Archive of Our Own

It was a completely normal Saturday morning in the UA Class 2-A dorms.
At least, so far.

A loud scream echoed through the common room. Several of the students sitting around flinched in surprise as everyone collectively turned toward the door.

Katsuki Bakugou was standing at the kitchen counter. Momo was next to him, having just handed him a teabag, but she froze mid-motion.

“GUYS!”

Mina Ashido stood in the doorway, breathing fast, eyes wide open. Katsuki rolled his eyes in annoyance. In his opinion, she never had anything important to say anyway. He took the teabag before his water could get cold.

“Mina, is everything okay?”

His red eyes lifted. He watched as Izuku’s body tensed instantly, ready to sprint off at any second if something was wrong. His emerald-green eyes were fixed nervously on the pink girl, and there was a slight tremble in his scarred hands. Katsuki frowned.

A lot had happened during their first year at UA. Izuku still couldn’t really relax. Every small irregularity made him uneasy. Katsuki looked down into his teacup.

Can’t really blame him.

The time after the big battle had been hard. For everyone—but especially for Izuku. More than once, Katsuki had found him in the common room in the middle of the night because he couldn’t sleep from anxiety. Every time that happened, Katsuki made him some tea and stayed with him until he calmed down.

That was how they had grown closer. They talked a lot. Or rather—Katsuki listened while Izuku rambled nonstop. But he didn’t mind. It was… nice. They had been through a lot together. Unfortunately, he had to admit to himself that he felt different things for the nerd than he had always told himself.

A quiet sigh slipped from his lips.

“IT’S FEBRUARY!” Mina suddenly shouted.

Silence spread through the room. No one seemed to know what to say to that. Katsuki slammed his cup down on the counter.

“No shit, Sherlock!” he yelled back. Why was she scaring everyone over something so stupid!? Especially Izuku?

Katsuki glanced over at Izuku, who was sitting next to Ochaco. The tension left his body, and a small smile appeared on his lips. As always, Katsuki felt his traitorous heart stumble when he saw Izuku smile. The damn nerd smiled beautifully—annoyingly so.

“Mina, did you hit your head or something?” Denki laughed.

She grinned widely and put her hands on her hips, shaking her head firmly. “No, no! Think about it! What does February mean?” She looked at everyone like she had just won a Nobel Prize.

Katsuki walked around the counter and sat down on one of the bar stools. He ignored Mina and started thinking about what he wanted to eat today.

Momo spoke up. “Well, technically, the term February originates from Roman times and means something like ‘purification.’ There used to be a purification festival as well.”

Katsuki raised an eyebrow and looked at Momo, who was now being stared at by everyone. Mina looked completely confused. “N-No, that’s not what I meant.”

Hanta and Denki snickered.
“Pre-spring?” Shoto said dryly.

Mina sighed. “NO!” She rubbed her face. “What is wrong with you guys!? Does no one here know what happens in February!?” she whined.

Katsuki took the teabag out of his cup, squeezed the excess water out, and tossed it into the trash next to him. Could she just get to the damn point already?

He lifted the cup to his lips. Steam rose gently. The pleasant scent of orange filled his nose. His gaze drifted forward—straight into two green eyes. To him, they looked like they were sparkling.

Izuku looked at him for a moment until Katsuki raised an eyebrow in question. The curly-haired boy turned to Mina and said quietly,

“Valentine’s Day…?”

The fuck—were Izuku’s cheeks red? Or was he imagining things now?

Mina started to beam. “Exactly, Izuku!”

Izuku smiled back at her, but began fidgeting with his fingers.

“And what exactly are you trying to tell us, Mina?” Ochaco asked.

Mina sat down with the others. “Well, what do people do on Valentine’s Day?”

Tsuyu tilted her head. “You give chocolate to someone you like, ribbit.”

Mina nodded quickly. Katsuki had that feeling again, like someone was staring at him. He looked up from his tea, but didn’t catch anyone. He clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“Exactly! I just heard some girls outside talking about how they want to make chocolate for Katsuki!”

“WHAT!? Why does that guy get girls!?” Minoru suddenly wailed.

Eijiro stood next to Katsuki and clapped him on the shoulder. “Did you hear that, Bakubro?” he grinned.

Katsuki just clicked his tongue again and looked away, bored. As if he wanted chocolate from a bunch of random extras.

His gaze moved over the students, who were now excitedly talking about Valentine’s Day. But it stopped on Izuku. Something was off. He was smiling and participating in the conversation, but Katsuki couldn’t shake the feeling that he was… angry?

He sat stiffly. His hands were tense, one of them even gripping the couch. And his eyes weren’t shining like they usually did. Katsuki could even see Ochaco gently pat his shoulder.

Why the hell is the nerd so pissed?

“So anyway, I had the idea that we could all make chocolate together! At least those who want to give some away,” Mina grinned.

“Cool idea, I’m in!” Denki said with a grin.

“Oh, you want to give someone chocolate?” Mina asked happily.

Denki just laughed. “Sure, maybe I’ll finally end my single life.”

“Who else wants to join?”

Ochaco raised her hand, as did Momo, Tsuyu, and Jiro. Katsuki looked up when he noticed movement from the green-haired boy. Izuku slowly raised his hand.

“I-I’d like to join too,” he muttered.

Ochaco suddenly broke into a wide grin. “Really!?”

Katsuki frowned. An uncomfortable feeling settled in his stomach. His jaw tensed. Why was that damn round face so happy about it?

Although Katsuki already knew the answer. She probably thought Izuku was making the chocolate for her.

His gaze dropped. He thought that too. His hand tightened around the handle of his cup until his knuckles turned white.

He didn’t notice Izuku nodding at her, then briefly glancing at Katsuki and blushing slightly. Ochaco’s grin only grew wider.

Katsuki felt more and more sick. That probably meant a whole new level of nightmare situations starting mid-February. He didn’t even want to imagine what he’d have to watch if those two got together.

I’m gonna puke.

He felt Eijiro’s hand on his shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. Of course, he had noticed the tension in Katsuki’s body. Katsuki was also somehow sure that Eijiro already knew about his feelings for Izuku. At least he never made a big deal out of it.

“Izuku, you have someone you want to give chocolate to!?” Mina squealed excitedly.

Izuku’s face turned completely red. His fingers fidgeted nervously in front of him as he looked down and gave a tiny nod. A loud squeal was his answer as the girls immediately started coming up with theories. Everyone except Ochaco, who just smiled gently at Izuku and gave him an encouraging pat on the back.

The loud chatter was interrupted by an even louder scraping noise. Everyone stared toward the kitchen area and saw that Katsuki had stood up, loudly pushing his bar stool across the floor. Eijiro stood next to him, his gaze full of sympathy as he watched his back.

Katsuki put his empty cup into the dishwasher and stomped off toward the bedrooms. He didn’t want to hear any of this. He didn’t want to hear about Izuku being in love with someone. Or crushing on someone. It made him feel sick. Anger spread through him, even though he knew he shouldn’t really be angry at Izuku. In the end, it wasn’t his fault.

“Hey Katsuki! Wait!” Mina yelled after him.

Katsuki stopped. “Haaaah?” he yelled back, glaring at her.

She grinned at him, completely unfazed. “I just wanted to ask if you could show us how to do it? You once said you made chocolate with your mom before!”

Katsuki stared at her. Disgust ran down his spine. A tingling sensation spread through his body. The nausea grew stronger.

I’m supposed to help make chocolate for that damn round face!?

He looked at Mina in disgust. “Why the hell should I help you make cheesy heart bullshit? Do your fucking crap on your own!”

With those words, he stomped off, pissed. Mina pouted. “What crawled up his ass?”

Mineta looked at her like she had two heads. “He’s always like that. Totally normal.”

Izuku looked at him. A hint of anger flashed in his green eyes before he turned and looked after Katsuki.

Hanta quickly changed the topic. “Well, let’s all go buy the ingredients next Friday. You can make the chocolate on Saturday, and Sunday is Valentine’s Day.”

They all agreed on that idea.

***

Katsuki lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He put his hand over his face and dragged it down slowly. He was so irritated. His thoughts kept circling around Izuku’s expression—the way his cheeks had turned red, his shy behavior.

He clenched his fists. He didn’t want to see Izuku like that. At least not when it was about someone else. He sighed. But what was he supposed to do? He knew he had no right to Izuku. No matter how often they had talked. No matter how many times Izuku had told him he had forgiven him for everything.

He couldn’t. He couldn’t forgive himself. Katsuki Bakugou was an asshole. And Izuku Midoriya didn’t deserve an asshole. Izuku deserved only the best. And Katsuki wasn’t the best. He was loud. Vulgar. Short-tempered and couldn’t control his anger.

But despite all of that, he couldn’t change his desire. His desire to run a hand through those green curls. The desire to trace the scars on Izuku’s arms, gently and carefully. The desire to pull him into his arms. To press his lips against the other’s.

He threw his arm over his eyes and breathed in shakily. Fuck.

There was a knock on his door. He didn’t move. A moment later, it knocked again.

“Fuck off, shitty hair!” he snapped.

Silence.

He was just about to sink back into his depressing thoughts when he heard a soft mumble.

“Kacchan…?” came quietly through the door.

He immediately sat up and stared at the closed door. Had he heard that right?

“K-Kacchan, it’s me…” Izuku’s voice came again.

He made a face and ran his hand roughly through his hair, tugging at it slightly.

It’s not like I wasn’t already fucking annoyed.

He stood up reluctantly. His heart betrayed him once again. He only had to hear Izuku say his name, and suddenly it wanted to run a marathon.

He reached the door, his fingers touching the cold doorknob. His gaze lingered on it for a moment. He took a deep breath.

Shit, I’m so pathetic.

He opened the door—and two big green emeralds stared at him.

“What do you want here, shitty nerd,” he snapped. But Izuku hadn’t been affected by that for a long time now. Katsuki’s words had lost their bite when it came to him.

Izuku studied him for a moment, trying to solve some kind of puzzle in his head. Katsuki knew it. He could see it in the way Izuku tilted his head, slightly furrowing his brow.

“Are you okay, Kacchan?” Izuku looked up at him with those puppy eyes, uncertainty in his voice.

Katsuki rolled his eyes. Damn sandbox friends. The nerd just notices way too much.

“What’s it to you, Deku,” he muttered.

Izuku frowned. “You looked angry earlier. Are you really okay?”

A sigh slipped from the taller boy’s lips. He crossed his arms and leaned his hip against the doorframe. “Tch, mind your own damn business.”

Now he rested his head against the frame. He was tired. All this thinking was draining all his energy.

“Is there anything else?” Katsuki asked in a rough, tired voice.

Izuku flinched slightly. A hint of red spread across his cheeks as he looked at Katsuki, then quickly looked away, suddenly very interested in a piece of lint on the floor.

Katsuki raised an eyebrow.

When nothing came from the green-haired boy after a few seconds, Katsuki pushed himself off the doorframe. “If you’re done, then—” he started, reaching for the doorknob, when suddenly a hand grabbed his wrist.

Fuck.

His heart stumbled and started dancing the rumba. His mind went completely blank. He wasn’t even sure if he was still breathing. The only thing he knew for certain was that Izuku’s hand was warm. And rough. He could feel every callus against his skin.

“W-Wait, Kacchan!”

His brain was just barely able to process enough to look at Izuku.

“Well, I just wanted to tell you that we’re going to buy the ingredients next Friday… Maybe you’ll reconsider. It would probably be fun if we all went together. And you’re the one with the most experience in the kitchen. And you’ve done it before. And we haven’t really done anything as a class in a long time, and this would probably strengthen our class bond even more. And—”

“Deku. You’re mumbling again,” Katsuki muttered.

No matter how spaced out he was, that mumbling always snapped him back.

Izuku looked at him with wide eyes, then turned slightly away with a small pout.

“And I’d really like it if you came with us.”

It was barely more than a whisper, but Katsuki was so used to Izuku’s mumbling that he could easily understand a normal whisper.

He stared at Izuku. He wasn’t sure what kind of expression he was making, but his mouth was definitely slightly open. Green met red.

Izuku’s eyes widened when he realized that Katsuki had actually understood him. His face turned bright red, a striking contrast to his green hair. His hands flailed around awkwardly, not knowing what to do with themselves.

“I-I have to go! Uh—homework! Yeah! Exactly! See you later, Kacchan!” he almost shouted, then turned around and disappeared in a flash.

Katsuki stood there for a moment, completely dumbfounded. This was all way too much for him. He closed the door, walked over to his bed, and let himself fall face-first into his pillow. A snort was the only sound coming from him.

We don’t even have homework, you dumb nerd.

***

Katsuki Bakugou was pathetic.

At least, that was what he kept telling himself while he stared at the huge supermarket in front of him. His gaze drifted over the many people. Then over the countless pink and red hearts and garlands. His mouth twisted in disgust. His left eyelid started twitching uncontrollably. Why was he even doing this to himself?

He was just about to turn around and leave without a word when the green-haired curly head appeared next to him. Izuku smiled at him, holding onto his backpack straps tightly. It looked like his eyes were shining.

“Kacchan, it’s so great that you came with us!”

God damn it.

He growled. Fuck, I’m hopeless.

A loud rattling noise interrupted his thoughts. Mina sped past them while standing on the shopping cart. “Wuuuhuuuu!” she yelled. Kirishima brought the cart to a stop.

“Come on, Izuku!” Ochaco laughed, pushing the cart with Mina toward the entrance.

The addressed boy grinned, nodded, and happily ran after them. Katsuki watched him for a moment. Would he ever be able to see anything other than Izuku’s back? Would he ever be able to catch up to him?

He flinched when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. He looked to the side and into a pair of red eyes. Eijiro gave him an encouraging smile.

“Come on, we’re gonna have fun, bro!”

He pushed Katsuki forward toward the entrance. Katsuki answered with a low grumble.

As they walked through the automatic doors, a shadow immediately fell over Katsuki’s face. He wanted to leave right away. Right at the entrance was a huge cardboard stand shaped like two hearts. With faces. He wanted to set the thing on fire.

Mina jumped around it and pulled out her phone. “Isn’t that cute!? Let’s take pictures!” she squealed, already dragging Denki in for a selfie.

“Should we take a group picture?” Sero asked.

“Forget it,” Katsuki pressed out.

“Buzzkill,” Sero muttered.

“No, let’s do pairs! Like the hearts!” Denki grinned.

Izuku flinched, his eyes widening. His gaze kept darting toward Katsuki. Ochaco next to him suddenly had a sparkle in her eyes. “Great idea! Tsuyu, come on!”

And just like that, they started a small photoshoot.

Katsuki stood there, getting a headache. When was this torture finally going to end? He regretted coming more and more.

Eijiro spoke up next to him. “Hey man, let’s go toge—”

Suddenly, Katsuki stumbled forward. A hard shove had hit him from behind. He barely managed to stay on his feet.

“WHAT THE HELL—”

He spun around furiously, then froze.

Izuku stood behind him, face bright red. He was holding onto a piece of Katsuki’s jacket, looking like he had almost fallen too. Katsuki could see Ochaco behind Izuku, trying not to laugh.

“Ah— K-K-Kacchan, I’m… I’m sorry… b-but…”

The green-haired boy was completely flustered. Katsuki could practically see his thoughts spinning.

He straightened up again and looked at him calmly. “It’s fine.”

His voice was warm.

Izuku looked at him now—calmer, but still bright red.

Then Izuku’s gaze shifted to Kirishima, who had been watching the whole situation. Izuku’s posture suddenly became more upright, like he was preparing for a fight.

“Katsuki, you’re up!” Mina called out.

Katsuki groaned. “Hey, Eiji—” he started, but was interrupted.

“Kacchan, let’s take a picture together!”

Katsuki blinked. “Huh?” was the smartest thing he managed to say in that moment. What the hell did he just say!?

Izuku glanced determinedly at Eijiro, who raised his eyebrows. Katsuki didn’t know why, but he had the feeling Midoriya was silently declaring war. Then Izuku stomped over to Katsuki, grabbed his arm, and dragged him toward the cardboard stand.

“Oh?” Denki and Sero said in unison. Mina looked at Ochaco, who was grinning like an idiot in love. It looked like they were having a telepathic conversation. Suddenly, Mina stared at the two boys with wide eyes. There was a sparkle in her yellow eyes. Katsuki immediately got goosebumps running down his spine.

His thoughts and emotions spiraled. Why had Izuku asked him for a picture? He had just been about to tell Eijiro that he was leaving because he didn’t give a shit about this. Why had he dragged him along by the arm? And why the hell was he still holding onto him!?

“Oh, Izuku, scoot even closer together, otherwise you won’t fit properly in the photo!” Mina grinned mischievously.

Katsuki growled at her. Izuku nodded, his face completely red, and didn’t just move a little closer—he moved right up against Katsuki. Shoulder to shoulder. His hand was still gripping Katsuki’s arm, like he was afraid the blonde would run away otherwise.

Katsuki’s heart was working overtime. His throat went completely dry. He felt his ears growing warm. He heard the click of Mina’s camera while she squealed happily. Ochaco stood next to her, giving Deku a thumbs up.

As if Izuku had only just realized what he was actually doing, he jumped away from Katsuki like he had been burned. A nervous laugh made Katsuki look down.

“O-Our parents will be happy to get a new picture of the two of us, right?” Izuku didn’t look at him.

All the nervous, tingling feelings inside Katsuki shut off immediately. A hollow feeling spread through his stomach. His fists clenched and his jaw tightened. Of course. For our parents. What else.

Katsuki wanted to punch himself in the face. Why did he always misinterpret things? Let his hopes grow?

Ochaco walked over and put an arm around Izuku. “You two look great in your picture!” she grinned at him, and Izuku turned even redder.

Katsuki felt sick. Of course he gets flustered when Round Face touches him. And with me, he just does it.

He turned to Eijiro and started walking. “Who cares,” he pressed out through clenched teeth. He needed some distance.

He walked through the aisles of the store without paying any attention to the others. That distance was really necessary. He stopped in front of the refrigerated meat section and just stared inside without really seeing anything. He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against the cool glass door. A sigh slipped from his lips. His nerves were stretched to the breaking point.

He didn’t know how he was supposed to survive this. Every time he even saw the two of them, he felt like he might explode. It really didn’t help that they lived in the same dorm. He pressed his head a little harder against the glass until he felt a faint pain. It was strangely calming.

He was just thinking about whether he could maybe convince the principal to let him live at home again when he felt a hand gently on his head. He looked up at Eijiro with boredom. Of course. Who else. Eijiro gently pushed his head away from the glass.

“You’re gonna hurt yourself… or your thick skull is gonna break the glass,” he grinned at him.

A soft, scornful laugh slipped from Katsuki’s lips. “Idiot,” he muttered—then flinched slightly when another hand appeared in front of his face, grabbing Eijiro’s wrist and pulling it away from his head.

Eijiro and Katsuki looked at the owner of the hand in confusion.

It was Izuku.

Katsuki’s heart started racing. He had rarely seen him like this. His eyebrows were slightly drawn together, his gaze hard and serious. No smile. What the hell is wrong with the damn nerd?

Some time passed, and Izuku still hadn’t let go of Eijiro or softened his murderous glare. Eijiro eventually started looking at Izuku with a crooked grin.

“Hey, Izuku, could you let go of me? You’ve got a lot of strength—I’m gonna end up with a bruise.”

It was like Izuku startled and finally released Kirishima. “S-Sorry, Kirishima, I…” He bit his lip lightly, thinking about what to say. But it didn’t look like anything came to mind.

Kirishima grinned widely and patted him on the shoulder. “It’s all good, man, I get it.” He even winked at him. Izuku looked at him, a faint blush spreading across his cheeks, and nodded slightly.

“I just came to ask Kacchan what kind of chocolate you’re supposed to use for making pralines,” Izuku said, scratching the back of his head a little awkwardly.

Katsuki rolled his eyes. “Use couverture, obviously. And don’t get the cheap kind, or I’ll smash it over your heads,” he grumbled.

Izuku took out a small notepad and dutifully wrote down Katsuki’s instructions. A faint hint of a smile appeared on Katsuki’s lips. Once a nerd, always a nerd.

Izuku stared at his notepad. His pen hovered over the paper, trembling slightly. “Just out of curiosity… what are your favorite kinds of chocolate?”

Eijiro raised a hand to his mouth, trying to suppress a laugh. What the hell got into him? “Well, I like milk chocolate,” he managed between stifled chuckles.

Izuku’s gaze kept shifting between the notepad and Katsuki. He paused. Didn’t write anything. “A-And you… K-Kacchan?” he asked quietly.

Bakugou raised one eyebrow. His fingers began rubbing against each other slightly. “Dark chocolate.”

Izuku hummed in understanding and suddenly started writing. Why is he writing that down so carefully? Is the idiot conducting a popularity poll or something?

“Thanks, you two!” Izuku smiled at them, turned on his heel, and ran over to Ochaco, who was waiting for him a few meters away.

“Smoooth!” they heard Ochaco laugh loudly. They could only see how Izuku grabbed her arm and dragged her away, his face bright red.

Katsuki walked through the aisles together with Kirishima until they found their group again. The blonde felt like he was about to get another headache already. Laughter echoed through the store. Mina was currently stuffing every single type of sugar sprinkles into the cart—anything even remotely pink or heart-shaped. Katsuki wrinkled his nose. Damn kitsch.

His gaze wandered, searching for his favorite curly head. He spotted him a few meters away in the dairy section. Of course, Ochaco was next to him. Were they freaking welded together at the hip!?

He unconsciously clenched his fists again and started to growl. Eijiro looked at him in confusion. “What’s wrong, man?” He followed Katsuki’s gaze and spotted Izuku and Ochaco.

“Tch.” Katsuki crossed his arms over his chest. “Do they have to be that obvious? It’s disgusting.”

Eijiro narrowed his eyes slightly and looked back and forth between the two of them and Katsuki. “What the hell do you mean?”

Katsuki rolled his eyes, turned away from Izuku, and stared at the chaos squad. “The nerd is into Round Face. It’s obvious,” he spat out in disgust.

Eijiro stared at Katsuki, blinked a few times, and suddenly looked like he understood something. It had been confusing him the whole time why his friend was in such a bad mood, even though it was totally obvious that… “...dude, I think it’s more like—”

Katsuki just kept walking. “Save it, I’m not blind.” And he disappeared.

Eijiro fought the urge to grab his own hair and scream.

How could someone be this blind!?

***

Katsuki stood in front of the huge shelf of tea. He remembered that the tea Izuku liked to drink was gone. But his thoughts also drifted to the nights. They had become fewer—not every night anymore—but they were still there. The late hours in which Izuku cried, plagued by nightmares of the final battle. Katsuki’s heart tightened painfully.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t innocent in this state of things. More than once lately, the green-haired boy had run up to him in tears, pressed his ear against Katsuki’s chest. He wanted to hear the heartbeat as proof. To feel that Katsuki was alive, not lying dead on the ground. In those moments, Katsuki gently stroked the other’s soft hair. He bathed in self-hatred because he enjoyed those moments so much. Enjoyed that closeness so much.

Every time, they stayed like that until the smaller one calmed down in the embrace. Katsuki would usually lead him to the couch, and when Izuku was ready to let go, he made him some tea.

Katsuki sighed, his brow furrowing. He looked like he was about to challenge the tea shelf to a fight.

“Hello, Bakugou, is everything alright?”

He glanced to the side and discovered Momo next to him. He gave a low hum and looked back at the tea shelf. A moment passed, then an idea struck him. Momo was just about to turn away again.

“Oi, ponytail.”

Momo turned back to him in surprise. It was rare for him to start a conversation with someone. “Yes?” She stepped a little closer.

“You know about tea.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement.

She nodded. “Yes. What kind of tea do you need?”

Katsuki thought about it. He didn’t like talking about anything personal, but he simply didn’t know enough about it himself. After all, this was for Izuku.

“Something calming. For anxiety, stress, bad dreams.” He practically forced the words through his teeth. It was much harder than he thought to say something like that out loud.

Momo paused for a moment. It was known among Class 2-A that Katsuki and Izuku were often in the common room at night. They had silently agreed to leave the two of them alone as much as possible. A small, gentle smile formed on her face. She turned back to the tea shelf and didn’t comment on it further.

“For calming effects, herbal teas with chamomile, lavender, lemon balm, valerian, and passionflower are suitable. They reduce anxiety and have a relaxing effect.”

She deliberately picked out several types of tea and held them out to Katsuki. He listened to her carefully and nodded. His hands reached out and took the different boxes, their fingers briefly brushing against each other.

Suddenly, a loud bang echoed through the aisle. Momo flinched slightly, and both of them looked down the aisle. Mina, Denki, and Izuku were standing there. Several groceries lay scattered on the floor in front of Izuku. The green-haired boy was staring at Katsuki and Momo, his mouth slightly open, eyes wide in shock.

Katsuki raised one eyebrow in confusion. What the hell is wrong with the nerd now?

Denki lightly nudged Izuku in the side with his elbow. “Hey, Izuku, why are you shaking so much?” A wide grin was on Kaminari’s face.

Izuku flinched. “I’m not shaking!” It was more like a shouted whisper. His gaze kept darting toward Katsuki; he didn’t want him to hear all of this.

Mina happily walked over to Katsuki. “Look, Katsuki! Which ones do you like?”

Izuku’s eyes widened as Mina approached Katsuki with several praline molds. His freckled cheeks turned red as he watched everything closely. After throwing the dropped groceries into the cart, Denki put an arm around Izuku’s shoulders and pushed him along toward Katsuki as well.

Bakugou frowned. Why the hell would I care what shapes they use?

“Come on, Katsuki, we need your professional opinion!” She held three different molds out to him.

He rolled his eyes in annoyance. As expected, they were typical shapes anyway. Cubes, hearts… explosions!?

He stared at the mold in confusion. Why the hell were there explosions as a praline shape? His gaze lingered on that specific mold for a long time.

“The explosions are from a hero shapes collection. There’s also All Might, Deku’s mask, and even fire-and-ice designs!” Denki grinned.

Katsuki raised his eyebrows. “Ah, so that’s Dynamight merchandise?” Momo wondered.

Katsuki’s muscles stiffened. A nervous flutter spread through his stomach. He knew he had become more well-known after the final battle, but there was already merchandise? He scratched the back of his head and looked away. But his eyes betrayed him and kept drifting back to the explosion mold.

“Tch, I don’t give a damn what kind of stupid shapes you use.” He wanted to snap those words at them, but they didn’t come out nearly as harsh as he intended.

He grumbled under his breath as he simply walked away with the tea in his hands. The other four watched him go until Mina pressed the explosion-shaped mold against Izuku’s chest.

“Here, you need this.” A huge grin spread across her face. Izuku turned bright red but just hugged the mold to his chest before they all continued on.

The shopping trip was coming to an end, and Class 2-A gathered at the checkout. They were loud and laughing, but no one reacted negatively to them. The conveyor belt was piled high with chocolate, sprinkles, and molds.

Katsuki was the last one to step up to the register. He placed a divider on the belt and put his teas down.

Izuku turned around. “Oh, Kacchan, are you buying something extra?” His gaze slid over the belt and froze. He looked at the tea boxes. He seemed lost in thought as a red tint spread across his cheeks.

Katsuki lifted his hand and flicked Izuku lightly on the forehead. Izuku flinched, put a hand to his forehead, and looked into Katsuki’s red eyes.

“Keep moving, Izuku,” Katsuki said quietly.

The other boy’s cheeks turned even darker as he nodded and turned back around. Katsuki didn’t want him to remember those evenings too much. They weren’t good moments for him. He shouldn’t think about his weak moments filled with fear.

After they had all paid, they walked out of the supermarket together. Laughter echoed through the still cool air. The sun was slowly setting.

Katsuki tensed when he noticed Izuku had moved up beside him. They walked next to each other. Their upper arms brushed lightly every now and then as they walked. Katsuki’s heart was working overtime. His skin tingled wherever they touched.

“So guys, tomorrow we’re making the pralines and the day after that love will be in the air! Valentine’s Day!” Mina squealed with excitement and skipped ahead.

Valentine’s Day…

Katsuki suddenly stopped. Izuku noticed immediately, turned around, and looked at him in confusion. “Kacchan, is everything okay?”

Katsuki looked into Izuku’s eyes. After a brief moment, nervousness showed on Izuku’s face.

“Eijiro.”

The one being called had just passed Katsuki and hummed in response. Before he could say anything more, Katsuki roughly shoved his shopping bag against his chest.

“Take it. I gotta go again,” Bakugou growled and simply turned around, disappearing back toward the store.

“Huh?” Izuku watched him leave in confusion. He was about to run after him when Kirishima placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Let him be, he’s a big boy. Let’s go.” The redhead grinned at him and guided him after the others.

Eijiro knew Katsuki and was sure that he was fine.

***

Bakugou’s alarm clock rang—much earlier than usual for a Saturday. He got up, got ready in the bathroom, and headed out for his morning run. The cool morning air brushed against his face. He heard nothing but the stones beneath his running shoes.

He loved this time. No extras to annoy him. The only person he occasionally saw was Izuku, but he usually went out much later. Deku liked his sleep.

He took a deep breath, his thoughts drifting back to the green-haired boy again. He only had one more day of peace; after that, a nightmare would probably begin. But maybe there was something good about Izuku getting together with Moonface. Maybe then he could finally forget his feelings and move on. Maybe someday he could even deal with his damn self-hatred. At least Izuku could finally be happy.

After half an hour, he arrived back at the dorm. His steps slowed. He ran a hand through his blond hair, trying to steady his breathing again. With all those stressful thoughts, he had pushed himself too hard.

“Kacchan!”

He flinched. He hadn’t expected anyone at all right now. He looked toward the entrance and immediately saw a beaming Izuku running toward him. He was wearing his training clothes too. He was probably about to go jogging as well.

“Oh Kacchan, are you already done with your run?” the green-haired boy asked.

Katsuki calmed his breathing and nodded at him.

“That’s a shame, I thought I might catch you for once so we could run together.” Izuku’s shoulders slumped slightly.

Katsuki felt warmth creep into the tips of his ears. Damn cold.

He took in every detail of the smaller boy. Studied him. Katsuki’s gaze turned thoughtful. Izuku usually wasn’t out this early. Katsuki had left earlier on purpose to avoid the stress in the common room.

A low hum escaped his throat. “How’d you sleep?” he asked quietly.

Izuku’s eyes widened as he looked at him. His fingers began to intertwine, and a gentle smile appeared on his face. A pinkish glow spread beneath the freckles Katsuki liked so much.

“I slept well. I really just wanted to try and meet you in the morning for a run. Don’t worry, Kacchan.”

Katsuki’s heart raced. Izuku wanted to run with me on purpose?

He quickly looked down. Fireworks began to explode in his stomach. He clicked his tongue, placed his hand on Izuku’s head. Just a very brief touch, but it meant so much to both of them.

“See you,” he muttered before disappearing into the Class 2-A dorm.

Izuku stood there with eyes as big as his palms, watching him go and trying to calm his heart.

***

Katsuki lay on his bed. He looked from his shōjo manga over to his clock. It was already 12:30 p.m. And none of those idiots had bothered him yet. He could have sworn they’d stress him out about those damn pralines.

He grumbled and looked back at his manga. Let them choke on their stupid pralines.

Katsuki rolled onto his stomach and propped his upper body up on his pillow. He kept flipping pages, his eyes glued to them. He was just about to reach the point where the totally ridiculous misunderstanding would be cleared up and the two of them would realize they’d been in love with each other the whole time.

They’re so blind, it’s always so damn obvious.

He was about to turn the next page when there was a soft knock at his door. He froze. You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.

Another knock. Then a quiet, “K-Kacchan…?”

Those damn assholes. They sent Deku on purpose.

He growled, placed his manga on his desk, and got up. He walked to the door. Before opening it, he took one deep breath. His hand grabbed the handle and swung the door open.

The moment he saw the other boy, he froze. His mouth fell open in shock. His eyes widened in disbelief.

“WHAT THE FUCKING HELL!?” he yelled.

Izuku was standing there. That in itself wasn’t strange—what was strange was his state. The green-haired boy looked up at him shyly, nervously fidgeting with his fingers. He was wearing an apron. And his face, just like his body, was covered in big and small chocolate stains. He was completely smeared with it.

Katsuki wrinkled his nose and leaned forward. He was only a few centimeters from Izuku’s neck, while the smaller one flinched and turned bright red. Izuku could feel Katsuki’s breath against his skin. His own caught in his throat. Goosebumps spread over his body.

“Fuck…” Katsuki whispered next to his ear.

The blond straightened up again and stared at Izuku as if he had seen a ghost. “Did you idiots burn that shit!?”

This was one of those moments where Izuku didn’t know whether he should be impressed by Katsuki or hate him for it.

“I-I wanted to ask if you maybe could help us out of this mess a little, Kacchan?” he asked with an uncertain smile.

Katsuki ran a hand through his hair in annoyance. “Damn idiots. Can’t do shit without me,” he muttered to himself as he closed the door behind him and went downstairs to the kitchen with Izuku.

Katsuki Bakugou was a perfectionist. He liked things tidy and exactly the way they were supposed to be. When he entered the common room and saw the kitchen, he felt like he’d just been struck by lightning.

His fists clenched, and the anger kept rising inside him. The kitchen was a complete disaster: chocolate everywhere, dirty dishes stacked up, sprinkles scattered all over. He even felt sick at the sight of it.

He tried to calm himself down. He took a deep breath in and then slowly exhaled. He counted down in his head, just like he’d learned in the therapy sessions UA had ordered after battles—but every number was interrupted by shrieking, clattering dishes, and liquids audibly splattering onto the floor.

A faint crackling started in his fists.

He felt Izuku’s hand land on his arm. He let out an annoyed breath and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“I hate them all.”

Mina turned toward the two newcomers, lifted her arm cheerfully—of course swinging a whisk full of liquid chocolate through the air—and waved at them. “Hey, Katsuki!”

The addressed boy walked over to the kitchen and looked at the chaos. “Who the hell turned the stove up to max?!” he hissed through clenched teeth.

Silence spread. Denki spoke up. “Well, that was a group decision?”

A growl escaped the blond’s throat. “Fucking chocolate is melted gently. NOT BOILED.”

Denki held up his phone. “But on the inter—”

Katsuki shouted, “CLEAN THIS FUCKING KITCHEN. BEFORE SOMEONE DIES!”

Not even a second later, the students ran around the kitchen like ants, scrubbing chocolate off everything. Katsuki stood to the side, trying to find his inner balance again. He couldn’t believe how stupid these damn hero trainees were.

He looked up and saw Izuku only an arm’s length away from him, standing at a cabinet and putting bowls back into it. Katsuki sighed. The green-haired boy had forgotten, in all the cleaning, that he himself looked like a battlefield.

Katsuki grabbed a cloth and dampened it. “Izuku,” he said calmly.

The addressed boy came over. “Yes, Kacchan?”

Katsuki took Izuku’s chin between his thumb and index finger and tilted his head up.

Izuku froze and looked at him with wide eyes. The blond carefully began wiping the chocolate off Izuku’s face with the cloth—first over his cheek, then across the bridge of his nose, and finally just above his eyebrow.

Katsuki didn’t notice anything; he was lost in thought as his fingers gently cleaned Izuku’s face. Unlike him, Izuku was more than aware of the situation. His heart was racing and his blood rushed straight to his cheeks. A tingling sensation spread through him.

The two of them were so lost in their thoughts that they didn’t even notice the silence around them. Everyone in the room was staring at them. Ochaco was grinning from ear to ear, while Mina had her hands pressed over her mouth.

“Is Katsuki… wiping Izuku… lovingly?” Denki whispered in awe.

A soft, agreeing hum came from the students in unison.

Mina tore her hands away from her face. “Nobody say anything!” she hissed quietly. “This is a sacred moment!”

At that moment, Katsuki suddenly became painfully aware of the soft skin beneath his fingers. The skin he was touching started to feel hot and tingly. A faint redness appeared at the tips of his ears.

He let go of Izuku’s chin as if he’d burned himself. He clicked his tongue. “You look like a damn pig,” he muttered quietly, turned away, left the kitchen, and headed for the bathroom.

Izuku stood there, staring after him with a burning face, his lips slightly parted in confusion and overwhelm.

Suddenly, he felt all the attention on him. He turned his head toward his classmates, who were all looking at him collectively with raised eyebrows.

“Uh… so…” His voice broke in the middle of the sentence. His body trembled slightly, and he couldn’t get another sound out.

“SO cute!” Mina and Toru squealed at the same time, hopping in place.

Izuku managed nothing more than to hide his burning face in his hands.

***

Katsuki closed the bathroom door behind him. His gaze was fixed straight ahead. He walked over to the sink and turned on the faucet. His rigid stare was focused on the water. His hands gripped the edges of the sink on both sides, the hold growing tighter and tighter. His heart just wouldn’t stop pounding at record speed.

Fucking hell, am I insane!?

He practically threw a handful of water into his face. Maybe that would cool down his burning cheeks. He didn’t know why he’d done that. Was he trying to destroy everything they’d just started rebuilding? He had only just been able to look at Izuku again without constantly hating himself. So how could he allow himself to touch him so gently? With the hands that had done him so much harm.

Katsuki looked down at his hand, clenched it into a fist so his fingernails dug into his palm. A slight tremor ran through his body. A sigh slipped past his lips, and as he closed his eyes, he pressed his forehead against the bathroom mirror.

Damn it.

He had to try to calm down. He knew Izuku deserved something much better. Ochaco was better. At the very least, he had to stay his friend so he wouldn’t lose him completely. A fist slammed into the sink.

And it hurt like hell…

***

After some time, Katsuki returned to the kitchen. While he watched the others laughing and joking, he slammed his flat hand down hard onto the kitchen counter. The others flinched and stared at him. He snorted and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Anyone who doesn’t take this shit seriously can just get the hell out! I’m not showing you this more than once!” he yelled.

A grumble went through the students.

“Bakugou in kitchen mode is scarier than Bakugou in battle,” Denki whispered.

“Shut up!” Katsuki yelled back at him.

“Pot with water,” Katsuki muttered as he walked to the stove. Toru immediately placed the requested pot in front of him.

“Bowl. Chocolate.” Both were presented a few seconds later by Eijiro and Izuku.

Katsuki skillfully broke the chocolate into evenly sized pieces.

“Listen. Chocolate isn’t boiled, it’s not a damn stew.”

The students gathered around him. They watched in amazement at how calm Katsuki was… for his standards.

“Heat the water. Not bubbling. Warm. If it’s boiling like some damn witch’s cauldron, it’s too hot.”

He placed the bowl into the water bath. Little by little, he added the chocolate.

“Then you put the bowl on top, let the heat come from underneath, and stir. Slowly.”

Katsuki grabbed the spoon and moved it in steady, calm circles.

“No stove on maximum. No shitty microwave experiments.”

A faint growl slipped from his throat. A brief glance at Denki.

“And most importantly: no fucking water in the chocolate. One drop, and the whole damn thing turns grainy.”

The mixture became smooth and glossy. Katsuki lifted the spoon slightly, let the chocolate flow back into the bowl, and nodded in satisfaction.

“There. That’s melted. Not burned. Not ruined. Melted.”

He looked at the others around him.

“This shit isn’t rocket science. Don’t play dumb, you idiots,” he muttered.

The others stared at him as if they’d just witnessed a miracle. Izuku’s cheeks were lightly flushed. His heart was beating fast.

“Just do that with the chocolate you need. Then pour it into molds, maybe add fillings, and in the end pour chocolate over the bottom to seal it.”

He handed the bowl to Izuku.

“Here. I don’t need it. You take it.”

Izuku’s shoulders stiffened. The blush deepened.

“Ah… I-I need different chocolate, but thank you, Kacchan.”

Katsuki’s eyebrow twitched upward. Different chocolate? Did that damn moon face really like that sweet white chocolate crap?

A slight wrinkle formed on his nose. His mood suddenly dropped significantly. He set the bowl down on the counter a little too roughly.

“Then do whatever you want with that junk,” he growled.

Immediately, Mina, Denki, and Toru pounced on the bowl to get it.

Katsuki shuffled to the other end of the kitchen with his hands in his pockets and sat down on a chair next to Eijiro.

Izuku watched him while lining up the ingredients he needed neatly next to each other in the spot he had claimed for himself. First, he placed the explosion-shaped chocolate mold down, then dark chocolate, then caramel, and finally chili flakes.

He lightly brushed his fingers over the ingredients and couldn’t stop a nervous grin from forming. His heart was already working overtime—while making the chocolates, how was he supposed to give them away later?

“Oho! Those are some interesting ingredients!” came a voice from Izuku’s left shoulder. He flinched and looked straight into Mina’s face, who was holding Katsuki’s bowl. Denki joined them.

“So… who are your chocolates for?” A wide grin spread across his face.

Izuku immediately felt the blush return. Jirou leaned over the kitchen counter.

“You don’t have to say a name, just… describe them roughly?”

Izuku looked down at his hands, which were nervously fidgeting with each other. His heart was pounding in his throat.

“H-he’s…” He stopped. The nervousness paralyzed his voice.

“Very loud,” Mina said.

“Very strong,” Denki added.

“Very bad at showing feelings,” Tsuyu murmured from the side.

Izuku now looked like a tomato. His hands gripped the edge of the counter.

“…v-very honest and loving,” he whispered.

A warm smile spread across everyone present. Mina suddenly pulled Izuku into a tight hug.

“How can someone be this adorable?!” she yelled.

“Ah!” Izuku squeaked.

His gaze automatically drifted toward the blond. Their eyes met again immediately. Katsuki’s face looked calm, but Izuku saw a familiar simmering shine in his eyes. He flinched slightly and pushed Mina away.

“I-I’m sorry, Mina, but… um…” His gaze slid back to Katsuki, who was talking with Eijiro.

“Not that he might misunderstand something…” he whispered quietly.

He could barely look at the others out of embarrassment. He knew it was stupid. As if Katsuki would ever see Izuku like that. He’s just so amazing—he deserves only the best!

“He already misunderstands everything!” Ochaco suddenly called from the other end of the room as she walked over. Izuku flinched. He looked back at Katsuki in shock, but Katsuki was laughing with Eijiro. He apparently hadn’t heard anything. A sour feeling rose in Izuku’s chest. He swallowed the jealousy and looked back at Ochaco.

“W-What are you even talking about?!”

Ochaco sat down on one of the bar stools at the counter and looked directly at Izuku. One of her eyebrows lifted as she rested her head on one hand. “You do know that he thinks you like me, right?”

Izuku’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. “W-What!?” It came out as a whispered scream.

In shock, he watched as Tsuyu fed Ochaco a spoonful of her chocolate. Ochaco smiled and nodded at Tsuyu—completely unfazed by Izuku’s internal meltdown.

“Yup.” That was the only answer he got.

“B-But that doesn’t make any sense!” Izuku whined.

He felt a warm hand on his right shoulder and looked at Denki. “Not to you…” He nodded toward Katsuki. “To him, it does.”

Izuku was confused. He had thought all this time that Katsuki was just being nice and ignoring his feelings for him—giving Izuku the chance to avoid the humiliation of being rejected. But that he didn’t even know? That he thought Izuku was in love with Ochaco? He didn’t know whether he was allowed to be angry—or if it just hurt too much.

“Don’t take it too hard, Izuku. I’ll explain why Katsuki doesn’t get it!” Mina grinned at him.

“M-Mina, that’s not—”

Mina pressed her index finger against his lips and shook her head. “First: He thinks no one would ever want him voluntarily, in a romantic way.”

Izuku snapped. “That’s not true at all—”

She dramatically placed two fingers on his lips now. “SECOND… you are Izuku Midoriya.”

Everyone around him nodded. He frowned. “That’s not even an argument,” he muttered.

“To him it is. In his head, you’re perfect.”

Mina grinned diabolically as Izuku looked like he was about to have a heart attack. He started trembling.

“Unfortunately, you’ll probably have to hit him over the head with your chocolates for him to finally get it,” Denki laughed.

Izuku was just trying to gather his courage to respond when he was interrupted.

“Keep working, you lazy sacks!” Katsuki yelled across the kitchen.

Everyone quickly scattered back to their places. Izuku looked at Ochaco in shock, who just gave him a wide grin.

After that, the Saturday before Valentine’s Day passed quietly. Everyone finished their chocolates—thanks to Katsuki, who, despite everything, helped anyone who still had questions. Izuku went to bed, but couldn’t fall asleep for a long time because of excitement and nerves.

And Katsuki? Contrary to his usual rhythm, he was still standing in the kitchen late at night. Stirring thoughtfully in a bowl set in a water bath.

***

It was Sunday morning now. Katsuki opened his eyes and immediately wished it were Monday. He laid an arm over his face and sighed. His heart clenched. A feeling of nausea washed over him. He didn’t want to get up at all.

How bad would it be when he had to watch Izuku give his chocolate away?

He sat up heavily. The pain was crushing. It almost took his breath away. He got ready and headed downstairs. Maybe he’d get lucky. Since he had stayed up so late, it was already later in the morning. Maybe he had already missed the stupid event.

He walked straight toward the kitchen, his gaze fixed forward. He really didn’t want to feed that feeling any more.

“G-Good morning, Kacchan!”

He stopped in the kitchen and leaned his arms on the counter.

What kind of shitty luck do I even have!?

He looked up and met Izuku’s eyes, who was looking at him nervously. He gave a short nod and answered with a low hum. Katsuki started picking out things for his breakfast.

Izuku glanced nervously at Ochaco, who nodded at him along with almost the entire class and motioned with her hand that he should finally go through with it.

Izuku took a deep breath and gathered all his courage.

I fight damn villains! I can manage this too!

He looked back up at the blond and immediately faltered again. Easier said than done—his heart started racing the moment he saw Katsuki’s beautiful features. The way he was even making his breakfast with full concentration.

“K-Kacchan, could we maybe—”

“Hey, Bakugou!” Shoto’s voice called through the room.

All eyes turned to him. He was standing there with several pink-decorated bags.

“What, scarface,” Katsuki growled.

Shoto looked at him unimpressed. “Well, outside there are… a few… classmates who would like to see you.”

A cold shiver ran down Izuku’s spine. Classmates who wanted to see him? From other classes? Today? On Valentine’s Day? His body trembled.

But Kacchan doesn’t care about stuff like that. He’ll ignore it for sure.

He looked at Katsuki, who sighed in annoyance but put down the knife he was holding. “Annoying shit,” he muttered.

But he still walked past Izuku toward the door.

Izuku felt like he’d been struck by lightning. Katsuki Bakugou was going to see girls on Valentine’s Day?

Izuku started running. He couldn’t believe it. Behind him was the entire Class 2-A, who didn’t want to miss this.

Shoto got a few hits on the arm and some angry looks along the way. Unfortunately, he didn’t understand why.

Katsuki reached the front door and opened it. Several girls their age were standing outside.

“Holy shit!? Why him!?” Minoru wailed.

Izuku’s heart practically dropped into his stomach. It felt like it stopped beating. He let his gaze wander over the different girls and had to admit that they didn’t even all look bad.

His lip twitched. How was he supposed to react to this? He wanted to cry, but he couldn’t do that here.

Katsuki began accepting the girls’ gifts. Very curtly, but he did take them.

Izuku no longer knew which way was up or down. Even back in middle school Katsuki had been popular, but he had never accepted anything.

Izuku’s breathing became faster. One of his hands clutched the small black box he was holding.

Why is he taking those things!?

“Wow, this is like a boyband meet-and-greet,” Denki said.

Ochaco punched him in the side and nodded toward Izuku.

Izuku laughed nervously. “W-Well, it’s not… that surprising… K-Kacchan is great. Strong. A famous hero since last year. Good-looking…”

With every word, the trembling in Izuku’s voice grew stronger. He fought against the tears. He bit his lip and breathed in and out shakily.

“Izuku…” Ochaco whispered and put a hand on his shoulder.

But something changed inside Izuku. He wouldn’t be Deku, the hero, if he ran away from a fight.

He wiped away the one tear that was about to escape from the corner of his eye. He saw that a real beauty was approaching Katsuki now.

His heart started pounding. The rhythm hammered in his ears.

He ran.

“Izuku!?” Ochaco called after him in confusion.

He heard a soft squeak from Mina but ignored it. He ran straight toward Katsuki. The girl was almost next to him now. One of Katsuki’s arms was already full of gift bags. His expression was annoyed.

“Kacchan!”

The one called raised an eyebrow questioningly and turned toward him. His attention completely focused on Deku.

Izuku stopped right in front of him, looked at the girls, and gave them an innocent smile. “Sorry, I need him right now.”

And with those words, he simply slammed the door shut.

Kacchan looked at Izuku in confusion. His eyebrows drew together.

What the fuck is wrong with the nerd!?

Izuku looked back at Katsuki. His courage wavered for a moment, but he pulled himself together. He had come this far. He was going to go through with it now.

The green-haired boy took a deep breath and raised the hand holding the small box.

“Here, Kacchan.”

Katsuki looked confused. He automatically took the box from his hand. He usually did what Izuku wanted without even questioning it.

Katsuki looked down at the simple black box. A small sticker of an orange heart was on it.

He frowned. His gaze went up to the green eyes looking at him full of courage, then back to Ochaco.

A numb feeling settled over his heart.

He opened the box and discovered small chocolates—dark chocolate, shaped like explosions.

Are those chili flakes on top?

He looked back at Izuku, then again at Ochaco. He leaned forward slightly. A whisper slipped from his lips.

“They look good, but do you think the moon face will like that kind?”

The question made him feel sick, but he wanted even less to see Izuku cry because Ochaco rejected him. And that just because of the wrong kind of chocolate.

Suddenly, he heard an annoyed sigh and looked with an angry expression at Ochaco, who had slapped her flat hand against her face. He was about to yell “WHAT” when a sound interrupted him. Right in front of him—a sniffle.

He looked down into those green emeralds, now covered with tears. His body stiffened. Deku was standing in front of him, crying.

“Izu—”

He was interrupted immediately.

“You’re such an idiot, Kacchan!”

Izuku wasn’t screaming. But Katsuki could feel the anger in every single word. His heart and breath hitched. He had no idea what was going on. He didn’t want to make Izuku cry again.

“I—”

But he couldn’t continue.

“Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Izuku turned around and walked away through the group of students. Katsuki stood there, staring after him.

What the hell just happened!?

“Bro…” he heard Eijiro say, pulling him back into reality. He saw everyone’s eyes on him. His confusion instantly turned into anger. His body trembled.

“WHAT!” he yelled at them, but no one even flinched.

“Katsuki, not even you can be this blind,” Mina said to him.

His teeth clenched hard. “What are you talking about?” he hissed angrily through his teeth.

“It’s obvious,” she replied and pointed at the box of chocolates.

Katsuki’s thoughts started spinning. Thoughts tried to fight their way to the surface. Hopes he had thought he had buried long ago.

“He’s into Ochaco!” he yelled at Mina.

A sigh reached his ears and he looked into brown eyes. Ochaco was looking at him sadly.

“Bakugou, he’s into someone who’s always there for him. Who gave him warmth in the worst time… with tea and company.”

Katsuki stared at her. Tea and company?

He felt sick. His thoughts were racing. The moments they had spent together immediately came back to him. The nights after the final battle, when they had simply talked and drunk tea together. His eyes widened.

Suddenly, so many things made sense.

Are they fucking serious right now!?

As if she could read his thoughts, she simply nodded.

“Fuck,” he shouted in anger and ran off.

***

Izuku was standing at the fence of the rooftop terrace, letting the wind blow through his hair. It felt nice after all those turbulent emotions. He had never been this angry at Katsuki before.

Kacchan, that idiot.

He rested his head on his arms, which were lying on the fence. He couldn’t believe that he had first been so rude to the other students by slamming the door in their faces, and then made that scene in front of his classmates.

He should have just done it the way he had planned. Calmly, without any witnesses. Then he could have explained everything to him simply and quietly. But he had gotten so damn jealous. He didn’t want to lose Katsuki to anyone else.

He heard the door behind him. Izuku sighed. “Don’t say anything, Ochaco…” he grumbled before sliding down with his back against the fence. He leaned his head back with his eyes closed.

“The plan really backfired…” he muttered to himself.

He felt Ochaco sit down next to him. Silence settled between them. A slight weight rested on his thighs.

He opened his eyes and looked down. A green box was lying on his lap. Without any cheesy decorations on it.

“Is this a consolation prize, ’Chaco?” A sad chuckle slipped from his lips as he opened the box.

He froze. His eyes widened. Inside the box were small, delicate chocolates. Green and shaped like his hero mask. A shiver ran down his spine.

He looked to the side, and his suspicion was confirmed. These chocolates were too perfect. Only one person he knew could make something this beautiful.

Katsuki was sitting next to him. His gaze fixed on him. He was studying him.

“K-Kacchan…?”

The red eyes wandered down to the green box. “So, just a consolation prize?”

Izuku flinched at the words. A faint blush spread across his cheeks again. He looked down at the beautiful chocolates.

“No! Of course not! They’re beautiful, Kacchan! B-But why…”

He bit his lip. Should he really ask that? Was he ready for another mental slap in the face?

Katsuki watched every movement in Deku’s face. He ran a hand through his hair, gripping it for support, tugging at it slightly.

How could I be so stupid?

“You’re not in love with Ochaco, are you?” A deep look met Izuku’s.

Izuku looked at his hands. “I’ve never been in love with Ochaco.”

A low hum was the green-haired boy’s answer.

Silence settled over them. Both of them looked up at the clouds above.

A near-whisper broke the silence.

“Would that… even be okay…?”

Izuku perked up. He looked at the other in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Katsuki held the black box between both hands. He stroked the little sticker almost lovingly. Katsuki bit the inside of his cheek. A faint metallic taste spread in his mouth.

“Fuck, I did a lot of shitty things to you!” he growled.

Izuku sat up, away from the fence, and looked at Katsuki angrily. “Kacchan, we’ve talked about that so many times already!”

A click of the tongue was the answer.

How could he accept Izuku’s love? He had hurt him. Hurt him more than once. He would only stain this pure person.

Katsuki’s breathing sped up. A tingling sensation spread through his fingers. His gaze was fixed straight ahead, trapped in his thoughts. He could only think about how he would destroy Izuku, just like he had in the past.

He felt tears slowly rise in his eyes.

Suddenly, he felt two arms wrap around him. Strong and scarred. They pulled his face against the other’s chest. Warmth sank into his body, as if his soul were soaking it in.

The trembling he hadn’t even noticed stopped. His breathing calmed down. He closed his eyes and breathed in Izuku’s fresh scent.

“I forgave you a long time ago, Kacchan. And no matter what you say, I don’t love anyone else. I love you. Now, before, and forever.”

Katsuki was flooded with warmth. The words soothed his battered heart. Doubts were still there, but the warmth fought against them. He just wanted to forget them.

His arms wrapped around the other and pulled him even closer. He lifted his head and looked into big green eyes. For a moment, he memorized every single detail. He never wanted to forget anything about this moment in his life.

He closed the last distance between them and his lips met the other’s.

Lightning shot through their bodies from the places where they touched. Their hearts started beating in sync.

The kiss was shy, a little clumsy, but loving. They felt every emotion of the other through that touch.

After a moment that felt like an eternity to them, they pulled apart. Dreamy green eyes looked into red ones.

A grin crossed the blond’s lips as he closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the other’s.

“You’re pretty cheesy, nerd.”

Izuku started to pout. “Says the one called Mr. I-secretly-make-chocolates-at-night-and-hand-them-over-on-the-school-roof-like-in-a-drama-series.”

Katsuki stared at him before letting out a soft snort. “That name is shitty and way too long!”

Izuku buried his face in the crook of Katsuki’s neck and just mumbled a quiet, “Don’t care.”

Katsuki slid one of his hands into the other’s soft curls. His heart filled with happiness.

“Hey, nerd,” he said calmly.

A hum was the answer.

“I love you too.”

The smaller boy’s body stiffened. He pulled the blond even closer. A grin spread across Katsuki’s face when he felt warm wetness against his neck.

He looked up at the sky.

From now on, I guess I’ll have to celebrate damn Valentine’s Day every year.