Pierce the Heart

Chapter 9

*Katsuki's POV*

I see Deku trailing behind me, I can tell he's nervous. "Tch." I slow down a little and match my pace to his. 'I really want to talk to him, I want to ask him about what happened, why he cut us all out.' I see him looking at me "Kacchan?" He asks, but we are already at the ice cream joint. "What flavor?" I ask, changing the subject. His face lights up 'Cute', "Mint chip! In a cup please!" I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. He may look more mature, but man he hasn't changed at all. His face lights up like Christmas when I hand him his bowl of ice cream. "Thanks Kacchan!" He says, grinning. 

He walks over to the railing and leans on it, looking at the beach and the sky, a peaceful look on his face.

I walk over next to him and lean my back against the railing. Eating my rocky road ice cream. I steal glances when he's not looking, trying to get used to how he looks now. I used to have his face memorized, the little dimple you could barely see when he smiles is still there, just like when we were kids. But he doesn't look like a child anymore. Even in our last year of high school he still looked young, having slightly rounded cheeks and big, innocent eyes.

His jaw has sharpened, making him actually look his age for once, His eyes are still wide and innocent, but they've sharpened as well, giving him a look that makes my heart skip a beat. His freckles are still extremely visible, and instead of the diamond they formed before, they're now dusted all across his cheekbones and nose. Not gonna lie, he has a bad-boy air about him, he looks like the type that is sweet and cheerful, but has a dark side. I think back, remembering how he's always had a bit of darkness in his face, only shown when he thought no one was watching. He's always put on a cheerful smile in any public situation, but seeing him now makes me realize that he had been hiding a lot of internalized feelings, for way too long. I start to wonder exactly how he got that nasty scar on his back.

I realize I've been staring too long, I look away and feel myself blushing hard. "Tch."

"What's wrong Kacchan?" He looks over at me, and I thank the stars that it's dark enough out to hide how red my face is. "N-nothing," I curse myself silently for stuttering, knowing that Deku probably noticed it. "How about we take a walk? I know this badass spot a little farther down the beach." I change the subject, I need to move before I lose my nerve. He keeps looking at me for a moment before nodding, a smile spreading across his face.

"Yeah! Let's go!" He's almost done with his bowl of ice cream so he shoves the last couple spoonfuls in his mouth before throwing the bowl away like he's tossing a basketball. He makes the shot, and pumps his fist. I can't help but laugh, he's still the same as he's always been.

He looks over at me, eyes wide. I cough, reaching up to rub the back of my head, putting my scowl back on my face. "What?" I say, narrowing my eyes. "You have a nice laugh, you know that?" He says softly, making my face flush as I sputter a little and I deepen my scowl to hide how flustered I am.

"Tch." I look over to see he has a little bit of ice cream on the corner of his mouth, and without thinking I reach out and wipe it away with my thumb. His face turns bright red as he looks at me, frozen. I quickly pull my hand away and turn around, hiding my face. "Come on, let's go. It's already getting fucking dark, and it's better to get there before the stars come out."

I start walking, glancing behind me to make sure the damn nerd is following, he looks like he just forgot where he was, but shakes his head and turns to follow. I chuckle to myself, 'well he's still cute when he's flustered, at least that hasn't changed.' I walk down the steps onto the beach, and slow down again. I look around to make sure no one is at this part of the public area, and then head to a corner of the beach, stepping around a part of a cliff that juts out almost to the water. Looking back to make sure Deku is still there, I see him carefully stepping over the rocks, he misses one though, and stumbles.