Archive of Our Own

Katsuki stared down at the message on his phone screen and furrowed his brows. He had no idea what he was supposed to be looking at. The hieroglyph-laden emojis were even more convoluted than anything his classmates ever sent him. At least those texts he could decipher within a minute or two. He had been staring at his screen for ten now and still had no clue what the fuck Utsushimi was trying to say to him.

As much as he loathed to ask for help, there was only one idiot in class that spoke the same language as the girl from Shiketsu.

"Dunce Face!" Katsuki called from across the common room.

Kaminari lifted his gaze from where he sat on the sofa, head cocked to the side as he said, "Yeah?"

"The fuck does this mean?" he asked, crossing the room and shoving his phone in Kaminari's face.

Kaminari snorted. "The great and mighty Kacchan can't read a simple text? Oh to finally be better at something than you," he said wistfully.

"Just explain the fucking message," Katsuki barked.

"Okay, okay," said Kaminari, looking down at Katsuki's phone.

Kaminari gave Katsuki an exaggerated eye roll after looking at the screen. "Do you wanna get burgers and go to karaoke after joint training?"

"What the fuck?" Katsuki wheezed. "How is anyone supposed to get that from this pictographic nightmare?"

"It's really not that hard to figure out, Kacchan."

Katsuki glared at him, then looked around the room until his gaze landed on Todoroki. "Icy Hot, did Glitters text you too?"

Todoroki shook his head. "No, I believe you are the only one she asked to meet up with after the joint training session next week. Though I could be wrong. Kirishima, you're assigned to that joint training exercise too, right?"

"Yeah," said Kirishima, smiling brightly. "But I haven't heard anything from Utsushimi."

"Oh-em-gee," Ashido squealed. "Do you think it's a date?"

"What?" Katsuki recoiled. "Why would it be a date?"

They all stared at him as if he was the dumbest one in class, rather than one of the top four students. "Because asking someone out for dinner and karaoke—just the two of you—is usually a date thing," she said.

Katsuki's eyes grew larger the longer he stared at the message. It couldn't possibly be a date. That's just the way Utsushimi talked, or emoted. He glanced up from his phone screen. They were all still staring at him. "It's not a date," he said flatly.

Kirishima's tiny red brows crinkled together. "If you say so, man."

"I do!" Katsuki snapped. Because why would Utsushimi be asking him out on a date when she was always going on and on about how hot Todoroki was? Or how much of a 'rizzcake' Hawks was? Whatever that meant. Another set of question mark emojis appeared on his screen. Shit. He needed to answer.

Katsuki frowned at his classmates, then stared down at his phone like it might spontaneously combust as he began to type. It's not a date, he said to himself. "Just the two of us?" he typed back.

She replied with several kissy, winking faces, which left him even more confused.

"It's totally a date," said Kaminari, as he glanced over Katsuki's shoulder to stare down at the text exchange.

That doesn't answer the question!! Katsuki wanted to scream. Everyone was still staring at him when he lifted his head again.

"It's not!" he snapped back. His palms started to sweat from embarrassment, and he struggled to keep from blowing up his phone. Katsuki shoved the device back in his pocket and stomped out of the common room in the direction of the elevators. He needed to get away from his classmates and their collective singular brain cell.

As he punched the up button on the elevator control panel, he heard the little purple shit whine from his spot on the floor in front of the television, lamenting over, "How could a jerk like Bakugou get a date when I can't?"

It's not a date!

So why did he feel so nervous about it?

Katsuki tried not to think about the random request over the next week, but it was stuck front and center in his mind. It didn't help that with each passing day; his classmates became even more invested in his business. Everyone wanted to know if he was going to meet up with Utsushimi or not. He was, but only because it would be rude to say no, and building relationships with other prospective heroes was fundamental to their careers. It's why their schools kept insisting on these joint training exercises. Occasionally, heroes would need to team up with other heroes, and having friends at other hero schools could only be seen as a positive. Even if said friends were impossible to understand.

The girls wanted to know what he was going to wear—his school uniform, obviously, since they would be going straight from school to the join training exercise.

"Make sure you shower," said Kaminari looking smug. "You sweat a lot and you don't want to stink up the karaoke room with your B.O."

Katsuki had shoved his hand in Kaminari's face as it sizzled and popped, threatening to set off an explosion at point blank range. "Go die," he bellowed before storming off.

Hanging out with Utsushimi didn't seem like a big deal. They'd gotten together before, but it was always in groups. Originally, that group consisted of Todoroki, Yoarashi, Utsushimi, and himself. They had discussed their provisional license make-up classes and what they needed to work on in order to pass the assessment the next time around. Afterwards, the groups changed shapes. It still primarily consisted of the four of them, but then Todoroki would invite other members of their class to come along, or if they had joint training, whoever was in the exercise would get together.

Never was it one on one.

"You seem nervous," Kirishima noted, patting Katsuki on the back as they ended classes for the day. They had thirty minutes until it was time to leave for the joint training exercise. Today's team-up consisted of Kirishima, Todoroki, Utsushimi, Yoarashi, the creepy meatball guy, and Katsuki. Of that group, Katsuki appeared to be the only one asked to hang out with Utsushimi when it was all done. They were friends, nothing more, no reason to get worked up.

"I'm fine," said Katsuki, hunching forward as he slung his bag over his shoulder.

"It's okay if you are," Kirishima assured him.

"Are what?" asked Katsuki, frowning.

"Nervous."

"I'm not nervous," he pouted. "It's not a date." So then why did his stomach feel like it was in knots? Did he want it to be a date? That couldn't be right. Katsuki didn't care about girlfriends (or people for that matter). He cared about being the number one hero. And as far as he knew, All Might had never been in any serious relationships. Being Number One didn't allow time for that.

"If you say so," said Kirishima with a knowing smirk.

Joint training was exhausting. They were taken to an abandoned mall in search of a bomb. Mannequins meant to represent civilians were scattered throughout the building. Their group had to divide and conquer: one-third of them responsible for getting the "civilians" out, one-third responsible for finding the bomb, and the last third in charge of looking for the villains that were rumored to still be on site. Katsuki, like always, was ready to go kick some villain ass, but was forced onto the evacuation team. He's pretty sure the others did it just to mess with him, since that's what team Utsushimi was on.

Neither of their quirks seemed ideal for evacuation duties, especially evacuation duties where none of the civilians were real people. In an actual crisis, Katsuki acknowledged that Utsushimi's quirk could be useful. She could create illusions to steer people in the right direction—arrows pointing where they needed to go, false walls to block bad routes—in this case, it was useless. They had to run around picking up dummy after dummy, tiring themselves out as they made trips in and out of the mall. Katsuki wanted to chuck the mannequins at the entrance, but Utsushimi kindly pointed out how they would get docked points if any of the 'civilians' were injured.

The shitty meatball guy could have picked up all the mannequins and flown them out of the mall without breaking a sweat. Instead, Katsuki's gauntlets and grenades were filled to the brim, and he had no use for them. As much as he hated Kaminari being right, he did need a shower after all that running. It was less about the smell and more about the fact that he was a time bomb waiting to go off.

A nearby community center was notified of their training exercise, and they were granted permission to use their showers to clean up when everything was done. Mr. Aizawa and the other teachers/pro heroes that were present set them up in a small conference room at the community center, where they went over the mistakes made in the exercise and how they could improve. When they were done debriefing, they were granted quick showers before being dismissed to go home.

Katsuki ran a towel through his damp hair in the locker room. Across from him, Kirishima sat on one of the benches with a towel around his waist, smiling up at Katsuki. He gave him a big thumbs up, which Katsuki rolled his eyes at.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

Katsuki groaned. "It's not a date," he reiterated.

Kirishima shot finger guns at him. "Sure. Whatever you say." The grin on his face was cheeky. "I'll tell the others not to wait up."

Katsuki glared at him, then threw his middle finger up in the air to emphasize his point. He tossed the used towel into a nearby hamper and placed his costume back in the briefcase to bring home. Without saying goodbye to the guys in the locker room, Katsuki marched out, shoulders hiked as he stepped into the cool air of the community center's hallway. Utsushimi was already waiting, similarly dressed in her own school uniform. Shiketsu's black was a stark contrast to UA's gray, and Katsuki always sort of envied the rival school's uniform. He would much rather be dressed in black.

Utsushimi's eyes lit up when she noticed his presence. "Hey," she greeted, pushing off the wall and slinking over to him.

"Hey," Katsuki grunted. She seemed unbothered by his gruff response, but in the event that it was a date, he realized that maybe he shouldn't be so curt with her. "Did you wait long?" he asked a little softer.

Utsushimi laughed musically in his ear as she wrapped her arm around his elbow and began to drag him towards the building's exit. "Nah, fam. Only a minute or two."

Good.

The evening air was cool on their skin as they made their way out into the street. Utsushimi chattered about nothing in particular, mostly telling Katsuki about her friends and classmates back at Shiketsu. Some names he recognized from the joint training exercises, but most he couldn't put a face to. They compared notes on the different teaching styles the two schools had. It was comfortably casual, something he hadn't anticipated going into this not-date.

"I think there's a burger place this way," she pointed, leading them down a side street. Her hands were still wrapped around his arm, and her own uniform case hung loosely in the crook of her elbow. The street opened up to reveal an American-style diner, with red pleather booths and a checkered tile pattern on the floor and walls. "It's so kitschy," she laughed.

"Table for two?" the waitress manning the hostess desk asked.

"Yeah," Katsuki said, and she led them to an open booth in the corner. They sat across from one another, taking the menus they were offered. Utsushimi hummed to herself as she scanned the menu.

"Ooooh," she cooed, "You like spicy stuff, right? This burger has hot peppers on it." Utsushimi pointed to one of the burgers on the menu and Katsuki's eyes immediately widened.

"You know what I like to eat?" he asked.

She smirked. "I do my research. This brain isn't just for good looks."

Katsuki furrowed his brows, unaware of how a brain had anything to do with looks. When the waitress returned with their drinks, he ordered the burger Utsushimi pointed out. She, on the other hand, ordered some sort of fish monstrosity. When they were alone again, Katsuki took a slow sip of his soda before broaching the subject that had been plaguing him for the last week.

"Is this a date?" he asked.

Utsushimi twirled her straw in her glass between two fingers. "Well," she said, "we're alone together, we're getting food, and I like you; so, what do you think?"

I like you.

Katsuki was shocked by how easily she slid that confession in at the end, as if she was listing off a grocery order, not explaining whether or not they were on a date together. Despite how coy she had been via text messages the last week, he appreciated how succinct she was on the matter now. He didn't have time for games. Becoming a hero mattered first and foremost.

"Okay," he breathed, surprised by how his heart fluttered when he said the word. "We're on a date," he confirmed.

That seemed to spark something in Utsushimi. Her brown eyes lit up, and she kicked lightly at his foot. "No need to stress. Let's just enjoy our tasty meal when it gets here."

Katsuki could agree with that. They sat in comfortable silence until the waitress returned with their plates of steaming food. Katsuki could smell the heat of his burger before she set it down. It made his mouth water. He hadn't realized how famished the joint training exercise made him. He chewed slowly, savoring the heat of the peppers on his tongue. So far, Utsushimi had been leading the conversation, but if it was in fact a date like she had said, then that meant he should prompt conversation as well, right? That was never one of his strong suits.

Katsuki swallowed his bite of burger, then took a sip of his drink. Deciding to get the most pressing question out of the way first, he asked, "Why me? Weren't you going on about Todoroki when we first met?"

Utsushimi laughed lightly to herself. "I mean he's fire, yeah—literally." She giggled, then wet her lips. "But he's not… hm…" She tapped her chin, considering.

"Aggravatingly dull?" Katsuki supplied.

She snapped her fingers at him then tapped her nose. "Bet. He's so high-key boring. No cap, love'm to pieces but not like that. You're funny. It's cute how riled up you always get."

Cute.

No one had ever uttered the word cute in regards to Bakugou Katsuki before. His innate desire to blow anyone up that even dared think the word was surprisingly absent. Utsushimi looked at him in a way that said she truly believed it. She wasn't just messing with him.

"Thanks," he said, before cramming a face full of burger in his mouth to shield his embarrassment.

Utsushimi leaned forward, swiping her thumb over the ridges of Katsuki's scar on his cheekbone. He froze at her gentle touch, then her finger moved down, leaving a trail of heat in its wake as she slid her thumb closer to his mouth before pulling back and wiping it on a napkin. "You had sauce on your face," she explained, but the way pink colored her cheeks led him to believe that was just an excuse.

Her gaze lingered on his scar and Katsuki swallowed thickly, clearing his throat. "Thanks," he said.

"Bee-tee-dubs, how are you doing?" She nodded at the scar, then her gaze flicked down to his chest.

"Better," Katsuki said, feeling heat bloom against his skin as his heart hammered in his chest. His arm was still constantly sore, but he had regained most of his mobility. "I still have to take it slow."  

Utsushimi hummed. "That must be hard," she said, "taking it slow. You don't seem like the slow type."  

"I'm not," Katsuki admitted. "It's torture."  

"I bet. But you're still out there striving to be the best," she mused. "That's admirable."  

Katsuki studied her, really studied her. From what he knew, Utsushimi helped face off against All For One before Katsuki intercepted him on his way to Izuku. Her quirk wasn't nearly suited for that sort of monster, and yet, she temporarily stalled him, enough to help save some of the others. The muscles on her arms were more defined than in months past. Her illusion ability was even harder to discern fact from fiction, and the "dumb girl" act was just that. She was analytical, a true hero through and through.  

"You're pretty strong yourself," he noted.  

She kicked his foot again, smiling. "Aw, a compliment from the Bakugou Katsuki. I'm touched," she teased.  

"I mean it," he said. "You're good with people, know how to hold your own in a fight, and your illusions are so realistic now that they're impossible to see through unless you touch them."  

"W-wow," Utsushimi stammered. "I didn't realize you paid so much attention."  

Katsuki smirked at her, pleased to see he wasn't the only one flustered. "I pay attention to strong people."  

They finished their dinner, splitting the bill before Utsushimi dragged Katsuki back into the street. The karaoke bar was a bit of a walk from the diner, but neither minded. They booked a room for an hour and the person behind the counter reminded them that there were cameras in each of the rooms. Why that was necessary to point out was beyond him, but it made Utsushimi giggle as she thanked the guy.  

"I don't sing," Katsuki said as she started entering songs onto the tablet. Utsushimi quirked a brow at him, smirking.  

"I didn't think you would but I'm pretty great, so be careful not to fall madly in love with me at the sound of my voice." Then, as if reconsidering, she said, "Or do, either way works for me."  

Katsuki choked on his saliva at the wink she threw at him. The instrumental queued up on the first song, then she jumped to the open space in front of the television to use as a makeshift stage. Katsuki sat in the booth with his drink on the table. He resisted the urge to check his phone while she sang, giving Utsushimi—his date—his undivided attention. She bopped around from side to side, dancing to the rhythm of whatever bubblegum pop song was playing. The music faded out, in its place was the beginning of a heavy rock ballad.  

"The fuck?" Katsuki barked, seeing the song she picked on the screen.  

"It's a duet," Utsushimi cooed. "You're not gonna make me sing by myself, are you?" she asked.  

"I don't sing," Katsuki reminded her. She tossed him the other microphone and began to sing the intro. The next verse began to play, the part that Katsuki was supposed to sing, but the music had no vocals to accompany it.  

"Come on," she urged. "I'm not gonna tell anyone. How bad can you be?"  

Katsuki grumbled to himself. He did willingly come to the karaoke bar when he could have ended their date with dinner. With a sigh, he got to his feet, joining her the next time his part came up on the screen. She squealed in excitement.  

He didn't sing anything by himself, too afraid she might record him to show the others, but each time she picked a duet, he participated. Just how many duets existed? Every other song that played forced him to the stage. His cheeks burned and his throat rasped from all the singing. There was a remote in the room that was connected to a disco ball and some techno-colored lights. Utsushimi hit the buttons on the remote, filling the room with hues or red and green.  

"It's like we're idols," she sa between giggles.  

Katsuki rolled his eyes, but he didn't hate it—the warmth he felt in his chest and on his cheeks. He hadn't felt this relaxed in ages. It wasn't school, or hero work, or social obligations with his classmates, or the oppressive failure he's constantly at odds with himself about; it was just simply existing in a little world of freedom. Utsushimi brought about a carefree desire he didn't know he needed. A breath of fresh air in a smog of expectation.  

A knock sounded on the door, letting them know their time was up. Utsushimi pouted about wanting to go another hour, but they both needed to get back to their respective schools. The world wasn't on the brink of extinction, but they still had a curfew to attend to.  

As they stumbled out into the street, she clung to him a little tighter, a little closer, and Katsuki let it happen. He walked her to the train station. They were headed in very different directions, with her getting on the train to Shiketsu and him getting on the bus a few blocks away to go back to UA.  

"This was a lot of fun," she said.  

"Yeah, it was," Katsuki found himself effortlessly agreeing. He didn't bother lying. Any other time, any other person, he would have rather been caught dead than agree he had fun. "I wouldn't mind doing it again," he admitted.  

Utsushimi beamed at him. She tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder and leaned in, pressing a light kiss to his cheek. "No cap?" she asked. "Me too." The train pulled into the station. She lingered for a minute, not wanting to get on the train and part ways. "Maybe this weekend?" she asked with a sense of hesitancy that hadn't been there all night.  

Katsuki chewed on his bottom lip before nodding. "Yeah," he said. "This weekend sounds great. But it's my turn to pick."  

"Bet!" She gave him another kiss on the cheek before skipping onto the train, waving goodbye as the doors closed.  

Katsuki watched the train depart a minute later before turning to head back in the direction of the bus stop.  

When he reached school, the common room lights were still on with several people lingering on the couch as he walked in. "Cutting it awfully close to curfew," Kaminari teased. Katsuki rolled his eyes.  

"So, how was it?" asked Kirishima, leaning over the armrest of the couch.  

Katsuki stared at them, studying their eager expressions. He clung to his bag's strap, holding it close to his chest. "It was a date. You happy?"  

The others all howled in excitement.  

"And?" asked Uraraka.  

"And I'm seeing her again this weekend! Shut the fuck up." He marched towards the elevator, ears burning.  

"I can't believe Bakugou got a girlfriend before me," Mineta lamented.  

Katsuki smiled a little smug at that as he entered the elevator. No way that little troll was beating him to the punch. Utsushimi wasn't his girlfriend, not technically, but they were going on a second date, and that simple fact made his face burn and his heart race with anticipation. He would need to put a bit more thought into what he wore next time.