Growing together

Awkwardness

After that conversation with Mina and deciding to finally be together, everything with Deku felt... different. Not bad, but definitely awkward. And not because we didn't know how to be around each other - hell, we've been around each other for years - but now, there was this *thing* between us. Something new.

We hadn't really told anyone officially, but I'm sure half the class had already figured it out. Still, even though we decided to try this whole "relationship" thing, it wasn't exactly smooth sailing.

The next day at breakfast, I caught Deku staring at me from across the cafeteria. He was sitting with Todoroki and Iida, but every few minutes, his eyes would wander over to me. Each time I glanced back, he'd blush like he got caught doing something embarrassing and look away.

It was driving me nuts. He was acting so weird, and it didn't help that *I* didn't know how to act either. What the hell was I supposed to do now? Sit with him and hold hands? No way. We were already getting teased constantly just for being in the same room together.

"Oi, stop staring!" I barked across the cafeteria, louder than I intended.

Deku nearly choked on his food, and the entire room went silent for a moment. Everyone looked between the two of us like they were waiting for a show. Deku turned bright red, eyes wide with panic, and I instantly regretted calling him out in front of everyone.

Kirishima was sitting next to me, snickering under his breath. "Come on, Bakubro. You're making it *so* obvious," he whispered, trying to hold back his laughter.

"Shut up," I muttered, shoving some food into my mouth to avoid looking at Deku.

Denki leaned in, grinning from ear to ear. "You guys are acting so awkward. I mean, it's kinda cute, but also kinda painful to watch."

"Painful?" Mina chimed in, laughing. "It's adorable! Look at them, they don't know what to do with themselves."

Deku was still trying to recover from my outburst, and he gave me a nervous smile from across the room, his cheeks still pink. I felt my face heat up in response. This was ridiculous. We were supposed to be the two strongest in the class, and here we were, stumbling through breakfast like a couple of middle schoolers.

"Oi, stop talking about us like we're some damn soap opera," I snapped, glaring at Denki and Mina.

Mina waved a hand, still giggling. "Oh, we can't help it, Bakugo! You two are just *so* cute together."

I wanted to bury my face in my hands, but instead, I shoved my tray away and stood up abruptly. "I'm going to the training grounds," I grumbled, stomping off before anyone could make another comment.

But, of course, Deku followed me. He always did.

"W-Wait, Kacchan!" he called, jogging to catch up to me as I stormed out of the cafeteria. "I... I didn't mean to make things awkward."

"You didn't," I mumbled, trying to walk faster. But that damn nerd was persistent.

He finally caught up to me, his hand brushing mine as we walked side by side. That small contact made my heart race in a way I wasn't used to, and I cursed under my breath.

"Kacchan, are we... are we okay?" he asked softly, his voice full of that annoying worry he always had.

I slowed my pace, running a hand through my hair in frustration. "Yeah, we're fine. It's just-" I stopped, turning to face him. "Look, I don't know how to do this whole couple thing. And everyone won't stop making it worse."

Deku smiled, a little sheepishly. "Yeah... it is kind of awkward, isn't it?"

"No shit," I muttered, but seeing that nervous smile on his face made me feel a little less frustrated.