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Katsuki’s right eye twitched as heat crept into his hands, small sparks popping.
He had stopped listening to Monoma a while ago. The other blonde just kept rattling on and on without a care in the world, eyes shut as he jumped from topic to topic, not giving a flying fuck if Katsuki was listening or not. Such was the case whenever they hung out, which they had started to do more often after the war.
It was nice. They surprisingly had a lot in common despite seeming like polar opposites. They hadn’t talked about how their new connection had stemmed from the trauma of the war—of Monoma having to watch Katsuki die with his eyes wide open. Instead, Katsuki just let Monoma occupy the space beside him, providing him comfort just by living and breathing, proving he’s alive. In return, Monoma ran his mouth about numerous things. Things Katsuki might otherwise have never found out in a million years.
First point of similarity: they were gossips.
Katsuki kept an ear open whenever anyone was talking about anyone. He didn’t know if people really knew this about him. Izuku knew, of course, because what didn’t Izuku know about him? And it wasn’t like he went around saying anything about what he heard – he just liked to be in the know. He learned more about others from Monoma.
They shared information like the fact that Shinsou isn’t as subtle as he thinks he is about having a crush on someone – they just haven’t zoned in on who it is yet. Or that Mina has a flash drive full of MP4 blackmail from one night in the dorms they snuck in alcohol, discovering who were lightweights the hard way. Or that Shouto has a crack theory about Vlad King having a secret love child entering UA soon, but he actually has legitimate proof to back it up so it could actually be legitimate.
This time, however, Monoma shared something about Izuku. Something groundbreaking.
“What do you mean he unlocked Blackwhip because of me?”
Katsuki’s throat felt dry. He felt like he was falling off a pillar that had once been stable in ignorant bliss. He was fucking there when Izuku lost control of his quirks, he had been behind the glass when the dark green tendrils began blasting out of his arm. He thought he knew all there was to know about everything. About Izuku. But this… this blindsided him.
And he hated to be blindsided.
He felt a lot of emotions at once. Shock. Anger. Confusion. A lot of confusion.
Monoma, chin perched atop his hands, cracked open an eye and cocked a brow, taking in Katsuki’s irate expression.
“I’m sorry,” he said very unapologetically, “I thought you knew.” Closing his eyes again, his lips curled into a sly smirk. “I guess Midoriya is still keeping things from you.”
Katsuki stood up from his seat at once.
Monoma’s eyes bolted open as he startled, his head tilting ever so slightly up to stare at a now fuming Katsuki.
The explosive blonde proceeded to shove his chair aside as he strutted away in large strides, right in the direction of Class A’s home room. There was no doubt he was going for Izuku, absolutely out for blood. Even in his physically weakened state, he could make people drop dead with just a simple glare. Though it took practice to become immune to it, Monoma knew not even Izuku would be able to stand his ground. And that made for a very humorous situation.
Monoma chuckled, closing his eyes again.
He’d heard stories of people stirring the boiling pot that was Bakugou Katsuki before, often unintentionally. They all still ended up burned by his spitfire tongue, such was their fate. Monoma, however, was thrilled to have his turn at controlling the ladle. He was fireproof—immune to any damage Katsuki could threaten or carry out. That meant maybe, he could do his part in granting everyone a favour and bringing Katsuki and Izuku closer to the truth about their mutual feelings toward each other.
“This ought to be good,” he smiled.
Katsuki and his trudging boots were out of earshot now. The calm before the storm settled over the cafeteria, unbeknownst to everyone.
In four minutes, it would once again, like always, become their problem.
◇
Izuku was having a great time after class.
He happily put his books away as he took out his lunch and chattered with the others. There was a familiar buzz beneath his skin as he laughed at something Iida said.
It wasn’t until a very familiar voice cut through from all the way in the halls that he realised that was probably the buzz of an impending threat to his life. Or maybe, the still-secret object of his affection.
“Deku!!!” said object yelled out, loud and furious and altogether lacking in love.
Some heads turned toward the door. Some toward Izuku, who stiffened in his seat.
“Oh God,” Sero hissed, pitifully. “He never calls you that anymore.”
“What did you do?” Mineta looked up at Izuku with pure concern.
“You’re in troubleee~” Denki mused from the other corner of class.
In seconds, Katsuki burst through the door, eyes finding Izuku right away. Other times, it’s like the sun kissing the horizon. This time, it’s like a predator finding his prey hiding in plain sight.
“Kacchan?!” he called incredulously, standing from his seat as he soaked in the raging fury in those otherwise beautiful red eyes.
“You damn bastard,” Katsuki began strutting toward the other. “You’re so fucking dead.”
Izuku instinctively assumed a defensive stance using the table as a barrier. Stance low, hands bracing on the wood, eyes on Katsuki. When the blonde got too close, he switched tables.
Katsuki growled, surging toward the other table giving chase, and Izuku switched again. Soon, Izuku was screaming for his life as he quite literally jumped from table to table. Katsuki pursued, weaving between everyone as though they were just stone totems or invisible ghosts.
When Izuku got close enough to the door, he sprinted out through it and ran out to the hall. His voice could be heard echoing as he yelped, feet carrying him as quick as possible to wherever. Katsuki cursed, chasing after him.
Everyone else in Class A exchanged glances.
“Uhhh,” Ojiro eyed the door, wringing his hands. “Should Bakugou be… running? With his… y’know,” he gestured to his chest area vaguely.
“Probably not,” Sato offered.
“What’s up with them?” Shouto asked, genuinely concerned.
Jirou shrugged. “Midoriya must have fucked up.”
“Hey,” Kirishima cut in, “Bakugou’s always like that. Why are you so sure Midoriya fucked up?”
Iida looked at them squarely, a bit sadly.
“The innocent never run.”
◇
Izuku was fast.
Katsuki cursed the little green nerd for that as he chased him through the halls, the cafeteria, right past a chortling Monoma, and eventually up the stairs through the door to a rooftop area. Looking around, Izuku finally realised that he was cornered. He heard Katsuki’s footsteps padding in after him, sealing his exit and probably also his fate.
He buried his hands in his hair and groaned.
Katsuki braced his hands on his knees and wheezed. “Fuck my fucking—” two coughs. “Fuck.”
He brought his asthma puffer out from his pocket, took a puff, then exhaled as he straightened up and glared at Izuku.
“Nowhere to run,” Katsuki caught his breath, narrowing his eyes.
Izuku whipped around. “Kacchan,” he rasped. “What’s wrong?!”
Katsuki’s brow pinched as he squared Izuku an incredulous look.
“The hell did you run away for if you didn’t know?” he splayed his hands out in disbelief.
“You were gonna kill me!” Izuku pointed an accusatory finger at him.
Katsuki blinked before fixing his posture and smoothing his expression over, smiling at Izuku.
“I’m not gonna kill you,” he shook his head gently.
Izuku perked up, shoulders dropping.
Katsuki’s expression then darkened something even worse than before. “I’m gonna fucking murder you.”
Izuku’s face dropped. He hissed, desperately looking around again for an exit, but to no avail.
“What did I do?!” he exclaimed, at his wit’s end.
“I’ll tell you what you didn’t do,” Katsuki growled. “Tell me how you unlocked blackwhip.”
Izuku paled, jaw going slack as he moved in slow motion. He closed his eyes, wincing as he brought his fingers to the bridge of his nose. That’s what this was about? Right here? Right now?
“That’s right,” Katsuki egged him on. “I found out. From fucking Monoma.”
Izuku snapped out of his shock for a microsecond. “What were you doing talking to Monoma??”
Katsuki raised both brows. “You think you’re in any position to ask that right now?”
The words went in one of Izuku’s ears and out the other. “Why did he tell you about Blackwhip??”
“Ah-ah, I’m asking the damn questions here. When the fuck were you gonna tell me?”
Izuku let out a breath. He put both hands in front of him as though Katsuki were a bloodthirsty animal he was attempting (and failing) to tame. Like a raging bull about to trample him if he made any sudden movements.
“Kacchan,” he said carefully. “Let’s calm down. I can explain everything.”
“I am calm,” the blonde crossed his arms, glowering at him.
“I—” Izuku started, licking his lips. He was going to die. “I thought about it.”
“Wrong,” Katsuki spat. “I want the truth, Deku. You got ten seconds before I come over there and strangle it outta you!”
Once again, Izuku snapped out for a microsecond. “With only one arm?”
Katsuki raised both eyebrows. Add audacity to the list of things Izuku must have been born with.
“Ten.”
“Oh God,” Izuku bunched his fists. He was dead. So very dead. “Okay,” he took a deep breath.
“Nine.”
And then, he spit it out in one single breath.
“Monoma was taunting me and I couldn’t catch him and I was trying really hard not to mind what he was saying and I was doing great until he mentioned you and then he went a step further and insulted you by saying that you can smile without worrying about letting yourself get abducted and that you were weak for not taking care of yourself and causing All Might to retire—which is wrong by the way—and I knew that you blamed yourself because we fought and you cried in front of me so I got really pissed off and then I felt some chest pain and the next thing I knew, Blackwhip was surging out of my arm and as long as I stayed pissed off it didn’t go away because I kept thinking about you so Shinsou had to brainwash me just so I could stop, but you were watching and—”
“Izuku.”
“—I kinda knew right away that it was because I felt so pissed that he insulted you that Blackwhip unlocked but I didn’t really wanna face that either and what I said in All Might’s office wasn’t completely a lie because the power was responding to the world—”
“Izuku!!” Katsuki raised his voice louder.
Izuku squeaked, finally hitting the breaks and catching his breath. He stared at Katsuki, chest heaving in and out. He overdid it.
Katsuki pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing as he absorbed everything Izuku just dumped. Years of knowing the nerd meant that he was used to the rambling, no matter how much he complained about it.
“So you get upset when people talk shit about me,” he summarised, impressively. “Big deal. What the hell did you need to be so dramatic for?”
“It’s not just when people talk shit about you!”Izuku tensed his hands. “Okay? It happens whenever you get hurt, too.”
Katsuki cocked a brow. “So, you’re tellin’ me we should’ve been fucking me up instead of you when we were training.”
“No!” Izuku felt even more high strung by the second. “…Yes? Ugh,” he turned his back, attempting to regulate for all of two seconds before turning back, decidedly unregulated.
“Kacchan, look. Daigoro-san always told me that if I wanted to control Blackwhip, I needed to control my heart. Blackwhip was my heart. For some reason, it was fine hurting everyone else, but not you. You know why I never won Catch-A-Kacchan?” he blinked. “Because it refused to catch you.”
Katsuki paused. Then as the revelation settled in, his eyebrows slowly raised into his hairline while his shoulders lowered.
Izuku bit his lip and then folded his arms. He looked off to the side, averting Katsuki's gaze so he didn’t have to read his expression.
"Sometimes I even lose control when anyone else touches you."
Izuku heard nothing but silence from Katsuki for a minute, so he began to eye him cautiously. His expression was unreadable.
"That right...?" Katsuki blinked, a little distractedly.
Izuku winced, feeling a deep sense of despair.
"It’s embarrassing."
Katsuki blinked, smile dropping.
"You're embarrassed...?"
"NOT OF YOU!!" Izuku exclaimed, turning and taking a step toward Katsuki while splaying his arms out. The whole school must have heard him. "God," he caught his breath again.
If Katsuki ever thought he was an embarrassment to Izuku, Izuku would take his middle school advice right here and now.
"I—" sweat dripped down his face as he looked away again. "I never told you because it's insane. I'm insane. About you. I can never just," he flailed his arms about, "be normal when it comes to you."
He glanced at Katsuki who met his eyes.
"I haven't been for a long time. And I— I've managed to tame that! But Blackwhip just had to bring it all to the surface."
He dropped his arms to his sides defeatedly. "So there," he gestured emptily to the space between them, and then sighed. "Anyone would think it's creepy and completely hate that. I wouldn't blame you if you wanna put some distance between us now," his voice cracked a little, genuine anxiety fracturing his words.
Katsuki remained silent for a long moment. Entirely too long for Izuku's comfort. Then, he piped up.
"It's a little creepy."
Izuku winced, a spear piercing his heart.
"And you're a little freak."
Another spear. Bleeding.
"Rub it in, Kacchan," he rolled his eyes, sarcastically, trying to find humour in this situation, "by all means."
"But I don't... hate it."
Wait.
Huh?
He whipped his head up to look at Katsuki so fast that the whiplash rocked his brain. Shaking off the dizziness, his eyes widened as he took in the other’s expression. If he wasn’t seeing things or going clinically insane, he could have sworn that a light blush Katsuki’s cheekbones and the tips of his ears.
He was really going to die. Right here, right now.
Katsuki palmed his neck. “When the fuck’d you even figure out you lost it when someone else touched me?”
Oh.
Oh.
“Okay!” Izuku squeaked a little too high-pitched as he clapped his hands together so hard that his palms stung. “I think that’s enough questions for now!”
Katsuki smirked.
He began to walk toward Izuku slowly, coy and confident. He knew the other wouldn’t dare move, and Izuku didn’t. He stood frozen to the spot. When the blonde entered his space, he leaned in so that their noses were almost touching, placing his hands in his pockets coolly. Izuku’s blush was darker, spreading further across his face and down his neck.
“I got you that down bad, huh?” he looked the other down and up and Izuku could feel his breath.
“Oh my God!” Panic struck like a lightning bolt on a powerline in the middle of the night.
He shoved Katsuki’s face away and stepped to the side so he could sprint right toward the exit.
"Oi!" Katsuki whipped around after regaining his bearings, laughing as he started running after Izuku again. Chasing him again. That flush in his own cheeks spread as well. This was too much fun. He never wanted it to end.
"Izuku!" he called, jumping down multiple stairs at a time, gaining on the other. "Izuku!!"
Izuku only made it as far as the hallway before the stairs and… the whole ordeal, really, seemed to take their toll. He stopped in place to catch his breath, so Katsuki crashed into him, placing his hands on his shoulders to turn him around.
There was fear in Izuku's eyes along with panic. It broke Katsuki's heart a little to know that Izuku had so much anxiety about telling him something like this.
"Hey," he called softly, steadying Izuku in earnest. "Why the fuck would I put distance between us for this, huh, nerd?"
Izuku searched his eyes, trying to see if Katsuki was bluffing. But of course, he wasn't. Understanding that he wasn't upset, Izuku finally allowed himself to deflate.
"You're fine, "Zu," Katsuki chuckled, somewhat relieved himself. "'M glad you told me."
Then, taking advantage of the other’s trust, he leaned closer with his mouth to Izuku's ear.
"'Cause I'm never... gonna let you live this down."
Izuku turned to jelly. At once, he just melted and Katsuki released his grip, letting him perish. Smiling something tantalising, he observed as Izuku just collapsed in a heap on the floor. He started groaning and whining, hiding his face.
"Bakugou Katsuki, you're the worst!!" he cried. “I hate you..."
Katuski folded his arms and leaned over Izuku, looming over his head.
"Nah," he smirked. "You looove me."
He straightened up, laughing as he drank in the sweet sounds of Izuku's breakdown. He threw his head back and cackled even harder from deep within his soul, not unlike a witch who has successfully turned a human into a toad. Slowly approaching from the cafeteria, Monoma came up and joined in on the symphony of cackling like he was famously known for.
It looked like his mission was completed successfully.
Kirishima was still in the classroom defending Katsuki against everyone else. They were about to head out so he could prove his point, as they had heard the Izuku and Katsuki come back into the hallway.
"So, it's not like he's gonna murder—"
They all paused in their tracks.
Izuku was in front of them, on the ground, curled in on himself. Katsuki was standing above him, teasing him relentlessly as he cackled and chortled. Monoma latched onto the despair like the hyena he was. There was no mercy.
Kirishima pursed his lips together.
"You were saying?" Shinsou raised a brow, observing the scene as though it were some sort of renaissance painting.
A sigh from Kirishima. "Bakugou, man, we were rooting for you."
"Actually, only you were," Jirou corrected.
◇
Izuku spent about five minutes on the floor before Aizawa found them and threatened all three with detention. But no threat, to Izuku, would ever be as debilitating as Katsuki, armed with the knowledge that he was Izuku's heart.
And Katsuki, for all the teasing and shouting and chasing he did, felt so warm inside. He felt happy, knowing that he made Izuku feel as crazy about him as he felt about Izuku. Perhaps it had always been this way, ever since they were kids.
Ruffling Izuku's hair as they walked back to class from Aizawa’s staffroom, he was struck by a thought.
He wanted to always remain as Izuku’s heart, his one and only, until the day he died.
For the rest of their lives.