Izuku felt like he was going to rattle out of his skin. He had been nervous since he'd woken up this morning, and yet still he had avoided calling Katsuki over to his dorm room until around lunch time. He had to force himself to work on a bit of his homework while he waited for Katsuki's class to get out before he came to Izuku's dorm room around one o'clock in the afternoon. He had asked Izuku if he wanted to get lunch together, but Izuku lied and said he'd eaten already. He knew that he wouldn't be able to keep himself calm through lunch, and that Kacchan probably wouldn't be sticking around for long after his revelation.

Finally, one o'clock rolled around, and soon enough there was a knock on Izuku's door. He shot up from his desk chair like his ass was on fire and raced to the door, ripping it open. Katsuki took a step back from surprise, but a moment later he was smirking. "In a rush?" he asked teasingly. Izuku's heart skipped a beat at the sight of his boyfriend, and just for a moment, all of his worries slipped away from him. He wanted nothing more than to fling himself into Kacchan's arms and drag him over to the bed for a nice, long nap.

But then Kacchan's face changed as he looked Izuku over from head to toe. His face softened into one of worry, and he came into Izuku's room, shutting the door behind him. "You look like fucking hell," he said, cupping Izuku's cheeks. He tilted Izuku's head this way and that, taking in the dark circles underneath his eyes and the hollowness of his cheeks. "What's wrong baby?"

And just like that, the tears were back. Izuku felt them fill his eyes, and in a desperate attempt to hide them, he pressed his face against Katsuki's chest. Katsuki immediately wrapped his arms around Izuku's body, hugging him closer than before. "Hey, what's wrong Deku?"

"K-Kacchan," Izuku whimpered, squeezing tighter. "I-I don't know w-what to do!"

Katsuki shuffled them over to Izuku's bed, easing them both down until they were sitting on the edge, still hugging each other. "Deku, whatever's going on... you know I fucking love you or whatever, okay? I'm here."

"I l-love you t-too," Izuku stammered, pulling away from Kacchan and wiping his eyes. "But- but I don't know if you'll still love m-me."

Izuku could practically see the wheels turning in Katsuki's head, a guarded look crossing over his face. Izuku could feel a ball of dread curling in his stomach. The truth was, he knew what he had to do. He'd known since he'd woken up naked the morning of the party.

(x)

Katsuki stared at his boyfriend blankly, unable to comprehend the words he'd just been told. "What?" He asked, not wanting to believe the words he'd just heard.

Izuku looked up at him, his beautiful emerald eyes watery with tears. Katsuki had seen him cry so many times in the seventeen years they'd known each other. Their mothers had been college roommates, and after not speaking for a few years after college, they'd met again by chance in a grocery store when both of their sons were four years old. They'd been best friends ever since, and so had their sons.

Now, Katsuki knew that his and Izuku's relationship hadn't always been rock-solid, he wasn't dense. In middle school, Katsuki had been too wrapped up in himself, thinking he was the greatest and that Izuku was a weakling. He was ashamed to say that he wasn't very nice to him then, and had said some terrible things to him. He'd spent those three years sure that Izuku was looking down at him, that he someone knew about Katsuki's feelings for him. Of course this wasn't the case, and in the middle of their second year of high school, they'd gotten together. Five years of a relationship, and give or take twelve years of friendship despite the rough patch.

And now Deku was saying...

"I- I had sex with someone else," he whispered again, tears rolling down his cheeks. "I cheated on you, Kacchan. I- I'm so, so sorry. It was a mistake, I don't even know how it happened! I love you so much, I don't-"

"Stop," Katsuki said, holding up his hand. He scooted away from Izuku, squeezing his eyes shut so that he wouldn't have to look his boyfriend in the eyes. That teary look in them always managed to break Katsuki down, no matter if they were watching a sad movie, or Izuku had had a bad day. Katsuki would want nothing more than to hold him and tell him everything would be okay if he looked into his eyes, but he just- he couldn't , not now.

He took a deep breath and opened them again, steeling himself against his emotions. "Clearly,

you don't love me if you fucking cheated on me , Deku! I can't believe you would do this! I thought we were happy together!"

"I am happy!" Deku cried, clenching his fists in his pants legs. "I'm so happy with you Kacchan that sometimes I feel like my heart is going to burst! I really don't know how this happened !"

"You don't know how this happened?" Katsuki asked coldly, getting off of the bed. His stomach twisted at the heartbroken look on his boyfriend's- no, on Deku's - face, but he ignored it in favour of storming to the door. "Well, why don't I leave you alone to fucking think about it."

It was the last thing he said before he slammed the door shut behind him. He could hear Deku crying on the other side of the door, but he didn't dare to go back inside. Instead, he made his way toward the staircase that would lead him back to the common room. He didn't feel like taking the elevator.

(x)

Katsuki was still upset when he stomped into his apartment, slamming the door behind him. He ripped his boots off at the door and made his way to the living room, where Kirishima was playing video games on the couch. The redhead glanced at Katsuki as he came in, but did a double take when he caught the furious expression on Katsuki's face. He immediately paused his video game and took his headphones off, letting them rest around his neck. "Kats? What the hell happened?"

Katsuki flopped down on the seat on the other end of the couch, sinking down until his back was practically against the seat cushions. He crossed his arms over his chest, digging his fingernails into his biceps to try and stem his anger. His mind had been racing with everything he and Deku had talked about on the entire way back home. He'd walked rather than took the college shuttle, forty-five minutes instead of twelve. It hadn't worked, either.

"It's Deku," Katsuki ground out. Just saying his name tugged at his heartstrings. "He- he fucking cheated on me."

Kirishima stared at him for a moment. It seemed like even he couldn't comprehend those words. He blinked once, twice, before his mouth finally seemed to work. "Dude, what ? He cheated on you? Midoriya? "

Before Katsuki could reply, a door from down the hall opened. Both boys looked over to the entryway as Sero Hanta and Todoroki Shouto entered the room, holding each other's hands. Both of them looked at Katsuki, and Bakugou could tell from the looks on their faces that they knew. It was like his rage intensified, and he was on his feet before he knew it. He went to Todoroki and stopped inches away, his glare piercing at the other boy like knives. "Did you fucking know?"

Todoroki was as cool and collected as always as he answered. "Yes. He told me last night. I only told Hanta a few hours ago."

Sero nodded quickly. "Dude, I'm so sorry . I never would have thought that Midoriya would do something like that."

And like that, Katsuki deflated. His shoulders slumped and he ducked his head, not wanting his friends to see the heat that was building up behind his eyes. "Yeah. Me fucking either."

"Hold on," Kirishima said, getting off of the couch. "You're really sure Midori-bro cheated? Like, you're sure sure?"

"Yes!" Todoroki and Bakugou snapped in unison, turning to the redhead.

"He told me himself," Todoroki added when Bakugu stayed silent. Kirishima shook his head, still teeming with disbelief.

"I just-" he said, cutting himself off. "I just never thought he would do something like that! I mean, he adores you, Kats! He's just so in love with you, everyone who comes across you guys can see it clear as day! What the hell happened?"

"I don't know," Katsuki admitted, going back to his spot on the couch. He laid across it this time, throwing his arm over his eyes to hide them. "I didn't let him explain, okay?"

"Neither did I," Todoroki said, surprising them all. They looked at him, shocked, and he actually blushed a bit under the attention. "I was pissed, alright? I don't tolerate cheating from anyone , even if they're my best friend."

Katsuki couldn't help but feel oddly touched. He knew it wasn't really about him, and he felt kind of bad that Deku was down one friend during all of this, but still. It was nice to know that someone who didn't even like him that much was on his side.

"That's it," Sero said, patting his pockets until he found his phone. "I'm calling everyone else. You need some support right now."

Katsuki opened his mouth to argue, but with one look from Kirishima, he shut it again. He didn't have the energy to fight right now, and he could admit that he could really use a night of getting wasted with his friends after the revelation he'd had today. He stayed silent while Sero called Ashido and Kaminari, who would no doubt bring their partners, Shinsou and whoever Mina's girl of the month was.

He simply closed his eyes and waited for the cavalry to arrive.

(x)

Izuku was curled on his side, the covers pulled over his head. Kacchan's parting words had been going through his mind since he'd left, demanding that Izuku think about what had happened the night of the party. Like a dog, Izuku had obeyed.

He was beginning to remember more and more of it as the days passed. He remembered laying on the bed while the mystery man slowly stripped his clothes off, and he remembered him whistling under his breath when he saw the lean muscles that Izuku always hid underneath his baggy clothes. It was hard not to be fit when someone had a boyfriend who went to the gym like it was his job, after all. He remembered the mystery man licking filthily over his freckles, and he remembered the foggy, unnatural feeling in his head during it all.

He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling itchiness over every inch of his skin. He'd been scratching at

it for hours now, wishing against hope that he could just get the phantom touch of the mystery man off of him. He'd finally taken a shower, but even boiling hot water and nearly an entire bottle of soap couldn't relieve him of feeling like bugs were crawling underneath his skin. He felt disgusting and used , but he could also see that he deserved to feel like this. He deserved to feel unwanted and dirty and gross ...

Didn't he?

(x)

"Wow," Ashido muttered drunkenly, taking another swig out of the bottle of fireball they'd been passing around. She'd brought some blonde chick with big lips with, Camie something-or-other if Katsuki remembered correctly. He didn't really give a shit what her name was, just cared that she was the one who'd brought the alcohol along with her. "I can't believe Mido did something like that."

"Yeah, you and the rest of us," Shinsou agreed, leaning his head back against the couch. Kaminari was curled up into his side, resting his head on his chest. Katsuki's heart ached whenever he looked at them, because Deku had used to cuddle up to him like that when they were wasted, too. Deku was usually here for "squad hangouts," as an honorary member. His friends had all loved Deku, and Deku loved them right back.

' Stop thinking about him,' Katsuki's mind hissed at himself. He was sitting next to the arm of the couch, and he thunked his head onto it, more than a little tipsy already.

"So, what are you going to do?" Camie asked, seeming the least drunk of them all. He supposed that, since she didn't know Deku, she wasn't as hurt as the rest of them. Because they all were hurt, Katsuki realized as he looked around. His friend's faces were in varying stages of pain when they passed the bottle, and Sero's joint, around the circle. He knew that they would all take his side in the fight, but taking his side would mean the loss of one of their best friends. He knew he shouldn't, but he felt guilty over that.

"What do you mean?" Kaminari questioned, lifting his head a bit to look over at the blonde. She rolled her eyes a bit, but looked them all in the eye as she spoke next, finally landing on Katsuki last.

"I mean ," she said, "That clearly you all love this guy, especially you, Baku. So, is this something you think you can work past, or is it all over? I mean, it sounds like the guy regrets what he did, right?"

"I think so," Todoroki nodded in place of Bakugou. "He looked like shit when Uraraka and I went to see him. He started crying immediately."

"So wait, how did this happen again?" Ashido asked. "I mean, when ?"

"It was at a party a few days ago," Todoroki explained. "At that one frat house... kappa omega

kappa, I think."

"Oh, them ," Ashido said, wrinkling her nose. "Those guys are total pigs! Don't get me wrong,

they throw the best ragers, but seriously ."

"Wait, Camie makes a good point," Sero said, giving his joint to Shinsou. "Bakugou, do you think you and Midoriya can work past this? I mean, you've been together for five years, and haven't you known each other like, your entire lives?"

"I don't know," Katsuki said honestly, letting his eyes slip closed of their own volition. Could he forgive Deku? It hurt like a bitch, thinking about him having sex with some random stranger, but Sero was right. He and Deku had been in each other's orbit for as long as he could remember, and as much as some might call that unhealthy, he'd never wanted it any other way. Deku was like a fixed point in Katsuki's life. He'd always assumed that they would be together until their dying breaths. For fuck's sake, he'd been planning to propose to the nerd after graduation! He didn't have a ring yet, because he'd rather have Deku pick it out himself, but he'd been thinking about spending his life with the guy since a month into their relationship. Like it or not, he loved Deku. He loved him more than he loved anyone or anything else in his life, including himself. But was this really something that he could just... forgive?

"Just to be clear, I'm on your side in all of this," Todoroki said, breaking into Bakugou's thoughts. "But I can't just stop being Midoriya's friend. I'm pissed at him, sure, but... he's helped me with so much in my own life. There's no way I can just abandon him now."

"Yeah, whatever Halfy," Bakugou slurred, opening his eyes. He stared at the popcorn ceiling in contemplation. "I don't give a fuck what you do. I wouldn't want you to abandon Deku, either."

He missed the knowing looks his friends gave each other. He pushed himself off of the couch and stumbled for half a step before he caught himself, his light-headedness catching up to him. "I'm gonna go to fuckin' bed, I have classes tomorrow."

His friends all shouted their goodnights to him as he stumbled down the hall toward his bedroom. Once he was safely encased inside, he stripped off his jeans and collapsed into his sheets. He unintentionally crashed onto Deku's side of the bed- the side that still smelled like him, from the sleepover they'd had six days ago, two days before that god-forsaken party . He inhaled slowly, taking in the mint and coconut scent of the love of his life.

' The love of my life,' he thought dully, wrapping his arms around the pillow before he turned on his side. He rested his nose in the comfort of it, and could almost imagine that it was Deku's curls he was nosing at. Deku always loved it when Katsuki kissed the top of his head, which was easy, considering he was at least a head shorter than him. He fit perfectly in Katsuki's arms, like he was made to be there... like Katsuki was made to hold him.

He fell asleep that night with his heart aching, tears finally falling from his eyes and into the pillow.