Work Text:
"Shit. Kacchan's going to kill me!"
Deku was running late.
He ran through campus as fast as his legs allowed him to.
On normal days, he would usually get a practice room before rehearsal so he could warm up until Todoroki and Bakugo came but on that day…
Todoroki:
we're in practice room number 7
[ 5:30 PM ]
…
Deku was gasping for air as he knocked on the door before opening it hesitantly.
"Fucking finally, Deku. What took you so long? Rehearsal was at 5:30. It's been almost 15 minutes."
Deku looked over at the angry blond who was staring down at him.
"I'm so sorry, Bakugo. Something unexpected came up. I'm really sorry. It won't happen again."
"Good. Now get ready. We've already warmed up and tuned our instruments. Don't make us wait any longer, dumbass."
Deku put down his bag and took his sheet music out, hurrying to the piano.
"We're starting from the beginning."
"Thank you, Todoroki."
"Alright, since you play alone at the beginning, you'll give the tempo. Todoroki will follow you and then me. Let's stop at page 4 before the new theme comes in."
Bakugo looked as serious and focused as ever as he listened to Deku. Todoroki was getting ready for his turn to play.
Earlier in the semester, they had been assigned Brahms' trio op 18, nº 1. For violinists and cellists, it was a difficult piece but for pianists, it was monumental and demanding. To Brahms, the piano wasn't just an instrument but rather a whole orchestra. Creating different timbres and colours while playing Brahms' sometimes very dense passages was the pianist's job and it required a great set of skills. This piece's difficulty, in particular, was enough to scare even the most confident players hence why Deku felt very hesitant at first. But so were the other two boys once they realised playing it wasn't going to be a piece of cake for them either.
They all had practised their parts individually for a couple weeks and had recently started to rehearse together.
"STOP, STOP, STOP!!"
Everyone stopped playing immediately.
"What are you doing? Your rhythm is all wonky. Do you have any clue what you're playing, nerd?"
Deku looked up, glanced at Bakugo and then looked back down at his sheet music.
“I— I don’t understand what you mean.”
“Need me to draw you a picture? Your sense of rhythm is ass.”
The trio fell silent until Bakugo put down his violin and walked over to Deku’s side.
“Move.”
“Uh??”
Deku was confused.
“I said move, Deku! Let me play it for you, maybe you’ll get it then.”
Deku got up and moved aside so as to let Bakugo sit on the stool.
“Your quavers are so irregular, you started rushing. That’s why Todoroki couldn’t synchronise with you at the beginning… Not only that, but they’re way too loud, It’s too noisy. They’re not the melody nor the bass, so don’t play them so loudly. "
To both Deku and Todoroki’s surprise, Bakugo’s fingers moved swiftly across the black and white keys. Deku couldn’t believe how talented the other boy was. Not only was he some sort of a genius at the violin, he was also incredible on the piano. A pang of jealousy hit him because Bakugo had proved once again just how far apart they were in talent and skills. Not that he should be making any comparisons but it was hard not to.
“There you go. I understand being focused on making different colours but don’t get carried away. You’re not playing solo. Also, don’t forget Todoroki needs your support as well. If you start rushing or slowing down, it’s over for us three. Don’t make me have to play the piano for you again, you dumbass.” he got up and picked up his violin.
“Let’s start from the top once more.” suggested Todoroki. His lips curved in an encouraging smile when he glanced at Deku.
‘Thank you, Todoroki.’
Deku felt grateful for him. Todoroki's serene presence always helped him feel a little bit more at ease. He really needed that extra dose of patience and calmness when it came to dealing with Bakugo.
…
‘Thank goodness this rehearsal is over.’
The boys ended up practising for almost two hours.
"When should we practise again?" Todoroki was done putting away his cello.
"Well, today's Friday so how about Tuesday?" Deku wanted to make sure he practised as much as possible.
"Fine by me. What do you think, Bakugo?"
"Whatever you decide is fine. As long as it doesn't clash with my lessons, anything's fine."
"Okay. Then next Tuesday, same time."
The three boys each went their way.
Later that night, Deku couldn't stop thinking about Bakugo's piano playing. The blond had only played the first few bars but that was enough to leave Deku mesmerised.
'I need to listen to more of his playing or else.' he screamed silently into his pillow.
*****
On Tuesday, the trio's rehearsal went better.
"Your playing was amazing today, Midoriya. How did you improve so much in such a short period of time?"
Deku felt very flattered, it was actually a bit embarrassing. He felt Bakugo’s gaze on him, making his heart beat faster. He chuckled nervously.
"Thank you, Todoroki. I simply practised, keeping in mind Bakugo's advice which helped me a lot. Other than that, I didn’t do anything different. I just perfected a couple passages here and there." he said, smiling.
He then turned to the blond.
"Thank you for the tips, by the way. They were really helpful."
Bakugo snorted.
"You're good, Deku except when you don't listen to yourself." — he had finished putting away his violin and was about to head out — "I did nothing. I simply pointed out the obvious. That's all… See you all next Friday."
"I'm leaving too, Midoriya." — the other boy followed Bakugo, leaving the room too — "Again, good job today."
Deku wanted to go after Bakugo, he wanted to know more about him.
"WAIT!!"
The blond was still close enough to hear Deku. He turned around, sighing deeply.
"WHAT?"
Deku froze when he locked eyes with Bakugo.
"Uh— Nevermind. It’s nothing… nothing at all", he laughed it off.
Bakugo rolled his eyes and walked away.
"Bye, Midoriya.", the other boy followed him.
Deku stood there, watching the other two walk further and further away.
'There's no point in getting closer to Kacchan. It's not like he'd let me anyways… I really do want to listen to him more, though.' — Deku sighed in defeat — 'Maybe another time.'
It's not that he didn't want to become closer friends with Bakugo, it's just that he wasn't sure how to do it and a big part of him was extremely afraid of rejection. Besides, his own motives were pretty selfish, weren't they? Wanting to listen to more of the other boy's playing, wanting to know more about him. Yeah… no way that was going to happen…unless?
Deku shook off those thoughts. He needed to focus on something else other than the blond. Anything else.
*****
Two months had passed and the trio was busy preparing to perform Brahms in a couple days.
"I think the three of you sound really great together." Iida nodded in approval.
"You really think so?!!"
"What the fuck kind of question is that, dumbass? Of fucking course he does." Bakugo's tone was sharp.
"Anyways… You got this, guys!! You'll kill it at this Saturday's concert." Uraraka clapped her hands.
"Thanks! I'm sure we will" — Deku chuckled. — "Thank you for coming here, guys. Your opinion and support help a lot! I hope we didn't take up too much of your time. I know you're busy with rehearsals too."
"Oh don't worry about it. We'll practise more later today anyways."
Iida played the horn and Uraraka played the clarinet. Both were 2nd year students just as the boys. They all attended the same classes (except individual ones, of course) so they were pretty close as they hung out quite a lot.
…
That night, Deku was finding it difficult to fall asleep. He was determined not to let his anxiety get to him so as not to affect his performance but it was becoming harder and harder to do it. Every night, Brahms’ trio got stuck in his head, he simply couldn’t stop thinking about it: his part, the things he had to improve, his musicality, the mistakes he kept making here and there. Ugh, it was becoming too much. Especially that night.
Deku found himself mindlessly scrolling through Instagram until he noticed Bakugo had just replied to someone’s post. It was unusual for that guy to be up so late. He wondered what was going on.
Before he could stop himself, he was typing out a dm and pressing ‘send’ .
Hey, Bakugo!! Ummm…
shouldn’t you be asleep?
It’s pretty late ahah O.O
[ 11 PM ]
???
What are YOU doing up so late?
Tomorrow’s music history class
is pretty early. Go to bed.
[ 11:02 PM ]
You’re one to talk,
Kacchan. =_=
[ 11:02 PM ]
Kacchan??...
[ 11:02 PM ]
???
[ 11:03 PM ]
Did you just call me
Kacchan, Deku??
[ 11:03 PM ]
Deku wanted to throw his phone across the room and not look at it ever again. Bakugo was NOT supposed to find out about the cute nickname Deku had given him. How could he ever look at the blond’s face again? He took a couple deep breaths and told himself to calm down before he picked up his phone again. It was going to be okay. He knew what to do. It was time to pretend none of that had ever happened. Hopefully the blond would forget about it.
ANYWAYS
You reaaally should go to sleep.
It’s unusual for you to go to bed
so late. Is there something wrong?
Do you want to talk about it? (ʃƪ＾3＾）
[ 11:08 PM ]
...
You’re acting really weird rn…
Weirder than usual, I mean…
But yeah, you’re right.
I need to sleep.
[ 11:10 PM ]
(*˘︶˘*).｡*♡
Yes, go to sleep~~
Goodnight. ✧\(>o<)ﾉ✧
See you tomorrow ^^
[ 11:10 PM ]
Bye.
[ 11:10 PM ]
Deku sighed in relief. He had just dodged a bullet. Although… he was sure Bakugo wouldn’t forget this.
‘I mean… he calls me Deku. If he can give me a nickname then why can't I? Right??’
He shook his head as if trying to shake off those thoughts as he drifted off to sleep.
*****
It was finally performance day. The trio had just finished rehearsing for the last time before the concert. Rehearsal had actually gone really well. Deku was feeling pretty content, confident even. The three boys knew they’d do well that night.
He was about to leave when Bakugo walked up to him. He had no idea what the other boy would want to talk to him about. Fortunately, Bakugo hadn’t questioned him about the whole “Kacchan” nickname thing which was a relief. He hoped the blond had chosen to ignore it for good.
“Deku!”
Bakugo’s voice brought him back to reality. Deku looked up, trying not to avoid making eye contact, something he sometimes struggled with.
“Is there…ummm… something wrong, Bakugo?? Don’t tell me there’s something wrong with my playing”, he scratched the back of his head, waiting to hear the worst.
“First of all” — Bakugo flicked Deku’s forehead, who let out a surprised ‘Ouch!’ in response. — “you should be more confident. We’re going to kill everyone at tonight’s performance!! So don’t jinx it with your pessimism, dumbass!”
“Not kill!!" Deku snorted, biting the inside of his cheeks so as not to grin too hard. Bakugo could be pretty funny.
“Second of all, apparently my violin teacher wants to meet us both." — Deku's smile dropped but Bakugo continued — "I can imagine what he might want but I'm not sure. I’ll talk to him and I’ll let you know of anything. He’ll probably contact me tomorrow or something. I'll text you.”
“Oh, uh…okay.” Deku was confused but very curious.
“Well, this was all. See you tonight and don’t be late.”
Bakugo turned on his heels and waved at Deku.
…
It was almost time. The trio was waiting backstage for their cue. Big blue, red and yellow spotlights illuminated the pair of musicians that was performing.
Deku nervously wiped off his sweaty hands on his black trousers and closed his eyes, trying to focus on his breath.
‘Breathe in… breathe out… breathe in…and breathe out again. You can do this, Izuku!! You’ve practised and all that’s left to do now is to enjoy the music! Let’s have fun with Todoroki and Kacchan.”
When he opened his eyes, he noticed Todoroki curiously observing him. He gave him an encouraging smile. Neither of them said anything. Words weren’t needed.
As the students finished playing, they were met with applause. Both bowed and walked out of the stage. That was the trio’s cue.
The boys exchanged glances.
Bakugo was the first one to walk on stage, Todoroki and Deku followed him while the audience clapped.
They all took a moment to settle in while exchanging glances. Todoroki and Bakugo, already in position, waited for Deku to start.
The latter wiped his palms on his trousers, taking a couple deep breaths. With the melody in his mind, he felt ready to play.
Deku positioned his hands on the keyboard and started playing.
A rich and beautiful melody filled the concert hall. Each of the other instruments followed the piano. First the cello and then the violin. All three of them were so perfectly synchronised, anyone could tell how much work had been put into their playing.
So much was Deku's focus that no thoughts were running through his mind other than "keep going" and "you can do this". There was no time for fear to creep in. His fingers kept on moving swiftly across the black and white keys and with no hesitation. He'd occasionally exchange glances with the other two boys as if they had their own language, their own way of communicating. In its essence, chamber music was that: communication.
After 38 minutes, the piece was over. They all stood up and bowed as the audience broke into applause.
Deku's cheeks were flushed, he felt so hot after giving it his all on stage. He looked over at the other boys. Todoroki was grinning at him and even Bakugo wore a proud expression on his face.
They bowed once again before leaving the stage.
…
"Oh my god, that was amazing, guys!!" — Deku put aside his blazer jacket and started taking off his bowtie. — "I think the audience enjoyed our playing a lot."
"Enjoyed?? Nah, they fucking loved us." Bakugo had taken off his shirt and was putting on a much comfier looking orange sweatshirt.
Deku averted his gaze from the blond's surprisingly toned torso.
"I noticed some people even stood up." Todoroki spoke, he'd just stored his cello in its case.
"Thank goodness this is over, though. I feel exhausted. I can't wait to go home but Uraraka and Iida invited us to go drinking." — Deku sighed in relief after taking off his uncomfortable "concert" shoes — "You should come with us, Bakugo!"
The blond furrowed his brows and shook his head.
"No."
He was dead set on going home. However, Deku wouldn't let him go so easily.
"Awww, come on, Bakugo… After how well we did tonight, I think we deserve some drinks!!"
"Exactly. We need to celebrate." added Todoroki.
"Celebrate?"
"Our performance, obviously!! Come on. Pleaaaase." Deku put his hands together and made his best 'puppy face'.
Bakugo looked at Deku who was practically begging him to go.
"Hell the fuck no!! Having to put up with Iida's tight ass for the next two hours? Nah, I'd rather go home and sleep."
Deku burst out laughing.
"Poor Iida!!" he managed to say in between laughs.
"I can't even believe he'd agree to go out for drinks. That guy looks like the only drink he likes is water."
"KACCHAN!! NOW YOU'VE DONE IT!" Deku immediately covered his mouth after realising what he'd just said.
Bakugo raised an eyebrow. After studying Deku's face, he sighed in defeat.
"Alright…I'll go." he rolled his eyes.
"Let's head outside and wait for Uraraka and Iida then."
…
"Oh, there you are, boys!" Uraraka waved at them, smiling. Iida was walking right beside her as they were holding hands.
Bakugo noticed their joint hands and talked softly so that only Deku and Todoroki could hear him.
"Since when did those two start dating?" he whispered.
"Since last summer. You didn't know?" Todoroki replied.
The blond shrugged.
"Hey!! Good job tonight! Your performance was so touching!"
"Indeed! I think no one was indifferent to your playing." Iida agreed with his girlfriend.
"Thank you. So did you!! You did really well." Deku gave them two thumbs up.
"Ah but you guys ended up stealing the spotlight. Well…shall we head to the bar?" Uraraka suggested.
Everyone followed her, even Bakugo who, very reluctantly, had decided to come along.
…
"Ah!" — Uraraka had just chugged down a whole mojito. — "This feels good after such a long day. Do you guys want anything to eat?"
"I'm good." Todoroki was sipping on some soda. He couldn't drink because he was the designated driver.
"No, I don't want anything." Bakugo put down his glass after taking a sip.
Deku watched him.
"A negroni? That's quite fancy of you."
"Uh? It's really not."
"Hmmm no, I think Deku is right. Didn't take you for a negroni guy." Uraraka signalled the waitress to bring her another mojito.
"Whatever. It's just a drink."
"Well… sure… Anyway, do you have any news?" Uraraka winked at Deku.
"News?? Like what?"
"Like a girlfriend or… a boyfriend." she quickly glanced between Deku and Bakugo.
"N—No." — Deku let out an awkward chuckle — "Too busy and too stressed for that."
"What about you, blondie?"
Bakugo raised an eyebrow.
"No."
"Hasn't anyone caught your eye recently?"
"As if I'd tell you." he took another sip of his drink.
Uraraka groaned.
"You guys are no fun. How about you, Todoroki?"
The boy looked as if he was contemplating whether he should answer or not but in the end, he simply shrugged.
"No one in particular, I guess."
"I don't know if I believe that but alright."
The group kept talking until it was 2am or…until Iida decided it was better for them to head home and rest.
"I enjoyed hanging out with you, guys. Yes, including you, Bakugo. Let's do this again sometime. Bye!!"
The blond snorted as he watched the couple walk away.
"I guess that's my cue to go home too. How about you, guys? I can give you a ride back." Todoroki took his car keys out of his pocket.
"Oh, thank you, Todoroki. You're coming too, right, Bakugo?"
"I guess…"
They all got in the car and in a few minutes, Todoroki dropped them off at their respective homes.
…
Deku felt exhausted but at the same time, he couldn't stop thinking about that night. He felt so proud of himself for how well he'd played the piano. It felt so good playing with Todoroki and Bakugo. They were such a good trio.
'I want to play with them again. Especially with Kacchan.'
He suddenly remembered what Bakugo had told him earlier. What could his teacher want to discuss? Deku couldn't imagine, especially because his own piano teacher hadn't mentioned anything to him. He felt his heart beating faster. Thinking too much about it was making him nervous.
'Well, I guess I'll find out when Kacchan texts me.'
*****
Kacchan:
Hey, nerd. My teacher asked me
if you could meet up with us at 3pm.
Are you available?
[ 10:55 AM ]
Deku:
Oh, hey, Bakugo!
Yes, I am.
Where do you want to meet up?
[ 10:56 AM ]
Kacchan:
I'll be having a violin lesson.
You know where we u sually
have classes right?
In that building, room number 34.
[ 10:58 AM ]
Deku:
Okay. I'll meet you there.
See you later, Bakugo. ( ╹▽╹ )
[ 10:59 AM ]
[ seen ✓ ]
Deku sighed. He knew there was nothing to be nervous about but he couldn't help it. His stomach was in knots just thinking about what Bakugo's teacher could want from him.
…
Deku took a deep breath before he knocked on the door.
"Come on in, Midoriya!" a deep low pitched voice came from inside.
Deku nervously opened the door. He noticed Bakugo was putting away his violin. Sitting behind a small desk was his teacher: a tall, skinny blond man.
"Good afternoon, Midoriya. I'm so glad to see you. Please have a seat."
Both him and Bakugo sat down on the chairs across from the older man.
"First of all, I want to congratulate you both on your trio performance. I thought your playing was delightful."
Deku felt his cheeks getting warmer after hearing that compliment.
"Thank you so much." he replied shyly.
"That's precisely why I wanted to talk to you, Midoriya. I think your playing is the perfect match for Bakugo's."
"What the—?" Bakugo started before getting interrupted by his teacher
"I'd like for you two to play together. Just the two of you."
"R—Really??" Deku couldn't hide his surprise.
"Seriously?? Why him?" Bakugo protested.
"Because, like I said, I think your playing style fits Midoriya's and I'm sure you could both learn a lot from each other."
The older man stood up and scoured the room's shelves in search of a specific sheet music book.
"Ah, here it is." he laid it out on the desk so that both boys could see it.
"Oh, isn't this Beethoven's 'Spring' sonata?"
"You're correct, Midoriya. I think this piece suits you both really well. What do you think?" he carefully observed the boys' facial expressions.
Bakugo picked up the book and flicked it before letting out a loud sigh.
"Sure. Why not?" he said in a rather monotone voice.
"What about you, Midoriya?"
Deku was sweating nervously. He couldn't say 'no', could he? He felt conflicted. Accepting the teacher's offer would bring him the opportunity to finally spend some time with Bakugo. On the other hand, that also made him feel very nervous. Were their playing styles really that perfect for each other? He still couldn't believe that.
"Ummm… Midoriya?"
The teacher's voice brought Deku back to reality.
"Right. Ummm… Sure. I think it would be a good experience for both of us."
He hoped he wouldn't regret agreeing to this.
The man clapped his hands.
"Wonderful!! You can take this book and print it. As for deadlines…"— he stopped to ponder — "I'd like for you to perform it at the Spring music festival which will be in a few months. You have more than enough time to work on all 4 movements."
'Great, I can't believe I'm already feeling anxious. Calm down, Izuku!! Isn't this what you wanted?? To play with Kacchan? It will be fiiiine.' He tried to remind himself.
"We can do that, right, Dek— I mean, Izuku?"
"Right, Bakugo." Deku forced a smile.
"Perfect. Since you've already worked together, I'll trust you to figure out the details yourselves. I would like to listen to you from time to time, though. Would every two weeks be good for you?"
"Yes." said Bakugo.
Deku nodded in agreement.
"Okay. Then that's it. This is what I wanted to discuss with you. Thank you once again for coming and for accepting my suggestion, Midoriya."
"No problem."
"You're both dismissed."
Bakugo picked up his violin and bag as Deku said goodbye to their teacher.
"Bye, boys!" the man was waving at them as Deku closed the door.
Both of them stood by the door.
"So…" Deku started.
"Let's meet up next week."
"N—NEXT WEEK?? BUT BAKUGO—"
"WHAT?! THAT'S ENOUGH, NO??"
They just stared at each other for what seemed like an awfully long time.
"Try to read and practice as much of the 1st movement as possible, alright? We'll work from there." — Bakugo attentively observed the other boy's freckled face — " Ugh, seriously, Deku. I can't with you. I'll text you later in the week to schedule the rehearsal. I have to go now."
"I— WAIT, I NEED THE SHEET MUSIC!!"
"Oh, right. There you go. Give it to me at tomorrow's history lesson. Bye."
"S— Sure…" Deku stood there, not knowing what to think.
…
"Damn Kacchan." Deku muttered as he sat down to practise in the room he'd reserved for himself.
One good thing about this sonata was how short it was but "short" didn't always mean "easy". Quite the opposite.
Beethoven's pieces were usually easy to read but difficult to play, especially the lengthier ones. At least, that's how Deku felt every time he picked up a piece by the German composer. Hopefully this one wasn't going to give him too much trouble. The thought of playing with Kacchan was already enough to make him feel nervous.
*****
"Hey"
Bakugo was already waiting for Deku inside the practice room.
"Late as per usual, I see." the blond teased.
"You're wrong. It's 6:30 PM so I am on time!! You just got here earlier!!!!!!"
Deku's protests made Bakugo snort.
"Anyways, let's not waste any more time." — He waited for Deku to sit down. — "What do you think of dividing the first movement into sections and work on each of them individually?"
"Yep, I think that's a good idea." Deku agreed.
"Let's start slow then see how it goes."
Both boys were in position to play, eyeing each other.
"1, 2, 3…"
The practice room became filled with a beautiful melody accompanied by the piano.
Bakugo's violin playing felt so delicate, so full of light and colour which Deku wasn't expecting. He didn't think the blond could sound so… passionate. His playing really was amazing.
They stopped playing once they finished that section.
"Look at you actually doing a good job, nerd."
"What a backhanded compliment." Deku furrowed his brows.
"I am right, though. You're doing surprisingly well."
"Again, not a compliment." the green haired boy pouted.
Bakugo snorted, trying not to smile.
"Anyways, you're pretty good at accompanying me but don't forget that we switch roles sometimes, meaning, there's parts where I accompany you. On those bars, don't be afraid to sing your melody."
"Right, I'll keep that in mind."
They kept practising until 8:30 PM.
"Ah, it's getting late. We should stop for now, Bakugo."
"Right. Let's continue next week. I have too many rehearsals and too much to practise this week. How's Monday for you?"
"Sure, that's fine by me. I'm free on Monday. We can practise at about the same time if you want."
Deku got up and started putting away his things. He was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he jumped when he heard Bakugo clear his throat before speaking.
"It's quite late… I was thinking of grabbing something to eat. You can join me if you want."
Deku raised an eyebrow. He noticed a shift in the other boy's energy. He couldn't put his finger on exactly what felt different but there was something going on. Oh well, he chose not to overthink it.
"Is that an invitation?"
Bakugo rolled his eyes.
"Whatever, I'm going. Follow me if you want to." the blond said as soon as he was done packing his violin.
Deku was screaming internally.
"WAIT!! I'M COMING WITH YOU!"
"WELL, HURRY UP THEN. I DON'T HAVE ALL NIGHT!"
They locked the room and gave the keys back to the woman at the reception desk.
There was a McDonald's restaurant near campus so they had decided to go there.
…
"I've always wondered" — Deku was chewing on his french fries — "What goes through your mind while you're playing the violin?"
Bakugo was sitting across the table. He put down his hamburger, wiping his mouth on a napkin.
"First of all, have some manners, you dumbass! Don't talk to me with your mouth full!!"
Deku replied with a 'Umm-umm' making an apologetic facial expression.
Bakugo continued.
"Second of all… well, it depends on the piece. Sometimes nothing crosses my mind, other times all I can think about is 'don't mess this up' . I also like to imagine scenarios or images related to it."
"Oh, that's interesting. What does the 'Spring Sonata' make you think of?"
"A flower field."
Deku was stunned. He shouldn't be because it was such a basic image but he wasn't expecting Kacchan to have such a cutesy side.
"Ummm… that's strangely wholesome and cute coming from you."
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?? Are you teasing me, Deku?"
The blond lightly kicked Deku's feet underneath the table while the latter laughed.
"Speaking of cute, when were you going to tell me about the nickname you gave me?"
Bakugo looked Deku in the eyes, waiting for him to answer. He could see how flustered he became upon hearing his question.
"Ummm, y—you mean…??"
"I mean the whole 'Kacchan' thing."
Deku let out a nervous chuckle.
"Right, that!! Alright, look… I can explain… Wait—" he paused as his lips curved in a smirk —"You think the nickname is cute?"
Bakugo felt his ears getting warmer.
"SHUT UP, YOU— HEY!! THIS IS NOT FUNNY!! JUST ANSWER MY QUESTION, DAMN IT!!"
Deku was literally gasping for air. His face was red and he had tears in his eyes. He couldn't look at Bakugo without wheezing. It took him quite a while to calm down.
"Well??" Bakugo insisted, speaking in a quieter tone yet with a hint of impatience.
"You call me Deku so I call you Kacchan."
The blond blinked a few times in confusion.
"Are you kidding me? Deku isn't even supposed to be a cute nickname."
"Well, it IS now, Ka—cchan ."
Oh, Deku was teasing him. Bakugo could tell.
"Don't call me that."
"Says, who?"
"SAYS, ME!!"
"You can't stop me, Kacchan."
"Goddamn it."
Bakugo continued eating his food silently. Deku took that as 'win' .
…
"Ah, that was nice."
A cool breeze brushed against his face but Deku felt content. He'd had a good day.
He and Bakugo were on their way back, walking side by side. Deku didn't want to make things awkward but at the same time, he felt like he was going to explode if he didn't say what he was about to say.
"I really love your violin playing, Kacchan. It's incredible how colourful and deep it is, how touching it is. I've always admired you for that. I've gone to a few of your recitals. You're so good."
The other boy stayed silent. Deku couldn't tell what was going through his head at that moment.
"I also really love your piano playing. I think I fell in love with it."— he continued, letting out a soft chuckle. —"I'd love to listen to it again. That is…if you don't mind, of course."
Bakugo was unusually silent which made him feel nervous.
They'd arrived on campus and were about to part ways when the blond finally spoke.
"Sure. I'll play for you. Have a good night." He nodded and turned on his heels so quickly, Deku barely had time to look at his face.
"See you on Monday, Kacchan."
He felt as if his heart was going to jump out of his chest, wondering how long it would take him to fall asleep that night.
*****
Deku was on his way to the practice room but with each step, his nervousness became more and more intense.
'Is Kacchan playing for me today? I mean, there's no rush and we didn't talk much about it but I wonder if it will be today.'
He also wondered what the blond was planning on playing for him. Perhaps some Mozart? Chopin? Or maybe something like Debussy? So many possibilities. Although, deep down, a part of him was secretly hoping for Bakugo to play the piano part from Brahms's trio. Deku hadn't been able to forget it ever since he heard it. And how could he? Bakugo's piano playing touched him in ways he didn't think was possible.
He sighed before knocking on the door and opening it slowly.
"Hi, Kacchan!"
"Hey."
"Did you have a good weekend?"
The blond shrugged.
"It was fine, I guess."
Both boys fell silent, only the noises of Deku setting up his sheet music and adjusting the piano stool could be heard.
Deku's heart beat so fast he swore the other boy could almost hear it.
'Calm down, Izuku. Why are you nervous? There's no reason to be nervous! Come on!! It's just Kacchan. This is just a rehearsal. It's not the end of the world. You are NOT going di—'
"Earth to Deku?? Hello????"
Bakugo snapped his fingers a few times in an attempt to "wake" him up.
"Ah! I'm so sorry, Kacchan!! I got lost in my own thoughts." Deku laughed nervously.
"Right… Should we continue from where we left off last week?"
"Sure."
…
Even though the rehearsal was going well, Deku was finding it difficult to focus. Barely an hour had passed when Bakugo suddenly stopped playing.
"Ummm… Is something wrong?"
"That's what I would like to know."
"There's nothing wrong. I don't know why you'd ask that." Deku lied.
"Right… and I fucked your mom last night."
The green haired boy let out a loud gasp.
"KACCHAN!! WHAT THE HELL??"
"SEE?? IT'S NOT NICE BEING LIED TO, IS IT?"
"Look, it's nothing, I promise. I don't know why but today I'm finding it particularly hard to focus. I'm really sorry. It won't happen again."
"Damn it, Deku. You should have said that already."
Bakugo sighed audibly.
"Let's just end today's rehearsal. It's no use practising if we can't focus."
He got up and packed his things.
Deku didn't really want the rehearsal to end but he knew Bakugo was right. Continuing it would be counterproductive.
…
On his way home, the only thing Deku wanted to do was to cry. He felt so frustrated and embarrassed. Not only had he ruined his rehearsal with Bakugo but he also didn't get to hear the other boy's playing. He didn't know what came over him. Before the rehearsal, he simply could not focus on anything else other than Bakugo but once their rehearsal started, heck even before that, he felt like his heart was going to burst out of his chest. He hadn't felt that nervousness in a while. Deku couldn't quite pinpoint where it came from. All he could do was to hope the next rehearsal would go better and hope for that weird feeling to go away.
*****
"And that's how you solve this harmonic sequence. Anyways, class is over now. If you have any questions, e-mail me." said the black haired man in front of the class.
Everyone was leaving the classroom but Deku was too absorbed in his own thoughts, something that was becoming more and more frequent.
"Ummm… Midoriya? Is everything okay? Are you feeling unwell?"
Deku blinked hard a couple times in an attempt to focus on who was talking to him.
"Don't worry, I'm okay. Thank you, Iida."
"Are you sure?" he leaned in, searching for any signs of unwellness.
"R—Really. It's okay. I've just been more distracted lately."
"What has been on your mind?" Uraraka had joined the conversation.
"Ummm… it's nothing really. We don't need to talk about it."
Todoroki sat down next to Deku.
"Perhaps we shouldn't be asking 'what' but rather 'who' ."
"Has someone been bothering you?" Iida sounded really worried.
"Is it related to Bakugo?"
At the mention of the blond, Deku panicked and quickly turned around to see if he was still in the classroom. Thankfully he wasn't.
Deku sighed in relief but his cheeks turned a bright shade of red. He felt like he was being interrogated even though he did appreciate his friends' worry.
"He didn't do anything wrong, okay??!!! I promise." he scratched his head.
"Are you sure? Cuz if he's done anything to upset you, I WILL have a talk with him." Iida furrowed his eyebrows.
Deku knew Iida would absolutely call Bakugo out if he ever did anything upsetting.
"Really. He's done nothing. It's just…a 'me' thing. I don't actually understand it myself."
And he really didn't. It wasn't just on their previous rehearsal. Deku had actually been feeling odd for a while. Especially after he performed the trio with Bakugo and Todoroki.
Uraraka observed him attentively.
"You can always talk to us about anything, okay? And if Bakugo or anyone bothers you, please let us know."
"Thank you, Iida. I really appreciate it."
"Do you have a crush on Bakugo?" the girl finally spoke.
"WHAAAAAAAT???!!!!"— Deku almost fell off the chair. —"NO WAY! ABSOLUTELY NOT!"
Uraraka hummed in amusement.
"Really? You know, he's kinda attractive, not gonna lie. Blond, tall, broad shoulders, he seems pretty muscular and his ass is kinda—"
"ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT! I GET IT! BUT NO, YOU'RE WRONG!!"
Deku couldn't hear it anymore. There was just no way. He refused to believe his feelings went beyond admiration or friendship. He was 99.9% sure his feelings were platonic. They had to be.
"Sure thing." — Uraraka turned to her boyfriend — "Deku will be okay. He'll eventually accept his true feelings."
"That might take a while. But considering his state, he should hurry up."
'Ouch! Thanks, Todoroki. Good to know no one is on my side.'
Deku pouted, avoiding his friends' gaze.
"Anyways, lets head to our next class", suggested Iida.
They were leaving when Uraraka leaned in and whispered in Deku's ear.
"I now understand your taste a little bit better" she winked at him.
…
'I have to head to my piano lesson.' Deku hurriedly packed his things.
'Okay' Bakugo started packing his violin.
'See you later then? I'll text you so we can grab dinner after.'
'Sure. For now I'm heading home so...'
'Okay. Well, I'm going then. I'll talk to you later, Kacchan.'
Deku's hand was already on the door's handle when Bakugo got behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist.
'Aren't you forgetting something?'
Deku smirked.
'You're right. How could I?'
As he turned around, Bakugo planted a kiss on his lips.
'You dumbass.' the blond said.
'Oh, stop. You like my dumb ass.'
They kissed again.
…
Deku woke up in a cold sweat.
"What the fuck?!" he murmured to himself.
'WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT DREAM?? DID I— DID I REALLY DREAM ABOUT KISSING KACCHAN? AND WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT HIM LIKING MY ASS?!!'
He was mortified. He couldn't see himself ever emotionally recovering from that dream.
'Shit, how will I be able to look him in the eye again? I can't… I JUST CAN'T! THERE'S NO WAY!!'
Deku screamed into his pillow. He needed to go back to sleep but, at that moment, all he could do was contemplate whether he should drop out of university or move to a different country. He wanted to cry because of course he couldn't do either of those things.
'Whatever. I'm going back to sleep. This is a problem for 'tomorrow Deku' to deal with.'
*****
"Hi, Deku— Yikes! What happened to you? You look like a zombie."
"Do I really look that bad?"
Uraraka nodded.
"Did you have fun last night or something?"
"DON'T—"
Deku wanted to cry. He needed to go home and hibernate for a whole year.
"This is your fault, Uraraka!!"
The girl gasped dramatically.
"How come?!!"
"You know what you did."
"Do I? Ummmm… No, I don't think so. Please enlighten me."
"You— You asked me that question yesterday."
"Ummm? What question?"
Uraraka was teasing him. She knew very well what Deku was referring to.
"Relax. Whatever happened last night, I'm sure it will be okay." — she reassured, putting a hand on his shoulder — "You know you can talk to me about everything, right? Come on, talk to me, Deku."
The boy sighed deeply. He looked around to make sure Bakugo was nowhere near them before he whispered into Uraraka's ear.
"Last night, I dreamed I kissed him."
His friend could not hide the shock she felt hearing what he'd just said.
"Oh my! Really????"
"Yeah… it seems like we were already in a relationship? He even grabbed me by my waist and everything." — Deku sighed deeply once again — "He also called me a dumbass and I replied with a 'Oh, stop! You like my dumb ass.' Seriously mortifying. I want to die."
After hearing that last part, Uraraka burst out laughing.
"I can't believe this. Your dream was hilarious. So THIS is what kept you awake all night??"
She continued cackling as Deku seemed to be on the verge of crying.
"It will be fine! After all, it was just a dream, right? Unless, you really do have a crush on him."
Deku looked at her, frowning.
"Just kidding, just kidding. Unless??", she smirked.
"No comment." — he pouted — "You know what? I don't want to think about this anymore. It's just… I don't even know how I'll be able to look at him ever again."
Deku really was on the verge of having a mental breakdown…over Bakugo, of all people.
…
"Look at you, arriving before the time we scheduled. I'm impressed." the blond nodded.
Deku chuckled nervously.
"Anyways, how are you doing today? Hopefully you're feeling better."
The green haired boy could not believe Bakugo Katsuki wanted to know how he was doing.
For a second, he considered lying but he thought that after what happened last rehearsal, he should just be honest.
"I'm not entirely sure. My thoughts have been all over the place lately." — he sighed as he sat down on the piano stool. — "But there's nothing to worry about… Thank you for asking, though."
"Who said I was worried?" Bakugo murmured to himself.
"Uh?"
"Anyways, shall we…continue where we left off?"
"Sure…"
Deku felt confused but he chose to ignore whatever was going on with Bakugo.
An hour and a half had gone by since they started the practice session.
"Shall we stop here?" Deku suggested.
"Sure."
They both started putting away their belongings. Bakugo broke the silence.
"Today was pretty productive, right?"
"Agreed."
More silence…
"Do you want to go eat something?"
Deku looked over at the blond who was looking at him expectantly.
"Uh…sure!"
"Alright. Same place?"
"Sounds good to me."
…
They both ate in silence.
It was indeed very hard to make eye contact with Bakugo even though Deku was trying his best not to think about his dream.
"You're unusually quiet today, Deku. What's up?", the blond was taking a sip on his cola.
"Nothing in particular."
"Did I do something to upset you?"
Deku looked up from his food, his eyes darted from Bakugo to the people sitting on the table behind him and then back to his own food.
"No, you didn't do anything."
"Then why can't you fucking look me in the eye? Do you find me ugly or something?" he teased.
"No!! Not at all."
Deku's quick answer made the blond snort.
"Good to know." he slurped on his drink once again.
'What the hell kind of question was that?' Deku thought to himself, hoping he wasn't blushing too hard.
Although, taking a look at the boy sitting across the table from him, he had to admit that Bakugo was pretty handsome. There was something about his long blond eyelashes that made Deku's heart skip a beat. Especially in the sunlight. Bakugo's eyes were gorgeous.
'No, we're NOT thinking about how handsome he is! Nope, we're not doing that RIGHT NOW!'
"Should I contact my teacher and ask him to see us next week? We could show him the progress we've made."
"Fine by me."
"Alright. I'll call him tomorrow and I'll let you know the schedule."
"Okay."
…
After dinner they both walked home just like they'd done the other night.
Deku felt quite at peace. Somehow, hanging out with Bakugo outside rehearsals and classes was pretty enjoyable. He had a good time.
"What are you doing tomorrow night, Kacchan?"
"I don't know. I'll probably just play some video games or something. Why the sudden interest?"
"Oh…uh, I was thinking that we could hangout."
The blond looked puzzled.
"I— I thought it would be nice to… see you again?"
Deku let out a nervous laugh. He could feel his face burning and his heart beating fast against his chest. He almost felt on the verge of passing out.
"Okay."
"Okay?", he wasn't expecting a positive answer at all.
"Do you want me to say 'no'?! Make up your damn mind, nerd!"
"I MEAN, YES!! THANK YOU!"
The other boy sighed. Deku could swear he saw a hint of a smile on the boy's lips.
"My place? Unless you want to go somewhere but—"
"No, no! It's fine. Your place sounds nice. Besides, I know you sleep early so…"
Deku scratched the back of his head. It was a nervous habit of his.
"Okay. You know where my dorm is, right? Is 6:30 PM good for you?"
"It's perfect, Kacchan. Thanks."
…
Deku:
I asked Kacchan to
hang out tomorrow night.
Uraraka:
YOU DID WHAT??
OMG OMG OMG
Deku:
IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!!
.·´¯`(>▂<)´¯`·.
Uraraka:
Suuuure.
What did he say though?!
Tell meeeeee.
Deku:
He said yes… and asked
if we were hanging out
in his room or elsewhere.
⁄(⁄ ⁄•⁄-⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄
Todoroki:
Gay.
Uraraka:
Agreed.
That's very gay, deku.
But wait… is HE gay? O_o
Deku:
I…actually have no idea.
Iida:
Guys… it's not nice
to speculate about his sexuality.
Uraraka:
You're right, but this is a
VERY URGENT matter, baby.
Todoroki:
I don't know how he identifies,
but he doesn't seem straight.
Not to me at least.
Deku:
Well…it's not like that matters.
WE'RE JUST FRIENDS!!
Uraraka:
For now, hehe ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Deku:
STOP IT!!!
.·´¯`(>▂<)´¯`·.
Todoroki:
So, you like him?
Deku:
I DIDN'T SAY THAT!
Uraraka:
That's not an answer :3
Deku:
FINE!!
I DON'T LIKE HIM!
Uraraka:
How dare you lie to us,
your precious friends? :(
This is heartbreaking. </3
Todoroki:
<//3
Deku:
I can't with you all… -_-
Seriously…
Uraraka:
Oh, come oooon!!
Your taste is…interesting
but you know you have
all our support (ʃƪ＾3＾）
Deku:
Byeeee, I'm done with you.
Good night. =_=
Uraraka:
Sweet dreams~
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Todoroki:
You got this, Midoriya.
Iida:
Don't stay up late! Goodnight.
Deku:
Thanks… (ー_ー゛)
*****
Once again, Deku could barely sleep the previous night because his mind was too busy thinking about Bakugo. He was too excited about coming over to the blond's place.
Deku wondered what his room looked like and what they'd do. They'd probably play video games or watch a film.
He was almost done getting ready for the date. Well, it was more of a "friends date" but he still felt very happy and excited about it. He really wasn't expecting Bakugo to accept his suggestion but he felt so glad he did.
Deku was even wearing his favourite dark green knit sweater for good luck. He always felt handsome wearing it but, before heading out, he put on his favourite cologne and mint flavoured lip balm for no particular reason whatsoever… or so he told himself.
…
Deku knocked on the door three times and stepped away. As soon as the door opened, he couldn't stop himself from smiling.
'Damn it, he looks so good wearing a black turtleneck. What the hell???'
"Hey, Kacchan." he managed to say as Bakugo looked him up and down before stepping aside.
"Come in."
Just as he expected, the blond's room was very neat and tidy with minimal decoration. No posters on his walls, no led lights, no photo collage and no lgbt flag which disappointed Deku because how else would he find out Bakugo's sexuality?
'No, no!! This is not the time nor the place to be thinking about these things, Izuku!!'
"Is my room that fascinating to you, Deku? Or are you disappointed?"
"N— NOT AT ALL!! I think it's very…you."
"What the fuck do you mean by that?"
"Oh…well, it's very tidy and simple. It doesn't seem like you spend a lot of time here but I mean, you do practise a lot so that makes sense."
Bakugo nodded.
"I—It's a nice room."
"Thanks."
Bakugo gestured to him to sit down on a chair.
"So… Do you want to order something to eat? I suppose you haven't had dinner yet, have you?"
Deku couldn't believe he was going to eat dinner with Bakugo in his room. It was way too much for his heart to handle. He hoped he wasn't blushing too hard or at all.
"Is pizza okay?"
"Sure!! Any flavour is good too. I'm okay with whatever you decide, Kacchan."
Bakugo quickly ordered the pizza online.
"Alright, done! What do you want to do in the meantime?"
He wasn't sure how to answer so he shrugged.
"Whatever you want."
Deku's eyes perused the room once again. There were some nicely shelved music related books, an alarm clock on his bedside table, a single picture of two adults who, Deku assumed, were his parents and a mini tv and game console. Pretty simple.
"So, how are your piano lessons going?"
"Uh, they've been going pretty well, actually. I've made a lot of progress. I think learning that Brahms' trio really did wonders for my technique and study method overall. I feel that now I can approach new pieces from a totally different perspective. It's nice."
Deku was fighting some embarrassment. He didn't think Bakugo would want to know more about him. That made him inexplicably happy but also extremely shy.
"Nice. I knew they were going well. Sometimes, I pass by your practice room. Maybe you should be the one to play something for me. What do you think?"
Hearing a compliment from the blond was something that wasn't on Deku's bingo card for that night. Again, his heart felt like it was going to explode.
"Wow, thank you Kacchan! That'd be my pleasure! But not before I listen to YOU play.", he beamed. Talking like that to the other boy felt so nice and strangely comforting.
"Don't worry, nerd. I haven't forgotten my promise." — he smirked — "You'll listen to it soon. I'm not aiming for anything less than near perfection. I will kill you with my music."
Deku giggled. The blond sounded so sure and so proud of himself already.
'Well, damn. Then feel free to kill me any time, Kacchan.'
He wished he could say that but he didn't.
"Honestly? I can't wait. I know I'll always love whatever you play. Whether it's on the piano or on the violin, it doesn't matter. Any kind of music played by you is automatically so much better."
Deku hadn't realised how much he was praising Bakugo until he noticed the blond's cheeks were flushed. They both looked away from each other.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang, interrupting the boy's awkward moment.
"Oh, it must be the pizza. I'll go check."
Bakugo got up and grabbed his wallet. Meanwhile, Deku was taking slow deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself down. Even though he and the blond had spent time alone before, that night, things felt different somehow. It was becoming harder and harder for him not to think about the question Uraraka had posed the other day.
The smell of food brought him back to reality as Bakugo put down the pizza box on his table.
"Let me go grab some napkins. What would you like to drink? I have cola and some water bottles in my mini fridge."
"Cola is fine, thank you."
After Bakugo brought the drinks, they both sat down at the table.
Deku hummed happily after taking the first bite of his neapolitan pizza.
"This place has the best pizzas I've ever eaten."
"They're not bad."
Bakugo's response and unimpressed facial expression made Deku giggle.
"Hey, what's so funny?"
"You know what? You're actually hilarious, Kacchan. I don't know if anyone has ever told you that."
"The hell?!"
The blond was very obviously trying not to smile but Deku wished he wouldn't hold back sometimes.
"You're unintentionally funny and that's a great thing!!"
"How's that great, nerd?" he lifted an eyebrow.
"It's great because I love that in people and because I get to laugh—"
"At me."
"I didn't say that, Kacchan!!"
"You didn't say it, but you were going to!"
"No, I wasn't!! Oh my god !"
Was Bakugo trying to pick up a fight or was he just being a tease? Deku couldn't tell.
"It's okay, you can admit it. I won't get offended."
"Kacchan!! Stop this!"
The blond snorted, taking a bite off his pizza. The whole time, his eyes were focused on Deku's.
"So you think I'm funny, uh?" he smirked.
"Very!"
"I see. You're quite funny yourself, nerd."
"Oh really?!!" Deku couldn't hide his surprise.
"Yeah. Remember when you fell off the stage that one time, last year? I surely haven't."
"THAT WASN'T FUNNY AT ALL, KACCHAN! THE HEADLIGHTS WERE BLINDING ME!! I COULDN'T SEE ANYTHING!"
Remembering that moment sent a chill down Deku's spine. After all that time, he still felt extremely embarrassed. Falling in front of dozens of people wasn't funny at all.
He put on his best sad facial expression and sighed dramatically.
"You're so mean to me. What did I do to deserve that?"
"You didn't do anything. I just like to see you flustered."
'WHAAAAAT??!! HOLD ON, HOLD ON!'
Deku felt his whole face starting to burn. For the life of him, he could not think of a proper reply.
Seeing his visible struggle, the blond poked his forehead.
"What the heck was that for???!!!"
"You think too much. If you have something to say to me, say it."
Deku wasn't sure what they were talking about anymore. There was no way Bakugo actually…? No, that couldn't be it.
A few seconds had passed and the blond was still staring at him, as if he was trying to read Deku's mind.
"Okay. I shall try my best." he promised.
…
"Noooooo!" Deku cried, throwing himself at the sofa.
"You suck at this. How can you be so bad?" Bakugo laughed, putting down his game controller.
"No, you're just too good at this. It's not fair!!!!!"
The blond ran a hand through his hair.
"Thank you for the compliment."
"Playing games with you is no fun."
Deku couldn't hide his frustration but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't enjoying it.
"Keep whining like a sore loser. That gives me motivation to win."
"Why is that?" he crossed his arms.
"Because your whines are music to my ears." the blond pretended to be waving an invisible baton.
That answer made Deku blush harder than ever before. Meanwhile, Bakugo smirked seeing that reaction. The blond then brought a hand to the other boy's left cheek, gently touching it, feeling its warmth.
"Your face is red like a tomato and really really hot."
Deku felt like he was about to have a heart attack.
"N—No comment!!!!!"
Bakugo slowly retrieved his hand and tried to hide his own smile.
"Ummm, I think it's getting late. I should go, Kacchan."
"Oh, right." — Bakugo took a quick glance at his alarm clock — "Yeah, you should…"
Deku didn't want to be delusional but he felt that the blond didn't want him to leave. He himself didn't want to leave either but…
"We should hang out again… some other day," he suggested.
"Sure."
They both got up and Deku quickly grabbed his jacket before Bakugo opened the door for him.
"Thank you for spending time with me and thank you for the dinner, Kacchan."
"No problem. Have a goodnight."
"You too."
Deku was beaming and giggling to himself the whole way back to his dorm.
…
After getting home, Deku checked his phone and noticed Bakugo had texted him.
Kacchan:
I forgot to tell you but
my teacher would like
to see us next Wednesday
at 3:30 PM. Goodnight.
[ 9 PM ]
Deku:
Okay. Fine by me. (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧
Thank you for telling me!
Goodnight, Kacchan. <3
[ 9:05 PM ]
*****
The next day, Deku noticed his friends' group chat was flooding with texts like 'how was your date with Bakugo?' and 'are you alive? O.o' or even 'did y'all kiss??!!!' . For once, he was excited to answer their burning questions.
Deku:
I'm alive, guys. Dw.
<(￣︶￣)>
Uraraka:
Soooo…?
How was it?
What did his room look like? O.O
Deku:
It looked really tidy and simple.
Shoto:
So no flag on his wall?
Iida:
…
Deku:
No… (╥﹏╥)
Uraraka:
</3
But tell us mooooore!!
Deku:
There's not much to say.
We had pizza for dinner,
we talked quite a bit,
we played video games.
It was pretty nice.
Iida:
I'm glad you had a good time.
Uraraka:
So…nothing happened? O.o
Deku:
Ummm…well…
We laughed a lot.
He thinks I'm funny. <3
His laugh, tho. ⁄(⁄ ⁄•⁄-⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄
Best sound in the world!!!!
Shoto:
Cute.
Uraraka:
Gross <3
Deku:
STOP IT!! .·´¯`(>▂<)´¯`·.
Oh! Ummm… he also…
touched my face. >.<
Uraraka:
????!!!!!
YOU SHOULD HAVE
KISSED HIM!
Deku:
I COULD NEVER!!!!
Shoto:
You should have.
Uraraka:
EXACTLY!!
Deku:
No <3
Uraraka:
=_=
Deku:
We didn't kiss but…
he said something
that sounded odd??
Shoto:
??
Uraraka:
What did he say? O.o
Deku:
"You think too much.
If you have something
to say to me, say it."
Uraraka:
Ummm…
Deku:
Do you guys think
he KNOWS??!!!
omg…
I hope not!! (ꏿ﹏ꏿ;)
Uraraka:
I mean… we all know
you have a tendency
to overthink…but…
Who knows??
Maybe he knows.
Deku:
THAT'S NOT REASSURING
AT ALL, URARAKA!!!!
Uraraka:
Sorryyyy :(
I wish I knew…
But I don't think he knows??
How?? I don't think he was
around any of the times
we talked about this.
Shoto:
Maybe he overheard
us but stayed hidden…
Deku:
…
I HOPE NOT!!!!
I'll never talk about this
out loud ever again! (╥﹏╥)
Iida:
I highly doubt he heard us
but, even if he did,
he hasn't rejected you
or made any comments.
Let's not panic.
I'm sure it will be okay,
Midoriya.
Deku:
Thank you, Iida :( <3
Uraraka:
HOLD ON, HOLD ON!
SO YOU FINALLY ADMIT IT!!
Deku:
…
I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING!
Uraraka:
YOU'VE SAID ENOUGH!!
YOU LIKE HIM!!!!!!!
Deku:
No.
Shoto:
Yes.
Deku:
NO!!!!
Uraraka:
Then what are you
afraid of him finding out?
That you dreamed of
kissing him?? ಠಿ_ಠ
Deku:
NO!!
I MEAN…YES BUT—
Uraraka:
See? I told you. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Deku:
…
Pls end my suffering.
Shoto:
It will be okay.
I'm positive he's at least bi.
Deku:
THAT'S NOT THE ISSUE!!
I can't believe this.
I can't believe I really fell
for Kacchan. (╥﹏╥)
Uraraka:
You guys would make
a pretty cute couple ngl.
Deku:
You think so? :(
But he doesn't like me…
Iida:
You don't know that.
For all we know,
your feelings could be
reciprocated.
Shoto:
You should confess.
Deku:
HELL NO!!
NEVER!! .·´¯`(>▂<)´¯`·.
Uraraka:
Let's wait for a while…
You've acknowledged
your feelings but you don't
have to do anything yet.
Take time to figure out
what it is that you truly want.
Iida:
Exactly.
Whatever it is, it will be okay.
You're not alone, Midoriya.
Shoto:
Yes. <3
Deku:
Thank you, guys. <3
I love you all.
Uraraka:
We love you too.<3
Shoto:
<3
Iida:
Likewise. ^^
Deku sighed into his pillow. He really didn't know what to do. He felt so conflicted and it was so hard for him not to rationalise everything he was feeling… but Uraraka was right. For now, he should just allow himself to feel, without judgement. He didn't have to do anything just yet. Maybe these new feelings would go away soon enough.
'Yes, that might do it. They'll go away and things will go back to normal. It's fine. I'm fine. No need to panic.'
He got up from his bed and continued on with his day, keeping himself busy enough not to think about the blond too much. He'd have enough time to do it once he saw him the following week.
*****
The violin teacher clapped as soon as Bakugo and Deku finished playing.
"I have to congratulate you for how much progress you were able to make in only a couple weeks! I knew Midoriya would be perfect to play this duo with you, Bakugo. I'm thoroughly impressed."
The boys exchanged glances. Deku felt so relieved. He wanted to do his absolute best as a pianist, for himself but also for Bakugo.
"I actually have nothing to say to you, boys. Keep up the good work and I'll see you in another two weeks?"
"Sure!" said both Bakugo and Deku in unison.
…
"I'm so glad your teacher is happy with our progress, Kacchan. Now I feel even more motivated to practice! Oh, and I think we should start practising the second movement on our own since we're almost done with the first one. What do you think?"
Deku and Bakugo were both on their way to the cafeteria, walking side by side.
"Sounds good. That way we progress faster."
They walked in silence for a while which, usually, Deku didn't mind. Not on that day, though. Now that the adrenaline rush he got earlier had run out, he felt very nervous around the blond. He couldn't stop thinking about how much he liked him even though he was simultaneously trying his hardest not to think about such things.
"I never thanked you for accepting my teacher's suggestion to play the duo with me."
Suddenly hearing Bakugo's voice made Deku's heart skip a beat.
"Thank you for playing with me again."
They'd both stopped walking and were now standing face to face. Red eyes attentively, quietly, observed Deku.
"You don't have to thank me, Kacchan. At least not yet!!"
Bakugo crossed his arms, arching an eyebrow.
"I— I mean… we haven't played in the Spring festival yet so let's not jinx it!"
With his right hand closed in a fist, the blond lightly bonked Deku's head, making him laugh.
"Stop it, Kacchan!"
"I shouldn't have said anything," he rolled his eyes.
"Oh, come on!"
…
"Oh, hello there!"
Uraraka had spotted both boys having lunch together.
"Mind if I join you?", she immediately sat down next to Deku, not even waiting to hear their reply.
"Where's Iida?" Deku was munching on a tuna and mayo sandwich.
"I think he was at the library working on that history research paper we have to hand in next month."
"What a nerd."
"Kacchan, that wasn't nice of you to say!" Deku quickly reprimanded Bakugo.
"Right?" — Uraraka agreed — "Especially when you're just as much of a nerd as he is, if not more."
She grinned somewhat mischievously but the blond ignored her and continued to quietly eat his food.
Uraraka glanced from Deku to Bakugo and back to the green haired boy.
"So… you two hang out a lot lately, uh?"
Deku almost fell off his chair.
"Why are you asking that?" Bakugo seemed displeased with her curiosity.
"No reason." — the girl shrugged — "You know, I think you two would look really cute together!"
"URA—RAKA!!" Deku choked on his sandwich.
She lightly poked Deku's ribs with her elbow in response.
If looks could kill, Deku would have obliterated his friend by now. He was mortified, he didn't even have the courage to look at the blond's face… until he heard a snort.
"If you say so."
Deku could feel his brain shutting down. What could Bakugo mean by that?!!
"I'm going to go practice. See you later, Deku. Bye."
And just like that, the blond got up and left the two friends alone.
"Why did you say those things, Uraraka???!! What if he figures out I like him?!!!"
"So what? Let him! He didn't seem annoyed by my comment so…"
Uraraka stuck her tongue out and Deku poked her in retaliation.
"I hope he doesn't think too much of this…" he said, sighing deeply.
There was no point in Bakugo ever finding out about his feelings for him. Deku was pretty sure the feelings weren't mutual anyways. Why would they? Why would Bakugo ever like him? He knew the violinist was way out of his league and that he deserved to be with someone as talented and pretty as he is. Deku knew he couldn't possibly measure up to someone like that. He just hoped those feelings would go away with time.
*****
Two months had passed and students were getting busier and busier as the Spring music festival was quickly approaching. For that reason, Deku and Bakugo started having longer practise sessions. Because they had been able to make consistent progress throughout the last two months, they both felt pretty confident that they would do well in their performance. Even their friend group couldn't wait to finally listen to the result of the duo's arduous work.
Deku couldn't hide his excitement.
"I can't wait to finally perform with you again, Kacchan."
They were both having dinner in Deku's room.
"Same. It turns out I actually enjoy playing with you, nerd."
"Awww, that's so sweet of you."
"Shut up and eat!" Bakugo quickly shoved a piece of sashimi in Deku's mouth.
The two had gotten even closer as time went on and as they spent more and more time together.
As for Deku's feelings for Bakugo? Well… they were still there. No matter how hard he tried to bury them deep in his heart, those feelings wouldn't go away. In fact, they kept getting harder and harder to avoid. Sometimes Deku would get hit with such intense yearning that he could almost cry. It made his heart ache but he didn't want to confess just for the sake of getting over those feelings. There was no point in that. He'd only make a fool of himself. Plus, he didn't want Bakugo to look at him differently, especially not after they'd become closer friends. Deku didn't want to lose his friendship. He valued it way more than any fleeting feelings he had. So he made a decision: no matter how hard it got, no matter how intense his feelings got, Bakugo could never find out about them.
*****
"You're more than ready for your performance next week, boys. Once again, I congratulate you on your progress and amazing teamwork. This sonata fits you two like a glove and your chemistry is palpable. I can't wait to see you perform."
"Thank you so much."
Deku felt very proud of his work with Bakugo. He agreed with the blond's teacher. They worked really well as a duo…and as friends.
'Chemistry...chemistry…chemistry…
He couldn't get that word out of his head as he and Bakugo both left the classroom.
"We'll for sure kill it next week, Kacchan!!"
"I have no fucking doubt about it. Anyways, I'm heading home but do you want to eat something before?"
"Oh, actually, I'm going out with Todoroki."
The blond took a couple seconds too long to reply.
"Are you guys dating or something?"
"WHAT??!!! ME AND TODOROKI??"
Judging by how serious Bakugo looked, Deku guessed he wasn't joking.
"N—No way!!" — he let out an awkward laugh — "We're just friends!! AND IT'S NOT A DATE!"
"Really? You don't like him?"
"No? Not like that, I mean."
"I see…"
Bakugo took a moment to contemplate before looking back into Deku's green eyes.
"Do you currently have a crush on someone?"
Deku froze. Why would he want to know such a thing?
"...not really…" he looked down at his shoes. There's no way he could look the blond in the eye.
Bakugo gently grabbed Deku's chin, making them lock eyes. His own darted all over the green haired boy's face as if looking for signs or for a confirmation.
"Why the hesitation?", he questioned.
Before Deku could open his mouth to answer, his phone rang. It was Todoroki.
Bakugo immediately let go of him, looking away rather shyly. Deku could almost swear the blond was pouting.
"Yes? Oh, I just finished practice with Kacchan. Yes. Okay, I'll meet you there! See you soon!"
When he hung up, he noticed Bakugo was still there.
"I—"
"Let's practise again next Monday. Is that good for you?"
"Oh, ummm…sure!"
"Same time?"
"Same time."
"Alright. See you."
"Bye, Kacchan…"
Deku stood there, still processing that whole conversation.
Bakugo had started acting a bit…odd for a while. The more time passed, the more it became evident that something was going on but Deku couldn't put his finger on it. The blond's sudden interest in his love life had come as a surprise. It almost made him think Bakugo could have some sort of interest in him but…Deku didn't want to create false hope. Besides, he had promised himself to put aside any feelings and thoughts that weren't platonic.
'Right. Let's not overthink this interaction. I'm sure this meant nothing.'
*****
They'd both finished practising when Bakugo walked over to the piano. A slightly confused Deku looked up at him.
"Ummm…do you need anything, Kacchan?"
"Could you scoot over? I've got something to show you."
Upon hearing that, Deku was pretty sure his heart did a flip. He was about to get up from the stool when Bakugo grabbed him by the wrist.
"You can stay. There's enough space for the two of us."
So they stayed like that. Deku felt nervous as soon as he realised the moment he'd been waiting for was finally happening.
Bakugo positioned his hands on the keyboard and his right foot on the right pedal and took a deep breath. As he exhaled, he started playing.
As soon as the blond pressed the first key, Deku knew which piece the violinist was going to play for him on the piano.
'Brahms trio op 18, n. 1. The one we played with Todoroki.'
The one he had been secretly hoping to hear.
Oh, how beautiful the piano sounded. The practice room was filled with a bright and warm, yet intimate melody accompanied by the most beautiful harmonies. Brahms' music fit Bakugo so well. Deku felt like this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to listen to such a moving performance. He couldn't look away from the blond's veiny fingers moving across the keyboard, making such delightful and delicate sounds. Even the piano sounded completely different, truly reflecting just how alluring Bakugo's soul was. Deku was once again hit with a pang of yearning.
'Not again! Not right now, Izuku!!!!'
Having finished playing a section of the first movement, Bakugo slowly retrieved his hands from the keyboard and looked up at a speechless Deku who seemed to be completely absorbed in his own thoughts. The latter was the one who broke the silence.
"Kacchan, I don't even know what to say. That was…mesmerising. I'd never listened to anything like this before. Your Brahms sounds so different from mine."
"Well, we are different people, Deku. It's only natural that our playing doesn't sound the same. I do really love your playing too, though. I hope you know that."
Deku blushed slightly while he tried to maintain eye contact.
"Thank you for playing for me. It was delightful and I feel quite privileged right now. I can't believe I was able to listen to the Bakugo Katsuki playing the piano." he let out a soft chuckle.
If only Deku knew that Bakugo's heart actually did a flip seeing him laugh like that.
"The pleasure was mine but I know how much you were looking forward to it." the blond snorted. His own cheeks were a light shade of red.
Deku was so absorbed in his own thoughts, trying to process everything that had happened, that he didn't realise just how close they were sitting. He tried to get up but he was sitting so near the edge of the stool that he lost balance.
"Whoa, Deku! You need to be more careful before you hurt yourself!"
Bakugo reacted quick enough to grab him by his arm, his left hand was supporting Deku's lower back.
"Are you okay? Do you feel dizzy or something?"
"N—No!! I'm good. Really." — he could see how worried Bakugo was. Deku cleared his throat. — "Thank you once again for showing me your piano playing. I'll treasure this moment forever, Kacchan."
"Quit flattering me, nerd."
"Never!! But it's true!!"
Bakugo gently, teasingly, ruffled Deku's curly soft hair.
"You're too much. I don't know how to handle it sometimes."
Deku's eyes widened. He had never heard the other boy talk like that. His voice sounded so soft and sweet, almost like a murmur.
"Kacchan… What—"
"There's something I need to tell you."
'Oh, shit. I hope I didn't do something wrong.'
Deku's heart was going to burst out of his chest from anxiety.
"I…" — the blond hesitated — "I know you have feelings for me."
"I— I don't know what—" he started, in vain.
"I heard you talking to Uraraka and the others a while ago… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to eavesdrop or disrespect your privacy."
Deku thought back to the last time he and his friends had talked about his crush on the blond.
"You knew about it… this whole time?"
Bakugo averted his gaze, choosing to remain silent. For once, he was the one who was speechless.
Deku immediately got up in a panic, frantically grabbing his things so as to leave the room as soon as possible. Bakugo's silence spoke volumes. He wanted to cry. The blond wasn't supposed to find out.
"Deku—"
"I'm sorry but I have to go. See you, Bakugo."
Deku opened the door and left, never looking back. He needed to be alone.
…
Deku's pillow was soggy from all his crying. He hadn't cried that hard in a long time.
'I know you have feelings for me.'
He winced at the memory of what had happened earlier.
Embarrassment, sadness, anxiety, fear. Deku felt overwhelmed, he felt perceived and even betrayed. Why hadn't Bakugo told him sooner? He should have said something. At least Deku wouldn't have embarrassed himself as much as he had.
He also had an overwhelming fear of rejection. He couldn’t see himself being loved by someone like Bakugo. He just didn't think he was deserving of that. So he knew rejection was unavoidable. That's why he wished Bakugo didn't know about his feelings. If that were the case, there would be no rejection and Deku would also be okay with not knowing whether his feelings were reciprocated or not. He'd rather have Bakugo in his life as a friend anyway.
Deku sighed deeply as he turned off his phone. He couldn't bring himself to check if Bakugo had reached out to him or not. He'd deal with that on the following day.
*****
In the next couple days, Deku avoided talking to Bakugo, even ignoring all his texts and calls. He also avoided saying anything to his friends. What was there to say? He preferred to deal with this issue on his own. The thing is: he knew he wouldn’t be able to avoid it any longer because his performance with Bakugo was on the next day. He and the violinist would rehearse one last time before the concert. Deku would need to talk to him before that…but how? He wouldn’t know what to say. After all, the blond knew everything so what could Deku do or say to make this situation less awkward and painful for them? He simply had no idea.
The boy was walking to his piano class when he bumped into someone in the hallway.
“Oh, sorry! I didn’t see you!”
He looked up to see Bakugo.
“That hurt, nerd!”
“Ka– Bakugo… I can’t talk right now. I need to head to class.”
The blond grabbed Deku’s arm before he could walk away.
“You can’t avoid me forever! We need to talk about this!”
“There’s nothing to talk about! You know everything! You’ve known everything this whole time! There’s nothing for me to say to you.”
“Fair enough.” Bakugo nodded, his facial expression was unreadable. “I have some things to say to you, though. So please… hear me out.”
After considering his options, Deku spoke.
“It can’t be right now because I have class but I’ll text you later.”
Bakugo let go of his arm.
“Thank you.”
…
It was only 10 PM but Deku was already in bed. The stress from the last couple days had taken a toll on him and he felt more tired than usual. He sighed deeply, looking at his phone.
‘I know I should text Kacchan but–’ he groaned.
A new notification popped up on his phone. Deku’s heart skipped a beat. It’s as if the blond had read his mind.
Kacchan:
I understand why
you don’t want to talk to me
but we really need to talk.
Our performance is tomorrow.
Let’s talk after our rehearsal.
Or before. Whatever you prefer.
Let’s meet up at 2:30 PM.
[ 10:01 PM ]
Deku:
Okay.
[ 10:02 PM ]
*****
The closer Deku got to the venue, the more he felt like he was going to puke or pass out. Every molecule in his body was screaming for him to ditch Bakugo and move to another country. The anxiety really was getting to him.
He sighed when he noticed the blond waiting for him.
"Hello…"
He put his bag down and took his sheet music out.
"Hi, Deku. So—"
"I think we should practise right now and talk afterwards. I'd like to be done with this rehearsal soon."
"Oh…uh… okay. Sure."
Bakugo took his violin out of the case and started tuning it as Deku adjusted the piano stool.
"Alright so… let's play everything from beginning to end."
Deku nodded in agreement.
The duo filled the room with beautiful and harmonious notes. Both boys were trying their hardest to focus solely on the music, letting it flow through their souls, their bodies and their instruments.
Deku could perfectly picture a beautiful garden full of peonies, roses, lilies, tulips and various other flowers. He could imagine a couple beautiful benches where you could sit and bask in the sun. In the background, he could even hear the relaxing sound of water falling from a fountain. In no time, Deku's mind had created an idyllic bucolic setting. It couldn't be more fitting and it made him finally feel at peace.
Time flew by as they played in complete harmony, as if things were no longer awkward between them.
As they finished playing, they both exchanged glances, still moved by their own playing.
The violinist cleared his throat.
"That was perfect, Deku. Thank you so much for this. I'm sure tonight will be even better."
"I believe so too… and you're welcome but please don't thank me."
"You know I have to."
Deku got up, grabbed his sheet music and put it away in his bag. Meanwhile, the blond put away his violin.
"Can we talk now?" Bakugo said, sitting down on a seat in the front row.
Deku got the cue and sat down one seat away from him.
"I need to settle this once and for all. Look, I'm really sorry for—"
"You don't have to apologise, Bakugo. It was an accident and it's not your fault anyways. We were just talking. Anyone could have heard us." — he paused, looking down at his shaky hands before continuing — "I— I just wish you'd told me sooner! Why didn't you tell me instead of seeing me embarrass myself over and over and over again?!"
Bakugo was about to open his mouth to talk when Deku interrupted him once again.
"Oh, and for your information, it was never my intention to pursue you. I could never do that. My plan was to let these feelings slowly fade away and die."
Bakugo smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"It's not that easy and you know it, Deku… The reason why I never mentioned anything was because—"
"Because you didn't want to hurt me for not reciprocating my feelings. I get it, you don't have to say it."
The blond sighed deeply, slowly scooting closer to the other boy.
"Can you let me continue?" he softly asked.
Deku simply nodded in response.
"I never rejected you, right? In these last couple days, has your brain ever stopped to think why that is?"
The other boy looked away in shame.
"Look at me." — Bakugo carefully cupped Deku's face, making green meet red — "I like you. I never rejected you or stopped you because I. Like. You."
Deku couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Kacchan…" his voice trembled with emotion.
"I like you, Izuku."
Bakugo then wrapped his arms around Deku, resting his chin on the other boy's shoulder.
"I've liked you for quite a while actually."
The boy's voice sent a chill down Deku's spine and just like that, he couldn't hold his tears anymore.
"I— I'm so sorry, Kacchan. I'm sorry for ignoring you and hurting you."
"You dummy… you didn't hurt me."
They stayed like that for a moment, lingering in each other's warm embrace.
"And please never stop calling me, Kacchan. I can't bear to hear you call me anything else anymore." he said, pulling away from Deku who started chuckling.
"Okay, that's a promise, Kacchan."
"Good."
Bakugo tenderly wiped away Deku's tears with his sweater's sleeve. His eyes darted all over Deku's face. From his eyes, to his freckles, to his lips, to his nose and back to the green eyes he found so much comfort in.
"Can I kiss you?" his voice was but a murmur.
Deku swallowed as he felt his cheeks starting to burn.
"Yes."
He barely had time to think before Bakugo leaned in and pressed their lips together. At first, he did it carefully, softly as if he was holding himself back but he quickly succumbed to his own desires and deepened the kiss.
Deku opened his mouth as he felt the blond's tongue brush against his lips, letting out a soft moan.
After what seemed like a long time, they both pulled away.
Deku felt like his heart was going to jump out of his chest as he opened his mouth to speak.
"So…ummm… does this mean we're dating now?"
Bakugo looked red like a tomato as he nervously ran his fingers through his short spiky blond hair.
"Only if you want to."
Deku lightly kicked the other boy's feet.
"Of course I want to!!"
His cheeks were burning and they hurt from beaming so hard but being loved by Bakugo made everything worth it.
…
Deku wiped the sweat off his hands on his black trousers before positioning them on the keyboard. He then looked up at Bakugo. The blond winked at him and gave him an encouraging smile before positioning himself to play.
'Let's do this, Kacchan!!'
The concert hall was in complete silence before the duo started playing Beethoven's "Spring Sonata" .
Uraraka and Iida were seated in the audience as well as Todoroki. The three of them made sure their own performances wouldn't clash with their friends' because they had been dying to listen to the boys' playing.
The couple held hands almost through the entire duration of the piece. As for Todoroki, his eyes remained closed as he found it easier to lose himself in the music that way. He too could picture a bucolic scenario with flowers and plants as delicate as Beethoven's piece.
When the duo finished playing, the audience broke into applause, giving a standing ovation. 'Bravo!', a few people shouted.
The boys could not feel happier and more proud of themselves as they bowed to the audience. Anyone could tell they'd put their hearts and souls into their playing. Truly, what a night to remember!
*****
"Spring" had brought Deku and Bakugo closer than they ever could have imagined but just like with the most beautiful of flowers, it was time that made love bloom in each other's hearts.