Chapter 1: Conundrum
Chapter Text
Tsu was many different things. She was loyal, blunt, kind, and naturally curious. More often than not, one of those four things got her into some kind of trouble. She had been that way since she was a kid.
Tsu was not ashamed to say that she spent time watching her classmates, not in any kind of creepy way like a certain someone in class. She just watched them and learned the little things about them.
Take Kaminari for example. The lightning quirk user wasn't the most academically gifted but he had one of the best English grades out of their entire class, yet he purposely hid his results because he felt like his only role was to be “the idiot and class clown” of the class to make people laugh. Words that she had overheard himself say to Sero in a whisper when they were all leaving English class one day.
Hopefully he would realize one day that even if was the best academically, he wasn't an idiot.
Yaoyorozu is another example. Tsu sees the way the taller girl looks at their classmate Jirou. Yaoyorozu likes Jirou, Tsu can tell. Yaoyorozu gets all flustered and blushes and stumbles over her words whenever she talks to the shorter girl, but isn't like that with anyone else. Plus she sometimes overhears Yaoyorozu chastising herself when she apparently takes peeks at Jirou when they get changed into their hero costumes.
Her point is, Tsu watches people, and she's learned a lot about most of her classmates.
Shouji is very tall and quite intimidating but is extremely kind and soft spoken. Tokoyami claims to listen to only metal music but Tsu can sometimes overhear the chorus to popular pop songs through his headphones. Kirishima and Midoriya are both constantly smiling but Tsu also sees when those smiles drop when they think nobody's looking. Ashido is very outgoing but she gets really uncomfortable when people mention or try to touch her horns.
She's got most of the class figured out, at least somewhat.
Everyone except one hot headed and volatile blonde explosion user.
Katsuki Bakugou was a conundrum to say the least.
A little over six months ago on the very first day of school, he made a name for himself in many ways. He was loud and flashy and just so aggressive, but Tsu could also tell he was determined and dedicated and he had control over his quirk better than anyone she had ever seen at their age. Then he freaked out on the green haired kid that she would come to know as Izuku Midoriya. Bakugou screamed that Midoriya had lied to him all their lives about being quirkless just to mess with him so he tried to attack him.
Tsu could understand being upset that someone would lie about their quirk, even though Midoriya claims he didn't lie but was just a late bloomer, either way, she could understand a little where Bakugou was coming from. The violence and the screaming was just not necessary though.
She wouldn't lie, she kind of wrote Bakugou off for a while after that. She wrote him off as just a loud, violent, and entitled bully. She had even told him so to his face a couple of times. Especially after their first mock battles where she watched him go all out with force, but he eventually started to show that he was more than just a one dimensional bully.
It started when she saw how courageous he was during the attack on the USJ. The blonde fought alongside Kirishima like they had been doing it for years. Even if it was rumored that Bakugou had threatened to blow off a villain's head during the attack.
Then there was the sports festival and the following disaster of a ceremony.
Bakugou fought her friend Ochako with all his might, like he was supposed to. He didn't underestimate Ochako, and Tsu and all the other girls took notice. All the other boys kept saying they would have taken it easy on them and that Bakugou should have too, but that's not what they were here for. They were here to be heroes. They needed a challenge. They didn't need a bunch of boys who thought they were stronger than them just because they were girls and trying to “take things easy” on them.
The ceremony after had been an absolute disaster. Bakugou had won, but he hadn't won in a way that was fair. He felt like he didn't truly win. It was said he refused the medal and tried to leave when he was forced into the chains and quirk restraints, and then they muzzled him when he tried to bite Cementoss for putting the quirk restraints on him.
Tsu couldn't say she blamed Bakugou for his outburst. She wouldn't want to win that way either and she wasn't even anywhere near as proud as Bakugou was. Plus she saw the marks from the muzzle after they let him go, she saw the damage he had done to himself by using his quirk even in the restraints, she saw the betrayal and wild look in his eyes when they let him go that day.
It was the first day she saw him as just another teenager trying to figure his life out. He seemed untouchable but he really wasn't. He wasn't perfect but he wasn't a monster. It was also the day she saw that even though Yuuei was a very prestigious school, they weren't perfect either.
Then there was the night Bakugou was kidnapped and held hostage by the league. Tsu still feels guilty about trying to talk Midoriya, Kirishima, and the others out of going to rescue Bakugou that night. She stands by most of what she said, her friends could have gotten themselves and Bakugou killed by doing what they did, it just happened to work out. She stands by what she said but she does feel guilty sometimes, and she knows some of her classmates still think she's cold-hearted because of it, but she was just being honest.
She just still feels guilty because Bakugou hasn't quite been the same since then. He's quieter at times, and he gets a far off look in his eyes, and he just seems off when he feels nobody is watching. He covers it up quickly but Tsu can tell something happened that he won't talk about, and if he's told anyone, they haven't said anything either.
Bakugou is still loud though. He's still loud, disrespectful half the time, and obnoxious on his worst days, but he's also sweet sometimes too. He's caring even when he doesn't want to seem that way.
Tsu has seen him cook dinner for people in class when they don't feel good or they're having bad days. He's even done it for her a couple times. He never says anything or accepts thanks but when it's time for dinner and she's not feeling good, her favorite meal is always prepared. She knows it's him too, they've all seen him cooking and he's about the only one in class with those types of cooking skills.
Tsu has also seen him make runs to the store for the girls in class when it's their time of the month, and he's done it for her several times.
He’s loud and crude with his words and sometimes his actions, but he still does other things for all of them that shows he cares. He's hard on all of them but she thinks he does it to make them better in the only way he knows how. Plus she knows that the person that he's the hardest on is himself.
Bakugou is the first one in the gym and the last one to leave. She's watched him push himself to the point he stumbles and strains to even stand upright. She's watched him berate himself for being anything less than perfect and she just doesn't understand it.
He may not be popular, and according to Midoriya, neither of them were ever popular, but Bakugou is independent, determined, and hard working. He's always been in the top three in class, academically and in the hero course. He always gets high marks on his tests and exams, and Tsu isn't stupid, he's very very attractive.
She doesn't understand why he picks himself apart.
She sees him crying out in victory all the time but she also sees when he goes quiet. He'll dig his nails into his arms when he misses one mark on an assignment. He'll call himself names when he doesn't get new moves right on the first try in hero training.
Tsu doesn't understand Bakugou, but she wants to. She wants to know what goes through his head. She wants to know how he thinks. She just wants to know him.
Tsu was unconsciously thinking about Bakugou one November evening as she walked from the library to the dorms. She had made a mistake and only worn a sweater and not a heavier coat. Tsu didn't do well in the colder months, it had been warmer that morning and the weather had shown it was supposed to finally keep getting warmer but when she left the library, she could definitely tell it had gotten colder again. Plus snow had started to fall as she made her way back to the dorms.
She was already feeling sleepy and she still had a ten minute walk to get to the dorms.
Tsu could sense someone fall in step right beside her but she didn't know who it was, and before she knew it, a heavy coat was aggressively draped around her shoulders. “Idiot, it's too cold to be walking around without a heavy coat, you're shivering. The cold fucking blows, especially for us with quirks that don't do well in the winter.”
There was only one person she knew who spoke like that and had that gravely tone. Bakugou. Bakugou had draped his coat over her. She looked down to see the orange and puffy parka she had grown familiar with seeing on the blonde. She felt her cheeks heat up slightly as pulled it tighter around her, slipping her arms into it and greedily soaking in the warmth before looking up at him. “Thank you, Kero. Ribbit. I didn't r..realize it was supposed to get this cold t..today.”
He wouldn't look at her and she was expecting that. He just slightly bared his teeth and shrugged with indifference. People had always said Bakugou was like a cat, and there were times she could really see it. “Don't thank me, I just don't want you falling asleep and getting hurt. Not my fault nobody around here except me has any survival skills.”
His words probably seemed harsh to some, but she had grown to learn how Bakugou said things, and he always preferred actions over words. His actions always screamed that he cared. She wanted to learn more things that Bakugou liked so she could do something for him sometime.
Him giving her his coat and mentioning her quirk isn't good in the cold also proved one of her Bakugou theories. He may still call them extras from time to time and say he still doesn't need friends, but he knows them. He watches and understands them, and not just their weaknesses like he claims from time to time.
Tsu seemed to drift towards his high body temperature because before she knew it, she was basically right up against him, and he just let her exist in his space.
Tsu wasn't dumb. She knew she got away with more than most in her class when it came to anything Bakugou related. The only people that seemed to get away with some of the things she did was Midoriya, Ochako, Kirishima and the rest of their shared little squad of friends.
Midoriya, she could understand. There was a lot of history between the two of them. Kirishima and the others, she could understand. Kirishima seemed to be Bakugou's best friend and he was pretty close to Ashido, Kaminari, Sero, and Jirou as a result. Ochako, she could understand. There was a high degree of mutual respect there from the festival. However, with her though, she didn't understand. Her and Bakugou didn't have any real history of significant moments between them for him to be softer with her.
Again, she didn't understand him but she wanted to.
As they were walking, some of the snow that had accumulated in one of the trees fell on them. It wasn't much but it was enough that Tsu knew she had snow in her hair.
She giggled as she stopped to try to get most of the snow flurries out and she giggled again as Bakugou shook off and just made his hair look even more spikey and poofier than usual.
He rolled his eyes at her and huffed out a tiny laugh before she saw him just kind of stop and look at her. The way he was looking at her seemed like he was looking at her for the first time and she didn't understand it. She watched his eyes soften from their usual hardened glare. His eyes were so beautiful this way and she was transfixed. He looked like an average teenager just making his way through school. He didn't look like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders with his eyes like this.
She watched a small smile tick up in one corner of his mouth as those soft eyes looked at her. Tsu felt like she was being seen in a way she couldn't fathom and it made her feel extremely off kilter in a way that she didn't know was good or bad.
Tsu held her breath as she watched him raise a trembling hand towards what seemed like her hair before his eyes blew wide and he retracted his hand like she had shocked him. He shoved his hands in his pockets before taking a couple steps back and mumbling to her. “I gotta go work out, just wear the jacket back to the dorms and give it to Eijirou or something.”
He was gone before she could even say anything else, and she watched him go, and she felt something close to disappointment settle in her chest for some reason.
He confused her. She didn't understand him, but she really wanted to.
Tsu made her way back to the dorms and instantly felt better when the heat of the inside common room hit her. She slowly made her way through and found Kirishima on the couch playing video games with the other members of their squad of friends. “Kirishima?”
He looked over at her and she could swear his already bright smile grew when he looked at her. “Is that Katsuki's coat?”
She nodded as she felt her blush slightly return, but if anyone asked, she'd blame it on the sudden temperature change. “I forgot my coat and Bakugou gave me his as he made his way to the gym. Ribbit. He said he didn't want me to pass out.”
She watched as Kaminari sat up and sat his controller down. “Wait, so you're telling me Blasty willfully gave up his coat? He absolutely detests the cold.”
Tsu nodded again as she watched the five of them give each other grins and looks that told her they knew what was going on and she did not.
What wasn't she being told?
Chapter 2: I would have rather been feared
Notes:
I hope everyone enjoys the chapter.
Stay gay my friends.
Chapter Text
Katsuki isn't stupid, he likes to plan things out, and know things ahead of time. He doesn't like to be surprised and he sure as hell doesn't like to be confused. Being surprised makes him feel vulnerable and being confused makes him feel weak. (To nobody's surprise, he detests feeling vulnerable and weak.)
Then SHE appeared in his life, and for the second time in his life, he also felt fucking intimidated by someone.
Her stupid large but adorable eyes..and her dumb but cute hair wrapped in a bow..don’t even get him started on her annoying but honestly refreshing blunt ass attitude.
Frogger.
Froppy.
Tsuyu Asui.
Tsu.
She had pissed him off since day one.
None of those extras caught his eye except her..and that pissed Katsuki off. ( A lot of things pissed Katsuki off. The rain, snow, his mother, germs, villains, his mother, himself. Did he mention his mother?)
Point being, Katsuki was used to only being a ball of utter rage, gnashing teeth, and fiery explosions. People feared him and he liked it that way because that meant people left him alone. He didn't need friends, he needed to be the best. He needed to be feared if he wanted to be number one, that's what he was always told.
Fear was a great motivator. He knew that personally.
Tsu saw through him on that very first day. When everyone else saw him for what he wanted to be seen as; the end goal, an asshole, crude but talented beyond compare, but she saw him for what he was. She saw him as an insecure kid who put everything into his abilities because he felt like he didn't have anything else to offer except unbridled rage.
He knew because she told him off that first day and many days after. She told him that she wasn't scared of him, that he was just an angry bully, and that he needed to grow up. That he was so angry and so unlikable and she wanted nothing to do with him.
Technically Katsuki should have been happy with her not wanting anything to do with him, but she had flat out said she wasn't afraid of him..and that's the part Katsuki couldn't let go of. Plus as time passed, the others showed they weren't afraid of him either.
It confused the hell out of him, pissed him off, intimidated him, and it made him take a step back and reevaluate everything. Then before Katsuki knew it, he was involved in a secret with Izuku and All Might because apparently that's how Izuku got his new quirk and he wasn't just hiding one. He had a new training partner in Uraraka because that chipmunk cheeked girl could throw hands, and he had a best friend and an actual group of unwanted friends with Eijirou, Mina, Denki, Hanta, and Kyouka.
It was six months into the year now and Katsuki had dealt with a lot. Being screamed at by civilians and heroes alike that he was a villain and then chained to a podium just for doing what he was supposed to be doing and then refusing the medal they tried to give him for winning on a fluke. Him and his class had been attacked several times and Katsuki had even been kidnapped and then upon getting free, having to spend several weeks locked away in his house with his mother before the dorms were built.
Plus there was the whole feeling of guilt he still carried for ending the symbol of peace even if All Might had tried to lie to him and tell him it wasn't his fault. He carried that weight like it was as heavy as the world on his shoulders.
Katsuki was to blame for the fall of the symbol of peace.
Katsuki was the one who bullied Izuku for years because everyone told him he was superior and just because he couldn't keep his own anger and insecurities in check.
Katsuki was the one who lashed out at anything that moved because his mom did nothing but call him a punk and tell him he was good for absolutely nothing.
Katsuki was the reason the camp was attacked, people were hurt, a hero lost her quirk, and his friends and classmates were almost expelled.
Katsuki was the reason the dorms were built and kids couldn't see their parents everyday after school anymore.
Katsuki was the reason for the rise in villainy because the villains felt emboldened by the fall of the number one hero.
It was all on Katsuki. All of it.
Tsu was there through it all and it confused the fuck out of him.
She was always there, watching and studying him with her stupid big green eyes. Was he destined to have some green-eyed fucker studying him all his life?
That was the thought that stuck with him, and it made him hesitant to lash out at her. He made him stop and think and realize she probably wasn't watching him because he was weak like he had always thought Izuku was doing.
She must have some reason for it, so he took a breath and he watched her back. He learned about her quirk, and what her favorite foods were, and how she liked her tea, and before he knew it, he actually knew her as a person.
He hated to admit it but she was actually pretty fucking cool and she was blunt as all hell and half the time she made Katsuki have to hide his laughter when she left some of the idiots in their class speechless with the shit she said.
She was loyal and blunt and Katsuki respected the fuck out of her for it.
That's how he got himself in the situation he was in now. Eijirou had just handed him his coat back and the others were fucking busy spouting off shit that wasn't remotely true.
“Katsuki and Tsu K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” Mina and Denki sang in unison and Katsuki was ready for murder.
Gods if Katsuki had to hear Thing one and Thing two sing that shit one more time he was going to blow up both of them.
He threw his coat on the rack and growled before they could start up again. Luckily it was just the six of them in the common room. “Would you two shut the fuck up. I fucking don't like frogger. I was being a decent fucking human being. The cold is harsher on her body than it is mine. I'm not a goddamn animal.”
Katsuki could hear Hanta snort from behind him. “Dude, you told Mineta to go die in a hole just yesterday and threatened to rip out his organs.”
He rolled his eyes and looked over at the taller boy. “Yeah? And? He's a human cockroach who was trying to look up Yaoyorozu’s skirt. Again. He can go eat glass.”
Hanta opened his mouth and then shut it before just shrugging his shoulders, “Fair point on that one.”
Mina then chimed in as he could see her grinning wide at him, “Face it Blasty, even if you don't know it yet, we do, and you like her.”
He simply scoffed. “Whatever you say, damn bubblegum demon. I am not arguing with you, it's like arguing with a wall.”
Katsuki ignored some kind of teasing remarks from Kyouka as he made his way into the kitchen. He needed to refill his water bottle before he went upstairs and started getting ready for bed.
He had just screwed the cap on when he heard footsteps from behind him and turned to see Tsu making her way into the kitchen, that's also when he noticed the lack of noise from his friends, just hushed whispers and giggles.
She must have noticed as well because she tilted her head and looked at him. “What's up with your friends? Ribbit.”
Katsuki couldn't help but snort out a laugh. “Fuck if I know. The only one I claim is the shark-faced bastard, the rest are just add ons so I don't know.”
Tsu laughed lightly as she continued through the kitchen and Katsuki couldn't help but just watch her go about her business. She pulled open the cabinet that was about chest height for Katsuki and looked through the bottom shelf before he heard her sigh before speaking. “Ribbit. It looks like someone moved my mug. Do you see my mug on any of the other shelves Bakugou?”
He sat his bottle down as he let his feet carry him over to her. He should be fucking going to be but here he was, being nice and shit. “It's the green one with Lily pads on it, yeah?”
Katsuki looked down and she was smiling softly at him. “Yeah, how'd you know?”
He buried his face into the cabinet and mumbled back to her. “Just a lucky guess..” It really would have been an easy guess if he didn't know, they all had pretty unique mugs but he had seen her use it a hundred times by now.
It didn't take him long to find it on the top shelf, and then he handed it to her. “Here. That's the second time tonight I've saved your ass Froppy, these fuckers are going to start calling me soft at this rate.”
A part of him meant that, but a part of him didn't care.
She took the mug with a small nod. “Thank you, Kero. I wouldn't say finding my mug was quite ‘saving my ass' but I do appreciate it.” Her smile returned as she sat the mug on the counter. “Would it really be a bad thing if some people thought you were soft though?”
She was closer than he first realized and his voice was softer than he meant it to be. “It would be..it would be a horrible thing cause it's not true. Nobody around here except Izuku knows what I'm really capable of, or the shit I've done. Everyone laughs and calls me a wild dog now, but even if it was a year ago, nobody would be laughing at me.”
Her voice was just as soft as his when she spoke back to him. “I don't think it would be bad at all. Ribbit. I think you're wrong, I think there's plenty of softness in you. You just don't see it, but we do. Everyone makes mistakes and I can tell you're doing your best to atone for yours. You're not the bully you once were.”
He sighed as he shoved his hands in his pockets. “Mine weren't just simple mistakes. I chose to do what I did. My ever flowing anger and resentment don't excuse my choices.”
She looked up at him with a serious but curious face. “Are you always angry, Bakugou? Do you ever feel relaxed?”
Katsuki felt his shoulders instinctively hunch. He hadn't really talked about any of this except with Eijirou, Izuku, and his therapist, and an open kitchen really wasn't the best place to have this kind of conversation, so he shrugged and made himself calm down and relaxed his shoulders before looking back at her. “That's a loaded question, too loaded for an open audience.”
Tsu tilted her head at him, luckily seeming to pick up on his hidden words. “I guess that means we'll have to talk some other time then, Kero.”
Against his will and better judgement, he let a little smirk come to his face. “I guess we will.”
She went about making her tea and he went to leave, but as he passed her, he felt the gentlest brush of her fingers on the skin of his arm.
It was the briefest of touches, and if he wasn't constantly hyper focused on his surroundings, he may not have even noticed it, but he knows what he felt though. It could have been a mere accident but he was sure it wasn't.
Nobody really touched him outside of combat training. The only ones brave or stupid enough were Eijirou, Izuku, and on rare occasions Mina.
Katsuki was a time bomb, and contrary to popular belief, he didn't like hurting people, actual evil villains excluded of course. He didn't want to hurt the people he cared about. Yeah, he had great quirk control but it took a lot of diligence and control sometimes to make sure he didn't hurt someone by accident.
Or on purpose anymore. Never again.
That faint touch from Tsu was on his mind until he made it about three meters from his dorm room door, and then his eyes blew wide and he whispered to himself. “Fuck..do I actually like her?”
No. No, he couldn't.
Chapter 3: Walk with me
Notes:
I hope everyone enjoys the chapter.
Stay gay my friends.
Chapter Text
Tsu floated through the warm water. She loved when she got to swim in the heated indoor pool for training, especially when it was cold out.
The class was supposed to be doing laps for cardio but after Aizawa fell asleep in his sleeping bag, they all basically broke off into groups and were all either talking or playing in the water.
She let her eyes wander over the pool until she unconsciously let her eyes land on a specific blonde. It had been a week since her and Bakugou's moment in the kitchen, ever since she had started to reach out and touch his arm but pulled back at the last second.
It had been a week since she had realized that she may actually like him to some degree.
She was sure it was just a simple school crush, she was sure it would fade quickly, but she definitely liked him, at least a little bit.
Bakugou was something to behold. He was a conundrum to say the least and he intrigued her. She knew there was a kind person in there, even if he himself didn't believe it.
Plus she wasn't blind. He was incredibly handsome.
Tsu watched as he climbed out of the water, arguing with Kirishima over something as he grabbed a towel and began shaking out his hair.
Staring was rude, but she was openly staring at him. She had never really gotten to see him like this. He was usually in their gym gear, his hero costume, or sweats and a tank top. Now he was just in a pair of black swimming trunks with a towel draped over his shoulders.
Tsu was so lost in her staring that she didn't notice Ochako float over next to her. “What're you looking at Tsu?”
She was slightly surprised by Ochako but she held her composure the best she could. “Oh nothing, O..Ochako. Just looking around.”
Jirou hummed with a slight teasing lift to her tone. “You sure you weren't staring at someone? Someone in particular?”
Ashido giggled from her right and she looked over to see her, Jirou, and Yaoyorozu sitting on the edge of the pool with their legs in the water. “Would it happen to be someone who's blonde? Maybe someone with a..let's say..explosive attitude?”
Tsu felt her face grow extremely hot. She wasn't one to embarrass easily but this crush was new to her, crushes in general were new to her so she was a little out of her depth. “I don't know who you're talking about. Ribbit.”
Hagakure giggled from next to Ashido. “So you don't care that Bakugou is looking at you right now?”
Tsu felt her face flush even more as she turned to see that Bakugou was in fact looking at her. They met eyes and she could swear that she saw the smallest of smiles for a moment before Kirishima apparently said something to him because the very next moment Bakugou went extremely rigid and then shoved Kirishima back into the pool.
“Hmm. It seems Bakugou may have a crush on you as well, Tsu.” She could hear Yaoyorozu theorizing.
Tsu covered her face with her hands for a moment to try to calm herself down. She then felt gentle hands prying hers away from her face until she was met with Ochako gently smiling at her. “It's okay, Tsu. It's okay if you like Bakugou.”
Ashido nodded. “Blasty is rough around the edges but he's a good guy. He's sweet even though he pretends he's not.”
There was a round of agreements before Yaoyorozu chimed in again. “Plus he's very smart and dedicated to his studies. He's taught me a few things about my quirk that I didn't even understand at first. He understands chemistry, physics, and anatomy better than some professors that I know of.”
Hagakure lightly cooed, “Plus he's stupidly hot, and he has that whole “bad boy” thing going for him.” There was another round of agreements from all of them.
Tsu was speechless but even if she wanted to respond, she couldn't because someone that any of them could stand had snuck up to them. “Hello ladies, do you mind if I..gahh!”
One second Mineta was right next to Yaoyorozu and the next moment they all watched him fly through the air until he landed on the other end of the pool. Kirishima held up his arms beside his head. “The kick is good!” Tsu then heard him turn to Sero and ask if that's how American football worked.
Tsu turned back to see Bakugou standing where Mineta had been previously. He was glaring at the water where Mineta had landed. “I knew that little shit stain would eventually make his way over here.”
Ashido dramatically sighed and acted like she was going to faint. “Blasty! Our hero!”
He rolled his eyes at. “Fuck you too. Next time I'll let the little bastard hump your leg.”
Ashido’s eyes went wide. “You wouldn't let that happen!”
Bakugou grumbled as he crossed his arms. “Well, no, but shut up anyway!”
Ashido grinned, “You're such a sweetie!”
Bakugou growled. “Fuck off with that shit before I drown you.”
Tsu was listening, she really was, but she was also just admiring Bakugou's body. She had never been this close up to him before with him wearing only swim trunks. She could make out the defined lines of his abs and the V of his hips. She could see scars that littered his body. Some small and some larger, and she had no doubt a lot of them came from him pushing himself to be the best, but she had to wonder where did the rest of them come from?
She was also noticing his hands and how they were a little on the larger side as well, just like hers. They looked rough, like they had seen years of abuse, probably from his quirk. Caullesses on his palms and scars on his knuckles.
This was the first time she was able to really look at them because they were usually covered by gloves or shoved in his pockets.
Tsu wondered what it would be like to hold his hand, would his hands be sweaty? She had no apprehensions about him accidentally hurting her, but he always seemed cautious when it came to touching people. Did he fear he would hurt someone?
She remembered just last week when he went to reach out to touch her hair but he had retracted his hand like someone burnt him. Plus now that she's thinking about it, he only ever touches two people when they're not training, at least from what she's seen: Midoriya and Kirishima.
One has a protective quirk and the other knows how to navigate Bakugou better than any of them. Two people who Bakugou probably felt the safest with.
It made her mind wander, and it made her want to just hold his hand even more.
Tsu finally made it out of her own thoughts and was unsurprised to see that Bakugou and Ashido were still bickering like siblings. It was while they were bickering when Ochako lightly bumped her shoulder while they were in the water. Tsu turned to see her friend giving her a soft grin. “No teasing or anything, but you like him, don't you?”
Tsu turned slightly to see Bakugou effortlessly dodging Ashido's attempts to jump on him as the other girls giggled. There was that same scowl on his face, but she could also see the uptick of his lips every once in a while, like he was trying to hold back a grin.
She turned back to Ochako and nodded her head just slightly. “A little. He's come a long way and I want to get to know him more.”
It was another week later when Tsu was given an opportunity to spend a little time with just Bakugou.
They had been assigned with the task of going grocery shopping for the week. Tsu had no complaints when it came for her turn to go shopping, she usually enjoyed the walks, and she knew Bakugou liked to be the one picking out the groceries since he did most of the cooking in class.
It was a little cold out as the two of them made their way out of campus and started the two kilometer trek to the store. It was windy but luckily Tsu had remembered her heavier coat this time around.
The initial few minutes of the walk were admittingly kind of awkward but then Tsu started to hear the low humming of some unfamiliar song.
It took her a second to realize it was Bakugou who was even humming. Once she realized it was him, she took a quick look over and saw him walking in the peculiar way he always did, like a slouchy march. He had his head tilted slightly up and it looked like he had his eyes closed as he still perfectly walked down the sidewalk.
He stopped humming and spoke to her without opening his eyes. His tone wasn't as harsh as it usually was, it almost sounded lazy. “The hell you want, Froppy? I can feel you staring at me.”
Tsu tilted her head in her usual manner before asking a question. She had a lot of questions but she went with the one she thought would be the least tension filled. “How are you walking without seeing? Your eyes are closed, aren't they Kero?”
Bakugou snorted and she could see him smirk a little. “I spent a lot of my time in the woods growing up. Night time hiking trails were my safe haven.” She had an immediate question about that response but before she could respond, he kept going. “Plus I trust you not to let me wander into traffic or some shit. Contrary to popular belief, I do enjoy the peaceful moments that these walks usually give me.”
She almost came to a complete stop but made herself continue walking. “Ribbit. I didn't know you trusted me.”
Tsu watched him shrug as he finally opened his eyes and looked at her. “I'm a piece of shit, but I've come to know how to spot a person who's genuine and one who's not.”
Tsu didn't really know how to respond to that, so she closed her mouth and let herself think. Bakugou trusted her, at least enough to know she wouldn't lead him into harms way. That..meant a lot to her.
After a few moments of silence, she looked up at him again. “I don't think you're a piece of shit, Bakugou.”
He let out a bark of a laugh. “Hah! Don't start lying to me now, your blunt, no bullshit, attitude is one of the things I respect most. Don't piss that away.”
Tsu genuinely did stop that time and so did he. “Bakugou, I'm not lying to you, ribbit. You were once a bully, and sometimes your attitude still kind of sucks, but you're not a bad person. You're not a piece of shit, truly.”
Bakugou looked at her with an intense stare until he finally spoke. “You're telling the truth.”
It wasn't a question, it was a statement. She could just tell.
They started walking together in silence again. As they walked, if Tsu walked a little closer to him than she originally was, well, she would blame it on the cold weather if anyone asked her.
Chapter 4: Intimidation
Notes:
I hope everyone enjoys the new chapter.
Stay gay my friends.
Chapter Text
“You're intimidated by her. It's cute.”
Katsuki growled as he threw another punch at Izuku, and all Izuku did was laugh and roll away before resetting into a combat stance.
He took a breath and also reset, he was falling for the bait he knew Izuku was laying so he needed to stop and breathe. “I don't know what the fuck you're talking about, nerd.”
“Boys, take a water break and grab a protein bar.” All Might had just called out to them, and Katsuki rolled his eyes as he watched Izuku grin at him and walk off towards their teacher. Katsuki followed, but he wasn't happy about it.
Katsuki was helping Izuku train to control his most recent acquired quirk, Black Whip, because apparently Izuku had eight other wielders in his head or something like that. Katsuki could only slightly remember bits and pieces from when he momentarily controlled One For All himself just a couple months ago.
He didn't fully understand it, but he's honestly glad he didn't have eight other voices messing around in his head all the time, the ones he had were already bad enough.
Katsuki looked over to see Izuku take a sip of water and smirk. “When have you ever been afraid of anything, Kacchan?”
He hissed and lazily kicked at Izuku like a petulant child as Izuku just smirked again and slid slightly out of reach. “I’m not afraid of anything, you little shit.” Not true, but he didn't feel like getting into it. “I don't know what the fuck you're even talking about.”
Izuku rolled his eyes. “I'm talking about your very apparent crush on Tsu. It's cute, but you're very clearly intimidated by her.”
Katsuki glared at him, “I don't have feelings for frogger. Where'd you cook up that dog shit idea?”
Izuku snorted at him. “I have eyes, Kacchan, and it's pretty apparent. Plus Eijirou told me about the whole coat incident. You've never been big on sharing or cold weather, yet you give Tsu the literal coat off your back to make sure she's warm.” Katsuki forgot how brave and sassy Izuku was, and now he was the one that got to deal with it all first hand. For better or worse, he guessed. Better than the guy shaking around him like he once did.
Katsuki kicked at him again. “Shut up, and tell shitty hair to keep his mouth shut too.”
He watched as Izuku kicked back at him in retaliation. “He's my boyfriend, he's going to tell me things, Kacchan.”
Katsuki grabbed a protein bar and drew back, aiming at Izuku. “He was my best friend first, so he needs to keep his trap shut, boyfriends or not. Bastards.”
Gentle laughter was heard next to them as the protein bar was snatched out of his hand. “Young Bakugou, it's okay to have feelings for someone. Young miss Asui is a very bright and hard working girl. Now young Midoriya, quit teasing young Bakugou for having a crush on one of your classmates.”
“Sorry All Might.” Katsuki rolled his eyes, he knew by his tone that Izuku wasn't actually sorry.
Katsuki rolled the water bottle around in his hands. “I can't like, frogger. I don't have time for that shit, I have to keep training and keep getting better. I'm going to be the number one hero, I don't have time for that sappy shit.”
He heard Izuku snort next to him. “She is pretty far out of your league anyway.”
Katsuki looked over at him, being vulnerable with Izuku for the first time in a long time. “Yeah, she is.”
Izuku's grin had instantly vanished and it almost made Katsuki laugh. “K..Kacchan. I was kidding, she's not out of your league. I think you two would honestly mesh well together.”
Katsuki dropped his head, looking at the floor. “You weren't wrong though. She deserves so much better than me. I'm rude, I'm an asshole, we both know I'm not exactly the friendliest person on the fucking planet. She deserves someone who's going to give her the time she deserves and treat her fucking right, she doesn't deserve a bastard like me.”
Katsuki dropped the water bottle and ran a hand through his sweaty hair. “Plus you weren't exactly fucking wrong about the other thing either, as much as that pisses me off. She intimidates the fuck out of me. She makes me feel shit I didn't even know I could feel. She's never been afraid to call me out and give me shit, and I respect that, but who's to say she won't eventually see me for who I truly am? Some insecure kid who can't quit fucking up everything and everyone good that comes into his life. Some absolute bastard who has to keep running and moving to be the best because if he stops, he's afraid he's going to see nothing but a fucking failure staring back at him.”
Well, so much for not getting into it today.
There was a slight pause before he could feel Izuku's eyes trained on him. “Kacchan, you know that's not true, right? You're not those things. You're not a failure and you're not a bastard. You weren't always the best person growing up, that's true. You did and said some things that really hurt me, but I don't hold any of them against you. You shouldn't hold them against you either.”
Katsuki didn't know how to respond so he just shook his head and huffed until All Might chimed in. “Young Midoriya is right. You're not even the same young man who started school here at Yuuei. You've already grown so much, and you always go Plus Ultra in everything you do. Plenty of your classmates have told me and Aizawa that they love being partnered up with you in any class.”
Katsuki gave his hero a skeptical look. “Bullshit.”
All Might shook his head in a fond manner. “Language, young Bakugou, but I'm being honest. Your friends and classmates constantly tell me and your other teachers that they've learned a lot from you and young Midoriya. They look at you two as leaders. We've had several of your friends tell us that they're only passing because you tutor them and help them when they need it, even if you're not feeling up to it. They all say that you push them to be better. You make them all want to be better heroes. Don't think that that all means nothing. You're a fine young hero, young Bakugou, and an outstanding young man. None of us are made perfect, it's what we learn and do as we grow that makes us who we are.”
Lies. They're both lying to him. He knows what he is, but that doesn't mean he's not going to still be the best. He's still going to be number one.
He went to tell them so but he watched Izuku's easy smile fall into a serious expression. “We're not lying Kacchan. You're not bad, you're a good person, and you deserve to be happy. Plus who are you to say what Tsu deserves? Shouldn't she be the one to determine that? You've never given up before and I don't see you starting that now. You've always chased after what you've wanted.”
Katsuki couldn't do this right now. He really couldn't. He didn't do well when he couldn't process his emotions on his own. “Whatever. Let's just finish up. I've got to study for our fucking math test tomorrow, which you better study for tonight as well or I'll kick your ass, Izuku. And you need to quit staying up until three in the damn morning, you're not going to be any kind of hero, much less number one if you can't even balance a fucking sleep schedule.”
It looked like Izuku went to reply with something but apparently changed his mind because he just smiled instead. “Okay, Kacchan.”
Later that evening, Katsuki had just gotten done tutoring his friends and had just stepped in his dorm to do some silent studying when someone knocked on his door. He grumbled to himself as he went to the door and yanked it open.
He had pictured Eijirou on the other side of the door, maybe even Denki or Mina, but he wasn't expecting it to be Tsu.
Katsuki was not happy to admit that he stumbled as went to lean on his door frame, and then he heard her giggle at him.
His first instinct was to get angry because she was laughing at him, but his second thought was that she wasn't actually laughing AT him. Well she was, but it wasn't malicious.
Plus her laugh was pretty fucking cute so he'd let it go just this once.
He huffed and rolled his eyes. “What do you want, Froppy?”
She smiled up at him and he realized she was holding a text book. “Can you help me prepare for our math test tomorrow? Kirishima says that he's never learned more and retained information better than when you tutor him.”
Katsuki was going to kill that red headed bastard. He could just tell what he was doing.
But when he looked down at her soft little look, she was staring up at him with her bright eyes. He already forgot he was supposed to be mad.
Katsuki took a quick look back into his room, he usually kept his room clean and tidy but he gave it a once over anyway before he turned back to her. “Yeah. Yeah, I can do that. Yeah.”
He wanted to blow his own head off. Fucking hell, what was that? He was rambling like the fucking nerd.
Katsuki backed up and let her in, gesturing that she could have his desk. He could see her looking around his room and he started to panic. Did she think he was boring? His room really wasn't flashy. He just had the basics and the only framed photo he had was one of him looking annoyed as his group of idiots crowded around him.
Wait. Why the fuck did he even care? He shouldn't give a shit what she thought about his room.
He did though.
He cared and that told him all he really needed to know.
He liked her.
Katsuki liked Tsu.
Katsuki's new revelation floated through his head as he studied and tutored Tsu.
He watched her, and he realized just how pretty she was. She was beautiful in such a unique way.
After a moment he just kind of abandoned even pretending to study and just watched her.
She had a small scar on her chin that he had never noticed before.
Her eyes were green but they had light specks of a darker color, it looked like flecks of dark blue in them.
She also was able to write with both hands, he noticed she kept switching between hands like it was no issue at all.
Katsuki found all of it to be really endearing.
He found her to be extremely cute.
He really did.
Fuck.
Chapter 5: Girls night rendezvous
Notes:
I hope everyone likes the chapter and stay gay my friends.
Chapter Text
Tsu made her way down the hallway with Ochako as they made their way to Yaoyorozu’s room for girl's night.
She had thought about skipping tonight because she knew what was going to happen. The topic of crushes was going to come up and the girls were going to hound her about Bakugou.
Even though she had already told them there was nothing going on between them. They just studied together a couple nights a week now, and he was admittingly pretty soft with her compared to anyone else, even Kirishima sometimes.
Yaoyorozu's room was a floor above theirs so the two of them had just started walking up the stairs when Bakugou was coming down them.
Tsu couldn't help but smile as Bakugou grinned at her. His grin faltered when he heard Ochako’s giggle. “You two are cute.”
Bakugou huffed and continued down the stairs, brushing past them but as he passed her, she heard him whisper to her. “Meet me in my room in an hour. I..I want to talk about stuff.” He continued past her and around the corner and down the hallway.
Bakugou wanted to talk to her? About what? She was definitely curious. Plus he seemed to actually want to talk about something, so she wasn't going to question it. Even when they had their private study sessions, he didn't say much, so she was intrigued on what he wanted to talk about.
As they walked, Ochako turned to her. “Did he whisper something as he walked past you? I could have sworn I heard him say something.”
Tsu tilted her head slightly and placed her finger on her chin. “I don't think so, ribbit. I didn't hear anything.” She didn't usually like lying but she really didn't want to talk about what Bakugou had said to her. Tsu didn't want her or Bakugou getting teased.
Plus she didn't want to miss any kind of chance to actually talk to Bakugou.
The two of them soon made it to Yaoyorozu’s room and sure enough, it wasn't even ten minutes later and Ashido asked her about Bakugou.
Ashido had given her a sly grin as the pink skinned girl messed with Ochako's hair. “Sooo Tsuuu. I've noticed you're not coming to study nights with Yaoyorozu and all of us any more. Rumor has it that you're getting private study sessions with ole Blasty Babe.”
There was a round of giggles as Hagakure chimed in. “We've all been wondering, is he a good kisser? I've got a hundred yen that he bites. He seems like he bites.”
Tsu kept her face neutral and passive as she tried to shoo any thoughts of kissing out of her head. “We haven't kissed. We're not dating. All we do is study together. His method of teaching seems to help me retain information more, no offense Yaoyorozu, you've helped me immensely in the past. Ribbit.”
Yaoyorozu smiled at her. “I understand Tsu. It's completely okay.”
Tsu smiled at her before she continued on. “I still don't know much about Bakugou, so I haven't even thought about kissing him. I haven't even really thought about him in any kind of romantic aspect yet.” That was the truth for the most part. She did have a crush on Bakugou, but she really hadn't let her mind wander enough to have any of those kinds of thoughts about him quite yet.
The furthest she had really let her mind wander was what it would be like to hold his hand or just spend time with him outside of training or studying or chores.
Luckily though, the topic quickly shifted to how hot Jirou thought girls were and Tsu could have probably powered the sun for a moment from how bright Yaoyorozu’s eyes seemed to shine. They had all had their guesses but this was the first time Jirou had confirmed she liked girls as far as Tsu knew.
Tsu watched as Jirou nervously tapped her ear jacks together as she told them that her type of woman was women that were tall, smart, soft, and determined.
She was also looking at anyone and anything except Yaoyorozu.
Tsu couldn't help but smile to herself. She really hoped her two friends figured out their feelings so they could be happy together.
It wasn't long before the hour mark was approaching and she needed to go see Bakugou. Tsu stood as nonchalantly as she could and stretched. “I'll be back, ribbit. I have to go to the bathroom. I'm not feeling super well.” She was out the door before anyone could ask her any questions.
Hopefully they'd all get busy with gossip that they wouldn't realize just how long she was going to be gone.
Tsu made her way down the hall and quietly knocked on Bakugou’s door. Usually when the girls had their night, the guys usually all played video games down in the common room together so the hall was luckily empty.
It was only a second after her knock and Bakugou answered the door. His scowl soon melted into an easy going neutral look as he let her in. Tsu took a seat at his desk that had become her usual spot when she was in his room.
She watched Bakugou for a moment. He seemed anxious and jittery, and just not his usual confident self. He paced a couple steps before he seemed to stop and she heard him whisper to himself. “All this worrying is fucking stupid.” He then looked up at her and borderline almost shouted at her. “I want us to go on a date together!”
Her eyes went wide and she watched as his did too.
Did..Did Bakugou just say he wanted them to go on a date?
Bakugou stuttered for a moment. “S..Shit. I wanted to do this all fucking eloquent like and shit.”
He flopped down on his bed in a heavy manner, sitting up to play with his hands. “I’m not good with this shit. I like you, I think. I think you're really kind, even with people who don't deserve it. You're tactical and smart, and you're blunt with your feelings. It's rare and I respect it. Plus..you make me feel..stuff. Mushy stuff that I've never even thought about before. I like your eyes, and I like that little shit eating grin you get when you know you're right about something. It always looks a little smug and I like that.”
Tsu stared at him in awe. He was being so open and honest and raw with her for the first time. It was honestly beautiful, so she was going to be honest with him. “I think I like you too, at least a little. You're my first crush, but I want to explore these feelings. I want to see where this goes.”
His flushed cheeks made her smile and keep going. “I’m saying I want to go on a date with you, Bakugou.”
His smile was small and shy, like he didn't quite know how to smile wide without it seeming smug or overconfident.
She watched him stand and she stood too, meeting him in the middle of his room. He was grinning at her but there was also something else behind his eyes. “You sure you really wanna go on a date with a bastard like me?”
Tsu could sense his nerves. He was feeling insecure, and she wanted him to know he didn't need to feel that way. “You're not a bastard.” She reached gently for his hand.
He pulled it slightly away at first so she paused. “I'm not scared of you. Katsuki. You're brave and determined and smart, but you're also soft at your core.”
Saying Bakugou just didn't feel right in that moment. It didn't feel intimate enough for what she was feeling, so she had called him Katsuki.
Red eyes met hers as he seemed to be searching for the truth. His voice was bitter but soft. “You really fucking should be scared. Tsu.”
Not frogger or Froppy, he finally called her Tsu.
Slowly and gently, she reached for his hand again, and this time he seemed to contemplate something before he finally let her grab one of his hands. “Ribbit. No I shouldn't, and I'm not.”
They decided they were going to go out together on the up and coming Saturday, and that they weren't going to tell anyone except Ochako, Midoriya, and Kirishima right now. Not because either one of them were ashamed of the other, but just so they could take whatever this was between them as slow as they wanted.
They just both agreed they didn't want the others in their business.
Tsu smiled as she eventually stood at Katsuki's door and he grinned down at her. “I'll meet you by the campus gates at ten, yeah?”
She nodded. “Yes, Kero. I'll meet you at ten.”
Tsu made her way up the stairs and back to Yaoyorozu’s dorm room, she was sure nobody would say anything. She had probably only been gone for ten minutes, fifteen max.
She walked in the door and was immediately met with looks. “Hey. Ribbit.”
Ochako gave her a worried look. “Are you okay, Tsu? You've been gone for a while now and you weren't answering your phone.”
What? There was no way she was gone that long. “Kero, I was only gone for like ten minutes. I went down to the kitchen for something to drink.”
Ashido smirked at her. “It's been a little over forty-five minutes, and you said you were going to the bathroom.”
Crap. It had been almost an hour? Plus she had originally said she was going to the bathroom. This is why she didn't like lying, it was wrong, but she also sucked at it. “I..I went to the bathroom and then to the kitchen. I also talked to Shouji..and Tokoyami for a moment too. I must have lost track of time.”
Hagakure giggled. "Are you sure you weren't on a late night rendezvous with your blonde bomb of a boyfriend?"
Tsu tried to will herself not to blush. "Ka..Bakugou isn't my boyfriend. I was just down in the kitchen. Quit teasing me about him. Ribbit. I will work out my feelings in my own time."
Ochako was a great friend because the girl must have been able to tell the Tsu was getting flustered because she stepped in. "Let's quit teasing Tsu. If she says she's okay and she was just in the kitchen, then that's where she was. We have no reason to doubt her and it's clearly making her uncomfortable."
There were polite apologizes passed around as Tsu sat down beside Ochako. "Thank you, Ochako."
Ochako then smiled at her. "Of course, Tsu."
It was a couple hours later when her and Ochako were walking back towards their dorms when Tsu told her about Katsuki. "I have a date with Katsuki this Saturday."
Ochako beamed a smile at her but she didn't seemed surprised. "I kind of figured. I knew he said something earlier when we passed in the hall and you almost slipped up and said Katsuki instead of Bakugou several times tonight. Is that were you went earlier?"
Tsu nodded. "I didn't like lying but you know I'm a private person and I just don't want everyone knowing everything right now. Katsuki doesn't either. He plans on only telling Kirishima and Midorya and I was always going to tell you, but other than that we're not really telling anyone else right now."
Ochako leaned into her slightly as they walked. "I'm happy for you. He seems to really like you, and you definitely seem to like him too."
Tsu couldn't help but smile. "He's really sweet to me. I like him and I want to see where this goes with him." She was honestly beyond nervous and excited for Saturday.
Chapter 6: Illuminations
Notes:
Stay gay my friends. Everyone stay safe.
Chapter Text
“This is so fucking stupid. Why am I stressed about this? Just pick a fucking shirt, idiot.” Katsuki continued to mumble to himself as he looked through his closet. It was only thirty minutes before he was supposed to meet up with Tsu and he was still trying to find the right shirt.
It wasn't because he was nervous. Katsuki fucking Bakugou doesn't get nervous over anything, let alone a damn girl.
He..He just wanted this to go right. He liked Tsu and he didn't feel like completely fucking up his first ever date.
Katsuki sighed as he ran a hand over his face. “Fuck this, I'm just picking a damn shirt. She's not going to see it under my jacket anyway.”
He grabbed a plain black shirt and slipped it on. He was already wearing black jeans and some black sneakers so he grabbed one of his orange hoodies for a pop of color. Katsuki slipped the hoodie on and then layered his faded and well worn black denim jacket on top of it. It was his favorite jacket, it was covered in pins and patches that he had acquired over the years.
Katsuki took one last look in the mirror, messed with his hair one last time and just decided it would have to do. He was about to head out but he stopped, he really didn't want to deal with all the questions from the idiots downstairs. They all knew Katsuki did nothing but either train or study on Saturdays, so him being even somewhat dressed up would raise questions.
Luckily for him, he could scale just about any surface even without his quirk. Years of rock climbing were about to pay off as he went to his balcony and checked if anyone was around before he started his descent down. He was luckily only a couple floors up anyway so it didn't take him long before he was close enough to the ground that he could safely jump.
Katsuki landed softly in the grass before dusting off his hands and making his way to where he was supposed to meet up with Tsu, and then they had to go meet with Aizawa to get their weekend pass key for the campus gates. Katsuki had already gotten permission even if he had skirted around the real reason he was leaving campus, but he still needed a passkey for the campus gates just in case they were out past when the gates automatically shut for the night.
Katsuki walked for a few minutes before he could see Tsu waiting for him by the main square. It was chilly but a little warmer than it had been so she must have felt like she didn't need her heavy coat just like Katsuki hadn't. She was wearing what looked like a dark green, long sleeved, wool dress that had frogs and Lily pads adorning it. She was also wearing what looked like black knit stockings and black boots.
She looked adorable, cute, and so pretty all rolled up into one.
Tsu must have noticed him because she smiled wide and gave him a little wave. She just seemed so fucking happy to see him and it made Katsuki's heart beat in a weird way. He felt a little breathless and his heart rate had definitely spiked.
Was he dying? That would be pretty embarrassing, to just drop dead in front of his date just cause he thought she was pretty.
He couldn't fight the dumb and dopey grin that spread across his face as he stood in front of her. “Hey.”
She smiled up at him. “Hi Katsuki. Ribbit.”
Katsuki scratched the back of his neck. He was so far out of his fucking depth but he really wanted this to go right. Should he act like himself? Should he act like someone else? Someone he believed Tsu deserved?
As soon as that thought entered his brain, he killed it and buried it. Katsuki doesn't pretend to be anyone else, he never had and he never would. Plus, Tsu had said she liked him for him right? So that meant she apparently saw something in him for who he was, even if he didn't see it.
He kind of stammered out his next sentence. Real eloquent like. “Y..You're really p..pretty.” Fucking hell he wanted to kill himself. He really was pathetic.
Tsu gave him a genuine smile, with a little bit of pink dusting her cheeks. “Thank you. You look quite handsome yourself.”
Okay..he could do this. He just had to breathe and not embarrass himself. He could do this.
He reached for her hand but stopped halfway, always scared of hurting someone, but she met him halfway, grabbed his hand and slightly pulled on his arm. “Come on, ribbit, let's grab our passkey and then we can be on our way.”
For the first time in Katsuki's life, he let someone lead him without any complaints.
The two of them made it to Aizawa's apartment that him and Yamada shared on campus. Their teachers really didn't talk about their personal lives, but the whole class knew they were married, so Katsuki was not surprised when Yamada answered the door in pajamas. “Hey little listeners. What do you two need?”
Katsuki's first instinct was to pull his hand away from Tsu’s but he pushed that instinct away and continued to hold her hand. “We're picking up our passkey. I already cleared it with scruffy.”
Yamada looked down at their intertwined hands and Katsuki could see his eyes light up. “Oh I got you! Shouta, dear, where's the passkey you promised the lovely young couple here?”
Katsuki felt his cheeks heat up and he could see Tsu’s face do the same out of the corner of his eye. He could hear the familiar tired voice of his teacher coming towards them. “What are you talking about? The only passkey I granted permission for was for..” Aizawa walked into view and looked down at their intertwined hands as well. “Ah. I understand.”
He fished around in his pajamas that were adorned with different cats and then handed Katsuki the key they would need for the gate. “The class doesn't know, do they?”
Katsuki took the key and shoved it in his own pocket. “No. We're just private people and we don't need all of those idiots..” Tsu squeezed his hand and Katsuki stopped and started again. “We don't want our classmates putting their noses into our business right now.”
Aizawa snorted as he pulled out a chain that hung around his neck that held a wedding band, as Yamada did the same. “I figured so because I would have heard about it by now from someone. We get it though. Some things are just personal. Go have fun, but be safe, and be back by curfew.”
Katsuki nodded as Tsu waved to them and they made their way out of the faculty apartment building.
The two of them walked down the busy streets of Musutafu and towards the center of town. Conversation between the two of them flowed easily like it always did, and Katsuki felt the carefully hidden tension leaving his shoulders.
They had been walking for about fifteen minutes and had just gotten to the train station. Tsu then grinned up at him as they boarded the train. “You haven't told me where we're going, kero.”
He hadn't because he had wanted to surprise her. He didn't want to do anything easy or cliche like dinner or a movie for their first date, and Tsu had said she really wasn't a fan of the arcade because of all the lights so Katsuki had really tried to plan something simple but still nice.
First dates were supposed to be easy going but still thoughtful, that's what auntie Inko had said anyway when Izuku had told Katsuki he had accidentally spilled the details to his mom. Katsuki would have been mad if it was anyone other than auntie.
Tsu’s voice had a teasing tilt to it so Katsuki tried to give a response back that had that same tone. “You'll see, don't get your panties in a twist.” Not the most elegant phrasing, but his tone was playful so he'd take it.
He could see he fondly roll her eyes at him as she stepped closer as the packed train car began moving. Katsuki had pulled his hood up on instinct, he hated public transportation. He had ever since the sports festival.
Tsu grabbed his hand again and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Katsuki, you okay?”
Katsuki tried to force out a grin. “Not a big fan of the train.”
She gave him a look that said she didn't fully buy it but she seemed to let it go but the grip on his hand tightened just slightly.
It was an irritating hour-long ride but Tsu helped calm his nerves as they talked about school and their upcoming hero training and before he knew it, they were getting off, and then it was only another ten minute walk to their destination.
As they were walking, he could see Tsu starting to put it together and excitement started to make itself known. “Katsuki, are we going to see the Christmas market to see the illuminations?”
Katsuki nodded with a nervous grin on his face, “Tokyo is starting their illuminations tonight. I know we can't stay to see all of them because of travel and curfew, but I figured we could walk the booths and get some food before seeing some lights before we have to head home.”
Was this a dumb idea? As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he started to get nervous. He had asked Uraraka a couple days earlier and they brainstormed ideas. Uraraka said Tsu had been wanting to see the illuminations for years but she hadn't gotten the chance because her parents were always busy working so she was always babysitting her siblings after school and on holidays.
Tsu looked up at him and he could see tears starting to pool in the corner of her eyes and he really started to panic. Shit, he had made her cry. Fuck. “S..Shit I didn't..oof!”
He barely kept the two of them upright as she plowed into him and he then realized she was hugging him. He awkwardly wrapped his arms around her tiny frame. “So everything's good, then?”
Katsuki felt her nod against him before he looked down and she looked up. “It's perfect. I've been wanting to go see the illuminations and a Christmas market again for so many years. I haven't been able to since my parents stay busy and I take care of my younger siblings. Ribbit. This is perfect, Katsuki.”
He felt himself blushing. “Good. Good. Let's go grab something to eat from a booth and go look around. I've never been to one of these things.”
Tsu looked at him with wide eyes. “You've never been to a Christmas market?”
Katsuki just shrugged. “My parents weren't ever really festive people. My mother always thought holidays were dumb and a waste of time.”
She shook her head. “Well, we're going to change that. Come on.”
Once again, Katsuki let himself be led.
They walked through the market after grabbing some grilled chicken skewers and then a couple Taiyakis for dessert.
They walked through the market together for a while, stopping at the shops when they saw something that caught their eyes. It was nice to just walk with her and browse the shops. Tsu ended up finding a smokey smelling candle that she said reminded her of him and Katsuki found a small painting of two frogs on the same lily pad that reminded him of her.
They were able to see a bit of the illuminations before they had to start walking towards the train station. As they walked, Katsuki took a chance and draped one of his arms over her shoulders. Tsu leaned into him and they walked back towards the station together.
The train wasn't as packed so they were able to sit down together and ride back to Musutafu and Yuuei.
When they got off the train, Katsuki noticed it had gotten a lot colder than it had been this morning, he also noticed that Tsu was trying to pretend she wasn't shivering. Katsuki stopped and sat down their bags so he could shrug off his denim jacket.
Katsuki handed it to her and she smiled as she accepted it and put it on. “Thank you, Katsuki.”
He just shrugged and ignored his heated cheeks. “It's not a problem.”
A little bit later Katsuki was scanning the key for the gates and they were walking through the quiet campus. They made it to the courtyard when Tsu stopped and looked up at him. “I had a great day, ribbit. Thank you.”
Katsuki could feel himself blushing again as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head. “I'm glad you did. I did too. I really did.”
He wanted another date. He wanted ten more. He wanted as many as she would give him. Today had been one of the best days of his life, and for the first time in a long time, he felt human again. “Would you want to do it again? Another date, I mean.”
Tsu stepped forward and he could see her stepping on her tippy toes as she simultaneously grabbed his hoodie and gently pulled him down and kissed him softly on his cheek. “I'd love another date with you. Ribbit.”
Katsuki couldn't help but grin like a damn idiot as he followed after her.
Maybe it was because he had matured, maybe it was just because it was Tsu, but he'd follow her everywhere she let him.
Chapter 7: The art of nightmares and war
Notes:
Stay gay my friends. 🧡
Chapter Text
Tsu rubbed her eyes as she padded into the kitchen to get a drink of water because she had forgotten to fill up her water bottle before bed. It was a little after two in the morning so she wasn't expecting anyone to be in the kitchen, let alone Katsuki.
He was leaning against the counter and sipping out of a mug. He seemed slightly out of it, his hair looked disheveled, and he looked exhausted. If she had to guess, he had a rough night of nightmares. A lot of the class did but she knew Katsuki's were intense from the little he had told her about.
Tsu made sure to make some noise so he knew she was there. They locked eyes for a moment before a tired smile crossed his face. “Nice hoodie. Where'd you get it?”
Her and Katsuki had just had their fourth date the day before and she had actually stolen his hoodie this time and she was wearing it now. It was his bright orange one with his signature black X on it, itwas way too big on her, but it was comfortable and it was his, so now it was hers.
She gave him a soft grin as she started her own batch of tea. “A really nice boy gave it to me. Ribbit. It smells like a firework stand, but I don't mind it.”
He gave her a soft chuckle but she could tell he was distracted. She made her way over to him and he sat his mug down. “Don't look at me like that. I'm fine, Tsu.”
Tsu gave him the look that meant they both knew he was full of shit. “No you're not, ribbit. We don't have to talk about it though, but we always can if you want to.”
A tense beat of silence hung in the air for almost a minute before she heard him sigh and watched as he walked over to the island in the middle of the kitchen and made up her tea just the way she liked it and then had a seat, pulling one chair out for her too. She sat down and thanked him for her tea and let him talk. “Nightmares. I know it's pretty obvious by now but I have nightmares. I've been having them a lot recently and I think it's because I can't shake this feeling in my gut that something big is going to happen soon.”
She had that feeling too. Something was stirring with the villains, whispers and rumors were being spread and everyone's nerves were a little frayed. It had only been a couple weeks since Katsuki had his fight with those serpent twins, his wounds hadn't even fully healed. Neither had Todoroki’s or Midoriya’s. Something was stirring though, they could all feel it.
He continued as she ran a hand over the back of his, intertwining their fingers. “I've never gone into deep detail about my nightmares. A lot of them are about the league and the kidnapping and All Might. Others are from my past mistakes. Tonight was a lot from the League and what happened in the time I was with them.”
Katsuki had never gone into detail about those nights he spent with the League, he hadn't told anyone those details as far as she knew. Tsu rubbed her thumb over the back of his scarred knuckles. “Do you want to talk about those nights?”
She watched as he paused for a moment but he eventually nodded. “I spent a lot of my time chained to a chair with quirk restraints on.” He snorted, “Very similar to the ones Yuuei used on me coincidentally, at least the League didn't use a muzzle.”
She glared at the table. That sports festival ceremony was a disaster and she still carried a little bit of bitter resentment for how they treated Katsuki even back then. He kept going. “They never physically harmed me. I would have bit their fingers off if any of them tried, it was the stuff they told me. They told me they went after me because of the ceremony and how people reacted to me during it and mine and Uraraka’s fight. They took turns telling me that everyone thought I was a monster just like all of them. They told me everyone thought I would end up a villain. The thing is, for that part at least, none of them were wrong.”
Katsuki sighed as he kept going. “The things people said to me when I got back to school were fucking awful, hell even before that. My mother spent weeks calling me weak and telling me I should have just stayed with them if I couldn't have saved myself.”
Tsu still didn't know much about Katsuki’s parents, but that alone made Tsu want to give the elder Bakugou a piece of her mind.
Katsuki must have felt her shift and mood because he adjusted their hands so he was rubbing the back of hers. “The League spent almost two days trying to break me down by telling me I was nothing and that nobody was coming for me, that nobody cared for me, and that I should join up with them so I would have a family that actually cared about me and wouldn't let me get hurt again. They told me they didn't even feel the need to muzzle and embarrass me like the people who should have been protecting me did.”
He took a deep breath and then let it out. “I hate talking about those nights because even if it was only a small part of me, a tiny tiny part, but part of me started to believe them, at least some of the things they said. I knew I would never be a villain no matter what anyone said, but part of me began to believe that maybe I wasn't meant to be a hero, and that everyone who was calling me a punk or an asshole or monster was right. It took me months to fully realize I'm not, and that I'm a damned good hero, and it took even longer to realize everything that happened with All Might wasn't my fault. I still have my doubts sometimes but they're easier to work through now, for the most part. The nightmare I had last night was about me giving in. I gave in and joined them. I joined them and I ended up hurting the people closest to me.”
Tsu took a moment to process everything he had said. There was so much she wanted to say but she also knew Katsuki didn't appreciate unnecessary coddling, he didn't like when people made a big deal when he was actually being vulnerable, and he hated when people “blew smoke up his ass.” He had always appreciated her bluntness and honesty and that wasn't about to change now.
He wouldn't look at her so she gently grabbed his face. “Katsuki, ribbit, you're the furthest thing from a villain. I hope you always remember that. You're a flawed human being trying his best and that's as real as someone can be. You're a hero, a real hero, not some movie actor or invincible book character. You're not weak and you're not a punk. You're real, and you're good. We both know you will never be a villain, even if we both know at this point you'd have valid reasons to be one, but we both know you personally won't be. You've got a pure heart, kero, nothing will ever change that.”
He ducked his head and Tsu pretended not to see him wipe his eyes with his other hand.
He straightened back up and gently tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear. “You're something else, ya know that?”
She smiled at him and leaned towards him just a little. “I know.” He laughed softly and she continued, leaning forward and up just a bit more. “Thank you for talking to me, Katsuki.”
He was leaning forward and down a bit now too. “I trust you. I figured it was time to open up a bit more.”
Tsu shut off her brain before she could chicken out and leaned forward the rest of the way to kiss Katsuki, except they ended up bumping noses. She giggled and he gave her a nervous smile before they leaned in again, this time landing on target.
Katsuki was gentle with her and she was gentle with him because it was both of their first times kissing. It didn't last long, but it was beyond nice. His lips were softer than she had imagined and she immediately decided she liked kissing him.
Tsu smiled as he pulled the chair she was sitting in even closer and she felt him softly nose against the side of her head. “Be my girlfriend, Tsu?”
She didn't have to think about it. Not even a little bit. “Of course, Katsuki.”
Her and Katsuki's intuitions had been right because it wasn't even two weeks later and The League and the Paranormal Liberation Army made their move, and that meant attacking hospitals.
Tsu had been on evacuation duty with Ochako, Katsuki, Midoriya, Iida, and Todoroki when before she knew it, her boyfriend and Midoriya were rocketing off and Todoroki was right behind them. “Ribbit. Where are they going!?” Tsu couldn't even pretend to hide the worry in her voice.
Iida shook his head. “I don't know but they must have a good reason. They wouldn't just leave unless something was really wrong. We're almost done here, let's get the evacuees to safety.”
She knew they had to have a reason, Katsuki wouldn't just bolt like that without telling her unless it was important, it didn't mean she was any less worried for Katsuki or Todoroki and Midoriya. Their class had always been called a trouble magnet, but none more than those three.
Before she knew it though, Iida was taking off after their three friends and Tsu and Ochako found themselves in a short battle with Toga once again.
It came clear to her that all she could do was assist Ochako as her and Toga worked out whatever was going on between them. She didn't know exactly what it was but she would be there for her best friend either way.
It ended with her and Ochako with minor wounds and Toga running off but not before the blonde girl came running back, kissed Ochako and then ran off again.
Tsu had a lot of questions but it didn't look like Ochako had any answers and they needed to get to safety anyway and get their wounds checked on. She would check on Ochako later when everything had settled down.
It was a couple hours later and that's when the bad news started rolling in. Most of the class had just regrouped and she was still worried about Katsuki and her friends when she learned about the fate of Miss Midnight and several other pros. There wasn't even enough time for tears to make it out of her eyes before she then learned the whereabouts of Katsuki.
She had been asking around to see if anyone had heard a word about Katsuki or the others when Best Jeanist of all people came up to her. She didn't even know he was back in action. “Young lady, I heard you asking for information on Lord Explosion Murder God Dynamite, I have some news on him and Deku.”
That also got Kirishima’s attention too. “That's my best friend and boyfriend. Did something happen? Are they okay?”
It felt like a rock settled in her stomach at Best Jeanist’s tone and Kirishima’s worried voice. Something had happened. Something had happened to Katsuki and Midoriya. “Please, what happened to him? Ribbit. Nobody else seems to know what happened to him or our other missing friends.”
Best Jeanist sighed. “A battle went down between us and Shigaraki, Dabi, some other members of the League and several high end Nomu. Lord Explosion Murder God Dynamite, Deku, Shouto, and Ingenium were the first ones on the battlefield before I and the other heroes could get there. Both Dynamite and Deku sustained major injuries and have been rushed to surgery, as far as I know their wounds aren't fatal as of when I left the hospital, but they came very close.”
All Tsu could think about was Katsuki. Everything else went out of the window, all she could think about was Katsuki. Plus all those memories of when Katsuki was kidnapped and she told everyone not to go after him were bubbling up in her chest out of nowhere. She just needed to see him. “What hospital are they at? What hospital is my boyfriend at!?”
She decided to pointedly ignore how quiet everyone around her got after she raised her voice, and she had just let it slip about her and Katsuki, but that didn't mean anything to her right now. Her fists were clenched and her lip was already wobbling as she quieted her voice. “Please, just take me to Katsuki.”
She felt Kirishima take her hand and she let him. “Take me too.”
Tsu could see Best Jeanist’s eyes soften, “Come on you two, let's find Eraser and we'll head that way.”
She nodded her head as her and Kirishima followed after him and whispered to herself. “I'm coming to you this time, Katsuki.”
Chapter 8: Can you even smile right now?
Notes:
Stay safe out there my friends. 🧡
Chapter Text
Katsuki woke up with pain in his side, he kept his eyes closed as he tried to will the immediate headache he now had to go away. He kept his eyes closed as he took in his surroundings, he could feel soft sheets and machines beeping so he definitely wasn't still in the field. That's when he remembered the last thing that happened before he passed out. His body had reacted on its own and he shoved Izuku out of the way and tanked the incoming attack from Shigaraki instead.
His first thought was he hoped Tsu was okay, but she had been helping with evacuees so she should be safe. His second thought was Izuku. His last moment with Izuku had been watching him as he fell out of the sky.
Izuku. Fuck..where was Izuku!? That little shit still better be alive.
He had to find him.
Katsuki's eyes finally shot open and he sat up, wincing in pain as he fully took in his surroundings this time. He was in a hospital bed and there was nobody else in his room. There was a bouquet of flowers on the table and a familiar hoodie laying in one of the chairs beside his bed. Tsu had been here, so she was definitely safe.
Now he had to find Izuku.
Katsuki ripped out every wire and IV that he was currently connected to, growling as he slung himself out of bed and marched towards the door.
He made it about four steps when he heard Hanta screaming out for him. “Dude! What the hell are you doing!? You're bleeding! Did you rip out your IV?”
Katsuki growled as he marched on. “Where the fuck is Izuku? That little fucker better be alive.”
He felt Mineta grab his robe. “Bakugou, Izuku is here too. He's still unconscious but he's alive. You're bleeding all over the floor!”
Katsuki tried to shake the little sticky bastard off. “Fuck off! What room is he in? I need to see him. I have to see that he's alive!”
He was trying to fight off Hanta, Mineta, and Sato when he felt something softly wrap around his waist. Katsuki was about to start clawing at whatever it was but that's when he realized what it was.
Tsu had used her quirk and wrapped her tongue around him, and as he turned, he could see her standing there.
She released him and he took a step towards her and that's when she ran to him. He was slightly bleeding from where he had ripped out the IV’s but she didn't seem to mind. She wrapped her arms around him and he felt her slightly shiver. “K..Katsuki..”
Katsuki tilted her head up and kissed her in front of everyone in the hallway.
He loved her. He was in love with her. He'd known for a while, but seeing her standing there staring at him like he was the most important thing she had ever seen, he knew for a fact he was in love with her.
Katsuki separated them for just a moment, as he still hovered close to her lips. “I love you.”
“I love you too. I love you so much, Katsuki.” She kissed him this time before separating them. “Don't ever scare me like that again. Promise me you won't ever do something like that again. I..I can't..”
Katsuki wiped away a tear that had rolled down her face. “You know I can't promise that, just like I know you can't. This is what we chose to do, but I will promise I will always do what I can to come back.”
Tsu seemed to nod in acceptance. “You're right, it is what we do. I just don't want to lose you. Ribbit. Now come on, we have to get you cleaned up.”
Katsuki shook his head. “I have to physically see Izuku first. I have to.”
She nodded, “Okay, Katsuki. Let's go see him and then please let us get you back in bed. You were impaled through your stomach and side just days ago. You shouldn't even be sitting up, let alone walking around.”
That seemed about as good as he was going to get, and he honestly was starting to feel tired and dizzy even though he'd never admit it. Katsuki let her help and guide him so he could see Izuku.
When he got to the room, the door was slightly open and inside was a still unconscious Izuku, and an exhausted looking Eijirou and auntie Inko.
Eijirou was the one that spotted him. “Kat..? Katsuki!”
The big ass red head jumped up and made his way over. “Dude, you've got dried blood all over you. Did you rip out your IV’s? I came by this morning to see you and Tsu and you were still out. You're supposed to be resting. You could have died.”
Katsuki just shrugged. “I had to see him. M..My body moved on its own and the last thing I saw was him still fighting as I fell out of the sky. That little bastard better pull through. We still have a shit ton to still work on.”
Eijirou softly grinned as he put a hand on his shoulder. “He's going to be fine, Katsuki. Just like with you, we're just waiting for him to wake up now. They've already cleared him so don't worry. You need to get back in bed.”
Katsuki let Eijirou hug him, and he hugged him back. “I'm seriously glad you're okay, Katsuki, and I heard what you did for him. Thank you.”
He let his head rest against Eijirou for a moment. “I'm glad you're okay too, shark face. Don't thank me for that shit.”
Now that Katsuki knew Izuku was okay and his adrenaline was wearing off, he could feel himself starting to metaphorically crash. He then let Auntie Inko hug him. “Go back to bed dear, Izuku will be here. I'm glad both of you boys are safe, but you tearing your IV’s out isn't going to help anyone. I'll come see you later. Your mother isn't..”
He really didn't have the energy to argue, he was starting to get really dizzy and his speech was starting to slur. “S’okay a..auntie, I know she's not coming, money is more important. You've a..always been more of a mom to me anyway. S..Sorry I turned into a punk for a while.”
He saw her eyes go a little wide but then she started to tear up. “You've never been a punk, Katsuki. You just got a little lost for a while, but you've always been a good boy. I know that.”
Katsuki shook his head. “No. I was a bastard but I'm g..gonna be better. I promise.”
Tsu grabbed his hand and he let her lead him away and towards his room. He felt like shit but he also felt better after seeing Izuku and knowing he was alive. They still had a lot of years of competing left to do. He had a lot of things to still make right.
He had apologized to auntie, now he just needed to apologize to Izuku.
It wouldn't make up for everything but it was a start.
The nurses were not very happy with Katsuki once he got back to his room, but he was honestly too out of it to care. He was eventually back in bed and all hooked up again, he probably didn't need most of whatever was hooked up to him but he had made a mess so he'd deal with whatever they wanted to stick him with for now.
Tsu had slipped on his hoodie he had given her and was now laying next to him in the hospital bed. He felt like he could sleep for a fucking week and he just wanted Tsu next to him.
He rested his cheek on top of her head as she messed with his hands. “I love you.” Katsuki was only sixteen but at the rate things were going in the world, there's a good chance he might not even see seventeen, so he needed Tsu to know he loved her.
Tsu looked up at him for a moment, a soft smile on her lips but unshed tears in the corner of her eyes. “I love you too, Katsuki.”
He wanted to tell her everything would be all right. He wanted to promise her that nothing would ever happen to either of them, but he couldn't do that, and he knew she knew that as well.
So he did all he could in that moment, he held her and made sure she knew she had him in this moment, and he had her.
The next couple weeks were filled with tension. Izuku eventually woke up but Katsuki could tell something was bothering him, and every time Katsuki tried to talk to him in a one on one moment, Izuku always had an excuse and that just wasn't like him.
It worried Katsuki, and on top of that he had finally learned of everyone that had died that day. Miss Midnight may not have been Katsuki's favorite teacher for his own personal reasons but she was still a good person and she had been brutally killed along with several other heroes. It also turned out that Dabi was a Todoroki. It made him look at Shouto differently, it made him respect the half and half bastard a little more because Katsuki would come to know more about the Todoroki family and it could have easily been Shouto that turned out like Dabi but he had decided to be a hero instead. It also made Katsuki hate Dabi just slightly less and that just pissed him off because also fuck that crispy fucker. Izuku's secret about One For All had also been let out, so a lot had happened and everyone was tense as hell.
The class was all currently on lockdown still, the whole school was only able to go to class and training within campus. Plus most of the surrounding area had been evacuated to stay within Yuuei’s walls. Things had gotten so bad that Katsuki finally broke down and called his parents and argued and screamed until they agreed to come stay at the school. To say him and his parents had a complicated relationship was a very big understatement but he didn't want them to die.
Katsuki was currently pushed into the corner of the couch with Tsu up under his arm, the whole class knew now so he wasn't going to pretend they weren't together. He just blew up anyone that decided they wanted to mess with them.
They were having time together as a class, Katsuki really didn't care but Tsu liked him around when they had these stupid get togethers so he was here for her. So far everyone had left him alone, but he knew it would be short lived. “Bakubroooo.” And there it was.
Katsuki rolled his eyes until they landed on Denki. He was planted on a couch right next to Kyouka who had finally made a move apparently because she was holding Yaoyorozu's hand. About fuckin time. “What do you want, sparky?”
“We've all been taking turns so now it's your turn.” Katsuki scrunched up his face. What the hell was he talking about? Denki apparently could see his confusion because he continued. “We're doing like would you rather questions. Like impossible scenarios but you have to pick one. It's your turn.”
Katsuki rolled his eyes as he felt Tsu shaking with laughter. Oh for fucks sake, better to just get it over with. “Okay, get on with it.”
Denki’s eyes brightened, probably because Katsuki was actually humoring him. “Okay! Okay..hmmm.. if you had to decide between Tsu and Midorya to save, who would it be?”
Katsuki soured. He didn't like that question. It was too real and with everything going on, a very possible outcome, but he wouldn't let it happen. He'd die first. Apparently others thought so as well because Hanta kicked Denki’s leg. “Dude, this is supposed to be lighthearted shit.”
Denki must have realized it too because he did have the decency to look ashamed. “Yeah, that's fair. That's on me, sorry guys.”
Katsuki answered it anyway. “I'm saving them both.”
Denki looked up at him with surprise. “What?”
Katsuki looked directly at him. “I said I'm saving them both. Even if it kills me, I'm saving them both. Nothing's going to stop me from that.”
Mineta was looking at him strangely. “You would really die for someone? Would you give up your quirk?”
Katsuki didn't have to think about it. He just knew. “Don't get me wrong, I'm still a selfish bastard who's going to do everything I can to not get myself killed in that situation, but if it came down to it in that situation I'd give up my quirk and my very last breath for them.”
“You can't just sacrifice yourself like that Kacchan.” It was Izuku and Katsuki looked over at him. Izuku was looking back at him with a look that seemed part anger and part..guilt? “You can't just do that.”
That honestly made Katsuki laugh as he slid out from under Tsu and stood up. “Oh that's absolutely rich coming from Mr. Self Sacrifice himself. You've broken yourself apart for people more than you can even count. Don't tell me what I can and can't fuckin do Izuku.”
Izuku stood up and marched over to him. “You can't just sacrifice yourself for others, especially me. You've got..you've got so much to live for.”
That just ignited a fire deep in Katsuki. One fueled by shame and guilt. “Like you don't? Don't you pull that bullshit with me. You were the one that showed me what it was like for one's body to move on its own. You tried to save me from that nasty fuckin sludge villain years ago and we both almost died. You almost died for me then. You almost died for me and Kota at summer camp. You almost got expelled for me at Kamino. You almost died for Eri with your fight against Mafia mother fucker. You have no room to fucking talk about self sacrifice, you fucking All Might wannabe.”
Izuku went to reply but Katsuki was on a roll and it was a long time coming. “The sports festival with half and half and even that mind fucker, Shinsou. Your fight with that old fucker to save the cultural festival.” Izuku's eyes went wide at that one. Katsuki knew a lot of things other people didn't. “You are always sticking your nose into shit that doesn't have anything to deal with you because you want to save people and help. You're not going to stand her and tell me I can't do the same because you think I'm more important.. because I'm not Izuku. I'm not. I'm not more important than anyone here, and you're not useless or a burden.”
Katsuki let himself bow. “I'm sorry for everything I did to you growing
up. I was a fucking bastard and I'm going to do my best to make it up you, but don't you dare think me saving you had anything to do with that. It was instinct and I know that I would do it over and over again. I would die for you over and over again just like you would do for me.”
Katsuki looked up and Izuku had tears in his eyes, “Kacchan..I.. it's different.. I'm meant to be the one sacrificing. The power I hold..”
Katsuki moved towards him. “I don't give a fuck about One For All. I don't give a fuck about any of that. You're not some sacrificial lamb because you were given a fuckin quirk! You don't have to save the world alone just because you've got this power now. Win to save and save to win, right? Well you can't fucking save anyone or win anything if you're fucking dead!”
Katsuki let Izuku collapse into him, and he just let him cry. “K..Kacchan.. I can't do this alone. I wanted to, I was going to, but I need you. I need all of you, I just don't want anyone to get h..hurt.”
He lightly headbutted Izuku. “Dumb shit, everyone in this room is capable of handling themselves. They're fucking heroes. Don't speak for them. Let us help you. Something big is coming our way, I can feel it and I know you can too. I knew you were cooking up some fuckin dumb idea in your head. Something stupid and dangerous.”
Katsuki eventually helped them both get back to their feet so he could hold out his right hand. “Whatever happens, we do it together. Live, win, die, it doesn't matter. Alright?”
Izuku eyed him for a minute as he wiped his face. The smallest of smiles playing on his lips as he grabbed Katsuki's hand. “We'll do it together, Kacchan. Win to save.”
Katsuki gave his hand a squeeze. “And save to win.”
Chapter 9: Death comes for us all, except him
Notes:
Everyone be safe out there. Stay gay my friends
Chapter Text
Things quickly plunged into chaos once again and the entire class and class B were being prepared to be on the front lines of a war that they really shouldn't be fighting. They were all only sixteen, even Katsuki, he was the oldest but he was still over a month from turning seventeen. This shouldn't have been their war, but it was, and they were needed to help win it.
The whole school was going to be involved in some way so they could protect the civilians and hopefully take down Shigaraki and All For One, but class A, class B, and the big three from the third years would be on the front lines right alongside the pros.
All of them had a role to play, but then things started to already fall apart when they found out the Yuuei traitor was one of their very own. It hurt Tsu to know that one of her very own class members would do this to them, it hurt even more because Katsuki probably wouldn't have been kidnapped if it hadn't been for Ayoyama being under All For One’s thumb. The more she listened though, the more she understood. She still wasn't happy and she knew Katsuki was a little messed up by the news, but she understood to an extent. Survival was survival.
So the plans changed and only a short time later, The League and All For One attacked, but they were all ready.
The plan to separate all of the major hitters for the League to different parts of Japan was a success.
At first.
But that's when she noticed Midoriya get pulled in with their group instead of being with Katsuki and his group. Midorya needed to be with Katsuki and the others, they needed Midoriya to be there to help fight Shigaraki.
Tsu didn't have a lot of time to think between Toga, Nomu, and other villains though. She couldn't be distracted or she'd die.
Things went south fast because it turned out Toga had some of Twice’s blood. The tide changed before any of them were ready, they weren't prepared to deal with Twice’s quirk. They had no plans to deal with clones rapidly multiplying at a rapid pace.
Tsu was cut and slashed and it felt like the gash on her stomach had done damage to her insides, but she kept fighting. She kept fighting for Ochako because she could tell her best friend was having a hard time with Toga. She kept fighting for her friends and family. She kept fighting for Katsuki.
Midorya had left earlier to reach Shigaraki before it was too late but if they couldn't stop Toga, none of it would even matter. Twice’s quirk could end it all for everyone. There wouldn't be anything to stop Toga from multiplying the clones until all of the heroes were dead and Japan was destroyed.
Tsu was eventually taken down and she watched through half lidded eyes as she was being beaten as Ochako's quirk awakened and she took care of Toga the only way that could end it all.
She watched as the clones disappeared and as Ochako and Toga fell gently back to the ground. She watched Toga transfer her own blood to Ochako, and that was the last thing she remembered before passing out.
Coming to wasn't pleasant. She was in more pain than she had ever been in and as she regained consciousness, she realized she was hearing a helicopter. Ochako! Had Ochako survived?
A pro hero she really didn't know helped her sit up and check her wounds to make sure they weren't fatal, and that's when she saw Ochako being loaded onto the helicopter. Tsu croaked, “Is sh..she alive?”
The young hero looked at her, “The girl that was just loaded onto the chopper or the blonde one? The one that just got loaded is critically wounded but they're thinking she'll make it. If you meant the blonde one, I'm sorry but she didn't make it. We covered her body right over..she's gone! Maybe they loaded her body up too.” He had gone to point but he stopped. Toga's body was gone from where it had originally been before Tsu passed out.
She was extremely worried about Ochako, she hoped her friend would make it but she was also worried about everyone else, especially Katsuki. “Has there been any reports from the other teams?”
The hero nodded. “It's done, it's over. We won but there's been a lot of casualties. Dabi was taken down after a great effort. A lot of heroes are still missing in the consuming flames, and the whole Todoroki family was pretty beaten up and I doubt Endeavor will ever walk again. Spinner was eventually talked down before things got to the point of extreme casualties. There was a final showdown between All For One and this crazy explosive blonde kid. Things weren't looking good but all of a sudden that blonde kid came out of nowhere and helped turn the tide in our favor. The kid's arm was absolutely destroyed and he had a baseball sized hole in his chest but he was still crazy powerful. He seemed like a living, flying, screaming explosion. He helped save All Might and finished off the final form of All For One.”
The guy was speaking so quickly but Tsu definitely heard what she heard. An explosive blonde boy, that had to be Katsuki. They had to be talking about Katsuki, right? Plus he had a what in his chest? Before Tsu could ask any questions, the hero in front of her continued on. “Then later that same kid came out of nowhere with a bunch of others to help the kid that has all the green lightning around him, the one that's been in the news, to defeat Shigaraki. The blonde kid and the one with the green lightning passed out next to each other after everything was over though and from what I heard, they haven't moved since. That's the last update I have.”
Katsuki had a what in his chest? That..That couldn't be possible. “D..Did you say that the blonde boy had a hole in his chest? You must be mistaken.” There had to be a mistake. Katsuki and Midorya probably just passed out after they won, that's all.
The young hero shook his head. “No mistake ma'am. From what I've heard, he actually died for several minutes and was somehow brought back to life. There's a massive wound where his heart should be, and an exit wound on his back. The main fight was streamed so the world could see what was going on. The kid with the lightning even lost his arms for a moment but he was given something that seemed to rewind time or something so they came back. There was a lot happening that I still don't fully understand. A kid came back to life and was flying around with a hole in his chest and another lost his arms and then got them back. I’ve seen some crazy quirks but I wouldn't have believed any of it if I hadn't seen it.”
K..Katsuki had died? She needed to see him. She needed to see him now. Right now. “I..I need to see h..him. I have to see him right now.”
The hero looked at her. “Who? Who do you need to see?”
It all felt too surreal. Everything felt wrong. She couldn't lose Katsuki. She just couldn't lose him. “T..The blonde boy. That's my boyfriend. That's my K..Katsuki.”
His whole face crumpled. “Young lady, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry you had to find out this way. Let's see if we can get some updates and get you to him.”
Tsu needed to be strong. She needed to be strong and have faith that Katsuki was going to be okay, but she didn't feel strong at the moment. She didn't know who was alive or if all of her friends were okay. Ochako was still in danger. Midorya and Katsuki could very well be dead.
It was barely over a month ago that she had thought she lost Katsuki the first time and this time she very well may have.
She didn't feel strong. She didn't feel like a hero. She felt like a teenager fighting in a war that shouldn't have been hers to even fight. She felt hopeless and broken and destroyed. She wanted Ochako. She wanted to see her family. She wanted Katsuki.
Tsu felt her lip quiver and her throat tightened. She knows she should feel strong but she just felt so fucking hopeless. She wanted to be held and taken care of but she didn't even know if the one person she wanted most was even alive. She wanted to scream and cry and mourn everything she lost but she knew she didn't have time for that, so she got up and dusted herself off the best she could. People needed her help, they were counting on her so her breakdown would just have to wait. If she could walk, she could still help.
Tsu winced in pain as she stood. “L..Let’s work on evacuating the wounded. I want to help as many people as I can but as soon as I know Katsuki’s location, I'll be leaving to go find him.”
She tried her best to throw everything into helping the wounded get to safety, but Ochako, Midorya, and Katsuki weighed extremely heavily on her mind. It had been about two hours since she had regained consciousness that she finally learned more about someone. She learned that Ochako had survived the surgery but would need to remain at the hospital for at least a week if not longer. She would go see her friend later that evening or tomorrow if she was able to.
Tsu had just helped another wounded civilian to safety when Best Jeanist approached her from seemingly out of nowhere. They didn't even have to speak, she knew by the look in his eyes to follow him. She did and that's when he finally spoke. “We're going to see Katsuki.”
That news should've elated her but his tone wouldn't let her hope. “Ribbit, does that mean he's alive?”
He looked down at her, his eyes were soft but they looked haunted. “He is, but only barely. There's still a chance..there’s still a chance he won't survive the second surgery. I'll explain more on the way, I want you to be prepared for any outcome.”
Tsu couldn't hold her emotions in as Best Jeanist explained everything that happened in The Coffin in the Sky. She broke down and let the pro hero hold her as she cried. Katsuki really had died. He had died and only the combination of Edgeshot sacrificing his own body to repair Katsuki's heart and Katsuki's own quirk jumpstarting his repaired heart brought him back.
Nobody thought it would even work and nobody, not even the doctors knew how he had stayed alive after initially coming back. He was flying around and fighting with an open wound and exposed heart that had just been crudely stitched up. It was a wound that would have killed literally anyone else. Plus there was a very real chance he was going to lose his right arm. Maybe up to the elbow if he was lucky or the entire thing if he wasn't. That's..That's if he made it.
By the sounds of it, the doctors weren't sure if he'd even make it through the surgery with how much blood he had lost during the whole battle.
Tsu had to just keep believing Katsuki would somehow pull through. She had to, because if anyone was going to pull through something like this, it would be Katsuki.
She also just couldn't bear to think of the alternative.
She was only sixteen, in her first year of yuuei, but she loved Katsuki. Tsu loved him. Maybe it was because they had all already come so close to death several times, but the love she had for him felt more intense than love between two people who had only been together for a little less than six months should probably feel.
They made it to the hospital and Tsu followed behind Best Jeanist. They made it to a waiting room where Midorya’s mom, Kirishima, and two people she didn't really know were sitting together. The two people, a man and a woman, she didn't know but it immediately clicked for her. Mixing the spikey hair and broad shoulders of the man with the blonde hair and red eyes of the woman, you would get a perfect picture of Katsuki. Then that's when Tsu got a better look at the woman, she looked exactly like Katsuki. This had to be Katsuki's mother and father.
Mrs. Midorya was crying and she seemed to start up again when she saw Tsu and with everything going on, it made Tsu start tearing up again too. Mrs. Midorya got up and came over to hug her. Tsu had only met her a couple times now, but that didn't stop her from burying her face into the older woman's shoulder.
Tsu's body shook from trying to contain her sobs and Mrs. Midorya gently shushed her. “It's going to be alright dear. T..They're both strong boys, the absolute strongest, they're going to make it. Izuku and Katsuki will be just f..fine. Katsuki's going to be o..okay.”
“Quit crying over them boys Inko. They're..They're going to be just fine.” The voice was shaky and it cracked in the middle. Katsuki’s mom seemed to be hiding her true feelings. That shaky voice told Tsu the truth though.
Katsuki had told her he had gotten his parents to agree to come stay at the school but as far as she knew, he never went to see them. He never even talked about them again after that.
Mrs. Midorya continued to cry and cling to Tsu. “Mitsuki, this is serious. Don't try to tell me how to feel right now.”
Tsu looked up just enough to see the anger flare in Mrs. Bakugou's eyes. Very familiar anger, but also anger she hadn't seen in a very long time now. “I know it's fuckin serious! Let's not sugarcoat it anymore. My brat is probably going to die! T..They probably had to amputate his entire arm and he's being put under again just to try to close the hole in his c..chest. My Katsuki.. My son is probably going to fucking die and the last thing I said to him was to fuck off and quit screaming like a baby just because he wanted us to be safe at the school. Those will be my last words to my son.. Not I love you or to be safe, but to fuck off and quit crying.”
Tsu had a lot of things she wanted to say to Mrs. Bakugou. She had been planning them for months. She was so mad on Katsuki's behalf from everything he had told her, even if he would then turn around and say he deserved most of the things that happened to him. Tsu had so much anger and resentment built up, but now she clearly sees why Katsuki used to be the way he was, and it made her wonder if his mom was also just a product of her own childhood. None of it excused either of their actions, but it made Tsu think.
The woman in front of her now looked broken and destroyed and she had seen that look on Katsuki's face too many times. Tsu let herself detach from Mrs. Midorya and walked over to Mrs. Bakugou and hugged her. “I..I believe Katsuki will make it. He has to.”
Tsu felt reluctant arms wrap around her. “W..Who the hell even are you? Are you close to my son? If you are, you should know our family doesn’t believe in fairytales.”
Tsu made herself stable enough to get out the words without sobbing. “I'm..I'm Tsuyu Asui, and I'm in Katsuki’s class. I'm also his friend and his girlfriend, ribbit. I..I love him and I believe Katsuki will make it through. Him and Midorya both.”
She could hear a wet gasp and felt something drop against her shoulder. That's when she felt a hand gently cradle the back of her head and the woman above her wailed.
It was a sound so filled with pain and regret and agony.
It was also a noise that would haunt Tsu for a very long time to come.
It seemed to be the sound of a mother realizing what had fully become of her and her son and what she had done to play a hand in all of it.
It seemed to be the sound of someone regretting years and years of choices all at once.
Tsu knew because she had heard the same sound from Katsuki many times, sometimes even in his sleep.
They were all surprised by a doctor coming out to let them know Midorya had just woken up. His body seemed to have just shut down at the end of the final battle from everything he had been put through and having his body rewound again, but he seemed to wake up lucid enough and they would be able to see him after some more tests were run.
Apparently none of the doctors told him about Katsuki when he had asked though.
It still seemed to lighten a bit of the tension but with no word on Katsuki, a very heavy weight still hung in the air.
It ended up being another six hours until there was any word on Katsuki. In that time, everyone else in their class was accounted for and Tsu was told Ochako had survived her surgery. Tsu was even told that Ochako was being taken care of by a very sweet nurse, and Tsu had a feeling deep down in her gut of who that nurse truly was, but she also had the feeling that Ochako wasn't in any danger. Not after what had happened. Even still, Tsu told Yaoyorozu to keep an eye on Ochako and the nurse just in case.
That's when a doctor finally arrived with news on Katsuki. They had gathered around as the doctor removed her cap and mask. “Katsuki has pulled through.” Tsu felt like she could collapse as she held on to Kirishima's hand. Her Katsuki was going to live. Then the doctor continued. “We did have to amputate his entire right arm because there was just no saving it. It was some of the most severe damage to a still intact limb I've ever seen. Plus there's a fifty fifty shot he may not fully regain his sight in his right eye. The gash through his cheek went up into some of the nerves in his eye. Also, he will have to take it somewhat easy for the rest of his life. With what Edgeshot was able to do and with what we could repair, his heart is functioning but there will always be a chance severe stress can undo all the work we did. He could have a heart attack and with anymore trauma to his heart, there's a good chance he won't make it next time. We had to do a lot of delicate skin manipulation with one of our surgeon's quirks so the skin over both sides of his heart will also be very tender and easily torn for the rest of his life.”
Tsu felt like vomiting. Knowing he was alive was the best news she had ever received but then to hear everything else made her want to fall apart again. She had to breathe and remind herself that at least he was at least alive.
Katsuki was alive.
LuciLucinha13 on Chapter 1 Mon 21 Jul 2025 07:43PM UTC
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TsukiTsundere on Chapter 1 Mon 21 Jul 2025 09:27PM UTC
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paparulai (Guest) on Chapter 1 Wed 23 Jul 2025 11:43AM UTC
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TsukiTsundere on Chapter 1 Wed 23 Jul 2025 12:26PM UTC
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TsukiTsundere on Chapter 1 Wed 23 Jul 2025 12:27PM UTC
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Evaadaniel (Guest) on Chapter 1 Sun 24 Aug 2025 12:22AM UTC
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Liana (Guest) on Chapter 1 Thu 28 Aug 2025 10:02PM UTC
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Will6001 on Chapter 5 Tue 12 Aug 2025 08:05PM UTC
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Will6001 on Chapter 5 Wed 13 Aug 2025 03:30AM UTC
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TsukiTsundere on Chapter 5 Thu 14 Aug 2025 08:19PM UTC
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PunkLemonade on Chapter 5 Fri 15 Aug 2025 03:38AM UTC
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PunkLemonade on Chapter 6 Mon 18 Aug 2025 12:37AM UTC
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PunkLemonade on Chapter 6 Mon 18 Aug 2025 12:57PM UTC
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TsukiTsundere on Chapter 6 Tue 19 Aug 2025 11:21PM UTC
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PunkLemonade on Chapter 6 Wed 20 Aug 2025 03:54AM UTC
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PunkLemonade on Chapter 7 Sun 31 Aug 2025 03:16AM UTC
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PunkLemonade on Chapter 7 Thu 04 Sep 2025 10:38AM UTC
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PunkLemonade on Chapter 8 Sun 31 Aug 2025 03:24AM UTC
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PunkLemonade on Chapter 8 Thu 04 Sep 2025 10:37AM UTC
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