Chapter Text
Was Katsuki tired after two hours of training? Fuck yeah. Was he going to ask Izuku if he was ready to be done? Fuck no. So when Izuku suggested ending training for the night and going to get froyo, Katsuki “begrudgingly” agreed.
At the froyo shop, Katsuki fills his cup with salted caramel and cinnamon flavored froyo. He tops it off with a knock-off Samoa cookie and some cheesecake bites. Nearby, Izuku is filling his cup with cotton candy, birthday cake, and cookies and cream flavored froyo. He skillfully manages to pile three different flavored popping bubbles, two cookies, cheesecake bites, Oreo crumbs, and gummy worms on top of his already loaded cup. How all of it managed to fit in the small cup is beyond Katsuki’s knowledge.
When they went up to pay, Katsuki almost punched a hole through Izuku’s face when he tried to pull out his card, but instead resorted to taking the cup from him and putting it on the scale himself. Katsuki hands the cashier his card and pays for their treat before thanking her and walking out with the green haired boy in tow.
Now sitting in the front seat of his Jeep, Izuku is talking about something Katsuki’s lost track of. But Katsuki couldn’t help admiring the boy sitting next to him. The way his loose, green curls bounced in front of his eyes, the way he uses his hands when he talks, the way his eyes light up when he talks, the way he-
Then he catches himself. He’s dating someone. He reminds himself. He’s dating a girl. He’s dating your friend.
He can’t think of him like that. No matter how much he wants to close the distance between them and kiss the boy senseless, he can’t. No matter how much he wants to confess to him, he can’t. No matter how much he wants to love this boy, he can’t.
On top of this, Katsuki thinks he might be a masochist. Whenever Izuku asks to hang out, he invites him to his room. Whenever he wants to train together, he drops what he’s doing and heads to the gym. Whenever he texts him, he texts back.
So yeah, probably a masochist.
The worst part about it though is that he knows he’s in the wrong. He knows that it isn’t fair to Izuku or Uraraka. And he knows that all of his thoughts are just fantasy mixed with delusion.
As shitty as it is to think, maybe if he was dating a piece of crap Katsuki would feel better. But instead, the nerd had to date pink cheeks, a fucking angel on earth. And saying he’s happy with her is an understatement. The two love and care for each other, and Katsuki is truly happy for them.
He just wishes it could be him instead.
They keep talking about mundane things, and Katsuki honestly enjoys it. He’s convinced himself that he doesn’t need Izuku to love him. Especially with their past, Katsuki is appreciative of what Izuku gives him and he doesn’t need anything more. He’s happy that after all this time, he can just listen to how his day was, hear about the newest gossip in the class, and simply exist together.
At one point, Katsuki shifts and feels the ache in his back from training. He then makes the biggest mistake of his life.
“Ah- ouch.”
”What’s wrong?” Izuku pauses mid-bite to look at him with concern.
”Nothing. Just tweaked my back earlier. No big deal.”
Then Izuku, mouth still full of froyo, makes a fake-pouting face that makes Katsuki’s heart flutter and says, “Aww baby.”
Katsuki freezes.
What the fuck.
What. The. Fuck.
WHAT. THE. FUCK.
Why did he say that? He didn’t mean that seriously, right? Yeah. Right. Girlfriend. It was a joke. He doesn’t know how torturous that joke is. Was it a joke?
After a second, his thoughts are interrupted by pure, beautiful laughter, and Katsuki realizes he should probably be doing that too instead of looking at the boy with the dumbass face he probably had on. He forces out a laugh convincing enough to not let the other boy know how much he wanted to ask him to say it again. Because he really wants him to say it again.
He manages to spit out a, ”Shut the hell up, nerd” after a minute to compose himself, and they continue with their conversation.
The rest of their time sitting in that car, all Katsuki can think about is the sarcastic, fake-loving tone he used. The cute pout of his lips when he said it. The way his eyes seemed so sympathetic. The way his face is too gorgeous to put words to. The fact that he will probably never hear him say that again.
Baby.
It’s just a stupid fucking word.
Friends call each other that all the fucking time. Right? I mean, Mina calls everyone baby. It wasn’t that deep, so why was he making such a big deal out of this? Why does he have to romanticize every fucking thing about this dork?
Why can’t Izuku just call him baby again?
After they finish their dessert, they decide that they’ve been out late enough and it’s probably time to head back to the dorms. They get out to throw away their cups, and on the way back to their cars, Izuku gives him a hug.
Once again, friend thing. Just a friend thing.
They get into their respective cars, and Izuku waves goodbye before backing out of his parking space and driving away.
For a moment, Katsuki just sits there. Then, he turns on his car, plugs in his phone, and clicks on a contact.
After a few rings, the other line picks up.
“Hey Bakubro! What’s up?”
Katsuki takes a deep breath, backs the car out of its spot, starts driving away, and sums up his time with the boy by saying:
“I’m so fucked.”