Chapter Text
Fic art by me — Katsuki is an incredible cook!
Especially when it comes to Izuku 🥣🍵🤭
Chapter 1 starts below!
✦ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ✦
"Hey dude, we know you totally have a crush on Bakugou."
Izuku nearly choked on his morning coffee, whipping around to find himself surrounded by the entire Bakusquad in the common room with their pajamas on. They'd formed what could only be described as a secret semicircle of mischief around him, all wearing matching grins that spelled trouble.
Izuku had woken up around 4 AM to grab breakfast early so he could get a head start on studying for the exams next week and maximize his training in the evenings. No one should have even been awake at this time, much less in the common room.
"WHAT?!" Izuku's voice cracked. "I don't—that's not—where did you even—"
"Oh, come on," Mina interrupted with a dramatic eye roll. "Don't deny it. We've seen you two making googly eyes at each other during training. The tension is so thick, we could cut it with Kirishima's hair gel."
"Hey!" Kirishima protested. "My hair gel is perfectly reasonable!"
"Not the point, bro," Sero laughed, then turned back to Izuku with a knowing smirk. "Seriously though, Midoriya, you're not exactly subtle. Remember a few weeks ago when Bakugou complimented your new move, and you just stood there gaping like a fish for a solid thirty seconds?"
"That was—I was just surprised!" Izuku stammered, his face turning an impressive shade of red. "Kacchan doesn't usually—I mean, it's not like—"
"Dude," Kaminari said gently, "you literally have heart eyes. Like, actual cartoon heart eyes whenever he looks at you." He curled the tips of his index fingers against the tips of his thumbs, creating two circles to see through, and started jutting them out of his eyes in the most absurd manner while Sero and Kirishima cackled.
Izuku buried his face in his hands. "This is not happening."
"But wait, there's more!" Mina announced like she was hosting a game show. "Tell us, Midoriya, how's that cough been treating you lately?"
The subject change was so abrupt that Izuku blinked in confusion. "My... cough? I mean, it's been kind of persistent lately, but it's not that bad. I can still make it through classes—"
"Nope!" Jirou cut him off with the authority of someone who was clearly concerned for her classmate (and totally didn't have any underlying motives just like the rest of them). "You've had a small fever on top of that cough. You're taking the day off."
"I'm sorry, what?"
"You heard her," Kirishima said cheerfully. "Sick day. Doctor's orders. Well, our orders, but we're very convincing."
"Guys, I appreciate the concern, but I'm really fine—"
"And," Mina continued as if he hadn't spoken at all, "we have the perfect person to take care of you all day long."
Izuku's eyes went wide with growing horror. "No. No... you can't be serious."
"Oh, we're dead serious, Midoriya," Sero grinned. "Especially after what happened last week."
The mood shifted slightly as they all remembered Katsuki's uncharacteristic vulnerability when he'd actually told them about Izuku's training accident—how Izuku had frozen up mid-Blackwhip when facing him, eyes going distant and panicked as he recalled Katsuki intercepting Shigaraki's rivet stab.
The red and black tendrils had pierced right through Katsuki's body, puncturing multiple organs, when he jumped in front of Izuku in his attempt to keep him safe. Katsuki had told them about how Izuku had started hyperventilating right there on the training grounds when facing off against him. He nearly had a panic attack before Katsuki attempted to reassure him in his own harsh but caring way.
"The fact that he even told us about it..." Mina said quietly. "Bakugou doesn't talk about that kind of stuff or his feelings. Ever."
"He was genuinely scared," Kirishima added, his voice soft with concern. "You could see it in his face when he was explaining what happened."
"And he's been hovering ever since," Jirou observed. "Did you see him during lunch yesterday? How he kept checking to make sure Midoriya was eating properly."
"And Midoriya's been doing the same thing," Kaminari added. "Watching Bakugou like he's expecting him to collapse or something."
Izuku's eyes shifted between all of them, while they continued talking about him as if he weren't standing right there.
"They're both walking around like wounded animals," Sero sighed. "It's painful to watch."
"Which is exactly why," he continued with renewed determination, "Operation Get Bakugou To Admit His Feelings is a go!"
"That's not even a good operation name!" Izuku protested desperately.
"We workshopped it," Kaminari said proudly. "Kirishima wanted to call it 'Operation Explosion of Love,' but we voted him down."
"It was a good name," Kirishima muttered.
"Guys, please, you can't just do this. I won't—this is crazy!" Izuku was practically twitching with panic now. "I'm not going to fake being sicker than I already am just so you can play matchmaker!"
The Bakusquad exchanged looks that made Izuku's blood run cold.
"Well," Mina said sweetly, "I guess we'll just have to tell Bakugou about how you've been sneaking into his room at night to check in on him and watch him sleep."
"WHAT?!" Izuku's voice hit a pitch that probably broke several windows. "I have never—I would never—that's completely insane!"
"Is it, though?" Jirou asked with fake innocence. "I mean, we have five witnesses who say otherwise."
"But I haven't!" Izuku looked frantically between them. "You all know I haven't! That's completely made up!"
"Yeah," Kaminari shrugged, "but he doesn't know that."
"Plus, I'd say this photo looks incriminating enough." Mina pulled out her phone to reveal a photoshopped picture of Izuku standing outside Katsuki's bedroom. He was peeking through the crack in the door with one foot crossing the threshold into his room. The hallway was dimly lit, suggesting nighttime.
Izuku's mouth gaped wide open at the photo as his eyebrows shot up above his hairline. "Oh, come on, guys! This is clearly fake," Izuku said, but even he had to admit... to the untrained eye, it looked realistic. Way too realistic. If he obviously didn't know any better, he might actually believe the photo was legitimate.
"Well, as Jirou mentioned, it's five mouths against one," Sero smiled deviously. "Pretty convincing testimony if you ask me."
Izuku stared at them in complete betrayal. "You guys are evil. Pure evil."
"Hmm, it's more like, 'creatively invested in yours and Bakugou's happiness,'" Mina corrected. "So what's it gonna be, Midoriya? One day of mild deception in service of true love—"
"Wait, true love?!" Izuku's heart skipped a beat.
"—or we tell Bakugou you've been creeping on his sleep schedule?" Mina continued.
Izuku sighed and slumped in defeat. "What exactly would I have to do?"
"Nothing too crazy," Kirishima assured him, though his grin suggested otherwise. "Just, you know, be sick. Let him take care of you. Maybe lean into it a little."
"We've already made a group chat," Mina said, pulling out her phone. "The six of us. You just need to send updates whenever Bakugou does something cute or caring."
"Updates?" Izuku squeaked.
"Think of it as intelligence gathering," Sero said seriously. "We need evidence of his feelings to stage our next intervention."
Izuku looked around at their expectant faces and realized he was completely, utterly doomed. "You guys are ridiculous."
"We love you too, Midoriya!" Kaminari said cheerfully, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "Now go cough dramatically and lie back down. We'll let Aizawa know you're too sick for class and handle the rest."
As they dispersed, Izuku caught Mina's sleeve. "This is really just about helping me and Kacchan, right? You're not just doing this for your own entertainment?"
Mina's grin was absolutely diabolical. "Why can't it be both?"
And that was how Izuku found himself twenty minutes later, sitting in his room and wondering how his life had become a shoujo manga orchestrated by his most chaotic classmates.
His phone buzzed with a message from their new group chat: "Operation Explosion of Love (The Better Name)."
Mina: Remember, we want DETAILS. Every single caring gesture. No matter how small.
Kaminari: And don't forget to really sell the whole sick thing! You're fragile! Delicate! In need of care!
Jirou: But not too much, or he'll take you to Recovery Girl.
Sero: Just be yourself. Your sick, hopelessly in love, self.
Izuku: Don't you think "in love" is a little too soon?
Kirishima: You've got this, bro! We're rooting for you!
Izuku stared at his phone in despair. He was definitely going to die of embarrassment before this day was over.
But then again, the thought of Katsuki taking care of him all day wasn't entirely the worst idea in the world...
✦ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ✦
The Bakusquad struck at dawn.
Well, technically, they struck at 6:45 AM when they cornered Aizawa in the hallway before homeroom, but "dawn" sounded more dramatic for their purposes.
"Sensei," Mina said with the kind of innocent smile that usually preceded trouble, "we need to report that Midoriya is feeling really unwell this morning."
Aizawa's tired eyes narrowed suspiciously. "And you know this how?"
"We heard him coughing all night," Jirou lied smoothly (well, half-lied anyway, considering Izuku had definitely been coughing). "It sounded really bad."
"Practically hacking up a lung," Sero added helpfully.
"Very concerning," Kirishima nodded with exaggerated worry. "Super unmanly to push through illness and risk getting the whole class sick."
Aizawa looked like he was already regretting his life choices, and it wasn't even 7 AM yet. "Fine. I'll check on him after—"
"Actually," Kaminari interrupted, "we think Bakugou should handle it."
The hallway went dead silent.
"Excuse me?" Aizawa asked slowly.
"Well, he has the highest practical scores in the class," Mina said matter-of-factly. "Best reflexes, most reliable in emergency situations, excellent crisis management skills..."
"And," Jirou added, "he's the only one Midoriya actually listens to when he's being stubborn about taking care of himself."
Aizawa stared at them for a long moment. They stared back with identical expressions of helpful concern.
"You five are up to something," he said flatly.
"Us? Never," they chorused in perfect unison, which was probably the most suspicious thing they could have done.
But Aizawa was too tired and too caffeinated to care about teenage schemes at this hour. "Fine. Bakugou can babysit the problem child. Try not to burn the dorm down, and don't make me regret agreeing to this."
The moment he disappeared around the corner, the Bakusquad erupted into barely contained celebration.
"Phase one, complete!" Mina whisper-shouted.
"Now for phase two," Kaminari grinned, pulling out his phone.
Meanwhile, Katsuki was having what could charitably be called a damn morning when Kirishima intercepted him at the classroom door.
"Hey bro! Good news!"
"It's barely seven in the fucking morning, Kirishima. There is no good news."
"Aizawa wants you to take care of Midoriya today! He's sick!"
Katsuki stopped dead in his tracks. "He's what?"
"Sick! Like, really sick. Coughing all night, probably feverish, definitely needs someone to—"
"Why me?!" Katsuki exploded, though there was something frantic in his voice that wasn't from his irritation. "Why not Four-Eyes or IcyHot or Round Face or literally anyone else?!"
"Because," Mina appeared at Kirishima's shoulder like a grinning pink demon, "you have the best practical scores in the class. Aizawa's orders."
"Incredible emergency response time with those killer reflexes," Sero spoke, appearing on the other side.
"Most reliable in crisis situations," Jirou contributed.
They all echoed slightly different variations from what Mina mentioned to Aizawa earlier before Kaminari chimed in at the last minute with his own creative response.
"Plus that natural core temp, for body heat regulation," Kaminari finished teasingly with a completely straight face.
Katsuki looked around at their expectant faces and realized he'd been played. "You scheming little shits—"
"Now, now, no need for that, Bakugou," Mina tsked. "We're just concerned about our classmate's well-being."
"Go," Kirishima gave him a gentle push toward the dorms. "He probably hasn't eaten anything. You know how he gets when he doesn't feel good."
And because Katsuki did know—knew that Izuku would try to push through classes while half-dead, knew he'd forget to eat, knew he'd probably make himself worse out of sheer stubborn determination—he found himself stalking toward the dorms while muttering increasingly creative threats about what he'd do to those dumbass extras later.
Back in his room, Izuku was having his own crisis as his phone exploded with notifications.
Mina: IT WORKED!!!
Kirishima: He's on his way! Look sick!
Kaminari: But not TOO sick. Wouldn't want him to panic!
Sero: Just sick enough to need care and attention
Jirou: You've got like 3 minutes, get in position
Izuku: GET IN POSITION?! This isn't a combat operation!
Sero: Everything is a combat operation if you plan it right
Kaminari: INCOMING! He's taking the stairs two at a time!
Kirishima: He looks concerned and angry. Perfect emotional state!
Mina: You've got this! Act natural!
Izuku: HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO ACT NATURAL WHEN YOU'VE TURNED MY LIFE INTO A HORRIBLY IMPROVISED ROMANTIC COMEDY?!
Jirou: By being your usual disaster self, just horizontally
Izuku barely had time to throw himself back under his covers and attempt to look appropriately miserable before his door burst open.
"Kacchan?" Izuku's voice was rough and smaller than usual—partly from his actual cold, partly from sheer panic. "What are you doing here?"
"Those idiots said you were dying, and Aizawa's forcing me of all people to fucking babysit you," Katsuki replied, though he was already moving toward the bed with obvious concern. "Are you actually sick, or is this some kind of stupid—" He pressed the back of his hand against Izuku's forehead and immediately went rigid. "Damn, Deku. You're burning up."
Izuku's face went redder, which Katsuki immediately misinterpreted as fever-related. "I'm fine," Izuku protested weakly, then immediately contradicted himself by dissolving into a coughing fit that was only partially for show.
"Right. 'Fine.' Sure." Katsuki was already rolling up his sleeves, his expression morphing into something focused and determined. "When's the last time you ate something?"
"Um... yesterday? Maybe?"
"Yesterday, MAYBE?!" Katsuki's explosion was slightly muted by genuine worry, but still made Izuku jump. "No wonder you feel like crap, idiot! Stay put. I'm making you something."
The moment Katsuki disappeared down the hallway, Izuku grabbed his phone.
Izuku: He's making me food. MAKING me food. Like, actually cooking.
Mina: Told you guys he'd go full-on domestic!
Sero: What kind of food?
Izuku: I don't know. He just stormed off muttering about "useless nerds" and "proper nutrition"
Kirishima: Sounds like him. That's his love language
Kaminari: Fifty bucks says it's something totally upscale!
Jirou: No bet. That's definitely happening
Twenty-three minutes later, Katsuki returned with a tray that looked like it had been prepared by a five-star restaurant. On the tray was katsudon that smelled like heaven, a medley of savory steamed vegetables, herbal tea that looked healing, and what was definitely freshly-squeezed sweetened acidic orange juice.
"You made all of this? You made me katsudon? For breakfast?" he asked in wonder, struggling to sit up properly.
"Don't get weird about it, nerd," Katsuki muttered, but his cheeks were a soft pink as he arranged the tray elaborately. "You need proper food, not whatever garbage you usually eat when you're sick."
The katsudon was a work of art. The panko breadcrumbs surrounding the tonkatsu were extra crispy. The pork cutlet was perfectly seasoned, juicy, and tender on the inside. The egg was creamy, delicate, and had a custard-like consistency after being submerged in the sweet and savory tare. The rice was fluffed just enough to have a pillowy-soft texture. To top it all off were sauteed thinly-sliced sweetened onions, fragrant mitsuba, and a few shavings of nori.
Izuku took a bite and practically melted.
"Wow! This is amazing, Kacchan," he said excitedly, and something in his expression made Katsuki look away quickly.
"Whatever you say, nerd. Just eat it."
Izuku's phone buzzed frantically against his thigh as he continued eating, and he had to resist the temptation to check it immediately. Katsuki had settled into the desk chair across from the bed, arms crossed and trying to look annoyed, but Izuku could see the way his eyes kept tracking every bite.
"You don't have to watch me eat," Izuku said between spoonfuls of the divine katsudon. "It's my favorite, and you took out the time to make it for me. That means a lot, Kacchan. I promise I'm not going to waste it."
"You just so happen to have a track record of being a dumbass about taking care of yourself, Deku," Katsuki grumbled. "Someone's gotta make sure you actually finish it."
The concern wrapped in irritation was so fundamentally Kacchan that Izuku felt his chest go warm and fluttery. He snuck a glance at his phone while reaching for the orange juice.
Kaminari: UPDATE REQUIRED. TIME NOW.
Mina: Did he actually cook for you or just heat up leftovers? Not saying there's anything wrong with leftovers, but a girl needs all the deets!
Sero: The people demand details
Jirou: How elaborate are we talking here?
Kirishima: Is our Bakubro being all considerate and caring for once???
Izuku spluttered on his orange juice. Katsuki was immediately leaning forward, hand halfway extended like he was about to pat Izuku's back.
"You good?"
"Fine, just—went down the wrong pipe," Izuku managed, then typed quickly under the blanket as Katsuki leaned back in his chair, checking his own phone for morning updates.
Izuku: He made katsudon from SCRATCH. At 7 AM. The flavors are out of this world!
Mina: HANG ON, HE MADE YOU THAT FOR BREAKFAST?!
Izuku: It's almost as tasty as the katsudon my mom makes! Dare I say... (forgive me mom) better?
Kaminari: Bro made you a whole ass romantic breakfast!
Sero: That's like... three hours of cooking minimum
Jirou: He was probably up before we were
Izuku: It only took him like 20 minutes, which is seriously impressive! Oh, and did I mention he brewed tea that is somehow sweetened to perfection and steamed vegetables as a side that are surprisingly very tasty, and he also made orange juice with actual oranges that I'm very sure he squeezed himself?!
Mina: Fresh OJ?! Not the store-bought stuff in the fridge downstairs? HELLO???
Sero: LET'S GOOOOO!
Kaminari: Dudeeee bring me some. (Please?)
Kirishima: That's true love right there
Izuku's face went progressively redder as he read, which Katsuki noticed immediately when he looked up.
"Your fever getting worse?" He was standing now, moving closer to the bed with that same focused expression from earlier.
"No, I'm—" Izuku's voice cracked as Katsuki pressed his palm against his forehead this time instead of the back of his hand. The touch was soft, and Izuku unconsciously leaned into it, his eyelids fluttering briefly as he relaxed into Katsuki's palm.
"Still kinda warm," Katsuki muttered, and his hand lingered for just a moment longer than necessary. "Finish eating, then you're lying back down."
"I don't need to—"
"Don't even start with that 'I'm fine' bullshit," Katsuki cut him off sharply. "You look like death warmed over, and that cough sounds like you've been chain-smoking for forty years."
Suddenly, another coughing fit seized Izuku, rattling deep in his chest and making his whole frame curl forward instinctively. His shoulders shook against the blankets as he struggled to catch his breath between the harsh, hacking sounds.
Katsuki was moving before Izuku could even catch his breath. One of Katsuki's hands came down firm but steady against Izuku's shoulder, while his other hand reached for the water glass Izuku was unsuccessfully grasping for. The same glass that he had been ignoring on his nightstand all morning.
"I've got it—" Izuku wheezed between coughs, waving weakly at the water glass, but Katsuki's grip only tightened on his shoulder.
"Hold still, Deku." His hand slid from Izuku's shoulder to his back, palm spread wide between his shoulder blades, bracing him as another harsh cough wracked his frame. Katsuki kept his callused fingers gripped tight around the glass, refusing to let go.
The warmth of Katsuki's hand seeped through the thin fabric of Izuku's sleep shirt, and somehow, that simple touch made everything feel both better and infinitely worse. Better because the solid presence grounded him, giving him something to focus on aside from the burning in his chest. Worse because it sent sparks racing along his spine that were entirely separate from his fever.
"Here." Katsuki's other hand brought the water glass closer. Instead of just handing it over like Izuku expected, he kept his grip on it, angling the glass toward Izuku's mouth. "Slow sips. Just take it easy. You choke on this, and I'm dragging your stubborn ass to Recovery Girl."
Izuku blinked through watery eyes, his chest still aching from the coughing fit and his throat burning.
"Kacchan, I can hold it myself—"
"The hell you can," Katsuki snapped, even as he slid his chair closer to the bed and stabilized the glass with movements that were far gentler than his words suggested. "Last thing I need is your clumsy ass spilling water all over yourself and drowning in bed."
"I don't think that's technically possible," Izuku managed to rasp out, the ghost of a laugh threading through his voice despite everything.
"You talk too damn much. Just shut up and drink," Katsuki muttered, though his breathing had grown uneven by just a fraction from the way Izuku was looking at him. He tilted the glass back toward Izuku's mouth almost aggressively, as if he could weaponize the distraction. "Drink before I have to make you."
Reluctantly, Izuku leaned forward. The rim of the glass touched his lips, chilly and soothing against his heated skin. He parted them and took a careful sip, and Katsuki tilted the glass with movements that were slower and more measured than Izuku had expected.
Every adjustment meant Katsuki had to lean in closer, too, until their shoulders were nearly brushing, even though there was plenty of room if Katsuki had just sat further back.
Izuku became hyperaware of everything—the way Katsuki's hand felt against his back, the way his fingers wrapped around the glass just inches from Izuku's mouth, the way Katsuki's eyes tracked every movement like he was monitoring for the smallest hint of distress.
Izuku's eyes fluttered half-shut as the cool water slid down his throat, soothing the raw ache. It shouldn't have felt intimate. In theory, it was just water and Katsuki being unreasonably bossy and unwilling to admit he was worried.
However, each time the glass shifted position, Katsuki's knuckles brushed faintly against Izuku's jaw, and the soft contact sent a strange heat racing through his fever-fogged head.
When Izuku finally pulled back to breathe, his lips dragged along the rim of the glass just barely. The movement brought his lips into the lightest contact with the spot where Katsuki's index finger hooked around the glass. Katsuki went completely still beside him.
The hand on Izuku's back pressed just a little firmer, and when Izuku glanced up through his lashes, he caught those sharp crimson eyes flickering down to his mouth for just a heartbeat. It was barely a glance, quick enough that anyone else might have missed it, but long enough for Izuku to catch it and feel his body suddenly jolt awake with awareness.
"Better, nerd?" Katsuki asked, but his voice came out rougher than before, and he didn't immediately pull the glass away.
Izuku nodded, not trusting himself to speak, because Katsuki was still so close, still watching him with that intense focus that made Izuku feel like he was the only thing in the world worth paying attention to. The water had soothed his throat, but now he felt breathless for entirely different reasons.
"Good," Katsuki said, finally pulling back, but not before his thumb brushed across Izuku's lower lip. It was in an attempt to catch a drop of water, but the touch lingered just a beat too long to be completely practical. "Try not to die on me while I'm responsible for you, idiot. Got it?"
"I—" Izuku's voice came out as barely a whisper, and he had to clear his throat before trying again and looking Katsuki dead set in the eyes. "I wouldn't dare."
Something soft flashed across Katsuki's expression in surprise at that, but then he was grumbling again, setting the water glass on the nightstand with more force than necessary.
"Don't make that face," Katsuki barked, his voice back to its usual explosive volume.
"What face?" Izuku asked carefully, blinking up at him with wide, genuinely confused eyes.
"Like you think this is funny or something." Izuku couldn't help but notice the way his ears had turned the faintest shade of pink. "Next time, just don't let yourself get so damn dehydrated in the first place, idiot."
Izuku let out a tiny breath that might have been a laugh, though he quickly buried it in his blanket before Katsuki could call him out on it.
"Helpless nerd," Katsuki muttered. "Can't even drink water without supervision."
"I can too—"
"Right, that's why you were about to fall off the damn bed reaching for the glass," Katsuki shot back. His hands were already repositioning the pillows behind Izuku for optimal comfort. "Lay back down before you hurt yourself."
Izuku wanted to argue or at least insist he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, but the truth was that he felt shaky in the aftermath of that coughing fit. And maybe—just maybe—he didn't completely hate the idea of Katsuki fussing over him like this, even if it came wrapped in insults and complaints.
As he settled back against the pillows, Izuku felt his phone buzz insistently against his hip. He managed to fish it out while Katsuki was busy adjusting his blankets and the clutter on his desk.
Mina: Status report! We haven't heard from you in like twenty minutes!
Jirou: Is Bakugou being too worried for you to multitask?
Sero: Please tell us he's not just sitting there glaring at you intimidatingly
Kirishima: Although even intimidating concern is progress for our boy
Kaminari: Did you die? Oh no... he didn't kill you already, did he?!
Izuku glanced up to find Katsuki pulling the desk chair closer to the bed, settling into it with the clear intention of keeping watch. The morning light from the window caught in his hair, turning the ash blond strands almost golden. There was something about the set of his shoulders that was protective and determined, like he was prepared to fight off Izuku's illness through sheer force of will. It made Izuku's heart sing with affection.
Izuku: He just helped me drink water. Like, actually guided the glass to my lips and everything. His hand was on my back the whole time.
Mina: I'M SORRY HE DID WHAT
Jirou: Wow, so he's not completely heartless after all
Kaminari: I'd be an actual puddle if that ever happened to me
Izuku: Also, he wiped water off my lip with his thumb. I think my lungs may have temporarily collapsed.
Sero: BRO
Kirishima: THAT'S SO MANLY
Mina: I'm literally vibrating with secondhand emotions right now!
Izuku: And now he's just sitting there watching me like I might disappear if he looks away for five seconds. It's...
Izuku paused, trying to find words for the way Katsuki's attention felt warm and reassuring and utterly overwhelming all at once.
Izuku: It's a lot.
Kaminari: Likeeee good a lot or bad a lot?
Izuku: Good a lot. Definitely good a lot. Maybe a little too good.
Mina: There's no such thing as too good when it comes to loveee, Midoriya
Sero: Especially when it's this painfully obvious
Jirou: Painfully obvious is an understatement
Kirishima: The understatement of the century
"Who the hell are you texting while I'm sitting right here? Round Face or something?" Katsuki asked, his expression immediately transforming into suspicion. Izuku jumped slightly, clutching his phone to his chest.
"Wait, Uraraka? No! It's—uh... no one! Just checking the class group chat. You know, making sure I didn't miss any announcements about the exam schedule for next week." The lie came out smooth enough, but Katsuki's eyes narrowed skeptically.
"Uh-huh. And that's why you're grinning like an idiot at your phone."
Izuku's face immediately went red. "Nuh-uh! I'm not grinning, Kacchan!"
"You're definitely grinning, Deku. I'm not blind, you moron." Katsuki leaned forward in his chair, arms folded across his knees as he studied Izuku's face closely. "It's that stupid smile you get when Round Face or one of those other extras says something that makes you all flustered."
"I don't have a stupid smile," Izuku replied weakly. He blinked in confusion, but something mischievous sparked in his chest at the way Katsuki's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "And flustered? From Uraraka? I don't know what you're talking about, Kacchan."
"Don't play dumb," Katsuki grumbled, but there was a noticeable edge to his voice. And assuming Izuku wasn't imagining things (which he definitely wasn't), it almost sounded like Katsuki was jealous. "You get all dopey and starry-eyed whenever she texts you about whatever girly shit you two bond over."
Izuku tilted his head, studying Katsuki's face with growing fascination. He was trying to look annoyed and dismissive, but there was something else there that looked an awful lot like he was bothered by the idea of Izuku smiling at messages from Uraraka.
"And what makes you think I get all 'dopey and starry-eyed' from texting Uraraka, Kacchan?" Izuku asked innocently, though his lips were definitely twitching with suppressed amusement now.
Katsuki obviously wasn't peeking over his phone during the week to see the text exchanges between him and Uraraka, not that there would have been much to see anyway. Uraraka was merely a friend to him.
So... if Katsuki were drawing these conclusions and misinterpreting their interactions in the first place, then that could only mean—
"Kacchan," Izuku said slowly, drawing out his childhood nickname with deliberate emphasis, "have you been watching me with Uraraka?"
"Tch. Like I have time to watch you flirt with Gravity Girl," Katsuki scoffed, but a blush was definitely taking over his face now. "It's just obvious, okay? You get this stupid soft look, and you start typing all careful and shit, like you're answering damn fan mail or something."
The jealousy was so transparent that Izuku couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. It was supposedly the very same expression that had started this whole conversation in the first place. And because he was sick and feeling just reckless enough to push his luck, he decided to lean into it.
"Awe, Kacchan," he said sweetly, "are you jealous?"
"WHAT?!" Katsuki's explosion was immediate and spectacular, but notably lacking in actual anger. "Jealous?! Of what? That you and Round Face giggle all annoyingly between classes or won't stop yapping at meals instead of actually eating like the rest of us? Or the way she got all sappy and sentimental over you after I had to practically drag your ass back to UA? Makes me wanna pull every damn strand of hair out of my head. That's what I'll do."
Izuku finally laughed loud and bright without holding back, which only seemed to make Katsuki more agitated. "Uraraka and I are only friends, Kacchan. In the same way Todoroki and Iida are to me. And she's not texting me right now anyway."
"Then who—" Katsuki stopped mid-sentence, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Wait. If it's not Round Face, then who the hell has you grinning like that?"
Izuku's grin widened. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
For a moment, Katsuki looked like he might actually combust from sheer frustration. His hands clenched into fists on his knees, and Izuku could practically see the internal war playing out across his features—wanting to demand answers but not wanting to admit how much it bothered him.
"Tch. Not like I care," Katsuki said finally, but it came out strained. "Text whoever you want. It's not my business, anyway."
"Right," Izuku nodded sagely. "You definitely don't care. That's why you immediately assumed it was Uraraka and got all flustered about it."
"I did NOT get flustered, idiot!"
"You're getting flustered right now."
"I'M NOT—" Katsuki cut himself off, apparently realizing that shouting wasn't exactly helping his case. He took a deep breath and tried again, his voice carefully controlled. "I am not flustered or whatever you want to call it, Deku. I'm concerned about your fever making you fucking delusional, which it clearly is if you're testing my damn patience right now."
"My fever," Izuku repeated, still grinning. "Right."
"Yes. Your fever." Katsuki leaned forward again, and this time when he reached out to touch Izuku's forehead, there was something almost desperate in the gesture. "You're clearly not thinking straight."
But instead of just checking for temperature, Katsuki's fingers lingered, tracing down to Izuku's cheek with unexpected gentleness. His fingers brushed across the freckles dotting Izuku's cheekbone, and suddenly the playful atmosphere evolved into something charged and breathless.
"This smile," Katsuki said quietly. "It's different from your stupid Round Face smile. Different from your All Might smile, or your 'I figured out a new move' smile, or any of the others."
Izuku's breath hitched. "You... you keep track of my smiles?"
Katsuki's thumb traced the corner of Izuku's mouth, seemingly oblivious to his words. His eyes were so intense that Izuku felt immobilized by the weight of his attention.
"This one's softer," Katsuki continued, unaware of the way Izuku had gone completely still under his touch. "More... I don't know. Secret, I guess. Like you're thinking about something that makes you excited or whatever but you don't want anyone else to know about it."
"Kacchan," Izuku whispered because this was definitely not part of any plan the Bakusquad could have orchestrated, and the way Katsuki was looking at him made his heart feel like it might actually burst.
"And your nose," Katsuki's finger moved up to tap the bridge of Izuku's nose, his touch deliberate and lingering. "It crinkles right here when you're trying not to laugh. But when you're really happy—like stupid, disgustingly happy—it does this little twitch thing right at the tip."
As if summoned by his words, Izuku's nose did exactly that, twitching slightly as warmth flooded through his chest.
"There it is," Katsuki said softly. Something in his expression shifted to recognition, like he'd just discovered something.
They stared at each other in silence for a long moment, Katsuki's hand still lightly touching Izuku's cheek. Both of them were breathing a little too quickly for the conversation they'd just been having.
Then, Katsuki seemed to realize what he was doing and jerked his hand back, clearing his throat roughly.
"Anyway," he said, his voice casual but with an undercurrent of something that sounded almost like panic, "whoever's texting you better not be keeping you awake when you should be resting."
"Don't worry, Kacchan. I'm sure I'll have more than enough time to sleep, considering I'm basically confined to my room all day." Izuku sighed softly.
"Shit," Katsuki muttered all of a sudden as he glanced at the clock on Izuku's nightstand. He'd gotten too caught up in taking care of Izuku to realize that homeroom was long over. "I should grab whatever dumb handouts they're issuing out. Don't want you falling behind because your ass decided to get sick right before exams of all times."
He stretched as he stood up, and Izuku tried very hard not to notice the way his shirt rode up slightly with the movement. As if that were of any use. Izuku's eyes were practically glued to where Katsuki's abs were peeking beneath his uniform.
"I'll be back in like ten minutes," Katsuki said, already moving toward the door. "Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone. No training, no studying, no getting up unless it's an emergency."
"Kacchan, I'm sick, not incapacitated—"
"I mean it, Deku." Katsuki paused in the doorway, fixing him with a look that was equal parts concerned and threatening. "Stay in that bed, or I'll tie you to it."
The door clicked shut behind him, and Izuku immediately grabbed for his phone, his heart still racing from both the intimate moment and that last comment that definitely didn't sound as threatening as Katsuki probably intended.
Izuku: EMERGENCY GROUP CHAT MEETING
Mina: WHAT HAPPENED ARE YOU OKAY
Sero: Are you dying? Are WE dying?
Kaminari: I told you guys this was a bad idea! I knew Bakugou would kill him once he had the chance!
Kirishima: You were in on this as much as the rest of us!
Jirou: He's texting us right now... which obviously means he's not dead, you idiots
Izuku: Guys, FOCUS
Mina: Omg tell us EVERYTHING!
Izuku: He cupped my face and described my different smiles in detail and then said he'd tie me to the bed
Jirou: That escalated quickly
Kirishima: BRO THAT'S THE MOST ROMANTIC THING I'VE EVER HEARD
Mina: THE BED COMMENT THO
Kaminari: Our boy Bakugou has MOVES
Sero: I didn't know Bakugou was freaky like that
Jirou: Seems like the type
Izuku: OH. MY. GOD. STOP.
Mina: At least you have something to look forward to when he gets back
Izuku: I'm literally going to explode once he gets back if my face gets any redder
Sero: What kind of explosions are we talking about here?
Kaminari: Oh, don't worry. Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight will make you explode alright 😉
Kirishima: Bro, not cool...
Jirou: Kaminari, literally chill
Izuku: I'M LEAVING!
Mina: NO, STAY WE NEED TO KNOW MORE!
Sero: We've come too far to abandon the mission now
Izuku: Look, it wasn't like that! He was threatening me about staying in bed to rest
Kaminari: Sure he was 😏
Kirishima: Give Midoriya a break man
Mina: Tell us all about the face cupping IMMEDIATELY
Izuku: I think he was jealous about who I was texting, and then he started talking about how I smile differently for different people, and he touched my cheek and said this smile was more genuine than my "Round Face smile"
Jirou: He's totally been studying your facial expressions
Kirishima: That's so sweet and observant I might actually cry!
Kaminari: Wait, he thinks you have a thing with Uraraka?
Izuku: I think he's worried about it? Even though he denied it. But I definitely don't smile at her the way he thinks I do. He's got it all wrong.
Mina: Because you only get that gooey expression for HIM
Kirishima: Of course he denied it. Typical Bakugou, but no need to worry, man. He's for sure into you
Kaminari: Sooooo into you
Sero: The irony is wild
Izuku: He described how my nose twitches when I'm genuinely happy, and then it did exactly that, and then he got this look like he'd figured something out
Jirou: He's definitely figuring something out
Kaminari: If he hasn't now, then he will by the end of the day. MWAHAHAHA
Mina: What's he doing now?
Izuku: Getting handouts from class so I don't fall behind. He'll be back soon.
Kaminari: Perfect! Operation phase 3 will be ready to deploy soon enough
Izuku: There's a phase 3?!
✦ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ✦