Chapter Text
Roughhousing
It’s huge. Why does it have to be so huge? Izuku was happy in the old place—a tiny building with just a small dance room with broken flooring and a toilet they only used for changing clothes that always smelled like mold. Ok, maybe he wasn’t happy with that; maybe he was happy when he found out that his dance teacher could finally afford to work in a proper gym. But did it have to be such a big place?
Anxiety takes hold of Izuku as he eyes the building and the menacing sign that advertises they offer workout trainers, a variety of fitness classes, martial arts classes, and now, aerobic dance classes. Basically, everything one might need to be fit and lose weight. Which was a stark contrast to Izuku’s whole being: short, overweight, nerd.
Izuku is not the kind of person that the gym caters to. He knows that, and everyone inside will know that the second he steps foot in. He never wanted to join a big gym where the aerobic equipments would be standing there, mocking him. That’s precisely why he and Ochako looked for a small dance studio to join; they just wanted to dance and not deal with any more pressure to be fit.
They’re both a little overweight (ok, maybe Izuku is more than a little) but they both don’t want the stress of dealing with well-meaning but terribly closed-minded workout trainers who will say dance is not enough, they should be pumping weights and wasting hours on the treadmill. That’s not what they’re after. They just want to dance and have fun.
Hawks, their dance teacher, understood that from day one. He said everyone was welcome to his class and that having fun was his priority. Izuku adores Hawks, and so does Ochako. That’s why when he told their class he finally got a good place for them, they were happy for him. But now, eyeing the building, Izuku wonders if he shouldn’t just look for another class.
“There you are! I’m glad I got here in time!” Ochako arrives in front of the building, effectively killing Izuku’s plans of running away. “Come on! Let’s check the place!”
Undoubtedly, Ochako knows he’s freaking out. They’ve been friends for years so she has ample experience with Izuku’s brand of anxiety. He’s also known to wear his heart on his sleeve, which just makes him a bigger target for the bullies.
Fat, nerdy, gay, ugly guy shaking in his shoes? It’s just too easy.
He has good friends, though. That’s why Ochako takes the lead, literally pulling Izuku by the hand to enter the building and then talking to the receptionist to get them sorted out. When they’re done with the receptionist, Ochako needs to pull him again into the building.
“The first floor is all for gym stuff,” she repeats what she’s just been told, knowing Izuku was too nervous to pay attention. “And the classes are upstairs. There are locker rooms on both floors, so we don’t have to deal with gym people.”
“Just with the aerobic class people,” Izuku whines.
“They may be nice!” she says, optimistically, but continues for good measure. “And if they aren’t, I’ll fight them off for you.”
“Thank you,” he says, offering a small smile. He truly has the best friends.
The second floor is divided into a few rooms for the classes, as Ochako said. What she didn’t say was that the walls were made of glass, letting everyone see what was going on in each class. Izuku feels a bit sick just imagining that people will be able to see him shaking his rolls around in Hawk’s class. Again, it’s Ochako who gives him strength and ushers him to the locker room so he can get ready for class.
It takes a long internal pep talk, but Izuku manages to put on his leggings and a loose t-shirt. He never felt self-conscious about what he wore in Hawk’s classes—everyone had their mismatched outfits, made to be sweat on, not to look good. Now he wonders if he should have bought some loose sweats instead of the tight leggings and if people will think he’s dumb for wearing a superhero t-shirt.
It’s only because he knows Ochako will drag him to class if needed that he doesn’t run away. However, when he gets out of the locker room and sees Ochako talking to two incredibly beautiful people, he wonders again if he can’t make a run for it. She catches him before he can make up his mind.
“Izuku! Here!” she calls him. “This is Ashido Mina and Kaminari Denki! They’re starting at Hawk’s class today.”
“Hi,” he greets shyly. “Nice to have new people in.”
“Hi!” Ashido greets him excitedly. “Yeah! We’re so happy to start! When we heard there was a new dance teacher, we couldn’t sign up fast enough!”
“Totally!” Kaminari agrees. “And it’s nice to know there will be students with more experience. You two need to give us tips!”
“Hawks is great. I’m sure you’ll like the class,” Izuku says, a little less anxious now that he sees the genuine smiles in Ashido’s and Kaminari’s faces. They seem very friendly.
“What else do you do here?” Ochako asks.
“I do karate with my boyfriend,” Ashido answers. “Kaminari here sits on the gym equipment and takes selfies.”
“Hey!” Kaminari protests, feigning offense. “I also do tiktok videos!”
They all laugh and the conversation flows easily after that. Kaminari and Ashido truly are friendly and not even for a second Izuku has felt judging looks on him. On the contrary, they seemed to like hearing him talk about his favorite tracks and routines.
When Hawks arrives, they’re all already talking like close friends which sets a great mood for the class. Other people arrive too, both old and new students. Hawks organizes the class so the old students can help the new ones and soon they have a very collaborative vibe going on.
In the end, despite Izuku’s fears, the class is great.
The room makes a huge difference. This new one is light and airy, and it has working air conditioning. The flooring is smooth and perfect. And since they dance turned towards Hawks and the mirrors on the back wall, it’s easy to forget about the glass on his back and the fact other people may be passing by. The new students all seem to be nice and Hawks manages to help them mingle.
Everything is great until they leave the classroom to change back into regular clothes and see a group of men in karate uniforms hanging out in the hallway, and checking out the class through the window.
All the fighters look big, strong, and intimidating. Izuku wants to rush past them without throwing them a single glance, in hopes that if he looks unassuming enough, they won’t tease him. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be an option.
“Mina! Denki! That class rocked!” a man with striking red hair approaches them.
“I know, right?” Ashido agrees. “Eiji, these are our new friends, Uraraka Ochako and Midoriya Izuku! And this is my boyfriend I talked about before, Kirishima Eijirou! And that’s our friend, Bakugou Katsuki.”
Kirishima has a wide smile and the same friendly disposition as Ashido and Kaminari. He greets them just as excitedly as he did his friends and welcomes them to the gym. The blond man by his side, on the other hand, looks terribly intimidating with his deep scowl and crossed arms; he doesn’t offer any type of greeting and his burning eyes make Izuku uncomfortable.
“That class was so fun, Eiji!” Ashido gushes. “You should totally join us next week!”
“I’ve gotta check sensei’s schedule. He’ll be pissed if we start slacking off on our training. Even more considering the championship season is about to start,” Kirishima answers.
“Midoriya and Uraraka have been taking this class for years already,” Kaminari says. “We’ll probably get them to give us some tutoring! Maybe you can join us then?”
“Really? That’s awesome!” Kirishima says. “You two must be great at it!”
“Ah, not really?” Izuku tries brushing it off. “We just do this for fun… Hawks always have lively classes and it’s just nice. We don’t do anything serious as competing, though…”
“Pretty much this,” Ochako agrees. “We just like dancing. We do sometimes get together at Izuku’s place to try out some K-pop routines, though. You’re welcome to join us!”
“That sounds great!” Kaminari says. “I want it! Let’s dance to BlackPink!”
“Yeah, it does sound fun,” Kirishima agrees. “And nothing wrong in doing things just for fun. It’s quite manly how you two are so dedicated to having a good time together. We could do something like this on our next squad night! Right, Baku?”
“Sure. I’m tired of watching you losers fail at Mario Kart,” the surly blond says. “I’d much prefer to watch the nerd here shake his fat ass in my living room.”
Izuku’s jaw drops. Kaminari, Kirishima, and Ashido look in different levels of horror. And Ochako, she takes on her role of Izuku’s protector.
“Excuse me?” she screeches. “Why did you just say? That’s not—”
“Chill, Round Face. I’m just joking,” Bakugou dismisses her. “Little nerd here gets it, right?”
“No, I don’t get it. Don't talk to me like that,” Izuku hisses angrily. “I think I’m done here.”
Without looking back, Izuku marches away, stomping his feet. Faintly he hears Bakugou’s friend nagging him but Izuku tries not to pay attention to it. He’s hurt and he’s angry. Everything was going well, great even. He and Ochako were having fun; he thought they had made some nice new friends. And then that bully had to come and ruin everything, proving Izuku was right in being wary of the people in this new gym.
In the locker room, he takes his time cleaning his tears and getting ready to not embarrass himself when speeding towards the exit. Izuku hates how Bakugou managed to make such a good day end up on such a sour note. Why can’t bullies mind their own business? Why do they feel the need to go out of their way to tear everyone down? Izuku has years of experience with people like this and knowing he’ll have to deal with one more bully in his life is enough to make him reconsider staying in the dance class.
Ochako waiting outside the locker room is something Izuku was expecting; Ashido and Kaminari there as well weren’t.
“Midoriya! I’m so sorry!” Ashido is the first to talk when he walks out. “Bakugou is a goddamn idiot. I’m sorry you had to hear that!”
“Yeah, he has absolutely no idea how to be nice,” Kaminari says, shaking his head. “He’s an idiot and probably thought he was doing the right thing by teasing you as he teases us all the time. We already told him off for this, though.”
Their words are earnest and they look honestly bothered by Izuku’s distress. This helps soothe the sting from Bakugou’s behavior.
“Thanks,” he says, giving a sad smile. “I’m kind of used to bullies trying to make my life hard.”
“We’ll not let this happen!” Ashido says with confidence. “We’ll do our best to keep Bakugou in line!”
“He’s the worst, honestly. I’m sure no one else here will give you any trouble,” Kaminari agrees.
“And if he does, we can just punch his nose,” Ochako says, pulling giggles from the other three. “What? He’s a big guy, he can take it!”
“Totally right,” Ashido says, laughing.
“Thanks, everyone. I’ll just be happy to keep my distance from him,” Izuku says, already feeling better. “I like everyone else here and this place is great. I don’t want to let one person’s attitude spoil it all for me.”
“That makes sense,” Kaminari agrees.
“Still, we’ll do our best to put Bakugou in line!” Ashido promises.
In the end, Izuku leaves the gym with positive feelings (but still making a point of not glancing towards the room where the karate class is training). He was right in thinking he made some nice new friends; Kaminari and Ashido are great. Even Kirishima seems nice, despite his intimidating appearance. Izuku just hopes he manages to not have to deal with Bakugou again, then this new dance class will be perfect.
***
Avoiding Bakugou doesn’t seem to be an option. The very next class, when Izuku is in the locker room getting ready, he’s hounded by the man.
Izuku looks up on instinct when he hears someone entering the locker room. But at seeing Bakugou, he turns his eyes back to his locker and busies himself with stashing his clothes away. He doesn’t know if he should just run away or pretend Bakugou isn’t there. In the end, he can do neither.
“Glad to see you back,” Bakugou breaks the silence.
“Can’t say the same,” Izuku answers, without looking his way.
The sound of a chuckle makes Izuku’s blood boil. So it’s amusing to him that Izuku doesn’t want to see him? What an asshole.
“Come on. Don’t be a dick,” Bakugou says, which makes Izuku double-take;
Him? A dick? After everything that bully has said to him?! Izuku turns around, ready to bite Bakugou’s head off, but stops in his tracks. Bakugou is close, barely a couple of steps away. Izuku needs to crank his neck up to meet his red eyes that sparkle with mirth. Not only is the man extremely tall, but he’s also very strong. His biceps are as big as Izuku’s head; it’s very easy to see with the man’s option of wearing sleeveless tank tops. Life taught Izuku to not fuck around with a bully who can shove him in a locker without breaking a sweat.
“What do you want with me?” Izuku hisses. He’s pretty close to losing every shred of his patience and he wants to get this conversation over before that happens.
“The extras told me you misunderstood what I said last time.”
Bakugou takes another step closer, crowding him. Izuku feels his heart beating hard on his chest; his fight or flight instinct getting him ready for whatever comes next. He didn’t think Bakugou would be someone to make his bullying physical, considering he’s a competitive fighter and can’t get involved in a scandal like that. Now, whoever, Izuku isn’t sure of that assumption.
“They said you thought I was mocking you,” Bakugou continues, a side smirk pulling on his lips.
“And why would I think that?” Izuku says, ironically. His big mouth will be the death of him.
“Don’t know,” Bakugou answers, shrugging. “I meant what I said, I want to see you shaking your ass in my home. Though I’d prefer if we were alone, no shitty extras around.” Bakugou leans closer and finishes, “And I’d prefer if you were naked.”
That makes Izuku double-take again.
“Wha—What?” he chokes out.
“Come on. You’re hot, I’m hot. Stop making this fucking difficult,” Bakugou says, putting a hand on the locker by Izuku’s head to lean in even closer.
This—This asshole! He’s doubling down! He’s bullying Izuku, mocking him, and he’s not even man enough to assume it! He’s acting like the idea of someone being attracted to Izuku is a big dumb joke!
Izuku is furious. He clenches his fist, getting ready to punch this bully in the face. The only thing that stops Izuku from doing so is the voice of his therapist in his conscious, telling him he shouldn’t resort to violence to stand his ground and enforce boundaries. That, and the fact he’s not stupid, he knows there’s no way he’ll walk away alive after a fight with Bakugou.
So he reaches in for his years of therapy and says as firmly as he can, “Get away from me. You’re making me uncomfortable.”
Bakugou’s smirk falters slightly, clueing Izuku that his therapist was right—bullies don’t like it when you don’t rise up to their taunts. Then Bakugou takes a couple of steps back, giving room for Izuku to breathe.
“Alright, alright. You want to play hard to get. I fucking get it. Don’t worry, I’m willing to fight for what I want, nerd.”
“I want you to stay away from me,” Izuku continues to enforce his boundaries. “I’m just here to dance with my friends.”
And to make good on his point, Izuku slams his locker close and walks away. He’s not going to stand around, indulging Bakugou’s mockery. He’ll go to class, dance, and have fun, and he’ll not engage with Bakugou ever again. Izuku will make his therapist proud, no matter what.
***
Izuku isn’t making his therapist proud.
Despite his best intentions of keeping his distance and enforcing boundaries, Bakugou refuses to listen. The second he sees Izuku, he comes straight to him to start picking fights. It’s frustrating and infuriating, but Izuku refuses to search for a new class. He really bonded a lot with his new classmates, he loves the space, and he loves his classes. Putting up with Bakugou is worth it, even if it drives Izuku crazy sometimes—like today.
“Have you tried doing that spin Hawks showed last week?” Kaminari asks as they wait for their class to start. “I tried it and literally fell on my ass,” he pouts.
“Oh, you have to be careful with your speed,” Izuku answers. “If you don’t pull your right leg quick enough, you’ll get tangled. Like this.”
Izuku points to his feet and shows Kaminari how to do the spin correctly.
“See? It’s all—”
“Already putting on shows for me, nerd?” The bane of Izuku’s existence arrives.
“Don’t you have somewhere else to be?” he asks, annoyed. “Why are you always here? The karate doesn’t start for like two hours!”
“Can’t a guy come support his shitty friends in their dumb classes?” Bakugou questions back.
“You’ve never supported us in any other class,” Ashido states blankly.
“Well, because no other stupid class had the little nerd in it,” Bakugou answers, smirking. “Watching you sweat in these shitty All Might t-shirts is the highlight of my week,” he says, straight to Izuku.
“You’re disgusting,” Izuku hisses. “I can’t even look at you.”
“Up. You need to look up, shortstack,” Bakugou smirks grows wider.
Ashido groans loudly and Kaminari sighs.
“Come on, Baku. Leave him be,” Kaminari says. “We’re talking here.”
“Get lost, Explodey. He doesn’t want you around,” Ashido completes. “Actually, no one wants you around when you’re like this.”
“Too fucking bad,” Bakugou shrugs. “You’ll have to deal with it. I want to talk to Deku too.”
“I told you to not call me that again,” Izuku states.
“And I told you it’s my pet name for you.”
“Being called useless isn’t a pet name, Bakugou,” he says through clenched teeth.
“It is when I do it; you’re useless without me,” Bakugou smirks again. “And I told you to call me Kacchan.”
“Oh. my. god,” Kaminari moans loudly. “This is so embarrassing…”
“Hey, guys!” Kirishima approaches with his sunny smile which quickly falters when he sees the mood of his friends. “Bro… You’re not harassing Mido again, are you?”
“No,” Bakugou says at the same time everyone else answers a resounding “Yes!”
“I’m flirting with him. Not my fault he’s too fucking dumb to get it,” Bakugou says, starting to get annoyed.
“It’s not Izuku here who is dumb,” Ashido pokes.
“Just leave me alone,” Izuku says for what feels like the thousandth time.
“Come on, bro,” Kirishima says, dropping a heavy hand on Bakugou’s shoulder. “Let’s go spar.”
Bakugou growls but seems ready to acquiesce to Kirishima’s request; all Izuku had to do is keep his mouth shut and let that annoying conversation end. But that’s where Izuku thinks his therapist might have some things to tell him—because he doesn’t keep his mouth shut.
“I’d say to knock some sense into his head, but I don’t think there’s any room there with all the bullshit there, Kirishima,” he sasses.
“Not gonna fucking lie,” Bakugou says. “There’s not much room inside my head with how much space your ass takes up in there.”
“Don’t you have any other line? I’m tired of hearing you talk about my ass.”
“If you’re tired, take a seat.” Bakugou slaps his own cheek lightly to show where Izuku should sit.
“Come on, kids,” Hawks announces his arrival. “Enough of ruffling feathers, please? Let’s flap our wings to the classroom!”
Izuku turns away from Bakugou dramatically, making a point to show his distaste. Ochako, who was running a bit late, walks in by his side, having arrived with Hawks.
“Was he bothering you again?” she asks, quietly.
“The usual,” Izuku answers.
“You need to stop answering him,” Ochako says, shaking her head. “I know he’s infuriating, but if you keep giving him attention, he won’t stop.”
“I know, I know,” Izuku sighs. “I’ll try ignoring him next time.”
Ochako throws him a look that Izuku knows means she’s doubtful. He can’t blame her. Every week, after arguing with Bakugou, he says the same thing. And yet, when the next opportunity arrives, he can’t not rise up to Bakugou’s taunts. It’s just too frustrating to be mocked and not retort. Izuku knows he shouldn’t, he knows his therapist wouldn’t approve, but he can’t help it. Whenever Bakugou arrives, his common sense leaves.
“Let’s warm up!” Hawks calls, making Izuku focus on the class.
There’s nothing he can do now. He’ll try ignoring Bakugou next week. And if he fails, well, there’s always the week after that.