Work Text:
Bakugou was confused.
It took a lot to confuse him, and even if something did, he normally was able to work it out quickly. He was one of the top in the class, and he even beat Izuku in their last set of test results, nearly edging out Icy thot. Momo – yes he respected her enough to use her name she was cool and didn’t have a stick up her ass like other legacy children he knew – was far, far ahead of them.
What was confusing him was Deku – Izuku. Acting strange in the last week, his face wasn’t right, and he was not quite right. There was just something off about the nerd, it was off putting. He was training at the same level, learning at the same level. Everything. It was just there was something off about him and it just wasn’t easy to put a finger on. It frustrated him on a level that Izuku hadn’t since they started UA, when he had first found out about his quirk.
He wasn’t quite right. But Katsuki wasn’t sure if it was because of their fight, or because of his apology or the other thing. Izuku had seemed pleased, content after it had happened, but Katsuki knew he had a tendency to overthink. Especially alone in his room with no one else to talk too. It would not be out of the ordinary for Izuku to over think it so much that he would think that Katsuki was doing it to pity him. Or make fun of him. Or some other stupid fucking nerd thing.
Katsuki knew it wasn’t only a kiss to the other boy, because he knew it wasn’t only a kiss to him. He had waited long enough and hoped that their relationship was fixed enough that it wouldn’t have been taken badly. Maybe he was wrong. So here he was, about to apologise.
Breathing out, shaking his hands out he stands outside of his room. Raising a fist to knock. Shaking it out again when he heard a small giggle from room. A deeper one in reply.
A deeper one in reply.
Katsuki stepped away from the door.
There was something about Izuku that really confused him. This was not something he would normally do.
Shaking his head – ignoring the wetness in his eye – he stalked away from the door, and it couldn’t feel any more like a coward running away with his tail tucked between his legs. If he found someone better, someone stronger, then Katsuki would step out of the way. Even as the hope in his heart wasted away, he was happy that Dek- Izuku would be happy with someone else.
It would explain the discomfort, as well as his non confrontation. He didn’t want Katsuki to know yet.
He ignored how familiar the man’s laugh was. It was probably one of their friends. Icy-hot maybe, it better fucking not be shitty-hair. Even if – even if he was the first one to know about his crush on Izuku. Even if.
Even fucking if - never fixes anything. He just had to move on.
Katsuki didn’t fucking move on, could not fucking move on. His biggest failure, other than being a shit head moronic bully loser. Staring at the nerd from across the common room in the morning as he made his breakfast and spoke with pink-cheeks and Icy-hot. Shoving the food into his mouth and still mouthing off about something or another.
His friends were smiling at him sweetly, nodding along to his muttered mumble. His hand movements were wildly moving around, as if he were mimicking Iida’s over the top movements.
Even that looked fucking off.
There was just something off about it, the way he smiled how bright and shining it was. It wasn’t like the sun shining down on humanity, it was almost a kin to his battle smile. Like a predator chasing after a prey. Teeth almost too sharp.
His movements were too smooth, practiced and graceful. Commanding the space in a way Deku did with his smiles and his kindness and selflessness. All the things that drew Katsuki in, Katsuki was graceful and practiced enough for the both of them. All they needed was kindness and smiles. Katsuki would get frown lines and Izuku would get smile lines. Perfect pair.
Feeling his face heat up, he turned away. Aware of just how much he had always watched Izuku. Just how long he had been looking at Izuku. Shovelling the rest of the his breakfast into his mouth to distract himself, he could feel his blush strengthening as he thought about how much he had been thinking about Deku.
“Omg is – OMG EVERYONE LOOK BAKUGOU’S BLUSHING.”
At least he had friends that would be able to distract him, and the time it took for him to murder Mina into a fine pink paste was definatly not enough for him to forget.
“Hey Bakugou?” Izuku asked, rubbing his arms up and down nervous, “can you please gather everyone in the common room for me, I need – I need to tell you guys something.” Tears built in his eyes.
“Bakugou?” Katsuki asked, brain ticking over for a moment. Before nodding, “yeah, yeah sure I’ll grab everyone. Are you alright? It’s not about”
“Katsuki, please hurry. I can’t talk right now. I just really need you to get everyone into the common room now. We can talk later ok?” Shuffling away Izuku’s eyes were still filled with tears, he must he holding himself together incredibly tightly. His typical sniffles weren’t even present. It was even weirder than being called anything but Kacchan.
Izuku must have been really shaken up, out of sorts. Severely out of sorts to not call him Kacchan.
This was it. The kiss had done it, it had pushed him away from Katsuki for good. This was the start, next would be withdrawing from training sessions with him, and then he would stop their study sessions with the idiots. Then he would not respond to his messages, would decline hangouts and then his calls.
He would probably tell his mother to never speak to Katsuki again. This is it, he should have never done it, now he won’t ever see Inko Midoriya again and his mother would kill him for pushing away the two Midoriya’s. The two people Mitsuki actually liked.
Him and Masaru didn’t count, she had to love them. She always told them that that didn’t mean that she liked them. Keeping them on thin ice, even if they were used to her lies now. Especially because it seemed to be an inherited trait.
A itch of his eyes kicked him up the ass to move him into gear. Izuku asked him to gather everyone, so that was what he would do. Hopefully he was coming clean about One for All. God Katsuki had been nagging him to tell at least Aizawa, their goddamn homeroom teacher who was primarily responsible for their training. Hope fucking fully to fucking god Deku was finally accepting help, and support their class would give.
Self-sacrificial moron, hopefully the many hours of love his friends had given him finally hammered some self-care into his thick skull.
Luckily most people were in the common room already, all the difficult people who would have been hell to bring. Icy-Hot in particular who levelled Katsuki’s dark glare with a flat look. Bastard was basically telling him to come fight him, reminding him of that damn promise he had given him to never hurt Izuku, which probably meant he shouldn’t randomly punch his friends whenever he felt insecure.
He left Mineta in his room, no one wanted him there. Katsuki made the executive decision to leave him out. If Izuku wanted him to know he would have to tell him himself.
Everyone – even Aizawa who had mobilised the moment Katsuki had told him it was for Deku, stupid favouritism – showed up for it. Commanding one of the armchairs as the rest of 1-A who couldn’t fit on the sofa were on the floor, leaning against the legs of different people.
Lercing in the back Katsuki watched it all, keeping a close, close eye on Deku as he was seemingly setting up something to watch on the TV screen. An almost serene look on his face, that he had never goddamn had on his face ever in the entire world. This was worrying, and Katsuki was definatly not worrying about this whole entire situation. Kirishima kept on turning around to check on him because he definatly wasn’t worrying.
“Ok so what I wanted to tell you today I have pre-recorded. I know that would make me look like a total coward, and everything, but I just really, really want to tell you this myself.” He took a deep breath as if to stop himself rambling, as if that wasn’t a deep red flag itself, Deku chickening out of anything – especially public speaking was the first, “I’ll press play, and just watch please don’t come after me. Come find me after if you want, but for now. Just watch please.”
The video started in a small room, and after scurrying out Deku paused at the door. A large wicked grin on his face before peaking away, not before winking at Katsuki.
The gasp drew his eyes from the door where Deku had fled, he wished it hadn’t. There he was, suspended by chains from the ceiling. Dangling and swaying in its grasp. Shigaraki standing by his side, four fingered grip over his jaw.
“Hello there.” He said in his rasping voice, tilting Izuku’s bloodied and beaten up face to the camera, “Got a little message to share with you. I am assuming that since you are seeing this, and Toga is still reporting to me at the time of this message Toga has done her job, and I have managed to complete mine.”
Wrenching Izuku’s face upwards, revealing the carved-out eye and the socket gaping open. The cries of his classmates were hollow in his ears. Katsuki could taste bile in his mouth, and could feel blood pooling in his ears.
“I know this looks quite extreme; I admit I was shocked Sensei allowed this. Considering its his son I’m doing this too. I guess you could call his a ransom video, but I don’t think the dictionary would agree, since I have already taken the thing that I wanted because of the kidnapping.”
Aizawa had started ushering the student out. Shouting over the video, and on the phone to get All Might and Nedzu and any fucking teacher who was available to help.
“And so, this was the plan. I do so hope Toga has moved quick enough, I do need Eri now more than ever.” A groan was heard over the din of the video, as Aizawa was sprinting past his students who were now huddling together out of the doors. Dashing over to the teacher apartment swearing colourfully and wetly under his breath. “I would think so, especially with the direct connection to Johnny she should be fine I’m not worried. Probably not as worried as you Eraserhead huh. Don’t worry we don’t want to kill her, we don’t even want her quirk! Sensei just wants her for a few weeks to heal, and to heal his son. And then we can bring her back.”
Dropping Izuku, he dropped back into his low hanging arms stretching back again. Shigaraki stroked his hair for a few moments before patting it lightly coming over to the camera.
“We are not giving Izuku back. He is ours, you cannot be trusted with him.” His hand reached out to the camera five fingers spread in a destructive spread, “oh and Kacchan.” Katsuki walked forward, facing the camera in the empty room, “I hope you know that he wished you were here, he wanted to tell you that he loved you. Goodbye.”
The camera fizzled out as the five fingers latched on, decaying it and breaking the connection. Breaking Katsuki as he folded over himself clutching at the arms as he screamed.
He didn’t even notice it was Toga, how could he not notice that it wasn’t Izuku. Katsuki had seen all that was wrong with him and didn’t notice it wasn’t him.
He screamed until he was folded into the warm bony arms of All Might, and then he sobbed.