Chapter 10

Izuku trailed anxiously behind Katsuki, wondering where the blond was taking them. His eyes felt swollen and dry, and he knew he looked like total crap. Normally, Katsuki would've made a comment on his appearance and made fun of him, but no harsh words came from his mouth. It put Izuku's heart and mind under conflict, trying to figure out what the blond's intentions were. Whereas his heart convinced him that Katsuki cared for him, his mind would say otherwise.

To say that Izuku felt troubled was an understatement. He wanted to ask the blond what he thought of him. Why was he helping him? Why wasn't he setting off explosions on his face and calling him names? Was it all an act? Oh how badly he wanted to know.

Lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice Katsuki pulling him into the kitchen. Only when the blond ordered him to sit on one of the kitchen stools did he snap out of his trance. When had they gone down the stairs? Did they use the elevator? Why were they in the kitchen?

Noticing Izuku's dumbfounded expression, Katsuki rolled his eyes and flicked the greenette's forehead with unnecessary force. "Sit the fuck down already, nerd."

After letting out a faint "ouch", Izuku complied while rubbing the sore spot. He nervously looked down at his lap, noticing how his shorts barely went past his knees. He didn't really like wearing shorts since at some point they could ride up and show his bandages. Luckily, barely anyone had noticed his bandaged thighs and the few people that had just figured it was due to training. After all, he was known for being reckless during hero exercise, so having a part of his body covered in bandages was nothing new.

Katsuki worked around the kitchen, glancing towards the greenette every now and then. Izuku had zoned out yet again and seemed unaware of the blond's presence. Izuku was unusually quiet, which made Katsuki wonder just what was going on inside the nerd's head. Hopefully, the meal that he was preparing would raise the greenette's spirit at least a little bit. The blonde was genuinely worried for his childhood friend, that much he had to admit.

There was an eerie silence between them, which made Katsuki question if Izuku had yet run away. He wouldn't be surprised if that were the case, though—but it wasn't. The greenette was still sitting on the kitchen stool, head hung low as he occasionally glanced at the blond. Katsuki's mouth would open at times, but no words would come out. He wanted to start a conversation with Izuku, but who knew it would be so hard?

It took him about half an hour for the food to be ready. Thirty minutes of the two of them alone in the same room without getting into a fight. That had to be a new world record.

Izuku's stomach slowly growled as his nose recognized the smell of the food. His eyes widened in the slightest, lifting his head just a little to peer at the blond. Katsuki finished plating the food and turned around to catch the greenette's curious gaze, noticing how he pulled his lower lip between his teeth. Slowly, he placed the plate of food in front of Izuku, his gaze lingering on the nerd's lips for a little too long. What the hell, Katsuki?!

"Y-You made katsudon?" Izuku asked shyly, reaching for the plate nervously. It smelled amazing. He couldn't remember the last time he had the dish.

"What does it look like?" Katsuki scoffed, heading over to the fridge. He got some orange juice and grabbed two glasses, pouring the liquid in both of them and handing one to Izuku. The greenette accepted it gingerly, his heart pounding happily. He couldn't believe that the blonde had cooked for him. And not just any dish—his favorite one!

"T-Thank you, Kacchan." He smiled at the blond, a real, genuine smile. "It's been so long since I had katsudon."

"Stop talking and eat up," Katsuki mumbled, feeling pride swell up inside him at the sight of Izuku's smile. Watching the greenette eat his food happily made Katsuki feel a little at ease. He knew that Izuku hadn't had a proper meal for a few days now, so it was good to know that he wasn't rejecting the food.

Katsuki sat next to Izuku with his own plate of food, noticing how the greenette tensed in the slightest. The action made him frown a little, but he didn't mention anything about it as he ate his food silently. He kept thinking of ways to start a conversation with the greenette without it being weird or awkward. It was almost mission impossible since he didn't know how to say things without them coming out harsh or mean.

Izuku too wondered of ways to start a conversation with the blond. The fact that they had lasted so long without Katsuki blowing his face was impressive in itself. Was Katsuki acting differently because of what he experienced earlier? Was it all out of pity?

Of course, it's out of pity, you idiot.

The sudden thought made Izuku frown. Suddenly, the food left on his plate seemed unappetizing. He placed the chopsticks back down on his plate and looked over at Katsuki through his peripheral vision. What were Katsuki's intentions? Why was he being so kind all of a sudden?

"You better finish that food, nerd," Katsuki grumbled, stuffing his mouth with more food.

"Y-Yes Kacchan," Izuku mumbled, looking back down at what was left of his food. Reluctantly, he picked up his chopsticks and ate the rest of his meal, suddenly feeling nauseous. It would be rude of him to not eat the food that the blond had invested time in preparing for him.

His sudden change in mood didn't go unnoticed by Katsuki, who finished his food and picked up the empty dishes. Izuku chewed on his lower lip, watching the blond place the dishes in the sink and wash them. He didn't know what to do. Should he make up an excuse and leave? Was Katsuki going to drag him somewhere else? Yet again, what were Katsuki's intentions?

"Uh, Kacchan?" Izuku asked shyly, earning a grunt of acknowledgment from the blonde. "Thanks for the food. You didn't have to."

"I don't do shit I don't want to do," was all Katsuki said, wiping his hands off in a kitchen towel once he finished washing the dishes. The response made Izuku's heart skip a beat. For what reason? He didn't want to acknowledge. He just shook the feeling off and gave the blond a small nod, noticing his piercing red stare.

Suddenly, they could feel a dark aura making its way towards them, putting them both on alert. They looked at each other briefly and quietly made their way inside the common room, looking around the place. There was a presence inside the room, that much was certain. But, from where?

A noise from behind them caught their attention, and they immediately turned around to defend themselves. Unfortunate for them, their movements were halted by Aizawa's scarf, trapping them both in place. Their teacher's eyes were glowing red, and he had a very angry scowl plastered on his face, glaring at the two teens.

"Problem children," Aizawa growled, tightening the scarf around their bodies. "Care to explain what happened to Midoriya's room?"

Shit, they thought. Izuku didn't really have any reasonable excuse for having wrecked his own room. What were they going to tell their teacher?

"Well?" Aizawa asked, getting irritated. "Why don't you start with why the doorknob was blown to pieces, Bakugo?"

"We didn't have a fight, if that's what you're thinking," Katsuki huffed.

"Considering that you're both standing in the same room with no visible injuries other than Midoriya's hand, I assumed as much," Aizawa said, glaring at the blond. Katsuki sent him a look, briefly directing his gaze towards Izuku's panicked state. Trying not to be noticed by the greenette, he mouthed the name of Izuku's father to Aizawa. Seeming to get the message, Aizawa's glare softened slightly, and he let out a deep sigh, releasing them both.

"I'm too tired to deal with you problem children right now. Make sure to clean up everything. Midoriya, you will stay in Bakugo's room until your doorknob is fixed." Aizawa said, rubbing at his tired eyes. The announcement made Izuku's eyes widen, and he looked in between his teacher and childhood friend.

"I-I don't think that's necessary! I can put a chair against my door or s-something," Izuku stuttered. He has troubled Katsuki way too much this past week, he shouldn't invade his private space just because of a doorknob!

"This is Bakugo's punishment for using his quirk outside of training and destroying school property with it," Aizawa said with finality, not leaving space for discussion. Katsuki let out a 'tch' and Izuku gulped, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Whatever," Katsuki grumbled, looking at the greenette. "Go get your shit and take it to my room before I blow your face."

"O-Okay," Izuku nodded, bolting out of the common room and up the stairs. Once he was out of earshot, Aizawa crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the blonde expectantly. He was waiting for Katsuki's explanation.

"Look, I was simply making my way downstairs when I heard noise from Deku's bedroom. I thought that there was a villain attack which is why I blew up the doorknob and charged inside his room." Katsuki said, running a hand through his spiky hair. "My only guess is that he had a mental breakdown after what we were told today..."

Aizawa nodded, a frown etched on his face.

"I'm guessing that the blood on the bathroom is his, right?" To this Katsuki nodded, mirroring Aizawa's frown. The teacher let out a sigh, nodding in understanding. "Then it is best if he doesn't spend the night alone, after all."

All Katsuki could do was nod yet again, silently agreeing with the pro hero. Without exchanging any other words, they both went their separate ways. It didn't seem like a good idea to leave Izuku alone in his room for too long. The thought alone bothered Katsuki, not knowing what the greenette could be doing. It would make him feel more at ease to have Izuku close to him, where he could watch him.

So, making his way to Izuku's room, he made an internal vow with himself to not let Izuku out of his sight.