(Author's note: As an apology for such a short chapter yesterday, please have more today! I meant to get part of this out yesterday, but the day kind of steamrolled us.)

For their next major school exercise, they got their costumes, and were split into groups. Izuku stepped out to join the others in his green-black bodysuit with the yellow and red accents that were somehow reminiscent of both Endeavor and All Might at the same time, sporting a flame motif. Katsuki appeared in urban camouflage pants and black boots with what looked like to be a fully stocked utility belt, a black tanktop, heavy gloves attached to wrist gauntlets, and a carefully set domino mask underneath he had put black kohl to better hide his eyes from glare.

His shoulders fell a bit as Katsuki was teamed up with the glasses guy, but he looked up with a slightly nervous smile as he was told that his partner partner was that brown haired girl, Uraraka. The one that Katsuki thought was cute.

She was pretty, he supposed, in the way that girls tended to be, but he didn't understand why Kacchan had singled her out to mention her. And then she smiled up at him, and it clicked. It wasn't because she was a cute girl, at all….She was a ray of sunshine given a human form. Of course he would notice her.

And then they were assigned...his Kacchan...was a villain? Well, Kacchan would take the exercise seriously, Izuku knew...he always took tests seriously…

He nodded to Iida, "Well, we will have an uphill battle here… both have rather strong quirks." He moved to pull on shin guards and knee pads...and as he knelt he looked up at the armoured young man.

"I would like to think that our Quirks are well within what is necessary to counter theirs, and though I am loathe to be connected to villainy in any sense. We must respect the spirit of the test!" the blue-haired boy exclaimed as they walked I to the building and headed up to their evil secret lair.

Izuku watched them go, frowning softly. Scenarios played out in his mind, and few of them ended with his team winning.

"So...do you want me to fight your spikey-haired friend, so you don't have to?" the bubbly girl asked, with what looked like real concern on her face.

The image of her plastered against Katsuki reared in the back of his mind, which knew the blond's dirty fighting tactics, and he shook his head vigorously.

"N-no, that's...okay. Kacchan won't go easy on you just because you're a girl, and...I know his moves…" he said, hoping that his voice wasn't too vehement.

"Okay! It'll be a fated battle between men, then!" she chirped, thrusting a fist into the air.

They entered the darkened building, with Izuku frowning softly and taking the lead, his capture tape partially unwound in his hands.

Katsuki moved to stalk the halls, carefully and furtively. Looking for any indication that they would tip their hand as to their position as he cleared and check first the fourth floor and then the third… moving in ways he had read how swat and military teams cleared room by room...though it was him moving alone…

As a Villian he had to assume that the heroes would try and play fair. Meanwhile… he couldn't afford to… he just wished he could have planned to have some form of motion tracker.

He found Izuku walking slowly and carefully around a corner, keeping low and close to the wall, steps just as careful and practiced as Katsuki's. They had trained for long, long hours in all the best spots of their neighborhood, and in the abandoned places they weren't supposed to go but still managed to get into.

It was different-weird-not having Katsuki's command to go off, but he had to make due…due because Katsuki was the one he was hunting….not following.

He hadn't seen the careful blond yet, obviously, where he was pressed against the perpendicular wall around the next corner.

Bakugou froze as he heard the barest whisper of movement...and waited. Like a snake about to strike.

Izuku's heart thumped loudly in his chest, sending blood rushing through his ears, so loud that he was sure Katsuki could hear it...between that and his breath, he knew that he was already a dead man. It was just a matter of time. He crept forward, sticking close to the wall, which would put him in the perfect position for Katsuki's attack.

He lashed out, grabbing Deku by the arm and immediately pulling him off balance as his best friend threw him to the ground. Katsuki moved then to grab Izuku by the jaw and tried to force his mouth to stay closed, or blast him with fire.

Izuku had been counting on just that, and as Katsuki flipped him, he twisted, wrapping the capture tape around the stronger boy's torso, even as he was smashed into the ground, the wind being driven out of him with a little lick of flame that Kacchan's hand promptly smothered.

Before the tape could tighten fully though… Bakugou moved to let go of Izuku's mouth to try and restrain the other boys arm and to twist away from the tape. Not willing to be caught just yet...

Izuku sucked in a breath, audible, and possibly chilling to Katsuki, because he alone in this class really knew what Izuku was capable of with that breath.

That got his eyes to widen… and he moved to shift positions, sharply. From trying to restrain Izuku's arm to pinning the shorter boy. Hands moving to clap over his mouth again.

Kacchan's hands warmed considerably as he straddled Izuku and drove the breath out of him, but with no oxygen, the flame fizzled. Izuku waved his hand frantically, and Uraraka ran by, well out of Bakugou's reach, toward the stairs.

That was not a good thing...he moved touch his radio in his ear. "Iida, Uraraka is a on her way, be advised. I am having...difficulty…" He moved to squirm atop Izuku again but this time he moved to grab the tape his childhood friend had tried to use to secure him… "Like I'm going to let you get any fire out." He frowned as he got the tape off him one handed...

Izuku's hands scrambled with Katsuki, flailing a little as his breath on Katsuki's hand heated...not from his covered mouth, but from his nose, his nostrils flaring. He grabbed at the arm that held him down, one hand on Katsuki's wrist and the other above his elbow, trying to stress the joint enough to pull his hand away, but Kacchan was so incredibly strong….much stronger than he was.

Bakugou had to move quickly then. He moved to release Izuku's mouth briefly to position the tape to wrap it around Deku's jaw and crown. It was a gamble but nothing ventured meant nothing was gained...

Izuku jerked his head to the side immediately when he was released, and Katsuki could feel his friend's chest move underneath him as he exhaled forcefully, light flaring as flames boiled to life from those lips. Roaring and crackling, the fire rose high and wide to form a barrier between them and the rest of the hallway before Katsuki snapped Izuku's jaw shut with an audible click, the capture tape far stronger than it looked.

"Tch" clicked Katsuki's tongue as he realized he was now partially cut off from the rest of the building. But he moved to drag Deku up. "Let me guess, your plan was to just neutralize me…." He moved to grab more tape from Deku;'s belt...

"Ka...chhan… " Izuku's teeth were locked together by the tape, so he had to grind the word out. Of course Katsuki would have ideas about Izuku's plans...but Izuku knew Katsuki, too...and he knew he had to work to surprise him. He grabbed the blond's arm and twisted, shoving his hip against Katsuki's as he bent, to flip the boy in black over him, in a similar fashion to what had been done to him.

"Gah!" They were going to keep tossing each other around then..since Katsuki only changed his grip for more capture tape into hooking his fingers into Izuku's belt..and moved to pull the other young man with him… jockeying for position

Izuku went down with him, grunting, but turned so that the fall would drive his elbow into the other boy's solar plexus...while throwing his other arm out toward the wall of flame, which snaked in a crackling spiral toward them.

That got a grunt of pain from Katsuki and he tried to recapture his own breath as he saw Deku moving to summon a weapon or tool, which Kacchan was sure was going to turn the tide of the battle.

He moved to try and throw Deku off of him, away from the wall of fire...so that he could flee from the fight immediately...

Where that flame was….was where Deku had supremacy in close to mid-range.

Izuku huffed as he hit the floor, and rolled up to his feet, the flame wreathing his still-outstretched arm as he reached up to rip the capture tape off his head, the tight band cutting into his cheek and jaw as he yanked it down off his skull, blood pattering on the floor of the hallway as he stared at Katsuki and drew a shaking breath.

"Even...Kacchan...underestimates me…" he said softly, but...he was smiling. It wasn't the soft, gentle smile that was so at home on his face, but more a confident thing that made him look...well, downright heroic, with half his body all lit up from the bright orange flame that twisted around him like a serpent. Even as Katsuki watched, the size of the flame seemed to shrink, even as it grew brighter, bathing Izuku's face and green hair in a more yellowy light.

He sucked in another deep breath, his eyes trained on Katsuki.

Katsuki didn't know why he paused...when he should have spent the time running away...but those words called to him in a way that made him stop….and he looked back at Deku. "Underestimate you…?"

He could not help the almost feral grin on his face. "Baaaaakaaa… If anyone knows how powerful you are….how your brain can tick. It's me...That's why," He very quickly moved to round the corner.

Right now in this enclosed space, the only real weakness that Izuku had...was range of sight… He could do nothing but run and re-group.

Izuku flung his hand out, the fire curled around him growing even more pale as the heat increased, and the wall itself began to soften, even as he blew out another lungful of orangey-red flame. It might seem a desperate tactic, if one didn't think about the structure of the building. The wall he was burning was an interior one, but there was a good chance that it bore the weight of some portion of the middle of the floors above.

Kacchan took a soft breath to try and prepare himself..especially since the oxygen around Deku was likely lower than normal...and then turned back around...Charging straight for his childhood friend...Red eyes flashing and intent...

That surprised Izuku, throwing him off guard long enough for Katsuki to have a chance…Before he shifted his stance, shoes squeaking on the ground as he curled his fingers, drawing the fire back to him...too late to actually form any sort of weapon or counter Bakugou's charge.

That was exactly what Katsuki expected he might do...and he moved to keep following through on the run...and moved to tackle Izuku again… Moving this time to not cover his mouth, but to just pin him bodily… It was a hunch, a feeling, but he had to take the risk.

His breath was cool on Deku's lips..

Izuku's eyes widened, and he stopped breathing, the light from the flame stuttering and suddenly going from a bright white-yellow light to a red glow that bathed both of them on one side.

"Well, hero...Are you going to do it?" He said…."I'm at your mercy...you can totally burn my head off, can't you?" Katsuki's hands were tight on Deku's wrists...his breath still blessed cool...

His heart thumped as Kacchan breathed those words against his lips...lips so close to his own.

"Kacchan…" His breath was much warmer, and smelled oh-so faintly of sulphur, like a match that had been lit and then blown out.

"Yes…?" He looked straight into those green eyes. Fully conscious—perhaps more than Deku—about the fact that all he needed to do was kill time until the clock ran out. "Why can't you do it Hero? I'm an evil Villian. With a nuclear weapon at my disposal…"

"K-Kacchan...could never be a villain…" he breathed, and reached up with the hand that wasn't lit aflame, gently touching Katsuki's hair. "There's too much good inside…"

Well, he was touched at that, but he needed to keep the green-haired nerd talking. "Really, what would Deku do if the entire world was against me then?" His gaze was unwavering...as he hoped the boy underneath him wouldn't realize he was just stalling for time.

"I'd save Kacchan…" he said, and Katsuki couldn't see his smile, this close, but he could see that it reached his eyes. He was tempted...oh, so tempted, to close the short distance between them and press his lips to Kacchan's….but the whole class was watching, he remembered, and the thought made him flush and look away, averting his gaze from Katsuki's ruby eyes.

"I see….Well, that is comforting…" He had to smile, unable to do anything at that except feel… really good about that. Though, it felt like cheating; he mentally counted down the time in his head. It was almost over for the Hero team.

"I...believe in Kacchan...That's why…" Izuku said softly, flexing his left fingers, and the light brightened a bit as the flames circled them, licking high and eating the oxygen that they were both breathing. If he could just last longer than Katsuki, then he could apprehend him, right?

He clicked his tongue in annoyance…"Tch...you noticed…" He then exhaled fully and took in a huge breath, his red eyes fixed on Izuku's. He wouldn't pass out that easily.

Izuku smiled again, hoping Uraraka was faring well. Secretly, these were minutes that he was going to treasure, with Katsuki so close...even if he was still holding him down, bodily.

He didn't bother to hold his breath, drawing in all of the air he could...helping to deplete the inner ring where they were of oxygen...when Bakugou couldn't hold his breath anymore, there would be nothing left for him to breathe, and he would have to pass out. The only question was if Izuku could hold out that long. Nonetheless, he had taken Katsuki out of the equation for Uraraka.

What Izuku might not count on though...was Bakugou moving to exhale...right...against Izuku's neck… Working like a diver to empty as much bad air out as possible… Trying to wave his control as well…

His lips..touching the other boy's skin...

Oh...That made Izuku shudder. His skin warming in a dark blush, and black spots swam in his vision as Kacchan interrupted his concentration…

There, close to Izuku he felt the cooler air… if the fire wavered...he could breathe more...maybe ven take a true breath...Those lips slid up...to IZuku's ear...tracing a still cool but at the same time...a white...hot line...

A faint whine left Izuku's throat, and the flames flickered, weakening as the pyromancer's concentration failed further.

After fighting for a little more air in his lungs, KAtsuki changed grips. With both hands, he carefully pinched Deku's nose...and clamped his hand over the boy's mouth…"Haaaah…"

That lit a light of panic in Izuku's eyes, the flames guttering and flaring ss as he struggled beneath Katsuki. The trauma of the sludge villain's attack and his brush with death still too fresh in the back of his brain, even almost a year later.

Kacchan froze and immediately let up on our Deku. Panic briefly rooting him as he realized what he had accidentally done. He wanted to apologize and comfort him, but…for this exercise, he was supposed to be a villain, and that stopped him from immediately coming to the aid of his childhood friend. "Sorry, Izuku …" was what he managed before moving to move to the stairs.

The flames were all but gone now, flickering wildly with temperature fluctuations...and Izuku rolled weakly onto his side, blackness fuzzing the edge of his vision, and curled up with a soft whimper, trembling as tears leaked from his open eyes while Katsuki left him there to suffer his ptsd flashback alone.

He froze, turning back to look at Deku. That whimper tearing something in his as he cursed himself and broke into a straight run back to Izukum, to scoop him up into his arms. He could use him as an excuse for a hostage, he rationalized, even as he tucked that crying face against his neck.

The time ran out before he even got back upstairs. Iida had successfully protected the bomb from Uraraka, who seemed less worried about failing the lesson than the crying mess of Midoriya in Bakugou's arms when they got to the hideout floor.

"Is...Is Midoriya-kun alright?" the earnest girl asked, clasping a hand to her chest as she looked to the blond with worry.

"He'll be okay… I've got him."

And he was fine. In a sense. By the time they returned to the classroom, he'd mostly gotten ahold of himself, although he was quiet and withdrawn for the rest of class. When the day was over, he took time packing his things up. He and Katsuki had cleaning duty that day, so it was a good excuse to ignore the after-class chatter. People seemed mostly respectful and willing to give him his space, but how much of it was respect, or them ignoring him, or a feature of just where his desk was in the classroom, Izuku didn't know. He went through the motions until the class was nearly empty, then moved to grab the broom to start on the floors.

Katsuki moved to start stacking chairs on desks… "So, are you truly okay?" He looked over at him sweeping...

"Mmm?" Izuku asked, looking up and back at him, his eyes looking tired and still a little red-rimmed. He had that haunted look back that he'd worn when no one was watching for a couple of weeks after the attack last year.

Katsuki sighed heavily and walked over at set a chair down and then another across from it. He then sat down, heavily and waited. When, Izuku didn't immediately act…

"Sit down…"

Izuku blinked, but his body moved before he could think about it, in reaction to Katsuki's command, and he blinked again at his friend, a little confused by all of this as he sat and set the broom down...it kind of looked like one of those scenes out of a foreign romantic comedy. Don't blush, he told himself!

"You're not okay, I did something bad covering your mouth and nose. We need to talk."

Kacchan was frowning, but it was in concern and in mild anger at himself for hurting his best of friends.

"Please."

Izuku looked down, his shoulders tightening a bit. "It's...it's nothing, Kacchan...I...I overreacted." And cried like a big crybaby. It wasn't even that bad. Why had he panicked like that? Heroes didn't have panic attacks. They didn't have flashbacks, especially of things that hadn't even left scars, did they?

"...I don't think you overreacted. I'm worried about you, Izuku. "

The fire-breather looked down at his palms, noticing that they were shaking, and closed them into loose fists. Of course Kacchan was worried about him. He was a weakling. Katsuki had done everything in his power to help Izuku be stronger, but the green haired boy was still weak, if not in body, then in mind.

"I...don't want Kacchan to worry."

He frowned and then his arms were wrapped around Deku's neck. "It's okay, dammit… you don't have to be scared that I am going to drop you… for being scared. Got it?"

Izuku's breath caught...and he looked up at Katsuki's face through his lashes, his lips trembling as he tried to smile.

"But...Heroes...don't get scared like that…" he whispered shakily.

"I'm sure they do. You're allowed to be scared." He scowled "You're also able to be scared without a good reason too. Phobias are stupid things but they are real, Deku… "

"But...Kacchan…" He sighed, looking down again. "I...I didn't even get hurt." Because Katsuki had been there. Because All Might had been there.

"... Were you choking? Did you think you might die? "He frowned

"B-back then? Yes…" he admitted in a soft, hoarse whisper.

"... I understand that feeling. I had gotten attacked by that villain too… " he admitted quietly " You had to endure it when longer than I did, I am sure…"

"Kacchan….got attacked, too?" Izuku asked, looking up at those red eyes.

He scowled but nodded. "Mm, the villain got free of All Might after it attacked me and then went after you… So, I know that pain. You aren't alone." He then smiled. "Deku is stupid brave… trying to act like it was nothing but you don't have to act that way around me."

"I want to be a person that Deku can say he is scared to and know that he is safe."

Izuku's eyes filled with tears again, and he hung his head, choking on a sob.

"I'm afraid, Kacchan! I...I don't want to die!"

He pulled close Izuku and held him. "It's not bad...to be scared of dying. It just means that you gotta live as hard as you can, Deku… don't worry, I'll be there, no matter what…"

"Kacchan…" Izuku sobbed, clinging to the blond. Kazuki said that, but...would he stay if he knew how Izuku felt about him? Live hard….the advice made the green-haired boy want to confess, but...he was scared...even more than dying. He was afraid of losing Kazuki by his side.

He let the green haired boy cry till his tears ran out, then moved to help Deku up so they could finish cleaning up the classroom. "Seriously, I need you to talk to me, got it?"

"Mm. Kacchan...is the person I trust most in the whole world." Izuku said, his eyes puffy and red rimmed, but his smile reached them this time.