Hot-Headed (Now also a podfic on spotify!)

Chapter 23

Ochako took one shaky step, then another toward Katsuki, her eyes never leaving that face that was giving her such an intense expression of longing that she thought her chest would burst with how much it called out to her.

He straightened when he saw what she was doing, that she meant to come to him right then and there.

But two muscled arms snaked around her waist, pulling her back into the warm, broad chest of Deku who spoke into her ear, "You're amazing Ochako-chan."

Ochako took another look at Katsuki, whose face was morphing into a mask of jealousy and possessiveness aimed at Deku now, then she forced herself to turn away.

"Deku," she spoke gently, gazing up into his moss-colored eyes.

She honestly couldn't tell what look she had on her face at that moment, she could hardly even understand what she was feeling in that moment. It couldn't have reflected well on her features.

But when he looked down at her, his eyes turned sharp and he quickly looked away from her like he hadn't seen whatever was there.

"Do you wanna go out for lunch? My treat for winning."

Ochako wanted to look back at Katsuki. She wanted to talk to him right now and tell him just how sorry and stupid she was. He'd been right this whole time. He'd seen it even when she hadn't. She didn't know how he didn't hate her by now.

But she couldn't.

Just because she knew now that she loved Katsuki, it had oddly not altered the fact that she still cared deeply for Deku. Possibly loved him too in a way that was different but still potent. She didn't want to hurt him.

She knew she also couldn't just let things stay the way they were without telling him the truth. She couldn't just hide it from him. It wouldn't be fair to anyone.

"Okay," she said gently, hoping lunch would be the opportunity she needed to talk to him.

But then he turned to Iida and a few other classmates to invite them as well.

Ochako let out a forlorn sigh.

Maybe some time after lunch then, her mind told her.

She allowed herself a glance back at Katsuki who watched her again, tension evident in every taut muscle of his body.

His eyes blazed with want and she could tell that he was like a fully coiled spring, just waiting for her to say the word so he could rush forward and claim her as his own. And she saw in his eyes that he would. He would damn what anyone watching at this moment would think. He would go to her, and he would hold her or kiss her or carry her out of there so they could be alone and both fully aware of how they felt about each other for the first time.

Just thinking about that made every inch of her skin prickle with excitement. She should not be thinking about being alone with Katsuki right now. It would do her no good.

Quickly, she gave him an apologetic look and shook her head. She had to talk to Deku first.

She watched as Katsuki's tightly coiled body slowly unwound and his eyes held a certain strained expression as he had to withdraw again.

Later, she tried to tell him with her eyes, we can do this later, I promise.

And he probably didn't fully get the exact words she was trying to shoot him but he nodded once more and turned away, back toward the dorms.

Deku was still talking with a few people, presumably the group that would be going out with them on this lunch date.

When he turned back to her, he barely even met her eyes when he asked, "Ready to go?"