𝔱𝔴𝔢𝔫𝔱𝔶-𝔢𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱

word count: 1314

Bakugo POV

Mitsuki forced me to return to school.

It's fucking unfair that life goes on while mine is falling apart. Trains still go. Classes continue. Life goes on. It's gloating at me: you don't even matter, not in the grand scheme of things.

I arrive at school early and sink into my desk, resting my head on the table.

Dunce-face bounces over to me. "Hey, Bakubaku, what happened? You haven't been at school for a while!"

I lift my head from the desk wearily.

"Oh, man, you look like shit," he remarks. "Are you on drugs? Your eyes are hella red."

"Kaminari, dude, that's not very nice," Kirishima appears behind him. "Hey, Bakug— oh. You look terrible, man."

I try to give them both a withering look, but my eyes start watering again. Damn. I do not want to cry in front of them.

"Hey, bro," Kirishima's face crinkles in worry and he crouches next to my desk. "What happened?"

A lump forms in my throat and I can't speak.

"Man, are you okay?"

I shake my head at them numbly.

"I've never seen him like this before," Pikachu whispers.

Kirishima elbows him. "You wanna talk about it, dude?"

"Deku broke up with me," I croak, my voice barely audible. "He thought I cheated on him." I explain what happened with Icyhot in as few words as I can.

Dunce-face cracks his knuckles. "Do you want me to kill hi—"

"Stop," Kirishima cuts him off. "We can prove you're innocent. Somehow. We'll come up with something. Promise. Okay?"

"Thanks," I whisper.

—

Midoriya POV

I didn't want to do it, but here I am.

Back at school.

I took the later train to avoid seeing Kacchan at the station. I feel childish for even bothering to plan it out like that, but I did.

Sitting through class, staring at the back of his head, is agony. I want to hit him until he bleeds.

At lunch, I sit with Todoroki, Ochaco, and Iida.

Ochaco is overly excited for the Halloween dance. "I've put my costume together! I can't wait to show it off to you guys!"

"Midoriya, are you still going to the dance?" Todoroki asks, earning me sympathetic glances from my table.

"I don't know if I can be bothered..." I mumble noncommittally.

"You should go," he urges. "Show Bakugo that he hasn't affected you enough for you to throw everything away for him."

I stare at my food and bite my lip, mulling it over. "I mean... I guess..."

"Would you like to go together?" he offers.

I look up at him. His two-toned eyes are more gentle than Kacchan's flaming red ones...

His hair would probably feel softer if I ran my fingers through it while kissing him.

He's a little taller.

His waist isn't as slim as Kacchan's.

I tell myself that I have to stop comparing Todoroki to the boy who broke my heart.

I need to move on.

"Yes. I'll go to the dance with you."

—

Bakugo POV

"Hold still, God." Racoon-eyes grips my face in between her hands as she applies sharp eyeliner for me. "Okay, done."

I look in the mirror at my werewolf outfit, complete with a furry ears and tail, expert makeup done by Mina, and a kinky collar and chain.

My friends — I can admit to calling them that now — insisted I went to the dance to take my mind off things.

I remember choosing the collar to the outfit and wondering if the kinky chain would have later uses if I went home with Deku...

"Hey, hey," Mina waves her hands in front of my face. "Don't cry! You'll smudge the makeup!"

"God, what is fucking wrong with me?" I sniff. "Every time something reminds me of him, I want to cry."

"Those are normal human emotions," Soy-sauce says flatly from his seat on Mina's floor.

"It's okay, man," Kirishima pulls his red hood over his shock of hair. "Just, try to have fun tonight?"

I don't know if I can, I think.

The four of us get driven to the school by Mina's mother. Dunce-face is already waiting for us there, standing next to Eyebags, in an overly sexual demon costume.

"Hey, Bakubaku, how're you feeling?"

Normally, my friends never ask such polite questions. "Don't treat me like I'm a pathetic case, please," I almost plead. "I just want to forget about it for tonight."

"I get that. Sure." Kaminari turns to the rest of the squad. "Alright guys. Let's have fun!"

—

Midoriya POV

Todoroki knocks on the front door and I open it. He presents me with a bouquet of red roses.

The colour of Kacchan's eyes.

No, stop thinking about him.

"These are really pretty," I say. "Thank you."

"I'm glad you like them. Shall we go?" he offers his hand to me and I take it.

"Wow!" my eyes must nearly bug out of my head when I see that he has arrived in a real life limo. Literally, a limousine. He's so fancy.

He opens the door for me and I slide in. "This is so nice," I breathe.

He sits next to me in the back. "You deserve the best."

We arrive at the school and walk in together, a vampire and a ghost.

I look around in awe. The indoor gymnasium has been transformed into a wonderland. False spiderwebs hang from the ceiling, jack-o-lanterns sit on tables next to food. Neon disco lights flash, and a disco ball shines even brighter than Aoyama's outfit. Jiro, dressed as Beetlejuice, is deejaying a mix of funky beats. On the 'dance floor', Mina breaks out in amazing moves.

We wave at people as we pass them, including members of the other classes. I nearly jump out of my skin when I see a plastic Jack Skellington in the corner — it looks so realistic.

"Cool," I say, for lack of better words.

"This does look spectacular," Todoroki agrees. "Drink?"

I take the cup from him. "Um, what is this?"

He peers into his own cup. "No idea." He takes a sip. "Ah. Tomato juice."

"Perfect for a vampire," I comment.

He puts on a fake Dracula accent. "I vant to suck your blood."

I giggle. But my laughter falls flat when I see Kacchan standing next to Kaminari and Kirishima, flipping water bottles in an attempt to get them to land the right way up.

He throws his head back and crows as his bottle lands perfectly.

He looks like he's having fun. Without me.

"Midoriya."

I turn back to Todoroki. "Sorry, what?"

"Please, don't worry about him tonight. Have some fun."

I pick up an eyeball gummy candy and chew it. Swallowing, I say. "Okay. Let's have fun."

He sets his drink down on the table. "Shall we dance?"

"Yes."

We walk onto the makeshift dance floor as Jiro switches the song to a slower one. Classmates start to partner up.

"Do you know how to slow dance?" Todoroki questions.

"Sort of..."

He pulls me closer to his chest, our palms clasped in one hand, his other on my waist. We rock slowly from side to side. I gaze into his heterochromatic eyes. He stares back.

Kaminari and Shinso shuffle past us, stepping on each other's feet and dancing completely out of time with the music.

I can't help it. I said I wouldn't think about Kacchan. But I look over Todoroki's shoulder and see him.

He's not on the dance floor. Sitting by himself off to the side, he meets my eyes.

And I turn my head away from him, back to the boy in front of me.

Todoroki is pretty. And kind.

But he isn't Kacchan.

So that's why, when Todoroki leans in closer to me, and kisses my lips gently, I don't feel sparks.

I feel nothing.