Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Katsuki's alarm went off at six in the morning, reminding Izuku of his sleepless night. He could hear Katsuki grumbling from the bed followed by a loud smack that silenced the alarm. Glancing towards the blond's bed, he was momentarily blinded by the light coming from the bedside lamp Katsuki turned on. It made his dry eyes burn, making him rub them for a moment.
"Did you even sleep?" Katsuki grumbled, looking down at the greenette. The raspiness of his voice made Izuku's heart skip a beat, making his cheeks flush in the slightest.
"Uhh...a little?" Izuku replied, feeling somewhat awkward under the blond's intense stare. He knew that Katsuki knew he was lying, but was surprised when he wasn't called out on it.
"Whatever," Katsuki mumbled, running a hand through his disheveled hair and getting out of the bed. "You're coming with me."
Izuku furrowed his brows, sitting up on his futon and stretching a little. "What do you mean?'
"I mean that I'm dragging your ass with me on my morning run. Get ready." Katsuki said, not leaving room for argument. Dumbfounded, Izuku watched as the explosive blond went straight to the bathroom and closed the door behind him. Did he hear him correctly? Did Katsuki—in his own confusing way—invite him to his solo morning runs?
What has the world come to.
Not wanting to piss Katsuki off, Izuku scurried to his feet and went to his bag. He waited patiently for his childhood friend to come out of the bathroom with a change of clothes and toothbrush in hand. For some reason he felt like he was dreaming. Never in his life had he thought that Katsuki would be civil towards him. What was happening?
Izuku always wished that Katsuki would treat him like that. He had always wished to see the blond push away his pride for him and show him actual kindness. The greenette knew that it was a selfish desire, but now that he had actually experienced it, he yearned more.
Or was Katsuki only pitying him after what had happened the night before?
"Stop mumbling shit under your breath and get your ass moving," Katsuki grumbled out, catching Izuku by surprise. When did the blond get out of the bathroom? Was Izuku so deep in his thoughts that he didn't hear the door opening?
"U-Uhm, yeah. Sorry," Izuku mumbled, his face flushing from embarrassment. How much did Katsuki hear?
Izuku headed to the bathroom and was about to close the door behind him when Katsuki spoke, "And just so you know, I don't take pity on anyone."
With that, Izuku slowly closed the door and stared at the ground intently. His heart was beating wildly in his chest, face flushed. He couldn't believe what was happening, and he was afraid that his old feelings would resurface. The very same feelings that started all of this mess.
Shaking his head to get rid of the dreadful thoughts, Izuku proceeded to brush his teeth and get ready before the blond came pounding on the door for him to hurry up. It didn't take him long to finish, thankfully. He ran his fingers through his messy hair to tame it down a little then walked out of the bathroom.
Katsuki was ready to go, with basketball shorts and a jacket over an orange muscle t-shirt. Izuku would be lying if he said that Katsuki didn't look good. Hell, the greenette has never seen someone as determined to be in good shape as the blond was. It made him blush in the slightest and avert his gaze, focusing on putting his socks and running shoes on.
"Let's get going," Katsuki spoke, throwing him a protein bar which he caught with ease. He eyed the bar momentarily before unwrapping it and taking a bite out of it. If it wasn't for the piercing stare the blond was giving him, he would've thrown it away.
With an approving nod, Katsuki grabbed his room key and motioned for Izuku to follow him. The greenette complied, the two of them walking out of the room quietly and Katsuki locking the door behind them. Silence settled between the two as they made their way downstairs to the common room.
Katsuki stole some occasional glances towards Izuku, who was walking beside him. He had so many questions he wanted to ask so badly, but he had done enough damage already. It was best to give Izuku some time to process things and not freak out. It must be hard on the greenette.
"Uhh, Kacchan?" Izuku mumbled timidly, bringing a hand to the back of his neck. "Y-You're kind of staring..."
"Huh?" Katsuki blinked, only now realizing that he was, in fact, staring straight at Izuku. He shook his head slightly, instantly looking away and scratching his head. "I wasn't."
This made Izuku raise an eyebrow in amusement. "You weren't?"
"Tch, of course I wasn't, you stupid nerd. You're seeing things." Katsuki said in denial, rolling his eyes and heading to the kitchen.
"Sure I was," Izuku snorted, not being able to hold back a small smile. Katsuki simply flipped him off from the kitchen, opening the fridge and grabbing two water bottles. This made Izuku laugh, finding Katsuki's denial kind of adorable.
"What the fuck are you laughing at, idiot?!" Katsuki exclaimed, throwing the greenette one of the water bottles. Izuku, although caught out of guard, managed to catch it without it hitting his face. Izuku only raised his hands in mock surrender, making Katsuki roll his eyes. "We need to stretch first before we start running."
Izuku nodded in agreement, and the two of them started stretching. After a few stretches they headed out to start their morning run. Izuku trudged behind Katsuki, staring at the back of his head. He knew how the blond hated people going in front of him, so he made sure to keep a fair distance behind him. So far his morning hasn't been as bad as it normally was, and that somewhat scared him.
It was all thanks to Katsuki. It scared him how the blond could lift his mood—even if it was in the slightest—in less than twenty-four hours. What were his intentions? When would he be back to being a heartless asshole? Was it all a trick?
It didn't take long for Izuku's mind to tread through dangerous waters. His mood was going down instantly, the doubt settling in. He started questioning Katsuki's actions and what they meant. The blond said that it wasn't out of pity, but was that true? Or was he feeling somewhat responsible for Izuku's messed up state?
Just what was real and what was not?
Katsuki, not feeling Izuku's presence behind him, glanced over his shoulder to check up on the greenette. Izuku had slowed down to a slow jog and had a distant look on his face, which Katsuki didn't like. He knew that it meant that the nerd was very deep in his thoughts, and that wasn't good.
Jogging over to him, Katsuki lightly smacked the side of Izuku's head to snap him out of it. "Oi, keep up."
Before Izuku could respond, the blond grabbed him by the elbow and started dragging him next to him. The greenette tried to match his pace, surprised that Katsuki wanted him to run next to him. Once Izuku matched his pace, Katsuki let go of his elbow.
"You can go on ahead, you know? I'm not going to be too far behind," Izuku commented.
"No," was Katsuki's short answer. The greenette furrowed his brows in question, wondering why Katsuki sounded somewhat determined.
"You're giving up a chance to show off how you're a faster runner than I am? Where's Kacchan and what have you done to him?" Izuku joked.
Katsuki didn't find it funny, though. Slowing them both down to a stop, Katsuki turned to Izuku.
"First of all, this ain't a race. Second, I don't know what goes on inside that brain of yours," Katsuki poked the greenette's forehead with a frown. "But I know that whatever it is, it's nothing good. I'm not going to leave you behind all alone for you to swim inside your head."
"Kacchan, I'm alright," Izuku sighed, running a hand through his messy green locks.
"We both know damn well you ain't 'alright', Deku," Katsuki huffed, crossing his arms.
"Look, about what happened yesterday...just forget about it, ok?" Let's just pretend that you didn't see what you saw and move on with our lives." Izuku suggested, crossing his arms and biting the inside of his cheeks. Things would be better for him that way.
"Ha?!" Katsuki exclaimed, looking at the greenette incredulously. "Are you being fucking serious right now?"
"Does it look like I'm joking?" Izuku raised an eyebrow.
"How do you expect me to just unsee what I saw last night?! Do you really think I'm just going to leave things as they are and go on my merry fucking way?!" The blond asked, scowl now evident on his face.
"It would be the best for—"
"It would be the best for us my ass," Katsuki scoffed. "I may be hotheaded and a fucking jerk, but you clearly need help and I'm not fucking leaving you alone. Not anymore."
"You didn't even care before!" Izuku exclaimed, now getting heated. "Why are you suddenly being nice to me?!"
"Because I—!" Katsuki started, but shut his mouth before finishing his sentence.
"Because what, Kacchan?" Izuku stared at Katsuki intently. Katsuki looked away, but Izuku caught the regret and guilt behind his ruby red orbs. He knew exactly what that meant, and it hurt. "Is it because you feel responsible...?"
Katsuki stayed silent for a moment, before running a hand through his spiky hair. "I can't say that I don't."
Izuku let out a bitter laugh, heart dropping. "So this is your way of redeeming yourself? By treating me nicely after all this time?"
"That's not the only reason..." Katsuki trailed off, not really knowing what to say.
"So you do pity me after all," Izuku scoffed. "I should've known better."
The greenette turned around and started walking away, a pained expression on his face as he shook his head in disappointment. He knew that it was too good to be true.
"Oi, Deku!" Katsuki called after him, but Izuku ignored him. Cursing under his breath, he followed after him. "Fucking stop for a moment!"
"So that you can keep getting my hopes up and make me believe for even one second that you care about me? Not anymore," Izuku huffed out, eyes burning with unshed tears.
"I do fucking care about you, ok?!" Katsuki finally admitted. "For fuck's sakes, Izuku, I've always fucking cared!"
The confession made Izuku stop dead in his tracks, his eyes wide and heart beating dangerously fast. Katsuki took this opportunity to continue, swallowing down his pride. "You, out of all people, know how fucking difficult it is for me to deal with my emotions. And yes, I do feel responsible, and I do want to try and make things right, but it's not out of fucking pity!"
"And how can you be so sure of that?" Izuku retorted, turning back around to face the blond.
"I know that I've been a major asshole, and I know that right now I'm being a hypocrite, but you know what? I don't fucking care about that! What I care about is you, and knowing that you are hurting the way you are also hurts me. I'm trying to do good for the sake of both of us, whether you believe it or not."
By the end of his confession, Katsuki felt incredibly nervous. For what reason did he admit all those things? He had no idea. He just knew that he had to let it out before it ate him alive. He had lied about his feelings for far too long.
Izuku took a deep breath, staring at the blond with big eyes in disbelief. He suddenly felt shy, not knowing what to think about what Katsuki had just said. The blond just kept confusing him with his words and actions. He seriously needed a break from it.
"God, you are so confusing," Izuku sighed, running a hand down his face. He still didn't know if to believe him or not. He still had doubts.
"I know," Katsuki agreed, scratching the back of his head. A few feet away from them, footsteps were heard followed by someone clearing their throat. Both their heads turned to where the sound came from, keeping their guard up.
"Young Bakugo, Young Midoriya," All Might said, approaching them from the shadows. "I'm glad to see the both of you here."
"A-All Might," Izuku said, flushing slightly. Had he heard their conversation?
"What is it, All Might?" Katsuki cut to the chase, crossing his arms. He was silently thankful that the retired pro hero made an appearance, saving him from further embarrassment.
Another person appeared before them, making Izuku's blood run cold. Tsukauchi gave them both a polite smile, holding a briefcase beside him. "Good morning to the two of you."
Izuku looked between All Might and the detective, already fearing the worst.
Noticing the greenette's troubled gaze, All Might rested a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "The detective wanted to continue yesterday's interview before you had to go to class so that you two don't miss out on your lessons. It shouldn't take more than half an hour."
Izuku frowned, taking a deep breath and nodding slightly. The retired pro hero gave him a small, sad smile. "We will be waiting for you over at the teacher's lounge. Be there in forty-five minutes."
"Y-Yes," Izuku said. All Might and Tsukauchi gave a small nod, turning around and making their way over to the school building.
Izuku immediately dreaded what was to come.
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