Work Text:
When Mina asks him, very nicely he might add, to prank Kacchan —Izuku says no. Turns her down multiple times, too. Which is only logical, because who in the world would want to prank Kacchan? Not him for sure. Izuku quite liked his head attached to his body, yessir!
So tell him why, he is walking past the very grumpy and very explosive blonde without sparing him a look nor greeting? Tell him why, he doesn’t double back and squeak out a belated ‘good morning’, as Kacchan slows down with his shoulders tensing.
Temptation. That’s why.
Temptation truly is humanity’s downfall and it surely is Izuku’s too.
Though he supposes Mina’s excited giggle and thumbs up as he meets her gaze when he enters the classroom later on is worth the consequences they would surely face later on. Uraraka, as if hearing his internal deprecating thoughts, smirks at him.
“You suck,” he mutters as he passes her seat, having taken the long route to reach his seat so that he wouldn’t have to meet Kacchan’s eyes.
“And you swallow!” she retorts back, cheerful as ever despite the red that seeps through his cheeks like blossoming roses.
His classmates titter and pull him into their fold, conversation jumping from one topic to another. Yet, through it all, none of them lose the amused tint that adorned their faces. Except maybe Iida, he seems pretty concerned on Izuku’s behalf. Not concerned enough to speak up about it, though.
Assholes, the lot of ‘em.
Kacchan’s gaze burns holes at him.
Izuku doesn’t turn around.
It slowly escalates with each small thing.
Walking past Kacchan more than once as if he is thin air, blatantly looking past and through him (Izuku nearly gives up the game with that one. He still doesn’t understand how he looked at Kacchan and still managed to ignore him), choosing Shoto when All Might lets the class partner up for sparring (Sue him, it is quickly becoming a guilty pleasure seeing his usually explosive childhood friend seeth in silence), removing himself from the blonde’s grip when Izuku gets cornered after class and leaving with Iida all the while refusing to look at him (god Izuku nearly dies there, Mina why? Thankfully, Iida seems reluctant to out Izuku) and then Izuku ignores Kacchan again in their dorms then doesn’t thank him or compliment him for the food the blonde makes and attempts to make it himself (absolutely shitty of him, but Izuku is far gone now, it’s all or nothing—)
Katsuki snaps.
“ Out. Everyone get out! ” Katsuki snarls, not caring how everyone reels back and nervously inches out of the kitchen. Without even a single look at Izuku.
Fucking traitors.
Izuku shifts his eyes away from Katsuki like he is trying to not let his guilt carry through — well that didn’t work out, did it, now if Katsuki caught it? — and moves to follow the others. Katsuki’s knuckles creak under pressure as he clenches his hands into fists.
Dammit, you nerd.
“Except you. Fuckin’ try to leave. I dare you.”
Izuku freezes.
Oh now he listens.
Once everyone leaves, and it’s only the two of them and the stifling silence surrounding like a blanket, Katsuki lets himself stare down the nerd. Red eyes gleam under the dimmed light as the blonde watches how Izuku swallows and shifts in his seat, slowly buckling under the burning pressure of Katsuki’s stare.
“Did you have fun?” he drawls, purposefully inserting an edge of spiteful amusement into his tone. The nerd deserves it, afterall. Letting Katsuki feel like an idiot the whole day, ignoring him to face, picking that half-and-half bastard over him and fucking acting like Katsuki’s existence meant fucking nothing to the bastard.
Silence.
Katsuki sneers.
“For someone who needs a reminder every two minutes to shut up, you’re being surprisingly quiet now,” Katsuki comments, lounging against the edge of the table and facing the brat.
He crosses his arms, muscles flexing tense. He hates this. Hates how much the idiot influences him. It is also something he has come to accept with his body, mind and soul since his first year has passed. Still, hah… to think the nerd would use it against him? For all that he has spent years deluding himself that Izuku was looking down on him, he has never once felt this slighted.
It dawns on him then, a sting to his heart, that this is how Izuku would have treated him if he looked down on him; disliked him; despised him. It is that very thought that tethers him down to the ground and prevents him from going on a rampage.
Because Izuku, for all his flaws, never has or never will treat Katsuki with disdain.
At least, not without him giving a reason for it like infanticide on a large scale or becoming puppy-killing maniac like Cruella de Vil.
So, that brings him to his next line of thought. If Katsuki hasn’t, and he hadn’t —he checked, done anything wrong, then why exactly was the nerd ignoring him?
And that’s when he caught on.
The worried looks some of his friends kept sporting whenever Izuku ignored him, Pinky’s absolutely hideous attempt at hiding her excitement at his growing disgruntlement and Pink Cheeks not so subtle try to record them.
A prank.
A fucking prank.
The nerd had ignored Katsuki’s existence for a fucking prank.
Oh, to say he is furious would be… understating it.
Katsuki’s sure that the idiot caved to the meddling bastards’ request to prank him once they begged him shamelessly. He is too soft-hearted for his own good. However, not apparently enough to spare Katsuki of the unneeded disgusting heartache he suffered through for the whole day.
Katsuki sighs.
No that was wrong, it is not that the idiot deliberately tried to hurt him. No. Izuku probably thought, with his only half-functioning brain cell, that Katsuki wouldn’t have cared either way. That it wouldn’t matter much to him whether he talked to him or not. Katsuki’s sure that’s how he would have thought when he started this.
That was the only explanation why the nerd had so blatantly looked over him and chose that IcyHot bastard.
Ugh.
Why does he have to reason it? Katsuki isn’t a saint, is he? No.
So, the blonde hums and leans down, it looks like it is time for some good ol’ retribution. After all, always give back what you get ten-fold, amiright?
“Izuku…” Katsuki breathes, grinding his words out in a low growl and watches with glee as goosebumps make its way down the greenette’s arms. “You really wanna continue this game? Hm?”
Izuku swallows again. Viridian eyes slowly rise to meet Katsuki’s, wide and imploring as if to absorb any and every piece of data Katsuki’s face may give out. Then, as if seeing the darkness lingering behind the facade of nonchalance in Katsuki’s eyes, he shakes his head shakily.
“In words, Izuku.”
Izuku darts another glance at him and licks his lips, trying to gather his fickle remains of his scattered confidence and says, “No, Kacchan.”
“Good boy,” Katsuki hums, eyes drooping as Izuku flushes red to his roots, and reaches out, gently gripping the boy’s chin with his thumb and index fingers. The red on his skin turns even darker. It suits him. “Wanna tell me who put you up to this?”
“K-Kacchan,” Izuku averts his gaze, fingers curling under the chair seat and clutching tight. “I-It w-was just a p-prank.”
Katsuki frowned.
“A prank,” he repeats, voice hard and devoid of any inflections. Izuku looks up at him through his bangs, pupils shifting with nerves. “You ignore me for something as simple as a prank?”
“Kacchan–”
“I thought I did something wrong,” the words come tumbling out of Katsuki’s mouth once he starts. “I thought I hurt you and that, this was it, whatever fucking shit we had was fuckin’ done because I fucked up majorly and hurt the one person I want to protect again.”
Izuku’s eyes start watering and he sniffs, suddenly hit by Katsuki’s confession and feels his guilt multiply. He thought it was fun. Fuck. He was hurting Kacchan and he was having fun doing it. What kind of friend is he even?
“I’m sorry, Kacchan,” Izuku slumps back, head hanging.
Katsuki sighs.
Regret creeping up his spine for his outburst, he leans forward again. The hand on Izuku’s chin caresses his cheek and moves to hold the back of Izuku’s neck. He gently massages his thumb against his nape and hums, acknowledging the apology.
“Just don’t ignore me again, okay?” Katsuki murmurs, the words slipping from his lips something he never imagined he would ever say; let alone to Izuku. “I uh, I can’t… Damnit. Izuku. You can’t ignore me, ever again.”
Because he can’t handle it.
Izuku nods, earnest and so, so endearing in the way Katsuki simply wants to pull him forward and let their lips crash.
He squeezes the hand resting on Izuku’s nape and breathes out, eyes wandering down to the plump lips adorning his hero-partner.
Fuck it.
He jerks the nerd closer and catches his lips with Katsuki’s. Curbing a wild smirk at the startled squeak that escapes Izuku’s mouth, he kisses him. Pouring his whole heart and soul into it, desperately clutching the boy closer and barely noticing the arms that sneak around his neck and the hands that settle against his hair.
Izuku pulls away, lips hovering against Katsuki’s and eyes teary as always.
“I won’t,” he pants and then rests his forehead against Katsuki’s. “ I promise .”
“Good,” Katsuki huffs, previous fury simmering down into a petty petulance, and lets himself be kissed again.
Later, much later , after Katsuki has given up on any pretense of being still disgruntled and picks up Izuku like a bag of potatoes, ignoring the squeal let out by the shorter boy and smuggles him in Katsuki’s bed, possessive hands sliding up shirts and wrapping himself around the nerd, he asks, “Which shithead gave you the idea?”
Izuku snorts, face buried against Katsuki’s neck and arms wrapped around the other boy like an octopus.
“One of your idiots,” he mumbles.
Katsuki, who more or less figured out the perpetrator, smirks.
“Thank you, darlin’."
A squeak, followed by incensed spluttering, slips from his boyfriend’s lips.
And Katsuki breaks out into a cackle.