Chapter Text
Where was he supposed to start?
"Hey, you've been on my mind for way too long?"
Absolutely not. She was absolutely going to detect a tone change no matter what he did, but he couldn't just jump headfirst into it and pretend he hadn't already written two other things she'd seen. Why was everything so much harder now that he understood himself? His eyes darted to the response letter she'd given him. There. He just needed to write a response. If he didn't, she'd be upset anyway because she'd assume he hadn't passed on the letter. He grabbed the response and spread it across the desk so he could better see all the things he needed to address. The fact that he was being genuine. The fact that she was beautiful even if she didn't see it. The fact that he would make a terrible rescue hero.
"Uraraka," he wrote in the proper place, staring at the page and waiting for his fingers to write an introduction to the letter on their own.
Shit.
Was he supposed to just dive into her concerns or say something else first? What was the right thing to do for this kind of thing? He grabbed at his phone, but he wasn't entirely sure why? Was he going to google love letter formats? Or text Kirishima for help? Make a random post on his unused Twitter asking people what they thought? What the fuck was he doing? Giving himself a headache. Taking a deep breath, he did what his instincts told him to do, fingers gliding across the screen and shoulders tensing in preparation. He put the phone to his ear and waited for the ringing to stop.
"Katsuki?" his mother's voice echoed in his ears, "Are you okay?"
He hated that she had to ask that but there was nothing he could do about it. Clearing his throat, he nodded despite the fact that she couldn't see him and started explaining as fast as he could. "Alright. I'm fine. I have a hypothetical question. As a woman..."
He trailed off. He sounded so fucking stupid. His mother made a sound that was caught somewhere between amusement and concern. "As a woman?" she repeated, almost squealing, "What the fuck are you doing that makes you start a sentence like that?"
Katsuki groaned. "Fuck off."
She laughed. "Okay, but, honestly, what are you doing? Are we having a birds and the bees talk, or did you find like a random fact about women online that you don't believe? What am I working with?"
It was remarkable that he had somehow not just imploded on the spot.
"You may not be the person to ask, actually," he mumbled mostly to himself, suddenly remembering that his mother pursued his dad.
"Hey, you called me so either spit it out or find something else to talk about because you're not hanging up until I get an update about your life."
Katsuki pinched the bridge of his nose and leaned back in his chair. "Alright," he took a deep breath, "When you're writing a love letter are you supposed to include an introduction paragraph or just like jump into addressing the things they said in a response?"
Silence.
There was total silence.
"Mom?"
She sounded way too serious, no teasing tone at all when she spoke. "It depends on the situation. Do you have anything to say beyond responding to them? Would saying something else make the response mean more?"
Katsuki huffed and looked at the response letter and back at his blank page. "I don't know. That's why I called," he whispered.
Why did he feel like he was going to cry? This was not something to cry over, dammit. What the fuck.
"Okay, I need a summary of what led you here."
He was so tired of explaining himself, but he could do it one more time if it meant he'd better understand what the hell he was doing. The explanation was long but he tried to get through it fast. When he was done, his mom made an affectionate sound on the other end. It was the sound she always made when she was proud of him. She normally followed it up with "You're doing a good job" or by ruffling his hair.
Fuck. He really was going to cry. Dammit, this was the silliest thing to cry over.
"You've worked hard on this, haven't you?" His mom asked and the fact that he could hear how much she loved him immediately caused tears to start rolling down his face.
He wiped at his face with his sleeve. "Yeah, but I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know how I got here."
She chuckled. "Well, don't worry about that part so much. Let's get you through writing this letter. From what I've heard it sounds like this girl needs to hear that your opinion of her good qualities won't change even if she thinks they should. So why don't you start there?"
He sniffled and resisted the urge to facepalm over how childish he probably sounded. "Yeah, okay," he said, doing his best to sound more confident, "I can do that."
"Good," she said, her smile audible, "Do you need anything else before I go?"
He shook his head. "No."
She sighed. "Okay, well, you get started writing your letter. Don't forget you can call me again if you need anything else."
"I know," he said, rolling his eyes.
"Katsuki."
"What?"
"Come home and visit sometime. We haven't seen you in a while."
She hung up before he could respond but he would've agreed with her. It had been way too long since he saw his parents. Even if he spent most of their time together arguing with his mom there were always nice moments like this in between that he missed. Not that he'd admit that out loud. Regardless, he had a letter to write, so he wiped all the remaining moisture off his face and started writing.
"Uraraka,
Despite your complaints, my opinions are solid. I've seen how hard you work. I don't think other people's hard work makes your hard work any less impressive. I have also seen other people with my own eyes. I do not need to be redirected to someone you think is more beautiful. I'm sure someone finds Yaoyorozu and Jirou pretty. They're not you.
You're the only person I've ever met that's anything like you. It's almost unbelievable how wrong you can be about yourself. Don't belittle yourself in the name of praising others, especially people who don't deserve to be praised. I know that instinct comes from how compassionate you are. And I know that you can logically see your own worth but just in case you haven't absorbed it yet:
You are not just a construction worker's daughter (as if your parents' occupation makes you somehow less).
You are Uravity. You are Uraraka Ochako. You are more than most people seem to give you credit for.
You're a top rescue hero. You're a UA student. You are going to shake the very foundation of the hero world someday.
There is a lot that you are but you're not JUST anything.
And I know you're going to be picky about these compliments too and complain that I should've given them to someone else so before you can do that let me flip the script.
I am just the son of a stay-at-home mom and a wannabe designer.
I couldn't be a rescue hero. At all.
I'm not cut out for that kind of stuff.
I work every day to be better at what I do but still feel like there are too many people way too far ahead of me.
I'm not cool.
My life dream, when I was younger, was to pay the most taxes in Japan.
I even shouted it once. From on top of my desk.
You receive love letters from me but you deserve to receive them from someone more than twice as nice as me.
I definitely wouldn't classify myself as kind or compassionate.
Do you understand what I'm getting at? We all have issues.
We all feel like we don't deserve the compliment sometimes but that's because we live with ourselves every day. People have the tendency to tone out the things that make them impressive and focus on the bad. That doesn't mean that you're not incredible. It just means that you're blind to your own glow. Still, you should take a minute to remind yourself of your accomplishments. In fact, do it so many times that when you read me complimenting you, you automatically agree with me.
Get overconfident with it.
So much so that anyone saying you're "just" a construction worker's daughter starts an argument.
I believe in you.
I know you believe in yourself too.
But maybe believe a little harder.
Anonymous"
Katsuki reread it three times before he finally realized it was missing something.
"P.S. Bakugou does not need any more compliments. Don't redirect any more compliments to him. He has been unnecessarily praised enough for multiple lifetimes."
Yep. That sounded about right even if he was being a little dramatic. The next day he flowed the same routine as he had the day before: Dropping the letter off on his morning run and then returning to the dorms like nothing had happened. As he walked to class, Kirishima nearly knocked him over slinging his arm around Katsuki's shoulders.
"So, are you feeling any better today? Do you know what you're going to do?"
Katsuki shrugged him off. "Yeah but you better not say a damn thing to anyone."
Kirishima gave him a thumbs up. "You got it. Secret is safe with me."
He rolled his eyes but he appreciated it anyway. If only the rest of his day could've gone so smoothly. As expected, everyone crowded around Uraraka’s desk again when they realized she had a new letter. However, Uraraka’s reaction to the contents was much different than it had been the day before. Katsuki watched as her face changed from concern to happiness, to affection, to what seemed to be anger.
"Ugh," she said at the end, huffing out a frustrated breath.
Mina was the first to speak afterward. "Everything okay, Chako?"
Katsuki tried not to fidget at his desk.
"They," she began, folding the letter and throwing it onto her desk, "they ruined it all at the end!"
"Ruined it?" Izuku asked with genuine curiosity.
Uraraka made a sound somewhere between a growl and a scream. "Yes, they...I..." She stomped a foot. "Bakugou! Tell them not to write me any more letters."
Oh, his chest hurt.
"Alright, he managed to say, "can I ask why?"
Her eyes were wild. He didn't think he'd ever seen her quite as angry. "Because they don't seem to like you very much and I'm not interested in hearing from someone who thinks it's okay to say something rude about the person that was nice enough to agree to deliver the letters."
"Don't seem to like me?"
Why did she care if they liked him?
Wait. Deliver?? He'd never said anything about delivering the letters. How did she know that he'd delivered it? His heart thundered in his ears.
She didn't seem to notice. "Yes. They said you don't deserve any compliments. Probably because I complimented you in my response."
"Ooh maybe they're jealous," Mina cooed.
"Hold on," Katsuki interrupted before they could discuss the theory, "how'd you know I delivered the letter?"
Izuku and Kirishima were both looking at him like he was insane. He felt a little crazy if he was honest.
Uraraka paused, staring at him for longer than was comfortable. Finally, her face erupted in a bright red. "Oh my gosh. I didn't mean to say that."
Both hands covered her mouth and she looked at the floor.
"You didn't answer the question," he grumbled.
Mina shot up from her seat. "Wait. Did YOU deliver the letter? Like to her desk? WHEN?"
Katsuki waved a dismissive hand at her and stared at Uraraka, waiting for a response.
Eventually, her brown eyes slowly drifted back toward him. "You probably haven't noticed but our morning runs have a shared portion. I always end up behind you in the morning."
How had he never noticed that? So much for paying attention to her. She fidgeted with her sleeve."You were missing yesterday and I thought something was wrong."
He didn't understand. That didn't explain why she knew he'd delivered the letters. She seemed to notice his confusion because she sighed and looked at the floor. "So, I waited in the common room this morning to see if you changed routes or just didn't go."
Oh. He was sure his face was almost as red as hers. She'd seen him come downstairs with the letter in hand. How did she not seem to realize that he wrote it? Multiple people were doing double-takes between the two of them in silence for way too long. Finally, Mina spoke up again. "I can't decide if I want to talk about Bakugou delivering the letters or Chako knowing Baku's routine so well that it being off was weird to her."
Uraraka rapidly waved her hand in front of her face and ducked her head. "It's not like that!"
'Like what,' he wanted to ask but Mina beat him to it grinning maniacally. "Oh? Was your secret admirer right to be jealous?"
"Stop," Uraraka whined, "that's not fair."
What the fuck was happening?
"And since when are you the kind of person that delivers love letters?"
Defensive anger started building in his chest even though it was completely unjustified. "Since you and everyone else decided I needed to be involved in this mess."
"Ah, ah, ah," Mina chided, wagging her finger back and forth, "You decided that. You didn't tell who wrote it."
"Not up to me to be spewing people's business, dumbass."
"Are you sure?" Mina questioned and he knew she was really asking if he was more deeply involved.
"I'm sure," he huffed and crossed his arms.
She seemed disappointed but she was the last person he wanted to know. Mina was and always had been interested in other people's love lives and he knew damn well that she talked about everything with the girls in their class. He couldn't risk her saying something to someone who would tell Uraraka. Or worse, Uraraka herself.
Uraraka slumped into the chair of her desk, covering her face. "It doesn't matter anyway. I don't want letters from someone that casually says that someone helping them doesn't deserve compliments."
What was he supposed to do now? An idea floated into his thoughts. He was going to look so suspicious. "First of all, I could be wrong but I think you need to reread that part because I'm pretty sure what he said was that I don't NEED compliments. Second of all, I don't need protection from missed compliments."
Izuku's jaw dropped. He tried to ignore his piercing look as Uraraka slowly picked up the letter again and reread the end. "I...but that's the same thing, really, isn't it?"
He shook his head. "No, not really."
She looked like she didn't know what to do. "It...doesn't bother you that he said it?"
He shook his head again. "No, I don't give a damn what anyone says about me."
She stared at the paper for a little while longer. "I still don't like that he said it."
"And what the fuck am I supposed to do about that?"
Her eyes snapped up. "I should tell him it bothers me."
"Yeah probably. You know how fucking weird it would be if I walked in and went 'Yeah Uraraka doesn't like it when you shit talk me so don't do that.'"
She giggled. "He'd think you read the letter, probably."
"Right," he nodded, "and I don't need more bullshit to deal with."
She nodded but didn't say anything else. Mina sighed. "Okay besides your love letter lover insulting Bakugou was it a good letter?"
"Huh?" Uraraka looked back and forth between her friend and the letter, "Yeah, it was really sweet, actually."
"Okay, good," Izuku huffed.
Okay, well, at least she didn't hate the part that mattered to him. His whole body felt a little warmer than normal.
Spinning around to face the front of the classroom, Katsuki watched out of the corner of his eye as everyone else seemed to settle into their seats. It was amazing how fast they all stopped asking questions when it was time for class to begin.
Lunch came faster than he thought possible. Which was unfortunate because he knew his group of idiots was about to interrogate him with every question they could think of. He lingered in his seat. Maybe if he waited around long enough they'd forget by the time he reached the cafeteria. The classroom emptied and for a second he just allowed himself to breathe in the calm air.
Then, Uraraka sat down in the seat in front of him, facing backward. Katsuki resisted the urge to jump in his seat and just stared at her waiting for an explanation. Her eyes narrowed, seemingly analyzing his every movement. Eventually, she tilted her head to the side slightly and sighed. "Have you been reading the letters?" She asked.
He felt his own eyes widen. "No," he blurted out instinctively, "Why?"
She blinked. "Because you corrected what I read and got it right?"
"I've heard it said before," he shrugged and hoped he sounded nonchalant.
She hummed under her breath like she didn't quite believe him.
"So you complimented me in a response to a love letter, huh?" He asked it with a smirk and as much fake cockiness as he could manage.
Her face turned red again. "That's not important!"
"I don't know. If I didn't know any better," he did know better, "I'd think you liked me."
Uraraka immediately jumped to her feet and took off toward the door. "Don't be ridiculous!" She all but shouted as he crossed the threshold.
Right.
That's what he thought.
No need in being ridiculous and getting his hopes up.
Still, he needed to eat lunch at some point.
So, he slowly made his way to the lunchroom, grabbed food, and sat down at his regular table. All of his friends were animatedly talking to each other when he sat down, momentarily giving him the hope that he'd go unnoticed, but the second he felt the seat Mina zoned in on him.
"So, I'm going to trust that you were being honest earlier about the letter being someone else's business, even though I have a deep instinctual feeling that you weren't, but I still have questions. Like why exactly you haven't told us that you have a crush on Chako."
He hated his life. Also, he shot a glare at Kirishima because what the fuck did he say to them.
Kirishima shook his head. "I didn't say anything, I promise!"
Mina's mouth dropped open as she whipped around to face Kiri. "You knew?? And didn't tell me? Rude!"
Katsuki let his head fall into the table next to his plate. "I hate all of you," he grumbled.
"That's not very nice, Kacchan," Kaminari teased and Katsuki had to resist the urge to strangle him.
Sero patted him on the back. "If it makes you feel any better she hasn't noticed."
Mina scoffed. "He's involved in a whole love letter scheme and you think it makes him feel good that Chako hasn't noticed his crush."
Katsuki wanted to scream.
Mina leaned over Kirishima's plate to look Katsuki in the eye. "Do you want me to steer her your way?"
"What? No? What the fuck?" He spat.
Mina paused. "Do you want me to mislead her then? So she doesn't find out?"
"Shut the fuck up. No." He sat back up, too irritated to be laying his head down.
All of his friends were looking at him with wide eyes. He needed a nap.
"Don't do anything. I mean it. Do NOTHING."
Mina's shoulders slumped as she dramatically pouted. "That's no fun though."
"It's not supposed to be fun for you," he grumbled.
Mina sighed. " We could've had the wildest plot twist of a couple but I'm not allowed to help."
Katsuki rubbed his thumbs into his temples. Why did everything have to be so complicated? Mina poked at her food, suddenly not interested in eating. "Well, when you change your mind and decide you want a girlfriend don't forget my powers of persuasion."
Katsuki rolled his eyes.
Kaminari put a hand to his chest and faked swooning to the side. "Teenage love! It's so good to know that our fearsome leader isn't immune to it. So what is it about Uraraka that got you? Her curves? Her cute face? How small she is?"
Sero smacked him on the head. "Mind out of the gutter, Denki."
Katsuki stood up from his seat entirely prepared to leave his food where it was and never come back.
"He thinks she's very kind." Kirishima chirped, happily.
He dove toward the redhead and pulled his hair, more than ready to start a full fight. Honestly, Katsuki would be lying if he said he hadn't thought about the odds that he'd spontaneously combust someday. Still, he'd probably never been so close to catching fire, and this was not how he thought it would happen. His body certainly felt like an open flame. He'd always imagine glorious battles and massive explosions. Instead, he was sprawled uncomfortably across one of his best friend's chest, on the cafeteria floor, flailing his arms and trying to put the bastard in a headlock, hands crackling unwillingly.
He probably looked dumb.
The thought made him angrier as Kirishima batted his arms away from his head for what felt like the hundredth time and pried his hair out of the death grip Katsuki had finally managed.
"Ah, Bakugou, I'm sorry I didn't know I wasn't supposed to say anything!" He whined.
"You fucking liar!" Katsuki screamed, red clouding the edges of his vision, "That's the most pathetic excuse I've ever heard! Do you think I have the fucking memory of a squirrel??? I know you know better!"
Katsuki finally got good leverage for the chokehold.
Kirishima coughed twice before using hardening to protect his airways. "I thought," he said, sounding garbled, "That it would be okay because you were talking about it to them already!"
Katsuki let go of the bastard just long enough to bang both his hand against Kiri's head.
"Stupid!"
He raised his hands again this time ready to set off an explosion, the bastard deserved it dammit, only for both of his wrists to be caught in someone else's grip. Whoever had caught him immediately yanked him backward, dragging him across the floor. Katsuki screamed. He kicked multiple times on the way back, landing a solid hit on Kirishima's hip and leg. Then once he could no longer reach the dumbass, he twisted his body and wrenched his hands out of the painful grip. He didn't look at who had grabbed him, scrambling back toward Kirishima.
Except that one steady step forward launched him directly into a wide-eyed Izuku’s fist and sent him skidding back again on his ass.
The red faded out of his vision, letting him really look at the scene in front of him. Some of Kirishima's hair was on the floor, singed. Izuku was shaking his hand like it had hurt to hit Katsuki in the jaw, his eyes wide and glazed over like he was lost. His friends had stood up from the table but were caught between their seats and the fight, staring at him with panicked eyes. Kirishima was peppered with red marks and his face was scratched like a rabid animal had clawed him.
Katsuki tilted his head up and to the side to look at the person that had pulled him away. Uraraka had what would definitely be a burn spattered across the backs of her hands.
Dammit.
He really needed a therapy session. And maybe to call his dad. Or visit home or something. His heart pounded in his chest and drowned out all the sound in his ears like it was scolding him. He deserved it. Fuck. What the fuck was wrong with him? Kirishima was the first to move out of everyone, quietly sliding toward Katsuki on the floor. "I'm sorry. I didn't know it would upset you so bad."
Katsuki shook his head. "Not your fault."
Kiri took a deep breath and slowly placed a hand on Katsuki's shoulder. "Alright," he awkwardly laughed, "how about you pay for the haircut I'm gonna need and we'll call it even."
"That's not even."
Katsuki threw a half-hearted glare in his direction, trying to make sure that Kirishima knew that he shouldn't let him off so easily. Kirishima laughed again, and this time it sounded a little more genuine. "Alright. So, you pay for the haircut and we'll go a few rounds of sparring later. And if you're not satisfied with that I can maybe convince Deku to hit you again."
"I might," Izuku said, voice irritated.
"You're too nice," Katsuki grumbled, clicking his jaw as the pain from Izuku's punch finally settled in.
"What happened?" Uraraka sounded baffled behind his shoulder.
Katsuki pushed himself off the floor. "I'm an asshole is what happened. Gotta work on it."
"Yes, well, regardless of your overall improvement in acknowledging your faults, I'm going to need you, Midoriya, Kirishima, and Uraraka to go to the infirmary and then meet me in the principal's office."
Aizawa's voice was like a nail in Katsuki's coffin. He sighed. There was no point in arguing, so he turned on his heel and marched toward the nurse, leaving everyone else behind him. It wasn't long before the other three caught up enough that he could hear their whispers.
"What actually happened?" Izuku asked.
"Nothing. I said something I shouldn't have."
Uraraka scoffed. "That's hardly enough reason for him to jump you like that."
"I know," Kiri sighed, "I think he was a little overwhelmed."
"Ah," Izuku sighed, "I think I know what this is about."
"You do?" Kiri shrieked.
"Yeah, how'd you find out?"
Kiri made a sputtering sound like he'd forgotten how to form words. "He told me."
"Oh." Izuku huffed, "Yeah that checks out. I had to chase him over it and find out on my own."
"I'm lost," Uraraka chimed in, "I thought you chased him because he knew something about my love letters."
Izuku made a sound like he was choking and Katsuki whirled around to face them, walking backward. "If you numb skulls are gonna gossip about me can it be out of earshot?"
Uraraka put both of her hands on her hips and straightened her shoulders. "You're in no position to make demands thank you. So instead of throwing another tantrum how about you turn your pretty face back around and butt out of the conversation."
Pretty face?
Whatever retort he would've thrown at her died on his tongue and made his throat feel tight. What did she mean by pretty face? His face felt like it was contorted into something weird, mouth twisted like it didn't know what expression he was trying to make.
"I think you broke him," Kirishima chuckled.
Uraraka nodded resolutely and crossed her arms. "Well, if it takes his audacity down a peg then maybe that's a good thing."
Damn. Well, she was certainly irritated with him. Still, she looked so cute with her head held high and her cheeks puffed out like a pouty child.
Izuku snorted. "Okay, well, I'm pretty sure it's less about you standing your ground and more about you calling him pretty so I don't know if the 'strong leader' pose is necessary."
She huffed, obviously frustrated, but her face turned red. "What? No, I didn't."
"You did," all three boys said simultaneously.
"Well," she sucked in a breath, "I didn't mean to. And I definitely didn't mean it to mean anything."
She sound almost scared like she'd been caught doing something she shouldn't and they were going to scold her for it. Katsuki tilted his head to the side and zoned in on her face. He didn't think he'd ever seen the expression she was making on her. Her eyes were darting between all of them, face red. Her nose was wrinkled like she was displeased but her mouth was twitching in a nervous smile. She kept sending looks at Izuku that seemed to say something like "help me." Izuku for his part said nothing and did nothing. He simply stared at Katsuki, smiling.
Katsuki was so confused. He didn't understand why she'd reacted that way. Was she scared he'd be angry over her saying pretty? He'd never been the type that complained when compliments were too "feminine." But he'd been violent recently. But he wasn't stupid enough to start another fight before he even got to whatever punishment he'd get for the first one. She had to know he wasn't that stupid.
He looked at Kirishima hoping the redhead understood what she was so freaked out about but he looked just as lost. Finally, Uraraka threw her arms down and raised her chin again. "So, what? I'm gonna get judged for saying he's pretty? I thought it was well agreed on that he's pretty. So why does it matter if I say it."
Izuku did a double take, eyebrows shooting into his hairline. "What?"
Katsuki couldn't breathe. "I'm sorry, who the fuck is agreeing on what?"
Kirishima shrugged. "No, she kind of has a point."
Uraraka nodded aggressively. "Right? Thank you!"
Izuku looked like he'd shut down entirely and Katsuki had never thought he was so relatable.
"Back up," Katsuki said, "What the fuck are you on about? Who agreed on this? You're making it sound like you held a damn meeting about it."
Kirishima shrugged again. "I don't know. It just feels like it's common info that a lot of people in the school think you're attractive."
Uraraka nodded again. "Exactly. It's not like I haven't heard people talking about it six times this week alone. It's not weird that I said it when everyone else does too."
Oh, Katsuki was absolutely going insane. What was wrong with people? He was a deadly weapon, not a pop idol
Izuku mumbled something under his breath, before sighing. "Okay, so where was I when you heard six people talking Kacchan? I have definitely missed that."
Kirishima looked confused. "You didn't know people think he's attractive?"
Izuku held up a finger to his lips.
"Shh. That's not what I mean. I know that generally speaking, he's conveniently attractive. I'm not concerned about that. But six times to hear it clearly really sounds like you're putting yourself in positions that it's talked about. Or talking about it yourself."
Uraraka smacked a hand over Izuku's mouth and made a sound that was almost a squeak. "Would you be quiet and leave me alone? Gosh, why are you picking on me so much today?"
Izuku threw his hands up in frustration but made no move to uncover his mouth.
"Alright now, last time I checked you're all here for a light healing before you have to report to your instructor for punishment; so, don't go starting another fight outside my office please."
Recovery Girl's voice caused Katsuki to spin around to find her looming behind him. For her tiny stature, she certainly had the ability to be intimidating. And he definitely wasn't the only one who thought so.
"Sorry," Uraraka rushed out.
Recovery Girl sighed. "Teenagers, I swear."
Izuku grumbled. "Okay but don't think I'm dropping this subject."
The four of them quietly filed into the infirmary after he said it, waiting as Recovery Girl looked them over.
"Uraraka, come over here sweetie so I can heal your hands."
Uraraka followed her to the other side of the room and behind a dividing curtain. Izuku immediately took the opportunity to press himself into Katsuki's side and start whispering. "Okay, I'm not saying it's different when she says you're pretty but it's definitely nothing like the random people in the hallway saying it."
Kirishima nodded.
Katsuki lightly shoved Izuku away from him. "You should probably stop reading into things, dumbass."
"Kacchan," he huffed, "it's different. I can't say for sure it's different in a way you'd like it to be but it's different."
Katsuki rolled his eyes. "Sure, whatever."
Kirishima hummed. "You should listen to him. She's only his best friend, you know? He should probably know when something is up with her."
Katsuki shook his head. "He also desperately wants everyone to be happy and will force things to happen if he thinks it's helpful."
"You have a point but also rude, Kacchan."
Katsuki shrugged. "The truth hurts sometimes dipshit."
Kirishima looked back and forth between the two of them. "I don't think I'm ever going to fully understand the two of you."
"Fair," Katsuki and Izuku said simultaneously.
At that moment, Uraraka came back around the curtain, hands no longer red but lightly scarred. "It's Kirishima's turn!" she chirped.
Kirishima nodded and sped past her and around the curtain. The second he was gone, Uraraka’s eyes narrowed and she directed a glare at Kastuki.
"I don't know what's up with you recently but you've been weird all week and it needs to stop. Especially if it's going to turn you into a violent brat again."
Katsuki crossed his arms, unable to stop the immediate irritation at being scolded, but he knew she was right.
"Yeah, I got it. I don't like how I'm acting either I don't need your input."
It was extremely honest. So much so that it made him want to twist away from her. He stood his ground. Izuku made a sound that Katsuki associated with him seeing a cool new move from a hero. Uraraka was stunned for a moment, staring at him wide-eyed. "Oh. Well, um, good. And Kirishima deserves a treat or something. And a formal apology and..."
Katsuki rolled his eyes. "I'll make him dinner later if that'll satisfy your standards."
She nodded but looked lost.
Izuku patted him on the shoulder, hard. "Ochako here deserves a meal too then, Kacchan! You burnt her hands, you know. She likes mochi for dessert. And loves grilled eggplant and Sukiyaki."
Katsuki shrugged the hand off his shoulder and glared at Izuku. "Noted," he grumbled.
Uraraka frantically waved her hands in front of her. "No, no, that's not necessary. I involved myself in the situation."
Katsuki's eyes drifted to the new scars on the back of her hands and he shrugged. "I have to go shopping for Kirishima's stuff anyway. No big deal."
Her face went red. "No, really, you don't have to do that! I don't want you spending money on my behalf. I can take care of myself."
"No one said you couldn't," Katsuki said.
Izuku nodded. "Right, I was only pointing out that if we're making meals then you deserve one too."
"Some tiny burns on the back of my hands are not on the same level as Kirishima being fought in the cafeteria."
Katsuki rolled his eyes. "No one said it was but those tiny burn scars are going to show up in every hero photo shoot you do so let's call it compensation for that."
She held her hands out in front of her and quietly turned them at different angles, examining the scars. "I know they're permanent but that really isn't a bad thing is it? All heroes have scars."
Her voice was almost sad and a shiver ran up Katsuki's spine.
Izuku threw his arms around her. "Yeah, nothing wrong with having scars. I'm pretty sure Kacchan just meant that he feels responsible for it."
Oh. Had he made her self-conscious over the scars?
"Listen, half of what I say comes out sounding insulting. Just ignore me."
"Ignore you?"
"Yeah," he looked away from her, toward the curtain that Kirishima was behind, "I wasn't trying to say that they'd make your pictures worse or some shit. Just that I doubt having to explain you got them trying to prevent a cafeteria fight is going to be tiring."
Uraraka giggled. "Alright, but you make yourself fairly difficult to ignore, you know?"
Katsuki scoffed. "Yeah, it's the curse of having a loud mouth."
She shook her head. "It's not just that but okay."
What? What was it then? Izuku shot him another 'I told you so' look just before Kirishima rounded the curtain again. "Alright, Bakugou, she said she won't guarantee a healing but she does need to check if your jaw is fractured or broken?"
Katsuki sighed but walked toward Recovery Girl anyway. It wasn't broken. He doubted he'd be able to hold a coherent conversation if it was. The second he rounded the corner, Recovery Girl yanked him into a sitting position and pushed his head up, examining the side and bottom of his jaw. She jabbed a finger against the sorest part.
"Well, I don't think it's broken. Do you still have the full range of motion?"
Katsuki instinctively opened his mouth and pushed his jaw from side to side. Recovery Girl nodded. "Alright, well I'm not going to do an X-Ray right now but if you notice limited movement come back."
He nodded once. She sighed. "Listen, all three of those sweethearts out there care about you and your well-being. Please try to care enough about yourself that you don't worry them so much."
It wasn't at all what he'd expected her to say. He'd expected a lecture. Instead, he'd gotten some sort of philosophical instruction and anxiety over whether or not he looked like he took care of himself. Shit. Recovery Girl smiled. "Don't worry, I can tell you're trying. Just exclude the violence in the next attempt."
"Right," he huffed, "do you want me to send Deku your way?"
She shook her head. "No last time I checked he didn't receive any injuries seeing as his only involvement was punching you."
That dipshit, he really had just popped in and punched him, hadn't he? Well, at least he wouldn't be the only one punished for throwing a hit. Not that Izuku really deserved a big punishment for punching Katsuki. But it was a lot easier to do the dorm chores with help rather than alone. Also, Katsuki hated vacuuming and Izuku seemed to like it.
Sighing, Katsuki made his way back to the other three with his arms crossed. Whatever conversation they were having without him ground to a halt the second they saw him. Izuku smiled and gave him a thumbs up. Katsuki hoped their punishment wouldn't be too much of a hassle.