Digital Dreamworld

Chapter 5 - Character Sheets

The worst thing about the whole ordeal wasn't the fact Izuku liked it. No, kissing wasn't meant to be disliked so why would anyone blame him for liking the way Kacchan kissed him inside the virtual world? No, that wasn't what others concerned themselves with. It was the fact it happened and that everyone knew about it. They'd both been so embarrassed that they weren't able to look at each other when they woke up again. And when Aizawa sensei came to them, lecturing them on separating from the group and being problem children even without memories, it had only gotten worse.

Then All Might asked them about the kiss and the whole damn class fucking flipped their shit.

Of course they did, this was class A you're talking about. They were attacked by villains on a regular basis for most of their high school career so whenever some normal high school drama arose, they squealed and freaked out about it. It was fun if it didn't involve you, Izuku discovered. Because now he and Kacchan were the center of attention and neither of them handled the spotlight well. Izuku because he was a nervous wreck and Kacchan- Well, he's Kacchan, did that really need an explanation?

And as if that wasn't enough, All Might had called them together for a meeting. A secret little rendezvous like those they had back when no one knew about One For All. Izuku didn't know what was more awkward. The fact he was sitting on the same couch as Kacchan while they sat as far apart as possible, or All Might, who looked at them knowing what happened between them and called them here anyway.

"Something interesting happened yesterday," he started and Izuku almost choked on thin air. Was he really doing this?! "During the simulation, you two each split from your group for different reasons. Dr. Mills mapped out the routes you took and it seems that from that point onwards, you two started to move towards each other, as if you knew where the other was. So please, explain to me what was going through your heads at that moment?"

Oh thank god. Izuku actually thought All Might was about to send them through some messed up version of couple therapy or some stuff like that.

"I could sense the vestiges within the maze. I thought I was walking towards one of them," Izuku said, knowing Kacchan was probably not going to speak up first since that spot on the other side of the wall had taken all his interest. "I guess... I guess that's true, in some way. I mean, Kacchan did have OFA for some time so technically-"

"Do I really have to be here?"

Izuku shut his mouth and glanced aside at Kacchan, who was still staring at the wall. He remembered how pissed the ash blonde would get whenever he was excluded from these little meetings, back in the day. Now he wanted nothing more than to leave. Izuku sighed. How things have changed...

"Young Bakugou-"

"What Deku said," he snapped. "It's true, okay? I could feel them too, could feel Deku the best, thought he was some treasure or some shit so I went looking for him."

"...I don't see you whenever I dream of them," Izuku mumbled.

"Yeah, no shit, I'm not fucking dead!" Kacchan hissed. "And it's not that fucking strong now! But in that damn fake world it's just- I hate it! I hate that I knew you fell with your bike before you arrived at school, back during the second test. It's why I was waiting there for you! Or that I knew some random predecessor would burst into the classroom moments after I said it would happen... I feel so fucking connected to you and I- I hate it!"

Izuku stared at him in shock, tears welling up in his eyes as those last words echoed through his mind. Kacchan felt connected to One For All, to him, and he hated it. Of course he did. Only in a fake world would Kacchan actually want to be close to him, to love him... It wasn't real. Izuku should've known, shouldn't have listened to Uraraka saying he had a chance- It wasn't real. Of course it wasn't real! Because maybe, in a perfect world, Izuku had a chance, but in this one- the only world that actually mattered..!