The Elf and the Hunter

Chapter Five - Sight

The trio returned to their separate dorm room, the late afternoon sun casting a warm glow through the windows. As Izuku stepped into the bathroom to shower off the day's sweat and dust, he was met with an unexpected sight: Bakugo was already in the shower, his broad back to the door, the water cascading over his muscular form. Izuku's heart skipped a beat, and he felt his cheeks flush. He hadn't prepared for this, for the sudden intimacy of seeing the human he had a crush on so exposed.

Bakugo turned around, the water momentarily obscuring his vision as he reached for the soap. It was then that he saw the green-faced elf staring at him, eyes wide with shock and something else—desire? The air grew thick with tension as their eyes locked, the droplets of water sparkling like diamonds on Bakugo's skin. For a brief moment, time seemed to stand still as they both realized the gravity of the situation.

With a snarl, Bakugo's hand shot out, flicking water droplets at Izuku. "What the hell are you doing, you pervert? Get out!" he bellowed, his cheeks reddening from both embarrassment and anger. The echo of his voice bounced off the tiles, filling the small space with his unmistakable displeasure. The sound of his raised voice was enough to make Izuku jump back, snapping out of his daze.

"I'm sorry," Izuku stuttered, shutting the door hastily. "I didn't mean to..." His voice trailed off as the door clicked shut. He leaned against it, his mind racing with a whirlwind of emotions. The sight of Katsuki in the shower was still on his mind, it was more than just shock. There was something in Katsuki's eyes that he had never seen before, something that made his heart flutter.

"What the hell was that?" Katsuki's voice boomed through the door, echoing his own thoughts. "What were you trying to do, Deku?"

Izuku's cheeks burned with embarrassment. "I just... I didn't know you were in there," he mumbled. "I didn't mean to, I promise."

"Well, you saw me!" Katsuki's voice grew even angrier. "What are you, some kind of pervert?"

Izuku's eyes widened. He felt his heart hammering in his chest. "I don't even know what that means!"

Izuku's eyes widened. He felt his heart hammering in his chest. "I don't even know what that means!"

Bakugo huffed on the other side of the door. "Mineta."

Izuku's eyes snapped wide open. "Wait, what? No, no, no! I'm not like Mineta at all!"

"Then why the hell were you staring at me like that?" Katsuki demanded, his voice rising.

Izuku took a deep breath. "I-I don't know," he admitted. "But I promise it wasn't like that."

There was a moment of silence before the door swung open, and Katsuki wearing a towel to cover his lower half glared at him. "Not like that?" he repeated, his cheeks red with fury. "What else could it be?"

Izuku's mind searched for the right words, his hands fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. "I just...I didn't expect to see you there," he finally said. "It's not like I was...I don't know. I just wasn't expecting it."

Katsuki's glare softened slightly, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. "Yeah, well, I wasn't expecting you to barge in either," he grumbled, crossing his arms over his bare chest. "You could have knocked."

Izuku blinked in confusion. "What's a 'knock'?" he asked, the innocence in his voice was palpable. The concept of privacy was different in the elven kingdom, where privacy was a foreign concept.

Bakugo's eyes widened in disbelief before narrowing again. "You're seriously telling me that in your fancy elf castle, you don't know how to knock?" he scoffed. "What, do you just waltz in on people while they're bathing all the time?"

Izuku felt his cheeks warm. "Well, yeah? In the castle, everyone's pretty much always around. There's not even a word in elven for 'privacy.'" He paused, trying to find common ground. "It's like, we're all family. We don't really have the same... boundaries?"

Bakugo scoffed, running a hand through his spiky hair. "That's messed up," he said. "But that doesn't give you the right to stare."

Izuku looked down at his feet, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Kacchan. I really didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I just..." He trailed off, unsure of how to explain his feelings without making the situation worse. "I don't know."

Bakugo's expression softened slightly. "Look, I know you're not like that. But you gotta understand, things are different here. We don't just waltz into each other's baths in the human world." He sighed, running a hand through his spiky hair. "And I'm not mad at you, but I just want... privacy."

Izuku nodded, feeling a mix of relief and determination. "I understand. I'll try to make sure to respect your boundaries from now on." He knew that adapting to human norms would be part of his journey, and this was a crucial lesson.

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Word Count: 821