Two to One (Katsuki Bakugou x Reader x Izuku Midoriya)

Chapter 10: Don't Linger on Me

"I'm a virgin."

It spilled out of (Y/n)'s mouth before she could stop herself. She couldn't contain it any longer, and it's been gnawing at the back of her mind since the occurrence with Katsuki last week.

Izuku whipped around with wide eyes and sun-tinted cheeks, the eastern morning rays beginning to warm his skin.

"Hah?!" Katsuki called from a ways up the path. "Can't hear you, you damn slowpokes!"

Their partner's distant outburst went ignored, and Izuku's winded pause quickly resolved in a repressed sigh of a reply.

"Oh."

He pivoted, swiftly meeting (Y/n) where she stood at the corner of the trail, just past a small, leveled waterfall. (Y/n) thought Izuku's urgency and the look on his face meant he misheard her. His expression could easily be mistaken for the same one he had when a civilian was injured around him – knit brows and a tight jaw, his verdant eyes locked onto her like he'd just seen her lose an arm. However, he blinked, seeming not to know what to do with his hands, as he grabbed the straps of his backpack, readjusting them. The dirt crunched beneath (Y/n)'s sneakers as she shifted under Izuku's gaze, the gap between them suddenly feeling much wider than before. It seemed intentional: how far away he stood from her.

It made sense. Izuku's even figured the possibility of her being a virgin, especially after last week. Does she have any experience at all? To hear her confirm his theory...

"Izuku?"

He straightened. "Yes?

"You're mumbling."

Izuku sighed, relaxing his shoulders a bit with a slight roll of his eyes. He really hoped he would outgrow that habit.

"I'm sorr–"

"I'm sor–"

They both paused, looking at each other. Izuku reached up, rubbing the back of his neck and glancing at the river beside them.

"You first," he offered. (Y/n)'s eyes softened, but her fingers squeezed at the straps of her backpack.

"I was just going to say I'm sorry for not telling you."

Izuku frowned.

***

Katsuki finally took a breather at the top of a carved-out staircase, weathered from the heavy rain this area gets. (Y/n) hoped the burble of the waterfall drowned out her words, and for Katsuki, maybe it did. He was so enthralled in the hike that the only things worthy of his attention at the moment were whatever was ahead of him.

At this moment, it was the sunrise.

He's been keeping (Y/n) at an arm's length since last week. No talking, no texting, not even acknowledging her beyond a grunt when she greeted him. It was as if they'd taken two steps forward and four steps back.

Katsuki's face soured.

(Y/n) surely thought she upset him with her rejection, and she'd be right. It was fucking embarrassing. Who the hell just rejects the Explosion Hero? Does she know how many people would kill to be in her position, to have the top two heroes practically pull her into their affair? They never expected running into this type of issue.

Katsuki's fists clenched and unclenched, and he noticed his tapping leg; he closed his eyes, no longer glaring at the sunrise, and inhaled deeply before sighing to calm himself down. If he wasn't careful, his blood pressure would rise, and he already felt enough tension in his arms from the overuse of his quirk. He didn't want to ruin an activity he planned specifically to rejuvenate.