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The soft, repetitive jingle playing overhead and pastel colors painting the walls were a refreshing sight to cool his nerves. Izuku breathed in the light aroma of warm baked sugar-cones in the ice cream shop, a sigh of relief on his face as he let the calm wash over him. It was so empty in here in comparison. The shop had closed down for the night’s festivities but obviously had left their doors unlocked for refuge.
Steeling himself, because he didn’t want to be found taking too long, he creaked open the entry door of the shop back to the outside. A blasting cacophony of noise greets him; laughing, yelling, screaming, the drumming of some metal-song blaring from unseen speakers. Flashing lights and fog-smoke. Sparks fly and a loud screech as someone with metal knee-pads scrapes by on the ground somewhere behind the door, just out of sight.
Izuku closes the door again just as the responding squeal of some unsuspecting girl belts out.
-*-
“Bro,” Kirishima knocks a fist into Katsuki’s chest and when he turns, he tilts his head back towards the ice cream parlor just in time for them both to watch Izuku yank the door back closed with a wide-eyed look. “Is something wrong with Midoriya?”
Katsuki smirks, crossing his arms. He leans closer so Kirishima can better hear him, “He hates this scary shit.”
Kirishima gapes at him, dismayed, “Then why would you invite him to this kind of thing?!?”
His smirk grew until the flashing lights gleamed off his canines, an evil glint to his eye. “...because he hates this scary shit.” Duh.
Kirishima shook his head slowly with a wary chuckle. “Sometimes you can be a little cruel, Bakubro, you know that?” He waved his arm to signal as Izuku finally made his way out of the safety of the shop and over to them.
Katsuki shook his head, his smirk morphing into more of a sneer. “He’s a big boy, shitty-hair. He can make the decision of whether he wants to be here by himself.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” The red-head acquiesced, but gave him an odd look “You invited him here though right?” His voice dropped an octave as Izuku gets closer to the awaiting group, “You had to have known he’d have said yes then, didn’t you?” His question sounded almost rhetorical as he didn’t wait for a response, happily greeting Izuku with a pat on the back. “Hey man! You good?”
Izuku's smile was bright, if not a little strained as he nodded. “I’m fine! Sorry about that! I didn’t get much sleep last night and I think that’s just making me a little extra jumpy tonight! Thank you all for waiting!” He laughs awkwardly, rubbing at the back of his neck. Katsuki rolls his eyes at the lame excuse and turns to lead the group of now 6 farther down the path.
It was the annual halloween scare festival at the nearest large amusement park. Mina was the one who’d introduced the idea and whined about it until the entire friend group (Katsuki) had agreed to go. Katsuki hadn’t exactly been thrilled. That is, until an idea had popped into mind. Deku had always been a scaredy cat when it came to anything supernatural. Scary stories. Scary movies. Haunted decor. If anything, it would be amusing.
His friends had seemed surprised when he suggested (announced) that they should invite Deku. He didn’t usually mix with their group solo, and it was even more unusual for Katsuki of all people to suggest so. But nobody was against it, in fact they loved the idea.
And just like Katsuki had known he would, Deku had accepted the invitation immediately, nodding his head eagerly and without hesitation. It was humorous, the way Katsuki had watched his words catch up with Deku a moment after he had accepted the invitation. The way Deku swallowed and his smile twitched, but he had, predictably, refused to back out.
They don’t make it more than ten feet further down the roped off path before scare actors are on the periphery, circling their group like sharks sniffing out the potential for fear.
They love Kaminari and Deku. They’re so responsive to everything, making easy marks. Mina and Kirishima give good reactions too, though shitty-hair throws some of them for a loop when he counters a few scares with compliments on how ‘manly’ or cool their costumes look. Sero laughs good-naturedly at the occasional scare-attempt and the actors all seem to avoid Katsuki like the plague with a several foot-radius. As they should.
Deku’s quick to catch on to this and tries to portray the same air of confident indifference as the blonde, but his efforts are clearly futile. It seems like no matter how many times he tries to non-chalantly walk amongst the group he inevitably attracts the attention of some painted ghoul or another that creeps up over his shoulder.
Katsuki was right. It is amusing watching Deku jump and twitch.
Kaminari is keeping the majority of the group’s attention as he plays keep-away with a ‘bloody’ clown with shrieks of something between joy and terror, circling the group and using them as a physical barricade between them.
Katsuki’s eyes draw away to find Deku, who’d gone to throw away an empty cup in the trash. He’s been cut off from the group by two individuals with cracked doll faces, paused in the walkway some thirty feet from them. Katsuki watches as Deku waves his hands frantically in front of him, shaking his head and nervous smile wide. He tries to side-step them but they don’t let him pass. He takes a few steps backwards and the two take a few steps forward, following. One of the doll-head’s motion a third scare actor to come closer.
At this moment Kaminari runs in front of him, clinging onto his shoulders and yelling. Katsuki has to shove him off before the trailing bloody-clown tries to follow into his personal space. Katsuki only loses sight for just a moment, but when he looks back Deku’s not where he was. Neither are the dolls.
He glances around, searching. Seconds pass where he can’t spot him, and then. A loud scrape, sparks flying across the ground right next to their group. The sparks don’t alarm him, they’re almost familiar. But the sound is not. It’s jarring. He looks at the noise just in time to see one of the scare-actors with metal knee-pads finish flying across the ground, and just a little too close, is Deku tripping over the guys’ shoe. He’s flying forward fast, straight at them, with three figures hot on his trail.
“Fucking christ.” Katsuki barely manages to catch him by the forearm of his jacket before he hits the ground. He uses the momentum to swing Deku back upright and towards the inside of their group. Deku grabs his forearm in turn to steady himself but he doesn’t let go, and his eyes aren’t on the blonde, they’re behind him. Katsuki tracks his gaze to the dolls, who look like they’re debating continuing the chase. “Oiy! Are you fucking serious! He almost smashed his face open!” They only pause for a second, but they’re quick to disperse after that, their expressions hidden behind cracked masks.
Most of the group is chuckling and Deku at least looks sheepish as he jerkily points a finger between the two of them “Why me? Why do they all go after me and not you?!”
“Because I’m not an idiot?” Katsuki drawls.
“You’re too easy to read, silly!” Mina pushes in between them, wrapping an arm lightly around one of Deku’s and pulling him to her side. Katsuki notices that only now does Deku let go of him. Mina pulls Kaminari into her other side, sandwiching herself between them. Her voice drops to a jeeringly spooky pitch as they all walk, “The both of you. They can smell your fear!”
“Or at least see it.” Kirishima adds with a grin. “You guys make it too fun for them.”
“I’m not trying too!” Izuku makes a face somewhere between a grimace and a pout.
“I am.” Kaminari giggles mischievously.
Mina cackles in response and ruffles Deku’s hair. “We need to get something to cover up that cute face of yours then. It’s like a magnet for these guys, ya know!” Deku flushes, raising an eyebrow.
Kaminari and Kirishima give near-dual shouts of returning excitement. “Costumes!”
Katsuki sneers, “Absolutely not-”
-*-
They get costumes.
Nothing intricate or expensive, just ones found on the stands in one of the nearby themed shops. They find Deku a cheap ghost poncho, which is perfect because it has a hood he can pull down to cover his face when he needs. There’s two supposed eye-holes in the hood, perforated and dark, but the fabric can barely be considered see-through so Deku finds himself constantly pulling the hood slightly up to peek out from under it.
Instead of following Deku’s lead and getting something to cover his face, Kaminari went with a head band with devil horns and a matching belt that gave him a stiff devil tail- which he had found hilarious.
Mina gets a pair of short translucent fairy wings that light up. Kirishima gets a chibi skull-mask that only covers the top half of his face. Sero debates getting a matching mummy one, but instead goes for a pair of vampire fangs and a red hood with a comically large popped collar.
Katsuki doesn’t grab anything. Which his friends had obviously predicted because as they walk out of the store Mina shoves a headband over his head.
Katsuki’s hand shoots up to feel two fluffy ears. His friends look back with varying levels of grins. “Hell no.” He starts to rip them off but Mina and Kirashima attack from either side, shoving it back in place.
“Aw, c’mon! It’s too late! We already bought them!”
“Don’t care!”
“You can’t be the odd one out! The actors will be able to tell you’re trying to act cool!”
“It’s not acting.” Katsuki snorts, finally ripping himself free of them, but the ears are staying in place so they consider it a win.
“Ooh! Haunted house! Haunted house!” Kaminari chants, beginning to lead the group away.
Katsuki meets Deku’s gaze for a moment and the greenette gives a hesitant, almost shy smile. His eyes flick up and back down. “I think they look good.”
Katsuki blanches. “Shut up.” Is all he quips, turning to follow them with Deku trailing close behind, ignoring the heat burning behind his actual, human ears.
It’s a long line for this haunted house, because they’re only letting small groups go in at a time. There’s corny halloween music and wandering actors occasionally trailing up and down the queue. Conversation is light and easy as they shuffle forward.
Sero returns to their spot in line after talking with an actress at a cart in a slutty-dead-nurse costume off to the side. He’s now carrying a small tray of 6 Jell-O shots. “Guys, she didn’t card me!” He excitedly whisper-shouts to them as they circle him. They all grab one, though Izuku seems to do so slowly, eyes darting around them worriedly.
“Um, should we really be doing this?”
Most of them are already finishing theirs by the time the words leave his mouth. A few confused glances get passed around.
“Are you serious, man?”
“If you don’t want it, I’ll take it!”
“No, me!”
“Hands off! Give him time to think, you vultures!” Katsuki pushes Sero’s and Kaminari’s greedy hands away and addresses Izuku directly. “One half-assed shot isn’t going to kill you nerd.”
When Izuku still looks unsure, Katsuki crosses his arms, and raises an eyebrow. “Nobody’s gonna force you, ya know.” He shrugs. It’s almost an open ended challenge, without any real heat behind it.
Izuku’s returning smile is uncertain but slowly becomes more confident. He sighs and finally shoots it back. It doesn’t come out as easily as he’d thought though and he’s stuck half slurping it out of the cup. He wouldn’t say it tastes good.
When he looks back, he’s surprised to see Katsuki still looking at him, almost expectantly. Izuku raises a curious eyebrow before he freezes. The whole group is quiet. He feels a prickle on the back of his neck and he can see the corner of Kacchan’s smile twitch into a concealed grin. Izuku quickly turns his head, and yep, standing not 2 inches from his face is some grotesque figure with long black hair and a gaping maw for a mouth. To add damage they shout as soon as Deku turns and he practically jumps out of his skin.
He flies away from the offending figure with a shriek and straight into Katsuki, nearly toppling them both over. Kirishima catches them both, pushing them back upright. Izuku is quick to untangle himself, blushing and muttering apologies, but Katsuki is laughing too hard to care. The sight gives Izuku pause, and his embarrassed smile grows a little larger as he desperately pulls the hood farther back down over his head until it’s almost covering his nose. So much for the costume working.
Izuku spends the rest of their time in line making sure he’s not near the outside of their awaiting group, where actors could easily creep up on him. And when they do, Katsuki may or may not take some pity on the other, occasionally bodily shielding him away.
When it’s finally time to go through, things move fast. Kirishima, Mina, and Kaminari all squeal and bicker over who ‘has’ to go first as they rush in. Sero casually trails after them with Katsuki and Deku taking up the rear.
The rooms are of course aesthetically creepy but fairly predictable. Fog rolls heavy to the point you can barely see your feet. Things hang down from the ceilings, with an occasional something being alive to grab at you. Excited screams ring out from somewhere far up ahead as a chainsaw revs to life.
It’s always either so dark or lights flashing so bright that it’s hard to walk long without tripping. A picture frame slams down at just the right moment, a woman wailing sharp and loud from behind it. Izuku flails, bumping into Katuski’s back, who may or may not have recoiled himself.
In the next moment their friends in front of them surge backwards as some unknown scare happens, and Deku has to grab Katsuki by the waist as they both struggle to stay upright “What the fuck.” Katsuki mutters. Wasn’t this why they spaced the groups out? He’s stuck leaning back on Izuku for a long moment while everyone gets properly spaced back out. Their eyes meet and Deku gives a nervous twitch of a smile, but it’s strained, there’s sweat on his brow.
As they slowly move into the next room, some type of metal walkway with chains hanging and clanging everywhere, Katsuki notices the way Izuku keeps almost stepping on his heels. That green head is constantly swiveling back and forth, searching through the darkness behind them and double checking the inches of space ahead separating them. He considers yelling at the nerd to just back up.
He doesn’t.
There’s a few ‘scenes’ set up throughout the rooms with designated stationed actors; an electric chair with an executioner, the disemboweled ‘corpse’ and a butcher with a pig’s head. Izuku continues to run the problem of attracting their attention, despite, or perhaps because of, the way he strays closer and closer to Katsuki’s backside. As if he could try to hide in the crease between the blonde’s shoulderblades if he tried hard enough.
They’ve got to be nearing the end when the hallways open up into a larger open-lay out room. The fog is extra heavy in here and tombstones and gargoyles and dark figures are dispersed across it, standing tall and covered in fake cobwebs. It’s quieter in this room, with a soft spooky chime playing overhead.
Mina’s in the middle of turning to ask Kirishima something up ahead when suddenly a disorienting purple strobe-light starts up. Not a second later does a large, cloaked figure fly out from the cover of darkness and smoke at them, loud screeching blares from an unseen speaker. It’s timed well and effective, probably on bungee cords or a sensor. Everyone scatters.
Katsuki can see most of his friends dash forwards towards the exit, but he feels the cold on his back as Deku moves instead away, further from the figure effectively splitting the room.
He turns just in time to watch Izuku back up directly into a skeletal display. Or what had looked like a display, until two long black spindly arms come down to wrap around Izuku’s chest. Any and all color that could have possibly remained drains promptly from his face as the shorter freezes. With shaking legs, Izuku looks up, up, up. Into the white face of a towering creature whose head would probably brush the ceiling if it wasn’t hunched over in half to stare at him.
Katsuki swears he can actually see Deku’s soul try to physically leave his body.
It could be funny. It should be funny. But as Katsuki watches he notices one thing. The nerd’s not smiling anymore.
Izuku’s knees wobble as he tries to move away but his feet don’t move more than an inch. His face is nearing the same shade of white as the hood that’s fallen down to pool around his neck. The blare of a chainsaw roars from the room up ahead, accompanied by shouts of familiar glee.
Katsuki doesn’t think about it as he shoots forward and grabs Deku by the wrist. He doesn’t look at him as he yanks him away. Away from the creature and up close against his side. He lets go of his wrist to fix the hood back in place, then hooks his arm around the shorter’s neck. “C’mon” he mutters, dragging them towards the hazy green ‘EXIT’ sign across the room, trying to ignore the way he can feel one of Izuku’s hands clinging tightly to his lower shirt. The way his knuckles graze his hip.
Izuku has his head low and tucked under Katsuki’s arm as they march forward, his other hand stretching his ghost hood as far down over his face as it would possibly go so he can’t make eye contact with the body-builder of a man who quickly approaches, having already chased those in front of them out. Katsuki doesn’t waver, instead making his stance known with a clear flick of a long middle finger. Chainsaw man pauses, staring at them. And then shrugs and moves over, letting them pass by easily.
It’s only once they’re back out in the cool evening air, Katsuki’s closest friends waiting ahead, that they finally separate. Only a few inches remain between them as they continue the walk to catch up.
Izuku’s lightly pouting again, his face slightly red as he stares at the ground and rubs at the back of his head. “Thanks.”
Katsuki doesn’t say anything, instead giving a lazy shrug of a shoulder. His gaze peeks over at the other though, assessing him quietly.
“Yo! Are you okay?!” Kirishima calls out, slightly concerned as they get close. “I know Bakugo said you don’t like scary things but I didn’t know it was like that! We can skip the other haunts!”
“Oh no! Honestly, I’m fine! I’m fine!” Izuku rapidly waves him off, chuckling but there’s definitely a force behind it. “This is what we’re here for! I’m having so much fun!”
The lie falls flat as several of the group look between them. Izuku’s blush has darkened slightly more and he looks… disappointed? In himself?
Katsuki grunts, having made a decision. He grabs Deku by the shoulder and starts walking away. “You all go do the next haunt and we’ll catch up.”
“What?” Kirishima and Deku both respond but he waves them off. He doesn’t wait for any further response and drags the other away until he spots something that can match what he’s looking for. He didn’t have anything specific in mind but… yeah, that’ll do. They end up in another line, this time one full of families. Once they’re in place Katsuki lets go, crossing his arms and waiting patiently.
A solid moment of silence passes before Deku speaks up, “Kacchan?”
He doesn’t have to elaborate. “You needed a break, didn’t you?”
Izuku blinks at him, a little owlish. He glances to the side and seems to realize where they are. In line for the hay ride of all things. He looks like he’s about to question it further but he pauses, looks at Katsuki’s face again and then his mouth falls shut. A soft smile creeps across his lips and Katsuki has to look away. Some circus pop-punk song blares on in the background.
A few minutes pass before Izuku does speak up. “I didn’t mean to keep you from enjoying tonight with them.”
Katsuki’s lip twitches. “You really think you could make me do anything?”
Izuku breathes out a chuckle, a light shake to his head. “No, I guess not.” They shuffle over to make room as more people filter into the roped off waiting area. “Still, thanks.”
They‘re situated on the edge of the festival, a large field stretches out further past them. The tractor can be seen slowly approaching from the treeline surrounding the field. There’s no scare actors in this area, almost like it’s been designated as a safe space, a no-scare zone.
Izuku already looks so much more relaxed, and in seeing so, Katsuki can oddly feel a tension he hadn’t even known was there lift from his own frame.
“Why do you let stuff like that bother you, anyways?“ Katsuki digs the heel of his boot into the dirt below them, shifting his weight. “You know that thing back there was just some loser on stilts."
Izuku flounders, “I-I know that! It doesn’t make it any easier!”
“How?! You’ve faced off against actual, real villains before.This stuff is for children.”
The tractor parks and people slowly begin to file off it, chatter picking up in the area.
“There is absolutely no way any of that was meant for children!” he retorts, indignant. “Besides, villains are different! It’s comforting knowing when you can fight back. These kinds of things…” He trails off, then. “I know it’s not real. But still, it’s the unseen, the not knowing, I don’t like. Not knowing what’s around the corner… especially when you know there’s probably something around the corner.” He shudders. “It’s spooky.”
Katsuki snorts. “You’re ridiculous.”
Izuku lets out a laugh. His head tilts up and green eyes shine under low hanging string-lights. Their eyes catch for what’s probably the fiftieth time tonight. But for some reason this time feels different, slightly heavier. Izuku slowly adopts a curious look of quiet bemusement. When he speaks this time his voice is more subdued, “Why did you invite me to this?”
And Katsuki isn’t quite sure what to say to that. ‘I thought it would be funny?’ ‘Because I’m an asshole?’ ‘Because maybe I secretly like the way you reach out for me over and over again?’
“Tch.” He yanks the white hood back down non-too gently, finally breaking that ear-prickling eye contact. The line to get on is going and Katsuki has moved forward by the time Izuku straightens back out.
The tractor is pulling a metal trailer covered in small hay bales that are stacked into some semblance of tight seating.
Katsuki realizes, a little too late as they get pushed to the back corner, that they mean to pack nearly the entire line of people onto this one ride. It makes sense since the attraction was so slow, that they would try to not make people wait, but he still grimaces.They just keep piling on.
By the time the hayride lurches forward, it’s packed full. A few couples have volunteered to share laps for space’s sake. Katsuki and Izuku’s thighs are basically touching. Katsuki at least gets a corner seat, his right side shoved up against a railing.
It’s not a smooth ride, the tractor hobbling over uneven dirt. It’s a bit awkward at first, the two are stiff as they try to pretend there’s still any semblance of personal space between them here, but it doesn’t last for long.Their knees and shoulders knock whenever one of the wheels pulls through too-deep of a groove in the ground.
He can feel Izuku eventually get comfortable and settle in against his side. The hectic music, screams, and laughter of the festival slowly fade into the background as the cart trudges on. The atmosphere becomes more muted as some of the conversations around them start to die down.
Katsuki leans in close so that only Deku can hear him, and murmurs, “It was always fun, when we were kids.”
“What?” Izuku turns to him mid-yawn, surprised.
“Doing scary shit. Or what you thought was scary shit. When we were kids. It was fun.” He shrugs, looking out into the black cover of the trees. “You asked why I brought you.”
“Oh.” After a second, Deku huffs. “You just mean you liked seeing me scared.”
“Hah? No!” Katsuki’s mouth drops open and his eyebrow twitches, chagrined. “Okay, yeah, maybe. But not all the time. That’s not what it was really about.”
Izuku’s eyebrow climbs, “Then what was it really about?”
Facing it together. Watching you overcome your fears. Getting to be the one to do it for you when you couldn’t.
Katsuki falters.
His shoulders draw up a bit, uncomfortably. “I don’t know. It was just fun. If you knew you wouldn’t like it then why’d you come anyway, huh?” He deflects.
“You know why.” It’s quick and soft, but still cuts through the deflection.
A sharp silence stretches between them.
Izuku finally allows him a gentle side-eyed look. “You know I’d follow you anywhere. If you’d only let me. Not to mention you never actually ask.” He smiles, the sides of his eyes slightly crinkling. “So when you do, how could I say no?”
Katsuki feels a foreign, yet oh so familiar ache, deep in the middle of his chest. It’s a slow, gnawing feeling. He has to look away before it devours anything vital.
Izuku doesn’t press the subject further, and instead they sit through the lull of the ride in companionable silence. The night air is slightly cool, especially way out here away from all the activity, but in spite of this Katsuki feels warm. Probably due to the body heat lined up against his side but he wouldn’t be admitting that any time soon.
After a few minutes he becomes aware of the solid weight slowly but gently pressing into his shoulder. He looks down and his nose connects with soft green tendrils of hair. Katsuki stills, suddenly finding himself unable to shift or swallow.
Izuku’s fallen asleep. On him.
He knows what he’s supposed to do. He’s supposed to shrug him off or yell at him or both. Maybe make a scene.
Instead, he finds himself stiff as a board, trying not to move a muscle. The tractor chugs on, the moon shining brightly on them whenever they’re not covered in the dark shroud of large oak trees.
Crickets can be heard out here, just slightly over the creaking of the wagon, the farther away they get. Katsuki wonders how such a gentle warmth coming from his side can make his entire chest feel like it's burning hot.
Izuku starts lightly snoring. Katuski knows it because he can feel the vibrations through his skin.
A particularly deep dip in their path has the cart shifting fairly hard. Katsuki feels Izuku’s frame stiffen slightly as he sits up, chin separating from his shoulder with a mumble and this must be it. He’s woken back up. Katsuki risks a peek to the side and blanches.
Izuku’s eyes are slitted, barely open, and his head is looking heavy. It bobs once, twice, and oh so slightly towards the stranger on Izuku’s left side as they once again fall shut. Before he can process what he’s even doing Katsuki is reaching out and gently guiding the green mop of tussled hair back to the safety of his shoulder.
He freezes, hand still pressed gently to those curls. His eyes dart around quickly but nobody is watching them. The cart clambors back under the treeline, the illumination of moonlight dimming again and he’s never felt more grateful for the cover of darkness because his cheeks feel hot and god damn it Katsuki Bakugo does not blush.
By the time the tractor is pulling back into the start Katsuki’s ass has fallen asleep and his core is beginning to burn from the strain of trying to stay as stationary as possible under the sway of the vehicle. As the ride comes to its final lurch and idle conversations start back up around them Katsuki can feel Izuku finally shift back into consciousness.
The greenette sits up, slowly unsticking his cheek from the blonde’s shoulder. There’s an awkward pause of time where Izuku stares at Katsuki, blinking confusedly in a still sleepy daze. Katsuki raises an eyebrow. He watches as the realization dawns in those green eyes and they go wide, panicked.
“Oh my god, Kacchan! I’m so sorry! I must have- I didn’t realize! Like I said before, I didn’t get much sleep last night, I couldn’t shut my brain off, and then the hayride was so calming and nice-” His hands are waving frantically in front of his face, a pink hue quickly rising across his freckled cheeks.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Katsuki cuts off his panicked tirade, feigning indifference. “You owe me a new shirt, ya know. You got drool all over this one.”
“Oh god.” Izuku groans behind him in embarrassment and Katsuki smirks as they file off the ride.
They spot their friends hunkered down around a bench not too far away. They’re laughing and eating churros and the sight has Izuku smiling as they head that way. “The hayride was a good idea. It was nice. I liked it.”
Katsuki scoffs, shaking his head. “You would. We come to an entire halloween festival and your favorite attraction is the one you sleep through.”
“No! I just mean,” Izuku flounders, and twirls a hand in the air searching for words. At a loss, he eventually repeats with a shy chuckle, “...it was nice. I liked it.” He rubs at the back of his neck.
Katsuki, unsurprisingly, doesn’t add anything to this. If Izuku didn’t know better though, he would almost swear that the tips of the blonde's ears, in contrast to the black headband still sitting just behind them, were turning pink.
As they finish closing the stretch of space between them and their friends, scare actors begin to exist on their periphery again. Using his unapproachable aura to their benefit, Katsuki drapes a heavy arm around Izuku’s shoulders and keeps him close this time. The actors look like they consider it, but ultimately give them several feet of space as they walk by. It works.
It’s only for this reason, Katsuki swears on multiple occasions, that he keeps the contact for the remainder of the night.
If any of his friends notice the behavior, they don’t say anything. Mina definitely snaps a picture though.