The Art of Listening

Chapter 4 - The Game of Things

Katsuki

The sharp jab of a finger into his sternum was his first introduction to one of Deku's apparent best friends, Round Cheeks. Her actual name started with a U, he thought. Deku had mentioned it to him when he'd pointed her out across the room not an hour before, but he'd already forgotten it. He was shit with names. So, when she'd approached, he'd settled on calling her Round Cheeks when she approached him.

It had apparently rubbed her the wrong way quite immediately.

He stared down at the brunette, his eyes narrowed with irritation. "What the fuck?"

"I should be saying the same thing to you, you know," she said with a huff. It only made her already chipmunk-like features more pronounced.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"If you don't know a person's name, typically you ask them before giving them a rude nickname," she hissed.

Katsuki rolled his eyes.

He didn't know how he always got roped into this shit, but considering his extras, it never failed. But this time, it was fuckin' worse. Somehow, he'd gotten dragged by Deku over to Kirishima's for a Friday night game night. Not only were his shitty extras there, but so were Deku's shitty extras. With Round Cheeks included, there were four total additional extras. One he'd dubbed Four-Eyes for the glasses he was constantly pushing up his nose, and another other he'd dubbed Half and Half for his bi-colored hair. The last one was a tall, burly guy he'd dubbed baldie because of his close cropped hair. So far, he'd been left alone by pretty much everyone.

"I know your name. The shitty nerd told me your name earlier," he said. "I just fuckin' forgot it."

She snorted. "You must not have been listening, then."

"I just fuckin' told you, I know your name. You're the one who's not fuckin' listening."

"There's a difference between hearing something and listening, Bakugou," she said.

The way she used his name so pointedly rubbed him wrong, but he didn't say anything, instead favoring a sip of his beer. She took his silence as permission to continue.

"And another thing. Stop calling him Deku," she said, jabbing her finger into his sternum once more. "What kind of person calls someone else useless? His name is Izuku."

Katsuki batted away Round Cheeks' hand with his own, a sneer coming to his lips. "If he didn't like it, he would have told me already, Round Cheeks," he said, his tone coming up short. "Mother fucker has enough sass in him to last a lifetime. I'm sure he's fine."

"Stop calling me that! My name is Ochako," she said. She took in a deep breath in some attempt to assuage her oncoming anger. "Okay. Look. I want to like you, I really do. For Izu's sake because as much as you irritate him, he genuinely enjoys your company."

Katsuki had to school his features in a mask of disinterest to hide his surprise. Deku enjoyed his company? He figured freckles tolerated him at best. He didn't think he'd actually enjoy being around him. The thought made his skin heat up, but with the dim lights in the apartment, he hoped that Round Cheeks - er - Ochako didn't notice.

"This is my formal threat, Bakugou. You hurt Izu, and I'll hurt you," she said, her voice unwavering and serious. "Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he said, shooing her away. "I won't hurt fuckin' freckles. Leave me alone, would ya?"

"Fine, but I'm watching you," she said. And as she walked away, she did that cliché 'I'm watching you' hand motion. Fucking crazy chick.

Katsuki got maybe all of ten minutes to himself. He managed to snag a spot on Kirishima's couch to enjoy his beer. He was just about to kick up his feet and enjoy watching Kaminari lose at Mario Kart for the umpteenth time that night when Deku's loud voice rang through the room.