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Despite what others may think, Bakugou is quite attentive to his classmates.
Naturally, being halfway through their second year at UA he’s gotten to learn most of their general likes and dislikes. He knows that Denki has a weird preference for sparkling water over still and that Mina is obsessed with rom coms and will meet up with other girls once a week for a movie night.
But he also notices things that most people tend to overlook. Like how Kirishima tends to pick at his fingers when stressed or how Denki has been watching Jirou for longer than usual when he thinks no one is looking.
And what Bakugou was acutely aware of right now was how awfully close Deku and that bastard Todoroki were sitting to each other.
Even with Iida, Uraraka, Asui, and Todoroki sitting alongside Deku at their usual cafeteria table, he could confidently say two more people could comfortably fit in. So really, there is no reason for the two of them to be sitting this close. Their food trays are near touching and he is sure their knees actually are touching underneath that table.
Bakugou thinks that if Denki were to scoot closer from his spot sitting beside him and sit as close as they were, he would’ve shoved that dumbass off the table and onto the floor.
From across the cafe, he watched as Deku talked to his friends. Probably explaining some irrelevant hero fight he saw on the news or yapping about some stupid quirk, his hands making gestures as he spoke.
The idiot hadn’t even put his chopsticks down and he was whipping his hands around. At this rate, he’ll elbow Todoroki in the ribs.
Maybe if Bakugou got lucky, Deku would poke one of Todoroki’s eyes out with those damn chopsticks.
Bakugou wasn’t oblivious to his own feelings either. He’s noticed how his regular instream of thoughts about Midoriya have both increased and gradually changed from annoyance to respect to something more.
More specifically, a want for more.
Light touches of fingertips meeting when passing papers or bumped shoulders during training seemed to linger on his skin. He found his eyes subconsciously seeking him out, searching for him in crowds, always observing what he was doing or who he was with.
It bothered him at first, he’d get annoyed at himself once his brain caught onto what he was doing. He blamed it on habit, reasoning that he was just used to Deku being near him all his life and his brain was chasing after familiarity.
But he couldn’t rationalize the sudden want for closer proximity. Or the new interest he had in what Deku was saying and the feeling of disappointment if Deku were to turn away from him.
Nor could he explain the uncomfortable anger churning in his gut at the sight of that half-and-half bastard leaning in even closer, dropping his hand on Deku’s shoulder.
A pink hand snapped him out of his thoughts.
“Bakugouuu, stop ignoring me,” Mina said, waving her hand across his face. “Did you even hear what I said?”
He quickly brought his gaze back to his own table and slapped her hand away. “Huh? What.”
“Will you please study with us? I promise we won’t fall asleep this time.”
This wasn’t the first time she had asked him to ‘study.’ What this really meant was that he would be tutoring Denki, Kirishima, Sero, and Mina for the upcoming English test. Speaking from experience, he would rather not waste his time helping them. He could get double the work in without them slowing him down.
“Please dude, President Mic said this test is gonna be super hard and you know I’m just barely passing his class!” Denki pleaded.
But then again he rather not listen to them whine for days after failing.
“Fine I’ll help you idiots study,” he agreed. “But I better not hear any complaints or I’ll walk out.”
///
The next day, the small group Bakugou agreed to help turned into a classwide study session.
They had met up in the common room sometime after class and gradually more people started to trickle in. In no time everyone was helping each other and forming their own groups.
Honestly, it wasn’t going badly. He’d gotten Sero and Denki to read a good few chapters of the assigned novel for the course and they were now writing mock essays. So pretty good. Productive.
That is, it was going well before Deku and Todoroki decided to sit at the table in front of him.
At first, it was fine, both of them doing their own thing with some minor chatting here and there. But then Todoroki must’ve asked Deku to proofread something because suddenly Deku leaned in close, focused solemnly on Todoroki’s paper, pencil moving to fix grammar and write comments.
Not that he’s paying attention. He doesn’t care what Deku’s doing.
He doesn’t care that Deku’s arm is touching Todoroki’s or that Todoroki is watching Deku rather than his paper.
And he definitely doesn’t notice how Deku’s bicep flexes every time he holds his pencil a bit too tight. Doesn’t notice how good those scars look on his arms– especially now as takes a break from writing, interlacing his fingers and pushing his arms forward to stretch. Bakugou watches as Deku closes his eyes as he stretches, eyebrows furrowing just the slightest as he takes in the feeling. Then he opens his eyes, maybe looking to see what new classmates had joined them while he wasn’t paying attention.
And then his bright green eyes meet Bakugou’s.
He quickly averts his gaze back to his paper. Fuck, he was definitely staring.
It’s fine, the damn nerd probably won’t think anything of it.
He tries to focus back on his work but his mind won’t listen.
He started to wonder if Deku would agree to study with him. He wondered if they’d sit side-by-side or across from each other. Wondered how close they would get. He wondered if the scars were more predominant up close. Maybe that’s why Todoroki was staring so intensely – staring at the way the thin slivering lines wrapped around Deku’s strong hands as he wrote.
He did notice how much that thought pissed him off.
///
“Kacchan!”
Bakugou turned his head and watched as Deku sped up to catch up with him. They were walking back from Ground Gamma, heading back to the main building for their last few classes of the day.
“Woah that was an exhausting training exercise, Aizawa-sensei really didn’t hold back today,” Deku said once he caught up, now walking beside Bakugou. He didn’t seem out of breath, the only indication of his exhaustion was a few damp curls framing his face and his slightly pink cheeks.
Pink and green, cute.
“Pfff, that was nothing. What, couldn’t handle basic hero lessons?” Bakugou said instead.
“I can handle it! I’ll have you know, I beat my time from last month by 2 whole minutes,” Midoriya said proudly.
“Yeah, I noticed,” Bakugou swallowed. He had noticed, of course he had. His eyes felt glued to the screen when it was Deku’s turn to go through the training ground. He had definitely improved, not only was he faster but he now moved his body with confidence. Less hesitant and with far more trust in his developed skills. “Not bad. Finally getting better, took you long enough.”
Midoriya beamed.
“Oh just you wait, soon you’ll be the one catching up to me,” Midoriya said with a sly smile.
“Ha! Don’t get full of yourself, I’m still far above you,” Bakugou countered.
“Yeah, you were amazing today! I saw you used a new combo today to get through the low beams, it was super cool! Smart that you angled your explosions to hit the beams just before you propelled yourself upwards,” Midoriya said, looking excited as he recounted today’s practice.
He felt warm at the thought of Midoriya watching him, complimenting his moves.
“You were really watching me closely, huh nerd?”
“Well Kacchan, I always play atten—”
“Midoriya”
Fucking hell.
Midoriya focuses ahead to where Todoroki’s annoying voice had just called out to him and where he was now looking at him expectedly.
“Oh, Todoroki! Wait, I’ll be there in just a second!” Midoriya called out then turned back to Bakugou. Except now Midoriya’s eyes did not quite meet his and the pink hue from before was returning to his cheeks. “Well see you later Kacchan”
And he ran off.
What the fuck was that? What could that Icy Hot asshat possibly have to say that’s more important than him? Important enough for him to run off without even finishing his sentence.
God, that peppermint prick was getting on his fucking nerves.
///
Bakugou came downstairs to grab a snack before bed, expecting the common room to be empty considering the late hour.
He should’ve known better than to assume the universe would let him relax before bed.
Of course, none other than Deku and Todoroki were sitting on the couch together. The TV was playing softly in front of them, broadcasting clips of what must’ve been a recent fight in Hosu City. Though only Deku seemed to be interested in it, Todoroki was on his phone.
That’s fine, whatever. He bought a pack of protein bars a couple of days ago, he’ll just take one of those and get out of there.
Expect they’re not in the cupboard. He swears he put it there, he took one out from there yesterday. Did shitty hair eat the rest of them? No way, even that idiot would know better.
“Are you cold?” Todoroki’s voice interrupts Bakugou’s kitchen-wide search for his missing protein bars.
Bakugou looks up and sure enough, all Deku is wearing is a thin t-shirt, probably one of his stupid ones that say “t-shirt.” Usually, that wouldn’t be a problem but it’s November and the temperatures are dropping, especially at night. If he remembers correctly, frog girl even started wearing her winter costume last week to avoid slipping into hibernation.
“Huh? No, I’m fine!”
“Hm,” Todoroki seems to think for a second, then scoots closer to Midoriya, moving his hand up to rest above the couch frame. “Here”
“Oh no, it’s okay Todoroki! Really I’m fine, don’t worry you don’t have to use your quirk,” Midoriya rushes out.
“It’s okay Midoriya, I don’t mind,” Todoroki said with a small smile.
Suddenly, Bakugou lost his appetite.
He hates that Todoroki and Deku are so close while he stands behind watching like a second choice. He doesn’t get it, why is Deku wasting his time with that bastard when Bakugou’s right here?
He feels heat pooling down in his gut. He’s getting too heated, he needs to cool down. He needs to stop watching them. Needs to get himself a glass of water, or better yet, leave and forget he saw any of this nonsense.
“Hm, that’s actually really nice,” Midoriya leaned in closer to Todoroki and sighed.
That’s it.
No, he won’t stand around watching as Midoriya snuggles up to that half-and-half bastard right in front of him.
He feels his mouth forming a frown as he walks over to the couch, pulling off the hoodie he’d been wearing as he makes his way there.
He stands behind them. From here he can feel the heat radiating off Todoroki. Disgusting.
“Take it,” Bakugou tosses the hoodie at Midoriya’s face. “Dumbass, wear something warmer next time.”
He doesn’t stick around to see Midoriya’s reaction. He quickly turns around and walks over to the elevator, cursing the heat rising to his cheeks and sweat building up on his palms.
He regrets it as soon as he gets in his room and processes what he just did.
What was he thinking? Giving fucking Deku his hoodie like in one of Mina’s stupid rom coms. And his favourite hoodie at that, god knows if he’ll get it back now.
He falls onto his bed. Will Deku put it on? Is he wearing it right now? Involuntarily he pictures him, wearing his clothes. The black fabric would contrast nicely against his pale skin and complement his dark green curls. Bakugou was taller than him by a few inches so the sleeves would be too long. Maybe the whole hoodie would be oversized. Or maybe the strong, lean muscle Deku’s gained over the past year would cause it to stretch along his chest and shoulders. His cheeks go aflame at the thought and he feels the fire speeding to the tips of his ears and down his chest.
Stop it. What is even he thinking, the nerd probably won’t even put it on. More so, he’ll probably be confused as hell and think there’s something wrong with him. Maybe he’ll come up to him tomorrow and ask if he hit his head in training.
A light knock hits his door. The sound is so soft it could be easily overlooked, but in the dead silence of his room, he jumps at the sound.
He already knows who’s at the door.
He doesn’t want to open it, didn’t think that Midoriya would chase after him so soon.
Midoriya knocks again.
Maybe if he ignores it he’ll go away.
But Bakugou isn’t about to cower before Deku. He stands up and walks to the door, swinging it open.
“What,” He says harshly, looking Midoriya straight in the eyes. He sucks in a breath– he’s wearing the damn hoodie.
“I-, um,” Midoriya starts but can’t quite seem to find the words. He can’t maintain eye contact and looks down to his hands, where his fingers are twiddling with the sleeves. He was right, the sleeves are too long.
Bakugou considers shooing him away but stays quiet.
Midoriya then takes a deep breath in and looks at him, eyes filled with some new kind of determination unbeknown to Bakugou. “Can I come in?”
And Bakugou lets him.
Bakugou walks over to his bed and sits on the edge. Midoriya eyes the spot next to him but chooses to sit on his desk chair instead, turning it around to face him.
The distance between them is apparent. This isn’t a good sign.
“I just wanted to, um, thank you for the hoodie,” Midoriya starts after a moment of silence that was longer than it should have been.
Bakugou just huffs in response.
“Oh, but I should probably give it back now,” Midoriya then said, moving to take it off.
“No, keep it,” Bakugou said far too quickly for his liking. “I mean, your dumbass probably doesn't own any sweaters. Better to keep this one than to leech off others for warmth like a parasite.”
He had looked away as he spoke and hoped the insult would mask the embarrassing urgency his ‘no’ held. The silence between them was growing. He waited for Midoriya to say something, anything, to break this tension.
“You’re doing it again,” Midoriya said suddenly.
“Huh?” He snaps his eyes back to him, what does that mean?
“That! That look in your eyes!” Midoriya said as if that explained everything. “I saw it before when Todoroki and I were studying together and again tonight downstairs.”
He felt the bitter feeling in his stomach return at that comment.
“I’m surprised you noticed anything other than that half-and-half bastard,” He said sharply.
Midoriya seemed to think that over for a second and Bakugou looked away, feeling uncomfortable under Midoriya's analytical gaze.
“Kacchan,” Midoriya said slowly, leaning forward in his chair. “Are you jealous of Todoroki?”
His stomach dropped.
“WHAT?! No! Jealous? Why would I be jealous over that ass!” He raised his voice as if speaking louder would make him seem more believable.
It didn’t seem to work because Deku just kept watching him.
“I’m not! What is there to be jealous of?” Bakugou felt hot, as if all the emotions he’d tried to store away were about to burst open under the pressure of Midoriya’s gaze. “I'm stronger than him, smarter–- I’m better than he is! He’s nothing compared to me, I’ve known you my whole life!”
He doesn’t even realize what he said until he sees Midoriya standing up from his chair.
Shit. He slipped up. If he hadn’t figured it out already, the nerd would definitely catch on to what he just implied.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Midoriya said as he walked towards him.
“It doesn’t mean fucking anything Deku,” Bakugou said sharply, despite knowing that his efforts are futile now.
Midoriya just smiled.
“You know,” Midoriya said, only mere steps before where he sat. “Todoroki is just my friend. I have no feelings for him, not like that.”
Bakugou doesn’t say anything, doesn’t want to because the look Midoriya is giving him is making him too hopeful and he fears it’ll all fall apart if he speaks even one word.
“Kacchan,” Bakugou watches his Adam's apple move as he swallows– he’s so close to him now. “it’s always been you.”
Bakugou’s eyes widen as Midoriya brings a hand down and grazes the side of his face. Heat rises from Bakugou’s stomach to his face at the light touch of fingertips.
“Can I—” He cuts Midoriya off, grabbing him by his collar and pulling him down to his lips.
He can’t wait any longer. He’s impatient and their noses bump as he’s bringing Midoriya’s face to his. But it doesn’t matter because neither of them want to waste another second.
Bakugou tilts his head to the side and his heart skips a beat as their lips line up perfectly.
Midoriya’s soft and warm against him. He moves his hand up from its place at Midoriya’s collar to the back of his neck, his other arm wrapping around Midoriya’s waist. The feeling of his frame leaning against his was hypnotic and Bakugou thought that he could stay like this forever.
Midoriya is the one to pull apart, breathless despite the chaste kiss lasting only a couple of seconds. He’s sitting on Bakugou’s lap, face bright pink and eyes watery as he watches Bakugou, taking it all in.
Then his face splits open into a wide grin. “You don’t know how long I wanted to do that for.”
Bakugou did know, because oh god has he been wanting.
But he doesn’t have to want anymore.
So he leans in for another kiss.