•Manipulation• [BNHA × Male!OC]

Chapter 143: did you know that, officially, Hatsune Miku holds a spring onion?

With that eventful day, the end of winter break had finally come.

Students, young and not so young, all had to return to school whether they liked it or not.

For the students of 1-A, however, they were practically rearing to go!

They started off the day by showcasing what they'd learnt in their internship so far.

Everyone seemed to have something new to show for their efforts.

Afterwards, Katsuki received the happy news that the new quirk that Midoriya was going to learn, Float, was something he could already do with his own explosions.

His rival would be wasting time trying to do what he already could, allowing him to pull far ahead.

To say he was elated would be an understatement.

And as they walked into the dorms, it was abuzz with excitement.

"You're late, house arrest boys!" Denki chided.

He had finally regained some of his usual chipper nature. He was unsettlingly devoid of jokes for a while after Ryo left.

"If you don't hurry, we'll eat all the meat!" Kirishima warned, holding up a tray of pork slices.

Right, 1-A had organized a hotpot to celebrate the first day of classes.

Midoriya dropped his bags and ran to get changed, leaving a promise to be quick.

"Touch my meat and die, Shitty-haired bastard...!" Katsuki warned, stalking over with his hands in his pockets. (lmao that's what she said.)

Denki and Sero shared a look.

"He's like a gangster...."

"If you don't like it then come help out!" Kirishima grinned.

Begrudgingly, the blonde trudged into the kitchen to offer his help.

The first thing that caught his eye, though, made him want to call off the whole event itself.

"WHO THE HELL CUT THE CHIVES?!" He hollered, raising what can only be described as a chain of partially cut spring onions out of a metal bowl.

"I did," Shoto replied nonchalantly, somehow seeing absolutely nothing wrong with the chives.

"YOUR SISTER WOULD BE ASHAMED!" Katsuki scolded before grumpily grabbing a new bundle of spring onions.

He laid them out in a neat bundle, cutting them into appropriately sized chunks for a hotpot.

Shoto watched in awe.

"Katsuki, you're pretty good at this," he'd meant to compliment the boy.

But considering Katsuki was already irate, "You just suck at it! DIE!"

In spite of the harsh words, Shoto continued to observe as Katsuki skillfully chopped up the ingredients.

"What are you so amazed by anyways, I cook for you ungrateful bastards all the time," he grumbled, slamming down the knife with an unnecessary amount of force.

"I guess so," Shoto thought back.

"But usually I set the table, Ryo helps with the-" Katsuki slams his knife down once more and Shoto stops speaking.

"Damn-" Katsuki cursed, and Shoto was about to apologize for bringing up a sore subject, when he spotted the red droplet pooling atop the blonde's thumb.

"Cut myself like a damn amateur," he huffed before going to wash it off.

But Shoto stops him.

"What?" Katsuki barks at the boy as he holds onto his wrist.

Wordlessly, he drags Katsuki from the room.

"Let go of me, damn it!" the blonde hollers but is still dragged into a separate hallway.

The rest of the 1-A students, far too used to their antics, simply ignored the situation.

"We have to get it treated," Shoto finally explained when they were safely enclosed in the lift, preventing Katsuki from storming off.

"HAH?! FOR THIS LITTLE SHIT? DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME!" he, predictably, screeched in reply.

Instead of replying, Shoto takes hold of Katsuki's hand again.

Then, before the blonde could even reach, he brings the wound to his lips.

"OI-!" Katsuki grimaces as the cut on his thumb stings.

"Damn bloodsucking freak...!" Katsuki complained, but the flush on his cheeks gave him away.

After a few seconds, Shoto removed Katsuki's thumb from his mouth, inspecting the wound site for a bit.

Seemingly satisfied, he allowed the blonde to snatch his hand back.

"YOU-!" "While Ryo isn't here," the sudden topic stuns Katsuki into silence.

"You can rely on me, Katsuki," Shoto raised a hand to cup the shorter boy's cheek. It was hot to the touch.

Katsuki turned his head away, flustered.

"I'll try to support you in all the ways Ryo had, until he comes back," with their proximity, he'd practically whispered this into Katsuki's ear.

Just then, the elevator dings and the doors open to the fifth floor.

Katsuki seizes the chance to throw the Icyhot boy off him and flees from the lift.

Shoto lets out a small sigh, looking down at his hand that had been on the boy's cheek.

"Oi, dumbass," the voice jolts Shoto into looking up.

"Are you gonna fix my cut or what?" Katsuki calls from beyond the lift doors.

A small smile reaches Shoto's lips as he steps out of the lift.

"I have a first aid kit in my room," he offers as they make their way down the hall.

It's silence all the way to the room, the two of them settling on the floor of the room, first-aid kit in hand.

It's when Shoto is dabbing at the blonde's wound with an alcohol swab that he finally speaks.

"Just until Ryo comes back," he mumbled under his breath, but Shoto catches it.

He nods as he retrieves a band-aid from the kit.

He peels back the paper and wraps it around Katsuki's thumb.

"I'll do my best," he promises as Katsuki takes back his hand and looks over the patch job.

The blonde scoffs.

"If you did your best with the chives, I think I'll pass."

He looks up from inspecting his finger, expecting a typical reaction to a joke.

But once again, this wasn't someone typical, this was Patric- I mean Shoto.

His brows were furrowed and his fists clenched.

He'd looked so serious even Katsuki wondered for a second if he'd said something wrong.

Then, with his full chest, Shoto said it.

"Katsuki, you're not a chive."

-

-

"NO SHIT!"

Katsuki huffed as Shoto's face returned to its neutral setting.

Or rather, it shoots past it's neutral setting and goes straight into his confused face.

"How does Ryo do this...?"

"HELL IF I KNOW!"