Another pinch and it closed up.

"The guests should be arriving soon. I'm going to check on a few things."

Izuku wandered around the hall and looked at the support items on display. There were even some hero costume prototypes. He wasn't sure where Hatsume disappeared off to, but he made sure to do his job.

He greeted each Hero that arrived before handing them off to one of the other students who led them to their table. It went on like that with casual conversation and pleasantries for a while until he caught sight of white ears. A moment later he was wrapped up in a tight hug.

"Hi, Mirko," Izuku wheezed as the air in his lungs was forced out.

She set him down with a wide grin. "Look at you!" She gestured to him. "Who knew you could clean up so nice? I'm impressed!"

Izuku straightened out his jacket. "Thanks, I think."

"Is Bakugo here?" Mirko asked, ear swiveling as she looked around.

"No, I just came to help out a friend," Izuku explained, leading her off to the side so the Heroes arriving could get in. "It's good to see you."

Mirko's face softened. "Eraser. . .talked to me," she said, setting a gentle hand on Izuku's shoulder. "What were you thinking, kid?"

Izuku supposed she'd gotten most of her anger and frustration out during that phone call. "I don't think I have a very good reason for that."

She withdrew her hand as she hummed. "What matters is that you learn from it." She tilted Izuku's chin up so that he looked at her. "Learn from it and move on, Izuku."

Izuku searched her maroon eyes for a moment. "I'm trying."

"Hey Mirko, this is one of your kids, right?"

Her ears turned to the voice, a smile breaking out on her face. "You asshole, I didn't know you were coming."

Hawks leaned on her shoulder. "I forgot I RSVPed." He turned to Izuku. "You're Deku, right? I'm Hawks, nice to meet you."

Izuku forced down his excitement with a deliberate deep breath. "I've wanted to meet you for so long!" Maybe the breath should've been deeper, but Hawks laughed it off.

"I, unfortunately, know a lot about you and Bakugo." He yelped when Mirko drove an elbow into his ribs. After a moment of silent arguing, realization dawned on Hawk's face. "I just mean that you two stress her out, so she drags me out every week to complain and get drunk."

"You get drunk," Mirko corrected.

"Yeah, I have to just to listen to you," Hawks simpered, swinging an affection arm around her shoulders.

Izuku deflated slightly. "Sorry, Mirko, I didn't—"

She groaned, dragging a hand down her face. "Look at what you did," she hissed to Hawks while gesturing to Izuku. "He already has anxiety!"

Hawks backed up with his hands raised. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry." He glanced at her a few times; lips pressed firmly together.

"Don't," she warned.

Hawks let out a frustrated breath. "If you just mentioned something—" "Shut up, Hawks."

Izuku watched the interaction curiously. He saw the waiter's wheel in carts near the service entrance. "Dinner's going to start soon," Izuku said, breaking up their quiet bickering. "I'll show you to your seats."

"This is always my favorite part," Mirko whispered as the support item demo started.

The first-year students who agreed to help walked to the open area between the tables wearing support gear. Izuku could see Hatsume standing on the raised platform with a remote control in her hands.

"Thank you for coming to the Support Course Annual Fundraiser!" she said into the microphone. "Please direct your attention to the center of the room and see what your generous donations can help create!"

Izuku almost felt bad for the students as the support times worked on their own, puppeteering them around the room.

The Heroes Oh'd and Awe'd as students were flown into the air and support items whizzed around their heads.

Mirko poked at one of the orbs Izuku had been messing with earlier. A panel shifted to reveal a tiny camera. On a big screen at the front of the room, Mirko's face appeared. "Neat," she said,

poking it again.

"The Omnidirectional Tracker!" Hatsume announced proudly as the screen broke up into smaller sections all showing different feeds from each orb buzzing around. "Never lose a villain with these!"

Izuku watched as one Hero tried to grab the tracker, but it swiftly avoided capture. "Is that your friend?" Mirko asked, catching his proud smile.

"Yeah, that's Hatsume," Izuku said. "Hey, I have a question."

She looked at him and leaned a bit closer. "About?"

"The attack in Tokyo last week." Mirko's brow furrowed. "Izuku—"

"I just don't get why they'd steal chemicals," he explained. "I'm just trying to make sense of it, that's all."

She didn't look fully convinced but Hawks answered. "We think they're making drugs," he said, popping a chunk of meat into his mouth casually. He ignored Mirko's glare.

"One of the chemicals they stole was a major compound in a quirk erasing drug going around years ago," Mirko answered lowly.

Izuku frowned down at his plate. "You think they're trying to replicate the drug?" He felt his stomach knot up as she nodded. "Is Eri safe?"

"Don't worry, Izuku," Mirko said, setting a hand on his shoulder. "Eri's fine. Eraser will ensure that." She sat back when Izuku relaxed. "Nothing we've gathered even points to the League attempting to go after her."

"Yeah," Hawks said, snagging another plate of appetizers from a passing waiter, "we think they're just trying to create a similar drug."

Izuku looked over at Mirio where he sat towards the edge of the room, Tamaki beside him. "Why do you think they're doing that?"

Hawks shrugged, dropping another skewer on his plate. "Maybe because there's this new young Hero with the power to alter thoughts?"

Izuku shifted his gaze to Hawks, his usual teasing nature nowhere on his face. Izuku wondered if that was an act. All that stared back was cold, calculative eyes. "So, you think they're developing this drug for me?"

"Could be," Hawks said, the playful tone returning to his voice. "Truth is, we're not sure."

"Regardless," Mirko bit out in warning, "we're monitoring the League closely." She turned to Izuku. "You have nothing to worry about."

"What about when the internships start up next week?"

She frowned as she sipped from her drink. "We'll be doing the same as we were. Probably more

traveling, though." She thanked a waiter as they set down the main course. "How has your training been going?"

"Good," Izuku said, "I've been working with the other students in my class on my technique."

She nodded, licking her lips as she stared down at the food. "I haven't gotten a chance to talk to Bakugo this week."

"You could stop by after this. The dorms aren't far."

Hawks lit up. "That sounds great! I miss my little emo bird." He grinned at Izuku. "You know, it took forever to convince her to join the internship program."

"Don't start this again," Mirko groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Besides, we're not allowed to linger on campus after the gala's over."

"She has never complained so much as the first weekend of Bakugo's internship," Hawks said with a laugh, unfazed by Mirko's glare and ignoring the second part of what she'd said. "Well, up until you joined. But still! Not near as bad."

"I don't complain that much," Mirko said, and by the way Hawks jerked, Izuku was pretty sure she kicked him under the table.

Hawks scoffed. "Tell that to my hangovers."

"You're just a lightweight," Mirko shot back with a smirk. Her eyes followed another support item shooting around the room. "You were in the Support Course, weren't you?"

"Yep," Izuku said, noticing how Hawks sat up with interest. "Two years. I focused on costume design, though."

"I don't remember seeing you at these," Hawks said, leaning forward on the table.

Izuku ducked as one of the support items dipped low, showing off its flying maneuverability. "I usually helped in the back." The kitchen and area where they fitted the support items to the volunteer students was always loud and chaotic. "Besides, this is more for the support items."

Izuku excused himself from the table to go talk to the other Heroes he didn't get the chance to greet. He eventually worked his way around to Mirio.

"Hey man, it's good to see you!" he said, standing to give Izuku a hug. "Heard you got into some trouble. Glad you're alright!"

Izuku sat in the open chair next to him. "Yeah, it was an interesting summer."

Izuku waved to Mirko as she left.

"You were great!" Hatsume said tiredly, leaning her weight on him. "Everything went perfectly."

"I'm glad," Izuku said, wrapping an arm around her. "Are you free to go?"

She straightened up to look around. "My work here is done." Her shoulders slumped. "I'm going to crash for the entire weekend."

"You really shouldn't stay up so long," Izuku chastised, tightening his grip on her as she yawned.

Hatsume waved him off. "I had to make sure all the babies were perfect before the demo. It would've been a disaster if one malfunctioned!"

Izuku let out a defeated breath. "We met the goals, right?"

"Oh yeah, and then some!" She grinned, looping her arm around Izuku's waist. "Thanks to your ass-kissing."

Izuku flushed. "I wouldn't call it ass-kissing."

Hatsume gave him a deadpan look. "You spent ten minutes complimenting Ryukyu on her dragon form."

Izuku pushed the door open for her with a grumble. "Whatever, just get some sleep."

"I can feel myself crashing." She yawned again. "Thanks for coming, Izuku. I missed this." "Me too," he said, letting his frustrations go.

"So," she drawled, "how are things with Bakugo?"

Izuku's mind brought back the image of pink cheeks. "Um, b-better," Izuku stammered, clearing his throat. "We're still not sparring, but I'm hoping we can next week." He swallowed hard as the dorms came into view. They hung a left in the courtyard to the Support Course dorms.

"After I get some sleep, let's have a movie night," Hatsume said, pausing on the steps to her dorm. "Then you can tell me all about whatever's bugging you right now."

Izuku flushed, hating that she saw right through him. "Looking forward to it." "Goodnight, Izuku," she said sweetly before going inside.

Izuku glared at her for a second before turning to go back to his dorm. He pulled off his jacket as he crossed the courtyard. The lights of the first floor were all on meaning his classmates were still up and hanging out.

"How was it?" Mina asked, hopping over the back of the couch to meet him at the door.

"It went great," Izuku said, feeling the stress of the night melt off. "With Hatsume in charge, I expected it to."

Mina crossed her arms with a firm nod. "Did you meet a lot of Heroes?" Izuku nodded. "I talked to most of them. Everyone was nice."

"I'm bummed," she huffed, grabbing Izuku by the arm and leading him to the kitchen. "I can't wait for our internships to start up again."

"Midoriya!" Yaoyorozu gasped, clutching her hands at her chest, "you look so handsome." Izuku felt a blush creep across his cheeks. "Oh, thank you."

She sighed wistfully. "The boys around here never dress up. It's so refreshing."

"We wear uniforms every day!" Kirishima complained.

"That doesn't count," Yaoyorozu said, nose turned up at the notion. "It's incomparable to a classic suit."

Kirishima pouted as he looked Izuku over. "Come on man, you're makin' it hard for the rest of us." Yaoyorozu patted him on the chest. "A little effort goes a long way."

"If this is about my crocs again, I won't hear it. They're comfortable."

She cringed and pulled her hand back. "You're hopeless."

"Hey," Mina said, driving a finger into Izuku's side, "did you get my pictures?"

Izuku inched away. "I didn't want to be rude," he muttered. "Plus, the yearbook committee was there taking lots of photos."

"You're terrible at this," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Like, I get it, but I'm still upset."

"Sorry," Izuku said with a small smile.

She relaxed. "Did you at least enjoy yourself?"

"Yeah, Mirko was there. It was good to see her." Izuku looked up as the elevator dinged and the doors opened.

Pretty.

He immediately looked away. "We have ice cream, don't we?"

Mina gasped and followed him into the kitchen. "I saw some, I know it!" She yanked open the freezer door. "Here it is! Who wants some ice cream?"

Izuku happily pulled off the layers of formal wear with an exaggerated sigh. He made sure to hang it all the way he'd picked it up.

After a hot shower, he felt much better. Izuku nearly jumped out of his skin when Bakugo's door opened as he was walking by.

"What the hell are you so jumpy for?" Bakugo asked, making no move to leave his room.

Izuku forced himself to relax. "Just didn't expect you to open your door."

"You couldn't tell I was coming?" He gestured to Izuku's head.

"I haven't been using my quirk," Izuku said, brushing his fingers through his damp hair. "Besides, I don't use it like that."

Bakugo's nose scrunched up. "Why not?"

Izuku gave him an incredulous look. "Feels invasive."

"Huh." Bakugo narrowed his eyes as he considered Izuku. "Whatever, nerd." He went back into his room, leaving the door open. Just as Izuku was about to ask if he meant to leave it open, Bakugo return. "Are you coming or not, Deku?"

Izuku blinked back as he tried to figure out a reply.

"You're gonna end up here anyway," Bakugo muttered, turning back again with a shrug.

Izuku looked up and down the empty hallway before he pushed the door open enough to enter and quickly closed it behind him. "You don't have to do this, Kacchan."

Bakugo leaned around the door of his closet to glare at Izuku. "You think I'd do something if I didn't want to?"

"Well. . .no," Izuku said.

"Exactly. So, shut the fuck up."

Izuku watched a shirt fly across the room and hit the rim of the laundry basket.

Bakugo leaned back again, this time with a mischievous look in his eyes that made Izuku's blood uncomfortably hot. "Right," he said with a smirk, "you get all weird when I'm nice to you."

"You can't blame me," Izuku said stiffly, feeling a flush crawl up his neck. "You aren't really known for being nice."

"I'm a ray of fucking sunshine, asshole."

"No," Izuku said, stepping further into the room, "Kiri is a ray of sunshine." He looked Bakugo up and down. "You're more of an irritating sunburn."

"When the fuck did you get an attitude?" Bakugo scoffed, looking actually offended. His eyes narrowed. "No, first-year you definitely had a snippy attitude. You just hide it."

Izuku felt the blush reach his face. "I-I told you I was frustrated and angry at you."

"Uh-huh," Bakugo taunted, the smirk growing to a crooked grin. "I was kinda impressed that you had the balls to tell me to fuck off."

"I didn't say that!" Izuku said, his voice going an octave high. Bakugo shrugged. "More or less."

"Whatever," Izuku grumbled and flipped the lights off. He could just barely make out the outline of Bakugo from the light coming through the balcony door.

Izuku hurried across the room and got under the covers before his mind could spiral into further anxiety. His memories from slipping were spotty at best. He remembered bits and pieces. It'd all come back slowly, but he wondered how much he'd forgotten. He tried not to think about it too much. The last thing he wanted was to become obsessive like he had with the fire and Dabi.

He sighed heavily into his pillow.

Izuku felt the mattress dip and he moved a few inches closer to the wall. It was nice knowing that Bakugo occupied the open space. It felt like there was a barrier between him and the rest of the room.

That had been the hardest part of adjusting to sleeping in a bed while also being alone. He'd grown up in a shared room with six to ten other boys. There were always a lot of noises, whether someone breathing or turning over. The silence had kept Izuku up at night, which led to Hatsume fixing up

the TV for him so he could leave it on for white noise.

Even after he'd adjusted to the silence, Izuku still woke up as the feeling of someone approaching his bed startled him from his dreams. His room would be empty each time, but the feeling still lingered. He wasn't sure he'd ever forget the feeling of being dragged out of bed in the middle of the night.

He shivered just thinking about it and pulled the blanket around him tighter, trying to sleep.

Izuku jerked awake as a ball of blue fire reached him. "Shit," he hissed, turning his face into the pillow. He gritted his teeth as he felt tears of frustration line his eyes. "Why won't they stop?"

"Dreams are bitches," Bakugo murmured as he rolled over to face Izuku.

Izuku settled down and breathed deep in an attempt to steady out his heartbeat. "Sorry."

"You apologize too fucking much, Deku," Bakugo said, the words slurring together slightly. "Dabi?"

"Yeah," Izuku sighed, rubbing a hand across his face. He was just happy he didn't feel himself burning before he woke up.

Bakugo made a sound caught between a groan and hum as he pushed himself up and moved over closer to Izuku. He let out a huff as he laid back down and tossed an arm across Izuku's chest. "You're fine, Deku."

"I'm fine," Izuku muttered, eyes growing heavy.

After that night, Izuku noticed a change in Bakugo. He wasn't sure what to make of it. At first, he thought it was just Bakugo being nice as a roundabout way of teasing him, but as the days passed, Izuku wasn't sure if that true. At least, anymore.

Not much had changed, really. Bakugo was still his usual self when they were around their classmates. It was in those late-night conversations when one of them woke up from a nightmare and the other asked sleepy questions that the changes began to show.

Izuku found that it helped a lot to talk about the dreams, more so than writing them down. Something about Bakugo insulting Dabi or the lack of creativity with the repetitive ones was soothing. It made them feel less real. He'd slowly shifted from waking up on the verge of a panic attack to a single gasp of air if he woke up at all. There had been a few nights where the nightmare had blended into other dreams, and he didn't wake up at all.

He rarely heard Bakugo wake from his nightmares. Izuku would open his eyes at some point in the night and find Bakugo's arms wrapped around him and holding him close. Bakugo was a little less forthcoming when talking about his nightmares.

Izuku wondered if he still had some guilt about what happened in middle school given how often he said the dreams were about Izuku falling. Izuku tried not to think about how Bakugo had raced up the emergency stairs when Jirou said she heard someone on the roof. Or how scared Bakugo sounded when he told Izuku he was always late in his dreams. Izuku was glad for the dark, he wasn't sure how he'd handle seeing that fear on Bakugo's features.

Maybe it was because he was only half awake, but Bakugo sounded almost vulnerable to Izuku. The usual gruffness was replaced by a tired murmur as he talked. Izuku loved the raspy roll to his

voice when he got annoyed by something. He liked when Bakugo pulled him close.

It didn't seem to matter if Izuku started off sleeping on the edge of the bed pressed up against the wall, without fail he ended up next to Bakugo. The first time that happened he'd tried to move away, but Bakugo just pulled him back with a grumble of something that suspiciously sounded like, "Move again and I'll kick your ass, damn nerd." He just accepted his fate after that.

Izuku didn't really mind. He liked how warm Bakugo was, and he liked the feeling of their skin touching.

He liked a lot of things about Bakugo, and he wasn't sure what to do with that.

Sometimes Izuku would question why he felt safe with Bakugo. Usually late at night after waking up from a nightmare and subsequently finding himself tucked in Bakugo's arms. It wasn't a new feeling. Izuku knew that when they were kids he followed Bakugo around because he felt safe and comfortable around him.

Bakugo was there when Izuku needed him. More than once. So, he wasn't surprised that he felt safe with Bakugo.

No, the problem was that he liked being close to Bakugo. He was starting to get used to it. That wasn't a new feeling either. He liked being near Bakugo, ever since they were kids, he's Kacchan after all, but. . .Izuku knew that wanting to put his hands on Bakugo probably meant something more.

But he had no idea what laid at the end of that fleeting feeling that kept pestering him, so he left it.

Izuku found himself in Bakugo's room often. Even though he was fully recovered from the memories of All For One, Izuku could tell Bakugo was still worried about him, so he tried to stay close. He began to notice that the closeness at night started seeping into the day. Touches that lingered longer than they needed to, a weight on his shoulder that he was getting used to when Bakugo rested his head there to look at his homework, sitting close enough that their arms brushed.

So, Izuku got curious.

He started pushing Bakugo, trying to figure out where the new boundary laid. But it didn't seem to matter if Izuku hugged Bakugo from behind or tried to pick him up—which he did earn a smack for—or if he put on one of Bakugo hoodies lying around or if he leaned his entire weight on Bakugo, the limit did not seem to exist.

Which only left Izuku with more confusion than he'd started with.

Even while he complained, Bakugo would pull Izuku back if he tried to move away. Izuku had almost become used to Bakugo putting a hand in his hair with a grumble that Mina was right about it being soft.

Izuku spent most of the afternoon in Bakugo's room, either trying to be a nuisance or doing homework. Sometimes both. Usually both.

Izuku scowled down at his laptop and the blinking cursor. The words would not go. He glanced at Bakugo beside him and his hands swiftly flying across the keyboard with jealously.

Another thing he'd learned about Bakugo was that he was studious. But he also figured out why Bakugo did most of his homework in his room alone. He wore glasses. Izuku vaguely remembered his dad wearing them. When Izuku had seen him wearing them the first time, Bakugo had

threatened his life with a creative use of a spoon if he told anyone, but that hadn't stopped Izuku from saying they were cute.

He'd narrowly dodged a book aimed at his head.

Izuku shifted over so that he was leaned up against Bakugo's right side and rested his head back on his shoulder. "I can't do this," he groaned, rolling his head over to look at Bakugo's computer screen. He couldn't even read half of it. "How are you so good at this?"

"It's not like it's hard," Bakugo said, fingers stretching to hit the right keys.

Izuku looked back at his paper and the measly two paragraphs he'd managed. "Do I even want to know what you're writing about?"

Bakugo smirked down at his screen as he said, "American tanks."

"Why am I not surprised?" Izuku rolled his eyes. "I'm writing about dogs, Kacchan. Dogs."

Bakugo leaned forward to read what Izuku had written. "How did you manage to use three tenses in a single sentence?"

"What?" Izuku pulled the screen closer and reread his essay. He dropped his head back with another groan. "I'm going to fail."

"Your dad is literally the teacher," Bakugo said plainly as he went back to typing, "you're not going to fail."

Izuku felt his face smolder but didn't argue. "I hate English."

"Don't let him hear you say that," Bakugo warned. "You might actually fail then."

"Don't remind me," Izuku sighed. "What else can I say about dogs?"

Bakugo shrugged, or as much as he could with Izuku using half of him as a backrest. "Aren't they cute or some shit?"

"I've already talked about that." Izuku frowned at his paper, fingers tapping on the mouse pad as he thought. "I've never had a dog; I don't know what they do."

Bakugo gave him a deadpan look. "Why would you choose your topic on something you know nothing about, dumbass?"

Izuku soured. "I've only got a handful of words to work with here, Kacchan." He poised his fingers over the keys, determined to see the idea through if only to spite Bakugo. "What if I take the dog to a restaurant? They have dog-friendly restaurants, right?"

Bakugo stared at him as if he couldn't quite comprehend the words coming out of Izuku's mouth. Izuku wasn't sure if he'd ever get used to the sound of Bakugo laughing even if it had started becoming a normal occurrence. The fit of laugher trickled off to a lazy grin. "You're a cute dumbass."

Izuku glared at him. "What part of 'I don't understand English for shit' did you not understand?" He turned around when Bakugo rolled his eyes. "What did you say?"

"Learn some English and find out," Bakugo said with a shrug. After a few minutes, he gave Izuku a pointed look. "I can't type like this, Deku."

Izuku looked down at his arm squished against his side and reaching at a funny angle to his computer. "Tell me what you said."

"No."

Izuku huffed before moving to sit against the wall. He stretched his legs out over Bakugo's. He managed another paragraph before he gave up.

Part of pushing the boundaries with Bakugo was finding all the things hidden in his room. Izuku had found the guitar tucked away in the corner of his closet. There was a picture of his parents half covered by a stack of books on his desk. While searching for a pencil, Izuku found a picture of them as kids in a drawer. He didn't know a picture had ever been taken.

Bakugo had tried to snatch it from his hands, but Izuku easily avoided him, eyes locked on himself as a kid. Something he'd never seen before. Izuku scanned his younger face, trying to memorize the curious expression as he looked at the action figures Bakugo had set out.

Izuku also found that Bakugo had a plethora of blankets with the excuse that he hated being cold. He kept a collection of All Might action figures on his bookshelf. Only his favorite ones apparently, the rest were packed up at his house. It was pursuing those that Izuku found the true gem of Bakugo's room.

He'd hardly been able to believe his eyes as he read the titles of the manga lined up neatly. Izuku carefully pulled the first edition out, keeping his movement discrete so that Bakugo didn't notice he was snooping.

Izuku cleared his throat, unable to help himself. "I watched this with Hatsume," he said casually, leafing through the manga. "Haven't read the manga yet, though." He grinned over his shoulder finding Bakugo almost pale as he stared back, eyes darting between Izuku's face and the book in his hands. "Didn't think these were your speed," Izuku mused, looking back at the bookshelf. "You're just full of surprises, Kacchan."

Izuku ducked out of a grab, a wide grin plastered to his face as he evaded a raging Bakugo. "So, is this something you've always been into or. . .?"

"Shut up, Deku," Bakugo ground out, smoke curling from his fists clenched at his sides.

Izuku flipped through the manga again. "I'm just curious. I've never read romance manga. It's cute."

"Don't call it cute, you little shit!"

Izuku twisted out of his grasp. "It's romance, Kacchan. It's inherently cute." He stepped up on the bed, getting a little worried when his escape routes narrowed as Bakugo closed in. Izuku flipped open to a page with a full panel of the main girl and showed it to him. "See, Tohru is adorable. Look at how they draw the animal forms. That's cute, Kacchan."

Bakugo pulled at his hair as he muttered to himself. "Fine. It's fucking cute, now give it back."

Izuku hated how his chest got tight whenever that blush returned to Bakugo's cheeks. He approached Bakugo tentatively, the book stretched out as far as he could reach. Bakugo snatched the book back.

"Finish your damn essay, Deku."

Izuku flopped down on the mattress with a pout. He pulled the laptop back into his lap. "I still need three hundred words," Izuku muttered, taping out letters and hoping ideas would come.

"You really are hopeless," Bakugo said coming to sit beside him.

After some help from Bakugo, Izuku finished the essay and stood. "Are you done yet?" Izuku asked, looking over his shoulder at Bakugo.

Bakugo pulled off the glasses and tossed them on his pillow. "Yeah," he said as he looked at his phone. "Still have a while before dinner."

Izuku twisted his fingers together as he rolled the question over in his head. "You could play the guitar," Izuku said, looking back at Bakugo hesitantly. "You know like you sometimes do in the mornings?"

"You heard that?" Bakugo asked, his hands curling into his sheets. Izuku nodded. "It's nice, but you haven't played in a while."

"How long?"

Izuku took a step back as Bakugo got up off the bed. "The whole time?" Bakugo stopped in his tracks. "What the fuck, Deku?"

"What?" Izuku gestured to the wall connecting their rooms. "I live right there. I bet Kiri can hear you, too."

"Kiri's dead to the world until seven," Bakugo said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Izuku raised an unimpressed brow. "We get up at the same time for a run, Kacchan. You really thought I wouldn't hear you playing for an hour before?"

Bakugo sunk into his shoulder.

"It's the song your mom sang, right?" Izuku asked quietly, hoping to draw Bakugo back out of himself.

Bakugo relaxed slightly. "You tell anyone, and I'll kick your ass."

Izuku rolled his eyes and walked over to his backpack to pull out one of his notebooks. He flipped to a page covered in tally marks and added another before showing Bakugo the page. "You're really bad at following through on your threats, Kacchan," Izuku said. "So, since you're not going to kick my ass, can you play the guitar?"

"Fine," Bakugo bit out after a few speechless seconds. He walked over to his closet and pulled the instrument out from where it was hidden. He sat on the edge of his bed. "One song. That's it."

Izuku sat down beside him. "Ok," he muttered, watching curiously as Bakugo's hands twisted the nobs while he plucked at the strings. "What are you doing?"

"Tuning it," he said. "Or it'll sound like shit."

"Oh," Izuku murmured, leaning closer to him. "Sounds great to me." The corner of his mouth turned up. "Only because you're a noob."

Izuku was about to argue, but Bakugo started playing so he propped his head up on Bakugo's shoulder as he listened. It didn't take long for Bakugo to relax and Izuku saw that small smile he'd caught a glimpse of when he played with Eri.

As the last notes trailed off, Bakugo looked at Izuku expectantly. "Happy?" he asked with a teasing smirk.

Izuku leaned away. "Yep." He stood, swinging his backpack onto his shoulder. "Should probably start dinner, right?"

Bakugo laid the guitar down and followed him. "Yeah, can't let the extra's starve." Izuku rolled his eyes but could help but smile. "And you call me ridiculous."