Work Text:
There are two things Katsuki Bakugou took pride in: being the best and his perfect schedule, going to bed at 9 pm and waking up at 5 am. He was always the first to arrive to class, claiming his seat and ignoring any extra who tried talking to him.
Which made the situation at hand even more strange, on his desk was a pink card and a single rose, who the hell could have come here before him.
He ignored the items in case it was some prank or even worse, an attack, but his confusion only grew when a number of - mainly male - extras kept coming into the classroom and leaving similar looking cards with different flowers and in some cases boxes of chocolate.
Confusion was soon replaced with curiosity when he saw a familiar face coming in and heading straight to Deku’s seat.
“Icy-hot, the fuck you doing there?” He asked the half redhead.
“Leaving Midoriya's gift on his desk”, his eyes travelled to the single rose on Katsuki’s desk and added, “this yours? Or are you giving it to someone”.
Katsuki's face went back to confusion at Shoto's words, while the latter took the silence as a sign the conversation was done and headed toward his own seat.
As the classroom started to fill up with both people and gifts Katsuki كحwas starting to think that maybe asking someone wasn't the worst thing ever, however, he didn't need to as he was greeted with a screech from a certain pink haired raccoon.
“Oh my goddess, is Katsuki Bakugou actually participating in Valentine’s day?” She screamed right next to his ears, making him wish he forgot his hearing aids just so he wouldn't have to hear her. But her words flushed realization through his body, Valentine, of course it would be some stupid holiday that has extras delusional enough to not only touch his seat, but to also leave a gift like he's some desperate idiot who would accept a coward who couldn't even face him.
If any of those extras had something to say to him they better say it to his face, so he can blow them up properly.
Not even dignifying her question with an answer, he grabbed the offending items and got up, heading toward the trash can. He had better things to do, such as beating stupid deku in the upcoming training session, and helping shitty hair with his studies.
Almost as if he was summoned, the red haired idiot came through the door yawning and looking like he hasn’t slept in years, hell even his hair was down, a look that Katsuki is only graced with during their studying sessions late at night after training and after showers.
The redhead's sleepy eyes widened at the sight of the blond with his hand shoving a note and a rose halfway down the trash can. The redhead turned around and slowly made his way to his seat.
The rock-ish hero must be exhausted if he’s skipping his morning ritual of grabbing katsuki and calling him some variant of the word “bro”. It was weird and although Katsuki wasn’t one to bother himself with other people’s business, he couldn’t help worrying about him. Eijirou was different, always has been, and probably will always be.
He hasn’t said a word to Eijirou all day, it was always the redhead initiating all their interactions, but he seemed to be content enough to not talk to the blond, which was even more weird. He was interacting normally with all those damn extras, so why was he avoiding Katsuki.
Something was up with shitty hair and Katsuki was determined to get to the bottom of it.
That’s how Katsuki found himself, thirty minutes past his bedtime, staring at his book, lost in his own thoughts. He spent the whole day thinking of all the reasons shitty hair would ignore him for, did he finally decide that Katsuki was too much for him, too cocky, too competitive, too aggressive, too him.
He wouldn’t blame him, he would never blame Eijirou. But goddammit he needed answers, and he wouldn’t get them by staying in his room and replaying the day in his mind, no matter how highly he thought of himself he couldn’t solve everything on his own.
He slammed his book shut and got out of his chair, he was getting answers whether shitty hair liked it or not.
Standing in front of Eijirou’s door was even more nerve-wracking than he thought, he couldn’t shake off the feeling that he has done something wrong, the redhead was the nicest and most forgiving person ever -after shitty nerd of course- so if he decided to completely ignore him, he definitely fucked up.
But Katsuki was not a coward, he was strong, heck he was gonna be the number one hero one day, he could ask his best friend why he’s mad at him.
He left his fist, knocked twice and waited with bated breath. There was shuffling and a thud coming from the other side of the door before it was hurriedly opened.
The sight that welcomed him was as heartbreaking as all those romance mangas he read combined.
Eijirou’s face was puffy and covered in tear tracks falling from his eye whose colour now matches his hair, which was still down but resembled bed hair more than his after-shower hair.
His puffy red eyes widened when they laid on Katsuki, he raised his hand and tried to wipe away his tears with the tip of his sleeve.
“Katsuki, what are you doing here?” the redhead asked with a voice so shaky it was difficult to comprehend.
If he didn’t think something was wrong all day, there is no doubt now. Something was wrong and the need to fix whatever it was rose inside him, rising alongside it was the anger toward whatever made Eijirou cry. Forgotten was his self-hating and worry in favour of helping his best friend
“What’s wrong?” he yelled, pushing shitty hair aside and walking into his room. The redhead just stared at him with wide eyes, not saying a word, or better a name.
He waited less than a minute for an answer before his patience ran out, something that was new to happen when it comes to Eijirou, he always had all the patience in the world when it comes to the redhead, evident by his two years of pining over the idiot.
“Who made you cry?” he spat walking closer to the other boy. Who was now frozen in his place not even blinking.
“I will ask one last time, who do I have to blow up?” he barked straight in Eijirou’s face, tiptoeing to be properly face to face with him.
“Jeez bro, nothing happened.” the redhead chuckled nervously.
“Then why are you crying?” Katsuki asked, suspicious of his best friend’s behaviour.
“Relax, I'm just a bit upset about today, nothing major.” His response only intrigued him further. Was Eijirou crying somehow related to him ignoring Katsuki all day?
He could feel his anger defuse and return back to quilt and self-hatred. Was he the reason the redhead is crying? Did he do something wrong? Has he unknowingly ruined the best friendship he could ever have?
“Is it me?” the question came out as a whisper, unable to summon any anger whether it's toward himself or the boy standing in front of him. The redhead immediately shook his head and released a big breath.
“Katsuki, it's not your fault, I understand that.” Eijirou said softly, as if Katsuki was the one needing comfort.
His tone and words only furthered the blond’s worry, so it was something related to him, he was the reason the redhead was upset.
“Shitty hair, you've been avoiding me all day and now you're crying, just tell me what I did.” He barked at his friend, unable to understand anything that was happening.
“Bro, I don't blame you for what you did, but I still need some time.”
“Time for what?”
Their voices began to rise as their faces grew closer to each other.
“I just need some time to handle the rejection.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about you throwing my fucking Confession in the trash can.”
Oh.
Oh.
Oh he fucked up, real bad.
“That was yours?” His voice dropped from screaming at the redhead to barely above a whisper.
“Who else did you think it was? Who would write that other than me?” The younger of the two spat out and moved toward his bed.
He sat down with his elbows on each knee and his face between his balms.
“I understand that you don't like me that way, and I’m in no way holding it against you,” his voice cracked and he cleared his throat to cover it before continuing, “but I'm still hurt and I need time.”
Hot shame flooded Katsuki’s body, engulfing him in nothing but pure guilt and embarrassment.
Of course it was stupid hair for brains that left the note and rose. No one other than him could even dare to walk beside the blond’s seat.
Katsuki moved from the door and toward the sulking boy, he took a seat next to him on the bed and rested his head on the younger’s shoulder.
“I didn't know it was yours, I thought it was some extra and didn't even read it.”
“You should've, I worked hard on it” the redhead said with a huff, he stood up and turned to face the blond.
“I worked so hard on it, and even woke up early to leave it at your desk, because I wanted you to say yes.” his face was once again buried between his hands.
“Ask me then.”
The redhead stood up so quickly he almost gave himself whiplash, his eyes wide and mouth agape.
“I didn't reject your question, so ask me now and I'll give you an answer.” The blond smiled at his friend hoping it would ease him, he knew he was far from ‘easing’ but for Eijirou, he’ll try being anything for him.
The redhead snapped out of his haze and back to reality at Katsuki's words.
“Really?” He asked, still feeling like he was in a dream, only to get an answering nod.
He took another deep breath and tried to muster up as much courage as he could.
Sure it was easy when it was just a paper he'd leave and wait for the response later, but face to face was another story.
He swallowed around the lump in his throat before sitting back down next to the blond still not facing him, if he was gonna say it out loud, he couldn't do it while maintaining eye contact.
“Roses are red, I like clementine , you're the manliest bro I know, would you be my Valentine?” His cheeks matched his hair by the time he said the word.
He felt Katsuki shaking next to him and when he turned around he saw tears gathering in the explosive boy’s eyes.
The minute their eyes met, the blond burst into uncontrollable laughter, tears falling from his eyes.
Embarrassment filled the younger boy, not knowing if The blond was laughing with him or at him, however, he did appreciate Katsuki's laugh.
He waited for a minute til the laughter died down to ask his question one more time.
“Would you?” His voice a mere whisper.
“Of course I would, hair for brain.” came the blond's response.
They kept eye contact for less than a minute, their expression as soft as cotton.
“I'm glad I didn't read your note in class, I would've been kicked out.” the blond remarked as he reached a hand to tuck a red strand behind the younger's ear.
“I'm glad you liked it”
“I fucking loved it.”