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“Your turn Kirishima!” Mina playfully shoved the boy beside her in the side with her shoulder.
A small group of students from class 2A sat in a circle in the center of the UA’s dorm’s cozy living room. It was a freezing late-summer night. A Friday night specifically, when all of the students were released from their school duties, and finally had some free time together. Due to their busy schedule, this happened very rarely (after all they were training to become professional heroes, so they couldn’t go easy on their learning process), but when it did, they often organized group activities; parties, movie nights, or just gathered in the living room to spend some time together. After the war with Shigaraki and All For One, the bond between all of them got stronger: They’ve seen the worst, and that’s why they decided to work for a better future; their shared goal made their connection unbreakable. Even the teachers swore they didn’t see another class in this decade in which the students would be this close to each other.
On a completely ordinary August evening, Izuku, Mina, Ochaco, Kirishima, and Iida met in the kitchen to make some dinner and to do something together. After finishing the delicious curry, Mina suggested playing truth or dare, because she “wanted to know more about everyone’s secrets”. Almost everybody agreed to play it, except Iida, and Izuku. The class president said it is not nice to dig into someone else's private life, but after a few “pleeease pleasepleaseplease” he agreed to join. Izuku was harder to convince.
Since the war, the green-haired, freckled boy has become more introverted and closed about himself than before. It was due to the trauma he got during that dark period. He rarely talked about it, and even when someone asked him anything related to it (or even just mentioned it), he quickly changed the subject or got away from there when it was possible. Another difference about him was his connection with Katsuki. The whole school (if not the whole world) knew what happened back then on the battlefield, thanks to the footage the management students made. The two of them talked a lot. Katsuki barely yelled after the war, which – of course – surprised everyone but what was more shocking was how soft he became with Izuku. They trained together, ate together, studied together, and the list went on. Alongside his other friends, Izuku seemed to be the happiest when he spent time with Katsuki. This strange friendship-like state became stronger day by day. Considering the fact that Izuku had to watch him suffer and die it was understandable, but still a bit weird for an outstander.
It was hard to convince Izuku about the truth or dare because he almost never talked about the sensitive and personal stuff in his life, but he didn’t want to ruin his friends’ game by not doing the tasks, so he tried to kindly refuse to join, while it was possible. Luckily Ochaco talked him into it, promising that he wouldn’t have to answer any uncomfortable questions or do things he didn’t want to, so after a few minutes, the green-haired boy was sitting with his friends on the dorm’s comfortable carpet.
In the first few rounds, there was nothing special or shocking, ordinary questions came up with ordinary tasks (except for that one dare when Kirishima had to go out and run around the dorm shirtless, shouting; "Don't worry, because I am here! Red Riot has arrived!"
It was a real miracle that Aizawa did not show up to this.)
“Alright! I’ll ask then!” Kirishima sighed, still exhausted from his earlier adventure. “Who didn’t get any questio…Midoriyaa my friend!” He grinned and turned to his green-haired classmate. “Truth or Dare?”
Izuku sheepishly smiled while rubbing his face with his hand.
“Um… Last time we played this I only said Truth…soo it would be fair if I say Dare this time right?”
“Whatever you choose,” Kirishima winked. “But Dare is a great choice if you ask me!”
Mina wanted to hide her laughter, but she failed.
“What is it?” Kirishima pouted. “Did I say something funny?”
“No-no!” Mina chuckled while watching Izuku’s confused face. “I just got an idea for your Dare! But I doubt Midoriya will do it!”
“Tell me!” Kirishima’s eyes lit up. The pink-haired girl crept closer to the boy next to him, lowered her voice, and whispered something in his ear.
“What do you…oooh! Yoo, you should totally ask this! If Midoriya won’t do it, that’s fine too, but…” He failed to hide his smirk. “It’s not an impossible mission.”
“Come oon! It’s not fair that only you can decide about it!” Ochako whined. “Spit it out already!”
“You should call Bakugou by his name!” Mina shouted victoriously.
Everyone seemed quite amused by Izuku’s reaction. The green-haired boy looked confused at first, but when he got what Mina was talking about, his face became so red, that his friends thought he would literally faint.
“Y-you mean instead of Kacchan?”
“Exactly!” Mina’s eyes were sparkling with excitement. “You have to continue to do it until he will say something about it.”
“But only if Midoriya is okay with it!” Iida threw a stern look at the pink-haired girl, who had lost a little of her overflowing enthusiasm.
“Of course-of course! So Midoriya? What do you say?”
“I mean… It can’t do any harm right..if I do this. Right?”
Kirishima rolled his eyes.
“I would doubt this, but I think you should give it a shot. To see his reaction at least.”
Izuku looked confused.
“I don’t think there will be a big difference, but okay.”
All of his classmates shared a meaningful look that only Izuku couldn’t understand.
After all, Kacchan accepted his nickname even though it probably annoyed him earlier. It won’t mean anything to him if Izuku just switches to Bakugou, doesn't it?
The game continued, but Izuku couldn’t concentrate anymore. A few hours passed when his friends started to seem tired.
“We should call it a day ain’t we?” Mina stretched her arms when she caught Kirishima yawning. “But don’t forget about your dare Midoriya!” She smiled viciously while standing up.
Izuku smiled.
“I won’t. But I don’t see what’s the big deal with it.”
“You’ll see tomorrow.”
Ochako’s voice wasn’t exactly promising for him.
It was still concerning him, while he brushed his teeth, changed into his pajamas, and turned off his light to get some sleep for tomorrow. He was sure; Katsuki would be surprised, considering Izuku called him Kacchan for their entire life, but it definitely wouldn’t bother him.
He stared at the ceiling for quite a long time, before he could sink into the sea of dreams. Unfortunately, this sea was filled with monsters and dangerous storms; his traumas from the war often disturbed Izuku’s rest in the form of nightmares. There was no end to the number of times when he woke up in the middle of the night, covered in cold, almost-freezing sweat, gasping for air. While he desperately tried to calm his heart (that beat so fast sometimes he thought he would die), he convinced himself it would stop one day as he bit his fist to muffle the betraying sound of his sobs. His sea of dreams was made of his tears which he sometimes felt like he would drown in and not wake up one day.
His fears at night were weaker when he spent time with his friends. And oh how he loved laughing and smiling with them. That overwhelming golden sun in his chest always appeared when he spoke with them.
Especially with Kacchan.
A few months passed after the war ended, but the changes were incredibly huge compared to it. Izuku and Katsuki grew so close to each other that the green-haired boy had never dreamed of it before.
It was true that Katsuki didn’t change completely ; he would still snap at his classmates, use harsh words when he was angry, and he did his best to be the number one in everything to prove his skills to the others (even when it was just a math test).
But he also grew so much that Izuku was shocked to see the results. The first time it happened in their everyday life was when Izuku was struggling with his English homework but didn’t want to bother anyone with it, Katsuki sensed it somehow, popped up next to his desk, and asked:
“Need some help?”
The following afternoon, Katsuki spent two hours explaining the parts Izuku didn’t get earlier.
Another time when their class decided to go to the mall together and buy ice cream, Izuku accidentally dropped his (because his hands were still recovering from the wounds he got in the war), and Katsuki just held out his own (chocolate-covered) one, without a word. The green-haired boy tried to protest because he knew it was the blond’s favorite, but Katsuki didn’t listen to him, just grabbed Izuku’s hand, and shoved the ice cream in it. And he walked away before Izuku could respond in any way.
Katsuki even started to give compliments to Izuku, when they recovered enough from the war to restart their training: (“Not bad, Nerd!”, “It was worse last time.”, “Your new move pissed me off y’know? I’ll train more so next time you won’t surprise me like this!”)
As time passed, these rough, barely-can-call-them- compliments became kinder, making clear the helpful intentions of Katsuki:
(“ You have become stronger since our last training!”, “Nice move!”, “I prefer training with you because you are the only one in this class who is the closest to my level!” )
Izuku accepted everything Katsuki gave him through his words and actions. Nothing could remove the smile from his face whenever Katsuki did something kind for him. This new friendship he held close to his heart with trembling fingers wrapped around it was so dear to him, that he enjoyed every minute of it. His greatest fear was that this fragile glass-like state of his happiness would somehow break into pieces if he did something wrong.
That’s why he was thinking about the Kacchan-Bakugou thing a long time before he could sleep. He was sure Katsuki didn’t hate the nickname. Years ago when their relationship wasn’t in the best state it might annoyed him, but never enough to put it in actual words. Now it was clear that he wasn’t just ok with it but he even kind of liked it. At least a little bit. Otherwise, why would Katsuki ever say something like “I’m Kacchan of the Bakugous!” during his fight with All For One?
Because yes, Izuku watched the record of the war. Every part of it. He watched the Kacchan-Bakugou part multiple times. There was something in it that always warmed his heart. The victorious smile on his childhood friend’s face as he says the nickname he gave to him… Izuku never asked Katsuki why he said it, but it was one of the few precious memory pieces from the war he held so dearly in his heart.
Sleep caught him with a small smile on his face thinking about this.
***
The next morning Izuku woke up early. He wanted to sleep more, especially because it was Saturday, but his attempts failed one after another. With his blanket wrapped around his legs in a weird knot, he tried to stand up from his bed eventually, but he noticed the danger too late and fell forward.
Five minutes later Izuku went down the stairs, heading to the dorm kitchen, in wrinkled clothes, with bags under his eyes. His mood wasn’t exactly in the best state. The clock struck exactly seven when he stepped into the kitchen. He grabbed some milk, vegetables, and toast bread to make himself a quick sandwich, but then…
“Ah! Uraraka?”
“Good morning Deku!” The girl in the oversized T-shirt yawned. “Why are you up this early?”
Izuku sat down at the table and started to slice up some tomatoes with a knife.
“I don’t know,” He shrugged. “Just couldn’t sleep, I guess.”
“Did you have nightmares again? Or…is this because of yesterday? ” Ochako asked with a worry in her voice. “You could’ve just said no…”
“No-no!” Izuku smiled. “It has nothing to do with that! And I didn’t have nightmares either!”
Ochako seemed relieved. She sat across Izuku on another chair.
“I’m glad then. Tell me immediately if something is wrong okay?”
“Alright,” Izuku agreed.
The connection between them became stronger after the war. When Ochako poured out her feelings about Toga standing on that cliff Izuku was so grateful they became friends, because the girl needed someone who could hear his pain and help her through it. She did the same for Izuku on the day he returned to UA, and the civilians tried to stop him. Izuku got so lost in his thoughts, that in the meantime he finished making the sandwiches. “And what’s up with you? You didn’t sleep well, that's why you're up?” He asked with a slight worry in his voice.
“I always get up this early nowadays. I usually train and go for a morning run, because I love working out in the fresh air. It fills me up with energy,” She rubbed her face with the back of her hand, voice full of excitement.
“Oh, I see. Okay then.” Izuku halved the sandwiches, put them in two plates, and slid one of them in front of Ochako. “To give you some energy for your training!” He said kindly.
“Aww, thanks Deku!” The girl grabbed it and took a big bite of it. “I’s rea’y goo’!” She commented with her mouth full of bread.
Suddenly a door closed behind Izuku’s back. Ochako looked up from her plate.
“G’ morn’n Bak’go!” She chirped while sending a meaningful look across the table. Izuku felt like he was burning and freezing at once, as he saw Katsuki walking towards them. The stitched-up scar which disturbed the boy’s unusually soft features covered half of his face causing a sharp pain in Izuku’s chest like every time he saw it, but the guilt faded as he noticed the blond’s half-smile on his – usually grumpy – face.
“Mornin’!”
“Ka-Hi…B-Bakugou!”
Izuku quickly changed his words when he realized what he wanted to say. When the name left his mouth, Ochako’s eyes widened while she almost choked on her sandwich.
Katsuki seemed to forget to walk for a second. Many emotions went across his face: Shock, confusion, a little bit of the well-known anger, then amusement. He scoffed, raised his eyebrows, then continued to walk towards the kitchen and in less than half a minute after he entered he was clattering with the plates inside.
Ochako’s eyes were teary from the laughter she held in for so long. Izuku couldn’t understand what was so funny.
“What? He didn’t mind it, see?”
“Well…” She finally managed to breathe. “I saw otherwise.”
“But he didn’t mention it, so I’m sure it is not a big deal!” Izuku whispered.
The sizzling sound of oil came from the kitchen, and soon, the delicious smell of scrambled eggs mixed with the air. Izuku’s face softened as he remembered the times after the war when he woke up early due to his nightmares, and Katsuki (because he was an early bird anyway) always shared his breakfast with him.
“It is a big deal to him. You’ll see!” Ochako answered.
Izuku frowned as he opened his mouth to answer, but he didn’t have the chance, because a boy with spiky blonde hair appeared in front of them, with two plates of scrambled eggs. He didn’t look at Izuku as he put one of them in front of him.
“See?” That’s what Izuku wanted to send to Ochako with his eyes. Sadly, the girl was too busy staring at Izuku’s plate.
Katsuki rolled his eyes as he grabbed a fork, and started to shove the food in his mouth.
Izuku softly smiled, as he reached for the other fork his friend brought.
He didn’t feel the need to say anything.
***
One whole week passed like this. The previous “Kacchan”s were replaced with the blond boy’s formal name.
“Bakugou, can you pass me the papers?”
“You were amazing today Bakugou! Can you teach me your new move?”
“Bakugou! Do you have some free time today? We could revise for the upcoming English test if you want to!”
The others in class A couldn’t understand the sudden change at first, but Mina explained to them the situation and then asked them not to say anything about it to Katsuki. They still found the whole thing weird (except Kaminari Sero and Mineta who found Katsuki's facial expressions very funny whenever he heard his real name coming from Izuku’s mouth).
By the passing days, Katsuki's amusement slowly faded away and turned into something else. First, it was a hardly noticeable annoyance. Then it became clear frustration which seemed to be spotted by everyone except Izuku. (It was probably because Katsuki would snap at everyone else before him.)
Exactly a week later, Iida, Ochako, and Izuku were sitting around the dining table. It started as a peaceful Thursday night. Katsuki and Izuku agreed that they would learn together for tomorrow's English test, but before that, Katsuki offered to cook dinner for everyone. Usually, Izuku loved to chat with him while the boy spent time in the kitchen, but Katsuki was extra moody that day so he decided to stay with the others.
Around half an hour passed like this. Izuku and his friends were in the middle of a conversation about how they imagined their hero debut to the public.
“I hope people will like me,” Ochako said, in a melancholic tone. “I mean they kind of judge you based on your appearance and personality, not just on how many civilians you save and villains you defeat…
“I’m sure they will love you Uraraka! Bakugou once said to me…” Izuku couldn’t finish his sentence, because as he said Katsuki’s name out loud, suddenly muffled cursing came from the kitchen, and the burnt smell of Katsudon got into the air.
“Dammit!”
Izuku felt his panic level rising in his chest as he stood up from his chair and rushed to the kitchen.
“Are you alright?” He asked, already feeling the stinging tears in the corner of his eyes.
Ah yes, the tears.
After the war, Izuku became super-sensitive when it came to Katsuki and him getting hurt. He overreacted almost every time a situation like this came up. Katsuki surprisingly didn’t get mad at him.
Well…not until this time.
“Get out!” He yelled. “I’ve told you before; don’t interrupt me while I’m in the fuckin’ kitchen!”
The sentence slurred together as he tried to hide the underlying hurt in his words.
Izuku froze in place. He hasn’t heard this tone for a relatively long time. He felt like the floor underneath his feet just opened, and he was falling. Falling into the hole of darkness which shattered their friendship to the level it was before applying to U.A.
“Why don’t you go and leave me alone?! Don’t ya see I’m busy?” The blonde asked with an annoyed voice.
“Why are you mad? I didn’t do anything?!” Izuku started to become upset too.
“Oh yeah? Now that’s what you're saying? Get out!”
“But you…”
“Get out!”
“Alright!” Izuku felt anger bubbling up in his chest as he turned around and tried to leave the kitchen.
“Seriously, what's wrong?!” Katsuki's voice reached him when he took three or four steps forward.
“What?!”
“What’s wrong with…you!” Katsuki hesitated, while his face turned bright red from anger (or at least it was what Izuku thought).
Izuku had a suspicion about what the blond wanted to refer to, but he couldn't say anything about the dare until Katsuki mentioned the Kacchan-thing. Although he was curious about the name's importance, deep down in his heart he started to regret the acceptance of the challenge.
“Nothing’s wrong, I'm fine thank you!” Izuku's answer was calm. So calm, that it pissed off the other boy even more.
“Then fuck you!” Katsuki's face turned into an ugly grimace. “And get out!”
Even though he felt like his heart was shattering to hundreds of pieces, Izuku stayed silent and finally went out of the kitchen's suffocating atmosphere. He lowered his head as he sat back to the table. Two pairs of eyes were watching him curiously.
“He hasn’t gotten angry at me for months. I don’t know why he acts like this. I thought we…are alright but…” Izuku buried his face into his palms. Because of this, the upcoming words came out kind of slurry and hardly understandable.
“Maybe he is just in a bad mood. Or…”
“Kacchan.”
When he heard the nickname, Izuku lifted his head.
“What?”
Ochako suddenly lowered her voice and impatiently started to explain.
“He is annoyed because you are still calling him Bakugou, not Kacchan.”
Iida when he heard these words, nodded with a serious expression on his face.
“I agree with Uraraka! It is totally your choice, but please consider the class’s peace when you next call him by his name!”
“Don’t be so serious!” Ochako elbowed him in the side. “Their feelings are the most important. But…maybe you are right. Kind of.” She smiled.
Izuku had a blank expression on his face.
“But I’ve been calling him Bakugou for a whole week, and he didn’t react like this earlier. And also he would say if it would bother him.”
Ochako and Iida glanced sideways at each other.
“Well…” Ochako started carefully wandering around the words she chose.
“Definitely not!” Iida wasn’t so cautious about Izuku’s feelings.
“I’m sorry Deku if you felt like we forced something onto you!” Ochako said ruefully.
“Don't apologize, it was me who did it,” Izuku lowered his head. “I'll talk to him after he finishes cooking.”
“I understand but…aren't you a little curious what he will do if you continue to do this? I mean…just a little bit.” Ochako asked.
“I am, but I don't think it's fair. Plus it already harmed our friendship, and I don’t want to ruin it completely.”
The girl nodded, but even though Izuku didn't say it out loud, Ochako's last sentences echoed in his head for a relatively long time. He was thinking about it even when his friends left him alone to have some time to talk with Katsuki.
When his blond classmate appeared with plates and chopsticks in his hand, he immediately leaned forward and sheepishly addressed him.
“H-hey… I'm sorry for interrupting you earlier! I won’t do it again, I promise!”
He swore on his life he could see pain flesh across Katsuki’s eyes as he looked at him.
“You probably have a bad day which is fine, everyone has it! I was just a bit surprised because you didn’t yell at me for a long time, and I was wondering if I did something that upset you. Maybe it was just that I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. O-or…”
“Quit the rambling for god’s sake!” Katsuki grumbled. He turned around to distribute the plates and set the table for everyone. Izuku saw how he tried so hard to hide his emotions, but the trembling in his hand and the rapid rise and fall of his shoulders due to his abnormally fast breathing betrayed him. “I'm quite busy, don't ya see? Just mind your own business.”
Izuku felt like an invisible rope slowly started to choke him. He couldn’t breathe. The feeling he might lose his friendship again … No. It was more than a friendship. Kacchan was his training partner. The only person who knew every part of him since childhood. His friend he could count on, especially in recent times. Kacchan was his image of victory. His everything. His…
“Did I do something? Did I hurt you Kacchan?! I never intended to, I…”
The words died halfway as Izuku realized what he just said. Katsuki froze as well. He slowly turned around. When Izuku saw his face, his heart shattered.
The blonde’s eyes were so full of tears that even a single blink threatened to cause them to spread like a salty stream covering his face. His red eyes were filled with so much despair but alongside that, there was relief too. All the tension of the past week was written all over his face, beginning with the regret of the previous confrontation. Izuku had only seen him once before like this. After the war, when the blonde boy visited him in the hospital there was a lot of unresolved tension and trauma that brought out not only Katsuki’s softer side but his completely helpless and vulnerable one.
The current situation reminded Izuku of that day.
“I’m sorry!” The word came out of him as a sin to be confessed. “For the shouting earlier for… But what have I done wrong? I thought we were alright, but if not, you could just say it instead of doing…this thing !”
“Doing what?” Izuku asked not because he didn’t know deep down the answer, he just couldn’t believe it meant this much to his friend. In the end, it was just a name, wasn’t it?
“The whole…Bakugou thing!” Katsuki grimaced as if the word burned his throat.
“I thought it was some stupid joke at first, but you just kept doing it. I…Did I piss you off or something? Because if yes, why don't you have the guts to say it to my face? It would have been easier instead of acting all super-annoying-kind and helpful like always, but calling me by…this.”
Izuku was devastated. His insides were twisting from the pain of guilt. A small part of him always secretly wished that Katsuki would react somehow like this, but the amount of guilt he felt when it actually happened hit his head so hard, that he felt dizzy. Words just didn’t want to come, no matter how hard he tried.
“I’m not…” his voice cracked. “...angry. Kacchan I’m not…” Izuku repeated himself like a broken machine. He took an uncertain step toward the other, reached his hand, and then pulled it back.
Katsuki just stood there, watching the other’s every move, like he did in his whole life. Wobbly gaze focused on those scarred hands he didn’t want to hold when they were kids. The ugly-ass scar that ran across half his face, took away many freckles from the sweet boy. Katsuki lifted a hand less damaged by the war and clutched the material of his shirt over his heart, face twisted in pain. He no longer looked towards Izuku. His breathing became irregular as if something was wrong with his heart. Of course, Izuku noticed it as well.
“Wha… Are you okay?” Terror rushed over in his veins as he reached the blond boy.
“ ‘S okay. The doctor said to take it easy with my emotions, ‘t can stress my heart out.
Izuku's mouth trembled as he reached Katsuki. Indecisive, his hand hovered above the other's shoulder, as he was scared to touch him.
“I do nothing but hurt you” the words came through his gritted teeth.
“ 'S not your fault 'Zuku.” Katsuki breathed heavily.
“Shouldn't you sit down or something?” The green-haired boy started to panic as he heard Katsuki's breathing fasten even more. “I'll get you a chai…”
“Wait! Don't go, please! I won't die or anythin’ like that. I get these stupid attacks all the time it'll pass.”
Izuku was trembling more than the boy standing next to him.
“B-but I want to do something. To help you! I-I…”
“Hold me”
“What?” All the upcoming words filled with worry died in Izuku's mouth as he heard the request coming from his friend.
“Can you hold me?”
It was barely a whisper, but Izuku heard it crystal clear. He just couldn’t believe it. Their dynamics went through a huge improvement, of course, but this was something else. Something… different . Izuku stepped closer. Now he could feel the warm, but unsure energy radiating towards him full of something that he couldn’t name.
Caring?
Fondness?
He looked into Katsuki’s eyes. The eyes that followed him throughout his whole life, were often filled with anger or annoyance. But the fire that burned inside wasn’t great or in the search for victory.
Love.
Izuku slowly laid his hand on the other's back. He could almost feel the sigh of Katsuki, immediately leaning into his touch, placing his head on the green-haired boy’s shoulder. It was rather his instincts than his logical thinking when Izuku pulled Katsuki closer to himself. He tried not to hurt any of his wounds, he just wanted to hold the boy close to him, to bury his face in the safety and strength of Katsuki’s soap-scented stillness. Izuku put his other hand on top of the boy’s heart. His vision blurred with tears as he felt the quickening heartbeat under his touch.
“So y're not mad at me?” A small voice found its way to his ears. So quiet, so unlike him.
“Never. I’m so sorry Kacchan if I ever made you think that.”
Katsuki shivered at his name. Instead of answering, he wrapped both hands tightly around Izuku's back, as if never wanting to let go. Izuku gently started to rub his back with his free hand.
“Is it better?” Izuku’s question was barely above a whisper. “Your heart.”
When there was no answer, he pushed the boy slightly away from him, so he could see his face.
Katsuki turned away a bit when he realized how close they were, cheeks flushed.
“Yeah. Thanks.”
Katsuki sheepishly smiled as he quickly looked back to check Izuku’s facial expression. Worried eyes softened by the smile he showed to him.
“Why did you do it then?” The blonde boy asked.
“Huh?”
“If you are not angry at me why did you do it?”
“Oh well…” Izuku was embarrassed as he was searching for the right words. “We played Truth or Dare and I got this as a task.”
“What the fuck?” The smile turned into a scowl. “I’ll kill those bastards what the fuck? And I thought I did something wrong for a week ?”
Izuku stood from one foot to the other with embarrassment.
“I never thought it was important to you. I mean…I watched the footage from the war, but I guess…I wasn’t reading too much into that.”
Katsuki blushed so hard that Izuku thought his heart hurt again or something for a moment.
“I kind of missed it I guess.” His answer clearly dodged the real truth that was still lurking in amongst the words.
Izuku chuckled as he secretly wiped a tear from his wettening eye.
“I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable!” He said. Katsuki wanted to say something (probably just protest), but his friend didn’t give him the chance to do it.
“I’ll make it up to you Kacchan I promise!”
Katsuki visibly shivered at the nickname. Again.
“You don’ have to.”
Izuku smiled.
“But Kacchan I want to!”
Determination lightened up in his voice, so strong, Katsuki knew it’d be a lost match.
“Stop it!” He tried anyway, but there was no annoyance in his tone. (It was more like a whine though.)
“What Kacchan?”
The gentleness in Izuku’s words was something Katsuki never understood, but always weakened his knees.
“Are you alright?” The green-haired boy stepped closer.
“Oh my god, I’ll never bring this up again if you won’t shut up!” Katsuki laughed, voice wet with unshed tears. He shoved his friend’s head away by ruffling his green curls with his hand, but it was more of a light push than a serious one.
“But I really like your name Kacchan. Kacchankacchankacchan.”
The mocking tone of Izuku's voice lightened up their mood.
“Seriously stop Izukuu!”
“Be careful, because I might use this again against you if we spar next time, Kacchan of the Bakugous! Be careful, or you won’t have the chance to win!”
Just at the very moment when the blonde boy got so embarrassed he almost tripped over his own feet, Ochako cautiously peeked into the room.
“Um…we just want to ask if everything is oka…Bakugou are you good?” She was so shocked when she saw the boy’s red and flustered face, that she forgot to finish her sentence.
“Wha… Why wouldn’t I?!” Katsuki’s playful, almost begging voice got back its earlier annoyance, but everyone knew it wasn’t serious.
“We don’t want to disturb you, if you need some privacy, that’s acceptable too!” Iida showed up too, hands in a weird strict position as always. Izuku laughed.
“You can come in, I think we finished, didn't we Kacchan ?”
He smiled innocently while sending a meaningful look towards his blonde friend.
“You will pay for this, I can promise it to you!” Katsuki turned in the kitchen’s direction to finally serve the katsudon he made (luckily it was only burnt on the very edges).
“Seriously I’m done with you. Let’s just eat or whatever…”
Ochako sent a meaningful look towards Izuku when he saw Katsuki turning away, ears red, voice trembling.
“Oh god,” Iida shook his head in disagreement to which the brunette girl laughed out loud.
“What?” Izuku was confused.
“Just shut the fuck up and eat your food!” Katsuki returned from the kitchen and put the huge bowl in the middle of the table. It smelled absolutely delicious. “All of you!”
Izuku fondly smiled at him.
“Thank you for your cooking Kacchan.”
“Whatever.”
The green-haired boy couldn’t see the small betraying smile that appeared on the blonde’s face.
He made sure that no one noticed, but still.
It was there, and if someone would ask about it, he couldn’t deny or ignore it.
Just like the nickname, Izuku gave to him.