The Rose and its Thorns

by Noukon

Summary:

After a sly villain poisons Izuku during a battle, he's restricted to rest in his bed until the poison vanishes from his system. Meanwhile, Katsuki blames himself and decides he needs to cheer Izuku up somehow.

One thing leads to another and Katsuki finds himself in front of the flower shop Sprouts of Joy, ready to give Izuku the best bouquet he would ever receive.

Notes:

Hello, everyone! This fanfic is for the @BakuDekuFlowerExchange. Written for my giftee (@BakuSmol on Twitter) and also to all Bakudeku fans! The original prompt was irises, lilies and orchids. I decided to go for lilies! --Some meanings: Purity and the beauty of youth, prosperity, renewal.
I hope you enjoy!

There are moments in one's life when we feel the need to go. There could or there could not be a specific reason behind this feeling, but it doesn't matter. We just know we have to.

For heroes, these moments are a lot more often than it is for civilians. When the time to go arrives, it doesn't matter if you are taking a bath, doing laundry or playing video-games online, the only thing that matters is that you are a hero.

Izuku thinks about this every morning he wakes up at the U.A dorms. He's always alert to everything that could happen at any time, every sound and every sensation. He's even trying to fix his incredibly messy sleep cycle, but that'll take its time.

That's why Izuku wasn't surprised when he woke up to the loud voice of Present Mic, beaming through every corridor of the building.

‘‘WAKE UP, SLEEPY HEADS! THERE'S A VILLAIN ALERT! GET READY~!’’ Present Mic extended the vocals in the last word, but Izuku was already out of the bed and heading downstairs, prepared to grab his costume from his locker.

He saw most of his other classmates running, some more active than others. Izuku entered the boys changing room, followed closely by Kaminari, Sero and Aoyama. In the room, there were already other boys getting dressed, such as Katsuki, Kirishima, Iida and, strangely enough, Todoroki.

Izuku put on his big red shoes and pulled up the zip of his costume, covering his strong chest. After making sure that his gloves and every other part of his costume were perfectly put, Izuku exited the room and ran along with his classmates.

In front of Heights Alliance, Aizawa glanced at them with his usual sleepy manners. He hummed as he waited for all of the students to show up at the entrance. After checking they all had arrived, he frowned tiredly and scratched his long and loose black hair. Aizawa’s clothes were the same as always, wrinkled like he just rolled out of bed.

Izuku heard from where he was how Katsuki started to generate little explosions in his gauntlets, probably warming them up and getting ready for the fight. Kirishima beside him joined his fists, activating his hardening quirk in his arms with determination.

‘‘You all are late.’’ Aizawa stated as his half-opened eyes traveled through the class. ‘‘If this time there was a group of really professional villains, the dorms would already be destroyed.’’ His lazy and barely-there voice somehow had awakened the students that were still sleepy.

All of them gaped at him, outraged and incredulous by his statement.

‘‘Aizawa-sensei, we did it as fast as we could!’’ Ashido was the first one to talk, whining and speaking for the rest of the class. All of them nodded.

‘‘That's why you still have a lot to learn. You’re too slow.’’ Aizawa said promptly and glared at the class; like he was challenging them to keep complaining. Judging by the situation they were in, Izuku thought Aizawa was being extra grumpy because he was deprived of his essential sleep time.

Izuku wondered if he could get ready faster while using Full Cowl. It could be a good method of practice and warm-up before the battle. He needed to write that theory in one of his notebooks.

‘‘I apologize for my incompetence. I promise I'll work hard and do my best to solve my struggles at getting ready for a mission.’’ Iida raised his robotic voice, bowing perfectly at Aizawa as an apology. The rest of the class –except Katsuki– also bowed, even if they weren't exactly sharing that feeling.

The pro hero tilted his head ever so slightly and hummed quietly. Izuku guessed it was a gesture of indulgence in Aizawa-language.

‘‘I don't fucking care about stupid apologies!’’ Katsuki exclaimed loudly, attracting everyone's attention. ‘‘Where the heck are those shitty villains?! I want to kick their asses!” The blond kept flexing his fingers repeatedly and frowning with impatience. Izuku smiled at him secretly and turned to their teacher afterward.

‘‘Cementoss is containing him.’’ Aizawa replied at Katsuki’s question, almost casually.

‘‘Wait, him?’’ Kirishima asked, raising his little red eyebrow in confusion.

‘‘Yeah. There's only one villain according to our detection system.’’

The class gaped at their teacher once again.

‘‘One?! We're all here, waking up at four in the morning and getting scolded by our teacher, just to fight one villain?!’’ Mineta said with exasperation, standing next to Asui. His whole little being was full of disbelief and indignation toward their teacher.

‘‘Do not ever underestimate anyone.’’ Aizawa started, irritation scaling and leaving his throat in the form of his strict voice. ‘‘It doesn't matter if it is a hero, a villain or a civilian. You never know how powerful they could be. That's the worst mistake a hero could make.’’

After hearing Aizawa’s disapproval, Mineta lowered his gaze ashamed. The students who had mentally agreed with Mineta lowered their heads as well.

Izuku looked at Katsuki standing before him. He wasn't lowering his head, but Izuku could notice he agreed with every word Aizawa said. Katsuki hated to be underestimated. Even the thought of someone looking down at him was enough to infuriate him to the core. The biggest misunderstanding between them arose from that wrong mindset.

‘‘Ah! I understand!’’ Iida spoke loudly and startled Izuku. ‘‘Aizawa-sensei, you want to let us fight with the intrusive villain so we can demonstrate our proficiency on a real battlefield! I didn’t expect less from U.A!’’ The class rep exclaimed and everyone stared at him, not really surprised.

The vibration of a loud sound followed by a trail of smoke in the distance alerted the students. Aizawa frowned and motioned them to start running.

‘‘Let's get moving. We've wasted enough time here.’’ Their homeroom teacher announced and the class immediately followed behind.

After some seconds of running, Izuku saw Cementoss a few feet forward. The pro hero kept creating strong walls of cement and raising them high, only to be continuously destroyed by the unknown villain's power.

‘‘Cementoss!’’ Aizawa raised his voice to attract his comrade's attention. ‘‘What's the situation?”

‘‘You're finally here!’’ Cementoss turned around for less than one second before he looked back to the front, still creating concrete walls. ‘‘I've been trying to contain him but it's not enough––I still have no idea what his Quirk is about!’’

Suddenly, Izuku felt the ground was shaking uncontrollably beneath him. He looked around and saw that the rest of his classmates were fighting to keep their balance as well.

‘‘What is this?! Some kind of earthquake?’’ Sero exclaimed as he grabbed Shouji's arm with his arm's tape to keep himself standing. Asui sat in a frog-like position, ready to jump at any possible threat.

Izuku started to lose his balance and was about to fall when he felt a strong hand firmly grabbing his arm.

‘‘Don't fall, you idiot! We haven't even started the fucking fight!’’ Katsuki raised Izuku's body of a strong pull, the green-haired recovering his balance. That was when he noticed the blond was right by his side. He looked at Katsuki with his eyes opened wide.

‘‘Wah-– Thanks, Kacch–!’’

The ground broke abruptly under the students and they all were launched into the air. But they weren't scared. Not now, that they were heroes in training.

Every one of them managed to land without getting hurt. Uraraka played with gravity, Todoroki spiraled to the ground with his ice and Katsuki practically flew with regulated explosions.

After landing, Izuku activated One For All and looked around. When they were launched, Cementoss made Aizawa and himself a concrete roof that was strong enough to keep them on the ground. Izuku was grateful to see the rest of his classmates were safe as well, but...

‘‘Where is him?!’’ Kirishima said aloud Izuku's thoughts. The villain was nowhere to be seen. The place where Cementoss's walls were been destroyed was empty.

‘‘Jirou!’’ Aizawa exclaimed. Jirou didn't need the instructions; she was already inserting her earplugs to the ground.

She closed her eyes in concentration, listening to every vibration to track the villain's whereabouts. Shouji also used his quirk to make various ears emanate from his arms. The rest of the class kept looking around in silence.

Izuku looked at Aizawa and noticed he started to grow frustrated since he hadn't been able to see the villain yet, frowning but keeping his eyes moving.

After some seconds, Jirou's eyes widened and she looked alarmed at Aizawa.

‘‘Sensei–– to your right!’’ She exclaimed the quickest she could. Aizawa's back hair raised as a shape appeared behind him. He reacted fast enough and dodged what seemed to be a dart directed to his neck.

Eraser Head turned around to erase the villain's quirk, but they were already gone. The little and sharp weapon was lying on the broken ground, almost falling in one huge fissure.

‘‘Aizawa-sensei, what is it?’’ Izuku asked with curiosity. The rest of his classmates looked as Aizawa carefully picked up the weapon.

Cementoss moved closer to inspect the object and Aizawa put it into his gray hands.

‘‘It's a syringe. No matter exactly what it does now; if it comes from a villain, it's not good news.’’ Aizawa announced and Izuku frowned. A syringe? What kind of villain can move the ground with syringes? ‘‘Now, don't lose your concentration and stay quiet. Jirou, Shouji, you know what to do.’’

They nodded and went back to their fighting positions. Izuku admired Aizawa a lot. Even if he was always sleeping and was very strict, he was an amazing pro hero who knew what to do in every moment of danger.

But not even the best teacher in the world could keep Katsuki from exploding. The blond was growing extremely impatient by now, and Izuku knew he would start blasting at any moment.

‘‘Guys! I’m hearing something growling nearby!’’ Jirou alerted and everyone firmed their positions. Izuku looked at Katsuki next to him and immediately cleared his suspicions.

‘‘Don't worry, it's just Bakugou!’’ Kaminari said before him, clearly amused at the situation.

‘‘Shut up!’’ Katsuki snapped at Kaminari. Now it was his time to start blasting. ‘‘Why are we here standing like idiots while that coward is probably conspiring against us in silence?!’’

Izuku couldn't help but compare Katsuki to an angry Pomeranian, but he's got a point. The villain could be in total silence to avoid Shouji's trained ears, and maybe his quirk included the capacity to float to not be detected by Jirou's quirk. If that's the case, we need to use another angle...

‘‘Oi, stop fucking mumbling, Deku!’’ Izuku raised his gaze and realized Katsuki was closer to him than he had remembered. The blond was still frowning at him. Izuku blushed faintly in embarrassment.

‘‘S–Sorry! I just... It helps me think!’’ Izuku exclaimed and smiled awkwardly when Katsuki got even closer.

‘‘Well, it irritates me. Knock it off!’’

‘‘Guys, stop arguing! You're obstructing Jirou-san’s quirk!’’ Hagakure said from... wherever she was standing. Katsuki backed down but didn’t leave Izuku’s side.

‘‘Shh! Everyone, quiet! I detect something.’’ Jirou spoke and frowned in concentration. She looked at the ground, extending her arms to keep her focus.

‘‘What is it?’’ Kaminari whispered and everyone shushed him. ‘‘Oh c'mon guys!’’

‘‘Shouji-san, can you detect it too?’’ Yaoyorozu said quietly next to Shouji. He shook his head.

‘‘No... I guess it's a very low vibration. I can't hear it.’’

They heard a gasp.

‘‘Run! Now!’’ Jirou screamed and everyone looked at her.

Thousands of walls made of cement raised very high, surrounding them. The students got closer. Izuku felt someone's back bumping against his. He turned around and Todoroki looked at him at the same time, a little disconcerted.

‘‘What is happening?’’ Uraraka asked as she gave Cementoss a questioning look.

‘‘It's not me!’’ The gray pro hero replied.

‘‘Everyone, stay put. The villain must be very close.’’ Aizawa paused and glanced at Jirou, who was looking uneasy. ‘‘Jirou, don't blame yourself. This guy's quirk allows him to be sneaky so you can't detect him right away. You're doing well.’’

Jirou nodded, still a little conflicted. Izuku saw how Yaoyorozu kindly put her hand on Jirou's shoulder to reassure her. Both of them smiled at each other.

‘‘Argh, shit!’’ Katsuki screamed at Izuku's left. ‘‘I'm tired of this bullshit! Show yourself already, you nasty coward!’’

Katsuki was about to propel himself in the air with his explosions when the villain finally spoke.

‘‘So Class 1-A, huh?’’ A mocking voice resonated and the students looked up. Standing on top of one of the cement walls was the villain. He wore a large brown coat with black trousers. His black bangs fell on his face while his ominous yellow eyes stared down at everyone. A little grin showed his white teeth.

‘‘Don't you dare start a monologue like those shitty villains in the movies, I've waited fucking enough!’’ Katsuki tried to activate his explosions, but it was pointless. ‘‘Hah?! What the fuck?’’

‘‘Bakugou, don't act until I say so.’’ Eraserhead spoke from a few meters away, quiet but strict. He stopped looking at Katsuki and returned his stare at the villain, activating his erasing quirk again.

Izuku analyzed the situation. The villain had an unknown quirk. He was capable of controlling the ground, producing earthquakes and even raising large walls like Cementoss. Besides, he almost managed to attack Aizawa with a syringe, showing he was really fast. If Katsuki went to him, even if Aizawa were to erase his quirk, it could be dangerous.

‘‘Hey! Which side are you on?! Just let me kick his ass so we can go to a real training!’’ Katsuki shouted to Aizawa stubbornly, but he didn't disobey. Katsuki respected his teachers, even if it didn't seem like it. The blond huffed and growled in impatience.

Izuku looked back at the villain. He had his hands inside the coat's pockets, balancing his feet forward and backward playfully. His grin became wider after the recent exchange.

‘‘Hmm, how curious! Well, I didn't expect less from Eraserhead.’’ The villain cleared his throat. ‘‘Now that we're here, I just must present myself, yes?’’

Izuku frowned and quietly activated Full Cowl, his quirk flooding through his body and filling it with strength and determination. The villain walked a few steps with ease on top of the wall.

‘‘My name’s Infection.’’ He placed his open palm on his chest as he presented himself. ‘‘Nice to meet you, U.A students. I've heard a lot about you and your... amazing accomplishments in such a short time.’’

Izuku felt goosebumps when Infection’s yellow eyes locked with his green ones. The man looked at him with curiosity for some seconds and then smiled, mischievous. He looked around at the rest of Izuku's classmates again as if nothing happened.

Izuku blinked a few times. Nobody seemed to notice Infection’s exclusive stare towards him... Or that's what Izuku thought until he felt Katsuki's presence right at his side.

‘‘I think you are that fucker’s target.’’ Katsuki whispered and Izuku contemplated him with wide eyes. He was acting very strange lately, always keeping himself close to Izuku and asking him if he's got a plan even when the mission was simple. Izuku was not complaining, though! He liked Katsuki’s presence, but he was also curious about it.

The green-haired nodded at Kacchan and whispered back. ‘‘Yeah... I have a really bad feeling about this.’’

‘‘You see that student of yours, that girl with the ears with extensions.’’ Infection pointed at Jirou and she looked slightly startled. ‘‘She's good, I gotta say. She managed to detect me right before two of my attacks. A proper U.A student, of course!’’ Izuku couldn’t tell if he was actually impressed or just being condescending.

‘‘Aizawa! Let me crush him already!’’ The angry Pomeranian spoke irritated again. Aizawa shook his head with a frown, grabbing his yellow goggles from underneath his scarf and put them on. The gray scarf started to float around his neck, as a menace to the villain. Aizawa talked with solely seriousness.

‘‘I erased your quirk and you're in front of a class full of heroes in training. It's better for everyone if you just give up.’’ Izuku looked at Aizawa, surprised. If Aizawa himself preferred the villain to surrender that meant his ominous aura wasn’t something to joke with.

Infection laughed quietly as if Aizawa just told a really good joke... Izuku raised an eyebrow at his occurrence. Aizawa and good jokes didn't get along.

‘‘Do you really think I came here without knowing it would happen like this?’’ Infection glared subtlety at Izuku once again, and he noticed how Katsuki’s posture became tense at his side.

‘‘I don’t want to steal anything nor kill, before you ask.’’ Infection waved his hand, amused. ‘‘I just want to do an experiment.’’ He smiled, raising his black eyebrows. Every student was as confused as Izuku.

‘‘Experiment my ass.’’ Katsuki whispered angrily clenching his teeth, and Izuku would've laughed if this wasn't a serious situation.

‘‘And I’ll do it even if you want it or not, so I suggest you to stop resisting; it’s pointless!’’ Infection glared at Katsuki. ‘‘After all, don't you want to come and explode my face already, Blondie ?’’ He said with a smirk, teasingly.

Oh no, Izuku thought.

‘‘Now it's on, you fucking asshole!” Katsuki shouted and propelled himself into the air, now ignoring Aizawa's orders to stay behind.

‘‘Kacchan!’’ Izuku screamed, knowing it was pointless. Katsuki kept going directly towards the black-haired villain, who seemed like he was totally expecting that reaction.

‘‘Bakugou!’’ Aizawa called behind Katsuki and almost sighed. He probably thought it was inevitable anyway. He kept erasing the villain’s quirk, although that didn’t make him entirely vulnerable.

Infection maneuvered on top of the wall. He suddenly made a spin, dodging Katsuki’s explosive fist and grabbing him firmly by the wrist. The villain picked up another syringe from his coat’s pocket and was about to insert it in Katsuki's skin, but the blond was quicker.

‘‘I'm not an idiot, you bastard!’’ Katsuki growled as he exploded the syringe right before it was inserted and set aside the villain. Both of them kept standing on top of the wall.

‘‘All of you, go now!’’ Aizawa commanded the students without tearing his gaze from Infection. The rest of the class started to move without needing another word.

Izuku ran with Full Cowl activated and started to climb the wall where Infection and Katsuki were, each jump driving him closer to his goal.

Next to him were Iida, Todoroki and Asui, all of them climbing in their own way. The rest of the class was slower or simply wanted to cover more space just in case the villain tried to escape.

Infection realized they were getting closer. He looked at Izuku and then at Katsuki; a sinister smile came to his face.

‘‘Let’s play a bit, then!’’ Infection said playfully. He did a pirouette backward, dodging Asui’s tongue and Todoroki’s ice shot at the same time.

‘‘Stop fucking running away, you piece of crap!’’ Katsuki charged at the villain, now totally decided to hit him.

‘‘I’ll do as you command! Just let me get more comfortable.’’ Infection jumped to the ground at the other side of the wall, avoiding Izuku's punch charged with One For All. Izuku witnessed how Infection landed graciously on the ground and another earthquake started to shake the terrain.

‘‘He got out of Aizawa's line of sight.’’ Todoroki said, easily keeping his balance on top of the wall by attaching his feet to it with ice.

‘‘I'm going to kill him, doesn't matter if he's got his quirk back! You morons stay here!’’ Katsuki jumped to the ground toward Infection without thinking twice. Izuku jumped right behind him.

Falling onto the villain, they both extended their hands, Izuku clenching his into a fist and Katsuki charging an explosion while screaming.

Right before they could hit him, Infection jumped backward. This guy was really skillful. He smiled almost friendly at them as they landed in front of him.

‘‘Great! Just the two students I wanted to see! You guys are really reckless, y'know?’’ Infection said with his usual mischievous voice. Katsuki turned quickly at Izuku after hearing that, his eyes widening. He hadn’t noticed Izuku had jumped behind him; he was too focused on the villain.

‘‘Deku! The fuck are you doing here?! I said I will take care of this asshole!’’ Katsuki looked at Izuku with a weird expression. He looked angry; impatient... Concerned ? Concerned about what?

Infection laughed, attracting their attention. He clapped his hands and intertwined his fingers.

‘‘This is going to be so interesting!’’ His yellow eyes glowed with excitement.

‘‘We’re not your guinea pigs, so do your damn experiments in hell!’’ Katsuki screamed and grabbed his right gauntlet's pin while pointing it at Infection. ‘‘Die, you fucker!’’ Katsuki pulled the grenade pin, activating the explosion.

Todoroki, Tsuyu and Iida stopped in their tracks and Izuku separated a few steps from Katsuki. The explosion was big, but also centered and quick. The sound was loud enough to be heard in all Heights Alliance. Izuku saw the birds flying like crazy in the sky, getting away from the scene. He’ll need to brush his hair after this.

Izuku waved his hands around, trying to dissipate the smoke originated by the blast. His classmates landed beside them, doing the same.

‘‘Not even... that weird villain... could have survived that explosion... kero.’’ Asui exclaimed with some difficulty as she approached them.

‘‘Bakugou! That was completely reckless, even for you!’’ Iida said and moved his hands robotically, scolding Katsuki. His motions performed like the perfect fan; the air was finally free of smoke.

‘‘Shut up, Glasses! I did what I needed to do.’’ Katsuki snapped at the blue-haired. Izuku wondered if releasing that explosion had hurt Katsuki’s shoulder as it did with Izuku’s some time ago. However, after he saw how Katsuki crossed his arms over his chest without difficulty, he knew he didn’t need to worry.

Izuku looked around the area in front of them. There was no trace of Infection; only the product of Katsuki's explosion could be seen. That is to say, debris and more fissures in the ground thanks to the constant earthquakes.

‘‘I didn't know you could erase someone from existence with your blasts.’’ Todoroki pointed that out, looking at Katsuki. Izuku couldn't tell if Todoroki was amused or just genuinely surprised.

‘‘That asshole was pissing me off, so stop fucking complaining!’’ Katsuki snarled at Todoroki and glared at Iida again to emphasize his point.

‘‘Guys! Are you okay?’’ Uraraka called from the top of the wall, placing her hands around the mouth so her voice could project easily. Other students such as Kaminari, Ashido, Kirishima and Sero were around her, looking concerned as well.

‘‘Don't worry, we're fine!’’ Izuku spoke back loudly with a reassuring smile. However, he still felt something was off. He glanced at Katsuki and smiled slightly. ‘‘Kacchan just released a big explosion!’’

The hairs in the back of Izuku’s neck arose when he felt an ominous presence behind him. Katsuki looked at him and his red eyes widened.

‘‘Deku, behind you!’’ Katsuki started to walk toward Izuku and screamed, but it was too late. Everything was suddenly in slow-motion.

The last thing Izuku felt was a syringe inserting into his neck and his vision went dark. He saw Katsuki's outraged and furious expression toward someone behind him before he passed out on the ground.

– – – – – –

‘‘Yagi, don't blame yourself. You couldn't have done anything if you were there anyway.’’

Izuku tried to open his eyes, but it was more difficult than usual. He recognized he was at Recovery girl’s office. He had been there enough times to be familiarized with the smells and the shapes around him. That’s when he realized his vision was blurry.

He tried to look around blinking continuously when he saw a yellow shape on top of a skinny form. He figured it was blond hair.

‘‘I know, but... Maybe it would've been different if I was there...’’

It was All Might. He was sitting on the border of Izuku’s bed, talking to Recovery girl.

‘‘Stop talking like he’s dead! It's just an infection.’’

The mention of that word made Izuku more aware of his surroundings. He started to remember.

‘‘It is my fault. We weren't sure about that guy’s quirk but I decided to let him to the students anyways.’’ A tired and serious voice joined the conversation. Aizawa-sensei. ‘‘I thought the syringes contained some typical kind of poison or tranquilizer, something weaker that the students could deal with and you could cure without batting an eye.’’

‘‘Shouta, please don't. I already have a big baby blaming himself here, and that’s enough.’’ Recovery girl said, glancing at All Might. She seemed tired. Her shape got closer to Izuku and he was able to see her face clearer. ‘‘Hey, look who just woke up.’’

‘‘Midoriya, my boy!’’ All Might sat closer to Izuku on the bed and smiled politely at him. ‘‘How are you feeling?’’

‘‘All... Might.’’ Izuku managed to say. His voice was hoarse and he suddenly felt his throat was dry. He was conscious enough now to realize he had a heavy headache. Weird. That usually didn't happen after a visit to Recovery girl's office.

He flinched in pain and attempted to grab his head with his right hand. It moved more slowly than usual. All Might looked at him with concern.

Recovery girl handed him a glass of water and a white pill. ‘‘Here, young man. Sit down and drink this. Do it at your own pace; if you sit down too quickly the headache will get worse.’’

Izuku tried to nod at her, but then decided it would be better to avoid moving his head unnecessarily. He sat down slowly and drank the white pill.

After he lowered the glass, he was able to see around the room a little better. He saw Aizawa's dark silhouette standing against the wall. He looked back at All Might. Something was off... That reminded him of Infection.

‘‘What... happened with the villain?’’ Izuku asked in a still hoarse voice. He started to drink more water from the glass.

‘‘He was captured.’’ Aizawa spoke from the wall. He made a gesture and it seemed he was remembering a particular event in the fight. Then he looked at Izuku, guessing it was something he would be interested in. ‘‘Bakugou made really sure of that.’’

His last words surprised Izuku, indeed. He stopped drinking and raised his eyebrows slightly.

‘‘Eh? What do you mean?’’

‘‘After the villain inserted that syringe in your neck, Bakugou became a beast. He was more savage than usual, that was for sure. He screamed and chased after the villain nonstop.’’ Izuku listened attentively, still astonished. ‘‘After some minutes of incessant fury, he made a plan with the other students and they managed to capture him. I was erasing his quirk, but his physical abilities helped him a lot. He almost escaped.’’

Wait… Kacchan actually teamed up to defeat a villain without been told by a teacher? What kind of motivation did he have?

He was about to ask more about Katsuki when he noticed Aizawa’s stare. He had a weird expression on his face; like he was expecting that. He had noticed their connection since they entered U.A., so maybe he realized their closeness during the fight?

Izuku gulped. No, this wasn't time to talk about it; it would be too obvious. He could ask his classmates later.

‘‘What was exactly his quirk? What did that syringe contain?’’ Izuku asked quietly and clenched his teeth in pain. The headache didn't seem to go away any time soon.

Aizawa hummed. ‘‘His quirk allowed him to control vibrations.’’

That's how he was able to avoid Jirou's quirk most of the time and Shouji didn't detect him, Izuku analyzed. But… just vibrations? What happened to everything else?

‘‘He raised the walls with his quirk.’’ Aizawa continued. ‘‘He controlled the ground under him, producing the earthquakes.”

The student Shindou from the Provisional License exam came to Izuku's mind. He was also able to control vibrations. But...

‘‘What's with all the syringes?”

‘‘They aren't part of his quirk. He prepared them himself.’’ Aizawa replied quietly. Recovery girl got closer to Izuku.

‘‘The syringe that affected you had a very concentrated amount of poisonous substances, which acted immediately after they entered your system. It wasn’t enough to kill you, but it can't be cured by my quirk either.’’ She said, somehow defeated.

‘‘Wait, what?’’ Izuku exclaimed alarmed and suddenly started to feel dizzy. Recovery girl can't cure him?!

‘‘Calm down, you’re not going to die. You see, these substances represent problems inside your body.’’ She pointed at Izuku’s chest. ‘‘You should already know that my quirk drains your energy to extend the healing process in the parts I kiss, making me able to cure external parts of your body like your arms and legs.’’

Recovery girl grabbed Izuku's empty glass and made him rest his head on the pillow again.

‘‘T–That means...’’

‘‘I can’t cure this type of thing.’’ Izuku stared at her blankly. ‘‘If I kiss you, I would just drain your energy pointlessly and you’d get worst. The best thing you can do is rest until it gets out of your system.’’

‘‘Wait, he won't be able to stand up from his bed?’’ All Might asked, worried. Izuku thanked him mentally for asking the real stuff while he wasn’t able to.

‘‘Do you want him to get worst? If that's the case then yes, he can stand up.’’ Recovery girl replied firmly.

‘‘B–But I'm perfectly good!’’ Izuku tried to sit down again when he suddenly felt like his head was exploding. He groaned in pain and All Might helped him to lie on the bed, as comfortable as possible.

‘‘Young Midoriya, please stop! You really need to rest.’’ All Might admitted and Izuku was about to deny it. However, Aizawa interrupted him, walking toward the bed. He gazed at Izuku with tired eyes.

‘‘Midoriya, don't make this unnecessarily difficult. You have no other option. You're going to rest in bed until you get better.’’ Aizawa said in his usual strict tone, but Izuku noticed his teacher wasn’t really happy about this either.

‘‘Stop making such a sad face, dear. It's not contagious! Your friends can visit you at your room anytime.’’ Recovery girl assured him with a kind smile. Izuku felt slightly relieved after hearing this. At least they could keep him updated with the lessons.

He looked at All Might, sitting on the border of the mattress. The retired Pro Hero rested a hand on Izuku’s shoulder.

‘‘Don’t worry kiddo. I’ll visit you every time I can.’’ All Might smiled brightly and Izuku couldn’t help but smile back at his encouragement.

‘‘All Might will take you to your room.’’ Aizawa spoke. His voice sounded polite, empathetic. ‘‘I’ll send the class rep there so he can give you the medicine you need.’’

Izuku nodded slowly. He asked Recovery girl for another white pill to combat against his headache and she complied with a smile.

Izuku realized his condition was worse than he thought when he felt like passing out after he tried to stand up. His vision became dark and his head was spiraling. He almost collapsed against All Might, who cradled him carefully and walked outside the infirmary.

‘‘Young Midoriya, you need to promise me something.’’ All Might said while he walked towards the elevator with Izuku in his arms. He stepped inside and marked Izuku’s floor number.

‘‘What is it?’’ Izuku managed to say quietly. All he could see was the white light of the elevator above All Might’s golden hair. He closed his eyes to avoid the bright light.

‘‘Please, don’t overdo yourself. I can see you’re suffering, even if you try to say everything’s okay.’’ All Might laughed at this. ‘‘That sounds ironic, doesn’t it?’’

The elevator’s doors opened and All Might stepped outside. Izuku heard how he opened the door to his room. He was too tired to feel embarrassed when All Might saw all of his merchandise decorating Izuku’s room.

He felt the soft and comfy fabric of his pillow behind his head. His disheveled hair spread across the pillow as he shifted to find the most comfortable position on the mattress. All Might grabbed the red and blue blanket, tugging it to cover Izuku’s shoulders. The warm sensation was gratefully welcomed by him.

‘‘Now have a good rest, my boy. Your friends are going to come later.’’ All Might spoke softly and walked away from Izuku’s bed.

He nodded ever so slightly, already getting lost in his sleep. He heard All Might’s steps toward the entrance. The man turned off the light and closed the door.

– – – – – –

‘‘Be careful with the medicine, Uraraka-kun!’’

‘‘Careful is my middle name, Iida-kun!’’

Izuku heard some known voices entering his room.

‘‘That’s such an… interesting decision for a name!’’

The door closed.

‘‘Oh… I think Deku-kun is still asleep.’’ The sweet feminine voice got closer to Izuku’s bed.

‘‘Then it’s better if we just leave the medicine at the table. Midoriya needs to rest!’’ Izuku noticed how the male voice was softer than usual, probably to avoid waking him up.

‘‘Yes… Although I wanted to talk to him.’’ She sounded disappointed.

The sound of little objects being placed on the nightstand beside his bed alerted him. Probably his medicine. He heard footsteps toward his door recently opened, getting away from him. Wait! They are leaving!

Izuku opened his eyes slowly. He felt impotent and frustrated. How could he get so weak because of some venomous substances in a syringe?! He turned his head to the side and saw Uraraka’s back, following Iida outside the room.

‘‘Guys…’’ Izuku said as loud as he could. It was barely a whisper. His voice was even hoarser than before.

Uraraka turned around, gasping. Her eyes opened wide when she realized Izuku was awake. Iida also stared at him carefully, separating from the entrance.

‘‘Deku-kun!’’ Uraraka threw her hands around Izuku’s neck, involving him into a sweet hug. ‘‘We were so worried!’’

Iida got closer too and adjusted his glasses, the light of the room reflecting on the lenses. He saluted Izuku in a funny way.

‘‘Hey… Hello.’’ Izuku spoke. Uraraka separated from him after hearing better his broken voice. She furrowed her eyebrows when she noticed Izuku’s tired expression. He probably had bags under his eyes and pale skin.

‘‘Deku! You look… really sick!’’ Uraraka exclaimed carefully. Izuku smiled at his friend’s polite way to say he looked terrible. Iida scolded her for approaching Izuku so fast and pointed at the table.

‘‘Midoriya-kun, hi! Aizawa-sensei permitted me to bring you your medicine. Uraraka-kun came along to check how you were.’’ Izuku saw Uraraka dragging with her a chair and sitting beside his bed. He quietly thanked Iida for his services. The latter nodded and walked toward the door.

‘‘Your voice is very harsh. Excuse me while I bring you a good glass of mineral water!’’ Iida exited the room marching. Izuku and Uraraka exchanged looks and laughed. Her face became serious and she furrowed her eyebrows again after some seconds, glaring at Izuku’s state. He noticed she was still concerned.

‘‘Hey, don’t worry about me. I’m not dying!’’ Izuku repeated what Recovery girl told him, trying to improve the mood. Uraraka smiled and shook her head.

Izuku examined her outfit closely. She was wearing a pink shirt with the words ‘‘Do your best!’’ in the middle and the training dark blue pants with white lines. The shirt and her pink cheeks matched perfectly, of course.

‘‘Did they tell you how much time you’re gonna be resting?’’ Uraraka asked him, her brown eyes staring at him with curiosity. Izuku shook his head.

‘‘No… I hope to heal soon, though.’’ He looked at the medicine on the nightstand; capsules and different types of pills. He saw a white paper with something written on it. It was probably Recovery girl’s handwriting, indicating at which hour he needed to consume everything.

That was when he remembered he needed to ask something.

‘‘Uraraka-san… What happened after I passed out?’’ Uraraka’s eyes opened wide at the sudden question. Then, she smiled kindly.

‘‘If you’re worried about the villain or everyone else’s safety, don’t be. He was defeated, and no one else was heavily injured. Yaomomo fabricated strong chains with her quirk and wrapped him up. The authorities are probably interrogating him now or something.’’

Izuku sighed in relieve. At least nobody else had to deal with being sick. But he was still curious about a special someone.

‘‘And what about Kacchan? Aizawa said he was more furious than usual after I went out of action.’’

Uraraka raised her eyebrows and then looked away with a big smile; like she was remembering something funny.

‘‘Oh, yeah!’’ She chuckled. ‘‘If only you could’ve seen him! I didn’t know he could go that feral, but that boy never ceases to surprise me!’’

Uraraka’s giggles were contagious and it seemed like Katsuki didn’t kill anyone, so Izuku felt free to laugh with her. He remembered Katsuki’s closeness toward him during the fight. Maybe the fact that Infection managed to attack Izuku even around Katsuki’s continuous presence made him angry. Well… Izuku was free to dream!

‘‘He kept shouting insults and there was a permanent trail of smoke surrounding his hands. Even after we made a plan and trapped Infection, Kirishima and Kaminari had to grab him before he blew his face up!’’ Uraraka clapped her hands dramatically, letting out her pinkies to avoid activating her quirk.

‘‘Wow... That was furious, even for Kacchan.’’ Izuku exclaimed, trying to imagine Katsuki at that moment, shouting and growling at Kirishima and Kaminari to let him go. He smiled. It was still believable, after all.

‘‘I know! Even his childhood friend agrees.’’ Uraraka exclaimed. Izuku blushed slightly when he realized she was referring to him.

‘‘So… Do you know where he is now?’’ Izuku asked, trying to sound casual. But he sucked at it, because Uraraka smirked at him with an eyebrow raised.

‘‘Hmm? Why do you want to know?’’ She cooed as she tilted her head to the side, feigning innocence. Izuku’s pink blush became bright red and he put a hand behind his neck, a wobbly and nervous smile curving his lips.

‘‘I—I’m just curious!’’

That was when Iida arrived, with his promised glass of water at hand. He was wearing a buttoned navy shirt with black shorts. Izuku thanked him mentally for unknowingly saving him from Uraraka’s imminent questionnaire. Iida handed Izuku the glass and the latter started to drink it immediately. Uraraka was still smiling knowingly at him.

‘‘I apologize for taking so long! Aoyama-kun wanted me to choose between two of his shiny shirts. Before I knew it, he was making me choose among fifteen different outfits.’’ Iida exclaimed, bowing as he apologized.

Izuku was tempted to ask Iida if Aoyama didn’t make him eat cheese as well. He thanked him instead, saying he didn’t need to apologize. Uraraka turned to Iida and smiled at him. At that moment, she seemed to have a moment of realization. Looking at Izuku and then back at Iida, she talked.

‘‘Hey, Iida-kun. Did you see Bakugou while you were in your mission downstairs?’’ She exclaimed, with a mischievous voice. Izuku lowered his gaze ashamed and suddenly found the glass between his hands very interesting.

Iida tried to recall for some seconds and then shook his head robotically. ‘‘I fear not. I didn’t see Bakugou anywhere.’’

Uraraka hummed, her index finger tapping her chin. ‘‘What time is it?’’

‘‘Six and forty-two minutes in the afternoon.’’ Iida replied instantly.

Izuku noticed why Uraraka asked for the time. Kacchan usually sleeps at 8 pm. onward. That meant he wasn’t in the common room but he wasn’t sleeping either. There were a lot of other places Kacchan could be, of course. He could be at the gym, training his quirk and body; or maybe he already did so and now he was taking a bath? He could also be studying outside, letting the wind of the afternoon caress his blond hair, gazing in concentration at the study book with his red bright eyes…

‘‘Umm, Earth calling Deku-kun?’’

‘‘No… I doubt he would decide to study outside. Maybe he’s at his room after all. Hmm… since we moved into the dorms I haven’t seen his room…’’

‘‘…Bakugou’s future boyfriend? Are you there?’’

‘‘Huh?’’ Izuku looked up at Uraraka, finally waking up from his own muttering. He was trying to get rid of that habit, but it wasn’t easy for him! He felt ashamed when he realized that Uraraka was calling him. ‘‘I’m sorry I wasn’t listening, what did you say?’’

Uraraka stared at him for some seconds and then shook her head. ‘‘You are unbelievable!’’ She stood up laughing and ruffled his curly hair. ‘‘All right love-sick boy. We’re going to leave for today, okay?’’

‘‘Umm… okay?’’ Izuku replied, still disoriented, as he watched Uraraka walking toward the door. What did he miss in the past few seconds?

‘‘Have a good rest, Deku-kun!’’ She waved at him already at the door, next to Iida. The latter didn’t seem to get it either, to Izuku’s slight relief. He waved back at her, starting to feel tired. His good friend headache was visiting him again.

‘‘Goodnight, Midoriya-kun! Don’t forget to consume your medicine at the hour indicated by Recovery girl. Moreover, don’t stand up from your bed more than necessary!’’ Iida smiled and nodded at him, closing the door.

Izuku rested his head on the soft pillow, staring at his roof. He truly needed to find a hobby for the days he was going to spend in bed. He heard some electronic music, probably coming from Kaminari’s balcony. Looking outside his own balcony, he noticed the day was getting to its end, the first stars of the night appearing in the sky.

Trying to fight with his own body to move properly, he reached the back of his neck again. He noticed it when Uraraka was teasing him some minutes before, but he decided to inspect it properly alone. Tracing the side of his neck, he felt a round part, sank giddily and soft at the touch of his fingertips.

There it was; the mark of Infection’s attack. Like a vaccine provided to a newborn baby. Knowing the effect it had on his body, Izuku guessed it was going to be a scar for the rest of his life. A new scar, but different than the rest he already had covering his arms and hands. He sighed, too tired for this.

He shifted on the mattress covered by his bed sheets, getting comfortable. He was told by Recovery girl he’d start drinking his prescribed medicine from tomorrow on, so he wasn’t worried about that. He was worried about the lessons he was going to miss. It was currently Friday night, so in a couple of days the school week would start.

He closed his eyes, trying to sleep before his anxiety arrived at his mind again. It would be the first time he slept before Kacchan! And only because he was forced to stay in bed with a difficult disease. He smiled at the thought, letting his dreams surround him for some hours more.

. . .

Wait, Uraraka called me Kacchan’s what?!

– – – – – –

‘‘I told you to get the fuck out of my room already. I’m not in the damn mood.’’ Katsuki had closed his arms behind the head after he stumped onto his bed. He glared grumpily at Kirishima, who was sitting across from him on his desk chair.

‘‘You’re never ‘in the mood’, man!’’ The red-haired complained, though he was smiling. Katsuki huffed. Great, the idiot wasn’t going to leave just like that. He was going to get a restraining order one of these days.

‘‘Well, today specifically, you’re annoying the hell outta me.’’ Katsuki replied, too tired of Kirishima’s bullshit to formulate a proper sentence.

‘‘Does it have to do with what happened to Midoriya?’’ Kirishima asked after some seconds, as if it was nothing, leaning on his fist and looking at the blond contemplatively. The audacity.

Katsuki sat down on the bed quickly, explosions already dancing through his palms.

‘‘Hah?! Do you have a fucking death wish, shitty hair?!’’

Kirishima didn’t even flinch, accustomed to Katsuki’s sudden rage. ‘‘So… that’s really it, huh?’’ The boy hummed in thought.

‘‘Go to the point before I kill you, you fucking moron!’’ The blond shouted, still threatening Kirishima with blatant explosions. Katsuki knew he was going to receive another of Kirishima’s obnoxious speeches, it was inevitable. But at least he could try to make it short!

‘‘Yeah… I noticed you were acting weird since Midoriya was affected during the fight. This time you barked and bit, and you seemed to have a real motivation for your crazy blasting.’’

The red-haired had intuited without a real effort what was eating Katsuki’s mental health for those few hours. Was he honestly that transparent? He hated to be read like that. However, every second he spent close to any student, they seemed to know more about him, and since he’s going to be a hero, he couldn’t just isolate himself.

Katsuki was too exhausted to waste more energy unnecessarily--his behavior at the fight from yesterday was still taking its toll in Katsuki’s body. He collapsed on the bed again and closed his eyes. Maybe if he feigned to fall asleep Kirishima would leave him the fuck alone… He was wrong.

‘‘I know you’re not sleepy, Bakugou.’’ Katsuki could notice Kirishima’s smile in his voice. He flicked his tongue in anger with his eyes still shut. The red-haired continued as if he didn’t hear a thing. ‘‘Well… I guess the villain doesn’t call himself ‘Infection’ for nothing!’’

‘‘Make another comment like that and I swear I’m gonna blow you up to the center of the Earth.’’ Katsuki snarled as he grabbed his pillow and pressed it against his face. Shit… It wasn’t enough to make him pass out. He tossed the pillow as hard as he could across the room, hitting Kirishima.

‘‘All right, all right, I get it!’’ Kirishima grabbed the pillow while laughing and tossed it back to the bed. ‘‘But now seriously though, you need to do something!’’

Katsuki squinted at Kirishima with a huff. ‘‘Hah? Did you hit your head too hard? What the fuck are you talking about now?’’

‘‘Well… you know that Midoriya is currently resting in bed, right?’’ Kirishima looked at him with the curiosity of a cat that was presented to a brand new toy, waiting for the owner to put it out of the box so he could use the box instead of the toy.

‘‘That shit was announced to the whole class, I’m not fucking deaf.’’ Katsuki deadpanned. This idiot loved to wander around the bush. He remembered earlier that day when Aizawa and All Might arrived at the classroom to update them about Deku’s condition. His hairs bristled in anger at the mention of the villain that provoked it, who was captive and furthermore being interrogated by the principal.

Even after the ted talk Katsuki wasn’t buying that bullshit, so he approached Aizawa’s office after the class intending to get the truth. After deadpanning and glaring at Katsuki like he was some kind of stranger, Aizawa confirmed Infection was detained and still within the school’s ground. Katsuki instantly got closer and asked where the hell he was, just to get an ‘I know you’re most likely going to kill him so it’s a hard pass’ from his homeroom teacher.

The taller grabbed his yellow sleeping bag and told the blond that Infection was held at the school for some more days as a request Aizawa himself made. He shrugged Katsuki off saying he simply found the villain interesting and he wanted to talk to him before he was sent to jail. Then Aizawa told Katsuki to get out of his office so he could get a whole ass nap to renew energies.

Katsuki hated to receive such a lame answer, but he couldn’t do anything else. That was when he decided to get some sleep himself and walked towards his room, having the insanely bad luck of encountering Kirishima in his way. The red-headed invited himself to the room like the asshole he was, and now they were having this conversation.

‘‘Glad you know!’’ Kirishima waved him off and continued with a tone of excitement. ‘‘Now it’s your opportunity to do something nice for him!’’ His sharp teeth were shown in a smile directed to Katsuki, his motivational tone already heard many times by practically every student at U.A.

‘‘The fuck…’’

‘‘Bababa! Just let me finish!’’ Katsuki rolled his eyes and Kirishima took it as a sign to continue. ‘‘What’s better than now that he’s going to be alone in his room, feeling bored and uneasy?’’

Katsuki crossed his arms with a huff and snarled. This was ridiculous. He knew Deku more than anyone else, so he already was conscious of the nerd’s worries and thoughts. Besides, he still felt guilty about Deku’s condition. If he had been faster and hadn’t got distracted, that shitty villain wouldn’t have attacked Deku successfully, and he wouldn’t be forced to rest.

‘‘And what kind of shit do you propose me to do, genius?’’ Katsuki exclaimed wryly, his scowl deepening after he noticed Kirishima’s stupid grin increasing with vehemence.

‘‘Oh, I was thinking of a gift! Something he would like and would make him happy while he stays in bed. Something that’d make him think so much about you—he wouldn’t be able to get you out of his head!’’ He smiled and wiggled his eyebrows at Katsuki.

What Kirishima was saying started to sound weird, and also cheesy as fuck. A gift? Deku didn’t want anything. Katsuki was sure the nerd already had every piece of All Might’s merch. What else could he want? Katsuki couldn’t just magically heal him.

Kirishima talked again after Katsuki rolled his eyes.

‘‘I know what you’re thinking! ‘What could Deku want?’’’ Kirishima tried to imitate his deep tone and failed horribly, in Katsuki’s opinion.

‘‘Yeah, that’s exactly what I thought. And y’know what? Deku doesn’t want anything, so fuck off.’’ Katsuki deadpanned and stood up, decided to open his door and kick Kirishima out of his room if necessary. The red-haired frowned.

‘‘Man, you’re his childhood friend!’’

‘‘The hell is that supposed to mean?!’’

‘‘You know him more than anyone else here!’’ Kirishima exclaimed, finally saying something that Katsuki agreed with. But he was just saying what Katsuki already knew, and that wasn’t going to change his mind.

‘‘That’s exactly why I say Deku doesn’t want anything!’’ Katsuki crossed his arms, closing himself from any other opinion. ‘‘If you forgot, the door is right there. You should take a look at it from outside, I bet it’s nice.’’

Kirishima hummed at Katsuki’s blatant sarcasm. He stood up from the chair and tried to make another pointless attempt. ‘‘Is it that hard to listen for a second?’’

‘‘I wanna sleep, dumbass. Also, I don’t give a fuck.’’ Katsuki replied bluntly. His tone didn’t allow any bargaining.

After pouting at him in disappointment, Kirishima sighed defeated. He finally took Katsuki’s kind invitation to leave, heading to the door.

‘‘All right. Have a good night, Bakugou.’’

Katsuki could admit the boy was really persistent when it came to convincing someone; he wasn’t only strong because of his quirk. He walked outside Katsuki’s room and quickly turned to grab the door before Katsuki managed to close it, determined to say some last words.

‘‘I’m just trying to advise you, man. T-This is the best opportunity to improve your relationship with Midoriya!’’ Kirishima said with some difficulty as he tried to keep the door open, fighting against Katsuki’s weight at the other side of it. ‘‘You know he admires you and he would be happy with anything you give him!’’

‘‘Shut the fuck up already! You’re talking as if I wanted to marry him!’’ Katsuki shouted angrily from inside his room. After some struggling, he closed his door and locked it. He stayed next to the door and rested his ear on it, listening to the sounds from outside. After some seconds he growled, clenching his teeth. ‘‘I know you’re still there, you shithead! Go to your fucking room!’’

‘‘Well—At least a wedding would be nice! Think about it, bro!’’ Kirishima’s amused voice faded and the sound of another door opening nearby indicated he had entered his own room. Katsuki closed his balcony’s door just in case the idiot tried to keep the conversation going from there. Who the fuck had the idea of making them neighbors?!

He looked at the electronic watch above his desk. 7:53 pm. He didn’t notice it was that late.

Katsuki wondered if Deku was already sleeping, or if he would be a night wolf even while he couldn’t stand up from his bed. Huh. What a nerd, with such a messy sleep schedule.

His ash blond hairs kept dancing around the pillow, product of Katsuki’s insomnia. And now what? His guilt wasn’t going to let him sleep properly?

To clear his mind, he imagined Deku sleeping. His green curls getting tangled graciously on the pillow while he was snoring softly in his bed, probably covered up his shoulders with an All Might bed sheet. He smiled ever so slightly at the memories of sharing a room with Deku at excursions they assisted together when they were younger; when everything was as simple as admiring All Might and sauntering through the forest, in search of adventure.

Still rolling around in his bed, Katsuki inevitably thought of Kirishima’s words. They were inserted in his mind since the red-haired said them. Maybe if he thought about that nonsense, he would fall asleep eventually.

A gift.

‘‘Hah, as if One For All wasn’t enough of a gift for his whole life.’’ Katsuki scoffed, talking to himself. Deku was so slow to improve, and even more now with his condition… But Katsuki couldn’t lie to himself. Even if Deku didn’t want anything, he would be happy if he were to receive something.

What else did Kirishima say?

Oh, yeah. A wedding.

Katsuki couldn’t think of something more chaotic than a wedding. If he was going to get married someday, he low-key feared for his fiancé and the people they would invite to the celebration.

The wedding cake? It would be very spicy, and if someone didn’t like it, they could go to hell. A big, tasty cake cooked by the best chefs in the city.

The type of music would be rock, loud but enjoyable. Probably some good music of the generation, too. The place would be at the top of a mountain! He would arrive climbing just as he liked, and only the guests who were capable to climb to the top as well would be worthy to be there.

And what about the flowers, you say? He wouldn’t order the same old bouquet of roses that appears in every movie. He wasn’t lazy! He would do the whole fucking research before ordering. Not even his fiancé would know what the flowers meant. Hah! But they wouldn’t need to know! It’d be nice and cheesy, besides well-planned. A good visual gift for everyone during the wedding, and then something they would keep at their house, to water and look after. Pretty and natural flowers…

That was when it all clicked. Flowers. Gift. Katsuki’s eyes widened at the revelation.

Deku would like anything Katsuki gave him, and knowing the green-haired he probably liked sappy stuff the most. Flowers are usually gifted to people to show in an easy way that you care about them. Also, there was nothing sappier and easy to obtain than flowers.

But as Katsuki thought some minutes ago, he wasn’t lazy. He was going to do some research and look for the best flower shop in the city. There, he would ask the florist what kind of flowers was better to give to a nerd. The best damn flowers he could get!

Just like that, Katsuki would make a gift to Deku. Kirishima would stop annoying him (luckily) and maybe the guilt he felt at his failure during the battle would dissipate.

He could already imagine Deku’s expression. How his eyes would beam and he would laugh at the contact of the petals, grazing and tickling his nose. Maybe a slight tone of pink would adorn his little freckles, spreading harmoniously across his cheeks. He would look at Kacchan with a bright smile and thank him for the flowers, in a pure and soft tone of voice.

Katsuki suddenly felt his own cheeks burning and he tried to pass out pressing his pillow against his face again. Shit. It never worked! He put the pillow aside hard.

Katsuki grabbed his phone from the nightstand next to his bed and had to squint when the light emanated from it. 8:25 pm. He had been thinking that shit for thirty minutes already?!

He entered the password and opened the navigation app. After some seconds of waiting for the results to load, he started his research. By looking at the comments and visiting many websites, he got to the conclusion Sprouts of Joy Flower Delivery was the best option. In the establishments, they offered to arrange a big variety of flowers and there was a good aesthetic both outside and inside.

He looked at the location of the establishment that was nearest to Heights Alliance. It wasn’t far away from the dorms; he could arrive there by walking around fifteen minutes. Good.

First thing tomorrow: going to the Flower Shop and buying Deku some flowers.

If someone had told the Katsuki of the past he was going to think that without irony in between, he would have laughed at their face… But this was Katsuki’s reality now.

Katsuki grabbed his pointy hair and clenched his teeth. He was so screwed.

– – – – – –

Izuku woke up to the sweet singing of the wild and vivacious birds coming from his balcony. He could feel the feathered creatures were cooing ‘Good morning!’

He sat down slowly, looking around his room. A lot of All Might’s with big smiles saluted him from every place. He glanced at the action figures, posters, collectibles and even the empty cup on his desk. Red and blue, combined with the bright yellow of All Might’s hair, adorned the room.

Izuku’s eyes widened slightly and he started to feel weird. He didn’t know if it was because he was sick or just a sudden realization, but he also felt ashamed. He needed to redecorate his room.

‘‘Hmm. Maybe this is a life lesson. I understand, universe! I’ll have a proper room, starting with the changes now!’’ Izuku exclaimed to himself. He noticed his voice was strangely normal this morning. He suddenly started to treasure his normal voice more than ever.

He stood up and opened the curtains of the balcony. The warm daylight entered the bedroom, caressing with its touch every exposed piece of furniture in there.

Izuku smiled at the sensation, when it hit him. What time was it?

He went back to the bed and turned on his phone, sitting nervously on the mattress. After some seconds of waiting, the logo of his phone’s brand appeared and the lock screen requested him to enter the password.

8:12 am… Wait, eight?!

He overslept! He didn’t get to say hello to his friends before they went out to class…!

Izuku huffed when he remembered he wasn’t supposed to go out of his room or even his bed yet. He wouldn’t have been able to talk to them even if he’d wanted to. They probably didn’t want to wake him up either… Shoot!

In an instant, three knocks at his door interrupted his anxious thoughts. Alerted, he entered in his blankets quickly. He didn’t need to get scolded because he was out of the bed without the intention of going to the bathroom. He hadn’t felt hunger since the attack and Recovery girl didn’t mention anything about it, so he was most likely fasting to purge his organism entirely. Another reason why his classmates were bringing him so much water, he remarked.

‘‘Deku-kun? Are you already awake?’’ He startled when the refreshing voice of Uraraka called out to him from outside. Izuku had probably made a noise without realizing; because she noticed he was awake. ‘‘Can I come in?’’

‘‘Uraraka-san! Yes, come in.’’

The door was opened, showing at the other side the always radiant hazel holding a glass of, why not, mineral water. She smiled back at Izuku when she entered the room.

Uraraka handed him the glass and Izuku drank, remembering to keep some water for his medicine. Maybe he didn’t feel hungry, but he was indeed considerably thirsty.

‘‘Thank you for the morning drink, but… why aren’t you in class? It’s past eight!’’ After drinking small sorbs, he gave Uraraka a questioning look.

Izuku was surprised when Uraraka stared at him with concern and asked him if his sickness had gotten worse.

‘‘Umm, no? I actually feel better today. Why are you asking something like that?’’

‘‘Deku… It’s Saturday! We don’t have any classes to go today!’’ She exclaimed, emphasizing on the day of the week they were on.

‘‘Oh.’’ It was all Izuku could exclaim, already wanting to facepalm himself.

Uraraka shook her head empathically with a little smile. ‘‘You’re such a dork!’’

Izuku rubbed his messy hair. The effects of the lazy morning had won this time. He asked Uraraka to read the prescription of his medicine for him after he tried to read it and his headache came back. She laughed, saying she’d always wanted to know what it was like to be a nurse. Laughing with her, Izuku couldn’t help but wonder about Kacchan’s whereabouts at that hour.

‘‘Hey, Uraraka-san…’’ She stopped revising the medicines in Izuku’s nightstand to look at him. He continued, a little ashamed. ‘‘Wouldn’t you like to know how does it feel to be an interior designer, too?’’

Uraraka gasped. She looked around Izuku’s room and then back at him. Her warm brown eyes glimmered as she nodded with a firm smile, accepting the challenge.

– – – – – –

Saturday morning; the perfect time for everyone to go and annoy Katsuki. That’s why he woke up at 5:40 pm, earlier than the principal morons who could disturb him in his mission.

Opening the closet, he chose his favorite dark green jacket and some comfy blue jeans. Under his jacket, a plain white shirt hid Katsuki’s strong chest. He let it unzipped as he liked the most.

He decided on that outfit purely because they were currently at a cold season. The fresh breeze waved through everyone who dared going outside. Katsuki usually scoffed at random people on the street when they start to complain about the wild wind messing with their perfect hairstyles and smooth clothes. Katsuki’s hair was enigmatic as it could be, and he couldn’t care less about trying to rule over it. It was explosive, just like him.

Katsuki liked this sensation after all; the natural wind caressing his cheeks. However, it could be a problem when it came to fighting with his quirk. Because of this, he learned to overcome his issues by making the proper modifications for his hero costume in winter. Katsuki also thought it was a good time for flowers to blossom. They contributed to the views and smell of the streets and at the gardens in Heights Alliance.

Oh no. Was he becoming a nerd for plants now?! Katsuki, put it together! You’re just going to buy Deku flowers, not converting into one!

Katsuki shook his head and walked to his desk. He needed to do something before exiting the room. That ‘something’ had become some kind of ritual for him for the last year; doing it almost every time he felt nostalgic. He introduced his locked phone within a pocket in his jacket and glanced at the desk.

He grabbed a particular tiny box that was purposely hidden behind the desk, covered by objects such as school books, clothes and random belongings that Katsuki placed so nobody would ever seek the suspicious lonely little box. The things get sappy when you realize that the only object inside it is a photo. A photo from his childhood, to be more precise. He sat on his knees and looked at it closely with reminiscing eyes.

Little Izuku and little Katsuki in one of their excursions were smiling at the camera (Katsuki remembered Mitsuki’s pleased face when she took the photo). Izuku smiled brightly, showing his teeth. One of his front teeth was nowhere to be seen yet; that always made Katsuki smile stupidly when he looked at the photo. Katsuki was next to Izuku, resting his elbow oh the green-haired’s shoulder and grinning with confidence.

Katsuki treasured that photo in secret since he found it before moving to the dorms, keeping it hidden from imprudent eyes. He knew the old hag and Auntie Inko had a lot more photos in their albums, but this one was special.

They seemed closer than ever here. Katsuki guessed it was right before he fell on that river, and Izuku looked at him with those eyes, extending his hand to help him out…

Katsuki frowned at the memory. After that life-changing incident, he misunderstood everything that went on between them, deteriorating their relationship as a result of his anger. After their heated battle and confessions at midnight in front of the Ground Beta, finally resulting in All Might’s intervention, he swore he would never let that happen again. That’s why he’s been so close to Deku lately.

But Deku got injured again… even with his protection… he wasn’t smart enough, he let himself get distracted. And now Deku wasn’t able to even leave his room. He utterly failed.

He frowned, angry with himself. However, before Katsuki could reminisce more sweet moments, he heard a certain red-haired’s voice coming from the adjacent room.

‘‘Get prepared Saturday, Kirishima Eijirou has woken up!’’ He shouted effusively, probably still sitting on his bed and stretching his arms.

Oh hell no. Speaking about getting distracted!

Katsuki delicately put the photo back into the cabinet as fast as possible and closed it. He grabbed his wallet and the keys of his balcony’s sliding door, putting them inside the pockets of his jacket. Rushing to go outside, Katsuki opened and closed his room’s door, attempting to reduce the noises he made.

He went downstairs, dodging every other student who was already preparing breakfast and talking at the common room. He exited the building. Finally outside Heights Alliance, Katsuki started to walk away fast, hands buried inside his pockets. He didn’t get to eat breakfast inside, but at least he escaped the red hurricane he had for a neighbor.

Katsuki grabbed his phone (that was also inside the jacket before Katsuki had rushed outside) and checked the time. 6:15 am.

The flower shop opened at 7:30 am. That meant he had time to eat properly at a café before heading there. His mission was doing the proper research at the local, buying the perfect flowers for Deku and exiting it before anyone saw him.
.
.
.
. Walking around ten minutes, he arrived at the Café Tsukii & Co. This was the first time Katsuki had entered this establishment… and after he was inside he wished it would be the last.

‘‘The fuck are you doing here, Icy-Hot?!’’ Katsuki vociferated from the local’s door, without caring if he scared the rest of the clients inside it. He got closer to the counter, glaring at his classmate.

‘‘Bakugou. Hi.’’ Todoroki said from behind the counter in his monotone voice. Just like Kirishima, he didn’t flinch at Katsuki’s behavior. That made him angry. ‘‘I work here.’’

Katsuki looked at Todoroki’s outfit. He had the typical green hat resting on his head and an apron of the same color, the name and logo of the establishment stamped in white. He looked like a fucking Italian flag. He does work here, Katsuki thought. But that didn’t make it less annoying.

‘‘Hah?! Are you fucking serious?’’ Katsuki shouted. The customers having breakfast inside the establishment shared confused looks at Katsuki’s outraged swearing towards the silent worker. Todoroki raised his index finger and pressed it against his lips, frowning at him.

‘‘Shh. People are trying to enjoy their coffee.’’

‘‘God damn it…’’ Katsuki said, lowering his voice. He tried to repress his anger because Todoroki was right (something he hated to admit). He glared at the boy with perfect heterochromia. ‘‘All right, Half-and-Half. Just give me a fucking sandwich and a black coffee.’’

Todoroki nodded and started to prepare his order. Katsuki frowned and looked around the café for the first time. The customers had started to speak among themselves again after Katsuki lowered his voice, sipping their drinks, and some of them writing in their laptops.

Tsukii & Co. had a nice aesthetic. The color cream was mixed with dark brown in different patterns along with the establishment. There were a variety of sizes for the wooden tables so couples, groups of friends and families could eat and drink without having trouble with space. In the walls there were green chalkboards with little drawings representing comestibles, smiling and accompanying the prices of the food that was offered. The ceramic floor was clean and brilliant.

Katsuki wasn’t really surprised Todoroki decided to work at a café because it suited him. Instead, he was surprised Todoroki decided to work at all. He could easily compete with Yaoyorozu in terms of money!

Since the students started their second year at U.A, some things changed. Some of them had started to work in their free time outside classes; mostly the ones who were saving money to buy their own things. The Principal said it was a good thing, learning to have responsibilities and shit. Although he didn’t care which of them had an actual job.

Katsuki preferred to spend his time training at the gym, sometimes alone and sometimes with Deku. All Might would usually go to check on them, giving Deku advice with his quirk and trying to enlighten the mood. Katsuki knew the retired Pro Hero was trying his best just like Deku, and he appreciated those moments even though he kept an angry facade.

‘‘Here.’’ Todoroki handed Katsuki the sandwich and the recipient with black coffee he ordered. Todoroki understood his tacit message and prepared the sandwich to take-out.

Katsuki left the money on the counter and grabbed his food, already turning with a huff to leave the establishment when Todoroki spoke again.

‘‘Have you seen Midoriya? I haven’t been able because I work here very early.’’ The Italian flag said behind the counter, casually. Or he wasn’t aware of the effect his words had on Katsuki, or he just didn’t care.

Katsuki turned around with a mortal glare. Calm down. Think about the wind, Katsuki… Think about the fucking flowers... Oh, forget it. This bastard’s looking for it!

‘‘Why the fuck would you ask me that?! You fucking…’’

‘‘You’re his childhood friend, aren’t you?’’ Todoroki asked quietly, without showing any sign of self-preservation.

Again with that osananajimi bullshit, huh? Katsuki was Izuku’s childhood friend, but that didn’t mean he needed to know everything about him. Everyone kept holding that ‘argument’ when it came to both of them. What were people expecting? That Katsuki knew his favorite food and how he sounded when he slept? In fact, his favorite food was katsudon and Katsuki couldn’t deny Izuku’s little snorts sounded cute as fuck… But Icy-Hot didn’t need to know that!

Katsuki was about to shoot another sulky and evasive expletive when Todoroki dropped the biggest bomb.

‘‘Besides, I’ve noticed you’re closer to him than anyone else lately. You follow him everywhere he goes during the exercises.’’ Todoroki said, his red eyebrow raised slightly. His tone had the full intention of accusing the heck out of Katsuki’s recent behavior, shielding it as simple curiosity.

Fuck. Katsuki had sworn he was being subtle. But of course, the walking Popsicle would notice. He was always attentive and looking at everyone, like some kind of fucking police officer trying to prove his boss he could actually do something for his life and he wasn’t some kind of a useless bitch.

Katsuki directed his bloodshot red eyes to the offender, glaring intensely. Even if he wanted to blow up his scarred face and crash him into the void, he was better than that. Besides, that would take too much time of his day and he didn’t need stupid shit like that to cause him trouble during his path to be the number one hero.

So he resolved it with his always loyal coping mechanism; his inherent screams and curses.

‘‘Shut the fuck up, you asshole! The shit I do is none of your business!’’ Katsuki shouted bitterly, returning to his state of no fucks to give when it came to the clients hearing his harsh words across the café. The swollen vein that kept throbbing in his temple complemented his deep scowl.

Todoroki didn’t change his neutral face that screamed I do not believe in your bullshit and kept staring at Katsuki, with the purpose of provoking the blond so he would slip-up something incriminating about Deku and him. But that shit ain’t working on Bakugou Katsuki.

‘‘I’m not an idiot!’’ He snapped, outrageous. His fingers curled on the door frame and he opened it, still glaring at Todoroki. The boy’s silence made Katsuki clench his teeth. ‘‘You say another word and I’ll blow up your face!’’ He continued with a clear yet nonsensical threat and immediately left the café with a loud flicking of his tongue, avoiding the presumable case Todoroki decided to tease him more. My attempt at a normal life has nothing to do with you, Icy-Hot.

Outside, he took a long sip of his black coffee. It was piping hot… finally something good.

‘‘One fucking meal in peace.’’ The blond muttered grumpily as he walked towards a lonely bench at the park nearby. ‘‘Just one fucking meal in peace, is everything I ask.’’

He took a big bite at his sandwich and sat down on the bench, glaring at the pigeons that started to surround him and then the squirrels that looked at him with curiosity up in the trees.

The things Katsuki was doing for Deku… He hoped they would be worth it at the end.

– – – – – –

‘‘I’m back, Deku-kun!’’ Uraraka’s animated voice resonated from the hallway and startled Izuku. Sitting on his mattress, he shifted nervously and looked at the door.

He knew his room needed some changes and he was still self-conscious about it, so he asked Uraraka for help. She said she was going to do something quick and left the room.

Izuku took that time to go and release himself in the bathroom (too much water). He also brushed his teeth and licked his currently dry lips. He literally scared himself when he saw his reflection in the mirror right after he entered the bathroom, so he automatically decided to frantically clean every little part of his face. Then some minutes passed by, and his wishes to have a shower of his own increased exponentially in that exact moment.

He managed to clean himself using the sink’s water and hand soap. His entire bathroom’s floor was a watery mess afterward, but Izuku didn’t regret it. A good hero ought to be neat and tidy no matter what!

Then Izuku stepped out of the bathroom, putting on some clean and more conditioned clothes. He tried to tame his fluffy hair for around eight seconds and then gave up. It was wild like a bush in a forest. He remembered his mom used to spend almost entire mornings trying to make it right before they went to formal events, never really accomplishing it. Kacchan’s hair was as messy but in a different way, the green curls being represented as spiky ash blond tufts of hair.

He smiled, reminiscent. Just as Uraraka came back, a new Izuku was sitting on the border of his bed. He turned to the door as Uraraka opened it.

‘‘Why did you take so–?’’ Izuku trailed off when he saw Ashido’s smiley face and Hagakure’s floating clothes appearing in his room, walking behind Uraraka. He flinched at the surprise. ‘‘Eh?!’’

‘‘Hi, Midori-kun!’’ Ashido waved at him with a grin and proceeded to scrutinize the room. She nodded and hummed to herself after some seconds, pressing her index finger against her chin. ‘‘Yeah… Ochako is right. You really need help redecorating.’’

Izuku flushed in embarrassment and gave Uraraka in front of him a questioning look. She smiled kindly at him as she always did, but Izuku noticed something cryptic about the glimmer that was around her hazel eyes.

‘‘Sorry I didn’t tell you… but I knew you probably wouldn’t accept if I did.’’ Uraraka put a hand on Izuku’s shoulder, leaving out her pinky finger to avoid activating her quirk on him. She got closer to Izuku’s ear and whispered. ‘‘Besides, don’t you want your room to look cute in case Bakugou-kun visits you?’’

Izuku’s blush reddened even more and he felt himself sweating. He covered his burning face with his arms and stuttered. ‘‘U–Uraraka! That’s not fair!’’

She backed up, a knowingly smile curving her lips. Izuku looked down and pouted, trying to dissipate his blush. Oh, of course it wasn’t fair! The image of Kacchan had flooded his mind since the incident and didn’t have the intention to leave anytime soon.

He started to wonder what was the blond doing, what were his eyes looking at and what he was experiencing at that moment. A nostalgic feeling saddened his thoughts when he remembered Kacchan hadn’t visited him yet.

‘‘Maybe he’s still not in the mood to do something like that or he hasn’t had time… Although today’s Saturday and he doesn’t have a job to attend to, for all I know…’’ Izuku growled quietly in his muttering and frowned. ‘‘I just want Kacchan here…’’

‘‘What was that?’’ Ashido asked and raised an eyebrow from across the room, making Izuku remember he still had three girls nearby, invading his bedroom. He gasped and covered his mouth in a rush. Next to Ashido, a floating sweater’s sleeve pointed at him.

‘‘Midoriya-kun, your face! It’s all red!’’ Hagakure giggled at Izuku’s apparent tenderness. He put a hand behind his head and rubbed the fluffy green hair at his nape, sheepish.

‘‘Girls, I really appreciate you want to help, but… I–I don’t want to bother you!’’ Izuku exclaimed, unable to find a proper excuse to get these girls out of his room.

For some reason, some parts inside his mouth started to burn as if they were recently cut. He grabbed his chin and growled quietly at the pain, trying to cover it up so the girls wouldn’t notice.

‘‘Don’t be silly, hun!’’ Ashido waved him off. ‘‘You’re not bothering us in the slightest. Right, Tooru?’’

Ashido glanced at Hagakure with a sweet smile, putting her pink hands on her own hips. She was wearing a yellow shirt that matched her beaming eyes, along with ripped jeans. It was a good look on Ashido; her pink skin stood out even more like that.

‘‘Exactly.~ You might be strong, but you’re still a boy, after all.’’ Hagakure said. This made Izuku tilt his head. She laughed at his confusion and made a gesture. Izuku guessed she was grabbing the laces of her sweater. ‘‘I mean your fashion sense is terrible, you dummy!’’

Izuku couldn’t argue with that; he’s never really cared about fashion. His mom always bought his clothes for him, and she was a simple woman with simple likes (anyone could notice by taking a look at his closet, filled with plain t-shirts with words like ‘‘Sheets’’ or ‘‘All M’’).

He still had some stylish outfits he rarely used, but those were thanks to Katsuki’s mother, Auntie Mitsuki. Izuku smiled as he could at the memories of her. Sometimes she would scold him for following little Kacchan in his hazardous adventures, but most of the time she was a real sweetheart, smiling and inviting him to their house. That’s how he ended having a lot of sleepovers in Kacchan’s house. This was to the blond’s disagreement at the beginning, but then they always ended up playing and chasing after each other like the little kids they were.

A noise made Izuku realize he was lost in thought again. He looked up to the girls, just to see that they were all around his room. His eyes widened and he quickly glanced at each one of them.

‘‘Eh?! What are you doing?!’’

‘‘Uh, duh?’’ Ashido said as she went out to Izuku’s balcony, confirming there weren’t posters there. However, she deadpanned when she noticed the All Might curtains. Ashido turned to him while skimming the curtains with her fingers. ‘‘We’re preparing our mental images to start with the remodeling of your room, hun.’’

‘‘I think this is the perfect place to put a mirror! What do you think, Mina?’’ Hagakure called out to Ashido and pointed at some spot in the wall. Right there was a special All Might poster that Izuku got at a very important Hero Convention he went to when he was nine. He started to regret this.

Ashido entered the room again, stood next to Hagakure and hummed. She made a square with her fingers and stuck out her tongue in concentration, enlarging and decreasing the size of the square. She was probably measuring mentally, Izuku thought. Her nails were painted black, incredibly matching with her eyes.

After some seconds, Ashido lowered her fingers and nodded. ‘‘That would look lovely! Also, I was thinking of painting the walls a soft green. That’s pretty much Midori-kun’s brand, y’know?’’

‘‘What?! Painting the walls??’’ Izuku asked from the bed, alarmed. He looked that Uraraka was grinning out of the corner of his eye. He raised his hands at Ashido and smiled awkwardly. ‘‘P–please don’t! The redecoration will be enough!’’

‘‘You’re not funny!’’ Ashido pouted at him. ‘‘All right… We’re just gonna remove some things and change the organization of your stuff, then.’’ She huffed, but continued with her mission anyways.

Izuku sighed, slightly relieved that the girls weren’t going to transform his place into their second common room. He looked up and realized Uraraka was approaching him, a concerned look wrinkling her face.

‘‘Deku-kun, are you okay?’’ She asked and extended her uncertain hand toward Izuku. After debating with herself for some seconds, she rested her palm on Izuku’s forehead, trying to detect any strong fever. ‘‘Your face is not hot, but you still look sick. You’re not standing up from your bed too much, are you?’’

‘‘Of course not!’’ Izuku replied maybe too soon, getting a strange look from Uraraka. He was really bad at lying. The green-haired smiled at her in a way that was meant to be reassuring. ‘‘Don’t worry about me. Go with Ashido-san and Hagakure-san, and please make sure they don’t throw away any of my All Might merchandise.’’

‘‘Hmm… Okay. But if you feel too bad, just tell me and I’ll notify Recovery girl.’’ Uraraka exclaimed with a serious look, still not convinced. However, she sighed and her face softened almost immediately as a result of her empathetic personality. ‘‘We’ll need to do magic to redecorate without discarding anything… but I’ll see what I can do.’’

Uraraka smiled, gave Izuku a thumbs-up and joined the girls, excited to help them and suggest her own ideas. Izuku sighed again, grasping his cheek. The pain was now residing within his teeth and he started to feel irritated. This increasing nuisance oddly made him remember when he broke his leg for the first time. He was just a tiny six years old Izuku by then.

He had fallen from a lengthy tree during one of his explorations with Kacchan. The blond also fell, but he managed to balance himself in the air and softened his fall thanks to his quirk. However, Quirkless Izuku didn’t have the same ability, so he straight up hit the ground with all his weight and the raw, cold law of gravity.

He remembered a lot of crying and whining. After he arrived at the hospital, he felt desperation when he couldn’t feel his leg because of anesthesia and the uncomfortable numbness for the same last reason. His mom bought him all he wanted during that time, pampering her little son with all the adoration a mother could give.

The thing that made that experience bearable besides his mom’s concern and her specially fondle treatment during those days was spending time with Kacchan. When he fell, the blond didn’t mock him as he was accustomed. Instead, Kacchan ran out and told Inko everything, even going with them on the trip to the hospital.

Some hours later, Kacchan did mock Izuku when he saw the boy’s leg all covered in plasters and his watery eyes, little salty tears running on his freckled cheeks and falling on his orange shirt. He told Izuku to be more careful if he still wanted to follow him everywhere; he couldn’t just permit someone breaking their bones all the time and whining like a crybaby over it.

Izuku noticed how ironic it was. Current Izuku wasn’t that much of a crybaby anymore, but he was indeed an expert at breaking his bones without even trying. He knew Inko, All Might and the rest of his classmates were really worried about him, but he didn’t know what Kacchan’s opinion was.

Did he still dislike it when Izuku would get hurt or he just didn’t mind it? Did he actually care about Izuku besides their rivalry stuff?

No matter the answer to those questions though, because Izuku knew he could count on Kacchan during the most difficult situations. How couldn’t he, honestly? He could always rely on Kacchan’s powerful explosions, his desire to remain victorious in every battle, his intense and red pupils dilating and his wide smile emerging after he accomplished a hard win.

Just as he was about to fantasize with Kacchan’s muscles, an unwelcome event made him flinch.

‘‘Hmm? What is this? Another one of those hero analysis books?’’ Hagakure’s voice attracted Izuku’s attention. She was standing next to his desk, probably to grab the All Might action figures on it. But instead, she had opened a cabinet and had grabbed his… Oh holy fuck, was that Izuku’s diary?

Izuku swore he had never moved as quickly as he did at that moment. He was probably going to regret it later (his body would make him regret it) but he didn’t care. He ran with everything he had and snapped the diary out of Hagakure’s hands. Securing the diary strongly against his chest whimsically, he sighed in relief.

‘‘Uh… Midoriya?’’ The invisible girl looked at him… Izuku couldn’t really describe how. Her tone indicated she was as confused as she was suspicious.

‘‘Y–Yeah?’’ Izuku managed to ask, embarrassed at his own impertinent behavior. He started to sweat out of anxiety.

‘‘What was that?’’ As Hagakure spoke, Izuku’s grip on his diary tightened. ‘‘Also, aren’t you supposed to be resting?’’

Izuku paled with a nervous smile. So now what in the fresh heck was he going to say? ‘I don’t want you to look at the cryptic stuff I write on a daily basis.’?

But that was not going to happen. Izuku still had a little dignity and integrity within his person and he still had many experiences to live along the way. Despite himself, Izuku tried to look at Hagakure in the eye as he spoke.

‘‘I’m sorry if I seemed rude, Hagakure-san! It’s just that…’’

‘‘Judging by your desperate and fast reaction,’’ Ashido said slyly as she approached him from behind and startled him, ‘‘I can tell that’s either your diary or an embarrassing family photo album.’’

Ashido pointed at Izuku’s chest and he secured the diary even more tightly as a reflex.

‘‘I didn’t see any picture! Just a lot of words... Oh, and some doodles!’’ Hagakure shamelessly corroborated Ashido’s theory. Izuku looked at Uraraka in despair, searching her eyes for some help. She glanced back from across the room and started to approach them.

‘‘Hmm, then it’s the first option… But what kind of secret could Midoriya have that he wants to keep to himself so badly?’’ Ashido tapped her chin with her finger as she went deep in thought.

‘‘Yeah, what could it be?’’ Hagakure exclaimed, probably doing the same gesture. Izuku started to sweat more profusely, wishing for the earth to swallow him up. ‘I can’t believe that I’m not afraid of fighting against evil villains that are willing to kill me but I’m about to die because these girls discovered my diary… Let me die already…’

‘‘Girls! I think we should start redecorating before it gets too late, shouldn’t we?’’ Uraraka jumped into action to try and save Izuku’s life. She stood between them and smiled to feign she wasn’t just saving her friend from imminent death. ‘‘Remember that this is a special occasion and it won’t repeat itself!’’

Uraraka surrounded their necks with both of her arms and guided them to another side of the room. Ashido was about to say something, but then Uraraka opened Izuku’s closet… And they forgot about everything else.

‘‘OH–EM–GEE.’’

‘‘This is worse than I thought! Why are all of your shirts the same?!’’

‘‘What kind of fashion abomination is this?!’’

Uraraka turned to him subtlety, gave him a thumbs up and winked to indicate he was safe. He whispered ‘‘Thank you’’ and proceeded to put the diary in the safest place he could find at the moment, already feeling like an idiot for leaving such important information saved at a simple cabinet in his desk.

Before placing the diary under his pillow, he took a glance at the last entry he wrote. He didn’t quite remember it because of his entire illness situation, among other things. His fingers skimmed the light sheets of the notebook, came to a stop and went back some pages till the last entry was presented to him.

‘‘Midoriya might be a boy, but this is overstepping the mark!’’ After hearing her voice, Izuku looked up at Hagakure nervously. He calmed down a little when he confirmed Hagakure and Ashido weren’t paying attention to him. They were inspecting his whole wardrobe, probably hoping to find some decent article in there.

After they unfolded one of the shirts Auntie Mitsuki bought him, Ashido gasped and Hagakure squealed. Uraraka’s mouth formed a perfectly round ‘o’ as she appreciated the details of the shirt and grabbed some jeans (also Mitsuki’s purchase for him). They were so perplexed and excited over the clothes, it was amusing.

Izuku went back to his own business then. After some seconds of reading, his amusement turned into a sheer embarrassment. The word ‘‘Kacchan’’ was repeated more than fifteen times in the first two pages… Wait, when did he draw all of those hearts…? Oh, jeez. He checked other previous pages just to find out all of it was, in essence, the same.

—Kacchan is amazing!! His explosive yet balanced technique is as incredible as his hero costume.
—Kacchan’s being closer to me lately. I don’t know why, but I’m not complaining. I like Kacchan’s presence!
—Talking about Kacchan’s hero costume, I still don’t have enough information about the changes he did for its winter version. I’ll need to ask him soon!
—I got paired up with Kacchan in today’s training. I managed to pin him down during our wrestling! Although he sent me flying with some explosions afterward, it was a joyful sensation.
—I caught Kacchan staring at me during lunch. Or did he catch *me* staring? Guess I’ll never know.
—Kacchan is amazing!!

Izuku blushed, even more, when he noticed he didn’t even include a reason for the last one. Most of the notes were accompanied by hearts, stars, exclamation marks and spontaneous doodles of Kacchan’s hero costume, spiky hair and… muscles. They were written on different pages, among other notes that weren’t related in the slightest extent.

He found a particular drawing of Kacchan smiling he had made and stared at it. This type of drawing was actually very usual at Izuku’s diary, and he was very nostalgic about it. He didn’t see Kacchan’s honest, kind and warm smile as often as he used to when they were little.

That smile that wasn’t just a furious smirk, a lopsided grin or a grimace during a battle; it was the real thing. The smile that curved Kacchan’s lips when he really enjoyed his spicy food, went mountain climbing or simply tried his new techniques successfully. Sometimes he would show his perfect teeth, other times it was a lips-only event.

Izuku would give any of his All Might special edition figures just to see that smile so often again. The entire package would also include his deep, contagious laugh, of course. Just like Kacchan’s voice was extremely loud and profound, his genuine laugh was able to produce little butterflies all over Izuku’s stomach, reaching carelessly his fragile and tender heart.

His soft train of thought was then interrupted by the mysterious teeth pain, which reminded him he was supposed to take his medicine and, more importantly, rest. That poison in his body made really weird things, Izuku thought. As he closed his diary and put it beneath the pillow, the pain expanded and reached his sorry head.

Izuku moved around the bed till he reached his nightstand. He grabbed the only medicine he recognized: pills for headaches. He drank one with the last portion of mineral water that remained in the glass Uraraka gave him and closed the capsule before he’d thought of drinking another one.

Knowing the effects weren’t going to be noticed until some more minutes, he entered in his blankets and rested his afflicted head on the pillow. He kept looking at the girls some meters away from him, still inspecting some clothes.

He blinked.

The girls were now looking at some of the All Might posters, probably deciding what they were going to do with them.

He blinked again. This one took longer.

Ashido was bringing what seemed to be a pink and black carpet made of tiger-like synthetic leather. Uraraka was shaking her head softly as Hagakure appreciated the carpet.

He blinked for the third time. This one was even slower than the second one.

Uraraka’s pink shirt was getting closer now. Two soft hands grabbed the blankets and placed them over Izuku’s shoulders. One of them petted Izuku’s curly hair. Uraraka then went out of Izuku’s sight. He stared tiredly at his open closet for less than five seconds before he fell asleep.

‘‘Deku… Shh… You need to rest, you reckless dweeb.’’

– – – – – –

Katsuki thanked the heavens when he saw Sprouts of Joy in the distance. He sighed, relieved. He was finally going to buy the damn flowers, head back to the dorms and give them to Izuku. This would finally be over.

Katsuki buried his hands in the pockets of his blue jeans and pushed gently the front door. The usual little doorbell of the shop rang as he stepped inside. A sweet and condensed smell of flowers tendered his senses and Katsuki smiled ever-so-slightly. This wasn’t such a bad idea after all…

An audibly bored and familiar voice greeted him from behind the crystal counter, at the leftmost.

‘‘Welcome to Sprouts of Joy… How can I serve y—’’

Jirou’s purple eyes widened at the sight of Katsuki when she looked up from her phone. She disconnected her earplugs and put the phone aside.

‘‘You’ve got to be fucking kidding me…’’ Katsuki whispered, his left eye twitching unconsciously. ‘‘First Icy-Hot and now freaking…’’

‘‘Bakugou?’’ Jirou exclaimed, now raising an eyebrow. She probably thought Katsuki had mistaken the flower shop for another establishment nearby.

Katsuki thought he couldn’t be more cursed than this. This is his fucking end. Jirou of all people was working at the flower shop he went to, and most importantly… his cover had been blown up. What was he supposed to do? He decided he would buy flowers there, at the best goddamn store in the area. He couldn’t just back down now!

‘‘What in the world are you doing here? This is a… flower store.’’ Jirou seemed uncomfortable when she said the last part, averting her eyes. She was wearing a short-sleeve white shirt with a dark red overall above, an aesthetic typical of florists.

‘‘Oh, I could ask you the same damn thing!’’ Katsuki said as he approached the counter, his previously surprised gaze now turning into an accusative one. ‘‘You’re not exactly the type who would like this kind of shit!’’

Jirou looked startled at his words, but she recovered quickly and snapped back at him in defense.

‘‘And you’re the one to talk! The oh so grumpy and loud Bakugou Katsuki!’’

Katsuki frowned but didn’t reply right away. He knew both of them caught each other in a weird situation, and he wouldn’t admit it, but Jirou was one of the few classmates that had gained his respect; she knew it was better not to mess with him.

But that didn’t mean he wasn’t angry anyways. This wasn’t some kind of stupid game the universe could play to ruin his day. Deku wasn’t a game. The blond put his hands on his hips, squinting at her.

‘‘So what’s your fucking excuse, Ears?’’

The little bell at the door sounded again, saving Jirou from responding temporarily. She moved quicker than necessary to the middle of the counter and greeted the customer with a forced smile. She ignored Katsuki’s burning gaze.

‘‘Hello! Here you sell flowers, right?’’ The chestnut asked from the door as if his gaze wasn’t being harassed by a big amount of flowers at that moment. Katsuki noticed he had a strange accent.

Jirou nodded. ‘‘We sell a big variety of flowers, so feel free to look around.’’

Katsuki looked at her skeptically and she continued avoiding his gaze. Since when was she working here? But he stayed quiet, decided to get more context. The chestnut looked around like Jirou recommended him, but he seemed very lost. He turned to her directly with a sheepish expression.

‘‘Do you… have any traditional Japanese kind?’’ He scratched awkwardly the brown hair at the back of his neck while he asked.

Katsuki glanced at the man. Judging by his accent and recent question, he was most likely a tourist. Jirou nodded again and motioned him to get closer. She grabbed a flowerpot that contained some white specimens. The curiosity gained and Katsuki approached the flowerpot as well. Looking closer, he noticed the petals weren’t pure white; a pretty pale pink-tinged them. They were mostly rounded and seemed soft to the touch. That was when Katsuki realized: Sakura flowers.

‘‘Cherry blossoms!’’ The costumer exclaimed, visibly pleased at the sight of the flower. The way he called the species cleared entirely Katsuki’s doubts. Probably a tourist from America, he guessed. Jirou smiled, amused at the man’s cheerful reaction.

‘‘These aren’t real Cherry blossoms, just artificial flowers. The real ones are at the back garden of the shop.’’ Jirou pointed at the backdoor with her thumb. ‘‘This is due to the extensive care they require, like a proper amount of sunlight and fertile terrain.’’

Katsuki raised an eyebrow. Jirou seemed bored when she greeted him some minutes ago, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t serious about this job. She spoke rather confidently and had real knowledge of the subject. She even seemed to be enjoying it.

‘‘There would hardly be anything more Japanese than Cherry blossoms!’’ The chestnut talked again next to Katsuki, smiling brightly. All about his attitude reminded Katsuki of a certain green-haired boy resting at the dorms. He averted his red eyes to avoid smirking like an idiot in the middle of the store. That was when he noticed the mood of the foreigner at his side had declined a little. ‘‘But then… does it mean you don’t sell them?’’

‘‘Oh, it’s quite the opposite, sir.’’ Jirou said, assuring him. She walked to a shelving behind her and started to search among some seed bags inside a transparent box. She found and grabbed a bag full of Sakura seeds. The label was written in Hiragana (さくら). Holding the seed bag in front of the client, she spoke again.

‘‘As I said before, Sakura flowers need extensive care. There’s a bookstore near here where you can purchase a really useful guide about this species. Well, that’s only if you still want to buy these at the end of the day.’’ Jirou swayed slightly the bag in her right hand. The man nodded automatically.

‘‘I do want to! My wife couldn’t come along me to Japan, so she asked me to bring her stuff that reflects this lovely culture. I know she’d love to take care and watch these seeds blossom.’’ A nostalgic expression came to the man’s face, a sweet smile curving his lips.

Katsuki noticed the man was thinking fondly about his wife; he must be really in love with her. But how did Katsuki recognize this type of look? Strangely enough, he’d been holding a similar expression while thinking about Deku in front of the mirror every morning… such weird ass coincidences.

‘‘It’s a deal, then.’’

Katsuki snapped out of his intrusive thoughts and hummed in faint appreciation of Jirou’s apparent selling skills. She closed the sale, giving the customer five Sakura seeds and the address of the bookstore she mentioned by writing it on a piece of paper. She wished him a safe journey and he left after saying goodbye to Katsuki in a polite way. The blond nodded at him in return (his subtle way of saying farewell).

After the customer exited the shop, Jirou breathed and sighed heavily. She seemed relieved to have done a good job. Many foreigners probably came to visit this place, and that’s how Jirou was so accustomed and skillful at this.

Katsuki glanced at her, but he wasn’t being accusative now. She finally met his red eyes and wrapped one of her fingers with her left earplug, a motion she did every time she was uncomfortable or shy. Some seconds later, her bashful gaze averted Katsuki’s again, finding comfort on the floor.

‘‘Before you say anything, no. I don’t like flowers that much.’’ She exclaimed and then looked at the entrance door. It was made of glass, allowing people from inside the establishment to see outside. ‘‘Across the street, there’s another store. But that one doesn’t sell flowers.’’

Katsuki followed her gaze outside and realized what she meant. Right in front of Sprouts of Joy across the street, the Okamoto Instrument Store was presented with smooth yet electrifying chords. A lot of guitars with unique designs were placed in the showcase, ready to be played by competent fingers.

‘‘I want one of those guitars in specific, but all of them are rather expensive.’’ She continued. Her gaze was longing for the feeling of owning and being able to play her desired guitar. ‘‘So yeah… since each shift is individual and there’s a stable clientele, they pay me well in this place. Besides, Okamoto isn’t hiring people and this is the closest place where I can job.’’

‘‘So you’re here since the beginning of our second year in U.A?’’ Katsuki asked, leaning on the counter slightly. Jirou grabbed the decorative flowerpot with the artificial Sakura flowers and placed it back to its spot behind the crystal counter.

‘‘I started working here about two weeks later, I believe. After I saw Kuro in the showcase for the first time.’’

‘‘Kuro? Did you name your guitar before even owning it?’’

‘‘Hey! I know you understand me here.’’ Jirou exclaimed, her offended tone was purposely dramatic. ‘‘Besides… Don’t pretend that you didn’t like to play drums at the Festival.’’ Jirou smiled at him and Katsuki flicked his tongue loudly.

‘‘Shut up!’’

The blond crossed his arms and frowned, staring at a random point of the store. He was decent playing the drums and that was all. They were great for him to vent and make a good result out of his violent manners.

After some seconds, Jirou spoke again beside him.

‘‘…Hey, Bakugou.’’

Hearing her call, Katsuki glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, annoyed expression permanent on his face.

‘‘What?’’

‘‘You still haven’t told me why you’re at a flower shop. I mean, I know you didn’t mistake this for another place, so…’’ Jirou propped her elbows more deeply on the counter, leaning so that Katsuki could hear her perfectly. ‘‘Are you buying flowers to someone?’’ She asked with genuine curiosity.

Katsuki knew she wasn’t really mocking him, but he didn’t care. He didn’t need to clarify what he was doing with his damn money! Loyal to his coping mechanism, he snapped at her.

‘‘That’s none of your fucking business!’’

Katsuki walked away from the counter and stood in front of some random flowers near the entrance, pretending they were the most interesting thing at that moment. He felt Jirou’s gaze and frowned even more.

‘‘All right… I don’t care anyway.’’ Jirou exclaimed and Katsuki heard the sound of her fingertips unlocking her phone. He snarled outrageous at her hypocrisy. Of course she cared! Everyone at U.A could graduate in the science of Messing with Bakugou Katsuki’s business. Although he was silently grateful that she wasn’t pressuring him into saying anything.

‘‘But you came here for a reason.’’ Jirou continued talking, carefree. ‘‘The fact that I work here shouldn’t stop you from doing whatever you wanted to. You gonna buy something like a normal customer or not?’’

Katsuki froze momentarily.

The audacity…! She’s got a point, though. Katsuki hated it, but he had already wasted enough time. He needed to buy the flowers as fast as possible and go back to Heights Alliance.

‘‘All right, I’ll do it! Just shut the hell up already!’’ Katsuki turned to her and shouted angrily, walking towards the counter.

‘‘Wait, really?’’

‘‘It isn’t a goddamn joke! You’re about to lose a valuable client, you punk!’’ Katsuki exclaimed and clenched his teeth menacingly.

‘‘'Kay, sorry!’’ Jirou locked her phone and stuffed it into her pocket. ‘‘So, whatcha gonna buy, Lord Explosion Murder?’’

Katsuki ignored her teasing tone and actually looked around the store. There were like three species he recognized out of the whole colorful landscape.

Well fuck… He had no idea what to choose. He planned to ask the florist their recommendation, saying something short and concise like ‘‘What do you recommend giving to an emotional nerd?’’

His plan was totally screwed now, just like him. If he was to ask that to Jirou, she would immediately recognize he was buying the flowers for Deku, and Katsuki wasn’t in the mood for more obnoxious mocking comments. He never was, honestly.

Katsuki probably spent more than five minutes thinking what the heck he was supposed to do, because Jirou cleared her throat.

‘‘So… you came here without even knowing what you wanted…’’ She said, more of an affirmation than a question.

‘‘Don’t you fuckin’ dare judge me, you jerk!’’ Katsuki shouted and pouted, feeling extremely stupid after Jirou spoke aloud his dumb actions.

‘‘All right… I’m gonna pretend this conversation never happened.’’ Jirou crouched, humming as she apparently searched for something around her. Some seconds later, she found it.

‘‘Hmm. Here it is.’’

Katsuki tapped the counter slightly with his fingers as he waited when some hoarse sounds coming from Jirou alerted him.

‘‘Oi! Everythin’ good down there?’’

‘‘Yeah, just lemme… ugh! This thing’s hella heavy!’’

Jirou emerged from behind the counter and quickly deposited an extensive book she was holding on top of it. When the heavyweight abandoned her arms, she let a breathy sigh and proceeded to open one of the first pages.

‘‘The fuck? Is that a Bible?’’

‘‘Hah. Very funny, Bakugou.’’

Jirou looked through the pages for a few seconds and then turned the book so it looked at Katsuki’s direction. Now that he wasn’t trying to read it upside down, he realized it was an index.

‘‘This big-ass book is given to every employee at their shift, but I don’t really use it. It has information about… almost every known species of flower you could find in the wild.’’

‘‘Almost? This shit’s bigger than Grapeball’s probability to get expelled from U.A.’’

Jirou laughed at Katsuki’s comment. The blond eyed the immense amount of names and the pages they were at. It did seem like the Flowers Bible. Everything was fine, that book probably had more information about every flower than Wikipedia, but… the index didn’t give him more details.

Knowing he was running out of time, Katsuki jumped directly to page 12, where the data for every species started. He flipped the pages quickly, just looking at the images rather than the names. Jirou got bored after some seconds and unlocked her phone again.

That was when he saw an image that caught his attention. He almost skipped it in his hurry, but fortunately, that wasn’t the case. Looking better at the picture, he appreciated the details of the flower.

The petals were large and slightly rolled backward at their ends. The edges displayed a gallant white color, while a vibrant pink tinged the center and spread all around it. There was a thin yet deep line of the same color that came from the start of every petal till the end. Other specimens were entirely pink with changes in the tonality or had other colors such as yellow, orange and red. They all were pretty, but what Katsuki really liked and what caught his attention was one particular detail.

Lilies (the species of flower in question) were usually spotted. In other words, freckled. They reminded Katsuki of Izuku’s pretty freckles that spread over his soft round cheeks, decorating his radiant and lovely face. The same freckles Katsuki couldn’t stop looking at, and every day that passed he was more and more desirous, wishful to reach and kiss every single one.

‘‘He would love this…’’

Lilies reminded Katsuki of Izuku’s delicacy, his tenderness. Izuku’s intense desire to accomplish everything he wanted in life, even if the path left him scars. Katsuki sometimes sat in the common room and stared at Izuku’s freckles while the boy wasn’t aware. He liked to think every little spot told a different story, an experience lived or about to be lived. After exploring every freckle, Katsuki’s crimson gaze would find Izuku’s lips. They would be there, calling him like a magnet, inviting him to get closer.

But that was always the moment in which Izuku would turn to look at him across the common room, and when he’d notice Katsuki was staring, the real magic would start. His pretty freckles would get tinted by bright pink, just like the flowers, and his green eyes would glimmer in pure admiration.

Just like that, Izuku’s lips would start to say his name in a breathy whisper, and it was Katsuki’s cue to stop looking and abandon the room, his own face turned into a hot mess every time. He didn’t know why it happened, why his rivalry with Izuku had to be like that. Before, Izuku would leave the room because of Katsuki’s obnoxious behavior directed to him. Now, Katsuki was the one to leave, and it was as simple as watching Izuku’s genuine smile towards him.

Was Deku even aware of that?

Judging by the train of sappy emotions that flooded his mind just by looking at a lily, Katsuki knew it was his best option. He decided to read carefully the details and extra information about lilies.

White lilies are a symbol of purity. The Stargazer Lily is one of the most popular flowers for bouquets, and it means ambition and encouragement with a difficult challenge. Also, it symbolizes prosperity and abundance. Yellow and golden lilies most commonly symbolize good health and healing, while bright red blooms speak of passion and work great for weddings and proposal bouquets.

Katsuki realized that the Stargazer Lily was the first example he saw. Now that he read its meaning, Katsuki smiled in accomplishment. Challenge was almost Izuku’s middle name, and maybe he considered the illness he was experiencing as another challenge he needed to surpass. Such an ambitious nerd. The prosperity and abundance part could enter as well, but Katsuki didn’t give importance to that. He already knew Izuku’s future would be amazing and explosive, even.

Katsuki considered buying golden lilies knowing that they represent good healing. However, they weren’t as spotted as Stargazer lilies, so the main essence was hardly the same. And about the bright red blooms… Katsuki might be reckless and pretty bold most of the time, but he wasn’t suicidal.

After reasoning with himself for some minutes that he spent looking at the pictures and reading more information, he decided. Katsuki finally looked up from the book and found Jirou in her phone at the leftmost of the counter, just like he first saw her when he entered the store. She was mumbling something about Kaminari being an idiot, so she was likely texting with him.

‘‘All right, I made my decision. Time for you to do the bouquet so I can get the fuck outta here.’’

Jirou’s eyes widened after she heard Katsuki’s voice. She looked at him as if he was a stranger for a moment. Then, she let a deep and relieved sigh. Confused, Katsuki was about to talk, but Jirou was already at it.

‘‘Jesus Christ, Bakugou. It’s been thirty minutes since you began to read about lilies. I was starting to think you’d never stop looking at that picture. How much were you thinking about?’’

‘‘Hah?! Thirty min–?’’ Katsuki trailed off. That must have been a lie. He wasn’t that screwed… was he? He let a sarcastic scoff and suddenly squinted at her with all of his seriousness. ‘‘Stop fucking around with me, Jirou. I was reasoning, and it was for only ten minutes, as maximum.’’

‘‘You were… reasoning?’’ Jirou made another strange face. Katsuki was running out of patience.

‘‘Oi! Stop looking at me like I was some kind of creep! The fuck is wrong with you now?!’’

Jirou didn’t reply immediately. She seemed to be processing something, maybe trying to convince herself that she was talking to the real Katsuki.

‘‘I glanced at you a few times, Bakugou.’’ Jirou said and pointed at the book. ‘‘As you were reading this, you seemed happy. Excited, almost. And you were saying things like ‘he would love this’ and ‘is he even aware?’’’ Jirou paused and looked at Katsuki in the eye. ‘‘I… had never seen you smiling like that before, y’know?’’

Katsuki was speechless. Maybe he was that screwed… But even so, he was mumbling?! Did he get that from Deku’s incessant habit, just like Deku would swear sometimes because of his influence? This was worse than he thought.

He wasn’t astonished about Jirou realizing the flowers were for a boy; since most of the class was already suspecting his sexuality and they didn’t even try to hide from Katsuki rumors about himself.

Seeing how Katsuki was as impressed as her about the other stuff, Jirou softer her voice when she spoke next.

‘‘You must really like this person, huh?’’

Katsuki contemplated her words. He’d never thought of it as ‘liking’ Izuku. Katsuki indeed liked Deku’s determination, his little pouts when he didn’t get what he wanted, his green and fluffy hair that was impossible to tame, his round and big eyes full of utter adoration, his little and probably soft lips…

Holy fuck. He liked Izuku…

‘‘I… guess so?’’ Katsuki spoke, with all honesty. It was too late for him to just deny it. He already knew he wanted to protect Deku from any mortal situation and evil villains that would be there to hurt him, but he’d shield himself with the thought that he was doing it for simple hero logic… However, now Katsuki realized it was more than that. Even his subconscious was keeping his messy feelings a secret from him, it seemed.

‘‘Knowing you’re serious about this, I’ll stop teasing you.’’ Jirou exclaimed, her voice now filled with determination. ‘‘Let’s do that Lily bouquet for your special someone, lover boy.’’

Katsuki nodded firmly, still too astonished about his discovery to realize what she said at the end. He told Jirou his specifications and she wrapped the seven lilies with a floral wire after she arranged their positions so they looked aesthetically pleasing. The largest Stargazer lily was at the center of the bouquet, establishing its dominance and exposing its spots carelessly. Jirou enveloped the stems with a light pink floral wrap and made a medium sized lasso to keep everything in place.

Jirou asked Katsuki if the wanted to write something in a folded piece of paper so –the person he liked– would read it when they received it. Holding the pen Jirou gave him, Katsuki thought of a short and concise sentence he could write. Then, he gave the paper and the pen back to Jirou and she included his message in the bouquet, emerging among the stems.

When she finished, Katsuki asked her the time. Almost 6 pm. It was late as fuck. He didn’t know how he spent so much time in that damn shop. Jirou’s shift was about to end; she worked at weekends, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Katsuki said goodbye to Jirou with an almost inaudible thank you, and he was practically rushing out of the store when she called out to him from behind the counter.

‘‘Oi, Bakugou!’’

‘‘What?! I’m in a freaking hurry here!’’

‘‘Just… please don’t tell anyone at school that I work here. I usually make up excuses for the days I’m out and…’’

Jirou didn’t need to explain. Katsuki had started to understand her more since he entered Sprouts of Joy that day. She was good at the job, but she was still uncomfortable when it came to the people closest to her. Katsuki wasn’t planning to tell them anyways. It wasn’t their business. He turned to her and flicked his tongue.

‘‘Tsk. That’s only if you don’t say a thing about what I did today.’’ Katsuki raised the newborn Lily bouquet in his left hand. ‘‘I didn’t enter this store… and you didn’t even see me, got it?’’

‘‘Huh. What store are you talking about?’’ Jirou replied, clearly relieved she could count on Katsuki. The blond nodded, pushed the door and walked outside the establishment.

‘‘Good luck, Romeo!’’

That was the last thing he heard from Jirou before they talked again in the dorms the next day.
.
.
.
. Katsuki was standing on the outskirts of Heights Alliance, bouquet in hand, determination to the flower of the skin… shitty pun unintended. At that hour, it was likely that most of his classmates were already hanging around inside. At the hallways, the common room and even at the edges of the perimeter; everywhere was a land field. A wrong move and rumors of ‘‘Bakugou having an affair’’ would spread all around the place.

That was why he needed to be extremely careful. His foolproof plan was entering his room through his balcony. From there, he would get out and go upstairs to Deku’s room as sneaky as possible. Katsuki would give him the bouquet and then go back to his room, locking himself for the rest of the day if it was possible.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t enter Deku’s room this way, because the nerd always closed his balcony’s sliding door for ‘‘security reasons’’. Katsuki understood that. If he let any of his doors open, even for only five minutes, Shitty Hair, Pikachu and Tape Arms would turn his room into a damn mess. Also, Deku couldn’t (or at least he wasn’t supposed to) stand up from his bed for too much time, so the possibility of him being awake at that time was very low.

Katsuki walked around the building, reaching the left side. He confirmed by looking skeptically everywhere that no one was on the balconies then. That left Katsuki enough time to locate his own window. Nodding in determination, he approached the wall.

The bouquet was the most valuable thing to Katsuki, so he was treating it as if it was made of thin crystal. That meant he wasn’t putting it inside his jacket or the back pockets of his jeans, even if his life depended on it. He was restricted to climb the wall using only one hand and his legs… but he would do it perfectly.

Katsuki positioned the bouquet in his left hand and prepared his right to generate little explosions, enough to propel himself into the air but not as loud to attract people’s attention. He glanced around for the last time and focused on his task.

After some shitty attempts, Katsuki finally landed on the first balcony. The sparkles and bright gleam that Aoyama’s room irradiated almost blinded the hell out of Katsuki right there. He stepped back and grabbed the border of the balcony. The room could easily be mistaken as a mirror store, and the Glitter Fuck also owned a freaking disco ball that was hanging on the ceiling. Why the fuck was it spinning if that dumb-ass wasn’t even in the room?! He could’ve at least closed his damn curtains.

The blond squinted as he covered his eyes from the flamboyant window and looked to the balcony at his left. Right there was Deku’s bedroom… locked by the intricate security system of Heights Alliance.

He frowned at the sensation of impotence. But it wasn’t time to complain, it was time to act. After maneuvering for some seconds and swaying on top of the border, he arrived at Iida’s balcony and was able to see clearly again. The curtains were also open, so the class rep probably left recently and was going to return in a short time.

If Deku was a nerd, Iida was some kind of Interstellar Master Nerd. His room was literally filled with bookshelves, which were at the same time full of encyclopedias bigger than the Flower Bible that Jirou borrowed him and books about complicated shit the blue-haired was most likely to forget the day after. Some books seemed to be escaping from the bookshelves and were organized around the bed. Iida had bought a bunch of glasses in case his current ones broke and placed them on more shelves connected to the wall.

Perfect. First a mirror store and now a glasses store. Was there someone at U.A that wasn’t a weirdo? Even Deku was a little dweeb and his many notebooks about hero analysis were probably thrown all around his room. However, Katsuki did desire some of the special edition All Might stuff that he knew Deku had there to complete his own secret collection… but he wouldn’t admit that.

He shook his head. Iida was going to return soon, that wasn’t time for his stupid fantasies. The last jump and Katsuki was finally on his balcony. He nervously checked the bouquet and had a pleasant feeling of relief when he saw it was impeccable. Sighing, he was about to grab his sliding door keys when he heard a much-known voice coming from the adjacent balcony.

Katsuki carefully moved the bouquet behind his back, facing the red-haired that was waving at him.

‘‘Bakugou! You’re finally here, man!’’ Kirishima greeted him, showing his sharp teeth with a wide grin. It seemed he just got out of his room, so he didn’t see how Katsuki was smiling at the bouquet like an idiot. That was a relief. ‘‘What were you doing out there? You never arrive this late.’’

‘‘What I do with my damn time doesn’t fucking matter, you dumb-ass.’’ Katsuki snarled at Kirishima and started to search for the keys inside his jacket, the left hand still holding the bouquet and hiding it behind his back. But Kirishima was an observant moron, so that didn’t fool him.

‘‘Hmm? Whatcha hiding?’’ The red-haired raised an eyebrow and tilted his head, like some kind of sniffer dog that just found something suspicious. That angered Katsuki, but he knew he needed to remain calm if he wanted to make it out of this alive.

‘‘Nothing.’’ Katsuki replied quietly while he walked to the sliding door, still facing Kirishima. Noticing the strange way he was walking, Kirishima kept watching him, a big question mark on his face. He must have been looking like an idiot, but he didn’t care. He hadn’t got that far to just back down now.

‘‘So why is your hand behind your back like that?’’ Kirishima asked and pointed at the ghost of Katsuki’s hand.

‘‘My back just… itches.’’ Katsuki moved the arm behind his back upwards and downwards, feigning he was scratching it, while he maneuvered with the other hand to get a hold of the right key to open the door.

‘‘Your back… what?’’ Kirishima asked worried as he saw Katsuki struggling to find the key. And when the key chain slipped from Katsuki’s hand and fell on the floor, the blond’s immensely pained growl made him grimace.

‘‘What in the ever-loving fuck…’’ Katsuki grabbed his jacket and tried to cover his mouth the best he could so his screams wouldn’t be heard that much. Kirishima got closer to his own balcony’s border, an uncertain expression on his face.

‘‘Man… Do you need help with tha–’’ Kirishima flinched as Katsuki lost what little remained of his mild temper and quickly transformed into a storm of expletives.

‘‘WHAT THE HECK! I swear on this fucking piece of bullshit! What in the goddamned fuck is wrong with the shitty universe?!’’ Katsuki looked up and stared into the void, shouting like a kid in the middle of a tantrum. ‘‘Go fuck yourself!’’

‘‘Who are even you talking to…?’’ Kirishima frowned at him, now really concerned. He put his foot on the balcony’s railing, about to jump and help Katsuki before he decided to explode the whole floor. ‘‘Y’know what, lemme help y–’’

‘‘No! Get the fuck outta here, Shitty Hair!’’ Katsuki snapped and crouched, reaching for the keys. At that moment, he would’ve been thankful if a train decided to hit him right in the face and then go backward. Katsuki stood up carefully, trying to maintain the bouquet in perfect state. Strangely enough, not even his tantrum made him lose total control of the flowers that remained hidden against his spine.

‘‘Bakugou, you can’t tell me to fuck off. I’m still standing on my own balcony!’’ Kirishima motioned at his whole place with wide gestures of his outstretched arms.

‘‘Whatever, Kirishima!’’ Katsuki hissed, knowing he didn’t have arguments, but kept the bitterness altogether.

‘‘Hey guys! So I heard Kacchan’s back!’’ Kaminari teased from under Kirishima’s balcony, standing on his own and trying to look at Katsuki with curiosity. The light of his room reflected his shade on the wall. An idiotic grin curved his lips as he talked. ‘‘What’s up?’’

‘‘I would kill both of you if it wasn’t fucking illegal!’’ Katsuki exclaimed harshly, still focused on finding the correct key. He hated to have so many in his key-chain; he didn’t use half of them. The infuriated sweat that kept emerging from his hands and made his grip all slippery wasn’t helping his case either.

‘‘That’s not very heroic of you, Bakugou!’’ Kaminari cooed, still amused. Kirishima arranged his position and stared down at Kaminari, partially hanging from the railing to do so. Kaminari stretched his arms and hummed dramatically as he did.

He was preparing himself to get in his extra-clownery mode, and that was never good.

‘‘So tell me, what is Bakugou screaming about this time? Did he hit his pinky toe with the furniture? Did his favorite soap opera get canceled?’’ Kaminari wondered.

Kirishima was about to say something when he heard a click. The red-haired turned to Katsuki just to see the wide smirk on the blond’s face when he finally managed to unlock the sliding glass door. He opened it with one pull and was about to step inside. However, despite himself, he made sure to say some last words before entering his room.

‘‘You better make a death wish, you bastards!’’ Katsuki exclaimed so his voice would resonate and reach both Kirishima and Kaminari. ‘‘I’m going to fucking murder you both tomorrow, and you can be sure as fuck that no one’s gonna find the bodies afterward!’’

‘‘Y’know… You always talk about murder so carelessly…’’ Kirishima said in a disgruntled tone. ‘‘Sometimes I think you might have actually killed someone. Also, today you’re acting stranger than usual.’’

Katsuki realized the opportunity right in front of his eyes. He scoffed loudly and gave Kirishima a wide, malicious smirk.

‘‘Hah… Makes you wonder.’’ Katsuki sneered, raising his chin to give Kirishima his best dreadful expression.

Watching Katsuki’s disturbing and ominous smile, Kirishima flinched. Out of the corner of his eye, Kaminari was trying to get on the railing to see what was going on. The red-haired looked at Katsuki’s left arm and then met his eyes.

‘‘Wait, is that a weapon?!’’ Kirishima pointed at the hidden spot at Katsuki’s back frantically, trying not to believe in his words. However, after he saw Katsuki’s smirk was anything but fading, he seemed distraught. ‘‘Bakugou, what in the fresh hell?!’’

‘‘A weapon? Lemme see!’’ Kaminari complained from the balcony below, unlocking his phone to probably open the camera so he could get a look at whatever was scaring Kirishima so much.

Pleased by the reaction, he stepped into his room and proceeded to close his sliding glass door without answering. Purposely ignoring that Kirishima was calling out to him with a concerned tone from outside, he locked the door and shut the curtains with his free hand. Then he walked out to the light switch and pressed it, his eyes fluttering at first at the sudden glowing light.

Finally out of everyone’s sight, he examined the bouquet again. The lilies were as vibrant and vivid as ever, their sweet spotted petals that tried so hard to compete with Deku’s freckles greeted Katsuki gracefully.

The first part of his plan was done… although not perfectly because Kirishima and Kaminari had realized something was off, but it was honestly better than Katsuki was expecting. He was living at U.A., so anything could’ve happened. Now the second and most important part needed to be performed: the sneaky route toward Deku’s room.

Katsuki opened the door quietly as he did in the morning to avoid alerting an already suspicious Kirishima. He glanced at every side of the hallway and strained his ears to detect any threatening presence. Jirou’s quirk would have been useful at that moment, Katsuki recognized.

After he made sure nobody was at the corridor, Katsuki slid past his door and closed it, also in silence. He felt like some kind of thief about to steal a diamond… a really reckless one that decided to steal a jewel in a building with eighteen other people that could catch him at any given moment.

He walked toward the stairs and went down two floors. He sighed in relief when he noticed no one was around the second floor either, giving him the chance to walk freely until he reached Deku’s door. He knocked twice quietly and sighed again when he didn’t receive a response from the inside.

‘‘Okay…’’ Katsuki whispered to himself in encouragement. ‘‘Let’s do this shit.’’

He turned the doorknob and pushed it slowly. The darkness of Deku’s room was intercepted by the hallway’s warm light… Deku was sleeping.

Katsuki heard some snores that were impossible not to recognize, at least for him. Yeah, the nerd was, indeed, sleeping. Katsuki walked inside, his feet light as feathers, and closed the door. The darkness covered the room again… although not entirely.

Even though he couldn’t look the totality of Deku’s bedroom, he noticed something was weird. The moonlight helped him to see the basic shapes of the furniture and some dimmed colors.

Looking around with his limited vision, Katsuki noticed the colors red, blue and yellow weren’t repeated as he thought they would be. Where did all the All Might posters Deku brought with him go? Even when Katsuki hadn’t entered his room before, he knew Deku moved an extensive part of his All Might merchandise to the dorms as the students settled down at Heights Alliance.

No one had told him that; they didn’t need to. That was such a Deku thing to do, Katsuki took it for granted. And he wasn’t referring to Deku in a harsh way; he tried not to do that anymore. This type of Deku was allusive to his childhood friend. The Deku he’s always known, who could compete with him when it came to be All Might fanboys, who always had wanted to save people because it was the right thing to do.

That’s why Katsuki felt weird after he looked at Izuku’s room like that. He felt like Deku had moved on from his past, from their past. And he knew it was good, change was important, and more than anything in their relationship. It was natural; it had to be like that. This almost seemed like an average room of a boy around Deku’s age. Did he still conserve childhood photos? Katsuki couldn’t tell only with the partial dim light there.

Katsuki knew Deku liked flowers. Since they were little, every time they would play at the forest and see a flower, little Izuku would scoot closer and smile at it. This happened more often than not with gold and orange ones. Katsuki knew the bright golden color reminded Izuku of All Might because it was the same for him, but he never quite understood why orange flowers. Katsuki used to wear clothes of that color, not Izuku.

A quiet yet dominant snore coming from the green fluff on the bed made Katsuki realize he was lost in thought. He shook his head. He wasn’t a Deku-know-it-all, and he wasn’t there to become one! His mission was almost completed by now. He stopped glancing at the bouquet at his hand and intently looked Deku’s shape, raising and lowering with ease, his curly hair falling onto his pillow and part of his face illuminated by the moonlight coming from the balcony.

Katsuki’s heart dropped for a second at this sight. His legs worked by themselves and he realized it when he was already crouching at the foot of the bed, right next to the mattress. He left the bouquet on the nightstand, afraid to ruin it if he continued touching it more.

He never had this kind of opportunity before, and he would be an absolute idiot if he didn’t use it.

From up close, Izuku was even prettier. His eyelashes were naturally large and the definition of beauty itself. His eyebrows were thin and curved, relaxed since Izuku was sound asleep. Katsuki extended his hand and traced them delicately from their most brushy zone to their slim ends.

His green hair was messier than Katsuki’s racing feelings then. The curly locks of hair fell easily around the entire extent of Izuku’s forehead. Katsuki used his hand to apart those strands of hair one by one, putting some behind Izuku’s exposed ear and messing with all of them as he liked. A stupid grin curved Katsuki’s lips when he stopped to look at the changes he made. That was one of the few times he had seen Izuku’s forehead fully displayed. It was relatively small. He traced the scalp delicately, taming the wild hairs that were already going back to their normal position.

And… Oh, Jesus fucking Christ, the freckles. Katsuki had let them for the end on purpose. Those gorgeous little dots across his cheeks looked like shiny stars, illuminated by the soft moonlight. They moved slightly at the same rhythm than Izuku’s chest, inhaling and exhaling in an even, calm pace.

Katsuki could be there all night just to appreciate it. To cherish every part of Izuku, being glad that he was alive, breathing and snoring right in front of him. Even though he was sick, he was safe and warm under his covers…

Hey, they are still All Might themed, Katsuki scoffed at Izuku’s cute childishness, pleased that it was still there, that it was still a part of Izuku.

‘‘Kacchan…’’

Katsuki’s heart bumped inside his chest. He couldn’t move even after he heard and saw how his name escaped Izuku’s unaware lips in a soft, almost inaudible voice. He was sleeping… wasn’t he?

The small content snore he heard afterward confirmed Katsuki’s doubts then. He caressed Izuku’s cheek with the back of his hand. A faint smile came to the unconscious boy.

‘‘Deku… Shh… You need to rest, you reckless dweeb.’’ The blond whispered with a grin. ‘‘Stop dreaming about me, you little weirdo.’’

He stood upright carefully not to wake Sleeping Beauty up. He glanced at the nightstand where he had left the bouquet and noticed it was quite a mess. Medicine and prescriptions, along with a glass of water and a note. Katsuki’s gaze stopped at it.

He grabbed the note, immediately realizing it wasn’t his own little message that was still in the bouquet. He couldn’t read it with such a lack of proper light, so he used his phone’s regular glow. He quickly realized by the unmistakable round handwriting it was a note from Round Face.

It was something about some kind of remodeling they were making in his room. He wondered why Uraraka didn’t tell Deku that information directly and she instead had to write a note. Maybe he fell asleep accidentally and she didn’t want to wake him up.

But it didn’t matter. Round Face’s note would wait. It would wait until Deku woke up to the bouquet and had any flustered reaction Katsuki knew he would have over it. Katsuki pulled Uraraka’s note aside, almost letting it fall from the nightstand, and grabbed the bouquet to reposition it better when he stopped.

Katsuki intently stared at the flowers and the well-done floral wrap that surrounded them for the last time that night. As he raised it to see better, the Stargazer lilies and the golden lilies were caressed by the moonlight, turning into different shades of light blue. Katsuki sighed, angry at his own cowardice.

He hadn’t signed the damn thing, and it wasn’t because he’d forgotten to. He hated to admit he felt pretty much relieved when he realized Izuku was already sleeping when he entered the room. This was supposed to be a special gift to show Izuku he cared about his well-being, and according to Kirishima, it would make him happy…

But he was a coward. He could fight every villain in the world; he might even go against a ridiculously powerful All For One, all without batting an eyelid. However, when it came to telling Izuku what he really felt, he became insecure. He suddenly felt weak. Almost… scared.

How would Deku react? What would he say? If it goes down the negative path, it could damage their already wounded relationship. The things would get extremely awkward and they would start splitting apart. He didn’t want that. He didn’t want to be far from Deku, not anymore.

That’s why he left the bouquet at Deku’s nightstand without leaving any sign, any mark that could give him away.

Before going out of the nerd’s room, he needed to do something. He was going to torture himself with this flowers fiasco probably for the rest of his life, but at least he had to balance it somehow.

He walked next to Izuku’s bed again. The green-haired slept peaceful, without even realizing what was happening around him. Oblivious to everything. Katsuki wished to be like that sometimes. Maybe he wouldn’t be hurting then.

He lowered his head slowly till it was just some centimeters apart from Deku’s face. His little snores tendered Katsuki’s pained gesture, replacing it with a faint smile. He exposed Deku’s forehead with his hand again and pressed his lips against it. He kissed Deku’s forehead.

A quick yet deep kiss, that contained Katsuki’s complex feelings and insecurities, mixed with the bittersweet taste of what if.

What if Deku woke up at that moment and surrounded Katsuki with his arms, telling him he felt the same and asking him to stay for the night? What if Deku walked up to him during class after he recovered from his illness and smiled at him with that dorky cute expression Katsuki secretly loved, his freckles tinted a bright pink? What if Deku let Katsuki kiss him while being awake?

What if… Katsuki wasn’t such a coward?

He left Deku’s room as silently as he entered it. He went back to his room without interruptions and stumped onto his bed. He didn’t care what time it was, he just wanted to sleep till the world exploded. That only if he was lucky enough, of course.

Izuku would wake up to seven beautiful flowers on his nightstand… He would wake up without knowing who he was supposed to thank for them. He would wake up to seven orphan flowers, full of meaning, empty of soul.

– – – – – –

The iridescent and dim morning light irradiated through the balcony’s sliding door, allowing Izuku to open his eyes with ease. It was really quiet outside; most of the little matutinal birds were sleeping in their nests.

Izuku’s condition didn’t allow him to check his phone like a normal person without getting a huge headache, so he was limited to guess what time was it. He didn’t remember when he dozed off the previous day, but it was probably pretty much early. It was ironic he had been trying to fix his messy sleep cycle before. Now it was even messier, although he was feeling alright.

If he fell asleep, that meant… Izuku looked around, his vision already accustomed to the low contrast of his surroundings. The astonishing amount of All Might posters on the wall was replaced by magazine cutouts and other posters of bands he didn’t even know. Those were probably Ashido and Hagakure’s contribution.

What caught Izuku’s attention was a pin board hanging on the wall above his desk. Izuku remembered those were often used in the movies when the protagonists had weird conspiracies going on their heads, so they start to pin a lot of pictures and notes, linking many of them and mostly making a total mess. Although, if done carefully, it could be an organized way of putting information.

Izuku guessed it was Uraraka’s idea. But he didn’t have any theories he needed to discuss in his head! Unless the mystery of how Kacchan’s nitroglycerin-like sweat worked was considered a theory. In that case, he needed to open a whole investigation about the topic.

Either way, when he tried to gulp he realized his throat was drier than the Sahara Desert. Shoot. He already drank the last remaining portion of water he had, didn’t he? Izuku turned to his nightstand with the impossible hope of finding a full glass of water ready to be drunk.

That was when he saw the flowers.

There were seven flowers enveloped in a light pink floral wrap. An adorable medium-sized lasso that matched in color tied the bouquet. Four of the flowers were a vibrant pink with white that covered their tips. Spreading at the center, many little spots of a darker pink kissed the petals shamelessly. The spots remembered him of his own freckles… but Izuku thought his freckles couldn’t compare.

The three remaining flowers were golden. The tips of their petals reflected the light, giving the appearance of shiny sunrays emerging from them. In the center of the flowers themselves, dark brown stems arose, complimenting the pretty warm color of the petals.

Izuku shifted on his bed and grabbed the bouquet really carefully. He blushed slightly as he grazed the soft and thick petals of the pink flowers. The golden ones had thinner petals, but all of them felt refreshing and comfortable at the touch of Izuku’s fingertips.

He brought the bouquet closer to his face, submerging in the flowers’ sweet, splendorous scent. Their contact with Izuku’s nose and cheeks tickled and made him giggle softly. He smiled intently at them when the main question popped in his head. This was a really sweet gesture and he appreciated it, but…

Who made this for him?

When he shifted on the mattress, something small left the bouquet and fell on the messy blankets. Izuku lifted it with curiosity. It was a folded piece of paper and he could distinguish there was something written on it with a pen. Izuku perked up. This little note probably contained the responsible person’s signature!

He unfolded it to find out there were only two sentences written.

To the green star of the class.
Hope you get well soon, Izuku. Stay strong for me, will you?

He stared at those words, reading them over and over again. His face dropped when he noticed the signature was nowhere to be seen. He turned around the note many times, but there wasn’t any signal to indicate who it was. The handwriting was so obviously plain and basic Izuku realized the person didn’t want to be recognized in any way.

‘‘I will… but it would be easier if I knew who you are...’’ He whispered at the note, disconcerted.

Finally getting a new hobby, he tried to identify who could it be by process of elimination. He didn’t want to judge who could or couldn’t be romantic like that, but he was starting to grow anxious about it. Honestly, the pinboard looked extremely useful at that moment.

After some minutes of hard muttering and theorization as he walked around his room, he made a system. He discarded those that weren’t close enough to him to just go into his room and leave flowers for him. Also, Izuku didn’t consider the classmates that didn’t have motives and/or their personality wasn’t fitting.

The first step was done. However, he still had many possible suspects. He lifted the bouquet closer to his face and took a longer look at the flowers. He wasn’t sure what kind of flower they were, so they weren’t a direct key to solve the unknown.

Another important question was why they would feel the need to hide. Izuku wasn’t scary… was he? He was always trying to demonstrate his classmates they could rely on him if they needed help, and everyone seemed to get along well with him, to the point that even Kacchan could be a suspect on this.

Wait…

‘‘No… Haha, that’s impossible! Kacchan and I –do– get along and I couldn’t appreciate that more, but it would be too much. Kacchan is focused on his training and it makes sense he wants to be close to me so we can spar and get better to surpass each other. It doesn’t have to do with…’’

Izuku glanced at the note again.

To the green star of the class.
Hope you get well soon, Izuku. Stay strong for me, will you?

He stared at those words blankly. One, two, three times.

Every time Izuku read it again it was more apparent. But why would Kacchan write Izuku instead of his permanent nickname Deku? It didn’t make sense… Unless it followed up the theory that stated that the person responsible for the gift didn’t want to be recognized, and that’d be why he didn’t write it in his usual handwriting, use Deku nor put a signature. So…

‘‘Don’t be delusional, Izuku! You are imagining it because it would be perfect, too perfect to be true… Yeah, exactly! Maybe this isn’t even romantic. Maybe one of the girls decided to leave the flowers there and wrote an inspirational message to cheer him up. It doesn’t have to be Kacchan! Why would Kacchan give me flowers, anyway…?’’

He kept sauntering around his room and over-analyzing everything, but it didn’t make sense. No one fitted in the suspect’s profile. He tried to remember every phrase that every student had ever said to him. He could’ve sworn Kaminari said something about flowers at the Sports Festival… or was he just talking about Shiozaki Ibara?

Todoroki also talked about flowers once. He told Izuku that Endeavor would send Todoroki’s mother flowers at the hospital as some kind of apology. Izuku appreciated Todoroki had trusted him with such personal information, but he didn’t think Todoroki would want to hide if he were to give someone a gift.

Kirishima was also really straightforward and he probably thought that hiding like that was an unmanly deed. Mineta was totally out of the frame; don’t even think about it. Aoyama would give him cheese instead of flowers, Iida would wait for him to wake up to give him the bouquet personally, and the list went on.

He glanced at one of the golden flowers and some strange feeling showed up. Izuku remembered himself walking with Kacchan through the forest, being amazed at almost everything and praising Kacchan every time for no particular reasons.

One day, both of them stopped on their track to look at a bright, golden flower. It stood up among its friends because of its color and beauty. Kacchan agreed with Izuku when he said the flower reminded him of All Might. He remembered Kacchan was attempting to cut it out and take it to his house, and Izuku had to convince him not to or otherwise the flower could be ruined, losing every aspect that made it beautiful.

Izuku sighed, frustrated. He loved his childhood memories more than any special merchandise, but they didn’t affect anything in the present. Maybe he needed to stop playing detective and just let it be. They were trying to remain hidden for some reason, after all. He caressed the petals of the pink spotted flower in the center of the bouquet, resigned.

Just when he was about to go back to bed, his doorknob turned slowly. He froze in his stance, without knowing what do to or what to expect. He had spent many minutes theorizing since he woke up, but it was still pretty early for anyone to visit him.

Suddenly, he forgot his throat was dry.

The door opened to reveal a sleep-deprived ash blond in a black t-shirt and comfy sweatpants. Katsuki froze as well, looking surprised. He glanced at the bouquet in Izuku’s arms and then at Izuku’s whole face. He could’ve sworn he saw a light pink –just like the flower’s– around Katsuki’s cheeks, but maybe it was just his illness messing with his vision.

‘‘Hi, Kacchan!’’ Izuku took a step forward, smiling awkwardly at Katsuki. He was visiting Izuku at his room! Disturbingly early, but he was doing it. Although Izuku didn’t know why the room had begun to feel hot all of a sudden. He was supposed to start the conversation, or it seemed like it.

‘‘Haha… What’s up… childhood friend?’’

Izuku flinched at his own phrase. So yeah, that was his first attempt at flirting. Another thing Izuku wasn’t good at. His poor attempt was enough to make Katsuki react, though.

‘‘The fuck?’’ The taller stared at him for a few seconds like a lost puppy and then shook his head hard. He frowned at the bed and then at Izuku. He realized the green-haired wasn’t supposed to be out of his bed if it wasn’t necessary.

‘‘Deku!’’ Katsuki exclaimed as he entered the room, trying to keep his voice regulated to avoid waking up any other student. ‘‘What the fuck are you doing out of your bed?!’’

‘‘I just stood up! I was going to the bathroom!’’ Izuku replied. He was obviously going to the bathroom with a big, colorful bouquet in his hands.

‘‘Like hell you were! How do you expect to get well if you keep shoving up your ass Recovery girl’s orders?!’’ Katsuki exclaimed. His exasperated voice matched his face. That expression reminded Izuku of the blond’s strange behavior at the battle with Infection before he fainted.

‘‘I’m not shoving– I-I mean, I’m not doing that!’’ Izuku stuttered. He couldn’t even convince himself at this point. Katsuki deadpanned at him and then started to get closer. Izuku’s heart began to race at the sudden proximity.

‘‘Stop fucking with me, Deku.’’ Katsuki stopped some meters away from Izuku’s face and squinted at him. ‘‘You’ll get into the bed the good way or the bad way.’’

‘‘K-Kacchan, you don’t need to-– Wait, what?!’’ Izuku’s face heated up like the fire at the training camp.

‘‘What do you mean ‘what’?’’ Katsuki took some seconds to realize what he said. His face got tinted a gorgeous bright pink and he pursed his lips with a deep frown. ‘‘You fucking pervert! Get in the bed and rest or I’ll make you sleep myself!’’

Katsuki, strangely enough, grabbed the bouquet from Izuku’s hands really carefully and placed it back on the nightstand, at the same spot it was when Izuku woke up. He couldn’t detail too much this information because Katsuki was already grabbing him by the waist and lifted him over his shoulder.

‘‘Wah– Kacchan! Put me down!’’ Izuku grasped the back of Katsuki’s black shirt to keep his balance somehow. He felt dizzy, but it was bearable, almost enjoyable. ‘‘I’ll rest, I promise! Please put me down!’’

‘‘Oh, so now you want to be in your bed, huh?’’ Katsuki exclaimed as he got closer to the mattress. ‘‘Don’t worry, I’ll help you.’’ Katsuki placed his hands in one of Izuku’s legs and his back respectively. Izuku knew this one. His green eyes widened in horror.

‘‘Kacchan, don’t you dare! Brusqueness is not the way you should treat me!’’ Izuku said nervously, gripping Katsuki’s shirt tightly. ‘‘I’m sick! You should treat me with kindness and love!’’

Katsuki scoffed. He used the hand that was holding the leg to tickle Izuku in a specific spot behind his ear, making the green-haired immediately loose his grip on Katsuki and laugh quietly. When he recovered his composure, it was too late.

‘‘Hey! That’s not fa–!’’

‘‘Oh, I’ll treat you with love, all right!’’ Katsuki mocked as he grabbed Izuku and slammed him abruptly against the mattress. Izuku didn’t feel pain, he just felt like he was flying out of a roller coaster all of a sudden. ‘‘How’s that for love to you, Deku?’’

Izuku remained silent and glared at Katsuki. He must have been looking like a scared cat at that moment, because Katsuki laughed genuinely, his hands at either side of Izuku on the mattress. Izuku couldn’t keep frowning after he listened to that ironically angelical laughter coming from Katsuki.

He felt like the heavens had listened to his prayers right then. He had been waiting years to listen to his genuine laughter, when all he needed to do was letting Katsuki slam him against the mattress… as strange as it sounds.

Katsuki was about to wipe a tear of joy when Izuku grabbed him by the wrist. Katsuki opened his eyes and looked at him in confusion.

‘‘What are you–’’

‘‘You should laugh more often.’’ Izuku exclaimed before he could stop himself. ‘‘You have a beautiful smile, Kacchan.’’

Katsuki stared at him, now looking even more confused. Izuku officially added the bright pink tone that came back to Kacchan’s face to the list of his favorite things about the blond.

‘‘Hey…’’ Katsuki pouted and rubbed Izuku’s green bush he had for hair. Izuku leaned into the touch. ‘‘Don’t you fucking dare mess with me, you damn nerd. I could explode your pretty face at any given moment.’’

Izuku’s eyes widened. He looked away nervously, his face burning like a real flame.

‘‘Ah, fuck! What is wrong with me?!’’ Katsuki stepped back and turned around, hiding his face’s bright blush. However, the red tip of his tears didn’t lie. Izuku leaned on the mattress, supported by his elbows. He began to debate if he should say what he was thinking.

Well, if he was going to die, he’d better die between those arms.

‘‘So,’’ he started, shifting to sit properly on the bed. ‘‘You’re allowed to call me pretty, but I’m not allowed to say you have a beautiful smile?’’

Katsuki flinched immediately. He turned around, staring into Izuku’s soul. The green-haired gulped.

‘‘I surely underestimated your fucking lack of self-preservation…’’ He said, slow and quiet. Izuku knew he was trying to keep himself from exploding and couldn’t help but tease a little more. He shrugged, carefree.

‘‘That’s how it is to be a hero, Kacchan. Go big or go home, y’know?’’

Katsuki was about to boil like a teapot, smoke included.

‘‘You sassy and deliberate little shit!’’ Katsuki got closer to the bed as little explosions danced on his palms. ‘‘Make a fucking death wish!’’

That was the moment for Izuku to realize he screwed up.

‘‘N–No, wait! Don’t destroy my room! The girls worked hard yesterday to remodel it!’’ Izuku climbed more on the bed and crawled backward until his back hit the wall. He slowly looked back at Katsuki and smiled awkwardly.

Katsuki huffed. ‘‘Like I fucking care about them! I’ve been a good Kacchan because oh, poor Deku is sick! But now the fucker is messing with me deliberately! Who the hell do you think you are?!’’ The blond grabbed the All Might blankets and pulled them to the ground, leaving Izuku with less space to hide.

‘‘I like good Kacchan! Can he come back?’’ Izuku managed to save the pillow and was using it as a faux shield in front of his chest.

‘‘Yeah, maybe he will,’’ Katsuki said, positively. Izuku smiled with hope. ‘‘He’ll be back after I get rid of this freckled smart-ass!’’

Right there, Izuku’s hopes and dreams were crushed. Just before Izuku was probably murdered by an angry Pomeranian, he decided to play one last card.

‘‘H-Hey, wait!’’ Izuku raised his hands to halt Katsuki. ‘‘Now that you’re mentioning a death wish, I have one!’’

Katsuki’s hands stopped from reaching Izuku’s face for a few inches. He looked at Izuku skeptically and moved away slightly. His frown softened.

‘‘You know that’s just a rhetorical phrase, right?’’

‘‘Rhetorical or not, I have the right to ask!’’

Katsuki raised an eyebrow. ‘‘Hah? Ask what?’’

Izuku gulped and glanced at the bouquet on his nightstand. Katsuki seemed to notice it and he froze in place.

‘‘Those flowers. It’s weird you haven’t asked about them yet, Kacchan.’’ Izuku exclaimed, trying not to sound too accusative. Katsuki averted his gaze and glanced at the flowers. He looked awkwardly uneasy. This was weird.

Katsuki looked down to the mattress as if he was contemplating something. Some seconds passed and he finally looked into Izuku’s eyes, his uneasiness now turned into something Izuku couldn’t quite understand.

‘‘Why would I care about some fucking flowers in your room?! Stop avoiding the real problem here, goddamnit!’’ Katsuki started to get closer again, angry but still trying to keep his voice even. ‘‘I found you out of your bed when you are supposed to be fucking resting and—’’

‘‘Kacchan, why’d you come here so early?’’ Izuku got the courage to say. He stared at the surprised blond before him. Katsuki blinked, his nervousness manifesting in the sweat that began to roll down his forehead.

‘‘Shut up… stop talking or I’ll kill you.’’ Katsuki quietly muttered at the pressure of Izuku’s stare. The bags under his eyes that Izuku had been trying to ignore stood out as he looked down at the mattress again. ‘‘Why do you make it so difficult…? Why is it always you?’’

Katsuki sounded hurt, he was almost panicking. Izuku was surprised and concerned at the same time. He didn’t understand what was happening, but he needed to help Katsuki, no matter what. He reached out for Katsuki’s cheek and lifted his face softly. He grazed the crude eye bags of Katsuki’s left eye with his thumb as the blond stared at him hesitantly.

‘‘You aren’t sleeping well, Kacchan. What’s going on?’’ He asked, his worried frown wrinkling the bridge of his nose. ‘‘You can tell me anything. I want to help!’’

Katsuki’s expression regained its strength immediately. He got out of Izuku’s touch abruptly and scowled at him deeply.

‘‘What the fuck is wrong with you?! Would you please look at yourself in a fucking mirror?!’’ Katsuki exclaimed harshly and pointed at Izuku’s own eye bags, a product of his illness. Izuku knew he didn’t intend it to be insulting, he was trying to make Izuku see the reality. However, the green-haired didn’t care about that. He was going to heal, while he didn’t know what was going on with Katsuki.

Without a word, the blond suddenly began to walk toward the door and pulled it hard. The entire empty hallway could be seen as Katsuki frowned deeply at Izuku and snarled. ‘‘I just wanted to see if you were disobeying the doctor’s orders like the moron you are! But the answer was pretty fucking much evident from the beginning, hah?! Fuck off!’’

Before Izuku could reply, Katsuki stormed out of the room and slammed the door, not caring about being silent anymore. The green-haired remained sat on his bed, highly disconcerted.

Katsuki had never acted so evasive before. His face had gone through multiple expressions before he stood up. He seemed hurt, bashful, astonished, hesitant. As if he just got caught between a sharp rock and a hard place, averting his eyes and snapping in defense when Izuku pointed it out.

This was a new side of Katsuki that Izuku would like to explore, but he didn’t want to affect Katsuki negatively. That was the real important fact; Katsuki seemed vulnerable. It didn’t have to do with strength, Izuku could tell. There was something else to it.

He quickly crawled on his bed toward the bouquet and grabbed the note.

Stay strong for me, will you?

Izuku had to know what was going on. He needed to know. And he was sure that Katsuki was not going to visit him anymore, at least not until he healed completely, so he had to do something extreme.

Izuku, as he stated before, was going to heal anyway. He didn’t care if his headaches were going to intensify or if his pain would become almost unbearable; he was leaving his room to find Katsuki as soon as possible.

‘‘What’s with all this noise? I can’t have my beauty sleep like this!’’ Aoyama exclaimed from the hallway, his voice muffled by Izuku’s door.

He frowned in thought. No one would allow him to leave his room, so he needed to be cautious.

Kacchan was going to hear him.

– – – – – –

He was an idiot. A fucking asshole.

Katsuki kicked an empty bottle on the street and sat on the bench.

He knew he was going to regret checking on Izuku that early. He knew Izuku would be awake because that fucker didn’t know what sleep was.

And yeah, he already admitted he was pretty fucking much smitten for the nerd, but he only had admitted it to himself and somehow to Jirou. What the fuck was he supposed to do when Deku looked at him with those round eyes and concerned expression? What he was supposed to say when Deku asked him what was going on?

How could he even say what was going on? His mind was a fucking mess all the time, and to top it all, Deku got his own residence inside there and wasn’t planning to leave any time soon. That didn’t help his case at all.

Of course it had to be Deku. He understood Katsuki more than Katsuki himself sometimes. And ‘‘understanding’’ Katsuki didn’t mean that Deku knew exactly what he was thinking all the time. He meant that Deku could tell when Katsuki was upset when everyone would just say he was irritated as always. It would be okay if it wasn’t for the fact that Deku was, without a doubt, a fucking meddler.

He was capable to go beyond so he could understand what was happening. His lack of self-preservation was incredibly preoccupying. That was exactly how he managed to be in U.A. and start his path to be a hero, but even that needed to have a limit.

Katsuki started to question if it really had a limit when he saw Deku standing some meters apart from him, at the entrance of the park. The green-haired perked up when he saw Katsuki sitting on the bench. He must have been looking for him with almost no hope of finding him.

However, Katsuki knew that if someone were to find him, no matter where, Deku would be the one. That didn’t dissipate Katsuki’s outrage at Deku as he got closer, though.

Katsuki stood up from the bench and walked toward Deku as well. His deep frown and angry growls didn’t seem to affect the determination in the boy’s freckled face. The audacity. He was going to get himself killed.

‘‘You’ve got to be fucking kidding me, Deku! You’re like a damn kid!’’ Katsuki exclaimed angrily, still surprised at the nerd’s behavior. Was there a button to turn him off for a while? ‘‘What the hell are you doing out here?!’’

Deku grabbed him by his cheeks to shut him up. Katsuki was surely going to kill him.

‘‘Honestly, I could ask you the same thing, Kacchan.’’ Deku stated with sole seriousness, although Katsuki detected concern in Deku’s expression when he looked at Katsuki’s eye bags again.

He hadn’t been able to sleep the last days because everything that was happening stressed the hell out of him. But this was Katsuki’s problem, Katsuki’s stress, not Deku’s!

He grabbed Deku’s wrists and moved his scarred hands out of his cheeks.

‘‘Honestly, I don’t know why I haven’t fucking killed you yet. You are a pain in the ass! Who taught you to be so fucking sassy and stubborn out of a sudden?!’’

Deku looked down at Katsuki’s hands, which were still grabbing his wrists. He glanced at Katsuki again, tilting his head.

‘‘Yeah, I have the same question.’’

Katsuki sighed, frustrated at Deku’s cryptic way of acting.

‘‘The hell are you talking about now?’’

‘‘Why haven’t you hurt me yet? I know my Kacchan, and he would’ve already burnt my face.’’

Katsuki blushed faintly. He couldn’t believe Deku said ‘my Kacchan’ so easily, as if he was accustomed to thinking Katsuki was… his?

Katsuki flinched. He stopped grabbing Izuku’s wrists and stepped back. ‘‘Hah?! Stop talking like that, you punk! Are you out of your fucking mind?!’’

Deku stared at him and frowned. He closed the gap that Katsuki had just opened by stepping forward.

‘‘Look who’s talking!’’ Deku started to exclaim. He pointed to the direction that Heights Alliance was at with his right hand. ‘‘The one who entered in my room around four in the morning!’’

‘‘Get over it, you fucking dweeb!’’ Katsuki replied and pursed his lips angrily.

‘‘Why won’t you answer my damn question?! Honestly, is it that hard?!’’ Deku raised his voice to keep the balance in the conversation. Katsuki was slightly surprised Deku had started to swear. This shit was for real. But he wasn’t giving up so easily.

‘‘Oh, yeah?! Why won’t you go into your fucking bed before you get yourself killed?!’’ Katsuki grabbed him by the shoulders and turned him around to the direction of Heights Alliance Deku pointed at some seconds ago. If he wasn’t going to obey, Katsuki might as well make him.

‘‘I’m not going back to my room until you answer me!’’ Izuku got out of Katsuki’s grip stubbornly and turned himself around to look at the blond in the eye. No. This was enough. Katsuki got enough.

‘‘This is not some kind of game, Izuku! This is your fucking health we’re talking about!’’ Katsuki shouted, exasperated. Izuku’s eyes widened at the mention of his name. It escaped Katsuki’s lips at the heat of the moment. ‘‘Ugh… Listen. I just want you to understand that you’re not damn indestructible.’’

Katsuki sighed, defeated. Izuku really brought out the best and the worst of him.

‘‘Kacchan… I—’’ Izuku exclaimed and Katsuki immediately shut him up by pressing his index finger against his lips.

‘‘Shut up. For real, now.’’

Katsuki grabbed the back of Izuku’s head. Before he could stop himself, he brought the green-haired closer. He heard how Izuku squeaked at the sudden proximity. Katsuki enveloped Izuku’s waist with his other arm, rubbing slowly his green curls and resting his chin on them.

‘‘You might be strong, smart and everything you want,’’ Katsuki said, grazing Izuku’s spine through his shirt, feeling how the shorter shivered at the touch. ‘‘But you’re also stubborn and reckless as fuck. If you continue like this, shit ain’t going to end well for you.’’

‘‘Kacchan…’’ Izuku hugged back. He buried his face at the crook of Katsuki’s neck and sniffed loudly. Katsuki noticed Izuku’s chest was racing as fast as his own. ‘‘I don’t want to fight… I’ve never meant to—’’

‘‘Shh. Stay quiet for once, nerd.’’ Katsuki backed down slightly so he could see Izuku’s face. Oh. ‘‘Eh… Deku. Why the hell are you crying now?’’ He asked, concerned. He already knew the nerd was emotional, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t get worried at his crying.

‘‘I know you want to protect me from myself.’’ Izuku smiled at Katsuki’s attentive gaze, his watery eyes about to release some hot tears. ‘‘I’m just really stubborn and…’’ He sniffed again.

‘‘Well, yeah. I already noticed you’re a stubborn little shit,’’ Katsuki exclaimed, teasingly. He grabbed Izuku’s cheek when the freckled boy began to lower his gaze. ‘‘Hey! Keep your eyes on me.’’

‘‘I’m so sorry, Kacchan…’’ Izuku exclaimed, wiping a tear with his index finger. Katsuki stared at him in confusion.

‘‘The fuck, Deku? Why are you apologizing?’’

‘‘I’m sorry for bothering you. You’ve been trying to help me— you even bought me a beautiful bouquet! And how I pay you? By not doing the only thing I’m supposed to do.’’ Izuku exclaimed, afflicted.

Katsuki quickly flushed red hot. ‘‘Wait, what?! How the fuck did you—’’

‘‘I’m supposed to be resting in bed, but I’m here, with you. D-Don’t get me wrong!’’ Izuku raised his hands to assure Katsuki. ‘‘I’m liking— no, I’m loving this! But I know it’s not fair for you because y—’’

‘‘Jesus Christ, Deku! What the hell?!’’ Katsuki grabbed Izuku by his shoulders and shook him quickly, halting his rant. ‘‘How did you find out I gave you the bouquet?!’’

Izuku stared at him blankly for some seconds and then smiled… no, he smirked.

‘‘Oh, actually, I wasn’t sure. I was just testing the waters.’’

Katsuki’s heart bumped inside his chest.

‘‘WHAT?! You didn’t know?!’’ He shouted, now even more surprised.

‘‘Nope! But now I do. Thank you for the flowers, Kacchan. They are really pretty!’’ Izuku smiled brightly.

Katsuki grabbed his forehead, without being able to believe what was happening. Izuku was going to be the death of him.

‘‘Well, guess I’ll just die now!’’ He turned around and started to walk out of there, embarrassed big time.

‘‘Wait!’’ Izuku exclaimed amused as he grabbed Katsuki by the wrist.

‘‘What?! Let me die already! Have fucking mercy!’’

‘‘Hmm. You didn’t have mercy on me this morning. Why would I?’’ Izuku teased, raising an eyebrow.

‘‘Damn it…’’ Katsuki gave up and turned back at the green-haired. ‘‘So what am I supposed to do now? No. A better question would be… What are you going to do? You’re gonna mock me till the end of time because I can be stupidly sappy sometimes?’’

Izuku shook his head immediately. He smiled fondly at Katsuki, eyes full of admiration.

‘‘I would never mock you because of that, Kacchan.’’ He got closer and enveloped Katsuki’s neck with his arms, their faces just a few inches apart. Katsuki froze, looking at Izuku with nervousness.

‘‘What… what are you—’’

‘‘Kacchan.’’ Izuku spoke quietly. Katsuki straighten up.

‘‘…Yeah?’’

‘‘I think…’’ Izuku averted his gaze, blushing red hot. ‘‘I think this is when you’re supposed to lean forward.’’

‘‘Oh…’’

Katsuki rubbed Izuku’s hair slowly. He grabbed Izuku’s freckled, soft, pretty cheek with the other hand. Izuku looked back at him, smiling bashfully. Katsuki smiled back. Suddenly, everything felt perfectly in place.

He pressed his lips against Izuku’s and closed his eyes. Izuku was slightly surprised, but proceeded to kiss Katsuki back quickly enough. It was weird because they were both awkward disasters and it was their first kiss, but it felt just right.

Izuku couldn’t help but smile against Katsuki’s lips. Katsuki didn’t need to open his eyes to know Izuku was crying again, but this time it was out of sheer happiness. Katsuki couldn’t lie, he was about to cry as well. He never thought it would be like this the night before when he entered Izuku’s room and left the bouquet.

He had caressed Izuku’s hair and cheeks, he had kissed Izuku’s forehead. However, he left his lips intact, because he knew –or at least he thought— they weren’t for him. He had painfully resigned to this mindset; that Izuku would never be his.

But just like happened since they were little, Izuku proved him wrong.

As they both backed down, they opened their eyes slowly; smiling so much it was almost painful. Izuku’s face was closer than ever… Izuku’s heart was closer than ever. Remembering the last night, he grabbed both of Izuku’s cheeks and went closer. This time, Izuku received Katsuki’s forehead kiss while awake.

The green-haired gasped quietly at the contact and stared intently at Katsuki when he backed down again. His tiny freckles were tinged a bright pink, his entire face red hot.

‘‘You…’’

Izuku suddenly flinched and grabbed his head, growling in pain.

‘‘Deku! Are you okay?!’’ Katsuki held him tightly so he wouldn’t fall to the ground.

‘‘Y-Yeah… S’just a little… headache…’’ Izuku tried to reassure Katsuki, but the way he clenched his teeth said otherwise. Katsuki huffed, worried.

‘‘We’re not doing this again, Izuku. You’re going to Recovery girl’s office no matter what, you hear me?’’

‘‘Your smile… really pretty. Wanna kiss it all day long...’’ Izuku crooned between Katsuki’s arms. It wasn’t such a good signal.

‘‘Uh… You adorable idiot… Let’s get going.’’ He muttered.

‘‘Cute flowers… is Kacchan a flower?’’ Izuku whispered and looked at Katsuki with his eyes half-closed, a wobbly smile curving his lips. Katsuki couldn’t help but blush at Izuku’s insinuation.

However, he had something more important to do before doing more sappy stuff with Izuku.

Katsuki adjusted his position and cradled a smiley Izuku in his arms, leaving the park and walking fast to Heights Alliance.
.
.
.
. ‘‘He’s going to be okay, don’t worry.’’ Recovery girl assured him after they settled an unconscious Izuku on the infirmary’s bed and she did all the necessary procedure.

‘‘I know…’’ Katsuki muttered, looking at Izuku’s sleepy face. ‘‘I just hate to see him like this. And the worst part is— this is his fault. He’s a stubborn dweeb and he’ll never stop being one.’’

‘‘Oh, tell me.’’ Recovery girl exclaimed and brought him a chair so he could sit next to the bed. ‘‘I have to deal with him almost every day because he doesn’t know when to stop.’’

‘‘Thanks.’’ Katsuki said quietly and sat down on the chair.

‘‘The poison in Midoriya’s body will vanish soon. That’s only if he does listen and stays under his blankets. You can take him to his room after he wakes up if you see he’s in a stable condition.’’ Recovery girl summarized and Katsuki hummed to indicate he was listening. ‘‘Remember to make him drink a lot of water; he’s in the process of fasting. He just doesn’t feel hunger because of the medicine.’’

She smiled at Katsuki as she finished and then proceeded to exit the infirmary.

Katsuki turned back at Izuku after she left.

‘‘Huh… Such strong drugs.’’ He muttered thoughtfully.

‘‘Kacchan…’’

Katsuki stared with surprise at Izuku’s unconscious face. He raised an eyebrow.

‘‘Dreaming about me again? You nerd…’’ He caressed Izuku’s hair with a faint smile. ‘‘You better get well soon. I miss you already.’’

He looked down and huffed quietly.

‘‘I won’t let them hurt you. Not anymore. I’ll do everything in my power to prevent it.’’

Katsuki leaned on the chair's back and covered his face with both hands.

Izuku was going to be the death of him.

Notes:

Hello again!! I hope you liked your reading!

I know, I know. There are some things you still want to know. That's why I'm going to write an epilogue to bring a definitive closure to this story!
In the epilogue we'll know what's up with Infection's experiment, how Todoroki is doing in his job (spoilers: he's doing well, he's a good boi), Katsuki will go back to Sprouts of Joy, best girl Jirou and, why not, more fluffy Bakudeku!

Anyways, please let me know what you think in the comments and leave kudos if you liked it! Don't hesitate to check my other works in this account. <3