𝔣𝔦𝔳𝔢

word count: 1318

Midoriya POV

I think I'm sick. Or something. I feel weird inside, like nothing I've ever felt before. When Kacchan was that close to me... When he landed on top of me, I think...

I think I liked it.

It felt right to have him on me. But I don't get it. It's not right. He'd my bully, my tormentor. I should hate him. So why did I not want to let him go?

"Truth or dare, Midoriya?" Todoroki asks me.

"Oh, truth, I suppose."

Kaminari pouts. "Boringggg!"

Todoroki doesn't take long to come up with a question. "Are you All Might's secret love child or something?"

"Huh? What!?!" I sputter.

"Hear me out. Your quirks are almost the same, you're always following him around, and you don't know who your dad really is," Todoroki reasons.

I fidget on top of my sleeping bag and give a half-laugh. "That's ridiculous!"

Todoroki shrugs. "But he could have—"

"He said it was ridiculous, so drop it, Icy-hot," Kacchan snaps from his seat next to me.

Narrowing his eyes, Todoroki raises his palms innocently. "Done."

Kacchan stood up for me? I barely have time to process my thoughts, because it's now my turn to ask someone a question. "Tsuyu, truth or dare?

"Truth, kero."

"Um. Did you have a tadpole tail when you were young?"

She smiles, "No, kero, but I can see why you'd think that. Truth or dare, Kaminari, kero?"

"Dare!"

Uraraka leans over to whisper in Tsuyu's ear. I watch as the greenette's face breaks into a smile.

"Twerk and let us record it to send to Aizawa-sensei, kero," she says.

Kaminari pales for a second, but he nods his head. "Okay then." He stands up and begins twerking, and he's surprisingly good at it. Tsuyu is recording it on her phone, and Uraraka leans on her, laughing with a sound like a baby seal. Iida shakes his head disbelievingly.

I look away. "I need to bleach my eyes," I say to no one in particular.

"Tell me about it," Kacchan grumbles.

"Done," Kaminari turns around. "Send it... if you have to."

Tsuyu taps away at her phone in between peals of laughter. "Okay, kero. Your turn to ask someone, Kaminari."

"Bakugo, truth or dare?"

"Tch." He smirks. "Dare, obviously."

"Go in the broom closet with Midoriya for ten minutes without killing him," Kaminari chuckles. My stomach drops to the floor.

"The hell, Dunce-face!?! You're dead!"

"Are you gonna back down?" He challenges.

"NO! C'mon, damn nerd!" Kacchan grabs my wrist and drags me out of the living room. "Crap, where's the fucking broom cupboard in this place?"

"Down the hall on the left!" Momo calls. "We'll be timing you!"

"Fuck you!" He yells back at her, storming over to the closet, still pulling me along. He flings the door open and pushes me in, and then shuts the door behind him as he comes in. "Where's the damn light in here?"

I fumble quickly along the wall and knock over a broom in the dark. I find the light switch and flip it hurriedly. The tiny room is filled with a burst of dingy yellow light, before the bulb crackles and goes out, plunging us back into darkness. "Eek!" I squeak.

"Damn it. Moneybags can't afford an electrician?" Kacchan mutters, and I can see his silhouette run a hand through his shock of hair.

I push my hands onto the wall, desperate for something to grip on to keep me from freaking out. I breathe slowly through my nose and try to suppress a whimper, but one escapes anyway. So dark. So tight.

"You're scared of the dark... right?" Kacchan's voice cuts through the blackness.

"You remembered?" I whisper.

"Pretty damn hard to forget."

"Y-yeah," I say shakily. "Dark, and small spaces."

"Must be a nightmare for you," he replies.

I feel his hand grasp mine. "Huh?"

"Just— geez, if you're scared, I'm here okay?"

I grip his big hand tighter. "Thanks, Kacchan."

He falls silent. I can hear the rain and wind outside pick up. The weather was grouchy all day, but now it's a violent storm. A clap of thunder booms, and lightning flashes briefly across the room, distorting everything into warped shadows.

I don't know how, but my body has somehow moved so that my arms and legs are wrapped around Kacchan's strong body. My head is on his toned shoulder

He grunts under my weight but doesn't push me off. Instead, he wraps his arms around me.

I lift my head to look at him, and I can see his eyes glinting in the dark. "I- I haven't hugged you since we were little," I say quietly. My heart is beating; surely he can hear it thumping.

He starts to reply, but another explosion of thunder sends me into more whimpers. I feel pathetic; tears escape my eyes and I squeeze them shut to try and quell them, but they land on Kacchan's black t-shirt.

"Let's get out of here. This is a dumb dare," he mutters.

"B-but you'll lose the dare," I hiccup.

"It doesn't matter."

With me still wrapped around him, he exits the dark broom closet and walks back into the wonderful, big, bright living room.

"Bakugo, you still have four minu—" Kaminari stops when he sees Kacchan holding me. "What happened?"

"Your dare was stupid. I'm going to bed," he replies flatly.

"But you lost!" Kaminari protests.

"I don't wanna hear it," he says, detangling him from myself and climbing into his sleeping bag.

"We should all get to sleep to ensure a good night's rest for a productive day tomorrow," Iida informs.

"Awww," Mina and Kaminari protest weakly, but everyone makes their way to their sleeping bags.

I'm close to Kacchan on my right, he has the wall on his other side. On my left, Todoroki's sleeping bag is a few feet away.

Everyone says their goodnights.

Ten minutes later, Kaminari whispers loudly, "If you say 'gullible' really slowly it sounds like 'oranges'."

"Gu...lli... wait, no it doesn't!" Kirishima cries.

"HA! You fell for it!"

"Bro! Not cool!"

"Shut the fuck up you idiots!" Kacchan yells.

"Language!" Iida reprimands.

"UGH!" Kacchan shouts and shoves his face into his pillow.

—

The storm has subsided, but I can't sleep. I reach for my phone, the blue glow blindingly bright in a room that is dark apart from the reassuring slice of moonlight coming from the curtains. The time reads 1:03am. I click it shut.

I glance around the room, slightly amused by the fact that Todoroki has unzipped the left side of his sleeping bag and stuck out an arm and leg to let his 'hot' side cool off.

Flipping onto my other side, I watch Kacchan as he rests. He doesn't look angry when he sleeps, not at all. I roll onto my back and sigh.

"You awake?" Kacchan whispers

I start at the unexpected sound of his voice. "Yeah, I am. I can't ever seem to sleep at other people's houses."

I hear a rustle of sheets and I imagine he's nodding.

"Kacchan?" I whisper

"Yeah?"

"Th-thank you for today, in the cupboard..."

"It's fine," he replies quietly.

"I was really sc-scared, and—"

"Yeah, you're a big baby, you know that?" He says softly, not meanly.

"I know." In the dark, I smile to myself.

I prop my arm up on my elbow, my forearm in the air, and extend my hand in his direction. I feel his surprisingly soft fingers lock in mine. I turn my head to look at him.

We lay there in silence, fingers intertwined, gazing at each-other's eyes in the dark. I find myself lost in his ruby eyes, like an endless crimson galaxy.

He smiles gently.

And it hits me like a ton of bricks.

I'm in love with Kacchan.