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"Look, it's Dynamight! Hey! Dynamight!"
Katsuki distinctly did not look back, but he did slow down a little, listening carefully. When the footsteps behind him got very close, he suddenly spun around.
"What?" Katsuki snapped.
"Ahh!" the civilian man blurted, stumbling back a step. In his arms, he held a young child, maybe two or three years old.
Katsuki blinked, swallowing down the lecture he had prepared. He did try not to yell at children. Sometimes.
"Sorry to take up your time!" the man said, sounding not at all sorry, "But my daughter is a really big fan of yours! Chihaya, say hi!"
Chihaya ducked her head, hiding her face in her father's neck. She had two pony tails, little fountains on either side of her head, and the back of her black t-shirt had the same red lines as the back of Katsuki's costume, the same lines as All Might.
"Hey," Katsuki said, "Are you gonna look at me or what?"
Very slowly, Chihaya lifted her head. Then she leaned forward, closer.
Katsuki crouched a little to bring their eyes level. "I'm gonna surpass—"
Chihaya coughed directly into his face.
Katsuki blinked. He could feel her spittle on his tongue, against the back of his throat.
"I'm so sorry!" Chihaya's dad said, pulling her away.
Katsuki rolled his eyes. This is what he got for trying to be nice.
By Thursday evening, Katsuki could tell he was getting sick.
It was after sunset, and he was still at his agency, doing paperwork in his office. Even though it was boring, there was a kind of satisfaction in making sure everything was filled out absolutely correct, on time, and sent to the right place. And it was part of his hero career, so he couldn't hate it.
Even so, Katsuki was having trouble concentrating tonight. He felt tired, like it was three hours later than it was, and his head hurt. He hadn't been in any fights this week or done anything particularly grueling. The only abnormality he could think of was Chihaya.
Because Katsuki wasn't an idiot, he set his paperwork aside early. He pulled up his email and messaged his secretary to say he'd be out sick tomorrow. Then he went home.
At his apartment, Katsuki drank an entire glass of water, changed into a t-shirt and sweatpants, and went directly to sleep.
When Katsuki woke he immediately knew something was wrong. The window was dark behind his curtain, but not the shady, grey darkness of almost-dawn. His mouth and eyes were dry, like they didn't know what water was, and he was somehow cold and sweaty at the same time.
It was the last part that concerned him. Katsuki set his quirk off, just the pinprick flash explosions he'd learned as a kid, in order to neutralize it. Then he kicked his duvet until it overbalanced and thumped down onto the floor. It was still too early to wake up, especially on a day he'd set aside for rest. He'd sleep again, safely this time.
Katsuki was hiking on a mountain through a freezing rain.
"Kacchan," Deku said.
"Shhh," Katsuki hissed. He was trying to listen, but the rain hit in shards on the trees, the bare dirt and rocks. It was loud.
Deku poked him in the shoulder. "Kacchan."
"Stop!" Katsuki snapped, shoving Deku's arm away. He couldn't figure out which way was down the mountain, and the storm was getting worse. They needed to find shelter somewhere.
Deku stared at him. Blinked. He reached his arm forward again.
"Could you maybe do something useful?" Kacchan shouted, teeth chattering.
"Kacchan," Deku said, tapping him in the shoulder again, "Someone wants to talk to you."
Katsuki's eyes snapped open. He was still cold, but he was also sore all over, like he'd been in a fight, only he definitely hadn't fought anyone in the last couple weeks. It was still dark outside, but there was some source of artificial light in the corner of his eye.
There was an electronic chirp, and the light shifted, flashing.
Katsuki slammed his hand onto his side table and felt around until he found his phone. When he held it up, the light stabbed at his eyes, but he squinted, reading the messages on his lockscreen.
From the amount of new notifications on the Class A groupchat, Katsuki's initial assumption was that there'd been some kind of emergency. But after about thirty seconds of scanning, Katsuki realized that Kaminari and Sero were having a useless arguement about what the tastiest combination of ice cream flavors was. They'd woken him up for no reason.
Katsuki growled. He turned on do not disturb, set his phone to silent, turned off the volume, and threw it back onto his nightstand. The phone skidded across and thudded against the wall, then the floor.
Without light from his phone, it was dark in the room again, still way too early. Katsuki rolled over and closed his eyes.
Sleep didn't come. Katsuki was uncomfortable, a thing he should be strong enough to ignore. But with the cold and the aches and his thirst all together, his body wouldn't relax.
Katsuki grit his teeth. Unlike certain other people, he was good at taking a break when his body needed it—the best, even. So if he couldn't sleep then he was just going to lay here all night with his eyes closed.
For something like a thousand hours, Katsuki forced himself to stay still. Then he blinked, and the sun rose while he wasn't looking.
It was a bright, full light, strong enough to edge around his curtain and make patterns on the wall. Katsuki sat up, rubbing his eyes. He should give that Chihaya kid an internship offer. He couldn't think of a part of himself that didn't hurt.
After a little while, Katsuki realized he hadn't moved. He was planning to get up, right? It was late enough that he should definitely eat something, and he was still thirsty.
Slowly, Katsuki slid off the edge of the mattress and stood up. He felt unsteady, though that might be because he'd just butchered his sleep schedule. Carefully, he stumbled forward toward the kitchen.
His cup from last night was still there on the counter. Katsuki filled it from the tap and sipped. It was weirdly lukewarm—he hadn't remembered to turn the knob, to run cold water first. Normally he would have poured it out and tried again, but today Katsuki found that he didn't care. He drank the rest of the glass.
His next task was breakfast. Katsuki didn't feel particularly hungry, but if his body was working this hard, then it definitely needed the energy.
In the end, Katsuki pulled out two frozen steam buns from the freezer and heated them up in the microwave. He had the time, but he didn't want to make something elaborate if he wouldn't even enjoy it. Also, he was already tired of standing here.
The microwave beeped. Katsuki ripped open the door and grabbed his food, then immediately dropped it onto the cold stove below. He shook out his hand. They were still way too hot.
As soon as he could stand to hold the buns at all, Katsuki ate them bite by bite, putting them down again while he chewed. He probably should have grabbed a plate, but he was committed now. He'd have to wipe down the stove anyway.
The buns had mushrooms and some kind of vegetable inside. They were mediocre to begin with, and he hadn't exactly prepared them with a stellar method, but they weren't that bad. The temperature made them more exciting. In order to eat them, he had to fight and win.
When he finished, Katsuki didn't feel rejuvenated at all. He had another half a glass of water and started wiping down the counter. Then his stomach turned, and he had just enough time to run to the sink before throwing up.
Katsuki kept a clean kitchen, so there weren't dishes in the way. He turned the tap on, then the disposal. The grinding of the gears within a meter of his face eclipsed every other sound.
After a minute, Katsuki used the spray faucet to wash away the sink edges. Then he turned everything off and sat down in the corner where the cabinets met. He was tired again already, which was stupid. He'd spent so much time resting on purpose.
Even so, it wouldn't hurt anything if he just closed his eyes for a minute.
Katsuki was kidnapped by the league, but for some reason they'd shoved his restraining chair into the very corner of the room.
Compress was crouching, drawing a giant X on the floor near the window. "This is where All Might will land when he breaks in, after the pizza delivery."
Katsuki grunted in acknowledgment. He remembered that.
Toga tapped her chin, looking thoughtful. "Maybe we could actually order pizza. I want pizza."
"Why is it freezing in here?" Katsuki demanded.
"That's my fault," Todoroki said.
Katsuki whipped his head to look beside him. Sure enough, Todoroki was standing right there. Also, the chair Katsuki was restrained in seemed to be made of ice.
"Icy-hot?" Katsuki said, more confused than anything, "You'd better have an incredible reason for—"
"They have soba," Todoroki said. He was holding a bowl of soba.
"Makes sense," Katsuki said, settling back in his seat, "How long until All Might comes?"
Todoroki didn't respond. He was too busy slurping soba.
Katsuki felt his face scrunch up in annoyance. It was nice having a friend here, but Todoroki was acting totally useless. He was too cold to use his quirk. He'd just have to hunker down and wait for the heroes to arrive.
Something grabbed Katsuki's shoulder and he burst instantly out of a dead sleep to smack it.
"Arghah," Deku gasped, hands flying up to cover his face.
Katsuki froze, staring. Deku was kneeling on his kitchen floor, wearing his teacher clothes, blood dripping down through his fingers.
"I don know whad I expected," Deku said, sounding weirdly cheerful.
Katsuki grabbed the countertop above him and pulled himself to his feet. He was groggy and unsteady, maybe because he'd been awake for less than thirty seconds. The paper towel stand was near him, so Katsuki tore off a section and offered it to Deku.
"Thanks," Deku said. Then he wadded up the paper towel and pressed it over his nose.
"Broken?" Katsuki asked.
Deku shook his head and stood up. "Just bleeding. Hey, Kacchan—are you feeling okay?"
"Don't change the subject," Katsuki insisted. He grabbed the counter edge again, steadying himself. "Why are you in my house?"
"Because your agency said you weren't feeling well and you wouldn't respond to anyone," Deku said.
"So you could have made broom head or icy hot do this house visit," Katsuki insisted, "But instead you abandoned your students and came all the way to Toyko—"
"I was already here?" Deku interrupted, "I have patrol with you tomorrow, remember?"
Carefully, Katsuki glanced around. It was dark outside again. The clock on the oven read 19:26. Deku was still here early, but he had been planning to crash here for the night.
While he was distracted, Deku stuck his bloody palm on Katsuki's forehead.
Katsuki pushed his arm away again. "Wash your hands."
"What's your temperature?" Deku asked, pulling the paper towel away. His nose had mostly stopped bleeding.
Katsuki ground his teeth. He hadn't taken his temperature yet, though he definitely should have. How could he have forgotten something so obvious? "None of your business!"
Deku's face hardened into the same stupid expression he used on his students all the time. "Kacchan, I think you should go lie down."
Katsuki wanted to punch him in the face again, this time on purpose. But he knew he'd regret it in about five minutes, so instead he shoved past Deku and stomped out into the living room.
The minute he wasn't staring down Deku, another wave of exhaustion crashed over him. Katsuki grimaced. This wasn't fair. He already slept all day. But because he was the absolute best at taking care of himself, he walked over to the couch and flopped down onto the cushion.
After a moment, Katsuki heard the kitchen faucet, the cabinets open and closing. Then Deku crept up behind him and put a glass of water and a thermometer on the side table.
Katsuki waited until he left. Then he grabbed the thermometer and took his temperature. After a moment, the decice beeped, and the little screen shifted to write the answer in grey lines: 39.4.
"Huh," Katsuki breathed. That did explain a lot.
"Did you eat?" Deku called from somewhere behind him.
"Yeah," Katsuki said. He ate two steam buns.
"Anything that you didn't throw up in the sink?"
Katsuki scowled, though there was no one who could see him. He'd thought he cleaned that up.
After a minute, Deku walked up to the side table again and put down a bottle of Raquaius.
"You're a good friend," Katsuki said.
Deku didn't make a sound. He must have been standing stock-still.
"Do not cry," Katsuki said, turning to look at him over the back of the couch, "I'm just stating facts. 'Cause you also don't have to be here. I'm sick but I'm not that sick."
Deku was glassy-eyed, but not full on crying. He still looked too worried for that. "The flu can be bad, especially—especially if you have a heart condition. You're more likely to have a heart attack if—"
"Oh please," Katsuki said, rolling his eyes. "Is an ambulance gonna get here faster because you called it?"
"Mmm," Deku said, nodding. Then he pulled a phone out of his pocket.
Katsuki just stared, not really sure how to argue now that Deku had agreed to his obvious false statement. Then he realized that the phone wasn't Deku's—it was his.
"You dropped this behind the furniture in your bedroom," Deku said, setting Katsuki's phone down on the side table. Then he walked back into the kitchen.
Katsuki turned to face forward again, slouching so his head slid down below the top of the couch. There wasn't anything to say. They were both thinking the same thing. If something unlikely had happened while Katsuki was sleeping in the kitchen, he probably wouldn't have made it across the house to grab his phone.
In conclusion, he was not going to succeed in getting rid of Deku. Katsuki couldn't even blame him.
"Do you want miso soup?" Deku asked.
"There's some in the fridge," Katsuki said, leaning forward. His fingers brushed the remote on the coffee table.
"Did you drink your sports drink?" Deku said, "You need electrolytes."
Katsuki grunted, finally grabbing the remote. He couldn't decide if this was better or worse than his sleepless night, but he wasn't immature enough to refuse obviously good advice just because Deku said it. So he sat back up and unscrewed the lid of the Raquaius.
Behind him, the microwave beeped, probably for the miso. Then someone knocked on the door.
"Go away!" Katsuki shouted.
"That's dinner," Deku said, walking over to get the door.
Katsuki was not in a state to eat takeout, but Deku was also a person who needed to eat. If he kept quiet now, then there'd be a ready made meal he could coerce Deku into eating later.
Lost in thought, Katsuki was not at all prepared when Deku pulled the door open and revealed Uraraka standing on the welcome mat.
"Hah?" Katsuki blurted, "Round cheeks? What are you wearing?"
"Hi Bakugou," Uraraka said, stepping inside. She had a nice dress on, like she'd just been at some kind of charity event. Also, she was carrying a bag that looked a lot like takeout. Deku must have recruited her—she must have been the closest available friend.
Katsuki probably needed to backread the groupchat. Who knew what Deku had been telling everyone?
"At least he sounds pretty normal," Uraraka said, reaching down to slip off her heels.
"I'm right here!" Katsuki insisted. Then he remembered that he was supposed to be drinking the Raquaius, so he finished removing the lid and took a small sip.
Deku grabbed the bag from Uraraka's hand. "Thank you so much."
Uraraka smiled, tilting her head. "Of course!"
Katsuki kicked his feet up and laid down across the couch so he wouldn't have to watch them anymore. Then he poured a second sip of Raquaius into his mouth.
Deku walked back toward the kitchen—Katsuki could tell by the sound of his steps, by the way the bag rustled as he moved.
Uraraka followed. "Is he really feeling okay?"
"He's got a fever and he fell asleep on the floor," Deku said, in the world's worst approximate of a hushed tone.
Katsuki decided to help him out. He turned on the TV and pressed his finger on the remote volume button. The bar on the screen shot forward, beeping over and over until it maxed out and blared. He smiled, but his satisfaction was short lived. The TV went silent immediately after because he hadn't started a video yet.
"He does look pretty flushed," Uraraka said, not trying to be quiet at all, "But at least he's still being annoying."
Katsuki opened youtube. The last thing he'd been watching was the All Might analysis series, but he usually watched that with Deku, so he went into the playlist and started back from episode one. There was a decent change he wouldn't be able to focus properly anyway.
Someone walked up behind him. It was harder to hear footsteps over the blaring intro song, but Katsuki was going to become the next number one hero, so he noticed immediately. Still, he was a little surprised when Uraraka set her elbows down on the back of the couch.
Uraraka always had a look like she was trying to decide if she should punch you. Katsuki's respect for her had only grown when he started paying real attention to extras and realized Uraraka only looked at him that way. At least one person had realized who they needed to watch out for.
So when Uraraka leaned against the couch back, Katsuki stayed quiet, waiting to see if she was going to pick a fight. Unfortunately, Uraraka didn't even look at him. She was watching the All Might video too intently.
"What're you doing here?" Katsuki asked.
For a moment, it seemed like Uraraka actually hadn't heard over the video. Then she said, "You're really bad at saying thank you."
"Thanks for ditching your event," Katsuki said. It was spite, but he did mean it. "Bet the media will manage to blame me about it."
Uraraka smiled. "You make it too easy. But I think you're in luck this time."
Katsuki raised an eyebrow. When she didn't elaborate, he sat up a little and took another sip of Raquaius. "What's that supposed to—"
"Why'd you go radio silent," Uraraka demanded.
"I fell asleep," Katsuki said, "After muting the ice cream chat."
Uraraka snorted. Then she ducked her head, and her hair fell to hide her expression. "That woke me up too."
"I'm sorry for worrying everyone," Katsuki said. Then he took sip number four. He was going to demolish this thing.
Uraraka looked back up at the TV, apperantly satisfied.
"You're into All Might now?" Katsuki said.
"Mmm," Uraraka said, nodding, "I mean, he's a great hero. I reckon if I study up, I'll get better too."
"There's some stuff you shouldn't imitate," Katsuki said, "Surpass him, alright?"
Deku set a bowl on the side table, and the chink of the ceramic made Katsuki jump. He hadn't noticed Deku walking over, which unnerved him more than he'd like to admit.
"It's the miso," Deku said, obnoxiously gentle, "You can wait until you're ready."
"Oh, I have permission?" Katsuki barked. Then he chugged some more Raquaius to keep from saying anything else.
"I'll get some water," Deku said.
Katsuki frowned, confused. He had water already.
Uraraka left her spot behind the couch, and she and Deku walked away. Katsuki squirmed, trying to get his head high enough to see without actually sitting up all the way.
After a moment, Uraraka came back into the living room holding two styrofoam boxes of takeout. She glanced around, taking in the coffee table, the couch Katsuki was sprawling on, and the reclining chair. There were no other seats.
Katsuki thought about sitting up and decided against it. Better to be a total jerk than the guy too weak to stay upright for a whole meal. That would definitely make his friends worry.
Before Uraraka could make up her mind, Deku came in and set two glasses of water on the coffee table. Then he sat down on the ground, back against the couch. Uraraka finally sat down beside him, caddy-corner, and handed him a box.
"Well one of you could sit in the chair," Katsuki said.
"It's so far away," Deku said, opening his box, "Oh, a burger! I love those!"
"Mad you can't share?" Katsuki said. He didn't know what he was saying—there was too much polite consideration going on in this room and it was driving him up the wall.
"We both have a burger," Deku said, humoring him, "Did you mean the chair?"
Beside him, Uraraka's eyes went just a hair wider, like that was exactly what she'd been considering.
"Are you dating?" Katsuki blurted.
Uraraka's eyes went wider.
"You say that like it's a bad thing," Deku said, totally unaffected.
Katsuki sat bolt upright. "So you definitely are!"
Deku was already eating. He mumbled something incoherent, too much food in his mouth.
Katsuki ground his teeth. Leave it to Deku to always find an innovative way to get on his nerves. He turned to Uraraka. "Are you his girlfriend?"
Uraraka still looked shell shocked. She rubbed her neck, smiled, trying to play it off. "Oh, I don't know—I mean, we've just been hanging out a lot."
Deku finally swallowed. "That's kind of a weird way to put it—it's not like Miss Uraraka belongs to me. She's just—a really wonderful person."
"I wouldn't mind," Uraraka said, a little too fast.
Katsuki could feel a wave of something rolling over him, but it was hard to tell if it was nausea, more chills, or just total revulsion. "Have you not actually talked about this?"
Deku blinked. "About what?"
Katsuki stood up, ready to leave. Immediately, his head swam, and the aches in his body that he'd been ignoring flared. His knees felt weak.
Groaning, Katsuki flopped down again.
"Deku," Uraraka said, "Don't worry about it."
"Hah!" Katsuki announced, "So you're the problem!"
Deku glanced between the two of them. Then he reached for Uraraka's hand under the coffee table. "Miss Uraraka, are you upset about something? You can tell me."
"I'm gonna barf," Katsuki said.
Quickly, Deku grabbed a bowl from under the coffee table and held it out. Katsuki hadn't seen him put it there.
Katsuki rolled his eyes. "I'm joking. Moron." Then he threw up.
In a weird way, it was the best thing he could have done. The romantic tension completely dissipated as Deku jumped to catch the vomit. Katsuki grabbed the bowl to steady it and watched, disappointed, as he lost his entire progress with the Raquaius.
"Maybe try drinking slower," Deku said.
Katsuki was very close to punching him again.
When he'd finished, Uraraka handed him a paper towel, and Katsuki wiped his mouth. Deku took the bowl and disappeared.
"Don't," Uraraka whispered.
Katsuki slouched back against the couch cushion. He was having a slightly difficult time grasping what was going on, though if anything, he wished he could be more incoherent. "Hah?"
Uraraka stuck a hand over his mouth, which was stupid. She'd get sick that way. "If I ask him to do anything then he'll just do it whether he wants to or not," she hissed, "It all has to be his idea." Then she let go and stepped away.
Deku appeared with a clean bowl and a travel mug that had a straw. He set everything down on the side table, unscrewed the lid, and started pouring the miso soup inside.
Grateful not to be bossed around, Katsuki laid down on the couch again. Maybe if he managed to fall asleep he wouldn't have to participate in this train wreck.
"Want more Raquaius?" Deku asked.
"Hmph," Katsuki muttered. Yes, he wanted to drink the whole thing and win. No, right now it was the flavor of throw up.
"Or a blanket?" Uraraka said. She was crouching. It was hard to see, but it seemed like she was dabbing at the carpet with a cloth, or maybe another paper towel.
"Kacchan," Deku said.
Katsuki finally remembered that he was still stuck in a conversation. "Why? Fever means you're too hot."
Deku walked behind the couch, grabbed the blanket folded over the back, and flipped it down over him. Ever obstinate, Katsuki kicked it off. Then he closed his eyes.
"Kacchan I know you're not asleep," Deku said.
Katsuki didn't respond. He was done responding for maybe the next thousand years.
Deku didn't try to keep talking to him, so Katsuki moved on to obsessively keeping track of everything happening around him. His idiot friends puttered around, probably cleaning up. Somebody briefly turned on the sink. After a few minutes, they settled down around the coffee table again.
"We can watch something else," Deku said, "I don't think Kacchan wants to pay attention."
Well, if Deku thought that would make him open his eyes, he had another think coming.
"I don't mind!" Uraraka said, "Actually, I've been wanting to watch this series."
"Oh, okay then," Deku said.
The video un-paused and the speaker started mid-sentence. Katsuki still knew exactly what he was talking about. He'd watched this episode about three times back when it had been the only one published.
"Hey—Miss Uraraka?" Deku said.
Katsuki frowned, eyebrows sharpening. Could he not even listen to an All Might video in peace?
"Hey Deku."
"Are you—sure you're doing alright?"
"Of course, silly. Don't worry so much."
The video had switched to footage of All Might in the U.A. sports festival. It was mostly crashing and yelling noises, but Katsuki could see the camera zoom in his mind's eye. All Might was punching a classmate out of the ring.
"It's okay that you don't want to tell me," Deku said, "But—I want to help. If I can."
Katsuki dragged his hands down his face. He did understand where Uraraka was coming from. But even though he was involved completely against his will, Katsuki did have a side in this, and it wasn't her's.
"Get out of my house," Katsuki said.
"No thanks," Deku said.
Katsuki opened his eyes. His friends were ignoring him. "Not you."
That got their attention. Uraraka covered her mouth, stifling a laugh, but Deku actually looked upset.
"For five minutes!" Katsuki blurted. He didn't feel like getting punched on top of everything. "Please."
Uraraka stood up, dusting off her hands. "Sure. You've been a good sport, all things considered."
Deku stood up too. Katsuki thought he might protest. Instead, he started walking toward the door.
"Oi," Katsuki insisted, "Deku stays. I need you two separated."
Deku froze mid-stride, one foot off the ground. "O-okay?"
"I'm setting a timer," Uraraka said, tapping on her phone as she walked. At the genkan she stuck it back in her pocket, bent to put on her shoes, and slipped outside.
When the door closed, Deku kept staring at the place where she'd disappeared.
"Tell her you want to date her," Katsuki said.
Deku's head whipped around. "Huh?"
"You heard me," Katsuki said, crossing his arms. He hated feeling cold. "Open your mouth and use words like a grownup."
Deku rubbed his chin, pensive. "Would she really like that? I don't want to presume. And do you mean I should just say it, or if she says yes, is there something different I'm supposed to start doing? And if that's all it is, then why wouldn't she just tell me?"
"Do it before I murder you both," Katsuki said, trying very hard not to shout. He didn't want Uraraka to hear from outside.
Deku walked the wrong way, toward the couch. He grabbed the phone from the side table and set it down on Katsuki's chest. "Um, try not to have an emergency for a minute. But also, you can call if—"
"Get out," Katsuki said, swating his hand away.
Deku's face hardened, more determined than annoyed. He turned around and walked purposefully to the door.
Katsuki waited until he heard the latch open and close. Then he took a deep breath. The All Might documentary video played on uninterrupted.
Suddenly, the door flung open. Uraraka stepped daintily inside, feet not at all matching the force of her arm.
"Five minutes aren't up!" Katsuki shouted.
Uraraka took her shoes off again, deliberately ignoring him.
Behind her, Deku appeared in the doorway. "Miss Uraraka—"
"You don't have to force yourself," Uraraka said, "I know Bakugou put you up to it."
Deku grabbed her hand, and their arms linked over the threshold. They were letting so much humid air inside. "Kacchan doesn't push me around anymore. You know that."
Katsuki found himself holding his breath. He still thought Deku was an idiot, but he was beginning to question his own wisdom in offering relationship advice after two minutes of observation.
"I know," Uraraka said quietly, "That you don't touch anyone unless you're trying to save them."
Deku looked down at their hands, the palms touching. "I—never really noticed. But, even so—it's different if it's you. Everything is."
It was like watching the split second before a car crash in slow motion. Deku stepped just a tad closer, and then he started leaning, Uraraka mirroring him.
Katsuki rolled over so that his face was pressed into the couch cushion and he didn't have to watch anymore. His phone dropped again, thunking against the floor.
Deku had turned the documentary back to a normal volume, so Katsuki stuck his arm out and felt around on the coffee table until his fingers closed around on the remote. Then he maxed out the volume again.
After a few minutes, something warm touched his hand. Katsuki flipped over, winding back his arm.
"Kacchan wait!" Deku exclaimed, palms up.
Behind him, Uraraka was setting down beside her dinner again. Both of them looked distinctly happier than ten minutes ago.
Slowly, Katsuki turned the volume back down. Then he said, "Never kiss in my house again."
Deku's eyebrows shot up, surprised. His mouth opened.
"Shut up," Katsuki demanded, "We're done with this. Eat dinner and watch the show or leave."
"Don't forget your miso," Deku said, but he did sit down.
Uraraka was already inhaling her burger. She was also avoiding eye contact.
Katsuki grabbed the miso travel cup and sipped through the straw without sitting up. It had been a miserable day all around, but if this was as bad as things got, then maybe his life was pretty okay.
When Katsuki opened his eyes, All Might was wearing his silver age costume. This was at least episode six. Either Deku was skipping around, or this was the middle of the night.
The sound was off, closed captions on. Deku was being polite.
"I'm awake," Katsuki said. He sat up, and the motion didn't make his head swim. He was still freezing though.
Uraraka had vanished, but Deku was in the same spot on the floor, grading papers on his laptop. He looked up. "Hi Kacchan! Are you feeling okay? Do you need anything?"
"I'm hungry," Katsuki said. He stood up.
Deku jumped up, then had to scramble to catch his computer. "Kacchan, wait, I can—"
Katsuki was already in the kitchen. He wanted something that he could eat this instant, as long as it wasn't a steam bun. He ended up grabbing a protein bar from the cabinet beside the stove.
"Kacchan I really think you should keep lying down," Deku said, voice geting closer and closer, "I'm glad you're feeling a little better but if you push yourself it might not last and then—"
"I'll eat this and go to bed," Katsuki said, even though he was getting sick of laying around, "Deal?"
"If you drink a glass of water," Deku said, "And take your temperature again."
Katsuki rolled his eyes. "Sure, whatever." Then he went back to eating.
Deku stood there fidgeting like he had something to say.
"Spit it out," Katsuki said, mouth full. He might as well listen while he ate.
"Sorry about earlier," Deku said, "I was supposed to get dinner with Uraraka, but then I couldn't get ahold of you, and one thing led to another—I didn't mean for it to be a whole situation, we were just going to eat food! And I know you're already feeling bad so you probably didn't want—"
"It's fine," Katsuki said. It was obnoxious, but if he'd had the forethought to ask another friend to come over, then Deku's date wouldn't have been interrupted in the first place.
Deku inhaled. He'd been speaking too fast to breathe. "Um—ah, that's—you're sure?"
Katsuki nodded. Then he remembered Uraraka's terrible plan, that Deku was dense, and that he wasn't a hypocrite. "But you could have told me."
"Yeah, that's fair," Deku said, looking sheepish, "Next time, I'll tell you if people are coming over."
Immediately, Katsuki's composure snapped. "No, that you liked her! Idiot! That's—important to you, clearly! Do you think your friends don't care about your life?"
Deku blinked. "Oh, I thought you knew already. It was your idea to ask her out. Also Kacchan you're not eating. You should maybe sit down if—"
"Explain," Katsuki said, then bit off a giant chunk.
"Oh, okay," Deku said, tapping his chin, "It was on the way to that celebration dinner for Todoroki. You said—it was something like, if I don't tell people that they're important to me, then they'll never know it. So I asked Uraraka out."
Katsuki nearly choked. He coughed, swallowed, and then his mouth was clear. "And I was supposed to follow that?"
"You invited me to be your sidekick by asking about my teaching plans," Deku said, which was fair. "Also, you kind of just automatically guess everything about me. And I didn't think it was something you'd want to talk about. Oh, but I could add you to the advice group chat! Iida and Todoroki—"
"No," Katsuki said. He'd already given enough relationship for his entire life. "But—thanks."
Deku's head tilted. "For—not adding you?"
Katsuki shook his head. It was hard to put his finger on. He did remember their conversation, how he'd felt—like banging his head against a wall. Deku never took himself into account. There was no amount of telling him to look after himself that could actually work. Except, this time, it had.
"For listening," Katsuki said, rubbing his neck, "Or whatever."
Deku grinned, way too sappy, like he understood. "I'm going to go get the thermometer."
Katsuki rolled his eyes, and when they came back down, Deku was vacating the kitchen.
"I can be sincere without a fever!" Katsuki insisted, but it was undermined by the way his teeth chattered partway through. "Don't even try me!"
"Water next!" Deku called over his shoulder.
Katsuki shoved the rest of the bar into his mouth. Then he went to grab a clean glass.