Chapter Text
Izuku stands in front of the main building of UA University, quietly taking in his surroundings as the reality of the day dawns on him. The concrete structure stands tall and daunting with cherry blossoms lining the pathway to the building entrance, lone petals lazily drift in the soft breeze. The distinct buzzing of students scrambling about, rushing to their classes, fills Izuku with a sense of euphoria.
This day has been the culmination of everything he's been working toward for as long as he could remember. Those countless nights spent bent over his desk, eyes glued to the pages of his physics textbook, ears ringing with the same music on loop. Ever since he was little, he'd been fascinated by space, stars, and planets. There was nothing little Izuku wanted more than to study them, examine them and learn more about them.
He looks down to check his schedule for the day once again.
9:00 AM — INTRO TO AERONAUTICS/ASTRONAUTICS
Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he walks to his lecture hall, taking a seat in the middle row toward the edge of the class, right next to the wall. Izuku had spent the week leading up to this day intricately calculating the prime spot to sit in to be close enough to the professor without drawing attention to himself. He’d memorised the campus map, the locations of all the classrooms, the gym, the library, the dorms, everything.
He’d admit he was being a bit extra but being well prepared helped him calm his nerves. He prided himself on how quickly he was able to find his class while other students were scrambling about requiring assistance from the seniors. So he thought it was worth it.
With plenty of time remaining until class begins, Izuku starts his favorite game of people-watching. He observes keenly as students trickle into class, some alone and some with friends. Their eyes all sharing the same excitement of the first day at UA.
His eyes catch on a mop of long, ashy blonde hair walking into class and taking a seat in the front row, closest to the professor. Izuku can't help but admire the stranger's hair. Silky locks fall onto his shoulders, tied in a half-up, half-down style. He can tell the guy takes good care of it.
The color reminds him of a certain character from his childhood.
His mind drifts to memories he'd stashed away in the corner of his brain.
No way. That couldn't be Katsuki, right?
He scoffs at the absurdity of his own thoughts.
The professor walks into class, commanding attention with every stride. Izuku is broken out of his trance as she clears her throat and begins speaking. Her voice, loud and clear, echoes in every corner of the lecture hall. Izuku, listens eagerly, intrigued by the new information he was learning. He enthusiastically made notes of everything important, not wanting to miss a single word the professor said.
The class ends, and students slowly gather their things and leave. Izuku too begins to pack up to head to the cafeteria for lunch when, once again, his eyes drift to the stranger with the blonde hair.
He is bent over, gathering his things when he suddenly turns around, as if sensing Izuku's gaze, and his ruby-red eyes meet Izuku's green ones.
No.
There was no fucking way.
Katsuki Bakugou.
Izuku's breath hitches in his throat as the realization of who stands in front of him settles in. He notices the other boy's eyes widen in what he assumes is recognition. The blonde abruptly looks away, rapidly gathering his belongings before bolting out of the classroom.
Izuku remains frozen in place.
Three years.
It had been three years since he'd seen Katsuki Bakugou. He thought he'd be over it by now. Over him. He promised himself he'd move on, but the voices he'd been learning to drown out come back in full force.
You should just swan dive off the roof, hoping that in your next life you aren't born as a fucking runt, useless Deku.
The noisy classroom sounds begin to fade, replaced by the old, familiar voice in his head. The razor-sharp words cut right into wounds that had never properly closed, and, for all Izuku knew, maybe never would.
No.
He was better than this. He was stronger than this. He'd made it to UA despite his schoolmates, bullies and even teachers not believing in him.
None of this mattered.
Taking deep breaths to reassure himself, he leaves the classroom, heading toward the cafeteria. He hopes he'll be comforted by food and his friends, who are likely waiting there for him.
He walks into the cafeteria, grabbing a tray and mindlessly tossing onto it an apple, a ham-and-cheese sandwich, and a juice box. On normal occasions he'd eat more than this, but after seeing the face that had been haunting him for years, he'd completely lost his appetite.
He looks around the room, spotting his friends sitting at a table in the middle, and takes a seat with them.
"Hey Midoriya, what's up? How was your first class?" Ochaco Uraraka, his friend from high school, chirps up.
"Yeah, it was good," Izuku says, giving her a weak smile.
"Midoriya, is everything alright?" the boy with glasses sitting next to Uraraka asks.
He and Uraraka had met Tenya Iida on the day of freshman orientation. He'd helped them find their way when they'd gotten lost on the massive campus. After that, they'd quickly become friends.
"Yeah. What about you guys? How were your classes?" Izuku replies, forcing a strained smile.
He doesn't want to tell his friends what had happened. He knows they'd worry unnecessarily, and he doesn't want to ruin the mood of their first day of university.
"Mine was awesome! The nursing course is super fun,” She says taking a sip of her juice.
“There's this blonde girl in my class who's really fucking weird, but she's pretty, so I let it slide," she adds on, earning a chuckle from both Izuku and Iida
"Well, that's great. Mine was quite enjoyable as well. I'm grateful to have been given the opportunity to study mathematics at the same place as my brother," Iida replied.
Deku recalled Iida mentioning that most of his family members had a background in academia and mathematics, he really seemed to look up to his older brother.
Izuku mindlessly looks ahead, feeling his chest constrict once again as his eyes lock onto the same mop of blonde hair
Uraraka, noticing this, turns around, her face contorting into one of shock as she spots the figure sitting opposite them.
"Shit, is that Bakugou?”, She says, turning to face Izuku, eyes wide. “ Izuku, is this why you looked so down?”
“Hey, say something," she says, shaking his shoulder.
"H-huh? Oh, um—"
"Hey, look at me. He can't hurt you anymore. You're not the same old Izuku. You've grown, and you know it.”, She reassures in her firm yet caring tone. “ Don't let him take up space in your head rent-free. You've got more important things to worry about,"
"Yeah, I know," is all he can reply with as he awkwardly looks away, grateful the blonde hasn't noticed him.
The rest of his classes pass by quickly as Izuku oscillates between being in a daze and paying rapt attention. He hated the way he was in his head and forced himself to focus, he couldn’t afford to be left behind.
After his last class, Izuku decides to check out the library and borrow some textbooks he'd need for his required reading that semester.
Upon entering the library, Izuku is in awe. It is massive—far bigger than the library in his neighborhood—but he assumes that is to be expected since UA is one of the finest institutions in Japan.
Izuku heads toward the astronomy aisle, directed by the librarian, and begins looking for the first textbook he requires.
His eyes skim across the titles when he notices a wallet on the floor.
Looking up, he notices a man walking away. An open bag slinging on one shoulder
Izuku assumes it must’ve fallen from it. Picking up the wallet he calls out, "Excuse me! I think you dropped your wallet!"
There was no response.
So he calls out again. "Excuse me, mister! Your wallet—"
To no avail. The man does not turn around and continues walking away. Grabbing the wallet he dashes forward, catching up to the man and gently tapping his shoulder,
"Uh, mister, your wallet was—"
The man, sensing the touch, rapidly turns around, smacking Izuku's hand and causing the wallet to fly out. He then takes a step back and trips over his own foot, falling backwards.
Izuku rushes forward, trying to grab him before he falls, but to no avail.
Both of them come crashing down onto the library floor, Izuku landing on top of the man, his hands on either side of his shoulders.
"Oh God, I'm so sorry—" he rambles, finally meeting the man's eyes.
And—
Fuck.
It was Bakugou.
"Get the fuck off me," he hisses, shoving Izuku off him.
The blonde quickly grabs his bag, tucking his long hair behind his ears. That's when Izuku notices white earbuds in his ears.
"Oh... so that's why you didn't hear me. You had AirPods on," Izuku says sheepishly, trying to ease the awkwardness.
Bakugou whips his head around, staring at Izuku with an unreadable expression. Mouth, downturned in his characteristic, angry scowl, yet his eyes showing a mix of hurt and……. pain?.
Izuku was taken aback by the sudden change of mood but before he could get a word in, the blonde grabbed his wallet and rushed off.
Leaving Izuku on the cold floor of the library, cringing at their first interaction in three years.