it

by lovinfries4

thank

Preface

Reverse
Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at /works/33883045.

Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: Underage Sex Category: M/M Fandom: 僕のヒーローアカデミア Boku no Hero Academia My Hero Academia Relationships: Bakugou Katsuki/Midoriya Izuku, Bakugou Katsuki & Kirishima Eijirou, Midoriya Izuku & Uraraka Ochako Characters: Bakugou Katsuki, Midoriya Izuku, Aizawa Shouta Eraserhead, Kirishima Eijirou, Uraraka Ochako Additional Tags: Bodyswap, Bakugou Katsuki Swears A Lot, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bakugou never gets taken by villains, Timeline What Timeline, Consensual, Masturbation, Slow Burn, Or so I've been told
Language: English
Collections: My Hero Academia, That good bkdk juice, Cosas piolas Stats: Published: 2021-09-14 Completed: 2021-09-30 Words: 34,141 Chapters: 8/8 Reverse

by WakeToSanity

Summary

When some of the students of class 1-A fall victim to a body switching quirk, Bakugou won't like what he has to do to get his body back.

Notes

See the end of the work for notes

Reverse

A scruffy man with a beer belly and sweat-stained, white T-shirt sat across from the detective. He sat straight with legs together and dirty hands crossed delicately in his lap. They wrung each other nervously. He bit his lip and then recoiled, like there was a bad taste in his beard.

"You… please tell me you believe me," he asked nervously, subconsciously batting his eyes at the detective.

"I do," Tsukauchi responded. "Now tell me-" he reached into his pocket and pulled out a worn photograph, unfolding it on the table and using two fingers to slide it across to the man opposite him. "Do you recognize this man?"

The man's eyes widened when he saw the picture of the handsome, clean-shaven, young businessman. He gingerly grabbed the photograph, holding it up to his eyes with both hands, elbows tucked securely to his bulging sides.

"Yes," he finally spoke, pushing the photograph back to the detective. "Yes I recognize him. We… we had a few drinks and then… then we went to a hotel and… and… Oh god." The man pressed his face, shiny with oil, into his hands and shook his head. "He seemed so nice… it was just going to be a one time thing but I was okay with that—I'm not looking for commitment. It was all so normal… mostly. I had a good time but he… what did he do to me?" The man looked to the detective with despair in his beady eyes.

"It's going to be alright, Ma'am," Tsukauchi assured. "Other women have come to us in the same predicament. Every single one of you had sexual contact with this man, Daichi Kasuya, within days of finding yourself with a man's body. Rest assured that we are triangulating his location and believe we will capture him soon. Once we have him, we can learn how his quirk works and how to reverse its effects. In the meantime, we are here for you for whatever you need. Let us know if you need us to contact your work, family—whoever. I know this is an uncomfortable situation. We have counselors here to speak with you if you need."

The man had begun to cry and sniffled as he spoke. "Thank you, Detective. Please, please find him."

"We'll do our best, Ma'am. Now, where was the last place you saw this man?" he prodded.

"Um… Flower View hotel on 3rd st. Before that it was Thirst, a nearby bar." The man curled his hand behind his ear, pushing back long hair that wasn't there.

"Thank you, Ma'am. You're free to go. Please contact us if you come into contact with this man again."

"Of course, Detective. Thank you," he spoke shyly as he stood from the chair and went to leave the detective's office.

"Wait a second, Ma'am?" Tskauchi called after him, thinking.

"Yes, Detective?" he asked softly.

"You said… you said that your night was mostly normal. What did you mean by that?"

"Oh, um…" The man crossed his arms across his plush chest. "He… asked me to spit on him." His pale skin reddened.

"Did you?"

"... yes."

---

"I hope we run into that fucking perv Aizawa-sensei warned us about. I want to punch his disgusting face in." Ashido spoke angrily to the group of class A students walking to find a cheap place to eat, most everyone nodding in agreement. Kirishima punched his open palm, as if displaying what he wanted to do to the man.

"I totally get your feelings," Yaoyorozu said, "but I'd really rather not have to deal with someone like that. Those women he did that to… can you imagine waking up in a random man's body?" She shivered. "They have to shower, go to the bathroom, sleep, all in a foreign body of the opposite sex. Not to mention not even knowing what happened to their own body. It feels so violating." She hugged her arms across her chest, a look of distaste on her face.

Iida put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Aizawa-sensei said the police are close on his tail. Trust in our system and know that those women will have their bodies back soon. Regardless, we're in this group for protection. Even if we happened to come across this man, we have power in numbers. Let us just relax and enjoy the night."

Yaoyorozu flashed a tentative smile. "I know you're right. It still just… grosses me out."

Midoriya squeezed her arm, trying to be comforting but feeling like he was failing.

"Can we shut the fuck up about some weak-ass loser and get some food? I'm goddamn starving," Bakugou shouted down the city street, not caring about the people who started at the sudden yell.

"Yeah, c'mon!" Kaminari said cheerfully. "There's this ramen place a few blocks down that's the tits."

"What kind of tits?" Mineta asked, drooling. "Big, beautiful, bouncing tits? Or cute, perky litt-" Ashido's foot met the back of his neck with a crunch.

"Die," she spoke as she trampled the little purple body.

"I saw… your panties," Mineta said dreamily and Uraraka held Ashido back from stomping his brains in.

"Yo, guys, this is it! Oh god, I can't wait." Kaminari happily ran into the little ramen shop on the brightly lit street.

"Thirst?" Hagakure asked inquisitively as she looked at the neon sign for the building next to the little shop. "God, what a horny name for a bar."

"Yeah, Mineta, why don't you go in there and leave the rest of us in fucking peace," Ashido said as she walked into the ramen shop.

"Only if one of you fine ladies wants to join me," Mineta said, holding a tiny hand out to Ashido.

"Die," she said as she kicked him in the face.

The ten of them sat down at the bartop, lucky that the place was so empty. There were only two other people in the small shop, a handsome, upright looking man and a beautiful, sultry woman. It was warm and the shop smelled of pork and miso, instantly comforting all of the students as they looked over the menu. Midoriya breathed in heavily and couldn't help the smile that overcame his face in anticipation of the deliciousness to come.

"Stop smiling like a fucking idiot, nerd," Bakugou barked, making the green-haired boy flinch. "Fucking embarrassing."

"I-I can't help my face, Kacchan," Midoriya stuttered out, hunching his shoulders and bringing the menu closer to his face.

"Don't let him bully you like that, Midoriya," Ashida said, pointing chopsticks between the boy's doe eyes. "At this point you could kick his ass with a hand tied behind your back. Stand up for yourself."

"What the fuck was that?" Bakugou shouted, standing from his chair and white-knuckling the bartop.

"You heard me," Ashido countered. "Or did Midoriya shatter your eardrums last time he kicked your ass?"

"That's fucking it. Get the fuck outside, Deku, I'm beating your shit in." He had fire in his eyes and his hands crackled with tiny explosions.

Midoriya looked to Ashido with despair. "Ashido… why do you do this to me?"

"Because, deep down, you still don't think you're as good as Bakugou but you are. He's the only one who can't admit that." She stuck her tongue out at Bakugou who went to grab Midoriya by the collar.

Iida's stern hand shot out to catch Bakugou's wrist. "Bakugou, please, sparring outside of class is not prohibited. As class president I'm asking you to sit down." Iida pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

"I'm not going to spar with him, I'm going to kick his goddamn ass," Bakugou growled at Iida.

"All the more reason for you to sit back down and leave Midoriya alone."

Bakugou's face scrunched in anger and frustration, knowing how much trouble he would get into if he got in a fight outside of school.

"Tch." He glared daggers at Midoriya's meek face before returning to his seat.

Everyone returned to looking over the menu and eventually they all ordered their favorites. Ten huge bowls were filled with generous amounts of steaming broth, juicy meats, and fresh and pickled veggies. A gooey egg was placed on each and the students' mouths watered when the bowls were placed in front of them. They all gripped the sides of their bowls, almost too hot to touch, and breathed in the overwhelming smell of comfort. They dug in, barely speaking because while chewing one bite all they could think about was taking the next. Soon, bowls were being lifted and the last pools of broth were eagerly slurped up. Sighs of contentment filled the space.

"That. Was. Incredible," Hagakure commended.

"I just want to bathe in that broth," Ashido said. "Slap some chashu over my eyes like cucumbers and have the juice drip into my mouth."

Mineta was shaking. "I'll drip… my juice in your-" Ashido slammed his head into the bartop.

"I swear to fucking god, this kid." Ashido shook her head. "C'mon, Momo, I know you're freaked but making fun of Mineta will definitely make you feel better." The pink girl looked over to the seat where Yaoyorozu was sitting, but found that she wasn't there. "Momo? Guys! Guys, where the fuck is Momo?!" She stood from the bartop and looked around before running into the bathroom. Her voice came muffled from the bathroom, yelling for her friend. She ran out exasperated. "Guys, she's not here." Ashido was shaking, out of breath.

"Quickly," Iida said calmly. "Let us leave and start searching. She can't have been gone long. I'll call Aizawa-sensei and inform him of the situation." He began pressing his phone screen.

"Everyone, stick together," Midoriya spoke. "If she was taken, there's a reason they took her alone. We should have power in numbers, let's not lose that advantage."

They hurriedly shuffled out of the shop, looking around for a trace of their friend. The street was bustling, but there were plenty of small, quiet alleyways that someone could have disappeared down. Yaoyorozu was nowhere in sight.

"Damn," Kaminari gritted. "I wish Jirou or Shouji had come. Fuck, where do we go?"

"I know." A determined voice came from a small body.

"What?" Kaminari asked Mineta who had begun sniffing the air.

"I know where she went. I can… I can smell her scent." He breathed in deeply through his nose.

"Oh my fucking god, Mineta, you disgusting little creep!" Ashido yelled with knit brows and tense lips.

"Do you want to find her or not?" Mineta asked as he stormed down the street, weaving through people's legs towards an unknown destination.

"I… If this works… Mineta should be captured along with that fucking perv," Hagakure spat.

"Let's just follow him," Midoriya conceded, beginning to run down after the small boy. "It's the only lead we have!"

The group of nine sped down the street, parting the crowds as they went, until they caught up with Mineta. The determined purple boy ran with his nose in the air, taking quick, deep breaths. His eyes widened and he B-lined down a dark alleyway, covered in trash and smelling of urine. He ran until he reached the front of a warehouse with a large, metal shutter normally used to allow big machinery in and out. It was rusty and a padlock secured it closed.

"Mineta," Kirishima spoke as he approached the latch, hardening a hand and ripping off the padlock. "If she's not in there, you're dead. And if she is in there… you belong in fucking prison."

"Oh, she's in there." Mineta breathed in deeply. "And she's sweaty ."

Kirishima looked to the little boy with disgust. "Seriously, dude. Why are you like this?" Kirishima shook his head and looked to the group. "I'm gonna open it, you guys ready?"

Everyone muttered their agreement, not wanting to alert any enemy.

"Here we go!" Kirishima ripped the shutter upward and it clattered angrily into its holding.

Inside was a large, open space, empty except for three figures. Vaguely, Mirdoriya recognized the two people standing over an unconscious Yaoyorozu as the couple that was with them in the shop. The two looked surprised but the woman's face of shock quickly turned to a smirk and, before any of the kids could figure out why, their vision started to fade, their bodies struggling to keep balance as they lost consciousness.

---

It was cold and hazy. Katsuki wanted to go back to sleep. He opened his eyes with effort and tried to look around the fuzzy space but only managed to loll his head to the left. He looked down a line of class A students, all tied up on the floor of the warehouse he suddenly remembered them entering. They were all either still unconscious or groggily looking around like he was. His body felt heavy and he struggled to even flex his muscles against the ropes binding him. Only sparks came from his hands.

"Well well, it looks like you're all starting to come to," a voice spoke, far away and fading in and out of Katsuki's senses. Katsuki managed to move his eyes in the direction of the voice and saw a man, tall and sleek in a 3-piece suit, walking down the line of students. "To be so lucky and misfortunate at the same time," the man sighed, "God must love toying with me. You see, I recently came into contact with my lovely assistant here," he gestured graciously to the buxom blonde beside him, "who just makes my job so much easier. Your sweet friend here," a long, slim finger with a shiny nail lifted Yaoyorozu's chin, the girl barely able to turn down her lips in disgust, "would've gone for a pretty penny. A very pretty penny indeed." He paused as he sneered at Yaoyorozu. "However, you all following her here complicates things. You see, I recognize you kids now. I do. That sports festival, so exciting, wasn't it? You're all incredibly skilled, I'm sure, but a little too high-profile for my needs. So I'm just going to leave you all with a little parting gift, alright? Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you, I just don't want any of you using whatever quirk helped you find us in the first place, alright? So just sit still and relax. Although I suppose you don't have a choice in the matter, do you?" He chuckled with a charming grin. "David, keep them under enough that they can't bite me, but keep them conscious, please." He smiled sweetly to the woman and she nodded in affirmation.

A dark feeling surged beneath Katsuki's abdomen as he watched, unable to move, as the man started at the other end of the line and gently pried open Yaoyorozu's lips with a finger. He slid it into her mouth, swirling it around as he began to do the same to Kaminari who was sitting next to her. His finger quickly entered and exited Kaminari's mouth but it lingered in Yaoyorozu's, sliding out slowly and pressing down on her bottom lip as it was removed. Neither student could move more than to display barely-there grimaces. The man took his two wet fingers and poked them together.

"Boop!" he said joyfully as they touched.

Katsuki saw Kaminari and Yaoyorozu's expressions change slightly, a confusion seeping in. But before Katsuki could get his clouded brain to think about what was happening the man had wiped his fingers with a handkerchief and moved on to the next pair. Hagakure and Iida. Mineta and Ashido. Uraraka and Kirishima. The closer he came to Katsuki the more an unfamiliar emotion crept into his throat. He couldn't move. His quirk had been depleted to a fizzle. He watched the man slip a finger into Deku's mouth. ' Move, move, move!' Katsuki screamed inwardly as a finger pressed into his lips and he tasted the sweat coming off of it. Nausea welled up in his stomach. Flashing memories of cold, thick ooze gushing down his throat, drowning him from the inside out. Desperately, he wanted to vomit but his body couldn't convulse to get the job done. He tried to bite down on the long finger gliding across his tongue but only managed to scrape along the skin as the man pulled it out.

"Boop!" the man said for the fifth time as he pushed his fingers together. Katsuki's vision shifted. He was no longer looking to the left but to the right. At himself. It slowly dawned on him in his nearly unconscious state what was going on. His head dropped down, relaxed so he could look at the body he was in. Broad and squat with big hands and red sneakers. The nausea increased. He welcomed the thought of drowning in his vomit and dying right then and there.

Unfortunately, Iida had been a responsible student and called their sensei.

A crash came from in front of Katsuki and he strained to lift his head, flinching at the feeling of the fluffy hair that brushed his ears as he moved. The shutter had been opened once more and two silhouettes appeared in the entryway, one instantly-recognizably tall and muscular and the other slim and unassuming with a mass around its neck. Before he could even process what was happening, the two strangers were on the ground, wrapped in Aizawa's Hobaku Buki. All Might worked on untying and checking on the students while Aizawa kept his eyes trained on the woman who was struggling to free herself from the tight constraints.

"It's alright, children, it'll all be alright. Let's get you all back to the dorms," All Might spoke confidently but gently as he finished untying them all and laying their sedated bodies down gingerly onto the cold, warehouse floor.

Katsuki's nausea didn't wane as he felt his consciousness fade. The last things he saw were his own red eyes looking back at him with a softness he'd never seen in them.

Involved

Every step put the fear of God into Izuku.

Aizawa-sensei walked in front of him, escorting him to the common room of the dorm where everyone else was apparently waiting, already awoken from their quirk-induced slumbers. Everyone including Kacchan. Fear and guilt built with every careful move that Izuku made in his unfamiliar body. He was intensely aware of how every muscle contracted underneath his tan, hardy skin and refused to look down at Kacchan's body, wearing a black tank top and basketball shorts. It was a normal outfit to see the blonde-haired boy in, but to look down and be in the body wearing something that revealed anything that anyone might consider an attractive part of the human body made Izuku's face flame and guilt well up in his chest. Yaoyorozu had talked about her concern for the women that woke up in men's bodies and he realized now a little bit of what she'd meant. He had full control of Kacchan's body. Every time he touched his face or arm it was with Kacchan's angular, rough hands. Every step revealed more and more the shape, the feel, of Kacchan's body underneath his clothes in Izuku's mind and he didn't want to think about that. He didn't want that picture in his head without Kacchan's permission. And something told Izuku that the men who switched bodies with those women wouldn't be as concerned about that as he was.

Izuku would understand if Kacchan was angry. As for himself, Kacchan being in his body — as he assumed was the case when he saw the nauseous, furious expression on his own face before it turned to a sleeping one — made him… uncomfortable . But there was no need to be angry at anyone beside the man who had done it to them. He didn't know if Kacchan would see it that way, though. It's not like he was exactly calm during any event in his life and anything that involved Izuku was sure to add an extra dash of defensive anger to everything. So his chest tightened when he followed Aizawa-sensei into the common room.

A mix of relief and empathy washed over him as he saw that everyone in the room looked as uncomfortable as he felt. Well, almost everyone. Ashido's body had been tied up with Aizawa's equipment and was completely still, but awake. It wasn't difficult to figure out that Mineta had been switched with Ashido, but Izuku was confused about the lack of movement until he saw Shinsou sitting lazily in the corner. The purple haired boy shot him a relaxed, two-fingered salute and Izuku gave a small wave from his hip. Even the weight of his hand felt so odd.

"Even after we tied him up he kept… squirming." Izuku swung his head to see Mineta with an expression that was so incredibly normal for the small kid. Tired disgust. "Eventually, All Might commissioned Shinsou to help before I beat the shit out of my own god damn body."

Izuku tilted his head, neck tingling when Kacchan's coarse hair skimmed his skin. "But-" he froze and closed his eyes when Kacchan's deep voice came from his throat. He could feel the voice rumble in his chest as he spoke again and his heart began to pound along in accompaniment. "He knows how Shinsou's quirk works. What did you sa-"

"'Boobs are gross,'" Shinsou said flatly.

"Yeah, that would do it," Izuku replied with slight disdain for his classmate's personality and face heating more and more as he realized that now he was in control of Kacchan for everyone to see. It seemed that, no matter what he did, the guilt in his chest only increased.

Red eyes quickly found green ones staring right back. Anyone could see who had come to inhabit Izuku's body. Only Kacchan's eyes could hold a flame that would light the world on fire.

"K-Kacchan, I-"

"Don't-" Kacchan yelled but flinched at the sound of the word. He went to violently rub his face with his hand but recoiled at the touch. The hand formed a shaking claw that Kacchan stared at like he was thinking about whether or not he should cut it off. He sighed and loosened his posture. "Don't fucking say anything," he spoke, firm but quiet with Izuku's voice.

Izuku gave a nervous nod of understanding and looked around the rest of the room.

"So… who's who?" Izuku asked, though he had his guesses. Iida was staring at his skin like he shouldn't be able to, Uraraka's head was tilted toward the ceiling to respectfully avoid any possible eye contact with her own body, and Kaminari was curled up, head hidden and hugging his knees. A pang of worry for Yaoyorozu breathed through his chest.

One by one, everyone able said their name and Izuku found his assumptions to be true. They had all been switched only once with someone, so that if person A was in person B's body, then person B was in person A's body. Iida had switched with Hagakure, Mineta with Ashido, Uraraka with Kirishima, Kaminari with Yaoyorozu, and himself with Kacchan. The tension in the room was palpable and Izuku understood why they were all gathered in the common room, futons included. No matter how much they trusted each other as teammates and classmates, even as heroes, no one wanted someone to be alone with their body. This way, everyone could feel safe and watched out for.

Izuku walked slowly and carefully, still far too aware of the body he was inhabiting, and kneeled down next to Kaminari… or Yaoyorozu in Kaminari's body, rather. He softly placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Are you doing alright?" he asked as gently as he could with genuine concern.

Kaminari's yellow eyes peeked above his folded arm and shone at Izuku. His face suddenly morphed with fear and disgust.

"Wha-what is it?" Izuku asked.

"Sorry, sorry." Yaoyaorozu said. "I'm alright. It is just so very scary to have Bakugou in my face with a genuine look of worry." Yaoyorozu flashed a hint of Kaminari's smile, laughing but still obviously uncomfortable.

Izuku blushed but smiled back. He knit his brows together as hard as he could, the top of his vision blurring. "How's this?" he asked. "Is this more comforting for you?"

She snorted, covering Kaminari's mouth with his hand. "So much better, I feel so protected," she assured sarcastically.

"I don't know," Kaminari spoke with Yaoyorozu's voice, looking to Izuku in sincere thought. "Is there any way you could get your eyebrows further together? Bakugou really manages to make them touch and it's just... " Kaminari mimed a chef's kiss with Yaoyorozu's hand.

"Nah," Kirishima's voice spoke up, already giggling. "I think you need to reach a certain threshold of repressed feelings of inferiority to achieve that level of glare."

"I swear to fu-!" Kacchan stood from his chair and started to yell but Izuku's voice broke into a high squeak, his vocal chords unused to carrying the sound of such rage. His freckled face reddened as all of the students gathered broke out into laughter.

"Alright, alright!" came All Might's booming voice as he entered the room. "Give young Bakugou some slack, I know you all must be uncomfortable. But fear not! For I have spoken to detective Naomasa who has already managed to get the offenders' quirk information from them." All Might beamed his brilliant, white smile. "As you have all probably deduced, the man you encountered, Daichi Kasuya, uses a quirk capable of switching two individual's bodies by touching their saliva together."

Izuku cringed as he vaguely remembered a finger creeping into his mouth.

"The woman, on the other hand, was actually a man using one of Kasuya's victims. When switched, the original body retains its quirk. The woman had the ability to affect the levels of consciousness of people she witnessed eating within the last thirty minutes. Which is why she could affect all of you, but not me or Aizawa-sensei. The good news is that we know how to switch you all back. The bad news is that it's a little more… involved than the initial switch." All Might tried to give reassuring looks to his young students, but no one in the room liked the sound of what he had said. If it was more involved and still used saliva or the mouth as the medium of transfer… Izuku blocked out the idea of what Kacchan would do. But he didn't need to rely on an idea when the real thing was in the room with him.

"What the fuck do you mean?" Kacchan spoke, frozen in his chair, a volatile substance that would explode with the gentlest movement.

"Ah, yes, well," All Might fumbled. "Whereas Kasuya only needs to create contact between two different individual's saliva to create the first switch, switching back requires contact of the salivary glands themselves."

All nine of the students capable of movement looked to their respective switching partner. Not a single face was free from the infectious heat that spread across their cheeks. They were all looking at their own bodies but could only think about the people inhabiting them. Close friends, sure, but not that close. Izuku saw rage boiling in Kacchan, a deep, dark rage directed right at him.

"I. Refuse." Bakugou grated out, staring right into his own red eyes. Izuku started at hearing his own voice dripping with fury.

"Well, young Bakugou," All Might began, "we cannot force you to do something like this. We simply can't. But, I would like to remind everyone that touching salivary glands does not necessarily equate to kissing. Touching the tips of your tongues together for the briefest of moments would still be enough to make the switch. I know that that is still an uncomfortable action to think about performing with a classmate. But, unfortunately, it's the only way to get back to your rightful body. We are, of course, going to oblige any requests you may have to make this as easy as possible. We have quirk users that can erase memories, cause sensory hallucinations, or even disguise someone's body as another. I know these may seem like small consolations, but there's only so much we can do against this quirk. You can let me or Aizawa-sensei know if you have any requests. Please speak to your partner about this before making any decisions and try to come to an agreement. You are free to go to private spaces as long as you are with your swap. And, um…" All Might faltered as the faces he spoke to only came to look more distraught. "Aizawa-sensei and I are going to give you all some privacy. We'll be right outside if you need us." All Might bowed stiffly and walked quickly out into the courtyard.

Aizawa-sensei followed slowly. "We trust you all to be mature about this and keep your composure, as heroes often must." He connected gazes with all of them, perhaps lingering on Kacchan for a moment longer than everyone else, and walked through the doors.

No one spoke as eyes avoided each other and thoughts circled in their heads. Realistically, Izuku knew that kissing or touching tongues or whatever someone wanted to label it was simply a physical act. Without the right feelings behind it, it meant nothing. It could be equated to performing CPR. But, unfortunately, they were all fifteen or sixteen years old. It was hard for anyone to speak up to their partner. After a few minutes, the silence was shattered.

"Screw it!" Mineta's body screamed. "I'm not letting that perv spend another goddamn second in my body." Quickly and forcefully, Ashido reached two fingers into her own mouth, pulling out her tongue and just barely touching the tip of Mineta's to it.

Ashido's body suddenly regained movement. "Oh thank God!" she yelled from her own body, still wrapped in the white cloth but no longer paralyzed by Shinsou's quirk as it travelled with Mineta's mind. She ruthlessly kicked the small boy's frozen body away from her own. "It feels so good to be home." She curled up as best she could and pressed her forehead to her knees, cuddling her own body. "Okay, now someone get Aizawa to let me out of this damn thing."

"I got it," Shinsou spoke dully, seemingly unfazed by the situation unfolding before him. He walked out of the door and, within moments, the wrap around Ashido loosened its hold.

She laid flat on the ground and stretched—a forceful, muscle-shaking stretch that elicited a groan from deep within the pink girl.

Suddenly, the looks on most of the students' faces changed. The way Ashido went about it made the swap seem like the most simple, nonsexual event that one could perform, and everyone related to that stretch—that feeling when you first wake up and feel every muscle strain to pull your limbs as taut as possible, causing just the right amount of pain and intense pleasure. Oh, to be back in their own bodies and stretch the quirk-induced, unconscious tension out of their systems—to be comfortable in their own skin again.

Few could resist that temptation and the pairs came together, speaking softly about the best way to switch back.

"I mean, we should just do it, right? We're friends, Denki. It's not a big deal. I'm okay," Yaoyorozu assured Kaminari with a smile. She stood up and held out Kaminari's own hand to him. "C'mon, let's just go to the stairwell real quick."

Kaminari smiled back to her energetically and pulled himself up. "Fuck yeah, let's go touch tips." He clapped his hand on Yaoyorozu's back and they both laughed, casually going off to switch back in privacy. Similar conversations were going on between all of the pairs. All except Izuku and Kacchan.

Izuku had a hard time looking away from his own eyes that had been glaring at him relentlessly since Kacchan had refused the only way to switch back. It took time to find his courage to step towards himself, towards Kacchan, but eventually began to take tentative steps. To his surprise, Kacchan simply continued to stare angrily, even as Izuku stood just in front of him, looking down into his eyes.

"Ka-"

"I refuse. I meant what I said," he said with a smooth anger. "They'll figure out another way to switch us back."

"But All Might said-"

"I know what he said," Kacchan barked. "But he's not all-knowing. There has to be another fucking way because I am not letting you stick my goddamn tongue into your gross-ass mouth."

Izuku stared into Kacchan's glare and wanted to be angry at his stubbornness but could only sympathize.

"Kacchan, I - Just listen to me, please," he said as he saw the beginnings of another interruption. "I get it. I really do. I am so incredibly uncomfortable right now because I'm scared to move or touch you in any way that you wouldn't want me to." Izuku sighed as Kacchan's expression just grew angrier. "I won't be able to do that anymore if we switch back, so please. Please, for once in your life can you just do me this favor?"

"No."

"Kacch-"

"No!" he yelled and stood up, bringing his snarling face inches from Izuku's. "I won't fucking let you do that."

Izuku felt anger finally begin to simmer in his stomach. "It's not like I'm going around daydreaming about making out with you, Kacchan. Or myself, for that matter. The more you push the weirder this gets so, please, can we just do this?"

" Fuck you ," Kacchan growled, slamming his shoulder into Izuku's as he marched towards the dorm's exit. Izuku stared at the chair Kacchan had left. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"Midoriya, are you okay?" Yaoyorozu was already back from the stairwell, looking comfortable in her own body and like she had already forgotten what happened between her and Kaminari in order to switch.

"Yeah," Izuku sighed. "Just… why did it have to be Kacchan? Like... really? Of all people? I honestly don't know if I'll ever get my body back." He went to push a hand through his hair but stopped at the first feeling of the perfectly straight strands sticking out wildly. He put his arms back to his sides.

"It's gonna be alright, man," Kirishima added confidently, also back in his own body. "He'll cave after two days without his quirk."

"Maybe you're right," Izuku conceded, but he knew how stubborn Kacchan could be. He was far and above the most pig-headed, stubborn, angry person that he knew, and not only did he not want to switch back, but he knew that Izuku wanted to. Kacchan had twice the reason to refuse now.

Izuku sighed again, thinking quietly that he'd probably be doing that a lot in the foreseeable future. "Okay, I'm gonna go get yelled at. Pray for me." He strode across the room and pushed open the courtyard door, the cool air hitting him and reminding him that morning had yet to come. He saw himself speaking angrily with Aizawa-sensei, arms crossed tightly. All Might and Shinsou were off to the side, chatting quietly.

"I'm serious, I'm not doing it. Find another way," Izuku's voice said curtly.

"Bakugou-kun," Aizawa-sensei started sleepily, "think about what that means. We are unaware of another way to switch you two back." Aizawa nodded to Izuku, acknowledging his presence in the conversation. "If you truly refuse, you could spend the rest of your life like this, never to return to your own body or regain use of your own quirk. You'll never look or sound like yourself again. And you will force Midoriya-kun into the same predicament. Are you really okay with that?"

"Of course I'm fucking not! But I'm also not going to fucking do that with him." Kacchan was as unrelenting as always.

Aizawa-sensei sighed. "Alright. I was worried it might come to this. I'm going to make you two a deal, alright? All Might and I will assist you in trying to find another way to switch back. But if we can't find anything within three months, then you switch back using the method we are currently aware of and you do it without a fight. Any objections?"

Izuku had so many objections. Three months? He had a lifetime's worth of stress and guilt already trying to climb its way out of his throat and he'd been awake for all of an hour. He'd have to stop his training with One For All. He'd be back to square one, working with a quirk that he had no idea how to use, if they let him use it at all. How would he go to the bathroom? Shower? Change? Hell, how would he jerk off? His face reddened at the thought but that didn't make the complaint any less valid. He was a fifteen year old male. He barely went three days without, much less three months. Would he even be allowed to be alone? No one was allowed to be alone twenty minutes ago when everyone was still swapped.

Izuku took a deep breath. In. Out. He could refuse all he wanted. He could stamp his feet and scream and cry but Kacchan would only out-tantrum him. This way, they at least had an end in sight. They wouldn't die in eachother's bodies. Izuku closed his eyes.

"I'm fine with that if he is," he finally said, looking to Kacchan.

Green eyebrows knit together furiously. "Deal."

"Alright. We'll go over most of the logistics tomorrow morning but for now we need to figure out your sleeping arrangements. Since you're both males, I will let you decide if you would like to sleep together or apart."

Izuku and Kacchan's eyes met, both knowing that they finally had something they would agree on.

"Apart," they spoke in unison. They might not exactly get along, but Izuku couldn't imagine Kacchan wanting to do anything with his body that he wouldn't do with them together. And even if he did for some unknown reason, he trusted his childhood friend enough to know that he wouldn't act on those wants. He silently hoped that Kacchan's twin response was uttered for the same reasons, and not because he simply couldn't stand to be near Izuku. He was not confident.

Conditions

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Izuku traced the back of his teeth with his tongue. He felt the tip of one of Kacchan's canines, tall and sharp. Normally, he'd feel stubby ones worn down and misshapen from years of grinding his teeth at night. Nervous. Always nervous. Kacchan had nice teeth for someone who seemed so reckless. He imagined Kacchan's mom wrestling her son into brushing his teeth as a child and smiled to himself. Should he have done that? Just wrestled the stubborn idiot to the ground and forced him? If they had had to touch fingers or ears or knees he would have. Izuku yawned involuntarily, tongue stiff in his mouth. He had to pee.

"Midoriya-kun?"

Izuku snapped his head up. "Yeah, hm, what?" he asked quickly.

"I asked you two if you're ready to go over some conditions," Aizawa-sensei said, repeating Izuku's yawn.

"Yeah! Yeah, sorry. Didn't get much sleep," Izuku spoke softly, embarrassed and still unused to hearing Kacchan's voice speak his words. He shuffled in his seat, trying to get comfortable in the wooden chair seated across from Aizawa-sensei's desk. Peeking left, he saw himself with a sleepy gaze and half-hearted glare. Kacchan and him were both still in their clothes from the previous night. He looked at the clock on the wall. 6:35 AM. Aizawa-sensei had requested they come to his office before the start of lessons to go over the "rules" of living in each other's bodies. The first thing they were asked to do when they arrived was lick their fingers and touch them together to rule that out as a possibility of switching back. After it failed, Aizawa-sensei spent some time making notes before resuming their talk.

"I would imagine so." Aizawa-sensei reached into his desk and pulled out three packs of paper, stapled at the corners, and three pens. He slid one of both to each of his students. "Hopefully going over some ground rules will help you both to be more comfortable with the situation."

The packet in front of Izuku was titled "Bakugou and Midoriya's Switched Bodies Guidelines". He turned the page and saw the header: "Must Allow".

"Let's start with the things that you two will need to be okay with the other doing while in your body in order for them to actually live their life. Some of these may seem obvious, but we're doing this to make sure that what is consented to is clear." Aizawa-sensei started, opening his own packet. "You must allow each other to attend classes and participate in training, including quirk training. You must allow the other to speak to teachers and classmates. You must allow each other to perform basic hygienic tasks, meaning: changing clothes, using the restroom, bathing, brushing teeth. You must lend your clothes to the other. You must allow the other to itch and adjust body parts as needed."

Kacchan breathed a hard breath through his nose. He looked at the paper like he wanted to set it on fire but kept silent.

"Do you both agree to those conditions?"

Izuku voiced his approval and Kacchan nodded stiffly.

"Alright then, moving on." Aizawa-sensei turned the page and his students diligently followed suit. "There are also things that we, meaning the faculty at U.A. who are aware of the situation, prohibit you from doing under any circumstances, even if you both consent. I do not believe that either of you would behave in this manner, but, again, we want everything to be clear and in writing." He yawned and smacked his lips before continuing. "You must not: purposefully hurt the body you're currently in, use the quirk you now have without the supervision of a U.A. faculty member unless given express permission by myself, commit any crimes, try to assume the other's identity, record your voice, take pictures or videos of the body you're in, engage in any form of sexual intercourse, or start new romantic or sexual relationships."

With every prohibited action that his sensei rattled off, Izuku's stomach grew tighter and tighter. He couldn't help but think about the women who fell victim to the body switchings. Aizawa-sensei was right. Neither him nor Kacchan would ever do any of those things. He hadn't even thought up most of those possibilities when he previously tried to empathize with the women. Guilt flamed over being so upset over his situation with Kacchan, someone he ultimately trusted. Things could have been so much worse for all of them. What if that man hadn't recognized them? Izuku's biggest worry with the switch was being disrespectful to Kacchan. Never did he have any fear of what would happen to his own body. He was lucky. Pictures, videos, recordings… it would all be so easy if he wanted to.

"Any objections?" Aizawa asked lazily.

The boys shook their heads.

"Alright then. Finally, and most importantly, we came up with two subjects we thought we should leave up to you two to decide what you're okay with. These are lifestyle items that we don't feel comfortable completely barring you from. This is also where you should mention anything that you'd like the other to do, or not do, in order to upkeep your body. So, let's start with object one: physical contact. I need you both to choose what level of physical contact you will allow the other to have with their current relationships. Think of a scale from high-fiving to cuddling or kissing and decide where you draw the line."

Izuku put an elbow on the desk in front of him and pressed his face into Kacchan's splayed hand. This was too much for him. Never in his life had he had any purposeful influence over what Kacchan did, even when he wanted to, and he didn't plan on starting now. He couldn't imagine Kacchan or himself kissing or cuddling anyone even in their own bodies. But if the guy was hiding that kind of relationship then he didn't want to interfere with his happiness.

"He can do whatever he wants," Izuku muttered into his hand.

"Okay, please mark that on your paper there. Bakugou-kun?

He grunted.

"I really need a vocal answer for these ones."

"It's fucking fine I don't give a shit what he does." Kacchan still glared sleepily into space, anger not directed toward anyone.

"Alright. Mark that on your paper and we'll move on. Object two: masturbation."

BWAM.

Izuku jumped and looked over to see his fluffy green head pressed to the desk. He winced in sympathetic pain, realizing that Kacchan had slammed it down into the wood. Red ears peeked through his frizzy hair.

Izuku would have laughed if he didn't want to do the same himself. He had barely had a talk from his mother about masturbation. 'Izuku, sweetie, do you know about, um… relieving-'. 'YES, yes, Mom, I do.' 'Oh thank goodness.' Then he didn't exactly have many friends through his school career so that had been the extent of his conversation on the matter. Aizawa-sensei was the last person he expected to talk about this with and Kacchan was the last person he'd want to talk about it with. Yet here they were.

"This is a yes or no," Aizawa-sensei continued, unfazed. "Will you allow the other to masturbate while in your body? We request you stick to purely hand-to-penis contact to avoid any complications or damage to your bodies."

"Oh my god," Izuku muttered, burying his lava-hot face into his hands. "Sensei, please, do we have to talk about this?" He was nearly whining with Kacchan's voice.

"I highly recommend you do," he responded calmly. "It will make things easier for you both in the long run. So, your answers?"

Izuku sighed into his hands. "Again, he can do whatever he wants." If Kacchan could get it up while in the body of his least favorite person, then he deserved it.

"Alright then. Bakugou-kun?"

Silence. Izuku may have been able to hear the sound of his body's poor teeth grinding, tectonic plates moving from stress. ' Please don't say yes,' Izuku thought.

"Bakugou-kun. Please answer the-"

"Whatever. Fuck. I don't care."

"Is that a yes or-"

"Fucking Christ, yes, he can fucking jerk off shut the fuck up."

"Thank you." Aizawa-sensei marked his page emotionlessly. "Now, are there any specific rules either of you have for the other?"

Silence. Izuku shook his head.

"Alright. We're done here then. Please sign on the line at the end of your papers and keep them for reference. Class doesn't start for another half hour or so. I'd recommend you use this time to go over anything you didn't feel comfortable speaking about in front of me. For today, I will excuse you two from wearing your uniforms but you must wear them from tomorrow onward. You're free to go."

"Thank God," Izuku breathed as he stood from his chair and went to the door as quickly as possible. He held the door open for Kacchan, but when he looked back he hadn't moved his head from the desk. Izuku glanced to Aizawa-sensei who waved him out of the room. The door shut behind him and he walked to his classroom, hoping to get a nap in before anyone else got there. He entered the classroom, slumped down in his seat and closed his eyes.

But how could he go to sleep after that? He leaned his head back and pressed Kacchan's rough hands to his face, screaming internally. Why did Kacchan agree to everything so easily? What was the faculty expecting them to do that would "damage" each other's bodies while masturbating? Why couldn't he remove images of those things from his brain? Why was assisted suicide illegal?

He had to pee so bad. He'd had to pee since he woke up as Kacchan but refused to go to the bathroom. The guy himself gave him permission now, but he still didn't want to. He didn't want to be able to go to the bathroom as Kacchan, he didn't want to be able to change clothes as Kacchan, he didn't want to be able to freaking jerk off as Kacchan. It all felt so weird—so wrong. To Kacchan, was going through all of this really better than briefly touching their tongues together? They both seemed equally distressed over the meeting and Kacchan had even stayed after with Aizawa-sensei. Why? What were they talking about? Izuku hoped that Kacchan was having second thoughts. He hoped that Kirishima had been right—that the stubborn idiot would cave from the stress before this could go too far.

Fuck he had to pee.

He clenched his fists, banged them on the desk and stood up. He walked stiffly out of the room and towards the bathroom. At some point, his bladder would burst, so he'd rather go now, when no one would be in any of the bathrooms, than later, when he'd have company, or worse, have to use a urinal. Izuku stopped when he reached the door to the bathrooms. Leaden feet, it was hard to take another step. He took a deep breath. And another. And another. He shook his head furiously and then slapped his hands to his cheeks. One step. And another. And another. A hand on the door. He pushed and walked in, the door swinging shut behind him. Empty and clean, the bathroom smelled of soap. Izuku looked at himself in the mirror for the first time since swapping. He was Kacchan, alright. He understood why Yaoyorozu had been so freaked out by his look of worry. Kacchan's face with big, pleading eyes and a brow that was wrinkled with nervousness and not rage made Izuku's heart skip a beat. He'd never seen that expression on him and, after the next three months, probably never would again. The thought could have kept him staring at the mirror for hours but he looked to the stalls. The palms of his hands stung when fingernails dug into them. One step. And another. And another. He opened a stall. He looked to the toilet and swallowed. He shut the door behind him. Silently praying that Kacchan wouldn't somehow remember all of his actions after they switched back, Izuku pulled down Kacchan's gym shorts. Underneath were black boxer briefs, damp with stress sweat. Izuku took a breath and looked forward. Slowly, he hooked his thumbs beneath the waistband and pulled them down, feeling the fabric peel from his skin. He shuddered as the cool air of the bathroom engulfed him. Carefully, he sat down, parting his legs so that everything could unstick from his thighs. He sighed a breath of relief at the comfort that only increased as he finally began to urinate. An unintentional moan came from his throat as he leaned his head back, so incredibly glad that no one was in there with him. It felt like the stream lasted for a solid minute before it finally let up. Sweet relief. He stood and pulled Kacchan's underwear and shorts back up, not caring about getting the last drops of urine. No one would know since he was wearing basketball shorts and he would deal with the hygiene aspect of everything once he managed to tackle bathing. Baby steps. He opened the stall door and headed to the sinks when the bathroom door swung open.

Izuku's own body came in through the door, something that the boy didn't think he'd ever get used to. Izuku felt his ears burn.

Kacchan looked at Izuku. "Did you just…" He gestured to the stalls.

"Uh, yeah. Are you about to…"

"Yeah."

They were both silent, staring anywhere but into each other's eyes.

"Well," Izuku started nervously, "literally nothing in my life has prepared me for what to say in this situation so I'm just gonna go back to washing my hands if that's cool." He turned around and turned on the faucet, cold water gushing forth. As he began to wash his hands he could see through the mirror that Kacchan hadn't moved.

"Hey, Deku."

"Hm, yeah?" Izuku tried not to sound as nervous as he was.

"I'm not fucking trying to make things hard for you."

Surprised, Izuku looked over his shoulder at Kacchan who was still refusing to meet his gaze.

"Y-yeah, Kacchan, I know. I'm not going to say I understand why you're so adamant on this, but I know you wouldn't live in my body for three months without a really good reason."

"You fucking got that right," Kacchan muttered as he walked into one of the stalls.

"Kacchan?" Izuku called after a pause.

"What?" he responded curtly.

"Um… If you ever have to use a urinal, you need to pull my foreskin back or stuff will go literally everywhere. It's not a good time." Izuku turned off the faucet and shook the water off of his hands, heart pounding in his chest as he listened to the passing silence. He looked to the stalls for a beat before he headed out, jumping when a response came.

"Push mine forward."

Izuku looked at the stall again. "Gotcha," he replied, leaving the bathroom just as he heard Kacchan begin to urinate. The door swung shut behind him and he faintly heard the sound of his own voice moaning in relief.

Chapter End Notes

I just feel like it's an important piece of information to have.

Hot

"C'mon, Midoriya, please?" Ashido looked at him with sparkling eyes along with the rest of the girls in the class and even a few of the guys, namely those closer with Kacchan.

"Guys, seriously, I feel bad," Izuku pleaded.

"Don't. Bakugou never cares what any of us think of him. Hey, Bakugou!" Ashido called. "Do you care if we make Deku say cute stuff as you?"

"Just don't fucking record it," he grumbled back, immersed in finishing up his notes from class.

"See?" She pressed her hands to Izuku's desktop. "So, c'mon. Say it," she demanded softly.

Izuku sighed, looking to his desk with a red face, knowing he was giving them exactly what they wanted with his embarrassment. He raised his eyes to look into Ashido's. "Please… don't leave me alone right now," he said, small voice slightly shaking with real fear that Kacchan would change his mind about not caring.

"Oh my god!" Ashido squealed. "YES. That legit made my heart skip a beat, Midoriya. You rule. Okay, who else has one?" She turned and asked the rest of the group.

Izuku pressed his forehead to the desk. It had been a week since waking up as Kacchan. Humans were surprisingly adaptable and he was already starting to get used to hearing Kacchan's voice every time he spoke, being able to reach things on shelves he couldn't before, and even touching and bathing his childhood friend's body (although he still couldn't bring himself to look down during those moments without feeling faint from the blood rushing to his head). Their forms weren't that different, after all. They were both males with bodies that could keep up with hero training. But he hadn't yet gotten the chance to adapt to his classmates' pining after the mix of Kacchan's face and his own expressions. It's not like he didn't understand it on a level. He did. But it deeply embarrassed him all the same.

"What about, what about," Kirishima started excitedly, "'I know it might not mean much… but I'm here for you. Whatever you need." The red-haired boy acted it out with perfect coyness, breaking back into his rambunctious smile afterwards.

"Oh my god, yes. That's perfect. Midoriya, go," Ashido ordered.

Izuku gave a strained whine from the back of his throat but eventually repeated the words, not needing to act to give them the shy performance they were hoping for, this time glancing to Kirishima with the last line.

"Wow, now that is just precious," Kirishima spoke with a serious expression, like he was assessing the grade of a diamond. "Dude," he barked at Kacchan, feigning indignation, "why aren't you ever this cute around me, huh? Am I not pretty enough? Do I not make you feel safe enough?" Kirishima had a way of making fun of Kacchan that was too friendly to be offensive. Izuku wished he could learn to crack that code.

"Shut the fuck up," Kacchan barked back. He began closing his notebooks and putting them in his backpack. "Why the hell are you all so obsessed with this shit?" he asked as he stood up and walked over to the group. Peering over the crowd, he looked at Izuku with confusion.

" Because , Bakugou," Ashido explained. "Okay, think of the strongest, sexiest, most confident girl you know of. Never shows weakness or distress."

"Got it," Kacchan replied immediately.

"Alright, that was a little too quick for my comfort but I'll let it slide. Now," Ashido continued, her tone changing to a more serious one, "think of that same girl looking to you with big, tearful eyes, readying herself to open her heart to you. You're the only one she's comfortable tearing her walls down around. A few tears let loose and she hides her face bashfully but can't help but look back to you for reassurance. 'I'm sorry,' she says to you softly, 'I just feel so safe around you, I can't help it.'" Ashido finished her reenactment, holding her hands over her heart, preventing it from beating out of her chest.

Kacchan's face had morphed with disgust over the time she spoke. "Why the hell would I want that?"

"What do you mean?" Kaminari asked, appalled. "That's, like, the ultimate relationship. Hard to get but once you have them they're yours. "

Kacchan looked at his friend with genuine confusion. "I don't want someone so fucking weak that they're crying to me all the goddamn time. Especially if she's fucking hiding it around everyone else. Then I'm the one who has to fucking deal with all of that shit."

"Bakugou," Uraraka started with disappointment, "everyone has weaknesses. Everyone cries. Showing those things doesn't make you weak, it makes you human. So the pull is the idea that this person will only truly show all of themselves to you ."

Kacchan paused, obviously not getting it. "Okay, whatever, but then how does making Deku say weird shit make any fucking sense. I've never said shit like that in my life. That's not me."

"Well, duh," Hagakure interjected. "That's what makes it fun. This isn't like you. At all. You're not cute. At all. But it'd be endearing if you were sometimes."

Wrinkling his brow in thought, Kacchan paused for a moment, but seemingly came up with nothing. "Whatever. I'm out. Don't let these idiots trick you into making out with them, Deku." He went to leave the classroom but stopped at the door as another figure appeared in his path.

"You two, follow me," Aizawa-sensei gestured to Izuku and Kacchan.

"What's going on, Sensei?" Izuku asked as he scooped up his backpack and slung it over his shoulders.

"Quirk training. Special-select for our Freaky Friday duo."

Izuku's eyes widened and his heart beat hard in his chest as he followed his sensei and Kacchan out of the classroom and down the hall. With all of the nervousness and guilt he'd been experiencing over the past week, the idea of getting to try out Kacchan's quirk was the one spark of excitement that shone through. For as long as he could remember, Izuku had been in awe of that quirk. Searing and flashy and loud and destructive it was the embodiment of Kacchan and everything that Izuku looked up to as a child. Even now, his personality might not exactly be sparkling but damn if Kacchan wasn't his favorite thing to look at when he used his quirk in tandem with his skillful, practiced movements. Powerful and unyielding, he took over everything in his space in a flash. It was breathtaking every time.

Izuku, on the other hand, still felt clumsy with One For All, no matter how much progress he made. He always felt like he was walking on eggshells, one step away from complete destruction of his body or the environment around him. It could be a scary thing to yield and he relished the idea of actually having fun while using a quirk.

Although a bouquet of balloons wasn't exactly the type of "fun" he was thinking of. But that was one of the two things waiting for him and Kacchan in one of the athletics fields outside of the school building. About twenty feet apart were forty or so rainbow balloons and a basic training dummy that students used to practice new moves on.

"Alright, you two," Aizawa-sensei said, "we're starting things simple. Midoriya-kun, all you need to do is pop all of these balloons with one use of Bakugou-kun's quirk. Bakugou-kun, you just need to knock over this dummy without injuring yourself. Strength only. No black whip. We're doing this one at a time, Midoriya-kun going first. I want you both to help each other with any tips you might have. Dig deep and think about the essence of your quirk. So, Bakugou-kun, any words of advice for your classmate?" he asked like he'd already given up.

Kacchan plopped down on the ground, crossing his legs and pressing his chin into his palm. "I don't fucking know. I could use it when I was four. I just make my palm hot and it goes 'BLAM!' It's not fucking hard."

"Very helpful," Aizawa replied dryly. "Do with that what you will, Midoriya-kun."

Izuku stared at the balloons in front of him, slowly shuffling in the cool breeze, mimicking the airy feeling in his chest. ' Hot' . That word repeated in his brain, attempting to connect to something Izuku already knew but was too excited to recognize. He dragged his fingers down his slippery palms, slick with whatever viscous substance Kacchan's body produced to explode violently. Izuku wondered if he'd be more powerful with a quirk like this since he was constantly sweating from nervousness. He raised his arm in front of him, locking his elbow and holding his palm perpendicular to the ground, facing the balloons. His left foot slid backward, bracing himself. ' Make my palm hot', he turned the words over in his mind. Was it like when he used One For All? That moment when he concentrated his quirk into one finger or a single leg could feel searing. Taking a deep breath, he put strength into his palm.

1%. Nothing. Not a surprise. The amount of power produced by Kacchan's explosions was certainly more than he produced using 1% of One For All. Their production of power probably wasn't 1:1, considering the strength that One For All could produce in the hands of someone like All Might. But it probably wasn't 1:100 either.

5% . Still nothing.

10%. More nothing. Izuku looked to his palm with concern. Going over 10% always meant hurting himself badly. This time he would feel the pain but it would be Kacchan's body taking the damage if he messed up. He clenched his eyes shut and held his breath. He could feel the sweat dripping down his forehead.

20%. Nothing still. 'Would this even work?' he began to ask himself. It was the only way he knew.

30%.

40%.

50%-

BOOM!

Izuku gasped for breath as his back slammed into the ground ten feet away from where he had been standing. He clutched his arm that had taken the full brunt of the explosion, bones reverberating like a wooden bat after striking a blazing pitch. Groaning, he sat up and looked to where he once stood, balloons eviscerated and ground behind them charred and flaming. Izuku looked to his palm and burst out in laughter.

"Wooo!" he yelled, raising both fists in the air and continuing to laugh. He fell backward onto the cool ground, exhilarated and taking in deep breaths that filled his lungs until his chest hurt. He was shaking. "Your quirk is so COOL, Kacchan!" he yelled. Izuku had just released so much power with barely any pain to accompany it. He marvelled at the idea that he could one day use his own quirk with such freedom.

"Fuck yeah it is," Kacchan called back with a cocky smile. They met eyes for the first time since meeting in Aizawa-sensei's office a week ago. Izuku felt a fire in his chest.

Izuku sat up. "Sensei, can I do it again? I really think I can go way bigger." The idea of sharing this experience with Kacchan thrilled him and lit a competitive spark in him that wanted to defy all of the bullying he had endured over the years. If he could use the quirk like Kacchan, would that show his worth as a hero, as a person? It didn't entirely matter, Izuku just desperately wanted to feel that power come through his palm once more.

"Like I said, we're starting simple." Aizawa put his hands in his pockets. "You've completed your task. You're done with the quirk for today. Any tips for Bakugou-kun?"

"Yes!" Izuku stood and jogged back to where he was before, sitting back on the ground when he was comfortable with the visibility of Kacchan and the dummy he'd be facing. "You said your palm gets hot when you use your quirk, Kacchan. I equated that to the feeling I get when I apply mine, and it worked. But I had to go about halfway up my scale, way past the point where I would normally hurt myself, to get it to work. So apply the feeling you normally get in your palm to the body part you want to use, I-I'd recommend a finger to start with, just in case, and use as little power as you can. Then build up from there." Izuku smiled as he spoke, even when Kacchan's eyes started to seethe with anger. He was too excited, too filled with adrenaline to stop. "Just take your time and be calm and you'll definitely get it."

Kacchan scoffed in response. "Maybe you have to worry about that shit, but I'm not a fucking nerd that just got my quirk half a year ago. Shut the fuck up and watch how it's done." Kacchan stood and started stretching his arms across his chest, squaring up to the practice dummy. He took a fighting stance and cocked his fist.

"Kacchan, wait!" Izuku called, terror in his voice.

A tan fist slammed into the unmoving dummy.

"Fucking, fucking, fuck!" Kacchan screamed at his fist, specks of blood creeping out from under the torn skin of his knuckles. "What the hell, Aizawa?"

"If it were your own body, I would have let you learn your lesson. But Midoriya-kun's arms are already in a delicate state. If I feel that you're going to impart lasting damage onto his body then I will stop the use of his quirk."

"It would have been fucking fine!" Kacchan barked. "Just cause he can't fucking control it doesn't mean that I can't. Fucking idiot got blown back by a blast I could handle in second grade, I can deal with his quirk."

Izuku's excitement faded, floating heart dropping to his diaphragm.

"Say that after you've tried learning to use a quirk from scratch at your age," Aizawa-sensei spoke coldly. "The older you get, the harder it is to even activate a quirk for the first time. A man who grows up in the woods has a quirk to control sand. He goes to the beach for the first time at thirty years old and continues to think he is quirkless because at that point he's lost the instinct on activating it. Recognizing a quirk for the first time at fifteen is extremely rare, and mastering it after that point is nearly impossible. Yet Midoriya-kun here is showing incredible progress that surely even you have taken note of. I was hoping this switch might have a silver lining in getting you to understand what a feat that is, but, if what Midoriya-kun says is correct, it seems that the mechanisms of activation for your quirks feel similar, so I'm afraid this was fruitless. Regardless, we're done for today. Bakugou-kun, you will continue to sit out of quirk training for the next week as punishment for your reckless behaviour. Midoriya-kun, you can begin to participate starting tomorrow. Head back to your dorm. I'll clean things up here." Aizawa-sensei didn't take his eyes off of Kacchan the entire time he spoke, and even when Izuku looked back on their way to the dorm he could see his sensei facing their way, scarf blowing in the breeze.

Before Izuku could think of anything to say, Kacchan had stomped off ahead of him. It was probably for the best. Anytime Izuku tried to quell Kacchan's bad moods they only turned out worse. Plus, Izuku had a feeling that if he'd actually tried to put any of his feelings into words, tears would come with them, his mouth the floodgate to his emotions. One of Kacchan's great skills was making him cry. He was the best at it. Always had been and probably always would be. Because Izuku would always admire him. Always. Even when he said hurtful things, even when he was condescending, even when he spared no thought to the pain he was causing. He was like a beaten dog that kept running back, clinging on to how his master once was, despite that person never existing in the first place.

Izuku sighed and continued his trudge to the dorm building, eventually entering his room and slamming the door behind him. He had been grateful for Aizawa-sensei's defense, but wondered if it really applied to him. Could One For All really be compared to other quirks? Wasn't he just lucky? He kicked off his shoes and pulled off his uniform, borrowed from Kacchan so that it would actually fit. When he first changed into Kacchan's clothes the smell, a campfire on a starry night, washed over him. Now his entire room had that smell and the sensation had been lost to normalcy. He slipped on a pair of red pajama bottoms and a black T-shirt and grabbed his things to go take a shower. Whether people noticed how downtrodden he felt or not he didn't know because he ignored everyone on the way.

The sounds of his feet hitting the cold, damp tile echoed in the empty room. He stripped his clothes off again, threw them in a locker, and walked into one of the shower stalls. He stood under the showerhead and turned it on, grimacing as he was hit by ice cold water. Heart hitching and breaths deep, he waited for the water to warm up, experiencing the gradual change in temperature from icy to nearly boiling. Kacchan's skin hated cold but loved searing heat. Izuku let the water drip down his face, wet hair covering his eyes. It became impossible to tell the shower water from the tears flowing down his cheeks. Reaching for his body wash, the room shook when a large crash came from above him in the dorms. Faintly, he heard himself screaming in pain.

Kacchan… don't tell me… Oh no.

Anger

Searing hot pain ripped through Katsuki's arm and down his spine and every move he made as he crumpled to the ground made that pain scream out. Staring through the smashed glass doors in the back of Kirishima's fourth story dorm room, he realized he was also screaming out in pain, Deku's obnoxious voice ringing in his ears. He breathed in fiery breaths and tried to calm himself, looking at his limp right arm. Even thinking about moving it sent a sharp pain shooting across his body. He ignored the sensation and crawled with one arm to the edge of the terrace where part of the wall had been crumbled to bits.

"Kirishima, you fucking alive?" he called to one of the few people he considered a friend.

"More or less," came the weak, yelled response, barely audible from the distance and over the commotion outside of the door.

Thank fuck Kirishima was okay. Katsuki was well aware of how much trouble he was about to be in and he didn't want to add murder to his list of offences. If he had even remotely thought that things would turn out this way he would've dragged Kirishima outside to try out the quirk. He put as little energy as he possibly could into hitting his friend in the chest.

There was a knock at the door.

"Hey, Kirishima?" Ashido's voice rang out, dense with worry. "We heard a huge crash, are you alright?"

Katsuki stared at the door, trying to think of any way to get out of this situation but knowing he was screwed. Attempting to run or hide would probably only make things worse for himself and he wasn't one to shy away from his decisions in the first place, but he really didn't want to open that door. He knew if he did he'd eventually meet his own fucking eyes just oozing worry and care and damn-near love. They'd be strong with those emotions when they should be angry and betrayed and weak. Whatever.

Katsuki stood with a grunt and walked to the door, opening it to be met with Ashido's big eyes. Worry, care, love. When he saw those eyes on her it meant nothing to him. He felt nothing. But when he knew that fucking piece of shit was behind eyes with those emotions it made him want to kick someone in the teeth.

"B-bakugou," Ashido said in surprise. "You're hurt… where's Kirisihima, is he okay?"

"He's alive. I knocked him off the veranda. You should go get him and bring him to Recovery Girl."

Anger. That's what he wanted to see in eyes directed at him in a situation like this. Ashido could at least respond like a normal fucking person and be angry.

"You fucking asshole!" the pink girl yelled as she ran to go find a red-haired idiot.

Katsuki looked around. Nearly all of class 1-A was gathered in the hallway in their pajamas, flocked to the sound of battle like flies to honey. Thankfully he didn't see his own face in the crowd. He tried to shove past them, gritting through the pain, but was stopped by a small hand on his shoulder causing him to float.

"Put me the fuck down, Round Face," Katsuki spat with as much energy as he could muster.

"Let me help you get to Recovery Girl," she responded softly, pushing him gently down the hall.

Katsuki felt a growl bubbling up in his throat. Physically resisting would be a pain in the ass with his arm the way it was. This was also admittedly much more comfortable than walking.

"Just cause I have his fucking face doesn't mean you need to treat me like that nerd. I'm also not gonna say 'I love you' as him for you."

Uraraka looked at him with a quiet anger. Another sensible person that could react accordingly. It clearly wasn't difficult for most people to be angry at him. So what made Deku different?

"Trust me, Bakugou. I know," she spoke calmly as she ushered him down the steps. "Believe it or not, some people want to help you even if they don't particularly like you. That's kind of what heroes are supposed to do. I don't like the way you treat Midoriya-kun. I don't like the way you treat any of us. But I still don't want you to suffer needlessly when I can do something to stop it." Her eyes didn't hold anger anymore, just a firm resolve.

"Fuck, you two idiots were made for eachother," Katsuki scoffed.

"Then stay out of my way, would you?" she asked softly with a slight whine, like she'd asked this of him before.

Katsuki didn't have time to think about what the hell she meant by that. Pounding footsteps grew closer and closer until a wet, blonde head slammed into his broken shoulder when they turned a corner in the stairwell.

"Fucking FUCK, Deku!" he yelled, gripping his thigh to prevent himself from grabbing onto his mangled arm screaming in pain. "Watch where you're fucking going."

"Kacchan," Deku breathed with Katsuki's voice. His blonde hair was dripping wet and he had only now started putting on a black T-shirt. He must've heard the commotion in the middle of taking a shower. Katsuki pushed down any embarrassment that that might bring him, knowing that he was also having to get used to avoiding looking down while showering or changing and taking a piss sitting down.

"Kacchan, what happened? Are you alright?"

There were those eyes.

Anger and embarrassment and guilt rumbled in Katsuki's chest, clashing for dominance. "Get the fuck away from me, Deku," he barked.

"Kacchan, please, are you al-"

Katsuki shut his eyes. "Deku. I'm fucking serious. If you don't-"

"Please, I'm just worri-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" he yelled as loud as he could. "You have no fucking right to worry about me when you can barely use my quirk without busting your ass. You don't even deserve to be here. You're a quirkless goddamn loser that somehow managed to get a quirk so powerful that even a loser like you can keep up but that's all it fucking is. Without your quirk you'd be nothing. You are nothing. So worry about yourself first because after this you might not be able to use this fucking arm ever again and you'll have lost everything. Now get the fuck away from me." Katsuki regained his breath before looking at Deku's eyes.

His stomach dropped.

Anger was something he was used to seeing in his red eyes. But knowing that Deku was behind that anger directed towards him was a new experience for him. He deserved to have that anger stabbing into him. Of course he did. But holy fuck someone being furious at him had never made him so uncomfortable.

"Fine, Katsuki." The icy words were daggers. "Uraraka," his voice softened now that it wasn't directed towards Katsuki, twisting the knives in the blonde boy's stomach, "you're taking him to Recovery Girl?"

"I was… but now I'm really considering dropping his ass."

"Don't… could you stop by my room after you drop him off?"

Uraraka's face reddened in surprise. "Y-yeah, Midoriya-kun. Sure thing."

"Thanks." Deku left without another word, not even sparing a glance to Katsuki.

Uuraraka was frozen in thought for a few moments, letting Deku escape the stairwell before she resumed guiding Katsuki downward. They went the rest of the way quietly. Katsuki had words tingling the tip of his tongue, itching to rip the small smile off of Uraraka's childish face, but ultimately couldn't bring himself to say them for fear of what they actually meant. The silence let him focus fully on the excruciating pain of an arm broken to bits, so he nearly gasped in relief when he saw the door leading to Recovery Girl's office.

"Recovery Girl?" Uraraka said cautiously, calling into the dark office.

"Hm, hah, what?" Recovery Girl responded, startled and groggy.

"Um, I brought you a patient." Uraraka pushed Katsuki towards a bed and released her quirk, gently letting him down onto the mattress.

"Oh dear, oh dear." Recovery Girl switched on a light and hobbled over to Katsuki with a worried look on her wrinkled face. "I thought I had adequately warned you, Midoriya-kun. Now let's see, let's see." She gently placed her hand on Katsuki's broken arm.

"Oh, um, Recovery Girl. That's not Midoriya-kun. There was a situation and-"

"Oh yes, yes. My goodness, don't get old, children. Things don't work the way they used to." She smacked her cane twice to the side of her head. "You must be Bakugou-kun then, yes?"

"... Yeah." Katsuki muttered, uncomfortable under a soft but judgemental gaze.

"Mm-mm-mm," she murmured disapprovingly. "Now how did this happen, young one?"

Katsuki avoided meeting the old hero's eyes. "I just tried to use it. I thought it would be fine. I didn't mean to hurt him."

"Well, of course, dear. If you had meant to hurt him I dare say I wouldn't quite be in the mood to heal you. You realize the arms of the body you're in were not in great shape before you doing this, yes?"

"... Yes," Katsuki admitted.

"So what fueled this? Anger, jealousy, insecurity?"

Katsuki knit Deku's brow. "I just fucking thought I could do it."

"Then pure recklessness, was it? Perhaps a lack of empathy? It's important when we make mistakes that we understand why, especially as heroes. You see, mistakes are inevitable, but repeating them is often not. So think on that over the next month while you're healing."

"Month?!" Katsuki barked, finally looking into squinted eyes.

Recovery Girl huffed out a breath. "Yes. A month. As you should know I use my patients' life spans to aid in their healing. Midoriya-kun's body has already gone through too much. I will heal your arm enough so that you won't be in such pain, but the rest you will need to do on your own. And after all of that, I'm unsure whether or not the arm will be usable once it heals. Uraraka-san?" She turned away from Katsuki. "Could you relay all of this to Midorya-kun when you get the chance? He's known about this risk, but having someone else cause the damage won't be an easy thing to come to terms with. I'd prefer he had a friend talk to him about it if you're comfortable."

"O-of course, Recovery Girl. I was actually about to go meet with him. So I'll take my leave. Um… thank you for taking care of him." Uraraka bowed and left before anyone could respond.

Katsuki knew that 'him' was referring to Deku's body. Anyone with eyes and half a brain could see that Uraraka was into that dork, which is why Deku was one of the few who hadn't caught on yet. But now she was heading to his room after-hours. Maybe he wasn't as clueless as everyone thought. The idea annoyed him.

"Alright then, Bakugou-kun. Here we go." Dry lips pressed to his forehead and a warmth spread through his body. "Now rest. I will keep any busy-bodies from waking you up for now but once you're rested it will be out of my hands. Alright?"

She smiled to him gently and Katsuki wondered if this was how mothers normally acted to their children. He grunted an affirmation and closed his eyes, feeling drowsiness overtake him as his body began to use its energy to heal his arm.

When Katsuki awoke, the room was bright from sunlight streaming through the windows. He went to sit up and a sharp pain throbbed in his head. At some point in the night his arm had been fitted with a cast and a sling. The rough, blue strap of the sling rubbed against the back of his neck as he looked around the room.

Kirishima was snoring in the bed next to him, a happy smile on his face. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with him so either his hardening had adequately protected him from Katsuki's attack, or Recovery Girl had deemed it fine to heal him fully. To his left, sleeping comfortably in a chair next to his bed, was Aizawa. Dread filled Katsuki's stomach.

" Fuck ," he muttered under his breath, remembering exactly how he had broken Deku's arm. The sound of the word caused Aizawa to open his bloodshot eyes.

"So you're up," the teacher muttered sleepily.

"Mm. What time is it?"

"10 AM, Saturday. You've been sleeping for forty hours or so."

Silence followed. Katsuki knew that Aizawa was waiting for some form of an explanation or apology but he couldn't bring himself to give one.

Aizawa sighed. "Alright, Bakugou-kun. We both know what you did and we both know the lasting effects it could have on Midoriya-kun. I honestly wanted to keep you under surveillance after you tried to use the quirk the first time, but thought that that would be too much. You're a hero in training after all. In my mind, there was no way that you would risk your future over your vendetta against Midoriya-kun. But I see now that I was foolish. As this was partly my fault for not keeping a proper eye on you, you will not be punished for the possible destruction of Midoriya-kun's future as a hero but rather for the unauthorized use of his quirk. Therefore, you will be forbidden from using Midoriya-kun's quirk ever again, and you will be under pseudo house arrest until you two switch back. You are to attend classes as normal but outside of that you are to remain in the dorms. In addition, Kirishima-kun here will be your new roommate while his dorm room is being fixed and will serve to report to us any unauthorized use of Midoriya-kun's quirk. Does that seem fair to you, Bakugou-kun?"

' Is that it ?' was Katsuki's first thought. He didn't know what kind of martyr bullshit his sensei was on but obviously it wasn't his fucking fault that Katsuki blew his friend off of the fourth story of the dorm room and destroyed Deku's arm in the process. What the fuck was this? Why hadn't he been expelled? Why wasn't he being forced to switch back? Kirishima could have fucking died and Deku could be a cripple for the rest of his life. Now Katsuki had to, what? Be bored for three months? That was his punishment? Katsuki wondered if Aizawa was being lenient because of what he'd divulged to him after their meeting the morning after switching. If he was then Katsuki would be pissed. He'd needed someone to know and figured that Aizawa would be the last person to treat him differently because of it. Even Kirishima would probably start tiptoeing around him if he knew. Fucker was too nice.

Katsuki looked at Aizawa with suspicion. "That's fair," he lied.

"Good then. Kirishima already knows about all of this, by the way. He woke up yesterday but wanted to sleep more so we let him. Once he wakes up, have him take you to the dorms." With that, Aizawa left the room, leaving Katsuki dumbfounded.

Three weeks passed. Kirishima's dorm room had been fixed in a few days but he continued to stay with Katsuki by orders of Aizawa. The packed room meant they shared a bed but, aside from occasionally being awoken by a sharp blow to his kidney, Katsuki didn't really mind. They just hung out and studied and slept. If it were anyone else, Katsuki probably would've broken Deku's other arm just to get expelled and exit the situation, but Kirishima was laid back enough for Katsuki to enjoy his presence rather than rebel against it.

Going to class was normal except for the fact that he still couldn't take part in any quirk training. He watched from the sidelines as Deku became more and more comfortable using his quirk. Kirsihima was often his partner since he could handle a wayward explosion or two and it was weird to see the two interacting so much—getting along so well. They had always been friends but after three weeks of sparring one-on-one most days they had a new cadence to the way they spoke, like they were in their own world. Whenever Deku mastered a new move or released a huge explosion without being pushed back the whole class beamed for him, but Kirishima was his biggest supporter.

Katsuki, on the other hand, hadn't spoken to Deku since he broke his arm. Not that he ever tried, but it was unusual for Deku to not approach him for anything at all in three weeks, especially when they were inhabiting each other's fucking bodies. Hell, within the first twenty-four hours the idiot brought up his fucking foreskin. In the past three weeks, Katsuki had to imagine that Deku had also done more than just piss with his dick and was surprised he didn't get a tearful apology for violating his body. Granted, Katsuki was the most bored he'd ever been in his entire life, so maybe he was the only one that had been driven to that as an outlet. He couldn't participate in quirk training, he couldn't leave the dorms, and there was no news of an alternate way of switching back. But Deku certainly had enough going on to keep from getting bored.

The class flocked around the nerd even more now, all invested in his progress with Katsuki's quirk. The idiot caught on a lot faster than anyone thought he would and by now, unless he was trying out something new, he looked natural using bursts of explosions to fight or accelerate across the field. It was odd to see himself being so supported by everyone. It was his body, his quirk, but everyone celebrated Deku's accomplishments with it more than they ever had his own, even though the green-haired brat was just copying everything that Katsuki had worked to master. It seemed that Katsuki just wasn't someone that people wanted to support.

Another development was Deku's increased contact with Uraraka. It was rare to see them apart outside of class. Always studying and chatting in the far corners of rooms, Deku's idiotic grin plastered on his face and Uraraka's red cheeks glowing. Katsuki wondered what had happened when she went to his room the night he broke his arm. It didn't seem more than platonic when they were in public but every once in a while he would catch the bubbly girl exiting the dorm stairwell on the 2nd floor with an expectant look on her dumb, round face. There were only males on the 2nd floor and Deku was the only one she really spoke to. What were they doing behind closed doors? Never before had Katsuki given two shits about what Uraraka did in her free time but it was his body she was going to meet, after all. He had a right to be annoyed at her and at Deku for fucking meeting with her every other god damn night but ignoring Katsuki without a second thought.

He shook his head violently. This was why he and Kirishima were spending their Sunday walking around town. Katsuki was going insane with boredom and his mind had started to grasp onto anything that could cause some sort of entertainment. He needed out. Even if it was just for a day. He convinced Aizawa to let him out under the pretense that he needed to buy more supplies for school but he had everything he needed. So he and Kirishima just walked around, talking about random shit and people-watching. But after a particularly long lull in the conversation, Kirishima asked what everyone else had been too scared to.

"So what's the deal with you not switching back with Midoriya?" he asked sincerely.

Katsuki scowled. "Why do you give a shit all of a sudden?"

"Well, I mean, you didn't really seem bothered by the switch before. You didn't care what Midoriya did as you and you seemed comfortable enough, but we're out right now 'cause you're getting tired of it, right? I'd want my quirk back too. So why not just switch back?"

Katsuki blew a long, angry breath through his wrinkled nose. "I don't fucking want him to stick his tongue in my mouth." It was the truth, if only partly.

"Dude, c'mon. You know it doesn't have to be like that. I had to do it with Uraraka. It wasn't a big deal, and she's a chick. You're doing it to your own face when it happens, anyway. So what gives?"

"You're telling me you'd do that to me right now if you had to?"

"Yeah, easy. We're friends, man." Kirsihima was always earnest with Katsuki which made things simple but also uncomfortable at times. "You wouldn't touch tips with me?"

"Can everyone please stop fucking calling it that? And… maybe I would. But not with that shit head."

"So what makes him so different? I know you guys have that whole childhood thing, but, I don't know. I like him." So very earnest.

"Yeah, I fucking know you like him," Katsuki said bitterly.

"See, dude? What's your problem? What's he done to make you so angry?"

"Why the fuck are you defending him?" Katsuki barked.

"Because he's a nice guy! And he likes you and wants to make amends in spite of everything but you just keep pushing him away. And I like you too and I like him and I just kind of wish you two could get along, y'know? I just don't get it, I guess."

"And I don't get how everyone fucking fawns over him so much. He's a fucking nerd asshole that thinks I'm weak enough that he has to fucking worry about me when I broke his fucking arm. I'm the one refusing to switch back. And from day fucking one he's been worrying about 'doing something I wouldn't like' like he has any fucking power over me or how I feel. He's a fucking patronizing loser that hung onto me for so many years despite me being a huge fucking asshole to him every step of the way, always looking at me like I was the one who needed help, and then drops me the moment things get too hard and doesn't look back. I fucking hate him."

Kirishima looked to him, surprised. "Wow, dude. That's, uh… that's a lot to unpack, man. I'm sorry. Uh… you know all of that is just because he actually likes you, right? He's not looking down on you, man, he just actually likes you and worries about you. And if you think he's not looking back on leaving you alone then, I mean, you're wrong. Every time he tries out some new move he talks about how cool it was when you first did it. It's hard not to get caught up in it 'cause it's so obvious he's working so hard at it with you in mind. I don't know, it's kind of sweet. He loves you, dude."

"... Why ? I can't remember the last time I was fucking nice to him."

"I don't know, dude. You're cool. I love you, too."

Katsuki scowled at his friend's blunt sincerity. Like hell he was going to say that back, but he raised his fist to Kirishima who smiled, big and bright, and tapped his own fist against it.

"Can we stop fucking talking about this?" Katsuki asked sincerely.

Kirishima laughed. "Yeah, man, whatever you want. Yo, did you hear they found out what the guy who switched us was doing with those women?"

Katsuki grimaced at the thought of that man. "Nah, what happened?"

"Turns out he sold them to the guys they switched with. He was just some random office worker. I guess he's a good looking dude and would get beautiful women to sleep with him. He'd get some spit during the deed and do the swap with the highest bidder. Dudes were paying millions. Fucking disgusting."

"Holy fuck," was all Katsuki could bring himself to say. It was odd to admit, but ever since he was a child he always viewed villains as these outstanding enemies that weren't people like Katsuki or Kirishima were. They were just bad guys. He never really spared a thought to whether they lived a normal life before or while being a villain. It made him nauseous to think about the man who had switched them living his life normally, all the while subjecting those women to hell. He was just a handsome businessman before all of this. Katsuki looked around to all the people passing by them as they walked through the town. How many of them had quirks that could do serious damage? And then how many of those were willing to use them for evil? Katsuki tried to catch his breath. Anyone could be planning anything at any moment, and here he was, walking around with a broken arm and a quirk that he couldn't make use of. He was helpless. The nausea crept up his throat. Anyone could be like that man. A finger entered his mouth. He could see Deku next to him, helpless. 'Boop!' Sludge was gushing down his throat and into his lungs. He gasped for breath. The finger was salty. It pressed against his tongue. The faces passing around him sneered with evil grins. Katsuki found himself on his knees, vomiting. Kirishima was yelling to him. A hand was on his back. He tried to push it away. He crumpled to the ground, shaking, desperately gasping for air. Red eyes with a soft gaze. More vomit. It was hot and wet on his hand. ' Kacchan.' Fuck. " Are you alright?" Fuck fuck fuck. The world started to fade.

Katsuki woke up in Recovery Girl's office. He grimaced at the taste in his mouth. What the fuck happened?

Rustling near him caught his attention and he looked down to see his blonde head resting on the side of his bed. Deku was sleeping, chest gently rising, small murmurs gliding through the dim room. It must've been late.

Katsuki curled his lip as he looked at his classmate. How had Deku survived so long without a quirk? Katsuki had never felt so weak, so vulnerable, in his entire life. Katsuki was used to having his powerful quirk ready for battle and had never shied away from threatening Deku with it. How fucking scared would he have been in that situation? How did he always seem so strong in spite of that? ' He loves you, dude.' How? How in the fuck could Deku even still stand being near him? Katsuki pushed him down any chance he got and the higher he stood the harder he fell. Even when he saved him from the sludge villain, Katsuki just got angry. Because what did that mean if quirkless Deku saved him? That he was weak? That Deku was looking down on him? Of course fucking not. He spent so much time looking down on people that he never considered the idea that Deku wouldn't do the same to him any chance he got. ' He just actually likes you and worries about you.' Fuck.

Gently, he dragged the back of his hand across Deku's sleeping head. He wondered if he'd be able to perform that action if he was looking at Deku's actual body instead of his own. He pulled his hand back sharply when the sleeping boy started to rouse from his slumber.

"Kacchan?" Deku spoke sleepily, looking up to him with a half-lidded gaze. Before Katsuki could say anything, the kid seemed to come to his senses, face gaining color as he jolted away from the bedside. "S-sorry. I was just keeping watch while Kirishima got some sleep. I'll go get him." Deku turned to leave.

"Hey, wait," the words scratched their way out of his dry throat. "Do you know what happened to me?"

"Oh, um… they said you probably had a panic attack. Kirishima brought you back after you passed out. I'm sorry you went through that. I know they're scary." Deku spoke sincerely and Katsuki wondered how many times the kid had hyperventilated until he passed out and how many times it was Katsuki's fault.

"S'okay," Katsuki mumbled. He looked into eyes that were avoiding his own. "Hey, Deku," he spoke softly.

Their eyes met and some of Katsuki's anxiety released.

"Y-yeah, Kacchan?"

"When my… when your arm is healed, teach me how to use your quirk."

Deku's eyes widened in surprise. "Uh, I mean, I would, Kacchan, but Aizawa-"

"I'll convince him. Besides, I'm pretty sure this is what he was hoping for from the start." Katsuki grumbled, thinking back on his oddly light punishment.

Deku looked at him for a few more moments in surprise before a smile began to form on his lips. "I'm down if Aizawa-sensei is okay with it. I think you're an awesome match for my quirk."

"It's a fucking deal then." Katsuki raised his fist to Deku who happily brought his own in to meet it.

Kacchan

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

"So it's like a minimum activation energy? Like with catalysts," Katsuki clarified.

"Exactly," Deku responded. "Your quirk requires a much higher level of energy for activation, whereas mine doesn't really need any. That's why you broke my arm. You tried to use as little energy as possible, but your minimum to activate your quirk was plenty enough to hurt you with mine."

"So.. what do I do?"

"That's the thing. It's going to be a lot harder for you to go way below what you ever use than it was for me to go over what I normally do. It's like… when you play the drums. It's a lot easier to teach someone quiet to hit harder than it is to teach someone loud to play quietly. So I think you're going to need to practice controlling the energy you put into the quirk before you try to incorporate any movements. If that makes sense."

"It does." A nice thing about Deku was that he'd always been smart. Not as smart as Katsuki was, obviously, but smart enough that exchanging notes or ideas was always effortless. They never had to battle to be on the same wavelength whenever Katsuki bothered to listen. "So I'll just lower that feeling of power in my hand until I feel like it's, what, one fifth of what I normally do?"

"Probably more like one tenth."

"Fuck, okay. So one tenth from my lowest. And I can compare the feeling to when I broke your arm too and try to get a sense from that. Should be fucking easy."

Deku smiled warmly. "You'll kill it."

Katsuki pushed down his desire to growl an insult at the kid sitting across from him in the athletics field. The nicer Deku was to him the more it made him want to retaliate and he was trying to curb that instinct. ' He's just being stupidly supportive because he would be for anyone. He's not singling you out. He's not trying to shit on you.'

"So I guess I'll just be doing my own thing at first," Katsuki said.

"Yeah," Deku responded, "although I'd be down for no-quirk sparring. It'd probably help to be in tune with my body if you're going to try using my quirk."

' Oh, I'm fucking in tune with your body,' Katsuki thought, trying not to think about the first thing he did once he got his cast off and had his right arm, which was thankfully still usable, available to him again. Being a dude sucked sometimes. "Let's fucking do it." Katsuki stood and began stretching his shoulders out, paying special attention to his recently healed arm. Big or fast movements still made his nerves pop with a sharp pain, but he'd been told to keep moving as much as possible as long as he didn't go overboard again. He stood in front of Deku and put his fists in front of him.

That was how Katsuki's quirk training started. Aizawa had given in way too easily when Katsuki came to him to ask if he could use Deku's quirk as long as he had the nerd teaching him. He knew there was something up with how little trouble he got in and Aizawa always seemed to have some fucking scheme to get him and Deku to get along. Well he got his fucking wish.

For the first few days, Katsuki and Deku would meet after class and spar until they either both got tired out or they got too competitive and started doing real damage—it took a lot of convincing the next day to make the class drop the idea that they had beat the shit out of each other for real. Katsuki would spend the rest of his time trying to focus on translating the heat he normally felt in his palm into a level of energy in his mind, and then trying to decrease that level. It was a weird thing to conceive for Katsuki, like trying to quantify the volume of his voice when it was so quiet he couldn't hear it, but after hours and hours of trying to feel something and maybe feeling something and, oh wait, that was definitely a feeling, that had to be a feeling, he started to get the hang of it. Eventually, he had to pretend to use his own quirk to remember what his original minimum was because he had managed to go so much lower.

So after he felt sure—really sure this time—that he could activate the quirk without shattering Deku's bones, they set up the same dummy that Aizawa had originally wanted him to knock down. Deku sat near him again, looking to him with those same expectant eyes, but this time Katsuki kind of wanted to meet those expectations instead of defy them.

Feeling foolish about squaring up with his hand cocked for a flick, Katsuki scowled at the dummy. He closed his eyes, put energy into his index until he could just barely feel a kindling warmth, and snapped the finger forward. Pain immediately reverberated through his entire hand but he was too genuinely awestruck at the heavy figure in front of him shooting off across the field to care very much. Katsuki whipped his head to look over to Deku, needing some sort of confirmation that he actually just did that with a flick of his finger, and grit his teeth to prevent a smile forming when he saw Deku looking up to him with a proud grin, like he was thrilled that Katsuki finally realized he could do what Deku knew he could all along.

Deku held up his hand and Katsuki high fived him with adrenaline fueled strength. "Holy fuck , Deku," Katsuki said, failing at containing his smile.

"I know," Deku said with a laugh. "It's stupid, isn't it? I really would still be nothing without it."

Katsuki flinched at hearing that reasoning from Deku's own mouth. "Deku, I didn't fucking mean…" he had though. He had meant it. "I was being a dick."

Deku laughed again, airy but resigned. "Maybe. But you were right. It's not like I would've gotten into U.A.'s hero department without a quirk. Look," - he put his hands in front of him in defense - "I'm not trying to start anything. I'm just saying I was lucky to get the quirk I did and I'm glad this situation has serendipitously let me share it with you. So, anyway!" Deku clapped his hands together. "I've been thinking about the next thing we should have you do and I think I have a really good idea. But we're gonna need some help."

Katsuki found out who Deku wanted help from when he came to the field the next day and saw himself talking emphatically to Kirishima. Deku was throwing easy kicks and punches while explaining something and Kirishima caught them all, nodding with an excited look on his face. Deku stopped his barrage and spoke a few words to which Kirishima nodded. The red-haired tank had to take a few steps back to balance himself after Deku sprung into him, hugging him happily. Kirishima grabbed his shoulders and pushed him away, acting unusually bashful for the shitty-haired idiot and looking back and forth from Deku to Katsuki as he noticed him approach.

Katsuki clenched his fists. "What's this idiot doing here?"

"Wha- 'this idiot'?" Kirishima repeated. "Dude, we lived together for a month." Once Katsuki had begun to learn Deku's quirk properly, Aizawa had Kirishima move back into his own room. "We shared a bed. I told you I loved you, man. Really, you shouldn't even be calling me Kirishima anymore, we're in first name territory, Katsuki." Kirishima said everything with a hint of sarcasm, but not enough to keep Deku's face free of surprised embarrassment, which in turn made Katsuki feel heat creeping up his neck.

"He didn't tell me he loved me," Katsuki said quickly, trying to clarify. "Okay, actually, fuck, he did, but he didn't mean it like that. And don't fucking call me that, dude."

"How about Kacchan?" Kirishima pressed.

Anger rumbled in Katsuki's throat. " Don't ."

"Okay, okay, holy shit, dude. Don't do that with Deku's face, it's like a baby seal is mad at me, I don't feel comfy with this. I just came to help you out."

"Help out how?" Katsuki growled.

Deku stepped in between the two other boys, protecting Kirishima from Katsuki's sudden anger. "He's gonna be your sparring partner from now on. He can take my quirk even if you accidentally go too hard. It'll be good training for both of you. I want you to attack and Kirishima to defend, neither of you using a quirk. Then, randomly while you guys are going, I'll name an attack for you to do, like 'right hook' or 'left roundhouse', and you have to do that move using my quirk and Kirishima has to activate his to defend. It should really help you to get used to flexibility and control with my quirk."

Katsuki hummed to himself. "So like… fucked up Simon Says."

Deku smiled at Katsuki's understanding. "Yeah. I think it'll be fun."

Katsuki looked at Kirishima, feeling a weirdly strong desire to hit him hard with Deku's quirk. He smiled, agreeing with Deku's sentiment.

"Ready up, Kirishima," he spoke with a sneer, cracking his knuckles.

The first week of training with Kirishima caused both attacker and defender pain and embarrassment. There were multiple times every day when Deku would call out a type of punch or kick and Katsuki would commit hard but fail to activate the quirk, crumpling his knuckles or foot into Kirishima's hardened muscles. Kirishima would have a smug smile on his face until Deku called out a command again and Katsuki succeeded but Kirishima failed to strengthen himself in time and wound up being blasted ten feet back, groaning on the ground. For every time they both succeeded in tandem there were roughly four failures. At first, every time either of them got hurt, Deku would shout his concerns, asking if they were okay or if they wanted to stop, but by the fifth day Katsuki and Kirishima were yelling at him for releasing gasping, tear-inducing laughter when one of them crumpled in pain for the tenth time that day. Their sessions went from ten minutes at the start to verging on two hours by the time the third week rolled around, both students making fewer mistakes every day. Weirdly enough, the longer the sparring sessions got the longer they all stayed out on the field afterward. First they'd just trade critique's on each other's performance—Kirishima yelling at Katsuki for going easy on him, Katsuki yelling at Kirishima for hitting him back after a particularly nasty blow, and Deku trying to keep the peace by complementing both of them—but eventually they'd find themselves talking about class or other students or whatever was going on in each other's lives.

"So what's going on with you and Uraraka, Deku?" Kirishima asked one day as they all ate onigiri on the field, almost making Katsuki spit out his mouthful.

Deku looked to the ground. "What d'you mean?"

"I don't know. You guys are always together. She goes to your room sometimes. Just feels like maybe there's something more than friendship going on." Kirishima smiled slyly to Deku whose face was getting redder by the second.

Katsuki rubbed his eyes, desperately wanting to exit the conversation. The last thing he wanted to hear about was Deku's fucking love life.

"Kirishima," Deku whined, "please, it's not like that. I just… like talking to her."

"So when you two are alone in your room you're just talking?" Kirishima prodded in disbelief.

"Yes!" Deku yelled. "Some things are… private. I don't know. I just ended up confiding in her about some things and now we meet up to talk about it sometimes. That's all. Really." Deku was slowly curling into a ball, hugging his knees and burying his red face into them.

"What can you tell her that you can't tell us?" Kirishima asked like they'd all been best friends from birth.

Katsuki was actually interested in the answer to that. He had known Deku basically from birth. He really thought he knew everything about the kid. What the hell was worrying him that he confided in Uraraka for. All Might or his mom Katsuki would understand, but Round Face?

Katsuki got his answer when shy eyes barely glanced in his direction before Deku responded.

"It's nothing, really. I'd rather not talk about it is all."

'Right, ' Katsuki thought. Deku had started being close to Uraraka the night Katsuki blew up on him. Their late night meetings were probably Deku crying to her about how much of an asshole he was—how much of an asshole he'd always been. Deku normally put up a front like he wasn't bothered by Katsuki's treatment of him, especially around their classmates, but that night any traces of that front had disappeared, leaving anger and resentment in its wake. It would be impossible for Deku not to carry deep animosity towards Katsuki somewhere underneath all of that forgiveness and care. Kid had to let it out somehow and Uraraka had taken up that mantle.

Guilt murmured in Katsuki's chest.

They probably had a great fucking time talking about it, too. Round Face had made it clear that she didn't like him. He could easily picture them sitting on Deku's bed, exchanging awful anecdotes about him, although he could only imagine it with Deku in his rightful body. Uraraka would tell one of her stupid fucking jokes about him and they'd laugh and she'd put a hand on his leg and he'd freeze up like the dumb fucking idiot he is, never having realized that she liked him and was probably thrilled to have an excuse to go to his room late at night. Maybe she'd have been holding back for so long that she'd skip the pleasantries, sliding her hand up Deku's thick, muscular thigh before lifting his shirt, a pale, firm abdomen peeking through as eager hands unbuckled his belt. "Kacchan," Deku would breathe, panicked but excited.

"Well, um, anyway," Deku began, snapping Katsuki out of his thoughts and slipping on his backpack, standing, "I'm just gonna head back, it's getting kind of late."

"Hold up, Deku." Katsuki stood quickly. "Spar with me."

"Huh? Why?"

"I'm tired of thinking so much while I fight. Plus Kirishima isn't supposed to hit back. C'mon, no quirks, I just wanna brawl for a bit."

Kirishima stood and raised his hands. "Fine, guess I'll leave then. Don't kill each other, you two." Kirishima headed back to the dorms with a wave.

"You sure, Kacchan?" Deku asked hesitantly. "You've been doing a lot lately. You should get some rest."

"Deku, seriously, shut the fuck up and come at me." Katsuki was weirdly restless after talking for so long. He wanted to slam Deku to the ground and keep him there.

"Okay, okay, jeez," Deku spoke like he was annoyed but smiled as he walked up to Katsuki. They tapped fists and settled into their fighting stances.

Katsuki moved first, sending a fist straight to Deku's face which was dodged easily, Deku taking a controlled step sideways to get out of the way. The younger boy kept his momentum and spun into a kick that Katsuki caught above his shoulder, grabbing hold and twisting as he turned around, heaving his own body over his shoulders. Deku fell deftly into a roll and immediately kicked off and tackled Katsuki to the ground. A few fists flew but soon they were wildly slamming knees and elbows into each other, grappling on the cool grass of the field. At some point Katsuki wound up sitting on Deku's hips, pressing them down with his weight and pinning the kid's arms to the ground. Deku jammed his right side upward but Katsuki lifted himself so that Deku's momentum caused him to flip on his side. He slammed his knee into the small of Deku's back, pushing him onto his stomach. He grabbed his own tan wrists and pressed them to Deku's sides. Deku struggled for a moment beneath him before relenting.

"Okay, Kacchan, I give. Let me up," he panted.

Katsuki didn't want to let him up. He wanted to keep him pinned there forever. He was so incredibly aware of Deku's presence in his own body beneath him. The restless feeling in his chest increased.

Katsuki stood and reached a hand down for Deku to grab hold of. He helped him up, they tapped fists again, and then headed back to their dorms.

All the way to the dorm and into his room, Katsuki's feelings of agitation didn't fade. He spent half an hour wearing himself out with push-ups before finally going off to take a shower. The heat seared Deku's skin but he kept it as hot as possible, wanting to kill the beating of his chest. He scrubbed and scrubbed but the feeling wouldn't go away. Back in his dorm room, wearing just a pair of one of Deku's many All Might-themed pajama pants, Katsuki continued to try to fight the feeling the way he fought pretty much any anxious feeling he'd ever felt since he was twelve. The light of his phone lit up his face in the dim room as he searched for something to get off on. He settled on a video of a popular pornstar whose quirk made her skin change color depending on how she felt. This was the fifth time he'd done this as Deku, but the first time he was able to do it in his own room since Kirishima was finally gone. It still took a steeled breath of resolve to reach into his pants and pull out his friend's penis.

Katsuki moved his hand lazily, waiting for the video to pick up, listening through headphones to the soft moans of the pornstar as she was fingered by a guy with a vibration quirk, her skin pulsing with rosy pinks. He forced himself to go faster when they started fucking, not feeling it but desperately wanting to finish and get some sort of release. An absent murmur escaped his throat and his lower abdomen tightened, Deku's voice slinking through the air. He took out one of his earbuds and used his voice again, this time louder and with intent. The sound pierced his chest. He reveled in Deku's desperate, breathy moans and tightened his grip, thighs twitching. He dropped his phone onto the mattress. Deku's hand was on his dick and Deku's dick was in his hand. Deku's fingers laid on his abs and he traced his fingers down each of Deku's distinct muscles. "Kacchan," he breathed, closing his eyes as a pleasing heat ripped through his soul. He said the name again, louder and then louder again. He covered his mouth as he came, stifling a groan. Katsuki laid back on his bed, breathing heavily and feeling Deku's semen trickle down the side of his stomach. Dazed, he lay there panting until the heat in his stomach faded.

Katsuki jolted upright on his bed. " Fuck ," he muttered, looking down in horror at his semen. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" he yelled into his hands. Shame burst forth that made him stand and pace his room. Grabbing a dirty t-shirt and wiping his stomach, he lifted a fist to punch his wall but stopped inches short for fear of hurting Deku. Shit, shit, shit, what the fuck did he just do? What the fuck was that? Why did that feel so good? Fucking fucking fuck. He kicked his bed over and over and over before collapsing onto it and shoving his face into the pillow.

He'd fucked up.

Chapter End Notes

I changed the rating to M! The rating might change again going forward, I don't know! Sorry if that's uncouth.

Walls

"Hey, Kirishima?" Izuku asked when he and his quirk-sparring partner sat down to take a breather.

"Hm?" he hummed, absorbed in examining his ab muscles while he flexed them, pulling his shirt up to see.

"You have any idea why Kacchan's been ignoring me?"

It had been a week since Izuku lost Kacchan's requested match. The next day, when Izuku was waiting for him outside of the classroom, his green head blew right past him, muttering something about needing a break from training. That on its own would be no big deal. Kacchan had been doing a lot lately, keeping up with his normal schoolwork while learning Izuku's quirk from scratch, and seemed kind of unsettled the last day they met. But he also blew off any attempt Izuku made to talk, even if it was just to ask about homework or how to keep from setting off his palms in the middle of the night.

Kirishima coughed, dropping his shirt and looking off to the side. "He's been ignoring you?"

"Yeah," Izuku said, dejected. "He's been blowing me off since the last time we were all at the field and I don't know what's going on. I really thought… I don't know. It just felt like we were getting along finally. Like, mutually . And now… I don't know, did I do something? He talks to you, right? Did he say anything? I don't wanna pry but… I really don't want to go back to how we were." Izuku raised his eyes to see Kirishima still looking away, now with a conflicted look on his face.

"Uh, well…" Kirsihima started and then glanced to Izuku's worried, forlorn face. He sighed and rubbed his red face with both hands, frustrated. "Look, I… I've had an inkling of a thing for a while now and I kind of, um… overheard some things through my wall that almost super definitely mean that I was right and that's why he's been weird but it is really, really not my place to say anything to you so, I don't know, dude. I'd just keep trying to talk to him. I don't think you did anything wrong."

"You heard something… through your walls?" Izuku asked, confused.

Kirishima's face lit up and he looked to the sky. "Yes, but please, please don't say anything to Bakugou. I'm not ready to die, man."

"Y-yeah, no problem, Kirishima."

They resumed their sparring after a lengthy silence, Izuku more confused and worried than he had been before speaking to Kirishima. He couldn't help but wonder what Kacchan had been doing that could both be heard through walls and explain why he was ignoring Izuku. But… if it had been loud…

"Hey, Jirou?" Izuku asked his classmate as they all headed to the cafeteria for lunch.

"Nope. Nope. I'm not dying today, Midoriya. Talk to him yourself," she responded curtly, not even turning to look at him.

Izuku frowned but moved on to his other option.

"Shouji, um, did you-"

HIs massive classmate plugged his ears and kept walking.

Izuku stopped in his tracks, letting people accidentally knock into him as he tried to conjure up any idea of what Kacchan had been doing that made everyone think he would murder them if they told Izuku. Knowing Kacchan, that didn't really narrow things down much. He sighed then felt a tug at the hem of his jacket. Uraraka was looking at him with a straightforward gaze.

"Everything alright?" she asked.

"... Can we talk?" Izuku asked back.

Uraraka smiled happily. "Of course. C'mon let's go grab food and talk in the cafeteria. I'm starving." She grabbed Izuku's hand and led him to the lunch room.

They lined up with all of the other students and got their food, heading to an empty table in a corner of the rambunctious room. They sat down across from each other and Izuku picked at his food, trying to think of how to start. It had been a few weeks since he'd last complained to Uraraka about Kacchan. Lately, they'd just talked about normal things together and he felt kind of bad bringing their conversations back to his personal problems that were probably never going to end. She'd already taken the brunt of his anxieties when he'd forced himself to ignore Kacchan for three weeks in an attempt to force some sort of change in their relationship, whatever that change may be. So Izuku kept poking his rice with his chopsticks.

Uraraka sighed. "So Bakugou's been weird lately, huh?"

"Right?!" Izuku said louder than he meant to. He looked to his food and lowered his voice. "Right? I don't think he's ever really ignored me before. Normally he seems to enjoy shutting me down with insults or whatever so I at least get some sort of interaction but this is weird."

"Deku…" Uraraka started, disappointed and accusing.

"I know, I know! I can't help it," he whined, resting his chin on his hand. "At least when he's shitting on me he's acknowledging me. Things were actually going well for a few weeks and now he completely shuts down. I don't know what's going on." Izuku took a thoughtful bite of his food.

"You didn't… say anything to him?"

"No!" Izuku assured. "I only figured it out myself like two months ago, do you really think I'm so sure of myself that I'd tell Kacchan without protective gear? Besides, I feel like if he knew… he'd want to switch back. I'd be the same as Mineta was in Ashido's eyes. And everything's been going well. I don't want to go back to square one or square negative ten or wherever I'd be at if that happened."

"I don't know, Deku. You get kind of desperate when it comes to him. I wouldn't put it past you. Plus, like you said, things were going well, right? You could've thought it was a good time to shoot your shot." Uraraka shrugged.

Izuku laughed. "I wish I was as confident as you think I am. Maybe getting shot down would help me end whatever this is. This…" He tried to find the word.

"Obsession?" Uraraka finished for him.

Izuku frowned. "I'd prefer… infatuation?"

"Right, infatuation with the guy that has done nothing but shit on you since you were kids. An infatuation you realized after he shit on you extra hard. Super healthy. Definitely not at all related to Stockholm syndrome."

Groaning, Izuku laid his head on the lunch table. "He was just… so angry. After I calmed down all I could think about was how I wished he were in his own body at that time so I could see that anger in his eyes. I know it's warped and messed up but so is he and I looked up to him, I don't know. Some wires got crossed somewhere or something." He looked up to Uraraka with a pout and big eyes, hoping she'd take pity on him like she usually did.

The girl sighed. "What about that thing with Mei?" she asked.

"What d'you mean?"

"She was making something for you right? Something for Bakugou. Lure him back with that?"

Izuku quirked his head in thought. "That's… a good idea." He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. I get so worked up and word vomit all over you and then you point out something that should've been obvious. I feel bad."

Uraraka smiled. "It's fine, but you owe me. Take me someplace sometime?"

"Like where?"

"Movies?"

"Deal." It was easily worth it for how much she'd helped him sort out in the past two months. He'd probably still be trying to fight his feelings if he hadn't had someone to bounce them off of.

They discussed what kind of movie they should go see for the rest of the lunch period, deciding on a documentary about hero Mirko, and then returned to class with the rest of the students. Izuku spent the next few days restlessly awaiting news from Mei about the gear he'd requested, all the way biting his tongue around Kacchan, deciding he'd have a better chance if he stopped trying to bother him for a bit. Finally, Mei, sweaty and covered in grime, appeared in front of him in the cafeteria.

"It's ready and it works and I only blew the workshop up twice," she spoke with a proud smile, handing Deku a piece of paper and a tangled mess of straps and black tubing leading to various nodes and a pair of gloves.

Deku carefully took the mass into his hands. "You're the best, Mei."

"Tell your friends!" She beamed.

Izuku untangled the tubing and wrapped it neatly around his forearm, sliding it off and placing it in his bag. He waited patiently through lunch and the rest of his classes, and stood in front of Kacchan's desk once they were finally dismissed for the day. He received no acknowledgement.

"Meet me at the field in half an hour," he said.

"I have stuff to do," Kacchan responded, not looking up from his notes. His eyes were dark and tired.

"No you don't."

Kacchan looked at him with anger. "What the fu-"

"Just come, okay? You can go back to ignoring me after. I won't bother you anymore. But I think- I know you'll want to see this. Thirty minutes." Izuku knocked his knuckles on Kacchan's desk and then left.

He hurried back to his dorm room to change and prepare everything. He read through the instructions Mei provided quickly, hurrying to decipher Mei's chicken scratch, and then left for the field. Izuku couldn't contain his smile when he saw Kacchan sitting in the grass, staring at him with a bored expression.

"Hurry the fuck up, Deku. I told you I have shit to do." Kacchan grumbled, looking at Izuku but not in his eyes.

"And you know I know you don't, Kacchan."

Green eyes scowled at Izuku. "What's with the gloves? You finally decide to strangle me to death?"

Izuku pulled the black gloves further up his wrists, the fit a little loose. He grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head.

"What the fuck are you… what the hell is that?" Kacchan questioned.

Izuku twisted his arms, examining the black tubes running down the backs of them and to the two nodes stuck on his shoulder blades. The tubes continued down his back and legs, all the way to his feet. He kicked off his sandals to show the nodes on the pads of his feet.

"It's just a prototype," he explained. "I asked Mei for it once I started getting used to your quirk more. Yours is so much fun. So powerful and reckless. But I missed the flexibility of mine. I can use mine on any part of my body whereas yours is limited to your hands. Then I thought about the mechanism of your gauntlets and thought something like this could be fun." Izuku smiled over his shoulder to Kacchan.

"... how does it work?" Kacchan asked, losing out to curiosity.

"The palms of the gloves have absorptive properties that soak up your sweat, which then travels through the tubes through capillary action—it helps to squeeze the gloves, though. Then there are switches. In the gloves. Depending on which ones are pressed at the same time, different nodes activate. Let's see… index and ring should do the backs," - he pressed those fingers into his palms and lurched forward when two explosions went off at his shoulder blades; he took hopping steps to keep from falling on his face. He laughed, incredibly happy at how responsive the gear was. "And ring and pinky do the feet." Izuku raised his right foot and pressed down the ring and pinky fingers on his right hand. The force of the blast from his soles knocked him backward. He stumbled and landed on his back with a grunt. A snicker crackled through the air.

"Oh yeah, Deku, so flexible. I can't wait to get knocked on my ass in the middle of a fight."

Izuku laughed, embarrassed. "C'mon, I've never used them before. I think they could be really helpful if you get used to them." He sat up. "Normally, if someone were coming at you from the back you would need to get your hand around to stop them, but now you can just press your fingers and blast them. And then I imagine the foot ones could help a lot with changing direction in the air and obviously blasting people when you kick them or, like, rocketing your leg forward if your foot's pointed for the kick. Plus I had Mei make it so the strength of the blast was dependent on how hard you press, so you might even be able to use them to sort of fly or float or something. I don't know if that would work at all but it was kind of fun to think about and…" Izuku paused, realizing he was rambling. He glanced to Kacchan and heat flooded his cheeks when he saw his laid-back smile. Kacchan quietly fell back into his usual scowl when he noticed Izuku looking.

"Why the fuck would I ever need to float?"

"I-I don't know, what if there's a harmful substance on the ground or… or-"

"Or what? Someone just fucking mopped?"

Izuku blushed. "Who cares why? I just thought it would be cool."

"Show me."

Izuku's eyes widened. "What?"

"Show me," Kacchan repeated, standing and walking towards Izuku. He grabbed his wrists. His hands were hot. "I'll keep you from fucking killing me. Try it out, I wanna see if it works."

Izuku looked into the eyes still avoiding his own and then down to the hands on his wrists. "O-okay." As lightly as he could with blistering nerves, Izuku pressed down the ring and pinky fingers on both of his hands until he felt pressure forming under his feet. Smoke pillowed as the grass beneath him burned and he rose into the air, wobbling as he tried to even out the blasts beneath his feet. A laugh rang out from slightly below him.

"You look like a fucking idiot," Kacchan said with a mean smile.

Izuku's heart tightened in his chest and he threw his right foot forward, pressing his fingers down hard and blasting Kacchan in the sternum.

Both boys flew backward and hit the field. Kacchan began tamping down the fire raging on his shirt.

"What the fuck, Deku?" he yelled.

"Why were you ignoring me?" Izuku shouted from the ground, picking himself up.

Kacchan flinched at the question and looked to the ground.

Izuku started walking towards him. "I thought I did something but you're obviously not mad at me, so what is it?" Kacchan had smiled. Twice. And one of them wasn't even patronizing. He wasn't mad.

"I…" Kacchan knit his brow and then lazily fell backward onto the grass. "I was confused about something. Or, I guess I wasn't but wished I were. Whatever, I just needed some fucking time to think."

"And now?" Izuku asked, leaning over his friend.

Green met red. "I'm tired of thinking."

"Good." A tan arm reached out and a scarred hand grabbed on, Kacchan pulling himself up. "So what d'you think?" Izuku put out his arms and spun slowly, showing off the prototype.

Kacchan sighed. "Honestly… it's pretty fucking sweet."

"Right?! Mei seriously came through. Oh wait, wait, there's something I really wanted to try with it, hold on." Izuku paced backward and then took a centering breath in and out. In one swift movement, he ducked forward, kicked off, and used a poorly timed explosion to send himself face first into the hard ground. He clutched his face, swearing, as Kacchan snorted.

"I can see why you were excited," he remarked sarcastically.

"Hold on, hold on, I can do it." Izuku wiped the blood from under his nose and readied himself again, repeating the movements and this time slamming his face into the ground even harder.

"FUCK," he grunted, pressing his forehead into the ground and scrunching his face up in pain. At this point Kacchan was having trouble breathing from laughing so hard.

"Deku, seriously, you gotta stop. I'm gonna piss myself," he said while stifling his laughter and wiping tears from his eyes.

Izuku pouted but readied himself again. "One more time. I just… I can see it so clearly in my mind. Hold on." He puffed out a breath and leaned forward, kicking off of the ground again, this time waiting an extra beat before firing off his back nodes and then immediately the one on his trailing leg, causing him to quickly flip twice in the air before he landed clumsily on his bare feet. He steadied himself and then looked to Kacchan hesitantly.

"... Okay, that was pretty sick," he admitted.

Izuku beamed. "See? I really think you'll have a lot of fun with this."

"Then let me try."

"Well, yeah, once we switch back it's all yours."

"Yeah, so let me try."

Izuku tilted his head. "Like I said, when we… Oh." Realization set in as he saw the calm determination in Kacchan's expression. Fear gurgled in his stomach. They weren't supposed to switch back for another two weeks so he had avoided thinking about it but he was afraid of what would happen when they did. The only reason they had become so close, so civil, was because Izuku could teach Kacchan how to use his quirk. Why did Kacchan want to switch back all of a sudden? Over the past week had Kacchan been ignoring him because he was thinking about switching back and returning to how they were before? Izuku didn't want that. He really didn't want that.

But it would be selfish to keep Kacchan from his own body if he was ready to take it back.

Izuku wrung his fingers. "Can… can I use your quirk a little more before we do it? I'm gonna miss it." It was true. He was biding time, but he also really loved playing around and exploding the air with Kacchan's violent quirk. He hadn't had so much fun in a long time.

Kacchan looked at him with a slight quirk of his eyebrows that showed something more than his normal set scowl—a barely-there trace of disappointment. "Go for it." He sat down on the grass and put his chin in his hands. "I'll be here."

Izuku smiled, grateful, and then ran a ways away from his friend, trying to give himself enough room to go wild for the last time. Explosions rang through the air so wildly throughout the next ten minutes that Izuku started to feel guilty for the damage he was likely causing to Kacchan's ears. He performed all of the actions he had practiced over the past two months, punching, kicking, and flipping through the air, everything accentuated with blasts from his hands and, when he felt confident, from his shoulders and feet. The cool air felt amazing on his skin as he flew through it, holding back tears at the thought of everything ending. He continued until his arms were heavy with fatigue, Kacchan's muscles glistening with sweat and spattered with ash. Breathing heavily, he returned to his friend's side and sat down in front of him.

"Okay, I'm done," he panted. "You sure about this?"

"Definitely. Besides, at this point I'm pretty sure Aizawa never planned on even trying to find another way. Fucking dick."

Izuku smiled sadly. "Okay." He closed his eyes and stuck out his tongue, breathing hard through his nose, still catching his breath from his prior movements. Embarrassment tingled in his stomach when he heard Kacchan laugh, but he didn't move. He flinched when he felt pressure on the end of his tongue. Suddenly, his heart was pounding in his jittering chest, arms and legs resisting the urge to get up and fight. It was a feeling he'd had many times in the midst of battle when his or someone else's life was on the line. He wondered why his body was so incredibly full of adrenaline when he opened his eyes to see Kacchan's face in front of him for the first time in over two months. Izuku suddenly regretted going so wild with his quirk, having left Kacchan sweaty, shirtless and breathless.

Izuku blushed and looked to his hands, big and scarred and his. A feeling of comfort set in that quickly disappeared when he looked back up to Kacchan who hadn't moved his face from its position inches from Izuku's.

"W-welcome back," Izuku stammered, looking into fiery red eyes.

"Mm," Kacchan murmured, the deep, gravelly sound dancing down Izuku's neck.

Izuku had trouble processing what was happening as Kacchan lent closer in, closing his eyes. His hot breath warmed Izuku's face and their lips met. Breathing heavily through his nose, heart pounding in his chest, Izuku closed his eyes and melted against the soft touch. He refrained from letting loose a hummed complaint when Kacchan ended the kiss, pulling back to look Izuku in the eyes. They held each other's gazes and Izuku felt his face burn hotter and hotter, Kacchan's sharp eyes boring into him with a tired, half-lidded glare. Izuku loved those eyes.

"Is, uh-" Izuku took a breath and tried to calm himself enough to speak - "Is this what you 'weren't' confused about?" He asked genuinely, so very confused himself. He fought every instinct he never knew he had to prevent himself from grabbing the back of Kacchan's head and pulling him in.

"Basically." There was a pause as they continued to study each other's eyes, Izuku thrilled to see Kacchan's expressions back on their rightful face. "I… kind of freaked out when I realized," Kacchan said, scrunching his forehead.

"Realized what?" Izuku was so sure that this couldn't mean what he wanted it to.

The wrinkles on Kacchan's forehead grew deeper. "You're gonna fucking make me say it?"

"K-Kacchan, you… going by previous experience, at any point in time, there's a ninety-five percent chance that when you're talking to me, you're making fun of me. You've hurt me so many times. This would be a really good way to hurt me. I-I… you have to understand that when you say 'you're gonna make me say it?' I don't know if you mean saying that you like me or saying that it would be absolutely impossible for someone like you to be remotely interested in some loser like me." Izuku's vision began to blur, tears welling in his eyes. "We just spent two months in each other's bodies because you would rather lose everything than do something intimate-adjacent with me. You get why I need some sort of legitimate confirmation, right?" Tears fell freely and Izuku's breath hitched as he wiped them from his cheeks. His eyes were hot. He flinched at the fingers that wrapped around his own.

Kacchan grabbed Izuku's hand and removed it from his face before letting go. His long fingers found their way back to Izuku's cheek. Gently, they brushed the tears from his skin, causing more to fall. Kacchan's scowl grew deeper and deeper as Izuku's gentle crying turned into sobs.

"God, shut the fuck up," he said, bringing his other hand to Izuku's face just before they were both batted away.

"Kacchan, please," Izuku choked, "don't tease me like this. Please, just leave me alo-"

"I jerked off to you," Kacchan said as he quickly brought his hands back to Izuku's face, holding it firmly between them.

"Wha-" Izuku stammered, looking into Kacchan's eyes and then immediately dropping his head after connecting with an unwavering gaze. He felt light-headed. He tried to pull the hands from his cheeks but they just gripped tighter. Izuku brought his knees to his chest and tucked his elbows to his sides, trying to shield himself from Kacchan's honest presence.

Kacchan spoke smoothly with his deep voice. "I felt fucking crazy last time and tried to jerk off to calm the fuck down but I accidentally spoke and it was your voice, Deku. I didn't even think about what I was doing. I just kept saying shit and saying shit and I was touching you which, fuck, I know that's fucked up and I'm just like those fuckers that Kasuya switched those women with but, seriously, I wasn't fucking thinking about anything other than touching you. I came. I came and it freaked me the fuck out and I couldn't fucking look at you afterward 'cause of course fucking not and I probably would've ignored you for the rest of my goddamn life but you told me to see you today and I… I wanted to see you. I wanted to talk to you and spar with you and touch you and so I came but that wasn't fucking enough and so I asked you to switch back and here we fucking are and if that's not 'legitimate confirmation' then you're shit out of goddamn luck."

Izuku's sobs grew louder and he yelped in pain when Kacchan's fingers pinched his cheeks hard.

"Goddamn it, seriously, Deku, shut the fuck up. I'm not fucking bullying you. Stop crying like an idiot."

Izuku sniffled and took deep, hitching breaths. He grabbed the edge of his sleeve and wiped the snot from under his nose. Weakly, he took Kacchan's hands into his own and brought them to chest level. He pressed his eyes into the backs of tan hands, hot with feeling.

"I love you." Izuku said, refusing to lift his head to look at the person receiving his confession. "I've probably loved you for a really long time… When… when we first switched, I felt so guilty... I felt so guilty. I thought it was because I could control your body and was scared that just living in it would be violating you, but really I think I knew that it was because I wanted to do those things. I wanted to see you naked. I wanted to jerk you off. I wanted to be able to look in the mirror and see you staring back with love in your eyes. When Aizawa listed off the things we weren't supposed to do… I would never do those things. I hadn't even thought of them… but when he mentioned taking pictures or videos… recording your voice… part of me wanted that. I wanted to keep a piece of that control over you forever. I-I didn't do anything, I promise," he added quickly, pressing his eyes harder into Kacchan's hands. "But you've been so unattainable to me my entire life. And all of a sudden I had you. I acted like I was above what everyone else was doing when they asked me to say things as you but I understood them completely. And then things shattered for me a little the night you broke my arm. You screamed at me. Like, really went off. At first I was mad. I was so worried about you and you pushed me away harder than ever. I asked Uraraka over because I wanted to vent about what happened with someone who saw it. But, eventually, I realized how badly I wanted you back in your body. I realized how useless it was for me to have your body when you weren't in it. I realized how much I love you." Izuku squeezed Kacchan's hands before letting them go. He lifted his head and looked into fiery red eyes. "I love you, Kacchan."

They stared into each other's eyes, both displaying their own resolve.

"And you realized that after I blew up on you?" Kacchan asked.

"... Yes," Izuku responded.

"... You're fucked up, Deku," Kacchan said, brushing his fingers down a freckled cheek.

Izuku leaned into the touch. "Yeah, well, you fucked me up, so deal with it."

"I plan on it," Kacchan muttered as he leaned in again, this time Izuku meeting him in the middle.

They kissed in the middle of the field, neither complaining when the affection deepened. Izuku felt Kacchan's long fingers on the back of his scalp, nails grazing his skin. He reached a hand forward tentatively and found Kacchan's stomach and gently traced the prominent muscles on his abdomen, damp with sweat. He'd touched them absently many times in the past two months, but the way they twitched unpredictably under his soft pressing caused the desire inside of him to well. He wanted to feel that twitching on his tongue. They detached, pressing their foreheads together, gentle pants passing through the air.

"Wanna go to my room?" Kacchan asked.

Static filled Izuku's chest and sparked to his fingers and toes. He pushed his curly hair behind his ear. "Shouldn't we tell Sensei that we switched back?"

"We can do that later."

"I mean, I guess, but, um…" Izuku stammered.

"Relax," Kacchan breathed. "I just don't want anyone to see us. Fuckers will have a field day."

Izuku thought back to all the things his classmates had him say as Kacchan - all the times they wished he would act more 'cute' sometimes. Izuku looked to the blonde boy across from him. His normal scowl had softened slightly and his tan cheeks had a hint of color to them. He looked at Izuku with something he'd never seen in those red eyes.

"You're right. Let's get out of here before Ashido somehow senses you being cute." Izuku stood and Kacchan followed suit.

"Who the fuck are you calling cute?"

Izuku smiled and grabbed Kacchan's hand. "You." He laughed at the deep scowl he caused. He kept a smile on his face, trying to hide the intense feelings of dumbfounded confusion and disbelief raging in him. There was a good and legitimate chance that he was dreaming all of this up. He'd had similar dreams frequently in the past few weeks, and nothing that Kacchan had ever done before had foreshadowed this turn of events in any way. He just randomly came to like him? After hating him for so long? Just two months ago, he had refused to switch back because of his distaste for Izuku. How could his opinion on him change so drastically so quickly?

Kacchan elbowed him, probably noticing the feelings swirling behind his eyes. "Hey," he said softly, too softly for Kacchan to be speaking the words. "I wanna clear something up, just so you don't fucking stew over it forever until you blow up. Doing something… 'intimate adjacent' with you wasn't why I was so adamant. I mean, I guess it kind of was? But it's different now and I'm fucking over it so I swear to fuck if you say sorry at all after I tell you I'm going to fucking dropkick you."

Izuku had never even considered the idea that he wasn't the reason. What else could there be? "Uh, um, okay, Kacchan. Yeah."

Kacchan looked at him warily and took a deep breath before speaking. Izuku had never seen him so openly uncomfortable before. It made him feel a weird sense of kinship with him, seeing that Kacchan could be just as nervous as himself.

"Aizawa's the only other person that knows because I needed someone to know that I wasn't just being a complete stubborn asshole, so don't fuckin' tell anyone. All Might, Kirishima, my mom - anyone." He paused to stare Izuku down into submission, which wasn't difficult at that moment. "It's irrational and I get that. It doesn't make sense and it's not that big a deal and it's fucking stupid but I just-" his lips curled in disgust. He closed his eyes and took a breath, calming himself. He resumed speaking, voice nearly a whisper. "There have been three times now in my life when I've felt helpless. The sludge villain, Kasuya, and when I had the panic attack. The sludge villain drowned me. I'll never fucking forget that feeling. Tasting thick bile going into my mouth and down my throat, pumping into my lungs. It was fucking agony and it popped into my mind when Kasuya stuck his dirty fucking finger into my mouth. Couldn't move, couldn't crush it between my teeth, could only taste it as a... primal fear in me went fucking wild. Fear that I'd die, fear that he'd fuck with you, fear that I'd be drowned again. I was so fucking out of it that half of the things I thought of didn't make any sense but still. Whatever the fuck was going to happen, I wouldn't be able fight it. That fucking strangling feeling is what took over me that day when I was out with Kirishima and it's what kept me from entertaining the idea of switching with you. Yeah, there was a part of me that also probably didn't want you to fucking save me again. But that took a backseat. Again, I know it's not fucking rational and that it's fucking stupid but the idea of being forced again to have someone touching my fucking mouth made me want to vomit 'til I died. That's why I didn't switch back. Not because I hated you so much that I wouldn't but because I was fucking weak and confused."

Izuku held back tears and the urge to apologize. "Thank you for telling me that," he said, restrained. "Were… were you okay? When we switched back? And then… um…"

"I'm fine. At some point it stopped being a thing with you. Probably 'cause I have reasons to want it. I don't fucking know, but don't worry about it anymore. I'm not going to."

"...I'm-" he so desperately wanted to apologize. Not because he thought it was his fault but because he knew how hard it must've been for Kacchan of all people to deal with feelings like that all alone. Maybe if Izuku hadn't been so upset with him at the start and had instead been more patient with trying to talk to him some of this could have been avoided. Maybe things wouldn't have built up so much that Kacchan ended up passing out in the middle of town. But he didn't want to make a big deal out of it if Kacchan didn't want him to. So he wouldn't cry and he wouldn't apologize. Instead he said the only other thing floating in his mind.

"I love you."

Izuku stared lovingly into Kacchan's anxious eyes until they softened. Kacchan's fingers laced into his own and squeezed before retreating back to his side.

"Thank you."

Izuku resisted the urge to engulf the person he loved most in a suffocating hug as they continued walking to their dorm, close enough that their hands brushed by each other the whole way, scars rubbing against tan skin. Izuku looked at them, smiling, unsure whose was whose

Perfect

Chapter Notes

Imma be real... this one got away from me a little.

RATING CHANGED TO E

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Katsuki ignored the surprised looks from the few of his classmates who were puttering around the common room when he and Deku strolled in. It would be easy for anyone to tell that they had switched back but he didn't have time to entertain whatever dumb fucking questions they had. He knew Deku. He knew that the only reason the dumb idiot was so fucking coherent this whole time was because he'd passed him his body back pumped full of adrenaline and testosterone that was geared towards 'fight' rather than 'flight'. Once that passed he'd be a stuttering fucking mess and Katsuki didn't feel like dealing with that. He was probably already too late, seeing how he reacted to the suggestion of going to Katsuki's room. But the chance that he wasn't was a non-zero one so he stomped forward at a pace that dragged Deku along behind him, even as hesitant voices started to raise questions.

"Ah, um, I'll tell you guys later!" Deku called nervously as he followed Katsuki into the stairwell. "Geez," he sighed once they were out of earshot, "we should start figuring out what we want to tell everyone."

"What d'you mean?" Katsuki asked, taking the steps in twos.

"I just figure you don't really want people to know the actual reason you finally decided to switch back. We should think of something realistic for why you wouldn't be able to wait another two weeks."

"I could've waited." Katsuki barked, ripping open the door to his floor.

"Well, Kacchan, I mean, you didn't, so we at least need to figure out what we want to say to Aizawa-sensei." Deku took a few hurried steps to fall into pace beside Katsuki. He looked to him with shining but tired eyes and Katsuki remembered that he hadn't slept more than three hours at a time since he'd started ignoring Deku.

"Whatever. We'll figure it out." Katsuki started pressing in the code on his door. "Let's just get in before-"

"Oh, hey! Is that the thing Mei made for you?" Kirishima came walking down the hallway from the stairwell. "How'd it go? I know you were super exci- wait, holy shit, you guys touched tips?!"

"I swear to fuck, stop calling it that, Shitty Hair."

Kirishima's smile grew. "You guys totally touched tips! Holy crap, wait, but then…" Kirishima glanced back and forth from Katsuki to Deku, eyes lingering on hands that were just barely touching. "Holy crap you guys made up, didn't you?"

Katsuki furiously rubbed his face with his hands, pressing hard enough to just keep the skin on his face.

"Kirishima, shut the fuck up."

Kirishima crossed his hands over his chest, face filled with pride. "Dude, c'mon, let me be happy for you guys for a second. I'm the one who had to deal with you two being weird about each other. I'm so pumped for you two."

"S-sorry for asking you about stuff before, Kirishima," Deku spoke softly, rubbing the back of his head. "I… uh, I get why you didn't tell me."

'Didn't tell him what?" Katsuki thought bitterly.

"Midoriya, don't sweat it and also please stop talking. It seems like I didn't have to say anything though, huh?" Kirishima gave a huge, supportive grin that only faltered when he was engulfed in a hug from Deku.

"Thank you," Deku said sleepily over a broad shoulder.

"Dekudekudeku," Kirishima bleated, gently pulling thick, scarred arms from his body, "I love you too but please stop touching me in front of him."

"So he can fucking touch you when I'm not around?" Katsuki asked.

He knew that that wasn't what the panicking red-head had meant. He knew that he was doing exactly what Kirishima was annoyingly trying to prevent. He also knew that Kirishima being all buddy-buddy with Deku had been pissing him off for two months and he now had legitimate reason to knock him off another building if he stepped over the line that Katsuki had arbitrarily drawn and redrawn many times.

Katsuki took a threatening step towards his friend when warm, squat fingers wrapped around his wrist.

"Kacchan," Deku pleaded softly.

Katsuki looked into forested eyes and took a deep breath, annoyed at how quickly those eyes could calm him.

"Whatever," he grumbled, retyping his code into the door. "Don't fucking tell anyone, dude." He pushed open the door to his dorm and passed it to Deku as he walked in.

"No problem, man, but one of you has to tell me everything that happened, alright?"

"We don't have to tell you shit." Katsuki pulled Deku into his room and slammed the door behind them. "Why is everyone so goddamn nosy?" he muttered, tearing off black gloves and the tubes that extended from them. He pulled off his shirt and popped the nodes off of his shoulder blades and soles and pulled the gear up through his shorts, throwing it onto his bed. When he looked back to Deku he saw that the fluffy-headed idiot was standing still against his door, face red and tense, looking to the ground.

"Don't fucking break on me, Deku," Katsuki said, snapping his fingers in front of big eyes. "It's a room. You've been in my room before. Chill the fuck out."

"Y-yeah, but that was when we were little, Kacchan, and we hadn't just… um…" Broad hands reached up to cover a blushing, red face when Deku failed to continue his thought.

Katsuki sighed through his nose. "Just relax. I gotta go shower. Go the fuck to sleep."

"Wha- sleep?"

"I know you're fucking beat. Sleep here. We'll talk about what to tell Aizawa when you get up."

"T-then, I'll just go to my room."

"Stay. All your shit's still in here anyway. And I don't feel like having to find you later. So move out of the way. I'm gonna go wash off all the fuckin' dirt you slammed me into." He grabbed the drawstring bag he kept a towel, shampoo, and change of clothes in and gestured to the bed, trying to get Deku to do what he wanted without scaring him into putting his guard up even more. "Sleep."

Deku tugged at his ear, tilting his head and elongating the right side of his neck. He was still in his uniform, worn the way Katsuki always wore his own, tieless with the top few buttons undone so that his pale collarbone just barely peeked out from under the wrinkled, white button-down. The sight of the smooth, convex curve of the delicate bone was gripping and Katsuki wondered how he'd lived with that curve within his reach for two months without ever noticing it. There was something about Deku's soft movements and gestures that made it easy to drag your eyes across him. Katsuki swallowed.

"Seriously, Deku. Out of the way."

"Y-yeah, uh… yeah." Deku shuffled out from in front of the door, giving Katsuki room to pass.

Katsuki nodded to his dresser. "All your clothes are in there. I'll be quick but don't wait up."

"G-gotcha."

Katsuki opened the door and slammed it behind him, leaving Deku to hopefully take a breath and realize that none of what was happening had to be a big fucking deal. Feelings of panic and shame had dominated Katsuki's past week or so and they'd only subsided when he finally broke and went to meet up with Deku. Once he was there in front of him, being his normal, nerdy, idiotic self, all of those negative feelings pooled out of him and sunk into the dirt. Katsuki just had to do what he always did—what he wanted. Nothing else fucking mattered. It didn't matter that they were guys or that they'd known each other for as long as he could remember or that Katsuki had hated him for most of that time. The moment he started thinking about the past, dark feelings of shame and regret surged forth. He just wanted to start over and forget about anything or anyone that would shine a negative light on whatever fucking relationship he and Deku were going to have going forward. He wanted to take a boiling hot shower and then sneak into bed with a sleeping nerd and wake up three days later, refreshed.

The thought of sleep made him realize how tired he was and throughout his shower and back to his room all he could think about was having a fluffy green head under his chin while he slept. He carefully opened his door when he reached it and walked quietly into his dark room, the last rays of daylight blocked by his curtains. Gently, he placed his bag on the floor and looked down at Deku, already deeply asleep.

Katsuki picked up a wayward green curl and turned it over between his fingers, the deep color still visible in the low light. He pulled it gently and let go, watching it bounce back to its original spot. The green hair flowed through his fingers when he ran his hand through it, garnering a soft murmur from Deku.

"Move over," Katsuki said.

Deku mumbled an incomprehensible response and scooted himself towards the wall, curling up but never opening his eyes even as Katsuki lifted the covers and settled in behind him. Looking down Deku's back, he absorbed the sight of a white t-shirt flush against hardened, warm muscles that had been built in a year, rhythmically surging with calm, deep breaths. Katsuki pressed his forehead to the back of Deku's pale neck and breathed in the smell of sweat and crisp linens. Pushing away thoughts of a breathy voice moaning his name, he closed his eyes and tried to succumb to sleep.

Izuku's eyebrow twitched at the fluttering across his temple. There was some sort of movement, gentle and barely there, that fuzzed his skin and pulled a grumble from his chest. He swatted at the feeling and hit something. The feeling stopped so he tried to fall back into dark sleep but a sharp pull on his ear jolted him awake. Green eyes shot open and he slapped a hand to his ear, ending up clasping over warm fingers.

Kacchan was lying across from him, angular, masculine features accentuated by the bright sunlight streaming through the curtains. It was unfair how handsome he was even with a permanent scowl. His hair was sticking out more wildly than normal, a sign of how long they'd both slept. Izuku had passed out right after hitting the mattress the previous night and didn't remember the other boy crawling into bed with him. Now that he was coherent, he pulled the sheets over his head, trying to hide from an unyielding, red stare.

"G'morning," he spoke from under his cover.

"It's afternoon." Kacchan yanked the sheets down from over Izuku. "You slept like a rock." He poked the middle of Izuku's chest and then curled the back of his hand against it.

"Y-yeah," Izuku stammered, eyes trapped on the long fingers that rested gently against him. He continued sleepily, "I wonder if body switching takes an extra toll on me or something. I was also the last to wake up... last… time," his words faded as Kacchan's hand moved calmly to the side of his head and started lazily stroking his hair, bringing back the fuzzy feeling that woke him up in the first place.

"You should use a fucking brush sometime," Kacchan mumbled absently, pulling loose a knot.

"I-I guess," he said, flinching at his hair being pulled.

Izuku stared in awe as Kacchan continued to aimlessly pet the side of his head. The idea that this person who had always held such volatile and negative emotions towards him had come to actually like him in any capacity was still sinking in and the vision of him in his pajamas, sleepily and contentedly playing with his hair was something that defied his previous conceptions of reality. The tingling feeling spread from the roots of his hair to his stomach where it swelled into a ball of nervous, excited energy. He scanned Kacchan's face: slightly wrinkled brow over tired eyes, nostrils gently flaring with his breaths, lips parted; relaxed. Just yesterday he'd felt those lips on his own and he wanted to feel that again. Fingernails began to scratch at the base of his scalp and Izuku sighed, closing his eyes and leaning his head forward, inviting the fingers to expand their territory. They travelled further up his head, inching along with each scratch until Izuku let out a low, satisfied grumble. The fingers paused at the sound, thinking, before Kacchan's hand flattened and slowly, purposefully slid downward, leaving a warm trail down Izuku's neck and spine until it nested in the curve of his back.

Izuku raised his head to meet narrowed eyes that had lost their calmness from moments ago, a silent battle raging behind them that Izuku wanted to be a part of. Adrenaline started pumping through his chest as he made his decision and acted on it, leaning forward and parting Kacchan's lips with his own. Hot hands grabbed the sides of Izuku's face eagerly, thumbs gliding across his cheekbones before the hands wrapped around him to cradle his head and hip, gripping him tightly, painfully. Izuku pushed forward, rolling over top of his partner who pulled him tighter, pressing their bodies flush together. What Izuku could only assume was primal instinct moved his hips down and forward, eliciting a strained grunt from Kacchan. The deep noise pierced Izuku's chest and tore him in two: a part that desperately wanted to continue and pull more rabid noises out of the pulsing body beneath him and a part that knew why he shouldn't.

So when a needy hand started to creep beneath his waistband he grabbed it and parted from the kiss.

"Kacchan, wait," he breathed.

"What? You okay?"

The genuine question warmed Izuku's heart and curled the corners of his lips into a smile.

"I'm fine… I'm incredible . But um… uh… so here's the thing."

"Spit it out, Deku."

Izuku sighed and rolled off of Kacchan, flopping onto his side. "Kirishima… heard you. At least, that's what I assume he heard. He didn't tell me anything so don't be mad at him. It just makes me uncomfortable to think that we can be heard."

Izuku shrunk in the face of anger and confusion.

" What did he hear?" Kacchan snarled, bearing his teeth and sitting up so that he could look down at Izuku.

Izuku swallowed. "I-I don't know… for sure. I just asked him if he knew why you were ignoring me and he got weirdly embarrassed and wouldn't tell me but said he heard something through the walls and then when I asked Jirou and Shouji about it they were also weird and from what you described it sounds like just maybe you were being a little loud when you, um, y'know , so I came to the conclusion that he probably heard you and that's why he thought you'd kill him if I told you so please don't kill him or anyone else, Kacchan, please, hey, hey ," Izuku repeated softly, ending his rambling and taking hold of firm shoulders shaking with rage. "Breathe, Kacchan. C'mon, look at me. Hit me if you want. You know you love that. So c'mon, just calm do-"

A bare foot slammed into the wall next to the bed, crumbling the plaster at the impact.

"KIRISHIMA! I KNOW YOU CAN FUCKING HEAR ME, YOU SICK FUCK."

A grumbled voice came muffled through the wall. " Dude, I'm trying to sleep ."

"IT'S FUCKING TWO PM. GET THE FUCK UP SO I CAN BASH YOUR HEAD IN."

" It's Saturday, dude. Give me another two hours. Also, Deku, I'll never forgive you for telling him. "

"S-sorry, Kirishima," Izuku called to the wall. He looked up to Kacchan, still huffing angry, bull-like breaths through his nose. Again, Izuku was struck with how grateful he was in that moment to be seeing a side of his friend that he never thought he would. Of course, Kacchan being angry was something that anyone who knew him was used to, but getting to see him in the moments after waking, barefoot and wearing Izuku's pajama bottoms and a loose shirt, hair still flat on the side he slept on, gave a strange sense of domestic vulnerability that sent warm tingles down Izuku's spine. As he laid there, admiring the explosive boy standing above him, the conversation from across the wall suddenly sunk in and he recoiled.

"Wait, what time is it?" he asked.

"Two. I told you, you slept like the fucking dead," Kacchan growled, still glaring at the wall.

"Crap, I gotta go," Izuku spoke quickly as he jumped out of bed and began rummaging through Kacchan's dresser for a pair of jeans.

"Go where? It's Saturday."

"I'm supposed to see a movie with Uraraka at three," he explained, dropping his pajama pants and pulling up his jeans with a hop. He buttoned them quickly and grabbed his phone off of the dresser. "Ugh, god, I'm the worst. We were supposed to meet in the common room at 1:45."

"Wait, what?" Kacchan asked, a mixture of anger and disbelief on his face.

"Sorry, Kacchan, I totally blanked. Um, I'll text you when I'm back and we can figure out the Aizawa stuff." Izuku reached for the door handle but was halted by fingers around his wrist. "Kacchan?"

"You have a date? With Round Face? Now?" With each emphasized word Kacchan's deep voice grew more and more guttural.

"Wha- date? Nonono, Kacchan, we're just going to see that documentary on Hero Mirko. As friends. It was a promise, I don't wanna blow her off."

"She likes you, you fucking idiot!" Kacchan yelled angrily, squeezing Izuku's wrist harder.

"Uraraka?" Izuku asked, flustered. "No way, Kacchan. I told you guys, we're just friends. I-I really have to go, Kacchan." Izuku tried to pull his hand away but the grip around his wrist only tightened more.

"You do realize how fucking desperate someone has to be to go see a fucking hero documentary with you, right? No one in their right fucking mind would subject themselves to your dumb fucking babbling."

Izuku's chest tightened and he ripped his hand from Kacchan's grip, massaging his wrist that was sure to bruise. "Maybe we're friends because we actually like similar things and enjoy talking to each other, Kacchan. Whatever. We're just friends. I mean it. I'm… I'm gonna go now." Izuku opened the door and walked out. "I'll text you," he added before closing the door behind him.

He ran down the hallway and down the steps, gently massaging his wrist and wishing he could do the same to the tangle of hurt and anxiety in his chest. It had always been difficult for Izuku to brush off Kacchan's words and not let them sink their barbs into his heart, but their sting burned hotter after spending a morning contemplating how lucky he was that the volatile boy liked him. Just because Kacchan wanted to kiss him or touch him didn't mean he had the same affection for his personality. Izuku's eyes started to sting and he blinked away tears as he made it to the first floor.

Izuku forced a smile. "Sorry I'm late! Some stuff happened," he called to Uraraka, who was sitting on one of the couches in the common room. She looked up from her phone and nearly dropped it when she saw Izuku.

"You're you!" She yelled, a surprised smile pushing up her red cheeks.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Kacchan uh…" he paused, looking around to the other students in the room and back to Uraraka, wearing a simple, pastel pink sundress that accentuated her femininity. "He finally got sick of everything, I guess," Izuku said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

Uraraka stood from her seat and walked to him, smiling with consoling eyes. "Well, hey. Forget him. I'm really glad I get to have you in totality for once." She slipped her arm around Izuku's and started walking them out of the dorms. "How's it feel to be back?" she asked.

Izuku looked from his arm, flush against Uraraka's side, to the round eyes looking up to him. 'She likes you, you fucking idiot!' "Um… uh…" his dry tongue had trouble moving in his mouth. "It's… weird. I've never felt so grateful to be able to look down without getting turned on." It was a truthful attempt to drive home his orientation and current feelings to the girl clutching his arm, just in case it was needed.

Uraraka laughed. "God, you have it rough. I can't think of a more difficult person to be in love with. Do you ever think about how much more simple things would be if you weren't?"

Discomfort buzzed in Izuku's chest. One of the reasons why he had felt so comfortable talking to her about his feelings for the past two plus months was because she never once tried to push him away from them. She had always been nothing but supportive.

"I guess," he replied. "It would be a lot more simple if I fell for a girl or even just a guy that didn't want to set me on fire. But I didn't. And I wouldn't. I think he's the one for me, unfortunately."

Izuku scanned Uraraka's face for any clue to what she was thinking but got nothing when she only smiled brightly up to him.

"I can't get over how sweet you are with him. Sometimes I feel like I'd give anything to have someone love me like that."

"Someone will. You're awesome, Uraraka. The right person just hasn't come along yet."

Uraraka hummed in thought. "Maybe," she chirped, picking up the pace and pulling Izuku along with her.

They walked away from the dorms and into town, chatting the whole way about Kacchan, then school, then what they hoped the Mirko documentary would cover, Izuku's attention never fully pulling away from the arm wrapped around his own. They arrived at the cinema, Izuku bought their tickets and snacks, and then they settled into the nearly empty theater. It was dark and cool and as the previews rolled Uraraka began rubbing her bare arms, trying to warm herself up. Izuku wondered if she was actually cold. He wondered if she was hoping he'd put his arm around her. He thought about Kacchan being in her seat instead, an angry, bored expression plastered on his face that would soften slightly when Izuku tapped his shoulder with a box of candy in offering. If Izuku was cold, would Kacchan put his arm around him? Would he let him lay his head on his shoulder and nuzzle into his neck and fall asleep instead of watching the movie? Twenty-four hours ago Izuku would've said he'd sooner explode him than let a non-violent touch pass between them. Then this morning he'd woken to those explosive fingers gingerly stroking his hair.

Izuku snapped out of his thoughts when Uraraka whispered, "Why's it so cold in here?"

"I don't know… uh, sorry, I didn't bring a jacket or anything." He watched her continue to hug herself for warmth.

"Shoot, I shouldn't have worn this dress." She continued watching the screen and Izuku watched her. She shuffled slightly in her seat as if trying to get comfortable but wound up close enough to Izuku that when she leaned slightly to her right their shoulders touched. She paused for a moment, as if testing the waters, seeing if Izuku would pull away, before laying her head down on his shoulder.

Izkuku bit his lip. "Uraraka," he sighed.

"... Am I being obvious?" she asked without looking to him.

"... A little," Izuku admitted.

She pulled her head up and pushed her hair behind her ear. "Sorry."

"It's okay… I'm sorry I was an idiot this whole time."

She glanced to him and bumped him with her shoulder. "Good." She gave a sly smile that lasted for a few moments before fading. She sighed heavily, slumping back in her seat. "I knew that things weren't going well with Bakugou, but I figured that wouldn't last. I thought I'd do my best today and give it a shot. Y'know, 'Plus Ultra' and all that," she said, pumping a half-hearted fist in the air. "Then you said you switched back 'cause Bakugou was sick of everything and, I don't know, I guess I got too excited. Ugh, god, I'm an awful friend."

Izuku lightly bumped her shoulder back. "You're not. I know what being 'obsessed' can do," he said playfully.

"Oh, no. Don't you put me in the same boat as you. Listen, you're adorable, but if you ever told me that I'd be nothing without my quirk I'd float you to the damn moon."

Izuku chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind." He looked at Uraraka's pouting face, rounder than ever. "I… I confessed. To Kacchan."

"What?" She whipped her head around and grabbed Izuku's wrist. "What? Why didn't you tell me? What happened? How… how are you not dead?"

"Um… I lied when I said he was sick of everything. We haven't talked about what we want to tell everyone yet… He asked to switch back and then he kissed me."

"What?!" She screamed, causing the other half a dozen heads in the theater to turn to them. She slapped her hand over her mouth and then curled her fingers to funnel her words. "Like… not to switch back but just to kiss you?" she whispered.

Izuku couldn't contain his smile. "Yeah. Then he, uh… made his feelings clear to me and so I just sort of let everything out… I stayed in his room last night."

"Izuku!" She shrieked out a whisper that, accompanied with the use of his first name, reminded him of how his mother might react to the same statement. "How far did you two go?"

"Um… uh," Izuku shrunk down into his seat. He'd spoken to Uraraka before about things he wanted to do but none of that had ever had memories of searing touches and hungry eyes to accompany them, "we just sort of… kissed and touched each other a little. I was weirdly exhausted last night so he let me sleep and then this morning, or I guess, earlier this afternoon, I got scared that we would be heard and then I realized that I had slept past the time we were supposed to meet so I kinda left in a hurry."

Uraraka looked at him, dumbfounded. "The guy of your nightmares ends up magically returning your feelings and welcoming you into his bed and then you ditch him to go on a date with me?"

"I didn't know it was a date! I wasn't just going to blow you off."

"You should have! Yeah, I'd be pissed at first but I would've understood! It's frickin' Bakugou. And now he's back in his body, Deku. He's a constipated atomic bomb. And I know he knows I like you, that dumb jerk. How did he let you leave? How did he not kill you?"

"I… I think he might actually like me," Izuku mused, unsure.

Uraraka rolled her eyes. "Listen, Deku. I mean it, listen to me because I do actually want you to be happy." She grabbed his fingers and locked their eyes together in the dark theater. "I don't particularly like Bakugou, but even I know he wouldn't do the things you said he did if he didn't love you probably more than you love him. He needed to have built up enough positive feelings for you that they overwhelmed or overwrote his negative ones so much that he just couldn't help himself, right? 'Cause there's no way he would've admitted to you or even himself that he likes you otherwise. Just trust me on this, Deku. I'm not saying he doesn't still hate you, but he definitely loves you more."

Izuku pulled his hand away from hers so he could wipe the tears from his cheeks. "Thank you… for saying that."

Uraraka smiled softly. "No problem. And… I still want to be friends, if you're okay with that. I like hanging out with you. Plus I'll never forgive myself if I miss out on all the juicy Bakugou stories you're gonna have."

Izuku laughed a little too loud and was shushed by someone a few rows behind them. He brought his voice back down to a whisper. "I'd really love that. But if it ever gets too hard or weird or whatever just let me know… Hey," he added after thinking, "did you only say you wanted to see this 'cause you knew I'd want to?"

"Well, duh, Deku," she spoke, grabbing a handful of popcorn. "It's not exactly the most romantic thing to go see. And, I mean, I like Mirko and all but, three hours?! I was planning on you being so into it that you wouldn't notice if I fell asleep."

"... do you still want to watch it with me?"

"Again, duh. Movie theater naps are the best and you bought the snacks. The only way this could be better would be if your shoulder wasn't so hard," she said as she plopped her head back down onto Izuku.

"Um, uh…" Izuku stammered.

"Just give me this, okay? Just for today," she murmured quietly as the screen went black and the intro to the documentary began to play.

"Okay," he conceded, nudging her head with his own.

The film played and Izuku was soon entranced, only pulling his attention away from the screen when Uraraka started to softly snore by his ear, wearing a dreamy smile. The movie was over in a flash filled with intense battles and heartfelt moments that left Izuku in tears. Uraraka sleepily consoled him as they left the theater and they spent their walk back to the dorms talking about all of Izuku's favorite parts. He dropped her off at her dorm room with a parting hug and the promise that they'd meet up soon to talk about how things went with Kacchan.

Izuku turned from her door, took a deep breath and rounded the hallway until he was in front of Kacchan's door. He knocked gently.

"What the fuck do you want?" came a muffled growl.

"It's me."

A dense silence flooded the air before the door clicked open. Izuku pushed it forward and entered the room, watching Kacchan's back as it headed towards the desk on the far side of his room. He sat down and started reading the open textbook on his desk, highlighter in hand.

"Um… you were right. About Uraraka," Izuku said, leaning his back against the closed door.

"Yeah, no shit." Kacchan didn't look up from his work.

"I'm sorry… it just never even crossed my mind since she's been so supportive of me liking you."

The hand that had been smoothly highlighting a row of text froze in place. "She knew?"

"That's what we were always talking about. At least, mostly."

"... why didn't you fucking tell me that?"

Izuku sighed. "It's kind of embarrassing, y'know?"

Kacchan leaned his head on his hand and finally looked to green eyes. "Why? What exactly did you guys talk about?" he asked purposefully, red gaze challenging Izuku to match him.

"I told her all the things I told you yesterday… plus how excruciating it was to be in your body with those feelings."

A smile flickered on Kacchan's lips. The boy turned in his seat so he was facing Izuku and lifted his foot so that his heel rested on the edge of the chair, knee rising to his chest. His loose basketball shorts fell and draped along the line where his leg met his hip, revealing the bare skin of his inner thigh, pale from lack of sun. Fine blonde hairs thickened before hiding under the cloth that Izuku wanted to pull aside to follow the hair's path.

"What was so hard about it?"

Izuku's eyes flickered along Kacchan's lap before glancing up to meet his confident stare.

"Um, uh… I-I had so many things… that I wanted to do… to you. But I didn't want… to open that door. I made it my own rule… not to touch your body at all in that kind of way but I… I really wanted to."

Kacchan slid his grounded leg to the side, opening up his hips. "What did you want to do?"

Izuku's stomach swelled with anxiety and lust. "Can I show you?" He was unsure of what words he was even saying

Kacchan stared him down before standing from his chair and walking to him, stopping inches before him. "Do your worst."

Kacchan's large, wild pupils sucked Izuku in and the green-haired boy stepped forward and wrapped his arms around broad sides. He buried his face against a strong shoulder and sharp collarbone, breathing in a campfire. Tense back muscles twitched when he gently laid his hands on them, pressing the body in his arms closer to his. Izuku held the hug, relishing every moment that he wasn't pushed away and pressed his face deeper into Kacchan's shoulder when long arms wrapped around him and a warm, lazy hand stroked his back.

"I love you," Izuku mumbled into his shoulder.

"Mm," Kacchan hummed, gliding his hand up Izuku's back and into his hair.

They stayed like that for a while, holding each other while Izuku breathed him in, trying to muster up the courage to do what he wanted. Fingernails dug into the base of his scalp, scratching lovingly and sending a shiver down Izuku's spine. His breath hitched in his throat. He raised his head and kissed Kacchan briefly.

"Sit down on the bed," Izuku breathed.

The corner of Kacchan's mouth turned up in a satisfied smirk. "You got it." He kissed Izuku hungrily, biting his bottom lip and pulling it painfully before walking to the bed and sitting on the edge. He stared intensely at Izuku.

Sitting on the edge of the mattress like that, making it sink down with the weight of a body made nearly entirely of muscle, looking like he was out to kill to anyone else but expectant and hungry if you knew what you were looking for, Kacchan was the most beautiful thing that Izuku had ever seen. Waiting. Waiting for him. Waiting for him to take control. It was scary and chilling and exhilarating and made his face tingle with heat and uncertainty.

Stuck in his thoughts, Izuku wound up standing still in front of Kacchan, biting his lip, all of his executive functioning lost to the idea that he would do something wrong, something that his partner- perfect and brutish and sexy and perfect - wouldn't like. He swallowed and then almost gasped when Kacchan dragged his fingers lightly down his palm, sending a shiver up his arm.

"Izuku. I meant it. You can do what you want… The hug was nice. We can do that . I just… want you."

Izuku could see how hard Kacchan was trying: to say the words, to say his name , to not look away while he did, to keep Izuku from tightening up and shutting down completely. Whatever was going to happen, they both wanted to keep taking steps toward each other. Izuku decided it was probably time he stopped tripping over every one.

"I'm gonna sit behind you," he said because he felt like he should say something and because he thought that Kacchan might instinctually turn to a position where they faced each other because everything about Kacchan was straightforward and raw and Izuku needed at least one baby step before being faced with that by his own volition and without grogginess clouding his mind.

He crawled onto the bed, feeling big and awkward, and put his legs on either side of Kacchan's, careful to keep a few inches between his zipper and the warm body in front of him. Izuku placed his hands on top of Kacchan's thighs as if they were his own. He pressed his eyes into Kacchan's neck so that the world turned black, focusing his senses on the smell of smoke, the feel of cool fabric on firm muscles, and the sound of their breathing in the otherwise quiet room. Kacchan's breaths deepened as Izuku dragged his hands further up his thighs and those breaths eviscerated any conscious thought that Izuku might have. The pressure of his fingers brought the shorts up with them so he could place his hands back down on feverish, bare skin, fuzzy with hair. Fingertips pressed into his flesh and Izuku dragged them up again, catching Kacchan's shorts and snagging them further back, exposing the sides of his glutes. He pressed firm circles into the revealed skin with his thumbs while he lifted his head, trailing his nose up Kacchan's warm neck. He opened his mouth and grazed the skin with his teeth, satisfaction thumping in his chest when Kacchan tilted his head to the side, exposing more of his neck to Izuku. He pressed his forehead and nose to it, nuzzling Kacchan instinctually and traveling his hands up and into a loose T-shirt.

His fingers moved slowly over Kacchan's defined, tense abdomen, carefully outlining every curve, pressing down the firm ridges that got more and more rigid the closer Izuku's fingers got to his waistband. He made circles around each node, up and up until he reached his chest, the muscles twitching unsteadily under his fingers as he kept gently tracing them, entranced. He could teach an anatomy class off of Kacchan's body. He slowly pinched each muscle in every group as he went down the list: pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi, external obliques, rectus abdominis, with the whole abdomen tucked in perfectly by a well-formed transverse abdominis. A whisper came into his ear as he went to feel them all again in reverse order.

"Deku," Kacchan warned with a stunted breath.

"Sorry," Izuku murmured against his neck, bringing one hand around to hug Kacchan's hip and the other up to his shoulder. He pulled himself closer to Kacchan, pressing his erection against him.

"Fuck, Deku," Kacchan breathed.

"Sorry."

"Don't be fucking sorry, just… fuck." He laid his arms on the outsides of Izuku's legs, curled his hands underneath them and squeezed before pulling him sharply forward.

Izuku gasped as he was slammed against him. "K-Kacchan!"

"Hurry up, it fucking hurts," he panted.

Izuku wrinkled his brow in confusion until he realized that Kacchan was back in the body that was essentially blue-balled for two months.

"Crap, did you not… while I was gone?"

"I wanted to wait. Now hurry the fuck up or I'll do it myself."

"Gotcha, sorry."

Izuku's hand slid from Kacchan's hip and across his hardened abdomen, pausing in front of his waistband. He took a deep breath, carefully slid his fingers under the fabric, meeting with fine, straight hairs and letting out a soft gasp when the crook of his thumb met the base of Kacchan's penis, hard and hot and bucking at his touch. His other hand raised the waistband and he pulled it out, opening his eyes for the first time to peek down at the view below him.

"You're so hot," he breathed in genuine amazement, not waiting for a response before he dragged his fingers up the back of Kacchan's cock, keeping it aloft and curling his fingers around it when he reached the tip.

Stroking down gently, he watched as the glossy, smooth head pushed out of the foreskin, Kacchan's body shuddering violently with the movement. He brought his thumb upward and wiped the flooding precum from the swelled slit before pressing gently against thin skin and eliciting a groan from the boy in his arms. Slowly, he began to move his hand up and down, increasing his pressure as Kacchan began to pant. The breaths grew louder and quicker and fingernails dug into Izuku's thighs.

"Say my name," a deep voice panted desperately.

" Kacchan."

Thick semen streamed from the tip of Kacchan's dick, shooting onto his shirt in bursts as he twitched in Izuku's grip. He laid against Izuku as the young hero continued to gently stroke him, kissing his neck while the last few drops of semen gushed forth. "Fuck," Kacchan breathed, loosening his grip on Izuku's thighs.

"Sorry I gave you your body back like that," Izuku said, hugging his arms around Kacchan's waist.

"Quit saying fucking sorry," he murmered, leaning his head back onto Izuku's shoulder, relaxed. "Makes me feel like I'm forcing you into this."

"S-sorry," Izuku said sheepishly.

Kacchan's eyes bore into him angrily. "Why the fuck do I like you?"

Izuku blushed. "I-I don't know," he stammered just before Kacchan kissed him.

The blonde boy turned around and straddled Izuku, pulling off his semen-covered shirt to reveal perfectly sculpted muscles, tan and absolutely glowing. Izuku looked up to him in awe and then down to the tip of his penis, sticking out from the top of his basketball shorts, already hard again. Izuku bit his lip. Hypnotized, he slowly reached forward before strong hands grabbed his wrists and pinned them to the mattress. Pain shot through Izuku's body when Kacchan bit his neck, sharp canines just barely breaking skin before his hot, wet tongue glided over the area. He kept roughly kissing and biting Izuku's neck as he shoved him down, slamming him into the mattress. Izuku stifled a moan when Kacchan began grinding against him aggressively, their shafts under their clothes pressing together and snapping off of each other over and over. Toes curled, Izuku finally ripped his hands from Kacchan's grip and used them to gently guide his blonde head upward. He pressed their lips together and wrapped his arms around his sweaty neck. Kacchan slowed his movements in response to Izuku's gentle kiss, their tongues tangling together affectionately as tender fingers laced into green hair.

After a few long moments, Kacchan pulled back from the kiss and looked down at Izuku, continuing to roll their hips together rhythmically. Izuku let loose whining pants while red eyes bore into him mercilessly. He turned his head to hide from the gaze.

"K-kacchan," he pleaded.

Immediately after the name left his lips, greedy fingers began to undo his jeans. Kacchan ripped them down along with his boxers and went on to pull down the front of his own shorts, hooking the fabric beneath his balls. He pressed their bare penises together and wrapped his fingers around them both. Izuku struggled to breathe as Kacchan began frantically jerking them off together. A sharp heat steadily grew and grew, spreading from Izuku's cock to his chest and toes until his legs started twitching uncontrollably and a clenching force began building in his lap.

"K-Kacchan, I'm gonna… fuck, Kacchan, ah, AH!" he gasped as he came, angry pleasure bursting forth that increased as the fingers around his dick moved faster, unrelenting. His legs bucked against Kacchan's weight, trying to squirm free from his hold. "Kacchan, s-top. It's t-too much."

Kacchan's face was scrunched with intense feeling as he continued stroking them violently. "Just one… sec-ond… fuck!" Kacchan grunted as he came, releasing his grip and pressing his elbows to the mattress on Izuku's sides as more semen pumped from his twitching penis. He panted with his eyes closed, face hovering above Izuku's. He opened his eyes that devoured green ones and leaned down so they could kiss, both shooting sharp breaths through their noses. He began pulling up Izuku's shirt and Izuku followed his lead, sitting up slightly so he could remove the semen-stained cloth. Kacchan flopped down on Izuku and laid his head on his pounding chest.

"Your heart sounds like it's gonna explode," he breathed.

"It feels like it is." Izuku laid a hand on Kacchan's head, absently petting his hair. They laid like that without speaking until both of their breathing returned to normal.

"That… was the best thing that's ever happened to me." Izuku spoke sincerely.

Kacchan snorted against his chest, a lazy smile on his face.

"I'm serious," Izuku continued. "Forget getting my quirk or meeting All Might or getting into U.A. That 's my new high."

"You're such a fucking idiot," he sneered, Izuku unable to miss the affection in his voice.

"I am constantly reminded of that. I'm so sorry I left you to go see that movie. I seriously never would've guessed that Uraraka was into me. I-I still don't understand how you're into me. I just wanted to see Mirko on the big screen," he whined, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Kacchan lifted his head slightly to rest his chin on Izuku's chest and gaze up at him.

"How was it, by the way?" he asked casually.

Izuku beamed. "It was incredible! The woman who played Mirko was so perfect for it from her looks to the accent to her fighting ability. Even I had trouble remembering that I was watching reenactments at some points, she was just so perfect. And because it was so accurate I think it's going to end up being a really good reference for my shoot-style. Mirko is so awesome with her legs and the film gave really clear, up-close views of exactly how she performs each move so I'm probably gonna go see it again sometime soon."

Kacchan locked their gazes for a few moments before pressing his ear back down to Izuku's chest.

"Let me take you, next time," he said, breath tingling Izuku's skin.

Happiness filled Izuku's heart. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah. Just let me know when you wanna go."

"Tomorrow. I wanna go tomorrow."

A faint smile appeared on Kacchan's face. "You got it."

" What a fucking simp ," a muffled voice came from the wall.

" Dude, shut the fuck up, they'll hear you ." Kirishima's voice was filled with panic.

" C'mon, the walls aren't that thin."

"They are, dude. They are. Now shut the fuck up ."

Izuku's heart dropped into his chest and heat flooded his face. He gripped Kacchan as hard as he could, green lighting crackling in the air as he activated his quirk.

"Kacchan, it's okay," he whispered.

"I'm gonna kill them," Kacchan muttered back.

"No you're not."

"You know I am. Let go of me."

"Pease, Kacchan. I'm having a nice time. Don't ruin it."

"Deku. If they heard your voice at all during that then they need to die painful deaths." Kacchan placed his hands on Izuku's shoulders and he could feel them begin to warm.

"C'mon. If they did, they probably just want to block it out. It's okay. Please don't explode me."

" Bakugou was fucking creepy but Deku sounded kinda hot, right?"

"Kaminari, I swear to fuck, shut up. "

Izuku sighed, embarrassment swirling in his face. "Okay, go get them."

He released his hold on Kacchan who scrambled out of the room, pulling up his shorts as he went. Izuku flinched at the sound of the first explosion and kept his eyes closed, listening to screams of rage and apology and then fear as more explosions rang violently through the air.

"Deku!" Kaminari's voice yelled desperately. "Please come get your boyfriend!"

"What? Sorry, can't hear you. These walls are super thick. You'd have to be a huge creep to hear anything through them." Izuku spoke at a normal volume, sure that it would be loud enough to hear.

"Deku, please! I'm sorry. I'm - AH! Bakugou, c'mon. I take it back, you were hot too, plea-"

An explosion shook the building and silence followed. Izuku pressed his ear to the wall but heard nothing. Eventually, Kacchan's door swung open and its owner strolled in nonchalantly. He laid back down on the bed, laying his arm over Izuku's chest.

"So, movies tomorrow?" Kacchan asked, at peace.

"Definitely. Should I call an ambulance?"

"Don't fucking worry about them. They deserved it."

"I… I don't disagree." Izuku ran his hand through Kacchan's hair and smiled when he leaned into the touch. "I also completely blanked on the possibility of being heard. I just… just…"

"Just what?" Kacchan asked knowingly.

"I just… needed to touch you. I was in your body for nearly three months! Every single time I looked down, all I wanted to do was rip my clothes off and stare. I'm so glad I can do it freely now." His eyes traced Kacchan's back muscles and then his abdomen when the boy flipped over.

"You just wanna look?" Kacchan challenged calmly.

A smile spread across Izuku's lips as he leant down to kiss his favorite person, feeling more connected with him now than he ever had, even when he had been inhabiting his body. Despite everything, in that moment, he felt grateful to Kasuya for switching them. Without that, none of this would have manifested. Neither of them would have realized their feelings, and Kacchan certainly wouldn't have ever revealed his. Love and joy swelled in his chest as he wrapped his arms around Kacchan's broad torso and squeezed as tight as he could, confident that he'd never let go.

THE END

Chapter End Notes

Yay! End! Thank you everyone who read or gave feedback! This was 100% just because I felt like it, but I appreciate you all!

Afterword

End Notes

Hi! I'm writing fanfiction for the first time in a long time and for the first time ever on this site! So feedback is SUPER welcome.

Canon divergence where Katsuki never gets taken by the league of villains so All Might has yet to lose his powers and Katsuki doesn't get that impetus to deal with his relationship with Izuku.

Please drop by the Archive and comment to let the creator know if you enjoyed their work!