Work Text:
Izuku snorted on the other side of the room, catching a bit of attention from the class, but not all.
Katsuki cleverly ignored him, focusing instead on the pep talk he was giving Kirishima shortly after the class had ended.
“-Just trust me, your shitty quirk is as blinding as your shitty hair”, he really did hate his hair, but after hearing his reasoning he supposed it did make sense.
Out of the corner of his eye Katsuki watched as Deku packed up his shit and take off for the door without standing around with his bunch of nerds like usual, clapping Shitty Hair on the back he took off after him leaving the red head floundering.
“Yo Deku! Deku wait up!” Izuku paused in the middle of the hallway, turning his glare on Katsuki, reveling slightly in his flinch before letting his face slip into a neutral expression.
“Yes Kacchan?” Izuku turned and started walking towards the exit, forcing Katuski to follow like he once had.
“Auntie told mom she’s making Katsudon tonight, is she?” Izuku smiled- a genuine smile-, Kacchan did love his mom’s cooking, and despite his irritation he would deprive her of seeing her favorite not-son enjoying her cooking.
“Yeah, she is. You’re coming over right? You’re mom said you were” Katsuki nodded his confirmation, now walking astride with Izuku.
“Hey… Izuku-” Katuskie began as the exited the gate.
“Katuski Bakugou if you do not shut your whore mouth right now I will smash you into next sunday” Izuku said without breaking stride, causing Katsuki to bluescreen, just a little. His pause led to him jogging slightly to catch up with Izuku, turning around so he could face him as they walked.
“What the shit nerd? I’m trying to fucking apologize here!” Izuku snorted and shook his head.
“Is this because I laughed when you were encouraging Kirishima earlier?” Katsuki’s steps stuttered slightly before he nodded his head in confirmation.
“I just-”
“Feel like you owe me?” Katsuki nodded at Izuku’s words, who sighed at his response.
“Listen, I know you’re blonde but you can’t be that dumb right?” Izuku stared straight ahead, not even acknowledging the way Katsuki was looking at him with wide eyes. “Apologies don’t suit you Kacchan, and besides, you’ve been apologizing for months now”. Katuski turned around, staring at the ground as they walked.
It was true, for months he’d been doing his best to be better, better than he had been. He had a goal in mind- to be a friend that Deku would deserve.
He stared up at the clouds drifting overhead, frozen in the middle of the sidewalk.
“When did you figure it out?” Izuku kicked lightly at the dirt, staring at his childhood friend out of the corner of his eye, a calm feeling settled in his chest.
“Pretty much immediately” Katsuki stopped looking at the clouds, adjusting to look at the boy he’d forced himself to hate. “You’re behavior was a complete 180 after you met Kirishima, it wasn’t that hard”.
“So why won’t you let me give you a real apology?”
Katsuki met Izuku’s eyes, he wanted to say sorry, he wanted to let himself move on, but everytime he looked at Izuku all he could hear was his own voice telling him to jump off of that roof.
“Because I still feel like I deserved it?” Izuku watched as Katsuki’s eyes widened at his response before wandering almost aimlessly in the general direction of a park he knew.
“I never left you alone,” he continued, “You made it clear you didn’t want me around but I continued to force myself on you. I followed you everywhere like a puppy. I stayed at your place, joined all your conversations, befriended your friends. It makes sense why I was too much for you”. Izuku looked at Katsuki, who was still trailing behind him with a flabbergasted look on his face.
“I feel bad, I overwhelmed you and I still never left you alone”. They’d reach the park, and Izuku sat down on a bench, Katsuki taking his place beside him. “Seeing you now, with Kaminari, Kirishima, Jirou, I see now how calm you are. How quiet. How content you are to just be around them, and I can’t help but think about all the times I was in your face and dragging you around, and I feel bad. It’s even worse knowing how much you beat yourself up for how you treated me, when I still haven’t figured out how to apologize to you”.
Izuku laughed lightly. “Figuring out a way to say ‘Hey, I’m sorry I was obsessed with you and treated you like you owed me everything while not respecting that you may need some space because I thought you were better that the sun and moon combined’ without it sounding sarcastic has not been easy”. Izuku stopped then, watching Katsuki’s face for a reaction and finding none.
He sighed and looked forward, “Anyways, I guess I’m just sorry”
“Shut the fuck up Deku”. Katsuki looked at Izuku, his mouth hanging slightly open in visible confusion, he sighed and ran his hand through his hair.
“You’re literally perfect and you never overwhelmed me- I just”, Katsuki clenched his jaw and his fists. Fighting the urge to activate his quirk as he always had when stressed. “I remember when you got your diagnosis. Before I started bullying you, before I flipped the switch, all my friends started bullying me”.
Izuku paused, before letting out a simple “Oh”.
“Yeah, ‘Oh’” Katsuki snorted. “Eventually I convinced myself I did hate you, because everyone said I should. So I forced myself too”. Izuku paused for a bit, letting the words ‘I convinced myself’ repeat in his head.
Smiling he shook his head, “So you never hated me?” Katsuki nodded.
“Never could. And that just pissed me off more. If you really were worthless, then what did it mean about me that I kept getting so damn happy just to see your shitty face?” Izuku chuckled.
“Well hey, maybe we can be worthless together”. Katsuki cringed a bit and then smiled.
“Yeah, we can be worthless together”.
Izuku leaned back and folded his hands behind his head. “I really did think it was funny earlier”, Katsuki looked at him in confusion, so he clarified, “When I snorted during class. All I could think about was how middle school you wouldve lost his shit at how soft you were being”. Katsuki nodded.
“I was a pretentious little fucker, wasn’t I?” Izuku nodded sagely.
“You most certainly were”, he said, earning himself a patented Katsuki glare.
Ignoring his glare he continued to stare into space, taking a deep breath, “Hey Kacchan?” Katsuki grunted, chin rested on his fist and he stared up at Izuku. “Call me Izuku, please”.
Katuski turned away from him, looking off at his own spot in space, “I’d rather call you Zuchan”. Izuku smiled, that megawatt smile of his and met Katsuki’s gaze as he turned back.
“Even better!”.