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Unknown Number

Hey, it’s Kats.

You changed your number...

Izu

Talk to me

Izu

I know you still love me

I know you still care about me

Please just talk to me and I promise I’ll do whatever you want.
Izu?

You love me

I know you do

So, meet me at our place tomorrow… you know which one

A 17-year-old Midoriya Izuku reads and rereads the text messages for the past few hours, his heart hammering in his chest as he stares at his phone. He felt a sudden weight on his shoulders, feeling bad for the person on the other line.

He was in the middle of reading a very angsty story – a fanfiction about the main protagonists on his favorite anime series Naruto - on a non-profitable website when his phone buzzed from his bedside table. He thought it was one of those spam texts from a phone company or his best friends flooding the group chat. Needless to say the green-haired boy was shocked to find a number he didn't recognize sending rather personal texts to the wrong person. This must be a prank or some sort. It has to be. Probably from one of the cool kids who just loves picking on him. Yeah, that’s probably it.

Another buzz brought Izuku back into reality, checking the newly sent message.

Unknown Number

Are you coming? Izu, please answer me...

You coming, right?

Izu, I need u...

Izuku groans, not knowing what to do. If this number was a total stranger, why would they use that nickname? Someone has to be fucking with him. His first name is something not most people knew – or bother to know - except for his closest friends. Someone must’ve really wanted a reaction out of him… fine. If they want a reaction, he’ll give it to them.

IZUKU

Leave me alone. Stop texting me >:(

The anime nerd's thumb hovers over the send button, contemplating. Will he call them out or will he play along? After a few seconds, he opted for the latter.

IZUKU
Leave me alone. Stop texting me >:(
I’ll be there.

And not a minute later, the person replies:

Unknown Number

Ok

Thank you for giving me another chance

See you tomorrow

*

“Didn’t I tell you to put your phones on silent, Midoriya-kun?” the homeroom adviser and Philosophy teacher, Aizawa, said after a blaring noise from Izuku’s backpack resonated throughout the entire classroom.

Aizawa was in the middle of discussing ethics and moral philosophy when he was rudely interrupted by the incoming call. To say Izuku was embarrassed was a bit of an understatement since he always followed the rules up until that point. He didn’t think his ringer was on since he checked it just before he left for school that morning.

“A-Ah… sorry, Aizawa-sensei.” Izuku apologizes, fumbling over to get his phone from his bright yellow backpack, slightly hunched over as it sat idly on the floor by his feet.

“Take it outside, Midoriya, so you don’t disrupt the class further.” Aizawa instructs to which the younger boy quickly obliges, some of his classmates snickering at him but the teacher just shushed them too, going back to the topic at hand.

Izuku bows politely at the class before stepping outside and into the empty hallway. He picks up the call, not bothering to check the caller ID, the phone almost slipping from his nimble fingers.

“H-Hello?” he greets, stuttering and slightly out of breath from the level of stress he just endured. He hated being the center of attention, especially during class. Sure, he aces all his tests and has no failing marks when it comes to homework, but when he almost always flunks recitations in class. It’s not because he can’t get a word out, but because he can’t hold every word in. He speak-raps, to be exact. He doesn’t do it on purpose but when he starts talking about something, he just doesn’t stop until someone does it for him. And in many cases, they’ll either throw something at him or laugh which successfully gets him to shut his mouth, embarrassed and flustered. He doesn’t like to be seen – he prefers not to. It’s a good thing too because he can’t really expose himself in high-stressful situations, and being the class shit-bucket has been a stressful feat in it of itself.

“Fucking finally you picked up! I’ve been trying to call you all day! Where the fuck have you been?!” the person shouts from the other line, Izuku wincing at the loudness of the other person’s voice.

“I-I don’t know what-“

“Fuck… sorry. I know you hate it when I shout… don’t hang up on me.” The person says, lowering his voice, “Look, I… I know you said you don’t love me anymore… but I think that’s bullshit. You know that’s bullshit, Izu…” the person whispers, gruff. He sounded almost… in pain? “But, if you’re happy without me like you said… I’ll respect that, okay? But… please… don’t act like you never knew me at all.”

Izuku was at a loss. He was so confused about the whole interaction and was heartbroken over the emotions that the other person vented through the phone. He didn’t know what to do at that moment – does he hang up and save the future humiliation of having to talk to the wrong person or come clean about who he really was? Nevertheless, this was a personal phone call. This wasn’t for him, therefore, he shouldn’t care about this. He shouldn’t even think about this. This was probably another attempt of getting his reaction – freaking bullies. He’ll admit, the acting was spot on for this, it almost made Izuku really feel bad for the guy. Too bad he wasn’t an idiot like people like to think he was.

“Sorry, but I don’t have time to play your games. I’m not falling for any more of your tricks so stop calling me! Goodbye!” Izuku hangs up, satisfied with what he’d done and went back into class, keeping his phone on silent this time.

*

“What do you mean they were prank calling you?” Uraraka asked during lunch time, sitting in between Iida and Izuku as she opens her milk carton.

The cafeteria was packed, each to their own – jocks with other jocks, nerds with other nerds, populars with other populars. The politics in lunch tables were so annoying to Izuku because how can a table be someone’s property when it’s the school’s? The amount of petty arguments over who was sitting next to who or which table shouldn’t be sat on by mere nobodies were too many to comprehend. It was absolutely ridiculous.

“I mean someone has been texting me really weird texts in the middle of the night and literally calling me during class! Whoever that person was has nothing better to do if he’s just wasting his time trying to get a stupid reaction out of me – which by the way is NOT happening. They can suck my ass for all I care.” Izuku expresses, pouting with eyebrows furrowed.

“Oh, I’d bet people would LOVE to suck your bubble butt anytime.” Uraraka teases, earning a light shove from the green-haired boy.

“Ochako! Don’t talk about my butt like that! It’s not even THAT big.”

“Well, it kind of is.” Iida adds, shrugging.

Uraraka pats the taller one of them on the back, appreciative. “See? Even Iida-kun thinks so.”

Izuku rolls his eyes then jumping slightly when he felt the buzz of his phone again for the umpteenth time that day. He groans, grabbing it from his backpack and opening the message.

DO NOT ANSWER

I still love you, Izu. I’m not going to stop loving you even if you beg me to. I don’t know what I did for you to leave, but I swear to whatever fucking god there is in this world that I will do everything to get you back. I know you love me, so, I’ll wait for you at our place. I won’t stop waiting until you come back to me. I love you.

Izuku felt a tiny bit of pressure in his neck, the supposed fake message was slowly creeping up to him. It was actually starting to affect him – and he can’t let it. He knows it’s a lie… but being told those three little words made the little nobody’s heart flutter in his chest.

“Ooooh… maybe it IS for you…” Uraraka peaks over Izuku’s shoulder, reading the texts by scrolling the text chains from the latter’s phone. “Damn… they look really desperate. Clingy too…” she comments, now looking at his friend, “Are you sure it’s a prank?”

Izuku shrugs. “Well, if it’s not, the texts are obviously not for me since I don’t think anyone’s ever called me Izu before.”

“Or maybe it’s a secret admirer?” Uraraka wiggles her eyebrows, smiling mischievously. “Someone’s got a crush on ya, huh, Izu?” Iida chuckles, adding to their friend’s teasing. Whipped.

Izuku gives her a look. “I doubt that very much. I mean, look at this-“ he shoves the phone in his friends’ faces after he scrolled to one of the texts a few days ago, “- ‘I miss you so much, Izu. In case you lost my number it’s xxxxxxxxx’.” He says, reading it to them. “And here’s another one – ‘I know we broke up but I really need to see you.’ Sheesh! Like, I kind of feel bad for whoever this person is, but at the same time… the texts feel so… I don’t know… toxic?”

“Welp, you can’t blame them though. Maybe they really love this Izu per- what are you doing?” Uraraka asks when Izuku began typing into his phone.

“Ending this.” The green-haired boy says, “The person said he’ll be waiting at their place – he kept saying that too so… I’m just gonna give him what he wants.”

IZUKU

Okay. I’ll meet you at our place.

“Izuku-kun… are you sure that’s a good idea? You might be meddling into something that shouldn’t be meddled with.” Idda voices out his concern, Uraraka nodding with him, agreeing.

The green-haired boy waves them off. “Relax. I’m sure it’s just a prank. Worse case scenario would be if I don’t show up. He’ll probably just leave after five minutes. I doubt he’d actually wait there, wherever it is.”

*

Their afterschool ritual consisted of fries and milkshakes in the One for All diner a few block away from school. It was your typical-restaurant filled with colorful 80s retro aesthetic, the main theme surrounding a famous action-movie called The Golden Age starring one of the industry’s best action stars, All Might. Apart from the actual dining area, the restaurant housed various indoor games such as pool tables, darts, and arcade games.

Izuku and his friends sat near the pool table area, uraraka asking Iida to teach her how to play since the latter’s brother was a pro at it. Izuku knew it was just a ploy to get Iida’s beefy arms to wrap around the scheming girl’s body. If it wasn’t noticeable enough, both of his friends were head-over-heels for each other which was truly sickening, but Izuku was happy for them, nonetheless.

“Your secret admirer’s probably waiting in vain right now, ‘Zuku.” Uraraka says, playfully pouting her lips, teasing. “Such a cold heart, Izuuuuu!” she exclaims, clinging onto Iida which makes him blush furiously.

“Shut u-“

“Get out.” A scary-looking guy with platinum blond orders, low and gruff. He had a permanent scowl plastered on his face along with a couple of lip piercings. “This is my table, nerd. Get out.” He declares, hands in his pockets as he stood up in a rather domineering stance. The scary blond was wearing a dark a white graphic T-shirt that was a couple of sizes too big for him but framed his body nicely, a pair of slightly loose pants with a military belt, and black sneakers with bright red paint (at least Izuku thinks it’s paint) splattered across the front. He was wearing a black and orange patterned bandana on his head that covered half of his forehead but kept his hair out of his line of sight.

Uraraka and Iida rushed to Izuku’s side, grabbing their things from the table and pulling the latter out of the chair. “Let’s go, ‘Zuku.” Uraraka whispers, pulling at Izuku’s arm insistently.

Izuku furrowed his eyebrows, confused and slightly irritated. “Why? We got here first.” He voices out, loud enough for everyone near their area to hear, both his friends freezing, glancing cautiously at the scary blond to check his reaction.

The blond clenched his jaw. Their part of the restaurant slowly comes to silence, the tension in the air building. “I’m going to count to three. If you’re still here after three, I won’t be responsible for what happens next.” He warns, deadly.

“Sorry, but, you can’t just claim seats in a privately-owned establishment. There are other seats over there if you wa-“

“One.” The blond starts.

Izuku couldn’t help but scoff. He knew people liked to pick on him because he’s not as strong-built as most of the guys in his batch but that doesn’t mean he won’t fight back. “Really? I don’t see your name written on here.” Izuku states, faking to look around the table.

He didn’t know where he got the burst of confidence from – and he probably shouldn’t instigate fights given the condition he’s in – but he just can’t with the guy. Everyone was already territorial with lunch tables, now this? The heck is it with tables that people want to pee all over?

“Two.” The blond steps forward, one of his hands clutching the strap of his backpack that was thrown over his shoulder. He stares at Izuku, blood red eyes piercing through the latter’s soul. It was intense, terrifying even, but Izuku won’t back out. He wasn’t prepared to fight at all and he’d probably be in serious trouble at home for his impulsive actions but he only lived once. YOLO, as the hipsters say. “Two and a half… last chance, bushwick.”

Uraraka and Iida’s eyes widen in fear, sharing a knowing look before dragging their friend of the table. “Sorry, Bakugou-san! The table’s yours!” Iida yells over his shoulder as they move to a much farther location, away from the blond. Once they were seated, Uraraka slapped Izuku upside the head.

“Ow! What was that for?”

“Are you fucking nuts?! He could’ve killed you then and there!” She scolds, shaking her head disapprovingly. “He isn’t someone you want to mess with, you oblivious idiot!”

“What? Why?” Izuku asks, rubbing the spot where Uraraka slapped him.

“Are you kidding? You don’t know who he is?” Uraraka looks at him, bewildered. “You’ve been in UA for the past year, almost two, and you don’t know who Bakugou Katsuki is?”

Izuku looks between his friends, oblivious. “Should I? I don’t keep up with school gossip, you know that!” Both his friends sigh, shaking their heads. He looks back at the scary blond whoo shooed one of the waitresses away, checking his watch. He then stands by the pool table near it, grabbing a cue stick and playing. “Besides, he doesn’t even look like he has plans to eat there.”

“Maybe he’s just conditioning himself, you know?”

Izuku scoffs. “He’s literally playing! His bag’s just laying there.”

“Just mind your own business, ‘Zuku.” Uraraka hisses, lightly slapping her friend’s arm. “Don’t mess with a broken heart.” She adds, solemnly.

Before Izuku could ask what she meant, a waitress came over their table and asked their orders. A few minutes into their meals, the latter couldn’t contain his curiosity. “What did you mean by ‘don’t mess with a broken heart’? Did the guy have a girlfriend or something?”

“Boyfriend.” Uraraka corrects, the green-haired boy’s eyes widening like saucers. “They were like the most widely known couple in school, you didn’t really know about this?” Izuku shakes his head no, biting into his burger. “Look, all I can tell you is that they broke up this year – it was sudden too. The girls in my volleyball team thinks it’s because his boyfriend got tired of him. He had a short fuse and got jealous too much, I guess. Plus, his friend group is a bad influence.”

“What do you mean?”

“They call themselves the ‘Heathens’, and Bakugou’s like their leader or something. A lot of people avoid them at school since they like causing a lot of problems. Do you remember that experiment-gone-wrong in the laboratory? Yeah, they did that. They even flooded the boy’s bathroom in the fourth floor twice!”

“How have they not been expelled yet?”

“One of their parents – I think it’s that Kaminari guy from my English class – apparently donates big bucks to UA so they almost only get warnings. It’s fucked, to be honest. But they’re fun? They gave out Domino’s after exams to the whole school.”

“THAT WAS THEM?! I thought the school did that!”

Uraraka and Iida chuckle at their friend’s reaction. God, he was so clueless. “Anyway, going back… his boyfriend was like a complete opposite to Bakugou. Kind, funny, smart… not my words but most people who talk about him says he’s all that and more. UA’s sweetheart, they said. They said he wasn’t impressed with Bakugou at first until he changed his ways for him. They said they were inseperable, too, so ther break up was something unexpected. What was his name again?” she asks Iida who fixes his glasses, finishing his food.

“I think it was… um… Nakamura Izumi. We’re in the same club.”

“Wait, isn’t Izumi a girl’s name?” Uraraka questions, thinking.

“Ah, yes.” Iida nods, “According to Izumi-san, the doctor miswrote the sex of the baby when his parents came in for a check-up so they just went with it when he got out.” He explains.

“Maybe he broke up with him because he was a phony. Maybe that Bakugou guy didn’t treat him right.” Izuku spoke, shrugging.

“Maybe… but a lot of people said he treated Izumi-san like a prince so I don’t know…” Uraraka leans against her chair, huffing. “Hey, your names almost sound the same, you know, apart from the last part. And you’re both smart too! But you’re like lowkey…” she trails off, looking over her shoulder to watch the blond sit on a bar stool, looking around and checking his watch every few seconds. “You know… I think he’s still in love with him even after they broke up.”

“His hair’s kind of long.” Izuku observes, taking a sip from his strawberry-flavored milkshake.

“Oh! Tsyu-chan told me he had like a thing with his hair – he’s not going to cut it unless he and Nakamura-san get back together.”

Izuku stares at the blond longer, watching as he pulls out his phone from his pocket and starts tapping away. Just then, Izuku’s phone buzzes from his backpack, he froze.

Wait…

He takes his phone out, checking the message he just received:

DO NOT ANSWER

Where are you? I’m here.

Wait.

“H-Hey… do the Heathens come here often?” Izuku asks, his palms slightly clammy.

“I… don’t think so. They go to that skate-themed one across the street.” Uraraka replies.

“Does… Nakamura Izumi go here?”

Uraraka furrows his eyebrows, Iida following suit who answers, “Yes. He brought the science club here a month ago for a meeting… how’d you know that?”

“With Bakugou?”

“Uh… yes? I think he just waited for Izumi-san to finish so he just hangs out over by the –“

“OH MY GOD YOU FUCKING IDIOT?!!” Uraraka exclaims, grabbing Izuku’s shoulders roughly. She gives him a scared, knowing look. “Please tell me this isn’t what I think this is…?”

Izuku ignored her, looking over at Iida. “What does Bakugou call Nakamura?”

Iida looks at them weirdly, shrugging. “I’m not sure… something short like-“ Iida gasps, eyes wide and knowing. “It can’t be… Is he – “

A loud thud caused all three of them to look up, heads turning to a group of jocks disrupting Bakugou’s space. They had their varsity jackets on, all five of them carried an obnoxious aura of toxic masculinity as they eyed the scary blond.

“Bakugou.” The jersey number one spoke, “What are you doing here? Waiting for someone?”

Bakugou had a bored expression on his face, lips forming into a deeper scowl. “None of your fucking business, twat. Now, fuck off.”

“Aw, it’s okay, Bakugou. I know you’re here for Izu-kun, but I hate to tell you… he isn’t coming. Not for you, anyway.”

Izu-kun…

Izu-kun.

Izu… oh fucking no.

That’s where Bakugou’s face morphed into someone so terrifying, Izuku winced. “Walk… the fuck… away.” Katsuki enunciates, each word sounded menacing, warning.

“How ‘bout you make me?” jersey one taunts, challenging.

And that’s when things went 0 to 100 all at once.

It was five against one, Bakugou getting a few shots in before he was overwhelmed by the number of the jocks that mercilessly pounced on him. Even after a few blows, the blond stays in his chair, stubborn and bleeding lightly from his lip. Some people from the restaurant helped him, pulling the jocks away from him as he stayed on his seat. Someone offered to take Bakugou to the hospital but he cursed them off, staying exactly where he was, not budging.

Izuku watches him fiddle with his phone, tapping furiously. Then another buzz from his phone made his heart drop down to his perfectly shaped ass:

DO NOT ANSWER

I ’m still here.

Oh… Izuku’s fucked.

*

*

*

DO NOT ANSWER

I waited for you.

You said you’d show up…

Do you really hate me that much?

FUCK.

IZUKU’S FUCKED.

Now that he had a good, convincing clue who the unknown number was, he’s been praying to the gods ever since. He knew he should’ve just told him the truth. He knew he just should’ve minded his business. Oh fuck, he was fried meat – and not the good kind.

He tried to calm himself down, knowing that he isn’t really good with stressful situation and that another panic attack was something that can’t happen. He needs to think about this. He needs to make a plan.

Okay, nope. Blank. There was no plan. H can’t think straight. What the hell was he going to do?! He felt so guilty – Bakugou literally stayed there until closing time even with bruises on his face like, who the heck does that? Bakugou Katsuki, apparently. He knew he stayed there ‘til closing time since the blond kept texting him about it.

He thinks I’m Izumi. He thinks he’s texting his ex boyfriend. How am I supposed to say ‘Hey, sorry, but I think you have the wrong number and I thought it was a prank so I decided to play along. Sorry for the bruises. Best of luck!’ Oh god, oh no. He’s dead. He’ll die.

It was chemistry class where Izuku got found.

He didn’t know him and Bakugou took the same class so, while Takeyama-sensei let the students have a ten-minute personal assessment, Izuku felt the buzz of his phone in his bag. He strategically reached over and hid it behind his notebooks, reading the text:

DO NOT ANSWER

Izu… was it too soon for us to speak?

Tell me when and where, you decide

Text me back

Please

I love you, Izu

Izuku’s heart rate picks up. Why was he texting me during class? He looks up from his phone, peeking behind his notebook to spot the scary blond hiding his phone below his desk, typing away.

DO NOT ANSWER

I know you have art right now so you’re probably slacking off

What did I do?

P lease just talk to me

I’m going crazy

Izuku sighs, deflated. He has to come clean. Death be damned, he’ll die soon anyway too so why prolong the process?

The green-haired boy was about to send a long paragraph, apologizing to Bakugou profusely for the number confusion and promising to never speak of their texts to anyone when Takeyama-sensei goes, “Bakugou and Midoriya! If you could please stop texting each other in class and pay attention to your personal assessments. You can’t just do whatever you want because you have the highest grades, you know.”

Izuku freezes, eyes widening in fright.

Please don’t look at me.

Please don’t look at me.

Please don’t look at me.

As he slowly peeked through his notebook, he finds blood red eyes giving him the most murderous look he’s ever seen. He watches the blond type into his phone, still not looking away from him, as his phone buzzed. Unconsciously, Izuku looks down, reading gibberish, outing himself altogether.

He’s dead.

*

It was during lunch when Izuku thought he’d die, permanently.

He begged his friends to eat with him in the outside seating area, avoiding the cafeteria or anywhere that was enclosed by walls. He didn’t want to get trapped into a corner so he could die a gruesome death – if he was going to die, he’ll die in front of many people so he’d have witnesses.

But to his luck, he was still cornered by the blond while he was biting into his packed sandwich. The three of them started hastily gathering their things but Bakugou’s friends circled their area, trapping them in with wide and sly grins.

“I-Is something wrong?” Iida asks, bravely.

The other blond one – Kaminari – smiled, wickedly. “Your friend there has some explaining to do.” He says with a high-pitched voice, pointing at Izuku whose knees trembled slightly.

“Don’t worry, we’re just gonna talk.” A redhead reassured with more of a nice tone than the other one. “Bakubro?” he looks over to their leader who took out his phone and dialed the number he’d been given.

Izuku’s phone rang, dread filling his ears.

He’s going to die.

“Give me your phone.” Bakugou demanded, gravely, extending his hand out. “Now.” He emphasized, to which the shorter of the two obliged, entering his passcode and giving it to the scary blond.

Bakugou then grabbed his phone roughly, tapping away to the messages and his eyes widen. His four friends took a step back, all of them looking amused as they prepare themselves for the blond’s outburst.

Oh god… I’m going to die. Kami-sama, please take care of my mom. She has no one else but me…

“You made me look like a fucking fool.” Bakugou spat, his voice low and dark which made Izuku’s insides quiver in fear.

“I-I’m really so-“

“Shut the fuck up, shitty nerd!” Bakugou interrupts, gripping on his phone as he stepped closer to Izuku. His friends tried to move in front of him but were given a warning look by Bakugou’s friends. They cursed, inwardly. “You made me wait for fucking nothing? Do you have any idea how long I waited in that damned restaurant?! Huh?!”

“Y-Yes, I know… and I’m really so-mmpfh!”

To everyone’s surprise, Izuku was cut off by a sudden pair of pink lips, planting straight on his mouth which caused a few people near their vicinity to stop and look.

WHAT THE FUCK?!

Izuku forcibly closed his eyes, whining as the scary blond planted open mouth kisses on his lips to his cheeks. When Bakugou reached his ears, he hears him whisper, “Where is he?”

The shorter one furrowed his eyebrows, panting. He was trying not to pay attention at the way Bakugou proceeds to give light kisses against the junction of his neck and ear. “Wha-w-who?” he stutters under his breath, noticing the people watching the scene unfold over the blond’s shoulders.

“Izumi. Black hair. Cat eyes.”

The green-haired boy shakes his head in confusion, trying to make sense of what he just heard until he spots the person with those descriptions. The dark-haired man with feline eyes follows the crowd’s gaze, golden eyes trying to decipher what was going on.

“Is he there? Is he looking?” Bakugou questions frantically, hands making their way to Izuku’s waist, causing the shorter one to blush. The blond then rests his head against Izuku’s shoulder.

The dark-haired man – Izumi – shakes his head, looking indifferent as he walks away from the scene and joins a couple of girls back to the building. “Y-Yes… but he left…”

Bakugou sighs, pulling away from the nerd altogether. He eyed the direction his ex-boyfriend went, his face slightly contorting into a mixture of sadness and frustration. Izuku, on the other hand, stood rooted on the spot, his breathing getting slightly difficult to manage but he still managed. The blond takes his attention back to him, a determined look splattered across his face. “Come with me, nerd.” He says to Izuku then turns to his friends, “No one follow us.” He starts walking away, carelessly throwing Izuku’s phone to him which the latter catches clumsily. The nerd follows suit, grabbing his things from the table, leaving behind utterly confused individuals.

*

“You want me to do what?!” Izuku gawks, mouth agape and eyes bulging out of their sockets in utter shock. Now he’s really having trouble breathing.

“Keep your fucking voice down, nerd!” Bakugou hisses, “Listen, it’s just until I come up with a better plan to get Izumi back, got it? It’s a temporary thing. Two to three months tops.” He explains.

“No way! I’m sorry if I lied to you about the texts but I’m not doing that- no!” Izuku states, shaking his head vigorously.

Bakugou tilts his head, stepping closer to the shorter one and then holding up a finger, pointing to his slightly bruised face. “See this?” Izuku gulps, knowing exactly how those came about. “This is your fault. You owe me.”

Izuku groans, staring up at the ceiling, frustrated. He looks back at the blond, breathing out and biting his lip harshly. “I’d actually prefer it if you just beat me up right now.”

Bakugou rolls his eyes, pushing the green-haired boy out of the way as he leaves. “You’re fucking doing it, nerd, whether you want to or not.”

When Izuku got home that day, he was mentally spent. He kept trying to negotiate with the stubborn blond to no avail, he was still doing it.

He has to be bluffing, right? He has to. Like, who would believe someone like Bakugou would date a nobody like him? No one will believe they’re together. Hell, even he can’t believe that bullshit. But what was he supposed to do? He ‘owed’ him. Shit. Now he’s regretting his life choices.

This was out of his wheelhouse. He’s never dated anyone before, let alone pretend to date. He’s too awkward, weird, and he’s not an appealing person – bland and unwanted – which he prefers. He doesn’t like to be seen.

Izuku’s phone buzzes, their trio group chat roaring to life.

Ocha Ocha <33

ZUKU R U OK???

WTF WAS THAT???????!

OMFG WHY DID HE KISS U???

TENYA IIDA

Are you alright, Midoriya-kun? We apologize for not doing anything.

Did he hurt you?

Ocha Ocha <33

Y DID HE KISS U?!?!?!

EVERY1’S TALKING ABT U GUYS

THEY THINK UR BKGS REBOUND?!?!?!?!?

IZUKU

HE’S FREAKING CRAZY

OMG

I CSNT BRWATH

Ocha Ocha <33

DID HE HURT YOU?!?!

IZUKU

No no but he… asdfghjklkh

Ocha Ocha <33

??

TENYA IIDA

He what, Midoriya-kun?

IZUKU

HE ASKED ME TO PRETEND TO BE HIS FREAKING BOYFRIEND????

Ocha Ocha <33

WHAT

TENYA IIDA

WHAT

IZUKU

IDK WHAT TO DO

HE SAID I OWE HIM FOR LYING

WHAT AM I GUNNA DO?!?!

TENYA IIDA

Okay calm down

Breath in and out

IZUKU

im having trouble w that

shiiiiiit why did I have to lieeeee

(╥︣ ﹏ ᷅╥)

Ocha Ocha <33

Y does he want u to be his fake bf?

IZUKU

uhhhh idk if im supposed to tell u

but he wants u to…

asdfghjkl

he wants us to make nakamara-kun jealous?

Ocha Ocha <33

SRSLY?!?!!

HAHAHAHA I KNEW IT!

blondie’s still piniiiiiing

but like… y does it have 2 be u?

IZUKU

idk but it’s me and idk what to do

i don’t like this

it feels out of my reach

TENYA IIDA

did you try to talk to him about it?

Ocha Ocha <33

even if he did theres no way bakugou would allow u to back off

im sorry to say this to u zuku but ur FUUUUUUUUUUCKED

TENYA IIDA

Ochako, I don’t think it’s wise to tease Midoriya at his lowest

Perhaps he could still try and talk to him?

Ocha Ocha <33

How many times have u tried 2 talk 2 him, @IZUKU?

IZUKU

since he told me to be his fake boyfriend

Ocha Ocha <33

yep ur screwed

IZUKU

༼ ಢ _ ಢ ༽

A knock on the door made the green-haired boy look up, watching his mother enter his room with a contemplative expression.

“Izuku… someone’s at the door for you. He says he’s your…” Inko presses her lips in a tight smile, “… boyfriend?”

Izuku's eyes widened, swiftly goes up to his feet, fully alert, blood pumping. Panic surged through his body, heart beating faster than usual as he stumbled downstairs. He made a snappy right to their front door, and there was Bakugou Katsuki, leaning smugly against the doorframe with a roguish grin. He heard his mother’s footsteps coming towards them and in an instant, the cocky look on Bakugou’s face turned to that of charm and innocence.

“Hey babe.” The blond greeted him, stepping closer to him and planting a chaste kiss on his freckles-infested cheek. Bakugou noticed the beauty marks on the nerd’s face and he found it slightly cute, especially since he never really met anyone with freckles before. He also noticed how both the Midoriya’s had slightly tanned skin which made him think about how the nerd was totally different to his past lover. Izumi had soft, fair skin that shined from how smooth it was, and there was little to no spots or blemishes present since he was very meticulous when it comes to skincare.

Izuku stayed rooted on the spot, the unexpected kiss rendered his brain to malfunction. His mother took that moment to smile politely to the blond, shaking his hand as she introduced herself.

“Hello, I’m Izuku’s mom. And you are…”

“Katsuki. Bakugou Katsuki, ma’am.” The blond introduced himself, shaking the older lady’s hand gently. Izuku was baffled how Bakugou could look friendly when he knew – from previous research on his social media accounts – that he rarely did that. Even in the pictures he’s in with his friends or Nakamura-san, he never smiled. Though, he always had a soft expression whenever he took a picture with Nakamura-san, but still. “I’m Izu’s boyfriend.” The blond declared, the nickname catching both mother and son off guard.

Is he kidding? Why would he use his ex-boyfriend’s nickname for him? That’s just super weird.

“Izu?” Inko asked, eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she looked between the two.

“I-It’s a nickname, mom!” Izuku was quick to lie, stepping between his mother and the blond. “It’s a, um, pet name between… Kacchan and I.” Bakugou’s ears perked up at the childish nickname the nerd used on him, slightly irritated but he’ll let it pass.

“Ah…” Inko eyed them suspiciously. “Since when did you have a boyfriend, Izuku? You never mentioned seeing anyone…” she questioned, her eyes narrowing.

“That’s because… uh… we haven’t really discussed the whole… boyfriend thing.” Izuku hid his nervousness behind a smile he used when he wanted to get out of something since the blond was subtly sending him daggers, feeling the intensity of the look from behind. “Kacchan’s just… uh… excited.”

Inko sighed in relief, nodding. “Okay, okay. Well… I’m happy to know that someone’s taken an interest in you but… when you do become official, please give me a heads up so we can have dinner with Katsuki-kun’s parents.” She said, smiling genuinely.

“Uh, mom that’s not –“

“My parents are in the states so they wouldn’t be able to join us, but I’d be up for dinner when Izu and I become official – probably really soon.” Bakugou slung an arm over the nerd’s shoulder, noting how Izuku was a few inches shorter than him which made his body swell up in pride. His tone was nice and friendly, but the weight of the blond’s arm pressing against Izuku’s shoulder said otherwise.

“Oh! Okay! No problem, Katsuki-san. Anyway, welcome to our humble home! You and Izuku can go upstairs if you want, but I’d have to ask you to keep the door open so there wouldn’t be any funny business-“

“A-Ah, that’s okay mom! Kacchan just wanted to see me… and I guess meet you so he’ll be leaving now!” Izuku grabbed the blond’s wrist, opening the front door and walking out of the house, Bakugou in tow.

They stop at the gate, out of earshot from Izuku’s mother. The green-haired boy released his hold on Bakugou’s wrist, looking at him with an infuriated expression. “What are you doing here and how the heck did you find out where I live?!”

“I thought we had an agreement, Izu.” Bakugou ignored his questions, his charming demeanor replaced with his infamous scowl.

“I-I didn’t know coming to my house and introducing yourself to my mom as my boyfriend was part of it! Why would you even do that? Now my mom would think I was lying to her!”

“Is that why you said we aren’t official yet even when I specifically told you that we’re already fucking dating?”

“I can’t lie to my mom!” Izuku exclaimed, “And besides, I technically haven’t agreed to this yet so it’s partly the truth.” he explained, in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Then go back in there and tell her we’re dating.” Bakugou demanded, standing his ground.

“Why do we have to involve my mom into this? She doesn’t even have anything to do with what I did so it’s completely unnecessary! I was the one who lied to you and got you beaten up, not my mom, so can we please just keep her out of this?” Izuku pleaded, eyes slightly watering from the amount of stress he’s experiencing.

His mom can’t know what he did. She can’t. His mom’s the type of person to worry over every single thing, and given that Izuku doesn’t have a good track record with high-pressured situations, Inko tends to overthink about the health and well-being of his son. The fact that she was suspiciously cavalier with Izuku’s supposed admirer/boyfriend was slowly starting to freak him out.

Bakugou thought for a moment, opening his mouth that made Izuku perk up but to his dismay, the blond said, “No. Tell her we’re dating or else.”

“Or else… what?”

Bakugou smirked, taunting as he lifted Izuku’s chin up with his fingers. “Or else I’ll make your life a living hell.”

“I-I’m not afraid of you.” Izuku spoke, slightly stammering but with serious intent.

Bakugou took a step back, checking the nerd out before walking away and saying, “We’ll see about that.”

*

And thus began the most exhausting month of Midoriya Izuku’s life.

Other than the relentless stares and whispers he endures during his walks in the hallway to class, or the increasing amount of insulting notes plastered onto his locker, Bakugou and the other Heathens made it their mission to add fuel to all the fire. They would purposely bribe one of the lunch ladies to replace his orange juice box with hot sauce, tie his shoelaces together in some of their shared classes with him which would make the nerd tumble over almost every time he got up to go to the bathroom, sketched a crude drawing of one of their teachers that sent him to detention, wrote IZU LOVES KACCHAN on one of the biggest bulletin boards in the school, and even went as far as to blame him for the graffiti they did near the entrance of the school which forced Izuku to clean it as a punishment from the principal.

No one dared to tattle for him since most of the students were terrified of the Heathens, and even if they did try – which Uraraka and Iida did – everyone almost never backed them up. It was sick and twisted, Izuku was close to his breaking point. However, he wasn’t going to back down. He encountered bullies since his middle school days so their little pranks were just obstacles he had to face. Though, he hated being the butt of every joke, he’d hate it even more if he just gave up from a few tricks. Besides, he told himself that he won’t be afraid of anything anymore – especially a blond demon by the name of Bakugou Katsuki.

So, there was Midoriya Izuku, scrubbing off the red spray paint on the entrance walls, tired and sweaty. He told his mom that he had an afterschool get-together with Iida and Uraraka which his friends backed up, but really he was stuck with a punishment that shouldn’t even be his own. His friends sat by the steps near the entrance, watching their friend slave away with a sponge and a bucket, concerned looks on their faces.

“Are you sure you don’t want us to help you? No one would know.” Uraraka proposed, Iida agreeing with her.

Izuku shook his head. “No, it’s fine. I don’t want to risk you guys getting in trouble because of me. Besides, this is like… a good upper arm work out!” he said, cheerfully to hide the fact that his arms could give out at any moment.

Just then, the blond demon emerged from the shadows with his band of misfits, all their hands behind their back except for their leader who hid it inside his pockets. Bakugou and Deku met eyes, red ones glinting to which the nerd knew what that meant. After every prank, the blond demon looks at him expectantly, asking the silent implication, ‘ready to give up?’ to which every time, Izuku answers a solid ‘no’.

In that moment, the green-haired boy clenched his jaw, annoyed. He could just say yes and get it over with but he wants to let Bakugou know – all of the Heathens and people in his school know – that Izuku wasn’t a gutless fool that was easily swayed by fear.

“No.” Deku voiced out, loud and clear. Uraraka and Iida exchanged nervous glances, worried for what was going to happen next.

Bakugou gestured to his friends, and the Heathens – Kirishima, Denki, Mina, and Sero – all look at each other knowingly, sneering until they started chuckling, unkindly. They approached the newly clean part of the entrance walls and proceeded to line it up with a layer of black spray paint, rendering Izuku’s two-hour scrubbing pointless. The nerd’s eyes widened, a heavy feeling churning in his stomach, dejected and glum. After they scribbled their group name onto the wall, they slightly mock the nerd for still refusing their leader’s advances.

“I told you I’d make your life a living hell.” The blond demon spoke, smirking proudly. “Tell you what… introduce me to your mom properly and we’ll stop fucking with you… how does that sound, shitty nerd?” he asked, looking up at the nerd expectantly.

Izuku took a breath, trying to calm his nerves, preventing a sudden burst of anger that will most definitely make his case even worse than it already was. He closed his eyes, trying to prevent the prickling tears he usually let out when faced with overwhelming situations. He looked at the blond, emerald eyes slightly jaded but still had the fire of determination inside them. “I still don’t want to.” He enunciated every word, stern. “No. No. No. Do you even know what that word means?” he questioned, ignoring how his friends were shaking their heads and how the Heathens looked stunned by his courage. “Rather than being a decent person and asking me nicely, you and your friends bully me instead. Y-You’re so selfish!” Izuku exclaimed, roughly grabbing the sponge from the bucket and continued his punishment, his anger bubbling up inside of him. “That’s probably why your boyfriend dumped you – because you only think of yourself! You want it your way all the time, not even considering anyone else’s opinions because it’s always about you. What about what other people want? What your friends want - what I want? I’m not just a person you could step on and torment so you get what you want which, by the way, what you want is something that’s completely insane given the fact that you don’t even know me and I most definitely don’t know you, but you insist on being a freaking jerk instead of just asking me to do you a favor!” Izuku scrubbed, aggressively now. “If you’re always like this, no one – and I mean NO ONE – will ever be able to stand you, you ungrateful je-“

“Izuku! They left!” Uraraka snapped him out of his angry rant, noticing that only her and Iida were left to hear his slight outburst.

Izuku was panting by then, all riled up. He looked around, finally noticing that the blond demon and his friends have vanished into thin air.

“Damn… didn’t know you had it in you.” Uraraka muttered under her breath, whistling in appreciation.

“M-Me neither…”

After that night, the following weeks were eerily silent. No demon blond and friends trying to make his school life miserable, the insults from other students going down to a minimum, and no more spicy juice boxes.

To say Izuku was relieved was an understatement. However, he still found it odd that no one from the Heathens tried anything funny. In fact, they even started treating him with a little bit of respect during shared classes since they think he was courageous for standing up to Bakugou. Not that they couldn’t stand up to their friend – they could – but to meet someone outside of their group who wasn’t affected by the blond’s sadistic plans was something they really admired. They were even a little bit nice to him – well, if you count not letting him fall after tying his shoelaces together in class a nice gesture, then yes.

But those two weeks were evidently the calm before the storm as Izuku, and the whole population of UA, looked up at the roof where a serious-looking Bakugou Katsuki stood on a ledge, soaked from the relentless, pouring rain. There was a big sign that hung from his neck that said:

IZU, IF YOU DON’T SAY YES, I’LL FUCKING JUMP.

Izuku clutched his chest, the air in his lungs leaving his body for a moment. Uraraka and Iida were in a panic frenzy, as did the other students of UA.

The red-head, Kirishima, and Denki were on the roof with the blond demon, trying to get their friend off the ledge. The other two, Mina and Sero, ran up to Izuku, asking him to stop the blond from doing something so fucking stupid and idiotic and irresponsible.

“Midoriya! We’ve been trying to stop Bakugou but he won’t listen to us!” Sero yelled, dark frightened eyes looking up at their friend on the ledge.

“I-I… he’s bluffing.” Izuku stated, slightly unsure. “He won’t actually jump…” he noticed the blond moving slightly forward, causing loud gasps and a couple of screams from the crowd forming below him. “Hey, Kacchan!” Izuku shouted, earning the blond’s attention whose eyes sparked. “Get down from there, you psycho! This is insane!” the crowd looked between him and Bakugou, some of them asking the green-haired boy to just say yes so he could get down from the ledge.

Izuku heard the blood pumping in his veins, the pressure of the situation slowly getting to him.

“Midoriya! This isn’t a joke! He’s really going to do it!” Kirishima screamed from the rooftop, frantic and terrified.

In the corner of his eye, Izuku spotted Izumi looking up at his former lover with fear in his golden eyes. Judging from the white fingertips, the dark-haired ex gripped tightly onto his umbrella, a flash of hurt, anger, and frustration all rolled into one facial expression.

“H-How can you be sure that I’m the one he’s-“

“MIDORIYA IZUKU, ARE YOU STILL REJECTING ME?!” Bakugou screamed, causing the green-haired boy to look up with eyes widening like saucers.

Right then, Izumi and Izuku’s eyes met. The dark-haired ex looked at emerald ones, pleading, desperate.

“ONE!” Bakugou shouted, moving forward slightly, the tip of his feet hanging off the edge. Everyone was then telling Izuku to say yes while the nerd froze, breath caught in his throat. “TWO!” now half of the blond’s feet were hanging off the edge.

Oh dear god…

*

“Mom, I’d like to formerly introduce my boyfriend… Bakugou Katsuki.” Izuku announced, his hands wrapped around the blond’s slightly bigger ones as they both enter the Midoriya household.

“So… I guess it’s official, then?” Inko inquisited, crossing her arms in front of her chest with an amused expression on her face.

Bakugou gripped Izuku’s hand tightly, signaling to answer. Izuku smiled brightly, though, not reaching his eyes. “I… I realized that it would… hurt me… if I didn’t say yes to him…” the blond cleared his throat, gripping Izuku’s hand again, warning. “and I’ve come to really… like him as a person so we’re now together.” The blond smiled, wide and sadistic as he released his hold on Izuku’s hand, pulling him into a side hug and kissing the side of his head.

“Good job, nerd.”

*

Izuku couldn’t handle another outing with the blond demon and his friends.

First of all, they loved hanging out at that skate-themed restaurant so much that it irked the nerd since a) he wasn’t very good at rollerskating, and b) he was clumsy as hell so whenever he falls, he got the usual tease from the Heathens. Second, they force him to sit with them at their lunch table, sit with them in class, walk with them down the hallway, and even go with them to the bathroom together. He didn’t understand why he had to do that but according to Mina, Izumi had the same treatment when he and Bakugou were dating so they figured that since he was technically the blond’s boyfriend – even if he was a fake one – that he deserved their protection from others who think they can taunt Izuku behind their leader’s back. Though, Izuku will admit, he felt a lot safer now that he had Kacchan’s friends looking out for him apart from his own, even if it was only temporary.

The only thing that grinded Izuku’s gears more than Bakugou himself was how Bakugou forced him into situations where he doesn’t get a say in. For instance, when they went to the One for All diner because Izumi would be there, the blond just asked him to sit and look pretty while he played pool since it’s what his ex-boyfriend used to do. However, Izuku knew a thing or two about pool so he ignored the blond’s orders and tried to play pool with him to which ignited a sparring match between their pool sticks until Bakugou noticed Izumi’s attention on them, so he shifted their positions, sliding behind the nerd in an attempt to salvage his plan by faking a targeting lesson. And then this one time where the blond forced him to wear a ridiculously looking shirt, only to realize that it was a matching one with Bakugou’s so when they walked past Izumi that one time, the dark-haired ex glanced for a few moments before feigning ignorance. Needless to say, the past two months of them trying to make Izumi jealous was a bit of a bust, but rumours have been going around about Izumi reconsidering his relationship with Bakugou surfaced so it wasn’t all a failure.

Unrelated to that, he found himself crushing on a new student in his art class. The guy’s name was Shoto. He had a cool aura around him. He was talented – from the piece he made during class, friendly – from when he kept asking Izuku for advice and laughing at his pathetic jokes, and, well, he was really, really handsome. The kind of handsome that most indifferent types have.

Izuku was snapped back to reality when he felt a sharp pain on his head, a hard object hitting him from behind. He yelped in pain, turning around to find four girls with volleyballs in their hands. He was just lounging around after a sweaty basketball match from the other side of the covered court, standing by the bleachers and appreciating his alone time. PE was something he had for himself – without Bakugou, the Heathens, or his best friends. It gave him his own free time do whatever the teacher wanted and then be alone for the last half hour after everything.

“Whoops, didn’t see you there.” One of the girls said, sarcastically.

“Oh it’s ok- OW!” Izuku yelled, another ball hitting him square on the nose. He cupped his face, feeling a slight drip of blood from his nose from the impact of the ball. “What are you-“ Izuku didn’t even have the chance to say anything when the girls just started throwing the balls at him, aggressive and all aiming for his head and/or face.

“You’re so annoying!”

“Whiny bitch!”

“MAGGOT!”

“I can’t believe Bakugou chose someone fucking ugly as you!”

“Izumi-kun’s better than you! He’s better for Bakugou!”

“You’re such a fucking whore!”

Izuku tried to avoid being hit as much as possible as he grabbed his things and ran away, the other students trying to approach him to ask what happened but he ran out of the gym in a daze, tears dripping endlessly down his cheeks as he sobbed. He clutched his nose, the amount of blood coming out of it drenching his palm. He ran to the direction of the clinic, slightly stumbling in his step as choking breaths erupted from his throat. He knew he needed to stop running in order to avoid fainting but it wasn’t until he crashed into someone that he fell backwards, on his ass, while the contents of his bag – which was open – scattered on the floor.

“Oi! Watch where you’re going, you fucking extra!” he heard a familiar gruff voice complain.

“Midoriya-kun?!” Kirishima called out, eyes bulging out from their sockets as he noticed blood on the green-haired boy’s shirt.

At that moment, Katsuki felt his heart drop to the floor. He watched as Izuku looks up at them through tearful emerald eyes, a bloody nose hidden behind his hand. His glorious mop of curls was slicked with sweat, standing up at random areas of his head, unkempt and odd-looking. The nerd was wearing his gym clothes to which both Kirishima and Bakugou figured he was in PE class for a supplemental sports game, but the white shirt had a splash of red on them, probably from the blood running down Izuku’s nose.

Katsuki kneeled in front of Izuku, gently tilting his head up to prevent more blood from coming out of his nose. He took off his flannel and wiped the bottom half part of Izuku’s face and nose before letting the nerd take it into his hand so he could put pressure on the affected area. “What the hell happened to you?!” Bakugou snapped, harsh yet low-pitched, somehow careful.

And because of the overwhelming sensation the overtook his body, Izuku broke down, sinking to the ground as he turned into a sobbing mess. He didn’t care if Kirishima or Bakugou were there to witness his moment of weakness, but his body was too weak to do anything about it anymore.

The blond kept his hand on the green-haired boy’s head, proceeding to cup his wet cheeks and slightly moving his head so he could look at him. “Look at me, nerd. Tell me what happened.” Bakugou spoke, soft and calm. He received no response, only another round of tears falling from the nerd’s eyes as he shook his head. Bakugou felt murderous – to the times he and his friends messed with the nerd, Midoriya never really showed any signs of vulnerability. Not even once. He was strong-willed, unbothered, and even kind to a fault. Katsuki hated that he didn’t affect the nerd as much as he’d like to, but it only made him respect the fuck out of him for keeping up a fight. The nerd was nothing compared to the angry blond when it came to physical aspects. He was taller than him, bigger in built than him, and overall physically stronger than him. But mentally, Bakugou acknowledges how stronger the nerd was in that department. So for the blond to witness him break down into a literal puddle of blood, sweat, and tears, someone’s neck was in a dire need for a beheading. “Izuku, please… tell me what happened to you.” He wiped away the tears on Izuku’s freckled face, looking at him intensely.

“I-It worked. Your… your plan… they really believe we’re together. They’re jea-lous because you… chose me…” Izuku muffled against the blood-ridden flannel, his heart gradually decreasing in speed as his body slowly calmed down though he felt a lot of pressure in his lungs from the constriction of his throat.

Katsuki’s blood boiled, jaw clenching as he shared a knowing look with Kirishima. “Who were they?”

The nerd shook his head vigorously, earning a light scolding from the scary blond since his nose was still bleeding. “D-Doesn’t matter. I just… I want to go home. Please just… just let me go home.” He pleaded, starting to cry once again.

“Okay, I’ll take you home.” Katsuki stated, guiding the shorter boy to his feet, his arm protectively pulling the nerd closer to him for support. “Shitty hair, tell the teachers I took Izuku home.” He told Kirishima who instantly nods, telling the blond to take care of Midoriya.

Katsuki helped Izuku walk from the school to the parking lot where he guided the nerd into the passenger’s seat of his car, telling him to keep his head elevated until he stops bleeding from his nose. Once Izuku was situated, Katsuki went over to the driver’s seat and drove off.

*

“I said I wanted to go home… why are we at your house?” Izuku whined as he fidgets with the dirty flannel in his hands, the taller of the two sitting beside him with the first aid kit and a cold compress. “It’s embarrassing to look like this here with your high ceilings and crown moldings, Kacchan.” He tried to lighten the mood, not wanting it to get awkward since he was in a very vulnerable position a few minutes earlier.

Katsuki rolled his eyes. “I’d feel more embarrassed if I brought you home to Auntie looking like that. She might think I’m neglecting you or something. Here, brush your hair. You look like a cow licked your head.” He handed a clean comb to the shorter one who obliged.

“Seriously though… I don’t want your parents to think I’m intruding into their home.” Izuku said, pouting as he combed through the knots in his head.

“They ain’t here. States, remember?” Katsuki started inspecting Izuku’s body, the latter being too distracted by the pictures that hung on the wall of the Bakugou household to refuse.

“Oh… yeah.” Izuku muttered, hissing when the blond touched a bruise on his shoulder. “Ow.” He whined, flinching backwards to look at it himself, and yes, it was bigger than a coin. There was a couple of scratches too which confused the nerd since he didn’t know where they came from. Oh, right, he also got scratched in the haze of things. “So it’s just you here?” he asked, watching the blond take out a Betadine solution from the first aid kit along with a pack of cotton buds.

“Yup.”

“Seriously? In this big old house? No maids or butler or -”

“It’s just me so shut up and give me your arm.” Katsuki said, firm and with a slight bit of irritation.

Izuku obliged, giving the blond his arm who then proceeds to clean the wound with the Betadine solution. He didn’t know if it was from the numerous blows he got from the balls or his nose bleeding but he couldn’t help but stare at the boy’s face in front of him. Without the permanent scowl on his face, he wasn’t really bad-looking. Hell, he could even pass as clinically-attractive if the green-haired boy liked pretty faces. Katsuki had a pretty face, no wonder people loved him. But also fear him. Apart from his stinking personality, Bakugou helping him with his cuts just might convince Izuku that he wasn’t that bad at all. “So… Izumi’s really the only one you have, huh?” he spoke out of nowhere, causing the blond to halt his tending to the wound. Izuku’s eyes widened, even surprising himself. “Uhhh… I’m sorry, that was-“

“It’s… fine.” Katsuki hesitated, going back to what he was doing. “And yeah, he is… well, was… so.” He yanked Izuku’s arm, causing the shorter one of them to move into his space more closely. “Can you just stop with the questions and let me fucking fix you.” He said, a blush forming on his cheeks which he hid with a scowl, failing since the Izuku noticed.

“Okay, okay, grumpy.” Izuku teased slightly.

“I’m not grumpy.” Katsuki retorted.

“Yeah you are! Everyone in the school either loves you or is afraid of you, probably outside the school too.”

Katsuki smirked, raising an eyebrow. “Which one are you?”

“Neither.”

“Really? You’re not scared of me?” Izuku shook his head, watching Katsuki get another cotton bud for another set of scratches. “Bullshit. You agreed to date me ‘cuz you were scared out of your ass.”

“I didn’t agree to all of this because I was afraid of you.”

“Then what?”

“You almost jumped off a building – obviously I didn’t want you to die.” Izuku explained, lips pursing. Katsuki glanced at him for a second, reading the nerd’s expression – it was genuine. “And because it’s the least I can do for someone like you.”

Katsuki knitted his eyebrows together, almost offended. “Someone like me? The fuck does that mean?”

“I mean, you know… someone who’s desperate enough to jump off a building to make their ex jealous…” Izuku replied, grabbing the cold compress from the table after Katsuki’s tending. He placed it on top of his head, sighing in relief from the coolness.

“You really thought I was going to jump off a building for your dumb ass?” Katsuki smirked, amused.

Izuku glared at him, cheeks puffing in annoyance. “No, but you would’ve just to prove a point or something.” He groaned, leaning against the sofa they sat on. “I honestly don’t get you. Like, you would risk your life not once, but twice for someone who could care less about you. You try to jump off a building so you could manipulate me into helping you make your ex jealous, and you were so stubborn to wait for him at that stupid diner even after you got hurt from those stupid jocks… like…” he sighed, defeated as he looked over the blond who kept quiet, a face Izuku could recognize was a mix of pain and sadness, but was covered with a veil of pride to lessen the seriousness of it all. “Isn’t that kind of… stupid? Loving someone that much to the point where you sacrifice your own happiness just for the sake of having him in your life? I know I called you selfish before but… I take it back. You’re clearly a freaking martyr! A delusional one – maybe a little bit toxic - but a martyr, nonetheless. If you ask me… Nakamura-san’s lucky to have someone like you.”

That statement caught Katsuki off guard. “Lucky? Because someone’s willing to die for him?”

“Because someone loves him – you love him. Period.” Izuku corrected, smiling sadly and almost pathetically.

Katsuki stayed silent. There was an unfamiliar feeling bubbling up inside of him, foreign and unnatural but somehow it felt like all his worries about the past few months – all his worries starting from the day his first loved dumped him for no reason at all other than a worn-out break up line – slowly dissolves into nothing. Izuku’s words made him feel seen, heard. It made his actions feel validated, not too encouraging yet not ignoring it altogether either. Because Katsuki was known as this rough and troublesome guy, people forget that he’s still a human being capable of feeling all kinds of emotions. And for the first time in a long time, he’s never felt more of a person that he was right at that moment, sharing a comfortable silence with the wrong idiot’s number. It was… odd.

“So… if you were Izumi…” Katsuki trailed, earning the other boy’s attention as he tilted his head to the side, curious. “You’d take me back?” he questioned, staring at doe-like eyes that glistened against the overhead lighting of the living room area.

Izuku nodded, yawning, eyes heavy and overtaken by pure exhaustion, “Probably… yes…”

*

Bakugou Katsuki was not one to forgive easily.

Since, in the eyes of their school, him and Izuku were together, he made sure that no one would ever hurt or even attempt to hurt his (fake) boyfriend ever again. With the help of his friends and a few students who witnessed the volleyball ambush, they gathered the four women in the same gym where they did their assault and taunted them for the entire lunchtime period. Katsuki even asked Izuku if he wanted to throw balls to their faces, which would go off-record especially since they have connections to school admins, but the green-haired boy just told Katsuki to stand down, dragging him out of the gym so they could just have lunch like normal people would. With that said, Katsuki followed suit but since it was technically just him who was told to back off, it didn’t take much for the Heathens to have fun with them on their own – mostly Mina since the three boys were satisfied with just teasing the girls for their obsession with Bakugou.

After that, everything went back to the usual.

Izuku and Katsuki did what every couple would do, either near or in front of the blond boy’s ex. Katsuki even went as far as touching the nerd’s butt one time though it may or may not have been on purpose.

Katsuki found Izuku’s constant floundering and babbling funny (and cute but don’t tell anyone that), and he did a lot of ways to make him do it more often. He even hung out with Izuku’s friends – Pink Cheeks and Four Eyes – since they’re part of the nerd’s life, and since he was his boyfriend, he needed to show his ‘support’ when it came to his other friendships.

Though, there was an instance where Izuku was having a friendly conversation with his newfound crush in art class when Katsuki just decided to punch the guy right then and there, which made Todoroki punch him right back, square on the mouth. Before things could escalate, the blond’s ex stood between the two, finding out that Izumi was already in a relationship with Shoto which forced Katsuki to walk out of the building, Izuku in hand.

“You shouldn’t have punched Shoto-kun out of the blue like that.” Izuku scolded from the inside Katsuki’s car, shuffling to grab an ice-cold bottle of water from a mini-cooler in the back then pressing it against the blond’s forming bruise on his lower lip.

Katsuki leaned against his seat, grabbing the water bottle with a sour look on his face. “You shouldn’t have talked to him in the first place.” He grumbled, wincing at the slight pain that spread from his lower lip to his chin.

Izuku grabbed a spare shirt from the back of Katsuki’s car, wrapping the cloth-like material around the water bottle that Katsuki had in his hand so it doesn’t hurt too much against the latter’s skin. “He wasn’t even doing anything wrong, Kacchan.” Izuku stated, trying his best not to roll his eyes as he gently guides the blond’s hand to the right spot where a purple patch bruise was starting to form.

Katsuki looked at the nerd, scarlet red eyes tense and serious. “If I swore not to lay a finger on him again, will you stop talking to him?”

“What? Why would I do that? We’re friends! We have the same art class together!” Izuku exclaimed, irritation crawling up his skin.

Katsuki scoffed. “Pink cheeks told me you liked him.”

Damn it, Uraraka. “N-No I don’t!”

“Liar! Your face looks like a fucking tomato right now!”

Izuku blanches, pressing the water bottle roughly onto the blond who complains loudly. “Shut up! I don’t! He’s with your ex, remember?”

Silence.

“Kacchan… I’m sorry. That’s not what I me-“

“If I agree not to lay a finger on him again, will you stop talking to that two-faced ass who’s now fucking my ex?” Katsuki questioned, looking pointedly at Izuku, dark red eyes piercing into green ones.

“What… why do you want me to stop talking to him so badly?” Izuku asked back, utterly confused. Why was he so adamant about this?

Katsuki looked ahead, pulling away from their intense staring match, an angry pout forming against the cold water bottle. “It’s not good for anyone if I get jealous.” He admitted, avoiding the shocked expression on Izuku’s face from the corner of his eye.

“Ka…cchan. Are you… wait… so… what?”

“Okay, fuck… fine. Look at me when I tell you this, nerd…” Katsuki spoke, pulling the water bottle away from his face so he could look at Izuku properly. Izuku nervously stared into the blond’s eyes, trying to absorb what he just heard a few moments ago. “Izumi’s moved on. I don’t know what he saw in that impassive jerk – neither can I understand what you like about him so much – but… I can see now that Izumi’s chosen for himself. He’s fine without me… and honestly… I’ve been fine without him.” He said, “I think we have to stop pretending because it just isn’t right anymore, it never really was in the first place. So… this deal we have… it’s done.” Before Izuku could open his mouth in protest or even to question anything, Katsuki pulled him in by his waist and placed a soft, tender kiss on the nerd’s pink lips. The kiss was soft, tingly. This wasn’t their first kiss at all since that first one they had was literally at the start of this make-believe plot, but it was the first that held something more than petty plans. After they pulled away, Katsuki says, “I know this isn’t the ideal moment for this but… I don’t want to pretend anymore. I want the real thing. I want you, Izuku.”

… And that, kids, was how I met your mother.

Just kidding.

They did end up together, and they were happy.

Lots of fighting and weird moments of PDA.

That’s how it ends.

Toxicly in love.