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Izuku was just leaving the school library when he was stopped by a familiar voice.
“Midoriya shounen! Glad I caught you my boy!”
He looked to see the lanky form of his mentor walking briskly toward him with a smile.
“Oh, All Might! Good evening! Did you need me for something?”
“Since your classes have ended for the evening, I was wondering if I could trouble you for a favor.”
Did he really even need to ask?
“Of course! I’d be happy to!”
The retired hero pulled an envelope from his pocket and held it out to him. “Would you please give this to Bakugo shounen for me?”
He took it. “For Kacchan? What is it?”
“He’s sworn me to secrecy, I’m afraid. Anyhow, he’s been most insistent on getting it as soon as possible, but I haven’t been able to locate him all day. I have to attend an important teacher’s conference soon, and I’m worried that I’ll forget all about this if it’s not given to him right away.”
“He had to miss classes today. He woke up with a bad cold”
“Oh my. He must’ve been pretty miffed about that.”
“A bit, yeah.” Izuku grimaced at the memory of what had transpired that morning. It had taken a bit of scolding, a little persuasion, and a lot of Sero’s fire retardant tape before their exploding classmate finally gave in.
“Well,” He bowed. “I don’t want to keep you from that meeting. I hope you have a pleasant evening.”
“You too my boy. Thank you, and please tell Bakugo to get well soon.”
“Will do!”
He studied the envelope as he continued to Heights Alliance.
Just a standard, white, 4 x 9 business envelope with Bakugo written on it in pen.
Of course, it didn’t matter what it contained, and it was certainly none of his business, but it was natural to feel curious.
He was most insistent on getting it as soon as possible, All Might had said, and he’d requested that the contents not be divulged. That and the size were all he had in the way of clues.
So, something confidential, and probably time-sensitive. Most likely a form or paperwork of some kind.
Had All Might picked Izuku because he knew he could be trusted to not peek inside? Or simply because he was the first one of Kacchan’s classmates he’d come across? He had no way of knowing.
Very interesting.
When he entered the common room, Kirishima, Kaminari, and Jirou were all in the kitchen grabbing drinks and snacks.
“Kirishima-chan, have you seen how Kacchan’s doing?”
The hardening hero gave him a knowing smile as she cracked open a soda. “Definitely better. His nose is still a little stuffy, though, which makes it hard to keep a straight face when he rants about wasting a perfectly good school day.”
“Definitely loses some of the intimidation factor.” Jirou agreed.
Kaminari snickered. “It’s kind of adorable, actually. Like listening to a kitten hiss at you.”
“But,” Kirishima continued. “I’m sure he’ll be up and around by tomorrow morning.”
“Good! Is he still in his room?”
She leaned back against the counter. “Probably. But I wouldn’t count on him being in a visiting mood right now.”
“I just need to give him… ah… something from our teacher. It shouldn’t take long.”
“Really? What is it?” Kaminari asked.
“I have no idea.”
“Okay then.” Kirishima took a sip of her cola. “Enter at your own peril, my Dude.”
In the short trip from the Common Room to Kacchan’s dorm, Izuku started to think it over.
While his childhood rival slash frenemy was never exactly what you’d call pleasant, he tended to be at his crankiest when he was fatigued and/or feeling especially vulnerable. There was also the added danger of waking him from a nap.
So by the time he reached the door, Izuku decided to play it safe by just slipping the envelope underneath, then making a quick and quiet getaway.
He knelt on the floor and started to slide it underneath when…
THUD.
The door swung open and hit him smack in the face, knocking him flat on his back.
“Whad the… Degu? The fugg you doo-id here?”
Izuku shook the stars from his vision to see his sometimes rival standing in the doorway with a full bag of trash in one hand.
“Oh, hey Kacchan. Sorry about that.”
He struggled to stand again, prompting the other boy to drop his trash and assist in his own brusque way, which involved grabbing Izuku by the backpack straps and hauling him back to his feet.
“Uh… thanks. How’re you feeling, by the way?”
“Lige shid.” He stated flatly.
The others had been right about his voice sounding much less intimidating like this.
“Sorry to hear that.” He cleared his throat and held out the envelope. “I was just trying to drop this off without disturbing you.
He eyed it balefully. “Whad the hell is id?”
“It’s from All Might. He asked me to…”
Suddenly the other boy’s eyes grew wide and he immediately snatched the envelope from Izuku’s hand with almost enough force to rip it.
“Dabbit old ban!” He growled. “Doesed he doe how do keeb a goddab segred!”
“He didn’t tell me what it is!” Izuku insisted. “He just wanted you to get a hold of it while he could still remember, but he hadn’t seen you all day, and he has a meeting he needs to attend!”
Kacchan narrowed his eyes.
“Swear do God?”
“Would I ever lie about this?”
He grew slightly less tense, eyes moving back and forth from the envelope to Izuku’s face a couple times.
“Tell hib I said thaygs.”
And then he stepped back in his dorm and shut the door.
Actually, this was better than he’d expected.
“Uh… okay then. See you later.”
Fast forward a few weeks to mid-October.
Class A always looked forward to this month, not just because of Halloween, or the beauty that was Nature’s fireworks lighting up the trees, but also because a certain hardening hero that everyone knew and loved had her birthday in the middle of it.
This year, Kirishima was turning seventeen. Almost a legal adult. And everyone was excited to celebrate their honored friend and show her how much she was appreciated. So of course, when she wasn’t present, there would be several discussions between the students about what thye planned to give her.
It was during one such discussion in the common room that Ashido turned to Kacchan and said, “Hey Bakugo, you are getting her something, are you?”
“Maybe.” He answered flatly, without even looking up from his textbook.
“It better not be just another lousy gift card with only fifteen hundred yen in it.” The pink girl scolded playfully.
If her goal was to get a rise out of Kacchan, then she succeeded. His head jerked up to shoot her a venomous look.
“Fuck off, Pinky! I didn’t hear her give any complaints!”
“Yeah, ‘cause she’s one of the nicest people alive. Which is why she deserves the very best we can buy.”
Maybe it was Izuku’s imagination, but was Kacchan looking a little red in the face?
“Get bent, alien freak!”
“He did also prepare most of the party food last year.” Izuku reminded her.
Actually, saying he’d prepared most of it was putting things too lightly. He had prepared every dish except dessert, which had been Sato’s contribution.
“Stay outta’ this Deku! Don’t need you to jump into my corner!”
“Sorry!” He yelped automatically.
“Hey pal, relax. I was just playing around.” Ashido lightly bumped her fist against his shoulder. “Sorry if you felt like I was picking on you.”
“I can fucking handle myself.” He grumbled before gathering his things and leaving the room in a huff.
“I guess that’s kind of a sore point.” Tsu commented.
Ashido looked contrite. “Geeze, I didn’t think he’d take it that badly. Usually all he does is yell and make empty threats.”
Sero shrugged. “Eh, he’ll get over himself.”
Izuku thought he could understand a little where the exploding teen was coming from. It wasn’t that he never showed any care or appreciation to someone, it was simply that he didn’t show it in a conventional way.
He didn’t really give people things, so much as he performed understated but appreciated tasks for them. A prime example had been keeping Iida preoccupied while everyone else finished the preparations for the Class Rep’s birthday party. Something he could’ve easily refused to do.
There was no reason for him to stop doing things his own way, as far as Izuku was concerned.
The day of the sixteenth dawned just like every other.
Until it wasn’t.
Izuku, Todoroki, and Mineta were all in the boys’ showers doing their morning routines, when the early quiet was disrupted by the birthday girl’s booming voice carrying through the building.
“SERIOUSLY?! HOLY SHIT!”
“I didn’t do it!”Mineta yelped automatically, startled out of his half-asleep state.
“Didn’t do what?” Izuku asked him.
“I dunno! Whatever the hell they’re yelling at.” He paused as his brain kicked into gear. “Wait a minute…that was Kirishima, and today is…”
“Pretty sure that was a happy yell.” Todoroki mumbled, still quite groggy himself.
Soon, they heard the sound of someone running downstairs to the Common Room. Bidden by curiosity, Izuku spit his toothpaste in the sink before dashing out to see what the commotion was about.
He got there in time to hear Yaomomo exclaim, “Good heavens Kirishima! What is this all about?”
The redhead excitedly raised a scrap of paper aloft. “Someone just gave me a ticket to that nearby hero expo where Crimson Riot’s scheduled to attend!”
Izuku gasped. “Really?” He ran closer to get a better look at it. “Oh wow! It is!”
“I heard he’s signing autographs!” Kirishima gushed. “I’ll actually get to meet him! The Crimson Riot!”
“I tried to buy one,” Izuku said. “But they’re sixteen thousand yen a pop!”
“Dude, I know! They sold out before I could save up enough. Holy shit, I can’t believe this!”
“Goddamn nerds,” Kacchan grumbled from the kitchen. “It’s too early for this.”
By then Kaminari, Hagakure, and Iida had come down to investigate the hullaballoo.
“Kirishima, what is all this?” Iida asked.
“Guys! Look what someone slipped under my door!”
Kaminari grabbed her flailing wrist to hold it still and bring it to eye level. “Oh my God, it’s a ticket to that Crimson Riot thing you wanted to go to!”
“Oh wow!” Hagakure exclaimed.
“That’s incredible!” Iida said. “How long has he been retired? Five years now? Those must’ve cost a bundle!”
“They did!” Kirishima said. “And they were sold out nearly a month ago!”
“How long were they holding on to this?” Kaminari wondered out loud. “Who are ‘They’ anyway?”
Kirishima startled to look perplexed. “I have no idea! Whoever it was put it in an unmarked white envelope and slipped it under my door sometime this morning.”
She looked at Izuku. “For a moment I wondered if it might’ve been you, Midoriya.”
There was the sound of a plastic cup being dropped on the kitchen floor.
“Wh… me?! ” Izuku felt his cheeks flush.
“Yeah. You’re the biggest hero otaku in our class, plus probably the biggest Crimson Riot fan apart from me.” She shrugged. “But it didn’t really seem like your style to give it anonymously.”
“You’re right, it isn’t. But I’m so happy that you got it!”
“Where’s the envelope. “Kaminari asked. “Maybe it has some clue that you missed.”
Kirishima laughed. “This isn’t CSI, bro. But go knock yourself out.”
The electric hero ran off to find answers.
“Seriously though,” Kirishima said, looking at the ticket again. “Who aside from my parents would spend that much money on me?”
“Or wait so long to give it to you.” Izuku added.
“Perplexing.” Iida murmured, holding his chin in thought.
A little squeal issued from Hagakure’s floating pajamas. “Looks like you’ve got a secret admirer!” She sing-songed.
Kirishima turned bright pink. “WHAT?! Pfft! No way! Me? A secret admirer?”
“The evidence does seem to back it up.” Yaomomo said, prompting Iida to nod in agreement.
“How sweet!” Hagakure cooed.
“I’ve never had one before! What am I even supposed to do?”
While his classmates discussed potential secret admirer protocol, Izuku, never able to resist a puzzle, started thinking possible culprits.
The first and most obvious fact was that it was someone who cared very much for the hardening hero, possibly even had romantic feelings for her. To the point they were willing to buy something that was well out of the means of most high schoolers. Then hold on to said item for weeks until her birthday, then give it without even getting any personal credit or thanks.
So, someone who really cared for Kirishima and really wanted to make her happy, yet didn’t want a fuss to be made over the things they did for her, or at least a fuss made over themselves for doing it….
Wait a minute.
Really cared for Kirishima…
Didn’t want a fuss…
And the method of delivery, an unmarked envelope slipped under the door…
That was a pretty common and effective way to deliver something anonymously. And yet, it sounded awfully familiar.
Izuku glanced at the kitchen as discreetly as he could.
Kacchan stood with mug in hand, looking bored and disinterested on the surface.
Yet at the same time, intently watching everything that was happening.
Izuku looked away.
No.
Surely not.
His mind suddenly went to the mysterious package from All Might, then to Kacchan’s spending habits, which had grown ever more restricted over the last few months, even though he made no comment about his allowance being changed, which lead to their classmates joking about his newfound miserliness.
When asked what he was saving up for, he’d predictably snapped that it was nobody’s business but his own.
Was all of this somehow connected?
Now he had more questions than answers.
The expo was set for that coming January, and the closer the date got the more buzzed Kirishima became.
It was the week before that the nervousness settled in.
“What if I hurl? Or forget my own name? That’s totally possible!”
“Ya’ see All Might all the goddamn time, Shitty Hair. You didn’t throw up when you met him. ”
Fixing himself a sandwich in the kitchen, Izuku smiled fondly at the sounds of Kirishima’s fretting and Kacchan’s less than stellar attempts at reassurance while the two tried to study in the Common Room.
Key word, tried.
“He wasn’t even retired yet! Plus he’s one of our teachers, and… uh… I mean he’s really great and all… but, Crimson Riot’s my inspiration!”
“You’ll do fine. Now will you just focus on the goddamn lesson?”
“Dude, I’m trying! But I can’t stop thinking about it!”
“For Christ sake…”
“Do you think he knows about me? Or the fact he’s my inspiration and all that? I mean, Hell, we’re all kinda’ famous by now, but not that famous…”
Kacchan heaved a sigh. “Of course he fucking knows about you, Shark Week. Everyone in Japan’s probably heard about ya’ in some point or another. You’ve been on the news almost a dozen times now.”
Then in a more subdued voice she started, “But what if…?” before trailing off.
“What?”
Izuku peered quietly around the corner to see Kirishima hunched over, silently staring at her pencil.
She finally said in a quiet voice, “What if he… doesn’t like what I’m doing to his image?”
Izuku felt his heart squeeze a little in sympathy for his friend.
Kacchan’s eyes widened and he jerked back as if this was the dumbest thing he’d ever heard.
“Are you for fucking real? You’ve done nothing but gush to the public about how awesome and manly he is! You quote him all the damn time! You kick major ass and save lives, then give him credit for inspiring you to do so! You’re the best PA campaign that bastard could ever ask for! How could he not like that?!”
Kirishima, and Izuku, were both stunned into slack-jawed silence.
Clearing his throat awkwardly, Kacchan hunched over his homework and pretended to be preoccupied. Even from where he stood, Izuku could see how pink his ears were.
“So anyway, if you carry the integer…”
But it was clear that math was now the last thing on Kirishima’s mind.
She was staring at her tutor, still stunned, before a slow and soft, yet radiant, smile appeared on her face.
Izuku quickly left, feeling like he’d intruded on something private.
By now, Izuku’s suspicions had turned into conviction.
He didn’t know the whys and wherefores, but who knew the who.
A few of them saw Kirishima off when she boarded the bus, bearing a poster to be signed, and head filled with the questions she’d promised Izuku she’d ask him.
Not surprisingly, Kacchan had tagged along, standing quietly with his hands stuffed in his pockets. Not saying a word the whole time.
So it was a little startling when, just minutes after returning to their dorm building, he suddenly turned to Izuku and said, “Nerd, be at the gym in twenty minutes.”
“W-why?”
“We’re sparring, Moron.”
“We are?”
“I need someone who won’t fold in under thirty second. My usual partner’s driving away from campus, and I’m sure as fuck not asking Icy-Hot.”
He blinked, a little surprised. “O-Oh, okay then. Sounds great.”
Kacchan simply turned and headed to the elevator.
Izuku blew out a breath.
This was going to be crazy.
Actually, Izuku found himself enjoying it.
The two of them rarely sparred, so he wasn’t used to fighting Kacchan in a … constructive way. True, it was only because Kirishima was currently unavailable, but Izuku didn’t really mind that.
It was an intense yet satisfying half hour that left Kacchan in a mellower mood, even grunting “Not too shitty.” Near the end.
When it was over and the two tried to catch their breath, Izuku felt loose enough to tread into dangerous waters.
“So, who do you think gave her that ticket?”
His bottle halted midway to his mouth. “Huh?”
“Kirishima’s ticket. Do you have any idea who might’ve given it to her?”
His expression immediately shut down. “The hell should I know?”
“I don’t know, it’s just that I’ve heard everyone else’s theories, but not yours.”
“That’s ‘cause I don’t have any.” He took a swig of water.
“You don’t? I guess I figured, since she spends so much time with you…”
“Don’t know, and don’t give a shit.” He cut Izuku off.
“Really? I’d be really interested if one of my friends got something so expensive and meaningful to them from a secret admirer.”
Kacchan suddenly looked wary.
“Who says it’s a secret admirer?”
“It might not be.” Izuku shrugged, then bent down to retie his shoe. “But I find it a little hard to believe someone would go through all that trouble to stay anonymous if they only liked her as a friend.”
The other boy clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Fuck, maybe they just didn’t want to get any glory for it. Figure you of all people would get that.”
“Maybe you’re right.” Izuku took a drink form his own bottle, wiping the sweat from his face. “But it still seems a little iffy to me.”
Kacchan glowered at him for a second before pretending to be preoccupied with stuffing his things back in his duffle. “Don’t even know why you care so much, Nerd.”
Izuku turned his attention to his own bag taking a fortifying breath. “Well… if I’m right, then I think I know who did it.”
He heard Kacchan suddenly go very still and quiet.
“Who?”
“Someone very close to her, who has a big heart but generally doesn’t show it. Someone very brave, but maybe scared because he’s never had feelings like this before, and he doesn’t know what to do about them.”
He looked up to see his childhood friend’s eye boring holes into him, stony faced.
Izuku gave him a faint, understanding smile. “But what I don’t understand is how All Might plays into this.”
For a second there was only tense stillness.
Then the next thing he knew Kacchan was holding him by the front of his shirt, face so close to his that their noses almost touched, murder in his eyes and the plastic bottle crushed in his hand like a paper cup.
“Listen ya’ meddling little shit, if you breathe a word of this to anyone… anyone …!”
“I won’t!” He said earnestly. “I’d never! I promise!”
Kacchan released him, turning to throw the flattened bottle across the gym with a loud snarl before hunching over and grabbing at his own hair with both fists.
“FUCKING DAMN IT! I fucking hate this!”
“Hate what?”
“These…” He waved vaguely at the space in front of him. “…these feelings! They make me all gross inside and shit! Fucking sick of my heart rate going from zero to sixty then zero again in half a second! It’s like I’m being hypnotized to fall asleep while I’m havin’ a goddamn heart attack!”
Izuku blinked. That was… the best description he’d heard for it.
“Crazy, huh?”
The explosive teen just let out a groan and plopped into a sitting position on the ground, knees bent.
For a minute, neither boy said anything. Izuku wondered if he should speak.
Finally, Kacchan started in a soft voice, “Last July, I realized I wasn’t going to save up enough in time to buy one of those tickets before they were sold out.”
Izuku quietly sat down next to him, silently urging him to continue.
“I tried to think of a few things. The best one was swallowing my pride and asking the old man to buy one for me, pay him what money I did have, then giving the rest in monthly installments. He could hold on to it until I’d fully compensated him. He knew I was good for it.”
Izuku’s mouth opened into an O of surprise.
That must’ve been quite a lot of pride to swallow indeed. Kacchan really disliked feeling that he owed someone. Not only had he actually asked, but he’d willingly gone into monetary debt.
Just to buy Kirishima a birthday present that she would never know was from him.
Any traces of doubt that he was in love with her were now gone.
Kacchan looked up and frowned. ‘Oi, what’re ya’ smiling at, shitty nerd?”
Izuku shook his head. “Nothing. It’s just… that’s probably one of the most romantic gestures I’ve ever witnessed.’
Kacchan turned bright pink and looked away, growling under his breath.
Izuku stood. “Thank you for sharing that with me, and the sparring session. I think they both will do you a world of good.”
“Fuck off.” He replied without any heat.
Kirishima returned at nine that evening, grinning like a kid at Christmas while the others crowded into the Common Room to hear how everything went.
“That. Was. AWESOME! He was awesome! He actually recognized me from the news!”
“What did he say to you?” Ashido asked, wiggling with anticipation.
“He said, ‘Hey! You’re Red Riot, aren’t you?’ And he was smiling like he was glad to meet me!”
“He was.” Iida said. “You can be sure of that.”
Kacchan feigned a bored expression. “See Shitty Hair, what’d I tell ya’?”
“He even said he was impressed with how I handled the raid on the Eight Precepts, and that hostage situation from last month!”
“Did he sign your poster?” Izuku asked.
“Sure did!” She brandished it like a spear before unrolling it.
At the bottom were the words To Kirishima Eijiro, the manliest hero I’ve ever had the privilege to meet.
-Crimson Riot
“Before I met you,” Kaminari chuckled, “I would’ve thought giving that message to a girl would be insulting.”
“This might be the greatest day of my life!” Kirishima declared as she rolled up the poster again. “I’m getting this puppy framed!”
“Shit. Yer’ becoming as bad as Deku.” Kacchan mumbled.
She gave him a sharky grin. “Look who’s talking, Mister Hides-Limited-Edition-All-Might-Figurines-In-His-Closet.”
“Dammit Shitty Hair! You promised…!”
“You never made me promise anything, buddyroo!”
“Kacchan, you said you’d gotten rid of those ages ago!”
“Why…” Ashido had to stop laughing long enough to ask. “Why were you looking in his closet in the first place?”
“He was in a big hurry, and asked me to grab his jacket. Something he’s not asked since.”
“You were getting your grubby hands all over ‘em!” Kacchan snapped, apparently deciding that denial was useless.
“I picked one up, Dude. That’s all.”
“Tell us the story!” Kaminari requested gleefully.
So she did, with relish. Kacchan continued to grumble, growl, and fume the whole time, but everyone knew by now that if he was really bothered, he would leave.
But he didn’t.
If Izuku smiled, it had nothing to do with the story, and everything to do with this little fact.
F ast forward another two years. Graduation behind them and adulthood ahead.
Izuku was doing some paperwork on one of his rare days off, only to get derailed by a text from his now-girlfriend containing a link.
[Ocha] IZU YOU NEED 2 SEE THIS!!! 😲
Intrigued, he tapped the link on his screen. It sent him to a popular hero gossip website he may or may not have frequented a time or two in the past.
Someone had posted a candid photo of Kacchan and Kirishima in their street wear with their backs to the camera.
For a second he didn’t understand what the big deal was.
Then he saw it. And mentally smacked himself for missing the obvious.
They were holding hands.
Oh wow!
The caption read “Just friends? Suuuurrre.”
Izuku realized he was grinning like a loon, but didn’t care. He immediately went to Kacchan’s number and hit the message icon.
For second, he couldn’t think of what to say.
Congratulations?
Good for you guys?
Finally?
How did it happen?
Suddenly, he got a fantastic idea.
One that he would blame on Ochako’s mischievous influence.
[Me] So, can I tell her about the tickets?