My Old Hero

35: You Calling My Name

( Back to Present )

'I can't believe I thought she didn't recognize me this entire time. She must've thought I was stupid...' Katsuki thought. He looked down and noticed her eyes were a bit puffy and red from earlier when she cried. 

"Oi- why do your eyes look red?" 

"Huh? Oh, i-it's nothing! I have a few allergies!" Izumi said. 

He glanced down to the corner of his eye and noticed she didn't have her hands behind her back anymore. She was looking everywhere except him, walking alongside him. Katsuki looked down further and couldn't help but stare at her small hand.

'I hope Kacchan's not mad at me for tonight. A lot of stuff happened today, he wasn't like this this morning. Why am I so worked up about this? It's only Kacchan, it's not the end of the-' Izumi felt her right hand suddenly become really warm. 

She looked down to see a large hand holding her small right hand, and she followed the arm upwards and froze when she realized it was Katsuki. 

"Ah- M-Mr. Dynamite, why are you-" 

"You walk really slow." Katsuki interrupted. 

"Huh? I'm walking the same pace as you though." 

"Knowing you, you space out too much! What if someone grabbed you when you weren't paying attention, stupid!" Katsuki said. 

"O-Oh... I see..." Izumi couldn't find the right words to say.

Katsuki could feel his face get really warm the second he grabbed her hand, but he had to try really hard to act nonchalant about this. If this were any other woman, he would've felt like he was forced to do this, but this is Deku of all people. 

He hadn't held her hand for a walk in a long long time. The thought of holding Deku's hand and walking her home was never a thought he had back then, but Katsuki's changed. 

He's changed because of Deku. 

Though he tried to act calm and cool about it, he held her hand pretty tight, he felt like if he let go, then she wouldn't come back.

After a long walk back, they finally reached Izumi's apartment complex. 

'Can't we just walk a little bit more? I don't... I don't want to see her leave...' Katsuki thought. They came to a stop, but Katsuki was still in deep thought. 

"Um... Mr. Dynamite?" Izumi said, but he wasn't responding. 

"Mr. Dynamite? K-Katsuki? Are you okay?" Izumi said. 

That's when she got an idea and smiled. She lifted her left hand and reached up to his forehead. 

"Katsuki!" Izumi said, as she flicked him. That got his attention, and he got pissed. 

"What the fuck did you doing that for? Huh?" Katsuki yelled, but froze. Izumi was smiling and laughing at him.

'Why's she... laughing at me?' Katsuki thought as his heart was racing again. 

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it! You can't blame me for spacing out, you did that to me earlier, remember?" Izumi said, trying to stop laughing. 

Katsuki felt his eyebrow twitch from anger, so while he was still holding her right hand, he pulled her towards him and wrapped his right arm around her waist. Izumi immediately stopped laughing and was staring deep into his harsh red eyes, as they were just a few centimeters away from each other.