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Katsuki was agitated; he had woken in a peculiar mood—one he couldn’t name. It felt like a tingly buzzing—something—deep in his gut. He tried to force it down, his brows furrowed in frustration, or concentration, or both—he couldn’t tell. But he bulldozed his way through his morning routine. Whatever this was, it would surely pass.
For once, Katsuki appreciated the suffocating chatter of the classroom as he waited for class to begin.
“Hey, Kacchan, y-you good? You seem a little tense,” came Deku’s quiet voice from behind.
He stood corrected…
Forcing his shoulders not to hike up to his ears, Katsuki turned around, his once-usual grimace contorting his face. “Fuckin’ fine, damn nerd.” Deku’s eyes widened, but he largely looked unconvinced. “Tch.” With a roll of his eyes, Katsuki turned back around, and glared straight ahead.
Classes crawled by, painfully slow. That peculiar feeling reared its head sometime during their fourth period. The odd, nameless feeling started, deep in the pit of his stomach—much like earlier that morning. He tried to force it back down, but slowly, it was working its way up. The higher it travelled, the more intense it seemed to become.
Katsuki felt like he was playing a game of Tug of War with himself—and losing. The harder he tried to force the growing, tingly buzzing down, the faster it seemed to climb. Taking a slow, deep breath, he stilled. One. Two. Three. Four. Carefully, he exhaled a stuttering breath. Thank fuck! The feeling was still there, but seemed to have stopped—annoyingly, unfortunately—in the middle of his ribs. His lips twitched.
What the fuck is this?!
Katsuki focused on his ragged breathing, trying to slow his pounding heart—glaring straight ahead as Yamada-sensei continued rambling on—about what; Katsuki couldn’t say. Finally, class was over. Katsuki didn’t think he had ever packed up and bolted from class so fast before.
Mezou watched as Bakugou practically fled from the classroom as soon as English was over. He frowned. Is Bakugou having a panic attack? Mezou packed up his own belongings as fast as he could and headed to the closest bathroom, hoping to find the ash blond. But the bathroom was deserted. He sighed, and headed to the cafeteria.
Scanning the large open space, he didn’t see Bakugou anywhere. Not sure where else to look, he made his way through the lunch line and then took his usual seat at a table in the corner, next to Tokoyami.
“Did you notice Bakugou acting… off today?” Tokoyami asked, picking at his rice.
“I did,” Mezou said, pulling out his phone. “It seemed like he was in a bit of a panic. I tried to find him, but he disappeared.” Mezou opened his Messages app, and selected the conversation he’d started with Bakugou over a week ago.
It contained two messages; the first being from Mezou, letting Bakugou know it was him, and a simple thumbs up emoji in response. Mezou’s thumbs hovered over the keyboard. Should he reach out? They were trying to be friends, weren’t they? Sure, it was new; and Mezou had left it up to Bakugou to approach. But this wasn’t about meeting up.
“What could have happened, I wonder.”
Mezou hummed, taking a bite of his food as he typed. He paused for a moment, debating whether to actually hit send. But he did. He hoped he wasn’t pushing.
Me:
Hey, are you okay? You seemed... not yourself, I guess?Bakugou:
I'm fine, you damn extra
Mezou didn't buy that one bit. He'd heard Bakugou's breathing, the attempts to calm himself, and his pounding heartbeat. But before Mezou could respond, bubbles appeared—disappearing almost as quickly. He waited. They appeared and disappeared a few more times before there was another message.
Bakugou:
…
Why do you even care?Me:
I was under the impression we were trying to be friends
Have you ever had a panic attack before?
He didn’t get a response.
Katsuki stared at Shouji’s last message, chewing the inside of his cheek. They were, weren’t they? Even if it was definitely in secret? Even if its purpose was… was… Oh no—fuck! He’d only just managed to wrestle that weird sensation back into its box. And it was already breaking free, rapidly climbing up his torso once more. Quickly shaking that train of thought from his mind, Katsuki closed their chat and stuffed his phone in his pocket.
The sensation dimmed slightly but it was still rapidly moving upward, over his ribs, climbing higher. Fuck, fuck, fuck! Why is this happening?! Curling in on himself, arms pressed tightly to his sides, his mouth contorting in an attempt to smother the growing need to smile. He sucked in a breath—one, two, three, four—and exhaled shakily, and it did not sound like a giggle.
Shit—do I want—? And then, the sensation lodged itself right there, just below his armpits. Katsuki thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head. No, definitely not! He curled into an even tighter ball, his mouth pressed in a hard line to keep the building laughter in. And then, he held his breath—willing the tingly buzzing feeling to go away.
It took some time, but eventually, his breathing was steady, weird feelings were locked away, and his mind was carefully blank. Just in time for lunch to be over. Slipping from his hiding place, his stomach growled—loudly—reminding him that he hadn’t eaten. Afternoon classes were going to be rough.
He was the last one to make it to class.
“You will be sparring again. This time in your costumes, and without your quirks. You’ll have to figure out how to beat someone when you are in situations where using your quirk could be more dangerous than helpful. I will be pairing you up,” said Aizawa-sensei, in his usual bored tone.
Another sparring lesson. Great…
“Aoyama, you’re with…” Katsuki was barely listening when Aizawa-sensei called his name, but it seemed—to Katsuki—that he was yelling, when he paired him with none other than Shouji. Katsuki swallowed; how was he going to keep it together? Shouji wouldn’t… do that in class—he’d promised to keep his secret! Logically, he should know that.
But, it seemed that now that he had identified the feeling he’d been battling all day, this new development was giving way to a new panic. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears, and out of the corner of his eye, he could see Shouji eyeing him. Of course he would notice. Katsuki reached for his hair, ruffling it in an attempt to calm himself.
“Meet outside, you have ten minutes,” Aizawa-sensei drawled before leaving the room.
Mezou didn’t know what to do. It felt a bit like he was the cause of Bakugou’s panic. But he couldn’t understand what he’d done. He waited for Bakugou to grab his case and exit the room before he even stood up. Should he request another partner? Sighing, he finally went to grab his own case and headed to the locker room.
By the time he made it out to the training field, Bakugou seemed calmer. They hadn’t spoken, let alone made eye contact. Mezou wasn’t sure how they were going to get through this exercise. What should I do? He didn’t think Bakugou would appreciate being handed a win; but what else was there?
He tried to shift his attention to watching his classmates’ matches. It seemed like most of them were close, or decent matches. But Mezou could admit he wasn’t really paying that much attention. And then, it was their turn.
He made his way into the ring. Bakugou followed, trying to appear as his usual self, but Mezou could see Bakugou's jaw ticking and he had yet to meet his eye. Sighing, Mezou dropped into a fighting stance, watching as Bakugou did the same. Bakugou was wearing his trademark scowl, his brow furrowed, but Mezou could see the smallest flicker of hesitation. So, he really was the cause.
“Begin.”
They charged, and for once, Bakugou didn’t start with a right hook. They traded blows back and forth, Mezou all too aware of Bakugou’s growing frustration. I should probably end this quickly.
Bakugou spun into a kick—
Katsuki had disappeared to his dorm immediately after class, ignoring calls from the Bakusquad. He had a lot to think about. The match with Shouji had ended in his loss—not to mention the flash of nervous excitement he immediately knew Shouji had caught before he could contain it.
But he couldn’t help it. Shouji had pinned him flat on his back pretty quickly—embarrassing in itself—but he’d pinned his arms up by his head—away from his sides. And Katsuki was immediately all-too-aware how vulnerable he was, especially that spot. That damned feeling had immediately flared there, Katsuki’s eyes widening as his mouth pulled into a small, but shaky grin before he could snuff it out. Heat had flared at his cheeks; he could see what looked like realization cross Shouji’s face before he was quickly released.
And then he bolted.
And now, he was hidden away in his dorm, face down on his bed, head buried under a pillow. He didn’t know what to say to Shouji. He couldn’t ask, especially if… that’s what he wanted. The words sat heavy in his chest. Throwing his pillow across his room, he snatched his phone from the nightstand, opening his chat with Shouji. His thumbs paused, hovering over the keyboard.
Definitely couldn’t use… that word. Katsuki bit his lip. What to say… A moment later, his thumbs were tapping away; he hit send before he could stop himself.
Me:
Do you want to spar with me?
Not waiting for an answer, he threw on workout clothes and headed for the gym. If Shouji didn’t show up, Katsuki could still blow off some steam.
Mezou was out for a jog through the forest behind the 1A dorms. He was lost in thought, letting his feet carry him down the familiar paths as he replayed the day—especially the match—in his mind. He had never seen Bakugou so hesitant to start a match before. Though, he guessed, if he was the reason, it made sense.
The fight itself seemed to be fine, as he played back every move, every blow. And then the moment he had taken Bakugou down—it had been pretty easy. He had grabbed Bakugou’s fist as he threw a punch, pulling him sharply forward. As Bakugou’s other arm swung out for counter balance, Mezou had snatched Bakugou's wrist as he swept his legs out from under him.
After that, Bakugou’s back had easily hit the ground—Mezou pinning his hands by his head as he straddled him. And then, what was clearly nervous excitement had slipped across Bakugou’s face. Which had shortly been replaced by widening eyes and a shaky grin. Mezou stopped in his tracks, his brow furrowing.
He played the match over, and over again. Leg sweep, take down, arms pinned—leaving Bakugou vulnerable in a way only they knew. Nervous excitement, a shaky grin—he had even blushed. It was so obvious now, Mezou could have slapped himself. Well—that part was obvious. He was still confused about this morning. They definitely needed to talk.
Checking the time, Mezou turned and started toward the gym he’d first met Bakugou at a couple weeks ago. It was empty, but that was fine. He started setting out the mats. Laying out the last mat, he pulled his phone from his pocket—it chimed. Mezou’s eyebrows shot up.
Bakugou:
Do you want to spar with me?
Is that what we're calling these meet-ups? Mezou chuckled to himself, quickly typing out a reply.
Me:
I'm here
Mezou didn’t have to wait long before the door to the gym was pulled open and Bakugou stepped through. Mezou immediately noticed he was wearing a tank top. Mezou wondered if the choice was deliberate; but either way, it made things easier.
“I have to admit, I was surprised to hear from you…” Mezou said gently, as Bakugou approached. He didn’t look nervous. That was good.
“Hah?” Bakugou spat, glaring at Mezou, his shoulders hiking a little, tiny sparks igniting at his sides. “Weren’t you the one who said we were trying to be friends?”
“Well, yeah. But it felt like I was the cause of your panic,” Mezou said, awkwardly rubbing at the back of his neck, his gaze shifting toward the wall of mirrors.
“Tch. Someone thinks highly of himself,” Bakugou scoffed.
Mezou cocked an eyebrow. “Are you saying it didn’t sound like you were having a panic attack in fourth period? Or that you looked like you wanted anyone else as a sparring partner?”
The tiniest of explosions crackled from the blond’s palms, a snarl contorting his mouth as red bloomed across his cheeks. “That wasn't a panic—!” He turned his back on Mezou.
Katsuki snapped his mouth shut with an audible click as that damn feeling returned, lodging itself just under his armpits once more. His hands found his hair, pulling at his roots slightly before ruffling through it instead. He couldn’t explain to Shouji what had actually been happening. It was too weird! Katsuki’s shoulders hiked to his ears as he heard Shouji step closer. He had to get this feeling under control now.
“If it wasn’t a panic attack, is it related to what happened during our match?”
Katsuki’s lip curled, and he willed himself to not give away any hint of his internal struggle as he turned a fiery glare on Shouji. But nerves were swimming in his stomach; Shouji really had noticed everything, hadn’t he? “Nothing fucking happened during our match!”
“No? Then let’s have a rematch, right now,” Shouji said, crossing his arms over his chest, an eyebrow cocked as if he didn’t believe Katsuki one bit.
Katsuki was careful to keep his nerves under control as he glared up at the other boy. “Tch. Let’s fucking go, then!”
Shouji raised his eyebrows slightly before giving a small nod, cracking his knuckles. His extra appendages were formless, but it hadn’t mattered last time. And then he fell into a fighting stance. His gaze was oddly intense.
Katsuki fought the shiver that ran up his spine as he dropped into his own stance. With a nod, they were charging each other, exchanging blows much the same as that afternoon. His heart was pounding; he knew Shouji could hear it. Thankfully, Shouji’s face gave nothing away. Katsuki was sure he would have faltered if it had.
Throwing a punch, Katsuki immediately realized he put too much weight behind it as he launched too far forward. He grit his teeth as Shouji easily side-stepped, grabbed his elbow and easily tossed him over his shoulder as if he weighed nothing. He landed hard on the mat, quickly moving to roll to his feet. Once up, he spun into a kick, snarling as it was easily deflected.
His breath was going ragged as he threw a right hook. Shouji caught it head on, pulling Katsuki forward. Fuck! Is this going to unfold the exact same way?! Katsuki could feel the tips of his ears burning as he stumbled—could feel excitement flaring in his chest. Then, his legs were being swept from beneath him.
In short order, Katsuki was flat on his back once more—legs pinned beneath Shouji’s solid weight as he loomed over him, pinning Katsuki’s wrists up by his head. That damn tingly buzzing feeling returned immediately, stronger than it had ever been. Katsuki knew he was doing an even worse job concealing the excitement swimming in his eyes as the two stared at each other; his mouth fighting to conceal a shaky grin. He could feel heat rising in his cheeks—Shouji was clearly very amused.
Katsuki pulled at his wrists, trying to contort his face back into its usual scowl, or at least something impassive. Which only seemed to amuse Shouji more. His grip on Katsuki’s wrists tightened slightly, “Why are you so excited, hmm?”
“I-I’m n—” Suddenly, the buzzing tingle that had plagued him all day was being pushed back by the lightest, briefest brush of fingertips right below his armpits. Katsuki jolted—hard, a small shriek escaping as the grin stretched wider across his mouth. He exhaled, shaky and giggle-laden, goosebumps spreading over his skin.
“Do you really think you are in a position to be lying?” Shouji asked, his voice low and teasing as he lightly flicked his fingers back and forth in that damn spot.
Katsuki arched sharply with a shrieking cackle, his wrists straining against Shouji’s ridiculously strong hold. “YIIIHIHIEEEHEHE—FUHUHUCK! GGRRAAHAHAHA!!”
“Let’s try again: Why are you so excited, Bakugou?” Shouji asked, letting his fingers glide along the entire expanse of the area.
“PPFFAHAHAHA!! IHIHI’M NOHOHOHOT!” Katsuki cried, bucking as he pulled helplessly at his wrists. His heart was racing, and they had only just started. Why is this what I wanted?! Why can’t I just—
Shouji sighed, nails lazily circling in the center of that damn spot. “You wanna know what I think?” he asked, his fingers never stopping.
Katsuki sucked in a much needed breath before he dissolved into helpless cackling, his elbows trying to jerk inward to offer at least a little protection. His heels beat against the mat as he glared at the boy above him. “IHIHI WAHAHAHANT YOHOU TOHOHOHO SH-SHUHUHUT THAHAHAHA FFUHUHUCK UHUHUPP!”
Shouji hummed, his fingers pulling away. Another set of hands found Katsuki’s elbows, forcing them up higher and back against the mat. Katsuki could feel himself stretching out, and knew it couldn't be good. The two locked eyes, but Shouji didn’t say a word.
Fingers gently touched down, Katsuki’s eyes widened when he distinctly felt more than one set of fingers on either side. Heat bloomed across his cheeks, his eyes squeezing shut as helpless snickers slipped free, and Shouji hadn’t done anything yet. Shit…
Shouji laughed at him—it sounded low and sinister. Katsuki hoped it was just because it was muffled by the mask he wore—but Shouji otherwise remained silent. Katsuki wasn’t sure if he actually preferred that, but he wasn’t about to say anything.
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
The fingers drummed almost lazily against Katsuki’s most sensitive spots. Goosebumps spread along his skin, whimper-filled giggles fighting against his clamped-shut mouth. He shuddered, cursing himself for getting himself into this mess. As if this wasn’t exactly what I’ve been wanting all damn day, he thought, before he could stop himself.
Though, he still didn’t understand why he had wanted this. It felt like literal torture!
The fingers against his left started moving, dancing and gliding gently over the vulnerable skin. Katsuki flinched, hard, before twisting as far to the left as Shouji’s hold would allow; it wasn’t quite far enough—but it didn’t really matter. As soon as he had twisted as far as he could and sucked in a shaky breath, the fingers on his right started to move. They pressed in, vibrating quickly.
Katsuki shrieked, twisting back the other way as he pulled against Shouji’s inescapable hold. “GAHAHAHAHA!! O-OHOHOHOKAHAY!! YOHOU CAHAHAN TEHELL MEEHEHE!!”
“Are you sure?” Shouji asked, his hands seamlessly switching his ministrations to the opposite sides. “Pretty sure you told me to ‘shut the fuck up’…”
“YAHAHAHAHA—!!” Katsuki’s laughter cut off with a string of snorts. He blushed furiously as he bucked, helplessly twisting back the other way. His heels beat against the mat again, in a vain attempt to distract himself from the maddening sensations plaguing him. “SH-SH-SHOHOHOUJI!”
“Okay, okay, take a breath,” Shouji chuckled, slowly bringing his fingers to a stand-still. But he didn’t pull them away.
Katsuki shifted onto his back again, sucking in breath after breath as his laughter slowly died down. He knew his face was still bright red as he glanced at Shouji before finding an interesting spot on the ceiling. His mouth twitched helplessly into a nervous grin at the threat of Shouji’s waiting fingers.
Shouji poked his cheek. “You haven’t been able to get rid of this since I pinned you—had one this afternoon, too.” He was far too amused, in Katsuki’s opinion. “So you’re ready to hear what I think, huh?”
“That’s what I said, isn’t it?” Katsuki snapped, before he could stop himself. “Uh, I mean—” he tried to correct, nervous giggles slipping free, trying to curl in on himself again. But Shouji had yet to release his elbows.
“We’re learning, I see,” Shouji said, finally removing all four hands from below Katsuki’s armpits.
Katsuki glared up at Shouji, not caring about its ineffectiveness brought on his quiet giggling.
“As I was saying,” he started, slowly dragging a single fingernail along that same spot.
A hiccup broke through his rising giggles as he helplessly arched, shivering as goosebumps spread along the area once more. “Wh-What ki-ihihihind ohohof break wahAHAHAHAS THAHAT?!”
“Who said it was supposed to be a break?” Shouji asked, adding another finger to the slow, gentle teasing of Katsuki’s worst spot. “Do you wanna keep interrupting me?”
Katsuki gurgled around a squeal, bucking helplessly, his arms straining uselessly to come down. Why haven’t I told him to stop?!
“When I pinned you in class, you had a similar look on your face,” Shouji paused, briefly, probably to see if Katsuki would deny it. But Katsuki was too busy snickering and jerking uselessly back and forth—his heart thumping as a slight pink found his cheeks.
“I thought, you thought I might tickle you in front of the entire class—but that couldn’t be it. It’s very clear you don’t want anyone to know, and I told you I’d keep your secret, so—” Shouji’s damn fingers kept sweeping, until they slid to just before the curve of his back ribs, flicking back and forth.
“PPFFHHAHAHAHA!! SHIHIHIHIT–AHAHAHAHA!” Katsuki was forced into a high arch as his arms strained uselessly. But Shouji’s damn fingers easily followed. “FAHAHAHAA!! FUHUHUHUCKING HAHAHA-HEHELL!”
“I realized—it was the way I pinned you—just like this. And thanks to your hero costume, your worst spot was fully exposed. I’m sure you only reacted because it was me and I know about this spot,” he said, his fingernails scraping gently, slowly along the open space.
Katsuki wasn’t sure if Shouji even cared if he was actually listening, or could even hear him. But even though he was lost in a fog of maddening tickles and drowning in his own raucous laughter, Katsuki clearly heard—every—fucking—word.
“And then, you showed up, wearing something else that would leave you so vulnerable. And so, I’ve realized something else. Do you want to know what that is, too, Bakugou?” Shouji asked in the teasiest voice Katsuki was sure he’d ever heard from him.
Katsuki couldn’t look at Shouji as he blushed furiously from his roots to his chest, his laughter growing strained, his struggles jagged and sloppy. But still, he nodded, his heart pounding. Shouji had sussed out everything else… Katsuki was pretty sure he knew exactly what was gonna come out of Shouji’s mouth.
Shouji’s fingers slowed gradually but didn’t pull away. “I realized, not only have you been wanting to be tickled all day, but you specifically wanted to be tickled right here,” Shouji said, letting his fingers lightly brush along the abused skin.
Katsuki gasped sharply with a shrill squeal, his arms jerking hard as he flinched. His shoulders tried to hike up to his ears as they burned in embarrassment.
“I wasn’t absolutely sure, at first, of course. But, not once have you said to stop; or that you didn’t want it. You’ve just been taking it.”
“S-So whahat?” Katsuki asked, sure he couldn’t feel anymore embarrassed than he already did.
“So nothing. There’s nothing wrong about you liking to be tickled—”
Katsuki couldn’t help the gasp that escaped, or how his face grew hotter. Clearly, he had been mistaken before.
“—and I already know you do. So why not just be honest about what you want?”
Katsuki sighed through his giggles, keeping his gaze firmly on the ceiling. “It’s… stihihill embahaharrassing. And I still cahahan’t believe yohohou even…” He didn’t know how to finish that thought.
“Well, you think about that while I get back to making you laugh yourself silly—unless you’ve had enough?” Shouji asked, cocking his head to the side.
“Did I say I've had enough?” Katsuki snapped, momentarily forgetting the position he was in.
“No, not in the slightest. And here I was being gentle with you. Guess I should kick it up a notch, wouldn’t you agree?” Shouji shot back, cracking his knuckles.
Nervous giggles bubbled from his chest before Katsuki could stop them. Another large, shaky grin took over his face. He strained to curl in on himself as much as he could, shaking his head quickly. “Yohohou r-really dohon’t…!”
“Of course I don’t. But I want to. You definitely snorted earlier, and I want you to do it again…” When had Shouji’s eyes turned so sinister? Katsuki could still make out amusement, but his stomach dropped as Shouji’s hands came back into view. Why can’t I tell him to stop?!
Katsuki watched helplessly as Shouji’s four hands moved—almost teasingly slow—to rest against that very unprotected spot they’d been focusing on. He couldn’t stop the full-body flinch as they touched down, a squeal tearing through his unstoppable giggles.
Shouji looked far too delighted, in Katsuki’s opinion. For a moment nothing happened, it looked like Shouji was studying him. But Katsuki could take it! He stared right back, a challenge burning in his gaze.
And then, what felt like an electric jolt hit his nervous system. Fucking shit! Shouji’s fingers had dug in and started to vibrate deep in his very defenseless, most ticklish spot.
Katsuki let out a shrill scream as he arched sharply, his wrists yanking desperately against the iron grip that held them. Katsuki’s head whipped back and forth, eyes squeezed shut, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. “SSHAHAHAHAHA!! NAAHAHAHA!! FAHAHAHAHA!!”
He couldn’t even form his usual curse words. What the fuck was this? Shouji had never been this intense before. It was absolutely terrifying, but also… exhilarating? Katsuki’s heart was racing, his head spinning as he tried to suck in air around his frantic laughter.
Shouji’s fingers started alternating intensities, sending Katsuki careening helplessly back and forth. And then his frantic laughter went silent. The gathered tears slowly slipped down his cheeks as he tugged at his wrists, his palms started to spark.
Shouji’s fingers eased up just slightly, enough for Katsuki to suck in the smallest breath that gave way to a long string of hiccupping snorts, heat flaring at his cheeks once more. He arched desperately as the sparks igniting in his palms grew a bit bigger—came quicker.
“There it is,” Shouji chuckled, but he didn’t stop. He wanted more?!
Shitshitshit—FUCKINGSHIT!
Katsuki was nearing the end of his tolerance, but he couldn’t form the words through his shrill, cackling laughter. For an embarrassingly long time, he was stuck trying to remember how he had gotten Shouji to stop the last time. But his mind was inundated with the most intense tickling he had definitely ever felt and his growing need to breathe.
And then, he remembered—frantically snapping both sets of fingers.
Immediately, Shouji’s hands fell away from the spot they’d been acquainting themselves with all evening, Katsuki’s wrists were released and Shouji was getting to his feet.
“You relax, catch your breath. I’m going to get you some water.”
Katsuki couldn’t respond as his whole body relaxed, melting against the mat he had just been pinned to. His laughter slowly shifted to giggles that petered out to shaky breathing. He didn’t even have it in him to bring his arms down. As his heart rate returned to normal, the lightness he had come to expect after these… meet-ups, radiated throughout his body.
Shuffling reached his ears. Katsuki knew he had a dumb grin still on his face, but he was too pleasantly worn out to care as he turned his head to look. Shouji was back, holding out a bottle of water.
“Was it as fun as you were hoping it would be?” Shouji asked, dropping to sit cross-legged on the floor. He looked a touch nervous, like maybe he thought he had gone too far.
Shakily pushing himself up into a sitting position, Katsuki accepted the water bottle. He guzzled half of it before he sucked in a shaky breath, scratching awkwardly at his cheek as he shifted his gaze to Shouji. Be honest, Shouji had said—and some other stuff, but Katsuki was sure he would say it applied here, too.
He couldn’t help the red that flared from his roots to his chest once more, but he didn’t avert his gaze this time. “Yeah, it was. Some of it was—ummm, more intense?—than I expected, especially that last thing…” Katsuki said, his shoulders hiking up to his ears, the grin stuck on his face wobbling slightly. “But I didn’t… hate it?”
“Well, good. I don’t want you to hate any part of our spars,” Shouji said, amusement bleeding into his voice as he leaned back on his palms.
“Coulda fooled me—with that last thing…” Katsuki huffed, tucking in on himself slightly.
“I didn’t hear you telling me to stop…”
Katsuki glared, red flaring across his cheeks. He stuck his tongue out, his mouth contorting into a scowl.
“You wanna go again already?” Shouji asked, his voice taking on a sinister edge.
“Mmph?!” Katsuki's eyes shot wide, as he jerked back slightly, shaking his head.
“Then put your tongue away,” Shouji said, getting to his feet. “Otherwise, you’re just asking for trouble, Bakugou.”
Katsuki blinked, quickly pulling his tongue back into his mouth. “Tch.” Getting to his own feet, he froze. The last bit of their conversation before the hellish tickling flashing through his mind:
“It’s… stihiill embahaharrassing. And I still cahahan’t believe yohohou even…”
““Well, you think about that while I get back to making you laugh yourself silly…”
“You… You like tickling, too?” Bakugou asked, his voice quiet, like the first time they had any kind of conversation about this.
“You finally figured it out,” Mezou said, nodding slightly. “Yeah, I do. Mostly doing the tickling, though.”
Bakugou gawked at him. “How can you admit that so nonchalantly?”
Mezou shrugged, “I’m not ashamed of who I am. And you shouldn’t be, either.”