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"Bakugou?"
Two of Katsuki's fingers brush against the doorknob of Izuku's room when he perks up at the soft voice calling to him. He recognizes it as Ochako's. Roundface's. He always sees the nerd blushing around her, and to be honest—he found it annoying.
Even then, he had to admit she was one of the few people he considered worthy of his respect. If he could even call being slightly less angry at someone that, of course.
"Roundface." A healthier Katsuki would have added more to that name, but he was already dreading what he would see on the other side of the door. He silently thanked her for giving him some time to collect his thoughts.
Ochako scratches the back of her head as she approaches him slowly. She hasn't a clue what exactly he's done to Izuku, but all she knows is that he hates him. But even she's not sure he does any more.
Her voice is quiet and soft as she rubs her eyes. "What... are you doing here?"
Katsuki gulps because he interprets her tone as if she were saying "that's surprising, you really do care about people when you have to". Words that nearly cut open his heart, his mistakes creeping up behind him like eight-legged abominations.
Ochako looks at the room number again, then back at the sulking boy in front of her.
"I'm going to... talk to him," he answers.
"About what?"
There's another moment of silence. A nurse gave them an odd look before shaking her head and walking past, chiding them for "not being where they should be" and yet not doing anything.
"Why do you want to know?" He starts getting defensive, and Ochako can't say she's surprised.
"Well, I'm his friend. And... you hate Deku. I honestly don't think I've ever seen you this worried for him."
Katsuki internally recoils at her words—it doesn't help that she calls him Deku and not Midoriya like everyone else—but his body's bound to simply clenching his fist. He's too weak to argue right now.
"N-not that it's a bad thing that you're worried about him, of course!" She continues, raising her hands to her chest. "I guess it's to be expected. I mean, we did just experience a whole war firsthand."
Katsuki nods, but his mind is somewhere else.
"The Deku that can do anything," he says, which Ochako tilts her head sideways at.
"Huh? Sorry, I didn't quite catch that."
Katsuki sighs, but he's willing to be patient just this once with someone. That was a step towards the right direction, at least. He repeats what he had mumbled earlier.
"The Deku that can do anything. He must've found another meaning through you."
"Me?" Ochako appears more and more confused. "How so?"
"The way you say it is so different from mine." His hand finds the doorknob again, but he pulls it back.
"My 'Deku' is filled with malice. When I say it, it means 'useless'." He looks up at her, and sighs through his nose. "But then you came along, and suddenly it's like he owns that name now. Like no one can just call him that and expect him to crumble underneath their fingertips."
"I suppose that's true. It's just... I don't think I understand what you're trying to say."
Damn, communicating is a bitch.
"I don't know whether to thank you for that."
The tension between them weighs the same as Izuku himself (lol). Ochako runs a hand through her hair.
"I mean, you don't really... have to. It's just good to know I was able to help him realize that it doesn't have to mean 'useless'."
The blonde feels a tug at the corners of his mouth. All he can say to that is a simple "yeah". She smiles back.
"So, now may I know why you want to talk to him?"
"...I guess it wouldn't hurt to make an effort to fix our relationship."
"Thought so." Ochako gives him a pat on the back, which surprises him. "You've got this, Bakugou."
"Thanks, I guess."
Bakugou's left by himself again, but he's glad Roundface's given him some reassurance.