Chương 69: A Warm Night
After putting their bags in the sleeping quarters, it's dinner time. Tonight, they're treated to nothing short of a feast by the Pussycats and a pissed-off looking Kouta who sits in the corner and doesn't really do anything. Kouta gives them a few dirty looks from across the room and Katsuki has to resist giving someone who's probably about half his age the finger (he manages not to).
The rest of the meal is enjoyable enough. The chance to sit down after hours of fighting is welcome, but the chatter of the other 1-A students buzzes in his ears. Once they're full of food, and all the adrenaline has left their systems, leaving them on the verge of sleepiness, the Pussycats announce the presence of the hot springs. The chance to rest their muscle aches and relax further, ironically, gets them jumping out of their seats and dashing off in the afore-mentioned direction.
The six girls in the class split off, and someone complains about how the numbers aren't fair. Katsuki glances after them and vaguely wonders what they do when they're separated from the boys before he remembers that he doesn't care.
Relaxing in the warm water does help ease the muscle aches, but the heat feels like it's going to his head and filling his brain with steam. Most of them are too tired to do much other than sit and make idle conversation. Izuku talks to Shinsou, and Katsuki watches them with his eyes narrowed until someone splashes him. He turns to glare at the offender. To his annoyance, he finds that Kaminari and Kirishima are having a slowly-escalating splash fight. It's bad manners, of course, but since when were any of them well-behaved?
Katsuki gets splashed a second time when Kirishima manages to dodge an attack. "Would you fucking stop it?!" He yells, sending water at both of them.
Kaminari jumps out of the way with a squeak and a slight spark.
Katsuki turns to get out of the water since he doesn't want to be electrocuted, when he feels the temperature drop significantly.
"Be quiet," half-and-half says. Both of his eyes are closed, and he's leaning back on one of the walls with his head tilted to rest on the edge. If he hadn't just spoken, Katsuki would think he'd fallen asleep.
Ice laces its way across the surface of the hot spring, but it melts into small pieces. One floats into his side and Katsuki flicks it away, cursing half-and-half under his breath. In another minute or so, everyone settles down, and the water returns to a better temperature. Katsuki returns to watching Izuku, trying to rationalize it as a necessary precaution.
The feeling of the water lapping against his skin reminds him of the beach. Of Izuku staring up at him with flushed cheeks and wide eyes. Of a phrase echoed from another lifetime.
He only realizes that he has spaced out when he feels someone slide into place next to him. He catches sight of a freckled shoulder out of the corner of his eye, before turning to look at Izuku properly. It's a conscious effort to keep his gaze directed at Izuku's face.
"What do you want?" He asks shortly.
"I've been asking the others what to say to Kouta, so I wanted to ask you, too."
"Why do you want to talk to him? Just kick his ass."
"Kacchan," Izuku says in a reprimanding tone.
He shrugs. "I don't think talking will do much good. Maybe if a hero saves his sorry ass, he'll get over it."
Before too much longer, the fatigue accumulated from the day overtakes the brief surge of energy from dinner and time in the hot springs. With a slight feeling of regret, Katsuki leaves the water. By the time they reach the room where they'll be sleeping, conversation has broken out between various groups of students, but Katsuki tunes most of them out.
Katsuki picks a spot on the floor towards the middle of the room. A cool evening breeze filters in from the open window, and the murmurs of the other students are growing quiet. Something nudges his leg and he looks up to see Izuku settling into the spot next to his.
"What?" He says.
"Goodnight, Kacchan."
"Goodnight," he replies, lying back in an effort to go to sleep.
He closes his eyes, and despite the fatigue in his limbs, feels annoyingly wide awake. He wonders if he's imagining the feeling of Izuku's eyes lingering on him.
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