If he's anything like me - BakuDeku

A Lucid Dream

Izuku didn't know where he was. Well, he did, but not really. Physically, he was in his eighth grade classroom, listening to his teacher explain how the application process would work as the students mapped out the high schools they hoped to enroll in. "Your parents should be filling out most of the paperwork," the teacher explained, "but it's important to understand how the transaction works. By now, all of you should be waiting for your high school of choice to either accept or deny your enrollment. Any performance-based schools like Yuuei should have already finished try-outs or whatever they call them."

A girl with neon blue hair and a few scales spotted over her neck and forearms raised her hand. She started speaking before she was even called on. "Is it true a high school can really reject a student that's applying? Isn't that kinda mean?"

"Yeah, what if someone doesn't get accepted to any school at all?" chimed in someone else who sat off to the left of Izuku.

A kid behind him snorted a laugh. "Pfft, I bet that's gonna be Deku. There's no way that loser is going to get accepted anywhere."

Izuku froze in his spot. He was used to this, wasn't he? This was a daily occurrence of his middle school life, ducking his head and biting his tongue when Katsuki would bark a mean comment at him. Except, that voice wasn't Katsuki's. Izuku didn't recognize it at all.

"Oi, shut the fuck up!" Katsuki snapped, kicking the mean kid's desk. "Izuku is gonna be fine. He and I are going to Yuuei! Ain't that right, 'Zuku?"

Izuku physically started shivering. Sure, it had been about a year since he was in middle school, but he knew it was nothing like this. Katsuki didn't act like this. Not in the present day, and definitely not back in middle school.

This must be some sort of lucid dream, Izuku reckoned.

Katsuki tilted his head, eyes narrowed with concern. "Izuku? You good, dude?"

"Y-yeah," Izuku sputtered. "I'm fine."

For the rest of the class, Katsuki sent concerned looks his way while Izuku pinched himself in hopes of waking up.

When the final bell rang, Katsuki practically tackled Izuku as they exited the classroom. He swung his arm over Izuku's shoulders, a devilish smile painted across his porcelain face. "Wanna come over to mine and play Mario Kart?" Katsuki asked, still slumped over Izuku as they began to walk home.

Izuku had trouble breathing. This dream was going on a bit too long. "Your place?" he echoed. "B-but..." He squeezed his eyes shut, cursing himself for stuttering. Hadn't he gotten rid of that stupid, godawful stutter when he got into Yuuei? Why was he reverting back into his pitiful middle school self? Was it just part of the dream mechanics?

Izuku really didn't want to think about it. He had to find a way to wake up before he had a panic attack from middle school Katsuki being so nice to him.

Katsuki unhooked his arm from Izuku's shoulders, staring at him with furrowed eyebrows. "You sure you're okay?" he asked. "I know I'm not that best at feelings and shit, but if something's bothering you, you can tell me."

Tears pricked in his eyes. His breath hitched in his throat. Why was this happening to him? What the hell was going on?!

Katsuki grabbed Izuku's wrist, pulling both of them to a stop. Izuku had never seen Katsuki so angry at something other than, well, Izuku. Everything about this was too strange. "Was it that bastard Tesaki?!" Katsuki seethed. "Did he say something to you?! C'mon, we're gonna go kick his ass right now!"

"Wha- Kacchan, no! Wait!" Izuku squealed as Katsuki started dragging him away by the wrist.

Katsuki came to a halt again, this time more pissed than before. "Then what is it?! Why won't you tell me?!"

"It's not- I- I just..." Izuku swallowed the lump in his throat, tucking his hands into his pockets as he took a step back. He took a deep breath to steady himself, and when he was sure he wouldn't pass out, he spoke. "Look, I think I just need some space, okay? W-with high school applications coming up and everything..."

Katuski nodded, also stepping back to put some more distance between them. "Right. Uh, yeah, that's cool, I guess." He sounded so sad, as if Izuku just broke up with him or something. "You're still going to Yuuei with me, right? When we both get accepted?"

Izuku paused. He was shocked his mind could even conjure up Katsuki saying something like this. He was so different, so kind and patient, still with his usual flare and overwhelming determination to get what he wanted. He treated Izuku as a friend, a partner in crime against the world, rather than a competitor or a fork in the road. Hearing Katsuki's concern for him— hell, just hearing him say his name made Izuku want to cry.

Out of habit, he pushed the tears back. He didn't trust Katsuki, not even the unusually caring dream version, to see him cry without bullying him for it.

Izuku left Katsuki's question unanswered. It didn't really matter, did it? This was just a dream. A sweet, sweet dream that made him want to cry gallons upon gallons of happy, relieved tears, but a dream nonetheless.