Cold Case

The Craft Fair

BAKUGO'S POV

"Hand me the orange," Midoriya said while holding his hand out to me. I set my green beads down and handed him a few orange ones. I don't know how he convinced me to make keychains with him, but I don't have a lot of room to complain. I'm just glad to be spending time with him.

"So, what about your mom?" He told me about his dad abandoning him and how it messed him up for a while, but he never told me about his mom.

"Oh, she's great!" He sounded genuinely happy when he said that, which is great. "She's an amazing mother who has always been there for me. She likes to act like she's tough on me, but she never is. What about your parents?" he asked me.

I shrugged. "They're parents. I was never close with my dad since he always traveled for work, but I'm pretty close with my mom. Everyone always says I'm the spitting image of her. From her looks to her attitude."

He laughed loudly while grabbing another handful of beads. "I didn't think this world would have been big enough for two big attitudes like that."

I reached across the table and lightly smacked the side of his head. Although, he may be right. My dad has said the same shit my entire life. "Is your mother as emotional as you are?" I asked.

He laughed loudly. "Oh no, she's way worse." He cried over a butterfly with a crushed wing yesterday. I didn't think someone could be more emotional than he was. "She's the absolute best mom in the world, though. She stuck around and raised me by herself. It's not easy being a single mom, but she did a perfect job."

"Considering you're a decent person, I would have to agree with you," I shrugged. I hadn't known him all that long, but I knew enough. Something I didn't know enough about, however, was his friends.

"Tell me about your team. Not as your team, I guess, but as your friends." Although he's frustrated with them as co-workers, he's talked highly of them as friends a few times.

He tied off the end of the keychain before replying. "They're great, honestly. I'm closer to Uraraka and Todoroki than Iida or Shinso, but we're all good friends."

"How long have you known them?"

"Almost my whole life. Well, not Shinso. I didn't meet him until he got assigned to my team. I went to school with the other three. Todoroki and Uraraka have been my best friends my entire life." He started cleaning up his mess before turning the conversation to me. "What about your team? Are you good friends with them?" He asked.

That's a complicated question with a complicated answer. "Yes and no," I sighed. "Shitty Hair is my best friend, but don't tell him I said that."

He looked at me in confusion, but he stayed silent. "I tolerate the other three, but I wouldn't say we're good friends. I have a problem pushing everyone away and keeping them at arm's length."

"You're not pushing me away." He smiled softly.

I tied off the end of the keychain and slid it over to him. "You're the first person I've met that I didn't want to push away. All I want to do is pull you closer." His cheeks turned a light shade of red, making his freckles stand out.

He looked down at the keychain I made with a smile. It had white and green beads before and after where I had spelled the nickname I gave him.

He chuckled while sliding his over to me. "Great minds think alike," he laughed. I picked up the keychain before examining it. I don't know how he made it circular, but he did. It had black and orange beads surrounding the word 'KitKat.'

"KitKat?" I asked with a cocked brow. "Is that your nickname for me?"

"Yeah, I'm not sure what else to call you, so that's what you're stuck with. I can change it if you want," he offered.

I shook my head and shoved the keychain in my pocket, making a mental note to put it on my keychain later. "No, I'm sure one day you'll be calling me Katsuki."

"But for now, you get KitKat. Or Kat." I guess Kat is close enough to my real name, so I'll take it. It's better than some of the other ridiculous nicknames I've heard over the years.

We cleaned up our mess in silence before leaving the tent. We looked around for a while before Midoriya decided he needed to stop spending money. Although I didn't buy anything, I grabbed a few business cards. Some vendors here made some really cool shit and built awesome furniture. I didn't need anything now, but I plan to buy a house within the next year or two. It would be nice to have some of this stuff there.

"So, what is our next adventure going to be?" Midoriya asked me while we made our way back to his car. I ended up carrying a few bags for him since he bought more than he intended to.

"I'm not sure," I shrugged. "Did you want to do something in or out of the city?"

He thought about it for a minute before replying. "I don't care, actually. Out of the city is nice since we get to spend the whole weekend together." He's not wrong, but it's hard. I had to keep myself from crawling into his bed the entire weekend, not even in a sexual way. I just wanted to hold him and be near him.

What the hell is happening to me?

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"Hey, brat!" My mother yelled happily into the phone. As soon as Midoriya dropped me off at my apartment. I knew I had to call her. As much as I hate talking about how I feel, she can help me.

"Hey," I frowned. I feel bad for only calling her because I need something. I need to see her and dad soon. "I have a question."

She chuckled before responding. "Go ahead," she said.

"How do you know when you're falling for someone?" I asked quietly. She went silent. I've never asked her anything like this or talked about my love life. Well, rather the lack of my love life.

"Tell me how you're feeling." This is embarrassing.

"He's always on my damn mind. When I'm around him, I feel different. Like I'm lighter, I guess..." It's hard to describe how I'm feeling when I still don't understand how I'm feeling. "I don't feel like I hate the world, and I feel like I suddenly have more purpose than just working." She doesn't need to know that my heart races when his emerald eyes lock on mine. She doesn't need to know the desire I have to hold him every time I see him. That's for only me to know.

"I've never heard you talk like this," she chuckled. "Katsuki, you don't need to ask me how to know when you're falling for someone because you've already fallen for him... haven't you?"

"I don't know what to do." I switched the phone to my other ear and laid back on my bed.

"I know it sounds terrifying to let someone in, especially since you never have. But there's nothing wrong with falling for someone. I get that it can be overwhelming, but it's so special to find someone that makes you feel like that." When I didn't say anything in response, she continued. "As terrifying as it may feel, love is worth it. Without love, you don't have much else. All the money in the world, the biggest home, and the best job don't matter if you don't have anyone to share it with."

"What if I get hurt?" For the first time since I was a kid, I was scared. Scared of officially falling. Scared of him not returning the feelings after we were done with cold cases. I'm most terrified that I will give him every part of me, and he will take it and run.

"Then you get hurt. There's no preventing it if things don't work out, but you'll regret it for the rest of your life if you don't at least try." I know he likes me now, but I don't know if he likes me as much as I like him. I also don't know if he's still going to want me in eleven months.

The only thing that I do know is that I want him. His stuttering when he's nervous, his emerald green eyes that grow wider whenever they lock with mine, the freckles that scatter across his skin, and his horrible bedhead. I want all of it.

"Thanks, hag."

"So, when are you going to come to see us?" I laughed, feeling better now that I had talked to my mom.

We spent the next half hour talking before I decided to hang up. The entire time we were on the phone, I couldn't get Midoriya out of my damn mind.