Steady Scorch

Hard to Breathe

Chapter Summary:

Midoriya gets hit with a quirk that makes him fall in love with the first person he sees. Bakugou tries to keep his composure.

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When Midoriya was bowled over by a man running full speed past them on the sidewalk, Bakugou's first instinct was to turn on his heels and chase the man down to force an apology out of him. It was pointless, of course; Midoriya was #1 Pro Hero Deku--it took far more than a push to do any harm to him. Watching him take a shove that knocked him on his ass was more comedic than anything else, but it still left Bakugou fuming with fury to see one of the what was essentially the living embodiment of all things good and pure get thrown aside like yesterday's newspaper.

"Oi, Deku, you okay?" Bakugou asked, noting that his best friend was still seated on the sidewalk, rubbing his head in confusion. When he gave no answer, nor any indication that he'd heard Bakugou at all, the man stooped down to crouch in front of Midoriya and look into his eyes. "Hey, I asked you a fuckin' question. You alright?"

Midoriya's gaze slowly traveled upward from where it had been focused intently on the grey sidewalk. Those big, enchanting virescent eyes roamed lazily over Bakugou's face, hazy and unseeing. He blinked once, twice, his expression blank. Then, to Katsuki's relief, comprehension dawned on him and he brightened. Midoriya's signature grin returned to his adorably freckled face and his eyes regained their spark.

"Kacchan!" He greeted happily as if they hadn't exchanged greetings twenty minutes ago when they'd met at Bakugou's apartment, leaping up with his arms outstretched. He took Bakugou's face in his scarred, calloused palms and pulled him forward...

To kiss him, directly on the mouth.

Bakugou's scarlet eyes went wide in shock, his arms flailing uselessly for a moment before he realized exactly what was happening. He planted his arms firmly on Midoriya's chest and shoved him back, pale cheeks blooming a violent red.

"The fuck was that?!" He cried loudly, drawing some curious stares from passerby.

Midoriya pouted as if he were a child being denied a treat. "Kacchan, what's wrong? Don't you want to kiss me?"

He sounded nothing short of hurt , which was--well. It was unsettling, to say the least. Midoriya had been married to Todoroki for two years now and as far as Bakugou knew, he was just as in love with the Half-and-Half bastard as he'd always been; that is, ridiculously and extremely . The idea of Midoriya coming onto him at all was shocking enough--let alone so suddenly and tastelessly.

"Kacchan?" Midoriya repeated when Katsuki failed to answer him. "Don't you?"

Now there was a complicated question if Katsuki had ever heard one.

The short answer? Hell fucking yes, I want to kiss you. I want to kiss you until we both pass out from the lack of oxygen. I want to kiss you until I forget my name, forget anything else but your lips on mine.

The long answer? I've wanted you since before I understood what it meant to want someone. But I was an asshole to you, and when we fell out of touch you fell in love. By the time I realized how I felt about you and tried to make amends, you were already head-over-heels for IcyHot. And, although I may hate him for taking you from me, I respect him as a hero and as a person. He treats you better than I ever could, and he makes you happy. I would never want to hurt you--or him--by acting on my feelings.