————

"Die," Katsuki mutters as he slams Dunce face on the ground almost immediately after Aizawa blows the whistle to start, knocking the wind out of his classmate.

"Bakugou."

He grunts in acknowledgement, nursing a bottle of water as he watches his opponent get wheeled into the nurse's office. Fucker deserves it.

Aizawa looks at the teen, disgruntled, clipboard in hand.

"You know that I specifically instructed you to go easy, correct?"

A stiff nod.

"You'll get a referral for this."

That made the kid glance up at him- but his mouth remained sealed around the bottle of water, unwilling to speak. Aizawa sighs. Fucking hell..

"Here," Aizawa grumbles, giving him a yellow slip of paper. "Go to the counselor's. Midoriya's already in there anyway." And there he perks up, eyes wide. "Deku's-?"

"Didn't you see? He almost cracked Uraraka's shoulder. Clearly, both of you have some things to sort out."

".. Shit, fine-"

Aizawa stops him before he goes, though, and stares him down.

".. You're both getting reckless. I suggest that you try to set your differences aside before I terminate your position in U.A."

".. Aizawa-"

"-just because you're talented, Bakugou, doesn't guarantee you a free pass to be idiots and endangering your classmate's health like that."

There, his student visibly clams up, face unreadable, before a quiet 'okay' leaves his mouth and he turns his heel.

———

It wasn't a shocker when green hair came into view, really, the moment he entered the office. The fact that he didn't even turn to look at him sent a cold spike through Katsuki's stomach.

"Bakugou."

His red eyes momentarily divert from Deku, to come face to face with their counselor.

Her hair was plain black, tied into two buns, eyes the shade of cool blue, examining Bakugou the moment he entered the room. He didn't like that.

"Please sit."

She gestures to the plastic orange chair, and Katsuki awkwardly makes his way to it, eyes glued on Izuku's form. He was unresponsive, green eyes focused intently on the counselor, the only sign he even knows Bakugou was present was when he leaned away from him ever so slightly.

"So boys," she greets. "I'm Ms. Ikawa. I'm your counselor."

"Get to the point."

Seemingly unperturbed by Katsuki's blunt demand, she continues on.

"You're both in here for, ah, endangering a student with the use of excessive force, am I correct?"

"Yes ma'am."

Izuku sounded uninterested, as if he wanted to get this done already.

".. Yeah."

"Mm. And am I right that there's somethin' going on between the two of you?"

Katsuki opens his mouth, but Izuku beats him to it-

"Nothing," Izuku says, cold and steely. "There's nothing between us."

Katsuki feels the hurt wrap around his throat like a rope, threatening to choke him out- but he harshly swallows the feeling away, fists clenched on his lap when he sees the counselor raise a questioning eyebrow towards him.

"... Nothing."

Ikawa hums, shuffling through various papers.

"I have reason to believe that that's a lie- I mean, with all due respect."

".. Hah?" Katsuki says, incredulous. "We fuckin' said what we said and-"

"Bakugou, your eyes have been glued to Midoriya the whole time since you've entered. And Midoriya- you asked me about Bakugou when you entered as well, but you refuse to interact with him properly."

They froze.

(Shit.)

The counselor smiles, as if she knows she'd found something.

"Ah. I see what we're dealing with now." She clicks her pen, scribbling their names down on paper.

"Why don't both of you meet me here tomorrow, after school?"

———

The walk back to the dorms was a fucking pain.

".. Izuku-"

Deku turns around- and suddenly Katsuki's stumbling back, wheezing and hunched over, arms wrapped around his own stomach.

"Stupid!" Izuku sobs, eyes dripping fat tears, mouth wobbly, the fist he used to punch Katsuki still up in the air. "You're so mean, Kacchan!"

Katsuki gnashes his teeth,  almost popping a vein. Fuck, he felt the goddamn punch in his gut. "Oi! You don't go 'round kickin' the shit outta people!" He reaches out to try and restrain Izuku- only for his arm to get slapped away.

Fuck.

That's it.

"Listen to me, you idiot!" Katsuki roars, shoving him hard, head-butting the boy's chin. Izuku's teeth painfully clacked together, head thrown back until Katsuki knees him right in the ribs.

A punch comes his way and he dodges- fuck- it was a feint and-

Izuku's right leg immediately replaces the fist, coming down on Katsuki's shoulder, and the blond winces as he feels his bones creak under the pressure. "Fuck! What the hell!?"

"I really love you Kacchan!" Izuku wails, eyes blurred from tears, resulting in blind swings and a flurry of unstable kicks and punches. "I love you, I love you-"

"Why!? Huh!?" Katsuki smacks him right in the jaw, feeling his knuckles dig into flesh, emotions bubbling onto the surface.

(Hate-)

"Why me, huh!?"

(Anger)

"Fuck! What's wrong with you!?"

(Resentment)

"You're so fucking stupid! Useless fuckin' Deku! You can't even fall for the right person!"

Izuku spins- and time slows down,  their eyes latch together, and Katsuki sees too much emotion swirling in those deep greens, his teeth clenched- and then time snaps back like a stretched rubber band and Izuku's on top of him.

"It's because you're you, Kacchan!"

Blood drips onto Katsuki's cheek, and shit, Izuku's lip is split, a dark bruise already forming by his cheekbone. He's pretty sure his own nose it broken, with Bakugou's eye already swelling.

"It's because you're amazing! Don't you get that, Kacchan!? It's because.. it's because..!"

Izuku's face crumbles, anger leaving his body, as he slumps over Katsuki, wailing.

"It's because Kacchan's the only person who's ever been there for me."

And oh, Katsuki's shaking, feels something bubble up in his throat- "Izuku I-"

"Both of you,"

They flinch when a cold voice greets them only to find Aizawa standing over them, arms crossed.

"are to be suspended for a week. No questions are to be asked."

————