Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Notes are like quicksand to Izuku. Once his pen is gripped between his fingers, scrawling across paper, he just can't stop.

The notes fill out with details of class, new quirk ideas, quirk theories, his classmates' quirks, his teachers' quirks, quirk enhancing gear ideas, and anything and everything quirk or hero related. 

Which is probably why he didn't notice Ochako and Mina in his dorm room that one faithful day, on his bed, just hanging out. At least until one of their phones ended up blasting a video at full volume. 

"AHH-holy frick!" Izuku had gasped, clutching his chest and turning around hard enough that the chair almost snapped in half. 

"Sorry! We didn't want to interrupt you!" Ochako had quickly apologized, waving her hands. 

Mina turned the volume on her phone down. "My bad, boo." 

"Uh, hi?" Izuku tried.

"Heyyy."

"Hello!" 

"So....um.....did you need something?" He asks, twisting his hands together. 

"YES. Why don't you ever watch the videos I send you?" Ochako asked immediately with her hands on her hips.

And that's how he ended up with a tiktok account. Which is also how he ended up roped into their shenanigans, trends, challenges, and weird dances. 

So it's no surprise when he, Ochako, and Shouto are sprawled out on Tsu's dorm room floor and somebody brings up another semi-viral challenge, nearly two weeks later.

"Hug your family members and record their reaction challenge? I don't really have any family members aside from my mom, though? And we live in the dorms?" Izuku questions, tilting his head.

Ochako just bats her big brown eyes at him. "Well yeah, but you and Bakugo grew up together right? You can just hug him while recording his reaction! Easy day!"

Right.......because hugging Kacchan, of all people, is soooo easy.

"I'll pass." Izuku winces. 

"What! Come on! Even Shouto did it!" 

Shouto nods in confirmation. "I hugged my sister, brother, and mom. I hugged my dad too, but it was only to steal his wallet." 

"Shouto!" Izuku gasps. 

"It was for a good cause." Shouto simply nods. 

"He used one of Endeaver's credit cards to buy the dorm sushi." Tsu adds from her bed. 

"You-" Izuku begins, half wailing. "I ate that sushi. I am a criminal." 

"A cute one." Ochako adds. "Anyhoo, it's really fun! We can just make it a classmate or friend thing! I'll hug Eijirou first, then you can hug Bakugo!" 

".....Eijriou?" Tsu ribbets with a mischievous smile at the use of the red head's first name.

Ochako waves her off dismissively. "Not important." 

"When I hugged my mom, she patted my head. My sister cried. My brother tried running away, but I RKO'd him on the couch." Shouto says with a monotoned voice muffled through a cheek full of popcorn. 

"My siblings always hug me, so it wasn't as funny." Tsu shrugs, panting her toe nails yellow.

"Ochako." Izuku starts, squinting at the brunette suspiciously. "Do you just want me to hug Kacchan just so you can hug Kirishima?" 

A bright blush dusts her cheeks as Ochako stutters out an excuse. "N-No.....I could hug Ei-uh-Kirishima anytime. It'll be fun! Please! Pleeeaasseeeee! PLEASE." She smiles, clapping her hands together pleadingly.

"I'm gonna get a howitzer blast to the face." Izuku scoffs, plopping back against Shouto's legs.

Shouto jumps forward, knocking Izuku off his legs with an oof. "I have an idea. It can be Dekusquad verses Bakusquad. I'll hug Kaminari, you hug Bakugo, Tsu can hug Sero, Ochako can hug Kirishima, and we can get Iida to hug Ashido. We will get a video of all of their reactions at once." 

"Okay, but why?" Izuku asks, still laid on the floor at Shouto's feet.

"Because it'll be FUN." Ochako half wails.

"A harmless prank, of sorts." Tsu shrugs. 

Heh. Harmless for everyone but himself, sure.

"I would also like to see everyone's reactions." Shouto answers, looking into the popcorn bowl like it holds the eighth wonder of the world.

The door swings open gently. Iida steps over the threshold with a tray of mugs.

"I am back with refreshments!" 

"Tenya, would you hug Ashido?" Shouto asks immediately. Iida's face morphs into one of surprised concern.

"Yes, of course. Is she in need of consoling or comfort?" He asks, already about to bolt out the door once the tray is sat on the table in the center of Tsu's room. 

"No, not right now. Just in general, without reason, would you hug her?" Izuku adds to ease Iida's stiffer than usual posture.

"W-Well if she was welcome to that sort of spontaneous affection, then yes."

"That settles it!" Ochako claps her hands. 

"Wha-no! That does not settle it!" Izuku quickly sqwaks. 

"Okay, I have an offer." Ochako says, looking suddenly very professional in her pink grapefruit printed pajamas. 

Izuku's right brow raises. "I'm listening." 

"Half an hours worth of quirk experimentation." 

"You can't bribe me like that!" He defends himself and his dignity. 

"One half hour worth of quirk experimentation AND-" She starts with a firm gaze. "We can watch an All-Might movie when it's my turn to pick on this weekend's movie night." 

"Quirk experimentation, including questions and a full walk through of your hero suit and gear, and....... you get me Gunhead's autograph?" He counters, knowing her third internship will be this summer.

"Done." Ochako says holding out her hand, which Izuku eagerly takes. 

"Pleasure doing business with you." 

"I request to be filled in on what I missed in my absence?" Iida asks with mild concern. 

"Okay, so here's the plan-" 

One entirely too short of a day later, and Izuku finds himself sneaking into the kitchen right behind Ochako, Tsu, and Shouto. Iida walks behind him, confident and tall. Izuku wills away the nerves with the power of the All-Might theme song in his head. 

Katsuki stands at the stove top, mixing and sautéing something that makes Izuku's mouth water. Eijirou leans against the kitchen counter across from him. Sero stands in the corner, slightly sweaty from a recent workout. Mina and Kaminari are arguing over something gossip magazine related next to eachother at the island countertop.

"Okay. You ready, Toru?" Ochako asks. 

"Yep! Already recording!" 

Oh, God. Okay. This is happening. Just don't get killed. Easy enough, right? 

Right? 

"Hi, guys!" Ochako starts out. Easy, casual, and without hidden motives.

"Hey!" Eijirou waves. Katsuki doesn't even look over his shoulder, and for some reason that eases the tiniest bit of Izuku's worries. 

This is like a sneak attack. A fun little game of one way tag.

Yeah, that's it. 

Ochako goes first, as planned. She just waltzes right up to the red head and holds her arms out with an innocent smile. 

"Say less." Eijirou only chuckles, holding his arms out too. Ochako gets squished against his chest and in his arms like a bug in a fly trap.

"Excuse us." Iida says, followed by Shouto. 

To Kaminari's credit, he doesn't short circuit anything other than the battery powered fidget toy in his hands. Mina goes shock still for all of half a second, before wrapping her arms around Tenya too.

"Awwww, you're so sweet!" She coos, getting a blush from Iida.

"I hope this isn't a bother?" He asks through a wheeze as the air is squeezed from his lungs. 

"Absolutely not! You can hug me anytime, handsome!" 

"Am I dreaming? I think I'm dreaming. Are we having a proper bro moment?" Denki asks, finally getting his arms awkwardly around Shouto's tall frame. 

"We are not brothers in blood, but I consider you a brother of friendship." Shouto simply says, still hugging him. 

"I can feel the bromance! It's alive!" Kaminari wails.

"The fuck is wrong with you idiots? You get hit with an extra annoyingly clingy quirk or some shit?" Katsuki barks with a scowl, finally turning around. 

"No! We just wanted hugs!" Ochako pouts, still smooshed and being swayed against Eijirou's chest. 

"Give me all the hugs. I am the hug bank, deposit all your hugs here for safe keeping." Eijirou answers through a muffled cheek pushed into brown hair. Ochako giggles as she hugs him tighter. 

"Speaking of, may I?" Tsuyu asks, gesturing to Sero politely. 

"Me? Really?" He answers, pointing a thumb at his chest. "I mean, I just got done working out? Probably don't smell the greatest, ya know?" 

Tsu just shrugs, taking a wide step forward and getting her arms around his chest. Sero freezes up with his arms still in the air awkwardly. He lowers them gently and encompasses her slim frame in return.

Shouto pets Denki's back like he was consoling a child.

"I beg, I grovel at your feet for mercy. Pat my head just once?" Denki asks, still awestruck. 

Shouto obliges, patting his head many times.

"I can die a happy man now. My soul is free." 

"Please don't die." Shouto says a bit too seriously. 

"Keep giving me head pats and I won't." 

"I can't do this forever, but I can do it sometimes?" Shouto quickly offers.

"PLEASE AND THANK YOU." Denki wails again.

"Is this too long of a hug for you, Ashido?" Iida asks worriedly, beginning to pull away. 

Mina just yanks him closer. "Not in this era, or even this lifetime. Hug me as long as you want to!" 

"I'm afraid we would be here for quite a while then." Iida admits with a blush, pushing his glasses up his nose before dropping his arm back over her shoulders.

"I'm gonna hurl." Katsuki grimaces, turning sideways to grab his water bottle from the counter. 

Ochako sends Izuku a knowing look, nodding her head in his and the blonde's direction. 

Okay, here goes nothing.

He wishes the world a hearty farewell and plans to leave his figure collection to Kacchan. All his pictures are to be split amongst friends and his mom, his favorite shirts will go to Shouto and Ochako, his books to Iida, his only living plant to Tsu. Maybe he can get an All-Might themed headstone? That'd be cool. 

Katsuki has his right arm up with the water bottle tilted back, leaving most of his side open and unprotected. Without thinking too much more on it, Izuku takes the opening while it's there.

Running forward and nearly tripping on his own feet, Izuku gets his arms halfway around the blonde's torso. He collides into him, almost hitting the boiling pot on the stove in the process. For one entire second, he smells and feels Katsuki against him. The sensation brings red warmth to bloom from his ears down to his neck. 

He expected a fire blast to the face, a punch to the gut, a roundhouse kick to the kidneys maybe.

Not for Katsuki to choke up a wet lung.

Izuku let's go immediately, looking up at him with their one and a half inch height difference. Katsuki coughs and spits a mouth full of water into the sink. The bottle gets slammed against the counter.

"Kacchan? Oh my gosh, are you okay?" 

"Bro? You good?" Eijirou asks, reaching over to pound a flat hand against the blonde's back. 

Katsuki brushes him off. He leans back and takes another gulp of water to clear his throat. 

Izuku takes a retreating step back once those burning vermillion eyes finally meet his.

"Okay, thanks bye!" Izuku shouts, immediately turning to bolt out of the kitchen with a trail of green lightning following him. He hears the others laugh and fall over themselves to follow.

By the time they make it to the saftey of Iida's dorm, they are all red faced and gigging. Izuku tries to hide the small amused smile that tugs at his lips, but it really was........fun.

Catching Kacchan off guard like that, it was something else. A bit of a rush, almost. He was warm, firm, and alive in his arms for all of one second. It nearly costed him his life, but it was worth it! He had hugged Kacchan, and lived to tell the tale!

"We are so doing that again!" Ochako cheers, hands raised in victory. Shouto and Tsu nod alongside her fervently. Iida wipes at his glasses carefully with a slight excited tremble to his fingers.

Well, Izuku is alive for now.....at least. 

Slowly, one by one, they return to their dorm rooms for the rest of the evening. 

Izuku gets enough time to change into actual pajamas and put away most of his notebooks and homework, before his dorm door gets a sharp rapid knock. Quiet, almost. As if whoever was knocking didn't want to bring any attention from the neighboring dorm rooms.

Izuku expected it to be Shouto with another conspiracy theory, or Ochako with a plate of mochi that she calls her 'girl dinner.' Out of all twenty of his classmates, the last person he expected was Katsuki. 

But that's who stands in his doorway. 

It was a nice life. Izuku figures it was pretty smart of the blonde to wait until later in the evening to commit an act of violence (AKA murder) to avoid anyone immediately interfering with his due restitution. 

"Here." 

A warm ceramic bowl gets thrusted into Izuku's chest. He scrambles to catch it. Eyeing the cling wrap cover still clouded with steam.

"Made too much. Eat it or put it away for later. If you waste it, I'll kill you." 

Oh, poison. Smart. 

"Um, thank you?" Izuku says a bit more nervously than intended. 

Katsuki just nods at him once before turning sharp on his heel and sauntering back down the hallway. 

The door shuts with a quiet click. Izuku sets the bowl on his desk to properly appraise it. 

The kitchen bowls, cling wrap covering, still warm, smelling subtle hints of peppers and fish sauce. Okay, maybe possibly, by the grace of the higher entities, not poison? 

Izuku pulls back the wrap, finding peppered pork sesame stir-fry laid over rice. He ate dinner, like a good little feral gremlin child, but for some reason, his stomach growls. To be fair, his version of dinner two hours ago was a protein shake mixed into his hot cocoa, popcorn, and peanut butter dipped pretzels. What Shouto had insisted was their 'boy dinner.' 

So, Izuku eats it. If he's gonna die, might as well be by Kacchan's amazing cooking and not a third party villian.

And if he tears up a little at the spiced flavor and warm gesture, then that's okay too. Emotions are fine. He has a lot of them. Kinda hard to keep them all in check, but Izuku manages. 

He hugged Kacchan today, didn't get killed for it, and got a home cooked meal made by Kacchan himself. 

Pardon his French, but Izuku would admit that he had a damn good day.

Somehow, they convinced Momo to join their next suicide mission. Well, it's a suicide mission for Izuku, specifically. Hug Kacchan twice in the same week without consequences? Insanity. 

Does he want to hug him though? Yes, of course. Who wouldn't want to hug the Adonis of a man, Katsuki Bakugo? Does it make his anxiety skyrocket to a new high score? Also yes. 

But Izuku is no coward, and Shouto did promise him a no limits quirk questionnaire that even involves his family tree! How can he say no to that? The possibilities with that new information are endless! Not to mention, it would...... kinda..... be nice to maybe..... hug Kacchan again? Just for a second. One measely second of warm nitroglycerin scented bliss.

He has had a crush on the guy since they were in diapers, cut him some slack. Beggers can't be choosers. 

This time the plan has changed. They've decided to try catching flies with honey. 

Well.....they're cupcakes, but same thing. 

The smell is definitely inticing. Tsu even got the cupcake recipe from Sato! And with Iida's strict measurements and Ochako's surprisingly good baking skills, the batter turned out great. They're plain vanilla, but the frostings are all different. 

Each of them have a handful of cupcakes to top with whatever they pick. Four dozen of the treats sit out on the countertop, cooling, to ensure there are plenty for all of their class. 

They aren't free for the taking though, there is a fee!

Tsu whips up a frothy chocolate mixture, using marshmallow fluff as a base for her and Iida. Ochako's are peanut butter filled, but topped with Tsu's chocolate concotion and little piped hearts. Shouto and Momo have already perfected a strawberry frosting with fresh slices of the fruit and sugar crystals to sprinkle over the tops. Iida works on dishes and hands out ingredients and clean utensils as requested. Toru is their designated spoon licker, as she is also in charge of filming their chaos. 

Izuku takes a while to decide what to do with his.....

He could just stick with something simple, like vanilla buttercream, but eventually an idea sparks to life with a certain fiery blonde's taste preferences in mind. 

Cinnamon, ginger, sugar, a pinch of nutmeg and clove, then mixed into a smooth glaze. And done, gingersnap cupcakes! 

With their frostings done and the cupcakes cooling down, it's only a matter of time before they catch their first-

"So what's the occasion?" Sero asks, slinking into the kitchen and leaning against the counter. 

Ha, gottem.

You get one member of the infamous Bakusquad, you're bound to get the rest. 

"The occasion was that we wanted cupcakes." Tsu answers, carrying an empty icing bowl over to the sink. 

"Why did you make enough for all Japan then?" Hanta chuckles, leaning over to eye the ones Tsu had just sprinkled with confetti candy pieces.

"They're for everyone!" Ochako cheerfully beams. "We used plain vanilla cake, but the toppings are all different!"

"Oh shit, lemme text the group chat." Sero already has his phone in his hand.

Bingo. 

"Which one would you like?" Tsu asks, rounding the counter and gesturing to the different flavors. "I must warn you, there is a fee."

Hanta's brows raise. "Oh? I don't have my wallet on me, but I can-" 

"I apologize valued customer, but we can only accept hugs as payment at this time." Momo half giggles across the countertop.

"Oh?" Sero's head tilts, then looks down at Tsu with her arms opened and waiting. "OH!"

A flurry of giggles erupts around them as Tsu gets wrapped in long arms and picked up off the floor in a tight hug. Hanta plops her back down with a wide smile. 

"Was that enough?"

"Perfect." Tsu nods, then picks up a sprinkled cupcake and hands it to Hanta with a blushing smile.

"I HEARD THERE WERE CUPCAKES." Denki yells, sliding into the kitchen with only one sandal on and a laughing red head behind him. 

 "We didn't miss anyone's birthday did we?" Eijirou asks immediately. 

"Nope! We just wanted to bake cupcakes for everyone!" Izuku answers, piling his gingersnap ones onto a round plate. 

"Ochako made peanut butter chocolate ones." Shouto adds helpfully. 

"Those are my favorite!" Eijirou beams.

Izuku is 99.9% positive that Ochako already knew that.

"You must pay for them! I will not allow a dine and dash in this society!" Iida says over his shoulder while rinsing out mixing bowls. 

"Shit! I didn't think to grab my wallet!" Denki turns on his heels to hightail it back up the stairs, but Hanta grabs his shirt collar and yanks him back. 

"This establishment can only take hug bucks, my guys." 

It takes a whole two seconds for the two confused himbos to catch on. Their faces light up with red cheeks and smiles.

"HELL YEAH." Denki slides further into the kitchen, almost knocking Shouto off his chair with the force of his hug. Shouto pats his head and reaches over to pluck a strawberry cupcake off the cooling rack. He waits for Denki to pull away and peels the liner off himself before handing it over. Denki makes grabby hands for the treat while still pressed against his side.

Eijirou already has a blushing brunette held with a vice grip against his chest. Ochako doesn't mind the lack of air, as she squeezes him back with almost as much strength. Once released with a blinding smile she holds up the square plate of peanut butter heart topped cupcakes. Eijirou picks one as he "oohs" and "ahhs" over the cute design.

"Am I late?!" Mina jogs into the kitchen with Kyoka being dragged behind her. 

"We live together, for Christ's sakes! How could we be late?" Kyoka balks, but still follows her into the kitchen space and eyes the colorful baked goods. 

"I dunno, man." Hanta says with frosting at the corners of his mouth and a half eaten cake in his hand. "I might just pay a few more dozen hugs and claim the rest for myself."

"You would have the worst stomach ache imaginable." Izuku reasons. 

"But it would be so worth it." Eijirou agrees, cheeks full of peanut buttery goodness. Ochako giggles as she smears a napkin over his messy mouth.

"Hugs?" Mina asks. 

Iida dries his hands and gestures to the counter half covered with little cakes. "One hug per cupcake, my lady!" 

Mina releases Kyoka's hand and bounces full bodied into Iida's unsuspecting arms. He recovers quickly and spins her around before dropping her in front of an empty stool by the counter. 

"Payment received! Please, help yourself!" 

Mina squeals again, choosing a strawberry one and getting frosting on her nose immediately. The pink of the topping almost blending into her skin. 

"God these are SO good." Denki finishes his cake and hugs Shouto for another. Shouto peels the wrapper off again before handing it over. 

Kyoka's nose wrinkles up as she walks further into the kitchen towards Momo. 

"I know you're not a big fan of frosting, so I saved you these." Momo holds up a little saucer of two unfrosted cakes without wrappers and a small fork. 

Kyoka's cheeks turn as pink as the strawberry frosting. She gently hugs Momo, pulls away, and hugs again. Momo bites back a giggle and smooths Kyoka's ruffled hair once the little plate is handed over.

Izuku freezes up on instinct when a fiery blonde walks towards them from the common room.

"You had better not leave a mess or so help me GOD, I will mop the floors with your heads." Katsuki barks, stomping into the kitchen and past the mass of hugging bodies to the fridge.

"BRO! You have got to try these!" 

Katsuki sneers at the red head. "I hate sweets."

"They're not all sweet! Deku made these spicy ones!" Ochako reasons excitedly, pointing to the glazed ones.

"They're not spicy! They're-uh.....gingersnap." Izuku defends his creation bashfully.

Izuku meets the blonde's curious eyes for all of two seconds before grabbing the plate and quietly stepping around the counter towards the fridge. Katsuki simply glares at the offending treats with his arms crossed over his chest.

"You don't have to try them, if you don't want to. The peanut butter ones 'chako made are really good too. The strawberry ones have fruit slices." 

Katsuki still glares at the plate. "Why gingersnap?"

"Um....well you don't like sweets, especially cake in general, but um...my mom always m-made us gingersnap cookies when we were kids, and you liked those a lot. S-So.....I just thought-"

"So you made these for me then?" Katsuki asks quietly, eyeing the plate with less malice than before. 

"W-With you in mind....yeah." 

Izuku silently thanks his friends for drawing the attention away from them by pushing more cupcakes and hugs onto the others. Ochako hugs Eijirou back with the excuse of giving him his change, as he apparently over-payed.

"Alright then." 

Izuku's head snaps up in shock. "Y-You'll try one?"

Katsuki shrugs, reaching for the plate. Momo turns her head with a teasing glare. 

"Don't give out free samples just because you think he's cute, Midoriya. Don't forget to collect payment." She winks. Kyoka stiffles a giggle with her fork between her teeth.

"Hah?!" Katsuki glares at her. 

"Yeah man! One hug per cupcake!" Denki says, still unmoving from Shouto's warmer side and a half eaten cupcake in his hand. 

Welp, it was worth a shot, Izuku figures. Worse case scenario, Kacchan storms off in a flurry of curses and swears that rivals a seasoned sailor. Best case scenario, Kacchan scoffs about not paying for crap food and still takes a cupcake. 

"Who's idea was that?" Katsuki grunts.

"All of ours!" Ochako answers, handing another napkin to the red head that practically clings to her arm.

"Speaking of, one more my handsome man!" Mina bangs her palm on the counter and swivels in her stool to face Iida. Two thick arms squeeze around her shoulders. Iida blushes something fierce, but doesn't let go until Mina starts patting his bicep mumbling that she can't breathe against his chest. 

"You're in on this?" Katsuki's eyes narrow threateningly.

"Um....yes, but you don't have to!" Izuku answers, pushing the plate towards him. "I just want you try one. Just a bite at least!" 

The plate gets taken from his hands. Izuku watches half confused as it gets held up over his head. 

Okay, that's fair. A plate full of baked treats are about to be dumped onto his head and Izuku accepts his fate with his eyes closed.

"You gonna make me stand here like an idiot or what?"

Izuku peaks one eye open and so many emotions burn up his throat. Katsuki's arms are open and waiting. One hand holding the plate above Izuku's head and the other waving him forward impatiently. 

With a jump, Izuku rushes into him. Worried that the blonde might take the ultra rarest of opportunities back. The scent of cedar and pine from Katsuki's antiperspirant spray, recently done laundry, and nitroglycerin floods his senses. Izuku gets his arms around the broad sturdy torso and hugs. He starts to pull away after only a second, not wanting to be too selfish and overstay his welcome, but a heavy warm hand lands between his shoulders and pats once. 

He hugged Kacchan, and got hugged back!

This is going in one of his journals. One of the best days of his life. Maybe even the best day ever. Even over the day he got a quirk, his UA entry results, or recieved his hero license. 

The best day ever, because Kacchan-Katsuki Bakugo-hugged him back! 

Izuku pulls away once the hand falls from his back. Katsuki's own ears burn pink, but Izuku chalks it up to the warmth of the kitchen and the oven that's been running on three hundred and fifty degrees for almost two hours while they baked. 

The plate gets sat on the counter beside them, and Katsuki scowls mirthlessly at the treats as he picks one with the least icing. Izuku tries not to analyze the way smooth fingers pull down the wrapper. He looks away for his own health when the small cake gets lifted to the blonde's lips. He holds his breath for the cough of disgust, but it never comes. 

"Mm'fuck." 

Izuku's head spins to the side as Katsuki takes another bite. 

"Do you like them?"

Katsuki tilts his head back, peels off the rest of the wrapper, and shoves the rest of the cake in his mouth. Izuku giggles at the sight, getting a squinted glare in return. 

"Did you get the recipe from auntie? It's like the cookies, just in fuckin' cake form." Katsuki asks, dusting his fingers off with a napkin he snags from the counter.

Izuku shakes his head. "I just remembered my mom's cookie recipe, and sort of winged it."

"You've had that damned recipe this whole time?" Katsuki almost growls at him.

Another huffed laugh leaves his lips. "Well, yeah? I used to help her make them! They're just shortbread cookies, coated in melted butter, then dunked into a spice mix and dusted with sugar?" 

"Fucking hell." Katsuki rubs his forehead in annoyance. "How many of these did you make?"

"Oh, just six? Nobody else likes gingersnap, and I added extra clove so I don't think anyone else but you would like them. I didn't want to be wasteful." Izuku shrugs, shuffling his feet.

At the blonde's silence, Izuku peers up at him again. Katsuki sighs, holding out one arm. 

"These are mine. You get five seconds. Not a second more."

Izuku bounces on the balls of his feet then barrels into the blonde's chest again, knocking them backwards by a foot. Katsuki grunts, then huffs before patting his back again. 

"One one-thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand..." Izuku starts counting out loud with his cheek pressed to a very comfortable shoulder. Katsuki snorts above him. Izuku huffs a quiet laugh back. "-four one-thousand, four and a half one-thousand-" 

"Oi!" A mean finger jabs into his ribs, twisting with the intent to tickle. 

Izuku yelps, pulling away with an abandoned laugh and holding his side. "Sorry, sorry. Enjoy your cupcakes!" 

"Thanks, nerd." Katsuki rolls his eyes, but it feels playful almost. The plate gets snatched up and Izuku watches as the blonde stalks out of the room with even redder ears.

With a giddy smile and a chest full of hope, Izuku finishes clean up and fights off the teasing remarks and meddling taunts of his friends. 

He's decided as an undisputable fact, that today was the bestest day EVER.

Round three has Izuku more nervous than ever. 

A solo run. 

A one man mission. 

If he thought the other sneaky hug tactics were death wishes, then this one is a death wish tacked onto a one way ticket to the afterlife. Number one way to get blasted to the sun. He should write a blog titled: 'How to speed run death via your childhood best friend.'

"Don't run away as soon as you do it either! It'll look too suspicious." Ochako pats his shoulders encouragingly.

"Just be casual." Tsu adds.

Shouto nods. "It would be easier to play it off as a form of thank you."

"Excellent idea. Request his help with the English assignment, then thank him for his assistance with a hug." Iida nods fervently as well.

"We all know you need help in English, so it's not suspicious at all!" Ochako agrees, pushing him down the hall. 

Which is how Izuku ends up at Katsuki's dorm room, hand raised to knock on the door with his English workbook on hand.

It's no lie his English grades aren't anywhere near the best of the class. It's also no lie that Kacchan is one of the best at the subject.

Izuku is about to burst out of his own body with how much anxiety is rattling his bones like flesh coated maracas. 

This isn't even a part of their video trend thing! It's just his friends being aggressively pushy about him mending his friendship with his somewhat estranged childhood friend. He does have good friends. The best, really. Shouto and Ochako know about his stupid crush and how it never ever went away, no matter how much Izuku might've tried willing it to when he was younger.

Why does he have to have such amazingly supportive friends? Why?!?!

Just knock one time, then run and tell everyone else that Kacchan wasn't in his room or was busy. 

He wasn't even bribed into this one, it was pure peer pressure! Sure he was warned by his mom when he started high school about the chances of being peer preasured into drugs, skipping class, or taking part in alcohol related activities- but no one prepared him for this!

Izuku pulls his hand back into a fist, and takes one more breath to try and steady his shaking hand. It doesn't work, sadly. 

The door opens before his knuckles touch the fake wood. Bright red eyes bore into the skin with murderous intent, then soften ever-so-slightly, that it was almost unnoticeable. 

Though the blonde's brows aren't as scrunched together at the center of his scowl, there is still a glare on his face.

"You gonna tell me why you're just hovering outside my door or not?"

Izuku swallows the anxious lump in his throat. 

"I uh-there was a study group earlier, and Iida tried helping me, but I'm kind of a lost cause -in a lot of different ways really- but I was gonna ask for your uhh...." His gaze drops slightly, noticing the obvious work out gear bag and the blonde's gym clothes. "You're clearly busy, so nevermind! I can probably ask Momo for-"

A hand snatches his flailing wrist, stilling the notebook in his hands. Katsuki glances down, pursing his lips. 

"You need help with English?" He asks gruffly. 

Izuku nods, tilting his chin down. "The weekend assignment is difficult. Ah, not for you though probably! You're really good at English! You're good at all the subjects though, so it isn't surprising." 

Katsuki just squints at him again. A little more calculated than before. "You needin' help with the whole chapter or just a few questions?"

"Um, the last two questions. About the differences between paraphrasing and summerizing?" Izuku answers, immediately flipping open his workbook to the marked page.

"Alright."

Izuku looks up again. Katsuki steps aside, holding his door open and jerking his head to the side.

Oh, Jesus. Okay. Here we go.

He shuffles in, careful not to bump into the stocky blonde as they share the doorway for all of half a second. 

"Sit." Katsuki points to the bed. Izuku promptly plops himself on the edge and holds his notebook with both hands. 

Katsuki drops his work out bag by the door, pulls out his desk chair, and sits in it backwards to lean his forearms on the backrest. He holds out a hand, making a grabby gesture. Izuku hands over the notebook. 

The pages get flipped to this week's assignment, and Katsuki reads the question outloud followed by Izuku's written attempt of an answer. 

"You're thinking about it too hard." He says, scratching his chin. "Read the text, then write what the important parts are that you remember without reference. Summarizing is giving a brief explanation of what the text says. Paraphrasing is just condensing it. Don't full on quote the piece. Use easier to understand synonyms too." 

Izuku tilts his head. "Can you give me an example?"

"Uhh." Katsuki sighs through his nose, waving a hand as he thinks. "Instead of abducted, use taken. Instead of benevolent, use kind. Eliminate, erase. Make sense?"

"Oh!" Izuku reaches to take his workbook back, and Katsuki let's him. "Can I borrow a pencil?"

Katsuki spins in his chair to snag one from the stationary cup on his desk, tossing it into his lap. Izuku erases his answer, and quickly reads over the sample text again. Then, without looking, he writes the stand out points in a simpler form. Once finished, Izuku holds the book out again with a smile. 

Katsuki snatches it back, flips it over, and squints at the page as he reads. Eventually he nods, handing it back over. Izuku will take that as it is, a wordless acceptance and passing grade of Kacchan standards. 

"Thank you!" 

Katsuki shrugs. "Anything else?"

Izuku shakes his head. "That was it! Sorry again, for bothering you." 

"You didn't bother me. It's whatever. I'm kicking you out now though. I'm late getting to the gym."

"Oh, right!" Izuku jumps to his feet, making his way to the door with the blonde behind him. The gym bag gets lifted over a strong shoulder again. 

Izuku steps out into the hall as Katsuki shuts the door behind them. With one hand snug around the bag strap and one hand on the door handle, an opening is made. 

With as much confidence as possible, Izuku closes the three feet between them and gets one arm around the blonde's waist and his cheek pressed to a firm shoulder. 

"Thanks again, Kacchan." 

He pulls away just as fast, turns, and walks briskly (not runs) down the hall towards the elevator. 

Don't look back. Don't turn around to get his reaction for your own saftey. Just keep walking. What does Dory say? Just keep swimming? Yeah-but bipedal style. 

Just keep walking~ Just keep walking~ Just keep walking~ walking~ walking~ walking~

To Izuku's absolute surprise, no swear words, threats, or explosions follow after him. He shouldn't really be surprised. Not anymore, at least. He has now scored four hugs on three seperate occasions without consequences. 

Especially since this time he hugged Kacchen  when it was just the two of them, mostly alone because the hallway is still a common area but it was empty, so.......

That means something right? though what that particular something is, is still up in the air.

"Mission success." Izuku says, sliding back into Ochako's dorm room.

Cheers and applause surround him from his very supportive, stubborn, and wonderfully pushy friends. 

**(Author's note: italicized sentences are in sign language. Bold italicized are angrily, snappy, or sarcastically signed words.)**

Aizawa has decided to pair the teams up with an obvious disadvantage to help them learn how to handle an out numbered fight. 

So that means it's a two versus six match with randomly selected pairings. If anyone is slotted back to back, they still have to participate to keep up with the unexpected battle sequences of a real life villian attack. Either avoid getting captured, or do the capturing. The two person team wins if they both evade getting caught or incapacitate four out of six of their opponents. The team of six wins if they catch one of their opponents or get less than four of their teammates captured. If both teams manage to succeed in either task, it's a tie. if none of the victory requirements are met, it's an even loss.

"Next team of six is Jirou, Tokoyami, Momo, Aoyama, Ashido, and Iida." Aizawa announces, watching the randomized board ping. 

Mina wails against Ochako's arm, having already gotten her butt kicked twice since the training started. Ochako pats her cheek sympatheticly. 

"Darkness, it calls my name to return to the front lines." Tokoyami says, clutching his fist dramatically. 

"I apologize, but it is still mid-afternoon. There are no clouds in the sky either, so the sun is out. Are you having vision difficulties, Tokoyami?" Shouto asks with heavy concern. 

"Sho, that's not what he meant." Izuku sighs. "Remember how Kaminari taught you about emo-goth terms and speech patterns? This is one of those times."

Shouto nods after a blank moment of thought. "I see."

Aoyama sighs at his side, shaking his head. "I will be your light, Toko-chan. Do not frett, for I shall sparkle enough for the both of us."

"Do not shine too brightly, for my hoarding instincts of shimmer and shiny objects will crave to steal your brightness and claim it as my own." Tokoyami says, turning his back to walk away solemnly. 

"Did......was that-" Ochako turns towards Mina. 

"Oh my gawds, was he flirting?" Mina gawks.

"It is not unusual. Toko-chan is drawn to the way I sparkle." Aoyama woefully places a hand over his eyes. "I long to brighten his darkness, and he longs to dim my light."

"I'm gonna throw up." Katsuki grimances, lifting his lip in a snarl of disgust. 

"The two person team will be-" Aizawa starts, watching the name board spin. "Bakugo and Midoriya."

Izuku's eyebrows shoot into his hairline. This isn't the first time they've been paired together, and definitely won't be the last. The surprise is from how Katsuki seems to smile at the pairing announcement. 

"We're dead." Mina states like it's a fact.

"I will miss you." Ochako nods with the same belief.

"Our strategy plan must be of utmost quality this round!" Iida chops his hand towards the group as they begin heading towards the ground gates. 

"Nerd! No time to waste!" Katsuki yells, already stomping meters ahead.

Izuku gets encouraging thumbs up from his friends on the side line, and a cheerful impromptu YMCA style dance from Eijirou as the red head shouts reassurances about how manly both he and Katsuki are. Izuku waves back with an enthusiastic smile.

Aizawa counts down over an intercom just as they get into position. With one look, an unspoken agreement is made to swap to sign language with Jirou on the opposing team.

"Plan?" Izuku asks first.

Katsuki shrugs from across him against a crumpled wall. "We could easily outrun them for the whole ten minute timer."

Izuku rolls his eyes. "Yes, but you and I both know that's not what you want to do."

"You know me so well, stalker." The quip comes with a feral grin and lazily moving hands. Izuku has learned when the blonde's teasing is heatless over the last couple of years. They've come a long long way in growth, from middle school to now second year students.

"I suggest an in air distraction from one of us, and an on ground attack from the other. You would be better in air with your blasts, and I can get at least four of them snagged with blackwhip. If you want extra flair, you could take down the other two with an aerial attack." 

"If they see me in the sky, they'll know you're coming at them on ground." Katsuki signs, squinting at him with furrowed brows.

"I.........have a new attack move...if you are interested?" Izuku signs back timidly.

Katsuki's eyes widen, pointing at his own chest to silently ask, 'for me?'

Izuku nods. "It isn't super powerful in terms of strength, but it's one that shows your ability to control your blasts in an almost terrifyingly accurate way."

At Katsuki's silence and stern gaze, Izuku continues explaining with quick moving hands. 

"I called it Supernova Storm, but it's your move so name it whatever you'd like! It consists of getting in air like you would with a Howitzer blast, spinning vertically with a one handed blast, and setting off your new one handed AP shot auto canon blasts. It would cover the sky in a roughly fifty feet radius with pinpointed blasts. It would look almost like a supernova blast, just spread out more evenly and without the ground damage since the blasts would detonate in air." 

Izuku finishes his ramble, wiping his palms on his hero suit pants nervously. His hands stutter again. "T-That's it....."

"Supernova Storm." Katsuki repeats the sign with widened eyes. Izuku nods.

"I thought the name was fitting. The blasts wouldn't really do much, in terms of a ground attack, but it serves as a really good distraction move and would work really well to stun giant villains or against quirks that summon mass amounts of things if you were to use the attack move to create distance or take out multiple villians at once. The damage wouldn't be significant, but the distance-"

Katsuki holds up a hand, silencing his rambles at once. "Let's fucking do it."

"Really!" Izuku waves excitedly. 

"Can you control blackwhip well enough to get four people down at the same time?"

Izuku nods. "The more of it I use at one time, the thinner it gets and the less control I have." He starts, steadying his gaze. "But I know you'll have my back if anything goes wrong."

For a moment, a long quiet second of just breaths and gentle wind, Izuku swears a light flickers behind vermillion eyes. Something warm and soft. Like a realization is made of something Katsuki hadn't known or was hesitant to accept. 

Izuku's hands itch to sign out a shaky apology, but those gloved hands of firepower move first.

"And you'll have mine."

The air in Izuku's lungs grows hot as his eyes almost begin to pour waterfalls of tears. His throat starts the all too familiar ache of a good emotional cry, but he stamps it down and signs back with one hand and a stone hard stubborn gaze.

"Always."

The gentlest look Izuku has ever seen the blonde make stares back at him. It's so soft, Izuku is pretty sure he could compare it reasonably to a cotton fluffed pillow, or the fur of a freshly groomed kitten, maybe even a hand stitched quilt of silky threads.

"Stop staring at me, fucker." Katsuki snaps.

And it's gone.

Izuku shakes his head, turning to peer over the side of the wall they've shielded themselves behind. No signs of anything or anyone, but Izuku figures it's only a matter time. With their strength, their opponents would likely choose a full out ambush. 

"Stick to the shadows, move west towards the-" 

A river of acid breaks down the wall next to them. Izuku jumps back as the signature engine sound of a recipro boost echos against the surrounding buildings.

Katsuki pushes back, ducking down an alley while Izuku takes to the streets to face the head on attack. Dodging, swerving, and jumping out of the way. he covers his ears as one of Jirou's ear shattering attacks bounces off the buildings towards him. His head begins to throb as dark shadow emerges, smacking him clean against the pavement. One good kick frees him just before one of Mina's acid attacks lands at his feet. Iida runs towards him, just when the sky lights up above their heads. 

In one swift blur of light, Izuku has Mina, Jirou, Iida, and Tokoyami pinned in various places along the street. All four wrapped neck to toe in inky black tendrils. 

Game, set, match.

The timer goes off as Katsuki screams in triumph filled with profanities and trash talk.

Aizawa's announces the winners, then drones out a warning for Katsuki's potty mouth with the promised consequence of a detention if he doesn't keep the trash talking to a minimum. 

Izuku releases his captured classmates, who start their walk of shame out of the training grounds. Izuku turns towards where he thinks Katsuki had landed up the street, planning to wait for him to catch up so they could walk out together. 

"Deku!"

Izuku whips his head to the left.

"Did you fuckin' see that! Those losers didn't know what hit them!" Katsuki yells, jogging between debris scattered along the pavement. 

"I didn't get to see it, but I know it definitely looked cool!" Izuku yells back with his hands cupped around his mouth. 

"We kicked their asses!" 

"Not literally, though. I didn't get a single decent hit in. It was all strategy!" 

"It was your plan, and it fucking worked!" Katsuki yells again, slowing down with the closing distance. 

"It wouldn't have without you!" Izuku shouts back with a fond smile.

Time slows down enough that Izuku's heartbeat rages in his ears. Remember how his feet sometimes move outside of his control? How he ends up running without realizing it? This is one of those times. 

Who can blame him when Katsuki grins at him with his arms stretched out to the sides and his chest puffed up in pride.

Izuku runs towards him, suppressing the urge to use a tiny percentage of one for all to get to him faster. He jumps, shamelessly doing his best imitation of a touch starved koala. Legs, arms, and all.

Katsuki grunts from the impact, stepping back to steady himself. Arms wrap around Izuku's middle. Maybe on instinct, but Izuku is gonna pretend it's because his Kacchan wants to hug him back. 

"I wanted to see it, but I would've missed the opening you gave me." Izuku says with his arms still wrapped around the blonde's shoulders.

"I'll do it again when we spar next. I need to practice the speed or I'll end up in the stratosphere or some shit." Katsuki says, voice muffled by Izuku's shoulder. 

"Please! I really want to see it! I'm glad it worked, I was worried my calculations might've been off."

Katsuki shakes his head, bending slightly and releasing his hold around Izuku's waist. "Damn near perfect, you stupid nerd."

"Why can't you just say thank you like a normal person, Kacchan." Izuku huffs back with a roll of his eyes. He drops to the ground and dusts himself off again with a blush burning his cheeks.

"Being normal is for schmucks like you." The blonde huffs back. Izuku pretends not to notice the red hue that spreads from Katsuki's cheeks to his neck.

Izuku turns his back to him, walking towards the exit with a smile on his face. "Now I'm a schmuck? What's next?"

"Wouldn't you like to know, dork. Just wait till you hear my terms of endearment. They're horrible." Katsuki's boots crunch the gravel behind him as they walk.

Izuku laughs again, still a few feet ahead. "Since when do you ever use terms outside of the degrading category?" 

"See, that's the thing. My terms of endearment are derogatory."

Izuku can hear the smirk in the blonde's voice. "So all of the times you've called me a dweeb or a dork, has just been you giving me pet names?" 

"Absolutely not." Katsuki gruffs back. "That's just me being honest."

"Kacchan!" Izuku bawks, head tilted back in more laughter.

"Yeah, yeah. Keep laughing at me and I'll kick your ass."

"I'm not laughing at you! You're funny!" 

"I know, I'm a comedian. Comedy is my back up career plan." Katsuki says, sounding very sarcastic. Which just makes Izuku have to stop walking and clutch at his sides in a fit of giggles.

"Quit your shit! We're gonna be late getting back." 

"Then stop making me laugh!" Izuku wheezes.

"You think this is me being funny? Then you better buckle the fuck up cause shits about to get goddamn hilarious."

Izuku gasps. "Kacchan, I can't breathe!" 

"Good. Die so I can steal your All Might silver aged good fortune figurine." Katsuki shoves him forward by the shoulder. "And so I can burn your bed sheets and shit wardrobe as an offering to the fanboy Gods."

Izuku nearly trips over himself, gasping and giggling like a tickled toddler. 

"Ka-Kacchan, please." He begs, desperately trying to gather his composure. "S-Stop!"

"I hold so much power over you right now. I'm the next Ms.Joke. I gotta rebrand myself." Katsuki huffs, a smile in his voice. "My ultimate moves will consist of dad jokes and that's-what-she-said bullshit I stole from the Pikachu."

Izuku succeeds in tripping over himself, his forehead gets pressed to the ground as he sucks in air between fits of unabashed giggles. 

"Don't piss yourself, pound cake." Katsuki laughs himself, reaching down to yank Izuku up and drag him to the gates.

"P-POUND CAKE?" Izuku screeches.

Katsuki only cackles.

Chapter Text

"So I've been thinking." Shouto starts, sprawled out on Izuku's bed with his head hanging off the edge.

"I already don't like this." Izuku sighs, closing his notebook.

"Hush, child. Let the sage speak his wisdom." Ochako says from her spot on the floor. Various textbooks, highlighters, and pages spread around them.

"Continue, wise one." Tsu gestures wildly with a hairbrush. Her long dark locks still a tangled mess from their underwater rescue class just two hours earlier.

"Thank you." Shouto props his socked feet on the wall. "Our hug attacks have lost their flourish. I propose something new."

"I do not condone pranks that are potentionally harmful to our classmates or any form of harassment." Iida says next to Izuku, turning a page of his notes. 

Shouto huffs. "What about hand holding? I was gonna suggest cheek kisses, but that might fall under the harassment fine print."

"Oh, cute." Tsu nods. "I vote yes."

"Seconded." Ochako mumbles with a granola bar between her teeth.

"Hand holding?" Izuku spins around in his chair, moving to tuck his legs underneath himself. "That's it?"

"Without reason. Like when we are just eating breakfest, walking between classes, studying downstairs, coming back from the gym." Shouto clarifies, blowing two toned bangs out of his eyes.

"I would prefer that we do not attempt to film these antics during school hours. Outside of that, I approve." Iida says, turning another page. 

"I can agree to these terms." Shouto nods with pursed lips.

"Also agreed." Tsu shrugs, finally giving up on her hair. 

Ochako shuffles across the room to take the brush from her. Izuku tosses her a bottle of detangling spray from his shelf. She catches it without looking, and plops down behind Tsu's slumped frame.

"Agreeeed!" She beams, already spraying Tsu's hair down generously. 

Izuku sighs, turning to face his desk again. He hugged and cuddled, freaking cuddled, Kacchan without getting yelled at. There has been no signs of strain on their steadily growing friendship, and no obvious repercussions. 

So.....hand holding should be fine, right?

That's like the easiest form of physical contact, outside of handshakes and high fives.

He sighs again, tossing another book onto the steadily growing pile at the corner of his desk. 

"I agree." 

Ochako squeals in delight. "We are compiling all the videos to make one big one! I'm so excited."

"So Hatsume blew up the lab again? That's like the third time this month?" Kyoka groans, plopping down onto the couch next to Momo.

"Fifth time, actually. She insisted an indoor hot air balloon generator would be totally safe." Izuku huffs, smiling. 

"Deku, if you aren't busy tomorrow afternoon, could I ask you to help me with the Herioc History quiz study guide?" Ochako asks, standing in front of him with a bundle of books in her arms from the library.

"Sure! I could use a refresher anyways." A flash of red enters his vision. "Hey, Kiri!"

"Hey, bros!" Kirishima beams, waving. He saunters right up to Ochako and starts to sling an arm over her shoulder, stopping to instead steal half the books she's holding to help her lug them to the dining table. Izuku follows with his own stack of notes and folders.

"Thanks, Ei! We are about to get started on the social services and child saftey measures research paper. Its not due until next week, I know, but it wouldn't hurt to get a head start!"

"You mind if I cram with you guys? We could bounce ideas off of eachother?" Kiri asks, dropping his backpack onto the table next to her.

"Of course not! Have a seat." Izuku points to the chair across from him. 

"Thanks! So I'm thinking of using the Saskato earthquake incident as my main reference point, since it has the most first hand account interviews." 

"Oh, great idea. I'm using the aquarium disaster from that underwater museum that was attacked a few years ago." Ochako adds, setting out pens and opening a brand new notebook between them to brainstorm.

"The fuck're you losers doing?" Katsuki gruffs, leaning over Izuku to look down at the pile of books at the center of the table.

"Starting on the social services network child saftey paper." Ochako answers, grabbing a newspaper article printout.

Izuku tries not to flinch when a weight settles onto the top of his head. Katsuki's arm props up on his shoulder. 

"I'm using the volcanic eruption from that villian attack that centered around natural disasters." Katsuki mumbles into green hair.

Izuku gasps excitedly, wanting to tilt his head back to look up at the blonde, but unable to with said blonde's chin propped on his messy mound of curls. "The one where All-Might dug craters around the cities to catch the overflow to give the civilians more time to evacuate? I bet you're going to use the orphanage there as your main focal point!" 

"Quit stalking me!" Katsuki grunts, all fond and without annoyance.

"Sit with us!" Izuku smacks the chair beside of him. Katsuki huffs, groans, and complains, but sits and pulls out his notebooks and laptop anyway.

Half an hour into the impromptu research group session, Toru holds up her phone across the room. She turns it around once, showing that her camera is pulled up. 

Right. Hand holding.

They already have Ochako on video casually strolling up to Kirishima's side and taking his hand as they walked to the convenience store a few days ago. 

They got Shouto on camera, eating a steamed bun with one hand, not-so-subtly side stepping up to Kaminari and taking his hand mid-rant with Sero about something to do with Pokémon Go. To Kaminari's credit, he didn't even flinch. He continued talking, at least until Shouto jammed his steamed bun into Kaminari's mouth mid sentence. 

Iida will hold Mina's hand when it's their turn to help cook dinner with Sato tomorrow. Tsu and Aoyama are going to hold Sero's and Tokoyami's hands tonight when they play their weekly card game of Doom.

Which means it's Izuku's turn......

And, surprise-surprise, Izuku isn't as nervous about it as he was the random hugs.

He leans forward, sliding his arm to the left. The cuff of his sleeve grazes Katsuki's laptop. The blonde stops typing for a moment to click through a web page. His right hand angrily jams the mouse pad, his left sits loose and splayed out beside the laptop.

Izuku starts out slow, inching his pinky finger over and sliding it over the blonde's. 

Katsuki sends him a sideways glance, but doesn't pull away or smart off. Izuku takes that as a green light to not chicken out.

His pinky hooks over the other's slender one, tugging gently to make his motives known. 

"The fuck is this shit?" Katsuki grumbles, clenching Izuku's little finger in his and shaking it.

Rejected. Understandable, as they've had a long school day as tired second years and are supposed to be focused on their homework. The obvious rejection doesn't keep the tiny frown off his lips though. He starts to pull his hand away and accept defeat, but Katsuki scoffs next to him.

"If you're gonna hold my hand, do it right. No half assed bullshit." He grunts, tugging Izuku's arm closer and threading their fingers together. 

"Won't it be hard for you to type though?" He reasons. 

Katsuki just rolls his eyes, ignoring the question and continuing to scroll down the currently screened web page. Ochako bites her lip to keep from laughing. Eijriou wiggles his eyebrows at him, and Izuku blushes all the known shades of red. 

As Izuku writes with his right hand and talks, Katsuki types with his left. Occasionally, the blonde will pull on Izuku's hand and, while keeping their fingers locked together, will hit a few of the keys with his thumb. Once or twice, their joined hands end up on Katsuki's outer thigh. At some point, Izuku leans his head on Katsuki's shoulder and flips through one of their reading assignments attached to the project. 

Through their study session, Izuku tries to pull his hand away to grab something or open his book bag, but each time Katsuki growls through his teeth like an angry little dog and pulls his hand back.

Before he knows it, they've been working for two hours straight without ever untangling their joined hands. Halway through the rough drafts of their assignments, Ochako loops her arm around Eijirou's elbow and settles against his shoulder so that they can share a book between them. Izuku wiggles his eyebrows and sticks his tongue out at them as payback for their teasing earlier.

Izuku was pretty proud that he only pouted a little when they called it quits right before dinner time. His frown was quickly erased by Katsuki ruffling his curls and lovingly telling him to fuck off when Izuku thanked him for all his help with his research project.

Getting to hold hands with Kacchan for two hours uninterrupted? That experience was worth All-Might's weight in gold.

One whole day later, Katsuki snatches his hand and threads their fingers together as they walk back from the gym, and Izuku walks straight into a lamppost from the shock. Katsuki bowls over himself in laughter, clutching his side.

But not once, did he let go of Izuku's hand. At least until Sero and Kaminari tease him about it and the blonde lunged after them with popping palms and vague threats of a promising demise.

Izuku's never been happier.

Toru has become their designated camera woman for the last few weeks. She holds Ochako's pink cased phone in her hand, probably editing clips and compiling them all into one long video, as she lounges in the recliner with Aoyama at her hip. Izuku flicks through channels on the TV, while Shouto and Iida argue about the actual formula used to create the PowerPuff Girls. Tsu and Ochako play Animal Crossing next to eachother across the couch, showing off their aquariums and fossil collections.

Izuku looks into the kitchen, finding Katsuki at the counter reading a magazine of some kind and making what is most likely a grocery list. His right hand holds a pen, while his left sits propped on his hip.

Izuku takes one deep breath, nods to himself, and skips the internal pep talk step. He gets to his feet and strides on shaky confidence into the kitchen. He doesn't need to be bribed to be affectionate with Kacchan anymore. He doesn't have a reason to be worried or hesitant about standing too close. 

So......he can do it on his own. The fact that it's allowed, maybe even welcomed, but at least tolerated means more to Izuku than anyone will ever know.

"What're you doing?" Izuku saddles up beside him, still with a few feet of distance between them. 

The blonde head of hair snaps up. Those bright red eyes scan his face, then glance around the kitchen. Likely checking for any other "extras."

"Weekend bulk meal prep." Katsuki answers, dropping his gaze back to the magazine opened to protein packed recipes. 

"Smart. I just dry-scoop protein, usually." 

Katsuki shakes his head, scoffing. "I bet you take horse steroids too with how much you leg press, you heathen."

Izuku giggles under his breath. "No, of course not!" 

"Whatever you say, Pound Cake."

"Where did Pound Cake come from anyways?" 

Katsuki's pen pauses, then moves a little less fluidly. "Pound cakes are dense, heavy, and packed with sugar."

"I....." Izuku's head tilts. His eyes narrow, pining the blonde with a weak glare. "Are you calling me fat and stupid?"

"Oh my god, no! You're a little dumb, sure. But-fuck..." Katsuki groans, rubbing his forehead and dragging his hand down his face in exasperation. "You're too sweet for your own good sometimes. You're a dense little muscled bastard. Shit, you're like....I dunno? Warm and sweet and-and it's-you're like....cake fresh from the oven? I didn't mean for it to sound like it did, I thought it was kind of a compliment. I guess? I'm tryna be fuckin' nice, and it ain't easy. I don't do nice, okay? I'm an asshole, and I know that, but you probably know that better than fuckin' anyone else. Listen, I don't even-"

Izuku watches a sheen of sweat build over light tan skin. Katsuki's hands clench and unclench repeatedly. The pen cracks between his fingertips. The scent of swirling nitroglycerin builds into a thick cloud around them.

Oh. Oh no, Kacchan's panicking.

Sound the alarms. Call for aid. S.O.S.

"Hey." Izuku reaches over the counter, taking a balled up fist into both of his hands. "I was kidding. You wouldn't call me fat and mean it like an insult. You don't body shame anyone, and you wouldn't call me stupid to be mean."

Katsuki stares at his still clenched fist held gently in scar scattered hands. He shakes his head, averting his gaze. "Not anymore I wouldn't, and I won't ever again."

Izuku's heart softens even more, melting into a Kacchan shaped blob of goop. The smile on his face almost hurts his cheeks. The tell-tale warmth of a red blush burns across his nose and up his cheekbones.

"Kacchan. I-I like when you call me Pound Cake. It's...It's um, cute? I'm glad you think I'm warm and sweet. And you're right, you're not nice. But you're the kindest person I've ever met. If you think I'm warm, in whatever context you meant it as, then you're even warmer." Izuku whispers just loud enough that his voice only travels between them two of them in the privacy of the kitchen. His lashes dot with unshed tears that threaten to spill down his cheeks any second.

Katsuki grins back. The evidence of momentary panic almost faded entirely from his sharp coy features. 

"You callin' me hot, Deku?"

"Why are you like this!" Izuku sputters and shakes the now relaxed hand still held in his dramatically. Katsuki laughs at his flailing frustrations. 

"Answer the question, sponge cake!"

Izuku's mouth falls open, closing, then falling open again. "Sponge Cake? Sponge Cake?" He asks incredulously.

Katsuki only laughs more. "Sponge cake is too moist, damn near cake soup, and you cry at everything!"

"I can't believe you!" Izuku fights down his own laughter, biting off the grin that threatens to spread over his lips. "I don't know where you get all your audacity from, but you had better put it back!"

Leaning his head back, Katsuki cackles up at the ceiling. Izuku keeps the blonde's hand in his, squeezing it with hid own and threading their fingers together. 

Katsuki wipes tears of amusement from the corner of his eye. "Oh, yeah? What're you gonna do if I don't?"

"You really wanna know?" Izuku glares at him. Katsuki smirks back.

"Bring it on, Moldy Cotton Candy."

Izuku huffs, snatching his hands away and crossing his arms. He closes his eyes and snubs his nose up for added affect. 

"I'm not gonna hold your hand anymore." 

"Wh-What?"

Izuku turns fully around. His back now facing the blonde. It may be childish, but oh well. Let them live a little.

"Everytime you call me Sponge Cake, or any other obviously audacious nicknames, your physical affection privilege card will get revoked until you offer a reasonable nickname as replacement." 

Katsuki hums behind him. "I warned you that my terms of endearment were derogatory. This is your own fault."

"Fine. I'll just go hug somebody else then and hold their hand!" Izuku states, taking one steo forward. A hand fists into the back of his shirt and holds him in place.

"Okay, damn! I'll take Sponge Cake and Moldy Cotton Candy off the list." Katsuki relents.

Izuku raises one eyebrow, turning to look over his shoulder. "And in they're place?"

"Uh....shit..." Katsuki groans. "The only ones I can think of, you'll think are shitty!"

"Time is ticking, Kacchan." 

Katsuki sighs. "Fine. I've got one, but it had better count towards both of them cause I'm not spending anymore time on this bullshit!" 

"Hmmmm. Okay, but only if I accept it." Izuku turns to face him again. His arms stay crossed and his chin tilted up in defiance. "Let's hear it then."

Katsuki shuffles on his feet slightly. A red tinge to his ears and cheeks. "This is so fuckin' stupid. What about.....Apple Dumplin'?"

"Apple.....Dumpling?"

"Yeah, like the pastry or whatever."

Izuku squints at him suspiciously. Katsuki scoffs, cheeks turning even redder. 

"Cause you still use apple scented shampoo and body wash....and your dumb cheeks are round like dumplings."

"I feel like all your nicknames are gonna be food based." Izuku sighs, uncrossing his arms. "Your affection privilege card has been reinstated."

"Thank fucks. Now hug me, damnit."

Izuku almost faints. Maybe he blacked out and got swept into a different dimension. Kacchan asked for a hug? Actually asked, for one? From him no less?

What did he do to deserve such an amazing last few weeks full of the various forms of Kacchan's affection. Jesus take the wheel, cause Izuku is no longer capable of cognitive function. 

His face gets buried into a warm flushed neck before he can second guess himself. All previous notions of hesitancy have flown out the window and taken flight to soar hundreds of miles away. 

A strong bulky arm drops over his back. Izuku feels Katsuki's chest expand against his in one long deep breath. Izuku decides not to be the one to let go first. There is no real reason as to why, but he does plan to milk this moment for as long as possible.

Even more shocking than the fact Kacchan freaking asked him for a hug, the arm around him doesn't pull away. Instead, the pen starts scratching across paper again.

Minutes pass, and Izuku eventually turns around to be nosy and watch the blonde write. He puts a hand on the arm that now slings over his shoulder and across his chest. His chin props on a thick forearm, and Izuku would bet God himself that nothing is better than the moments of serenity they've shared like this over the last couple of weeks.

The magazine gets flipped to another detailed recipe article. Izuku stays in the best place in the whole entire world, Kacchan's arms. 

Chapter Text

"Dinner's fuckin' ready!" 

Izuku slumps from the couch to the kitchen. A yawn gets muffled into his sleeve. 

Exhaustion spreads throughout the common room. Three exams, two joint class training sessions, a physical strength and endurance test, and a four hour long seminar on recognizing threat levels in an attack in one week? No wonder everyone is so tired. Thankfully, it's finally the weekend. Friday night couldn't get there soon enough. 

"Smells good." Kaminari rubs his eyes beside him.

"If Kacchan is cooking, it always smells good." Izuku shrugs tiredly. 

Iida and Sato hand out plates as Katsuki and Ojiro pile food up on them. Momo and Kyoka brew more tea, filling mugs and handing them out. The kitchen is a little too packed for Izuku's overwhelmed mind right now, so he plops himself down in the dining room with his head pillowed on his arms.

Slowly, chairs get filled around him by warm softly chattering bodies. A gentle hand settles on his back. He can feel the tiny raised pads of Ochako's fingers through his shirt.

"Are you feeling okay, Deku?"

Izuku turns his head to answer clearly. "Yeah, just a headache."

"I can get you some pain reliever?" Shouto's voice asks from in front of him.

Izuku shakes his head. "Thank you, but I think I just need some sleep."

The hand on his back pulls away, and the chair across from his gets pulled out as she sits with a tired sigh of her own. Kirishima's less than usually boisterous voice speaks somewhere beside of her. Izuku drowns it out by snuggling deeper into the crook of his elbows.

The clatter of a plate by his ear makes him flinch. A huffed 'tsk' comes from his left, but the next clattering sound is deftly soft. 

"C'mon, nerd. Eat."

Izuku blearily peaks one eye open, squinting at the spiky blonde halo beside him. He sits up slowly, tilting his head and rubbing the pain of a long week out of his neck with one hand. 

The smell hits him again, and Izuku can't help the excited little gasp he makes. 

"Tonkatsu!" 

"Comfort food was necessary, though I still prefer cold soba." Shouto nods in front of him. 

"Then make your own dinner." Katsuki barks heatlessly. 

Shouto hums. "No, thank you. I like your cooking."

"Then don't complain about it!"

"We're having a movie night in the common room after we clean up the kitchen." Eijirou says as Izuku picks up his chopsticks to dig in. "Just a comfort film with the lights dimmed. I think it's a good way to relax after the week we've had."

Ochako leans against the red head's shoulder. "I can make everyone hot cocoa too."

"Excellent idea. I have peppermint and milk chocolate cocoa powder in the cabinet we can use." Momo appears behind her, leaning over slightly to place a mug of hot tea by Izuku's plate. He thanks her with a shallow bow since his cheeks are stuffed with crispy pork goodness.

"Thanks, mom!" Kirishima beams and Ochako giggles. Momo pinches both of their cheeks before returning to her seat between Kyoka and Shouto.

"I call dibs on snuggling with Todoroki." Kaminari cheerfully claims from somewhere down the table.

"I shall do my best in keeping you warm." Shouto nods without looking up with his plate.

"Gross." Izuku doesn't have to look to know there was a look of mild disgust with the blonde's grunted response. 

"Are you joining us, Deku?" Ochako asks, picking apart her rice.

Izuku stops shoveling pork and rice into his mouth long enough to answer. "I'll probably fall asleep if I do." 

"Bro, half the class will too. It's fine." Eijirou waves off his worries. "Bakugo picked the movie since he made dinner."

So that means Kacchan is staying up to watch it too. 

Well......a movie night doesn't sound bad at all. 

"If I drool on anyone, then I apologize in advance." Izuku says, swaying gently as he eats. Katsuki snorts.

Slowly, plates get emptied and bellies get filled.

The kitchen clean up crew consists of Shouto, Tokoyami, Aoyama, Koda, and Toru. Which means Izuku gets to slump back onto the couch and curl into a ball. He tries to keep his eyes open while Kyoka sets up the movie, but then the lights get dimmed and Izuku starts to think all hopes of staying awake are lost.

Something heavy and warm smacks him a little more awake. The bundle of soft fabric falls off his face and shoulders and he sits up to untangle himself. The blue cloud printed blanket, the weighted one that sits folded in the blonde's closet, feels soft and comforting over his lap.

A foot kicks weakly at his legs, still stretched halfway over the couch. Izuku smiles as Katsuki settles onto the cushion next to him. 

"You ain't gotta stay awake, you know." 

Blinking at the blonde haired perfectly blended mix of a demon and angel, Izuku only smiles. 

"You picked the movie, so I wanna watch it." He says, leaning back against the couch again.

"Heh. What if it was a scary one?" Katsuki teases immediately. "You gonna hold my hand and scream bloody murder through every jump scare?"

"If you picked a scary one, then I'd have no choice." Izuku teases back. His filter failing miserably from the weight of exhaustion that sits on his shoulders. "Your actions have consequences, Kacchan. Don't be surprised if I steal all the blanket and end up crying in your lap."

Katsuki only laughs. It's an amused sound that brings butterflies to Izuku's stomach. 

"Maybe next time then." The blonde sighs, settling in next to him and spreading out the blanket. 

"Bakugo, would you like peppermint or milk chocolate cocoa?" Momo asks with Ochako and Sato behind her. 

"Neither." Katsuki answers without turning. 

"Hmm, I have a chai milk tea mix I think you'd like?" Momo goads him gently, leaning over the back of the couch. 

Katsuki snorts at her, shaking his head. "Sure, Ponytail. Thanks. Deku wants peppermint cocoa with exactly eight marshmallows, and chocolate syrup on top if you've got it." 

"Oh, that sounds delicious. I'll make that for myself too." Momo nods, already turning towards the kitchen. 

Izuku's eyes betray him by watering with the force of a broken dam. He sniffles, twitching his nose. "You remembered."

"Tch, how could I forget? It's fuckin' gross." Katsuki grumbles back, crossing his arms. 

Izuku leans his head to the side, plopping his cheek onto the blonde's shoulder. "Thanks, Kacchan." 

"Whatever, nerd."

"I thought I was Pound Cake or Apple Dumplin' now?" Izuku chuckles under his breath. 

"I can't call you that everytime. I gotta catch you off guard to get your true reaction when you least expect it."

Izuku hums. "So it's a special occasion type of thing then? I should come up with cute names for you too."

"You already did. I've been Kacchan my whole damn life." Katsuki chuckles back. "I don't even remember the last time you said my actual name. I'm starting to think you can't even pronounce it."

"Katchu-....Ketsaki?.....Kitsa-" Izuku starts to tease, wrinkling his nose. 

"Oi!" Katsuki barks, an inch from his ear. 

Izuku's hand moves up, planting itself over Katsuki's face to stop the shouting before it even starts. "Kacchan, sshhh. Not so loud. Headache."

His hand drops back to his lap. A sigh ruffles his curls, and a weight settles ontop of his head. Izuku strains lightly to look up. Blonde spikes barely peak out over his messy green bangs. 

"Right, sorry." 

His voice is so quiet. So gentle. Izuku starts to think it's a dream. Maybe he fell asleep on the couch before Kacchan sat beside of him. Izuku nuzzles his head gently side to side under the blonde's. 

"It's okay." 

As the bustling and settling of their classmates starts, two mugs get passed to them in the dim light. His with exactly eight marshmallows and chocolate syrup over the top. Katsuki's smelling of spice and milk.

Izuku let's out another excited soft gasp when the intro to the classic spy movie that features David Sheild himself starts. Katsuki silently huffs above him, settling closer. Their shoulders and arms pressed together, Izuku's head stays tucked under the blonde's, and every breath slightly ruffles his hair. 

He gets through the first fight scene when the mug of half drank cocoa is pried from his limp hands. Izuku hums, pulling at the blanket and twisting slightly towards the endless supply of warmth next to him. Another breathy sigh of amusement tickles his ear. The weighted blanket gets wrapped around him. His cheek gets heavily pressed to a warm firm chest. A heartbeat roars steadily against his ear. The blanket moves idly, as if stroking his bicep and rubbing light circles into the middle of his back.

Izuku falls asleep to the burnt sugary scent of nitroglycerin and the sound of a thudding heart.

"If you wake him up, I will shave your head." 

"But bro-" A voice that is definitely Kirishima's starts, followed by a sharp inhale. "Hang on, don't move." 

"The fuck do you think you're doing?"

"Taking a picture. I'll send it to you." 

"Shhhh. You can't risk waking him up, Blasty." Someone else mocks, probably Kaminari. 

Izuku blinks one eye open, squinting at the dull light of the common room. He shifts, twisting roughly to turn away when a harsh grunt burns his ears. His elbow digs into a string set of ribs. 

Oh, no.

Ohhhhh, he's so dead.

"Ka-Kacchan?" Izuku asks without looking up, too afraid to see the blonde's raged expression. 

"Go back to sleep." Is all he gets as an answer. The arms around him loosen slightly, as if giving him an easy way out. 

Izuku relaxes again, though his heart flutters with the strength of One for All, five percent, in his chest. He pillows his cheek against a firm shoulder. A tiny patch of dampness sits close to his mouth, so Izuku figures this is exactly where he was before he woke up. 

He fell asleep on Kacchan. 

Kacchan held him while he slept, and is still holding him. 

He hasn't been blown to bits and blasted into orbit yet, and probably won't given the tight comforting arms around his back and waist. 

Kacchan told him to go back to sleep. He didn't say go to bed. He didn't say to get off. Kacchan definitely didn't curse him six ways from Sunday for drooling on his shoulder. 

No, Kacchan kept his arms where they were and told him to go back to sleep.

Izuku is a weak man and a leech at heart. He'll suck up all the unexpected affection to make this one moment last a lifetime. The memory will be framed and sat over the fireplace mantal at the center of his mind for all of eternity.

This is so going in his journal later. 

"Okay, Kacchan." He mumbles with his cheek squished to a broad shoulder. "You sleep too."

"Don't tell me what to do." Katsuki barks back, though it lacks the usual mirth. 

Izuku yawns unabashedly into the blonde's neck, turning towards him even more. His hand pops out from its place tucked between them and smacks around for the blanket before he tugs it up over his shoulder and makes sure the blonde is covered too. Katsuki snorts at him, but it almost sounds fond.

Izuku counts six white sheep before sleep tugs at his consciousness once more.

Chapter Text

It's been twenty-seven hours of Kacchan-less contact, and Izuku is going crazy. 

Each time he walks into the common area, the kitchen, the dorm baths, the gym, anywhere that basically isn't the classroom or training grounds, Katsuki just leaves. 

The blonde goes to his room, and doesn't say a word. 

Something is wrong and Izuku is gonna pry that something out of Katsuki's bolted up-emotionally constipated-butt. Even if he has to hold a flashlight over each of his classmates' heads and give them the good cop/bad cop routine to get answers. He's gonna get to the bottom of this, because like absolute heck is he gonna let all that affection and comfort that's grown between them wither away.

Speaking of friends, they've been acting weird too. Skittish almost. They haven't exactly been avoiding him too, but they are most certainly hiding something. The proof was in the pudding, when he asked Mina and Ochako about it. They both just shook their heads and told him to talk to Katsuki if he wanted to know.

So what's the most rational thing to do in this situation? Ask Kacchan, obviously.

He marches straight to Kacchan's door, and knocks unsteadily with his knuckles.

"Fuck off, fruity pebbles." Katsuki shouts back immediately. Izuku hasn't heard that nickname, so he isn't sure if it's for Mina or Eijirou. 

"Kacchan? It's me."

"Oh, in that case. Fuck off, Deku." 

Izuku swallows nervously. He attempts to twist the door handle, finding it locked. "I'm not leaving until you talk to me." 

Silence answers him. Izuku hums, thumping his forehead against the door. 

"I am not above camping out in the hallway all night, Kacchan. Please let me in?" 

Silence again, but heavy feet stomp towards the door on the other side. The door doesn't get opened, but Izuku does hear the tell-tale sound of the lock unlatching.

He tries the doorknob again. It twists, letting the light of the hallway flood the blonde's dimly lit room briefly. Izuku steps inside, shutting the door behind him. 

Silence envelopes them again. Katsuki lays back on his bed. A blue stress relief/physical therapy ball gets tossed to the ceiling then caught in his hand repeatedly. 

"Did you come in here just to stare at me?" He growls under his breath. 

Izuku shakes his head. "I....I want to know why you're avoiding me."

"Who said I was avoiding you? Maybe I just want some peace and fucking quiet sometimes. Ever think of that?" 

"The fact that you've not answered any of my texts and won't let me get within ten feet of you says alone that you're avoiding me. I'm observant enough to know when I've done something to upset you, and I want to know what I did so I can fix it." 

"Fuck off. Go bother round face or shitty hair." Katsuki grunts back, throwing the ball harder against the ceiling.

Izuku winces each time the blue ball hits with a smack.

"Is...Is it because of all the touching? I can do it less often? If it makes you that uncomfortable, then I'll stop." He almost whispers. "I know I got a bit carried away. I was just so happy. I'm sorry if-if it upset you. I really won't do it again. I know the um....movie night was definitely crossing a line."

"Crossing a line? Deku, you crossed that line weeks ago."

Izuku's head tilts. "Uh......when-when I hugged you first? If you weren't okay with it, then why did you let me keep doing it?"

Katsuki sighs, growls, then sits forward violently.

"Because I thought we were getting better! I thought things were...I don't fucking know, healing? Between us? Here I was, thinking that you weren't scared of me anymore. Thinking that you maybe liked me, but no. That was a joke. A big ass way to fuck with me, and I'm not gonna let you use me like that. I know I'm an asshole. And maybe in some fucked up way, I deserved it. But it's over, and I'm not gonna let you fuck with my head anymore."

Oh, yeah that makes sense.

Except for that one part where it doesn't? 

"I don't understand, Kacchan. I thought we were getting better too! I thought that you were at least tolerating me!"

"Oh, don't play games with me. The jig is up, dickhead. I know about your stupid fucking video. I know all about your fucked up pranks and bullshit. I'm not falling for it again. Just get the hell out of my room." Katsuki growls, slamming the physical therapy ball against his nightstand.

The video.

The tiktok video. The compilation of hugs and hand holding, posted on social media.

Oh, no.

Oh god, what has he done?

"Kacchan, I promise it wasn't like that. It wasn't meant to be anything bad. It was just for fun!" 

Katsuki grimaces, then scowls. "Yeah, fucking figured that out already."

"Kacchan, please-"

"I already told you to leave." The blonde growls again, looking down at his lap.

Izuku's fits clench at his sides. "I do like you, Kacchan."

"I said get out! Get the fuck out! Leave me alone!" Katsuki screams at him. Palms sparking against his flame resistant joggers.

Izuku stubbornly continues. "I like being with you, hugging you, sitting with you, studying with you, sparring with you, hanging out with you."

Katsuki jumps to his feet, trying to push Izuku back towards the door. "Yeah? You're full of shit, you know that? If you like me so much, then you wouldn't have needed to be bribed into this whole goddamn mess. You would have hugged me without Icy-Hot or Round Face bribing you to do it. But you didn't, did you? You used me for a fucking trend, Deku."

Okay. Yep. Now it all makes sense. Izuku, the big headed jerk. He's gonna get that tattooed on his forehead. 

"At first yes, because I didn't want to make you hate me even more. Up until a few weeks ago, I thought my very presence pissed you off. I thought you hated me, and I thought you'd hate me even more if I even tried to get close to you. They know how I feel about you, so they were probably just trying to help me get closer to you. I promise you though, after the first two times, it was all me." Izuku pleads with shaking hands. 

"I held your hand because I wanted to. I hugged you because I wanted to. I-I was close to you, because I wanted to be. Not for the video, not because someone bribed me into it, but just because that's what I wanted. I just.....I just wanted to be your friend again. I loved getting to be so close to you, without you getting mad at me for invading your personal space. It was a dream come true."

Katsuki stands in front of him. Red faced with a heaving chest. Izuku takes another quivering breath.

"We were getting closer, and I-I was hoping....you maybe even liked me. I messed up, I know I did. I shouldn't have let them talk me into it, and I shouldn't have played along at first. But I swear Kacchan, I really really really do like you. Love you, even. I'm so so sorry for this whole mess, and I'll do whatever I can to make it up to you. Please believe me though, I've wanted to know what it felt like to be held by you and be this close to you again for so long." 

Izuku takes a step back, then bows as deeply as possible without flopping forward. "I'm sorry for making you feel like I was using you. I'm sorry for upsetting you and breaking your trust. I'm sorry for everything, please tell me how I can make it up to you. I'll do anything just....please don't push me away again." 

Tears fall onto the floor between them from watery green eyes. Izuku's ears burn as hot as his cheeks. Whatever Kacchan wants, he can have. Izuku would do anything just short of murder. Maybe even actual murder, depending on who Katsuki asks him to kill. A life sentence behind bars doesn't sound too bad, if it means earning back Kacchan's trust and friendship. Maybe he would even visit him from time to time? Separated by bulletproof glass and talking through a phone box like in the movies. 

"Stand up." Katsuki orders, and Izuku does so stiffly. 

One hand reaches up, stopping short of his cheek. Izuku blinks at it, then at the blonde with a tilted head. Katsuki seems to sigh something heavy with relief. 

"You didn't flinch."

Izuku's head tilts even more. His bottom lip wobbles, and his voice shakes.

"Why would I?" He asks quietly. 

"Because you used to. Anytime I reached for you, or stood next to you and used my quirk, you'd flinch." Katsuki answers just as quietly. 

Izuku looks at the hand still raised just inches from his cheek. He leans towards it, letting warm soft fingertips brush his cheekbone. 

"I used to." He hums in agreement with his cheek now pressed flush to a silky smooth palm. "I don't have a reason to anymore."

"Pinky showed me the video. Icy-Hot told me about the bribery." Katsuki admits.

Izuku nods solemnly. "I....I am sorry, Kacchan. I really am. I can ask Toru to delete the video?" 

Katsuki shakes his head. "The only parts with me in it, are from when you and your idiots bombarded us in the kitchen, when you made cupcakes, and when you held my hand while we were studying. All of the other times....were they videoed too?"

"No. That was just me wanting to touch you, b-because I like you." Izuku answers, blinking away more tears that blurr his vision. "Honest."

A thumb swipes up and over his cheek. "I believe you said you loved me."

Izuku scowls, puffing out his cheek. "I didn't say that."

"Hmm. You did though."

"Did not." Izuku tries to deflect nervously. His word vomitting habbits will be the death of him one day.

"You can't gaslight me, nerd. I'm better than that." Katsuki huffs. 

Izuku juts out his bottom lip, still gently nuzzling his cheek against a comforting hand. Katsuki sighs again.

"Well, that's too bad."

One green bushy brow raises in question. "Why?"

"Because I probably would've said that I loved you too. Now I can't, because you don't love me. What a shame."

Izuku gasps. "W-Wait a minute."

"Too late. Your loss." The blonde shrugs.

"No! I do! I-I do love you!"

Katsuki huffs again. "You said you didn't?"

"I lied. I'm a no good big fat liar. I love you, Kacchan. I really really do." Izuku almost pleads.

"You're a dork. You're my dork, though."

"You said you'd say it back!" 

"Did I? I don't recall." Katsuki chuckles. 

"Don't gaslight me either." Izuku pouts again. "I really do love you, and I really hope you can forgive me for.....making you feel like I didn't."

"I don't know, nerd. Go on a date with me, then we'll talk."

The dam has broken. Somebody call that one biblical guy to build another arc. They're gonna need it. The Nile river is about to lose it's title as longest river in the world, because Izuku is gonna cry one big enough to wrap around Japan at least ten times.

"I love you too, Pound Cake."

Make that a hundred times.

"Ka-Kacchan!" Izuku wails helplessly. Sobbing and shaking. Arms wrap around him, tucking him tight against a comforting warmth that Izuku now and forever considers his safe haven. 

"Fuck, I missed this." The blonde grumbles into green curls. "You and your touchy-feely bullshit. Got me addicted to fucking affection, of all things. Disgusting."

Izuku laughs wetly into the blonde's shirt. "You can have twenty-seven hours worth of my touchy-feely crap and more."

"What exactly does that include? Is there a limit to this touchy shit I should know about?" Katsuki asks, rubbing his face shamelessly into messy curls. 

"Nope. Whatever you want, you can have. I don't care so long as I can be close to you and you don't make me leave." 

Katsuki scoffs. "Absolutely not. You're not allowed out of my sight 'till I say so."

Izuku pulls away to lean his head back and look up into beautifully red eyes. "I wouldn't want it an other way, Kacchan." 

One second Izuku was planted firm on the ground, the next he was being pulled up to his toes at an almost painful angle. A warm hand grips his chin, tilting his head back and holding him in place. Before he can mumble out a question between squished cheeks, his lips are claimed. 

Oh, to be kissed by Kacchan? 

Jesus take the wheel.

All those other days that Izuku wrote about in his journal, claiming they were the best days ever? Scrap that. This takes the cake. This day is the winner of all days. The bestest day of his life. No valid arguments can be made against his decree. 

Katsuki pulls away with a soft smack. 

"Izuku." He whispers against his puckered lips. 

"Hm?" 

"You're floating." 

Izuku looks down and sure enough, his legs are bent and his feet hover above the floor. Sorry seventh user of One for All, Nana. That was not on purpose, though the view is kinda nice. Kacchan looking up at him with flushed soft features......

Ugh.

Okay, that train of thought needs derailed immediately. 

"S-Sorry." Izuku mumbles, plopping back into the floor. "Uh...mmph-"

Okay, more kissing. Not a problem. No complains here. Soft welcoming lips press against his repeatedly. Pulling away, only to firmly return again and again.

"You're a stupid nerd, and I love you." 

Izuku sobs against pale soft lips. "I love you too, Kacchan."

"I love you more."

Izuku pulls away, suddenly way more sober than before. "Absolutely not. I love you more."

"Denied. I love you the most."

"Kacchan, you can't just veto the amount that I love you." 

"I just did. I love you the most." The blonde smirks.

"You do not! I love you way more!"

"Oh yeah? On what grounds?"

"I've-I've loved you for way longer!" Izuku answers quickly. "Since we were kids!"

"Nope. I love you more." Katsuki shakes his head. "I'll prove it too. I'll be the best damn boyfriend you've ever had."

"You're the only boyfriend I've ever had." Izuku admits with a feverish blush.

"Even-fucking-better." Katsuki grins, leaning down to kiss him again.

Izuku plants his hand on the blonde's puckered mouth. "Don't side track me right now. I love you way more than you love me!"

"Yeah? Prove it." Katsuki grins.

So....Izuku does...sort of. 

He drags the blonde to his room, digs out his journal from under his mattress, and let's Katsuki read all his horrible simpery. Izuku Midoriya, grade A simp of Katsuki Bakugo. No shame no game. Hand him his trophy now, as number one simp of simps. 

Once Katsuki has finished reading the degenerative writings, Izuku gets kissed stupid until he ends up with a first class ticket on cloud nine. 

He's shamelessly addicted to all things Kacchan, which unexpectedly started with a single hug. Hugs should be classified as gateway drugs for touch starved people at this point. Hook, line, and sinker.

End.....?