Work Text:
1
Sero
Katsuki is in the gym with Sero when it happens.
They're working out when a routine fire drill starts, and Sero drops to the floor, hyperventilating.
“Tape guy,” Katsuki grunts out. “Oi, plain face, we gotta go. There’s a fucking fire drill.” Sero won’t respond. His eyes are wide and glued to the floor in front of him and his whole body is shaking.
Now, Katsuki is no stranger to panic attacks. He knows one when he sees one. But Sero? Katsuki didn’t realize he got those.
Katsuki snaps in front of Sero’s face. “Hey, hey, soy sauce. I need you to look at me.” He tilts Sero’s chin up with his hand. “You there?” Sero gives the smallest, most imperceptible nod. “Good. Breathe with me." Sero takes deep breaths with him. "Can you fucking talk or am I gonna have to drag your ass to Recovery Girl?”
He clears his throat. “Sorry. Any kind of alarm… It just…” He shudders. “All I could see was the fire. It was everywhere.”
“I fuckin' get it. Do you need anything, Sero?”
Sero shakes his head. “No, it’s fine.” His signature grin comes back. “Hold on, did Bakugou Katsuki just do a nice?”
Katsuki rolls his eyes. “I get panic attacks too, idiot.”
“You do?”
He scowls. “What, is that surprising to you? I’ve been the victim of three separate villain attacks, including one time where I got fucking kidnapped,” he says.
Sero winces. “Right. Sorry, dude. I just meant that you don’t seem like the kind of guy who has anxiety, but I guess with enough trauma, anything’s possible, right?” He laughs.
“Yeah, guess so.” Katsuki looks back at him. “And… Don’t fucking tell anyone.”
Sero's face softens. “Of course.”
2
Ashido
“Owww!!!” Ashido yells for what feels like the billionth time in the past hour. “Kiri, I’m sorry… You can have my sex toy collection when I die…” She flops dramatically onto the couch, making a little “blegh” sound.
Kirishima stifles a snort. “You’re not dying, Mina. You’re fine.”
“But it huuuurts,” she whines.
This makes Katsuki snap. “God, would you just shut the fuck up and go to Recovery Girl already?!”
Ashido sighs. “I can’t go to Recovery Girl for this. Sadly, I don’t think she can cure me of periods.”
Katsuki immediately feels guilty. He has extreme cramps during his periods, so he empathizes. “Oh.” He pauses, getting up to go to the kitchen. “Wait right there for a fuckin’ minute.”
Katsuki gets out the ingredients he needs. He mixes and thinks at the same time. Kirishima and Ashido are pretty close… Maybe I should be nicer to her? He frowns. Why should I care if they’re close? Katsuki pops the finished product into the fridge to cool, setting a timer on his phone. When it goes off, he pulls the treat out and takes it over to Ashido.
“Here. Might be a little dark for your tastes, but that’s not my fucking problem. Don’t eat too much, Ashido.”
Ashido takes a bite and squeals. “This is probably the best chocolate I’ve ever had! Thanks, blasty!!”
Kirishima smiles as Ashido continues to obliterate the homemade chocolate with her face. “That was really nice of you, dude!”
“Tch.” Katsuki rolls his eyes. He hesitates before saying, “My periods can be the shittiest, so I understand.”
They gape at him. Kirishima clears his throat. “You’re trans?”
“Yeah.”
Kirishima immediately lights up. “Wow! Thank you for telling me!”
I nod. “It’s cool. Just… Don’t tell anyone.” Why am I so relieved that he doesn’t think of me any differently?
Ashido smiles. “Of course not, silly!”
3
Jiro
“Hey, Bakugou.”
Katsuki looks up, annoyed that someone was interrupting his lunch time. Lunch period is for eating, not socializing! “What do you fucking want, lobes?”
Jiro holds up her phone. “Wanna listen to a song I like? I want an outside opinion on whether or not it’s good, and all Denks listens to is Smash Mouth.”
Katsuki wants to object as she put the earbuds in his ears, but then the peaceful sound of a ukulele drowns out his thoughts. He listens to the song, paying attention to the lyrics.
When you fall asleep I watch you for a minute
'Cause you look so pretty, where do I begin
It's hard to find words to describe
Something I can't compare
This makes Katsuki think of a time when Kirishima fell asleep on his shoulder. It was so inconvenient, but for some reason, Katsuki didn’t mind. He couldn’t stop staring, either.
And it could be minutes or hours before you wake up
And I'll still be awake but I won't interrupt
I'll just hold you
While running my hand through your hair
Katsuki scoffs, thinking of Kirishima and his shitty hair. He wishes Kirishima would wear it down more often, so he could feel how soft it is.
And one forever won't be enough
I'll need as many as I can get
The same song's been stuck in my head for months
But I'm not getting tired of it yet
I never thought I'd know what happy felt like
Especially if I wasn't on my own
But ever since you've been a part of my life
I'd rather be with you than be alone
Katsuki wonders when he started to prefer the company of his so-called squad more than being by himself.
And when I hear you sing, of course it isn't perfect
But I've always felt special each time that I've heard it
And you may not think it sounds great
But it's lovely to me
Katsuki snickers, thinking of the time during the school festival when Kirishima tried to sing. It sounded awful, but something about it was endearing to Katsuki.
And when you're around, you make me feel okay again
Texting my parents to ask if I can stay again
'Cause when I'm with you
I'm exactly who I wanna be
He remembers a time before the dorms, when him and Kirishima were always at each other’s houses. It invokes a strange sense of nostalgia in him.
And one forever won't be enough
I'll need as many as I can get
The same song's been stuck in my head for months
But I'm not getting tired of it yet
I've yet to find a side of you I don't love
Even when you haven't felt your best
You're everything I ever could've dreamed of
Oh, a year ago, we never would've guessed
Katsuki thinks about Kirishima; stupid, perfect Kirishima, who has everything Katsuki could never have, but he doesn’t resent him for it. He just wishes they could be perfect together.
He’s surprised when, instead of continuing to sing, the songwriter starts talking in an emphatic and sincere tone.
You are the only thing
I have ever been sure of
I just, I'm so sure that I want to be with you
And- and I love you so much
And the song ends.
He supposes it wasn’t as horrible as he was expecting. He thinks back on the lyrics, telling of a domestic, wholesome kind of love. It resonates, somehow, but he pushes that feeling down. He’s not in love with anyone. So why is he thinking of Kirishima?
Katsuki takes out the earbuds. “Your taste in music ain’t half bad, lobes.”
“Thanks. Anyways, I mostly like this song because it reminds me of Momoyao. I’m dating her, by the way.”
This makes Katsuki do a double take. “You always go around telling random-ass people who your girlfriend is?”
“You’re not a random person,” she counters. “You’re my friend.”
And this… This makes Katsuki feel things. He scowls, trying to hide the inner storm of emotions he feels at that one word.
Jiro looks disappointed with Katsuki’s facial expression. “Wow. I really thought you’d be okay with me being bi.”
“That’s not it! I just-“ he cuts himself off, sighing. “I don’t fucking care that you’re bi, Jiro. I’m gay, and I didn’t think there was anyone else… Well, like me in the class.” He chooses to omit the part about his stupid confused feelings at the idea of having friends.
She looks pleasantly surprised. “Oh. Thank you for telling me. I won’t tell anyone.”
4
Kaminari
Katsuki is woken up at midnight by a scream.
He stomps off to the source of the noise, which turns out to be on the floor below them. He hears talking coming from Kaminari’s room and assumes that’s where the scream came from. Slamming the door open, Katsuki is fully prepared to tell them off when he sees Jiro embracing a crying Kaminari.
Jiro gives him a pained look. “Nightmare.”
Katsuki immediately tries to shelve his "'fuck you' aura", as Sero once put it. “What was it about?”
She looks over to Kaminari, who nods timidly, still hiccuping. “There was this girl at our middle school. Hinoko Onaru. She was our best friend, Den’s especially. She got bullied a lot. She always struggled with depression, but… Her parents never tried anything. Therapy, medications, they said it was all bogus. Said she was doing it for attention.”
“I know the type,” Katsuki says, grimacing, and gestures for her to go on.
Jiro nods. “One day Onaru told us she was going away. She said her parents were sending her to a boarding school and she didn’t know when she’d come back. She told us she wanted us to keep her favorite locket in case she didn’t see us again. Later that day, she… She jumped off a bridge.”
And oh, that stings. Katsuki chokes, unable to contain his guilt.
She got bullied a lot.
“I s-still have the l-locket.” Kaminari pulls it out of his desk drawer, opening it. Inside is a picture of Jiro, Kaminari, and a chubby girl with salmon-colored hair, but all Katsuki sees is green. Green eyes, green hair, and a smattering of freckles across a childlike face.
He thinks of Kirishima, and how angry he would be if he knew his best friend was such a monster.
“Listen, Kaminari,” Katsuki starts, grabbing Kaminari’s hands. “When me and Deku… When me and Izuku were kids, I bullied him. I called him worthless, I threatened him, I hit him… But probably the worst thing I ever did was tell him to kill himself.” Jiro and Kaminari look at me with disgust. This is it, I think. They’re finally gonna leave forever now that they know how awful I am. “L-look, I understand why I shouldn’t do that now. I never had friends when I was a kid. I had followers. The only friend I had was De- Izuku, and I hated him so much that I poured everything I had into being his polar opposite. And that’s how I ended up.” I look away. “If I could change anything about my past, I wouldn’t stop myself from being kidnapped. I would change how I treated him. I get it if you don’t wanna be friends anymore, though.”
Jiro and Kaminari’s faces have morphed into those of shock and amazement. Then they start giggling.
Jiro grins. “What do you think, Denks? Should we accept his apology?”
Kaminari laughs wetly. “I dunno, Kyo. Maybe we should milk this a little more. Get him to throw in an apology breakfast in bed, maybe?”
“Hey assholes, I’m trying to be sincere here.”
Jiro smiles. “We know. Thank you.”
+1
“I’m sorry, Izuku”
Katsuki decides he has to do something about it when Aizawa notices.
“Hound Dog is available for counseling if you need it,” he had informed Katsuki yet again. But he doesn’t need counseling. He needs to make things right.
Katsuki walks quickly and with purpose to Deku’s table. He sits down. “Deku.” No, damn it! Don’t start it off with an insult!
“Hi, Kacchan.”
Katsuki looks away. “I… Have something to tell you.”
Deku tilts his head. “What is it?”
“Deku… D-do you remember in middle school when I told you to kill yourself?”
Todoroki shoots him a glare that could kill a lesser man. “Seriously, Bakugou?”
“That wasn’t very tactful, ribbit,” Asui adds.
Uraraka moves to get up from her seat. "You wanna fucking go, Bakubitch? 'Cause I'll kick your ass right now."
Deku grabs her wrist and drags her back into her seat. "Don't embarrass yourself, Ochaco. Besides, we should listen to what he has to say.” Deku turns to Katsuki. “Of course I do, Kacchan.”
Katsuki grimaces at the ease with which he remembered it. He was kind of hoping Deku had forgotten about it, but with how quickly he’d recalled it, he clearly thinks about it often. “I wanted to… Apologize,” he says, the word feeling foreign on his tongue. “For that. And for everything else, I guess. I know you know I didn’t mean what I said, but that doesn’t make it okay. I still think about what would’ve happened if you had listened. I still have nightmares about it. I… God, I hate this. I fucking suck at this, this whole apologizing thing. Maybe that’s the problem. But I just… I still want to be your friend.” Katsuki somehow manages to look him in the eye. “I’m sorry, Izuku.”
Katsuki is not at all surprised to see tears welling up in the younger boy’s eyes. Deku jumps up and tackles him in a fierce hug, squeezing the air out of his lungs. “Kacchan!! Thank you so much!!” He sobs. “I can’t believe you called me Izuku… And said we were friends.. You haven’t done either of those things since we were four,” he blubbers.
Katsuki smiles, hugging him back, and lets himself enjoy this moment.
+2
“I love you, Eijiro”
Katsuki doesn’t know when it started.
All he knows is that somewhere in between gentle touches that lingered far too long to be considered friendly and intense eye contact that could only be described as intimate, he fell in love with Kirishima Eijiro. And he’ll be damned if he’s just gonna sit there and do nothing about it.
Somehow, apologizing to Deku seems like nothing compared to this. Deep down, he knows it’s because really, Deku never would’ve rejected Katsuki’s apology. He doesn’t know how to give up on someone. But Kirishima- Katsuki’s not so sure about him.
He takes a deep breath and knocks on Kirishima’s door. It opens.
“Yeah?”
Katsuki is suddenly very interested in the Crimson Riot poster behind Kirishima. “I have something I need to say.”
“Okay. Is something wrong?” Kirishima eyes me suspiciously. “You didn’t get in a fight again, did you? Jeez, I hope not. You just apologized to Midoriya.”
Katsuki bristles. “Wh- no, I didn’t get in a fight! I’m here because I wanna talk to you!”
“Oh!” Kirishima smiles. “Lay it on me.”
Katsuki inhales. “I hate you.” Kirishima’s face falls. Katsuki continues, hoping Kirishima will get it if he elaborates a little more. “I hate the way you talk, the way you smile, and the way you laugh. I hate your eyes and your teeth and your stupid shitty hair. I hate your gentle, compassionate heart. How dare you walk into my life and make me feel things? I’ll have you know I was doing just fine on my own. I was perfectly content to wallow in my own misery before you showed up. Now you’ve ruined me! And I’ll never forgive you, because…” Katsuki looks down. “Because I love you, Eijiro.”
Kirishima surges forward and captures Katsuki’s lips in a starved kiss. Katsuki melts into his touch, letting his eyes fall closed and moving with him. When they pull back for air, Kirishima’s laughing.
“I can’t believe that was your way of confessing!”
Katsuki is not pouting. “Oi! Don’t laugh at me, you fucker!” Kirishima continues, seeming on the brink of tears. “Shitty hair!”
“You weren’t calling me shitty hair a second ago,” Kirishima teases. Katsuki grumbles with a vague fondness to his voice. “Say it again.”
And he doesn’t have to specify what he means. “I love you, Eijiro.”
“Love you too,” Kirishima leans in and kisses him, “Katsuki.”