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Mornings were the worst part of Izuku's day. He followed a strict routine: wake up, drink caffeine, finish the work he had fallen asleep doing the previous night, and attend class. A vicious cycle he hasn't been able to get out of yet but has grown used to. He liked to wake up earlier than most of his classmates. Not because he was naturally a morning person—he really, really wasn’t —but because the dorms were quieter then. Fewer distractions, fewer voices, fewer people to distract him as he furiously scribbles down his notes.
Half the building was still sleeping soundly as he padded through the hallway. Eyes were fully focused on the notebook in his hands, trying to decipher whatever his tired mind had made up last night. The halls were still dark and quiet, shrouded in sleep. Classes were always filled with chaos, so it's nice to have that time in between.
He paused at the landing of the stairs when laughter was heard below. There were muffled sounds coming from the common room—shuffling, voices, laughter. Kaminari’s laugh, loud and careless, drifted through the space, followed by Mina’s; they always seemed to match each other’s energy. Izuku’s shoulders tensed. Usually, nobody was around. He hesitated, starting to feel uncertain. Why were they up so early? Should he turn back? It's not that he didn't enjoy talking to them-he did, really- but mornings were always harder on Izuku. There was always a little something off-balance in the air, at least until he had some sort of sugar in him. The thought of being dragged into banter before the sun was fully out made his stomach feel queasy.
Shaking out of his daze, he tucked the notebook under his arm. It should be fine. He’d just walk past the two and make it obvious he wasn't up for conversation, simple as that. Taking a steady breath-
“Move.”
Izuku jumped out of his morning daze fast, his heart spiked at the familiar voice of Kacchan.
Kacchan.
He was coming down the steps Izuku was at a moment before, his permanent scowl showing. Still in his pjs, Izuku noticed, the typical grey sweats with a tight black tee—which Izuku's eyes lingered a little longer than he should have allowed—and basic slippers he’s seen Bakugou wear every morning. Now, he wasn't as surprised to see Kacchan there; in fact, he was used to the occasional sighting of those red eyes meeting his, a silent gesture that occurred some mornings, but typically, no words were said at all. Izuku had become a passing glance to Bakugou; it seemed, one day, he’d earn a grunt, if he was lucky, he’d be allowed a nod of approval during training, maybe. So, Izuku shuffled out of the way without thinking, pressing himself against the wall, waiting for Bakugo to brush past.
Instead, he stopped right in front of Izuku, and his eyes seemed to bore into him. And then he just—reached out.
Izuku froze and slowly moved his head to see a hand patiently waiting, expectantly.
Is he- does he want money? Does Izuku owe him something? Cause he has no memory of-
As he’s lost in thought, Bakugo casually just closes his hand around his, breaking Izuku out of that stupor real quick. Ok...maybe he’d dropped something, that Bakugo was shoving back at him. But no—his hand was empty, and it was clear nothing was in between their hot skin, and this wasn’t a shove. This was… steady. Firm. Warm.
Bakugo laced their fingers together like it was nothing, like it wasn’t completely insane, and started walking.
And Izuku’s brain short-circuited.
His legs scrambled to follow, not keeping up with Kacchans' fast pace, and certainty. It's like he was being dragged along; his sneakers squeaked faintly against the floor. His pulse was a drumbeat in his ears. He wanted to pull away—no, he needed to pull away, because this wasn’t normal, this wasn’t happening—but his body betrayed him. His hand stayed exactly where it was, gripped tightly in Bakugo’s.
Every thought possibly came to his head, needing an explanation. Was this a joke? A sick joke? Was Kacchan making fun of him? Was this some kind of new training exercise, a way to test his composure? Did Kacchan hit his head and forget who he was?
His grip was tight, too. Izuku couldn't move his hand even if he wanted to, and boy did he want to; his hand was getting embarrassingly sweaty. But what he did instead was stare down at the floor tiles, as if that could give him answers. He could feel every callus on Bakugo’s palm, the roughness of skin from years of training; his hands were warm, borderline hot, which made sense, at least. He could feel the solid weight of his grip, grounding and terrifying all at once.
They turned the corner into the common area, and Izuku nearly tripped over his own feet when he realized there were now people watching. Mina and Kirishima were sitting on the couch, it looked like just before they were cuddled up, having a quiet conversation that was interrupted. Minas's head whipped up from the couch and blinked at them. Kaminari’s grin began to spread slowly and widely.
Izuku waited for something, anything that might answer his questions. He braced himself for someone to ask what the heck was going on.
But no one said anything.
Mina began to form a smile of her own, at him—at them—at their hands. She and Kirishima then exchanged a look that was way too knowing, way too smug, like it was something to be proud of—something they were hoping for.
Ok, maybe this was a joke.
He wanted to say something. He needed to say something. But Bakugo’s hand was still in his, steady and unshakable, and his throat had locked up. All he could do was stumble along beside him, heart hammering so loud he was sure it was heard through the common room.
And Izuku couldn't bring himself to let go.
---
Izuku had spent the rest of that morning afterwards convincing himself it was all nothing.
Kacchan had just...held his hand, like it meant nothing, like it was normal. I mean, when they were kids, Kacchan used to grab his hand that way to drag him off to the next adventure he wanted to explore. Then, it was understandable, but now, it just made no sense. Then, when he finally let go, that was it. He just...let go, gave Izuku a knowing smirk, and walked off.
So, Izuku had declared it to be a weird joke. Kacchans' new way of messing with him, a way to get him frazzled, which definitely worked.
Now, Izuku was sitting in the cafeteria with his friends for lunch, Ochaka in front and Shouto to his right. He could see Kirishima and Kaminari further down the table, bickering again.
A tray slammed down on the spot to his left, so hard it jerked nearly everyone's food on the table up.
“Scoot over.” A sharp voice sounded right above him.
And Izuku nearly choked on his Katsudon.
Izuku was seated at the edge of the table, but it looked like Bakugou had grabbed a chair from another table...to sit next to Izuku? And he just drops into the seat like he belonged there, like he was always supposed to be right next to Izuku.
Like, not a single inch was spared between them.
“Uh-hi, Kacchan,” Bakugou just grunted, swiping a piece of meat from his plate and popping it into his mouth.
“Hey!” Izuku spoke up too late, but Bakugou had already thrown a piece of his own meal in front of Izuku's. Ochako's eyebrows raise up expectantly, like Izuku is supposed to explain all of this to her, but he can't. Kaminari placed a hand on his cheek, leaning closer to the two. “Must be nice, Izuku! Bakubro, why won't you ever share with me, huh?” A teasing tone comes out of his voice. Izuku wants the ground to swallow him whole and take his katsudon with him so Kacchan will stop eating it.
“Because you're annoying. Fucker.” Is all Kacchan says back while shoving rice into his mouth. Ochako ducks her head to attempt to hide a smile, and Kirishima coughs into his hand. Izuku stares back down at his food, which was now half his half Kacchans, and he risks a glance towards the perpetrator. Bakugou continues to chew, acting like nothing is happening here; it is out of the ordinary. He glances down at Izuku’s plate. “Eat Deku.”
Izuku huffs, dodging any eye contact so no one can see his face, furiously flushing, he decides to just shove his face with whatever is on the plate.
---
Izuku wasn't so sure anymore that it was a joke.
But then, what is it? Kacchan didn't do jokes, at least, not ones like this. He yelled, insulted, hell, he lit things on fire. But he didn't share food, he didn't grab Izuku's hand like it fit perfectly in his own, he didn't make Izuku's chest tighten, and stomach twist into tight knots that he couldn't unravel-
“Oi, Deku.”
Izukus' head snapped up just as Kacchan stormed towards him, not angry though. He was dressed in the training outfit, the same as everyone else, but something about Kacchan made him stand out more than the others. Maybe it was the way his arms were showing off veiny muscles-
Ok. Izuku needed to go back to the dorms.
“Focus, Deku. Don't need you spacing out in training,” He sees Kacchan scowl at him. That was normal; that's what he was used to from Kacchan. Not…whatever else had been going on today.
It was good to see that Kacchan wasn't completely off the rails then. “I wasn't spacing out.” It was a weak excuse to say anything back, because he was totally just spacing out.
“Tch. Whatever,” he spoke again, “Don't go easy on them, ya hear?”
“Yes, Kacchan,” Izuku mused.
The drills began. Aizawa had assigned everyone random partners for the day, someone they weren't used to seeing. Izuku did his best to focus, adjusting to new quirks he hadn't yet faced.
Breathe, stay sharp, keep composed-
He could see Bakugou from across the room, his eyes drifting past his opponent every so often. The way he moved was eye-catching, swift, and sharp. Like he knew what was coming next, like he knew he would come back on top every single time. It made Izuku feel a serge of pride, stomach swooping again with that queasy feeling, another unfamiliar feeling. I mean, he's felt this before, but less intensely, and less of a distraction. But this was Kacchan; he wasn't supposed to have these feelings when he looked at Kacchan, when he looked at a friend.
Friend. What a weird word to—
“Midoriya!”
Izuku turned back just in time to see the fist of his opponent with quirk-enhanced claws raging down on him. Barely ducking out of the way, he stumbles back as his partner presses forward. The boy was tall, bigger than him physically, but not as quick as Izuku. One for All hummed in his veins, sparking up as he launched forward for an attack. His fist made contact with the opponent's chest, but the other boy reacted quickly, swiping his claws across Izuku's arm. He felt the sting fast.
Izuku hissed, grabbing onto his forearm as the pain started to form, and blood began to leak. His opponent froze, eyes going wide, stuck on his arm, “Oh shi—”
“What the hell was that!?!?”
Turning towards the shout, Izuku can spot Kacchan storming past the crowd that has formed around the incident. Kacchan looks like he's ready to murder someone; his hands are beginning to spark with little pops that seem to warn everyone to get out of his way.
Why?
Why was Kacchan so angry? Did he cheat? Did his opponent cheat? Something they did made him angry, and now it looks like he might die because of it.
“Kacchan!” Izuku panicked, “Kacchan, it's fine!”
"The fuck it is.”
Izuku shut his eyes at that tone.
Bakugou's hand shot out, gripping onto Izuku's wrist and dragging him closer, lifting the sleeve to observe the wounds. Though his voice showed anger and no patience, his touch was soft and calming, fingers rubbing Izuku's wrist as if to soothe him. Wait what? This made Izuku pause, no longer focused on the pain but now focused fully on Kacchan. He looks up to observe his face. It's passive, angry yet observant and careful, it's comforting. The sight warms Izuku's chest without permission, but it doesn't matter right now; nothing seems to matter, like it's just him and Kacchan here, nobody else.
Until the guy who wanted to rip his arm off spoke up.
“I didn't- Midoriya, I'm so sorry—” Kacchans' head snapped up so fast it shut the guy up quickly. His glare alone was enough to make even Izuku cringe, even if it wasn't towards him. “You’ve got three seconds to get out of my sight before I make you leave my own way.” he growled towards the man who was already halfway out of the room by now. Kacchan only turned back to Izuku when he tugged to get his arm back.
”Kacchan,” Izuku said softly, “It's fine, really, it only looks bad—”
“Don't, Izuku.” Izuku closed his mouth. “Not when you're starting to bleed on the floor.”
Well, Izuku didn't know he was bleeding on the floor...
He looked down and, yup, the blood was beginning to drip slowly off his arm and onto the mat.
“Bakugou,” Aizawa speaks up, finally. Where has he been? “If you're that worried, then you can be the one to escort Midoriya to Recovery Girl.” Once Aizawa walks away, the rest of the crowd begins to fall out, returning to training. And Izuku's being dragged away...again.
Izuku's heart can't help but beat a little faster seeing someone, especially Kacchan, show so much care for him like this. It makes a soft smile begin to form on his face. So he just puts his head down and lets Kacchan lead the way again.
---
At this point, what should Izuku be thinking about this?
He's running out of theories, especially since Kacchan had dragged him to Recovery Girl after screaming at his poor opponent, who accidentally scratched his arm off. As if that wasn't weird enough, once Izuku was cleared with his painkillers and a bandaged forearm, Bakugou had grabbed his hand tightly for the second time that day, walked him back to his dorm, tucked him in bed with water, and told him to stay, and then just...left.
Izuku didn't get much sleep that night, though, replaying moments in his mind. Kacchan holding his hand, sharing his food, yelling at someone, and then being gentle towards him? Does he just suddenly feel bad for Izuku? Is this how he's gonna act now? Or maybe it was some sort of bet?
Ah, yes. Izuku could see now. Kirishima or Kaminari could've put him up to this; they did seem to think Izuku's crisis today was hilarious. But...some part of Izuku knew that it wasn't just a bet. The way Kacchan would grab onto him, firm but soft, as if it were a comforting gesture. Izuku had a warmth in him the entire day, buzzing with an exciting adrenaline he had never had to describe before. The way he would look at Izuku, the way he made Izuku feel? Argh! No more thinking for the night.
Morning routine the next day was basically thrown out the window, no early studies, no early caffeine, no early Kacchan sightings either, Izuku slept in much longer than usual. Luckily, there were no classes today, so Izuku was allowed to stay in longer anyway. Even though he still felt the exhaustion in his limbs and a specific soreness in his right arm he’d completely forgotten about, Izuku got out of bed to get some food in his stomach.
Microwaved ramen did sound good right now, but he forced mouthfuls down his throat until he no longer felt hungry, then cleaned up his meal and trudged over to the couch. The common room gave to many memories from yesterday he didn't want to think about right now, but even thinking about walking up the stairs and back to his room made Izuku groan. Izuku flopped onto the couch, scooting back to allow his whole body to lie on the cushions, and stared up at the ceiling.
Apparently, he was still tired, because sleepiness immediately took over his body again.
Izuku must’ve slept for longer than he hoped for. Because next time he blinked his eyes open, the light in the room had grown brighter. Which could explain the heat he felt all around his body.
But it couldn't explain the weight.
Izuku froze. His brain stopped short when he tilted his head down and saw Kacchan.
Kacchan, who was sprawled on top of him, legs tangled into his, arms locked tightly onto his waist, and his head lay on Izuku's chest. And he was sleeping soundly, breaths slow and even on top of Izuku's short and battered ones.
Wha- How- Why—
Izuku shifted, trying to ease out of this situation without waking Kacchan, who, despite how freaked out Izuku was, looked very cute sleeping out in the open and not on guard for once. The second Izuku moved, even slightly, the blonde made an irritated noise in his throat. The grip around Izukus's waist became even tighter, keeping him in place.
“...Kacchan?” Izuku whispered shakily, cringing at the higher pitch in his voice.
No reply, just a quiet grumble, and then Kacchan buried his head into Izuku's shirt more than Izuku thought possible. Izuku slapped a hand onto his own face. This isn't happening, this can't be happening, this can't—
“Sooooo”
Izuku's head shot up at the voice of Uraraka standing on the other side of the couch, half empty glass of water in her hand, blinking between the two of them. The two friends stared at each other for what felt like minutes, until Izuku shouted out in horror, realizing Uraraka had fished her phone out of her pocket and snapped a photo of the two. “Wait!”
She runs away cackling, not like Izuku could go after her anyway.
Izuku groans into his hands. What is happening?
Kacchans' grip tightens.
---
Izuku can't even remember how he got out of Kacchan's death grip, but he immediately ran to Uraraka's room, where she was found lying in her bed scrolling through her phone. He practically jumped his way over to her.
“—and he's been like this since yesterday! I didn't think it would last another day, until I just— woke up and he's on top of me! You saw it at lunch, right? And training?! He flipped on that guy for no reason! I thought I was gonna faint...what does this mean, Uraraka? What does it mean!?” He grabs onto her tee and starts to shake her, trying to get through to the girl who finally looks up from her phone and tilts her head at Izuku.
“Hm, well, it kinda sounds like he likes you.”
Izuku went stiff, the grip on her shirt went slack.
“N-no, it's not- he- Kacchan doesn't like people. He tolerates them at least. But he doesn't- he doesn't do this.” He raises his hands out to mean he's talking about the situation.
“But he does with youuu” She sings teasingly, twisting her phone to show the picture she had taken earlier of them on the couch. Izuku gasps in horror and lunges a little too late as she manages to get out of the way.
“Delete that!” He yells as he reaches out for the phone. Urarka just laughs, traitor. “No way, Bakugou might want this! I bet he makes it his wallpaper.”
Izuku yells out again, before falling backwards to stare up at the ceiling. “I don't understand. Why? He just started acting like this and thinks I'm gonna just follow along.” Uraraka leans over so she's now in his view. “Why don't you just ask him?”
“Ask him?”
“Yeah, just talk to him.”
“Talk to him?”
“Izuku.”
Izuku stopped, just looked back at his friend like she had just asked him to pull the moon down.
Uraraka laughed, giving him a nudge on his good shoulder. “C’mon, after everything that he's been doing, one conversation won't kill you.”
Izuku sighs “Ok.”
---
Izuku kept stalling until it got to the point he couldn't avoid it anymore. And that was after training, when everyone else had left the locker room, and it was just him and Kacchan. Their lockers were across from each other, and Izuku could see Kacchan by his own locker, dressed to leave, black shirt and shorts, ready to go. It was like he was waiting for Izuku.
Ugh.
“Kacchan?” Maybe if he didn't hear him, he could just tell Uraraka he was ignored, if she believed that.
“Yeah?” Oh god, Izuku couldn't even look at him. If he did, he wouldn't be able to get the words out. “I-um, I just wanted to talk to you about...about everything.”
“Everything?” “Yes—well, no—wait, yes! I just..um”
“Spit it out, Deku.”
Alright.
“You keep treating me like I'm your boyfriend!” Izuku regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. He tried to look for Kacchan's reaction. And he, he didn't say anything for a while, his face was blank. All he did was lean back against his locker, red eyes boring into Izuku, he had to look away. Maybe he should've just—
“Yeah, and?” Kacchans gruff voice replied casually. Izuku's head whipped back up at his tone, like they were talking about something mundane, something that hadn't been eating at Izuku from the inside. He couldn't stop himself from spitting out. “So?! Kacchan, you can't just say so— I don't even know what that means.”
Bakugou just shrugged in reply, “It means you're mine, Izuku.”
Izuku's face was burnt red from his ears to his collarbone. “N—no, I, What?”
“You heard me.” Bakugou pushed off his locker, stalking closer to Izukus. His voice was low, and Izuku could feel the air escaping him like he'd been punched. “You’re mine, Izuku. No one else can have you.”
Izuku's thoughts were jammed, he wouldn't be able to think properly anymore. Can Kacchan just exclaim it like that? So casual, like it's always been true, always been known. “But you never said anything! Y-you just decided- It's not fair, Kacchan, it's not right!” he exclaimed.
Kacchan smirked back, sending shivers down Izuku's spine. “Are you saying you don't want it, Deku?” he stalked closer, teasing. “Are you saying you haven't felt anything for me?”
He continued to stalk closer until Izuku had to tilt his head up slightly to attempt to maintain eye contact with red eyes that shone in amusement, like he knew all the answers to Izuku. Izuku lost critical thinking by this point, subjecting himself to letting a small whine escape his mouth. He just stared back at Bakugou with longing, a want that had been forced out of him by the man himself. Izuku attempted to show this, but it seemed Kacchan already knew all the answers.
“Kacchan-” Izuku said softly.
“Shut up” Bakugou muttered, and before Izuku could say any more, Bakugou closed the distance between their lips.
And oh.
Oh.
Kacchans lips felt amazing. Soft, but his movements were far from gentle, like a desperation. It was firm, heated. Izukus' knees began to give out until hands shot out and pulled him up by the waist. Izuku quickly recovered, hands gripping Kacchan's shirt, mouth moving to match his. He let out a grunt when the air escaped him, so Kacchan pushed him into the lockers behind him, their hips pulled against each other. When they separated to breathe, all Izuku could do was stare up at Kacchan. He knew the blonde was beautiful, but seeing him now, breathing hard, eyes lidded, lips red and plump, Izuku could faint.
Kacchan didn't stop like he did, instead, he leaned down to give Izukus' neck attention with long, hard sucks. He hit a specific spot under his ear that made a noise come out of Izuku that he didn't even know he could make.
He could feel Kacchans' smirk on the side of his neck. “See, Deku?” He placed a couple more kisses on the other side before speaking again. “You’re mine.”
Izuku's stomach dropped to the ground. His breaths were getting shorter, and the air was getting hotter as Kacchan placed his lips on another sensitive spot, definitely leaving his mark.
“Yours” Izuku replied quietly, meant for only the two of them to hear.
“Yes, baby.” Kacchan's voice made Izuku's heart skip a beat, not expecting it.
He came back to view to leave another kiss on Izuku's lips, this time softer, sweeter, meaningful.
“Let's continue this in my dorm, hm?”
Izuku nodded back immediately, like a puppy lost in dark red eyes. Kacchan just smirked, grabbing his hand, for the third time, to drag him away, to guide him. Izuku squeezed his hand back this time, practically skipping in joy.
Ok.
Maybe they were dating.