One-shots: Dekubaku

Rivals to Lovers?

Female Katsuki.

The training grounds of U.A. High School were quiet, the evening sun casting long shadows across the field. Most students had gone home for the day, but two figures remained, facing off in the center of the arena. Izuku Midoriya, with his green hair tousled and sweat glistening on his forehead, stood tense, his eyes locked on the explosive hero-in-training before him—Katsumi Bakugou, she was his childhood friend. Now they were rivals.

Bakugou’s intense crimson eyes burned with their usual fire, but there was something different in them today—something that made Izuku’s heart race in a way that had nothing to do with the training.

“Come on, Deku,”

Bakugou started,

“Don’t hold back on me.”

Her voice deep and challenging.

Izuku took a deep breath, his hands clenching into fists. He had fought Bakugou countless times before, each battle pushing him to his limits. But this time, there was a tension in the air that neither of them could ignore—a tension that had been building between them for months, in every stolen glance, in every word left unsaid.

Izuku activated One For All, feeling the familiar surge of power course through him. He knew he had to give everything he had—Bakugou wouldn’t accept anything less. But as he prepared to launch himself forward, his thoughts strayed, just for a moment, to the complicated feelings he had for his rival.

It was ironic, really. They had started as childhood friends, only for their relationship to spiral into a fierce rivalry. But beneath the surface of their clashes, Izuku had always admired Bakugou’s strength, her determination, and the raw emotion she brought to everything she did. Over time, those feelings of admiration had grown into something deeper, something Izuku hadn’t fully understood until recently.

And now, as they faced each other on the battlefield, Izuku couldn’t deny the truth anymore. He cared about Bakugou—more than he ever thought possible.

“Deku!”

Bakugou’s voice snapped him back to the present, and Izuku saw the familiar spark of anger in her eyes. But there was something else there too—an intensity that made Izuku’s heart skip a beat.

Without another word, Bakugou charged, her explosions propelling him forward with blinding speed. Izuku reacted instinctively, meeting Bakugou head-on. Their battle was fierce, a blur of power and precision as they exchanged blows, neither willing to give an inch.

But even as they fought, Izuku could feel the undercurrent of emotion between them, a storm of conflicting feelings that neither of them knew how to express. It was in the way Bakugou’s fists lingered just a moment too long on Izuku’s skin, in the way their gazes locked and held during each clash.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they both stumbled back, breathing heavily. The air was thick with the scent of smoke and sweat, and the ground was scorched from their attacks. But neither of them made a move to continue. Instead, they stood there, staring at each other, as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting the training grounds in a warm, golden light.

Bakugou was the first to break the silence.

“What the hell is wrong with you, Deku?”

She demanded, though her voice lacked its usual bite.

“You were distracted.”

Izuku opened his mouth to respond, but the words caught in his throat. He wanted to tell Bakugou the truth—to confess the feelings that had been tearing him apart for so long. But how could he, when he wasn’t even sure how Bakugou would react?

“I… I wasn’t distracted,”

Izuku finally said, his voice was quiet but steady.

“I was just thinking.”

Bakugou scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Thinking? During a fight? You really are a damn nerd.”

But despite her harsh words, Bakugou’s expression softened ever so slightly, and Izuku felt a flicker of hope. Maybe, just maybe, Bakugou wasn’t as oblivious as he thought she was.

“I was thinking about… us,”

Izuku admitted, his heart pounding in his chest.

“About everything that’s happened between us.”

Bakugou’s eyes narrowed, and for a moment, Izuku thought he had made a mistake. But then Bakugou took a step closer, his gaze never leaving Izuku’s.

“And what about ‘us’?”

Katsumi asked, her voice low and dangerous, but with a hint of vulnerability.

Izuku took a deep breath, gathering his courage.

“I know we’ve been rivals for as long as I can remember, but… there’s more to it, isn’t there? I don’t just see you as a rival, Kacchan. I… I care about you.”

The words hung in the air between them, and Izuku waited, his heart in his throat, for Bakugou’s reaction.

For a long moment, Bakugou said nothing, her expression unreadable. Then, without warning, she grabbed Izuku by the collar and pulled him closer, their faces inches apart.

“You’re such a damn idiot, Deku,”

Katsumi muttered with a tone that made Izuku’s breath catch.

Before Izuku could respond, Bakugou closed the distance between them, pressing her lips against Izuku’s in a fierce, almost desperate kiss. It was rough and imperfect, just like Bakugou, but it was real, and it was everything Izuku had ever wanted.

For a moment, the world around them ceased to exist. There was no training ground, no rivalry, no future filled with uncertainty—just the two of them, lost in each other.

When they finally pulled apart, both of them were breathless, their foreheads resting together as they tried to process what had just happened.

“So… what now?”

Izuku asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Bakugou smirked, but there was a softness in her eyes that Izuku had never seen before.

“Now, we stop being idiots and figure this out together,”

“We can still be rivals, but… maybe we can be more, too.”

Izuku smiled, a warmth spreading through him that had nothing to do with his quirk.

“Yeah,”

he agreed.

“Together.”

As the last light of the day faded into night, they stood there, side by side, knowing that whatever challenges lay ahead, they would face them together—two hearts, bound by fire and thunder, finally finding their way to each other.

UBWKASGNWKSIDGEBAKK THIS IS LONGEST CHAPTER I'VE EVER WRITTEN!