Not in That Way | I.M. x K.B. |

Episode 12: "The Kiss"

The morning sunlight gently streamed through the curtains, casting a warm glow on the tangled figures in the bed. Katsuki slowly blinked his eyes open, still feeling the lingering warmth from the person wrapped around him. Turning his head slightly, he found himself face-to-face with Izuku, who was still peacefully asleep, his green curls tousled and a serene expression on his face.

A small smile played on Katsuki's lips as he watched Izuku sleep. He couldn't deny the contentment that washed over him, realizing that the person he cared about was right there beside him. Carefully, he lifted a hand to trace the outline of Izuku's cheek, marveling at the softness of his features.

Izuku stirred, his eyelashes fluttering as he gradually woke up. The first thing he saw was Katsuki's warm gaze, and a soft smile curved on his lips.

"Morning," Katsuki whispered, his voice a low murmur.

"Morning," Izuku replied, his voice still husky from sleep. He stretched his arms above his head, causing the sheets to slip down and reveal more of his now bare chest. His shirt seemed to have mysteriously disappeared at some point last night. Katsuki couldn't help but admire Izuku, secretly doing the same as he practically gawked over the shirt that fell off Katsuki's shoulder.

 "What do you want to do today?" Izuku asked, forcing his eyes away from the other.

Katsuki pondered for a moment, then a mischievous glint appeared in his gaze. "How about we play hooky and spend the day together? No hero duties, no school, just us."

Izuku raised an eyebrow, a smirk forming on his face. "You're suggesting we ditch our responsibilities? Katsuki, I might be able to do that, but you have school."

Katsuki grinned. "Relax, nerd. I'm way ahead in all my classes anyway."

"Doesn't that make you the nerd?"

"No."

Izuku couldn't really argue with Katsuki. "Fine, but I have to wear a mask."

"Why?" Katsuki asked with a yawn, crawling off the bed slowly.

"Fans," Izuku stated, knowing he wouldn't have to explain much further.

"Ohhh, forgot you're famous." Katsuki rolled his eyes as he slid the bathroom door open. "I'm going to get a shower," he informed the man still cuddled up in the blankets before closing the door.

[WELCOME TO "The Izumanic Gay Panic Pause": Izuku be like "Without me, shawty????"]

Izuku got up and picked his jacket off the floor. He glanced around the small dorm and smiled, remembering his days in one similar to this. He walked over to Katsuki's desk and examined the bookshelf. He pulled a book off the shelf and skimmed through it as the shower ran in the background.

"Hey, Bakugou, are you—" The pink-haired girl began as she opened the door, her eyes going wide as she looked at the older hero. "OH MY GOD—" She screamed, slamming a hand over her mouth. She moved inside and shut the door.

Izuku froze at her arrival, suddenly aware of his bare chest. "Uhhh..." he slowly shut the book."You! Him! You! YOU!" She babbled, trying to connect the dots, eyes still wider than humanly possible.

"No! No, no, nooooo." Izuku denied, knowing where the girl's thoughts must have gone.

"What's all the—" Katsuki began to ask as he exited the bathroom. He rubbed a towel through his hair, another towel hanging loosely around his hips. "Mina... it's not what it looks like?" He tried to reason, knowing very well what it looked like. He was oblivious to the eyes that trailed down his form before quickly looking away.

"So if you didn't... then explain this." Mina gestured to the half-naked hero with wrinkled sweatpants.

"He came over, and we talked and fell asleep." Katsuki quickly explained. "I'll tell you later, pinky." He whispered behind his hand.

"Mhm... fine." Mina eyed him.

"Will you cover for me? I'm skipping." Katsuki asked, grabbing a pair of clean clothes.

"You're lucky I'm invested in whatever is going on here," Mina said, pointing between the two boys. "Anyways, have a fun date, safety first!" She winked before she was out the door.

"She's a handful." Katsuki grumbled, hiding his blush, while running back to the bathroom.

"Ready?" Izuku asked, now with a shirt and a plain white hat, attempting to hide his green curls.

"Yeah, did you drive here?" Katsuki slid on a hoodie; Izuku simply nodded, grabbing his keys from the desk. "Everyone is gone, so you don't have to go out the fire escape."

They found themselves at the mall, wandering aimlessly through shops. At some point, it became Izuku following Katsuki like a lost puppy. Fast food was the obvious option, so they settled for greasy American-style food. Which resulted in ketchup being all over their faces and mild heart attacks from the amount of salt.

A little while later, the two ended up at the park, swinging and acting like idiots.

"Swing in rhythm with me, dumbass!" Katsuki yelled.

"I haven't done this in a while!" Izuku yelled, almost swinging into Katsuki instead.

...

"Are we not going to talk about it?" Katsuki hesitantly brought up as they sat beside each other on the park bench.

"Talk about what?" Izuku looked at him confused.

"The kiss."

"Oh."

"Oh?"

"I shouldn't have done that; I'm sorry."

"It's fine," he said solemnly. "I might have liked it," Katsuki whispered under his breath.

"It can't happen again, Katsuki. I'm getting married. We don't like each other in that way." Izuku rambled, mumbling the last bit to himself.

"But it's not like you love her." Katsuki spoke, although it was more of a question, looking over at Izuku.

He didn't answer, just pulled his lips into a line and stared at the dirt. They sat in silence like this for a while.

"I don't," he responded finally. Katsuki didn't look at him, just stared forward.

After a few minutes of silence, the blonde stood, grabbing his bag. "See ya, Deku."

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" Katsuki gave a scowl, which Izuku returned with a sad look. "You've done nothing wrong. Goodnight." He walked off.

"Dammit." Izuku cursed under his breath, with his head down. "Ow—" He suddenly was hit in the head.

"Stop it. Don't give up. It's pathetic." Katsuki glared, having just thrown an empty can at the other's head. "My Deku would just let this happen to himself." He spoke more like a threat, raising his hand to throw another.

"I haven't! I won't!" Izuku promised frantically, covering his head.

"See you tomorrow, at noon. Noodle shop." He instructed, pointing the can at Izuku. "Don't be late. Or I swear to god—" He threatened." Yeah, yeah, noodle shop, got it!" Izuku said with a worried smile.