Chapter Text
Teardrops
On average, a woman cries between 30 and 64 times a year, and the average man cries between 6 and 17 times a year.
Men tend to cry for between two and four minutes, and women cry for about six minutes. Crying then turns into sobbing for women in 65% of cases, compared to just 6% for men. Until adolescence, however, no difference between the sexes was found.
Bakugou is all but fourteen years old, has approximately cried 154 times in his life time, when he sits on the desk near the window as he half-heartedly tries to listen to the monotonous tone of their science teacher as he drones out facts about the human body. With his legs crossed as he stretches out his arms, his hands tired from all of the lecture writing—they were punished if they didn’t—he spreads his fingers wide, hoping that if he reaches out to the sky hard enough, he could graze the sun.
“There are three types of tears: basal tears, reflexive tears, and psychic tears.” Katsuki hears their teacher start another topic. “Basal tears are produced at a rate of about 1 to 2 microliters a minute, and are made in order to keep the eye lubricated and smooth out irregularities in the cornea. Reflexive tears are tears that are made in response to irritants to the eye, such as when chopping onions or getting poked in the eye. And Psychic tears are produced by the lacrimal system and are the tears expelled during emotional states.”
The lecture kept going for minutes without end and all Katsuki Bakugou could think about was unruly green hair and a pair of bright green eyes, the incident with the petal a few weeks back still fresh on his mind.
---
Apparently, it doesn’t take much to make Midoriya Izuku cry.
The freckle faced boy would easily tear up at the slightest conflict or provocation, and it wasn’t even just the negative actions that causes said boy to tear up but also the positive ones as well, much to Katsuki’s annoyance. Just yesterday he was sobbing after someone complimented his penmanship.
Two months and a couple of weeks into their first year in high school, Katsuki Bakugou has seen Midoriya Izuku cry over: his test scores, receiving a “good luck on you studies!” note from Uraraka, seeing a small stray cat on the street on their way home who was "just too small", a video of a child crying over the death of his pet goldfish, and this one time Izuku tripped and got himself a wound on his knees.
In all of Katsuku Bakugou’s fourteen years of existence, he has never seen anyone else cry more than Izuku Midoriya.
“Just yesterday, you were crying about fucking snakes!” Katsuki pointed out, exasperated. They were eating their lunches outside the school near the field (obviously Izuku’s idea because “Kacchan, the weather’s so beautiful today, let’s eat our lunches by the field today” and Izuku’s pouting lips was all it took to get the infamous Katsuku Bakugou “destroyer of lives and happiness” as Kirishima once pointed it out, which earned the red haired boy a punch on his face from the blonde, to get up from his seat and eat his lunch outside.)
They sat on one of the benches at the bleachers nearest to the tracks, their knees would bump occasionally whenever one of them tried to pick on the other’s lunch and Katsuki can’t help but notice just how much the sun compliments Izuku perfectly from the close proximity. Izuku in a word was plain, yet with the sun shining down on him, it’s as if his entire existence was glowing. Izuku’s skin was pale as stardust, his freckles like constellations that Katsuki can’t help but want to find out each and every story behind it, under the sun, Izuku looked like he was given birth by the sun itself.
“They don’t have any arms!” Izuku answers back, cutting Katsuki from his inner monologue about freckles and constellation, as if the mere fact that the genetic composition that caused said reptiles to become armless would be something to cry and be sad over.
“You cry so damn easily, I bet you’ll cry if that round faced chick said she didn’t want to be friends with you anymore.”
“I do not! Wait, did… did Uraraka-san say she didn’t want to be friends with me anymore?”
“Well fucking shit, I rest my case.”
After a few soft punches and lots of “Kacchan, you’re so mean” from the smaller boy, Izuku suddenly stops and smiles up at the blonde, eyes bright with a glint of the same determination Katsuki found both fucking annoying and cute (though he’ll take that last part to his grave).
“Let’s make a deal, Kacchan!” Izuku all but shouts mid bite from his katsudon at the blonde.
“The fuck are you talking about?”
“A deal! If don’t cry for a week starting today, you take back everything you just said about me crying easily.” Izuku declares, smiling that goofy smile Katsuki wants to punch away until it’s gone.
“And if you do cry in a span of a week?” Katsuki challenges.
“T-then… I write your science notes for you for… a week!” Izuku declares, both from bravery and uncertainty.
"Make that two weeks and you've got yourself a deal." Katsuki answers, thinking he doesn't have anything to loose. He was obviously going to win this stupid bet. In just two days Katsuki was sure Izuku was going to end up crying over something as dumb as seeing a puppy sneeze or something as equally ridiculous.
---
Three days later and Izuku Midoriya has not yet shed a single tear. Katsuki was beginning to think Izuku might actually win their stupid little bet, the shitty nerd was actually gloating by now, “I’m definitely going to win this bet, kacchan!” Izuku, the conceited little shit, declares as he crosses his arms over his chest in triumph. Katsuki glares at the smaller boy, mouth set to a permanent scowl.
“Three days of not crying must be a new record for you, shitty nerd.” Katsuki smirks, taking pleasure at wiping the smug look off of the smaller boys face.
“Just you wait, I’ll make you eat those words, kacchan!” Izuku declares, determined and Katsuki ended up pinching his cheeks out of annoyance. They were heading home together, which became a daily routine after finding out one month ago that they live near the same neighborhood, when Izuku abruptly stops to read a text. The smile from his face falters and he looks at Katsuki with a mixture of panic and worry, something Katsuki declares is not something he likes seeing on Izuku’s face.
“What’s wrong, dipshit?”
“Kacchan, I-I have to go home… I’ll see you tomorrow.” Izuku didn’t wait to hear Katsuki’s answer as he dashes off without looking back. Katsuki was left standing alone, with a “Don’t make me fucking worry” lost between his lips as he watches Izuku’s retreating form disappear into the mass of students.
The little shit was defiantly going to make him worry pulling off a stunt like that.
---
The next day, Katsuki was surprised to see Izuku at there at their usual meeting spot (an old waiting shed that lead to a route that took them faster to get to school) earlier than him. Katsuki is met with a runny nose, swollen eyes and a “I guess I lost the bet huh, kacchan?” as Katsuki stares at the boy’s disheveled state, The smaller boy just gave him a shy smile as he tried to avoid eye contact with the fuming blonde.
“The fuck happened to you?” Katsuki shouts both in annoyance and worry at Izuku’s pathetic state. He stomps his way to the smaller boy to grab at his shoulders, and leans in for closer inspection. Izuku was a mess from head to toe; Katsuki concluded as he stared at Izuku’s eyes, red and swollen “Probably from crying and rubbing at it all fucking night” Katsuki guesses.
Izuku was still avoiding his eyes, but Katsuki refuses to let the boy go until he told him what was wrong.
“You see… my dog, Yagi… I had him since I was a probably three, he… he was getting old, and he- he died yesterday while I was at school. Mom texted me the news… He-he was such a brave dog, kacchan. He was my number one hero, I loved him so much… I wanted you to meet him…” Izuku said in between sobs, his body was shaking so much and all that Katsuki could do was to hold him closer.
In all of Katsuki Bakogou’s fourteen years of existence, he has never been the one to go out of his way to console others during moments of sorrow or grief. In his fourteen years of existence, Katsuki Bakugou has also never felt this powerless, it was frustrating. As Izuku’s body kept shaking, as his sobs turned to full out bawling, as his tears kept flowing, Katsuki stayed with him wordlessly, his touch the only means of comfort he knows he could provide for the other boy.
“I’m sorry, k-kacchan.” Izuku hiccups, “I really tried not to cry… I wanted to be strong, but-”
“Shut up!” Katsuki shouts, cutting off Izuku’s words. “Everyone fucking cries when they’re mourning, shitty nerd, it’s fucking normal. You don’t have to fucking apologize to me for crying over something like this.” Katsuki stares at Izuku, he sees one last tear fall down from Izuku’s eyes and the next thing Katsuki sees was Izuku smiling so brightly at him, the same tear streaked boy who was mourning the loss of his dog a moment ago was smiling up at him as if Katsuki offered him the moon and stars instead of his pathetic attempt at trying to provide him comfort.
“Thanks, kacchan.”
It was only two words, but Katsuki felt like he was on top of the world. Their bet a few days before, completely forgotten.