Author's note:
not the most interesting or best chapter in this book, but it'll get better next chapter. just- just hang in there :']
And ever since that day, Izuku found himself visiting the gym every day after school. He'd sit in one of the many black bleachers and do his homework as he watched the team compete and play against each other for practice. Or, if he was lucky enough to catch his Kacchan alone, he'd play with him. Then, they'd walk back to the dormitories, into one of their dorms to do their homework together. Whatever it was, there was no denying that there was something going on between the two. It was way more obvious now than it was at the beginning of this academic year. It sucks that it's their last.
They had finished their morning jogs for today, and were heading over to the school building. Everything seemed to go how it usually would, Katsuki was walking with his friends, while Izuku was walking with his own.
Before any of Izuku's friends could say anything, he spoke up. "I know what you're gonna say." He told them. "Then tell us." Todoroki responded. The greenette gulped. "It's... not what you think. You're uh- wayy.. off." He explained awkwardly, trying to keep his voice low since he didn't wanna look back and check how close Kacchan was. Everyone in his squad was quiet. "Oh, oka—" Shoto didn't get to finish. "If you really think that one sentence is gonna make us believe you, then your wrong, Izuku!" Uraraka argued. "He's wrong?" Poor Shoto asked, Izuku literally confirmed that there was nothing going on between them, what more proof did they want?
"Yes, Shoto! He's wrong. He's lying, he clearly likes him." Uraraka explained. "I don't! We're just friends." He frowned, looking at her.
"Friends don't almost kiss, Izu." The brunette shook her head, she was not giving this up. "We- we didn't.." he mumbled, before he could even finish his sentence, his mind drifted off to all those times their faces were so close to each other, just inches apart even. Would they have actually kissed if it weren't for those few inches of distance? Would he have liked it? How would have gone from there? Is that even possible to happen in the first place?
"You know, she's not wrong, Midoriya. Friends may accidentally get to close, but I personally don't think it would get that awkward. Since they don't have feelings for each other, they would just laugh it off." Tsuyu agreed, the greenette stayed speechless. "But you guys- you guys just act really awkward with each other when it happens— well, mostly you, he just doesn't show it much. But it's there." Ochako added.
Izuku had no idea what to say. Maybe it wouldn't be so awkward with close friends, but would they be considered close friends? We're they friends, even? Katsuki had already said before that he hadn't considered him a friend. But everything that happened after that, it just felt wrong to not call it some sort of friendship. But of course, that was Katsuki's choice. He couldn't decide for him whether he wants him to be his friend or not. Whether he was close enough to the male or not, he couldn't do that. All Izuku knew that he thought of Katsuki as a close friend, after all their time spent. It felt as if it was getting better day by day. And maybe someday, this friendship would bloom into something more beautiful.
"Is it.. that obvious?" Deku muttered quietly, but his best friend had heard. "You admit it!?" She looked surprised. "No, no! I was just asking if I acted that way, that's all. Nothing more."
"To me, it looks quite obvious. Just the way you look at him gives it away, I'm surprised he hasn't noticed yet." Asui chuckled after she answered him. "Oh.. do you think he noticed?" Izuku looked at her.
"Bakugou seems like the type of person who wouldn't care about things when it comes to love. I'm not sure, he gives off that vibe, so I'm assuming that he hasn't noticed." Todoroki responded this time. "But.. that's bad, in a way. If he's not interested in this stuff at all, then there's a chance he won't like me back, he wouldn't care, and think it's stupid or something.." the greenette frowned at himself. Shoto's words did relax him a little, but worsened it at the same time. That's when the freckled male noticed his best friend smiling. "What?" He asked, confused.
"Nothing, you just admitted that you liked him. And you can't take that back!" She argued before he could saying anything about it. "And about that, I'm sure it'll go fine. You shouldn't worry about it too much! He'll fall for your cute face in no time!" She encouraged, to which he smiled softly.
"Bakubae's gotta a crush!~" Mina sang happily. Katsuki tried to shush the girl. "Shut the hell up! He might hear you!" He whisper-yelled. "You didn't deny it~" she smirked even more, making the other boys "ooo". Katsuki felt as if he wanted to die right then and there. He had no clue whether the shorter male and his friends had heard that or not. These idiots were okay and all, but when it came to this, he wanted them to explode them off of this world. He didn't wanna risk anything with this friend he made. "For fucks sake, stop being annoying! We're gonna be late to class!" He felt his cheeks grow hotter and hotter by the second, the tips of his ears too.
"Chill, bae! It'll be fine, it's not like he's gonna reject you, Izu's literally head over heels for you!" Mina grinned. Katsuki wanted to believe the girl for a second, but it seemed like a legit dream. "Tch, as if. Don't tell me that stupid shit pinky, it's not gonna work." He mumbled. "Oh but it will! You just have to make the first move, that's all! We need plan Bak— I mean, It's so obvious you guys are pining over each other, and he doesn't seem to do anything, so it's up to you." She poked him.
"The whole damn reason he's not doing anything is cause' he's not interested." It was as if Katsuki was actually trying to find reasons that Izuku wouldn't like him. It just simply didn't seem possible in his mind. In his perspective, he's been calling him names, pushing him away, treating him like shit.. any feelings the greenette had for him prior to this was all gone at this point. No way would anyone like a person so calls them names, pushes them away whenever they got close... anything rude, basically. But that's how he was. After how he was treated in his previous schools, he had no idea how to treat a friend properly anymore.
"Try, Katsuki. I promise you won't regret it! Just open your eyes, and watch the way he behaves around you. If you did that, like, a while ago- you would notice his blushing, his stares, everything!" She encouraged, the rest of the group agreed, listing a few times they've caught the greenette do such things.
Katsuki just thought of it all as just a big coincidence. Whatever it was, his friends were probably hallucinating or something. "Yeah right.." he muttered. A part of him did want to believe it, really. But he also knew how much the greenette loved to make friends. And he probably does that to everyone.
If he doesn't end up with him —which is what mostly would happen—, he wanted him to at least be happy with someone else. Someone else worthy of him. Someone else who's good enough, and would make him smile all the time. Unlike him, who pushes him away every time he gets close to him. But then again, he didn't like the thought of this nerd being with anybody else. Dammit, he just wanted this to be over.
Lunch had finally rolled around, Katsuki and Ejiro walked out the classroom together."You got it bad for him huh, you can't lie to me man. I saw you stealing glances at him whenever you got the chance. Sometimes with some of the most lamest excuses too! Seriously? You saw a bird? You saw a bird so you looked at him?" Ejirou laughed, replaying the scene in his head.
Sometime ago in class, Katsuki had the weird urge to look at the greenette behind him, but he had already done so, like ten times already, with the most recent excuse being that he needed to "crack his back". It was literally just five minutes ago. It's okay, just one quick look and it'll be okay. He won't notice, it would be so fast that he wouldn't notice.
Okay, no, that didn't work. Izuku had actually caught him staring, dammit.
"Kacchan? A-Are you okay?" He asked, confused as to why Katsuki had been staring at him for a bit too long. Katsuki finally snapped out of it, and looked around for an excuse.
"Fuck.. uh, sky.. bird.. bird! Bird.. watching! I saw a bird, so I was fucking bird watching, damn nerd." Katsuki ran a hand through his blond hair, slightly nervous, trying to hide it.
"Wha- bird?.. bird watching? But- I'm not a bird, Kacchan.." Izuku scratched the side of his head. "Dumbass, I know you're not a bird! I just- I just saw somethin' on your face, that's all. It's a.. that spot thingy on your cheek." He pointed to his own cheeks to show the other male where it was on the greenette's face.
"You mean my freckles? Those are the spots on my cheek, Kacchan..—" The greenette was super surprised that the other male had just now realized he had freckles. Wasn't he even the one who pointed out that he had a heart on one of his cheeks with an outline of his freckles?
"...Tch, you're so annoying, stupid nerd." Katsuki just turned back, his cheeks were starting to feel hot and red, no way he'd let that damn nerd see that. He had no other excuses left, so what more would he say? Class was about to end anyway, he could sneak more glances at lunch.
"Shut the fuck up, shit hair. That was a great excuse!" Katsuki smacked the other red-eyed male's head. "Sorry, sorry, that was your best excuse? Nah bro, no way!" He continued laughing. "You sound so annoying when you laugh! Like a fucking beluga whale giving birth." But that didn't help, that just caused the male to laugh even harder.
The two headed to the bathroom for a quick stop, Kirishima had to fix his uniform a little, but little did they know, a certain greenette would shortly follow their way.