Supernova

Chapter Four

okay, so, it should be mentioned that this fic might be entirely overhauled and rewritten, and im posting this in the meantime :D

that might not happen, though. really depends on if i can write the next chapter properly, or if i fail and decide that i can't write a several hundred-thousand word fic if I don't like it

woo

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Katsuki ends up at the academy a full thirteen minutes late because people would not stop trying to fucking talk to him , and he barely kept himself from telling them all to fuck off , instead choosing to take every back-alley path possible to ensure that he wasn't even later than he already would be.

It's especially annoying because Katsuki was planning on being early - which is why he left the house a full hour before class started, but apparently that's not enough - so he could ask about what kind of classwork he needs to make up and all that technical shit.

Now, though, he's standing outside the door, and while he's not especially keen on presenting any late excuses, the main reason he hasn't just slammed the door open and gotten it over with is because there are a lot of people inside the classroom, which means that there are a lot of chakra signatures, and he suspects that the only reason he hasn't fallen over from sensory overload is because the signatures are grouped together enough to seemingly appear as a single, large amalgamation of chakra (and one to two teachers) per room.

Unfortunately, he can't wait any longer because, a minute or so after arriving, the door is opened by a brown-haired man who his mind distantly registers as Iruka-sensei , and who's giving him a curious sort of look as he just... stands there.

"Sasuke-kun?" the man says, looking him over with a slight crease between his brows. "Are you alright?"

He's tempted to simply grunt in reply because he's still trying to adjust to the excessive amount of presences in the classroom, but he refuses to be an emo bitch and forces out a "...Yes." He then proceeds to intently focus on Ponytail-sensei's signature - which feels like sitting by a warm, crackling campfire with a gentle mist lingering within the air - and while it doesn't completely drown everything out, it helps enough that he's not in danger of collapsing and can actually listen to what the man's saying.

"Alright, then," Ponytail-sensei says eventually, eyes softening as he continues. "Let me know if you need to talk about anything, alright? And if you ever feel overwhelmed or just need to leave, go ahead - there's no need to ask." He pauses and adds, "Don't worry about any assignments you may have missed. I'll help you through what's important, but you already know enough that I'm not worried."

Katsuki decides that, while he's probably not going to be talking to the man about his issues anytime soon, that Iruka -sensei is currently in his good books and will stay there unless he does something stupid. He's nothing like Aizawa-sensei in terms of... well, anything really, but he can already tell that they, at the very least, share the same sort of devotion to their students that he can respect.

"Oh and," Iruka-sensei mentions after a moment, and after an odd glance at his mask, he offers a smile that looks somewhere between concerned and sheepish, "I won't mark you late for today, but try not to make it a habit, okay?" The request is fair enough, so Katsuki nods and the man smiles before turning around and gesturing towards the door. "Go ahead, then."

Katsuki takes in a breath and, before he can second-guess himself, steps inside. He thinks, briefly, that maybe everything will be fine, but suddenly someone notices him and shouts his name and the room goes pin-drop silent .