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Katsuki sat in his homeroom classroom before the first period. It had been a few weeks since middle school ended and things should have been great. He had his best friend attending U.A. with him — but he wouldn't say it out loud because the nerd would combust, even after they had restored their former friendship for years, thanks to a certain someone's relentless meddling; he was supposed to make new friends — and those extras better not take that for granted; he would be the top of his class. It should have been perfect, except it wasn't. Because she wasn't there.
Kagome was Izuku's cousin. The same age as them. Also attending U.A., except she was in General Education because she was quirkless. Katsuki would disagree with that statement. He had the proof of her powers hanging around his neck: a cursed necklace that could freeze him on command. He had tried to take it off for a long time. Once he realized it was impossible, he decided to annoy her until she took it off just so he that would leave her alone. It never happened. Not only the collar remained there, but they became friends and his relationship with her cousin recovered from the time Katsuki had been an asshat and bullied him. He was now old enough to admit he had been a bastard and he was lucky Izuku was a forgiving idiot.
After almost five years of walking to and from school every day and sharing the same classes, it felt a bit empty not having Kagome there with him. Sure, they would still commute together most of the time and it was rare for them not to meet on weekends. But things were different.
There was still a good half hour until the teacher came and the lesson started. The General Education block was less than ten minutes away, so Katsuki decided to pay them a visit. He had promised to see Kagome over there every day and he had every intention to keep his word.
“Hey, nerd,” he called Izuku, who had been gawking over the girl he had helped at the entrance exam, “I'm heading over to the other block. Be back soon.”
“Oh, okay! Send my hello, then!”
With his hands in his pockets, Katsuki walked the distance separating the two buildings.
Most of the students on that side of the campus had simpler appearances. Unlike what he had seen so far in the Hero Course, General Education students had quieter quirks—abilities that didn't draw attention or weren't overall useful for hero work.
He found Class 1-C just as a boy with indigo hair and heavy bags under his eyes crossed his path. Katsuki peeked through the door's window and found Kagome sitting near the middle with a group of students. He almost turned on his heel and left, not wanting to intrude on Kagome's first interaction with her new classmates, but she noticed him before he could. She always knew when he was around. And that was one more mystery behind the supposed lack of a quirk in Higurashi Kagome.
They stood in the hall as other students made their way to their classrooms and glanced at them. Katsuki was already somewhat well-known for his performance on the entrance exam, and it wasn't common for Hero Course students to be around GenEd.
“Katsuki, you came!”
“I said you wouldn't get rid of me so easily.”
Kagome smiled, and it made Katsuki's cheeks warm. It had been happening too often for his liking.
After Izuku started disappearing every afternoon—which Katsuki found out later was because he was secretly training his new quirk—it was just the two of them walking home. Without Izuku there to buffer, Katsuki was forced to admit that he enjoyed her company.
Before they'd started spending so much time alone together, Katsuki had never understood why she didn't want to be a hero. He couldn't understand how someone, given the chance, wouldn't want to be a hero. If she could stop him with a single voice command, couldn't she train it until she could fight villains with it?
“It's not that simple,” she explained back then. “I don't exactly know how I did it. You know when your body knows what it's doing, but your brain can't process it? That's kinda what happened. Izu-chan helped me try to do it again on him, but it never worked.”
“I see…” He didn't. It didn't make sense that it only worked on him. There had to be some other way. Maybe Izuku and Kagome hadn't tried everything. Maybe they missed something.
“It's okay. I don't mind that it's something only between you and I.”
You and I.
It was the first time he realized there was something special between them. Something that belonged only to the two of them. He needed to think about what to do with that realization.
He had been thinking since.
“I should get going. Classes are about to start.”
Kagome deflated slightly. Katsuki wasn't sure why he noticed that. “Yeah, right. We aren't in the same class anymore. Thanks for coming. See you after school?”
“Sure. No, wait, there is hero training after normal hours. Only for Hero Course.”
“Oh, hmm, well.” The pained look on Kagome's face was something he had never wanted to see there. She tried masking it with a smile, which somehow made things even worse. “You'll be a hero soon. Gotta start preparing now. See you tomorrow, then.”
Without giving him a chance to reply, she walked back toward her classroom. Katsuki tried to follow, but a teacher was coming down the hall. If he didn't run, he'd be late.
Katsuki thought about going to Midoriya’s house after school just to say hello, maybe grab dinner from Aunt Inko, since she was a much better cook than his mother, but after Aizawa’s assessment, he was too tired to even think about it.
From the next day on, however, instead of heading to his homeroom classroom first, Katsuki walked Kagome to hers. Izuku usually met Uraraka and Iida by the train station and went with them the rest of the way, leaving Katsuki and Kagome alone for the remainder of the walk.
“Izu-chan said you did great yesterday! He wouldn't shut up about how you did this and that. Kacchan’s so amazing!” She mimicked Izuku's voice, which made Katsuki laugh openly.
“The idiot should pay attention to himself. That quirk of him broke two fingers this time.” He slowed down. “Deku mentioned something about it not being his, that someone lent him that power. Have you heard about it?”
“Hmm. Yes and no. Yes, I knew, and no, he didn't tell me.”
“Well?” He crossed his arms. “Will you explain it?”
“Nope!”
“What?! I thought we were friends!”
“It's no use! You wouldn't believe me!”
“Try me, then!”
“Look at the time. You should hurry!” Kagome once again didn't give Katsuki the chance to say anything before sliding the door closed.
Kagome was the only person Katsuki was gentle with. Izuku was used to his explosive personality, which had only become more intense now that he was serious about his hero training. He had Deku and Kagome. He didn't need more friends. There were others who didn't seem to agree and talked to him anyway.
“Hey, bro,” Kirishima, a classmate, said. “I've heard you're often around the GenEd building.”
Katsuki didn't bother looking up. “Yeah, so?”
“Just curious, man. You barely speak with Mido-kun here in class, but you go all the way there every morning.”
Midoriya, who had been close enough to hear, opened his mouth to say something, but immediately shut up under Katsuki's deadly glare.
“It's none of your business.”
Izuku pulled Kirishima away. Unfortunately for Katsuki, it wouldn't be the last time someone asked.
“Coming from GenEd again?” This time it was Kaminari Denki. Katsuki growled and the boy didn't wait for an answer.
The girls used a different tactic. Seeing the close friendship between Katsuki and Izuku, they rounded up the latter.
“What's Bakugou doing so often at GenEd?” Ashido asked. Uraraka, Hagakure, and Tsuyu stood beside her, pretending not to be curious.
“Heh, shouldn't you be asking Kacchan about it?”
Katsuki didn't have to ask Izuku to be quiet. The simple fact that Katsuki wasn't straightforward with the topic meant he didn't want his personal business to become classroom gossip. Uraraka and Iida had seen Katsuki walking with Kagome but thankfully decided not to mention it.
“He won't answer and you're his friend! You must know something.”
“Kacchan will say something when he wants you to know.”
Mina pouted but dropped the subject for now. Katsuki sent a small, thankful smile to Izuku.
On the day of the breach in security, Katsuki let out a relieved breath when he remembered that General Education students had a different lunch period once a week. The commotion in the cafeteria caused a ruckus that could have hurt someone not prepared for the chaos. Kagome had already messaged the group chat she shared with him and Izuku, asking what was going on. Their teacher had left them in the dark.
When the incident at the USJ happened a few days later, the first thing that came to Katsuki’s mind was that at least they weren't at U.A. Campus.
The League of Villains made their first appearance. Several villains came out of a portal and split Class 1-A students to attack them separately, Somehow, they managed to hold them back until All Might came. Aizawa-sensei and Deku hadn't escaped without injuries, but the others had made it back in one piece. Izuku had been taken to the infirmary ahead of everyone else. Katsuki tried to go with him, but All Might reached the ambulance first.
Katsuki rode the bus back to U.A. with the rest of his classmates. They had left their phones back at school, so he couldn’t contact anyone, but he had a feeling Kagome knew what happened, like she always did.
The bus had barely stopped when someone started slamming the door. Present Mic, who had been driving, opened it and opened his mouth to say something when the person just barged in. Katsuki only registered the arms around him when the familiar scent of shampoo hit his nose.
“Katsuki!” Kagome wrapped her arms around his chest. Her tears dampened the front of his costume as she rubbed her face against him. “You-you are safe, right? Not hurt, like Izu-chan.”
Katsuki ignored the whispers of “Who’s this?” and “She’s hugging Bakugou.” from his classmates and focused on the sobbing Kagome. He placed a hand on her back and pressed her against him.
“I’m fine, don’t cry.”
“I was so worried! They said-”
“Who said what?” Present Mic asked. “Students weren’t supposed to be aware of what happened yet.”
Kagome, still hugging Katsuki, shifted slightly to meet Present Mic. “No one- I mean, I didn’t-”
“She saw Izuku, right?” Katsuki intervened. Kagome looked at him, he looked back. She knew she owed him that. “They are cousins. She assumed I could have gotten hurt too.”
“Yeah, that’s it. Izu-chan was all mangled again and I didn’t see Katsuki with him. I got worried.”
There were a few seconds of silence before Present Mic accepted her excuse and let them out. Kagome linked her arm with Katsuki’s and didn’t let go until he was back at his classroom.
“I will wait for you,” Kagome said. “We can go home together.”
He pushed down the heat on his cheeks.
Katsuki entered the classroom to find eighteen pairs of eyes locked on him. He could almost see the questions forming in their mouths, ready to shoot. He was already on edge, from the attack, from seeing Izuku getting hurt again, from Kagome’s tears. Dealing with them would only get him even more frustrated.
“I will answer ONE question. Choose it well.”
He gave them five seconds. Then five more just to be fair. They whispered among themselves, questions about her identity, how long they knew each other, if she was his girlfriend — this one had him almost gag, and the grape perv even made a comment Katsuki decided to ignore or else he'd be expelled.
Kirishima was the one who finally spoke. “What’s her name?”
“Higurashi.”
“No, man! The full name.”
“One question. That's it, extras.”
He plopped down into his seat, ignoring those surrounding him. He even managed to avoid them on his way out, having asked Kagome to wait for him in a nearby park. He half expected for Izuku to be there too, but she was alone.
“Hey.”
“Hey you,” he answered. “Where's Deku?”
“Staying for a couple more hours. Something about police reports.”
Katsuki grabbed her backpack despite her protests. She linked their arms again, as if trying to be sure he was really there.
“I'm glad you're safe,” she murmured. “Don't go jumping into danger like that again.”
Katsuki squinted. She wasn't there. As far as he knew, the footage hadn't been released either. How could she even know what happened? Even if she somehow heard Iida or any of the teachers talking, she wouldn't know this detail.
“It's about time you tell me how you know all this shit.”
Kagome squeezed his arm. She was looking down, chewing on her bottom lip.
“Okay, but…”
“But…?”
“You have to promise you will believe me.”
“Really? You're the worst liar I've ever met. Of course I'll believe you.”
“It's not my fault I can't lie! It's useless against my mom's quirk.”
“Yeah, and five years later you still haven't gotten over it.”
They sat on the carpeted floor in Katsuki's bedroom. It was clean and neat, unlike what others expected from someone with his personality. There was a table with a desktop near the window, a couple shelves with books and an All Might figurine, and a wardrobe. His bed was made with squared corners and a folded comforter by the foot.
Mitsuki barely blinked when Katsuki got home pulling Kagome by the wrist into his room. They had been like that for years and she knew Katsuki could be many things, but he would respect Kagome. It was only confirmed when she brought them lemonade and sandwiches and found them sitting apart, talking about school.
Once his mother was out of earshot, Katsuki quietly locked the door. He had a feeling Kagome wouldn't want someone else listening. He pushed down the fact they were alone in a locked room. They'd done that hundreds of times before, so why would that be any different? He wasn't fighting a blush the other times, but he filed it away for later reflection.
“When I was three…” she started.
“Don't need to go that far. Say what you feel comfortable with first.”
Kagome cleared her throat. “Ahem, excuse me, it's my story.” Katsuki rolled his eyes and leaned against the bed. He wasn't the most patient person for long stories, but he would bite his tongue this time. “Anyway, when I was three, I found out I could see things other people couldn't. I know people don't usually have memories from that age, but I still remember it as if it happened yesterday.”
She was looking through the window now, her eyes distant.
“Jiji-chan took me to visit an old shrine from a friend of his. It was much older than the one I grew up in, with several small sealed buildings on the grounds. Jiji-chan told me to wait outside while he followed his friend into the main building. There was a boy there. He was a bit older, maybe five or six. He asked if I wanted to play and said his ball was inside one of the storage sheds.
“When Jiji came back, his friend asked how I got that ball. I said the boy told me where it was. He was right beside me, but neither Jiji nor his friend could see him. When we got home, Mama took me on a walk around the shrine grounds. She asked me to point out everyone I saw. There were dozens. To me, we were always busy. No matter the time of day, there was chatter. Mama said there were only the two of us there.”
“So you're saying—”
“They were dead — I've been seeing dead people for as long as I can remember. And talking. They love talking. Sometimes that's the only thing they want to do.” She paused and looked at something behind him. He tried to follow her gaze but there was nothing there. Kagome released a soft giggle. “Shizuka-san said you were a chatter box too. She got used to hearing you and Izu-chan playing heroes all day long.”
“Shizuka… wait, she died seven years ago. How did you— she's here?!”
“She's usually in the hall, but she heard from Tanaka-san something happened at school and got worried.”
“Tanaka-san? The postman that died last year from a heart attack?” She nodded. “Is he here too?”
“No, he was at the post office. He really loved his job.”
“Do you… do you see them all the time?”
“Pretty much. They usually respect me when I ask for space, though, unless it's something important, like today. I asked them to keep an eye on the people I care about,” she whispered the last part, shifting her gaze away from Katsuki's.
There were so many questions going through Katsuki’s mind, but none of them felt right. His hand automatically went to the collar beads, something he had been doing for a while without noticing. The wooden beads rubbed against his skin, releasing some of the tension from his body.
“Is it a quirk?”
“Seriously?! I told you I’m quirkless!”
“Forgive me if it sounded like a quirk! Maybe you just didn’t want to talk about it! People would find it creepy, talking to the dead.”
“I know! That’s why I don’t! Only Mama and Jiji know. And now you too.”
“But it could be, you know? Like a quirk. You could be a hero. They talk to you. I bet you’d be great with infiltration work. Maybe a spy. Aizawa-sensei’s quirk erases other quirks and you should have seen him fighting.”
Kagome gave a tiny smile and placed a hand over his. It was warm, soft, and so small compared to his. Katsuki felt the urge to wrap his fingers around it. Before his mind registered his actions, he was already doing it.
Kagome didn’t pull her hand back.
“That’s not how it works. They talk to me. I don’t order them around. Even if I could, it wouldn’t feel right. They were alive once. Just because they died doesn't mean they don’t have free will.”
It was hard for Katsuki to understand Kagome’s logic. She had so much potential, yet, she was content with the way things were. She wasn't merely resigned. She was genuinely content, and it was a feeling he learned to admire.
If Katsuki believed in divine punishment, then he would be cursing the heavens for his predicament. Two days after the USJ attack, the classes resumed and his torture started.
Ashido had a friend in General Education, who happened to be in the same class as Kagome. A quick “do you know a Higurashi?” turned into finding her on social media, and his parents’ socials, and Aunt Inko’s socials, and the hundreds of pictures of him, Kagome, and Izuku. From birthdays, to school festivals and sleepovers. Ashido even found the pictures from the time Katsuki modelled for his mother’s fashion collection when he was eight.
If that wasn’t enough, the harpies, AKA, his classmates, waited for him by U.A.’s entrance just to see him arriving with Kagome. Thankfully, they said nothing. Not in front of her, at least. If there was any good side to it, Izuku wasn’t safe from the barrage of questions.
“Look!” Mina shouted. Ochako, Tsuyu, and Jirou surrounded her. "It's Bakugou and Higurashi on a date! This was only a few weeks ago!"
“It was her birthday, Raccoon Eyes! And how could it be a date if Deku took the damn picture?!”
She ignored him. “You were sharing the milkshake! It’s so romantic.”
The warmth on his face only increased once he looked at the picture and noticed how their faces were almost touching.
“We ordered different flavours and were just trying each other’s.” He huffed. “Nothing romantic about that.”
“Riiight. What about this one?” She clicked a selfie Izuku took while Kagome was styling Katsuki’s hair. It did look quite intimate, but Katsuki would die before admitting it. It was their middle school graduation day, give him a break!
At lunch, it was even worse. He saw Kirishima, Kaminari, Ashido and Jirou walking in his direction with Kagome. They got her, They freaking stole her from her classmates and brought her to his table. And she wasn't even fazed because she was Kagome, a much more sociable person than Bakugou Katsuki. He looked at Izuku who was sitting a couple seats down between Ochako and Iida, who just gave him an apologetic smile.
“Katsuki, your friends told me you wanted to have lunch together.” She placed her bento over the table, on the empty seat to his right. He said nothing, because any word out of his mouth could, and would, be used against him. His four ‘friends’ casually took the seats around them.
“So,” Kirishima started nonchalantly, “how long have you known each other?”
“Since we were ten, right? I came to live with Izu-chan and Aunt Inko and ended up in the same class as him and Katsuki.”
“And you’ve been friends since then?” Mina asked.
Kagome looked at Katsuki, then at the beads peeking out of his shirt, “We had a rough start, but now I can’t imagine my life without him in it.”
If anyone said anything else, Katsuki didn’t hear. He also couldn’t see anyone else because when Kagome said that while smiling at him, his heart raced and suddenly the rest of the world became a blur and there was only Kagome in it now. And it continued that way until lunch was over and the bell rang. His brain only restarted during hero training when Izuku used his distraction to punch him.
“Earth to Kacchan!”
“What the hell, Deku?!”
“You’ve been in a daze for over an hour! Is it because of what Kagome-chan said?” Crap, was he that desperate that anyone would notice? “You are still your asshole self, don't worry, but we’ve known each other since we were in diapers! I know when you’re not fully here.”
“Shut up, Izuku.”
Izuku sighed. “Remember the day of the attack? Kagome-chan dodged two heroes to get to me. Two pro-heroes! And she isn’t even training! Do you know what she asked me while both my legs were bent backwards and I was groaning in pain? She asked if you got hurt! My cousin asked about you before she even checked on me.”
Katsuki’s breath was heavy. His chest ached. Izuku was dropping a bucket full of emotions Katsuki wasn’t prepared for. “Why are you telling me this? What do you want me to do?”
“Me? Nothing. I’m not the one she waited for after the attack. Maybe it’s time you think about what this all means.”
He should.
He didn’t know how to.
Because after hearing it from Izuku, every morning when Kagome rushed to his side for their walk to the station, he couldn't stop noticing how she gave him her full attention while Deku hung back with a shit-eating grin, pretending he wasn't giving them space. And having her that close made Katsuki's brain stop working properly.
Because she'd joined a club that ended around the same time as Hero Course training, so they could walk home together again. And somehow, Deku always had something else to do afterward.
Because he'd started finding excuses to linger. To stop by her house. To drag her to his. To watch a movie, study, argue over something stupid—anything that gave him another hour with her.
Because she'd asked to watch him train for the Sports Festival at a local park even though she'd never cared much about quirks. At least on those occasions, Deku was there too.
Because at night, lying in bed, he'd catch himself waiting for morning to come already.
When realization finally kicked in, he didn’t need to think. He'd had the answer all along, and it was a single word: Kagome. She was at the center of every thought that wasn't about becoming a hero—and, sometimes, even then. He'd simply been too stupid, too used to having her by his side, to notice when his feelings changed.
She cared about him. That much he knew. She said it herself on several occasions. Did that mean she liked… liked him? Liked as more than a friend? He went back to Izuku’s words. She'd asked about him before she'd even checked on Deku. It must mean something, right? Why else would she ask for him when Izuku was visibly wounded?
He screamed against his pillow.
He'd been lying on his bed ever since he got back. Of course he'd walked her home. How could he call himself a hero if he couldn't even make sure one of his oldest friends got home safely? And now he felt like an idiot. She'd asked if he wanted to stay and do something together, and he'd said no because she'd stayed up late studying for a test. She'd asked the day before, too. He'd said no then as well.
Great job, Bakugou Katsuki. She had been giving you every opportunity and you were too damn blind to notice.
He jumped to his feet. It was almost his usual bedtime, but he didn't care. No one in that house went to bed that early anyway. He pulled on a sweater, barely bothering to change out of his pajama pants before heading for the front door.
"Where are you going, brat?" his mother called from the kitchen.
"None of your business, hag!"
He was already outside by the time she reached the genkan.
The distance between the Bakugou and Midoriya houses had never felt so long. He crossed it in record time, his feet barely touching the pavement. He didn't know why he needed to get there so fast. He only knew that if he slowed down now, his heart might burst out of his chest before he made it.
He climbed the steps, two at a time, reaching the right floor at a speed that couldn’t be considered safe. He turned to the corridor and found Kagome already there in chequered pajamas and bare feet.
“Katsuki! What—”
He pulled her into an embrace before she could finish. The familiar scent of vanilla shampoo filled his senses as small hands slowly wrapped around his waist. “Yes,” he murmured against her hair.
“...what?”
“I want to do something together.”
Kagome pulled back just enough to look up at him, but didn't let go. "Did you come all this way just to tell me that?"
Katsuki felt the heat creep into his face. "...Yeah." He scratched the back of his neck. "You asked in person. Figured I should answer the same way."
She was searching for something in his face. Their gaze met. She frowned and closed her fists on his sweater. “Why?”
Damn. Katsuki was never good with words. He was a man of action, and he was hoping his actions could speak louder than his mouth. He should know better than that, though. Kagome liked things laid plain, no room for misunderstandings.
She needed the words.
"Because I like being with you... and I want to do it more often."
“Just that?”
Katsuki squinted at her. She tried to hide the way her heart was thundering, but he could feel it battering against his chest. And to push back a smile, but the small dimples on her cheeks gave it away.
“Damn, woman, you never make it easy.” He exhaled. “I like you. There, I said it. Don’t ask me to repeat.”
The smile that bloomed on her face was brighter than the Sun. He looked up to find Inko and Izuku peeking through the door, giving him thumbs up, which he promptly ignored once Kagome squeezed him.
“Will you be my boyfriend?” Kagome asked.
“I was supposed to ask that!”
“You’re too slow. Is it yes or no?”
“What do you think I’m doing here? Of course, it’s yes.”
Grinning, Kagome stood on her tiptoes and placed a kiss on Katsuki’s cheek, silencing him. Then, she grabbed his hand and started pulling him in the direction of her home.
“What are you doing?”
“Didn’t you say you want to do something together?”
“I didn’t mean right now!”
Izuku finally appeared in the doorway.
“You are already here! Come on, I already told Aunt Mitsuki you’d be spending the night.”
“But you’re sleeping in Izuku’s room!” called Inko from inside.
Later that night, after watching one too many All Might cartoons, lying in a futon by Izuku’s bed, Katsuki asked the other boy, “You really don’t mind? After everything I did.”
“It’s been years, Kacchan. I thought we were already over that.”
“Still… I’m sorry. For everything.”
Izuku placed a hand on his shoulder. A soft smile graced his lips.
“You are forgiven.”
Katsuki took a deep breath.
Finally, he could turn the page and start a new chapter in his life.