#bkdk fluff, +ochako if you really squint

Izuku gets hit with a quirk that garbles everything he says. It's not another language, it's not mixed up words, it's just.. completely unintelligible. He tries to communicate via writing and it, too, comes out as nonsense.

Trying to sign, to point to things, to nod, also doesn't seem to come across right.

It must be incredibly frustrating.

Izuku is otherwise entirely healthy, and is told the quirk will wear off eventually. He can still attend class but he can't even take notes.

All he can do is sit there and listen.

When classes draw to a close, Ochako approaches his desk. “Still quirked?” she asks.

A stream of bubbling sounds comes out.

Ochako smiles sympathetically. “Ah, that's too bad. I was going to ask if you wanted to get dinner with us.”

Izuku shakes his head.

She frowns, and turns to go.

“Idiot, he wants to eat with you.”

Ochako turns to Katsuki in surprise. He's been watching their exchange from the other side of his desk, shoulders hunched and hands in his pockets. He's got his bag over his shoulder like he was ready to go, but lingered.

“Is that true, Deku-kun?” Ochako asks.

Izuku nods emphatically.

She scrunches up her nose. “Are you a cat?”

Again Izuku nods his head.

Ochako blinks. “Um.. you want to come eat with us?”

He shakes his head, babbling nonsense, tears beading at the corners of his eyes. His arms bend in bizarre gestures.

Ochako looks back at Katsuki, who raises an eyebrow at her. She lets out a sigh. “Bakugou-kun, I just don't think we can tell.”

“Tch,” Katsuki spits, grabbing Izuku by the elbow and yanking him toward the classroom door. “Maybe if you're fuckin blind, you can't. Let's eat.”

Izuku stumbles after, but quickly finds his feet and trots along behind. He's got a big grin lighting up his freckles, for the first time since he got zapped by that stray quirk.

Ochako walks quickly after them, falling in stride with the two boys. She shoots Katsuki a glare.

“I'm not blind!” she says, her tone clipped at the edges. “How can you tell? He hasn't been able to communicate all day.”

Katsuki sneers. “Like hell he hasn't. Nerd's loud as fuck.”

“What??” she squawks. “Have you been able to understand him this whole time?”

“No shit.”

“How?” she asks. “Are his sounds actually words, to you? The odd marks he writes?”

Katsuki stops walking, and Izuku has to pull up short to avoid crashing into his back. Like a whip, Katsuki grabs both of Izuku's cheeks in one large hand, squeezing them together.

He turns Izuku's head toward Ochako.

“It's /written/ all over his stupid face,” Katsuki snarls, before releasing him and turning with a huff, resuming his walk. “Idiots. So fucking wrapped up in words they can't read goddamn expressions,” he mutters.

Ochako looks at Izuku with surprise. His face and ears are tinged pink, painted over a sheepish, almost apologetic smile. He nods his head in the entirely wrong direction before moving to catch up with Katsuki.

Staring at their backs for a moment more, Ochako smiles, too.

She shakes her head. For two people who normally have an absolutely abysmal time communicating, this kind of thing somehow doesn't surprise her at all.

Izuku turns back to her with a look she's pretty sure means, 'You coming?' And she hurries to catch up.