perfect // bakudeku

Chapter 8

---

Common Area

---

"We're going to Shoto's basketball practice," Izuku said seriously, hugging the yearbook against his chest during another of his two friends' childish fights. They froze and looked at him.

"Yeah, don't we always?" Kaminari sighed. Mina – doing her signature move – slapped the back of his head.

"Of course! Awww, Tododeku all the way!" Mina sighed dreamily. Izuku frowned, both blushing and confused at the same time.

"Todo- Deku?" Izuku asked. Mina nodded confidently.

"Uh-huh, ain't that Bakuhoe's nickname for you? It means bad, but sounds really cool," Mina said thoughtfully. "Todo- Oh my god, I'm imagining Bakuhoe and Todobae fight over our bean right now. Tododeku versus Bakudeku! SWEEEEET!"

"Snap out of your fantasy, Mina," Kaminari sighed, rubbing his head. Izuku nodded, flushed and mad at her rant.

"Sigh, fine," Mina sighed. "Let's go then."

---

Bleachers

---

"GO TODOROKI!" Mina screamed. She looked to the side, confused to see Izuku not screaming and fanboying maniacally as he always used to do. "What's wrong?"

"Oh- huh?" Izuku shook his head, snapping back into reality. "Yeah- Nothing!"

"Oooookayyyy..." Mina eyed him suspisciously before looking back. "SEE! IT'S SERO! GO SERO!"

Kaminari and Mina both started screaming – Mina for Sero, and Kaminari for who knows what. Izuku's eyes followed Todoroki's dashing body, but he didn't make a sound – none of him felt like it.

He opened the yearbook and started searching for Katsuki's photo.

Neito Monoma...

Hitoshi Shinsou...

Katsuki Bakugo!

Izuku's finger moved to Bakugo's picture. It was smiling brightly, white teeth glowing and seeming so natural. Izuku couldn't help but trace the edge of the rectangular shape and stare at it, before another familiar photo caught his eye. He turned his head over and his eyes widened at the sight:

Shoto Todoroki

It was a photo of the duo haired boy staring into the camera with only his lips slightly twitched, almost emotionlessly.

Izuku looked up, and Shoto was in the middle of the court, taking a drink. He leaped off the bleachers and walked forward, his two friends looking confused behind him. He took a deep breath before walking up right to Shoto.

"Shoto?" he asked confidently. Shoto turned to look at him.

"Oh hey, it's you, Midoriya-kun," Shoto said, smiling slightly. "Need something?"

"You... You're actually very familiar with Kacch- Katsuki Bakugo, right?" Izuku asked. Shoto's head almost snapped up at the mention, and his smile faded, as he turned his body and glanced up into the sky, as if remembering something.

---

Before

---

We were the best of friends. It was before Sero and Kirishima. Us, and Neito Monoma.

Neito was a fun and cunning guy who had dark blonde hair always swept to one side and charming blue eyes. He had a lot of girls' attention, but he spent 90% of his time hanging out with us.

It was at the beach that time. Neito and Bakugo was fooling around, and me, being the monotone, calm guy back then, just sat and watched them.

"Race?" Monoma asked confidently. He pointed towards the ocean. "Three minutes, see who can swim the furthest."

"Hah!" Katsuki answered confidently, smirking. He took off his shirt and threw it in to my arms, which I shook away with disgust. "Bring it on, dumbass!"

"I'll be the timer," I said calmly. They both smiled at me before turning to glare at each other again. Then I found Neito throwing his shirt into my arms, which I again threw away in disgust.

I took out my phone and set the timer to up to three minutes. I raised my arm for them both to get ready before shouting out a mark for them to set go.

They both started swimming furiously. The waves got higher and colder, and I saw Neito's body magically disappear. I frowned, internally panicking, and shouted for Bakugo to stop.

He did and smirked, thinking he won. He looked to the side, and his smile vanished almost immediately upon realizing Neito was gone.

"NEITO?!" He was screaming as he flailed his arms and looked frantically up and down. He tried to swim even further, even with his sore muscles and weak legs. By the time I got to him and was attempting to restrain him from swimming any further, his voice had gotten coarse and he was trembling and crying to hard for him to be able to even float.

I dragged him all the way back to shore before calming him down. He left Aldera after, and I never saw him again.

---

Reality

---

"That was," Shoto paused. He looked down, and Izuku saw a little bit of tears brimming by the corner of Shoto's eyes. "Until I met him here, as someone I don't know anymore."

So that was why he was crying so hard when he saved me from drowning. It wasn't Ochako. He just couldn't bear seeing someone almost drown as it reminded him of Neito.

"So... Is it true he's killed?" Izuku asked, unsurely. Shoto turned and looked at him as if he were absurd.

"Hah, killed? What kind of stupid rumor is that?" Shoto sighed and turned his head back around. "I don't think he will be able to keep up with knowing someone died due to him."

Izuku nodded.

"He loves skating?"

Shoto was quiet for a while. "He loved skating. He was the happiest when he was doing so..."

"Okay, I understand," Izuku nodded. He stood up before looking down at Shoto and smiled. "Thanks."

"No problem."

---

Common Area

---

"Sooo..." Mina asked, smirking. "What did you two do?"

"We talked," Izuku said. "About Kacchan."

"Ka-" Kaminari started.

"Katsuki," Izuku said. Kaminari nodded.

"Wait, why?" Kaminari asked again. Izuku's face didn't change as he stared down at the yearbook and traced the golden letters on it with his index finger.

"Oh, nothing..." he mumbled. Kaminari opened his mouth to say something, but upon seeing Izuku so mesmerized, he decided not to. The three sat in silence for a few moments – a silence they've never been in before.

"The fuck is going on," Mina said blandly to break the awkwardness. "Stop making our Izubae so uncomfortable and let's go get some fucking dumbass lunch."