The day Izuku discovered he had been kicked from the dance squad, his first instinct was to think about Eri and his promise to her. Fortunately, it wasn't something he had to worry about for long since he could still dance, but for a brief time, so the promise with Eri wasn't completely void.
The next thing he thought was how he would spill the beans to Nejire Hado. It was easier to respond to someone who was always asking him questions and initiating conversations, but things fell apart when he had to be the one to start it.
Unless it was about quirks. But this news wasn't about quirks.
It wasn't a simple task to text a beautiful girl like her, but he was hoping it would get easier as time went on. And if it didn't, well, one could hope.
Izuku paced around his room, employing every brain cell to think of something. If he texted something first, would she come flying to his room again since they hadn't seen each other in a while because of their busy schedules?
Izuku collapsed on his bed in exhaustion after he sent the message to her, estimating there was nothing to lose other than being graced by Nejire Hado's presence. And if something embarrassing happened, at least there wasn't anyone around to rub salt in the wound.
As Izuku predicted, Nejire came flying to his room outside the balcony. The expected knock echoed throughout his room, alerting him to her arrival.
Izuku pulled the curtains and opened the door to allow Nejire into his room, where she sat on his bed with impatience. "I have to say, I'm worried about how quickly you come to my room when I give you updates... And I feel bad because I feel like I'm forcing you to come over every time."
"Nah, you're fine! I just want to see my favorite person in the world! And pat you on the head. Feels like you're gatekeeping me from your cat ears, don't you think~?" Nejire asked, her smile brimming with mirth.
"Er, they are connected to my body after all..." Izuku said, sitting next to her without an invitation.
Nejire laughed. "Right, so that would mean I need to ask for permission to touch your cat ears. I wouldn't want to cross boundaries on you like that. And every time I reached for your head, it seemed like you didn't want it."
Izuku laughed but teetered off as nervousness took hold of him. "Right, right... B-But I'm not opposed to it…"
Silence flowed into their conversation. An awkward silence.
Izuku glanced at her several times, but every time he did, their eyes met. Then her eyes focused on the top of his head. Despite the time Nejire said she would still find him adorable with no cat features, her behavior seemed to tell him otherwise.
If the cat ears disappeared, would they still have conversations like this?
Izuku shook his head, unwilling to lean toward that theory. He was here now, and he was enjoying the conversations he was having with her. That was enough, wasn't it?
However, Izuku didn't know if he could expel the lingering thoughts of it. It was going to be difficult and maybe a question saved for the future.
For now, the way Nejire stared at his cat ears couldn't be saved for the future, so Izuku let her indulge.
"Hey, Nejire... You can touch my cat ears."
"Oh, wow! Really?" Nejire asked. "I don't know what I did to deserve this! Thank you!"
"I mean, you kept staring at my cat ears..."
Nejire bumped into his shoulder playfully. "That was a joke with a hint of sarcasm."
"I-It was? Sorry, my mind seems to be too busy to understand them... Heh."
Nejire giggled and then hummed to herself in satisfaction as she reached to touch his cat ears. The way her warm fingers nipped at his cat ears and rubbed them sent shivers of joy down Izuku's spine. It never got old no matter who touched it. However, the feeling was more prevalent with the opposite gender.
"Anyway, so what was the update you wanted to tell me about for the live concert you guys are performing? Is it something bad? Is it going to enhance or ruin the performance?" Nejire asked, going through her usual barrage of questions before waiting for his answer.
"It's... It's nothing too bad. Today, I received word they kicked me from the dance squad to assist the stage crew. I still get to dance but for a very short time. I knew I had to tell you about it since you wanted to know all the details."
"That's a major update! So, what is your role for the stage crew?"
"Since nobody is strong enough to hold Aoyama up as the disco ball across the dance floor, I have to be the one to do it. I'm going to be running across the steel support beams on the ceiling to do it."
"That sounds fun! I wish I got to do something like that in my first year! Instead, I joined the beauty pageant in my first year and every year has been the same after that, so I've never really had the chance to collaborate with my classmates to do something grand like that… But I think the beauty pageant is something I like to do because everyone supports me and wants me to do my best there, so it felt right to go there for my second and third year. But when that recording comes out of your live concert, let's watch it together in your room! Got it?"
"O-Okay..." Izuku said.
"Anyway, I don't know why I rushed over here when I could have texted you! I just really missed you, I guess~."
"M-Missed me?" Izuku asked with a blush.
"Yup, that's the reaction I wanted, hehe. Anyway, I'll catch you later, okay? And thanks for the update!"
Izuku was about to wave his hands at her when she spun around to face him. A hint of panic rippled through his body, but he patiently waited for her to dig something out of her pocket.
"Wait, before I go... I want you to have this special thing I made specifically for you. I figured I could put my hobby of knitting to good use by making you something that'll help you during the colder months." Nejire said.
Nejire held the object up, presenting a weird shape to him.
Izuku looked at it with a blank expression. "Is that a hat for my cat ears?"
"No, it's a hat that also accommodates your cat ears by giving them their own room! So it's a combo! Think about it. Wouldn't it be cold if you had your cat ears exposed? And doesn't it get uncomfortable when you put on a regular hat because your cat ears get squished? So this is where a custom-made hat can serve you best! Ta-da!"
Izuku accepted it and stared at it for several seconds. When he looked at Nejire, Izuku found it hard to say no. After all, she had created it with his convenience in mind.
"Thanks… I didn't expect this, but I'll use it when the time comes."
"No need to thank me! I enjoy knitting in my free time, but it feels good to see the smiles of others when you create something for them. Wear it! I want to see if I made it too big or too small for you."
Embarrassed, Izuku almost declined her, but her enthusiastic anticipation changed his mind. Izuku unfurled the winter hat and studied it from his perspective. The winter hat had two pointy cones on top for his cat ears, and a scarf attached at the bottom for his neck.
As Izuku wore it, Nejire helped him with the scarf by wrapping it comfortably around his neck. Izuku watched in surprise but accepted her help with his heart beating just a little quicker. While he patiently waited for her to finish, he couldn't help but feel a gentle and cozy sensation spreading around the back of his head.
Nejire stepped back and examined him once she was done.
"How do I look?" Izuku asked.
"Well, I'm biased, but I think you look great! And so cute! How about you? How does it feel? Too tight? Too loose?"
"I think it fits perfectly. It feels nice too."
"Whew… That's good to hear. Then… Does that mean I can touch your cat ears as a reward whenever I want?"
"Uh, sure?"
Nejire giggled and shook her head. "I jest, but I'm glad I guesstimated your size correctly. If your cat ears stay for longer, get ready for an influx of more hats because now I want to make more!"
"I think one is fine."
"You don't have a choice in this because I'm going to make you so many cute designs! And this will be good practice to improve my knitting skills!" Nejire exclaimed, pulling her phone to take a picture of him. "Hey, hey! Izuku, over here!"
"Huh?"
Izuku didn't have time to process what happened next as Nejire took a picture of him. Nejire paused, processing the photo she captured before revealing it to him.
"I'm going to make this my wallpaper," Nejire stated.
"Um, please don't."
"Too late~!" Nejire sang with a smile.
Izuku observed her smiling while she stared at the photo again. He found it difficult to stop her. Especially with a smile like hers.
"Anyway, I'll be going. And when I come back, I'll be back with another hat. Mark my words! Your cat ears will never know what it means to be cold!" Nejire exclaimed.
Nejire waved her hand and flew off into the distance.
Izuku returned the wave and watched her fly in the direction where the Class 3-A dorms were. Once she disappeared from view, Izuku adjusted the hat to his liking before he found two strings dangling from either side of his face. Izuku's vision focused on the strings.
The urge to bat them was undeniable.
"Uh oh..."
As the live concert practices and personal training lessons with All Might flew by, the days blended into happier moments. It was nice to experience the joys of life after all he had gone through in recent times. But at some point, the other shoe had to drop.
Not in a horrifying way, but in a he-didn't-want-to-meet-Bakugo-alone way.
It happened one Saturday afternoon while they were practicing and had split for a brief lunch break. They were going to reconvene at a later time once they satisfied their rumbling, empty stomachs.
With a bowl of his favorite food from the cafeteria, Izuku walked back to the dorm to sit on the staircase while the others ate at the cafeteria. When he heard a pair of footsteps making their way to his location, he groaned inwardly. At first, he thought it was one of the girls from his class coming over to pat his head, but the moment he made eye contact with the newcomer, his body stopped functioning.
"K-Kacchan?"
Bakugo didn't answer as he sat on the opposite side of the stairs. His presence alone made Izuku feel like he had to sprint. Like a predator hunting him. And he was the prey.
The silence only made it worse. And he didn't want to say something to incur his wrath further. Izuku stood from his seat and was about to escape when he heard Bakugo telling him to stop.
Izuku's eyes darted around the area, searching for an escape before he turned to face Bakugo. "D-Don't kill me. I know these cat ears are cute according to everybody, but not everyone had to agree! I-I know you don't agree, but that's fine! You see-"
"Ah, shut up! Who said anything about your damn cat ears? Do you think I came all the way over here to talk about your cat ears? Sit down, I have a question to ask."
Izuku averted Bakugo's gaze, his cat ears following suit by slumping downwards. Izuku sat down in his original spot with dread at what was about to unfold. In the awkward silence that followed, Izuku's cat ears trembled from side to side in anticipation.
His favorite bowl of katsudon didn't seem appetizing anymore.
"Your cat ears look stupid, you know that? Where the hell did you get them? A thrift store that sells cheap costumes?"
Izuku glanced at Bakugo in bewilderment. "W-What? Who starts a conversation like that? And didn't you say you would not talk about my cat ears?"
"Just answer the damn questions, nerd!" Bakugo said, his expression darkening as a crackle of explosions threatened Izuku's life.
Izuku panicked, his ears shot straight up in alarm at the threat he received. He didn't know what to say. Bakugo said it wasn't about the cat ears and suddenly, it was about the cat ears. It made little sense, didn't it?
"Look, Kacchan. These cat ears aren't that important and you already heard the story inside the classroom while everyone was there. I am the victim here, okay?" Izuku said.
He was trying to earn some pity points, but it didn't seem like Bakugo understood. In fact, he looked angrier than usual. And Izuku didn't know how to handle it. No matter what he said, Bakugo was going to hate him for something, wasn't he?
"You're pathetic, Deku. Do you think I don't know that you're talking to Nejire Hado? The boy's side of the dorm literally faces the same way she flies over to enter your damn room, ya stupid dork!" Bakugo shouted, walking to Izuku's location. "I bet all of Class 1-A knows that you're dating her at this point!"
"D-Dating her? Bakugo, you have it all twisted! I just talk to her! That's it!" Izuku protested.
Bakugo was switching subjects like crazy. That wasn't a good sign.
Izuku backed away but found himself unable to phase past the railing. As a result, Izuku stopped talking and squeezed his eyes shut while his cat ears dropped flat on his head. At this point, Izuku was just hoping for the best.
Bakugo stopped, his expression twisting into perplexity as he stared at the cat ears. A moment passed by until Bakugo reached over and tugged on them. And not a gentle tug like the others who touched it. Bakugo pulled on them, threatening to rip them from the top of Izuku's head.
"Ow, ow, ow! Kacchan! They're real! I told you! Stop pulling on them like that!" Izuku exclaimed, a note of panic shining through his yelp.
But Bakugo didn't stop. Instead, he tugged them one way and then the other way, forcing Izuku to follow him. Despite all the protests and reasons Izuku tried to make, Bakugo didn't listen. Instead, he frowned and rubbed them to double-check his doubts.
"Damn, they really are real..." Bakugo mumbled.
"Midoriya Protection Squad is here! Let him go, fiend!" Ashido shouted.
The two boys froze as they both made eye contact with the girls of Class 1-A. Ashido winked at Izuku and pointed a finger at Bakugo. Despite the awkward introduction, it was a relief to see the six of them come to his rescue. And none of them seemed too happy with Bakugo yanking on his cat ears.
Seizing the opportunity created by the distraction, Izuku slipped out of Bakugo's clutches and stumbled towards the girls, seeking their protection. They accommodated his entry. As he successfully integrated himself into the group, he stuck his head out from behind the back of Yaoyorozu to look at Bakugo from a safe distance.
"What are you trying to do to him, hmm?" Ashido asked. "You thought the Midoriya Protection Squad takes a break? We work twenty-four-seven to protect our cute kitten!"
"Kitten?" Izuku echoed.
Bakugo glared at them and then at Izuku with the most venomous stare he had ever seen. Bakugo shoved his hands in his pocket and turned his back on them. "What the hell is a Midoriya Protection Squad? Whatever, I don't care enough to learn the stupid answer to that. The cat ears don't make him cuter. You guys are just brain-dead."
"Which means you actually like them, right? Otherwise, you wouldn't state something you hate so obviously!" Ashido pointed out.
"How the hell did you conclude that!?" Bakugo roared, his hands sizzling with pops and crackles.
"Perhaps this group should be renamed to something akin to Protect-Midoriya-from-Bakugo-only squad..." Yaoyorozu noted.
"But that doesn't roll off the tongue, does it?" Jiro asked. "PMFBOS sounds odd."
"Yeah, that sounds like a troublesome acronym to say," Uraraka said.
"We should ask Midoriya what he wants the group to be renamed to. Kero." Asui commented.
The girls of Class 1-A stared at him, except for Ashido. The voice of Bakugo's shouts rambled on in the background as he dealt with the preposterous accusations from Ashido, but it wasn't enough to drown out the stares of the girls for Izuku.
But there was only one question on Izuku's mind. "Uh, what did Ashido mean by kitten?" Izuku asked.
Author's Note: It got cold so quickly where I'm living. In just one night, the average temperature dropped by like 8 degrees.
I hope you guys are doing fine wherever you're reading from! Don't get sick, friends! And take care of yourself!
Also, I hope you enjoyed this week's chapter, especially Bakugo messing around with Izuku!
With love from your favorite writer, Out4Lunch!