This situation couldn't have been more awkward.

The tension in the air between the two amateur heroes was so thick you could cut through it with a knife. Izuku had propped himself up on one of the folding tables, feet swinging back and forth below him. Katsuki sat opposite him on one of the washing machines. Neither one of them had spoken since they'd been locked in together. The fact that Katsuki hadn't immediately tried to kill Izuku was probably a good sign, but it didn't really make Izuku feel any better.

Katsuki wouldn't so much as look in Deku's direction. How could he? The scene in the locker room kept playing over and over in his head on a damn loop. What the hell had he been thinking? Well, he hadn't been thinking. That was the problem. His mind hadn't been able to figure out what to do so his body had taken the initiative. And quite the initiative it had been.

Izuku wanted to say something, anything. Katsuki was his soulmate after all but bringing that up right now would probably only make matters worse. It was clear Katsuki didn't want to talk about it. The last week of constant avoidance had pretty much driven that point home.

But Izuku did want to talk about it. The last week away from Katsuki, while difficult and frustrating, had given him time to seriously think things over. When he'd first gotten the soulmark he'd been ecstatic. Someone out there destined to be with him, to love him and only him? It sounded like a fairy tale. But fairy tales weren't real.

In reality, Izuku didn't know anything about this potential soulmate, and deep down that scared him to death. He understood the idea, in theory, but how was he supposed to love someone he'd never met, someone he knew nothing about? Love was supposed to be a precious bond between two people who really understood each other. Even if you didn't like everything about the other person, you loved them regardless, embracing their differences and flaws with open arms.

The more Izuku thought about it, the more he realized that there was only one person who fit that description for him. He'd been fretting over it for days, covering it up by gushing about his potential soulmate at every opportunity. Then Katsuki cornered him in the locker room and literally took his breath away. Feeling that scar on his arm had sent Izuku's mind into a chaotic spiral of mixed emotions. Actually seeing it as Katsuki fled the locker room had only made it worse.

Now, though, as they sat in silence, both afraid to be the first one to speak, Izuku was sure. He knew what he wanted, and he knew if he didn't handle this correctly he could lose this chance forever. Katsuki was like a cornered animal, terrified and unsure. One wrong move and it was all over.

Izuku couldn't have been more surprised when Katsuki was the first to speak up.

"I'm sorry."

Huh?

Izuku's world stopped.

Huh?!

Those two words muttered barely loud enough for Izuku to hear had just flipped his whole reality upside down.

HUH?!

Deku sat there, sputtering like an idiot, jaw practically on the floor. Katsuki would have laughed if he weren't trying so hard to keep himself from literally exploding from the embarrassment. Yes, Bakugou Katsuki, renowned jackass, had just apologized. Really apologized. He couldn't believe it himself, honestly. His mind was a jumbled mess and he felt hot all over. Katsuki wouldn't be surprised if he was beet red from his ears to his toes right then.

"Wha- what on earth are you apologizing for?" Izuku stammered out, still reeling.

Stupid Deku. Gotta make me say it out loud, don't you? I bet you're getting a kick out of this, shitty nerd...

"For -" Katsuki took a deep breath. "For forcing myself on you. The other day," he said through gritted teeth, practically chewing on the words.

Oh.

"It was a shitty thing to do, and then to top if off I fucking ran away like a god damn coward!" Honestly, Katsuki was just angry at himself. He didn't want to accept this. To admit what he was feeling. But denying it was becoming more and more difficult every day.

He couldn't meet Deku's eyes, gaze fixed to the side of the room like his life depended on it. His jaw was clenched tight and he knew he was flushed. There was no hiding it. There he was in a black tank top and a pair of sweats – hadn't even thought to grab his shoes before storming out of his room – bright red shoulders on full display. A big downside of his pale complexion was that when he blushed, it was everywhere.

Izuku couldn't help himself. He was sure he was going to get an explosion to the face for it, but he couldn't hold it in. Izuku burst out laughing, folding in on himself as he tried to cover his traitorous mouth with shaking hands. It didn't work, and he heard it the second Katsuki snapped.

"What the hell is so funny?!" Katsuki jumped off from his place atop the washing machine and stormed across the narrow aisle to where Deku was desperately trying to contain himself. He slammed his hands down on either side of the obnoxious boy's hips, leaning in, face contorted in rage that couldn't be taken quite as seriously with the crimson blush still prominently on display.

Izuku sat up, tears brimming in his green eyes. The smile on his face rivaled the sun itself. His cheeks were tinted a deep rosy color, making his freckles stand out that much more. His hair was a mess, even more so than usual as he hadn't had time to try and tame it before he was dragged out of bed. Katsuki was speechless. He tried to hold onto that anger from before, but looking at Deku when he looked like that - it fizzled out in an instant.

It was a risk, Izuku knew, but at this point, it was go big or go home. Izuku took Katsuki's face in his hands, brought him close, and crashed their lips together perhaps a little rougher than necessary in his haste. Katsuki went stiff as a board in Izuku's arms, body like a statue. After a few moments Izuku went to pull away, sure he'd made the wrong decision and was about to get blown sky high for his mistake. Then Katsuki snapped out of it, hands going around Izuku's waist and pulling him to the edge of the table, molding his lips against the other boy's.

Izuku sighed into the kiss, relaxing into Katsuki's warm embrace. It wasn't like the kiss in the locker room. There was no less passion behind it, but it was a different kind - softer, more affectionate. They weren't fighting it anymore.

The two broke for air, foreheads resting against each other. They still hadn't opened their eyes yet.

"I thought you hated me," Izuku whispered, still a little afraid that this was all going to go sideways somehow. His worries were unnecessary.

"'Course not, idiot." The response was quiet, reluctant, but sincere none the less.

Izuku grinned and leaned in to steal another quick kiss. When he leaned back he finally opened his eyes. Katsuki was staring right back at him, crimson eyes glistening. Izuku saw no trace of regret, no sign that this was all some elaborate prank. This was real, and that realization filled him with a kind of joy that made him warm all over.

"I'm so happy it's you," Izuku admitted, that big goofy grin spread wide across his face. Katsuki flushed, averting his gaze.

"Yeah, whatever," he muttered, but Izuku knew what he meant. Katsuki was never very good with words. He never had been, it just wasn't how he expressed himself. Actions were what Katsuki understood, and Izuku was more than happy to accommodate. He dove back in for another kiss, which Katsuki met without hesitation. Izuku kissed him for all he was worth, nibbling at Katsuki's lower lip and chuckling deep in his chest at the gasp it drew out of him. Katsuki wouldn't be outdone of course, and as with everything between those two it quickly became a competition - hands groping, tongues sliding, love bites everywhere so that everyone knew who they belonged to. Katsuki would be lying if he said he wasn't making them in obvious places so that no one else would touch his Deku. Izuku didn't mind in the least.

Izuku said a lot with that kiss, to which Katsuki responded in kind. A whole conversation without ever having to say a word. It was a language all their own, and they were still learning. They were both more than happy to kiss entire speeches into the other's skin until they got it just right, though.

X

"I bet the whole place is gonna be absolutely destroyed," Kaminari said as they approached the laundry room. Kirishima and Uraraka followed closely behind, anxious to see what had become of the two amateur heroes they'd locked in the night before.

"Nah, Bakugou knows better than that," replied Kirishima. "He wouldn't risk getting expelled for something stupid like blowing up the laundry room."

"What about Deku, though?" Uraraka questioned nervously.

"Oh yeah," Kirishima replied grimly, "he might be a little worse for wear if things didn't go well."

That collective realization had the trio picking up their pace a bit. No one had heard anything from the laundry room after Bakugou had been locked in. No more caterwauling from Midoriya and no shouting on Bakugou's part, which was unexpected. That didn't mean nothing had happened, it just meant that whatever did happen had happened at normal volume.

As the trio approached the laundry room door they slowed, approaching with caution. They all had different ideas of what could have gone down during the night, but speculation only got you so far. They were all itching to see inside, but quietly, in case Bakugou decided they all needed an explosion to the face for their trickery.

Kaminari unlocked the door as quietly as he could manage, then inched it open bit by bit. They were all lucky that the dorms were too new for squeaky doors or loose floorboards. The light inside was off and they decided to leave it that way until they knew it was safe. Uraraka switched on the flashlight she'd brought and the three of them tiptoed into the room.

At first, they saw nothing. A quick swing of the flashlight beam around the room revealed no trace of the two boys. Uraraka crept forward, leading the group forward as she tiptoed on slippers made lighter by her quirk. The room was set up with washers and dryers lining the walls with a few folding tables in between, and two rows of the same thing back to back down the center like an island. It wasn't a huge room since there weren't that many people living in the building, so there weren't many places to hide.

Uraraka stopped dead as she turned the corner. Kirishima and Kaminari nearly ran into her because of it.

"What gives?" Kirishima whispered, leaning around Uraraka to get a better look. Kaminari did the same on Uraraka's other side.

The trio stood frozen, jaws to the floor and eyes wide as they stared down the middle of the aisle. There, in the middle of the floor, curled up on one of the spare blankets kept in the laundry room's storage closet, were Bakugou and Midoriya. They were facing one another, legs a messy tangle of limbs. They were laying as close together as they could get in that position, foreheads pressed lightly together. Bakugou had one arm thrown over Midoriya's side, the other on the floor supporting the smaller boy's head. Midoriya held one arm tightly to his chest while the other hand rested just above Bakugou's chin, fingers spread lightly across his cheek.

They were so cute Uraraka had to hold back a squeal, afraid to wake them and ruin the moment. Kirishima and Kaminari already had their phones out snapping silent pictures of the two of them curled up together. Their necks littered with little bruises leading from their ears all the way to their collarbones. The two boys grinned wickedly as they continued taking pictures. This was blackmail gold.

Despite the playful bruises, the pair of them were the picture of serenity, sleeping peacefully in each other's arms. But what stood out the most – and what would probably embarrass Bakugou far more than the love bites – were the stupidly sweet smiles plastered across both of their faces.