Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The roaring engine of the number one hero’s vehicle echoed through the night as he came to a stop light. The city was full of life. The ocean of bill boards and LED signs in the distance shone like a sea of stars. Cars came and went, tiny children pressing their faces to the window to observe as the flame hero tapped his fingers on the glove compartment.

The surrounding drivers couldn’t help but stare in curiosity as they noticed Endeavors car driving so casually next to them. Not because of the #1 hero himself, but because of the chaos insuring in the back.

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“For fucks sake someone PLEASE turn on the AC, having this nerd breathing down my neck isn’t making this small ass car any less cramped.” The angry blonde shouted as he tried shoving the freckled boy away him.

“Kacchan !!”

Shoto brought his attention away from his phone. “Bakugo I didn’t take you for the claustrophobic type.”

“Who the hell said I was claustrophobic?!”

Endeavour interrupted the conversation before Shoto could muster a reply.

“Shoto, I ask that you and your friends collect yourselves while I’m behind the wheel, we’ll be reaching our destination shortly.” the flame hero said pulling off at the green light.

Izuku furrowed his brows in concern at the hint of irritation in the heroes voice.

“For the last time we are NOT frie-“

Izuku slapped a calloused hand over Bakugos mouth as he shot a serious glare at him. There was a visible boiling rage on the blondes face. Despite this, he surprisingly complied with the heroes request while jokingly (somewhat) biting the hand in front of him.

“Ow!?” Izuku said snatching his hand away.

“You taste like shit.” Bakugo spat, his voice returning to a somewhat decent volume.

“You are what you eat” the green eyed boy mumbled under his breath, rubbing the palm of his hand. There was an hint of annoyance in his voice as he looked over at the boy next to him.

“You wanna run that by me again?!” Bakugo spat, his voice returning to its usual caliber.

The two boys were now having an elementary school style stare down, with the sheepish boy seemingly losing to Bakugos more intense demeanor. The car slowed down into an elegant looking neighborhood, parking in front of an even more elegant looking house. Shoto shook his head as he nudged the blonde. “C’mon guys we’re here.”

The boys made their way out the car and down the stone pathway. Bakugo dramatically stretched his limbs as Izuku took in the sight of the huge traditional Japanese house before them. The humming of cicadas filled the air as a small breeze ruffled the dark green curls of the young hero.

“What the fuck are we doing here?”

“Didn’t I tell you? My older sister invited us over for dinner.” Todoroki said waving his phone.

“Why the fuck-“ Izuku nudged Bakugo in his side as a young woman with white hair and a messy apron appeared before them.

“You all must be Shoto’s friends! It’s so nice to meet you all. I’d like to thank you all for making it on such short notice, I appreciate you all making time out of your busy schedules. I’m Fuyumi, Shoto’s older sister. Please come in and make yourselves at home!” The young woman exclaimed making her way down to greet everyone.

The 4 all followed her inside as she brought them to the dining area. Both Izuku and Bakugo took turns observing the neatly furnished home, Bakugo being in much less visible awe than his green haired counterpart.

“Thank you so much for having us! It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’m Izuku Midoriya and this is our classmate Katsuki Bakugo….” The nervous boy bowed repeatedly and continued to ramble as everyone made their way to their seats. Fuyumi kindly entertained Izukus rambling before returning to the dinner table to finish setting utensils. The two rivals noticed a young man identical to Fuyumi pass Shoto with a platter of food.

“Sup Shoto. Thanks for dropping by, I would have gotten an earful from your sister if I didn’t help set the table.” he laughed softly.

“Hey Nastuo, these are my friends, Midoriya and Bakugo.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Izuku said bowing gracefully.

“Sup.” Bakugo said abruptly.

Izuku looked over and forced a hand on Bakugos back, making him bow. His raw strength catching the blonde off guard making him stumble and curse under his breath.

The burly man smiled awkwardly before continuing. “I’ve heard great things about you all, I was impressed by both of your performances at the sports festival. Keep up the great work.”

“Thank you so much ! It’s an honor to work under someone as prestigious as your father.” Izuku said bowing.

Natuso let a scoff slip at the boys comment, making Izuku raise an eyebrow in concern. There was a loud silence before Natsuo realized his mistake.

“Oh no no it’s nothing you said,” he said waving his hands nervously. “Just something else on my mind.” Natsuo glared at his father, who was putting his coat away.

Todoroki had an unreadable expression on his face as Fuyumi walked out the kitchen with a tray of utensils, picking up on the tension. Endeavor looked up at Natsuo with a puzzled expression.

Fuyumi was the first to break the silence and cleared her throat. “Please everyone, help yourselves. If there’s anything you don’t like please don’t force yourselves to eat it I promise I won’t be upset.” She said lightheartedly. The blonde and green haired duo couldn’t help but exchange glances.

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The sound of light laughter made its way around the table as everyone enjoyed their food. Some were more quiet than others, nonetheless, the awkward tension had began to dissipate. The buzzing of the tv echoed in the background as the clinking of dishes filled the room. The umami of food circled the air as everyone tried their best to engage in conversation.

“The food’s absolutely delicious I can’t thank you enough.” Izuku said, not once looking up from his bowl.

“Don’t mention it, I’m always happy to show up for my brothers friends.” Fuyumi said flashing a smile.

“I’m not surprised,” Natsuo started. “Since our housekeeper retired Fuyumi’s had to learn her way around the kitchen.” 

“We used to take turns cooking Natsu, don’t you remember?”

Todoroki looked up from his plate in surprise. “Since you use to cook that means I’ve eaten your food growing up, no?” There was a hint of child-like wonder behind his voice.

“It’s possible, I did have a habit of going overboard on seasonings though.” He laughed awkwardly. “Endeavor might have kept you from eating it though, since he kept such a close eye on your diet.”Natsuo glared up at Endeavor once more.

The entire table fell silent. Endeavor’s face fell blank. Izuku and Bakugo froze in place, slowly eying eachother from the corner of their peripherals. Endeavor was the one to break the silence this time.

“Natsuo’s right, there’s no denying that statement.” he said taking another bite of his food. Endeavor noticed Fuyumis saddened expression from across the table.

“Next time,” he paused. “Next time I’d like to try your cooking Natsuo.” He said looking at his older son.

Natsuos expression tightened at his father’s words, his hands slightly trembling around his bowl. He began to get up and start collecting his dishes.

“Look Yumi I showed up just like you asked ok? I think I’m done here.”

The blonde and green haired duo froze one more, giving each other their signature “did you hear that shit?” look. Izuku began scraping the bottom of his bowl as to not seem nosy, Bakugo pouring himself more water near the point of overflow while peering at the feud before him.

“Natsu wait you can’t just-“ Fuyumi called out.

“I’m sorry but I don’t think I can do this anymore.” Natsuo said shutting the sliding door behind him.

Endeavor looked down at his food and sighed. Todoroki peered over at him trying to read his expression while slurping up a mouthful of noodles. There was an awkward silence that not even Fuyumi could fix. Shoto made periodic glances at his friends to make sure they weren’t too uncomfortable. He didn’t want his first time having friends over to be a complete shit show.

The rest of the night was filled with awkward tension and exchanged glances between the two boys. The clean up process being even quieter as Izuku and Bakugo continued to lightly eavesdrop on any lingering conversation between Todoroki and his family.

The 4 soon made their way back to the front to say their goodbyes. It was drawing late and the 3 students were still scheduled for their work studies just as the flame hero was scheduled for his regular duties. They all began advancing their way back to the car as Fuyumi called from the front door waving:

“Thank you all so much for stopping by ! I’m really sorry about earlier, I’ll be sure to say something to Natsuo. Get home safe !”

“Thanks again for having us over ! It was such a pleasure to meet you. The food was delicious.” Izuku called out in his usual cheery tone.

“I liked that Mapo Tofu of yours, it was way better than whatever Todoroki tries to make back at the dorms.” Bakugo scoffed. Fuyumi looked up at her brother’s irritated expression as she tried to stifle her laughter.

Todoroki returned a playful glare before turning back to wave at his sister. “I’ll stop by some time after my work study Fuyumi. Thanks for the food.”

“Take care Fuyumi.” Endeavor called out as he got in the drivers seat.

Bakugo waited until Endeavor was fully in the car to lightly not so lightly smack Izuku in the back of his head.

“Put your hands on me like that again and you won’t have any to wipe your ass with.” Bakugo said glaring at the green haired boy.

”I wouldn’t have too if you knew how to use your manners.” Izuku sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

Bakugo rolled his eyes and walked up to Todoroki, slightly shoving him. “Have your sister send you that Mapo Tofu recipe and forward it to me. And don’t wait all day.”

Todoroki watched in suprise as Bakugo got into the car while reaching for his phone. Izuku watched the two as he let out an airy sigh, cracking a toothy grin in the process.

Streams of moonlight poured from behind the trees as the car slowly approached the Heights Alliance building. The 3 boys waved Endeavor off (really just Izuku) as they made their way to their respective dorms to prepare for the day ahead of them. It was already 10pm, which gave everyone just the right amount of sleep before having to kick off another day at the busiest hero agency in Japan. Sleep began to wash over Izuku as he threw on a shirt and a pair of basketball shorts. He stumbled his way into the bathroom to brush his teeth until he heard a loud buzzing come from the nightstand. There was a puzzled expression on the boys face as he reached to pick up his phone.

“ ‘Kacchan’ is requesting to facetime…”

 A large knot began to form at the pit of Izukus stomach as his finger trembled over the accept button.

Chapter Text

The knot in Izukus stomach continued to form as his finger hovered over his phone screen.

Could this be a mistake? An emergency? If it was, why call him out of all people? His head throbbed with questions that had no answers, not until he picked up the phone.

The possible desperation of the situation made his hands tremble. He quickly accepted the call in fear of there being some sort of unknown urgency . When the call connected, he was met with a still black image, as if something was covering the camera. The sound of muffled rock music could be heard echoing through the room.

Izuku hesitated to speak. Why was this such a big deal to him? It was just a phone call, an unexpected one at that.  He wasn’t necessarily the type of person to receive a lot of calls, even after enrolling at UA. 

The sound of shuffling and metal tinkering from the other end broke the boy out of his spiral. He finally decided to call out, fearing that something sinister layed ahead.

“Kacchan?”

No response.

The freckled boy began to chew at his lip. Was there something wrong? Or was this simply just some accidental butt dial? 

“Kacchan? Are you there?” He called out again.

The noise stopped. Within seconds, Bakugos face appeared from what seemed like his back pocket. There sat a screwdriver tucked behind his ear and streaks of grease across his forehead. A pair of thin glasses rested on the bridge of Bakugos nose, catching Izuku by surprise. There was an overdramatic display of confusion on the blondes face as he brought the camera closer to his face too see properly.

“Hah? The fuck are you doing here?!” Bakugo exclaimed.

“Did you mean to call me?” 

“Course not! Why would I call you out of all people?” The blonde scoffed.

There was a weary look in Izukus eyes as he scratched the back of his head. Bakugo was right, even though they weren’t on the same terms as they were when they first started highschool, there still wasn’t any reason for Bakugo to call him. Especially him. 

“The hell are you looking at me for? I have better things to do than be on the phone with your loser ass.”

“But Kacchan, you called me first?” The freckled boy looked at the camera in confusion.

There was a long, defeated silence on Bakugos end of the phone before he spoke again.

“I’m hanging up.”

Izukus foot tapped rapidly as he thought of something to keep the blonde on the phone. Reasons for something he was not so sure of himself. The empty ticking of a wall clock filled the silence as the freckled boy thought of what to say.

“Did you hear what Natsuo said at dinner? About Endeavor I mean.” Izuku stammered. 

“Fucking tell me about it, his little family therapy session nearly ruined the taste of my mapo tofu.” Bakugo scoffed, rolling his eyes.

If there was one thing Izuku knew about Bakugo, it’s that he was nosy. He couldn’t help but think of the blondes obnoxious “eavesdropping” during dinner, nearly spilling his water. A small chuckle slipped from Izukus lips before he could catch himself.

“The hells so funny?”

“You don’t remember almost spilling your water as Natsuo stormed out? You’re so nosy.” Izuku laughed, this time with more intention.

“How the fuck does that make me nosy if   it happened right in front of me? It’s not like you were any better, you mind as well put a dent in your bowl the way you were scraping at it.”

“I was trying not to be obvious!” Izuku pouted.

“Well you fucking suck at it.”

Suddenly, Bakugos attention was diverted by something out of frame. He quickly propped his phone up to scan his room for something.

Unbeknownst to Bakugo, Izuku took this as the opportunity to finally observe the inside of his dorm. He had never gotten the chance, since Bakugo opted out of the dorm competition the class hosted upon first arriving at Heights Alliance.

The room was surprisingly tidy. There was a large bookshelf tucked in the corner and a surplus of music and movie posters covering nearly every inch of the walls. A CD player with a stereo system could be seen peaking out from the edge of the camera. A pile of instruction manuals and spare parts lie sprawled out on the wooden floor.

The sound of metal tinkering resumed as bakugo pulled the screwdriver from behind his ear. His hands worked meticulously on something that was not visible on camera.

“What’s that your working on?” Izuku asked sheepishly.

“Like hell I’d tell you.” The blonde snapped.

Izuku rolled his eyes at the snappy remark. His attention was once caught by the music looping in the background. He glanced over to a stack of CD’s neatly piled by the stereo system. 

“Whats that playing in the back?”

“Are you interviewing me or something? Let up on the fucking questions.” Bakugo spat.

The freckled boy fell silent as his gaze dropped to his lap. It wasn’t often that he got the chance to actually sit down with his childhood friend like this. How did someone so close manage to be a stranger at the exact same time? He saw no harm in taking the opportunity to really get to know him, though it’s clear Bakugo didn’t see it that way.

Bakugo glanced up from his tinkering and noticed Izukus look of defeat. He let out a small sigh.

“Alice in chains.”

“Who?” The freckled boy perked up.

“American band.”

“Are they good?”

“If they weren’t would I have their first 3 studio albums on CD?”

“You’re an asshole, you know that?”

The blonde paused what he was doing to glance at the camera. To what extent does sleep deprivation makes someone so bold?

“You wanna repeat that shit?”

“I said you’re an asshole. I know you heard me the first time.” there was a grogginess in the freckled boys voice.

This time, Bakugo looked up at the camera completely. He noticed the hood in Izukus eyes and the way his head was rested in his palm. If it weren’t for the time of night (and their previous track record) Bakugo would have waltzed over to his dorm and blew him to pieces.

Bakugo let out a grumble and diverted his attention back to the project before him, doing all types of tinkering and screwing. Izuku on the other hand, was busy asking all types of questions about Bakugo’s dorm and what he was doing. His focus was so caught on his work that he didn’t care to yell at Izuku for pulling him into an unofficial game of 20 questions.

“Won’t you get in trouble for making modifications to your gear without the schools permission?” Izuku asked.

“Not if they don’t find out.” Bakugo shot him a look.

There was a loud yawn that came from Izukus end of the phone, making Bakugo groan in irritation. Still, his eyes stayed glued to the gauntlets he was fiddling with. The clanking of metal rang as he inserted and removed different components from his gear. 

“When’d you start wearing glasses?” Izuku asked.

“Watch it.”

“Jeez, I was just asking a question..” Izuku pouted.

Izuku looked up and noticed a faint look of disgruntlement on Bakugo’s face, making him cock his head to the side.

“Did you think I was going to make fun of you or something? I’m not you y’know.” Izuku said lightheartedly.

The blonde kept silent as he continued to operate on his gear.

“Well, I think they look great on you, they fit your face shape quite nicely”

“Tch.”

It wasn’t long before Bakugo stood up and disappeared from the camera. The sound off running water could be heard in the background. Izuku tapped his fingers frivolously on his night stand, waiting for the blonde to return in order to unleash another round of 20 questions. He took advantage of Bakugos extreme concentration to learn more about him, figuring it would be a long time before he got another opportunity like this, if not at all.

Bakugo was gone no longer than 5 minutes, returning with a clean face instead of the one streaked with grease that greeted Izuku prior. 

As the blonde settled himself back into his makeshift work station, Izuku noticed  a feint hue of red staining Bakugo’s face.   The boy was too exhausted to make proper sense of it, passing it off as Bakugos use of scolding hot water. And if you asked Izuku, that seemed pretty on brand for him.

“What exactly are you doing to your gear?” Izuku mumbled tiredly.

“Modding it. Got all banged up during work studies, so I’m giving it a revamp that’ll make sure it packs an even bigger punch than before. I’ll be sure to use you as a test dummy when I finish.”

“Didn’t you already do that?” Izuku teased.

“Second times a charm.”

Izuku couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the snarky remark. He ran his hands  through his messy curls as he watched Bakugo work.

“I didn’t take you for the mechanical type.” 

“Yeah well when you’re as awesome as me you know how to do all types of shit.” Bakugo snarked.

Izuku laughed at his remark, his voice nothing but a hoarse whisper. Suddenly, his eyes lit up.

“Wait is that why your so good at this stuff? I remember you being really into robotics as a kid.” A hint of child-like wonder hidden inside his voice.

“You freak why do you remember that?” Bakugo blurted out.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

The blonde fixed himself to say something, but decided to stay silent. His attention was returned back to his gear.

The two continued to make small talk as the night went on. Izuku migrated his way to the other side of his room, now fighting sleep in the comfort of his own bed. Vague conversation about school, friends, and training came and went. Bakugo stopped periodically to replace the previous album with another in his CD player. There were now at least 6 albums sprawled out on the floor.

“I didn’t know you were such a big music head, you ever try talking to Jirou?” Izuku slurred.

“I do.” 

“You do what?”

“Dumbass. I do talk to her. We’re,” he paused. “We’re friends.”

The blondes statement had caught Izuku so off guard he sat up out of his bed. 

“You…talk to other people? And get along with them?” There was genuine curiosity behind the freckled boys voice.

“Yeah why wouldn’t I? You got a fucking problem?!” Bakugo scoffed, his voice now slightly hoarse. 

“No it’s just- Well- Holy shit.” Izuku stammered.

“What?” Bakugo looked up at the camera agin, his face now re-covered with grease.

“The time. It’s going on five.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? I spent all this time talking to your loser ass?” Bakugo scoffed. 

“Well not necessarily, you were working on your gear most of the time. And plus, you had the opportunity to hang up ages ago.” 

Bakugo fell silent as he continued to work on his gauntlets. He made sure to keep his eyes on the gear below.

“I don’t have time for this.” He finally blurted out, hanging up in the same breath.

Izuku sighed and finally set his phone down on the nightstand. It was merely minutes before he was completely knocked out,  too exhausted to think about his rivals sudden departure. The sound of light birdsong began to grow in the distance with Izukus snores overlapping.

The obnoxious beeping of Izukus alarm jolted him fully awake. One glance at the clock was all he needed for his heart to drop directly through hell. Eight forty-five. Class started an hour ago.

The green haired boy spent no time launching himself into his bathroom to prepare for the day. The neck of his button up was stuck over his forehead, blinding him as he tried to gather the contents of his backpack. Izukus franticness and lack of vision eventually caused him to trip over a stray shoe, sending him crashing to the floor.

The boy could only groan in fustration as he picked himself up and yanked the hem of his shirt down. He grabbed what was left of his uniform and brought himself up to five percent of one for all. If he was fast enough, he could make it just before second period.

Flashes of green lightening danced around his body as he sprinted through the hallways of the dorm. A flash of blonde was caught in his perhiperal as he turned a corner, causing him to backtrack. 

“Kacchan?” 

“The hell do you want?” Bakugo snapped. His eyes traveled to the collar of Izukus shirt.

“Are you running late as well? I’m so sorry I never intended to keep you up so late-“

“Get lost Deku.” He said turning to face the wall.

“But-“

“Didn’t you hear me the first time? I said get lost.” his voice was more hoarse than before, as if he hadn’t slept at all.

Obliging to the blondes rude (but somewhat reasonable) request, Izuku sprinted towards the main entrance of the dorm. It was a five minute walk to the main campus, but if he raised OFA up to two percent, he could make it in three.

And thats exactly what he did. The surrounding forestry blurred into green and yellow lines as he ran, kicking up a trail of dust behind him. He shortly found himself at his destination: Class 1-A.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before reaching to open the door, replaying the variations of scoldings he was bound to get from Mr.Aizawa upon entering the classroom. Just as he was about to slide the door open, he felt a rough, warm hand brush up against is.

“Kacchan?! How’d you get here so fast?” Izuku whisper shouted.

“The hell does it matter to you? Get the fuck out my way.” the blonde spat, slapping Izukus hand out the way.

“I didn’t take you for the type of person to care for your attendance.” Izuku laughed nervously.

“Of course I do ! How am I gonna be the number one hero if the last thing I can do is show up on time?!” His voice grew to an uncomfortable volume.

“Kacchan ! you have to lower your voice before Mr.Aizawa hears us. We’re already late, we don’t need to add more to his pl-“ 

Izuku was interrupted by the abrupt slamming of the door. There stood Mr.Aizawa towering over the both of them with a burning glare. His hair was raised, which meant he was really pissed.

The freckled boy couldn’t help but cower in his presence, while the blonde diverted his gaze to the floor, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“You two. Inside. Now.” Aizawa said, gritting his teeth.

A huge lump took form in Izukus throat. His eyes shot over to a near by wall clock. Nine AM precisely. He knew this was only the beginning of a long day.

Chapter Text

The room fell silent as all heads turned to face Izuku and Bakugo as they walked into the classroom. Izuku kept his gaze fixated on the floor below him while Bakugo made narrowed eyes at the general direction of the class. 

“The hell are you extras looking at?” Bakugo spat. His remark only made Aizawa shoot him another furious glare, causing the blonde to roll his eyes. Izuku rocked on the back of his heels, awaiting the vicious scolding that was sure to be bestowed upon them.

“What do you say to the class?” Aizawa said, gritting through his teeth.

“I’m terribly sorry for interrupting class, please forgive me.” Izuku squeaked, falling into a genuine but shaky bow.

“Tch.” Bakugo scoffed.

“You have one more chance to correct yourself before you’re out of my classroom.” Aizawa said gravelly.

Bakugo shoved his hands back into his pockets and looked towards the floor, taking a small pause.

“Sorry.”

“Now find your seats. The two of you will be seeing me after class.” He seethed.

Izuku scurried to his seat while Bakugo shuffled to his. Aizawa’s hair receded as everybody fixed their attention back onto the board or onto their textbooks. Izuku glanced over to Bakugo who shot him a look, making the freckled boy advert his gaze. Izuku began to pull out his textbook as Aizawa resumed the  lesson. 

Izuku could only make out bits and pieces of the lesson as he zoned in and out. They were apparently covering the specifics of legalized quirk use and certain hero laws. For someone like Izuku, there wasn’t a single aspect of hero work that bored him. However, it was quite hard to concentrate from a combination of minimal sleep and sheer embarrassment. 

His eyes grew heavy as he tightened the grip on his pen. At least thirty minutes had gone by and to no avail was he able to focus. He stared at the blank notebook-page before him and chewed at his bottom lip. He shot periodic glances at Bakugo, who was surprisingly doing a better job at concentrating. More so, it seemed to be that he was sketching something. Izuku however was far to shy to look over Bakugo’s shoulder, assuming the blonde’s reaction wouldn’t be a pretty one.

Hitoshi Shinsou, a recent transfer from general studies, had been the one to peer over at Bakugos notebook. The purple haired boy held a question on his face as he leaned over to the angry blonde beside him. Bakugo paused his sketching to move his arm closer to his paper, blocking Shinsous line of vision, causing him to sigh and roll his eyes.

The way they expressed themselves without words seemed to be those of acquaintances more than regular classmates. Was this another friend Izuku wasn’t aware of? If so, how long have they known each other for?  How close could they have gotten since the sports festival?

There was a sudden tightness that took form in Izukus chest. He was no longer stopping to take periodic glances at the blonde. Despite how far his relationship with Bakugo had come, Izuku couldn’t help but feel insignificant in the shadows of those Bakugo seemed to enjoy the presence of. Tears began to prick at his eyes, earning a few small sniffles in return. He spent no time blinking them back before anyone could notice.

For the rest of the period, the events of last night replayed themselves in Izukus head like a broken record. There was a somber look on the freckled boy’s face, causing Bakugo to glance over one, two, maybe three times. The abrupt ringing of the lunch bell shook Izuku out of his thoughts. Some of his classmates darted out of the room as soon as the bell rang, and some lingered around the classroom. Bakugo was no where to be found. 

The sound of muffled chatter rang in the background as Izuku gathered his belongings. Out the corner of his perhiperal, Izuku could see a burly figure with a mountain of red hair making his way over to him. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he continued to pack his things, attempting to mentally prepare for the interaction ahead of him.

“Yooo Midoriya ! You good man? You seemed totally out of it during class. Aizawa came down pretty hard on you guys huh?” Kirishima called out, hoisting himself up on the desk next to him.

“Yeah, I can’t blame him though. I came in pretty late, and ended up disrupting the class in the process.” Izuku laughed nervously.  

“Aw don’t even worry about it, that lesson was totally killing me anyways. Y’know I’ve never been good at technical hero stuff.” 

Shortly after, Kaminari and Sero began to inch their way over to Izukus seat, making brief conversation with other classmates along the way. Izuku could now feel himself getting slightly irritated. It was no doubt that he enjoyed his classmates presence, but the thought of more people approaching him (two of the loudest at that) soon became very overstimulating. 

“Hey Midoriya! Whats up with that uniform? Is it halloween or something?”
Sero called out.

“Yeah why are you dressed like Bakugo? All that time in house arrest made y’all start matching huh.” Kaminari snarked playfully, earning a soft jab from Kirishima.
 
“What are you guys talking about?” Izuku asked groggily. 

“You seriously get dressed in the dark this morning? Take a look.” Kaminari said, lightly shoving his phone camera towards Izuku.

The freckled boy paused to observe himself in the camera. His eyes searched his reflection until they reached his missing tie and unbuttoned collar. It also happened to be that he forgot to put on his jacket, despite grabbing it on the way out.

Izuku groaned in frustration as he pushed the camera away from him. He stood up as he finished gathering the rest of his belongings. “Sorry guys but I should get to the cafeteria before the line gets too long, I’ll see you guys later.” Izuku said waving a tired hand.

“Don’t worry Midoriya, we all oversleep sometimes! You go get some rest alright?” Kirishima called out.

“Yeah trust me, l know how harsh Aizawa can be. I nearly ran laps the last time I overlsept.” Kaminari laughed.

“You’re saying that like it was ages ago. I’m sure he remembers dumbass, it was last week.” Sero said lightly smacking Denki on the back, causing the electric blonde to let out a nervous laugh.

The volume of their voices made Izuku wince, causing him to quicken his pace towards the door. The sound of idle chatter echoed through the halls as the boy made his way towards the cafeteria, fiddling with the straps of his backpack. He kept his gaze fixed towards the floor as he walked to avoid any potential interaction. It’s not like he thought many people would talk to him anyways.

The freckled boy soon found himself nestled in the Lunch Rush line, waiting for his turn to be served. His thoughts circled aimlessly as the sounds of the nearly full cafeteria grew more muffled. 

Izuku had been entirely on autopilot until he sat down with his tray. He replenished his false social battery as he greeted all of his friends at the table.

“Hi everyone.” Izuku said with a half smile.

“Greetings !” Iida exclaimed 

“Hey.” Todoroki said.

“Hi Deku !” Uraraka squeaked, taking a mouthful of food.

Izuku picked at his food as he half-listened to everyone’s conversation. He caught Iida staring at him from the corner of his eye, much too tired to direct his attention to something else.

“Midoriya are you okay? You don’t seem to be doing too well.” Iida asked concerningly.

“Me? I’m just exhausted is all. I guess work studies are beginning to take a toll on me, probably why I overslept.” He laughed nervously. 

“But how? We all got dropped off at the same time, you should have had plenty of time to get proper rest.” Todoroki chimed in. 

The freckled boy began to pick at his nail beds as he thought of a response. How could he possibly admit that he and Bakugo had accidentally stayed up for seven hours on the same call?

“Deku you’re bleeding !” Uraraka yelped. She reached for her bag and began to shuffle through it, pulling out a small bandaid moments later. 

Izuku was drawn back to reality at the sight of a small stream of blood running down his index finger. He scrambled looking for a napkin somewhere on the table, failing to notice what was already in Urarakas hand. 

“Here.” She said handing him the bandaid.

“I’m sorry guys, I didn’t mean to make you worry.” Izuku quavered, wrapping the bandaid around his finger and wiping the excess blood off.

“No worries, we all have our bad days. I won’t force anything out of you but do know we’re all here for you if you ever need to talk. Thats what you would have told me, right?” Tenya smiled. 

Izuku looked up at Iida and then Uraraka and Todoroki. The sheer sincerity on everyone’s faces caused another wave of tears to prick at his eyes, this time with no attempt to blink them back.

“I overslept because I was up all night talking to Kacchan, and I guess having Mr.Aizawa lash out on me made me feel worse.” Izuku quavered through small sobs.

“You were on the phone with Bakugo for that long? I mean- I know you guys were doing better but I wouldn’t have expected that.” Uaraka said.

“And what could have possibly kept you guys on the phone for so long? I didn’t even think he’d be one to pick up.” Shoto questioned, taking a sip of his water.

“Well…” Izuku started nervously.

“Well?” Iida asked.

“Well…” he paused again. “He called me first, but it was on accident? But he ended up staying on the phone regardless, and yeah.” Izuku stammered. 

“Well it’s not very often you see something like that from Bakugo, maybe he’s growing use to you?” Iida said hopefully.

“What? Me? I’m not really sure, maybe  it’s like a pity thing? Though that would defenitely suck…” Izuku trailed off.

“Or mabye he just wanted to stay on the phone? It’s simple really. Think about how long you’ve known each other. Friends call each other right?” Todoroki asked.

“Plus, I don’t think Bakugos the type of person to stay on the phone with someone for several hours out of ‘pity’ “ Uraraka teased, nudging Izuku in his side.

“I guess you’re all right. I’m not so sure he’d consider us friends though.” Izuku said ambivalently, wiping the tears from his face.

“Well me and Bakugo are friends, so whats the difference?” Todoroki chimed.

The table went silent as everyone turned to look at Todoroki. Recent memories of Bakugo and Todoroki’s hectic interview looped through Izukus head.

“More or less.” Izuku said lightheartedly. Everyone at the table erupted into small laughter at Izukus remark, making him feel a bit lighter than before. 

After lunch, Izuku gradually tried to rebuild his mood as the day went on, sleep however still tugged at his eyelids, and the anxiety of Aizawa’s after school consequences roamed in the back of his mind.

The rest of Izukus classes went relatively smooth. Present mic’s concert of an english class had managed to wake him up completely, making it slightly easier to focus on the content before him. There were no practical exercises or training today, which left Izuku to his thoughts and the words in his notebook. The freckled boy peered up at the wall clock above him: two twenty-five. Approximately thirty-five minutes before school was out of session.

He tapped his foot anxiously as he finished jotting down the list of grammatical prefixes on the board. The ticking of the wall clock rang in his ears as his tapping became more erratic. Izukus stomach churned at the thought of missing out on work studies over his tardiness. What would Aizawa do to reprimand them? And for how long? At Endeavors pace, an hour of detention was equivalent to half a days worth of hero work.

The freckled boy sighed as he tried to bring his attention back to the lesson before him. As he jotted down more notes, he caught a glimpse of Shinsou sliding a note over to Bakugos desk, the writing being far too small for him too read. The tightness in Izukus chest returned as he thought of all the possible things that could be on that paper. 

Izuku was still struggled to wrap his head around the idea of Bakugo having more friends, at least more than he knew about. How many more friends had he made at UA? And why did it matter so much to him?  He gnawed on the tip of his pencil as he replayed all of his interactions with Bakugo and memories of him vividly talking to anyone who wasn’t Kirishima, trying to make sense of it all.

They abrupt sound of the bell broke the  boy out of his trance once more. The audible shuffling of backpacks and text books filled the room as more students poured out into the halls. Present mic began seeing kids out the door as he raised his voice to an obnoxious volume.

“Don’t forget to review pages forty through forty-five grammar rocks!” He said animatedly, forming a rock star symbol with his hand.

The freckled boy began packing his belongings as his homeroom teacher dragged himself into the classroom, rolling his eyes at Mic’s energeticness. 

It wasn’t long before the classroom had emptied itself out, leaving Bakugo and Izuku by themselves. The silence was heavy as Aizawa made his way to the podium, narrowing his eyes at his two students.

“Would you all like to tell me why you were an hour and fifteen minutes late to my class?”

“I overslept.” Bakugo said bluntly, adverting his gaze.

“Me too.” Izuku stammered.

Aizawa sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. “You’re both exceptional students with exceptional attendance. I expect better from the both of you.”

“Im awfully sorry Mr.Aizawa, I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.” Izuku quavered.

“And you?” Aizawa said, directing his gaze towards the blonde.

There was a brief silence before Bakugo spoke: “Same here.”

Aizawa let out another breathy sigh. “I’m gonna let you guys off easy this time. You both need to review this small packet, it’s a rundown of everything you missed first period. Make sure to take notes, and you’re not permitted to leave the classroom until you show me your notebooks. You can find me in the classroom over. It’ll take no more than thirty minutes, you’ll thank me later.” 

The boys nodded in unison as Aizawa handed them the packets.  They spent no time getting started on the review, with their teacher exiting the classroom moments later. The sound of
scribbling pencils overlapped with the faint ticking of the wall clock. The air was tense, neither of them had said a  word to each other since this morning. 

Izuku gnawed on his pencil as he flipped through the pages of the packet. His ears perked at the sound of muffled metal music playing somewhere in the classroom. Was Tokoyami in here too? 

Izuku glanced up to see a singular ear bud hanging from the blondes ear, Tokoyami however was know where to be found, as expected. 

“Is that Alice in Chains again?” Izuku blurted out.

The sound of Bakugos scribbling paused as he lightly snatched at one of his ear buds. A loud silence fell over the room.

“Acid Bath.” Bakugo answered dully.

Izuku chewed at the inside of his lip as he thought of what to say next, not expecting such a casual answer .

“American band?” Izuku quavered.

“Yeah.”

There was a small pause before Bakugo reinserted his ear bud, resuming his notes. The music was louder this time. Izuku’s foot tapped anxiously as he thought of something else. Too Izuku, thirty minutes with this amount of tension would feel like hours if he didn’t say something.

“Should we talk about last night?” Izuku blurted. He quickly smacked a hand over his mouth, cursing himself under his breath before he could say anymore.

“Huh?” Bakugo said, removing his ear bud once more. Izuku could sense the irritation now oozing off of the blonde infront of him.

The loud bass emitting from Bakugo’s earbuds stopped as he turned his head slightly to face Izuku without making eye contact. Izuku’s attempt at alleviating the tension had failed miserably.

Chapter Text

The tension in the room was awfully suffocating. The erratic tapping of Izuku’s foot filled in the gaps of silence as he awaited a response.  He was sure as lucky to receive such a tame response from Bakugo after interrupting him the first time, the second time being far more uncertain.

“Uhm- last night? I didn’t realize we would-“ Izuku started, fidgeting with his curls.

“I heard you the first time. You say it like we had some type of freak hookup or something. It was just a phone-call.” Bakugo cut him off.

Right. Just a phone call.

There was a brief pause as Izuku searched for a reply. His face caught an awful shade of pink at the blondes harsh phrasing. ‘Freak hookup?’ Izuku thought. The hours of conversation and lifetimes worth of information they shared last night circled his mind aimlessly while he processed the blunt response. 

“Yeah, you’re right. Sorry.” Izuku said blankly.

Bakugo shoved his ear bud back in. Izuku forced his attention back to the work before him. He fumbled with the collar of his shirt as he continued to jot down notes. Skepticism tugged at the back of Izukus throat, though he assumed it was much too pointless to say anything else.

The rest of their time was shared in pure silence. Izuku could make out the abrupt changes in music from Bakugos earbuds. Regularly switching from their native tongue to more obscure Western songs. Not like Izuku was much of a music person anyways.

It wasn’t long before Bakugo had left his seat to head to the next room over. Izuku finished his work shortly after, shuffling over to the same room to show Aizawa his notes. The homeroom teacher skimmed over the battered note book and made a shooing motion with his hands, sending Izuku off. 

“Make sure you actually make it to class on time tomorrow.” Aizawa said while Izuku made his way through the door.

“I will sir. Thank you.” Izuku nodded.

When Izuku entered the classroom to gather his things, Bakugo, of course, was no where to be found.

Upon gathering his stuff and exiting the building, Izuku glanced at the clock on his phone. Two twenty-five. His work studies usually started around three. Much to his surprise, he would be on time. It was the least he could do after everything that transpired today.

Izuku took advantage of the time on his hands and called a taxi. A fifteen minute drive from the main campus to Endeavors agency would leave him with a few minutes to prepare for the afternoon ahead of him. If he was going to catch up to the number one hero, he needed to utilize whatever time he had.

As Izuku looked out into the vast horizon of trees, he noticed a pair of foot steps approaching from behind. The pattern at which they dragged on the concrete told him it could only be one person.

As Izuku turned around, he would soon find out that his very particular assumption was indeed correct. Bakugo, who was unintentionally walking in the same direction, had a visible tense in expression as he made eye contact with the boy in front of him.

“The hell are you looking at?” Bakugo scoffed.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help but notice you walking behind me.” 

“How’d you even know it was me? Fuckin’ weirdo. You analyzing my foot steps or something?” 

“Its hard to ignore when you walk like you have anchors chained to your feet…” Izuku mumbled, slightly agitated. 

“You wanna repeat that shit? I’ll send your ass flying all the way down to hell.” Bakugo yelled, closing the distance between him and Izuku to size him up.

“How charming,” Izuku said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. He glanced at a pop-up notification on his phone. His driver was two minutes away.

There was a brief pause before Izuku spoke again. “You wanna ride to the agency? I ordered a taxi, they should be arriving soon.”

“I rather walk.” Bakugo spat.

“For nearly 2 hours?” Izuku cocked his head to the side like a small dog.

“Tch.”

“So is that a yes?” 

“Fine. But it’s only because my ride canceled.”

Stifled laughter snuck through the cracks of Izukus hands, making Bakugo grumble in frustration. The lighthearted nature of their bickering almost made Izuku forget about their conversation earlier. Almost. 

It was only moments before the hum of a car engine slowly approached the front gate. The two boys nestled themselves in the vehicle, Bakugo making it obnoxiously apparent he was trying to sit as far away from Izuku as possible.

“Goodafternoon- ah you two must be those crazy boys from the UA sports festival! What a pleasant suprise.” The driver snickered.

 Bakugo let out a small groan. Izuku laughed nervously as the car began to pull off. 

“Endeavors agency right? Not surprised two big shots like y’all are off to see the number one.” He continued.

“Yes, we appreciate your service.” Izuku said graciously.

“Oh don’t mention it. By the looks of it, it seems like you two have bulked up since the sports festival. Got a girlfriend?” The driver snarked, peering into the rear-view mirror.

The question of course caught Izuku completely off guard. He nearly choked to death as he scrambled his brain for a proper response.

“Well not necessarily- I mean I think theres this girl in my class- I’m not one hundred percent sure if-“ Izuku squeaked, fumbling over his words. His face grew alarmingly red as he deflected his gaze towards his feet.

“For fucks sake spit it out.” Bakugo cut him off, rolling his eyes. 

Izuku could do nothing but sigh in defeat. Romance wasn’t exactly the easiest subject to graze over. 

“What about you son? Any girl catch your eye?”

An unexpected snort came from Bakugos direction, which caught Izuku’s attention. He could tell the boy was trying to stifle his laughter.

 ‘What was so funny?’ The freckled boy wondered. 

“What’s it to you?” Bakugo retorted. 

“Oh nothing, just an old man looking to give some advice. Y’know I was pretty much a ladies man back in my day.” The driver said wiggling his eyebrows into the rear view.

Bakugo rolled his eyes once more and directed his attention towards the window. Izuku glanced at the blondes reflection, watching city lights reflect onto crimson eyes.

Bakugo remained silent for the remainder of the ride. Izuku chimed in to the drivers babbling every now and then. Emerald and crimson eyes caught on the large sky scraper of the number one as it inched closer, with Izuku drifting in and out of the conversation.

“I suppose we’ve made it. You two take care now, I expect to see you in the papers someday.” The old man chuckled, breaking Izuku out of his thoughts. He looked over to Bakugo, who was already half way out the car.

“Thank you so much, enjoy the rest of your day.” Izuku said graciously, exiting the vehicle.

The large building towered over the bustling city. Drivers and pedestrians alike danced around the busy streets. A slight chill bit at the nape of Izuku’s neck as they began making their into the building, greeted by side kicks and building staff alike. 

The boys made their way up to the impressively large changing room/gym area to get into their hero costumes. The shuffling of clothes and clanking of gear filled the room as they changed on opposite ends.

“I should beat your ass for what you said to me last night.” Bakugo blurted out, breaking the silence.

“For what? I don’t remember saying anything.” Izuku squawked nervously 

“Don’t play fucking dumb. You called me an asshole, asshole.”

Izuku had trouble deciphering the blondes tone. He was well aware of the fact that his grogginess could make him snappy, not that it’d make him grow a pair. As much as he thought about last night, he couldn’t seem to remember calling Bakugo out of his name. How exhausted could he have possibly been? 

“Sorry about that, I tend to get pretty irritated when im sleepy.” Izuku laughed nervously, scratching his head.

Bakugo let out a short grumble. He finished adjusting his gear and began to march his way towards the gym adjacent to them.

“But,” Izuku started off hesitantly, directing his gaze towards the floor. “Even if the delivery was a bit rude it was still true. You can be pretty mean sometimes, even now.”

Bakugo kept his back turned. 

“I know.” Bakugo whispered under his breath.

The silence was deafening. A knot began to well at the pit of Izuku’s stomach, who was longing for a lengthier response.

“You’re not as shitty as I make you out to be.”

Izukus eyes lit up as he looked up at the boy across from him. Was he hearing properly?

“Was that a compliment?” Izuku said grinning.

“Don’t get to full of yourself. I said AS.” Bakugo scoffed, marching off into the room over.

Izuku couldn’t help but chuckle at the blondes stubbornness. Though they hadn’t addressed it directly, their previous tension had began to dissipate, making Izuku feel slightly lighter than before.

The freckled boy marched out shortly after and immediately began warming up. He glanced up at the clock, only ten minutes left before he was required to start another day of work studies. 

Izuku made periodic glances at Bakugo who was also warming up across from him. He took note of the way his breathing hitched or how his muscles contracted, not noticing the blonde peering at him from the corner of his eye.

“Seriously Deku, you’ve got a huge staring problem. It’s creeping me out.” Bakugo said grabbing a pair of dumbbells off the weight rack.

“What- me? Sorry,” Izuku stammered, breaking out of his thoughts.  

There was an uncomfortable silence in the room as the two continued to warm up their bodies.

“Wanna help me train? It’s for black whip.” Izuku blurted.

There silence returned as Bakugo continued his set.

“You don’t have too- I was just asking since-“ Izuku was cut off by the loud clanging of the weights hitting the floor. 

“Spit it the fuck out.” Bakugo said approaching Izuku, crossing his arms.

Izuku chuckled nervously. “Well I’m trying to adjust to using black whip on multiple things at once. I’ve done it a few times but I need to make sure I really master it if I want to catch up to Endeavor. I’m trying to get the hang of controlling black whip on multiple objects including people, so it would be helpful to be able to differentiate the two so I don’t end up using the same amount of force on an inanimate object on a human. Also-“

“I fucking get it so you can quit your yapping. You basically need me to act as a test dummy so you know how to not crush someone to death?” Bakugo spat.

“Well if you’re putting it so harshly than yes, but-“ Izuku stammered.

“Just hurry the fuck up. We only have 8 minutes.”

Izuku sighed at the blondes brash interruption. It wasn’t much of an exaggeration though, they didn’t have much time. 

The freckled boy took a deep breath before releasing black whip from his gloves. He used the fuzzy matter to grab a hold of Bakugos waist, gently raising him in the air.

“If you drop me you’re fucking dead.” Bakugo spat.

“Kacchan please, I need to focus.” Izuku said abruptly, earning a grumble from the blonde. 

Izuku released another strand of black whip to pick up a stray dumbbell on the floor, and other inatimate objects strewn about the room, being careful not to damage them. He gradually increased the number of objects he could hold, while carefully tightening his grip on everything that was non-living. 

Izuku began to notice the fatigue that washed over him as picked up more objects. Was this a natural drawback of the quirk? Or a result of his lack of sleep? The freckled boy began to lower a few objects to alleviate the burden.

“Ugh- what the hell Deku put me down?! You’re holding on way too tight.” Bakugo hissed.

Izukus eyes shot up at the blonde above him as he tried to lower him down to ground-level. It appeared he had made a miscalculation at what he was holding. 

“Shit- give me moment!” Izuku called out frantically.

Without thinking, he released every object simultaneously, causing everything to come crashing down.

Izuku looked at the distance from the abnormally high ceiling to the floor and then Bakugo who was falling. Without a second thought, he redirected black whip to grab a hold of Bakugo and pull him down to ground level.

His franticness however resulted in a minor error. Instead of setting Bakugo down safely on the floor, black whip yanked the blonde towards the direction of his rival, wrapping them both in a tangle of fuzzy black matter.

The sheer impact of another body crashing into him disoriented Izuku very briefly. It wasn’t long before he realized regaining his senses was probably the worst thing to happen to him today.

His body temperature skyrocketed as he observed a seething Bakugo, completely fixed to his body. The blondes erratic breathing against the freckled boys sputtered ones told him he was about five seconds away from blowing this building sky high.

“Kacchan I’m really sorry I never meant for this to happpen- I was trying to catch you with black whip and I guess I made a miscalculation and-“ Izuku rambled.

“Just let go of me Deku.” There was a fearful amount of calmness inside of Bakugos voice.

“Right. Sorry-“ Izuku cut himself off before he could say anymore. He focused on releasing black whip, but the tangled fuzzy matter continued to bind them together. Was this some kind of sick joke?

Izuku couldn’t help but observe the way Bakugos muscles twitched under black whips restraint. The way his breathing hitched under his suit. The way his-

‘Shit. Focus Izuku’  he cursed himself for his wandering brain. He refocused his attention into releasing his quirk. Still nothing.

“Uhm- black whip’s not letting go.” Izuku squeaked, diverting his gaze to the floor.

“The fuck do you mean ‘It’s not letting go’” Bakugos voice rose gradually. The tips of his ears were nearly bloodshot red.

“I mean, I can’t release it. Trust me I'm trying. I want to get out of this as much as you do-“ Izuku tried to reason with Bakugo, who was on the verge of exploding. Quite literally.

Truth is, whethe Izuku was aware of it or not, something deep in his gut told him he wouldn’t have wanted to release black whip even if he could. 

‘What?-‘ Izuku gawked internally at his strange inner monologue . He wasn’t sure how he felt about the sudden betrayal of his thoughts.

“Deku I swear to god if you don’t let me go-“ Bakugos voice returned to his usual brash tone.

“Kacchan believe me I’m trying-“ Izuku whined, a hint of irritation in his voice.

“Midoriya, Bakugo, what the hell? My dad’s waiting for us outside.” Todoroki appeared from the door way.

Upon Todorokis appearance, black whip immediately retracted like a measuring tape, knocking Izuku to the floor. Bakugo launched himself back several feet with a tiny blast. The two rivals were frozen in absolute shock at the sight of their two-toned classmate. How long had he been standing there?

“Todoroki?! How long were you-“ Izuku squawked. 

“Long enough. Now stop messing around and come on.” He cut him off, disappearing from the door frame in the same breath. 

“You’re fucking dead Icy-hot. You too Deku.” Bakugo said trailing behind hastily. 

Izuku let out a long airy sigh while picking himself up. Anxiety tugged at his throat as he tried to pinpoint the reason for black whips sudden malfunction. He was sure something like what happened during joint training wouldn’t reoccur. His mind ravaged with possible reasonings as he trailed behind his friends. He could only pray for the rest of his day to turn out relatively normal.