Deku's Descent | BNHA | BakuDeku | ShotoDeku

Chapter 10 - Watcher

The previous Thursday, Shoto's POV

Shoto had been pacing around his apartment ever since he got home. He was extremely worried about Izuku, he hadn't heard from the boy since lunchtime and this was the first time Izuku had ignored a message, let alone five. Shoto could see he hadn't been online for at least an hour or two now and had tried calling but with no luck. "I'll try one more time, and if he doesn't answer then I'll..." he trailed off. What could he do? He didn't know where Izuku was and he felt so useless, why hadn't he asked more questions about Izuku, like where he worked. He had been so wrapped up in their newly found connection that he hadn't asked the simple questions. He knew where Izuku lived, that was the only place he could try.

Shoto had been attracted to Izuku from the moment they had "met" at the start of their first semester at Tokyo University. It was painfully clear to Shoto however, that Izuku didn't remember the encounter at all.

Shoto could remember it like it was yesterday. He'd been heading towards the food hall when he had heard someone shouting from inside followed by a loud bang. A few moments later Izuku had burst through the doors and ran straight into Shoto knocking them both to the ground. Dazed, Shoto had gently pushed Izuku off of him and that's when he got his first proper look at the boy. He remembered feeling like his heart had stopped at the sight of the green eyes staring into his, in complete shock at finding himself on top of someone else. Izuku had apologised profusely, pulled Shoto to his feet and then ran off again, leaving Shoto frozen in place as he watched the other boys retreating back. Even though the moment had lasted only seconds, Shoto could remember every detail in vivid clarity.

From that moment on Shoto had sought Izuku out at every opportunity. He would watch him eating his lunch, reading in the library, walking to and from classes. At first it started out quite innocently, catching glimpses every now and then, but over the following year and a half Shoto had begun actively following Izuku, taking notes on his favourite things and very occasionally taking a candid photo.

He had mapped out most of Izuku's schedule and was able to predict where he would be 90% of the time. In the middle of his first year he had even picked up another class to be in the same class as Izuku, just so he could sit behind him and watch him throughout the lecture. This hadn't been possible in his second year however and he had to settle back into following him instead.

Because Shoto was so invested in Izuku he couldn't help but notice a huge change in the boy's demeanor and personality over that time and random weeks where he would just disappear. For the first month at Tokyo University he had seemed relatively happy but that changed very quickly. Izuku had become withdrawn and paranoid, and this had upset Shoto, especially because he couldn't figure out the reason for the change.

He had noticed the occasional interaction with another boy, Katsuki Bakugou. These tended to only happen when the two thought they were alone but until a few weeks ago Shoto didn't know how intense these interactions could be, just assuming Bakugou was a bully.

Shoto had overheard the two boys talking about meeting in the locker rooms later that day when everyone In the school had left, to play one of Bakugou's games - whatever that meant. Shoto recalled how nervous Izuku had been but the boy had agreed anyway. Until now Shoto had believed Izuku to be straight and that he would never have a chance with the boy so he had kept his distance, resigning himself to pine for the boy from afar. But what he saw in the locker room changed that.

Now that Shoto had a time and place, all he had to do was lie in wait for the two boys to meet. Keeping himself hidden in a dark corner of the locker room with a clear view of the main section he waited, not knowing what to expect. Izuku had arrived first, twisting his hands together and looking extremely uncomfortable. He went to leave the locker room at least three times before changing his mind again and resuming his pacing. Bakugou had arrived 25 minutes late making Izuku jump when he slammed open the door.