Izuku Midoriya was in a predicament.
Because of his quick dash from the dorms to the classroom that morning, he had forgotten to pack his umbrella, even though he had plenty of time to do so the night before, especially with the continuous weather alerts going off. Now he was staring dumbly at the harsh downpour, unable to leave and cursing his rotten luck.
To add insult to injury, he was finally able to go home for the weekend, meaning his mother was probably waiting for him by their front door. It had already been thirty minutes past when he should have arrived, and if anything, Izuku was usually punctual. Which means she was either starting to worry, or already beginning to freak out.
He weighed his options. He could wait in the building until the rain cleared, but he wasn't sure how long it was supposed to last, and the last thing he needed was to explain to a teacher about his blunder. Or, he could chance it and run home, which could cause him to get sick, which could cause him to have to miss training, which would disappoint All Might if he found out the truth of why...
Izuku slapped his cheeks harshly, clearing his thoughts. He really had to stop overthinking these things so much. He began pacing in the corridor, oblivious to his muttering as he tried to form a plan, and ignoring the curious glances of some of the students who were starting to leave. After a while he gave up and leaned his forehead against the cool metal of a locker.
'This day couldn't possibly get any worse.'
"DEKU!"
Well, screw him then.
Izuku flinched at the angry look on Katsuki's face, the other boy looking as angry as usual. Izuku waved slightly, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible so not to set off the blonde.
"Oh, hey, Kacchan-"
"Shut up!" He snapped, and Izuku immediately closed his mouth, but internally sighed. He really didn't want to deal with this right now. He just wanted to go home, was that too much to ask?
"I didn't ask you to talk to me. What are you still doing here? Aren't you going to your mom's? Are you doing some kind of secret training later?"
Secretly training? The blonde's paranoia of Izuku surpassing him was beginning to become worrisome. When he didn't answer right away, Katsuki took a threatening step forward, causing Izuku to take a step back. "Looking down on me, Deku?"
"No! I'm just trying to get home, Kacchan. Can you please just leave me alone?" Izuku was way too tired and emotionally exhausted for this shit. It took every ounce of willpower not to punch Katsuki in the face.
Katsuki stuffed his hands in his pockets, seemingly scrutinizing Izuku, who squirmed uneasily under his glare.
'Enjoying the view?' Izuku thought bitterly. Which, of course, he didn't say out loud in fear of sounding like he was flirting with Kacchan. Which he would never do. Even if he did have the biggest crush on Katsuki, hypothetically of course, he knew his feelings wouldn't be returned and saved himself the embarrassment.
"Oi, are you listening to me, you bastard?" Katsuki snapped his fingers in front of Izuku's face snapping him out of his daydreaming. "If you're so worried about getting home, why are you still standing here like an idiot. Did you forget how to walk?"
Pointedly ignoring the jab at his intelligence, Izuku rolled his eyes and began to walk away, not even dignifying the insult with an answer. But before he could even get a couple of steps, Katsuki grabbed him by his arm harshly and pushed him against a locker.
His mouth twisted into a bemused smirk as he leaned in close to Izuku's face, so their noses almost touching. "Did you forget your umbrella, Deku?"
Izuku's face flushed out of embarrassment, but mostly due to the fact Katsuki was close enough for him to kiss him if he wanted. He adverted his eyes, trying not to stare into the beautiful eyes he often fantasized about. He wondered how soft Kacchan's lips were.
Katsuki took the action as an affirmation, and let him go, almost doubling over in laughter. "Are you kidding me right now?! How idiotic can you get?" he wheezed. Izuku flushed even brighter, this time from anger.
His earlier fantasies of kissing the other boy were now turning into thoughts of slapping the smug look off his face.
Smirking, Katsuki pulled out his own umbrella, waving it tauntingly. "And don't think I'm sharing mine with you, nerd. I'm going to walk next to you the whole way and watch as you slowly drown."
What a drama queen. A little rain wasn't going to drown him. Though he wouldn't put it past Katsuki to find the deepest puddle and hold his head underneath it. Ugh, what did he see in this guy again?
Oh right, he had a list of every single reason taped to his wall.
Glaring at the ground, Izuku crossed his arms with a pout. "I wouldn't want to share your stupid umbrella with you anyway," he muttered. He was acting like a little kid, but he didn't care. As much as he wanted Katsuki to care enough about him to share, the little pride he had left overshadowed begging for help.
Katsuki literally bristled, apparently not happy with the response he was given. "Ha? Think you're too good, don't you?" He was now waving the umbrella at Izuku in a threatening manner. "You're going to share this umbrella with me, or else!"
"Nope," Izuku said, popping the 'p', quite enjoying the way Katsuki looked ready to combust with rage at his stubbornness.
In one quick motion, Katsuki pulled Izuku outside and opened the umbrella, keeping a tight grip on his shoulder so he couldn't get away, mostly dragging the other boy as he protested. Finally, Izuku decided to give up and walked beside Katsuki, though he refused to initiate a conversation.
It would have been quite romantic if the whole situation wasn't against his will.
Katsuki looked smug; his steps energetic compared to Izuku dragging his own feet. "You thought you were too good for my umbrella, but now you have no choice but to walk underneath it," he said triumphantly. Izuku gave him a funny look but chose not to comment on the ridiculous claim.
"Um, okay…"
The two continued to walk in awkward silence. Katsuki was the first one to break it. "I was gonna share it with you anyway."
Izuku's head snapped up in surprise, and he was pretty sure there was a small blush on Katsuki's face. "But you said..."
"I know what I said!" Katsuki snapped, "But if you got sick, Auntie will be worried." Definitely blushing now, Katsuki quickly added, "It's not because I care! You could literally die right now, and I wouldn't blink an eye!"
Izuku avoided eye contact, so not to give his smile away. Maybe, just maybe Kacchan cared about him in his own way. Not that he would ever admit to it, of course, but Izuku knew him well enough to know when he meant well.
And, well, this was as nice as he could get from Kacchan. It felt...good. Even if he would never have all his love, he was content with this. Little moments add up, and Izuku would definitely remember this. It was a big step towards mending their friendship.
Friends, nothing more. But Izuku was okay with that. At least he was able to walk side by side with Katsuki again.
Katsuki glanced down at the other boy, scowling at his expression. "Oi, what are you smiling about? Wait, are-are you crying?!"
Izuku laughed and wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "No, just some rain got in my eyes. Kacchan, just…thank you," he smiled at Katsuki. "For everything."
Neither of them said anything when Katsuki linked their fingers together, nor did Izuku pull away or mention the small smile that graced the other boy's lips.