THE WATERS MOVE, and I inhale.

I feed the stormy sea. I feed my melancholy.

I hear the octaves- a siren sings in the waters. It is you.

You're the pain I feel. You're the love I feel. You're the pain I love.

The waters move again.

Izuku pulled his sweater on and adjusted his shoelaces before heading out of his room.

It'd been three weeks.

Three weeks of Izuku being totally ignored by Katsuki via text. That didn't seem like much, nor was it a shock--it wasn't like they had suddenly become best friends or anything--but it made Izuku uneasy nonetheless.

In the first week, Izuku messaged Katsuki, thanking him again for the other night and inquiring about the upcoming assignment. He was ignored and sent an impersonal email instead which included his poem. Izuku got the memo and did the same. That Thursday, Katsuki never came to class--but Izuku had the feeling he'd submitted the paper anyhow.

In the second week, Izuku ran into Kirishima on his way to Literary Analysis class. The spunky redhead had seen it fit to update Izuku on Katsuki's whereabouts...it made the greenette slightly confused. Ejiro often seemed to know things he never spoke a word about.

Izuku had a strong feeling that they'd shared something significant, something Katsuki refused to talk about. Besides, he wanted to actually talk about their weekly assignments properly and plan topics to write about, as Mr. Aizawa had recommended. Maybe hoping for that much from someone like Katsuki was a pipe dream.

It was now the third week, and Izuku sluggishly entered the classroom, a small but pulsing headache tapping on the inside of his head. Denki sat at the back of the room, chatting up a storm with bored-looking, purple-haired boy, who only nodded occasionally.

His head snapped to the door. "Midoriya!"

Izuku was only slightly startled; by now he was much more used to the blond's spontaneous outbursts. He meekly waved back and took his seat in the front.

Aizawa entered, his eyes heavy with tiredness as usual. Katsuki followed, and Izuku couldn't help notice that the blond opted for a chair nearer to the door- he had chosen another seat for the first time.

The lecture was a mundane blur, save for the occasionally confused murmur courtesy of Kaminari. After class, Izuku tapped Katsuki's shoulders, not really thinking his action through. Thankfully, the room was essentially empty, save for Kaminari and his friend.

Katsuki flinched and looked over his shoulder. "What?"

Izuku hesitated. "Can we talk about topics to write about? I get you don't like talking to me or whatever, but we should still-"

"Don't talk to me." Katsuki's eyes were slightly widened, and his expression was unreadable.

Izuku frowned. "But-"

"Are you fucking deaf?" The blond's upper lip twitched. "If you wanna know what I'll write about, go see a psychic. You..you piss me off."

Izuku didn't know why, but he felt his eyes sting with the burn of tears that refused to fall. He blinked them away. Katsuki's unnecessary aggression and contradictive behaviour were way too much for Midoriya's already weak mental strength. The greenette pierced the concrete below him with his stare.

"Are you sure that's it?" He asked, "Or do you just hate what I am?"

Katsuki stilled. He inhaled and exhaled. With a huff, he abruptly turned around and exited, heading down the hall. "Leave me alone," was all he said.

"Oh." Izuku laughed a little to himself. He found the situation to be absolutely ridiculous, and it humoured him a little. "Okay."

_____________________

The air was cold, and the atmosphere felt rigid. Izuku stared at the dark sky. Maybe it would rain; he regretted not bringing an umbrella.

It was the night of Halloween, and if the greenette had it his way, he would've eaten his stress away in the solitude of his room to 'celebrate'. Luckily(or not), Iida and Uraraka had plans to watch some scary movies in the latter's dorm.

"You keep on crying about school stress, but you're not actually doing anything to get rid of that stress!" Uraraka had said.

Midoriya figured that the brunette had a valid point.

There were glowing Jack-o-Lanterns littering seemingly every side of campus, and they lined the entrance of a coffee shop the green-eyed teen was entering. Izuku eyed the carved pumpkins with a large amount of disinterest. He strolled up to the cashier area and joined the line, figuring he needed to push away his sleepiness and prepare for a long movie night.

The sound of thunder rolled heavily in the atmosphere, and the lights inside the shop flickered a bit. Izuku flinched.

From the other side of the area, a loud howl of laughter emerged. Midoriya curiously turned his head to the source and realized that a familiar redhead was the cause.

Around the table with him sat Mina, Sero, Kaminari, and the infamous Katsuki. Izuku felt his insides twist unpleasantly at the sight of the blond, and turned his attention back to the short line in front of him. It was his turn to order.

From the other side of the room, Midoriya heard a hushed exclamation, followed by several hasty shushing noises. He felt anxiety prick in his chest as he hastily made his order. He hoped to god they hadn't spotted him. The cashier tilted her head a bit in concern at Izuku's obvious discomfort, but she said nothing.

Izuku headed over to the pick-up area, pulling his hoodie over his head as discreetly as he could in the process. More murmurs emitted from the other side of the room. Finally, a single voice called.

"Asparagus!"

Izuku jolted. Why the hell was Katsuki calling him? He did not want to know.

The barista seemed to be taking his own precious time to make the greenette's coffee, and Izuku became acutely aware of the heavy steps that approached him.

Hurry up! Izuku thought. Hurry up and give me the damn cup so I can get out of here!

Another roll of thunder tumbled in the air. Finally, the cup of hot liquid was handed over to an inpatient Izuku, and the teen grabbed the cup almost forcefully before taking quick, large steps towards the door.

"Oi!"

Midoriya briefly turned his head, and his eyes met with terrifying bloody ones. Katsuki was walking to catch him, and he was walking fast.

Izuku squeaked and burst through the door, hastily hurrying onto the sidewalk. Lightning flashed overhead, and heavy drops of rain began to fall.

For fuck's sake! Izuku gritted his teeth at his cursed luck and hurried across the empty road. Luckily, most students were at Halloween parties, and so the roads were mostly vacant.

"Hey! Slow down, will you?!" Katsuki yelled over the pouring rain. His eyes narrowed at the sight of the greenette hastily walking (since the hot cup of coffee hindered him from actually running). Bakugou sprinted across the street, easily catching up. He grabbed Izuku's free hand forcefully.

"Wait! Why the fuck are you running?" Kastuki turned the boy's body to face him and looked down at him with irritation.

"Why the fuck are you chasing me?!" Izuku was livid.

"Because..." Katsuki gritted his teeth, unsure of the reason himself. Sure, his friends advised him to apologize and talk to him, but they'd been so vague!

After telling them what he had said Izuku the other day, they all seemed considerably surprised. He wasn't sure why he opened up about the matter anyway; it was just that something nasty and icky and guilty ate at his chest every time he thought about the guy, and he had no clue why that was.

...Or maybe he did, but subconsciously refused to acknowledge it.

Kirishima, in particular, had given him a look of pity and understanding, and it pissed him off. Upon seeing Izuku enter the shop, they all pushed Katsuki to talk to him, and Katsuki found himself obliging for reasons beyond his understanding.

If those assholes were pretending to know something he didn't, they should've at least told him what to fucking say! They knew damn well that Katsuki was terrible at talking to people he liked- wait.

Thunder crashed.

"Because," Bakugou repeated himself, his voice a little shaky, "I think I need to talk to you."

The cold water made Katsuki's blond locks hang heavily, and a few hairs stuck to his forehead. His long-sleeved black turtleneck clung to his torso thanks to the dampness, and a few stray drops of water dripped down his chin. His eyes were suddenly filled with vulnerability and fear. Izuku found himself making an odd expression at the sight--one that was the product of his confusion, irritability, and attraction.

"You think now's the time for that, you asshat?" Izuku shouted over the rain. "I thought I was disgusting to be around. If you wanna talk to me, read my mind."

Kastuki cringed at the familiarity of those words, but he stepped closer, successfully trapping the shorter teen between a wall and his own body. Midoriya cowered a bit at the realization, and of course, that didn't go unnoticed. Bakugou felt his veins pulse with newfound confidence.

"I know what I said! But... I don't think this can wait, okay? Just... let me fucking say this." His voice was low but somehow Izuku still heard him.

"Then hurry up and say whatever you gotta say. You're wasting my time," Izuku hissed. Despite his tone, his large green eyes were beautifully wide, and his usually curly hair was heavier and wave- courtesy of the rain. Katsuki found himself thinking of how his hazel lentigines glowed against his pale, clear skin. Was this boy always this attractive?

Before thinking, Katsuki found himself leaning down, his face now inches apart from Izuku's.

The greenette's breath hitched. Their noses were touching. "Uh," he whispered, "What are you doing?"

Bakugou wasn't sure either, but he dipped down regardless, clashing his lips with Midoriya's, making the latter squeak in surprise. His lips were soft and cold, and frigid drops of water slotted between the spaces their mouths didn't connect. Finally, the younger teen reacted and leaned further into the kiss. Bakugou cupped the back of the greenette's and fisted a handful of damp curls, raking his tongue against Izuku's and sending a sharp chill up the teen's spine.

After what felt like minutes, the two parted, and Izuku fell into Katsuki's chest weakly, struggling to hold the cup of coffee in his shaking hand.

Katsuki really, really wanted to kiss Izuku again but he restrained the urges that seemed to come out of nowhere.

Midoriya was shaking like a leaf. "What the hell was that? Why did you do that?"

"I... I don't know," Bakugou hated how weak his voice sounded. How confused he felt. Izuku felt tears prick in his eyes, and he inhaled sharply.

"Am I a joke to you? Where the fuck is this coming from?! I can't keep up with you!" Izuku's voice wobbled, and Katsuki strained to hear over the heavy downpour.

I can't keep up with me either! I thought I wasn't fucking gay! I thought I was cured! Katsuki had the urge to scream, but he resisted.

Instead, he leaned into Izuku again and pressed his lips against his once more. All of the urges he tried fighting were rearing their ugly heads yet again.

Izuku weakly pushed him away. "Don't touch me. You're not answering me!"

"Hey, wait," Katsuki pleaded, "Let me kiss you. I need to, okay? I just-"

Izuku's already existing headache increased tenfold. Katsuki seemed deprived, almost crazed.

"You're insane," Izuku concluded before turning and walking away.

"Wait, wait," Bakugou rushed, his voice heavy with something neither he nor Izuku could understand. Was it disgust for himself? Was it desperation? Was it confusion? Maybe it was an ugly mixture of all three.

Izuku almost ignored the blond's request when a random thought came to him.

"But," Denki had said, "I guess I just wanted to explain that Bakugou has some heavy issues dealing with. It's an unhealthy coping mechanism for him to take them out on others. As his friends, we try to help him out, but there's only so much we can do, you know?"

"What now?" Izuku deadpanned instead, stopping in his tracks.

"I'd explain what's going on, but I just fucking can't right now. I don't know what this is, and a part of me honestly don't want to know," Katsuki's raspy voice held an unstable weight to it, and Izuku felt his chest tighten in a bit of unacknowledged sympathy.

"Then let's just forget this ever happened. I'm not about to be humiliated by you again," Izuku balled his free fist, his back still turned to Katsuki.

"No, that's not it," Bakugou stressed. He was hesitant and full of pride, but he forcefully continued as he clutched unto his shirt, "I'm sorry, okay? I'm so fucking sorry. I'm just being a fucking dumbass and I don't know why, but you make me feel everything. Everything. You make me feel weird and it makes me feel disgusting for talking to you. I hate it and I don't understand it."

Izuku felt thoroughly confused, but in a way, he somewhat understood what the blond was going on about.

"Okay," was all he said in reply.

"I don't hate you. I think I just hate myself. Maybe because you're too much like me and nothing like me at the same time. I really want to kiss you right now, honestly, but obviously, I need to know why the fuck that is. Just give me some time. Just a little bit of time to understand what I am, and why I'm still like this, okay?" Katsuki's words continued to confuse Izuku to no end, but he only nodded meekly. Honestly, the kisses made him feel weak and cliche, but unimaginably warm. It was his first kiss, after all. He refused to acknowledge that, though.

Izuku fisted the hem of his shirt, his chest burning with a lingering unidentifiable feeling. "Okay."

________