Katsuki picks a cube of fish between chopsticks. With a quickly flick of his fingers, he steers the chopstick to his lips. Biting the cube as it slips out, and savouring the taste. The fish is tender and cool, the sea taste blanketed by spices and the teriyaki sauce he drizzled over it.
'Bro?' Shitty asks, seated beside him. 'Are you listening?'
Katuski didn't even realize Shitty was talking, 'Mhm. Yeah.'
'Okay, cool, so Rock Lock right? He entered this crazy villain bust! —hey, you heard of him?' Shitty pauses, 'no, that's a stupid question. Course ya heard of him! So, something new with the yakuza. He was the first one to find the quirk boosts and—'
'Ohhh!' Pinky screams, 'oh I've so heard about it! He took the drugs, right?'
'Right,' Shitty nods.
'No way! How does he still have his license?' Duncey exclaims, 'he didn't actually—'
'He stabbed it right in his neck and went berserk,' says Shitty, 'the articles I read on it all said the same thing though. He didn't lose his license because. . .'
Just then Katsuki tunes them out. It's not a big deal, and Katsuki realizes he hadn't missed a lot when sitting with them except the company. And the usual insane articles. He feels Shitty's arm wrap around his shoulder and hold him, and he doesn't bother. Their voice is like senseless buzz now. Then his eyes land on him.
Is he coming here?
Quickly, Katsuki looks away, but not before their eyes meet. Katsuki knows he's approaching without needing to see him. Although he begs for it to be untrue, in a silent, angry mutter that confuses Shitty, the world is uncaring, and soon there's a hand clapping on his shoulder.
'My, my, what's that? Smells nice.' Slanted says, his voice floating right over Katsuki's ear.
'None of your business.' He grits back.
Shitty looks up, 'Dude? Something you want?'
'Bakugou.' The answer is too fast. Soon, there's nothing but quiet and eyes. Duncey squints, trying to decipher what he said and letting out a small oh when it hits him. Katsuki is just about to punch him when Slanted clears his throat, correcting himself, 'Bakugou. I'd like to talk to Bakugou.'
'No, screw off,' Katsuki says, shrugging his hand off, 'and don't touch me you weirdo!'
'Hey—'
Straightening, Katsuki's hand grip the table as he whips his head to a startled Slanted. There's not a pint of regret as he shouts, 'Go!' because it's no secret that nobody wants him here. 'Or else!'
'Or else what?' Slanted sighs and Shitty might bolt from his skin. Nobody says that, especially in the face of such a clear threat, 'you're seriously running out of insults to use. It's not amusing to talk to you anymore.'
Katsuki grinds his teeth.
'You're getting boring.'
A shock runs through his arm, a sudden power that snaps it from the edge of the table, until his hand's firing to Slanted's dumb face. There's nothing he deserves more than a punch, yet Katsuki's hand reroutes last second, just moments before flinging into his flinching face, to hold his shoulder. Yanking him close, and snarling, 'I'll throw you out of the cafeteria window and impale you on a goddamn tree.'
'That's colourful.'
'Yeah?'
'We need to talk.'
His face is so punchable. Ugly. Everything about him. From his slacking eyes and his pinched face. Especially his mouth, which never ever stops running. All begging for a fist to break something. Katsuki squeezes his shoulder, until he catches him fight back a wince, then even more, 'One time, moron. If it's not worth it, I swear to god I'll kill you.'
Shitty gives him this look as he steps over the long bench, almost sad but why would he be sad? Then he looks away as if caught red-handed, and hastily brings his bowl of soup to his lips. Katsuki returns to Slanted, who stands there, hand reaching out but Katsuki swats it away before it touches his wrist. Sparing one last warning glance.
Katsuki tucks his hands into his pant pocket, a nasty feeling taking over him. Slanted, with the agonizingly punchable face, shouldn't even be allowed as much as a nanosecond of his day, but Katsuki's accepting a whole conversation. No matter if he has better things to do, and with how Slanted's been looking at him, he knows full well what this conversation is about. So his hands stay in his pocket, like a weapon in waiting of the wrong word.
The whole way out of the cafeteria is quiet, with nothing but the stupid hum of Slanted ahead. Who leads them out. Katsuki would never let Slanted lead, but it's not like he knows where he's going. He didn't think he'd talk to him in advance. They pass through the front cafeteria tables, the one that seats Deku's friends, and for a moment, Katsuki swears IcyHot glances him.
No. He definitely does. Even behind the plant dividers, Katsuki can see how his face turned over the edge of leaves. Right before hurriedly stealing his gaze back to his nasty noodles, swirling it around in chopsticks and stalling. Katsuki pauses though. Waiting for him to dare another glance.
'You coming?' Slanted asks, steps ahead now.
'Yeah,' Katsuki says. Looking away. He follows Slanted out the cafeteria. Forgetting about IcyHot all too fast.
The moment they're out, Slanted closes the door. Which had always felt wrong to Katsuki, but it doesn't matter. Then he beckons, 'Follow me,' and walks faster. Katsuki doesn't fail to keep up, but the change of pace is obvious. Why is Slanted even talking to him now? They don't like each other, and Katsuki knows he wouldn't dare propose that twisted idea of last time. Eventually, they reach it.
An empty classroom.
'Get in,' Slanted says.
'Don't tell me what to do,' Katsuki replies, closing the door behind them as they enter.
In seconds, Slanted's hands are on the closest desk, leaning back and staring at Katsuki weirdly. 'What do you think of motives?'
'Is that why you dragged me here?'
'No. Just answer.'
Katsuki doesn't have to ponder the question. 'Hate it.'
'Why's that?'
'Is this a joke?'
'No. Answer. Please.'
'So you do have manners?' Katsuki scoffs.
'That shouldn't be coming from you of all people,' Slanted looks over to the board. Katsuki follows his eyes. The last class here must've been algebra.
'I hate it. It's... just...'
'Worrying?' Slanted asks, 'confusing?'
'Stop that!' snaps Katsuki, 'let me talk, if you want to know so much!'
'Well, my opinion is—'
'I don't care!'
'I think it's ruining the classes.' Slanted turns his eyes onto Katsuki, the very eyes that gifted him that nickname, 'all buddy buddy with each other, and Class 1-B and Class 1-A don't mix.'
'Yeah?'
'You guys are always getting into trouble, I'm not sure you understand, but it's only a matter of time before our classes start going places. And with you always entering some type of mess... I'm worried.' Slanted places a hand on Katsuki's shoulders, drawing him near, 'I know I might not look the part, but I do care about them, and hearing you getting into trouble this, trouble that—'
'You want us to sabotage them!' Katsuki exclaims.
Slanted smiles, offering a sly nod. 'Yeah, maybe. Just enough the classes stay apart.'
'What's...'
'Motives was a mistake. You don't like it either.'
'Not enough to sabotage them—'
'That's what you think now,' Slanted says. 'You haven't thought about it,'
'I won't. You're messed up.' To that, Slanted smiles again, that leisure one that sickens Katsuki to the core. He backs up to the door, turns around after hissing, 'Pest,' then leaving.
He closes the door behind him and leans against the wall, preparing himself to his friends. He looks at the hall, he can still see the open cafeteria door. Straightening himself, Katsuki walks towards the cafeteria. The long tables, he almost considers waving towards the idiots when he spots them close to the back windows, but he sees somebody else.
Pink Cheeks? What's she doing?
He walks towards them.
Pink Cheeks is mouthing off, her hands on her hips, and she freezes when she catches Katsuki approaching. Her peppy expression rots. 'Speak of the devil,' she mumbles.
'Screw off.' He answers, taking his seat before her. She looks at her like he just barfed all over her though, or committed another great offence.
'Did you really do that Bakugou?' Duncey asks, as if the question was fighting out of him like a burp.
'Tell her to screw off? Yeah.'
'No,' Pink Cheek starts, that unhappy voice, 'They're asking if you punched Midoriya.'
'Oh.'
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