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When Izuku Midoriya realised he loved his best friend… He tried to bury it as deep as he could. For as long as he could.
He was sure his crush started when he was younger. It dwindled in middle school but seeing Bakugou in high school… He was so different. Every day it was something new. Something unlike Bakugou and Izuku just… Couldn’t help his feelings resurfacing. He was pretty sure he noticed it again during the sports festival. He wasn’t sure that height of competitiveness was normal then again he wouldn’t know.
After that, his feelings only grew and grew until it was embarrassingly obvious he liked him. At least to Izuku’s friends. They tried to encourage him to confess or in Todoroki’s case he just said the worst Bakugou could do was blast him to hell. Which wasn’t very reassuring. Izuku thought he didn’t need to rush to tell Bakugou. That like with everything they did, it would come with time. He was sure there would be a right moment.
Yet he couldn’t help but notice the way Kirishima looked at Bakugou. It seemed to be the same way Bakugou looked at him. Whilst Izuku tried to brush it off he couldn’t shake the feeling he should confess soon or never.
Every day it got harder to confess. It got harder to watch Kirishima smirk at Bakugou as he successfully stole something off his plate then Bakugou would explode at him making him laugh. Then Bakugou would just stare at him… With that same look in his eyes. A way Izuku was sure he looked at him like that once…
It started with the looks then came touching from Kirishima’s side and at first Bakugou screeched about it but slowly he grew accustomed to his friends touching him.
Izuku couldn’t help but spiral. Whilst his friends tried to help him they also couldn’t deny how obvious it seemed. Izuku thought maybe confessing would at least get him closure and he could move on but… As he watched their fingers entwine across the table and a small smile settle itself on Katsuki’s lips… He knew he couldn’t tell him.
His heart hurt and he couldn’t help the sad smile that settled on his face… He put a hand to his chest and told himself that as long as Kacchan was happy then that was all that mattered.
It didn’t make it hurt any less no matter how often he told himself it.
He told himself that when he saw them hold hands.
When he saw them hug.
When he accidentally stumbled across them kissing in front of the dorm block.
He just had to keep repeating it to himself. Maybe then it would make it stop hurting so much… He didn’t cry. He didn’t think he could…
Until he sat with his friends with the same fake smile on his lips and Todoroki told him it was okay to be hurt about it. Then he cried and he held onto Todoroki like a lifeline.
Ochaco comforted him with words and Iida offered many blankets whilst Todoroki awkwardly patted his back. Shinso was motioning for what Todoroki should do whilst Tsuyu sat next to Ochaco comforting her for some reason.
It was a mess but it made it hurt a little less.