Chapter Text
“I’ll be there in a second!”
Another ferocious wave of rapping beat on his bedroom door, BANG! BANG! BANG! Izuku was officially at his wit's end, summer break had officially commenced, but here he was stuck packing the last remnants of his occupancy in this cramped dormitory. He supposed this was all his fault, though, the festivities at U.A. this year had kept him on his toes and left little room for organizing, hoarding seemed most convenient. Not now though, now it was going to be the death of him.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
“ONE SECOND !”
Then... the banging started and only added to his frustration. He knew for sure he wasn’t the only one behind on packing, and yet the resident guard for his floor seemed intent on severing his very last nerve. He had come at 8, 10, 10:30, 12 badgering Izuku to get his shit together, to which Izuku once again had to remind him passive-aggressively that the cleaning crew wouldn’t show up until 3 in the afternoon. He glanced at his watch: 1:34. He had more than enough time, there was no reason for him to get harassed like this.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
“ Fucking-! OKAY! IM COMING!”
Wading through the swamp of banners and boxes, he stalked to the door. This was the last straw he was putting his foot down, on the resident guard’s neck preferably. He would pack as fast or as slow as he pleased, dammit.
He snatched the door open.
“I HAVE UNTIL THREE O’CLO-“
Oh.
Oh .
Well, for starters, it was NOT the resident guard awaiting him, so, Amen to that. Disheveled and dripping, Bakugo Kastuki stood wide-eyed in his doorway. His hand, seized into a fist, hung suspended in the air reeling for what would’ve been another bout of banging. He stood there, looking utterly stricken (Izuku would even go as far as to say the boy looked terrified) until Deku finally decided he should probably say something.
“... Kacchan? Hi-...em” A beat stalled between them, “What... what brings you around here? Sorry, it’s just I could have sworn I was the last one here is all.”
Silence. The blonde didn’t as much as flinch as Izuku spoke. In fact, the only sign that the other boy was present was his frantic breathing, probably due to him having to take the stairs since the elevator was down. But Kacchan was no stranger to overexertion, he would’ve taken the stairs two by two with no problem... so why did he seem so frazzled? Concern overtook Izuku as he feared the worst.
“Did something happen on campus?” More silence, “Oh geez ... okay - crap, I was almost done packing - give me a second to grab my phone. Are the intercoms down? Mr. Aizawa would’ve alerted the dorms by now, wouldn’t he? Unless he was hurt... shit, okay. Just let me-“
Abruptly, Bakugo invited himself into the room, pushing past Deku engrossed in his deduction. The boy let out a yelp of protest as his intruder stood tersely in the ocean of storage.
If Izuku wasn’t spooked before, he was now. Bakugo’s entire aura was perverted. His familiar brazen macho was replaced by something much less assured. He looked manic, like he had seen a ghost, his hands weaving together before pulling themselves apart like hard taffy. His eyes trained themselves on Izuku’s feet, determined not to look him in the eye.
“ Okay ” Izuku started, recovering himself carefully, “Kacchan, I don’t understand-... is everything okay?”
He wasn’t answered, which was expected. He tried again, progressing the boy in the middle of the room.
“Kacchan” firmer this time, “You have got to talk to me. Is everyone alright downstairs? Why are you acting so... weird?” Nothing, “You realize we need to be out of here in a few hours, right? You can’t just barge in my room, you know, I have a ton of stuff to do, and I’m not looking to get yelled at again-“
In an instant, tears welled up in the other boy’s eyes, spilling down his cheeks in a torrent of emotion. From the look on his face, he didn’t even think he meant to cry, but it sure shocked the shit out of both of them.
“K-KACCHAN- WHAT-“
The blonde threw his head back, jamming the heels of his palms into his sockets.
“Mother-.... fuck- “ were the first words he spoke since initiating the situation.
Izuku’s hands floated awkwardly around Bakugo’s frame, trying to find the best way to comfort him during.... whatever this was. It wasn’t a huge anomaly to witness Bakugo in tears, in fact, it was pretty much common knowledge at this point that they were the consequence of any negative emotion he repressed, warranted or not. What threw Midoriya off, however, was why he had decided to unleash the works to him? In his own room?
Izuku could firmly say that here, in their second year of U.A High, the bridge between them was firmer than it had been before. They fought less, cooperated more. Denki had called it a "match made in hell," the two of them, and Izuku had to admit he had a point. The two of them did work well together, complemented each other in combat beautifully, and the chemistry had somewhat carried off the battlefield. They were cordial, and there were never any jabs thrown that were too low to be matched. Mostly they stayed out each other’s way, observing from across field lines. However, they were nowhere near friends, and damn sure, not close enough to be doing... this.
So, to say Midoriya was out of his element was a vast understatement.
“ Shitshitshitshit ” Bakugo spat.
“Kacchan? Kacchan, you are seriously freaking me out, please tell what the hell is going on-“
“WOULD YOU- would... please shut the fuck up, god-“
Excuse me? Izuku’s blood boiled, his cheeks grew hot.
“Hey, NO, okay. You are not going to come into MY room, invade MY space, cut MY schedule and tell me to 'shut the eff up,' okay, like what is that-“
Katsuki groaned in frustration and plopped himself down on the stripped mattress, the cartons on it nearly toppling over with the added weight.
“And now he’s on my bed, great” Izuku mumbled. He checked his watch: 2:13. Panic swelled inside him. Not only did he have to move his entire room downstairs and into the loading dock in one go but now he also had to diagnose whatever ailment had reduced his rival to tears, and the best part is that he had a little more than half an hour to do it.
“Kacchan-... Kacchan, look, I...” What would he say? What could he say? Bakugo was a vault encasing live dynamite, any move he made would either lead to a dead end or a murder.
Suddenly, a light bulb appeared.
“Okay, just... just hang tight, I’m going to call Kirishima-“
It would probably be most accurate to say that Bakugo squealed, but the sound that ripped itself out of his throat and died on his carpet was anything but. Izuku jumped, his phone flying out of his hands and in between the junction of his wall and the bed frame. He cursed.
“Ah- Kacchan, what the hell-“
“DON’T-... DON’T SAY... ANYTHING TO THAT... PIECE OF SHIT-“
Izuku was at full attention, “Uh... Woah, um, okay.”
It was uncustomary for the blonde to address anyone with anything less than the foulest honoraries, but he knew for a fact Kirishima was the exception. The redhead was the closest thing to a friend Bakugo had ever tolerated, at least from where Izuku was standing. Bakugo’s respect was hard to come by and rarely given, but somehow Kirishima had managed to seize it tenfold. They mirrored each other in determination and resilience, neither backing down from a challenge. They complemented each other, they were close, so why the sudden hostility?
Midoriya sat down beside him, giving him enough space as to not obstruct his bubble.
“Kacchan, did - um - did something... happen... between you and Kirishima?”
Katsuki’s eyes glazed as fresh tears brimmed at his lid. His expression soured even further and for a second Izuku feared he was going to cry again until he scraped the back of his hand fiercely across his sockets. It was clear there has been an altercation, but... how bad could it have been for Bakugo Katsuki, the dubbed Hero Delinquent, to be reduced to tears? Izuku wasn’t sure he wanted to find out.
“ Fuck you ” he spat weakly, “fuck you, fuck him, fuck everything.”
Pity crept up Midoriya’s throat. It didn’t feel right seeing his childhood friend like this. Kacchan had always been tough as nails, ready for anyone who dared oppose him. Kirishima didn’t have a malicious bone in his body, Izuku was confident that whatever he had done to wound Bakugo so profoundly, was undoubtedly unintentional.
“Kacchan... I’m sure... that... whatever he did, he didn’t mean it” At that, the blonde tensed up so tightly Izuku was sure he'd heard his spine snap. He quickly digressed, “But-! But... I’m... I don’t think I’m the best person to help you right now" he confessed, "Why did you come to me, Kacchan?”
The question hung in the air as Izuku held on expectantly for an answer. When he got none, they sat there, reveling in whatever this meant for their dynamic. Would this happen more often? Would they... console each other now? Izuku didn’t know how to answer, the only thing he was sure of was that he was tremendously uncomfortable.
The silence hung over them like a fog, until a whisper cut through it.
“I feel so wrong” the blonde’s voice was positively pitiful, “I don’t know what to do- I feel so wrong .”
Izuku sat up, something unsettling gurgling in the pit of his stomach.
“Wrong? Why do you feel wrong, Kacchan? Please, you’ve got to tell me what happened. I... I want to help you but I can’t... not unless you talk to me.”
The boy’s fingers corded into his hair, pulling painfully. He swallowed.
“I... I... he-“
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The pair jumped at the rapping on Izuku’s door.
“KID!” Ah geez, “KID, I TOLD YOU TO WRAP IT UP HOURS AGO! YOU NEED TO GET ALL YOUR CRAP OUTTA HERE NOW-“
“ALRIGHT! I'M GOING!” Midoriya yelled back, not too proud in the way his voice peaked at the last syllable, “GEEZ.”
“GEEZ YOURSELF ” The resident guard retorted before his footsteps faded down the hall.
Deku huffed. Man, he really hoped that guy would not follow him into his third year, he did not need those kinds of problems next semester.
Turning, the weight of the room perched itself onto his shoulders. Bakugo sat hunched over, hardly looking at anything. He looked older than he should have, the lines on his face looking more like carvings than creases. Pity welled up in his throat once again as he cleared it.
“Kacchan-“
He stood abruptly, shoving his hands into his pockets.
“Sorry” his voice was barely there, devoid of any emotion, “I shouldn’t have come.”
“H-Hold on! Kacchan- Wait- !”
But he was gone, the door jostling in his wake.
Alone, a nasty feeling crept back into him. He felt useless, as useless as he had felt way back when at training camp all those months ago. Bakugo had left as burdened as he had come.
Izuku thought back. One thing is for sure, whatever had happened was between Kirishima and Bakugo, but... what? Foul play? No, they could handle each other, even on the brink of consciousness, so that couldn’t be it. An argument? That wasn’t likely either, Kirishima rarely entertained Bakugo’s bashing for long, and if it had escalated, it was more likely that Kirishima would be in tears. So... what was it?
Izuku flinched as the unpleasant buzzing of his phone against the metal bed frame grated against his thoughts. Sighing, he remembered it. It was probably his mother texting him that she was outside. Man, there was a bind if he’d ever seen one.
“Hold on, mom, I’m coming.”
He reached between the crevice and retrieved his device.
(2) Text Messages from Mom
(4) Text Messages from Fantastic Four group chat
(1) Text Message from Shoto
(3) Text Messages from...
Kirishima?
Alarmed, he scrambled to unlock his phone, quickly opening his iMessage app.
Kirishima: Midoriya have you seen Bakugo????
Kirishima: Please answer Midoriya it's important
Kirishima: Midoriya pls answer
He rushed a response.
Me: Kirishima pls tell me what’s going on
Not even thirty seconds later came a reply.
Kirishima: it’s a long story pls tell you you’ve seen him
Me: Yea he came in here an hour ago really weird
Me: He started crying and not making any sense and I’m really freaked out Kirishima pls tell me what is going on
Me: I know something happened between you guys
Me: Did you get into a fight? I’ve never seen Kacchan like that like ever
There was no response for a few seconds and soon the banging on his door picked up.
“KID! YOU HAVE TWO SECONDS, OR ELSE IM GETTING THE KEY!”
Izuku huffed, “ ONE MINUTE!”
“YOU DON’T HAVE A MINUTE!”
The familiar ding of his phone signified an incoming message. He opened it.
Kirishima: please don’t hate me
Izuku frowned.
Me: Why would I hate you? Kirishima you guys are seriously freaking me out.
After a moment, the screen toggled awake.
Kirishima: Promise me you won’t hate me
Kirishima: Midoriya please promise me
He struggled a response, uneasiness clotting in his throat.
Me: I promise. I could never hate you... just please tell me what is going on.
His door handle shook violently as his screen lit up: New Message From Kirishima. He slid his thumb right.
Kirishima: I
Kirishima: I kissed him
Kirishima: I kissed Bakugo.