Archive of Our Own ^beta

Bakugou Katsuki doesn’t get jealous.

For one, he has no reason to be jealous. He’s strong, he’s fast, he has one of the most badass quirks of all time -- even off the combat field, he’s smart as fuck and his work ethic is second to none. He goes at everything with 100%, whether it’s beating up villains or acing an exam or completing household chores.

And while he’s certainly expressive, almost aggressively so, in anger and pride and all those things, jealousy is an emotion so far beneath him he can’t even recognize what it should feel like. The best of the best, and all that.

So when Katsuki arrives at UA, he crushes the competition, as per usual, and leaves everyone behind to eat his dust.

Well, almost everyone. 

Todoroki Shouto looks more like a supermodel than a superhero, and Katsuki expects someone like him to be walking down a runway instead of tearing across a training ground. Yet as he watches the other boy ice over an entire building in a fraction of a second, Katsuki wonders -- shivering in his hero costume, not just from the cold but also from the realization that for the first time, one of his peers is stronger than him -- if this is how everyone else had felt whenever they saw his own explosive quirk in action.

He decides then, that Todoroki Shouto is the one to beat. There’s no official ranking in class like there is for pro heroes, but Katsuki has already mentally designated Todoroki as the number one -- a mountain to climb, a summit to crush. The realization that Katsuki is no longer at the top of the food chain sits in his gut like a dumbbell, bringing forth no small amount of frustration and anger -- but he isn’t jealous. If anything, it motivates him even more to become the best he can possibly be, to knock this smarmy bastard down a few pegs, and establish his dominance once and for all.

The Sports Festival is the perfect opportunity. The event will be televised -- good, for Katsuki, that the whole country can see his unquestionable victory when he inevitably takes first place. It’s a chance for him to showcase the extent of his power, a chance to stake an irrefutable number one.

But it doesn’t go to plan. Todoroki challenges Deku of all people -- spineless, sniveling Deku, who had been quirkless for almost Katsuki’s entire life. Todoroki confronts Deku about his powers and unloads his emotional baggage onto Deku and uses his flashy fire-and-ice move (which looks almost like one of Katsuki’s explosions, but on a much more massive scale than Katsuki himself could ever hope to reach) on Deku.

Each time Katsuki tries to catch his attention, to spark his fighting spirit, ignite his flames -- Todoroki looks right through him, distant and vacant and seeming a thousand miles away even though they’re in the same room. It’s completely unsportsmanlike and maybe Katsuki doesn’t exactly come from a place to be criticizing others’ behavior but the way that Todoroki acts throughout their whole match, the leadup to and the fight itself, is fucking disrespectful as hell.

When the smoke dissipates from Katsuki’s final explosion and the realization sinks in that Todoroki had just stood there and taken the hit, Katsuki loses it. He stomps in disbelief to his fallen classmate atop a bed of ice, hauls him up by the collar, screams at him with all the hurt and fury inside his explosive heart. 

And amidst that anger, there is something else, too -- an ugly, twisting emotion, like a knife being curled into his gut -- a new and unfamiliar feeling he doesn’t have the time to place before Midnight’s gas seeps into his airways. 

The last thought he has as he goes down is that he’s glad he’s being knocked unconscious before he can start crying on national television.

---

In the aftermath of the disastrous Sports Festival, Katsuki trains and trains, pushing himself and his quirk to the limits. He always needs more, needs to be faster, stronger, smarter, more perceptive and more adaptable. It’s not enough that Todoroki is still out of his reach, of course that stupid nerd had to go and pick up an insanely strong quirk too.

But the difference between Deku and Todoroki is that his shitty childhood friend/rival/victim of his prepubescent bullying is always there -- always concerned with him, meddling in his business even when Katsuki yells at him to piss off. Todoroki, on the other hand, remains as cold and unresponsive as the ice on his right half. 

Ever since the start of the year, the only person the two-toned bastard’s ever acknowledged was Deku. Declaring war on Deku, sharing his childhood trauma with Deku -- completely unprompted and unasked for, Katsuki may add.

Lighting his fire, for Deku. The same flames that Katsuki, for all his explosive efforts, couldn’t even get a lick of until the shitty nerd had called out to Todoroki from the audience -- only then had his left side ignited. And it was still all for nothing, because after the fog cleared, after Katsuki had given his 100%, he remained surrounded in a battlefield of ice, Todoroki’s fire nowhere to be seen.

Coward, Katsuki thinks, lip curling. Wimp. Weakling. Pathetic -- he stabs at his lunch hard enough that an unpleasant grating sound echoes along the table and ignores his classmates’ winces of discomfort. He chances a glance across the cafeteria to see Deku lost in another one of his stupid rambling tangents, Todoroki sitting next to him, signature deadpan expression seemingly spellbound by Deku’s shitty mumbling. 

Abruptly, Katsuki recalls their combat training class last Friday: Todoroki had most regrettably kicked his ass in quirkless hand-to-hand and the loss had sent Katsuki into a fit of rage, desperate for a revenge match. As they were changing, Katsuki stomped up and yanked his collar, demanding another one on one fight, no holds barred, quirks abound, Ground Beta. Todoroki had blinked at him, uttered a dispassionate “I’m busy,” shoved his hand aside and glided out of the locker room without a second glance.

Katsuki scowls and impales his food again, chewing his food as aggressively as one can chew soft tofu, all the while never ceasing his incendiary glaring at one peppermint-colored half-assed excuse for a hero.

“What’s eating you, dude?” Kaminari waves a hand in front of Katsuki’s face and takes it back just as he explodes the air his fingers had occupied half a second ago. The damn idiots have gotten good at dodging his explosions by now.

“Bakugou’s trying to melt Todoroki’s face off with his eyes again,” Kirishima observes solemnly.

Katsuki swivels his glare onto the redhead, but doesn’t bother correcting him; it’s not like he’s wrong. He hates how quickly Kirishima has come to understand him despite Katsuki’s overwhelmingly unwelcome personality, if only because it makes it supremely difficult to explode the dumbass out of his life when he can tell all his empty threats are just that, and even comprehend the -- ugh -- minuscule amount of gratitude and tiniest modicum of respect behind Katsuki’s prickly words.

Ashio cackles. “If you keep staring at him like that, people are gonna get the wrong idea, you know!”

“I’m fucking scoping out the competition so the next time we fight I can make him eat my dust, okay?! It’s battle tactics. Dumbass.”

Sero raises his eyebrows. “I dunno man, I’m not sure how much gawking at Todoroki slurping noodles five days a week helps you with ‘battle tactics’.” He says the last part with air quotes.

Katsuki brandishes his chopsticks aggressively, sending flecks of sauce flying in every direction. “As if you’d know, Soy Sauce! Icy Hot took you out in like two fucking seconds!”

Sero grumbles unhappily as he wipes sauce off his cheek, no doubt recalling his extremely one-sided and frankly embarrassing fight with Todoroki during the Sports Festival.

Kirishima grins. “Wow dude, that almost sounded like praise! You sure you’re not trying to be his friend instead?”

“Did all that dye finally rot your tiny brain, Shitty Hair!?”

Ashido slams her hands on the table in excitement. “Bakugou! If you wanna be friends with Todoroki so bad, you should just ask!”

Katsuki’s hands start crackling of their own will as he glowers at the pink alien. “I don’t want to fucking be his friend--”

“He’s a lot more approachable these days, thanks to Midoriya,” Ashido continues with a delighted laugh, ignorant of Katsuki’s escalating rage. “It’s like the ice prince is being defrosted!”

Katsuki’s jaw twitches violently at the mention of Deku, and he sends a few explosions Ashido’s way, which she sadly dodges. “Over my dead fucking body! I want that bastard obliterated.”

Sero snorts derisively. “Obliterated, right.”

“I’ll beat that pretty boy’s face so bad his scar will be symmetrical --”

Ashido gasps, eyes twinkling. “Did you just call him ‘pretty’? You’re right, I mean, I just didn’t expect --”

“It’s an insult!” Katsuki roars, palms sparking again.

“Bro, it’s chill, Todoroki’s gorgeousness is basically a fact of nature,” Kirishima reassures him. “No homo. Or full homo, love is love man --”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP, HAIR FOR BRAINS --” 

“Bakugou’s blushing!” Kaminari crows, self-preservation senses eternally lacking. Kirishima picks up his tray while instinctively hardening his entire body in anticipation for the fallout of Kaminari’s untimely declaration.

Lunch ends early for them after Katsuki upends everyone’s meals and leaves the table covered in scorch marks.

---

Something changes after the whole Kamino debacle, and it’s not just their new dorm life.

While Katsuki still would rather die than admit to being rescued -- the fact of the matter is that he’d been trapped in a villain hideout, and it had been his classmates, sneaking out of campus sans permission, risking it all to bring back one student who would normally never even give them the time of day.

Deku is there, obviously, to no one’s surprise -- the nerd’s had a savior complex from the very beginning, and it appears to have only intensified with time. Yaoyorozu and Iida, goody-two-shoes that they are, tagged along under the premise of making sure the group stayed out of trouble -- fine, Katsuki can kinda see it. And of course Kirishima, whose relationship with Katsuki is the closest he’ll admit to being “friends” -- Kirishima was there, extending a hand, the first hand that Katsuki has ever taken in his life.

But the reason for Todoroki Shouto’s presence that night continues to evade him.

If Kirishima is to be trusted -- and Katsuki can say that unfortunately, yes, he does trust him, to an extent -- Todoroki was half the reason the group went out in the first place. It was Kirishima and Todoroki who had the idea to go after Katsuki themselves, and Kirishima, he can understand, the idiot has refused to leave Katsuki alone ever since the start of school.

Todoroki, on the other hand, has consistently shown an utter lack of awareness where Katsuki is concerned -- he didn’t care back during the Sports Festival, he barely looks at him in or out of class -- so why was he there?

Pity? Guilt? Maybe it was the fact the two had been partnered during the Test of Courage, and Todoroki felt some warped sense of duty to protect him because of that. If Katsuki wasn’t completely paralyzed by fear at the time, he would have laughed at the anguish in those heterochromatic eyes when their owner reached out desperately only to grab at air, such a stark contrast they were against the emotionless facade everyone usually saw.

Whatever Todoroki’s motives were, the events at Kamino have made Katsuki’s feelings towards the half ‘n half bastard more confusing than ever. There’s still the lingering grudge from the Sports Festival, which Katsuki refuses to drop, but now there’s an unwilling sense of gratitude, however reluctant, mingled with it.

Respect, too -- Katsuki has always respected Todoroki’s abilities, and though he’d never voice it outside of his own internal thoughts (which even then, he tries to tamp down as much as possible), the notion of Todoroki willingly and openly disregarding rules and authority to sneak out and rescue find a missing classmate, well -- in Katsuki’s eyes, it’s a show of true heroism, and he can’t help but be a little bit impressed.

Impressed, and also shocked, because prior to this incident it seemed as though Todoroki wouldn’t even glance twice at him -- which was always infuriating beyond words, especially when Katsuki had labeled the halfie in his own mind as his Ultimate Rival while Todoroki seemed to view him as nothing more than a particularly loud and vulgar classmate.

But apparently Todoroki had looked at him -- he’d definitely watched out for him in the forest during that Test of Courage, given the number of times that an ice wall shot up in front of him before he could be impaled by that villain’s shitty tooth quirk. And afterwards, he was upset enough about Katsuki’s disappearance to concoct that shitty-ass, half-baked, not-a-rescue operation with Kirishima.

Katsuki’s not sure how to feel about it. He continues to glare at Todoroki through all his lunches, only pausing to set off some small explosions threateningly whenever Kaminari or one of the other idiots makes some brainless comment. He doesn’t want to fucking be friends with the halfie, no matter what the peanut gallery insists. All Katsuki wants is the fight -- to be on the other end of Todoroki’s flames in battle, a mutual respect for the others’ strength with both of them bringing their all.

Speaking of which, Todoroki has significantly improved his left side, ever since the training camp. It flares up more and more often during combat practice, waves of heat along with chills; Katsuki can always feel the temperature fluctuating regardless of how far away his classmate is. Katsuki’s watched him train before -- battle tactics, of course, to better identify weaknesses and habits -- and now that Todoroki’s finally getting fired up, he has all the more reason to look, to study and memorize the movements of his flames.

But, the thing is, now, that sometimes, when Katsuki is deep into a one-sided glaring contest, Todoroki will look up, meet his eyes, and -- nod. A brief, fleeting moment of acknowledgment. And then he’ll go back to throwing up stupid overly metaphorical ice walls or slurping his fucking soba, unaware that he has left Katsuki in a state of incomprehensible and unfathomable confusion and rage.

Maybe he is “defrosting”, as Ashido said that day at lunch; and the momentary glances they share are a part of it, in the same way that Todoroki’s presence can be found more and more often in the common room among their classmates, quiet and awkward but still there, against all odds. He’s even heard Todoroki cracking jokes once in a while, although they seem to be unintentional and moreso just a byproduct of his absolute social ineptitude than any actual attempt at humor.

Katsuki glowers at him, now, in the middle of training for their license tests, watches the raging inferno surrounding Todoroki, who is just a tiny shadow of a figure in the wake of the broiling blaze. 

They still haven’t had a proper rematch. He wonders if Todoroki will have thawed out enough to burn, by the time they face off again -- the idea fills him with frenzied anticipation.

---

It is absolutely off the walls amounts of stupid that Katsuki fails the provisional hero license exam.

When the Class B blonde asshole (as opposed to the Class A blonde asshole, which is himself) Mr. Steal Your Quirk starts taunting them about it, Katsuki only just resists giving into his impulses to blast Monoma’s ugly mug off of his pathetic body, but it’s a very close call. 

The single silver lining in all of this is the smug satisfaction that comes with finding out the prissy aloof candy cane had also failed. Apparently the moron got into an argument with some idiot from Shiketsu -- hilarious, that everyone berated Katsuki for provoking people all the time yet Todoroki is the one instigating fights with other students in the middle of an exam.

Any kind of gratification Katsuki derives from Todoroki’s failure evaporates instantly, however, after learning that they will be expected to attend remedial training together while all their classmates work on their internships.

Katsuki grumbles under his breath, stomping as hard as possible every step of the way to the bus. He quickens his steps just enough so that he can outpace Todoroki (curse his long legs), who had completely ignored his demands to walk behind him. 

I’ll show him, Katsuki seethes, glaring viciously behind him at Todoroki, who aimlessly contemplates everything from the trees and the sidewalk and passing cars to nothing in particular. I’ll completely decimate him in training. I’ll bring him to his motherfucking knees.

Half ‘n half may be the class-assigned ice prince, but Katsuki is the King. King Explosion Murder. (Which is still a fucking amazing hero name, no matter what Midnight says.)

At one point in Katsuki’s glaring, Todoroki looks up and meets his eyes. His unnerving, bicolored gaze immediately sets Katsuki on edge. Not wanting to look away and lose the staring competition Todoroki has no idea is happening, but also disconcerted by the quiet, Katsuki shouts, “Hurry the fuck up, Icy Hot! If we’re late ‘cause of you I’ll kick your ass!”

Nothing changes in Todoroki’s expression, though when he speaks he almost sounds amused. “I’m taller than you, so if I walk faster I’ll be in front of you again. Is that what you want?”

Katsuki swears in outrage at Todoroki’s casual reminder of the four centimeters he has on him, turns around and continues stomping ahead. Fuck, he lost that particular glaring contest, but it’s okay, he’ll have plenty of opportunities to upstage the bastard later.

When they clamber onto the bus, Katsuki takes the furthest seat possible from where Todoroki sits down, scowling at the back of his dumb moldy tomato looking hair the whole ride. 

Upon arriving at the training site, it is with mild displeasure that Katsuki finds they will be joined by the Shiketsu students as well. It is with budding indignation that Katsuki realizes one of them is the bald-ass wind fucker that Todoroki picked a fight with -- Yoarashi Inasa, a stupid name for a stupid face, Katsuki thinks.

It is with simmering fury that Katsuki watches the painful, embarrassing attempt at friendly conversation between the two -- Yoarashi asking inane and irrelevant questions (“What’s your favorite food?” “Cold soba.” Fucking duh, it’s cold soba, dumbass eats it every day), and Todoroki giving short, deadpan responses.

“This shit’s giving me the creeps,” Katsuki complains, glaring holes through Yoarashi’s gargantuan back. Todoroki barely even reaches his shoulders.

The annoying, ditzy second-year who had asked for Todoroki’s number within two seconds of meeting him, regards him with that vapid, one-brain-celled expression.

“Damn, what crawled up your ass and died?” 

Katsuki’s palms start crackling as he opens his mouth to retort, and of course Todoroki takes that moment to turn around, pinning him with a look of disapproval.

“Bakugou, please don’t pick a fight before we’ve even started training,” Todoroki says in his usual monotone, gaze drifting to the small sparks flying harmlessly off Katsuki’s hands. 

Katsuki bristles. “That’s fucking rich coming from you! You’re only here ‘cause you were picking a fight in the first place!”

Todoroki looks a little uncomfortable at that and Katsuki relishes in the hint of emotion crossing his ever inscrutable expression, but too soon the bastard’s face returns to his usual vacant stare.

Before he can reply, though, Yoarashi interjects, “It’s okay! I forgive him! It was partially my fault, too!” 

God, does he ever talk below 150 decibels? Katsuki’s no stranger to loud noises, but the wind guy’s normal speaking voice seems to be on par with Katsuki’s shouting voice. He’s almost impressed.

Almost. Because Yoarashi turns back to Todoroki, and says, “That fire tornado we made in the exam was pretty awesome! We should try that again! Our quirks work well together!”

Todoroki hums in agreement. “Sure.”

Katsuki stiffens, and suddenly the twisting sensation in his gut he’d felt during the Sports Festival is back.

Of fucking course Todoroki used his left side on the bald asshole during the exam. Now they’re planning stupid combo moves -- not that Katsuki cares because he’s already got the best quirk you can have; he doesn’t need anyone trying to bring him down combining their quirk with his, least of all the human A/C. If it ain’t broke, don’t bother fixing it.

But for fuck’s sake, why is it that Todoroki uses his flames on everyone but Katsuki?

With a growl, he stomps past the others to the training room, ignoring Todoroki’s inquisitive and searching look as he tramples away.

---

After training (read: forced babysitting), the highlights of which were the kids calling Todoroki “five peepee man” and Utsushimi’s Glamouroki Shoujo illusion, he and Todoroki and the bald wind motherfucker are in the locker room, changing and chattering. Well, Yoarashi is keeping a mostly one-sided conversation afloat, Todoroki is interjecting with short, bland statements here and there, and Katsuki is eavesdropping out of spite and steadfastly not participating.

“We should get cold soba together!” Yoarashi bellows as he fixes his dumb cap on his bald head. Katsuki is seized with the sudden urge to smack it off.

“Hm,” Todoroki replies, as if actually considering spending time with this idiot. Katsuki wants to shake him, but settles for gritting his teeth instead. “I thought you didn’t like it?”

“You’re right, it doesn’t sound very appealing to me!” Yoarashi agrees excitedly. “But as friends, we should be willing to try out things that the other enjoys, no?”

Todoroki pauses in adjusting his tie. “We’re friends?” he asks, in slight surprise.

“Of course we are!”

Todoroki actually smiles then, and it leaves Katsuki a little breathless with the shock of seeing a genuine emotion in that dead-eyed stare. The feeling is replaced by a twinge of annoyance when he remembers that the smile is directed at Yoarashi.

“Okay… When do you want to get soba?”

Yoarashi brightens up even more, if that’s possible. “Let’s go tonight! I know a place --”

Katsuki slams his locker shut with a loud clang that quickly draws everyone’s attention. “Oi, five peepee man, if you don’t fucking remember, we have to be on the bus in ten minutes.” 

Quit fucking fraternizing with the enemy, dumbass, Katsuki tries to telepathically communicate to Todoroki’s empty skull via intense glowering.

Todoroki pulls a face. “Don’t call me that,” he mutters, but maybe Katsuki’s attempt at telepathy still works, because Todoroki bows his head apologetically in Yoarashi’s direction. “Sorry, but Bakugou’s right, we have to catch the bus back to school.” Katsuki almost smirks as he walks outside, Todoroki close behind.

Yoarashi doesn’t look deterred at all as he follows them out of the locker room. “My apologies, you two! But give me your number, so we can set up another time!”

“Sure,” Todoroki nods, and he wordlessly pulls out his phone. Yoarashi grabs it and taps at the screen enthusiastically -- can he even text with those huge fucking fingers of his, Katsuki wonders sourly -- then turns to Katsuki expectantly.

“Bakugou! Give me your number too!”

Katsuki sneers at him. “No way, Baldy.”

“I’m not bald!” he affirms once again, removing his cap to show off the barely-half-a-centimeter of fuzz covering his scalp.

“I’ll text you Bakugou’s number,” Todoroki assures him, tucking his phone away, ignoring Katsuki’s shouts of protest.

“Oooh, text it to me too!” Utsushimi saunters over to the three of them loitering in the hallway. “I’ll make a group chat for us, so we can meet up outside of class!”

Katsuki doesn’t get a chance to point out that there’s no fucking way he’s hanging out with these extras in his spare time before Todoroki is nodding his assent and waving his goodbyes and walking off. 

“See you next week, hottie! Bye-bye Blasty!”

“Goodbye, Todoroki! It was nice to meet you, Bakugou!” 

Katsuki flips them off in response before he runs off after Todoroki. “Walk behind me, shitface!” he barks again. 

Of course, Todoroki ignores him.

---

“So, Bakugou, how was remedial training with Prince Charming?”

“Did you get to obliterate him?”

Katsuki slams a palm down onto the table, it leaves a smoking, hand-shaped crater. 

“I meant obliterate him in battle!” he roars.

Kaminari and Ashido wiggle their eyebrows in scary synchronicity. 

“Well, yeah, that’s what we figured… what were you thinking?” Ashido’s tone is saccharine-sweet, a facade of utmost innocence. Kaminari giggles uncontrollably by her side and Katsuki flushes red in anger.

“If you boneheads don’t shut the fuck up right now you can fail your exams for all I care!”

The two of them immediately quiet down.

---

UtsuSHITmi added you, IcyHot, and Baldy to a group message.

UtsuSHITmi named group “#SQUADGOALZ”

UtsuSHITmi: hey remedial babesss <3

UtsuSHITmi: now we can talk outside of training!!!

Baldy: HELLO FRIENDS!!! Its almost my bedtime but I wanted to say again it was so great to meet you all today!

Baldy: Good night everyone! Sleep well! I’ll see you next week!

You left “#SQUADGOALZ”.

UtsuSHITmi added you to “#SQUADGOALZ”.

You left “#SQUADGOALZ”.

UtsuSHITmi added you to “#SQUADGOALZ”.

UtsuSHITmi: bakugou stop tryna leave omg

UtsuSHITmi: and sweet dreams inasa!!

You: Fuck off

UtsuSHITmi: rudeee :/

Icy Hot: Hello

UtsuSHITmi: TODOROKI!!!!!!

UtsuSHITmi: is it hot in here or is it just u <3

You: this is disgusting

UtsuSHITmi: lol bakugou ;)

You: DIE

Icy Hot: Is my quirk affecting you through the phone?

UtsuSHITmi: LMFAOOOO

UtsuSHITmi: todo how are u even REAL

Icy Hot: Quirk marriage. My father wanted to combine his fire and my mother’s ice and I was the only child who got both

UtsuSHITmi: oh fuck

UtsuSHITmi: that was like, a rhetorical question but...

UtsuSHITmi: dam… that shits messed up

You: jesus fucking christ quit oversharing

You: i dont want to hear about your stupid daddy issues again

Icy Hot: Again?

Icy Hot: I don’t think I’ve told you this before though?

You left “#SQUADGOALZ”.

UtsuSHITmi added you to “#SQUADGOALZ”.

UtsuSHITmi: BAKUGOU

---

“Bakugou, what did you mean by your message in the squad goals group chat?” Todoroki asks as they’re walking to the bus for another miserable supplementary class.

“Okay, first of all -- never say ‘squad goals’ again, that sounds so fucking weird coming out of your mouth,” Katsuki complains. In a slightly quieter voice, he adds, “...And secondly, I overheard you telling Deku about your fucked up family life during the Sports Festival.”

Todoroki stops in his tracks. “You were eavesdropping?”

Katsuki throws his hands in the air, defensive. “You weren’t exactly being secretive! Blasting your family shit all over the place, how was I not gonna hear!”

Todoroki shrugs, and continues walking. “Actually, I pulled Midoriya aside from everyone else specifically to speak with him alone, so I don’t know how I was ‘blasting’ it ‘all over the place’... Not that I care if you know, though.”

Katsuki squints at him suspiciously before hurrying to catch up.

“You’re not mad?”

Todoroki hums. “No, just surprised. I’ve only shared this with Midoriya before.”

Katsuki grunts, kicking at a pebble on the sidewalk.

“Besides, it’s not like it would change anything if people knew,” Todoroki adds after a brief pause, and he sounds a little bitter at the end. 

Katsuki can kinda understand where he’s coming from -- as the number one hero, Endeavor is backed by fame, wealth, prestige; the public would be far more inclined to listen to his word rather than whatever his rebellious teenage son has to say.

They continue to walk in silence for a while, Katsuki making sure to step on as many leaves as possible; the crunching sound feeling like a miniature explosion.

“Your dad’s an asshole,” Katsuki blurts out.

Todoroki’s flatlined mouth morphs into the tiniest of grins. “Yeah.”

“You’re a way better hero than he is.” Katsuki doesn’t know what he’s doing, why he’s saying this all of sudden, all he knows is Todoroki’s stupid fucking grin is making his lungs feel too big for his chest and if he just stays silent he’s afraid his ribs might crack.

Todoroki turns to look at him, surprise written all over his features.

Katsuki presses on, determinedly staring at the ground. “Endeavor’s just a flaming trashbag with a shitty attitude and all he cares about is the fuckin’ rankings. You actually… want to be a hero for stupid, noble reasons, like -- at Kamino --” 

Katsuki cuts himself off, not really wanting to delve into that whole disaster. He’s said enough, anyways; there’s a blooming warmth on the back of his neck, his hands feel clammy again, and there’s a rolling in his gut like he’s got indigestion.

Todoroki’s voice is heart-wrenchingly soft, bone-crushingly tender when he answers. “Thanks, Bakugou. That… means a lot to me.”

“And you have one of the most badass quirks ever,” Katsuki adds. For some stupid reason the halfie’s gentle cadence has his mouth blabbering again before he can rein in his thoughts. “Not as awesome as mine, though,” he clarifies.

Todoroki actually smirks at him. “Your quirk’s pretty flashy, but that’s debatable.”

“You wanna fucking go?!”

“Save it for training,” Todoroki hums, and Katsuki thinks that he might even sound pleased.

---

Katsuki’s not sure how it happened, but at some point between the start of the remedial course and now, he’s ended up being (not friends, never friends, no fucking way) on somewhat civil terms with the hot-and-cold soba lover.

He chalks it up to exposure therapy or something; being forced to spend all this extra time with Todoroki outside of class means that inevitably, their conflicting personalities will eventually have to compromise and find a middle ground. Especially since the whole reason they’re taking these lessons in the first place is because they couldn’t fucking cooperate with others. 

The Katsuki of a few months ago wouldn’t have been able to even exist in the same room as Todoroki without exploding something or challenging him to a fight. Present day Katsuki would still challenge him to a fight any day, but now Todoroki is someone he can hold a semi-cordial conversation or share a bite of food with without feeling the constant urge to blast something to high heaven.

He and Todoroki have actually been eating dinner together a lot, lately. It started after the third time Katsuki saw Todoroki buying shitty convenience store soba post-remedial classes and decided that if no one else was going to rectify these terrible, unhealthy eating habits, then Katsuki might as well step up to the job. 

So the next time Todoroki is about to walk into the 7-11 Katsuki violently tugs him away and shoves a bento box in his hand.

“How the hell are you gonna fight me at your best if you eat like shit all the time!?” Katsuki yelled, palms bursting, when Todoroki asked him, eyes wide with surprise and mouth in a stupid little “o” shape, why he’d made dinner for him. To which Todoroki had smiled, amused, and thanked him for the meal. They ended up eating dinner together on a bench outside, Todoroki pausing between bites to compliment the food, and Katsuki responding with flustered but undoubtedly proud boasting every time.

It becomes a strangely peaceful routine -- Todoroki tries to enter the 7-11 on their way back to the dorms, Katsuki shoves him away, they sit on a bench somewhere and eat the homemade bentos. Katsuki finds that when Todoroki’s mouth is full of food and not speaking, he’s actually not that bad company to be in. The candy cane even starts packing two energy drinks and extra snacks to share during and after class, as a show of gratitude, Katsuki guesses. 

On the other hand, Katsuki finds his patience wearing ever thinner when it comes to the Shiketsu dipshits. Utsushimi is annoying enough, always hanging around Todoroki, batting her eyelashes, shooting knowing smirks at Katsuki when Todoroki isn’t looking that make Katsuki want to blow up her stupid hair. The half ‘n half moron seems completely oblivious to all her flirting -- he actually still thinks that the nickname “hottie” is referencing his quirk. 

Yoarashi is an even bigger pain in the ass, continuously badgering him about training together and teaming up. Just today, Katsuki had to watch the two of them do that stupid fire tornado move no less than six times. He’d stomped off to the locker room immediately after training was over, ignoring Todoroki’s proffered hand trying to pass him a Gatorade. The whole time they’re changing, Katsuki can hear Todoroki and the bald asshole whispering a distance away, like a couple of shitty teenage girls at a sleepover. He fumes the entire ride back.

Icing on the cake, Katsuki realizes with gritted teeth as he and Todoroki disembark their bus to walk to campus, is that he was up too late tutoring his so-called “friends” to make his dinner as he usually does the night before supplementary classes, meaning he and Todoroki will have to eat the shitty 7-11 to-go meals today.

“You’re in a bad mood,” Todoroki comments lightly. 

Katsuki makes an incomprehensible growling noise in response.

“You’re not stepping on the leaves like you usually do. Did something happen?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, peepee man,” Katsuki spits. Since when did Icy Hot notice that kinda shit anyways, he thinks abstractly, somewhere in the back of his mind.

“I would, because you’re my friend and I don’t like seeing you upset.”

“We aren’t friends!” Katsuki retorts. Todoroki just hums, as if to say You and I both know you’re lying, but I’m too nice to point it out, though he drops it for now.

They’re walking down the street where Todoroki’s favorite 7-11 is. Instead of going in, to Katsuki’s surprise, Todoroki turns a corner just before they pass it and tugs Katsuki along with him.

“What --”

“Just follow me,” Todoroki reassures. Katsuki grumbles but acquiesces, complaining the whole way, until Todoroki comes to a stop. They’re in front of a tiny little hole-in-the-wall, nameplate decked out in little cartoon chili peppers.

“Uh…” Todoroki seems uncharacteristically shy, suddenly. “You like spicy food, right?”

Katsuki squints at him in suspicion. “Yeah? What about it?”

Todoroki doesn’t answer, instead grabbing him by the wrist and dragging him inside the restaurant. They’re greeted by a tired waiter, who shows them to an empty table after Todoroki holds up two fingers. Menus are handed to them and Katsuki starts looking over the options -- almost everything is spicy.

Katsuki looks up apprehensively. Todoroki is humming and browsing the menu, his red and white locks falling softly over his eyes. Katsuki isn’t even sure how Todoroki can even read anything with that ridiculous fringe.

“Thought you hated spicy food,” Katsuki says, breaking the silence.

Todoroki shrugs. “I don’t hate it, I just prefer things that are cold.”

Katsuki eyes him warily. “Why’re we here then?”

Now Todoroki looks confused. “Because you like spicy food? Right?”

“Yeah, I do, but why’d you bring me here? I thought you were gonna get your stupid 7-11 soba.”

Todoroki huffs, ready to defend the pathetic excuse for a meal that is the 7-11 soba, but seems to decide against it at the last minute. “You seemed really upset during training today. I thought this would cheer you up. I don’t really eat out a lot, but I asked Yoarashi after training if he knew any good places for spicy food and he recommended this.”

Ah. Was that what they were talking about?

“Okay, but you’re paying,” he grumbles, stubbornly pushing down the disgusting sticky sensation blooming in his chest.

“That was the plan,” Todoroki replies, sounding amused again.

When the waiter comes by to take their orders, Katsuki asks for mapo tofu (extra spicy) and kimchi fried rice (extra spicy) and fried chicken (a normal amount of spicy, at Todoroki’s insistence). He makes fun of Todoroki for ordering Korean ramen with the lowest spice level. (“Pussy,” Katsuki says. “Some people have taste buds,” Todoroki retorts.)

The food arrives, and it’s delicious, Katsuki devours it all to the background noise of Todoroki’s signature slurping. Katsuki keeps taunting and provoking Todoroki for being a wimp that can’t handle spice, until Todoroki scoops up a spoonful of mapo tofu painted red in chili oil and swallows the whole thing, peppercorns and all, expression never once changing except for the single crimson eyebrow he raises in Katsuki’s direction. Katsuki’s jaw drops and continues hanging open.

“Spice doesn’t really have an effect on me because my mouth either cools it down instantly or is too hot for it to register,” Todoroki explains, the slightest bit smug as he continues slurping his weak-ass ramen, not looking any worse for wear after ingesting a spoonful of Sichuan peppercorns. "Though, it is annoying when my lips get numb."

“Fuckin’ cheater, using your quirk,” Katsuki growls after he picks his jaw up and resumes glaring at Todoroki, all the while chewing his food with such ferocity his teeth clack. Todoroki insists that it’s not cheating if his body is just naturally stabilized at more extreme temperatures, but Katsuki isn’t having a word of it.

When they’re both full, Todoroki asks for the check and pays with his father’s credit card, leaving a generous tip that has the waiter significantly more cheery as their plates and bowls are taken away. They don’t end up finishing the fried chicken so they pack it up to go.

Katsuki briefly wonders if he should say thank you or something, but he’s never thanked anyone in his life and he’s not about to start now. Todoroki doesn’t seem to be expecting anything in return, anyways; it was clear from his words that the halfie was just trying to cheer him up after noticing his frustration.

It’s already dark out by the time they’re heading back, and a cool breeze is whipping around them. Katsuki suppresses a shiver; he’ll have to start digging out his scarves and jackets now that the weather’s getting colder.

A rush of hot air envelops him, suddenly, and he remembers that he’s walking with the human space heater. Katsuki inches ever so slightly closer to the warmth and if Todoroki notices, he doesn’t comment.

Katsuki can’t help the tiny grin that finds its way to his face. Maybe he doesn’t have to break out his winter clothes yet.

---

Regardless of Katsuki’s intentions or lack thereof to thank Todoroki for dinner the other day, he finds an opportunity the subsequent Saturday when Todoroki returns from his weekly hospital visit.

He overhears him talking to Deku about class, wanting to borrow his notes from Present Mic’s last lecture. The shitty nerd stammers a frantic apology, apparently having already loaned his notes to Uraraka, who’s out in town with Tsuyu right now.

“It’s fine,” Todoroki assures, beacon of patience. “I can ask Yaoyorozu.”

Midoriya stutters out a few more apologies that Todoroki waves off with a slight smile as he leaves the common room. For some reason, Katsuki finds himself following him out. A hint of curiosity flashes across Todoroki’s idle expression when he sees Katsuki get in the elevator with him, but he doesn’t say anything, just nods in greeting.

When the elevator gets to the fourth floor, Katsuki steps out, but keeps one foot in front of the door so it can’t close.

Todoroki frowns, a questioning look on his face.

“Come here for a sec,” Katsuki mutters. Todoroki looks a bit perturbed but wordlessly follows Katsuki out of the elevator.

When they get to Katsuki’s room, he motions for Todoroki to wait outside. He digs through his backpack for his English notebook; upon finding it, he walks back to the door and promptly shoves it into Todoroki’s sturdy chest, avoiding any and all eye contact.

“Wha --”

“You needed the English notes, right?” Katsuki snaps, still not looking at Todoroki’s face.

Todoroki blinks. “Yeah, but why are you lending me yours?”

Katsuki grumbles irritably. “Payback for dinner last time. Or whatever.”

“Oh.” Todoroki sounds surprised, clearly not having expected Katsuki to return the gesture. “You didn’t owe me anything, though.”

“Look, if you don’t want it I’ll take it back and you can go ask Ponytail,” Katsuki retorts, hand reaching out, ready to grab his notebook.

Todoroki holds the notebook closer to his chest. “No, I’ll -- I’ll use them. Thank you,” he adds, sounding genuinely grateful. Katsuki makes the grave mistake of looking up where he’s greeted by Todoroki’s barely-there smile, just the slightest uptick of his mouth.

Katsuki’s ears feel warm. He wonders if this is gonna be a regular occurrence hanging around the personified furnace.

“Yeah. Fucking, uh… bring it back… whenever.” Katsuki waves a hand around aimlessly. Todoroki nods, promises to return it before the end of the day, thanks him again, and leaves.

Not even five minutes have passed when Katsuki hears knocking on his door.

“The fuck you want,” he barks instinctively as he swings the door open. 

Todoroki’s fist is raised mid-knock. Katsuki raises his eyebrows -- he knows Todoroki is smart or whatever even if he acts like he has one functioning brain cell sometimes, but there’s no way he’s already done copying Katsuki’s notes. Unless he has photographic memory or some shit. Katsuki wouldn’t put it past him.

“I… can’t read this.”

Todoroki looks inexplicably sheepish, and it’s an expression Katsuki hasn’t ever seen on his face before now.

Katsuki gapes at him. “What?”

Todoroki clears his throat. “I can’t read your handwriting.”

A pause. Katsuki glares at Todoroki and Todoroki stares impassively back.

“How the fuck can you read Deku’s notes but not mine?! That shitty nerd has worse handwriting than a kindergartener.”

“I don’t,” Todoroki admits, gaze flitting off to the side. “Usually he just reads over his notes for me and I write down whatever he says.”

Katsuki narrows his eyes.

Anything Deku can do I can do a thousand fucking times better, he thinks mutinously, before unceremoniously hauling Todoroki into his room and slamming the door shut.

Todoroki watches with great interest and no small amount of confusion as Katsuki rummages through his belongings, swearing and cussing at regular intervals, before finally pulling out their English textbook, a blank notepad and pen.

Katsuki points imperiously at his desk. “Sit.”

Warily, Todoroki sits down. Katsuki slaps the paper and pen down in front of him, along with the textbook. He flips the book open to the chapter they’re learning, and starts explaining the concepts he’d written down in his own notes.

“Are you tutoring me?” Todoroki interrupts, sounding absolutely dumbfounded.

Katsuki shoots him a glare. “Your dumbass can’t read my shit so what the hell else am I supposed to do? Now shut up and take your notes, I’m not gonna fucking repeat myself.”

Todoroki shuts up and takes notes.

By the time Katsuki’s done explaining, Todoroki has filled up eight pages. Briefly, he flips through the notes, and nods, satisfied.

“You’re unexpectedly good at teaching,” Todoroki muses. “Thanks, Bakugou.”

Katsuki scowls murderously at the backhanded compliment. “This isn’t for you, Icy Hot, if you start slacking in training ‘cause you’re so behind in classes all the time you’ll never be able to match me in a fight.”

Todoroki looks like he’s fighting a grin and failing miserably. “If you say so.”

Katsuki glowers as he pushes a still-smiling Todoroki out of his dorm. “Don’t fucking get used to it, bastard!” 

---

Unfortunately, he gets used to it.

The next Saturday, Todoroki shows up in front of his dorm with his school bag and a face full of fraudulent innocence.

“What,” Katsuki grunts.

Deadpan as ever, Todoroki announces, “I need help with Modern Literature.”

Katsuki sneers. “Do you, now.”

“So, can you help me?”

“Last week was a one time thing! Fuck off.”

Katsuki is about to close the door when Todoroki replies, “I guess I’ll ask Midoriya instead, he’s much more in-depth with these topics anyways…”

Steadfastly ignoring the triumphant look of victory that materializes on Todoroki’s face, Katsuki pulls him inside the room again and shuts the door.

“You’re god damn annoying,” he hisses.

“You’ll help me, then?” Todoroki asks, not deterred in the slightest. His mismatched eyes are brimming with hope; Katsuki averts his gaze as he grabs his notes and texts from his bag.

“Shut the fuck up and listen!”

And Todoroki does.

He does this the next Saturday, and the next, and the next, paying rapt attention as Katsuki goes over various missed lectures from Modern Literature to English to math to art history.

Somehow, Katsuki lands himself in yet another routine with Todoroki; along with sharing dinners after remedial lessons he now tutors him every Saturday afternoon. Some weeks Todoroki isn’t missing as many notes and they end up passing the time playing Katsuki’s video games or just talking -- about their training, about their classmates, about Todoroki’s unhealthy soba fixation, about anything in between and beyond.

Today, Katsuki is interrogating Todoroki about his pathetic note-taking abilities.

“Why the fuck are you always missing so many notes? Aren’t you supposed to be a model student,” he says the last part as scathingly and sarcastically as possible.

Todoroki looks slightly abashed. “Oh… I uh, fall asleep during class a lot.”

Katsuki cannot believe this half ‘n half idiot.

“You,” he growls, jabbing a finger at Todoroki’s nose -- he goes a little cross-eyed trying to look at it -- “absolute fucking moron, why are you fucking napping during class?!”

“I’m just tired,” Todoroki defends. “I fall asleep really easily.”

“Sleep in your fucking room!”

“I do,” Todoroki insists. “It’s not my fault school starts so early.”

Katsuki swears. “What time do you even go to bed?”

The glorified candy cane mumbles something Katsuki can’t hear.

“Speak up, dumbass.”

“...Usually two or three AM.”

Katsuki throws his hands in the air. “Why?!”

Todoroki rolls his eyes like a petulant child. “Sorry we can’t all go to bed at senior citizen hours like you.”

“Nine PM is a perfectly reasonable bedtime!”

“Yeah, for a ninety year old.”

“Shut up! You’re so fucking stupid! You’re getting like, five hours of sleep a night, do you know how bad that is for your body?! You’re supposed to get nine hours at least!”

“I don’t see why you should care --”

“Dumbass! I need everyone to see me beat you at your best and you clearly aren’t if you sleep like shit!”

Todoroki’s mouth wobbles as he holds back a smirk. “Are you going to start tucking me into bed now? Make sure I get my nine hours of sleep like how you make sure I’m eating healthy and on top of my homework, so I can be at my best when we fight?”

“You mother fuck --”

Katsuki’s palms start sparking, but before anything happens, he suddenly finds an icy grip closed over his hand, and the crackling fizzles out.

Katsuki stares, disbelieving, at Todoroki’s right hand over his own.

“Did you just fucking freeze my explosion?!”

Todoroki’s face has smoothed back into blank neutrality once more, yet he somehow still manages to appear obscenely smug. 

“Yeah, what about it?” He isn't letting go of Katsuki’s hand.

Despite the chill in the air, Katsuki’s face feels uncomfortably warm. He rips his hand away from Todoroki’s frigid grasp, only to find it immediately replaced with the searing hold of his classmates’ left one.

Katsuki’s hand instantly overflows with sweat and explodes.

Smoke (from Katsuki’s hand) and screams (from Katsuki’s mouth) fill the air as he ejects Todoroki from his dorm, and the other boy’s melodic laughter echoes in Katsuki’s ears long after the door has closed.

---

Group: #SQUADGOALZ

Baldy: Todoroki! 

Baldy: We still need to get cold soba together!

Icy Hot: Ok

UtsuSHITmi: wait wait wait WHAT 

UtsuSHITmi: yall made plans without me?!?! smh

Baldy: You can come if you want Camie!!!

Baldy: Bakugou too!!!

Baldy: The more the merrier!

Icy Hot: When?

UtsuSHITmi: anytime that works for u works for me babe

Baldy: How about tomorrow!

You: fat fucking chance

Icy Hot: I visit my mother on Saturdays, but I’ll be free next Sunday

Icy Hot: Bakugou too

You: wtf

You: dont drag me into this

You: how the fuck do you know if im free anyways

Icy Hot: You always stay in the dorms and train on Sundays

Icy Hot: Am I wrong?

UtsuSHITmi: thats cute lol yall know each others schedules :P

UtsuSHITmi: but perf lets meet up for lunch nxt week then!!!

UtsuSHITmi: we can hang out after too if yall wanna go to the mall or arcade or smth

Baldy: Sunday works for me! I’ll put it in my calendar!

UtsuSHITmi: ill see u all sunday noon <3 meet at the train station?

Icy Hot: Ok

You: im not going

Icy Hot: I’ll make sure he comes

UtsuSHITmi: <3 <3 <3 todo ur so sweet <3

You: I HATE YOU ALL

---

When the dreaded Sunday comes, Katsuki finds himself begrudgingly picking out an outfit for lunch with the Shiketsu students. It’s not like he wants to go, because he doesn’t, but the thought of Todoroki spending time alone with Yoarashi and Utsushimi leaves him inexplicably annoyed, a bitter taste in the back of his mouth.

He chalks it up to something like not wanting to be left behind -- they’re not even training or anything, just getting lunch, but Katsuki’s competitive streak runs a mile wide and if he can turn a casual Sunday outing into a contest then by god he will do it.

“Bakugou! Are you going on a date?” Ashido blinks her eyes in disbelief as Katsuki walks into the common room, dressed in a light black jacket and black skull tee and fitted black jeans, intending to rummage around in the fridge for a quick bite before he walks to the station.

“Fuck no!” Katsuki hollers in response, lip curling in disgust as he surveys the fridge -- to his dismay, he’s already finished all his snacks, he’ll have to stop by the convenience store later.

“You have mascara and eyeliner on!”

“Yeah and I look ten times better than you, Raccoon Eyes, so shut the hell up!” Ashido pouts a little, but doesn’t retort, because Katsuki’s right and he’s as flawless in his application of eye makeup is as he is in every other aspect of life.

Kirishima stares at him curiously. “You’re usually either lounging in your pajamas or training on the weekend. Are you headed out?”

“The idiots from remedial class are making me get lunch with them, it’s not my fucking choice.”

Ashido has a pensive expression on her face. “You’re not usually one to hang out with people if you don’t want to…”

“It’s because Todoroki’s going to be there, isn’t it,” Kirishima concludes. 

Katsuki lets loose a string of small explosions from his palm. “You guys got a death wish or something?!”

Todoroki chooses right then, the worst possible moment, to walk in, wearing the most boring outfit known to humankind but still somehow looking like he stepped out of a fashion catalogue. One for atrociously beautiful teenage boys who dress like arthritic grandfathers.

Ashido yelps and points at him with a loud declaration of “Aha!” and Kirishima shoots Katsuki a knowing look, to which he responds with a scathing glare. Todoroki nods at the two of them, rubbing his eyes, looking sleep-tousled and soft in a way that makes Katsuki want to slap him awake.

“Bakugou, are you ready to head out?” Todoroki asks after digging around in the fridge. He’s holding two milk breads in his hands, one outstretched towards Katsuki. The blonde snatches it with only a moderate amount of grumbling, not bothering to voice any kind of gratitude. Honestly, Todoroki should be thanking him for deigning to bless their stupid remedial squad meet-up with his presence.

“Let’s get this the fuck over with already,” Katsuki grouses.

Todoroki’s mouth turns up in a barely-there, almost imperceptible smile. "You look nice," he offers.

Something warm settles in Katsuki’s stomach, and he curses the half ‘n half douchebag’s stupid temperature controlling abilities. "Shutthefuckup," he hisses all in one breath, forcibly pushing Todoroki out of the room.

When Katsuki glances behind him, Ashido looks like she’s about to keel over from excitement. Kirishima shoots him two thumbs up. Katsuki flips them both off before he turns on his heel and chases after Todoroki out the door.

“Walk BEHIND me you bastard, how many times do I gotta say this shit!”

---

“Whooo! That was so much fun,” Camie gushes -- the ditzy blonde had insisted everyone call her Camie, and it’s less syllables than her family name, so Katsuki doesn’t really give a fuck either way. 

They’d gone out to a noodle joint that was midway between their schools. Katsuki picked the spiciest thing he could find on the menu and then doused it in half a jar of chili paste as Yoarashi and Camie shouted and squealed in shock, while Todoroki just looked quietly amused.

His classmate had predictably ordered cold soba, and Yoarashi followed suit. Camie chose a boring ass tonkotsu ramen and tried to weasel Todoroki into giving her a taste of his noodles before meeting Katsuki’s blazing glare, laughing, and nudging Yoarashi to share instead. (Again -- Todoroki should be thanking Katsuki for tagging along, because if he wasn’t here then Katsuki has no doubt that half of his precious soba would’ve been lost to Camie’s greedy mouth.)

Afterwards, they’d headed to a nearby arcade, where Katsuki proceeded to kick everyone’s ass (but especially Baldy’s) at every game he could find. Todoroki seemed delighted to be there, a look of contentment and wonder on his face as he watched everyone play. 

Todoroki himself performed miserably at every game he attempted, which made a grudging amount of sense if Katsuki thought about how repressed his childhood must have been.

The highlight of the day had been watching the halfie struggle for ten minutes straight to unsuccessfully pick up a stupid cat plush from a claw machine. Katsuki had shoved him out of the way because Todoroki was “using up all our fucking tokens, you useless dipshit”, to play it himself. Katsuki got the cat in three tries, because he’s fucking amazing like that, and if his cheeks flush at the awed look on Todoroki’s face, well, it’s just because of exertion. From playing so many games. Yeah.

He ended up giving the cat to the other boy because honestly he had zero interest in keeping something like that; he’d only won it so he could one-up Todoroki at the claw machine like every other game he’s decimated him in so far. Katsuki still hasn’t had the chance to have a proper rematch re: Sports Festival and beat the moron’s hot-and-cold ass into the ground, so staking an absolute victory over him in this shitty neon-lit arcade was the next best thing. 

The point is, Katsuki was here to win, and he’d won by a landslide.

(Seeing Todoroki’s normally expressionless face lit up by a smile when he hugged the cat to his chest also kind of felt like a victory, but Katsuki is determinedly not thinking about it.)

Camie bumps her hip into Todoroki’s, who stumbles slightly. “I never pegged you for the type to like stuffed animals! You seem so serious and uptight all the time.”

“Never judge a book by its cover!” Yoarashi booms, and has the audacity to ruffle Todoroki’s hair. Katsuki’s eye twitches.

“I’m full of surprises,” Todoroki intones flatly before taking a long slurp of his milk tea.

“No shit,” Camie laughs. “When I first saw you I was so sure you’d just be this stoic, unfeeling hunk -- I mean, you kind of still are -- but you’re actually really adorably awkward under all of that!”

Todoroki blinks, nonplussed. “Uh…”

Camie giggles again, while Yoarashi nods furiously in agreement. “I was also under the impression that you looked down on everyone and didn’t care for anyone but yourself! But now that we’ve become friends, I realize I was sorely mistaken -- you are an unexpectedly warm person under all that ice!” Yoarashi’s laughter is positively booming. “That was a joke! Because of your quirk!”

“...My quirk is hot and cold, yes,” Todoroki responds finally, almost like a question, clumsy and unsure. Katsuki can’t hold back his snort this time.

Camie turns her glittering gaze onto him. “Bakugou! You’re another person who is unexpectedly soft!”

Katsuki bristles. “Who the hell are you calling soft?!”

“Your loud, brash behavior is a cover-up for all your gooey feelings that you refuse to admit you have,” Camie explains ruthlessly. A vein pops in Katsuki’s neck.

“I don’t have ‘gooey feelings’ you mascara caked piece of shit!”

“You’re wearing mascara too, Blasty. Anyways,” Camie continues, undeterred, “I saw you win that cat plush for hottie over here, it was really sweet of you? Totally unexpected, like I said!” She wiggles her eyebrows, then leans in close so only Katsuki can hear her next words, “Or maybe not unexpected at all?”

Katsuki immediately heats up in anger, palms clammy and fingers itching to explode something. “I just did it to beat him at the fuckin’ claw machine! And it’s not like I have any use for a dumb stuffed animal. Stupid fucking idiot.”

“Still, Bakugou,” Todoroki interjects, “it was really nice of you to win this for me, thank you.”

God damn it, why does he have to sound so genuinely happy. Katsuki wants to punch him in the face.

“Whatever,” he mutters instead, before gulping down the rest of his lemon tea and crushing the plastic cup in his hand, stalwartly refusing to look in Todoroki’s direction until they’re back at the train station.

Yoarashi and Camie bid them farewell, much too dramatically for people who they’re gonna see again next week anyways. Yoarashi excitedly proposes eating udon together since he ate Todoroki’s preferred noodle -- Katsuki notes with no small amount of glee that Icy Hot doesn’t seem keen on this at all -- before engulfing Todoroki in a bear hug that leaves his feet dangling above the ground. Todoroki reaches an arm around to unsuredly pat his back, and after a few seconds of this ridiculous embrace Yoarashi releases him. 

“Bakugou!” Yoarashi bellows, arms spread wide, ready to go in for a hug.

“Don’t fuckin’ touch me,” Katsuki spits. Yoarashi’s arms go back to his sides, but his smile stays on his face.

“I had a wonderful time today! You are very talented at video games! I hope we can have a rematch sometime, perhaps I could finally win against you!”

Katsuki snorts. “Fat chance, Baldy.” 

He grudgingly shakes the hand that Yoarashi insistently offers, and even refrains from blowing it up like he’s very tempted to do. After Camie ruffles his hair (“Wow, Todoroki was right, it really is soft!” “THE FUCK YOU’VE BEEN TELLING PEOPLE ABOUT MY HAIR, ICY HOT?!”), and dodges the explosion Katsuki sends her way, the Shiketsu students depart for their own train back. 

And then, it’s just Katsuki and Todoroki at the station. Todoroki hums to himself as they wait for the train, still holding onto that ridiculous cat plush. Katsuki doesn’t realize he’s been staring until Todoroki looks up and a flash of surprise fleetingly passes over his face, but it’d be too obvious if Katsuki looked away now, so they keep staring at each other.

Katsuki swallows. Somehow the atmosphere feels charged, tense --

“I’ll name him Catsuki.”

Katsuki splutters incoherently and the tension of moments prior vanishes, replaced by confusion and irritation. “You -- what?”

“I’ll name the cat Catsuki,” Todoroki repeats, a barely-there grin curving the corners of his mouth.

“No way! What the fuck?! You -- you’re so fucking weird. Name it something else,” Katsuki insists, suddenly feeling very warm again, and once more curses Todoroki’s free reign over the immediate temperature.

“Hmm… What about Nya-kugou?”

Katsuki feels his eye twitch. “Wh -- That -- That’s even worse!”

“So, Catsuki?”

“NO!” Katsuki drags his hands across his face and tries not to scream. “Why are you naming it after me in the first place!”

Todoroki looks confused, now, as though Katsuki is the one acting weird. “Because… You won it for me?”

“I didn’t win it for you, you absolute oaf. I won it to beat you and show how pathetic you are at games.”

Todoroki hums, considering. “Still. You could have kept it, but you gave it to me. And you could have played a different machine but you went for the one that I was trying to get. So I’m going to name it after you in your honor.”

Katsuki is fighting a losing battle, he knows. In a last ditch effort, he tries to blow up the cat with his hands. Unfortunately, Todoroki’s reflexes are too fast, so all he does is explode the ice wall the other instinctively throws up. 

“You aren’t supposed to use your quirk outside of school,” Todoroki says blandly.

“Shut up! You used it too!”

“Yeah, in self-defense.”

“IT’S A FUCKING STUFFED ANIMAL!”

Todoroki has the gall to look offended. “Its name is Catsuki.”

Katsuki explodes another wall of ice.

---

Shouto @shouto111 • 42m ago

Thanks @KINGEXPLOSIONMURDER 

[Image: A selfie of Todoroki holding an oversized cat plush to his cheek. The cat has an orange spot over it’s left eye. There’s a barest hint of a smile on Todoroki’s face. In the background there’s a blurry figure with spiky blonde hair and a black shirt.]

187 💬 | 1.4k 🔁 | 3.6k ❤️

   |

KING EXPLOSION MURDER @KINGEXPLOSIONMURDER

WHAT THE FUCK DELETE THIS

   |

gucci pikachu @ch4rgebolt

HAHAHAHHHAHAHAHAHA OH MAN I FUCKING CALLED IT

   |

going✈️ham @redredriot

bakubro my dude!!!! congrats on bagging the hottest (pun intended) guy in school

   |

KING EXPLOSION MURDER @KINGEXPLOSIONMURDER

SHUT THE HELL UP YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOUR TALKING ABOUT IM BLOCKING YOU

   |

going✈️ham @redredriot

I WAS JOKING please dont block me bro :(

   |

gucci pikachu @ch4rgebolt

bakubro cant block me if i block him first B)

   |

gucci pikachu @ch4rgebolt

WHAT THE FUCK HE BLOCKED ME

Izuku @small_might

Omg cute!!!

   |

Izuku @small_might

wait i just read the tweet psdjlgksgksdgds WHY WERE YOU WITH KACCHAN???? TODOROKI? IS EVERYTHING OK?

   |

owochako @uravity

todoroki blink twice if you need help!!!!

   |

KING EXPLOSION MURDER @KINGEXPLOSIONMURDER

FUCK ALL OF YOU

minaaa @alienqueenshit

yooo this is adorable wtf. blasty you better treat him right u hear me

   |

KING EXPLOSION MURDER @KINGEXPLOSIONMURDER

EAT SHIT AND DIE

---

Private Message: Icy Hot

You: DELETE THAT TWEET

Icy Hot: ?

You: DONT PLAY DUMB, ASSHOLE

You: THE CAT ONE

Icy Hot: Oh

Icy Hot: Are you mad? I just wanted to show everyone the plush you won me

You: WELL DONT FUCKING @ ME IN IT

You: JUST POST THE STUPID CAT ALONE BY ITSELF

You: YOU DONT HAVE TO BRING ME UP

You: IDIOT

Icy Hot: Okay, I’ll delete it and post a different picture

---

Shouto @shouto111 • 14m ago

Catsuki

[image: An oversized cat plush with an orange spot over it’s left eye, sitting on a futon and surrounded by pillows.]

133 💬 | 887 🔁 | 1.2k ❤️

   |

KING EXPLOSION MURDER @KINGEXPLOSIONMURDER

FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU

   |

going✈️ham @redredriot

HAHAHA thats a really cute name actually

   |

minaaa @alienqueenshit

RIGHT?? i wish todoroki would name a plushie after me T_T

   |

KING EXPLOSION MURDER @KINGEXPLOSIONMURDER

NEXT TIME I SEE EITHER OF YOUR STUPID ASSES ITS ON SIGHT

Izuku @small_might

todoroki...did you...name the cat after kacchan?

   |

Shouto @shouto111

Yes, Bakugou won it for me so I named it in his honor

   |

Izuku @small_might

oh! thats…... unexpectedly nice of him….. ??????

   |

owochako @uravity

im sorry can we go back to the part where you said BAKUGOU WON YOU A CAT PLUSHIE? ARE WE TALKING ABOUT THE SAME BAKUGOU HERE

CAMIE @glamgrrrl

sooooo cute <3 we should totes do this again

   |

KING EXPLOSION MURDER @KINGEXPLOSIONMURDER

ID RATHER BE KIDNAPPED BY THE LEAGUE OF VILLAINS

   |

minaaa @alienqueenshit

@glamgrrrl LOL ill go w u since bakubro hates fun :P

   |

CAMIE @glamgrrrl

omg blastys ua friends???? hell yea im so down ;)

   |

minaaa @alienqueenshit

dm me ;)

   |

KING EXPLOSION MURDER @KINGEXPLOSIONMURDER

STOP @ ING ME YOU SICKOS

gucci pikachu @ch4rgebolt

CATSUKI LMAOOOOOOOFIGJDOGUHDOFGHUGHFDOIGDUG

   |

KING EXPLOSION MURDER @KINGEXPLOSIONMURDER

DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE ILL KILL YOU DIE DIE DIE DIE

   |

going✈️ham @redredriot

nooo dont kaminari still owes me 2000¥

   |

gucci pikachu @ch4rgebolt

Wtf did bakugou say i cant see it im blocked

   |

HantaxHanta @CELLO_PHANGGG

just threatening your life again

   |

gucci pikachu @ch4rgebolt

oh, so the usual

---

Private Message: Icy Hot

You: WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU

You: DONT LEAVE ME ON READ YOU KATY PERRY RIP OFF

Read✓5:54 PM

---

“WE AREN’T DATING!” Katsuki bellows, for the umpteenth time that night.

Kirishima raises an eyebrow. “I dunno man, you did win him a cute stuffed animal from a claw machine…”

“Yeah, that’s classic boyfriend shit,” Kaminari pipes in. Katsuki explodes the paper Kaminari’s writing on. 

“What the fuck, dude! I was almost done! I have to start over now,” Kaminari groans.

“You would’ve had to anyway, all your answers were wrong,” Katsuki spits out ruthlessly, ignoring Kaminari’s wail of distress. “Anyways -- Icy Hot isn’t my fucking boyfriend, you absolute imbeciles, we’re not even friends. And I fucking told you we were with Camie and Baldy so it wasn’t a fucking date, god. Now can you all shut the fuck up and finish your fucking problem sets,” Katsuki polishes off the words with a threatening explosion.

“Okay, okay,” Kirishima laughs, raising his hands in surrender. “We’re just teasing, chill out.”

Fuming, Katsuki returns to his own homework, ignoring the heterochromatic eyes and two-toned hair that keeps drifting across his mind. He blames the idiot brigade for his wandering thoughts, they won’t fucking shut up about Todoroki this and Todoroki that. The halfie’s two (2) tweets have single handedly ruined Katsuki’s life -- Katsuki regrets ever going to the arcade that day -- now all his stupid “friends” are convinced that they’re together or something stupid like that. Like the clueless moron even has any idea what a relationship is.

(Although, Katsuki had ended up saving the first photo Todoroki tweeted, the one of him smiling with the cat plush and Katsuki a blurry figure in the background. But he will admit this to no one even under threat of death.)

He’s pulled out of his meandering thoughts by the chime of a new message. Squinting at his phone, he sees a text from the exact bastard currently haunting his brain.

Private Message: Icy Hot

Icy Hot: I’m at a boba place with Midoriya and Uraraka. Do you want anything?

Icy Hot: It’s my thanks for getting me Catsuki.

Katsuki scowls at the mention of Deku, and feels his face warm when he reads the text about the stupid cat plush (he refuses to call it that ridiculous name).

You: shut up about the fucking cat

You: ...lemon black tea 0 ice 0 sugar no boba

Icy Hot: Ok :)

You: its so fucking weird when you use emojis stop that

Icy Hot: :( 

You: FUCKING STOP

“Bakubro! Who’re you texting?” Kaminari asks, eyes bright and mischievous as he neglects his problem sets again. 

“None of your business shut up,” Katsuki growls all in one breath as he glares at his phone screen, typing out an expletive-filled response to Todoroki’s latest message, which is one of those ridiculous photoshopped crying cat pictures. He’s too engrossed in replying to notice the suspicious quiet, until:

“Aha! It’s Todoroki! I was right!” Kaminari shouts, victorious, somewhere over his shoulder.

On instinct, Katsuki sends an explosion off behind him, and Kaminari yelps as he falls on his ass. Kirishima launches into wheezing laughter at the whole scene but shuts up promptly after the angry blonde glares in his direction, concern over his grades currently overriding his inherent need to poke fun at Katsuki’s love life.

“Next time either of you idiots bring up that Icy Hot bastard you can both kiss your passing grades goodbye!” Katsuki screeches, red-faced and sweaty.

Kaminari whimpers in fear as he and Kirishima both return their attention to their textbooks with utmost concentration. The next half hour passes without incident, save for the occasional outburst from Katsuki when the morons can’t seem to comprehend his words and he has to re-explain SOHCAHTOA for the third time.

Unbidden, Katsuki thinks of when he tutors Todoroki and the other boy picks up the material almost instantly -- a natural at just about everything except for social interactions, it would seem.

“What’s got you smiling, Bakubro?” Kirishima wonders, curious.

Katsuki stiffens and realigns his face into his usual scowl. “I’m not fucking smiling.”

“Yes you were,” Kaminari pesters.

Katsuki is about to vehemently threaten their academic careers again when he hears a knock on the door. Frowning, Katsuki gets up to answer it. It can’t be Ashido, she’s out somewhere doing...something with Camie, which Katsuki refuses to think about because both of them are already disastrous enough on their own and he can’t even begin to imagine the chaos of the two as a pair. Sero left after class to visit his family over the weekend, so it shouldn’t be him, either.

Though, the rhythm of the knocks sounds familiar. Sure enough, Katsuki opens the door to a peppermint fringe and a blank stare.

“Hi,” Todoroki says, monotone. He holds up a plastic cup filled with a clear bronze-ish liquid, a light covering of frost over it. “Your tea.”

Katsuki snatches the cup from his hands and after a stretch of silence, mutters a nearly inaudible “thanks or whatever”. 

A corner of Todoroki’s mouth curls up in one of those imperceptible smiles, and Katsuki feels his treacherous ears warming up again. Seriously, fuck this half ‘n half asshole and his stupid half ‘n half quirk.

“See you around,” Todoroki intones blandly before he walks away, obnoxiously slurping his own matcha smoothie. Katsuki stands there at the door until the slurps fade out of hearing distance.

“Who was that?” Kirishima calls out from behind him, jarring Katsuki back into the present.

Katsuki shuts the door and stalks back to the peabrains he’s regrettably tutoring. “Fucking nobody. Get back to work.”

Katsuki sips his tea, chilled at the perfect temperature from Todoroki’s right hand. Kaminari squints at him suspiciously.

“The frost on that cup…” Kaminari speculates.

Katsuki freezes mid-sip. Kaminari’s jaw drops. Kirishima lets out the smallest of sighs and reflexively hardens his body.

“Oh my god, did Todoroki --”

Kaminari gets an explosion to the face before he can finish the sentence.

---

The following Saturday finds Katsuki’s weekly routine rudely interrupted.

Private Message: Icy Hot

Icy Hot: Something unexpected came up, I won’t be back in the dorms until evening

Icy Hot: Do you think you can help me with english tomorrow?

You: yeah whatever

Icy Hot: Thanks :)

You: god stop sending those faces its so fucking unsettling

Not that Katsuki actually wants to be in Todoroki’s company. It’s just that, he’s a creature of habit, and he doesn’t like having his rituals disrupted, whether that’s his strict 9 PM bedtime or his nutrient-packed diet or his Saturday afternoons spent with a certain candy cane-colored pretty boy.

Without any foreseeable plans, Katsuki decides it's as good a time as any to get some extra training hours in. He cooks up a simple lunch, chicken and vegetable stir-fry; after devouring the food he heads over to Ground Beta to blast shit up.

Kirishima is already on the training grounds when he gets there, so Katsuki decides to kill some time sparring with him. On his list of preferred sparring partners, Kirishima is pretty high up -- with his quirk, he’s tough enough to handle Katsuki at his best, and he never has to hold back with his explosions. Deku is -- adequate, Katsuki supposes -- adept in combat strength and strategy even if Katsuki is loath to ever sing his praises.

The one person that Katsuki really wants to fight, though, is Todoroki. He’s still craving for a rematch from the Sports Festival fiasco. During remedial training they’re forced into more co-op activities than one-on-one combat, which Katsuki grudgingly supposes makes sense if they’re there to brush up their teamwork. They get partnered up for class from time to time, but those matches always come with a time limit that cuts the battle short, neither of them having depleted their stamina and fought to their last breath.

If Katsuki’s being completely honest with himself, he’s actually not even sure he could beat Todoroki. His control over his fire gets stronger everyday, and Katsuki’s already seen how the halfie’s ice and temperature control weaken his own explosions. He finds himself ruminating on the Sports Festival final again (to this day, Todoroki still hasn’t used that freezing-then-burning flashy explosion move on Katsuki; it annoys him more than it should), and he involuntarily grits his teeth as he blasts forward aimlessly and misses the target of his next explosion by a significant margin. 

“You’re distracted,” Kirishima notes. 

Katsuki scowls at him. “Shut up. No I’m not.”

“You totally are, dude,” the redhead insists. “But hey, we’ve been training for a while, I’m actually kinda hungry. You wanna go get some grub?”

Katsuki grumbles something which could be deciphered as sure okay what the fuck ever. Kirishima beams, claps him on the shoulder, and heads to the locker room. After fuming by himself for a few more moments, Katsuki trudges off to change as well.

After showering, as Katsuki’s toweling his hair off, Kirishima trots over and shoves his phone in his hands. It’s open to a mobile menu for some fancy looking sandwich place.

“Yaomomo’s ordering delivery, she said it’s on her!” he cheers, excited about the prospect of free food.

Katsuki squints at the menu. Nothing on there looks very spicy, so he just checks every box for anything with “pepper” in the name and writes an all-caps request for extra hot sauce in the additional notes.

He hands the phone back to Kirishima, who presumably parrots the order back to Yaoyorozu.

As they’re walking to the dorms, Katsuki ponders if he should have ordered Todoroki something, then quickly shakes his head to wipe the ridiculous thought from his brain. If Yaoyorozu’s ordering then she would have asked Todoroki already.

Vaguely, he wonders what the hell it was that Todoroki had to do today that was so important.

By the time he and Kirishima make their way back to Heights Alliance, the sandwiches have arrived; Katsuki tears into his hot sauce-drenched, turkey-on-whole-grain hoagie with the bloodthirst of an apex predator. Aside from himself and Kirishima, only Yaoyorozu, Jirou, Kaminari, and Tokoyami are in the common room. The symphony of chewing is peppered with small talk and discussion about the upcoming school festival.

Everyone was shocked that Todoroki had been the one to suggest a concert, almost as shocked as when they realized Todoroki didn’t even know what a concert was. He’d never been to an arcade before last week, either -- Katsuki wonders how many other components of childhood he himself took for granted that Todoroki had missed out on from growing up under constant scrutiny and training.

Katsuki swallows the last of his sandwich and dunks the wrapper in the trash can. He checks the time -- a quarter to 8. On weekdays he would take a shower about now, but it’s Saturday, so he decides to chill in the common room a little while longer. It looks like Jirou wants to talk to everyone about the festival, anyways.

Halfway through a conversation about drumlines and basslines and whatnot, Todoroki steps into the room. Kaminari trails off in the middle of begging Jirou to let him smash a guitar onstage at the end of the performance as Todoroki approaches their group.

“Todoroki, my dude! What’s up?”

“I couldn’t finish this, so you guys can have it if you want,” Todoroki says, forgoing a greeting and setting a cup of spicy popcorn chicken on the coffee table; in the back of Katsuki’s mind he faintly wonders why Todoroki ordered such a thing when he doesn’t like spicy food. 

Kaminari immediately starts grabbing at the chicken but Katsuki doesn’t even bother looking, instead scrutinizing the halfie’s face, which is mysteriously littered in tiny scrapes and cuts, a long strip of gauze climbing up the side of his right cheek.

“The hell happened to your face?” Katsuki demands instead.

“Training,” Todoroki explains, nonchalant as ever. He turns away and starts heading out. Katsuki gets up and follows him, ignoring Jirou’s complaints that they aren’t done talking yet.

Todoroki frowns when he sees Katsuki following him. “You don’t want the chicken? I thought you would like it…”

Katsuki ignores the other boy’s words, even as a small part of him perks in interest at the admission that Todoroki had been thinking of him. “Where the fuck were you training? I was in Ground Beta all day and I didn’t see you.”

Todoroki presses the elevator button to go up. “Shiketsu.”

What.

“Why the fuck were you at Shiketsu?” Katsuki demands, acidic, the shred of glee from a moment earlier vanishing instantly.

If Todoroki is taken aback by Katsuki’s sudden vitriol, he doesn’t show it. “I saw Inasa at the hospital and he invited me over to his school. I was curious about Shiketsu’s training facilities so I went.” He shrugs. “Though I think I still prefer UA’s.”

The elevator dings open and Todoroki steps in, Katsuki stomping in behind him, taking a stance right in the middle of the doors so it stays put.

“You were training with Baldy? ” Katsuki’s escalating irritation quickly bleeds into abject fury. And he calls him Inasa now?

Todoroki’s piercing gaze clouds over with confusion. “Yes, that’s what I said?”

Katsuki feels his face and insides twist into something ugly and rancid, full of contempt.

Todoroki frowns, tilts his head in concern. “Bakugou, is everything okay?”

“Fuckin’ peachy,” Katsuki snaps.

Todoroki looks like he doesn’t believe him, but doesn’t press the topic. “Well… are you going to get in?”

Katsuki whips his face up in an incensed glare. “No,” he seethes. “Hope you had fun with Inasa.”

Katsuki steps out of the elevator doors, and the last thing he sees before they close is a pair of bewildered, mismatched eyes.

---

Maybe Katsuki isn’t being very mature about this, but he’s never boasted maturity as one of his strong points.

He ignores all of Todoroki’s texts the rest of the night and the next day, out of, what -- pettiness? Frustration? He’s not sure of the exact reason, but a myriad of nasty feelings sits heavy in his stomach, like an anchor at the bottom on the ocean floor slowly dragging his emotions and common sense and everything else down with it.

So Todoroki was hanging out with Baldy yesterday -- so fucking what. It’s not any of Katsuki’s business who he spends time with -- even if it’s with tryhard windy assholes with no personal space. He said he’d seen Baldy at the hospital, so they must have spent almost the whole day together. Probably got dinner together, too, after fooling around in the Shiketsu training facilities.

He calls him Inasa now. When the fuck did that happen?

He guesses they all call Camie by name, but that feels different, somehow, especially since she just seems to be a forward kind of person -- similar to Tsuyu. But for some reason Todoroki calling the other Shiketsu student Inasa just -- irks Katsuki for some unknowable reason, like a phantom itch he can’t scratch. Todoroki doesn’t even call Deku by name and he’s supposed to be his stupid goddamn best friend or something disgustingly mushy like that.

Katsuki scowls at his phone screen, still lit up from the last notification of a minute ago -- Todoroki asking whether he could still borrow his English notes.

He turns the phone face down and rolls to his side on the bed. Yeah, he’d agreed to it over text yesterday, but -- that was before he knew Todoroki was gonna go fuck around with the blowhard Shiketsu dumbass, breaking up their perfectly fine and established weekend routine.

It pisses him off beyond what words can express. Todoroki had been the one consistently nagging him about spending time together on Saturdays, so who was he to suddenly drop Katsuki out of the blue (unhelpfully, his brain reminds him that Todoroki had texted him ahead of time about this; Katsuki tells his brain to shut up), and for fucking Yoarashi Inasa of all people.

The bastard can go bother fucking Deku or Yaoyorozu for notes again.

Katsuki isn’t sure how long he lies there. His phone chimes again; he checks it despite himself -- it’s Todoroki asking if everything’s okay, if Katsuki is mad at him, if he did something wrong. He shuts the device off and tosses it behind him, a soft thump breaks the quiet of his room as it lands somewhere on his bed.

At one point, Todoroki comes by his dorm; he knows it’s Todoroki because he has this specific way of knocking, two sharp raps, then a pause, then three, then another pause, rinse and repeat. Katsuki doesn’t answer, and eventually he hears the thud of footsteps leading away from his room.

Under the covers, Katsuki curls in on himself, tucked in the fetal position as if to ward off the world, or at least dumb peppermint fuckfaces who can’t take a hint.

An unknown amount of hours later, he wakes up to rapid thrumming on his door and Kirishima’s boisterous demands for him to open up. Squinting at his phone screen Katsuki sees that it's half past two -- he has a few more messages from Todoroki, as well as unread texts and a missed call from Kirishima.

With a heavy sigh, Katsuki rolls out of bed and opens the door.

“What the fuck do you want.”

“Bakubro!” Kirishima’s worried face relaxes into relief when he sees him and he steps into the room without preamble. “You didn’t show up to the gym at our usual time, and you weren’t answering any of my texts, I was worried about you!”

Katsuki huffs. “Well you fucking shouldn’t be. I’m fine.”

Kirishima looks incredibly doubtful of that statement as he glances over Katsuki’s disheveled hair and pajamas. “Have you eaten today?”

As if on cue, Katsuki’s stomach rumbles. He glares at the other boy, daring him to say anything. Kirishima’s lips wobble like he’s trying not to smile.

“I got you food! Well, Midoriya did, technically -- he always brings back so many leftovers whenever he goes home, and he said I could have some,” Kirishima chatters excitedly as he unearths Tupperwares of katsudon out of the plastic bag Katsuki has just noticed he was holding.

Katsuki accepts the chopsticks and Tupperware with an incoherent grumble that could possibly be misconstrued as gratitude. Maybe.

As he digs into the katsudon (he notes with minor annoyance that Deku’s mom’s cooking is as delicious as ever, even if it’s not nearly as spicy as he likes), Kirishima talks his ear off about some moronic stunt Kaminari pulled in the kitchen. Something about sticking a metal fork in the microwave and watching the sparks go off.

“So then the whole thing caught fire, and long story short we’re missing a microwave now…” Kirishima laughs, sounding much too cheerful for the situation he’s describing. “We’re gonna try to get Yaomomo to make another one -- well, Kaminari asked Jirou to ask Yaomomo, since obviously she has the best chance of getting her to do anything.”

“Fucking idiot. Who the fuck puts metal in the microwave.”

Kirishima laughs again. “We’re just lucky Todoroki was there --”

Katsuki tenses.

“-- he iced the whole thing over before the fire could get any worse -- although, it might have messed up the microwave even more than -- wait, dude, are you okay?”

Kirishima is looking at him all concerned, red eyes filled with worry.

“I said I’m fucking fine, Shitty Hair,” Katsuki spits out, belligerent for no reason.

Kirishima tugs the chopsticks out of Katsuki’s death grip. Belatedly, Katsuki notices the charred residue of where his fingers rested on the wooden surface; he hadn’t even realized that his quirk was going off.

“...Do you wanna talk about it?” Kirishima asks, kind and understanding.

Katsuki doesn’t even know what there is to talk about but he knows that he’d rather die than voice any of these thoughts he keeps having about Todoroki out loud.

“No,” he declares.

There’s a long stretch of silence before Kirishima responds, “Okay.”

The redhead starts babbling about more inane shit that their classmates pulled the night before and Katsuki releases a breath he hadn’t known he was holding. By the time he’s being regaled with the story of Ashido’s pitiful attempts at teaching Deku how to dance without falling flat on his face, Katsuki is feeling infinitesimally better, if only just because of the image of Deku in duress.

He notices that Kirishima adamantly avoids bringing up Todoroki, though he’s talked about everyone else. Distantly, Katsuki thinks that Kirishima must know what has him so upset, and is delicately sidestepping the topic for his sake.

Kirishima ends up staying in his room the rest of the day, alternating between studying and talking and hogging Katsuki’s video games; for several precious hours Katsuki manages to forget about stupid scarfaced heterochromatic assholes, too caught up in destroying Kirishima in Mario Kart. Sometime around nine, he kicks the redhead out, and the other boy teases him again about his old-person sleep habits before going back to his own room.

After a scalding shower Katsuki flops down in bed, and like clockwork, his thoughts return to Todoroki. A glance at his phone shows that the half ‘n half fucker hasn’t messaged him since the afternoon -- a part of Katsuki is annoyed, even though he knows he hasn’t responded to any of them so there’s really not any reason that Todoroki would be texting him again.

He falls asleep, still irritated. His dreams are hazy and obscure; the only thing he remembers is being cloaked in darkness, stretching his hands out towards a vivid pillar of fire that always remains just out of reach.

---

Katsuki keeps up the avoidance shtick throughout classes the next day. And the next, and the next.

He can tell Todoroki is getting frustrated -- even if he couldn’t, the annoying overly-concerned glances that Deku keeps shooting between the two of them are a dead giveaway. The hot-and-cold bastard is microscopically more wild and unbalanced during training, and Katsuki can feel his two-toned gaze boring into the back of his head every class. The last time Katsuki practically sprinted from the room to avoid him, he could feel the subsequent temperature drop from the hallway.

Well, it’s not his fucking problem -- Todoroki made it clear he preferred the wind freak over him; who is he to get upset when he’s the one that brushed Katsuki off first.

Speaking of said wind freak -- Todoroki’s partnered up with him in their remedial training exercises today. When Gang Orca told them to split into duos for rescue simulations and Todoroki made to approach him, Katsuki had immediately dashed to pair up with Camie -- much to the illusion user’s surprise.

“Trouble in paradise?” she asks as they both watch Todoroki dejectedly slump away with Yoarashi, a teasing tone to her voice.

“Shut the hell up and let’s get this over with,” Katsuki grinds out.

They manage to round up all the training dummies, although it takes a bit longer than Katsuki is used to, mainly because his own quirk is not the most suited for rescue and Camie’s is just about as equally useless in this situation. When they return to base with the dummies, Todoroki and the tornado asshole are already there, deep in conversation.

Katsuki’s perpetual scowl deepens.

“Jealousy isn’t a good look on you, Blasty,” Camie chirps from beside him, following the other blonde’s line of sight.

“I’m not fucking jealous, you bimbo,” Katsuki gripes, tossing her a withering glare.

“Uh-huh. You know, you could always just talk to him,” she points out. Katsuki pretends not to hear.

Gang Orca briefly shouts something about teamwork and cooperation before letting them free. On Katsuki's way to the locker room, he sees Yoarashi place a hand on Todoroki’s shoulder, perhaps in comfort, the latter looking almost laughably small under the blowhard’s oversized mitt. As if sensing his glare, the Shiketsu student glances up and gives Katsuki a look.

Katsuki refrains from cursing the bald shithead out, lest his screaming draws Todoroki’s attention. Instead, he grits his teeth and ignores the wrenching sensation taking place somewhere in the region of his small intestine as he storms off.

Not jealous, huh? a voice that sounds like Camie sing-songs inside his head. 

Shut the fuck up, Katsuki thinks.

He slams open his locker, aggressive even for his standards, fuming the entire time he changes out of his hero costume back to his uniform. He’s too caught up in his internal hissy fit to notice the presence beside him until he speaks.

“Bakugou, what’s going on?”

Todoroki sounds a mixture of concerned, confused, and annoyed.

“The fuck do you mean, ‘what’s going on’,” Katsuki snarks like he hasn’t been giving his classmate the cold shoulder for the past week.

Todoroki rolls his eyes. “You know what I mean. Why are you avoiding me? Did I do something to make you mad? I just don’t know what’s wrong.”

“Fucking nothing.” Katsuki grinds his teeth.

“It obviously can’t be nothing, since you won’t look at or talk to me.”

Katsuki faces him then, and notices they’re the only two in the room, Yoarashi nowhere to be seen. Wonders if Todoroki asked the Baldy to wait outside while he fucking interrogated him about shit that doesn’t matter.

He barks out a harsh, bitter laugh. “What, is the class prince lonely?”

Todoroki narrows his eyes. “Normally, friends don’t just cut off all contact like that --”

“Get this through your fucking brain already, half ‘n half, we aren’t friends!” Katsuki snarls, voice cracking at the end. Even to his own ears the words sound mercilessly cruel, but he’s wound tighter than a drum, strung up on too many emotions.

For a long moment, no one speaks. Katsuki sees shock, anger, then something like hurt flash across the gray and teal eyes, quick and fleeting, before they ice over, emotionless.

“Of course,” Todoroki intones coolly, expression positively frigid. “My mistake.”

He turns and leaves. Though the locker room air remains hot and heavy and humid from sweat, the ensuing silence and emptiness in wake of Todoroki’s departure feels nothing short of glacial.

Logically, Katsuki should be glad. After all, he’s been so stubborn this entire time about the lack of anything between them -- but as he watches Todoroki’s retreating back, shrinking until it disappears down the hall, he feels more miserable than ever.

---

Todoroki returns Katsuki’s cold shoulder in earnest after their last conversation. He stops texting, stops looking, stops any and all forms of communication. Katsuki is not expecting his active avoidance to bother him so much, but it does, and the annoying, gut-curling feeling becomes an almost permanent presence in his stomach.

It’s not until class on Wednesday when Aizawa pairs them up for combat training that the two acknowledge each other’s presences.

Katsuki might go overboard with his explosions -- they’re bigger than they need to be, and more potent, too, like his pent-up anger is super-powering his sweat.

But if Katsuki’s going overboard, Todoroki is diving straight off the plank. His ice is sharp and jagged and enormous, easily twice the size of what he pulled on Sero during the Sports Festival; Katsuki blasts through it and charges at Todoroki with an animalistic rage. Todoroki retaliates with an inferno, blazing heat, and Katsuki swears he feels his arm hairs singe off before he blasts himself away to safety.

Todoroki’s eyes are wild and crazed, Katsuki would assume he looks the same. They move simultaneously -- Katsuki spinning, a human missile, towards Todoroki raising his right hand --

The temperature drops dramatically, so much that Katsuki’s breath suddenly comes out in puffs.

Moments before Katsuki’s fist is about to make contact, Todoroki lifts his left hand, and the air explodes.

Katsuki is all but launched into the sky with no help needed from his quirk. He manages to set off another blast just before he crumples into the ground, slightly cushioning his fall, although his body aches all over. Dimly, he hears worried shouting from their classmates, about what, he’s not entirely sure.

In the back of his mind, he registers that finally, finally, Todoroki had used his flames, used that flashy freezing-then-burning move Katsuki had been hungering for ever since the Sports Festival all those months ago. But strangely, even as Todoroki is showing all his cards, fighting him at one hundred, somehow, Katsuki feels… empty. Unsatisfied, even though this was what he’d wanted since the beginning.

A good distance across from him, Todoroki is stumbling upright, brushing ash off his hero suit. His left side flares up, and he starts riding a wave of ice over to where Katsuki’s still coughing on the ground --

Katsuki quickly jumps to his feet and blasts himself in the air again.

Before sweat and fire and ice can collide, he feels his quirk suddenly disappear from his body, and he and Todoroki both tumble down, twin expressions of shock mirrored on each other’s faces.

Aizawa’s bandages catch them both before either hits the floor. When he extricates the bandages, his everyday exhaustion is overlaid with disappointment.

“Both of you, Recovery Girl.”

“I can still --”

“I’m not --”

Aizawa’s eyes narrow. “Now,” he emphasizes, and the way he says it leaves no room for discussion.

Todoroki rolls his eyes, but gets up and starts walking. Pissed off and sore and oddly bereft, Katsuki follows him to the nurse’s office.

Todoroki does not say a word and neither does he.

---

Private Message: Shitty Hair

Shitty Hair: bro

Shitty Hair: wtf is up with u and todoroki lately?

You: nothing.

You: its none of ur business anyway

Shitty Hair: it is my business if its got my best bro all down in the dumps…

Shitty Hair: did smth happen? U guys were getting along for a while

Shitty Hair: n then the past 2 weeks its like yikes i could cut that tension with a knife

Shitty Hair: also u 2 almost destroyed the training room today, aizawa had to step in n stop u

You: kirishima. drop it

Shitty Hair: :( ok fine

Shitty Hair: im here for u though if u ever wanna talk

You: ...yeah, i know

---

On the last day of remedial classes, Katsuki earns a license and learns a revelation.

Yoarashi corners him post-training, after Todoroki heads off to the locker room by himself, muttering something unintelligible to the windbag and completely ignoring Katsuki, as has become the usual. Katsuki’s gut churns and he pretends not to care.

He grits his teeth and scowls at Yoarashi instead. “The fuck you want, Baldy?”

“I’m not bald!” Yoarashi replies on instinct, waving his hat. He puts his hat back on his head. “I just wanted to talk to you about Todoroki!”

Katsuki’s glare intensifies -- this is the last thing he wants to hear. 

“Too fucking bad, then. I don’t wanna talk about Icy Hot, least of all with you. Piss off.” Katsuki sets off a small explosion for good measure.

(Abstractly, he notices that Baldy doesn’t call the halfie by his first name -- maybe Todoroki doesn’t want him to? The idea has him ever so slightly smug, although it’s drowned out by at least twelve different types of anger.)

Yoarashi ignores everything Katsuki just said, and leans in closer to share at the quietest Katsuki’s ever heard his voice (meaning it’s normal speaking volume), “Camie has informed me that you were feeling jealous --”

Katsuki stiffens instantly. “Camie doesn’t know jack shi --”

“-- of my relationship with him! And I wanted to assure you,” Yoarashi fixes him with a much-too-bright smile, “that my only intentions towards Todoroki are those of friendship! So, please feel free to pursue him romantically!”

Katsuki swears he hears a record scratch in his mind. What?

“You -- what in the GODDAMN, fucking -- why would you even think --” he splutters incoherently for a few seconds, face scarlet with rage and bewilderment and another emotion unknown.

Yoarashi patiently listens to Katsuki’s furious stammering for a few seconds longer, then pats his shoulder (which Katsuki shrugs off immediately) and announces, “Good luck with Todoroki!”

He’s exactly one drop of sweat away from blasting both Yoarashi and himself into a pile of ashes right there on the training ground. 

The Shiketsu student hums cheerfully as he heads into the locker room, leaving a very confused Katsuki swearing and exploding behind him, a tiny seed of something sprouting in his chest.

---

Katsuki is jittery and jumpy the rest of the day, and even taking out the pathetic small fry purse snatchers isn’t enough to distract him from his earlier conversation with Yoarashi.

He notes, absentmindedly, that even with Todoroki icing him out again, the two of them still moved with near flawless harmony, apprehending the villains and evacuating citizens with an astounding level of teamwork for the mutual silent treatment they’d been keeping up for the better part of two weeks. Even All Might praised them for a job well done.

All too soon, though, the petty thieves are rounded up and Katsuki and Todoroki are on opposite ends of a taxi backseat, returning to school, separated by a foot of cracking leather and a sea of hurt feelings. 

Katsuki curses the silence, if only because it leaves him marinating in his thoughts, which have been running wild ever since the six foot airhead told him that he was not in fact dating the peppermint fuckhead. And, well, Katsuki will admit that he was unexpectedly satisfied hearing confirmation of Todoroki and Baldy’s lack of a relationship -- not that he cared, but privately he thinks that Todoroki could do much better than that windy douche, who he has absolutely no chemistry with anyways. 

It’s the principle of the matter, too; Todoroki can’t be in a relationship because… he’s Katsuki’s rival, still -- it’d only be a distraction, and on that note, there was no way Katsuki would let Todoroki get in a relationship before him; Katsuki may be entirely uninterested in that dating crap but like hell he’d let the Icy Hot bastard beat him in getting cuffed, or whatever Ashido calls it.

Though, that brings him to the last and most mind-boggling thing Yoarashi said, which was boisterous support for him and Todoroki, encouraging Katsuki to “pursue him romantically!”

And it is this ludicrous suggestion that has Katsuki lying wide awake at night, well past his 9 PM bedtime, pacing in mental circles so hard his brain could start sizzling.

Of course, he’d heard tons of teasing from the idiot brigade over this exact topic, but he’d always brushed it off -- it was the type of shit they teased everyone over constantly, nothing new. Ashido grilled Kaminari about his new crush on a different classmate every other day.

But, hearing it from Yoarashi -- a third party, and, if Katsuki is correct, Todoroki’s friend -- somehow, the words dig deeper into him, sinking and taking root in the back of his mind. Why would Yoarashi think Katsuki was interested in any kind of… attachment, platonic or romantic or otherwise, with Todoroki -- what the hell had Katsuki done to give him that preposterous idea.

What had Camie said, that time? Jealousy isn’t a good look on you -- but what the fuck was Katsuki supposed to be jealous of, exactly -- jealousy is the most pathetic of emotions, certainly not one that Katsuki ever feels. And the implication that Katsuki is or was jealous of fucking Yoarashi is laughable because he has possibly the single most obnoxious personality in the world and the quirk to match -- Katsuki doesn’t envy a single thing about him.

A voice that sounds like Camie echoes in the back of his mind, then why were you so mad, and, well, that’s obvious -- Katsuki was pissed because Todoroki blew him off for the windfucker, anyone would be mad if their rival ignored them like that, for a dumbass not even half as strong as himself. And all the times Todoroki combined his quirk with the airhead’s, when anyone with two functional brain cells could clearly see that Katsuki was such an infinitely superior choice for a partner, and…

And…

Katsuki frowns, startled by the unexpected route his thoughts have taken. Only a few months ago, he had been frothing at the mouth, incensed at the very idea of even existing in the same space as Todoroki. Now, or at least up until two weeks ago -- they’ve been eating together, studying together -- Katsuki wins him stupid useless stuffed animals from the claw machine, Todoroki buys him tea and spicy popcorn chicken.

Their strange habit of spending time together hadn’t stopped until Katsuki started pointedly avoiding him, all because… Todoroki spent one day training at Shiketsu? Todoroki spent a Saturday afternoon (their Saturday afternoon) dicking around with a too-tall, too-loud, oversized wind freak?

Unhelpfully, the memory of his and Todoroki’s conversation in the elevator two weeks ago floats to the forefront of his mind. Katsuki demanding to know where he’d been, the other responding that he’d seen “Inasa” at the hospital, accepted the blowhard’s invitation to go train at his school… and the ugly, curling sensation in his abdominal regions, which Katsuki had enjoyed a blissful momentary reprieve from since their last supplementary class finished, returns with a vengeance.

Katsuki grits his teeth. He is no stranger to emotions, particularly those of the angry variety -- but he’s starting to wonder if maybe, the nauseous twist in his gut whose appearance he is now realizing correlates alarmingly accurately with how much attention Todoroki devotes to other people, might not be the anger he assumed all his emotions to be after all.

And… if it isn’t anger, then…

Jealousy isn’t a good look on you, Blasty.

Suddenly, every interaction Katsuki’s ever exchanged with Todoroki, every stupid passing thought he’s had about his dumb face, or hair, or eyes, or quirk, is abruptly being recontextualized, thrown into a new light. Like a camera shifting into focus, allowing Katsuki to see without a fuzzy filter of denial the exact nature of his feelings.

Katsuki screams into his pillow.

Fuck, Camie was right .

---

The thing is, Katsuki is smart. Despite what his appearances may have others believe, he has an innate sense for tactics and strategy that is second to none, complete with the drive of a high-strung, perfectionist, Aries -- there is nothing, no problem or dilemma that he can’t solve.

Now that he’s accurately identified the green-eyed monster that had spent the past few months wreaking havoc with his emotional state, he knows, logically, the next step is to just clear it up with the hot and cold dimwit himself so they can get back to… whatever it is they were before Katsuki had decided to cut him off like a petty child.

Still -- it is a bit disheartening that it took a solid three-plus months of denial, one unasked for (but ultimately, grudgingly appreciated) declaration from his least favorite Shiketsu student, and two hours of self-introspection lying awake in bed past midnight for Katsuki to finally recognize the stupid mess of confusing and unfamiliar sensations in his chest as -- not indigestion, nor anger, as he previously assumed -- but an actual, emotional attachment (which, maybe, possibly, most probably, might not be entirely platonic) to the half ‘n half bastard who has plagued his life since the start of his time at UA.

Said bastard, who hasn’t spoken a word to him or even looked in his direction for the better part of two weeks.

At least Katsuki can say that he isn’t ignoring Todoroki anymore -- although the other boy certainly seems intent on avoiding him. Katsuki can’t even blame him, not really, after what he said the last time they talked.

He’s pretty sure the halfie blocked his number, too. That, or he turned off his read receipts (which Katsuki doubts, because one of Todoroki’s favorite acts of pettiness is leaving people on read), or is straight up not opening Katsuki’s messages (which Katsuki also doubts, because even when he was ignoring Todoroki he still read all of the texts he sent. Something tells him they’re similar in that way). 

When his numerous attempts to catch Todoroki alone continuously fail one after the other (including one memorable moment where the asshole actually jumped out the classroom window, since Katsuki made sure to obstruct the doorway when confronting him. They were on the fifth floor), Katsuki swallows his pride, and approaches his last resort.

“Deku,” Katsuki growls.

Deku startles, like the spineless nerd he is. “K-Kacchan!” 

Katsuki glares at him, just out of habit. Deku looks increasingly jumpy with each second that passes.

“Is everything --”

“I need to talk to Icy Hot,” Katsuki interjects just as Deku opens his mouth. “And I need your…” Katsuki internally groans, “...help, ‘cause he keeps avoiding me.”

Deku goes from nervous to defensive in an instant. “Wow, I wonder why,” he mutters, and it’s a testament to how pissed Todoroki must be if Deku isn’t even batting an eye at the sound of Bakugou Katsuki willingly asking for someone else’s assistance.

“Shut up! Are you gonna help me or not?!”

Green eyes narrow. “Why should I?” An unsaid haven’t you done enough? echoes in the ensuing silence.

“Because --” Katsuki abruptly closes his mouth.

“...Because?”

“I want to --” Katsuki grits his teeth, steeling himself. “… I want to… apologize.”

Ugh.

Deku’s eyebrows shoot off his face at a truly astonishing speed as his jaw drops open. “R-R-Really?”

“Don’t look so fucking shocked!”

“S-Sorry! It’s just -- unexpected!” Deku blubbers. “I think it’s g-great actually and you’re really showing character growth if y --”

“Keep talkin’ and I’ll show you the character growth of my fist,” Katsuki snarls.

Deku squeaks and shuts up.

Katsuki huffs, impatient. “So are you gonna help me talk to Icy Hot now?”

Green curls frantically whip up and down like an overactive bobblehead. “Yes! Leave it to me!”

---

Private Message: Deku

Deku: kacchan!!!!

Deku: i secured you a meeting with todoroki!!!!

Deku: go to the rooftop today after class ;D

You: the fuck

You: why on the goddamn roof of all places

You: and dont ever make that face again. fucking weirdo

Deku: dont complain!!!

Deku: anyways, good luck getting your man (･ω<)☆

You: THE HELL ARE YOU IMPLYING1!????!!!?

Deku: i think you know :)

You: FUCK YOU

Deku: tell me how it goes! im cheering you on!!

---

When Katsuki opens the door to the rooftop, Todoroki is leaning on the railing with his back to him.

The sound of the creaking hinges has the other boy turning around. “Midoriya, what --”

Todoroki pauses when he sees that the visitor is clearly not Midoriya. His eyes narrow and Katsuki swears he feels the already freezing temperature drop.

“Uh…” Now that Katsuki has the attention he’s been seeking, he isn’t sure what to do with it, his mouth suddenly feels too dry for words. 

The other teen huffs audibly and makes for the stairwell, all too ready to leave.

“Wait,” Katsuki protests, panicking, grabbing Todoroki’s wrist as he passes by. He lets go at Todoroki’s unimpressed raised eyebrow.

“What do you want.” His words are as icy as the snowflakes whipping around them in the harsh winter wind.

“I wanted to say that… that I’m…” With a Herculean effort, Katsuki pushes down his pride and lets the words bubble up to the surface. “I’m sorry.”

Todoroki’s deadpan expression doesn’t even budge.

“For what?”

Katsuki groans internally, and, fuck, he really has to explain this?

“For -- you know. Being a dick. Not talking to you.”

“Don’t see why you have to apologize for that,” Todoroki scoffs. “Like you said. We’re not friends.”

And wow Katsuki has forgotten how unbelievably petty this guy can be.

“Fuck,” Katsuki breathes, and makes the painful executive decision to toss all his pride and shame off a cliff. “Look, I -- I was wrong, okay, I was just being… you know. A fucking stubborn asshole. We are friends -- were? Whatever. The point is, I’m… sorry, for, fucking, acting like a jerk and ignoring you, and shit, and saying that we’re not friends. And, I guess I… ” 

He swallows. 

“I fucking -- I miss talking to you, and eating with you and hanging out with you, and dumb shit like that. I miss you.”

Katsuki thinks he could destroy a small city with how much he’s sweating, but Todoroki’s eyebrows are slowly descending back to their normal position, thank fucking god, and he notices with relief that the unnaturally frigid air around them has warmed back up ever so slightly.

“Yeah, you are an asshole,” is Todoroki’s first response to Katsuki’s tooth-grinding, soul-crushing apology.

Katsuki can’t really deny it, though. “I know.”

“And I’m still mad.”

Well -- that’s probably, as Kirishima likes to say, “valid”, or whatever, considering it is his own fault for fucking up their friendship(?) in the first place. Even if it is a bit disheartening to hear.

“But… thanks. For apologizing.” Todoroki’s gray-teal eyes glint with mischief. “That must’ve been really hard for you.”

Katsuki is amazed at the rush of affection that courses through him, hearing the bone-dry uniquely-Todoroki brand of snark he’s been deprived of for half a month.

“Fuck you,” he replies, and he sounds disgustingly, horribly fond.

Todoroki’s mouth tilts up in a half-grin. Katsuki wonders again how it took him this long to recognize his feelings.

He wonders if he should tell him -- it’s obvious that’s what Deku was trying to get him to do, that meddling motherfucker. But he just patched up their tenuous friendship -- and Katsuki is willing to admit now that yes, they are friends -- and he’s afraid of pushing for too much, too fast; asking for more than Todoroki is willing to give.

“...Can you unblock me, now?” is what he decides on, instead.

Todoroki looks confused. “Huh?”

“You blocked my number.”

Understanding dawns on Todoroki’s face. “Oh, so that’s what Uraraka did when she took my phone.”

“What -- fucking Pink Cheeks, I’ll kill her,” Katsuki grouses. “Nosy piece of shit…”

He continues muttering expletives under his breath and Todoroki just laughs, and Katsuki basks in the metaphorical warmth of his mirth like a cat stretching in the sun.

“Why were you ignoring me in the first place, anyways?” Todoroki asks after a brief pause, curious.

Katsuki’s entire body goes rigid. “I… Not important.”

Todoroki rolls his eyes. “Do not pull this shit again.”

It sounds like an ultimatum. Fine, Katsuki thinks, he already suffered through the monstrous mental pain of apologizing, what’s a little more laying-your-feelings-bare, emotional humiliation on top of that.

“I was mad you were hanging out with Baldy,” he mutters, and wow, Katsuki didn’t even know his voice could ever sound that defeated and subdued.

Todoroki’s eyes widen in confusion, clearly not having expected that answer. “Why?”

“Fucking…” Katsuki sighs. “We always spend Saturdays together, so I was pissed when I found out you ditched me for that windbag.”

“I didn’t ditch you,” Todoroki insists, increasingly befuddled. “I even told you I was gonna be busy and asked if we could do it tomorrow?”

“You didn’t say you were hanging out with Baldy.”

This conversation is inching closer and closer to the literal heart of the matter and Katsuki can feel himself perspiring profusely even in the freezing air, which is starting to smell suspiciously like burnt sugar.

Todoroki huffs in exasperation. “What is your problem with Inasa?”

Inasa, Katsuki thinks; like clockwork, his digestive system performs a revolting pirouette. It is a little bit pathetic how predictable he is.

“Fucking -- I don’t know, I thought you liked him better than me and I guess I was fucking jealous, okay?!”

“You were -- why would you be jealous?” Todoroki asks, dumbfounded.

“Because I fucking like you, jackass,” tumbles out of his mouth before he thinks better of it, and almost immediately he flushes pink.

God. He’s really doing this, isn’t he.

“I like you too, but, that’s… Bakugou, you know that we can be friends and have other friends, right?”

Katsuki curses both his and Todoroki’s entire lineages for reproducing up until this point in time which has culminated in him having decidedly non-platonic feelings for the single densest, most oblivious motherfucker on the planet.

“Maybe I want to be more than friends,” Katsuki presses, cheeks progressing through deeper and deeper shades of red, willing Todoroki for once to read between the lines.

It’s too much to hope for. Obviously. The guy can’t even read his handwriting.

Todoroki’s eyebrows furrow in thought. “You want to be… best friends?”

What the fuck was he expecting, honestly. 

“Jesus christ you’re stupid,” Katsuki blurts.

“That’s really uncalled for --”

“I don’t want to be your best friend, I want to fucking date you, okay?!”

Todoroki’s eyes widen comically as his jaw drops and the sheer shock in his expression is so out of place that Katsuki would burst into hysterics if he wasn’t about to actually detonate from fear.

Internally, Katsuki promises a thousand painful deaths upon his no-good meddling childhood friend/enemy for making him confess on a rooftop in the snow. Externally, he tries his hardest to not set off any blasts with the surplus of nitroglycerin he’s suddenly sweating out.

When the silence continues to stretch on and Katsuki is just about to give into the flight part of his fight-or-flight instinct for the second time in his life -- and the first time, he notes with bitterness as he recalls the elevator conversation, was also him running from his feelings -- the recipient of his woeful affections finally speaks.

“Does that mean, you want to be…” Todoroki ventures, hesitant, nervous.

“...”

“...Boyfriends?”

Katsuki takes a deep breath and surreptitiously wipes his hands on his pants.

“Yeah,” he says, jerkily, incredibly, awkwardly stiff.

Todoroki looks like he’s thinking hard about something. “Does that mean… I can kiss you?”

Katsuki feels his entire body flare up and he just knows his face is the color of Todoroki’s scar right now.

“I -- well -- yeah, that’s what boyfr - friends do,” he manages to stammer out, and quietly applauds himself for not exploding anything.

And then he ruins it because Todoroki leans in, grabs his face between his hot and cold hands, and presses their mouths together and Katsuki immediately scorches both their jackets.

“I -- You -- what?! ” Katsuki splutters, when Todoroki pulls away in alarm at the sudden blasts.

“I… thought that’s what boyfriends do?” Todoroki questions, bemused.

Katsuki snaps his jaw back up. “Y-You seriously want to -- you like me back?”

Why the fuck am I fucking stuttering like fucking Deku?!

Todoroki stares at him. “I already said that, didn’t I?”

“That doesn’t mean what you think it means, idiot! I mean, you seriously want to be my -- my boyfriend?”

The temperature heats up ever so slightly. “Well -- I never thought about it like that, I guess. I’m not too good with,” he waves a hand around vaguely, “emotions? I just know, I’ve wanted to kiss you for a while.”

What.

“Ever since you called my dad a flaming trashbag, actually,” Todoroki sighs wistfully, seemingly recalling the memory.

“What?!” Katsuki shrieks, out loud this time, and actually feels dizzy, like he might faint.

“Yeah,” Todoroki continues, either ignorant or uncaring or both to Katsuki’s rapidly crumbling grip on consciousness. “I never asked, because I thought you’d explode in my face or something,” he admits, before turning pensive again. “Which, you still kinda did.”

“I fucking did not --”

“You did,” Todoroki interrupts, pointing at the spots of soot covering both his and Katsuki’s uniforms.

“Shut up, shut up, shut up,” Katsuki mutters wildly, reaching his arms out to tightly grip either side of Todoroki’s jacket, the non-charred parts.

He doesn’t see what kind of expression Todoroki wears when he smashes their faces together again, mostly because he had already shut his eyes before he even leaned in due to sheer nerves, but he can certainly feel Todoroki’s lips (warm and cool at the same time, and impossibly soft against Katsuki’s own dry, chapped ones) moving enthusiastically against his own, and something wet -- fuck that’s a fucking tongue, Katsuki barely has time to think, and suddenly his sweat’s igniting again.

“FUCK,” Katsuki shouts, thoroughly aggravated, but Todoroki’s laughing, sounding like everything Katsuki’s ever wanted, and his annoyance melts away like ice in a burning flame.

---

Katsuki winds up going to Todoroki’s room later, after they’ve practiced making out enough on the snowy rooftop for Katsuki to be able to suck face without spontaneously exploding.

(“Why the fuck are you so calm during all this,” Katsuki demanded, childishly upset at Todoroki’s control over his quirk while he was sweating like mad.

Todoroki blinked and pursed his lips, as if thinking about it for the first time. “I’ve imagined it a lot. Maybe I got used to it?”

To which Katsuki had promptly blasted away five square feet of snow in response.)

“That thing’s on your bed?” Katsuki scoffs, upon seeing the fucking cat plush from the arcade not-date a month ago sitting next to Todoroki’s pillows.

“I sleep with Catsuki every night,” Todoroki responds with utmost seriousness.

Katsuki pats himself on the back internally for not choking when he hears that, before sensing an opportunity for revenge.

“You know,” he starts. “If you wanted me in your bed, you could’ve just asked.”

“Oh,” Todoroki says, sounding way too delighted and not as flustered as he had hoped, “will you sleep with me, then?”

Katsuki does actually start choking at that, and also intermittently sparking and crackling.

“It’s a good thing neither of our rooms have fire alarms,” Todoroki notes absently, as plumes of smoke rise off Katsuki’s singed sleeves.

---

Private Message: Deku

Deku: todoroki told me what happened!!!!

Deku: congratulations kacchan!!!!!! (*ゝω・)ﾉ

You: FUCK THAT GOSSIPING BASTARD

---

Private Message: Shitty Hair

Shitty Hair: BAKUBROOOO

Shitty Hair: MY MAN

Shitty Hair: MY DUDE

Shitty Hair: congrats on getting CUFFED!!!!

Shitty Hair: by the way, i just want to say, i totally called it

You: FUCK YOU

Shitty Hair: no thats for you and todobroki now!!!

You: you are on thin fucking ice

Shitty Hair: just teasing bro ;)

Shitty Hair: seriously though, congrats

Shitty Hair: i can tell he makes u happy :’)

You: he does

You: and……...thanks

Shitty Hair: :’((( thats the sweetest thing ive ever heard u say omg

---

Group: #SQUADGOALZ

UtsuSHITmi: AYYYYYYYY

UtsuSHITmi: HOTTIE AND BLASTY FINALLY GOT TOGETHER?????

Baldy: How passionate!!!! Congratulations, Todoroki and Bakugou!!!!!

Baldy: I hope that my advice was of use!!!!!

You: SHUT IT

Icy Hot: Thank you :)

UtsuSHITmi: omg todoroki using smiley faces

UtsuSHITmi: too cute i mite die

UtsuSHITmi: u better hold him tight bakugou or ima come for ur man

You: back off you fucking harlot

UtsuSHITmi: harlot? are you 60?

Icy Hot: He goes to bed at 9pm like a 60 year old

UtsuSHITmi: LMFAOO

UtsuSHITmi: oh btw @Blasty @Hottie we should totes go on a double date together <33 i already asked mina shes super downnn

You: id rather die.

Icy Hot: We’d love to :)

---

As it turns out, Katsuki does end up sleeping with Todoroki. Like, actually sleeping. Todoroki apparently enjoys falling asleep next to him because he smells good (little nitroglycerin secreting things, Katsuki guesses), and Katsuki isn’t about to protest because Todoroki’s body is always the perfect heater for these chilly nights, and he’ll be the perfect A/C when the temperature spikes again.

Katsuki ignores the fact that he’s already thinking about him and Todoroki in the summer when winter isn’t even half over.

He reaches out a hand to brush at Todoroki’s dual-colored locks. They’re impossibly soft, which Katsuki expected because of course Todoroki would have perfect soft glossy hair in addition to his perfect face and eyes and body and literally everything else. He supposes the abysmal social skills balance it out.

Privately, Katsuki thinks it’s a good thing Todoroki seems so utterly unaware of his own objective attractiveness, because if he actually knew how beautiful he was he really would be genuinely too powerful. And the last thing Todoroki needs is more power.

With a content sigh, Katsuki burrows back under the blanket and tucks himself tight against Todoroki’s left side. He is getting dangerously used to this; they’ve been sleeping together every day for the past two months -- it’s so easy when their rooms are one floor apart, and they can just hop up or down the balcony.

As much as he would like to continue napping, it is already 10 AM and while Todoroki may be a heathen who sleeps through the afternoon, Katsuki is a functioning human being who knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

He shakes Todoroki awake. “Hey, shithead.”

“Whsss’goin’ on.” Katsuki’s heart does not throb at the sleepy mumble.

“Get up. Time to eat breakfast.”

“Noooo,” Todoroki whines, and hides himself further in the blankets, until only the top of his head is visible.

Katsuki rolls his eyes. “You ass, you can’t skip breakfast.”

“Bring it up here then,” Todoroki counters.

“Fucking spoiled little…” Katsuki mutters mutinously, but he’s already getting up, pulling on his clothes from last night, thinking about what to cook for breakfast in bed.

Whipped, says a voice in his head that sounds like Camie. Katsuki ignores it like he ignores everything else that comes out of her mouth.

When Katsuki exits the room, a soft thud behind him catches his attention. It’s Sero, eyes bugging out like he just got shocked, mouth hanging open like he’s trying to catch flies. At his feet are a few volumes of manga he presumably just dropped.

“Tape Face,” Katsuki grunts, by way of greeting, then heads off for the elevator, leaving Sero to his business. Probably returning the books to Todoroki, actually -- Katsuki suddenly remembers that Todoroki and Sero share all their manga.

The kitchen is blessedly empty when Katsuki arrives in the common room. He quickly gets to work mixing up batter, tossing in some of the matcha powder Todoroki keeps in the back of the fridge. After whipping up a few egg whites, he combines everything and gets to work on cooking breakfast.

While the batter is sizzling, he furiously washes and chops some fruit -- strawberries, bananas, raspberries. After checking on the stove and carefully transporting two huge, fluffy souffle pancakes onto plates, he squirts a generous amount of whipped cream and syrup over both of them, and piles the fresh fruit on top.

He’s just about to bring the plates upstairs when Todoroki ambles into the kitchen, yawning.

His eyes light up upon seeing the pancakes. “That smells good,” he says, deadpan tone tinged with excitement.

“Dumbass,” Katsuki gripes, though he feels warm all the same. “I was gonna bring it up to you.”

“Oh, really? That’s sweet of you,” Todoroki says, with a soft smile that has Katsuki feeling personally attacked. “It’s okay, Sero was returning some manga and then I couldn’t fall back asleep. Figured I’d come join you.”

“I saw Tape Face when I was heading out,” Katsuki remembers suddenly, as he sets the plates down on the kitchen table instead, now that they’re eating downstairs.

Todoroki hums. “Is that why he looked like that?”

“Like what.”

“Like… terrified and confused and jumpy at the same time? Did you threaten him again or something?”

“I didn’t,” Katsuki snaps, shoveling food into his mouth. He swallows. “Idiot already looked like he got electrocuted by Sparky when I saw him leave his room.”

Todoroki hums in consideration, cheeks bulging as he chews on much more pancake than his mouth is meant to accommodate.

“Slow down, you’re gonna fucking choke, geez.”

“I can’t, your cooking is too good,” Todoroki insists, annoyingly earnest.

Katsuki feels his ears traitorously warm up. “Fucking sap.”

“Who’s the one who was about to bring me breakfast in bed?”

“Shut up!”

---

The next day, Kirishima, Kaminari, Ashido, and Sero show up at Katsuki’s room with a slightly squashed white box.

“The hell do you assholes want,” Katsuki gripes, particularly irritated because he had been forced to evacuate his very warm Todoroki-heated bed to answer the door.

“We have a surprise for you!” Ashido trills, holding up the box. “For you and Todoroki!”

At that, he hears Todoroki get out of bed and plod over to the door, and for some fucking reason his presence makes Sero and Kaminari absolutely lose their shit, bent over in cackles.

Kirishima gingerly opens up the squished container, revealing a rather ugly cake inside. Katsuki squints at it and immediately freezes.

The cake says “CONGRATS ON THE SEX” in shaky piping, accompanied by frankly pitiful artistic attempts at a peach and eggplant.

“What the FUCK is this?!” Katsuki screams, vision turning red. Todoroki looks similarly disarmed, though mostly just confused instead of furious.

Kaminari yells out excitedly, “You guys finally slept together! It took forever!”

While Katsuki’s brain short-circuits on “finally”, the human peppermint speaks up.

“Oh,” Todoroki says. “I think you’re misunderstanding. We physically sleep in each other’s beds together. We haven’t had sex.”

Katsuki growls furiously and incomprehensibly and for a brief moment the peanut gallery actually looks a little let down, and then Todoroki has to go ruin it with his huge fucking mouth.

“I’d like to, though.”

Katsuki’s spluttering wheezes get lost amidst the instant cacophony of hoots and hollers and wolf-whistles that the idiot brigade starts spouting out.

“What the fuck?! ” Katsuki chokes out, voice garbled from lack of breath.

Todoroki furrows his eyebrows. “You don’t want to?”

Katsuki curses.

The dumbasses outside his door are still shrieking. With uncalled for aggression, Katsuki snatches the cake from Ashido’s hands, ignoring the indignant squeals from four different people, and slams the door shut in their faces.

He drops the cake onto his desk, then crawls back into the blessedly still-warm bed. Todoroki is standing bemused by the door.

“Well?” Katsuki raises an eyebrow. “Cake isn’t gonna eat itself.”

Todoroki silently rejoins him under the covers with an expression Katsuki can only describe as burning.

Maybe he read between the lines, this time.

Retweeted by KING EXPLOSION MURDER

Shouto @shouto111 • 20m ago

:) 

[Image: Todoroki smiling softly at the screen. Someone wearing a black skull tee has their face tucked into his neck, showing off impressively spiky blonde hair. A big cat plush sits in between the two.]

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