bakufem!deku thread, bc @/art_in_distress inspired me:

izuku has never thought of herself as pretty. passable, sure. cute? maybe. she's got big doe eyes and chubby cheeks that more than one person has compared to a hamster and are perpetually pinched red by grandmas.

but she's never had a boyfriend, never gone on a date. the one time she'd found a love letter in her shoe locker, she'd been excited until she overheard some of the boys snickering about their planned prank. after that, the letters, few as they were, went ignored.

and sure, she knows that the teasing is because she's quirkless, not because she's ugly, but sometimes she wonders if being pretty would make things better. if she hadn't been born with such a plain face, would her peers value her more?

would kacchan...?

she shakes the thought from her head as soon as it comes. kacchan is on a different level entirely -- he wouldn't even look twice at anyone in their school, so for a short, plain, quirkless nobody like izuku...well. some days he never even looked at her at all.

and then all might arrives.

against all odds, izuku receives a quirk. she gets into ua. izuku midoriya might still be plain, but she's somebody in the eyes of her peers now. she has friends. she, against all odds, has kacchan, even if they're fighting more often than not.

her school life has improved more than she ever thought possible, and she's happy.

but...sometimes she catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror, or sees herself in the photos that circulate in the many 1-A group chats, and the old doubts come creeping in.

she's surrounded by beautiful, strong girls, graceful like yaomomo and stylish like jirou and colorful like mina, and she can't help but feel like her plainness sticks out even more. she supposes it's her fault -- she never made much of an effort before.

she'd never even know where to start when it came to makeup, and it wasn't like she'd ever went anywhere special with friends to justify buying nice clothes. all that money was better spent on all might collectibles anyway, in her opinion...but now she's starting from behind.

izuku doesn't even really know what she'd do with this newfound knowledge. didn't girls wear makeup to look nice for the people they liked, or to make other people like them? did izuku want that? there was only one person she'd ever looked at, and he was far out of her reach.

she was still short, still plain. she was still fairly flat-chested, though if mina was to be believed she more than made up for it with "junk in the trunk". but maybe if she was prettier, got a makeover like in the movies...

maybe, just maybe, kacchan might look twice.

izuku frets and deliberates if, when, /how/ she should bring it up. she doesn't think that the other girls in the class will make fun of her, necessarily, but izuku isn't great at striking up conversation, let alone figuring out how to ask them "please make me look pretty".

it takes three days for her to actually get up the courage to ask, and another three of her apparently acting so fidgety and distracted that her classmates all think (not entirely incorrectly) that she's hiding something, before her luck changes.

uraraka, mina, and hagakure are all clustered on the couch in the common room, oooh-ing and ahhh-ing while mina scrolls slowly through her phone. izuku hovers, torn between wanting to be included yet unwilling to make the first move, before uraraka notices and beckons her over.

"deku! c'mon over here and look at these palettes with us," she says, patting the cushion next to her. izuku sits down gingerly and immediately has a bright pink phone shoved into her face.

"which one is your favorite, deku?" asks mina excitedly.

"ochako likes the "au natural", but i think "toxic shock" is sooo much better. and tooru isn't helping at all, she just says she likes all of them!"

"well, i do!" tooru huffs, crossing her arms. izuku swipes hesitantly at the pictures while the other girls wait.

"i..." izuku mumbles. she doesn't even know what the palettes are for until she reads the description, and then she's even more confused. are they really all just eyeshadow? who needs that many colors at once, but also, why aren't /all/ the colors in one big palette?

"i dunno...i don't really...i've never used makeup," izuku finally says.

"never /ever/?" gasps mina. she reaches over uraraka to grab izuku's face in her hands and smooshes her cheeks. "you have this perfect complexion and you don't use /anything/? what gives you the right?!"

"give her back her face first, mina!" uraraka laughs. mina grudgingly releases izuku, though her pout remains.

"n-no, i...i don't know how? i mean..." izuku nervously twists the hem of her shirt, unprepared for this sudden, perfect opportunity. "i never had the chance.

i didn't really have a lot of girl friends in middle school, so..."

this time it's hagakure who grabs izuku, thankfully by the hands rather than the face. "please please please, deku! please let us do your makeup for you!" she squeals. uraraka and mina nod excitedly.

izuku is slightly floored by how easy this all was, considering she'd spent a week giving herself an ulcer over all this. "but i...won't it be weird? if i wear makeup in these clothes...?" she gestures to herself, baggy hoodie and old t-shirt and threadbare basketball shorts.

"don't be silly," says mina dismissively. "you'll still be cute even in what you're wearing now. heck, you're cute right now!"

izuku turns bright red and hides her face in her arms. "minaaa," she whines. "don't tease me, okay?"

"i mean it! you're super cute, deku!"

mina grins broadly and leans over uraraka again, making sure izuku isn't paying attention, and as soon as she's sure she has an opening she grabs izuku by the sides and starts tickling. "say it! say you're cute, deku!"

"mina, no!" izuku shrieks. "ochako, help me--!"

ochako rolls her eyes fondly, but doesn't move. "you have to say you're cute, deku. those are the rules of tickle fight."

"you made that up just now! fine, i'm cute, i'm cute!" says izuku, and mina relents.

"that's more like it. okay, meeting in yaomomo's room in five!"

mina leaps up from the couch and practically sprints to the elevators, hagakure following closely. izuku sprawls out on the couch, suddenly exhausted, while uraraka just looks down at her with an amused expression. "so what brought all this on, deku?" she asks.

"huh?"

"asking about makeup and clothes and stuff. is this why you've been weird all week?"

uraraka knows her too well. izuku hides her face again.

"i just...i wanna know what it's like to be pretty. because i've never been and i don't know where to start."

uraraka is quiet for a long time. "c'mon, deku," she finally says, standing up and tugging at izuku's hoodie. izuku risks a peek through her arms, afraid that she's somehow said the wrong thing, but uraraka is smiling as cheerfully as ever. "let's give you a makeover!"

izuku allows herself to be dragged to momo's room, and then promptly tries to escape when she sees girl in class sitting inside. "oh no you don't," says uraraka, grabbing izuku by the back of her shorts and all but throwing her into the middle of their classmates.

"now now, izuku. there's no need to be so frightened," says momo, ever a bastion of calm. "shall i make you some tea to ease your nerves?"

"no time for that!" says mina, pumping a fist in the air. "it's a fashion emergency! we've gotta get deku in her sunday best, stat!"

(*every girl in class, jesus. guess typos means it's time to sleep. tbc tomorrow perhaps?)

(okay, here we go! wasn't expecting this to be so popular but considering it's the longest thread i've posted it makes sense xD)

"there's always time for tea," momo says primly, but doesn't push it. "so, izuku. do you know what kind of a look you're going for?"

"a...a look?"

"yes. something daring, provacative? something playful?"

"um." izuku fidgets, unsure where to look. "i...don't know."

"how about colors? if you have a color scheme you'd like to stick to, that will make it easier. we could do some blues and greens if you want to match your hair--"

"o-orange," izuku blurts out, her cheeks reddening. "i...makeup comes in orange, right?"

momo looks at izuku so kindly that she almost wants to cry. "yes, izuku. we can definitely do orange...oh! mina, you've got that lovely two-tone skirt, that will go well, won't it?"

"eeeh? no way! deku should wear leggings or jeans or something!"

momo blinks. "oh?

why is that?"

mina grins and traces a round shape in the air with both hands. "to show off that booty of hers, of course!"

"mina!" izuku buries her face in her hands while her so-called friend cackles. "a skirt is fine, a skirt is fine!"

"fiiiiine. but we /will/ be revisiting this topic," mina calls as she goes to fetch the clothes. izuku groans and turns to uraraka. "y-you don't have to do all this--"

"deku," she says. "if any of us told you we didn't think we were pretty, would you let that slide?"

"i--but you /are/ pretty," izuku stammers.

"oh geez," jirou sighs.

"i'm not-- i'm not saying i'm /ugly/. i'm just...i'm plain. and i want-- i want not to be," izuku says, trailing off. "even if it's just for a little while. i know being a hero is more important, but..."

"you can still be beautiful and be a hero! look at midnight! or mt. lady!" says tooru.

"a lot of lady heroes capitalize on their looks, actually," tsuyu adds. "but even if you didn't, there's more than just being a hero, ribit. we're students but we can still have fun."

jirou nods. "you don't need a reason to want to look nice, izuku. heck, you've seen mina parading around in full makeup and her pajamas. sometimes it just makes you feel good to get dolled up a bit, you know?"

izuku feels herself tearing up again. "y-you guys..."

"aw man, don't cry!" says uraraka. she pulls izuku into a hug and rubs their cheeks together playfully. "we're here for ya, okay?"

"o-okay," izuku hiccups.

"aw, come on. why'd you make her cry?" mina complains as she walks in, a pile of clothes slung over her arm.

"her face is gonna get all swollen! yaomomo, get her a cold towel!"

"you're awfully bossy considering it's her room, ribit."

"and you can shush, we're running out of time!" says mina cheerfully. she drops the clothes on momo's bed and takes izuku's face in her hands.

"now...i think for the eyeshadow orange will be just fine. i guess we can stick to the more subdued shades, neon won't go with any of the clothes i picked. is she ready for false eyelashes, do you think?"

every girl in the room, including izuku, chimes in at once. "no."

"bleh, killjoys. we /will/ be doing mascara, though. i need to test and see if this new brand is really as waterproof as it says it is, and deku is the perfect guinea pig for that."

"thanks," izuku says dryly.

"you'll be saying that a lot today," mina replies with a smile.

izuku learns a lot that afternoon.

she learns that "coral" is a color, not just stuff from the ocean, and that there are at least 10 different shades of it in momo's makeup box. she learns the proper way to apply blush and that you always use primer on your eyelids.

she also learns that she really, /really/ hates eyeliner.

"you're gonna poke my eyes out!" she shrieks, trying to fight off mina. uraraka and tsuyu have her by the arms while tooru and momo have her legs, but she can still struggle enough to make mina's life difficult.

"i really will if you don't stop moving!" mina yells back, all but straddling izuku. "i promise i'm not gonna poke you in the eye but you have to /sit still/ and let me finish."

she fusses a little, but eventually mina is able to finish her task, and everyone sighs in relief.

izuku is a bit more receptive to the mascara, and in between everything they discuss clothes. izuku rejects anything too tight-fitting or see-through -- a surprisingly large amount of what mina's brought -- but can't talk her way out of a strappy pair of high heels.

there's another problem, too.

"this doesn't fit," izuku says despairingly as she tries to adjust the straps on mina's loose orange tanktop. "i'm smaller than you in the chest..."

"oh! i can fix that," says jirou, rummaging in her pocket.

she gestures for izuku to turn around, pulls the straps together behind her neck, and secures them in place with a hair clip. "there ya go. quick fix."

"you're so clever, jirou!" momo says, clapping her hands together. jirou turns pink, shrugs, and sits back beside her.

"here, put this on so you don't get cold." izuku accepts ochako's offer of a tan cardigan and takes a few tentative steps around the room, wobbling precariously. the skirt is shorter than she'd like, but everything is fairly comfortable save for the shoes.

she turns to the other girls, shifting her weight awkwardly. "d-do i look okay?" she asks, a little unnerved at how quiet everyone is.

it's tsuyu who gets up first and takes izuku's hand to gently lead her over to the full-length mirror. "see for yourself, ribit."

izuku looks.

she can still recognize herself, of course, and she's seen makeup on other people, but seeing herself like this...it's jarring. a little exhilarating. she turns this way and that, and her borrowed skirt twirls with her.

her eyes have always arguably been her best feature, and they pop even more with her lashes filled out. her lids are brushed orange-gold, darkening to bronze at the outer edge, and her lips are full and glossy, several shades darker than the light dust of blush on her cheeks.

her legs look longer thanks to the heels, too; she's practically towering over tsuyu. altogether, she looks...she looks...

"so pretty, izuku," says uraraka. "you look really beautiful."

izuku's throat feels tight, and she can see the girls in the mirror, smiling warmly.

"i..." izuku sniffs, and she can feel the tears gathering dangerously. "th-thank you guys so much...thank you..."

"hey now! i know i said i wanted to test the mascara but maybe last longer than five minutes!" mina jokes. izuku lets out a laugh and looks at her reflection.

she can hardly believe that's her in there. still freckly, still chubby-cheeked, still /izuku/, but...she feels powerful, almost like she's discovered a new fighting move while training. even if she never wears makeup again...she knows now. this happiness belongs to her.

"i can't believe it. our little izuku, all grown up," says mina, sniffling and wiping an imaginary tear from her eye. "we should have done this waaaay sooner."

"well, what matters is that we did it in the end! and now deku gets to show off to everyone," says uraraka.

"wha-- show off?" izuku stutters.

"well, duh," uraraka replies. "this is your debut! this is where you strut your stuff and say--" she pauses, cocks her hip exaggeratedly and strikes a pose. "--'look at how beautiful i am and despair, for my heart can never be swayed!"

izuku stares at her blankly. "why would i say that?"

uraraka rolls her eyes. "well, you don't say it /out loud/," she says exasperatedly. "the point is to show off a bit! you're good at showing off when it comes to fighting, now use those skills to dazzle our classmates!"

"i don't-- wha--"

"oh, c'mon, izuku. it'd be funny to see kaminari's idiot face when he sees you all gussied up," says jirou, grinning. the other girls laugh at the thought, and even izuku manages to crack a smile.

"i-i guess. but what if they...what if they make fun of me?"

"they won't make fun of you. a lot of them are as dumb as a brick but they're all good guys, you know that. although," tooru muses, "their friendships could be strained if they all fall in love with you..."

"oh! just like a movie," exclaims momo.

izuku blushes and laughs, waving her hands in front of her. "c-come on, guys, no one is going to fall in love with me..."

"you're right, ribit. they've probably been in love with you all along, and seeing you like this will be what finally makes them realize it," says tsuyu.

"that's not what i--"

"now we've /gotta/ show you off," says mina, a manic gleam in her eyes, and izuku feels a cold chill down her spine. "come on, deku! all joking aside, you've gotta get used to being seen. better to start off with friends and work your way up, yeah?"

izuku plucks at the sleeve of her cardigan before remembering it's borrowed and stopping. "i-- you're right," she says, straightening up with a determined expression. "if i can face down villains, i can do this!"

"that's the spirit," says jirou, amused by the comparison.

"come on, then. we can watch tv in the common room while we wait for the boys," says uraraka. they filter out of momo's room, izuku occasionally having to clutch at mina when she wobbles too precariously on her heels. the common room has never seemed so far away.

once they arrive, they're surprised to see shinsou and tokoyami settled comfortably and engrossed in a game of cards. "hey guys! will it bother you if we watch tv in here?" uraraka asks. the two look over, and izuku immediately wants to hide when their eyes land on her.

"no, it's fine. feel free," shinsou replies. "going somewhere, midoriya? you look nice."

"i-i! no, i just--" izuku stammers. heat creeps up her face and she resists the urge to hide behind her arms, not wanting to smudge her makeup. no one's ever told her she looks nice.

uraraka nudges her with her elbow and izuku tries to calm down. "th-thank you, shinsou," she whispers.

he chuckles. "no problem. didn't know you were the type for makeup."

"it suits her, right? don't you think she should wear it all the time?" asks tooru.

"if she wants."

"boo, you're no fun. what about you, tokoyami? don't you think deku should dress up more?"

"outward ornamentation matters not. if your spirit remains strong--"

"okay, never mind," tooru interrupts. tokoyami looks put out and dark shadow nuzzles him comfortingly.

izuku still feels vaguely mortified, but their responses were still better than she had been expecting, and it's enough to lighten the anxious weight on her chest just a bit. the boys go back to their game, and the girls bicker over what to watch.

izuku almost gets them to agree to an all might special that's airing soon -- never mind that she's taping it anyway -- but uraraka isn't swayed by her doe eyes and breaks the tie in favor of a cooking show. it's relaxing, just hanging out with her friends.

she almost forgets that she's dressed up until kirishima and sero walk in, the latter of which does an exaggerated double-take. "woah! midoriya, is that you?" he asks, already-wide grin stretching even bigger. "you look great! who are you trying to impress, huh?"

izuku hunches over, embarrassed. "hey, woah! don't hide from us! c'mere, do a twirl for us," sero laughs, walking over.

"sero, stop being such a jerk," scolds mina. he holds a hand over his heart, looking hurt.

"i would never. this is genuine excitement, okay?

i've always said that 1-A has more babes than any other class, and now midoriya is just proving my point."

"oh god," izuku mutters.

kirishima shakes his head and tugs at sero's collar. "you're embarrassing her, dude. that's not very manly of you."

sero sighs. "all right, all right. i'm sorry if i made you uncomfortable, midoriya, really."

"i-it's okay, sero," she replies, managing to look up and give him a small smile. "although i'm kind of worried about what kaminari will say now, since /you're/ the calm one..."

"smart of you," laughs kirishima. "seriously though, you look great. how come the rest of you aren't dressed up, though?"

"it's a secret," says mina, sticking out her tongue.

"a secret? interesting," sero replies, suddenly looking devious. "don't tell me...

...you don't have a date planned, do you?"

izuku blushes so hard she feels like she might faint. "n-no! absolutely not," she stammers. "who would-- i wouldn't--"

"/very/ suspicious. then maybe there's someone you're trying to entice?"

izuku pouts. "sero, you're teasing me again."

he grins again. "i sure am. rule number one, midoriya: guys love to tease a pretty girl and make her blush. and you blush way too easily."

"geez, sero. pretty smooth for someone who doesn't have a girlfriend," says jirou.

he whistles. "low blow, jirou. you've wounded me." he grabs izuku's hand and tugs her to her feet. "i'll have to confiscate midoriya, so she doesn't pick up your bad habits."

"that's kidnapping, ribit," tsuyu says.

"of course it's not. kiri and i are /gentlemen/."

"hey, don't bring me into this," says kirishima, holding his hands up.

"what? are you saying you /don't/ wanna hang out with such a cute girl?" says sero. "see, midoriya? none of these guys can appreciate your beauty except for me."

"punch him, midoriya," says shinsou.

"punch him hard," adds mina.

"i-i would never," says izuku.

"midoriya is a /lady/, and i will treat her as such," sero declares bombastically. "you're all just jealous of our whirlwind romance."

"deku, say the word and we'll rescue you from this weirdo," says uraraka.

izuku laughs and shakes her head. "it's fine, it's fine. sero is just messing around."

"on the contrary! i meant every word i said, even if i know it'll never happen," he says. sero gets a devious glint in his eye and leans close to izuku, whispering in her ear.

"you look good in orange. just like bakugou, right?"

izuku's heart falters, then pounds harder in her chest. is she really so transparent? if sero found out so quickly, then do the girls know too? does everyone else?

sero pulls back and winks, smiling warmly.

"deku, what'd he say!! you're beet red!" says mina, bouncing on the couch impatiently.

"i-it's nothing!" izuku squeaks. "everything is fine!"

"yeah, everything is fine, mina," sero replies cheekily. he pulls izuku close against his side, and she blushes even more.

"just wait, you'll all be jealous once you see what a good time she has on our date."

"ehhh? you have a date, sero?"

kaminari walks in, bright eyed and inquisitive, and behind him...

kacchan.

"ah, perfect! just the men i wanted to see. settle a bet for me; isn't she the prettiest thing you've laid eyes on today?" says sero. he turns just enough so izuku is in full view; kaminari's eyes widen, but katsuki looks unfazed.

"woah, midoriya?" kaminari says.

"is that really you?"

"who else would it be?" shinsou chimes in, sounding a little irritated. "what's with that tone, anyway?"

"no!! i didn't mean it like /that/, i was just surprised!" says kaminari hurriedly, waving his hands to placate the other boy.

"it's good surprise, i swear." he turns to izuku and gives her a thumbs up. "you've always been cute, midoriya, but this is next level! you should definitely dress up more often."

"so that's one resounding 'yes'," says sero, hugging izuku closer. "what about you, bakugou?"

"what about me?" katsuki grumbles. sero grins and his tone becomes challenging.

"don't you think midoriya is adorable like this? i could take her out on a date right now and be the envy of the whole town."

katsuki's eyes narrow, flicking from sero to izuku.

she tries not to shrink under his glare, but it's hard. he looks at her exactly the same as he always does, if not more irritated due to sero's antics.

"do what you want," he says finally, shoving his hands in his pockets. "it's got nothing to do with me."

"bakugou, you're so mean! you're not even going to tell deku she looks nice when she tried so hard?" uraraka asks.

"u-uraraka, wait, it's fine--" izuku says. "k-kacchan doesn't have to say anything, it's okay."

"tch." katsuki walks away, but stops to look back at izuku.

"you better not neglect your training for all this," he says before continuing on his way. kaminari and kirishima follow, looking anxious.

the girls explode immediately, fashioning elaborate plans for revenge against katsuki while momo tries to calm them down.

sero squeezes izuku's shoulder and she looks up, a little startled to see his face so serious. "you okay?" he says quietly. "sorry. i didn't think he'd react like that."

"it's fine, sero. kacchan is kacchan." izuku chuckles a bit. "he's never cared about this stuff.

i've never seen him pay attention even to the prettiest girls, so it makes sense..."

"he pays attention to you," says sero.

"heh." izuku manages a smile, but she can feel it tremble. "you really don't know when to stop teasing, do you sero?"

he sighs and shrugs a bit. "guess i don't. but hey, all teasing aside, the least i can do is take you out for a nice dinner after all this. whatever you want?"

izuku opens her mouth to answer, but uraraka grabs her by the arm. "deku, are you okay?

you know that bakugou is just a jerk, right? literally everyone else had nothing but nice things to say!"

"i know, i know! i'm fine, uraraka. thank you," izuku replies. "i should probably take all this off, though. i think the mascara is flaking into my eyes a bit."

uraraka looks suspicious, but doesn't push it. izuku bids farewell to her friends and waves off their offers to help her to her room, saying she should practice walking in the heels on her own.

she gets on the elevator and waits until the doors close to let her tears fall.

(part the second! switching to katsuki's pov)

katsuki doesn't manage to close his door fast enough to stop his friends from barrelling in and talking his ear off.

"what gives, bro? that was super unmanly of you back there," says kirishima.

"yeah! you could have at least told midoriya she looked cute," adds kaminari.

"i thought you guys were getting along better. that was kind of a dick move, even for you."

"how about you shut up and leave me alone?" katsuki snarls. usually he's better at dealing with the two, but he's feeling weirdly on-edge, and sero isn't there to mediate.

and speaking of sero...

the more he thinks about how close he'd been to deku, how easily he'd put his arm around her and complimented her looks, it makes the sour feeling in his stomach that much stronger. he hadn't thought sero could sound so sincere when complimenting a girl.

he hadn't thought that deku would look so happy about it, almost as happy as she looked when katsuki complimented her. he wondered why deku had been all dressed up, and why she suddenly considered it so important. all their lives, she'd never even hinted at wanting to date.

all she'd ever talked about was all might and pro heroes, training regimens and meal plans. he wasn't even sure she owned lip balm, let alone actual makeup. should he have known? should he have been paying more attention?

when did he stop knowing everything about deku?

"bro, are you even listening to us?" kirishima demands, and katsuki realizes that he absolutely has not been listening.

"no. why are you still in my room? if you're so concerned about the nerd, /you/ go compliment her. the rest of the class seems to have already."

"that's not the point--" kaminari begins, cutting himself off abruptly when katsuki's door slams open, revealing a stone-faced sero.

"you know, for someone who's so smart, you're a real idiot, bakugou," he says flatly, closing the door behind him. "the hell is your problem?"

"/you're/ gonna have the problem of my fist in your face if you don't get the fuck out of my room," katsuki snarls, jumping to his feet. "who do you think you are, barging in here?"

"who do you think /you/ are, treating midoriya that way?"

"that's none of your fucking business--"

"would it really have been so hard, huh? to even be /neutral/, instead of a raging asshole?" a note of anger is creeping into sero's voice now, to everyone's surprise. he's definitely the mellow one of the group, but now he's livid.

"what did i say that was so wrong, hah? telling her not to skip her training for a date? did you forget what we're in school for?" snaps katsuki.

"that's not the point and you know it. i know you think i'm an idiot, bakugou, but i notice a lot more than you think.

i've seen the way you look at her--"

"stop." katsuki's voice is low, but dangerous, and sparks pop in his palms. "you shut up right now."

"g-guys, hey, calm down," says kaminari, trying to insert himself between the two. sero stops him with a look, and steps towards katsuki.

"i've seen how you look at her," he repeats. "but did you really think you were the only one who would notice her?"

katsuki doesn't even realize he's grabbed the front of sero's shirt in his fist until kirishima is tugging at his arm, telling him to calm down.

sero looks unfazed, and katsuki hates the cool, almost pitying look on his face. "she looks at you the same way, bakugou," he says. "you've gotta know that by now."

"you don't know a fucking thing about me, /or/ her," katsuki snarls.

"probably not.

i don't know you guy's history, and i don't know why the both of you haven't been honest with each other," sero replies. "but that's got nothing to do with me. kind of makes it easier, in fact." sero grabs katsuki's wrist and dislodges his grip with some difficulty.

"i'm not afraid of being rejected, or thinking she's settling because she can't have you. I'm kind of used to being overshadowed by you, ya know," sero continues, a hint of playfulness in his grin. "but if you're not going to make a move, then i will.

and i'm willing to bet that you start noticing an awful lot of people in school who are thinking the exact same thing that i am."

"go, then," says katsuki, and kirishima's grip on his arm tightens preemptively. "since you think you're such hot shit. deku is too good for you."

"she definitely is," sero says, shrugging carelessly as he opens the door. "but she's also way too good for you."

sero leaves before he can get another word in edgewise and katsuki just stands there, fuming. kirishima and kaminari share a mutual look of concern.

"um..." kirishima begins.

"just fucking go," katsuki says shortly, sitting heavily in his desk chair. "i don't care, i don't want to talk about it, so just leave, okay?"

"okay...my phone is on if you need, bakugou," says kirishima, ushering kaminari out.

when the door closes, katsuki puts his face in his hands and resists the urge to scream.

thread continues here: https://twitter.com/saekimchisart/status/1271174462688432128?s=20