Work Text:
Katsuki Bakugo does not do love. You see, Katsuki Bakugo has never been known for being nice or appreciative of people. He's snappish, rude, abrasive, and a general dick. Besides, too many friends mean too many obligations, which means too much time away from working to be the best hero he could be. And it didn't help that everyone he's met has always either been scared of him or in awe of him. Not one person treated him like an equal, until he met Eijiro Kirishima and the rest of the squad. Then things kind of smoothed over! Katsuki helped Eijiro build up more self-confidence, and Eijiro called Katsuki out on and helped him change his rougher and not-so-pleasant edges. Things were good, until second year. That's when you showed up.
Y/n L/n, transfer student from America who lived down in the southern states. You showed up with this powerful-ass quirk and a personality to match. You never backed down from a dare and weren't afraid to meet and then surpass Aizawa's demands. And, most of all, you weren't afraid to be an asshat right back to Katsuki. Mineta got expelled at the end of first year, and Izuku almost leaped on the chance to move seats from behind Katsuki. So, that being the only seat open on the first day of school, is where you sat after your introductions from Aizawa. As you pass by, Katsuki whispers an insult at you under his breath. Might have been "dickhead", but you're not too sure, with the fact that your hearing isn't top-notch. You're quite fond of blasting music through headphones at a volume that drowns everything else out. Nevertheless, you got the message and whispered "jackass" right back without missing a beat, effectively shocking Katsuki and stirring up a conflict of emotions in him. You slide into your seat, maybe dropping your bag a little louder than normal to annoy him, and start pulling out a notebook and pen... which you immediately start clicking. The clicks aren't even that often, just random double-clicks to keep your brain focused on Aizawa's monotonous lecture. It's simply because Bakugo is hyper-aware of you now that they're as loud as they are. You see him lean forward in his chair, setting the two front legs down on the ground. He picks up his own pen, clicking it open (god, he hates that sounds now) and scribbles something in a corner of his notebook. He rips it off, foldes it, and keeps it in his hand as he leans back. Discreetly looking around, he reaches behind his head to drop the note and scratch the back of his neck as a cover for his actions.
'Stop clicking that goddamn pen before I snap it in half,' the note reads. You snicker quietly (which Katsuki hears) and click your pen twice (which Katsuki DEFINITELY hears) before scribbling something back. It must be a persistent itch, because Katsuki is still scratching at the back of his neck. You shove the paper in his open palm before returning to writing notes, thinking that that would be the end of the conversation.
It wasn't. Not even twenty seconds later the paper was on your desk again, this time the note was on the back because you're message took the rest of the front. In response to your 'Oh, sorry for having a brain that likes to short-circuit a lot. I guess I'll stop having disorders because it's bothering you.', he's written 'Only Dunce Face's (Kaminari, blonde with the black zigzag in his hair) brain short-circuits that often, don't pull bullshit on me. And what disorders?' You twirl your pen instead, flipping around your fingers as you toss words around your head as you figure out how to respond. You settle for, 'Anxiety. Got a prescription and everything. Basically, my brain sees the world as some giant and terrifying monster boss-fight and logic doesn't work to calm it down. Also, I tried fidget toys and all that, but that's if I remember to pull them out of my bag. My pen is always in my hand anyway, and it's something other than chewing on my lips and the inside of my mouth.' You toss it onto his desk without a second thought, accidentally clicking the pen again to refocus your head on the lesson.
It takes the note a while to reappear on your desk this time, around an hour or two later. You've been twirling your pen, focused on English, when you literally feel the paper hit the desk. See, your quirk is air manipulation. You can move things, yes, but you just move the oxygen around it. Yes, it's extremely dangerous, and you have almost accidentally killed someone on multiple occasions. You pick up the paper, flipping it open and noticing its a new corner and Katsuki hasn't gotten up once. He must have kept the other one. This new one reads 'Who the fuck are Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce?' You stop listening to Present Mic talking about the star-crossed lovers trope and the (admittedly American) reference he just made to stare in shock at the back of Katsuki's head. You can't think for a moment, the only thing going through your head is 'Someone finally doesn't know who she is?' until you realize that yes, he's not going to know. She's an American thing, and this is Japan. Still, you can't help but poke Katsuki with your (retracted) pen and stare at him with wide eyes when he turns his head with a small grunt.
"You don't know who she is?" You whisper, not entirely believing it.
"Uh, yeah. Just said that, dumbass," he whispers back, clearly annoyed he had to repeat things. Sad, he thought you were smart.
"Holy shit," you whisper, mostly to yourself, as you click your pen into action before writing away on the note.
You explain who she is (American singer and songwriter), who Travis Kelce is (a tight end on the Kansas City Cheif's football team), and how their relationship has taken the media by storm. You tack on 'I don't get it, but a bunch of my friends back home are Swifties and are closely following it, so I'm in the loop. Sometimes I wish I wasn't, I really don't need to know that she's at his games. I get wanting to support your boyfriend, but when it's the only thing the thrice-damned talking bobbleheads talk about instead of the plays being run, it gets annoying.' You toss it back in the neck of his shirt, making it rest between the loose area between his collar and neck. He grabs it immediately, albeit with a muffled "bitch" that you copy, and starts reading. The note stays at his desk the rest of the day.
After the final bell rings, you're packing your things away when you drop a book. You pause, looking at it, wondering if you really do need to pick it up. You're startled by a hand swooping in and grabbing it off the ground, slamming it on the desk with a "lazy dickhead" from the hand's owner. You laugh at that, looking up into red eyes.
"Hey, thanks. Was debating on whether it was necessary for homework or if I could just leave it there for tomorrow. You know, I never caught your name. Everyone has come up to me throughout the day and introduced themselves, except you. Though I do remember Izu calling you 'Kacchan'-"
"Katsuki Bakugo. Call me that again and I blow your face off. That stupid nerd," he interrupts you. Oh, he's just revealed so much to you about that relationship and his personality and background.
"Well, thanks Kats. I'm sure I'll see you 'round, right?" You joke, knowing damn well you'll see him tomorrow at the latest. After all, his big head is easy to spot. At least, that's what you tell yourself.
--
It's the Thursday of your first week at UA, and you wake up before your alarm goes off. Normally, you're horrible at waking up on time, but there's this thing on Thursday's- it's in America. At your old school. That you no longer go to. Disappointed now, you start getting ready, throwing the uniform on and your hair up in a lazy ponytail before heading out of your dorm room. Across the hall, Katsuki steps out of his room as well. You stare at each other, before you nod at him and head towards the elevator. As you walk, you glace over at him.
"Up early today, huh?" You joke, watching his palms spark and he snarks back at you.
"Oh yes, up early. It's not like I fucking wake up at this time every damn day or anything, no. I'm definitely and completely up early today."
You laugh, jumping forward to push the elevator call button before him. It's a favorite thing for you to do, no matter how many elevators you took back in America. He glares at you, but doesn't mention it. You manage to make it downstairs and into the kitchen before running off to the coffee pot. You're basically fawning over it, calling it 'your beloved' and 'my lord and savior'. Katsuki walks past, grumbling to himself, and reaches for a mug to start making tea. You grab the mug next to his, making yourself coffee beside him. He watches you add four packets of sugar to your cup before pouring a full cup of coffee with an expression of slight horror to his face.
"Damn, no wonder you're fidgety in class. I would die if I had that much sugar and caffeine running through me everyday."
"You're forgetting cup two," you reply calmly, watching the slight horror turn to complete horror.
"WHAT THE FUCK? HOW ARE YOU NOT DEAD? THAT ISN'T EVEN HEALTHY AND IT TASTES LIKE SHIT AS WELL!" He yells.
"Okay, calm down. It's entirely too early to yell. Second, I guess it's just good genetics? Most of my family drinks caffeine like this. But I'm going to be honest, it's probably going to lead to problems later in life, which I'll deal with at that time. Third, I need some sort of caffeine for my brain to function properly, so I call it healthy, as I'm at top performance then. Four, no it fucking does not taste like shit and if you disrespect me and my coffee like that again I won't hesitate to pour it over you." He backs up a small bit, not relishing the prospect of the boiling hot bean juice poured on him before seven in the morning. You both finish your respective drinks in peace, before leaving as a class for school.
As you're walking, the pink-haired girl- Mina, you correct yourself- runs up to you.
"You know, that was pretty cool earlier! I didn't catch much, I just saw Blondie over there back off from you, which is impressive. Not many things can make him stop in his tracks, and it usually takes Kiri a hot minute to calm him down! How'd you do it?" She asks.
Izuku walks over, "Yeah, L/n, that was pretty cool! Kacchan just stopped dead and reconsidered! What did you say to him?"
You shrug a bit, "Nothing much, just told him to stop screaming at me before I pour the entire fucking pot of boiling hot coffee over him. I mean, it's not like I haven't before."
"What? Details, girl!" Mina laughs, and you launch into a story about how some guy was trying to cop a feel as you walked out of a café, so you spun and dumped your freshly brewed drink over him. He stopped messing around at that specific café, and they gave you a free replacement drink after.
You get to class, sitting down and getting ready to start the lesson, before-
"So, uh, Katsuki?" You poke his shoulder, "Do you, uh, have a pen? Mine's in my dorm, like an idiot." He tosses a pen over his shoulder, almost hitting your eye.
"HEY! THE FUCK MAN?" You shout, "I ASKED FOR A PEN, NOT TO GO BLIND AT SIXTEEN." He ignores you.
--
This is how you two interact over the next few months, hurling insults and passing notes to each other, but now finals are coming up, and you need to study. Except, you're horrible at self-motivation, so you barge into Katsuki's room after dinner one night, bag over your shoulder and a determined expression on your face. He looks up, used to this by now, and raises an eyebrow. You both hold eye contact, until he breaks the silence.
"Well? Fuck you want, bastard?" He asks, still looking at you.
"Make me study," you demand. Katsuki sighs. You close the door behind you, sitting on the floor next to him, and pulling your math book out.
"I lied, I need help. I don't understand the unit." You confess, pulling spare paper out for him to scribble examples on in preparation.
"Why do you assume I understand it? And ask your mom, wasn't she planning on being a math teacher once or something?" Katsuki asks, going back to his own studying.
"I did. She doesn't remember, and I can't have a proper conversation with her because of these stupid time zones," you say, slapping a hand on the cover of the book. "Now, what the hell am I doing here?"
Forty-five minutes later, you've got your head in your hands, and you're even more confused.
"I literally know how to shoot a goddamned gun, why can't I fucking understand this shitty unit," you complain, accidentally using the humor you use around your American friends around Katsuki. His pencil pauses as he looks up.
"Bullshit. That's false."
"Bitch, I'm from motherfucking Texas. I could immobilize a guy instead of killing him by the time I was nine. And I still can't even get this one fucking unit! I understand literally everything else, what's up with this one?" You complain. It's been an hour, and your back and ass hurt, along with your brain. You're allowed a small bit of whining.
A while later, you drop your pencil in frustration, "Katsuki, what am I doing wrong? We both do the example problems, but yours are always right. What am I not doing properly?" You shove the paper at him for him to look over the problem. You take the time to clean your glasses, head pounding because they're so much stronger than the contact lenses you're used to. A few seconds later, you hear a snort of amusement and look up. Katsuki slides the paper back to you, pointing at somewhere in the middle of the problem.
"You didn't flip your sign, idiot. It's supposed to be positive, not negative."
You slam your pencil down on the ground, standing up. "I'll be back, need a drink." You return a couple minutes later with a Mountain Dew for you, tea in his favorite mug for him, and a much calmer expression. You set them down gently before flopping on the throw rug again. "I hate math. You know, I would always ask Mom to check things over whenever my answer didn't match my teachers, and it was almost always the signs that got me. Forgive my outburst, but I got you tea. Two sugars and a small bit of milk, I've seen you do it enough." You cut his questions about the tea off, and watch him take an experimental sip of it.
"Holy shit. I would say you somehow made it better than I can, but I'm clearly better than you, so it would be a lie, and I don't like lying." Katsuki grouches, which you take as his version of a compliment. You check your phone out of curiosity, as it feels like you've been at this for quite a while.
"Holy fucking shit Kats. It's two am! Fuck this, I'm going to sleep. See if this can marinate in my head during my subconscious state of being and if I'll understand it better tomorrow." You pause at the door, "Thanks, though. I appreciate it, and sorry I took from your study time. Genuinely. I know you like this time to yourself, and I barged in. I just didn't know how else to phrase it," you say, and look away from his face to his shoulder while scratching the back of your neck.
"Go to sleep before three, nimrod," you remind him, and leave.
--
Katsuki's going to be entirely honest, he literally did not mind one bit tutoring you. He enjoyed your company immensely, and if anything he was trying hard not to stare at you for too long. He kept trying to push away thoughts about how pretty you looked as you concentrated, twirling your pen and tapping your finger to the beat of the music from your earbud. He admired the way the light made your brown hair shine chocolate in some areas and caramel in others. The first thing he thought of when you barged in was about how stunning you looked in your glasses and baggy faded black t-shirt and sweats. He had to stop and close his eyes and regain composure when you left to go get a drink, put up a mental barrier between his working conscience brain and thoughts of you. Kissing you, holding you, touching you, just being near you. Katsuki Bakugo, the man who doesn't do love, is falling and falling fast. As you leave, he decides he's also done for the night, but he can't sleep just yet. He packs everything up for tomorrow, going through his nightly routine, before heading downstairs to put his mug in the dishwasher. Passing by the coffee pot, thoughts of you return, and he doesn't stop them. Adjusting his headphones, he switches his playlist to the one titled 'y/n' and turning them up to drown out his logical side. Stomping back to the elevator and then to his room, he hooks his phone to his speaker and blasts his feelings, hoping against hope you return a small out of what he feels for you.
--
You do. You've fallen in love with Katsuki Bakugo, and you have no idea how to act on it, or if you even should. You fall back onto your bed with your textbook, hoping that just reading the unit over and over again will make you understand, before the sudden blare of music makes you jump. You know exactly where it's coming from though, and thoughts of the aggressive blonde start warring with the textbook for your mental focus. You click the pen you picked up from your desk on the way to your bed, deciding to take your earbuds out and give your ears a rest and listen to Katsuki's music while you put the textbook away and pull out your sketchbook and pencils.
You listen to him shout along to what you're steadily realizing are all love songs for the greater part of an hour before you pick up your phone and pull up Katsuki's contact. You type out a quick message, What's up? You doin alright?, and hit send, putting your phone down. You pick it back up, as he's responded though.
Yeah. It's just.... there's this girl. Stubborn, smart, attractive as fuck too. There's no chance in hell she would like me back though, and I guess it really sunk in right now.
Immediately followed by, I'm sorry, is it too loud? I can turn it down. Am I keeping you from sleep?
You respond, No, no it's fine. I was trying to study a bit more before I crashed, then said "fuck it, my brain can't handle any more" and I've been drawing since.
Oh? What about?
I'm in the same boat man, there's this guy.... he's amazing. He could do great things, if he gave people a chance to know him. He's literally my dream guy- fits the bill, and then some. But there's no way he's into me, who's loud and aggressive and bitchy. He's sweet, he's caring, and he would sacrifice heaven and earth then himself for the people he loved. I couldn't. I could and will burn the world at the drop of a hat, but I could never sacrifice myself for someone. Call it selfish, but I would rather suffer thousands of people's pain forever if I could stay with the people I loved. Call me a masochist, but that's why I've never bought into the whole "oh, he'd kill himself for me, swoon" bullshit.
Yeah, it kinda hits harder when people choose to stay alive with you instead of leaving you for death. If everyone dies at sometime, I would want to prevent it as long as possible, no matter the cost, for more time with the people I care about. You too, Y/n. You're in that very small list. Don't forget it.
You start tearing up, in happiness and sadness and envy and jealousy. Happy that you got to be able to know and fall for this amazing guy, sad that he could never be yours, envious of the girl he's talking about, and jealous of the future the two of them would have.
Oh my god, what's this? Stoic Katsuki Bakugo who doesn't do feelings admitting he cares about people? Am I hallucinating, or just tired-, you text back, cracking a small smile.
Ha ha, yes. I care about people, and I would argue that it's you I care about the most.
You pause, and take a second to reread the message. Across the hall, you hear a nervous "FUCKING SHIT OH MY GOD" from Katsuki's room.
--
He said it. Oh my god, he said it! He finally admitted he had feelings for you! Oh, he's so fucked now. He threw his phone towards the foot of his bed, away from him, too scared to see you go inactive, or worse- tell him you were just friends. He stands up, pacing, hands in his hair. He rushes over to his phone, rushing to close your message thread without looking at it and opes Kirishima's contact. He dials him, anxiously waiting for him to pick up. Eijiro picks up, groggily mumbling a greeting.
"FUCKING SHIT OH MY GOD- Eijiro! Get the fuck over here! I'm fucking freaking out and I need help, man, c'mon!" Katsuki shouts, pacing round and round his room. Eijiro murmurs a "Give me a sec" before hanging up. He opens Katsuki's door without knocking less than a minute later, as the two have neighboring dorms, and in walks Eijiro Kirishima, Best Friend Extraordinaire. He sits on the floor, leaning against Bakugo's bed, before patting the space next to him. Katsuki ignores him, continuing to pace circles around his room. Eijiro gives up on waiting, stands up, and grabs Katsuki. He yanks him over to the mattress and sits him down, before sitting opposite him. His best friend is a mess, flushed with a half-crazed look in his eyes and hair even more spiky than usual.
Looking the other dead in the eyes, Eijiro asks, "What did you do that you're blasting music at two am and waking me up at three am for?"
"I, fucking- just, look!" Katsuki yelps, unlocking his phone and opening your message thread. Eijiro scrolls back, laughing a bit at you joking that Katsuki doesn't feel things, before starting to read. He gets to the end, and sees that the message bubbles keep appearing and disappearing, only to show up a half second later again as you try and type something. Eijiro looks up, takes note of how anxious Katsuki really is (he was too sleepy earlier to notice), and says two words: "Tell me."
That's all it takes for everything to come spilling out of Katsuki. As he talks, his blush slowly increases, until he feels like his face as been set on fire. "I'm going to preface this by saying I'm pretty sure I'm in love with her and don't fucking say anything while I talk. It's Y/n, you know, Y/n L/n? The dorm across from mine and sits behind me in class? Yeah, her. We've been constantly talking, staying up late and passing notes and it's like I can't get enough. She's not afraid to call people out on their shit and thinks she really shouldn't be in the hero course because of some stupid reason, which is absolutely fucking stupid, have you seen how smart and powerful she is? She could kill you with a thought and you could be in the other room from her. She's wicked smart, understands everything, and whenever me or Dunce Face doesn't understand a thing, it's like she knows exactly how our brains make connections and comes up with ways to help me remember it! I'm fucking educated on American culture and the current Taylor Swift gossip because she talks about her friends constantly, and they're Swifties, so they're more or less giving Y/n a play-by-play on Taylor Swift's life and she talks to me about it during lunch and shit and it's so annoying but I can't ever make myself tell her to stop because it makes her happy? And it's making me happy? And she just barged in her after dinner all ballsy-like and fucking demanded I make her study, which was only because she needed help and that was the only way she knew how to ask, and she went to me instead of her mother, who was basically a math professor? Like she literally came to me first- and she even made me tea! And it was good as shit! I'm being dead serious, it tasted better than when I make it. She got everything right, and didn't spill a drop on the way back up. And her hair shines like chocolate in the sun and like burnt caramel under the school lights and she's got the prettiest blue eyes, did you know that eye color can vary depending on what the person's wearing? I sure as hell didn't. I had to fucking ask the bitch why her eyes were green one day instead of blue, and she had to explain that eyes change depending on like mood and what the person is wearing. And then that dissolved into her going on about color theory, even drawing little diagrams in the margins of her notebook to show me. And she wears fucking glasses! She wears contacts during the day because she doesn't like how she looks wearing them, but showed up earlier wearing them and looking all hot as fuck like it was no one's business. She's not afraid to tell me when I'm genuinely being rude and dickish and when I should tear into a bitch, and I can't stop thinking about how she makes me feel and she's always just so out of reach! She's so far out of my league it's not even funny, and she acts like she's isn't, like I'm the better person out of the two of us! It's bullshit and I'm fucking tired and I just want her to know how I feel, even if she doesn't feel the same and I think I fucked up with that message." Katsuki finishes up, panting slightly and out of breath from how passionate he was about you. Kirishima looks at him, waiting for him to continue, until it's apparent he won't. Then Eijiro, only says one thing- "Come with me."
Katsuki gets up, anxiously pocketing his phone and following Eijiro. As the step out of Katsuki's dorm, Eijiro grabs his hand and drags him over to your room.
"Ei- no, no, no, Ei, please-," Katsuki freaks out, trying to pull away, but Eijiro has more muscle mass. He holds on, albeit while laughing, and stops in front of your door. He knocks for Katsuki, watching him go stiller than a deer in headlights, and lets go and dashes to the side as soon as he hears your footsteps near the other side of the door.
"Kats?" You ask, squinting into his face. The combination of bright lights without your glasses make everything extremely fuzzy and hard to see, only recognizing him by the shock of blonde hair. He's still staring, still frozen as a deer in headlights, until he hears your tired voice, and almost melts into the floor. Almost. He keeps most of his composure, shooting a glare at Eijiro (who is snickering at the nickname) to his left, before stuffing his hands into his pockets and clearing his throat.
"You should sleep. It's late. We've got school tomorrow, and those two cups of coffee are unhealthy as is. I don't need you drinking more," he says gruffly, trying to find a reason for why he's outside your door at three thirty in the morning, after he already said goodnight.
You poke his stomach, giving him a tired smile, before saying, "You know, I was just about to climb into bed before you knocked. You know, you should join me. You're all warm, and it's always fucking cold in here." Katsuki chokes. "Besides, I'm sure little Ei over there won't mind," you tease, poking your head past the doorjamb to look at Kirishima. You send him a wink and a mouthed 'thanks' before turning back to Katsuki. "Well? I'm cold, and a gentleman won't leave a lady cold, huh?"
"Hardly a lady," Katsuki muttered. He continued, "No, a gentleman wouldn't. So why don't you let me show you how much of a gentleman I could be, hah?" Katsuki says with a smirk, you stepping aside to let him pass with a wide smile on your face because he played along. You poke your head out the door once more, facing Kirishima.
"Hey, Eijiro. Thanks for being there for Boom Boy-"
"HEY-"
"-back there. He needs you, however much he doesn't admit it. Keep being you, you are fucking amazing, and I love you- platonically, of course. Oh, and can you do me a favor? Can you turn off Katsuki's speaker please? I know people are used to it, but people will be starting to prepare to wake up. Thank you!" You drag out the last word, watching Eijiro grin at the compliments and agree to turn the speaker off. You shut the door, turning around to see Katsuki already huddled up on your bed, glaring expectantly with a massive flush to his cheeks.
"Are you fucking done?" He complains. You snicker, so he continues. "What? I'm fucking tired, and you said we would go to sleep, then you take forever making fucking small talk with my best friend!" You're full-on laughing now, wiping your eyes. Boy, you're more tired than you thought.
"Alright, alright, sorry, I'm just making sure other people don't bitch later." You take your hoodie off, revealing the baggy black shirt from earlier, and go to climb next to him. He grabs you, the impatient fuck, and yanks you towards him, spooning you. You go to shout at him, but then realize he's buried his face in your hair and is holding on for dear fucking life. Releasing the breath you had inhaled, you relaxed into him, finally warm throughout the night for the first time during the school year.
Maybe love isn't so bad.