Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

   “I’ve got a time saving idea for you,” Kacchan sneered from where he’d paused in the classroom doorway. His two goons turned around to face Izuku once more, looking between him and their leader. “Why don’t you pray you’ll be born with a quirk in your next life, and take a swan dive off the roof of the building!” The goons cackled, high-fiving Bakugou as the three of them left the classroom. Izuku stared at their retreating backs, wide-eyed, until long after they’d disappeared from sight. Eventually, he found his breath again. Even so, he couldn’t get Kacchan’s words out of his head. 

    ‘ Pray you’ll be born with a quirk in your next life…’ 

   ‘Take a swan dive off the roof of the building…’ 

   ‘You’ll never be a hero, Deku!’

   ‘I’m so sorry, Izuku…!’ 

  ‘You’re nothing but a worthless, quirkless loser, Izuku.’ 

   Izuku bent over the koi pond where the fish were nibbling at his notebook, still a bit shell-shocked. This was nowhere near the first time Izuku had been suicide baited, but it was first time ever than Kacchan had been the one saying it. Usually, Katsuki never took part in the crueler parts of Izuku’s bullying, such as hitting him or telling him to kill himself. No, Katsuki was too smart to risk anything like that. He didn’t do anything of the sort to Izuku directly , but he also never stopped the other kids when they did it to him. 

    This time, Katsuki had indulged, and even though there was no reason for it, it hurt a thousand times worse when it came from Katsuki. ‘ Is… is he right? Should I really do it?’ 

    He didn’t know. Izuku stared down at his soggy, ruined notebook in his hands, his thoughts running wild in his head. ‘ Mom has been working her ass off the pay the bills for us… would it be easier if I just left her? Nobody wants me here anyway. Nobody would care if I just… if I just…’ 

    “No,” Izuku murmured, his limbs trembling as he lifted his notebook to hug it against his chest. His uniform became wet immediately, but Izuku didn’t care; he only hugged himself tighter, squeezing his eyes shut. “ No . Don’t think like that, Izuku. Mom would be heartbroken. Don’t you dare even think about leaving her alone.” He brushed the tears away from his eyes and turned on his heel, making his way out of the empty courtyard of his middle school. 

    He was so lost in thought on his way home that he hardly even noticed when a voice began speaking to him underneath an overpass he crossed through every single day. Izuku only noticed the presence of the villain by the time it was too late. 

   “Do you think I can become a hero, even though I don’t have a quirk?” Izuku asked, staring at his shoes. All Might’s dilapidated form let out a hacking cough, but hearing it didn’t cause Izuku to meet his eye. 

   “Without a quirk…?” All Might said, sounding like he was considering it. “No, I’m sorry my boy. It’s simply too dangerous to become a hero without a quirk to aid you. Even I, who has one of the most powerful quirks in the world, was nearly vanquished by a villain.” 

   Izuku felt like his chest was caving in. For once, his eyes didn’t fill with tears. It was like his entire body fell back into shock for the third time that day; the first being after Kacchan’s cruel words, and the second being right when the villain had been about to kill him. He slowly raised his head to look at All Might, seeing the pitying expression on the man’s gaunt face. 

   “You understand that you can’t share my secret,” All Might said, more of a statement than a question. “It would be detrimental to society if it were to ever get out. You wouldn’t want to cause that, would you?” Izuku shook his head. “Good. I’m afraid this is where we must depart, young man. I hope you live a long and happy life, and that you find a new dream to pursue.” With that, Izuku’s favorite hero left him alone on the top of a skyscraper, opening the door of the roof to begin his trek down to the street level. Izuku wasn’t sure how long he had spaced out, staring at the Musutafu skyline, but by the time he came back to himself, he was standing at the very edge of the roof, watching the sun set in the distance. When he looked down, the ground was so far away that it made him dizzy. He only had a moment to panic about possibly passing out and falling to his death before he realized that he honestly wouldn’t care. Whatever conviction he’d had earlier that day about his mother needing him was snuffed out by the one person he always imagined would support him no matter what. He was All Might after all. 

    But not even All Might thought Izuku could be a hero. 

   Before the green eyed boy could do anything hasty, the familiar sound of an explosion boomed through the city somewhere to his left. He whirled around, scanning the city for any indication of what had just happened, and found it a moment later. Smoke rose from a place not too far away, quickly followed by another explosion. Izuku was moving before he could think about it, only one thought on his mind as he ran the entire twenty minutes toward the explosions he’d seen. ‘ Kacchan. Kacchan!’

    (x)

   Vile slime dug its way through every crack and crevice of Katsuki’s body, suffocating him from the inside-out. It felt like every single one of his pores was being invaded, and no matter how many explosions he gave the shitty villain, the sludge just wouldn’t die ! Every few minutes, right when he felt like he would truly pass out, he would place a well-timed explosion that would break apart the villain’s quirk right over his nose or mouth, allowing him to gasp out a deep breath or two before he was inevitably choked again. 

    The worst part about it all? That there were three heroes standing around, watching as he suffocated. Civilians stood on the sidelines, held back by the heroes as they whispered to each other and watched as Katsuki’s strength began to leave him, his oxygen deprivation getting to him. They all fucking watched, and none of them did a single thing . 

   And then a familiar shade of green appeared in the back of the crowd. Honestly, Katsuki should have known that shitty Deku would recognize his explosions and come running, and yet somehow, every trace of his usual irritation towards the greenet had evaporated from him. Instead, two very distinct feelings had taken its place. He felt both simultaneously scared and relieved. He was relieved because, if he was going to die, he was at least glad that he would be able to die with a familiar, comforting face in the crowd. He was scared because, despite his previous statement, he didn’t want Deku to watch him die. If he knew Deku, (and he really fucking did,) then the shithead would remember Katsuki’s death with a guilty conscience until the day he took his final breath. 

    Katsuki lamented on this as his vision began to fade to black for the umpteenth time, his hands scrabbling desperately on the slime around his mouth, praying he would find purchase this time. Then, something big and fucking yellow soared through the air, smacking the villain holding Katsuki hostage right in the face. The creature instinctively released Katsuki’s mouth and nose, cursing and yelling something. In the next moment, Deku was there, clawing at the sludge pinning Katsuki’s arms to his sides. 

   “D-Deku?!” Bakugou cried out, his voice hoarse from the assault on his throat. Deku was staring up at Katsuki with wide, fearful eyes, looking around hopelessly at all of the passersby who had been watching the last twenty minutes with horrified interest. The pro-heroes who were already on the scene were screaming at each other, now that there was another kid in the situation. It pissed Katsuki off that only now that fucking Deku was there did they decide they wanted to help. “What the fuck are you doing?!” 

    “You- your eyes!” Deku yelled, dodging out of the way of one of the villain's hands (tentacles?) that grabbed for him. “You looked like you were begging for help!” 

    Before Katsuki could do something embarrassing, like throw a bitch fit over what Deku had just said, unexpected wind pressure ripped through the air, forcing the sludge villain off of Katsuki’s body. Both he and Deku went sprawling from the sheer force of the gust, Katsuki knocking the back of his head against the pavement hard . Deku didn’t make out much better, his chin slamming against the pavement with a disturbing cracking sound. Now Katsuki’s mind was dizzy not only because of the lack of oxygen, but now also because of the concussion he may or may not have just gained. 

    He was vaguely aware of All Might taking down the villain in the background, as well as the sound of the crowd cheering, but he couldn’t quite focus on it. All he could really do was loll his head to the side, staring at Deku’s groaning figure as the smaller boy curled up a bit from the pain of his injury. His chin was already gushing blood, the wound  looking like it would need stitches if no healing quirks were used. Katsuki was overcome with the sudden intense urge to reach out and brush his fingers against Deku’s face, just to make sure he was really there. Maybe he had actually passed out, and this was his mind’s way of hallucinating a better ending for himself before his heart actually stopped. 

    “-oung men!” a booming voice called, breaking into Katsuki’s haze. Fucking All Might himself stood over them, his eyes scanning the boys’ forms critically. The hero’s eyes seemed to stick to Deku just a moment too long, like he was searching for something within the boy. Just as quickly as Katsuki noticed it the look was gone and All Might was looking right back at him again. “How are you doing, Young Man? Any injuries?” 

   “I- I’m fucking fine ,” Katsuki scoffed, forcing himself to sit up, All of the blood rushed out of his head, making it throb every few breaths or so. ‘ Ohhh yeah. That’s a concussion. ’ “Actually, I think I have a concussion.” 

   “My goodness! You must see professional help!” All Might waved over an EMT crew that had been waiting on standby, and soon enough, both Bakugou and Deku were surrounded by medical professionals. They were separated into two groups, and Katsuki only had a moment to think about the fact that he didn’t want Deku too far from him before he was put under the spell of healing quirks. 

   By the time he was lucid again, Deku’s medical care had apparently been taken care of. He was standing fifteen or so feet away, ducking his head as the local heroes of the area yelled at him for getting involved. Katsuki could hear words like “reckless” and “quirkless” being spit out, and for the first time in a long time, he was truly angry on Deku’s behalf. How dare these worthless extras yell at Deku for doing what they should have done? Yes he was quirkless, but they were trained heroes , and they had been planning to let Katsuki die, simply because their quirks weren’t “suited” to the situation. For a moment, Katsuki considered butting into the situation. It only took him a second to wipe away the idea though, and he turned away from the sight. If Deku couldn’t fucking defend himself for once, then he deserved to get yelled at. 

    (x)

   Izuku watched Kacchan’s back stomp away from him, running over the blond’s words in his head. ‘ I didn’t need your fucking help! You didn’t help me, got it?’  

   Yeah, he knew he didn’t end up helping, but he couldn’t just stand there and watch Kacchan die . No one was doing anything to help him, and his body had moved on its own. He hadn’t been lying either, when he told Katsuki that his eyes looked like they were begging for help. He knew better than to think the begging was directed at him, but he just couldn’t help himself. In truth, they were both goddamn lucky that All Might decided to jump in when he did, because they would most likely both have been toast if he hadn’t. 

    Izuku turned back around to resume his walk home, and nearly jumped out of his skin when he found All Might’s true form standing there, watching him. “A-All Might?!” 

   “Young Midoriya,” the man said, nodding. “I need to speak with you. It’s urgent.” 

   “B-but- what’s wrong? Is this about your true form, because I already said I wouldn’t tell anyone-” 

    “No no, it’s not about that, young man.” All Might locked eyes with Izuku, a serious expression on his face. “What I said earlier, when we were on the roof… I told you that you couldn’t be a hero.” 

    Izuku’s face fell, but he didn’t look away from the hero. “Y-yes… I remember.” 

   “Let me ask you something then. When you were standing in the crowd, watching that other boy being attacked, you decided right away to help him. There’s something that all heroes say happens to them before they ever even begin their line of work, and I believe that very same thing happened to you. Do you know what that might be?” 

    Izuku’s mouth worked like a fish out of water. “M-my feet. They moved without my thinking about it.” 

   All Might broke out into his signature smile, although it looked far more demented on his emaciated face. “That’s right, my boy. And it’s because of that, that I truly believe…” He puffed back into his muscle form, that same wide grin still splitting his face. He pointed down at Izuku, the tip of his finger nearly brushing the greenet’s chest. “You CAN become a hero!” 

    Izuku couldn’t help it- he fell to his knees and began to cry.

  It was both the best and worst day of his life, and yet looking back, he wouldn’t be able to say for sure if he would give up One for All in order to avoid the trauma and terror that the rest of his high school career would hold. 

Chapter Text

   Katsuki couldn’t seem to look away from Izuku. The nerd sat two rows over and one seat down from Katsuki during classes, and the blond found himself looking at him out of the corner of his eye so many times that he might as well have ignored all of his classes in favor of looking at him. The older boy would love to pretend that there wasn’t a reason for it, or even that his only reason was that he was annoyed at the smaller boy, but that would just be a lie. If there was one thing Katsuki fucking despised, it was liars. 

    The truth of the matter was, he had spent nearly the entirety of the night before lying awake in his bed, thinking about the determination that had filled Deku’s face when he charged in to try and save Bakugou from the sludge villain. At first, he hadn’t been able to see past the nerd’s actions, and the fact that he really thought that a quirkless, useless loser like him would be able to beat the villain when not even Katsuki could. When he thought deeper about it though, he realized something. Although determination took up the majority of Deku’s features, there was something else that lay behind his eyes. Fear . He had been terrified out of his mind when he clawed at the slime to try and free his childhood friend, but he had done it anyway. Then, in those last few moments before All Might jumped in to save the day, Deku’s expression had melted away into something else entirely; resignation. 

    Bakugou knew exactly what he had been feeling, because he himself was thinking the same thing. At that moment, both of them had accepted that they were going to die together. 

   There was no way Deku hadn’t known that from the beginning, and now Katsuki was re-evaluating his entire worldview. 

   Izuku hadn’t felt this happy in a long, long time. He hadn’t even realized that he was living in a haze until he was broken out of it, which was kind of sad if he thought about it. He was taking notes in class with a new vigour, and he was actually retaining the information, instead of spacing out every few seconds wondering what might happen to him that day. Instead, he was practically vibrating because ‘ holy shit , he was going to train with All Might today! ’

    Throughout the day he was vaguely aware of a pair of crimson eyes trained on him, and while normally that would have him nervous, today he couldn’t be bothered to focus on it. He was going to meet with All Might today, and he was going to spend the next ten months training his ass off, because his dreams had finally come true. He was going to be a hero. 

   The school day seemed to fly by, and before Izuku knew it, he was changing out of his uniform and into workout clothes he had brought with him, before he used the GPS on his phone to head to the destination that All Might had texted to him. He recognized it as the infamous trash beach a mile away from his neighborhood, and he couldn’t help but frown. Why was All Might wanting to meet in a place like that? Weren’t they supposed to start training? Regardless of his wariness, he set off towards the location with a pep in his step. 

    He made it there within the hour, where he found All Might standing in his emaciated form, right in front of the tide wall that separated the four-foot drop down into the sand from the concrete above. There was a small staircase not far away that safely led into the sand. Izuku brightened up at the sight of his hero, his chest filling with elation. “All Might!” He raised his hand to wave. All Might’s face dropped, and almost immediately Izuku realized his mistake. A few yards away a random couple twisted around from their leisurely walk, excited. 

    “Did someone say All Might?” 

   “Do you see him?!” 

  “Quick Young Midoriya, say it was a false alarm!” All Might hissed, cutting his hand through the air. Izuku began to anxiously laugh. 

   “Whoops, sorry! False alarm!” 

  The couple shrugged disappointedly and continued on their way, leaving Izuku and All Might to sag as the tension left them. All Might straightened up a moment later, smiling easily despite Izuku’s mistake. “You’re going to have to start calling me by my name, young man, especially when I’m in this form.” 

    “Your n-name?” Izuku stuttered, unable to help the blush on his cheeks. “But no one knows All Might’s real name!” 

    All Might chuckled, shaking his head. “But you’re not just anyone . You’re my successor!” 

   Izuku held back happy tears, nodding vigorously. “All right, I’ll call you by your name!” 

  “Good. It’s Yagi Toshinori, but you can just call me Toshi.” 

    “So informal?!” 

   “Why not?” All Might shrugged. “Now, come along! I need to teach you about your lesson plan for the next ten months!” 

   (x)

   “What the fuck is wrong with you, brat?” Bakugou Mitsuki asked her son over their dinner, her crimson eyes narrowing at him. Katsuki looked up at her with a mirrored scowl, only worsening the uncanny resemblance between them. 

   “Mind your own fucking business, you old hag!” 

   “Why, you-” 

  “Now, now, dear,” Bakugou Masaru chortled, reaching over to pat his wife’s hand. To his son, he gave him an admonishing look. “Your mother is only worried about you, Katsuki. You have been acting strangely for the past few days. Is it… because of that villain attack?” 

   “Hah?!” Katsuki yelled, smoke rising from his hands. “You think I’m so fucking weak that I’d be affected by that?” 

    “I didn’t say that,” Masaru said evenly, knowing how to play to his son’s moods. “I was just wondering if maybe you had been thinking about it. Even heroes think about their past battles, you know.” 

     Katsuki huffed, but quieted down. Despite his bluster and attitude, Katsuki truly did respect his parents (his father a little more than his mother, since he had more patience with him). After thinking it over, he decided to at least be a little honest about what he was thinking. “I just… I was thinking about Deku, s’all.” 

   “Izuku-kun?” Mitsuki asked thoughtfully, her own attitude melting off of her at the mention of the son she never had. “I haven’t seen him around here in years, now. Are you two talking again?” 

   “No!” Katsuki spat. Then, a moment later- “Not really. Just- it pisses me off how he tried to fucking save me from that shitty villain when he doesn’t even have a quirk!” 

    “Well,” Masaru said slowly, choosing his words. “Oftentimes, people will put their lives on the line to save those they care about. I know I would do the same thing if I saw you or your mother in that situation, even though my quirk wouldn’t be suited to it.” 

    Katsuki scowled down at his curry, stabbing at the leftover chicken with his chopsticks. “Deku doesn’t care about me.” 

    “Now, I’m sure that’s not true!” Mitsuki cooed. “He always had such a big crush on you growing up! He followed you around everywhere… it was adorable.” 

   “H-he did not!” Katsuki cried out, thrusting his hand across the table to let out a superficial explosion in his mother’s face. “Fucking die, you old hag!” 

   Mitsuki screeched back her chair, enraged, and reached across their dinners to grab ahold of the neck of Katsuki’s shirt. “Why, I oughtta-” 

   “Can we please settle down?” Masaru asked, although his voice was drowned out by the sound of his familys’ yelling. He sighed and continued eating his dinner. He knew when to pick his battles. 

    Later that night, when Katsuki was lying awake in his bed, he thought about what his mother had said earlier that evening. ‘ Is it really possible… did Deku have feelings for me? Was he really… not looking down on me?’  

    ‘ No way,’ a different part of Katsuki’s subconscious argued. ‘ We’re never wrong! There’s no way we could have missed something like that!’  

    ‘ Right?’  

  He didn’t get much sleep that night. 

Chapter Text

    “A new meal plan?” Midoriya Inko frowned, looking down at the sheet of paper her son had handed to her. “Where’s this coming from, Izuku?” 

    Her son looked down at his feet bashfully. “I just… I want to start getting healthier, you know? Neither of us eat very well because we’re so busy…” He looked back up, seeming startled. “O-oh, and I would cook, of course! It’s just, you usually do the grocery shopping, so if you could start buying groceries like these…?” 

    Inko smiled at her son, pushing back the warmth in her eyes. “Of course, baby. Whatever you need.” When she looked back down at the sheet of paper, she held back the grimace she wanted to have. ‘ So many of these things… they’re going to be more expensive than usual. Can we really afford that?’

    “Thank you so much, mom!” Izuku cheered, leaping forward to hug her. Inko’s chest filled with love for her child, and she took the opportunity to squeeze him back, holding him in the hug for longer than he’d probably meant it. Her sweet boy was always open to affection though, so he had no problem snuggling into the embrace for as long as she wanted it. Inko had raised him well. 

    “Anything for you, Izuku,” she whispered into the crown of his head. Even as she said it, she was calculating how many extra shifts she was going to have to pick up to pay for this. She honestly wasn’t sure if her body or mind could take much more stress, but what other choice did she have? She couldn’t very well ask Izuku to get a job when he already had to worry about passing middle school, and studying for his high school entrance exams. She was just going to have to push through the pain, for his sake. 

     (x)

    Izuku was on cloud nine. His life seemed to have perked up in so many ways in so little time, that he was almost afraid to wake up one day, thinking that it could all be a dream. Every morning he took a little longer to open his eyes than he would used to, terrified. Every morning, he would check his cell phone and see his contact information for All Might- labelled “Toshi :)” to avoid suspicion- and his fears would be squashed for another day.

    The only thing that wasn’t perfect was Yamato Yu. 

  Yamato had only just moved to the school a few months before, right after the Slime Incident had occurred. It hadn’t taken him long to learn that Izuku was basically an “untouchable,” and that if he wanted to be cool, he should ignore him. Izuku had no problem with that, but the thing was, Yamato-kun didn’t seem to want to ignore Izuku. Instead, he was shoving him around. 

    “Hey, De~ku ,” Yamato’s voice purred one day during lunch. Izuku always ate lunch in the very corner of the roof, where a lot of the “uncool” kids sat. Of course, he was at the very bottom of the ladder, so he didn’t even have friends up there. Yamato had taken to following him around as of late, tripping him up or stealing his textbooks to rip pages out. It was more an annoyance than anything really worrying; for now . “Fancy seeing you here!” 

   Izuku resisted the urge to sigh, putting down the sandwich he had just lifted to his lips. “What do you want, Yamato-kun?” 

   Yamato’s cruel smile fell into a sneer. Izuku couldn’t help thinking that it wasn’t anywhere near as intimidating as Kacchan’s. “What makes you think you can talk to me like that, Quirkless?” 

   Izuku rolled his eyes. “Original.” Without warning, blinding hot pain filled his nervous system. He found himself doubled over on the ground, holding his stomach and groaning. When he finally opened his eyes again, he saw Yamato standing over him, smirking, with his foot still raised in the air from the second kick to Izuku’s right leg. 

    “Maybe that’ll teach you to mess with someone stronger than you.” The boy turned around, lifting his hand over his shoulder in a slight wave. “See you ‘round, loser.” 

   Izuku didn’t get up for the rest of lunch. 

  When he got to his classroom he was already instinctively limping, trying to put the least amount of weight on injured leg and bruised abdomen as possible. He made it to the classroom door a moment after the late bell rang. 

     “Midoriya,” the teacher scowled, clucking his tongue. “You’re late. I’ll let you off with a warning this time, but next time, I’m going to have to write you up.” 

    Izuku bowed his head, nodding. “Yes, sensei.” He tried to hide his limp when he walked to his seat, but he wasn’t quite skilled enough to hide the grimace on his face. The class was giggling as they watched his walk of shame, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He’d experienced a lot worse public humiliation than being a little bit late to class. 

    Katsuki narrowed his eyes on Deku’s weird posture, keeping an eye on the strange way he walked. They had known each other since before they could even speak in full sentences, so Katsuki knew damn well how Deku walked and how he stood, and everything about his current position screamed “pain.” Bakugou surreptitiously glanced around the classroom, trying to suss out if any of the extras in there were guilty. Since the Slime Incident, he had given the “lay off” order- at least, until he could figure out why he was feeling so weird lately wherever Deku was concerned. Surely none of them would be stupid enough to defy his orders? 

    ‘ Must be an old injury, then,’ Katsuki thought, forcing himself to pay attention when the teacher began that day’s lesson. ‘ I’ll just have to watch him and make sure it doesn’t happen again.’

     (x)

    “I’m home,” Katsuki called throughout his empty house, listening for any signs of life. When he found nothing, and no shoes on the shoe rack by the door, he let out a breath of relief. His parents both seemed to still be at their fashion design company, which was good for him. They’d built the company up from nothing when they were relatively young, with his mother Mitsuki being the main model and face for the designs, while his father Masaru was the mastermind behind all of the latest fads and styles that went in and out of fashion. Everyone in the fashion world knew the name “Bakugou,” and would for years to come. Sometimes Katsuki wished his parents were home more often, but for that day’s purposes, it was best that they weren’t home.

     He kicked off his shoes at the door and headed straight to his bedroom, closing and locking the door behind him. He spotted his laptop sitting on his desk and grabbed it, tossing it onto his bed. Staring at it contemplatively, Katsuki shook his head and began peeling himself out of his school uniform. By the time he was freshly showered and changed into comfortable clothes, he’d decided on his course of action. A simple google search would be best until he figured out what was wrong with him. 

   ‘ Why can’t I stop thinking about my childhood friend? ’ He typed into the search bar, hesitating for a moment before he pressed ‘enter.’ The wifi in his house had always been somewhat temperamental, but the gods really were on his side today. Google loaded a few short seconds later, showing a plethora of results. Unfortunately , none of the results were anything like Katsuki was expecting. He was expecting to find something along the lines of being hit by a quirk, or news articles that had something to do with a villain being on the loose that could shift people’s emotions. He’d even take a brain tumour at this point.

    What did he get instead? 

  ‘ Are you gay? Click here to take the quiz! ’ 

    And, well. He was just following orders, okay? 

Question 1: What do you consider yourself right now? 

• Straight

• Bisexual

• Gay

• I don’t know

• Asexual

     Katsuki furrowed his brow at his options. He honestly didn’t have any idea what “bisexual” or “asexual” meant. He’d never paid much attentions to sex or feelings or any of that crap, because it was all meaningless when it came to becoming a hero. Bakugou had always thought that relationships and love wouldn’t matter to him in the long run, because all he’d ever wanted since he was young was to become the number one hero, with De- with his sidekick by his side. Now, though? Well… it was only natural, right? He was a teenager, after all. 

    He clicked option D. 

Question 2: Have you ever had feelings for someone of the same sex?

• Yes

• No

• Not sure

    At least this was more straightforward. Even so, Katsuki found himself hesitating over option B. What constituted “feelings” anyway? How was he supposed to know if he had feelings for someone or not? He was just supposed to know this shit off of the top of his head? Frustrated, he jabbed his finger down to click on option C. 

 Question 3: Have you ever had feelings for someone of the opposite sex?

• Yes

• No

• Not sure

    This time, Katsuki didn’t hesitate before clicking option B. (Really, that should have been an indicator without the quiz saying anything.)

 Question 4: Have you ever experienced something considered “gay?”

•  Hugging

• Holding hands

• Kissing

• Having sex

• Cuddling

• None of the above

    Katsuki’s hands had turned clammy. It was an odd feeling, to have his hands be cool instead of warm, and he didn’t like it at all. Was he seriously nervous over some fucking online test? He clicked the last answer, refusing to acknowledge the slight blush on his face. The rest of the quiz went very similar, asking questions about how he would feel if he had sex with someone of the same sex, or the opposite sex, and how he would feel hearing about sex with the same or opposite sex. By the end, he wasn’t really surprised with his answer. 

    Congratulations! You’re probably gay!

     The gaudiest rainbow flag exploded into fireworks on the screen, causing Katsuki to flinch. He exited out of the browser window in a flash before he slammed his laptop shut with wide eyes. Was it really possible? Was he actually… gay ? He didn’t have a problem with gay people, of course; being gay or not had nothing to do with one’s fighting abilities, and besides, Katsuki didn’t discriminate. He hated anyone and everyone, unless he found them to be worthy rivals in the race against each other to become number one. Even then, it was thin fucking ice. 

     ‘ Who do I even talk to about this?’ he thought a little hysterically. ‘ I don’t know any gay people! How am I supposed to be sure when I don’t even know what a crush feels like?’ In the end, he decided to open his laptop again, warily typing something new into the search engine. 

     How do I know if I’m gay or just confused?

     The results that popped up this time weren’t quizzes, but rather actual articles. The blond found himself relaxing, scrolling through the internet and scanning the various article blips for something that caught his eye. Towards the bottom of the screen he saw something interesting; it appeared to be a video with a man on screen. Thinking it was some sort of explanation video, Katsuki plugged his headphones into his computer and pressed on the link, which immediately took him to the video. At first, nothing interesting happened. It seemed like it was just the two people in the room- the guy on camera and the guy recording. The man on camera was sitting on a couch, scrolling through his phone. His appearance didn’t showcase what his quirk was, and for some reason, Katsuki thought of Deku. 

    ‘ Heh. Nerd would probably be able to deduce it from the amount of lint on his jacket, or something.’ The door to the room opened, exposing another man. This one had his shirt off, showcasing his impressive musculature. Katsuki’s face immediately flushed at the sight. ‘ That isn’t very professional… what are they doing?’

     “Hey,” the shirtless guy said, approaching the couch the first man was sitting on before he plopped down, just a bit too close to the first man. He was wearing low-hanging grey sweatpants, and when Katsuki looked- yep, his whole entire dick is showing. Jesus Christ. “Do you know where your mom and my dad went?” 

   The first man shrugged, not looking up from his phone. “I don’t know, I’m not their keeper.” 

  Shirtless scowled and looked put-out. “Why do you always have to have an attitude with me, huh? I’m the older brother, not you.” 

   “ Step- brother,” Phone Guy snapped, finally looking at Shirtless. “Don’t pretend like we’re actually family when I don’t even like you.” Even as he said it, his eyes traced over every exposed muscle that Shirtless had. Katsuki was beginning to suspect that this wasn’t the kind of video he’d first thought, and yet, he couldn’t bring himself to turn it off. 

    “You’re such a little punk,” Shirtless said, leaning closer to Phone Guy. “I outta teach you some respect.” The next thing Katsuki knew, they were wrestling on the couch. It was clearly staged, because neither one of them was truly fighting like they wanted to win- Katsuki would know, considering the self-defence classes he’d taken in the past. After a minute or so, Shirtless pinned down Phone Guy, straddling his legs. “There! How does it feel to get taken down by the guy you supposedly hate?” 

    Phone Guy glanced down at his lap, where Shirtless was still sitting. In this position, Shirtless’s dick was nearly poking out of the waistband of his pants. Phone Guy licked his lips at the sight. “It doesn’t feel that bad. It seems like you really like it, don’t you?” 

    Shirtless smirked and ground his ass down onto Phone Guy’s lap. Phone Guy arched his back and hissed, squeezing his eyes shut. Shirtless did it again, moaning brokenly from the friction of the movements. Katsuki couldn’t watch anymore and slammed his laptop shut, cheeks bright red and eyes wide with shock. It wasn’t like he didn’t know what porn was- he’d seen a video or two before, before he realized that he didn’t really like it all that much. Now, he was just wondering if he didn’t like it because it was all straight porn. 

    “Holy fuck,” he whispered to himself, sitting back in his chair. “I’m totally gay.” 

Chapter Text

    Izuku showed up to his training session with All Might with a black eye. Yamato had been getting worse and worse as the months progressed, and although Izuku was six months into his training with All Might and had the body to show for it, it didn’t mean he wanted to fight with his classmate. Knowing his luck (and the school’s prejudice,) if he was caught fighting with Yamato, then it would go on his record. He couldn’t afford a mark like that on his record if he wanted to get into U.A., so he stayed silent and simply took the beatings. 

    The worst part wasn’t even getting beat up every once in a while. Yamato had taken to grabbing Izuku’s school bag, or his textbooks, and just destroying them. His quirk was being able to turn his fingers into small tools, like screwdrivers or pencils, or in this case, small scissors. He would tear pages out of Izuku’s books, ripped holes in his backpack, and stole his homework and study guides whenever he could. This would often leave Izuku with no homework to turn in, which gave him bad grades. Without his study guides to help his test scores, all of his grades were beginning to take a turn for the worse. Even so, he was smart enough that he stayed the second in their grade, right behind Kacchan. He was just getting lower and lower on the ladder, and soon enough, he knew he would be overtaken. 

    “Young Midoriya!” All Might boomed from his place at the top of the stairs that led down to the sand. “I hope you’re ready to train extra hard toda-” the man’s voice trailed off when Izuku got closer, his eyes narrowing on Izuku’s bruised cheekbone. “Young Midoriya, what happened to you?” 

   Izuku averted his eyes from his hero, looking down at the ground. “It was nothing, I just… I fell.” 

    All Might frowned. “You… fell.” 

   “Yes. I’m really clumsy sometimes.” he looked up at All Might with pleading eyes. “It won’t happen again, I promise.” 

    All Might stared at him for a few more moments before he slowly nodded. “Alright, young man. I’ll let it go this time. I just want you to know that you can always talk to me about anything that might be bothering you, alright?” 

   Relief coursed through the smaller boy, and he nodded vigorously. “I understand! Can we start training now?” 

   “Yes, let’s get to it!” All Might said, with more pep this time. “I think it’s high time we get to moving that old pickup truck! What do you say?” 

   Izuku’s muscles were already beginning to scream in pain, but he nodded anyway. “You got it!” 

    By the time he was done training he was soaked in sweat, despite the air still being chilled from winter. All Might handed him a thermos of cold water, patting and rubbing his back lightly when they both sat on the tide wall. Izuku thought it was a bit odd that the man was touching him so tenderly, but his heart lifted a bit in hope. Was it possible… was All Might beginning to see Izuku as more than just a successor? Was it possible he might actually care for him, like a father might care for his son? 

   The green haired boy walked home that night grinning to himself, fantasizing about the shower he was going to take, and the warm food he was going to eat. He was lucky that his mother was going to work extra late tonight, since it meant she wouldn’t see the bruise on his cheek that Yamato had given him. Although Izuku was glad that he wouldn’t be worrying his mother with new bruises, he was also somewhat sad, since he hadn’t been seeing her as much lately. He hoped that she would be free this weekend, because he had a plan. He wanted to spend the whole day spoiling her, making her breakfast, cleaning the house, doing the laundry, and then making her dinner at the end of the day. She did so much for him, it was only fair that he did his share to make sure she knew how loved and appreciated she was. 

     Izuku went to sleep that night with three people thinking about him. 

      (x)

    Really, Izuku should have known better than to be caught in the hallways when no one else was around. 

    His teacher had volunteered him to take a stack of papers all the way across the school to the principal’s office, and Izuku had begrudgingly done it. He decided to take his sweet time walking back across campus towards his classroom, as it had begun feeling a bit stuffy in there. With Izuku’s newfound muscle mass, he wasn’t nearly as cold as he’d always used to be, and now tended to sweat in his uniform rather than bundle up in it like a field mouse burrowing away from snow. He’d had no idea that the amount of meat on his bones could affect how hot or cold he was, but here he was, brushing his curls away from his forehead with his fingers so that they wouldn’t stick to his forehead. The heater in the school was running, due to the chilly air outside, and Izuku couldn’t help but wish he could sneak out and spend the day walking through the forest. 

    He was so lost in thought that he didn’t even realize he wasn’t alone in the stairway until it was too late. He had just gotten to the top of the stairs leading  to his classroom when suddenly, his foot caught on something his mind hadn’t seen. He yelped, pushing his hands out in front of him, stumbling over his feet. The stairs seemed to fly at him as he fell, landing at the bottom of the landing before the next floor with a thud. The breath was knocked out of him, and he wheezed, panic clawing its way up his throat when he couldn’t inhale again. Every inch of him hurt, but especially his right side, as it was the side he’d landed on. 

    Cackling laughter echoed through the stairway, swirling around in Izuku’s head like a witch’s laugh. He wasn’t sure if he’d hit his head or not, but from the way his vision was teetering back and forth like an unstable boat rocking in the waves, he would wager a guess that he was concussed. He finally inhaled, the breath seeming to re-awaken every ache and pain now in his body. He let out a harsh cough, spitting out blood onto the ground below him. He’d bitten his tongue when he fell.

    “Oh no, did you fall?” a familiar, taunting voice asked. A familiar pair of white indoor shoes with red sharpie scribbles placed themselves in his field of vision. Yamato. He should have known. He tried to lift his head to look up at his tormentor, but his limbs seemed to be growing weaker with every passing moment. His eyesight was beginning to go dark around the edges, spotting and sparking as stars flashed. “Well gee, I hope you didn’t get hurt too badly. Don’t worry, I’m sure someone will find you.” 

    The shoes walked away just as Izuku collapsed, consciousness leaving his body. 

    Katsuki lightly wiggled his pencil up and down, transfixed on the “bendy pencil” optical illusion he was creating. The teacher was going over test prep with them, all stuff that Katsuki had already studied and memorized. He almost wished that the old fucker would give them something hard to do, just so that he could keep his mind off of his discovery from the day before. It didn’t help that every five seconds, he caught sight of green moving out of the corner of his eye. Deku had never been the type to sit still, and that wasn’t about to change, no matter what ground-breaking epiphanies Katsuki had. 

    The blond had been relieved when the teacher sent Deku out of the room to bring papers to the office, but it had been nearly twenty-five minutes now and the nerd wasn’t back. He knew Deku was somewhat out of shape, not having a quirk to take care of and all, but twenty-five minutes to walk across campus and back? It should have taken ten minutes, fifteen if he lagged on purpose or got caught talking to a teacher. Twenty-five, though? Why was Katsuki the only one who’d noticed? 

   “Bakugou? Am I boring you?” The teacher droned, catching Katsuki’s attention. The blond snapped his head up, scowling at the authority figure in his usual Bakugou way. 

   “No,” he snapped. “Just wondering where that shitty nerd went. You just gonna let him skip like that?” 

   The teacher seemed surprised as he glanced down at his watch. “You’re right, it has been a while… why don’t you go and find him, since you obviously know the material?” He said it like a punishment, but Katsuki would rather eat glass than sit through another excruciating moment of his own twisted thoughts. He nodded instead of throwing a fit, standing out of his chair to head to the classroom door. The office was downstairs and across the school, and if he power-walked, he could get there quickly. 

    He did just that, reaching the nearest staircase in three minutes. He’d just put his foot on the first stair down when his eyes instinctively found the closest out-of-place object- a crumpled student wearing a black uniform on the landing below. Katsuki recognized the mop of dark green hair immediately. Dread sank to the bottom of his stomach like a stone, and he took the stairs three at a time until he made it to Deku’s fallen body. He fell to his knees beside him, his eyes catching on the drops of blood falling from the boy’s lips, and the patch of it drying in his curls. 

    “Deku!” Katsuki reached out and shook the boy’s shoulder, hoping to jostle him awake. When nothing happened, he leaned in and checked his pulse. It was there, but thready and uneven like he’d been running a marathon. Katsuki’s own hands were shaking when he pulled them back to take inventory of Deku’s wounds. His hands had friction burns from where they’d scraped against the linoleum floor, when he no doubt tried to catch himself, and he was lying on his right side. Nothing seemed to be broken, but Katsuki knew better than to try to move him in case there was an injury he couldn’t see. Only fucking Deku would be clumsy enough to fall down a flight of stairs. 

    He contemplated shouting to try and get someone’s attention, but there was no guarantee that he would be loud enough that the nearby classrooms would hear him. He also didn’t want to leave Deku’s fallen form in case something happened while he was gone, so he did the only other thing he could think of. He raised a hand and let out an ear-piercing explosion directly above his head. It wasn’t anything that would damage the building- at best it would leave scorch marks on the ceiling- but it was loud enough that surely that entire half of the building would hear it. 

    “Hold on Deku,” Katsuki muttered to his childhood friend, giving him all of his attention once more. “People are coming. You’d better not be seriously hurt, you fucking idiot!” 

    Voices echoed down the hallway, both from the bottom floor and the top floor. A small crowd of students appeared at the bottom half of the stairs, while the top half filled up with students as well. Students whispered and gasped to each other, staring down at Katsuki and Izuku like they didn’t have anything fucking better to do. “Hey, asswipes! Someone get a fucking teacher, he fell!” 

    “Bakugou! What on earth happened?” One of the second year teachers who had Katsuki the year previously rushed past the students on the bottom stairs, kneeling down at Katsuki’s side. 

    “I think he fell down the stairs,” Katsuki explained. “He didn’t come back to class. I didn’t want to leave him, so I exploded.” 

    “Someone get the nurse!” The woman called out, gently lifting Deku’s head so that she could check the wound where it had collided with the ground. Katsuki didn’t hesitate to shrug his school jacket off, balling it up so he could shove it beneath the greenet’s head as a makeshift pillow. The teacher nodded her thanks, lowering the boy’s head back down again. She began patting Deku’s cheek, talking to him in a slightly raised voice. “Midoriya? Can you wake up for me? I really need you to answer.” 

    Deku’s lashes began fluttering, sending Katsuki’s pulse skyrocketing all over again. The blond’s palms were beginning to reach dangerous levels of nitroglycerin sweat, but he didn’t dare burn off the excess when Deku was so close to waking up. He wiped his palms on his pants instead, making a note to wash them with his special detergent as soon as he got home. He wouldn’t forget. 

    “W-who…” Deku croaked, squinting one eye open. He immediately shut it again with a groan of pain, obviously still sensitive to light. It was another sign of the concussion he clearly had. “Where am I…?” 

    “You fucking fell down the stairs, shithead,” Katsuki couldn’t keep himself from snapping. “Geez, you’re as clumsy as ever, huh?”

   “Ka...cchan…” Deku mumbled, forcing himself to open his eyes again. A lazy smile broke over his lips, and this time Katsuki’s pulse jolted for an entirely different reason. “You were… worried?” 

    “Fucking die!” Bakugou blustered. The school nurse shoved his way through the ever-growing crowd, the student who must have fetched him right behind him. He pushed both Katsuki and the female teacher out of the way, and while Katsuki usually would have made a scene about being shoved away, this time he kept quiet and watched. The nurse helped Deku sit up, prodding at his wound and asking him to open his mouth so he could look at the damage the boy apparently did to his tongue. The teachers began ushering the students back into their classrooms, but when Katsuki and Deku’s teacher tried to lead the blond back, he gnashed his teeth at him and snarled like an animal. He was fucking staying by that nerd’s side until he was given the all-clear. 

      Who else was going to give Auntie Inko constant updates? 

    (x)

    “Oh, Izuku!” Inko wailed the moment Izuku stepped through the door into his apartment. He had his arms full of worried mother within seconds, and he nearly stumbled against all of the sudden weight. He gently put his arms around his mother, listening to her blubbering and crying for a few moments before he tried to extract her death grip. 

   “I’m alright mom,” he said with a tired smile. “It wasn’t a bad fall, I just hit my head and bit my tongue.” 

    “You could have been killed!” Inko sniffled, wringing her hands in concern. “I’m a nurse, I’ve seen all kinds of things before! You haven’t been that clumsy in years!” 

   Izuku’s thoughts darkened at the thought of the cause for his fall. Yamato had gone too far this time. He’d been alright experiencing the boy’s bullying, since it was all technically harmless, but this? His mother was right, he could have died. If he’d fell the right way, he could have snapped his neck and been killed instantly. Who would take over All Might’s quirk, then? He would have wasted seven and a half months of the man’s time for nothing, and that was simply unacceptable. 

    “Yeah, I need to talk to you about that, mom,” Izuku said, already grimacing from the reaction he knew his mother would have. “Why don’t we go sit down in the living room, okay?” 

    Fifteen minutes later, Inko was flying into a rage, yelling and cussing the house down. Izuku sat on the couch with his hands folded in his lap, not even bothering to try and keep his mother from calling his school. He hadn’t told anyone the cause for his fall earlier that day, because they’d all just assumed that he’d tripped and fallen. The truth was, Midoriya didn’t have high hopes that anything would be done about Yamato, because he was just the worthless, quirkless kid.

    The government liked to spread facts by saying that twenty percent of the world’s population was quirkless, but Izuku knew that just wasn’t true. In reality, the majority of quirkless individuals these days were in the later generations, between the ages of sixty and ninety. In Izuku’s generation, only around eleven percent of the population was quirkless. Izuku had never met another quirkless person in his lifetime, nor did he really expect to. Now, eleven percent probably seemed pretty large, didn’t it? The thing was, of those eleven percent, only two percent survived to adulthood. 

    Two percent . The rest of the quirkless were either murdered, sold into trafficking, or committed suicide before the age of twenty. It was an unbelievably sad fact, but that didn’t make it any less true. Honestly, with the way Izuku lived his life? He could completely understand why they had all done it. He was told he was worthless every day, even by people who didn’t even know him. He had a reputation in his neighborhood because he’d lived there all of his life, to the point where people would sneer at him in the grocery store because they knew who he was. He was bullied at school and bullied in public, and more often than not his property was either getting destroyed or defaced with slurs. 

    Midoriya was the only quirkless person in his entire school, and it was clear how the place felt about it. He was always blamed for fights that involved him, he was picked on for not paying attention in class when in reality, he already knew everything that was being taught. He got detentions for things that weren’t his fault, and other kids tended to blame their mistakes and problems on him. He was the scapegoat. 

    He would really be surprised if he went to school on Monday and found out that Yamato had gotten a slap on the wrist, much less expelled. 

    ‘ That reminds me,’ he thought, tuning out the sound of his angry mother as he sunk back into the couch, closing his eyes against the irritating light. ‘ Kacchan was there. Kacchan stayed with me, he texted my mother, he told everyone I was hurt… why did he do that, I wonder?’  

    ‘ Why, indeed,’ another part of Izuku whispered back. 

     (x)

    All Might’s sunken face looked sad when Izuku approached him a week after his concussion, freshly healed from a visit to the local doctor’s office. Izuku had been training in little ways by himself for the past week, and he’d been texting All Might constant updates, which was why he was surprised to see the expression on his mentor’s face as he approached their usual meeting spot by the tide wall. 

    “Young Midoriya,” the thin man said, reaching to pull the teenager into a full-on bear hug. Izuku couldn’t help but stiffen up in surprise. The only person who had hugged him in the past eleven years was his mother, and feeling the embrace of another person was jarring, to say the least. All Might didn’t seem to care, if the prolonged contact said anything. 

   “A-A-All Might!” Izuku sputtered, unsure if it was alright for him to hug the man back. “Wh-what’s wrong?” 

   All Might pulled back but hung onto Izuku’s shoulders, squeezing them a bit. “I wish you had told me about your situation, young man.” 

    Izuku’s jaw dropped. “How… did you…?”

   “I have a friend who works in the police department, and he brought your police report to my attention,” All Might answered. “It was bad enough to get a restraining order, and you didn’t tell me?” 

    Izuku looked down at the ground, ashamed. “I just… I didn’t want to worry you, Al- Toshi. I figured it was something I could figure out on my own.” 

    “I never want you to feel like you can’t tell me something, Izuku,” All Might said, squeezing his shoulders again. “I entrusted you with my biggest secret- nay, perhaps the biggest secret in the world. I only wish you would trust me the same way.” 

    Izuku nodded, ignoring the tears blurring his vision. “I promise, I’ll tell you if anything is wrong again! I never meant to make you upset.” 

    “I’m not upset, my boy,” All Might said. “I only wish that you keep your word, if something like this should happen again.” He rubbed his thumbs over Izuku’s shoulders, brushing over his bare collarbone for a moment before he pulled back. “You only have a few more months before the U.A. entrance exam however, so let’s pray that nothing like this will happen again, shall we?” 

    “Yes, sir,” Izuku said. All Might grinned.
  “Good! Now that that’s over with, I have something for you.” He seemed to pull a wrapped box out of nowhere, handing it to Izuku. “Think of it as a late christmas present.” 

    “T-Toshi, you didn’t have to get me anything!” Izuku stuttered, holding the box as gently as he would a newborn kitten. “I don’t have anything for you!” 

    “Your company is more than enough for me. Why don’t you open it?” 

   Izuku tore open the wrapping paper, gasping when he recognized the packaging underneath. His fingers trembled as they reached up to gently caress the box, his eyes comically wide when he looked up at All Might. “Is this a limited edition Golden Age All Might figurine?!” 

    “I remember you talking about it the other day, so I thought I would get you one,” All Might shrugged. “Do you like it?” 

    “Like it?” Izuku squeaked. “They only made ten of these when they came out! They go for thousands of dollars, how did you even-” He paused, shaking his head. “No, you’re All Might , of course you can get one.” This time he didn’t bother to hold back his tears. “Thank you! Thank you so much!” 

    All Might’s smile softened into something softer. “You’re very welcome. Why don’t you put it in your bag so we can get started on training?” 

    “Yes, sir!” 

      (x)

     Katsuki stared down at his homework with blank eyes, allowing his thoughts to run rampant. He had told himself he was going to buckle down and do his shitty homework nearly a half-hour ago, and yet here he was, not a single question done. He was too busy thinking about stupid fucking Deku, and they way he’d reacted when the shitty nerd had fallen down the stairs. 

    No, not fallen. Had been pushed down the stairs.

   Apparently some extra from a different class had been picking on Deku for months, but had finally crossed a line when he pushed him down the stairs. How Katsuki hadn’t noticed what was going on was beyond him. After all, he was supposed to be the best! With all of the attention he’d been accidentally giving Deku, he hadn’t even been able to recognize the signs of the bullying he’d been going through? What kind of hero didn’t notice a citizen in pain? 

    And, well. That wasn’t the only thing he was thinking about. As of late, his mind had been replaying one single moment on a loop, over and over and over again. That lazy smile Deku had given him when he’d realized Katsuki was there, that Katsuki had watched over him when he’d been hurt. The warm, hazy look in Deku’s eyes, the overexerted flush on his cheeks, that damned smile… 

    Yeah, Katsuki was rock-fucking-hard in his sweatpants. He hardly ever jerked off, thinking of it as more of a chore than something to do with pleasure. He never watched porn, and didn’t think about anything in particular when he got himself off. It was usually just to relieve a little bit of stress, and even so, the orgasms were usually unfulfilling and disappointing. Lately, though? Katsuki had been avoiding his dick as much as he could. Now that the possibility that he was attracted to men was out there, he was… a little gun shy. He’d never been the kind of person to back down from a challenge, but actively getting off to the thought of a man ? That would be confirming something about himself that he wasn’t entirely sure he wanted confirmed just yet. 

    And yet there he was, unable to focus on his homework because his fucking dick wanted to sit around and think about Deku. He had some serious issues. 

     (x)

    Izuku hummed to himself as he unlocked the front door of his apartment, his muscles pleasantly aching from his intense session with All Might. Today, the man had put on his muscle form, sat on top of a refrigerator, and then forced Izuku to drag it across the sand to the stairs  that led up to concrete level. It was nearly eight-hundred pounds that he’d had to move across a somewhat long distance, and it was undoubtedly the hardest workout All Might had made him do thus far. He knew he would be complaining tomorrow, but for now, he felt proud of himself. 

    “I’m home!” He called to the empty apartment, checking the shoe racks. His mother’s work shoes were still gone, and although he’d been expecting this, he still deflated a bit at the sight. He’d been thinking lately, and when he looked back on his life, he realized that his mother had never worked this much before. He couldn’t exactly pinpoint when she had begun taking more shifts at the hospital, but it had gotten to the point where Izuku hadn’t seen his own mother in nearly a week. She was either sleeping while he was at school and working while he was asleep, or she was working while he was at school and already asleep by the time he got home to make dinner. Sometimes she even took double shifts and simply slept at the hospital. 

    Izuku would never say this to her, but he was worried for her health. It couldn’t be healthy to work so much. Not to mention he was frustrated. His mother always refused to tell him about any of her problems, because it “wasn’t his job” to deal with her issues, but the problem with her logic was that Izuku tended to worry even more with this excuse. Now that he had made up his mind to figure out what was going on with his mother, he was somewhat glad that the woman wasn’t home. It meant he could check all of her usual hiding places for anything she might be trying to shield from his eyes. 

    He undid his shoes and left them at the genkan, dropping his bag off at the couch before he began his snooping. He didn’t even bother to take his school uniform off, since he had no idea when he should be expecting his mother to get home. Her schedule was so crazy lately that he could no longer predict her hours. 

    He checked the usual places, like underneath her bed, in her nightstand drawers, and behind clothes in her closet, but he didn’t find anything unusual. When he looked around his small apartment though, he knew there weren’t many places she would be able to hide things. With this in mind, he began looking in increasingly weirder and weirder places. There was nothing but half-empty liquor bottles in the cabinet above the fridge, and he didn’t find anything in the various storage boxes kept in the coat closet by the front door, either. He checked random nooks and crannies, and even behind their small television, with no luck. He was just about to give up and decide that Inko truly wasn’t hiding anything physical from him, when he saw it. Something small and white was peeking out from underneath one of the couch cushions. 

     He lifted up the cushion, and was shocked to find a small pile of letters there. Izuku had never bothered to lift up the couch cushions for anything before, so really it was an ingenious hiding place. He scooped out all of the letters and spread them out over the coffee table, taking note of which ones were opened and which ones weren’t. In total, seven envelopes were opened, and two were still sealed, the stamps dating the two new ones as ones delivered that morning. He set those aside, knowing he couldn’t open them without his mother knowing, and instead focused on the seven envelopes that he could re-open. 

    As it turned out, they were all bills. Really, he should have known, and yet he was still surprised when he found out just how much money Inko owed various companies for things as simple as electricity or water. Three of the seven bills were dated to the month before, and when he did the math, he realized that if his mother didn’t pay those three soon, then they would be without electricity, heat, and their cell phones. Those bills alone added up to around two-hundred and thirty dollars, but considering the other four bills for that month, his mother needed to pay about six hundred dollars. 

    He sat back on his heels and stared at the letters, swallowing hard. Trembling, he looked at the last two letters and decided he needed to know. Lucky for him, he was quite skilled at opening letters without tearing any part of the seal. If he could slide his finger under the fold just right, then he should be able to seal it shut again without his mother knowing… 

     The bill was their monthly rent. Inko had been late paying the rent from the month before, so along with this month’s rent and an extra charge for the late fee, that particular bill was a little over three-thousand dollars. 

     Now Izuku knew why his mother never wanted him to know about their money problems. The overwhelming anxiety that overtook him in that moment was truly incapacitating. He wasn’t sure how long he sat on his heels, staring at the coffee table and hyperventilating, but by the time he became aware of himself again, both of his legs were asleep and it was dark outside of his windows. He stood up on numb legs and stumbled to the nearby light switch, gathering up all of the letters together before he sealed the one he had opened up once more. He didn’t want to know what was in the last letter. 

     By the time Inko got home early the next morning, everything in the house was exactly as she’d left it, and there was a bento box sitting on the kitchen table with her name written on it. 

Chapter Text

   Izuku knew he wasn’t acting like his usual self, but he couldn’t help it. The stress over the situation with his mother and their bills was weighing heavy on him. It didn’t help that he felt like more of a burden on her than he ever had before. He knew it couldn’t be easy, raising a quirkless son who would probably never amount to anything, and yet he’d had no idea they were so far in the red already. He’d been hoping he could at least graduate high school before he would have to worry about getting a job and earning money, but the more Izuku spaced out of class and thought about his options, the clearer the image in his mind became. 

     The truth was, the only time he had where he could get a job was in the time that he trained with All Might. He always went to Dagobah beach right after school, and tended to not get home until sunset, if not later than that. If given the choice between staying on the track he was on now, and spending the next three years spending all of his time training to be a hero, or between getting a job to ease some of the stress from his mother and finally pulling his own weight, Izuku knew which he would choose. 

    Unfortunately for him, All Might would not be happy. 

    When he arrived at the beach later that day, he was running late. He’d been dragging behind on purpose, hoping to put off the talk he would need to have with All Might as long as possible. They were only two months out from the U.A. entrance exams, and in that time, Izuku and All Might had gotten close. All Might had begun hugging him more and more, or slinging his arm around his shoulder when they sat next to each other. He gave Izuku little gifts sometimes, and was constantly praising him for his good work during their training sessions. He even complimented Izuku’s newfound musculature, saying that it was exactly the result he’d been looking for. He was progressing nicely, according to the hero, and the last thing he wanted to do was disappoint the man he’d come to care so much about. 

     But he had to do it. Nothing was more important to him than his mother, and her happiness. Not even his own. 

    “Young Midoriya, you’re late!” All Might called when Izuku was a few feet away. He was frowning, and it only deepened when he noticed the dark bags underneath Izuku’s eyes, as well as the sullen expression on his face. “What’s wrong? Has something happened?” 

    “I need to talk to you,” Izuku said quietly. He couldn’t bring himself to look the man in the eyes. “We should probably sit down.” 

   All Might nodded and led them to sit on the edge of the tide wall, shoulder to shoulder, like they did every day. “You can tell me anything, Young Midoriya. Has someone been bothering you again? Is it the same boy who pushed you down the stairs?” 

    Izuku hunched his shoulders a bit as he shook his head. “No, it’s nothing like that.” He inhaled slowly, holding his breath when he finally made eye contact with All Might. “... I have to stop training with you. I’m sorry.” 

    The blond man didn’t seem to comprehend what Izuku had said for a few long moments, only blinking those sunken blue eyes at him. Finally, his eyebrows steadily rose until they were practically climbing off of his forehead. “Whatever for? We’ve been working so hard! I know you might be getting cold feet now, but I can assure you-” 

   “It’s not that,” Izuku said, cutting off his mentor. “I want to be a hero more than I want anything else, but I just… I can’t be spending all of this time away from home. My mother has been working her ass off to support us, and I can’t leave her to do it alone anymore. I need to get a job, and the only free time I have is when we’re training. I can’t support her if I spend all of my time training, whether that be with you or at U.A.. I’m sorry I wasted so much of your time.” 

    He stood up, fighting back tears for the umpteenth time that day. He was prepared to rush off and never see the man who had steadily become a father-figure to him ever again, but before he could so much as take a step, All Might’s hand shot out to grasp Izuku’s wrist. The hold was tight, but it didn’t hurt. Izuku turned around, his mouth already open to apologize again, but All Might was already talking. 

    “There’s no need to be so hasty, young man,” All Might scolded him. “Sit back down, I’m sure we can think of a solution.” 

    “B-But All Might-” 

   “Sit down, Izuku.” 

   Izuku snapped his jaw closed and sat down. All Might looked down at the sandy concrete at their feet for a few moments, seemingly thinking something over. Izuku had been thinking about their situation all of the night before and all of that day, so he knew there was no other option here. Not unless he dropped out of school, which he couldn’t do if he wanted to get into U.A.. It would defeat the purpose of keeping his training time with All Might. 

    After a few minutes of tense silence, All Might let out a breath. “I have a solution, but I don’t think you’re going to like it.” 

    Izuku perked up despite the warning. “You do? Really?” 

   “Yes, I do. The reason you can’t get a job is because training with me takes up all of your free time, correct?” Izuku nodded, encouraging All Might to continue. “How about if I payed you the same wage that a job would?” 

     The hope in Izuku’s chest fizzled out into determination. “No. I can’t let you do that.” 

   “Please hear me out,” Yagi pleaded. Izuku pouted, but fell quiet again, crossing his arms over his chest. “You’ve been working so hard, and you’re doing it to become my successor. You’re working like a dog, and whether that’s for your own gain or not, it’s still something that I asked you to do. Being the Number One Hero pays a lot of money, and doing it for forty years pays even more than you could ever imagine. I have a lot of money, Izuku, and I would feel much better if you would let me pay you for your time.” 

    Izuku swallowed hard. When he put it that way, it sounded reasonable, and yet… “I can’t just take your money, Toshi.” 

    “ Please ,” All Might said. “Think of it as a job and just let me do this. If not for you, then for your poor mother’s sake.” 

    “Wow,” Izuku said, unable to stop tears from falling. “Using my mother is a dirty move, All Might.” 

    Yagi smiled wide at him, putting an arm around his shoulder to squeeze the teenager into his chest. He knew that he had won the argument. “Thank you for letting me do this, young man. I would really hate to search for another successor when I already have the perfect boy right here in front of me.” 

    They didn’t get much training done that day, because Izuku couldn’t stop crying. 

     (x)

    Midoriya Inko slipped her shoes off of her aching feet, trudging through her dark house. It was four o’clock in the morning, a few hours before her sweet baby would usually get home from school, and she was exhausted . She missed him more than words could express, but she couldn’t stop what she was doing now. She had so many bills left to pay and so little time to pay them- she needed every penny she could get. 

    She walked into the living room/dining room and noticed two things at once. First off, Izuku had yet again made her dinner, as it was wrapped in saran wrap and placed on the kitchen table with a note. Secondly, there was an envelope sitting next to the food. She ignored the driving need to head straight to bed and instead approached the table, sinking down into her usual seat with a soft smile. Her son was so sweet and thoughtful, making dinner for her even though he didn’t know when she would be home. Inko plucked the note off of the top of the dinner and scanned the words. 

    ‘Mom, 

                You do so much to take care of me, and I couldn’t thank you enough. 

    Instead, I made you some dinner! ( ๑>ᴗ<๑ ) I hope you like it!! 

                                                        P.S. check the envelope, it’s for you! Please don’t argue!

     Inko frowned, putting the note down to look at the thick envelope next to the plate. If her son was telling her not to argue, then clearly there was something inside that she wouldn’t like. She picked it up and opened it with trepidation, gasping when she saw what was inside. There had to be at least six hundred dollars inside, enough to pay a few of the late bills she was trying to catch up on. She immediately looked up, like she would see Izuku standing in front of her with that determined expression of his, but of course he was still fast asleep in his room. 

    ‘ I can’t possibly accept this,’ she thought to herself, touching the tips of her trembling fingers to her lips. ‘ He probably worked so hard for this money… he’s a child, he shouldn’t have to worry about his mother!’

    ‘ He clearly earned it for you,’ Inko’s other side whispered to her. ‘ If you don’t take the money, what do you think he’ll do? He’d probably find some way to pay the bills himself. Don’t lie to yourself, you need this money. Just be grateful that your son loves you so much.’

    “Oh, Izuku…” Inko whispered, a relieved tear rolling down her cheek. “Thank you baby. Thank you so much.” 

     Inko fell asleep that night with a fond smile and a full belly, feeling more peaceful than she had in what felt like years. When Izuku woke up to get ready for school, he found cleaned dishes and a note in the same place that his own had been. He braced himself for an argument on his mother’s side, but instead, he found this: 

      ‘Thank you, Izuku. This means more than you know. Have a good day at school! 

                                                                                                  Xoxo, Mom.’

       (x)

       With the U.A. entrance exam only a few weeks away, Izuku was studying harder than he ever had before. He knew he was smart, but he still couldn’t help panicking. What if he passed the practical exam but failed the written exam because he was focusing on his training too hard? He would never be able to forgive himself if he finally got a quirk, only to ruin his chances because of his laziness. He ended up only getting a few hours of sleep a night in order to study, and while it wasn’t necessarily the best solution to his worries, he was getting through his end of the year tests with flying colours. 

    Finally, there was only one class left with a final exam, and Izuku was ready for it. Unfortunately, their “Home Ec” teacher didn’t have a traditional kind of test for them. 

    “I’m sure you all have been taking written exams for the past week, so I thought I might switch it up a bit.” The man smiled deviously at the classroom of worried teenagers. “I’m going to split you up into pairs, and I expect you all to go home today and create the best tasting and looking dessert that you can. Bring it in tomorrow, and the rest of the class will taste it and judge it based on that, and on its presentation. I expect both partners to do equal amounts of work on this, but you may split up the work however you both please.” The man clapped his hands cheerily. “I’ve randomly sorted you all into pairs, so I’ll read them out to you now! Pay attention, please!” 

    Izuku’s heart was already in his throat. He had no doubt that whoever his partner was, they would not be happy that they got stuck with him. Chances were, they would make him do all of the work and wouldn’t meet up with him at all. He could honestly say that he would be fine with that; he hated group projects because he couldn’t trust other people to actually do good work. He was so lost in thought that he almost didn’t hear his name being called- key word being almost . 

    “Midoriya Izuku, you’re going to be partnered with Bakugou Katsuki.” 

  The shorter male’s spine went ramrod straight as he gaped at his teacher. Towards the front of the room, he watched Kacchan’s back straighten up as well. Slowly, the blond turned his head to look at Izuku, his brows furrowed and eyes narrowed in an angry look. Izuku wilted and turned his face down, biting his lower lip. Just because Katsuki hadn’t been picking on him lately, and just because he’d stayed by Izuku’s side when he’d been hurt, didn’t mean that he actually cared for Izuku at all. It was far more likely that Katsuki didn’t think he was worth the effort anymore. 

    (For some reason, that hurt Izuku’s feelings.) 

   “Alright everyone, gather with your partner and begin planning what you want to do! Wait until you’re home to use any electronics for research, however,” the teacher told them. “Once the bell rings, you’re free to go.” 

    Katsuki screeched his chair back and stomped to Deku’s table at the back of the room, his fists clenched at his side. Izuku didn’t have a table mate in the first place, so Katsuki just sat at the empty seat next to the boy, dropping his bag on the ground with little regard for what was inside of it. Izuku peeked at his childhood friend from behind his bangs, sizing up the boy’s expression. He didn’t appear truly angry at the pairing like Izuku had first thought, but rather… wary, almost. Like he didn’t know what to make of it. Like he didn’t know what to make of Izuku . 

    “S-so,” Izuku stuttered, deciding to start the conversation. “What do you think we should make?” 

    Katsuki turned his narrowed eyes to Izuku, his frown deepening. “I don’t fucking know Deku, can you even bake in the first place?” 

     Izuku looked affronted. “I’ll have you know I’m getting an A in this class!” 

   “That’s not what I fucking asked, you damn nerd.” 

    Midoriya sighed and nodded. “I can bake, Kacchan. I just thought I’d ask, in case you have any preferences.” 

    “My preference is that we don’t do something shitty, or basic,” Kacchan snapped. “We can’t do something like fuckin’ brownies, or cookies. That’s the pussy way out.” 

   “Well…” Izuku trailed off, thinking. “We could make a cake. We can make it a flavour that’s not plain, and maybe decorate it in a cool way.” He shrugged when Katsuki side-eyed him. “It’s just an option.” 

     “Fine, we can do a cake,” Kacchan grumbled. “But it’s gotta be the best fucking cake that these extras have ever tasted, got it?” 

    “Got it,” Izuku muttered, already thinking of flavours and designs in his head. “But what would be a flavour that they wouldn’t expect? And just how complicated of a design should we attempt? We’ll probably only have time tonight to do one or two test cakes before we do the real thing, not to mention we might run out of supplies if we try too many times…” 

    “What are you talking about nerd? We’ll have hours after school,” Katsuki cut in.

   Izuku blushed a bit when he realized he hadn’t explained anything to Katsuki. “Oh… actually, I have plans for a few hours right after school, until around seven or so. Maybe you could come to my apartment around seven thirty?” 

    “Plans,” Katsuki deadpanned, sounding suspicious. “What kind of plans?”

   Izuku swallowed against the nervous lump in his throat. “I… have a job.” It wasn’t technically a lie, since All Might had told him to think of his training as a job, and he was getting paid for it. Katsuki seemed genuinely surprised at his answer, but after a moment of thinking, he nodded his assent. 

     “Alright, whatever. I’ll be at your apartment at seven thirty. I’ll bring the ingredients too.”

   “Awesome!” Izuku smiled. The bell rang then, cutting off their conversation. Izuku checked the watch he’d begun wearing on his wrist as of late, nodding when he calculated how much time he would have to train with All Might before he would have to leave to get ready for Katsuki. “I’ll see you then, Kacchan!” 

    He gathered up his things in record time and jetted out of the classroom without a second look at the blond. Katsuki hadn’t moved from his seat, simply watching Izuku leave the room like a bat out of hell. 

   ‘ Just my luck,’ the blond thought to himself. ‘ Of course I get paired with the nerd when I can barely handle being around him.’  

    ‘ That’s what you get for being a pussy about fucking feelings ,’ Katsuki’s other half snapped back. ‘ Now, what are we gonna need from the store for this dumb project?’  

    (x)

  Katsuki walked up the last flight of stairs to Deku’s apartment, having worked up a light sweat already. The elevators were out, which meant Katsuki had to walk up seven flights of stairs carrying somewhat heavy grocery bags. He wondered how long the elevator had been like that, and if Deku and Auntie had been doing this for a while. The building was kind of shitty, so the odds were great that it had been a while. 

    ‘ Stupid shitty apartment,’ Katsuki hissed to himself. ‘ Ugh, which one is theirs again ?’ 

  He found the apartment with little trouble, shifting the bags to one hand so he could raise his fist to knock on the door. At first there was no answer from inside, and Katsuki frowned. He wondered if Deku had gotten held up at work, and if he would have to wait out here until the nerd got home. He was just contemplating if he should find their spare key and let himself in like he’d used to when he heard footsteps from inside. A moment later the door opened, showing an out-of-breath Deku. 

    “What took you so lo-” Katsuki began to snap, but froze when his mind registered exactly what he was looking at. Izuku was standing in front of him wearing nothing but a pair of basketball shorts, his curly hair dripping wet as he rubbed a towel into it. Katsuki didn’t know how he’d missed it, but sometime when he wasn’t looking, Deku had gotten ripped . His torso was all sculpted muscle, from his toned pecs to his bulging biceps, all the way down his chiseled abs to his adonis belt. The older boy’s mouth went dry in half a second as he stared at his childhood friend. When the fuck had Deku gotten hot?! 

    “Kacchan, I’m sorry, I was in the shower,” Deku apologized, scrubbing harder at his hair. Once it wasn’t dripping anymore, he slung the towel around his neck. “Um… What’s wrong?” 

    Katsuki couldn’t help it. He reached for Deku and pressed a hand to his abs, having to check for himself that they were real. Deku’s abdomen tensed in surprise from the touch, only chiseling out his six pack more. Katsuki could feel his entire body flushing with heat, and he quickly snatched his hand away. He gripped tighter to his grocery bags with his other hand, clearing his throat and glaring at Deku. “When the fuck did you get ripped, shitty nerd?” 

    Izuku had the nerve to look confused, and he looked down at himself. “Oh, um… I’ve been working out lately, I guess. I wasn’t exactly hiding it.” 

    Katsuki opened and closed his mouth like a fish, before his sense got the better of him. “Whatever! Are you going to let me in or not?” 

   “Oh, right! Come in!” Deku stepped aside and allowed Katsuki to enter. The blond grumbled to himself as he took off his shoes, but he still called out the customary “sorry for the intrusion.” 

   “Where Auntie?” he asked when he realized the only shoes at the genkan were his and Deku’s. The fluffy-haired idiot smiled, although it was with a tinge of sadness. He turned his back to Katsuki and began walking to the kitchen as he answered. 

    “She’s working. I think it’s a double shift, so she won’t be back until tomorrow afternoon.” 

   This was news to Katsuki. “And she’s okay with you just… being here alone?” 

  Izuku looked confused again, gesturing for Katsuki to put the bags on his kitchen counter. “She’s usually gone when I’m home, and vice-versa. She… works a lot.” He looked at the ground, rapidly blinking for a few moments before he looked up again and gave Katsuki a megawatt smile. “It’s fine, I’m gone a lot too! You don’t want to hear about this anyway, why don’t we get started?” 

    Some part of Katsuki wanted to argue, to hear more about Izuku’s living situation, but the smarter half of him knew it was best not to pry. “Sure, whatever. While you were working I did some research, and I figured it would be cool to make a pistachio and rose flavoured cake. Apparently it’s a good combination.” 

    “Sounds good!” Deku chirped, clasping his hands together. “I got out all of our mixing bowls and measuring cups earlier, so just tell me what we should preheat the oven to.” 

    “I found a recipe online that said four-hundred degrees,” Bakugou said, turning to begin unpacking the grocery bags. “Put a fucking shirt on while you’re at it.”  

    “O-oh! Right!” 

     Once Deku was properly clothed, the two teenagers began working in companionable silence, each of them taking a task to themselves and doing it without having to communicate. Katsuki didn’t even realize how weird it was that they were able to do it until he was halfway through adding Deku’s wet ingredient mix to his dry ingredient mix, with both of them standing shoulder-to-shoulder so they could see Katsuki’s laptop screen. He’d shoved it in one of the grocery bags before he left his house for this exact purpose, because he honestly didn’t know if either Deku or Inko had a computer. 

    “You added the pistachio extract and the rose extract, right?” 

   “Yes, of course Kacchan,” Deku nodded. “You remembered to add an extra half-cup of brown sugar to get a better consistency, right?” 

     “Don’t fucking doubt my skills.” 

   “But Kacchan just asked me-” 

     “That’s because you’re a useless nerd!” 

    “You get better grades than I do!” 

    “Stop arguing and go grease the cake pan!” 

   As it turned out, they had enough batter to make one small cupcake to put in with the cake itself, which Deku claimed they could use to taste-test their cake. Twenty minutes later, both the cupcake and the cake came out of the oven, and Katsuki put the cake in the fridge to cool off. Deku was wriggling in excitement like a weirdo until Katsuki came back to his side, gesturing for Deku to take a piece of the unfrosted cupcake. When they both had a piece, they simultaneously tasted it. 

    “This is so good!” Deku chirped after he’d swallowed his mouthful. “Of course Kacchan’s ideas are perfect!”

    Once upon a time (like, ten months ago) Katsuki would have thought that Deku was making fun of him by saying something like that. Now, after the last nine months of reflection he’d had, he could recognize Izuku’s words for what they really were- praise and admiration. The thought of Deku thinking either of those things about him made Katsuki blush, although he blustered through it to pretend that he wasn’t. “Yeah, well, I couldn’t leave it all up to you! We’re supposed to do equal parts of work!” 

    “Right, right!” Deku smiled. “Since you did all the research, I’ll make the frosting. Then we can decide how we want to decorate it.” 

    “Fine, whatever.” Katsuki went and sat at the kitchen table, watching as Deku prepared a clean bowl and leaned over Katsuki’s laptop to look for frosting recipes. Once he’d apparently found a suitable one he got to work, whipping up the frosting in record time. For some reason, Bakugou really liked watching him work. He got to study the way the tip of Deku’s tongue peeked out of his lips without interruption, as well as the way Deku gently swayed side to side while he worked. The nerd had somewhat mild ADHD since childhood, and although it had gotten a bit better as they grew up, it was still nearly impossible to get him to sit still, or focus on anything besides whatever he was hyper-fixating on. At the moment, that fixation was the frosting. 

    “Finished!” Deku cried out a few minutes later, pumping his fist in the air. “I left the icing plain vanilla, since the pistachio and rose is flavourful enough.” 

     “Cool,” Katsuki shrugged, getting out of his chair. “The cake should be cool enough to frost now. Go look at the decorating stuff I bought and think up some ideas.” Izuku opened his mouth, but Katsuki cut him off. “No, we’re not doing an All MIght cake.” ‘ No matter how cool it may be.’

     Deku pouted, but did as he was told and scampered off to the farthest counter, surveying the goodies Katsuki bought. Bakugou went to the fridge and checked on the cake, touching the dome with his finger. It was definitely cooled down by now, which was good. He brought it out of the fridge and set it carefully on the stove. “Alright, think of anything?”

     Izuku carried an armful of supplies over to the stove, dropping them next to their cake. “Well, I thought it might be kind of fun to do a graduation cake. Y’know, since we’re all going to go to different high schools after this term is over.” He held up some blue food colouring, as well as a bit of gold. “Blue and gold are graduation colours, right?” 

     Katsuki nodded. “I think so, although I have no idea why. Whatever, I came up with the recipe, so I guess we’re doing that. You add the food colouring to the frosting, and I’ll start rolling the fondant.” 

     It took another hour for them to decorate the cake to their standards, but by the time they were done, Katsuki could honestly say he was proud of their work. As it turned out, Deku was astonishingly good at molding fondant and modeling chocolate into elaborate shapes. Katsuki’s handwriting was the best of theirs, so he was the one who frosted the words “graduating class of 2249,” in bold black letters. Deku had created a graduation cap, complete with a gold tassel, out of the excess fondant and modeling chocolate. He’d also carefully painted it blue with their frosting. They were going to crush this assignment.

    “Can I fucking trust you to bring this to school tomorrow without destroying it?” Katsuki asked as he packed up his shit. He’d decided to leave all of the ingredients with Deku, given the way the boy was mumbling about trying different dessert recipes. He wasn’t being nice or anything, he just didn’t want to carry the bags home, alright? 

     “I can do it, Kacchan,” Izuku said, smiling and walking Katsuki to the door, where he’d left his shoes. “I’ll see you in class tomorrow.” 

     Katsuki nodded, his heart skipping a beat for the millionth time today as he was subjected to Izuku’s sunshine smile. He looked away quickly and clucked his tongue like an impatient extra. “See you, Deku.” 

      He got the fuck out of there in record time, seven-story staircase included. By the time he got to the bottom, Katsuki wondered if Deku was so fucking ripped because he had to walk this every day. He hadn’t been able to see much of Deku’s legs underneath his basketball shorts, considering they went down to his mid-knee and were honestly so ugly, Katsuki tried not to look at Deku when he wore the thing.  

    (their cake fucking crushed it.)

Chapter Text

    Izuku finished cleaning the beach a week ahead of schedule. All Might had been so proud that he shed a tear or two, which inevitably led to Izuku shedding far more than “a tear or two.” He gifted Izuku with his last “paycheck,” but then the man did something strange. 

     “I’m so proud of you, Young Midoriya,” Yagi praised, beaming at him. “I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and I have the perfect plan to congratulate you on reaching the end of your training.”

    “But- but I haven’t even gotten into U.A. yet!” Izuku protested. All Might laughed, the sound the same even in his emaciated form. It made Izuku look around cautiously, hoping nobody realized that this skeleton of a man sounded exactly like All Might. 

    “I know, but I want to celebrate you,” Yagi coaxed. “I want the two of us to have dinner at my house. I can give you One for All there.” 

    Excitement sparked in Izuku’s chest immediately. “Really? You- you still want to give it to me?” 

     All Might’s smile was soft and encouraging. “Young man, there is nobody I would rather give it to.” He patted Izuku’s curls before he reached forward and pulled him into a full-body hug, his other hand on the very base of Izuku’ back. The greenet figured that since All MIght’s hands were so big, he didn’t always realize exactly where he put them. “I’ll text you my address. I expect to see you there tonight!”

     (x)

  Izuku watched All Might place the last utensil on his placemat, practically vibrating with enthusiasm. From the moment he’d entered the hero’s house, he’d been itching to look at each and every nook and cranny in each and every room. In all of his childhood fantasies about meeting All Might and becoming his sidekick, he’d somehow never imagined seeing All Might’s home . There was something surreal about the experience, something… odd. It was like seeing your teacher at the grocery store- it was just weird. Unlike seeing a teacher at a grocery store however, Izuku didn’t want to leave. He wanted to stay here and absorb everything, in hopes that maybe it would help him understand his predecessor better. 

    When he zoned back into the real world, All Might had already placed their main dish on the table. Izuku recognized it immediately, given it was his favorite food. Warmth filled his chest when he realized that All Might actually remembered what his favorite food was, when Izuku himself didn’t even remember when the man had asked. “You made katsudon!” 

   “Of course!” All Might said, easing himself down into his chair. “It’s your favorite, after all, and this is your celebration.” All Might’s eyes began to twinkle mischievously, and he pulled something out from underneath his chair. “And what I’m about to do will stay between us, no matter what. Can I trust you?” 

    “Yes, always,” Izuku answered immediately. The older man’s smile eased tension that Izuku wasn’t even aware he had. Yagi pulled out a bottle of wine with a flourish, setting it gently on the table in between his and Izuku’s placemats. Midoriya stared at the alcohol with wide eyes, looking between it and All Might in confusion. “You… brought wine?” 

   “In many cultures, drinking wine is a sign of celebration,” All Might explained. “You don’t have to have much, just a glass would suffice. I won’t tell if you won’t.”

    Izuku was beginning to feel uneasy, although he couldn’t quite pinpoint why. He shoved the feeling down and nodded, blushing a bit. He really didn’t want to drink the wine, but he also didn’t want to disappoint All Might. Midoriya had always been kind of a pushover, especially when it came to people he loved and respected. It was why he allowed Kacchan to be mean to him, and why he now allowed All Might to begin pouring wine in a glass. 

     Once the hero was finished, he put the bottle down and grabbed hold of his glass, raising it a bit like he was toasting. “To you finishing your training, and receiving One for All.” 

    Izuku’s heart skipped a beat at the mention of the quirk he would be getting sometime soon. His dream of being a hero was so close he could taste it. He lifted his glass a bit as well, mirroring All Might, before he tipped it back and drank. The liquid was somewhat bitter, but also sweet, in the way dark chocolate was. He found himself drinking it until he had drained his glass, ingesting more alcohol in one sitting than he had in his entire life. There was one time when he and Kacchan were about seven, and they’d gotten into the Bakugou family’s sake stash. That was nothing like this, though. Izuku was already beginning to feel a little warm and floaty. 

     All Might refilled his glass with mirth in his eyes before he began eating the katsudon. Izuku followed his lead and picked up his chopsticks. He wolfed his food down like he hadn’t eaten in months, and soon enough he was chugging back his full glass of wine again. He was unaware of All Might watched him intently the entire time. 

     (x)

    Toshinori could hardly believe how well this was going. Midoriya was so cute with how he got drunk so quickly, and even as he slurred his words, he still asked for more. Toshinori found himself wishing the boy would ask for “more” of something else, and with that thought, he let his mind wander. Izuku pinned underneath his muscle form, squirming and crying against his grip while Yagi pounded into him. Izuku crying tears of agony, pain and shameful pleasure, with Toshinori licking them up like the fucking ambrosia they would be. Yagi adored the way Izuku’s face looked when he cried; all red, his eyes slightly puffy, with his lips bitten red and swollen from an anxious tick the boy had. 

    He drove Toshinori fucking crazy with his non-stop goddamn teasing. Well, it would all stop tonight. Tonight, Yagi was going to have Midoriya Izuku, even if he had to get him wasted to do it.

    (x)

     Izuku was practically falling over with how drunk he was. He’d probably ingested more than half of that wine bottle in half-an-hour, and although he’d never had one before, he could already tell he was going to have a major hangover the next morning. He was vaguely aware of the sensation of being led somewhere, although it was anyone’s guess as to where. God knew he could barely keep his eyes open, let alone watch where he was going. 

    “Shhh,” All Might’s comforting voice soothed in his ear. A moment later he was being gently laid down on something comfortable and soft- was this a bed? He struggled to pry his eyes open, but only got far enough that he was squinting at All Might. The man’s figure was blurry as all hell, but Izuku would have sworn he was in his muscle form. The sight of all of that muscle intimidated him more than it should have. He was safe, right? He was safe here with All Might, the Number One Hero, especially when he was in his muscle form. So… why did Izuku feel like he was going to throw up? 

     He tried to sit himself up despite his swimming head, but one of Toshinori’s large hands pushed on his chest, forcing him to flop back down. A moment later said hand was trailing its way underneath his shirt, touching his abs. Izuku was suddenly struck with the memory of Katsuki pulling a similar move when he’d seen Izuku shirtless, when they were baking that cake for class. “Kacchan…” 

    “Shhh,” Yagi cooed, pulling Izuku’s shirt over his head. “It’s fine, it’s just me. You trust me, don’t you young Midoriya?”

    “T-Toshi…” 

    “That’s right. It’s me.” All Might’s wandering hand began its journey under Izuku’s waistband, stroking a place he had no right being. Izuku’s panic was beginning to fade in and out with his consciousness because, despite the current situation, he did trust All Might. He was freaking All Might after all, the Number One Hero! Whatever he was doing, it couldn’t be evil. He must just be… hallucinating or something. Right? 

    ...Right? 

    (x)

    His head was pounding. 

  Izuku slowly peeled his eyes open, wincing at the blinding sunlight that penetrated his vision. He slammed his eyelids shut again, groaning against the sensitivity. He’d never had such an intense headache before, and after a moment of surveying himself, he realized that his head wasn’t the only thing that ached. It seemed like his entire body was in pain, as if he had just completed a full-body workout. When he thought back to the day before though, he couldn’t remember doing anything so extensive. He’d just finished cleaning the beach, only by picking miscellaneous trash out of the sand. So then why…

     He tried to sit up, squinting against his headache. A white-hot ripple of pain suddenly tore through him, from his ass up through the base of his spine. He couldn’t help the whine that escaped him, nor the sudden tears that appeared in his eyes. He must have made more noise than he thought, because a moment later, All Might appeared in the doorway of the unfamiliar bedroom. The man was in his true form, although he wasn’t wearing any pajamas. He’d obviously been awake longer than Izuku had. He smiled when he saw Izuku sitting up, his face kind and open. 

    “Good, you’re awake.” He turned and left the room for a moment before he appeared again with a tray of food. “I made you breakfast.” He glanced down at it, like he was shy, then slowly brought it to Izuku. He placed it gently on the bed next to the boy. “I assume you’re in a bit of pain, young Izuku.” 

    Izuku nodded slowly, the memories of the night before crashing over him. All Might… All Might had brought him into his bedroom and stripped him of his clothes. He’d taken his time exploring every inch of Izuku’s exposed skin, and his touch had felt like it was searing Midoriya’s skin off. Just the memory of it made him feel itchy, like bugs had burrowed underneath the first layer of his flesh. The nausea he’d felt since waking up surged once more, to the point where he really thought he might puke. All Might didn’t seem to notice because he kept talking.

    “I know last night must have been a lot for you,” he was saying. “I want you to know that it meant a lot to me, young man. You’ve become… a very important person in my life. I wanted to show you just how much you mean to me, especially now that you’ve completed your training to become my successor.” He smiled at Izuku, the same smile he always wore when in his muscle form. It was the smile that Izuku had grown up watching, the smile that made the entire world feel safe. It had no such effect on Izuku now. “I know that, because you’re no longer going to be training, you might not feel as comfortable taking money from me to help your mother. I thought that perhaps you could spend time with me like this, instead of having a normal job that would be a drain on your hero duties.” 

    Izuku’s heart dropped at the mention of his mother. The woman had been so grateful that he was pulling his own weight in the household, and now he was seeing her more often, given that she’d gone back to only occasionally taking more shifts. They ate dinner together most nights, switching off responsibility for cooking. Could he really take all of that away from her because he was too selfish to keep his “job?” He must have been quiet for too long, because Toshinori seemed nervous. 

    “Izuku?” 

   It hadn’t escaped Izuku’s notice that All Might had started using his given name more and more often, and now seemed to have completely switched to it. Maybe this was… normal? He wasn’t acting as though he had done anything wrong. He was crying and begging for forgiveness the way Izuku’s biological father did every time he hurt his mother. He’d made Izuku breakfast in bed and asked if he was alright. He was being kind, the way he always was when it came to Izuku. If he had done something wrong, then he would be acting differently. Wouldn’t he? 

    “Okay,” Izuku said hoarsely. “Okay.” 

   All Might’s smile could have lit up a room. “I knew you were special, Izuku. Thank you.” 

   For some reason, Izuku didn’t get the usual spark of happiness he got whenever All Might complimented him. He just felt… empty. The feeling didn’t leave him even after he got dressed and said goodbye to All Might, receiving a kiss from the man on his way out the door. The moment the door closed behind him, he furiously wiped his mouth. 

    His mother was asleep when he got home. She had worked a night shift, which was why she hadn’t questioned Izuku being gone for the night. Izuku dropped his shoes and his bag at the door and practically sprinted for the bathroom, bursting inside like a madman. He locked the door tightly behind him like hell itself was chasing him. His heart was pounding like he’d run a marathon, and his breaths were coming quicker and quicker. His entire body was trembling, even as he stripped himself of his clothes. He made the terrible mistake of looking in the mirror once he was naked. There, he saw all of the purple and yellow bruises decorating his body, focused mostly on his hips and his sides. The fingerprint bruises were widely spaced… perfectly matching All Might’s hands. 

    Izuku couldn’t hold it in anymore, He wanted to scream, to rage, to throw things around and break the fucking mirror, but he didn’t let himself. His mother was still sleeping, she had worked so hard, he couldn’t disturb her. Instead, he leaned over the toilet and threw up the breakfast his mentor had made him. He stayed there for a while, breathing heavily over the toilet bowl, the stench of vomit clinging to the air. When he couldn’t stand it anymore, he got up on shaky legs and flushed the toilet. It hurt so badly to stand that he nearly collapsed again, but he locked his knees and used the countertop to keep himself up. His skin, his fucking skin , it was so itchy but no matter how much he scratched he just couldn’t-

    He lunged for the shower and cranked the water on, turning the heat as hot as it would go. He got inside before the water even warmed up, shivering underneath the icy spray. He raked his nails over his arms, digging into his flesh deep enough that he drew blood in a few places. The water heated faster than Izuku had expected, hotter and hotter until it was scalding. His skin was turning red from the burning, but he still couldn’t bring himself to cool it down. He grabbed his loofa and began vigorously scrubbing at every inch of flesh he could reach. The tears on his cheeks blended in with the rushing water around him.

Chapter Text

       The week leading up to the entrance exam, Deku hobbled around school like a fucking zombie. They had finished all of their final exams, and now were simply working on turning in applications for high schools around the area. Katsuki didn’t bother listing schools other than U.A., and despite what everyone thought he should do, he knew that Deku had only listed U.A. as well. The weirdo was still trying his best to get into the hero course, no matter how many odds were stacked against him. Before, Katsuki had been fucking pissed off because Deku always preached about being a hero, but never did anything about it. He didn’t train, he didn’t learn to fight, he didn’t even eat healthy. Ever since that day when he saw Deku with his shirt off, though? He was wondering just how much he had missed when it came to Deku working toward his dream. 

    He was interested to see. 

   What he wasn’t interested in seeing was Deku acting like someone had killed his fucking grandmother. Katsuki knew it couldn’t be something like that though, because Auntie Inko’s parents died when she was in college, and his father’s family were shitty enough that they split the same time he did. He also didn’t have any pets, nor any friends that Katsuki knew of. Katsuki’s final guess would have been his grades on the final, but those grades were made public for the entire school to see, since they were posted in the hallways. Katsuki had gotten first in the school, as always, and as always, Deku had gotten second, only a few points behind Katsuki. Everyone else in the piece of shit place was so mediocre that the third place scorer was a good thirty points behind Deku. 

     With all of these options ruled out, Katsuki really couldn’t guess what Deku’s deal was. Perhaps if they were closer he would have gotten the courage to ask, but no matter what he’d realized about himself in the ten months since Deku saved his life (and yes, he could admit to that now,) he hadn’t made any effort to fix his and Izuku’s broken relationship. He was regretting that now, especially since they would be going to different high schools. 

    Maybe… maybe this was Katsuki’s last chance to fix things before it was too late. If he was going to apologize though, it wasn’t going to be some half-assed thing he decided on because Deku was in a weird mood. He was going to go home and really think about what he wanted to say. 

  (x)

   “Are you ready to receive One for All?” 

  Izuku stared up at his mentor, his first emotion in nearly a week flooding him. He was excited . He was hopeful about his future, but especially about his future as a hero. With All Might’s help, he really could do this. 

    “Yes,” Izuku breathed, swallowing hard. “But- but will receiving it make it so that you can’t transform anymore?” 

    All Might shook his head with a small smile. “No, the power inside of me is already dying out.  I believe that I will be able to drag out it’s death for a long while after I pass it down to you.” His face grew more serious as his eyes fixed on Izuku’s. “It would be a shame if Japan lost its number one hero because of you, wouldn’t it?” 

     Izuku’s blood ran cold, and he hoped it didn’t show on his face. The truth was, he had been debating telling someone what All Might had done to him, but he came back to a similar conclusion every time. He needed All Might to give him One for All, and to train him. His mother needed All Might’s money so that she could live a life where she wasn’t running herself into the ground. All of Japan needed All Might because without him, who knew what could happen to society? Izuku refused to be the person who brought down All Might. He didn’t have it in himself to be responsible for the deaths it would undoubtedly cause when chaos ran through the streets. He didn’t think he’d survive it. 

    “Yeah,” he finally said, lowering his head a bit. He and All Might had met at Dagobah beach, the place that started it all. It was fitting that the last of Izuku’s illusions should die here. “How… will it be transferred?” 

    “Through DNA,” All Might explained. Izuku looked up with a furrowed brow, dread already beginning to pit in his stomach. 

    “Like… a hair, or something?”

   All Might laughed, but the sound didn’t seem quite real to Izuku. “That would only work if the hair had a hair follicle attached to it, and there’s no guarantee of that. No, I think we can think of a much more… fun way, don’t you?” He casually reached up to grab the back of Izuku’s neck, squeezing it a bit. “Why don’t we head to those bathrooms over there and talk it over in private?” 

    Izuku briefly considered diving into the ocean to drown himself, but ultimately he knew All Might would probably jump in after him. The fact that in some twisted way the blond man actually cared about him was almost worse than the alternative. It made it easier for Izuku to lie to himself that everything was fine.

     Instead, he allowed himself to be led away, down the beach and toward the rickety old bathroom built directly on the sand, right next to the tide wall. They probably hadn’t been cleaned in years, given the entire beach had been overtaken with trash until Izuku cleaned it all up, but Izuku was almost glad for the distraction. It helped him focus on something else when All Might pushed him down to his knees and pried his mouth open. The stench of filth and rotting human excrement burned itself into Izuku’s mind, along with the bitter, choking feeling of having someone else’s cock shoved down his throat without his own permission. The passage of time didn’t matter in that bathroom, and neither did the aches and pains in Izuku’s body. He didn’t hurt as badly as he had the morning he woke up after All Might’s first… assault, but the bruises the man had left on his body were still healing. Now he could add scraped knees and an aching jaw to the list. 

     By the time All Might finished down his throat, the sun was beginning to set. He sent Izuku home with another envelope full of cash, and a filthy kiss that forced tears from Izuku’s eyes. It was that moment he knew that he was well and truly stuck in this. He would likely die before he escaped All Might’s clutches. The greenet walked home, thinking that All Might deserved the title “Number One” for the complete opposite side of the war. 

    (x)

   “De-” Katsuki cleared his throat and started over. “ Izuku . We’re going to be graduating middle school soon, and I just… I didn’t want to leave us as we are. I’ve been so unbelievably shitty to you throughout middle school, and even though we still talked in elementary school, we haven’t been true friends in a long time. It was all my fault of course; I was, no, I am an angry and vengeful person. I’ve been trying to work on myself lately, and I just thought you should know that you had a big part in that. You made me realize…” he trailed off, clearing his throat. “Well. You made me realize that I don’t want to be like this. I don’t want to be this.” He gestured to himself vaguely. 

    “So I’m just going to say it. I’m so fucking sorry for everything I put you through. I’m not asking for your forgiveness because honestly, I don’t deserve it and never will. What I’ve said and done is unforgivable. I just ask that you recognize the fact that I truly mean it, and that… I’m going to become the number one hero. I want you to watch me do it. I think if I know you’re watching, I’ll try harder. Or something.” 

     Katsuki stared at himself in his bathroom mirror, groaning. “That was stupid . Jesus Christ, who knew fucking apologizing could be so goddamn hard?!” 

     “Is that what you’ve been doing for an hour?” His mother’s voice broke through his thoughts. He whirled around and glared at the old hag, lifting his hands to let off a few sparklers. 

     “You were fucking eavesdropping, you old hag?” 

    “Not until the last five minutes,” Mitsuki snickered, putting her hands on her hips. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad you’ve decided to apologize to sweet Izu-kun. He was always my favorite of your little friends.” 

     “Yeah, because you’re disgustingly in love with his mother,” Katsuki scoffed. Mitsuki huffed and touched a hand to her heart. 

    “It is not my fault she’s so fucking perfect,” she snapped. “It’s also not my fault you were a little shit to your Midoriya.” She smirked when she saw Katsuki’s entire face flush red. 

   “He’s not my-!”  

   “Can we please stop screaming?” Katsuki’s father’s voice called from the upstairs hallway. “I have a migraine and you both aren’t helping.” 

    Both of the volatile blondes quieted down. Masaru’s migraines were very painful for him, and as much as his mother may annoy him, Katsuki had a soft spot for his dad. Mitsuki did too, given he was her husband, and she too quieted down. When she looked back at Katsuki, she was smiling. “For what it’s worth, you were onto something there. Ultimately, all he really needs to know is that you’re sorry and you mean it. He’s a Midoriya- they have a tolerance for Bakugous.” She reached out and ruffled his blond spikes, but before he could throw a hissy fit, she was gone. 

    He slammed the bathroom door closed and looked back in the mirror, his expression turning neutral again when he looked at himself. ‘ Just say sorry, huh? Sorry mom, but it’s not that easy. You have no idea what I’ve done.’  

      He just knew he would spend the rest of his life making up for it. 

    (x)

    The entrance exams were chaotic, to say the least. Izuku was sat next to Bakugou for the written portion, likely because they went to the same middle school, and because they had similarly high scores, so they weren’t likely to cheat off of each other. Izuku was fairly confident in his abilities in that regard. 

    It was the practical exam score he was worried about. The very first time he powered up his quirk, he broke his arm killing a single-point robot. The rest of the test he ran around like a headless chicken, trying to figure out how to control his quirk. In the end, he didn’t get any more points, but he did end up saving the life of the kind girl who had stopped him from tripping at the beginning of the day. He hadn’t caught her name after Recovery Girl healed them both. Now, a week later, Izuku lived every day in suspense. His mother thankfully understood and didn’t try to force him to speak or function like a normal human. She didn’t even make him go to his middle school graduation ceremony. 

    On the last day of waiting, Izuku was absolutely floored to wake up to a text from a contact he hadn’t used in a long, long time.

  Kacchan: we need to talk. meet me at the park at nine tonight.

    Izuku wasn’t quite sure how to respond, so he sent a simple “ok” and left it at that. He had no idea what Kacchan could possibly want to talk to him about, except maybe to check up on the situation with Yamato. He’d been so preoccupied lately that Midoriya had nearly forgotten about the bully who had pushed him down the stairs, but considering the guy was getting expelled and went to every class whining and crying about it, Izuku couldn’t quite forget. 

     At eight fifty-three am, an hour and seven minutes after Kacchan had texted him, Izuku received his U.A. acceptance letter. He’d gotten one villain point, but sixty rescue points for saving the brunette girl from the zero pointer. Izuku couldn’t have been more shocked at the result, but at the same time he was deliriously happy. He was one step closer to achieving his life-long dream of being a hero! Kacchan had even texted him for the first time in years, which was a minor miracle in itself. Maybe… maybe things were finally looking up. 

    (x)

     Katsuki had texted Izuku a few hours before he got his U.A. acceptance letter. Or should he say hologram . After seeing the leaderboards in said hologram, the boy was beginning to rethink his stance on apologizing to his childhood friend. By the time nine o’clock rolled around, he was fuming, having ruminated on his anger all day. Deku was as punctual as ever, which was to say he only barely made it in time to not be considered late. He was out of breath like he’d sprinted the whole way there. 

    “Kacchan!” He yelped, sweating a little from his sprint. “I’m here. What did you want to talk about?” 

     Katsuki crossed his arms as an incentive to not literally explode. “That doesn’t matter anymore. What does matter is that you fucking lied to me.”
    Deku had the audacity to frown as if he was confused. “I don’t understand. What did I lie about?”

    “I saw the U.A. leaderboards Deku! You have a goddamn quirk , don’t you? There’s no way you could get so many points without one!”

    Katsuki could swear he actually watched all of the blood leave the dark haired boy’s face. “I… I…” 

    “That confirms it,” Bakugou sneered. “You lied to me for our entire fucking lives . Why the hell did you do that, you damn nerd? You didn’t fucking trust me?”

    “Kacchan, that’s not it!” Deku stepped closer to Katsuki, who instinctively stepped away to keep distance between them. The closer Deku got to him, the harder it would be for him to think. He needed to keep his wits about him in the situation, but he also refused to give up too much ground. He didn’t want to look like a coward. “My quirk… it manifested late, alright? I didn’t even know I had it until right before the entrance exam!” 

    Katsuki’s rage sky-rocketed. “You’re so fucking full of it! I can’t believe you kept this from me!” 

    Deku’s jaw dropped a little. “You can’t believe it? And why the hell not, Kacchan? You’ve bullied me ever since you found out I didn’t have a quirk when we were four. Four ! That’s almost twelve years!” Izuku threw his hands in the air, exasperated. “And you ‘can’t believe’ that I would keep a secret from you?” Those emerald green eyes narrowed, and he took another step forward. This time, Katsuki didn’t move. “Well news flash Kacchan. My life doesn’t revolve around you. I have secrets that nobody, not even you , know.” 

    Bakugou’s fists clenched from where they were stuffed just underneath his armpits. He was itching to burn off the excess nitroglycerin, but knew better than to do it so close to his body. He may not be able to get burned by the explosions, but he certainly could get a fucking limb blown off from the force. “I didn’t fucking bully you back then. That only started in middle school.” 

    Deku looked between both of the blond’s eyes. “You truly believe that, don’t you?” He let out a wry laugh that only twisted Katsuki’s heart more. “You can be as mad as you want, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m telling the truth. If you don’t believe me, that’s fine. I guess I’ll see you at U.A..” With that, he turned on his heel and walked away from Katsuki. It was like Bakugou’s anger melted off of him with every step Deku took, only fading completely once Deku was out of sight. Instead, shame filled his chest. It wasn’t a feeling he was familiar with. 

    ‘ Why did I get so fucking angry ?’ Katsuki thought, sinking down onto one of the old swings. He held up his hands in front of him, setting off sparklers to burn off the sweat that had gathered there. ‘ Was I seriously mad that I didn’t know him as well as I thought? He’s right, we aren’t friends. He wasn’t entitled to tell me shit.’  

    Unfortunately, the problem with emotions was that they weren’t always rational. 

    (x)

    Izuku held onto the straps of his backpack as he wandered down the halls of U.A., searching every doorway’s nameplate for the famed Class 1-A. He’d been put in the best hero class in the school, and every time he thought about it his heart fluttered. He was here. He was really here , and with any luck, he would fit in here. He had a new quirk, a fresh start, and best of all, an escape from All Might. Izuku had trouble telling the man ‘no’ when he asked for… favours from him, because in all honesty, he knew that the man deserved them. After everything the man did for not only Izuku, but for all of Japan , Izuku could go to his house every few days and suck him off, or let him fuck the teen. 

    He shook those thoughts out of his head, only to realize he’d arrived at the correct classroom. The door was massive , clearly meant to accommodate quirks that made students giant. He swallowed hard and stared at the door, ignoring the dull roar of the hallway behind him to focus on the murmuring from inside of the room. He was about to walk into his classroom for the first time. He was about to meet his classmates for the first time. When he opened the door, he would be meeting people who might become his friends for life. 

     He took a deep breath and opened the door. 

   The chattering in the room died down a bit as everyone in the classroom got a good look at the newcomer, but after a second, they went back to their hushed introductions and conversations. Izuku was immediately drawn to his childhood friend, who was glaring at the tall boy who had scolded Izuku multiple times during the entrance exam. He was waving his arms robotically, and he appeared to be telling Katsuki off. Izuku winced in sympathy, especially when Katsuki took his feet off of the desk only to slam them down on the ground, in prime position to get in the bespectacled boy’s face. 

    “What, you think you’re fucking better than me, Four-eyes? Let me guess, you went to private school, didn’t you?” 

    Katsuki’s loudness snagged the attention of everyone in the classroom. Izuku glanced at the chalkboard and realized that the seating chart sat him directly behind Kacchan. ‘ Great. ’ The well-groomed boy straightened up a hair, pushing his glasses up further. 

    “I went to Somhei Academy,” he answered. “It’s a highly prestigious middle school-”

   “I don’t give a fuck,” Katsuki snarled. “Jesus, who shoved a goddamn tree up you ass?’

   “Kacchan!” Izuku hissed, rushing forward to insert himself into the team. “If you don’t stop bullying him, you could get kicked out!” 

    “Yeah? You want me to bully you instead, De-ku ?” 

   Izuku resisted the urge to sigh. He hated it when Kacchan dragged out his nickname like that. “No, Ka-cchan ,” he taunted, pulling the same stunt as Katsuki. The blond’s smug smirk tightened, although the red-eyed boy didn’t let it fall.  “I just don’t want to see you waste your potential by getting expelled on the first day of school.” 

    “What makes you think I’d take advice from liars ?”

    Before Izuku could come up with a smart retort (like punching Katsuki in his smug little face,) the door to the classroom slid open again. Izuku turned to glance at the door, and he quickly forgot about his little spat with Kacchan. Standing in the doorway was the cute brunette girl that Izuku had saved from the zero-pointer, and from the way she was grinning at him, she remembered him too. The two of them scurried toward each other, meeting halfway in the middle of the room. 

    “It’s you!” the brunette squealed. “You saved me from the zero pointer! That was so cool of you!” 

    Izuku laughed a bit, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. “It was nothing, really…” 

   The girl’s smile softened a bit. “I tried to give you some of my points, but they wouldn’t let me. I saw on the hologram though, you got way more points than you thought you did!”

   “Yeah, that was a nice surprise,”  Izuku agreed. “I totally thought I failed the practical exam.” 

  “Oi, shitty Deku,” Katsuki’s voice said from right behind him. Izuku flinched and whirled around, putting a hand to his chest. At some point Katsuki had stood up from his desk and approached the two of them, his hands shoved in his uniform pockets. He was scowling at the brunette girl, who was staring right back at him curiously. “Who the fuck is this? What does she mean you saved her from that big-ass robot?” 

    “I thought I recognized you!” The robotic boy from earlier joined their little group, now focused on Izuku. “You’re the boy who ran toward the zero pointer!” He pushed up his glasses. “Of course, if I had known you could get points from rescuing, I too would have gone to save the girl.” 

    The brunette now had a scowl to rival Katsuki’s, glaring at the blue haired boy. “Well, that was kind of the point, wasn’t it? To see who was truly a hero?” 

    Izuku blinked at the girl, and Katsuki choked on a laugh from just over his shoulder. The robotic boy opened and closed his mouth like a fish, but he didn’t get the chance to defend himself, because the door to the classroom slid open again. Everyone in the room turned to stare as a man wrapped up in a bright yellow sleeping bag inched his way into the room like a worm. He looked exhausted if the bags under his eyes said anything, and before he even opened his mouth to speak, he had pulled an energy juice pouch from within the sleeping bag. He drank the whole thing in the seconds flat before he crushed it in his fist and shoved it back in his sleeping bag. 

    “If you’re only here to socialize, you might as well leave now,” the man drawled. “This is the hero course, and if you stay, you will be expected to take it seriously . My name is Aizawa Shouta, and I’m your homeroom teacher.” 

    “He’s a teacher ?” someone whispered from within the room, but otherwise, it was silent. The man didn’t so much as glance toward the voice. He unzipped his sleeping bag a bit and pulled what looked like a uniform out of its depths, holding it up for them all to see. 

    “Underneath your assigned seats are bags that hold gym clothes designed to fit the measurements the school had you send in. Meet me at Ground Gamma in fifteen minutes. Don’t be late.” He dropped the uniform on the ground and zipped himself up all the way in his sleeping bag, disappearing from sight. The class stared at him for a moment before they slowly began grabbing the uniforms from under their chairs, making their way out of the room to head to the first floor. U.A. was made up of four stories and four buildings, all connected by sky-bridges. On the first floor of every tower were different changing rooms and indoor gyms. The second floor of the pillars held the first year classes, all separated by the courses- the hero courses had one pillar, the general education and support department held another, the management department had the third, and the last pillar went to the business course. The third floor had the second year classrooms, and the fourth and last floor went to the third years. The sky-towers made it easy for the teachers to get from building to building, and for students as well. 

    “He’s kind of weird,” the brunette girl whispered to Izuku once they had both exited the classroom. Kacchan was lagging right behind them. Although he was undoubtedly still pissed at Izuku, they were also familiar with each other. They’d spent basically their entire lives in each other’s orbit, and that comfort didn’t go away just because they were pissed at each other. If it did, then they would have begun ignoring each other a long, long time ago. 

    “I’m Uraraka Ochako by the way,” she introduced herself. “And you’re… Deku?” she glanced at Katsuki behind them, who stared back at her blankly. 

    “No, that’s not my name!” Izuku hurried to explain. “That’s just what Kacchan calls me. My real name is Midoriya Izuku. It’s nice to officially meet you.” 

    “Oh,” Uraraka said, tilting her head. “I kind of like Deku, you know? It sounds like Dekiru , like ‘you can do it!’ It’s cute!” 

    “It means fucking useless,” Katsuki deadpanned. Izuku flung out a fist and punched Katsuki in the stomach, forcing the blond to double over and wheeze. Izuku rolled his eyes and smiled at Uraraka like he hadn’t just hit another classmate. 

    “Feel free to call him Kacchan. All the time, if possible. He loves it.” 

   “Do- do not fucking- call me that,” Katsuki hissed, trying to catch his breath. “Deku, you’re fucking dead .” 

    “Whatever, Kacchan!” 

   “Ohhh-kay,” a new voice said from behind them. All three of them turned to face the newcomer before they began their trek down the stairs. The boy had spiky red hair and a shark-toothed smile when he grinned at them. “Clearly the two of you have some history, huh? I’m Kirishima Eijirou!” 

    “Nice to meet you,” Uraraka said, blushing a little bit. Izuku nodded his agreement, returning the boy’s full-watt smile. 

    “Yeah. I like your hair.”

   “His hair is fucking shitty,” Katsuki grumbled, crossing his arms. Kirishima wrinkled his nose, pointing at Katsuki’s blond, spiky mess. 

    “My hair’s not that different from yours!” 

   “Fuck off already! Do not call me ‘Kacchan’ if you want to live. My name is Bakugou Katsuki, and you fucking call me that or else.” 

    “Alright, alright!” Kirishima laughed. “Bakugou-san it is! By the way, I hope you guys know where you’re going, because I’m pretty sure the entire class is just following you.” 

    Sure enough, when Izuku and Katsuki looked over their shoulders, the class was staring back at them. At the same time, the boys spoke over each other. “There was a map in the student handbook.” “Why didn’t they memorize the fucking map, huh?” They looked at each other for a moment before Katsuki clucked his tongue and looked away. Izuku shrugged at the strange looks Kirishima and Uraraka gave him. 

    They all got to the bottom of the stairs, where Izuku and Katsuki led them to the separate boys’ and girls’ locker rooms at the end of the first hallway. Their group split into two as the corresponding genders filed into each room, no longer watching the “Deku and Kacchan” show. Izuku was a bit embarrassed that so many of them had been watching him and Kacchan so closely for so long, but he supposed it only made sense. Kacchan was a force to be reckoned with, and his volume was pretty much unmatched. Chances were that if he was speaking, you were listening. 

    Each boy picked a random locker in the room and began changing out of their uniforms. It didn’t escape Izuku’s notice that, once again, Katsuki picked a locker next to his. Kirishima went ahead and chose the locker on Katsuki’s other side, while a short boy with purple balls for hair picked the locker on Izuku’s other side. They all got changed quickly, before they filed out of the locker rooms and began following Izuku and Katsuki towards Ground Gamma, which was located outside of the building. 

   When they got there, they found their teacher standing there, sans his sleeping bag. The moment Izuku saw him he was struck with a sense of deja vu, like he’d seen the man somewhere before. He shook his head and let it go when he began to speak, explaining the rules for the quirk assessment test they were about to take. 

    (x)

    “I got last?” the invisible girl cried out. Izuku bit his lip and looked up at the holographic screen that displayed all of their results. He prided himself on his memory, so he took the time to memorize each of his classmates’ names. First place had gone to the girl with the ponytail and the frankly awesome quirk. Second place went to the boy who was freaking Endeavour’s son, holy shit! Kacchan had gotten third, and he didn’t look too happy about it. Izuku had scored towards the bottom of the pack, ahead of Jirou Kyouka, the girl with the earphone jacks, Kaminari Denki, the boy with the electricity quirk, Mineta Minoru, the boy with the purple balls for hair, and Hagakure Tooru, who had gotten last place. All of the ones towards the bottom had at least one test they excelled in, with Jirou and Izuku’s being the ball throw, as Jirou had used sound waves to create a boom that burst her ball across the field. Kaminari Denki had used his electric quirk to short out the circuit of the grip test machine, freezing it in place higher than what his actual strength was. Mineta had done very well at the side-to-side steps, but Hagakure didn’t have a quirk that would help her in any of the tests. 

    “I don’t want to get expelled!” 

   Aizawa-sensei simply watched the girl as she began to cry (or at least, Izuku assumed she was, given the sounds she was making). The rest of the class looked uncomfortable, but were clearly afraid of pissing off the man who had threatened to expel them all. They might have been afraid, but Izuku had never been one to not stand up for someone that needed it. He approached the invisible girl’s side and grabbed the shoulder of her uniform, looking at his teacher with hard eyes. 

    “I don’t think you should expel Hagakure-san,” he told the man, lifting his chin defiantly. Aizawa raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest. 

   “Oh? And why is that? She got last place, didn’t she?” 

   “She did,” Izuku agreed. Hagakure began to cry harder, so he squeezed her shoulder to try to get her to quiet down. Don’t show weakness. It will let him know he’s hurting you. “But her quirk would be absolutely amazing for an underground hero. You would know, wouldn’t you Eraserhead-san? She may not have a quirk that would help her in these tests, but imagine how helpful she would be for stealth missions? It would be idiotic to expel her when she has so much potential as a hero.” 

   “Deku,” Katsuki hissed under his breath, a few feet away. Izuku winced a bit but didn’t back down. It was probably stupid of him to call his teacher “idiotic,” but he wasn’t just going to stand there while Hagakure cried. He wasn’t going to let an adult hurt a vulnerable teenager, not like- 

    “I agree,” Aizawa-sensei said. “Hagakure, you may continue on in the hero course.” He turned his eyes on Izuku, allowing his quirk to activate for a moment, flashing them red. “You, Midoriya Izuku, are lucky you made such good points. I won’t hesitate to expel you the next time you call me names.” 

   “Yes, sensei,” Izuku nodded, bowing his head in respect. “Thank you.” 

   “Everyone, head to the locker rooms. You have twenty minutes to take showers and change back into your uniforms before lunch begins. I suggest you don’t dawdle, or all of the good food will be gone.” The older man began ambling back towards the U.A. building without looking back. Without his teacher’s eyes on him anymore, all of the tension bled out of Izuku. He dropped his hand from Hagakure’s shoulder, but he hardly had a moment to think about what he’d just done before the girl flung herself into his arms. 

   “Thank you!” She gasped, squeezing him tightly. Izuku blinked down at the place Hagakure’s eyes would be, his arms out on his sides to avoid touching her. His heart began to beat a bit quicker at the feeling of someone touching him, and not in a good way. His thoughts flashed back to All Might, his phantom touch crawling its way underneath his skin. ‘ No. I’m safe from All Might here. I’m safe, and she’s not him. Don’t freak out on the first day of school.’ “I can’t believe you stood up for me!” 

    “It was really cool,” the boy with the tape quirk, Sero Hanta, nodded. “I totally wasn’t brave enough to say anything to him.” 

   “I-it was nothing,” Izuku stuttered, slowly reaching to awkwardly pat Hagakure on the back. “Um… I just told the truth?” 

   Hagakure pulled back and sniffed, reaching up and invisible hand to wipe at her invisible face. “You really think I have the potential to become a great underground hero?” 

    Izuku lit up at the question. Quirk analysis was his jam , even if he hadn’t been doing it recently due to his… extracurriculars with All Might. “Oh yeah! I mean, your invisibility is perfect for stealth missions, or stakeouts! You could literally walk right into the middle of a villain situation, or a drug ring, or anything of the sort, and get all of the information needed in order to take them down! Not only that, but with the right amount of equipment, you cou- hey!” 

    A hand clapped itself over Izuku’s mouth. Given the sweet taste of the skin against his open mouth, it wasn’t hard to guess who had shut him up. “Jesus Deku, give them a break before you curse their ears with your nerdy-ass questions!” He began dragging Izuku back towards the school building, muttering under his breath. Izuku wiggled his way out from under Katsuki’s hand, frowning at the boy. His finger throbbed a bit from the break he’d forced onto himself, and he could hear Kacchan’s angry mumbling about it. Clearly, he was picking up on a few of Izuku’s habits. 

    “I thought you were mad at me,” he sniffed, a bit pettily. Kacchan glanced back at him, his expression not quite as murderous as it had been before. He looked down at Izuku’s hand with the broken finger, which was clenched in a fist. It was irritating the appendage, but something about the pain grounded Izuku. He had a clear head for the first time in a while. 

    “I am,” the blond admitted. “I’m fucking pissed at you, but…” he looked behind them, not at their classmates but at the field where they’d just taken their test. “Even if you did lie to me, I guess I can see why you did it. A power like that, when you were so young…” he shook his head, looking down at the ground. “It would have destroyed you.” 

    Izuku softened, biting his lower lip. He wanted nothing more than to tell Kacchan the truth- not only about where he’d gotten his quirk, but about everything , consequences be damned- but he knew better. Just because he had some strange connection to Kacchan didn’t change his circumstances. He still owed All Might a lot for training him and giving him his quirk. He still needed the money if he wanted his mother to live a happier, stress-free life. Japan still needed their Number One Hero. 

    “Thanks for understanding,” Izuku said instead of saying anything else. “But I didn’t lie to you. My quirk only appeared after I began training. I think… I think it manifested because my younger body couldn’t handle it. You’re right, it would have destroyed me from the inside-out.” ‘ That’s what All Might said, at least. After using it a few times, I’m inclined to agree.’  

    Katsuki narrowed his eyes at Izuku, pushing open the door to the school that led right into the boy’s locker room. “...Somehow, I don’t think that’s true.” He grinned wolfishly at Izuku. “But don’t worry, Deku. I’ll find out what you’re hiding from me, whether you want me to or not.” He stalked off towards the showers, stopping at his locker to grab his uniform as he went. Izuku stood near the entrance of the locker room, watching the rest of his classmates file in to do the same thing. 

    ‘ Oh, Kacchan,’ he thought to himself miserably. ‘ That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.’

Chapter Text

    Izuku had his finger healed after he’d taken a shower. Recovery Girl hadn’t looked happy about him showing up at her office on the first day, but she kissed his hand anyway and gave him some energy gummies to keep him going. He thanked her profusely, hurrying toward the cafeteria to grab some lunch. The entire school had forty-five minutes for lunch, and although the cafeteria was big enough to accommodate so many students, it didn’t make it any less loud in the place, or less crowded. After he got inside, it took Izuku a while to find the familiar faces of his classmates. 

   Kacchan was sitting at a table with Kirishima, the redheaded boy from earlier, and Uraraka. He didn’t look too happy to be there, scowling down at his bowl of curry and stabbing at it with his chopsticks. Izuku smiled to himself and approached the four-person table, settling down right across from Kacchan and next to Uraraka. Katsuki looked up at him, his sour expression settling a bit when he saw who it was. Izuku shyly smiled back at him. 

   “Oh, did you two make up?” Uraraka teased, nudging Izuku’s shoulder. “Lovers’ spats are never fun.” 

    Katsuku choked on his curry, nearly coughing out a lung at Uraraka’s words. Izuku began waving his hands around frantically, his pulse speeding up at just the thought of him and Kacchan being together. For the first time, though, it wasn’t because he was embarrassed. It was because he was scared. 

    “We’re not together!” Izuku said, stammering a little on the last word. 

   “We’re not fucking lovers!” Katsuki croaked out a moment after, grabbing his water bottle and taking a violent swig. Uraraka seemed both surprised and pleased at their reactions, if that was possible. She had an unfamiliar twinkle in her eye when she exchanged a look with Kirishima. 

    “Whatever you say,” she sang, digging back into her noodles. “How great is it that food here is free with tuition, huh? I’ve never eaten this much at once in my life!” 

    “It’s free?” Izuku asked, raising an eyebrow. “I didn’t know that.” 

   “I thought you read the student handbook,” Kirishima said, looking between Katsuki and Izuku. Katsuki furrowed his brow at Izuku, shrugging. 

    “I didn’t see it in there, and neither did Kacchan.” 

   “Bakugou didn’t even say anything!” Kirishima gestured at the blond. Bakugou looked irritated that the redhead was even breathing. 

    “He’s fucking right, I didn’t,” he said. “Why are you so goddamn loud, huh?” 

   “ I’m the loud-” 

   “It wasn’t in the student handbook,” Uraraka cut in, slurping up her noodles. “Lunch Rush told me that it was all explained in orientation, but he didn’t seem surprised that Aizawa-sensei didn’t let us go. Apparently he does this every year.” 

    “Well, he’s Eraserhead,” Izuku nodded. Kirishima pointed a finger at Izuku.

   “How did you know who he was, anyway? I’ve never heard of him before today.” 

  “He’s an underground hero,” Izuku explained. The whole point of him is that people shouldn’t know who he is, so don’t feel bad that you didn’t.” 

    “But if people aren’t supposed to know-” 

   “Deku is an anomaly,” Bakugou drawled, taking another swig of his water. “Chances are, if there’s a hero alive and working in the area, Deku will know who they are. He’s a freak like that.” 

   “Well you didn’t have to put it that way.” 

   “That’s kind of cool,” Uraraka said. “He looked really surprised when you said his hero name!” 

   “Yeah, that was kind of funny,” Kirishima agreed. “And when you stood up for Hagakure? That was super manly!” 

   “M...manly?” Izuku stuttered. 

   “Yeah dude!” Kirishima said. “My favourite hero is Crimson Riot, and his whole thing was manliness and chivalry!” 

    “He’s a good classic hero,” Izuku agreed. “Well, I’m glad you think I’m… manly… then.” 

   “No problem,” Kirishima smiled, although Izuku hadn’t exactly thanked him. “Now can I try some of your food, bro?” 

    (x)

Toshi: Come to my home when you’re finished with school. I would like to see you.

   Izuku locked his home screen, swallowing hard. He was standing in front of All Might’s front door, his heart pounding and his limbs shaking like a leaf. The last thing he wanted to do was raise his fist and knock on the door, but at the same time, he knew he had to. He owed All Might. He owed him, for the quirk, and the training, and the money. All Might deserved this for being such an amazing hero for so long, and wasn’t it kind of Izuku’s duty to give him what he wanted? He didn’t have to pick him to be his successor, but he’d done it because he believed in Izuku. He was All Might, Izuku’s favorite hero. He wouldn’t do anything wrong , would he?

    Exhaling slowly, Izuku knocked on the oak door. It didn’t matter what he wanted, or what he thought of the situation. He was in it now, and it was far too late to get out of it. He kept repeating this to himself as he listened to All Might’s footsteps coming closer to the door from inside. When the door opened, the gaunt man smiled at Izuku like he was the best thing since sliced bread. “Young Midoriya! It’s always a pleasure to see you. Please, come in!” He stepped back and allowed Izuku to slip into the home. 

    “Sorry for the intrusion,” the green-eyed boy mumbled, taking his shoes off at the door. All Might placed a hand on Izuku’s lower back, pushing him farther into the house under the guise of gentleness. Even though it was over Izuku’s school uniform, he still felt his skin beginning to crawl from the touch. ‘ Stop it, don’t go there. You owe him, Izuku. You owe him.’  

    “Would you like something to drink?” All Might asked, even as he ushered Izuku into his bedroom. All Might’s bed covers were a deep mustard colour. Izuku was beginning to hate that fucking colour. He didn’t answer the question, not that Yagi seemed to notice or care. His touch was a lot less gentle when he pushed Izuku down onto the bed and hovered over him, raking his eyes over Izuku’s uniform. Izuku felt himself begin to dissociate, like his consciousness was floating out of his body. He thought about everything and nothing at the same time, ignoring the chill on his skin as he was stripped bare. He thought about his new classmates and their cool quirks while All Might messily prepped him. He thought about Eraserhead, and what an accomplished hero he was as Yagi began to push inside of him. 

     From there, he didn’t remember anything. When he came-to again, he was alone in the bedroom and covered in various fluids. He ignored the aching pain in his muscles when he got dressed again. He didn’t see Yagi on the way out. 

     (x)

   “Izuku, I’ve been waiting for you!” Inko chirped from the kitchen after hearing the front door open. She thought that fish and soup would be a good meal tonight, as it was one of her favorites. She’d gotten a bit of a raise today due to new management, and she was excited about having just a smidgen more money than before. With this money and Izuku’s part-time job, she would finally be able to put money in savings once again. No more living paycheck to paycheck. 

   “Hi mom,” her son said back. “I’m going to go take a shower before dinner.” 

  Inko frowned and looked toward the entrance of the kitchen, but Izuku didn’t pass by on his way to the bathroom. He’d been doing this lately- coming home and hiding in the bathroom for a while before he finally came out. Something about her little boy had changed recently, like the bright spark of light inside of him had been muted. His mouth began to naturally fall in a tired frown rather than the small smile it had used to, and he had bags under his eyes that had never been there before. Inko wouldn’t go as far as saying he was unhappy , but it seemed like he was overworked and stressed. She hoped that U.A. wouldn’t make it worse for him. His new quirk was hard enough to deal with, she assumed. 

    ‘ Odd how that happened,’ she thought for the millionth time since Izuku came home from the entrance exams with a stockpiling quirk. ‘ He definitely had two toe joints when we went to the doctor when he was little… didn’t he? Maybe the doctor was wrong, and the joints have nothing to do with quirklessness?’  

     ‘ Of course that’s it,’ Inko’s subconscious soothed as she stirred the soup. ‘ What else could the explanation be? Quirks don’t just come from nowhere. It’s obvious he was suppressing it. Even if he is acting strangely, there’s nothing suspicious about it. He would tell me if he was seriously in trouble. Wouldn’t he?’

    (In all honesty, Midoriya Inko knew her son, and she knew that if he was in trouble, he would likely do whatever he could to keep her out of it. She still lied to herself though, because really… what else could she do?)

     She ignored the bags under Izuku’s eyes at the dinner table that night, just like she ignored the far away look in his eyes. Maybe it made her a bad mother, but she just couldn’t handle the added stress. She had only just gotten rid of the worst of her stress, and the last thing she needed was her chronic worrying to bring on more just because her son was having a few sleepless nights. He would be fine. 

     (he would not be fine.) 

     (x)

   Izuku had nightmares that night, the same nightmares he’d been having ever since All Might began using his body. Even though he dissociated during the events themselves, it was like Izuku’s subconscious was forcing him to experience the assault- no, the act - one way or another. At this point, Midoriya was wondering if he could get away with not sleeping at all the nights of All Might’s activities. 

    He dragged himself out of bed to get ready for school in the morning, lamenting another night of restless slumber. Whenever this happened, he somehow managed to feel even more tired rather than less. He tried to push the nightmares (memories) out of his mind. In the end, he hadn’t realized he’d travelled all the way to school until he was walking up the front steps with Uraraka calling his name. He froze in the middle of the staircase, blinking at the scenery around him. He could have sworn that a moment ago he was standing in front of his apartment building, furiously not thinking about All Might, and yet now he was half-an-hour away, at school. ‘ I dissociated again. That can’t be good.’  

   “Hey, I called your name a bunch!” Uraraka panted once she’d reached his side. She seemed a little out of breath, but otherwise she was disgustingly bright and cheery for so early in the morning. “Spacing off?”

    The two of them entered the building and began walking up the stairs to the second floor, where they would find Class 1-A. “I guess so. Honestly, I didn’t even realize I’d gotten all the way to school until I was here… is that weird?” 

    Ochako shrugged her shoulders. “I space off like that too sometimes. Do live really close and walk, or something?”

    “No, it’s a thirty minute train ride to get here.” 

    That had the brunette stopping in her tracks to stare at him. “You spaced off for thirty minutes ? Are you sure you weren’t hit with a quirk or something?!” 

   “I’m sure, I’m sure!” Izuku waved his hands in front of him, like he was waving away her worry. Before she could say anything else, Kirishima’s voice spoke up from behind them. 

   “Whoa, did Midori-bro get hit with a quirk?” 

   ‘ Bro?’ Izuku mouthed to Uraraka, who only giggled before facing their friend. “He didn’t get hit by a quirk, he’s apparently just a major space cadet.”

   “Oh, that’s cool,” Kirishima shrugged. “As long as you don’t accidentally walk into traffic or something, you should be fine.” 

    Midoriya scrunched his nose. “Thanks for the vote of confidence you guys, I really appreciate it.” 

    “ We’re not the ones putting your life in danger,” Uraraka said, opening the classroom door. Iida was directly next to the door, lecturing the pink-skinned girl, Ashido Mina, on her dress code. He whipped around at the sound of Uraraka’s voice, practically having an aneurysm over her words. 

    “Midoriya-kun! You have been putting your life in danger? I must insist you cease whatever activity could be doing this!”

     Every single eye in class turned to them, causing Izuku to blush hard enough that he felt light headed. From across the room, he saw Kacchan scowl and grit his teeth. He clearly wasn’t happy at the news, either. “It’s not that serious, Iida-kun! I just spaced out for a little while this morning, that’s all!”

   Ochako opened her mouth to protest, but Izuku reached up and slapped his hand over it to silence her. Iida was either oblivious to this or he didn’t care, because he inclined his head to Izuku respectfully. “Please, be careful in the future! It would be a shame to lose a classmate so soon in the school year due to such unfortunate incidents!”

    “Come on, we’re in the best hero course in the country,” Ashido chuckled, rapping her knuckles against the desk. “How dangerous could it be here?”

     ‘ Famous last words,’ Izuku thought wryly. He nodded his goodbyes to the group before he walked to his desk on the far side of the classroom. True to form, Kacchan didn’t look happy, although he seemed to have calmed down a bit at Izuku’s explanation. Neither of them said anything for a while, so Izuku took the opportunity to pull out his notebooks, as well as his schedule. He’d already memorized the thing, but he still found himself constantly second-guessing himself. Sure enough, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and every other Friday, half of the school day was blocked out for ‘hero studies.’ Izuku wasn’t exactly sure what the meant, but he was excited to find out. Whoever the teacher for that class was, they hadn’t been at school the day before for orientation. Izuku had to assume that they were a pro hero like every other teacher in the school, and a busy one, if their absence was to be believed. 

     He couldn’t wait to meet them.

     (x)

    He was going to throw up. 

   This was the one place he was supposed to be safe from Yagi. He’d been counting on having this safe space, surrounded by heroes where he could stay untouched, at least for a little while. He had been looking forward to making friends, trying out his new quirk, and generally blocking out what he was being forced to do outside of school, but now he didn’t even have that. All Might stood at the front of his classroom, his hands on his hips, grinning and talking about the hero costumes he’d had them all design and send in before the year started. Izuku’s ears were ringing so badly that he could hardly hear the man. When he glanced around the classroom, all he saw were excited, awed faces. These were teenagers who only knew the blond man as “All Might, the Number One Hero.” 

    Nobody knew him the way Izuku did. Nobody here knew about All Might’s manipulative side. Nobody here knew that his quirk wasn’t his own, and nobody here knew what All Might’s favorite position was. They didn’t know what his face looked like when he orgasmed, or how he squeezed at Izuku’s hips when he got too excited and left bruises that lasted weeks. None of them knew about how tender All Might could be afterwards, when he caught Izuku crying quietly. They didn’t know how guilty Izuku felt for despising the man he was supposed to be looking up to, even though he had agreed to do whatever All Might wanted. 

    “Oi, shithead,” Katsuki said, breaking through the haze over Izuku’s mind. The younger boy looked up and realized that the majority of their class had stood up and were waiting in line to grab the cases at the front of the room labelled with their seat numbers. Katsuki was holding his case, number seventeen, already, and now stood in front of Izuku’s desk with a scowl. “You’re fucking spacing off when All Might is here? Where’s your head at, huh?” 

    “Sorry,” Izuku said hollowly, standing up. All Might wasn’t in the room anymore, thank god , and his absence made Izuku’s breath come a little easier. His knees were still shaking a bit though. “I just didn’t want to wait in the line.” By then, most of their classmates had left the room to walk to the changing rooms on the first floor. Izuku went to the front of the room and grabbed case number eighteen before turning to walk alongside Katsuki. 

    “Whatever,” the blond shrugged, leading them both down to the first floor. “He said we’re going to be meeting at Ground Beta for some sort of assignment, or something. I’m not covering for you next time, space case.” 

    “Thank you Kacchan,” Izuku said, admittedly with less enthusiasm than usual. If Katsuki noticed then he didn’t say anything, only kept walking. By the time they got to the locker room, some of the less complicatedly-costumed students were almost done. Kaminari and Ojiro’s costumes were basically regular clothes, whereas Iida’s costume seemed to be an entire suit of armor. Izuku’s costume was simply a jumpsuit that his mom had made him, and he felt a bit more excited now that he would finally be allowed to wear it. Besides, All Might couldn’t do anything to him with nineteen other students right there . He would be safe as long as he stayed in the group and didn’t allow himself to be alone with the man. He was still in the best hero school in the country, and there was no way All Might could single him out without raising red flags. 

    He would be fine. He would be fine . 

    (x)

   “Your costume is cool!” Uraraka said the moment she laid eyes on Izuku. The green-haired boy looked down at himself, smiling. Originally the costume had come with a mask painted a bit like a giant smile, as well as a hood with ears that resembled All Might’s hair, but he had opted to not wear either of them out of the locker room. The last thing he wanted to do was draw All Might’s attention to him in any way, shape or form. Without those editions, he simply wore a turquoise jumpsuit with white gloves, with strategic white stripes in certain places to accentuate his musculature. He liked it well enough, although he knew it needed some work. 

   “I like yours, too,” he told Uraraka. She was wearing a tight jumpsuit and a helmet, both of which resembled an astronaut suit. The girl blushed, reaching down to tug at her suit a bit. 

   “It’s much tighter than I wanted,” she admitted. “I don’t know how I feel about it yet.” 

    “I think it’s great!” Kirishima popped up out of nowhere, joining in their conversation. “It looks good on you!” 

    “R-really?” Uraraka looked down at her boots bashfully. “Thank you, Kirishima-kun. I like your costume too.” 

    “Thanks!” The redhead gestured down at himself. His costume didn’t have a shirt, only sleeves. His physique was very impressive for a fifteen year-old, although Izuku suspected it had something to do with his quirk. “It was inspired by Crimson Riot, my favorite hero. He’s why I dye my hair red, too.” 

    “It’s not natural?” Izuku cocked his head. Kirishima laughed. 

   “No, it used to be black.” He shrugged. “I dyed it right before the entrance exam. I… didn’t like myself, so I changed.” His somewhat sad expression brightened once again. “I like who I am now!” 

    “It suits you,” Uraraka said. 

   “So you chose for your hair to be that shitty?” A new voice cut in. All three of them turned, taking in Katsuki’s hero costume. The thing that really caught Izuku’s eyes were the giant grenade-like gauntlets that the blond was wearing, however. He had a feeling that they weren’t just there for style. 

    “Wow, your costume looks awesome!” Uraraka said. 

   “Super manly!” Kirishima agreed. 

   “It’s nice, Kacchan,” Izuku smiled a bit. Katsuki rolled his eyes, trying to seem unaffected. Izuku saw the way the tips of his ears turned pink, though. 

    “Whatever, I don’t care about your opinions,” he sniped. “When’s this stupid class going to start?” 

    All Might was standing on the other side of the sea of students, and yet it was like he heard Katsuki, because he began clapping to get everyone’s attention. “Alright, zygotes, listen up! Today we will be conducting a training exercise! I’m going to pair you off into teams of two and groups of four. One team will be the heroes of the simulation, and the other team will be the villains. It’s the villain team’s job to protect a paper mache bomb that will be placed somewhere in the building. It’s the hero team’s job to try and touch the bomb without allowing the other team wrapping capture tape around them.” 

    Hands began to raise with questions, and from then on, it was game on.

    (x)

     Izuku ended up blocking Katsuki’s explosion with his arm, which led to him and Uraraka winning the battle trial. He passed out from the pain soon after, waking up in Recovery Girl’s office hours later. He’d missed the rest of the battle trials, and it was so late that the sun was setting. He sat up with a groan, rubbing at his head to try to ease the ache behind his eyes. Recovery Girl rolled back her chair away from her computer and crossed her arms, frowning. 

   “You’re finally awake,” she commented. “That was quite the burn you sustained. What was Toshinori thinking, having a battle on the second day of school?” 

    “I don’t know,” Izuku muttered, turning his body so he could sling his legs over the side of the bed. “I should probably get going though. Thank you for healing me up.” 

    Recovery Girl nodded, digging into her pocket for a few energy gummies to get him through the walk home. “Don’t make this a bad habit young man. I won’t be happy if you become a regular patron here.” 

    “Yes, ma’am,” Izuku said dutifully. He ate the gummies on his way down the hall, thinking back over the battle he’d had with Katsuki. Katsuki had seemed angry the entire time, trying to taunt Izuku into using his quirk. When Izuku judo-flipped him over his shoulder, he’d gone from angry to livid , attacking at maximum power. It was Kacchan’s rage that eventually won him and Uraraka their victory, but even so, it worried Midoriya. Katsuki’s anger was a risk for him, especially in battle. Izuku knew how to push his buttons just from being around him for so long, but it wouldn’t exactly take a genius to figure out that the boy had a hair-trigger temper. Villains could use it against him one day. 

     By the time Izuku got to the classroom, he was shocked to find it still nearly full of his classmates. They all turned to him when he slid open the door, and within seconds, they had crowded in front of him. “You were so awesome out there!” Kirishima beamed. 

    “You did a great job dodging!” Ashido cheered, pumping her fist in the air. 

    “It was pretty amazing how you used Bakugou-san’s quirk against him,” Satou said. “I’m Satou Rikidou, by the way.” 

    “I agree,” Aoyama purred, flourishing his hand. “You were quite magnifique, mon amie. I’m Aoyama Yuuga.” 

    “You did a great job dodging!” Ashido repeated. 

    Izuku held up his hands, sweeping his eyes over his classmates helplessly. “I- I know who you all are!”

     “Really? Already?” Ojiro, the boy with the tail, cocked his head. “That was quick.” 

   “I’m good with names,” Izuku flushed. “Did Kacchan leave already?” 

   “Yeah, a few minutes ago,” Uraraka cut through the crowd, grabbing onto Izuku’s arm. She lowered her voice so the entire class wouldn’t hear her, although with how tightly they were packed in, it was debatable if she’d succeeded. “He seemed pretty upset.” 

    “I’ll go after him,” he resolved. He pushed through the crowd of students and grabbed his bag from its place at his desk, where he’d left it before hero training. “Everyone get home safely!” 

    Izuku had never flung himself down a flight of stairs faster, barring the time he’d been pushed down the stairs. When he shoved the front doors of the school open, he was surprised to see Katsuki’s retreating back in the middle of the courtyard. He really hadn’t had much of a head start on Izuku, then. The dark haired boy broke into another run, calling Katsuki’s name. The blond’s shoulders stiffened at the sound of his voice, and his steps quickened a bit. Even so, Izuku put his body in Katsuki’s path only seconds later. 

    “Kacchan,” he panted, holding out a hand to stop him. “Why are you ignoring-” Izuku met Katsuki’s eyes and got his answer before he’d even finished the question. Katsuki’s crimson eyes were rimmed with pink, his lashes wet with tears. His pale skin was a bit flushed as well, so if Izuku hadn’t already realized the boy was crying, he definitely would then. Midoriya was struck with the sudden shameful realization that Katsuki looked beautiful when he was crying. He pushed the thought away as soon as it had come. 

    “Leave me the fuck alone, Deku,” Kacchan snarled, alhtough it lacked its usual bite. He tried to push past Izuku, but Midoriya was a stubborn fucker. He stepped into his friend’s path again, frowning. “Oh my god, what ?” 

    “You’re crying,” Izuku said. Katsuki blustered around for a moment, no doubt about deciding how to confirm or deny the statement. Eventually, it seemed he couldn’t handle the silence, because he scoffed. 

   “Yeah, so what?” He reached out with both hands and pushed Deku’s chest. The boy stumbled back a step, but otherwise didn’t move to get out of Katsuki’s way. “You gonna make fun of me for it? The same way you made fun of me today?” 

    “What are you talking about?” Izuku asked, his tone a healthy mixture of angry and surprised. “I wasn’t making fun of you! What are you talking about?” 

    “Your goddamn quirk!” Katsuki cried. “I was stupid enough to believe you when you said you didn’t know about it, but the way you used it today? You fucking knew, you’re a liar !” 

    “Kacchan, I wasn’t lying!” Izuku protested. He paused to think for a moment, then reiterated his statement. “I wasn’t lying about not having it before, that is. I… I did lie about where it came from.” 

     This was apparently interesting enough for Kacchan to latch onto, because he shut his mouth and continued to glower. Izuku swallowed hard, his mind whirring a mile a minute as he tried to figure out exactly how much to tell Katsuki. Finally, when it looked like the boy was about to explode again, he hurried out with his explanation. “I got my quirk from someone else!” 

     Bakugou froze again mid-yell, leaving his mouth hanging open. “ Excuse me?” 

   “I… I got the quirk from someone else,” Izuku admitted, holding his hands up in surrender. “I can’t tell you who, but this person has a quirk that allowed them to pass it down onto others. He… he chose me to pass it down to.” 

     It looked like Kacchan couldn’t choose between believing Izuku or socking him in the face with an exploding punch. “...You’re lying. There’s no such thing as a quirk you can pass down.” 

    “I-” 

   Suddenly, a large, familiar hand clamped down tightly on Izuku’s shoulder. He instinctively flinched away from the touch, but All Might’s grip only tightened even more. When Izuku looked up, he could tell that his mentor’s smile was strained, only barely staying on. “Young Midoriya! You’re only just healed, I think it would be best if you went straight home from here!” 

    “We’re not done talking,” Katsuki sneered, actually speaking up to the man he’d admired his entire life. Izuku only had a moment to be shocked at the boy’s behavior before All Might’s hand practically crushed his shoulder in its grip. 

   “It’s fine, Kacchan,” he whimpered through clenched teeth. “We can talk some other time. I’m really… not feeling well.” 

    Bakugou narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously. Izuku widened his eyes at him a bit, but he didn’t dare try anything else. Finally, the blond nodded. “Whatever Deku. I’ll talk to you later.” He turned around and walked away without a backward glance. All Might’s grip on Izuku’s shoulder loosened a bit, although any touch from him at all felt suffocatingly tight. When Izuku dared to glance up at the man, he saw disapproval in his eyes. 

    “Now, Izuku,” he started. Izuku felt his heart drop at the use of his given name, as it didn’t usually mean anything good. “I hope you weren’t about to spill our secret to that boy. That can’t be what I was about to witness, was it?” 

    Izuku wasn’t sure what to say. He swallowed hard and looked down at his feet. “No, sir.” 

   “Good, I’m glad. I fear you may have already said too much. Perhaps we should go to my house so we can plan how you will fix this.” 

    It was the last thing Izuku wanted to do, but what choice did he have? “Yes, sir.” 

   “Good. Let’s get going before it gets to be too late. We want you to get home at a reasonable hour, after all.” 

     All Might didn’t release Izuku’s shoulder the entire commute home. By the time Izuku stumbled away from All Might’s house with a sore jaw and throat, and an aching soul, it felt like the man’s touch was burned into his skin. He spent an extra long time in the shower that night, trying to scrub it off. It didn’t make him feel any less dirty.

Chapter Text

   Katsuki watched Izuku drag himself into the classroom with bags under his eyes to rival Aizawa’s. He looked like shit frozen over and heated in a microwave, and even that was a generous description. His hair was messier than usual, shoved off to one side like he hadn’t bothered to comb it. His normally tan skin was pale, and he somehow looked more gaunt than he had the day before. His uniform was crumpled and slightly askew, as if he had thrown it on and didn’t bother to straighten it out. 

    He plopped down into his desk behind Katsuki, grumbling out a greeting to him. The blond turned in his seat to face the greenet, scowling at him. Now that he had a closer look, he could see what appeared to be small bruises on either side of Izuku’s chin. They were no bigger than nickels, and similarly shaped. Katsuki couldn’t for the life of him figure out what they might be. Instead of focusing on them, he decided to confront the boy on his suspicious behavior from the day before. “Oi, Deku. We gonna finish our fucking discussion today or what?” 

    Izuku took his time meeting Katsuki’s eyes, like the action took every last ounce of energy inside of him. “I don’t think it’s the best idea, Kacchan.”

    “Well, tough shit! I want to know what the fuck is going on with you!” Katsuki only barely managed to keep himself from setting off sparks in his palms. It was just like Deku to chicken out on telling him a secret. 

    The boy’s emerald eyes hooded a bit with exhaustion. “I was making it up. I wanted you to forgive me, so I made it up. I knew I had a quirk the whole time, I just didn’t tell you.” 

     Katsuki’s heart skipped a beat. “You’re lying.” 

   Izuku shook his head. “Believe whatever you want, I can’t stop you.” The boy put his head down on the desk, clearly done with the conversation. Katsuki forced himself to face the front of the room again, clenching his fists so he wouldn’t blow up the entire fucking room. A minute or two later, the girl with the earphone jacks took her seat at his right. When she noticed his tense expression, she raised an eyebrow, but otherwise didn’t say anything. He was glad that she wasn’t as nosy as some of the others in class already were. 

    Aizawa came into the classroom a few minutes later, causing the room to fall silent almost immediately. The dark-haired man nodded, pleased with this. “Today, we have something of the utmost importance to discuss, so I expect all of you to pay close attention.” The entire class leaned forward with bated breath. “You all must choose a Class Representative.” 

    “That’s so normal!” the Pikachu wannabe cried, seeming relieved. 

    “I want to be Class Rep!” Pink-skinned girl said, getting out of her seat. 

   “Oh, oh, so do I!” Invisibitch said from in front of Katsuki. The rest of the class followed the two girls’ lead, chattering about wanting to take the position. 

   “Being Class Rep would probably get me all the ladies, right? Right?”

   “Being Class Rep would be so manly!” 

   “It would be a great way to make friends, kero .” 

   “I’d be perfect for the job!” 

   “Sensei!” Four Eyes called over the pandemonium, pushing his glasses up his nose. “I believe the best way to decide this would be taking a vote, the American way!”

   “I don’t care how you do it, so long as you don’t wake me up,” the teacher yawned, walking behind his desk to pull out his sleeping bag. ‘ I should have known.’ The tired bastard wrapped himself up in the yellow fabric, turning his back to the class. 

    “Are we really sure voting is the best idea?” Tail boy asked, looking around. “I mean, we don’t really know each other yet.” 

    “Yeah, we’d just vote for ourselves,” Earphones muttered.

    “That’s precisely why it is a good idea!” Glasses said, chopping his arm up and down like a robot. “That way, whoever has the most votes once we tally is truly who deserves to be President.” 

    “Sounds good to me,” Six-arms shrugged. “Who needs paper?” 

   Katsuki took out a pencil and a sheet of paper, ripping it up a bit so that he didn’t waste an entire sheet on this shit. He ended up passing one of his pieces behind him to Deku, who hadn’t asked, but still smiled tiredly at him anyway. They were both aware that the boy had been spouting utter bullshit earlier, but Katsuki wasn’t such a dick that he couldn’t acknowledge the fact that Deku was clearly not in the mood to converse. That was fine. Katsuki could wait. 

    ‘ Who the fuck should I vote for?’ He thought to himself, glancing around the room. ‘ Definitely not Four Eyes, he pisses me off. Maybe Ponytail?’ He looked to his left, using the reflection of the wall of windows to see the end of his row of desks. Ponytail was bent over her desk, scribbling something on paper. ‘ No, not her.’ Then a thought struck him. ‘ You know who would be really pissed off?’ A wry smirk lifted to his face, and he wrote down the name that came to mind. A few minutes later, Invisi-bitch went around the room and gathered all the papers, going to the front of the room to hand them to Iida. Both she and the boy went through the votes, both of them making sure the other wasn’t cheating. In a neat, nearly typed script, Iida wrote each of their classmates' names on the whiteboard, along with how many votes said person had. He didn’t bother writing the names of the few who didn’t have any votes. 

    Asui Tsuyu: One vote

   Iida Tenya: One vote

   Uraraka Ochako: One vote 

   Ojiro Mashirao: One vote

   Kaminari Denki: One vote

   Satou Rikidou: One vote

   Shoji Mezo: One vote

   Sero Hanta: One vote

   Tokoyami Fumikage: One vote

   Hagakure Tooru: One vote

   Midoriya Izuku: Four votes (Bakugou, Aoyama, Ashido, Yaomomo)

   Mineta Minoru: One vote

   Yaoyorozu Momo: Three votes (Jirou, Izuku, Todoroki)

   “Three votes?” Deku hollered, standing up so quickly, his chair screeched against the linoleum floor. “Who voted for me?” 

    “I did,” Ashido said, beaming from the other side of the room. Aoyama twinkled, winking at Izuku. 

   “I did as well, mon amie . You were quite spectacular during the battles, yesterday!” 

   “I voted for you as well,” Yaomomo said, twisting her ponytail nervously. “I admire your determination yesterday, too.”

    “I voted for you,” Katsuki admitted, shrugging. This seemed to shock Izuku the most, given the way he nearly gave himself whiplash looking at him. 

    “Why did you vote for me?!” 

   “I thought you’d flip out,” Katsuki said. “And oh look, it worked.” 

  “ Kacchan- ”

     “It looks like Midoriya will be our Class Rep, and Yaoyorozu will be our Vice,” Aizawa declared, having apparently crawled out of his sleeping bag at some point. The entire class flinched, as none of them had noticed him. “Now that that’s over with, let’s get started on today’s lesson.” 

     By the time lunch rolled around, Deku still hadn’t gotten over his win. He hadn’t bothered getting a lunch tray, only putting his head in his hands with his elbows propped on the table. Katsuki sat across from him picking at his spicy curry, watching the boy’s tantrum. Uraraka reached to pat the boy’s shoulder, although she clearly didn’t feel bad about it at all. “Come on Deku-kun, isn’t it kind of flattering? You made an impression on so many people!” 

    “I can’t be Class Rep,” Izuku groaned, digging the heels of his hands into his eye sockets. “I don’t have the… the…” he looked up, glaring at Katsuki. “What’s the word?”

    “Spunk?” Uraraka supplied.

   “Charisma?” Katsuki frowned. 

    “Manliness?” Kirishima jumped in. When the other three looked at him, he batted his eyelashes innocently. “He totally has the manliness. I was just saying.” 

     “All of the above,” Deku said. “I should just go tell Aizawa-sensei that I can’t do it. When would I even get the time?” 

    It occurred to Katsuki that he had assumed Deku quit his part-time job once he’d joined U.A., although that didn’t appear to be true. “Oi, do you still have that job?” 

    Izuku looked down at the table, picking at his cuticles nervously. “Yeah, I do.” 

   “You have a job?” Uraraka asked, leaning in closer to Deku. “Where?” 

    Izuku looked up and cleared his throat. “I’d rather not say… I don’t want anyone getting any bright ideas about visiting me.” He shot them all the stink-eye. Katsuki rolled his eyes, even though Deku was totally right. Kirishima and Uraraka were totally the types to stalk him at work. Even Katsuki could admit that it might be fun to torture the nerd a little bit when he had to be nice and not talk back. 

    “I get it,” Uraraka nodded, although she seemed disappointed. “I just-” 

   Before she could finish her sentence, a loud, blaring alarm cut through the air. It was so loud that Katsuki dropped his chopsticks to slap his hands over his ears, squeezing his eyes shut like that would help him block out the sound. He heard Uraraka questioning a third-year student about what the alarm meant, but given he’d read the student handbook, he already knew. 

    Someone was inside of the school.

     (x)

    “What are we looking for?” Kurogiri asked Shigaraki, stationed at the door to the file room. Tomura pawed through the file cabinets with four fingers, careful not to disintegrate anything that might be useful. 

    “Anything to help us pin down All Might’s schedule,” the blue-haired man replied. “Keep watch on the door. It would be bad if anyone saw us in here.” 

    “I’m sure there are security cameras,” Kurogiri stated. Shigaraki rolled his eyes.

   “Of course there are, that’s why I disintegrated the cameras. Shut up and keep watch like a good little dog.” Kurogiri grumbled to himself but stayed at his post. Just as Shigaraki was about to give up and destroy everything in the god-forsaken room, something caught his eye. He pulled it out of the cabinet and grinned when he read the paper. It was the schedule of Class 1-A, the class that All Might was teaching that year. “Kurogiri! We have what we need. Let’s get out of here.”

   “Yes, Shigaraki,” Kurogiri said. Shigaraki allowed himself to be enveloped of black mist, grinning to himself all the way through the teleportation. 

   (x)

  “Are you done with your pissy mood, yet?” 

   Izuku sighed, turning around to face his childhood friend. He’d been aware of Katsuki following him home from school, but he figured that it was only because they lived in the same neighborhood. They stood at the crossroad where they would have to part, Katsuki to go left towards home, and Izuku to go right to his apartment building. Katsuki had clearly been waiting for this moment to spring his words on Izuku. 

   “If I said no, would you leave me alone?” 

    “No. I want to finish what you fucking started. You said that you received your quirk from someone else. Is that really true, or is it true that you lied about it to get me to forgive you?” 

    Izuku shook his head. “Honestly Kacchan, you should just forget about it. I shouldn’t have said anything to you. Do us both a favour and just drop it.” 

    Katsuki snorted, like Izuku was making a joke. “When have I ever been known to ‘drop’ something?” 

    “Point taken. I’m still not going to tell you.” Izuku turned and began walking towards his building. Katsuki stayed at the crossroads, watching Izuku go. When he was almost out of earshot, the blond spoke, yelling after him like a crazy person. 

     “I’ll figure it out on my own, you know! I always do!” 

    Izuku didn’t grace that with a response. When he entered his apartment, the first thing he noticed was that his mother’s shoes were lined neatly at the genkan. He wasn’t aware that she would even be home today, and he found his heart quickly filling with excitement. He bounded into the kitchen, looking around before he made his way to the living room. There sat his mother, watching television on the couch, looking a bit tired. When she noticed him she grinned and stood up. “Izuku, you’re home!” 

   “Mom!” The two embraced for a long moment, both of them finding comfort in each other’s arms. For that moment, Izuku forgot about every other stress in his life. All Might wasn’t a concern, Kacchan’s suspicions weren’t a concern, and neither was school or his quirk. He was just a teenage boy worrying about his mother. When they pulled away from each other the spell was broken, although no less comfortable. “I’m surprised you’re home so early. Did something happen?” 

    “We were overstaffed for the night, so they let me go home,” Inko replied, making her way back to the couch. Izuku followed and plopped down next to her, noticing for the first time that there was a shopping bag on the coffee table. Inko noticed him noticing and laugh, reaching to grab the bag before she gave it to him. “It’s for you. We’ve had a little extra money thanks to you, and I wanted to use a bit of my savings to get you something. Just as a ‘thank you’ for everything you’re doing.” 

   “Mom,” Izuku croaked tearfully. “You didn’t need to do that.” 

   “I wanted to!” Inko protested, pushing the gift into his chest harder. “You’re my baby, and you’re already taking care of me. I want to spoil you every once in a while. Please, open it!” 

    Izuku could tell when he was fighting a useless battle, so he relented. Inko hadn’t bothered to wrap the gift, just keeping it in the shopping bag she’d brought it home in. Izuku didn’t mind either way. He pulled open the ties of the plastic and froze when he saw what was inside. Inko must have taken his reaction as one of shocked joy rather than fearful nausea, because she laughed and clapped her hands like a happy toddler. “I noticed this All Might figurine on your wishlist! It was a bit expensive, but my little boy is worth it. Do you like it?” 

     Izuku’s mouth was so dry that he wasn’t sure he’d be able to speak. The action figure was a mint-condition limited edition Silver Age All Might figure, with the detachable cape. It was a rare find, and he knew that it had probably cost his mother a lot more than she was letting on. Months ago Izuku would have been jumping up and down and hugging the box to his chest, but now, he had to refrain from throwing up all over their house slippers. He took down his All Might shrine the very day he stumbled into his apartment with the worst hangover and broken heart in his life, as he’d been unable to look at the man who’d… had his way with him Clearly his mother hadn’t noticed,  not that he blamed her. She had bigger, more important things to worry about. 

    “I love it,” he whispered. He couldn’t look her in the eye as he wrapped the box carefully in the plastic bag again. “I can’t believe you did this for me.” 

    “You mean everything to me, baby,” Inko said soothingly, reaching out to rub a comforting trail on his back. “I would give you the world if you asked.” 

     Izuku looked up with a genuine smile this time. “Ditto, mom. I love you so much.” He clapped his hands on his knees and used his hands to push himself up. “It’s my turn to make dinner tonight, so I was thinking some rice balls with fun fillings, like curry or seaweed. I’ll go get started on it right now.” 

    “Thank you, Izuku.” 

    “Don’t worry about it, mom.”

     (x)

   Yagi waited at his front door with baited breath, glancing down at his phone every once in a while to check for a text. He’d requested that Izuku meet him at his home after school. Since it was a Monday, Toshinori hadn’t had to attend that day, and had instead spent his day saving people in his muscle form. He’d really pushed himself, and thought that perhaps he deserved a break. 

     Some part of him knew that what he was doing with Midoriya was wrong- of course it was wrong, the boy was technically a child - and yet he couldn’t seem to bring himself to stop. There was something about the vulnerable pain in the boy’s eyes when Yagi used him, about the way tears streamed down his cheeks no matter what they were doing. Toshinori knew that Izuku would never tell anyone about their little arrangement, and he was thankful for it. The younger knew as much as Toshinori did that being the Number One Hero was stressful, and that he needed- no, deserved a release. 

    Izuku was that release. 

  There was a timid knock on the other side of the front door that broke Toshinori out of his thoughts. The older man took a deep breath and waited for a moment before he opened the front door. Izuku stood there in his adorable uniform, shifting nervously from foot to foot, unable to look Yagi in the eye. Toshinori stepped back from the doorway to make room for Izuku to come inside. “Please, come in, my boy!” 

    “Pardon the intrusion,” Midoriya muttered, All Might brushed a hand against Izuku’s back, trying to guide him back toward the bedroom. Midoriya didn’t move a muscle, pretending like he hadn’t felt All Might’s touch. “U-um, did you… have a nice day?” 

    Yagi held back a scowl. He didn’t want to waste precious time on small talk, time that could be spent taking Midoriya apart. Still, he didn’t want to scare the boy, so instead of snapping at him, he plastered on a smile. “I was saving people for as long as I could. It gets exhausting.”    

     Izuku blinked and nodded slowly, like he wasn’t all there. All Might tried to use the dazed distraction to nudge Izuku toward the bedroom again, but just as they passed the threshold, the boy seemed to regain his surroundings. His feet locked in place once more. “I- I don’t think-” 

    All Might’s patience was beginning to wear thin. He locked his hand tightly around Izuku’s bicep, uncaring if it hurt the boy or not. He began dragging him to his bed in the middle of the room, ignoring Izuku’s struggles as he tried to dig his heels into the carpeted floor. “You’re beginning to annoy me , Izuku. You won’t like me when I’m annoyed.” He tossed the smaller boy onto his bed, watching his body bounce once from the impact. Izuku scrambled to sit up but otherwise made no move to get off the bed. He simply watched as Toshinori stripped his shirt over his head. 

    “I already don’t like you,” Midoriya said quietly, his fingers gripping the duvet. Yagi paused, scowling. 

    “I hope you aren’t getting second thoughts, Izuku. We have a deal, you know.” He unbuckled his belt and stripped it out of his jeans, staring at it for a moment. He began slowly lacing the belt unto itself, creating a makeshift pair of hand restraints. It was beginning to sound like he would need to use them. 

    “I want to break the deal,” Izuku snapped. His eyes were already beginning to fill with tears. “I can’t do this anymore!” 

    “You can,” Yagi said coldly. ‘ I didn’t spend this much time grooming this fucking kid just for him to back out!’

     “I can’t,” Izuku gulped. “I’m not strong enough.”

   Toshinori could feel himself beginning to panic. If he lost his control over Izuku, who knew what the boy would do. He could tell people about Yagi, and while many of them wouldn’t believe him, the majority would take a child’s claims over an adult’s. He didn’t have to know that, though. “After everything I’ve done for you? If you can’t handle this, then I’m going to have to take One for All back. It needs to go to someone I can trust .” He made sure to soften his face into a hurt expression. If there was one thing he’d learned about Midoriya in the time they’d spent together, it was that he couldn’t stand the thought of hurting someone, or leaving them alone to suffer when he could help. It worked in Yagi’s favour, now. 

      “But I…” Izuku’s lip began to tremble. “I already got into U.A.!” 

    “And I’m a teacher there,” Toshinori reminded. “I could expel you if I wanted.”

    “You- you can’t do that! I’ll- I’ll tell!” 

    “Oh, Izuku.” All Might was on top of him and pinning him down before he could even blink. Toshinori preened under the boy’s fearful gaze, enjoying the rush it gave him to pin the boy down. It wasn’t often that he got to feel powerful when in his true form. He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Izuku’s jaw, allowing his breath to ghost over his ear. Izuku’s entire body shivered underneath his touch. “ No one will ever believe you.”  

    It was the first night Izuku was entirely silent while Yagi had his way with him. He was limp and compliant, the only sign he was even conscious being the steady stream of silent tears running from his eyes. 

     (x)

     Katsuki watched Deku’s reflection out of the corner of his eye in silent judgement. The green haired boy didn’t even seem cognizant of the fact that their teacher was speaking , much less the fact that he was announcing a field trip of sorts. It was Wednesday, the second week of school, and yet Deku already seemed to be losing steam. The younger boy had seemed fine all throughout school on Monday, but from the moment he stepped into the classroom on Tuesday morning, he’d been nearly catatonic. Round Face and Shitty Hair tried speaking to him during breaks and throughout lunch, but he merely grunted in response, or gave one-word answers. It was only during their hero studies when the boy seemed to come out of his haze. They’d had one-on-one quirkless sparring matches with each other under All Might’s supervision. Deku had nearly broken the spine of the frog-faced girl. 

    Now, it appeared he was back to his odd behavior. Katsuki had never seen the boy like this before- he didn’t like it one bit. He wasn’t used to not knowing everything there was to know about Deku. It was an unsettling thing to feel. 

    “Now, you can either wear your hero costume or your school gym uniform, I don’t care which,” Aizawa said, pulling a fob remote from the folds of his scarf. Katsuki could swear the man could hide a small child in there. He pressed the button on the remote, activating the hidden shelves within one side of the classroom wall that held their hero suit cases. The noise started Deku into paying attention again, as did the rustle of students standing up to go get their costumes. “Meet me at the front gates in twenty minutes. We have to drive to the second location.” 

    “Second location?” Deku whispered as soon as the chattering of students would cover his words. “Kacchan, what are we doing?” 

    “Why the fuck weren’t you paying attention, nerd?” Katsuki hissed back, turning in his seat to glare at his childhood friend. Deku shrank back at the harsh words, causing Katsuki to pause. Deku hadn’t reacted like that to his insults since they were much younger. The last time he’d cowered from Katsuki like that was the day that Katsuki told him to- “We’re going to do some rescue training at a different facility.” He stood from his desk and waited for the crowd of their classmates to thin out a little before he approached his own case. “Your costume is probably still fucked, so you’ll have to wear your gym uniform.” 

    “Okay,” Izuku said, following Katsuki out of the classroom. “Rescue training, huh? That sounds interesting.” 

    “What the fuck is going on with you, nerd?” Katsuki asked immediately. He didn’t see a need to beat around the bush. “You’ve been acting weird since yesterday. It’s freaking me the fuck out. Round Face and Shitty Hair think you hate them.” Sure enough, when the two boys looked ahead of them to where the rest of their classmates were talking while they walked to the first floor locker rooms, Uraraka and Kirishima were already glancing back at them. When the four of them met eyes, the other two whipped around and began frantically whispering to each other. Izuku’s shoulders deflated a bit when he realized the effect he’d had on his three friends. 

    “Sorry,” he muttered. “I didn’t mean to make you all upset.” 

   “I’m not fucking upset!” Katsuki barked. HIs palms sparked a bit, so he clenched his fists to calm it down. “ They’re the ones worried about you, not me!” 

    Deku’s mouth lifted into a soft, tired smile. “And that’s why you asked me what’s going on, right? Because you don’t care?” 

    “Sh-shut the fuck up!” Katsuki spat. “You’re so fucking embarrassing, leave me the fuck alone!” He stomped forward into the thick of their classmates, leaving Izuku behind at the back of the pack. It wasn’t until he was halfway through pulling on his hero costume that he realized Deku had purposefully poked at a sore spot so that Katsuki would stop asking him questions. Sometimes it was easy to forget that the little shit knew Katsuki just as well as Katsuki knew him. ‘ Motherfucker, he’s good.’

     (x)

   “I mean, if we’re talking flashy quirks, then I think Bakugou, Midoriya and Todoroki have the rest of us beat,” Yaomomo said. “Although, it’s a little scary that Midoriya keeps breaking his bones.” She gave Izuku an apologetic smile when he blushed. 

    “I wish I had a flashy quirk,” Kirishima said wistfully, lifting up one of his arms so he could activate his quirk. “It would probably make me more popular.” 

    “No way, your quirk is plenty amazing!” Izuku couldn’t stop himself from saying it. Kirishima looked up hopefully, which only made Izuku feel even worse about worrying the guy. ‘ He really does think I hate him now, doesn’t he?’ “I mean, you can save so many people with that quirk! Plus, it’s the perfect counterpart to Kacchan’s quirk, so it has to be pretty cool.” 

    “Shut the fuck up Deku! He couldn’t beat me if I fucking blindfolded myself!” Kacchan spat from his spot in one of the benches. Jirou, who was sitting next to him, scowled at his volume. Iida was sitting just behind them, still pouting about the fact that he wasn’t able to organize their classmates to sit on the bus. Everyone had decided to just leave him to it, it seemed. 

    “Bakugou-chan’s quirk may be flashy, but with an attitude like that, he’ll never be popular, kero ,” Asui said, tapping her chin with her finger. Across from her, Kaminari mouthed the girly honorific that the girl had put at the end of Bakugou’s name. 

    “Hey, fuck off Kermit!” Kacchan sneered. 

   “Oh, come on,” Kaminari chimed in, smiling mischievously. “It’s pretty telling that we’ve only known you less than two weeks, and already we can tell your personality is like sewage mixed with rotting garbage.” 

   For some inexplicable reason, rage began to fill Izuku’s chest. Maybe it was a buildup of feelings from the past two days, ever since All Might had dropped the truth bomb that nobody would ever believe him if he told. Maybe it was just a buildup of every negative emotion he forced himself to fight down for as long as he could remember. In any case, he couldn’t stop himself from blowing the fuck up at Kaminari Denki. 

    “What the fuck do you know about him?” Izuku seethed, catching the attention and surprise of everyone on the bus. Kacchan’s mouth snapped closed, as he had been about to defend himself. Nineteen pairs of eyes stared at him, twenty if he counted the fact that Aizawa’s body had stiffened at the sound of his voice, although his eyes were still closed. Izuku didn’t stop his tirade however, although he was conscious of the fact that he was going overboard. “You don’t know anything about Kacchan, and you shouldn’t judge him when you don’t even know him! You want to know what I’ve learned about you in the past two weeks, you ignorant little-”

   “ Deku ,” Katsuki said, his voice softer than Izuku had heard in a long time. “It’s okay. Calm down, it’s okay.” 

    Izuku realized his limbs were shaking and he was breathing hard. He was suddenly rapidly blinking back tears, ‘ when had those gotten there?’ Katsuki was kneeling in front of him in an instant, concern painting his normally rough features. Izuku was vaguely aware of Iida yelling at Katsuki to get back in his seat, but he wasn’t really focused on that. Kacchan’s warm red eyes were all he was focusing on. ‘ Kacchan… Kacchan’s here. Kacchan wouldn’t let anything happen to me… would he?’  

   ‘ Why don’t you take a swan dive off the roof of the building?’ an echo of a memory said back. 

   ‘ He didn’t mean that.’

   ‘ You know who else you keep making that excuse for?’

   ‘ Kacchan is not All Might. Kacchan could never be like him.’

   ‘ Do you really believe that? After all he’s put you through?’

    “We’re here,” Aizawa’s voice said, shattering whatever weird conversation Izuku was having with himself. When Izuku looked up, he realized that everyone on the bus was still staring at him. Aizawa looked down at Katsuki kneeling on the floor, then up again at Izuku. “Are you alright, Problem Child?” 

   “Problem… child?” Izuku asked, his voice hoarse.

   “You’re a problematic kid,” Aizawa said in a monotone. “Now get off the bus, all of you.” 

   They did as their teacher asked, Izuku included. Katsuki practically stuck to his back like glue, but in all honesty, Izuku didn’t mind much. He liked the knowledge that Katsuki cared about him more than he let on. Once all of the students were off of the bus, Aizawa led them towards the giant, dome-like building, in front of which a familiar pro-hero stood. Uraraka began to gush about No. 13 being her favourite hero, while Kaminari whistled under his breath. 

    “This place reminds me of Universal Studios of Japan,” he commented. 

   Aizawa stood next to Thirteen, crossing his arms. The twenty students gathered in a half-circle around them, waiting for their next instructions. Thirteen’s smile was evident through their voice when they spoke. “Welcome, students! You are now standing at the Unforseen Simulaton Joint, aka ‘USJ’!”

    All of Class A glanced at each other, thinking the same thing. ‘ Exactly like Universal Studios of Japan.’ Thirteen didn’t seem to notice, instead breaking off into a long speech about the importance of utilizing one’s quirk to the best of their abilities in order to both save people, and be cautious. They led the students to the double doors of the building, pushing them open so that they could all enter. 

    ‘ Holy freaking crap,’ Izuku thought, his eyes wide as he took in the entirety of the dome. They all stood at the top of a massive platform attached to an equally impressive staircase. From their vantage point, Izuku could pick out all of the simulations that the place was named after; there was a giant lake, crumbling buildings, a burning city, and other things equally such. The whole facility was absolutely massive, and Izuku began to understand why they had to drive to it rather than walk. 

    Thirteen was speaking again, but Izuku was too distracted and in-awe of the sights. His ADHD went untreated because he didn’t like the way the pills made him feel, and at times like this, he could really feel it. His eyes couldn’t seem to focus on one place within the building, and his mind was running overdrive creating rescue scenarios, problems and solutions for each area. Before he could get too lost in his own thoughts, though, the lights in the building began to flicker. 

    Judging from the looks on their teachers’ faces, Izuku could guess that this wasn’t a normal occurrence. Moments later, when a giant swirling abyss appeared at the bottom of the staircase, in the plaza, Izuku realized that his suspicions were so much worse than he’d thought. 

    “Everybody, stay back!” Aizawa cried, whipping his capture weapon off of his shoulders. Thirteen stepped in front of the mass of students with their arms outspread, as if their wingspan could cover them all. Kirishima, the loveable idiot, peeked around Thirteen’s arms to try and see into the plaza. Tens upon tens of villains were stepping out of the whirlpool, which was apparently a portal, beginning to fill up the area below them. When Izuku looked up to take inventory, he could see what looked like the same portals dropping villains off in each sector of the building. ‘ Uh oh. There are at least a hundred of these guys.’

    “Is this part of training…?” Kirishima asked timidly. Aizawa activated his quirk, pulling his goggles down over his eyes to shield them from any threats. 

    “Those are real villains!” The man snapped. “Thirteen, protect the students!” 

   “Eraserhead!” Izuku yelped before he could stop himself. He surged forward and grabbed the man’s elbow in an effort to stop him. “Your quirk isn’t made for big fights like these! You’ll die!” 

    Aizawa smirked at Izuku, for the first time projecting the utter confidence of a seasoned pro-hero. “I wouldn’t get very far in my career if I was a one-trick pony, Midoriya.” He shook off Izuku’s grip. “Now, stay back and out of the way, Problem Child!” 

    “Kurogiri,” a man down in the plaza said, his voice loud enough to echo throughout the area. “Begin level one immediately.” 

    “As you wish, Shigaraki Tomura,” the man made of mist bowed. In the split second before all-hell broke loose, Izuku realized that three of them seemed to be the “leaders”- a blue haired, ragged man with disembodied hands covering his body, the man made of the portal mist, and a giant, hulking villain that appeared more bird-like that even Tokoyami. 

     Three things happened at the same moment. Aizawa jumped into the fray of villains down below, beginning to battle them all. Thirteen yelled at all of the students to begin running for the front doors. Lastly, the mist man appeared in front of them all on the platform, spreading out his portal-like body so that it would be impossible for them to go around him. “I’m afraid I cannot let you go,” the man said, almost sounding apologetic. “My master has given me my orders. I must spread you all throughout the USJ, where you will be slowly tortured and killed.” 

    “Everyone, get behind me!” Thirteen called. Most of the students did so, with the exception of Midoriya, Bakugou and Kirishima. The three boys stayed in their places towards the sides of Thirteen, unwilling to leave the hero completely unprotected, despite their inexperience. Kurogiri didn’t seem to pay them any mind, even when his glowing yellow eyes surveyed the crowd. 

    “Where is All Might?” he asked.

    “He’s not here,” Thirteen said bravely, holding out their arm, bracing it with their other hand. “He got a little… busy.” 

    “Pity,” Kurogiri sighed, seeming genuinely disappointed. “Oh, well. I suppose killing a few kids would get him here.” 

    It was the last thing Izuku heard before he was overtaken by the black mist. 

     (x)

       “We’re all going to die!” Mineta wailed, grabbing at the balls in place of his hair. Izuku and As- and Tsu watched him freak out, before they looked at each other with knowing looks. ‘ How did he even get into the hero course?’ Asui’s eyes seemed to say. 

   ‘ I have no clue,’ Izuku’s eyes said back. Mineta pointed a finger at them accusingly, even as snot dribbled out of his nose. 

    “I know what you’re thinking, you weirdos! Stop judging me before we all die!” 

   “We won’t die if you stick to the plan,” Izuku said sternly. “Do you remember what you have to do?” 

    “It’s never going to work,” the purple toddler cried. “I can’t believe I’m going to die a virgin!” 

   “Are you sure you can do it, Midoriya-chan?” Tsu asked, using that girly honorific again. “You’ll probably have to break your fingers, again. Can you handle the pain?” 

    ( large, calloused hands raked over izuku’s body as the hard, hot thing speared into him over and over and over again)

     “I can do it,” he said gravely. His tone got even Mineta to fall silent, and both of his shipmates stared at him. He shook himself out of the break flashback, ignoring what it probably meant for his mental health. “Both of you, hold onto me tight and don’t let go.”

     By the time the villains were taken care of and the three of them swam to shore, Izuku was grinding his teeth against the pain in his hand. Still, something about it seemed grounding him- it was something else to focus on, something beside his anxiety and fear of the situation. He found himself clenching and unclenching his fist in order to send more spikes of pain through his hand. They crouched behind a few bushes just in front of the shoreline, bordering the plaza where two of the three main villains were standing. Aizawa seemed to be fighting off the last of the thirty or fourty villains he’d been stuck with, kicking their asses. Izuku had to admit, he’d been wrong about his teacher not being able to handle himself. 

     The man covered in hands, Shigaraki, was scratching at the skin of his neck hard enough to draw blood. “No, no . This isn’t going as planned. The final boss should be here. Why isn’t he here?” 

     The third villain didn’t respond. When Izuku watched it closer, he realized that it really wasn’t moving at all . It appeared catatonic, its eyes not even tracking the motions of Eraserhead’s fight with the lingering villains. ‘ Is it… dead? No, it’s breathing. What the hell is wrong with it?’

    “Fine,” Shigaraki snapped to no one in particular. “If All Might isn’t here, I’ll have to take out the next best thing.” The blue-haired man lunged into the fight with Eraserhead just as the hero took down the last villain. Shigaraki had surprise on his side, and was able to reach out a hand to grab hold of Eraserhead’s right elbow. The younger man cackled like the villain he was, and Izuku watched with horror as Eraserhead’s quirk deactivated. He’d had to blink. It was enough time for Shigaraki’s quirk to take hold, his touch dissolving Aizawa’s black clothes like cotton candy in water. Asui slapped a hand to her mouth to stifle a scream while they all watched the villain’s touch disintegrate their teacher’s arm . 

    “I’ve been counting, Eraserhead,” the villain taunted. “You don’t have much time before you have to give your eyes a rest. It hurts, doesn’t it?” 

    Eraserhead jerked in the man’s hold, one of his legs instinctively coming up to plant a hard kick on the villain’s chest. The handy man stumbled backwards and wheezed, falling onto his side hard enough to knock the hand on his face off of it. The hand slid towards the fountain in the middle of the plaza, and Shigaraki’s voice was hoarse and breathless as he reached after it. “F-father!” 

     Aizawa was on his knees, clutching at his elbow to try to stifle the bleeding. Even from one hundred feet away, Izuku could see the muscle and bone that had been exposed from Shigaraki’s attack. Without the man’s destructive quirk getting rid of it, Aizawa’s blood was beginning to coat the ground, as well as his own body. Shigaraki sat himself up, his face clearly filled with rage. 

   “Noumu!” He yelled. The bird creature snapped to attention for the first time since the villains arrived, angling its body slightly toward its master. “Grab Eraserhead! Teach him a lesson!” 

    The thing moved in between Izuku’s blinks. It was at Aizawa’s side and grabbing the man in a tight hold that had to have crushed a few ribs, before it laced one of its huge, clawed hands in the back of the older man’s dark hair. Izuku, Tsu and Mineta watched in astonished terror when the Noumu slammed their treacher’s face into the concrete hard enough to leave a crater. 

     The handy villain was making his way towards the discarded hand, muttering to himself about game levels, or something. Just like that fateful day so many months before, Izuku’s feet moved without thinking. He ignored Tsu’s and Mineta’s frantic whispering, moving out of their hiding place to run toward his teacher. The Noumu had just finished bashing the man’s head into the concrete for the third time, and Izuku made sure to avoid looking at the ground where the man’s face had created an imprint. Instead, he built up every ounce of rage, fear and despair he had inside of him. He opened his mouth, briefly contemplating using one of All Might’s catchphrases, simply out of habit from his childhood games. Instead, he roared an enraged scream that told of everything he was feeling. 

      When he landed his punch on the Noumu, a few things surprised him. First of all, his arm wasn’t completely shattered like he’d expected it to be. Instead, and more surprisingly, his punch had merely landed on the Noumu and knocked him back a few inches. Izuku had the feeling that if he’d used even a smidgen less power, then the Noumu wouldn’t have moved at all. He didn’t have much time to contemplated what this meant, because in the next second, he was caught up in one of the Noumu’s huge fists. His lungs were practically squeezed out of him, and he frantically gasped for air. 

     Shigaraki approached him, a manic glint in his eye. “Well, well. A new boss has appeared in our level, hasn’t it?” 

     “What the hell are you on ?” Izuku couldn’t help but blurt. Shigaraki scowled and waved his hand. The Noumu’s grip became that much tighter, enough that Izuku could physically feel his ribs cracking and breaking into jagged pieces. The lance of pain was almost enough to make him black out, but he didn’t allow himself to. Not yet. Not when people still needed saving. 

    “You’ve got a mouth on you,” Tomura observed. “You even moved my Noumu a bit. What’s your quirk?” 

    “It’s called ‘Bite Me,’” Izuku snarled. He tried wiggling in the creature’s hold, but of course it was entirely useless. Shigaraki didn’t seem to tolerate Izuku’s sarcasm, if the intense way he was scratching his skin meant anything. ‘ Hasn’t this guy ever heard of moisturizer?’

     “You’re wearing my patience down,” Shigaraki hissed. “Now, where is All Might? He was supposed to be here! I was meant to kill him today!” 

    Izuku’s heart skipped a beat, and his jaw dropped a little bit. “You… You’re trying to kill All Might? You really think you can do it?” It was twisted, but hope sparked inside of his chest. If All Might was killed by villains, then that meant Izuku would be completely free from him. 

     “That’s what we made the Noumu for,” Shigaraki said. “He’s a bioengineered model of the perfect killing machine. The kicker?” he smirked evilly. “He has multiple quirks.” 

     Izuku swallowed hard, putting all of the pieces together. All Might had a quirk that stockpiled and was able to be passed down. If he was gathering the tiny bits of information All Might had correctly, then the man had some sort of grudge against an enemy of his. A man who could… steal and bestow quirks onto people. 

    “I can tell you’ve figured it out,” Shigaraki said. “Sensei said you would.” He leaned in closer until his rank breath fanned over Izuku’s face. “That makes you Midoriya Izuku, the next holder of One for All.” Izuku struggled not to let his panic show, but it was a lost cause. Shigaraki had seen the answer in his eyes already. “You and I were going to have a great time, Midoriya! Of course you had to go and ruin it by defying me so early on.” He clucked his tongue. “Tsk, tsk. It feels like a waste to kill you…” He looked over Izuku’s body, a slow grin pulling at his cracked face. “So how about I torture you a little, instead?” 

    In a flash, Shigaraki was gone. Izuku tracked his movements so quickly that his neck cracked, but he could do nothing but watch in horror when the man made it to the edge of the plaza… right where Tsu and Mineta were hiding. It seemed neither of the other teenagers knew what to do either, because they both simply froze in place with terrified looks. Time seemed to slow down as Shigaraki touched all five of his fingers to Tsu’s face- only for nothing to happen. They all froze for a moment, confused,  before Shigaraki turned around with an evil grin. 

    “Very cool, Eraserhead,” he nodded. “Even when you’re like that, you can use your quirk.” He let go of Tsu’s face and stalked forward, towards Eraserhead’s prone body. The last bit of the hero’s strength seemed to have bled out of him by saving Asui, because his crushed face fell back into the crater it had made within seconds. Shigaraki didn’t seem to care, clearly aiming to disintegrate Aizawa despite his unconsciousness. Izuku’s adrenaline spiked for the umpteeth time, and he knew if he didn’t do something, he would never forgive himself. So he did the one thing he did best; he spoke.

    “Why the hell are you doing this?” He cried. Shigaraki stopped, twisting to shoot Izuku an amused look. He clearly knew what Izuku was doing, but he played into it anyway, moving away from Eraserhead’s body, and back to Izuku. With Izuku being held up by the massive Noumu, he was about a head and a half taller than Shigaraki. The villain scratched at his neck, uncaring that the scabbed skin was beginning to bleed again. 

    “Why, you ask?” He snickered. “To kill All Might, of course! Haven’t you been paying attention, little one? I want to end the final boss once and for all! No more XP, no more lives!” 

    “XP…?” Izuku muttered, raising an eyebrow. When he got a closer look at the villain, he realized something. “Holy shit, you’re not much older than I am, are you? What are you, nineteen? Twenty?” 

    Shigaraki sputtered, pretty much confirming Izuku suspicions. “Why the fuck does that matter? Age doesn’t mean a thing when it comes to killing your precious All Might !” 

     Izuku couldn’t help it- he snorted. Tomura seemed shocked for a moment before his face darkened. He probably thought that Izuku was laughing at his goal, but that wasn’t the case. “He’s not my ‘precious’ anything.”

     Shigaraki then did something uncharacteristic. He reached up and removed the hand that was covering his face, which had only been unattached after he was thrown into the fountain earlier. The two of them stared at each other, taking in each other’s features. Izuku could tell through all of the cracked, destroyed skin that he had been right about Shigaraki’s age. Said skin was pale, with a grey-ish pallor, like a corpse. His hair was stringy and light blue, seeming almost white in certain lighting, and his eyes were as red as blood. They weren’t the same vibrant red as Kacchan’s, nor the dark magenta-red of Kirishima’s, but something else entirely. He had a few scars here and there, most likely from his skin condition. 

     “Just who are you, Midoriya Izuku?” 

    Izuku snapped back to reality with the question, realizing he and Shigaraki had just been looking at each other for longer than he’d meant to. He had found something familiar in Shigaraki’s eyes, something he didn’t think he would find. It was dark and malicious, conniving and rage-fueled. It was the feeling Izuku got when he thought about All Might’s crimes. Shigaraki… he felt something similar, whether it was toward All Might or something else entirely. The two of them had a sense of camaraderie between them, as much as Izuku hated to admit it. 

    “Shigaraki,” a new voice said. The mist-man appeared next to his apparent master, not even sparing a glance toward Izuku. “One of the students has managed to escape.” 

     “ What ?” Tomura hissed. He tightened his grip on the hand he called ‘father,’ putting it back on his face. “How could you let one escape? If you weren’t our ticket out of here, I would fucking disintegrate you where you stand!” 

     Kurogiri bowed his head a bit. “I apologize. Clearly, All Might isn’t here, and our mission has failed. I believe it would be best to retreat for now, and attack again once our target is accounted for.” 

     “Goddamnit it…” Shigaraki scowled. Red eyes met green again through the fingers of the corpse hand, before they narrowed slightly. “...Fine. But we’re taking this one with us.” 

Chapter Text

    Katsuki and Kirishima lay in wait on the opposite side of the plaza from where Shigaraki had tried to attack Asui. They had come up with a haphazard plan of attack while the walking handjob was distracted with Deku, but when Katsuki heard his last statement, he couldn’t help himself anymore. 

    “I apologize. Clearly All Might isn’t here, and our mission has failed. I believe it would be best to retreat for now, and attack again once our target is accounted for.” 

      Handjob scratched at his skin harder, like it would fucking help. Kirishima winced at the sight of blood trickling down his fingers, but Katsuki didn’t give a fuck about it. It would just be too easy if they left like that, wouldn’t it? “...Fine.” The handy-man turned to peer at Deku, the same way the two of them had stared at each other mere minutes before. For a moment Katsuki had wondered if the fucker had some sort of mental quirk, although he knew that couldn’t be true, considering what he’d done to their sensei’s elbow. He couldn’t think of any other reason that the two would stare at each other in dead silence, though- nothing that made sense, anyway. 

    He was broken out of his thoughts by the villain’s next words. “...But we’re taking this one with us.” He jabbed a finger at Deku, still in the bird-like fucker’s grip. Katsuki had never given credence to the phrase “seeing red” before that day, which was saying something, considering his anger issues. Now, however? Now, he could confidently say that the phrase was one-hundred percent true. It was like one moment he was crouching next to Shitty Hair, and the next his vision had blurred and he was thrusting an exploding fist in between the villains. “FUCKING DIE YOU PIECES OF SHIT!” 

     Luckily, even in his rage Katsuki knew to stick to the plan. He tackled the mist fucker, grinning ferally when he felt the corporeal body underneath all of the teleportation matter. It was simple enough to pin the guy to the ground, since apparently he had little-to-no fighting skills. To his left, he watched Shitty Hair punch handjob across the jaw, sending him sprawling. The angry blond turned back to his own villain, triumphant. “Don’t move a fucking muscle, or I’ll blow your ass up so bad, they’ll be piecing you back together for weeks.” 

     “That’s not very heroic of you, Baku-bro!” Kirishima yelled, but he was grinning too. Shigaraki shakily got to his feet, his fingers twitching with rage. Kirishima braced his feet on the ground, ready for any assault the villain might throw at him, but once again the interaction was cut short. A sheet of ice swept through the makeshift battle ground, completely surrounding the bottom half of the bird creature. Deku’s body was left out of the sculpture, although only barely. Half-n-half skated in on his own ice, taking position directly behind Kirishima with his eyes locked on the Noumu. 

    “Let our classmate go ,” he snarled. He didn’t say it to the creature, but rather to the villain. He had apparently been watching long enough to also figure out that the thing didn’t have a mind of its own. Shigaraki was practically foaming at the mouth now, his eyes darting back and forth between the Noumu, Izuku, his shitty little villain friend, and the three teenagers that held him at a stand-still. 

    “No,” he answered Todoroki. “How about I kill him, instead?” Katsuki barely had a moment to let dread sink into his stomach before the man was giving the order. “Noumu!” 

     The Noumu shrieked out an unholy sound, it’s fist tightening around Izuku’s middle. The green-haired boy gagged at the hold, his lips beginning to spit up red liquid from his internal injuries. Katsuki instinctively loosened his hold on the teleporting villain, watching as the Noumu lifted Izuku’s body over his head, squeezing the boy tighter and tighter still. Katsuki was vaguely aware that he wasn’t the only one screaming, oh god was he screaming? but he was more concerned with his childhood friend’s almost certain death. 

      He was about to let go of the villain beneath him to lunge for Deku before the last of the light left his eyes, when the doors to the facility banged open. A shadow fell over the plaza, twin spikes jutting out of the figure’s head in a familiar, foreboding way. All eyes turned to the Number One Hero, who for once, didn’t have a smile on his face. 

    “DO NOT FEAR, STUDENTS! I AM HERE!” 

   Shigaraki’s answering grin was unrestrained and animalistic. “ Finally .” 

     (x)

    Pain .

   All Izuku felt was pain, and unforgiving concrete beneath his prone form. At some point after All Might’s appearance, the Noumu had dropped him so that it could fight the Number One Hero. Izuku’s body still lay where he had been dropped, except now, a few of his classmates were desperately trying to keep him awake. Every inhale felt like torture to him, and he wanted nothing more than to close his eyes, but… 

    ‘ They’re not safe,’ he thought, squinting. Blurry shapes hovered above him, and when he focused, he could make out the forms of Kirishima, Asui and Todoroki. ‘ Not safe…’

    “We know, Midoriya,” Todoroki said, foregoing any honorifics. He looked over his shoulder, probably checking the progress of All Might’s battle. “We need to get you to safety.” 

    ‘ No… not safe… All Might…’  

   “Yes, All Might’s here, bro!” Kirishima said. He had tears in his eyes, but he still shakily smiled at Izuku. “We’ll be safe with him!” 

    ‘ No!’ This time, Izuku forced himself to overcome his pain. He shot into a sitting position, ignoring the nearly blinding pain that surfaced from what had to be at least three of his internal organs. He made his eyes focus on All Might’s fight, only to realize that Kacchan was stuck in the middle of it. He had given up on pinning down the teleporter, Kurogiri, but now didn’t seem to be able to leave the fray. Shigaraki was on one side of the battle, Kurogiri on the other, with All Might and the Noumu smack in the middle. Izuku was the only one who noticed the steam coming from All Might’s mouth, and the only one who was aware that his strength was weakening. He couldn’t help but hope the Noumu would be the victor of the fight.

    ‘ Kacchan…’ Izuku thought. ‘ Have to help… Kacchan!’  

   “Midoriya-chan, you need to lay down, kero !” Asui cried, frantically pushing on his shoulders to try to get him to relax. “The teachers will be here any moment! Just hang in there!” 

    “For god’s sake, listen to her!” Todoroki snapped at him. “Do you want to die?” 

    Izuku laughed, spitting up blood with the action. He met Todoroki’s eyes, some sort of twisted amusement bursting from deep inside of him. “Maybe,” he croaked. It was the first time he purposefully spoke since he regained consciousness on the ground. “But Kacchan…” He looked over Todoroki’s shoulders, only to find Kacchan was looking right back at him. All Might delivered his last punch to the Noumu, sending the thing straight through the glass roof of the dome. Shigaraki screeched in rage, throwing a fit like a toddler might. The entire time, Izuku didn’t break eye contact with his childhood friend. His eyes held the same look they had that fateful day nearly eleven months ago, when the Slime Villain had been about to steal his last bits of oxygen. He was afraid. 

     Izuku’s legs moved without thinking.

    (x)

    Yagi held perfectly still, forcing himself to keep his smile on his face despite the way his heart was thundering. He had defeated the biggest villain, sure, but now he had to worry about these other two. The only problem with that? He was about to detransform, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold this form. Not only that, but his fellow teacher was dying somewhere behind him, his students were terrified for their lives, and his precious Izuku had been crushed by that fucking creature. 

     “Will you face me too, villain?” he challenged, praying that neither of the remaining villains would take his bluff. He saw the blond boy that Izuku had saved before out of the corner of his eye, trying to inch away from the fight. Yagi was glad he was trying to get out of the blast radius, although it was too little, too late. If the man decided to take on All Might, then they were all surely done for. 

    Something in All Might’s facade must have cracked, because Shigaraki’s face twisted in pure rage. “Why, you little-!” He leaped forward, his hand outstretched. It wasn’t toward All Might, however. It was toward Bakugou, who wasn’t even looking in his direction. He was staring at something over All Might’s shoulder, not paying attention to the threat to his life. All Might braced himself to reveal his secret to the entirety of the USJ, but before he could twitch a single muscle, the hand villain was slammed backwards with enough force to rattle the walls of the building around them. 

    Nothing had done that so far except All Might’s own punches, which meant…

   “Don’t… touch him!” Young Midoriya snarled, barely able to stand. He was clutching at his side, trying to protect internal injuries, his skin pale and sweaty from the strain. Shigaraki was staring at him with an expression of both astonishment and what Toshinori thought might be admiration. Kurogiri got to his master’s side, enveloping them both in his teleportation mist at the same moment gunshots rang through the air. 

    The rest of the cavalry had come. The last thing Yagi saw before his world was encased in Cementoss’s concrete was the broken, frightened look on Bakugou Katsuki’s face as he looked at his crumpling friend. 

    (x)

    Izuku came to consciousness much quicker than he had before, his mind recognizing that he was still in danger. He shot to a sit-up position much like before, and like before, pain exploded through his nerves. Unlike before however, the pain wasn’t nearly as crippling. It took his breath away because he hadn’t been expecting it, but after he gave himself a quick once over, Izuku realized he was completely devoid of injuries. That, and he was in what appeared to be an infirmary bed. 

    “Good, you’re awake,” a disapproving voice said. Izuku looked to his right and noticed Recovery Girl, sitting at her desk by the door. She hobbled out of her chair, using her giant syringe cane to help her across the room. “You gave us all a scare, young man.” 

    “How… how long was I out?” he asked, wincing at his dry throat. Recovery Girl tutted at him, but still reached to his bedside table, where a pitcher of water and a paper cup sat. She poured him the water and allowed him to drink out of it while she answered him. 

    “We retrieved you from the USJ a little over four hours ago,” she explained. “You sustained massive internal bleeding, as your ribs had fractured and nicked your insides. You’re lucky nothing important was pierced, or we might have had to do a major surgery. I was able to heal you up with only a few rounds of kisses, though.” 

    “Oh,” Izuku said, setting down his cup. “Thank you, Recovery Girl.” 

   “You get a free pass this time, because of the villains,” she said. “I had better not see you in here for a long, long time now.” The stink eye she gave punctuated her threat. Izuku resisted the urge to tell her that Shigaraki’s glare was far worse. 

     The infirmary door slid open, revealing the emaciated form of the very last person he wanted to see. All Might stepped inside, rubbing the back of his neck apologetically when Recovery Girl directed her glare at him. He saw Izuku was awake though, and his attitude changed to a happier one. “Young Midoriya! I’m so relieved to see that you’re alright!” 

    “Tos- All Might,” Izuku stuttered, nearly slipping up with the hero’s real name. “Thank you for your concern. I’m fine.” 

    Yagi faced the elder woman in the room. “Would you mind if I had a moment or two alone with Young Midoriya, Chiyo? We have a few things to discuss.” 

    Izuku’s heart leaped to his throat, and yet he didn’t say anything when Recovery Girl left the room, mumbling about “kids and their secrets.” Yagi’s somewhat soft expression melted into a more neutral one as he sat down in the chair next to Izuku’s bedside. The younger man squirmed in bed, uncomfortable with having his mentor so close to him and a bed. 

    “We have to talk,” All MIght said. “Your blond friend… Bakugou, is it?” He didn’t bother waiting for Izuku to respond. “I don’t like how close the two of you are.” 

   “What?” Izuku raised his brows to comical heights. “We aren’t close at all! I’m pretty sure he hates my guts!” 

    “That isn’t what it looked like at the USJ,” Yagi frowned. 

    “That’s different. Everyone acts differently under stress.” ‘ You would know,’ Izuku refrained from adding. Toshinori’s grim expression didn’t change, despite Midoriya’s assurances. 

    “I don’t want you getting too close to him,” the blond man said. “It wouldn’t be good for either of us if he figured out our secret.” Somehow, Izuku knew he wasn’t talking about One for All. Yagi leaned in closer, until his nose and Izuku’s were mere inches apart. He kept his voice low as well, so quiet that Izuku could barely hear it. “It would certainly be a shame if anything were to happen to him or his family, now wouldn’t it?” 

    The threat was clear. Izuku couldn’t believe that Yagi had stooped to threatening innocent people. Obviously, he really didn’t like Izuku’s budding relationship with Kacchan. He couldn’t force his mouth to work to agree to Yagi’s implied question, so instead he merely nodded. Toshinori’s smile was back, not forced this time. 

    “Good,” he said, patting Izuku’s leg. “I’m glad we cleared that up.” He stood and headed for the infirmary door. “They should let you out of here soon, Young Midoriya. Get home safely, now. I’m sure your mother is worried.” 

     The door slid shut behind the tall man with a bang that reverberated in Izuku’s heart. It sounded like the snapping thread of Izuku’s last lifeline. 

     (x)

   Just as All Might predicted, Recovery Girl did a few last checks on him before she sent him home, warning him to take it easy for a while, and that the police would probably stop by his house the next day for a statement. School had been cancelled for the next day and friday, giving all of the affected USJ students time to recover. Just as Izuku had suspected, when he stepped out of U.A.’s front doors, Kacchan was waiting for him on the front steps.

    “Kacchan,” Izuku said gravely. Katsuki stood up faster than he usually would, his eyes ever-so-slightly wider with concern. The fact that he had let down a few walls for Izuku’s sake only made what the greenet had to do hurt so much worse. 

   “Deku,” Katsuki said, looking Izuku over from head to toe. “You’re okay? Recovery Girl discharged you?” 

    “Yes, she did,” Izuku nodded. He hoisted his bag up on his shoulder higher, tightening his grip on it for some sort of support. He didn’t meet Katsuki’s eyes. “I’m just going to go home now. I’m tired.” 

    “Are you serious?” Katsuki demanded. “I’m trying to make sure you’re fucking okay! Those villains- they planned to kidnap you , Deku!” 

    “I know, I was there,” Izuku snapped, finally meeting Katsuki’s eyes so that he could glare at him. “Get off my ass about it, would you? I don’t want to talk about it.” 

    The shock on the older boy’s face would have been funny in any other situation. He shook it off relatively quickly, chasing after the slight lead Izuku had on him. “Deku, don’t just walk away from me! I want to know what the fuck’s going on with you!” 

    His words gave Izuku a sick idea. There was only one thing that would get Katsuki to leave him alone from now on. One thing that always got Katsuki to ignore Deku like he had the plague. ‘ Bring up his flaws.’ With this in mind, Izuku turned to face his childhood friend again, setting his expression into one of cold neutrality. “What makes you think you have any right to know, Katsuki ?”

     Katsuki’s entire body froze in its tracks. Neither of them had heard his true name from Izuku’s lips in a long, long time, if ever. Izuku hadn’t been able to pronounce it when they were younger, and the moniker had stuck. Hearing it now was like a slap in the face. “What… what the fuck?” 

    “You are not my friend,” Izuku said slowly. His eyes were beginning to burn with unshed tears, but he held them back. He forced his voice not to tremble when he spoke. “Just because you’ve been acting a little nicer, and because you don’t have your little posse of bullies anymore, doesn’t mean that I’ve forgiven you for everything you’ve done to me.” He let out a bitter laugh and tilted his head up to look at the setting sun. The position helped to keep his tears at bay. “I mean, you told me to kill myself! And you know what?” He looked down again. “I almost did it.” He stepped closer to Katsuki, leaning in until their noses almost touched. “I almost jumped off the fucking roof, because you told me to. You would have killed me, your worthless ‘Deku,’ and you have the audacity to think I’ll tell you anything about my life?” He turned his back to the blond, unable to keep the tears away anymore. He hunched his shoulders and looked down at the ground, praying that Katsuki wouldn’t come to stand in front of him. He wouldn’t be able to hold it together. 

   “D-Deku, I…” 

   “Just leave me alone, Kacchan,” Izuku croaked. “Don’t… don’t talk to me. Just leave me alone.” 

     It was the last thing he said before he left Katsuki alone, standing in U.A.’s courtyard. If he had turned around to look at him even once, Izuku would have seen that Katsuki too had tears streaming down his face.

     (x)

      Kirishima Eijirou looked between his two new friends, noticing the thick tension between them. He and Uraraka had both noticed from the moment they walked into the classroom together and saw them in their respective seats. None of them had spoken since the USJ incident on Wednesday, and now it was Monday- plenty of time for something to conspire between them. 

    Eijirou exchanged a look with Uraraka, who sat a few rows away from him. They had gotten pretty close, even more so now that they had been through something traumatic. They hadn’t necessarily been “together” while the events occurred, but it was comforting for Eijirou to know that Uraraka understood his fear, horror and devastation that he’d felt during the last legs of the fight. He’d been terrified that Midoriya would die there in that courtyard, and that fear had only intensified by one-thousand when the crazy bastard leaped toward Bakugou in an attempt to stop Shigaraki from laying a hand on him. It was very manly to want to save his friend, but also incredibly stupid. 

    ‘ It’s like he doesn’t care whether he lives or dies,’ Eijirou’s mind echoed one of the last texts Uraraka had sent him the night before. He’d been dwelling on it ever since she said it. 

     He didn’t have long to ruminate on whatever rift had opened up between Bakugou and Midoriya, because Aizawa-sensei called for the class’s attention. All of them shut themselves up immediately, staring at their teacher, who’s face was absolutely covered in bandages. 

   “Sir, should you really be here?” Ashido cried, staring at their teacher’s face. Although they couldn’t see his eyes, Eijirou somehow knew that Aizawa had rolled his. 

    “I’m perfectly capable of teaching, Ashido,” he replied. 

   “Can you even see ?” Sero asked. 

    “Irrelevant. Let’s not waste time on trivial matters like sight. We have more important things to worry about.” He turned his head like he was looking at each and every one of them. “You all have faced your first bout of villains, and you came out the victors. I don’t have to tell you how impressive that is, for a bunch of high schoolers. Unfortunately, the threats against you aren’t over yet.” 

    “More villains?” Hagakure squeaked, sounding afraid. 

   “The school’s annual Sports Festival,” Aizawa said. The class was dead silent for more than a few seconds as they processed this. 

   “Fucking asshole ,” Bakugou hissed, being the first one to break the silence. The tension in the air melted just like that, and Eijirou could have sworn that even Aizawa coughed out a laugh. 

    “Watch your language,” he chastised half-heartedly. To the rest of them, he resumed his speech. “In two weeks, U.A.’s annual sports festival will take place. All of the first years will compete on live television on Monday. The second years will complete on Tuesday, and finally the third years on Wednesday.” He scanned the room critically. “This will be your chance to make yourself known to the world. Pro-heroes everywhere will be watching closely, and it’s always best to make a good first impression. Be sure to keep that in mind.” 

    Eijriou turned to look at the hard-hitters of the class; Bakugou, with his explosive competitiveness. Todoroki, with his cold maliciousness. Midoriya, with his ruthless determination. He was going to need a lot of training to confidently take any of them on. 

     He could hardly wait.

    (x)

    Katsuki tried to hold back his emotions throughout the entire school day. He was sparking more excess nitroglycerin off of his hands due to his stress levels, and he found himself literally biting his tongue periodically throughout the day so that he wouldn’t bite anyone’s head off. Deku’s words had really affected him. He thought about them all weekend, had nightmares about them every night.   

    ‘ I almost jumped because of you,’ the Deku in Katsuki’s mind hissed during class. 

   ‘ You would have killed me, your worthless Deku,’ it muttered in the line at lunch.

   ‘You told me to kill myself.’

   ‘You are not my friend.’ 

   ‘I almost jumped off a fucking roof because of you.’

  ‘I almost did it…’

   ‘You would have killed your worthless Deku.’ 

  ‘What makes you think you have any right, Katsuki?’

   “Bakugou?” 

  Katsuki snapped his head up, searching for the source of the voice. Aizawa stood at the front of the classroom, his hands stuffed in his pockets. When Katsuki looked around, he realized that the classroom was empty. At some point, the bell had rung to release them all for Sports Festival training, but he hadn’t heard it because of his delusions. 

    “Tch,” he scoffed, screeching his chair back to get up. He was too ashamed to look the elder hero in the eye. “I’m heading to class. Sorry for the holdup, or whatever.” He didn’t even put away his pencil before Aizawa cut him off.

    “Bakugou, something is going on with you.” Eraserhead cocked his head like a curious dog. ‘ More like a wolf assessing its prey.’ “You aren’t as prickly as you usually are.” 

     “Fuck off,” he sighed. “Just let me get to class, would you?”   

     Aizawa held out his hand in a “stop” motion. “You may not want to tell me now, and I understand that. But remember, I’m the teacher who tried to save you at the USJ. I’m an underground hero. I’ve seen and done things your worst nightmare couldn’t dream of.”

    “What’s your point?”

   “My point ,” the man grit out, “is that there isn’t much out there that could shock me. I also tend to have pretty useful solutions to problems.” The man dropped hand and took a slight step back. “You may go. I already message All Might to let him know you would be late.”    

     “Whatever,” Katsuki said, ducking his head. He wasn’t aware that his exposed ears were as red as his face was. Eraserhead smirked when he passed, enjoying seeing his most difficult student succumb to a bit of prideful embarrassment. 

    (x)

   “So what happened between you guys?” Uraraka asked, wiping the sweat off of her forehead with one hand. She was currently training next to Izuku, slowly building up her stamina by quirk-lifting a small pile of the heaviest weights in the gym. Izuku was standing next to her, trying to focus on activating One for All without breaking his limbs. 

    “I just got sick of his attitude,” Izuku muttered, not wanting to think about his fight with Katsuki. It still tore a hole in his heart every time he thought about it. The look on Kacchan’s face as Izuku walked away from him would probably haunt him for the rest of his days. 

    “Really?” Uraraka huffed, bending over to add another seventy pound weight to the collection in the air. Her face was slowly turning green, but Izuku was still impressed by the one-thousand or so pounds she was holding in the air. “Because the two of you grew up together, and it sort of shocks me that your breaking point would only be now . Did he punch you, or something?” 

    “No, nothing like that,” Izuku said hurriedly. “I guess it’s just been coming for a while now, that’s all.” He let the hand he’d been focusing on drop to his side so that he could peer at his friend. “That’s super impressive, Uraraka-san. How are you doing that?” 

    She grinned shakily, only barely turning her head to look at him. “I’m just locking my whole body in place.”

     Izuku nodded, and then froze. He looked down at his hands and gasped so loudly that Uraraka flinched. Her skin turned even greener, and she quickly pressed all ten of her fingers together to let the weights go. They landed on the floor of the gym with a loud noise, despite the gym mats that she and Izuku had laid beneath them earlier. Many of their classmates paused in their training to look over at them, including Kirishima and Kacchan, who were talking at the other end of the gym. Izuku pointedly didn’t meet Kacchan’s eyes. He was too excited about his current epiphany to care, anyway. 

    “What the hell, Deku-kun?” Uraraka whined, pressing a hand against her queasy stomach. “What’s the matter?”  

    “My body ,” Izuku chirped, running to his school bag that sat a few feet away from them. He’d brought it with him for this sole purpose; to take notes. He snatched his notebook and a pen out and flipped to a new page, already scribbling down his discovery. Uraraka trailed behind him, flopping down onto the ground so she could briefly lay down. 

   “What about your body?” 

   “This whole time, I’ve been focusing One- I mean, my quirk- in one place, like my arm or my finger!” He looked up to see if she had caught on, but she looked just as lost as she had a few seconds ago. “Okay, think of it this way. My quirk is like an overwhelming force, so much so that I break my bones when I use it. The thing is, I’ve been focusing all of that force in one place, when I should be distributing it to all of me!” He turned his notebook so she could see the small doodle he had just done. “It’s like takoyaki in a microwave. If I heat it up on the highest setting, then it will either be cold in the middle, or it will burn, no matter what I do, simply because the waves are too intense. But if I heat it up on the lowest setting for a longer period of time, then it won’t be frozen in the middle! It will be the perfect temperature!” 

    Uraraka’s eyes were beginning to look a bit glazed over.  “You lost me at takoyaki.” 

   Izuku chuckled. “Basically, I need to use a lower percentage of my quirk over my entire body, rather than just my finger, or my arm.” 

    “Are you sure you can do that?” The brunette questioned, sitting up now that she wasn’t feeling so nauseous. 

    “I’ll have to try it out.”

   “You should definitely do that, Young Midoriya!” A familiar voice said from right behind the pair. Izuku’s blood ran cold from the first syllable, but he still turned to look at All Might. Uraraka beamed at the Number One Hero, oblivious to the tension radiating off of Izuku. 

    “We should get back to practicing,” Izuku said without taking his eyes off of the man. Uraraka jumped to her feet, more inspired now that All Might was watching. Izuku didn’t meet the man’s eyes, getting to his feet as well. To his utter relief, someone across the room called for their teacher’s attention, which forced the man away from him. Every one of Izuku’s muscles relaxed in his absence. He was safe to begin practicing.

    On the other side of the room, Bakugou Katsuki closely watched his childhood friend. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but something about the interaction All Might had just had with Deku and Round Face was odd. 

    Oh well. Maybe he was just imagining it.

Chapter Text

      The day of the Sports Festival, Izuku was on edge. Yagi hadn’t requested his presence at all in the past week; not since Izuku’s fight with Kacchan. To go from visits at least once a week or so to none at all was a bit jarring. He didn’t trust it one bit. While he was busy worrying about not only All Might’s intentions, but also winning the Sports Festival, Todoroki Shouto was worrying about other things. One of these things being Izuku, apparently. 

     Todoroki approached Izuku in the locker room right before the festival while everyone was talking excitedly. Izuku had seen him coming out of the corner of his eye, but he hadn’t thought the two-toned boy was coming for him . He and Todoroki hadn’t spoken more than a few words to each other since school had started a little over a month before. What few words they had exchanged was while Izuku lay dying on the ground at the USJ. Imagine his surprise when the guy stopped right in front of him only minutes before their class was to enter the arena. 

    “Midoriya,” he said sharply, causing Izuku to jerk his head up from where he was tying his shoes, his foot propped up on one of the benches. “I’ve been watching your progress in class, and I have to say, I think I’m definitely stronger than you.”

    “Yo, that’s cold,” Kaminari said, clucking his tongue. 

    “Todoroki, that’s not really-” Kirishima tried to intervene. Izuku cocked his head to the side, frowning. 

     “What’s your point?” 

    “Although I’m stronger than you, I can admit that you’re far more cunning than I am,” he said. “I plan on beating you, so I can finally show my father that I don’t need him or his quirk in order to thrive as a hero.”

     “A declaration of war!” Ashido cheered. The girls were in the locker room with the boys, as all of the classes had been divided by class instead of gender. 

    “Alright then,” Izuku smiled, although there was an edge to it that didn’t normally appear. “I guess I’ll just have to give it my all, then. I will beat you, Todoroki-san.”

     “Hah?!” Kacchan snapped, stomping forward until he was practically nose to nose with Todoroki. “You think Deku is the only person you have to beat? I’m stronger than you both , asshole!” 

    “But your temper will always get in your way,” Todoroki said dryly.
  “This is getting me fired up!” Uraraka cried, pumping her fist in the air. She had a strange sort of aura around her, especially as she started breathing erratically, throwing a few punches at an invisible opponent. Everyone stared at her for a moment, until the intercoms inside of the room screeched with feedback. 

    “All classes, please proceed to the tunnels!” Present Mic’s voice said. “Wait for your cues before you enter the arena.”

    “Everyone, please exit the room in an orderly fashion!” Iida yelled, chopping his arm up and down erratically. 

     “Whatever you say, Exit Sign,” Sero laughed, getting a few more classmates to giggle. Ever since Izuku had handed off his presidency to Iida, the boy had taken the title and ran with it. It was clear he enjoyed being in charge. 

    “This is it,” Izuku whispered to himself as they all exited the locker room, heading into one of the many tunnels that ran into the arena. “You can do this, Izuku.”

     “Good luck out there, bro!” Kirishima said from Izuku’s side. Midoriya startled, but smiled at his friend once he recognized who it was. 

    “You too, Kirishima-kun!” 

   “And now, the class that needs no introduction!” Present Mic cried through the dull roar of the stadium. “The class that beat villains in their second week of school and won ! Class 1-A, hero course!” 

    Izuku took one last deep breath before he moved with the crowd, into the blinding daylight. 

     (x)

     Iida Tensei crept along his usual patrol route in the heart of Hosu, cautious of the fact that the Hero Killer: Stain had been sighted in the area. He peered into every dark alley he passed, and scanned the rooftops every few seconds to be sure he didn’t miss anything. The Hero Killer had already attacked one hero in Hosu, four previously in Musutafu, and four more in the Kiyashi area. If this pattern said anything, then he would attack three more heroes before he moved on to the next prefecture. Tensei wanted to make sure that he didn’t hurt anyone else. 

    ‘ Tenya-kun has his Sports Festival right now,’ Tensei thought, smiling a little underneath his helmet. ‘ I hope he’s doing well.’

     Just as he finished the thought, Tensei heard an ear-piercing scream from a few alleyways down. He sprung into action without hesitation, finding the correct alley in seconds. There he found a sidekick he had never seen before being pinned to the wall by none other than Stain himself, with a katana sticking out of the young girl’s abdomen. Horror washed over Tensei when he took in the amount of blood surrounding the girl, still steadily dripping from her pierced torso. 

    “Get away from her!” he yelled, readying himself to bolt into the alley. Stain’s head whipped to the side to stare at Tensei, his dark eyes gleaming with manic glee. Tensei had fought plenty of villains in his career as a hero, and yet in all of those interactions, he had never seen eyes like Stain’s. Eyes that resembled those of a shark; cold, black and emotionless. 

    “Oh? Has another hero come to play?” Stain hissed, stepping away from the sidekick. The katana jutting out of the girl’s middle pinned her in place on the wall. Her head slumped forward without Stain there to prop her up, and Tensei knew that if he didn’t get her to a hospital soon, then she would die. 

    “Come with me now, and you might get a lesser sentence,” Iida said, holding out his hand. It was a longshot, but he wanted to try avoiding a fight if possible. The Hero Killer glanced down at the offered hand, but made no move to take it. Instead, he lunged for Tensei, brandishing a knife in each of his hands. Tensei activated his quirk and rushed the man, hoping his superior speed would startle him. It did no such thing; in fact, it seemed to be exactly what the man was hoping for. One of his knives knicked one of the vulnerabilities in Iida’s suit, scraping along his flesh underneath. It was a superficial cut, but it still made the boy hiss in surprise. 

    Now, he was the one closer to the injured sidekick. He risked looking at her to see if she was still alive, but it was impossible to tell without checking for a pulse. Something told him that Stain wouldn’t wait patiently for him to do so. Tensei looked back at the Hero Killer, weighing his options, when all of a sudden, every joint in his body seemed to lock up. Tensei tried to open his mouth to yell out, but it was no use. Without a sense of balance, the heavy armor of his suit made him tip over, landing hard on the unforgiving concrete. He clenched his jaw against the pain, feeling glad that his helmet was thick enough to protect against concussions. He tried to move his legs to get back up, but he got the same result as before. He was paralyzed. 

    “You heroes, always getting in the way,” Stain clucked. His shoes appeared right in front of Tensei’s face, letting him know the man was standing over his prone body. “If I am not mistaken, you are pro-hero Ingenium. I have no proof against you; nothing to say that you have less than honorable intentions. Despite that, I simply haven’t researched you properly, and well, you know what they say. Better safe than sorry.” The sound of a blade being drawn from a sheath may as well have been a death sentence. Tensei closed his eyes, preparing himself for what was to come next. “Oh, don’t worry little hero,” Stain cooed. “Since I do not know much of you, I’ve decided to be merciful. I will not kill you.” 

     White-hot, blinding pain exploded throughout Tensei’s body, and if he’d had enough control, he would have screamed loud enough that the other end of Japan would hear. He was vaguely aware that Stain had just stabbed him in the spine, but the pain was so terrible that he could hardly think straight, much less worry about the placement of his wound. Stain was speaking again, but Tensei’s audio processors weren’t working, either. He opened his blurry eyes and watched Stain’s dirty shoes walk away from him. 

    ‘ Tenya…’ Tensei’s mind croaked. ‘ Will Tenya… win the festival?’   

   It was the last thing he thought before he blacked out from agony. 

     (x)

     “Midoriya. May I speak to you in private?” 

   Both Izuku and Uraraka looked up from their lunches, meeting eyes with the one and only Todoroki Shouto. The boy seemed serious, keeping his gaze locked on Izuku’s. Izuku slurped down the noodle that was hanging out of his mouth, wiping off the excess juices with the back of his hand. It felt a little like being caught with his pants down, what with Todoroki’s cold stare. 

    “Sure,” he nodded, exchanging a confused look with Uraraka. “Um… where?” 

   “Follow me.” Todoroki turned and began walking away. Uraraka waved Izuku off, gesturing emphatically that she would guard his lunch. Izuku gave her a thumbs up before he scampered after Todoroki. The two-toned boy led the two of them down to one of the empty tunnels that led into the arena from the inside, looking around a bit before he apparently decided the location was good enough. He leaned against one of the walls, gesturing for Izuku to take his place opposite him. “I brought you down here to discuss something in particular. It’s something I believe you should know before this festival goes any further.” 

   “Alright…” Izuku said, drawing out the last syllable cautiously. “You can tell me anything, Todoroki-kun.” 

    “I hoped you would say that.” Todoroki looked down at his feet, almost like he was shy . “Have you ever heard of quirk marriages?” 

     From then on, Todoroki spun a story straight out of anyone’s worst nightmare. How Endeavor had basically “bought” Todoroki Rei from her parents, and he had assaulted her multiple times in order to create the perfect children for his nefarious schemes. Todoroki explained his three older siblings; how the eldest, Touya, had died in a fire created by his own hand. The second oldest, Fuyumi, had a quirk that allowed her to create small puffs of steam from her mouth. The second youngest, Natsuo, had a weak version of their mother’s ice quirk. FInally, Shouto had been what Endeavor had been waiting for, as a perfect blend between fire and ice. As soon as his quirk developed at four years old, Shouto was shoved into a training gym, practising his quirk and sparring with his grown father until he threw up from overworking himself. 

    When Shouto was six years old, his mother’s mental control had snapped, and she’d poured boiling water over the left side of his face. However, although that side of his skin was resistant to heat, he had been afraid of his mother enough to begin crying. Rei hadn’t known any better than to immediately ice the wound, which ultimately gave Shouto frostbite, causing the massive scar on his cheek. From that day forward, Rei had lived in a mental institution. 

    The story was heartbreaking, enough so that Izuku had to hold back tears. The entire time Todoroki kept his face down, like he was afraid to see what expression Izuku had on his face. By the end of his tale however, he looked up again, meeting Izuku’s eye with a fire in his own. “So you see, I must show my father that I can beat everyone else without his shitty power. He needs to know that I don’t need him to become the number one hero. I’ll do it on my own merit, without his help.” 

    Izuku blinked a few times to shove the tears back, clearing his throat. Without thinking, he said the first thing that came to mind. “That’s… complete bullshit.” 

    Todoroki looked just as startled as Izuku felt. “Wh… what?” 

    Izuku paused, then allowed himself to speak again, slowly. “I mean… everyone else is giving it their all to win this festival, and you have the audacity to think that you can win it only using half of your power?” He chuckled. “Don’t make me laugh.” 

    Todoroki’s eyebrows crept even higher up his face. Izuku didn’t think he’d ever seen the boy with any sort of expression, so seeing one now was a bit jarring. “I…” He shook his head like he was clearing his thoughts. His shock turned into a contemplative frown, and he looked Izuku up and down. “There’s something about you, Midoriya. Something familiar. You have that same look in your eye that I do…” he hesitated. “Tell me… are you All Might’s secret love child or something?” 

    Izuku’s mind screeched to a halt. ‘ Am I… what?!’  

    “Is he pressuring you to become number one in his place?” Todoroki cocked his head. “You have the same look that I do. The look of an abused teenager.” 

     That got Izuku’s mind going again. Every single one of his walls shot back up, although it was arguably too late to do anything. “No, All Might and I don’t have that sort of relationship. You’ve got it all wrong.” 

   “ That sort of relationship?” Shouto quirked an eyebrow. “You say that like there is some other sort of relationship the two of you have.

    ( hot, huge hands scraping over izuku’s sensitive flesh, one hand lacing into the back of his hair to shove his face down harder into the bed’s comforter in order to muffle his screams)

   “You’re mistaken,” Izuku said stiffly. “We should be heading back before lunch is over. I don’t want to pass out during the one-on-one battles.” This time it was him that led the way back to the cafeteria. However, just before they entered the noisy space, Izuku stopped and looked over his shoulder at Todoroki. “You know, you kept saying something that’s been bothering me.” 

    “Oh? What was that?” 

    Izuku’s lips lifted on one side. “You kept calling it ‘his’ quirk, ‘his’ power. You know it’s not really his, don’t you?” He pushed the doors open, letting out all of the bustling noise from the enclosed space. It became so loud, that Todoroki almost wasn’t able to hear him over the sudden influx. “It’s your quirk.” 

    With that, he left his classmate alone to contemplate all he had learned. 

    (x)

   “And now, a long anticipated match!” Present Mic cried. “On the left, we have Midoriya Izuku! He’s been doing quite well so far today, and it seems like he may be a real contender for the gold medal!” 

    Izuku stared at the boy across the stage from him, assessing him. He seemed skinny, no musculature in sight. Izuku bet that he could take him in a hand-to-hand fight, so long as he heeded Ojiro’s advice and kept his mouth shut. 

    “And on the right, we have Shinsou Hitoshi!” Mic called. “He hasn’t really done much today, so we’re excited to see what he can do! Right, Aizawa?” 

    “Sure,” Aizawa said in a monotone. “Can’t wait.”

   “All right!” Mic yelled. “Midnight, get ready!”

   “Boys, let’s have a clean fight,” Midnight ordered from her pedestal next to the stage. “On the count of three, you may begin. One, two, three!” 

    Izuku began running across the stage immediately, setting his focus on Shinsou. The purple-haired boy began to speak, tossing a few insults Izuku’s way. The greenet had grown up with Kacchan though, so they bounced off of him like water on rubber. 

    “I see that idiotic monkey told you about my quirk,” Shinsou snarled, dodging Izuku’s hands when the boy got close. Izuku’s hackles rose and he snarled at Shinsou menacingly. 

   “He is not -” Too late, he realized his mistake. A sort of haze fell over his mind, loosening his body like a puppet. 

    “Turn around and walk out of bounds,” Shinsou smirked. Slowly, Izuku’s feet followed the order. 

    ‘ No, no, no! Not like this,’ he pleaded with himself. Each step felt like torture as the boundary got closer and closer. ‘ Stop moving, feet! I can’t lose now, I’m so close!’ His vision began to go dark, time seeming to slow down as something ahead of Izuku caught his eye. Eight large silhouettes stood in the shadows of one of the entrances to the arena. When Izuku blinked, his entire world went dark. His eyes opened into a world of shadow, the outside world moving so slowly that it almost seemed that time had stopped. One of the shadowy figures separated from the group, moving closer to Izuku until they were on the stage with him. The closer they got to him, the clearer their form became. By the time they stood right in front of the teenager, Izuku was able to see a woman that looked vaguely familiar. She had black hair styled the same way his mother’s always was, and wore a black bodysuit and yellow cape that accentuated her muscular figure. 

    She smiled down at Izuku, but something about it wasn’t happy. It was tinged with… heartbreak? “Hello, Izuku-kun. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

    “Who… who are you?” Izuku stuttered with wide eyes. 

   “My name is Shimura Nana, and I’m one of the past users of One for All.” She gestured to the other shadows behind her, all of whom still lingered in the dark archway. “I’m the one who trained Toshinori, and passed the quirk down to him.” Hearing All Might’s name made Izuku flinch like he’d been burned. Shimura’s smile completely melted now, having turned into a frown. “I apologize. It was careless of me to use his name.” 

    Her apology triggered a realization. “You… you know what he’s doing to me.” It wasn’t a question.”
    “Yes,” Shimura said softly. “I’m… we’re so sorry, Izuku. If I had known what kind of person Toshinori would become, I never would have passed this quirk down to him. I wish there was something I can do.” 

    “It’s alright,” Izuku said, although his voice sounded hollow. “I’m managing.” 

   “It’s not alright,” Shimura argued fiercely. “What he’s doing to you is despicable . We all wanted you to know that you can escape him. Just because he’s the Number One Hero doesn’t mean he can assault you.”

     Izuku looked down at his feet and laughed bitterly. “Yes. Yes, it does.” 

   Shimura’s form began to shimmer, and she cursed. “We don’t have much time left. We are always here for you, Izuku. Think about what I said.” 

     They all disappeared, and Izuku’s vision brightened again. It was like no time had passed since he’d been sucked into the other world, leaving him still a few steps away from the border. Without thinking, he concentrated on channeling One for All in his right pointer finger. Miraculously, said finger began to charge up. As soon as it was ready, Izuku flicked the finger out, although it took great effort to get out of Shinsou’s mind control. The pain of his finger breaking was enough to completely snap him out of it, only seconds away from crossing the border. He whirled around and charged at Shinsou, taking advantage of his shock to punch him square in the jaw. The taller boy stumbled but didn’t go down. He looked up to glare again at Izuku, wiping at his mouth. 

    “Do you know how it feels?” He yelled, eyes burning with hatred. Izuku paused, even though he knew he should take the opportunity. The pause allowed Shinsou to get up and throw his own punch at Izuku, although it was considerably weaker. It still hurt when it cracked against his cheekbone though. Izuku stepped back and reflexively touched the sore point on his cheek, frowning. Shinsou was speaking again, trying to distract Izuku. “Do you know how it feels to have a quirk that everyone calls villainous? How it feels to be shunned and bullied every day of your life?” 

    He lunged to hit Izuku again, but the shorter male saw it coming and dodged. Izuku grabbed Shinsou’s arm and rapidly twisted around, using the momentum to throw Shinsou over his shoulder. The purple-haired boy wheezed as he smacked hard against the ground, his eyes filling with instinctive tears. His feet were over the border. The crowd began to go wild at Izuku’s victory, and Midnight was giving her own congratulatory commentary, but Izuku ignored it all. He knelt on the ground next to Shinsou and leaned over, placing his mouth close to the boy’s ear. 

    “You don’t know anything about me, or the hell I’ve been through,” he whispered. He pulled back a bit and stared into the other’s eyes so he’d know he was serious. “I think, if you knew and you were given the option to trade lives with me, you would run away screaming.” Izuku stood up straight again, brushing the dust off of his pants. His finger throbbed with the movement, but he ignored it in favour of holding out his hand to help Shinsou up. The boy was staring at Izuku with wide eyes. He’d seen the truth behind Izuku’s words. 

     “Well? Are you going to get up, or stay there all day?” Izuku softened the words with a smile, and Shinsou blinked like a confused kitten. He sat up and cautiously took Izuku’s outstretched hand, using the leverage to help himself back to his feet. Izuku clapped his shoulder good-naturedly, keeping his smile on his face. “There you go. You put up a good fight, Shinsou-kun! With a little bit of training, you could totally win next year’s festival!” 

    “I…” he seemed at a loss for words, following Izuku as he led the two off them off of the stage and back into one of the waiting rooms. Izuku gave him time to sit and think about his words, both the casual threats and the compliments. When he made his way back up to Class 1-A’s viewing box, he was immediately bombarded with questions. 

   “Midoriya-kun! How did you break out of his mind control?” Ojiro demanded, looking awestruck. 

   “Bro, that was so manly !” Kirishima cried, pumping his fist in the air. 

   “Indeed, it was quite the fight, Midoriya-kun!” Iida pushed his glasses up his nose. 

   “I can’t believe you broke your finger again ,” Uraraka whined. “Come on, you and I have some time before my match. I’m taking you to Recovery Girl.” 

    Izuku allowed himself to be pulled along by Uraraka, contemplating what Shinsou had said while inside the ring. ‘ Do you have any idea what it’s like? How it feels to be shunned and bullied every day of your life?’

   ‘Yes, I do,’ Izuku thought to himself. ‘ That, and so much more. Still, I’m sorry you had to feel that way, Shinsou. I truly believe you’ll make a great hero one day.’ After all, he was already itching to take notes on the fight. 

    (x)

    Todoroki Shouto cracked his neck, taking a deep breath to try and calm his nerves. Since Iida had dropped out of the competition due to some “family emergency,” and he had beat Sero in his battle, he was about to fight Midoriya. He had assumed the two of them would battle, although he had to admit, he thought it would be in the finals. As it was, even if Midoriya lost now, he would be getting fourth place. It wasn’t too bad for a boy as powerful as he was, even with all of his bone breaking. Despite the fact that he knew he should be focusing, he couldn’t stop thinking about their interaction earlier that day. 

    Shouto hadn’t been lying when he said he saw the same dullness in Midoriya’s eye that he and all of his siblings had. It was in the way Midoriya flinched at loud noises, how he had no care at all for his own self-worth, and the way he constantly talked others up like they were leagues better than he was, despite the fact that he was objectively more powerful than them. They were all signs of abuse that his siblings had, and that he might have had as well if he hadn’t cut himself off from feeling too much at a young age. His only guess had been that All Might was Midoriya’s father and treated him the same way that Endeavor treated Shouto. They had similar quirks after all, and Shouto had caught the two of them having private, whispered conversations more than a few times, whether they’d realized it or not. 

    Even with all of this evidence, Midoriya’s vehemence that Shouto’s theory was false had rang true to the boy. If he wasn’t All Might’s secret love child though… then who exactly was he to him? He didn’t have time to dwell on it, given the booming voice that stopped him right before he entered waiting room b. “Shouto! There you are!” 

    Every muscle in Shouto’s body stiffened from the very first syllable the man spoke. He slowly turned until he laid eyes on his father, who was marching toward him down the hallway with his flames fully activated. Shouto could swear the man did it just to be dramatic, the equivalent of Darth Vader making his cape whip around despite the fact that they were in space and there was no wind. 

   “Father,” he said stiffly. He’d stopped caring about angering the man years ago. “What do you want?” 

    “What do I want ?” The man stopped when he was towering over Shouto with a stern expression. “I’m here to tell you not to embarrass yourself again, son. You lost the first competition to that- to that degenerate . You redeemed yourself in the second round, but you must win the festival. It’s time you stop with your silly tantrum and start using the power I gave you!” 

   ‘ It’s not his power,’ Midoriya’s voice whispered in the back of Shouto’s head. Todoroki wasn’t sure what about the shorter male had him stuck in his head, but he had been there from the moment he walked away from Shouto at lunch. 

    “Shouto!” 

   Shouto almost thought he hallucinated the voice but when his father turned his head to look down the hall, the two-toned boy realized that Midoriya’s voice was real. The greenet was marching down the hall with a determined look on his face, although he didn’t spare Endeavor a single glance. Something about the small action made Shouto smirk. Once Midoriya was standing in front of him, the boy crossed his arms. “You’re supposed to be in the waiting room. They’re going to call for us to fight pretty soon.” 

    “So this is the weakling you’ll be battling,” Endeavor sneered. His brows were furrowed, and somehow Shouto knew that he was only insulting the smaller boy in order to get him to acknowledge that he was there. Izuku looked at Endeavor out of the corner of his eye while he snorted. 

    “You should put him on a leash,” he told Shouto. “The bullshit coming out of his mouth is stinking up the entire hallway.” 

    Both Todoroki mouths fell open, disbelieving. Nobody had ever spoken to Endeavor like that, as he was one of the scariest, most intimidating heroes out there, despite being number two. He sort of reminded Shouto of Bakugou, if Bakugou was an abusive piece-of-shit asshole rapist, which he was not. 

    “Why, you little- ” Endeavor’s flames burned brighter for a moment. Midoriya, the crazy bastard he was, simply braced his body for a frontal attack, lifting up his hands like he was planning on fighting the number two hero, right there in the hallway before his match against Shouto. Shouto lunged forward and put himself between the two, with his back to Endeavor. It was another snub at the man that Todoroki couldn’t resist. 

    “Let’s both go into the waiting rooms,” he suggested. “You’re right, they’ll call us any minute.” 

    Endeavor reached out a hand, no doubt to grab his son’s bicep in a bruising grip. “I’m not done with y-” 

     Izuku reached out and grabbed Endeavor’s wrist, clenchy so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Endeavor’s eyes widened and he made a pained noise, yanking his hand away. Sometimes, Shouto forgot how strong Izuku was, even without his quirk. (Little did he know that Izuku had dragged over eight-hundred pounds across a sandy beach, once upon a time.)

    “ Don’t touch him,” Midoriya snarled. “I wonder how much evidence I could find to take you the fuck down, don’t you? How many videos of you are swimming around the dark web? How many murders from your fights, how many child deaths are you responsible for?” Izuku narrowed his eyes. “How long would it take me, do you think? One hour? Possibly two?” 

     “You wouldn’t dare,” Enji growled. 

    “I really fucking would. Why don’t you turn around and go back to your seat. Shouto doesn’t need a lecture from you .” With that, Izuku grabbed Todoroki’s wrist and dragged him to one of the waiting rooms. Once they were both inside, the teenagers collapsed onto the ground. They had both been filled with adrenaline, and it was crashing now that the monster was out of sight. Shouto lifted his head to stare at Midoriya, studying his form as he lightly chuckled at the whole situation. For the first time, Todoroki understood what made Bakugou so obsessed with this boy. Todoroki was beginning to think that he would be, as well. 

    “Midoriya Izuku and Todoroki Shouto, to your starting points!” Present Mic called over the loudspeakers, The two boys groaned, realizing that they would have to build up their adrenaline once more in their fight. 

    “Thank you,” Shouto whispered. Izuku waved him off, getting to his feet with hesitation. 

    “Don’t worry about it, Todoroki-kun.” 

    “Shouto,” Todoroki instantly corrected. “I… I didn’t mind you saying it.” 

   Izuku’s face flushed pink, causing Todoroki’s heart to flutter. He shoved the feelings down so that he could focus on the present. “You can call me Izuku, then.” 

    “Well… good luck, Izuku.” 

   “You too, Shouto.” 

  They would both need it. 

Chapter Text

    Izuku lost the battle. Even with his loss, and with the new scars adorning his right hand and wrist, he felt like he had done something worthwhile- after all, he had gotten Tod- Shouto to use his fire. 

    “You did so good, Deku-kun!” Uraraka cheered, a piece of gauze still stuck to her cheek from her battle with Kacchan. “You almost got him at the end, there! What were you guys yelling about the whole time? We couldn’t hear up in our booth.”

     “Nothing to worry about,” Izuku said easily. He didn’t want to expose Todoroki if he could avoid it. “Who’s fighting right now?” 

    “Bakugou and Tokoyami,” Uraraka said, biting her lower lip. “It’s pretty clear who’s going to win that one. After that, it’s Bakugou against Todoroki.” 

    “I don’t wanna miss that!” Izuku said, scrambling to get out of the infirmary bed. Uraraka jerked back at his movements, eyeing him up and down. 

    “Should you really be moving?!” 

    “It’s fine, I feel fine!” Izuku was, thankfully, still in his burned gym uniform and not a hospital gown. “I’ll just keep my arm in this sling. Let’s go before we miss anything good!” 

   ‘ I’ll apologize to Recovery Girl later,’ he thought to himself. Uraraka shrugged and led the way out of the room. They didn’t pass Recovery Girl on the way. 

    (x)

     Iida Tenya paced back and forth through the hospital waiting room, his engines sputtering and dying out due to his stress. When he’d received that phone call from his mother, he’d immediately assumed the worst, and used his quirk to run all the way to the train station. He’d arrived at the hospital in Hosu within the hour, but so far he hadn’t heard anything. His mother had gone back to be with Tensei twenty minutes ago, and no one had come out again. 

    Iida pulled out his phone and checked the live broadcast of the Sports Festival to pass the time. In all honesty, he wasn’t too upset about having to drop out. Against the hard-hitters like Bakugou, Midoriya and Todoroki, there was no way he could have won. He was proud to have gotten as far as he did. That, and he wouldn’t trade a win at the Sports Festival for being here, near Tensei, when his brother needed him most. 

     “Iida-san?” 

    Tenya whirled around to face the doctor, clutching at his phone tightly. “Yes? Is he alright?” 

   “He’ll pull through,” the doctor declared, nodding her head. “We had to do emergency surgery on his spine, seeing as though that’s where the blade went through. He’s lucky to be alive.” She brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear, her brow creasing in worry. “I’m not sure if anyone told you, so I’ll come right out and say it.” She squared her shoulders, looking Iida dead in the eye. “His spinal cord has received too much trauma to come back from. I’m afraid your brother is paralyzed from the waist down.” 

    Tenya’s world blurred out of focus.

    (x)

    “Why the hell is he chained up?” Kirishima cried, pointing at the pedestals where the winners of the festival were meant to stand to be given their medals. Tokoyami was already standing at third place, and Todoroki stood at second. Sure enough, when Izuku peered over the railing to look, Kacchan was being led out of one of the tunnels in chains , a muzzle over his mouth like some sort of dog. Fury sparked in Izuku’s body at the sight of it, and his skin began to tingle with his rage. 

    “I don’t know,” he answered Kirishima, looking down at the ground below them. Their viewing box was about three stories off the ground, between thirty and thirty-nine feet. Izuku calculated it in his mind, then decided. In the next moment, he climbed up onto the railing, drawing cries of fear from the rest of his class. Everyone rushed to try and bring him down, but Izuku stepped off of the ledge before any of their touches could land. He had a moment in the air to panic about what the fuck he had just done, before his self-preservation instincts kicked in to save his poor bones. He’d been steadily working on holding his full-body power in class, and now knew he could hold it in place for about two minutes. He did so now, absorbing his landing on the ground in his ankles before he rolled, pushing off of the balls of his feet to try and reduce the shock to his joints. He came up standing again, and when he glanced behind him, he found that his jump had cracked the concrete ground. 

    “Holy crap, that actually worked,” he marvelled, looking up at the Class 1-A viewing box. He shot them all a thumbs-up before he whirled around and marched towards the pedestals, where Midnight and Cementoss were staring at him incredulously. Cementos was in the middle of securing Kacchan’s body to the new pole he created on the pedestal, but had paused to watch Izuku’s fall. Even Kacchan was watching Izuku with wide, surprised eyes, completely still rather than the snarling, writhing mass he had been moments before. 

    “He’s not a freaking animal!” Izuku yelled, getting up on Katsuki’s pedestal. He shoved Cementoss, proud of the fact that the man stumbled back even without him even having to use his quirk. (Izuku had once done the calculations to find the man’s weight, and knew it to be approximately six hundred-thirty pounds.* With his training with All Might, he knew he could shove at least nine-hundred pounds without his quirk. Yeah, it was fucking crazy to him, too.)

     “Midoriya-!” Midnight tried to interrupt, but Izuku ignored her in favour of grabbing hold of the chains keeping Katsuki’s arms to his sides. He found the padlock that held it all together and channeled a small percentage of One for All throughout his body once more. It was enough that he could snap the lock in two. The chains fell limply to the ground, so Izuku reached for the quirk-proof handcuffs on Katsuki’s wrists next. He was able to karate-chop the middle of them to snap them apart, and he let One for All fade with the harder tasks done. Lastly, he unmuzzled his childhood friend, who was working on shaking off the broken handcuffs now. 

    “Midoriya, I must ask that you leave the area,” Midnight hissed, nervously glancing at Katsuki. The blond shot a glare right back at her, opening his mouth to no doubt spew vitriol. Izuku held up a hand to silence him, turning around to look at Cementos accusingly. Clearly, he had been the one to chain Katsuki up. 

    “You should be ashamed of yourself,” he growled. “Chaining up a sixteen year-old boy? It’s despicable .” He turned to Katsuki and grabbed his wrist, yanking him forward and off of the concrete box they stood on. “Come on Kacchan, you don’t need a medal from these people.” 

    Katsuki silently followed behind him, all of them ignoring the protests from their teachers up until they disappeared into one of the waiting rooms on the sides of the arena. The door closed behind them and Izuku let all of his fury spill out, now that he wasn’t being watched by practically all of Japan, both in the building and on television. 

    “I can’t believe they would treat you like that! Restraining you, handcuffing you and muzzling you like a wild animal? What kind of freaking heroes are they?” He clenched his fists hard enough that his nails cut into his palms, but he ignored the pain. 

    “Deku,” Katsuki said, his voice not nearly as rough as Izuku had expected it to be. It was enough to get the green-eyed boy to look up at his friend. Katsuki’s face was… not exactly soft , but also not fixed in its usual frown or snarl of irritation. He stared at Izuku like he had never seen him before. Izuku found himself blushing and looking away, down at the aluminium floor beneath their shoes. Katsuki stepped closer, until Izuku could see the orange stripe on his combat boots. “You just went apeshit out there.”
    Izuku huffed a laugh and looked up again, smiling at Katsuki. “That was not apeshit. I was just pissed that they treated you like that!” 

    Katsuki nodded, reaching out. Izuku thought for a second that Kacchan might do something tender, like cup his face, but the illusion was ruined when the blond buried his hand in Izuku’s forest-green curls. He tightened his fist a bit so that his fingernails scraped over Izuku’s scalp, although not in a way that hurt. The touch sent a full-body shiver over Izuku. “Thank you,” Katsuki said quietly. Izuku opened the eyes he hadn’t even realized he’d closed, nodding at his friend. 

    “Of course,” he whispered back. 

   They stared at each other for a moment, neither of them really sure what to say. It was the first time they’d spoken since their fight, when Izuku had blown up at Katsuki to drive him away. All Might’s threat echoed in his mind within seconds, ruining the peace that the younger boy found in the older’s presence. 

    ‘ It would be a shame if anything were to happen to him or his family.’

   Midoriya pulled away and broke eye contact. “We should get out of here before they all come looking for us. I’d rather not get yelled at again.” 

    “Right,” Katsuki said. “Deku, wait.” Izuku froze just before he touched the handle of the door that led deeper into the building, rather than out into the arena. He turned around, somewhat afraid of what Katsuki might say to him. The blond hadn’t moved from his place in the middle of the room, but now he had his hands shoved in the pockets of his uniform. It was torn and ripped in a few places from the various battles it had survived today, but other than that and a bit of ash, it was generally in-tact. It was a testament to how skilled Katsuki was in battle. 

    “What?” Izuku inquired when Katsuki didn’t say anything else.
    “I just…” the boy’s crimson eyes looked between Izuku’s own, like he was searching for something. Approval, perhaps. “I wanted to say that I’m sorry.” 

    ‘ I’m sorry.’ Izuku hadn’t even been sure Katsuki knew how to say those words. The boy tended to show his regret through actions rather than words, the same way he did most things. When they were younger and he’d done something to make Izuku cry, Katsuki would always do something for him to apologize, like bring him a cool bug, or let him play All Might in their games without any argument. It was always enough for Izuku before. 

    “You’re…” he said reverently. Katsuki ducked his head, his ears bright red with embarrassment. 

    “I’m fucking sorry , okay? You were right. I don’t deserve to know anything about you. I don’t deserve to be your friend. After all the bullshit I’ve put you through…” he trailed off, shaking his head in disgust. “I don’t have any right to even be in the same room as you.”

    Izuku could swear he heard his heart crack. “Kacchan…” 

   “Fuck, just- just let me say this,” Katsuki said, holding up a hand to stop Izuku. The greenet closed his mouth and nodded, even though Katsuki still wasn’t looking at him. The boy must have taken Izuku’s silence as agreement, because he continued speaking after a moment. “I’ve been taking your kindness for granted. It was something I always hated about you, because I was so sure that it was fake. I thought that you were looking down on me every time you praised me. I thought… I thought you knew how much better you were than me; knew that you had more heroic potential in your little finger than I have in my whole body.” He finally looked up again, revealing glossy eyes, like he was on the verge of tears. That might have shocked Izuku even more than the apology did. 

    “I took my jealousy out on you,” Katsuki explained. “I thought that you were bullying me right back, but it isn’t an excuse. Nothing could ever excuse everything I’ve done to you.” 

    “Kacchan,” Izuku croaked, aware of the tears streaming down his face. “I… I could never look down on you. To me, you’ve always been so amazing… the most important person in my life.” He stepped closer to Katsuki, his hands twitching at his sides in an effort to reach out. Izuku resisted, unsure how the blond would react. 

    “I know ,” Katsuki said. “I know that now. I’ve been… looking in on myself lately. Ever since the Slime Villain.” Izuku raised his eyebrows. That was a long time ago, nearly a year by now. “I just want you to know that I don’t expect you to forgive me. But… I’m going to be better. I’m going to work until I deserve you.” 

    Izuku let out a small laugh. “Kacchan, you never stopped being my friend. I knew you were hurting, I just didn’t know why. Of course I forgive you.”

    Katsuki nodded sharply, biting the inside of his cheek. Izuku knew he was probably struggling to hold back the tears in his eyes, as well as the croak in his voice. “...Alright. Okay. Cool.” 

     Izuku laughed. “When my arm isn’t recovering from surgery, I’m going to hug you so hard.” 

   Katsuki’s expression morphed into something aggressive almost instantly. “ Surgery? ” 

  Ah, there was the Kacchan Izuku knew and loved. 

    (x)

   Yagi Toshinori watched Izuku march off of the stage area with Bakugou in tow, his eyes narrowing. After his little chat with Izuku, he had thought the boy would stay away from the angry blond. It appeared that Toshinori’s threats weren’t enough to deter the younger boy from his friend. 

    Well, if his threats weren’t going to work, then Yagi supposed he would just have to teach Izuku a lesson. Nobody was going to take Izuku from him; especially not a little snot-nosed kid who was obviously in love with him, and whom Izuku loved right back. Yagi had worked too fucking hard grooming his successor to let it all slip away from him now. He would show Izuku who he belonged to if it was the last thing he did. 

Chapter Text

    “Now that the festival is over, you all will have to prepare yourselves to attack a different sort of demon,” Aizawa-sensei said from his perch at the front of the room. His bandages were finally gone, and in their place was a shiny, red-raw scar on his right cheekbone. Every time Izuku saw it, he felt a little bit sick to his stomach, not that he would ever admit it. He couldn’t help the guilt he felt over the USJ incident, and how he could have done more to help his teacher. 

    “Why does he always have to phrase things so ominously,” Sero muttered from Izuku’s right. The green-eyed boy hid a smirk behind his hand, as he didn’t want their teacher to think he was laughing at him. Aizawa didn’t seem to notice Sero’s commentary, because he moved right along with the rest of his speech. 

    “As you may remember, before the Sports Festival, I told you all that your rankings in the festival would have a lasting effect on your careers as heroes.” He pulled a device out of his capture weapon (seriously, did the thing have pockets ?!) and pointed it at the wall directly behind him. A projection appeared out of thin air, manifesting as a list of names of their classmates, along with corresponding numbers. “Here, you will find a number corresponding to your name, if you’ve made the leaderboard at all. That number is how many pro-heroes are interested in working with you during the internships we will send you on.” 

    At the top of the list was Bakugou’s name, with a staggering four thousand heroes. Todoroki was in second place, with around three thousand, and Izuku was absolutely floored to find that his own name had around two thousand-five hundred. The only others to make the board were Uraraka Ochako, Yaoyorozu Momo, Tokoyami Fumikage, and Asui Tsuyu, each with under fifty. 

    “Whoa Midoriya-kun, I guess your scary bone-breaking didn’t scare people off!” Kaminari said from the middle of the room, twisting in his seat to give Izuku a thumbs-up. Kirishima coughed into his fist, smiling a bit. 

    “I think it had more to do with that move he pulled getting Bakugou unchained,” he said. Some of the class giggled at that, which caused Izuku to blush. After his rage had faded away, he’d realized what a scene he had made in front of national television. Uraraka and Kirishima had spent the entirety of the second year and third year festivals texting him reassurances, whereas Kacchan had advised him to “stop being such a pussy.” 

    “Right,” Aizawa drawled, side-eyeing Izuku. “I’m going to be handing booklets to those of you that have heroes interested in you, with lists of the agencies they work under. The rest of you will get pre-arranged booklets with agencies that have offered to take on any of Class 1-A. All of you have until the end of the day to choose the agency you will be spending next week with in an internship that will give you a taste of what real pro-heroing is like.”

    “So cool!” Hagakure squealed from her seat in front of Kacchan. Aizawa handed out Bakugou, Midoriya and Todoroki’s booklets first, seeing as they were the thickest and heaviest out of the bunch. As soon as Izuku got his, he devoured its contents with hungry eyes. He found them to be arranged in order of popularity, and was even more shocked to find that Endeavor himself had reached out to offer him a place at his internship. After the verbal smackdown Izuku had delivered to the man, he hadn’t been expecting it. Underneath Endeavour’s name was Miruko’s, the number four hero. Izuku’s breath nearly left him all at once when he saw it, excitement clawing up in his throat. He fucking loved Miruko! 

    “Best Jeanist?” Kacchan grumbled, frowning at his paper. He turned around in his seat to plop his small book of papers onto Deku’s desk so they could both look. “I got an offer from the number three hero. Who’s the highest you got?” 

    Deku immediately shifted his papers so that Kacchan couldn’t see them. “C’mon Kacchan, ranks don’t matter! It’s what kind of person they are that counts!” 

    Katsuki scowled at him. “Who the fuck did you get, hah?!” 

    Izuku should have known better than to think Katsuki would fall for that. He sighed and handed the blonde his book, watching crimson eyes narrow at the top. “You got Endeavour ? What the fuck? You don’t even have a fire quirk!” 

    Midoriya shrugged helplessly, but looked over his shoulder towards the back of the room. Todoroki was already looking right back at him, both of his eyebrows raised into the most expression Izuku had seen on his face since he bullied Endeavour before their fight. Apparently, he was just as shocked as Kacchan was. Probably even more so, since he had been there when Izuku had his dick-measuring contest with the man. (He totally won.) 

    “I don’t know, Kacchan,” he said, turning back around to look at his friend again. “But I’m not going to him, anyway.” 

   “What? Why the fuck not? He’s the number two hero!” Katsuki said. Izuku shook his head, a tight frown forming on his own lips. 

    “Yeah? Well, hero or not, he’s still a piece of shit,” he spat. Katsuki reared back like he’d been slapped, and Izuku couldn’t exactly blame him. He almost never cussed out loud, regulating the vulgar language to his mind, only. 

    “Whoa,” Kacchan said. “What the hell did he do to piss you off so bad?” 

    Izuku flexed his fingers on the desk. Ever since his surgery on his right hand, his fingers look a little more gnarled and crooked than they had before. The scars across his fingers and hand were new, too. His joints didn’t feel amazing either, but he supposed he couldn’t complain. He’d done this to himself, after all. Besides, feeling the ache was somewhat grounding. It made him feel more… in control. 

    “I just don’t like him,” he said finally. He wasn’t going to betray Todoroki’s trust, even if he did tell Kacchan everything. Well, almost everything. “I think I’m going to go with Miruko, instead.” 

   “Yeah? Cuz of your little nerd crush on her?” Katsuki asked. If Izuku didn’t know any better, he would have thought that Kacchan was pouting. Of course, that couldn’t be the case, so he shook the silly thought away. 

    “It’s not a crush , I just admire her!” Izuku exclaimed. “She’s an amazing hero, and the first female hero to make it into the top five in thirty years!” 

     “Seriously?” Jirou said from her seat directly to Bakugou’s right. She turned around to look at the two of them, having paused in her flip-through of her own pamphlet. “That’s super fucked up.” 

    “What can I say? The hero society kind of sucks,” Izuku said bitterly. ‘ All Might and Endeavour are proof enough of that.’ He couldn’t say that out loud, of course. 

     “Who even are you?” Kacchan asked, reaching out to poke Izuku’s cheek. The greenet wrinkled his nose, batting his childhood friend’s hand away. 

    “What are you doing?” 

    “Checking to make sure it’s really you under all those freckles and baby fat.” 

   “Hey-!” 

    “Alright, alright,” Aizawa cleared his throat from the front of the room. All of the chatter died down immediately, everyone facing the front of the room again. Kacchan took his booklet with him. “I hope you all got that out of your systems, because you’re going to be paying attention to your lessons for the rest of the day.” 

    At lunchtime, Izuku, Uraraka, Kirishima and Bakugou all sat together at a table once again. It was the first time in a while, since his and Kacchan’s fight, and it felt good to be together again. Much to everyone’s total shock, Todoroki ended up sitting down at their table as well, leaving only one other seat open. Kirishima and Uraraka stared at him like he’d grown a second head, whereas Katsuki only glared at him, angrily sipping from his water bottle. Shouto didn’t pay any of them any attention, instead facing Izuku with a serious expression. 

    “So. My father invited you to his agency?” 

    Izuku nodded with wide eyes. “I know, right? You’d think after I told him he should be put on a leash and that bullshit spewed from his mouth, he wouldn’t want me anywhere near him.” 

    “After you what- ” 

   “Don’t forget nearly breaking his hand,” Todoroki said, with a completely straight face. Although his face didn’t move, Izuku could somehow tell that he was smiling with his eyes. It made him sit up a little bit straighter in his seat. 

    “Are you guys hearing this?” Kirishima asked the others at the table incredulously. Uraraka looked like she wasn’t sure whether she should laugh or lecture Izuku, whereas Katsuki was yet again looking at him like he’d never seen him before. It occurred to Izuku belatedly that spending quality time with Shouto, trash-talking his father, and calling him names in front of them all was painting a pretty obvious picture for Katsuki to piece together, but whatever. Shouto didn’t seem to care one way or another. 

    “Don’t worry about it,” Izuku told the redhead, going back to his curry. 

    “Are you serious?” 

   “So, are you going to intern under him?” Shouto asked, ignoring Uraraka’s protest. Izuku looked up and shot the boy a look. 

    “ Absolutely not.”

   “Why not? He’s the number two hero after all.” Shouto looked genuinely confused, which only proved to confuse even Izuku.     

    “Um, because I hate him ?” 

   “Well, so do I, but I’m going to intern with him.” 

   Izuku slammed his chopsticks down on the table, his eye bugging out of his head. “Why the hell would you do that?” 

    “Because, you made a good point at the festival,” Todoroki said, finally putting down his chopsticks to give the conversation his full attention. “I need to use my fire side more, and the best way to learn how to do that is to learn from the man who gave it to me.” 

    Izuku was not pouting, no matter what anyone else said. “Shouto, I just don’t think-”

   “You guys are on a given-name basis?” Kirishima blurted. Shouto and Izuku exchanged looks, thinking his reaction was funny. Both were oblivious to the way Katsuki had frozen with his spoon of curry halfway to his mouth, nor the way his mouth twisted in jealousy. 

    “Yeah, I guess we are,” Izuku said. The two boys spent the rest of their lunchtime chatting with each other like old friends, while Uraraka and Kirishima anxiously watched Bakugou shovel his food into his mouth like a demon. 

     (x)

  “Young Midoriya! May I speak with you in private?” 

    Izuku froze on his way out of the classroom. He had been hoping to make a quick escape in the sea of his classmates, but of course he would have no such luck. All Might stayed at the front of the room with that beaming smile on his face, and although it may have looked genuine to anyone else, Izuku could see the underlying tenseness beneath the man’s exterior. 

    Izuku slowly approached him, wincing when the classroom door slid shut behind the last person. He was somewhat comforted knowing that Kacchan was likely waiting for him right outside the door, so the two could walk home together like always. He was less comforted when he remembered the threat All Might had made to him about Kacchan and his family. 

    “Y-yes?” He stuttered, trying to keep his nerves out of his voice. All Might didn’t drop his muscle form, probably already guessing that one of Izuku’s friends was outside the door. 

   “I wanted to speak to you about where you plan on going for your internship,” the older man said. “I have an old mentor that I think would help you immensely in getting control of your quirk. His name is Gran Torino, and he’s… a scary man.” All Might shivered, like just the thought of him was scaring him. Izuku felt a shiver roll over his own spine at the sight of it. Anyone who could scare All Might was someone that Izuku didn’t ever want to meet. 

    “Th-thank you, but I’ve already picked my internship,” he told the blond man. “I turned in my form for Miruko’s agency at the end of Aizawa’s class.” 

    All Might scowled at him like it was his fault that they hadn’t spoken earlier. “Miruko, hm? What could have driven you to choose her?” 

   “Sh-she has a really amazing quirk, and she’s a very strong hero!” Izuku stuttered, not liking the displeasure in his mentor’s eyes. “I th-think I could really learn a lot from her!” 

    “I see,” All Might said flatly. “Well. If only it was allowed for teachers at U.A. to take interns. I think we could have had a lot of fun together.” The man plastered a smile back on his face, like he hadn’t just delivered a vaguely threatening statement. “Come to my house later tonight, alright? We have some business to take care of before you leave for your internships at the end of the week.” 

    Izuku looked at the floor, clutching the straps of his backpack with white knuckles. There was no business to take care of, and they both knew it. Izuku couldn’t help but feel stupid. Why had he ever thought that he would have a break from Yagi’s torture? He’d felt safe these past few days, since he and All Might had only ever interacted at school. Honestly, sometimes Izuku wished he had never gotten One for All. 

    “Yes, sir,” he said quietly. “Can I go now?” 

   “Of course.” Yagi reached out and patted the top of Izuku’s head like he was some sort of dog. “I’ll see you tonight.” 

    Izuku didn’t answer him; he simply turned and left the room. 

     (x)

    Katsuki eyed Deku the entire walk home, suspicion niggling at the back of his mind. Ever since the boy’s meeting with All Might at the end of the day, his beaming smile had wilted into a sad frown. Clearly the teacher had said something to Deku to bring his mood down, but Katsuki didn’t know how to confront him about it without starting another fight. Despite the apology he had given and Deku had accepted, the shorter boy’s words still rang in his mind on a loop. ‘ What makes you think you deserve to know anything about me?’

    What, indeed. Katsuki turned away from staring at Deku and watched the road they were walking on, clenching his teeth. No matter how badly he wanted to know what was going on with Deku, he wasn’t going to ask the boy about it. He was just going to have to wait until Deku came to him, first. 

    (x)

   Izuku anxiously stepped through the threshold of All Might’s home, not wanting to announce himself. He’d received a text from All Might half an hour before instructing him to just walk into the home without knocking when he arrived, for reasons unknown to Izuku. When he remembered the look that had been on Yagi’s face earlier that day, his nerves only increased. 

   “H-hello?” He called through the home, toeing his red shoes off at the genkan. He heard Yagi’s voice raise in acknowledgement deeper in the house; in the direction of the bedroom. The sick feeling in his stomach made him nearly throw up, but he steeled himself against the feelings battling in his chest. Now was not the time to show weakness. Instead, he walked towards the bedroom deeper in the house. When he got there, he wasn’t surprised to find All Might hovering near the western-style bed. What he was surprised about was the items that lay on the bed; what appeared to be some red ribbons, bandana, and a wooden spoon. 

    “Um…” he shifted his focus from the items to Yagi’s neutral expression. “What’s going on in here?”
    “Come here, Izuku.” The blond man held out a hand with his command,  gesturing for Izuku to take it. The smaller boy swallowed against the lump in his throat, going to All Might. He didn’t take his hand. The neutral look on the man’s face fell into a darker one of contempt, and immediately Izuku knew he had fucked up. He’d been defying Yagi too often lately, getting too comfortable at U.A. surrounded by pro-heroes and his friends. He should have known it wouldn’t last, should have known better than to relax-

   “And that, Young Man, is exactly what we’re here to work on,” All Might snapped. “Take off your clothes and get on the bed.” 

    Fear edged into Izuku’s heart, his limbs beginning to tremble minutely. “Y-Yagi, please d-don’t-”

     In the next moment, All Might had flashed into his muscle form. He shoved Izuku onto the bed hard enough that the greenet’s head slammed against the headboard, causing him to cry out in pain. Dizziness washed over him in a wave, blurring his vision and making his movements slower and more sluggish than usual. By the time he came back online, he had been stripped of his clothes. All Might was using the silk ribbons to tie Izuku’s limbs to each corner of the four-poster bed. Izuku realized what was happening and began to struggle, but Yagi reached out and grabbed his waist, flipping his body around until he was laying on his stomach. He then threaded his massive fingers in the back of Izuku’s hair and yanked, hard . Izuku yelped in pain, both from the tugging at his curls, and from the pressure on the new wound he had obtained when he was thrown onto the bed. 

    He stayed still when All Might leaned down to tie his legs down, as well. He quickly found out the bandana was to be used as a gag, and after a few test protests, it was apparent that the thing worked quite well. He could do nothing but muffle his crying in the gag when All Might picked up the wooden spoon and began to whip him with it, snarling horrible words about Izuku's newfound friends. 

    He taunted Katsuki  and his friendship with Izuku, he mocked Uraraka’s cheeriness. He sneered about Kirishima’s naivety, and roared against Todoroki’s quiet shyness. Every word against them hurt worse than the last, especially when Izuku realized why he was being punished like this; this was his penance for having friends. He knew that All Might didn’t like them, knew that he’d threatened Kacchan’s family so that Izuku would stay away from him, but when that didn’t work, he’d decided to take it out on Izuku instead. 

    Even when he was brutally raped without preparation twenty-five minutes into the whipping, Izuku couldn’t find it in himself to regret making his friends. They were the only reason he thought he might be able to get through this hell. Without them, he might as well die. 

Chapter Text

  “Is everyone ready to go?” Aizawa asked the students of Class 1-A where they had gathered at the train station. Izuku was hardly paying attention to the man, simply because his eyes were fixed on one other person; Iida Tenya. Ever since the Sports Festival, when his brother had gotten hurt, the blue-haired boy hadn’t been acting the way he usually did. He usually annoyed Izuku with his presumptuous behavior and general air of being better than everyone else, but for the past few days, the boy had been… quiet. Izuku didn’t know how he knew, but he could just tell that the boy was filled with a silent rage. Perhaps it was because Midoriya himself was filled with the same rage, although for different reasons entirely. 

    Those reasons being why his body was covered in bruises and love bites. 

   “Deku-kun?” 

   Izuku turned to Uraraka, blinking. Kirishima, Uraraka, Todoroki and Kacchan were all watching him, and it occurred to the boy that one of them must have been speaking to him. Uraraka followed his gaze to where Iida was standing alone on the platform for his train, a small frown tilting down her lips. 

    “Try not to worry too much,” she told Izuku, reaching out to pat his shoulder. “I’m sure he’s going to be alright. It’s traumatic to have something like that happen to someone you love.” 

    “Glasses will be fine,” Katsuki chimed in gruffly. “He’ll be back to his annoying self sooner or later.” 

    “Right,” Izuku mumbled. “Just- I’ll be right back.” He turned away from the group and approached Iida, pausing at his side. The bespectacled boy looked at him with wariness in his eyes when Izuku tried to smile at him. His smile was admittedly weak. “Hey, Iida-kun. Are you doing alright?” 

    “I’m fine,” Iida said stiffly, glancing over Izuku’s shoulder at his group of friends. “Good luck at your internship, Midoriya-kun.” 

    Izuku bit his lower lip, his instincts screaming at him that something was wrong. “You know, it’s okay to not be okay. I’ll always be here if you want to talk. I don’t sleep much, so even if it’s three o’clock in the morning, I’ll pick up the phone.” He held out a piece of paper that had his number scribbled on it. Iida looked at it for a long moment, long enough that Izuku wasn’t sure he was going to take it. Finally, he reached out and enclosed his hand around it, stuffing it into the pocket of his uniform. 

   “Thank you.” 

   “Of course. Good luck at your internship, too. Where are you going?” 

   Iida’s jaw clenched a bit. “I’m going to Manuel’s agency, in Hosu.”     

   ‘ Hosu,’ Izuku’s mind whispered to him. ‘ That’s where Stain attacked his brother.’ “Um, Iida-” 

  Izuku was cut off by the sound of the intercom speaker announcing his train. He widened his eyes and said a quick goodbye to the blue-haired boy, scampering back to his friend group. He and Todoroki were going on the same train, whereas Uraraka, Kirishima and Kacchan had a different train. Miruko’s agency was just on the outskirts of Hosu, as was Endeavor’s agency. 

    The group said their goodbyes to each other, and Todoroki and Izuku entered their train laden with their bags. The ride to the city was quiet, and comfortable in a way only old friends could be. Izuku was more than ecstatic that he and Shouto’s friendship had developed so quickly, given the boy’s previously hardened personality. When the hour train ride was over, the two boys separated and gave each other good luck wishes. 

    Miruko’s agency was bigger than Izuku had thought it would be. The building was by no means a skyscraper, but it was more than a few stories tall. When Midoriya stood outside the front doors, he had a brief flash of panic at the realization that he was about to meet the number four hero. He took a deep breath to prepare himself, exhaling slowly before he pushed open the doors.

    The lobby of the building was bustling with activity. Sidekicks and heroes alike were rushing in and out of the room, some of them stopping at the front desk to check their schedules, while others pushed out the door Izuku had just come from. He was more than a little starstruck, given the fact that he recognized a few of the heroes pushing past him. When he got to the front desk, he found a kind looking man sitting there, with bright orange hair and matching amber eyes. 

   “Hello! You must be the U.A. intern,” the man said, smiling. “My name is Seiko. Miruko is waiting for you in the training room. If you go down the hall there, you’ll hit the locker rooms. The door to the training room is on the other side of the locker room, so change into you hero costume and meet her there. Good luck!” 

    Izuku barely had time to absorb the information before another sidekick took over Seiko’s attention, asking something about her sick partner. Izuku stumbled down the hallway Seiko had indicated, finding the men’s locker room easily enough. It was empty inside, and Izuku took a moment to find an empty locker that he could put his belongings in. He changed quickly, glad that there was no one else inside who could see the clear sexual bruises on his body and ask questions. He found the door leading to the training room on the other side of the locker room, just where the desk man had said it would be. 

    When he entered, he found even more pro-heroes training on the different gym equipment around the room. Miruko herself was standing in the middle of the room with her hands on her hips, in her hero costume. She beamed with a smile when she caught sight of Izuku, although there was something sharp and calculating in her gaze. “Ah, Midoriya-kun! You’re right on time!”

    “H-hello, Miruko-san!” Izuku stuttered, bowing quickly. “It’s a huge honor to be here!”
  “So polite!” Miruko chuckled. She waved him closer, instructing him to stand still while she walked in a circle around him, studying his costume. “Hm. I like the colour scheme you have going here. It suits you. The bunny ears are cute, too.” She winked at him, causing him to blush. “I watched you during the Sports Festival, especially that little show you put on at the end to save your friend. It was quite impressive, although your quirk is more explosive and damaging than any other I’ve ever seen.” 

   “Y-yes,” Izuku said. “I’m a late bloomer, so… I haven’t had much practice with it.” 

   “Well, let’s change that, shall we?” Miruko gestured for him to follow her. They made their way to the sparring mats towards the left side of the room. On one of the mats, a sidekick and a trainer of some sort were battling without the use of their quirks. The sidekick was doing well against the trainer, although it was clear that they weren’t used to fighting without their quirk. Izuku was impressed that Miruko had her employees train without their quirks, since the society they lived in put such an emphasis on strong quirks and how to use them. Excitement bubbled up in his stomach. 

     This was going to be fun. 

     (x)

    Iida Tenya stared at the crumpled piece of paper in his hand, his mind battling itself. Nine numbers. He could dial nine numbers and maybe, perhaps, he could get some relief from the  battle warring itself in his mind. He had no doubt that Midoriya’s offer of talking was out of genuine concern for him. Iida also knew that Midoriya didn’t like him very much; honestly, he deserved it. He hadn’t been acting like a hero, with all of the assumptions and condescending words he had spoken in the short time they had been in class. 

    Nine numbers… only nine numbers. 

   He put the piece of paper back in his pocket and went out to meet Manual in the gym. 

    (x)

   The following days were some of the most rewarding in Izuku’s life. Miruko trained him hard, harder than he’d ever had to work before, and he loved it. He got to spar against a few sidekicks, and had even won a few of them! She helped him learn how to focus on regulating his quirk, and taught him some kick-ass moves using his legs, seeing as though her own legs were her most important weapon. When he went out on patrol with her, he got to meet the kind people in the neighborhood, and was able to see the way they all admired her. 

    Miruko didn’t have a fake bone in her body. She told it like she saw it. If Izuku’s moves were sloppy, she reprimanded him and had him try again. If she noticed he was tired, she forced him to take a water break instead of pushing him further. She could be a bit brash and rude at times, but she was unashamed of her actions, and if she went too far, she always apologized. She reminded him a lot of Kacchan. Spending time with her let Izuku see that maybe, the hero system wasn’t as corrupted as he had once thought. Sure, All Might and Endeavour were two of the worst people he’d ever had the displeasure of meeting, but Miruko was the number four hero . She was everything a hero was meant to be. 

    It gave him hope for his future. Good people still existed in this world. 

   On the fourth day of his internship, Miruko decided to take Izuku into the bustling city of Hosu for some patrols. It was an area that she shared with Endeavour’s agency, she explained, and was one of the safest in the entire city. She was apprehensive about taking him out to more dangerous areas, given he was still a student, but Izuku didn’t mind. He was gaining more control of Full Cowling, had learned some new moves, and had a long break from having to see Yagi. 

    It was perfect, until it wasn’t. 

  It seemed like out of nowhere, disaster struck. The sun had already set, and it was around eight p.m. when the ruckus began. He and Miruko were walking down the street, chatting about Izuku’s classes at U.A., when suddenly civilians began to scream and run away from something. Miruko was jumping into action before Izuku could blink, launching herself down the street with her powerful legs. He worked to keep up with her, directing citizens out of the way as they bolted up the street. When they turned the corner, Izuku saw exactly what was causing the panic. 

   “What the hell is that?” Miruko gaped, stuttering to a halt as she watched the giant hulking creature down the road lift up a car, tossing it to the side like it weighed no more than styrofoam. Izuku’s heart skipped a beat in his chest. Although the creature didn’t look the exact same as the one that had invaded USJ, it was still clear what it was. 

   “Noumu,” he whispered, nearly imperceptible. Miruko’s large ears twitched, and she faced him with a look of surprise on her face. 

   “You know what that is?” 

   Izuku bobbed his head, unable to take his eyes off of the creature. It had a bird-like look to it just like the one at the USJ, but this one had a hide the colour of rust instead of the inky-black that Izuku remembered. Its beak was serrated with sharp teeth,and its brain was just as exposed as the monster that haunted Izuku’s nightmares. It also had a massive, draconic tail, with barbs all along it like some sort of dinosaur. “There- there was one at the USJ. It took all of All Might’s power to defeat it.” 

    Miruko set her jaw in a grim expression, reaching up to crack her knuckles. “Alright Midoriya, listen to me. Manual’s agency isn’t far from here, only six blocks to the East. I want you to run there and notify any hero you come across about what’s happening down here. I’m going to distract it until help comes. Only fight if you absolutely have to. Can you do this for me?” 

   “But, Miruko-”

  “Midoriya! Can you do this?” She peered into his eyes, her own sharp and hardened. Izuku nodded quickly, stumbling back a few steps. 

   “Y-yes! Yes, I’ll be back!” He turned and bolted to the East, his mind already whirring with all of the possible outcomes of Miruko’s battle with the Noumu. He forced all of the horrible images from his mind as he ran, and spent a few extra moments directing civilians out of the way of the battle when he came across them. 

   One block from Manual’s agency, Izuku stumbled across two more Noumu tearing apart a city bus. Manual himself was ducking behind a car, trying to dodge the debris the two Noumu were flinging at him, shouting directions to his sidekicks to get out of the way until they could regroup and come up with a better plan. Izuku ran to the man and crouched beside him, out of breath from both the physical exertion and fear. Manual looked at him with wide eyes, taking in his hero outfit, as well as his young face. 

    “Whose intern are you?” He yelled over the horrible sound of screeching metal and Noumu’s cries. Izuku leaned in closer to yell into the man’s ear, praying he could be heard. 

   “Miruko is battling a Noumu six blocks to the west!” He yelled. “She sent me to get help!” 

   “We’re a little busy!” Manual scoffed, leaning up to survey the scene. His eyes went wide when he seemed to realize something. “Iida! Where’s Iida?” 

    Izuku’s heart practically stopped in his chest. “Iida? Iida Tenya?” 

   Manual looked back at him. “You know him?” 

   “He’s in my class,” Izuku said, peeking his head over the car to check the scene as well. He grit his teeth, having no doubt as to where his classmate was. “And I know where he is.” He stood up and made to run, heading straight toward the Noumus. Manual yelled after him, cursing up a storm. Izuku used the sidekicks’ distractions to skate past the two Noumu’s, darting off into the night in search of his classmate. 

    “Stain always attacks in side-streets,” he mumbled to himself, pushing his legs to go faster and faster. His muscles ached from the training Miruko had inflicted on him, but he ignored the burn in favour of going faster. “He waits for the cover of darkness and attacks mostly in the same area of city. Ingenium was attacked in the South, so Stain will be attacking again in the South… goddamnit, Iida!” 

    Izuku could do nothing but hope he would get there in time. 

    (x)

    Stain stared down the little hero in the dark alleyway, gleeful determination filling his chest. He had come only for the Pro-Hero: Native, but instead got not only him, but a little carbon-copy of the man he had skewered only a week before. The boy was clearly overemotional, ranting about getting revenge for his brother in a way no hero should. 

    “Revenge is not something a true hero should yearn for, little one,” he purred, staring down at the teenager’s form from where it lay frozen on the ground. The boy was whimpered from pain where one of Stain’s knives was already pinning him to the ground, tears streaming down his face. Stain had taken off his helmet so that he could watch the light leave his eyes. 

    “You are going to learn the same lesson as the rest of them,” he said. “I spared your brother his life because I had no proof against him, but you?” He reached behind him and drew out one of his katanas, watching the way the dark blade glinted against the moonlight. “This is enough proof for me. The Ingenium line will die with you, little hero.” He raised his blade up, preparing to stab it down onto the boy’s prone form. He ignored the cries of anger and pain that the boy made, moving to bring the blade down on him. 

    In the next moment, his vision was filled with green. Pain surged out of his side and he dropped his sword, feeling his feet skid across the ground. He recovered, finding himself further down the alley than he had been before, standing beside Native, who was slumped against the wall where Stain had left him. When he looked up, it was to find yet another teenager staring at him from the mouth of the alley. Green lightning crackled over the boy’s body, causing his emerald irises to glow. Stain watched as the boy looked down at the other boy, concern creasing on his features.

   “Iida-kun! Can you get up?” 

   “Midoriya,” Iida croaked, his fingers twitching as he tried to move. “Get out… leave! This is something… I have to do!” 

   “Don’t be an idiot!” Midoriya snapped, looking back up at Stain. The vigilante cocked his head curiously, grabbing another blade from his belt. The boy’s eyes flickered down to look at it, and although Stain could see the fear in his eyes, he didn’t make any movement to leave. ‘Interesting.’

    “Why… are you here …?” Iida groaned. 

    “I’m here to save you!” Midoriya said, clenching his fists as he dropped into a fighting position. “I’m not going to leave you alone, so you might as well shut up about it!” 

    “Interesting,” Stain said aloud this time. “You’re here to save your friend, little one? I’ll tell you what. I like you. I’ll let you leave without pain right now, if you abandon your friend.” It was a lie, of course; if the boy left, he would only prove himself to be unworthy. Any normal teenager would have taken the out and left in fear of their lives, but not this one. No, this one stood his ground and snapped his teeth at Stain like a feral dog. 

   “Never,” he said. “I’m going to save them both from you!” 

   “What makes you think you can win against me?” Stain asked. “I admit, I like your force of will. Perhaps you have the makings of a true hero.”

    Midoriya blinked hard, shaking his head a bit. “I don’t think I can win against you,” he admitted. “But I’m sure as hell going to try!” 

   Well, that was a battle cry if Stain had ever heard one. 

    (x)

   Todoroki Shouto stayed behind his father as the man blasted the Noumu with fire, his sidekicks jumping into action as well. His heart was pounding with adrenaline already, although he hadn’t done a single move against the villains. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket, and for some reason, something urged him to check it. He pulled the device out while keeping an eye on his surroundings to make sure no danger came his way. 

   It was from Izuku, although it was nothing more than a location. Shouto checked the cross streets and realized with a bit of surprise that it was only a few blocks from him. He looked up at the battle again, watching as his father burned one Noumu to a crisp, only to change directions and launch himself toward another. He made his decision and forwarded the location to his father’s cell number before he turned and took off down the street. Sidekicks called his name after him, but he paid them no mind. Midoriya needed him, if the cryptic text was to be believed, and he was not going to let his friend suffer alone. 

    (x)

   Izuku felt his joints lock into place the moment Stain’s tongue touched the bloody knife. He cursed to himself for his stupidity. He had thought that Stain’s quirk only had to do with drawing blood, but clearly it needed to be ingested for the paralysis to work. He had been locked in a crouching position not far from Iida’s prone body, with enough sight into the alley to see the Pro-Hero: Native was still frozen toward the end of the alley. 

   Stain approached Izuku with a contemplative look on his gaunt face, a sharp grin cracking his expression. “I enjoy your determination, little hero. I believe you have the makings of a true hero, yet. I have decided not to kill you outright. Remember this; should you ever stray from your path, I will find you, and I will end you just as I will end these two phonies.” 

   “ NO !” Izuku cried, willing his limbs to move. His muscles did nothing more but twitch uncomfortably, even as Stain approached Iida’s body once again. “Stop! He’s just a kid! He doesn’t know what he’s doing!” 

   “Oh, but you are just a kid as well, are you not?” Stain asked, pausing. “He does not have what it takes to be a hero. There is only one hero I admire, and that man is All Might! He is the prime example of what a hero should be, not all of these fakes .” 

   Izuku couldn’t help it; he let out a bitter laugh. Stain’s expression shifted from one of hate to one of curiosity. Izuku couldn’t stop the giggles from escaping him, until they blew out into uncontrollable laughter. Later, he would blame it on the stress of the situation, but for now, he could do nothing but wait for them to subside. “You- you’re basing your philosophy on All Might ?”

    “And why not?” Stain asked. “Do you have something against him, perhaps?” 

  “Oh, do I,” Izuku chuckled. “I’ll give you a hint, big boy. He is nothing like what you have painted him to be. If you want every hero to be like All Might, then the world may as well fall.” 

    Stain narrowed his eyes at Izuku. “What are you talking about?” He sounded irritated now rather than curious. “You speak as though you know him.” 

   “Oh, I know him,” Izuku said. “I know him better than anyone else. More than I could ever want to.” 

    Something in his voice must have given him away, because Stain stepped back like he had been slapped. Perhaps it was his experience with the riff-raff of the streets, or maybe he simply had good intuition. Whatever the case, when he went closer to Izuku, he seemed to register his face. 

   “You’re that brat Shigaraki is looking for,” he declared. “He carries your picture around, you know. You’re the child from the USJ.” He blinked. “You know All Might personally.” 

   “I do,” Izuku said. “You may want to rethink your ideals.” Inwardly, he was freaking out over the fact that Shigaraki was looking for him . Why in the world did Shigaraki want him? During the USJ he had made some comment about taking Izuku with them because he was an “easter egg,” or some other video-game lingo, but Izuku never could have imagined the villain would actively seek him out. 

    “What are you-” Stain began, but was cut off when a stream of fire erupted from the mouth of the alleyway. The vigilante leaped back to avoid being burned, twisting to face the newcomer. Izuku didn’t have to look to know he was standing in the alleyway with them. 

   “Stay away from my friend,” Todoroki snarled, shooting another jet of fire just past Izuku. Stain dodged this one as well, his focus shifting to take out the new threat. Izuku opened his mouth to warn Todoroki against the man’s quirk. 

   “Shouto, don’t let him lick your blood!” He called. “It’s a paralysis quirk!” 

   Two knives impaled Shouto’s arm just as Izuku finished his sentence. The teenager stumbled back from the pain of the hit, and Stain took the advantage to leap toward him. Shouto blasted him with more fire, yanking the blades out of his arm so he could encase them in a block of ice on the ground. He then moved to freeze over the wound, holding all of his blood inside of the ice and out of Stain’s reach. 

    The battle between them was touch and go. Izuku focused his energy on trying to move, feeling his joints loosening with each muscle twitch. His brain worked in overdrive as he worked, surveying the alleyway. Native was still imobile down the alleyway, although he was watching the fight with wide, terrified eyes. Iida was still twitching on the ground where he was pinned, clearly also trying to move once more. 

    The paralysis gave out on Izuku at the same moment Stain sent two more blades at Todoroki, in a way that the boy wouldn’t be able to dodge. He only barely had the time to snatch them out of the air, tossing them off to the side of the alleyway. “It’s blood types! He can’t hold certain blood types as long as others!”
  “I’m type O!” Shouto said, shooting ice at Stain to try and keep him down. 

   “I’m type B,” Native croaked from down the alley. 

   “I’m- type A,” Iida swore. 

   “And I’m O as well,” Izuku smirked. Stain looked impressed, halting in his tracks.

   “Very impressive, little one,” he said. “It appears I managed to underestimate you.” 

   “A horrible mistake, really.” Izuku turned to nod at Shouto in silent communication. The boy nodded back at him, and together the two of them launched an attack.

    (x)

   Katsuki felt his phone buzz in his pocket on his way back to his room after taking a shower. He’d scrubbed a lot to get that idiot’s gel out of his hair, and it was finally back in its natural, spiky state. When he tugged out the device and draped his towel around his neck, he frowned. 

   Deku had sent him his location, and nothing else. That wasn’t like the boy at all, and the crypticness of the text made dread drop in Katsuki’s stomach. He scrolled up farther in their text conversation to make sure that he hadn’t missed anything, but he hadn’t. Apprehension filled him, but it was cut off by a cry deeper in the common area of the dorm-like building he was staying in. 

   “Oh my god, look!” 

   Katsuki bolted down the hallway and skidded into the common area, finding the sidekicks and d-list heroes employed under Best Jeanist’s agency crowding around the flatscreen television in the middle of the room. Katsuki pushed his way into the middle of the group, laying eyes on the screen. It was a live news broadcast of Hosu city, where a shit ton of Noumu’s were attacking the streets. The feed switched between different helicopters, focusing on different fights between heroes and their villains. In one switch, Bakugou saw Endeavour fighting against a Noumu with what appeared to be axes for arms, and when it switched again, he saw Miruko fighting a Noumu with a draconic tail covered in barbs. 

   ‘ Miruko,’ Katsuki thought, panicked. ‘ Deku’s with Miruko!’ He checked his phone again, clicking on the location the nerd had sent him. Sure enough, it was somewhere right in the heart of Hosu, in what appeared to be the area between two shop buildings. He clearly wasn’t fighting with Miruko, but he was in Hosu during this clusterfuck. 

    Katsuki closed his fist around his phone and, for the first time in years, he prayed.

     (x)

   “I see now,” Iida muttered to himself, standing on shaking legs. “I was driven by my anger, and it was wrong of me. Seeing the two of you fight for me now… it gives me a drive to succeed!” 

   “Impossible,” Stain spat, glaring at Iida. “You cannot switch your role so late in the game! It is already too late for you!” 

    “Iida!” Izuku called happily, green lightning surrounding him as he darted back to his friend’s side. “Are you alright?” 

    “I will be fine, Midoriya,” Iida nodded, determination on his face. “I’m sorry for letting my anger drive me. It won’t happen again.”

   “Enough with the chit-chat!” Todoroki yelled, sending a spear of ice at Stain. “Help us take him down!” 

    Izuku reached out and brushed his fingers against Iida’s left hand, before the two of them bolted into battle. Izuku went low while Iida went high, both of them kicking at Stain’s body from where he had jumped in midair to dodge Todoroki’s ice. Both of their kicks connected, twisting Stain’s body to two different sides. The man fell to the ground of the alley in a broken heap, and Izuku landed on his feet near him. Iida stumbled when he landed, but Todoroki grabbed him to help him stay standing. 

   “Be careful, he’s still-!” 

   But he wasn’t. Stain was knocked out cold. Izuku nearly collapsed with relief, but knew better than to let his guard down immediately. Todoroki went to check on Native, who was beginning to move a bit, while Iida stepped in front of Izuku and bowed his head. 

   “Thank you, Midoriya,” he said softly. “I don’t know what might have happened to me if you had not insisted on saving me. In the future, I will try to do you proud. I won’t let what happened here ever happen again.” 

    Izuku smiled tiredly at Iida, nodding his head. “Good, I’m glad. Now, help me find something to tie this guy up with.”

    The three teenagers found a piece of rope in one of the dumpsters in the alleyway, and Iida used his strange knowledge of knots to securely tie the vigilante up. Izuku heaved Native onto his back to carry him out of the alley, which Todoroki had iced over to help with dragging Stain out onto the street. The three teenagers were all grinning from their victory, although their grins faded into mirroring expressions of chagrin when they encountered the new visitors. 

   “Shouto!” Endeavour yelled, stomping down the street. Pro heroes Manual and Miruko were right on his tail, each looking more worried than angry, like Endeavour was. 

   “Midoriya!” Miruko yelped, scurrying over to him to grab at his shoulders. She ignored Native on Izuku’s back, instead looking him over from head-to-toe for injuries. When she could find nothing substantial, she let out a sigh of relief; then immediately moved to slap him upside the head. “You idiot, I told you to go get help, not run off on your own! And look at you, you took down the hero killer ? What part of ‘Miruko doesn’t want me to go into danger’ did you not understand?!” 

    “Iida-kun, that was so irresponsible of you!” Manual was yelling at Iida a few feet away. “I cannot believe you would take a risk like that when your family is already worried sick about your brother! What if they had lost you tonight, as well? What then?” 

    “Shouto! Do not run away from me so easily when I am trying to teach you!” Endeavour scolded his son. Shouto looked more bored than chastised, scanning the area around theme for someone to distract the hero. 

    “Were you teaching?” He asked, disinterested. “I thought I was just watching you show off.” 

   “Why, you -” 

   “Come on, I’ll help you with that man,” Miruko told Izuku, snapping him out of his daze of listening to his surroundings. He nodded and gently eased Native to the ground, helping him stand on his own two-feet, since the paralytic had faded from his system by then. He barely had a moment to begin explaining the situation to Miruko before suddenly, one of Endeavour’s sidekicks was screaming and pointing at the sky. 

   “Oh my god, look out!” 

   Izuku turned on his heel, looking up at the tan, beaked face of a winged Noumu merely seconds before talons dug into his shoulders and lifted him off of his feet. 

Chapter Text

    Izuku wiggled in midair, panic freezing his breath in his lungs as the ground soared far below him with every beat of the Noumu’s wings. He looked up at the creature above him, looking for any sign of a weakness he could use against the creature. In that moment, the Noumu looked back down at him with a wide, black eye that looked eerily familiar. 

    A flash of a child, merely a month older than Izuku, but forty pounds heavier, invaded Izuku’s mind. Tsubasa-kun, a six year-old who had hung out with him and Kacchan up until elementary school. Only a week before their first day of middle school was supposed to begin, the boy had gone missing. The neighborhood had freaked out, and all schools put their students into buddy systems that had to walk to and from school together. Kacchan had been Izuku’s buddy, and begrudgingly walked to and from school with Izuku for three months before the fear from the investigation died down. 

    They had never found Tsubasa’s body… and now Izuku knew why. 

   Before he could so much as scream, cry, or maybe yell Tsubasa’s name, there was what sounded like an echoing war cry piercing the air around them. Izuku ducked instinctively at the same moment Stain leaped off of the side of a building near them, tackling the Noumu until he was straddling the thing’s neck. The Noumu cried out and thrashed against its sudden intruder, but Stain merely cackled to himself and lifted two of his knives, poised to strike down into the Noumu’s exposed brain. 

   “Wait!” Izuku yelled, reaching out a hand to stop the assault, but it was too late. Stain stabbed down with the twin blades, burrowing the dangerous tools into the monster’s brain. The creature’s wings immediately stopped beating, one last anguished cry of pain escaping its beak before the three of them began to plummet to the ground. The Noumu’s hold on Izuku’s shoulders loosened with its death, and Stain took the opportunity to grab Izuku around the middle and tuck his body around Izuku’s, landing in the middle of the street merely feet away from where the Noumu crash-landed hard enough to leave a crater in the earth. Stain’s shoulder met the ground first, absorbing the impact, while the rest of him tucked and rolled with Izuku his arms, until Midoriya opened his eyes to find Stain pinning him down to the concrete with both hands. 

    A flash of All Might’s face, hovering above his, construed in an expression of pleasure and smugness, replaced Stain’s face for a moment. Izuku freaked out and activated his quirk, shoving back at Stain’s shoulders with three percent of One for All. It may not have seemed like much, but it was more than enough to knock the man off of Izuku’s prone form. Stain’s other shoulder impacted the ground this time, but he continued with the same ducking-and-rolling motion he had made before, when he rescued Izuku, until he was sitting up on his haunches once more.

    The two of them stared at each other, Izuku’s emerald eyes wide with fear, Stain’s beady gaze narrowed on Izuku’s like he was piecing together a puzzle. The heroes, whom Izuku had been snatched from, had begun running toward them from their place a few hundred meters away. Izuku barely had a moment to wonder how Stain had gotten up to the Noumu so quickly if the creature had travelled that far, because Stain’s mouth was opening to speak. 

    “All Might… he is abusing you.” 

   It wasn’t a question, but Izuku recoiled like it was one anyway. He realized belatedly that he really needed to work on steeling his reactions to accusations like that if he wanted to keep this secret alive, but it was too late for Stain. The man’s face shrouded into a look of betrayal and rage, although somehow Izuku could tell that it wasn’t aimed at him. He was outraged at All Might’s audacity, seeing as though he had based the entirety of his morals and ideals on measuring each hero he’d come across to the assaulter. So many years of Stain’s life… ruined . If Izuku was a psychopathic vigilante, he would probably be pissed too. 

    “ Scum ,” Stain hissed like a snake, his abnormally long tongue and sharp face only adding to the illusion. Izuku forced himself not to react, no matter how badly he wanted to crawl away from Stain. “Everything I’ve worked for… it’s all been a lie!” 

    “It hasn’t,” Izuku squeaked out, keeping an eye on the heroes still sprinting toward them. They were less than one-hundred meters away now, although Izuku figured Iida could have been there much quicker had he not been injured in their fight against the vigilante. Miruko, too, appeared to be limping on one side from her battle against the Noumu with the tail. “It’s just… you hold these heroes to impossible standards. You call them all ‘fakes,’ but in reality… nobody is perfect.” 

    Stain was glaring at Izuku like he was the crazy one. Endeavour’s shouting of rage carried through the wind at them, but neither of the two paid it any mind. Izuku briefly wondered if he should allow Stain to take out one last asshole before they brought him down, but ultimately decided that it wouldn’t look good on his record, if he sat there and told Stain to go after Endeavour. 

    “Perhaps I was wrong about the Number One Hero,” Stain said slowly. “But I was not wrong about you, little one. Keep in mind what I said in the alley, before your little fiery friend came along; stay on the path you are on, and I will not come for you one day.” 

    “Stain! Step away from the boy!” Endeavor snarled, skidding to a stop five meters away from where Stain remained crouched on the asphalt near Izuku. Exhaustion was beginning to set in for the teenage boy, a mixture of the bruises, broken bones and scrapes from his fight with Stain, combined with the deep puncture wounds on the front and back of his shoulders from the Noumu, draining the last of his adrenaline out of his body. 

    Stain stood tall once more, but didn’t bother to reach for any of his blades this time. “ You . You are nothing but a phony hero! I will not allow you to kill me; none of you!” The man pointed at each of their heroes and sidekicks lined up in front of him, growling. “None of you are worthy; no one is worthy.” He then side-eyed Izuku, and shifted his pointing finger down to the boy. “The only one I will allow to kill me… is him .” 

     Whereas the others had paused in their shock from the vigilante’s words, Endeavour seemed to hear nothing but the insults against his character. He roared in rage, creating a massive fireball with both of his hands, made to launch directly at the psychotic killer. Before he could throw it, however, Stain’s entire body went rigid. He let out a wet, hacking cough, blood spilling out between his lips. He slowly turned to Izuku, who had gotten to his knees behind the man. Protruding from Stain’s stomach was one of his own swords; one which Izuku had taken off of his belt without the man noticing, during his little speech. 

    “I’m just doing what you said,” he told the older man. Izuku could have sworn he saw something in his eyes like pride , before his form crumpled to the ground. 

     (x)

   Kirishima Eijirou watched the live video feed on his phone, absolutely floored at what he saw. Kaminari had mass-texted the entire class with the link, and Kirishima knew he wasn’t the only one of Class 1-A to see the battle. A helicopter had been tracking Endeavour’s progress ever since the beginning of the Noumu attacks, and following him down dark city blocks all the way to a random, abandoned alleyway had been no exception. 

   What the camera had captured was Midoriya Izuku, Todoroki Shouto and Iida Tenya, escorting the pro-hero: Native and a tied up Hero Killer behind them. Each of them appeared ragged with battle, with burns, smoldering clothing, and blood covering their forms, but despite that, Kirishima could help but be proud of his classmates. They clearly had something to do with taking down the Hero Killer: Stain. 

    Then, a Noumu appeared out of nowhere and grabbed hold of Midoriya’s shoulders, lifting him into the air with an ungodly screech. Kirishima screamed right along with the news reporters at the sight of it, but found himself to be even more surprised when he saw the Hero Killer come out of his bindings, only to throw himself toward the Noumu that had snatched up Midoriya. The helicopter tracked the Noumu’s flight a few hundred meters, the news reporters yelling out unintelligible things about what they should do and how they could help the student. 

    Stain used to rural buildings around him to get up to the Noumu’s level, and in an instant, it didn’t matter anyway. The three of them plummeted to the ground at a frighteneing speed, and for the third time that night, Eijirou was sure he was watching his good friend lose his life on national television. Yet again, he was wrong , because Stain absorbed the impact and saved Midoriya. 

    Midoruiya freaked out at having a vigilante serial killer pinning him to the ground, using his quirk to push the man away, which he went with without hesitation. Kirishima could see their lips moving on screen, but the harried cries of the news reporters were blocking out whatever soft words were being spoken between them. The heroes that Izuku had been snatched from were running toward Midoriya and Stain, who appeared to just be… talking . 

    By the time Endeavour was close enough to fire, Stain was already standing, preparing another monologue about the injustice of the hero society, and all of the poser heroes who joined for purely selfish reasons. And then, Stain did something Eijirou would have never seen coming in a million years; he declared that the only person allowed to kill him was Midoriya . Not All Might, the Number One Hero, not Endeavour, the Number Two, or any of the other big-name heroes out there associated with goodness. He had chosen Midoriya , a first-year hero student at U.A. whom he couldn’t have known for longer than half an hour, if that. 

     And then, Kirishima watched that same boy pull a katana off of Stain’s arsenal of weapons, only to thrust it through the man’s body with both hands, using all of his might until the hilt pressed against the man’s back. Stain turned around to look at the boy, surprised, and this time, Izuku’s voice echoed through the speakers of Eijirou’s phone. 

    “I’m just doing what you said.” It was so matter of fact , like he hadn’t just attempted to murder a man. Stain actually smiled a bit before his body gave out on him, and he crumpled to the ground in a heap of limp muscle and bone. 

    Kirishima couldn’t help it; he turned around in the dorm room he was staying at, and threw up into the garbage bin next to the desk he sat at. 

     (x)

    “You killed him,” Todoroki said, blinking his eyes vacantly. Izuku stared up at the ceiling of the hospital room, answering Todoroki for the umpteenth time since the boy had been put under painkillers for his fractured ankle and the stab wounds on his arm. 

    “Yes, Shouto-kun, I killed him.” 

    “You really killed him.” 

   “Yes, Shouto-kun.” 

    “He’s dead .” 

    “That is typically what killing someone means.” 

   “Don’t mind him, the anesthetics are getting to him,” Iida cut into their conversation, nervously looking between his hospital bed sheets and Izuku. Izuku sat up so he could look at his roommates more clearly, watching the expression on his face for any sign of what he was feeling. 

    “How are you doing?” Izuku asked, biting the bullet. Iida paused for a moment, simply staring at Izuku. He always wore contacts underneath his hero costume, otherwise Izuku was sure his glasses would have broken during the fight. 

    “I’m… I’m not sure,” he answered eventually. “I’m not sure how to feel. I know I set out to get revenge against Stain, but… you really killed him, Midoriya. The thing is, you don’t even seem that upset about it.” 

    Izuku bit his lower lip. Over the past few hours, being surrounded by doctors and nurses trying to patch up his wounds, Izuku had some time to think about his actions. Most people felt an immense sense of guilt when they killed someone, or were at least in shock for a little while. Izuku felt… neither of those things. He had just kind of accepted it as fact and moved on. 

   “No, I’m not upset,” he said. “He was trying to kill you and Native, and then he attacked Todoroki and I. I killed him so that he wouldn’t hurt anyone else.” 

    Now Todoroki and Iida were both staring at him. Izuku shifted uncomfortably, looking down at his bedspread. None of them said anything until the doors to their shared hospital room opened, revealing not only Miruko, Manual and Endeavour, but also a dog-quirked man that Izuku had never seen before. The three boys perked up, all of them scrambling to stand out of their beds. 

    “Hello there, woof ,” the dog man said. Izuku side-eyed Iida and Todoroki, finding both of them just as confused as him. ‘ Did he just say “woof”?’ “My name is Tsuragamae Kenji, but calling me Kenji is just fine, woof . I’m the chief of police here in Hosu.”

    All three boys bowed, nerves beginning to assault them. Not for the first time, Midoriya wondered if he was going to get into legal trouble for essentially murdering the Hero Killer in front of so many witnesses. 

     Kenji continued on, ignoring the looks on the three boys’ faces. “I must say, while I commend the three of you for taking down the Hero Killer, the act you have committed falls under the Vigilante Clause of 2249. Any acts in which a civilian not possessing a hero license uses their quirk in order to apprehend a criminal or commit other acts of heroism is punishable by jail time.” 

   “ What ?” Todoroki snarled, his fists clenching at his sides. “Are you serious?” 

   “Shouto…” Izuku began, but the half-and-half boy cut him off. 

   “If Iida had not intervened, then the pro-hero Native woud be dead! And if Midoriya and I had not intervened, then both he and Iida would be dead! Are you saying we should have just stood by and let innocent people die, mutt ?”

    “Todoroki-kun!” Manual gasped. Miruko crossed her arms with a frown, side-eyeing Endeavour. 

    “He’s definitely your son,” she muttered. 

    “Now, now,” Kenji said. “Normally, we would have come up with a solution to all of this, by claiming that Endeavour was the one to take down the Hero Killer. Unfortunately, a news camera was following Endeavour’s fight progress, and it captured the three of you dragging the Hero Killer out of the alley. Since Native was clearly badly injured, it is also impossible to give the credit to the takedown to him.” 

    “Wait!” Izuku blurted, sensing that he and his classmates were about to get in trouble. “You said that it’s against the law for someone without a hero license to commit heroic acts using their quirk, correct?” 

    Kenji tilted his head in a doglike manner. “That is correct, woof .” 

    Izuku’s frown spilled into a slow grin, Miruko’s words from earlier that night coming back to his mind. “What if I got permission from the hero I was interning under?” 

    Miruko gasped, snapping her fingers. “He’s right! I told him to fight if he had to!” 

   Kenji seemed surprised, turning to frown at Miruko. “This would have been useful information earlier.” 

    Miruko scowled right back at him. “Well, I was a little busy getting patched up from fighting one of those things by mysefl!” 

    “Alright, alright,” Manual broke in, trying to ease the tension. “That settles that part, at least; Midoriya, you can take credit for Stain’s takedown. It’s to my understanding that you were the first on scene after Iida was compromised, so it’s a true enough statement. Todoroki-kun, Iida-kun. You two are the ones we should be worried about.” 

    Todoroki hung his head, although his fists were still clenched tightly at his sides. Iida looked down at his hand, the very same that had been pinned down by a sword. “I understand. I have decided not to completely heal this injury, as a reminder of the poor choices I made tonight. I will also accept whatever punishment you deem possible, Kenji-sama.” 

    Kenji nodded approvingly. “Lucky for the two of you, you have friends in high places.” He glanced at Endeavour before focusing back. “We will have you all sign a non-disclosure agreement, stating that you will not speak about the true events of what happened tonight. Manual, you will also be stripped of your license to take interns until the next quarter. Endeavour, you will face consequences as well.” 

    “Yes, sir,” Manual said, ducking his head. Endeavour clenched his jaw, but nodded. Kenji smiled, baring his canine teeth. 

    “Perfect. Now that that’s settled…” he fixed his eyes on Izuku and Izuku alone. “Midoriya Izuku, you killed a man today.” 

    Izuku didn’t avert his gaze. “I did.” 

    “It was clearly an act of self defense, was it not?” 

    Izuku swallowed hard. “...It was.” 

   “Then, you shall not face repurcussions,” Kenji said. “Consider this your lucky day, boys. I consider the media storm coming your way to be punishment enough.” 

    The three teenagers sagged with relief, Izuku letting out a breath. With a few more words, the police chief left the room, followed by Manual and Endeavour. Miruko was the only one left with them, and she hurried to Izuku’s side. “That was so dangerous, Midoriya! I cannot believe you helped take down the Hero Killer !” 

   “I’m sorry, Miruko-san,” Izuku said quietly. “I was only trying to save my friend.” 

   He wasn’t aware of his slip until well after Miruko left the room. Todoroki was sitting on his own bed, staring at his hands, whereas Iida and Izuku were on their phones texting their families. Finally, Iida looked up and got Izuku’s attention. 

    “Midoriya,” he said. “Are we… are we friends?” 

   Izuku put down his phone and cocked his head to the side. “Well, I don’t know, Iida. I killed a man for you, I’d be pretty insulted if we weren’t friends.” 

     Iida baked out a laugh that seemed to even surprise him. Todoroki looked up during their mutual laughing fit, a grave look on his face. “I have some serious concerns, here. First, during the Sports Festival, Izuku broke both of his hands. Now, here, Iida had injured his hand.” He looked back down at his own. “Am I… the Hand Crusher?” 

   His serious face started the other boys laughing all over again.

(x)

Katsuki: Deku?

Katsuki: Deku, answer the phone shithead!

Katsuki: What was that location about??

Katsuki: You better not have fucking died out there!

Katsuki: Okay, I just watched you kill the HERO KILLER on LIVE TV. When you see this I’m going to roast your ass.

Katsuki: Alright, fine! I’m starting to get worried, okay? Just answer me

Katsuki: Please?

   Deku is typing…

Deku: I’m safe, Kacchan. I’m being sent home early, so I’ll see you when you get back! [ cute emoji ]

    Katsuki let out his first relieved breath of the night, and fell asleep clutching his phone to his chest.

Chapter Text

    “I cannot believe you fought the Hero Killer !” Ashido shrieked the moment Izuku stepped into the classroom. 

    Izuku paused, taken aback by her yelling. The entirety of the class turned to face them, and just like that, he was swarmed. Questions flew at him in rapid fire, voices overlapping into a dizzying array. Izuku took a step back, more out of shock than fear of any kind. He could see Iida and Todoroki further in the classroom, gathered at Iida’s desk. They were watching him with looks of pity and knowing. Clearly, neither one of them wanted to be in his situation. 

   “Oi!” Bakugou yelled, letting off an explosion that was more smoke and noise than fire. “Back the fuck away from him, extras!” He stomped through the crowd and grabbed Izuku’s arm, dragging him into the classroom and toward their desks. “Jesus, let the guy breathe !” 

   “Sorry, Bakugou,” the class chorused, a few looking ashamed. Some, like Kaminari and Mineta, had absolutely no shame at all. Mineta sat right behind Izuku, and thus was the first one to ask questions again. 

   “What was it like?” he demanded. “Was it scary? I mean, he’s the Hero Killer !”

   “Of course it was scary,” Izuku said, blinking. “I was fighting a villain .” 

   “Vigilante,” Yaomomo corrected. “The news classifies him as a vigilante.”

   Izuku looked past Mineta to meet her eyes, his tone cold when he answered her. “No,” he said. “He’s a villain. Trust me.” 

    “I mean, as scary as the guy is, I kind of respect his drive,” Kaminari said, leaning back in his seat. The class had all taken their seats after Katsuki’s blow up, although they were all still staring at Izuku like a predator in a zoo. Kaminari apparently had no tact. “His ideals kind of make sense.” 

    Kirishima reached and smacked the back of Kaminari’s head, making the boy whine. “ Dude ,” he hissed, glancing at Iida. Kaminari followed his gaze and turned white, ducking his head. 

   “Sorry dude, I didn’t mean it like that,” he mumbled, clearly embarrassed. Iida sighed and pushed up his glasses, glancing at Izuku for a moment before he spoke.

   “I understand,” he said. “Someone with such strong ideology could be admirable, if it weren’t for the villainous acts he committed.” 

   “Totally,” Kaminari nodded. “Don’t get me wrong, he’s a terrible person! He’s awful for what he did to your brother, and everyone else.”

   “Thank you for saying so.” Iida stood from his seat and addressed the class next, bowing at a perfect ninety degrees. “I must apologize to you all for my behavior over the past few weeks. I let my anger and sorrow drive me, and I did not properly appreciate your concern for my well-being. I hope you will forgive me for my ignorance.” When he met Izuku’s eyes, the green-haired boy knew he wasn’t only talking to everyone else. He meant his words for Izuku, personally. He nodded his thanks, and Iida smiled, straightening up again. The rest of the class spoke their forgiveness, sprinkled with “don’t worry about it”’s and “we understood, Iida-kun!”’s. 

    The door to the classroom slid open, revealing their teacher. Aizawa looked haggard, as per usual, although it didn’t escape Izuku’s notice that the man’s grey eyes lingered on him longer than anyone else. Still, the man didn’t call him out, but rather began the school day with a few short announcements. Izuku wasn’t dumb enough to think that would be the end of it. Sure enough, as the lunch bell rang, Aizawa gestured for Izuku to stay behind everyone else. His friend group nodded and told him they would save him a seat at their table before they left the room, leaving him and his teacher alone. Although logically, Midoriya knew that Aizawa was nothing like All Might, he still couldn’t stop his heart from quickening. He didn’t like being alone with authority figures; not anymore. 

    “Midoriya,” Aizawa began with narrowed eyes. “Although the full report of the incident was withheld from me for legal reasons, I figured we should have a chat about your actions that night. I want you to know that I do not support you fighting a villain like that all alone, and that I think your behavior was reckless and inexcusable. You could have been seriously hurt, or worse.” 

   Izuku looked at his garish red shoes. He had gotten a stern talking-to from nearly every adult in his life already, and yet somehow, it hit him differently when it was Aizawa. He respected the man and his opinions. He couldn’t help but wonder when that had happened. “I’m sorry, Sensei.” 

   “That being said,” Aizawa continued, like Izuku hadn’t interrupted. “Off the record… I’m proud of you.” 

   Izuku snapped his head back up to gape at the hero, who was now smirking at him. The man reached out- whether to pat his shoulder, ruffle his hair, or something else, Izuku didn’t know- but it didn’t matter. Because before the older man could move more than a few inches, Izuku violently flinched away. He froze in horror, realizing what he’d done, and from the way the other man paused too, he must have realized the same thing. Izuku began to stammer out apologies, not bothering to explain himself. “I- I- Um, I should r-really get to lunch! Th-thank you for your kind words!” 

    He bolted out of the classroom like a bat out of hell, heart still pounding in his chest. He was unaware of the look on his teacher’s face as he left, or the suspicion in the man’s eyes. 

    (x)

   In the weeks following the Stain Incident, Iida contemplated. During the Stain Incident, he had been paralyzed with fear just as much as by the vigilante’s quirk, and had been so distracted by pain that he nearly missed it. But he didn’t miss it; the way Izuku responded to hearing Stain’s ideals.

   ‘ If every hero in the world was like All Might, we might as well fail,’ Izuku had said. He’d sounded… haunted. 

   ‘ You speak as if you know him,’ Stain had replied back, pausing in his attack. Izuku’s sneer was just as fresh on Iida’s mind as if it was said yesterday. 

   ‘ I do know him,’ Izuku had said, malice biting in his tone. ‘ I know him better than anyone. Better than I ever wanted to.’

    He wasn’t sure what it meant at the time. All Might was Class 1-A’s teacher of course, but the way Izuku said it made it sound like their relationship was beyond that. The way they interacted with each other throughout the year, it was clear. All Might was more to Izuku than a teacher. The fear and dread that flashed on Izuku’s face whenever the man asked to speak with him alone, the disdain in his voice when he talked about him, the mysterious bruises that the boy claimed he’d received in training, although Iida hadn’t ever seen him get hit in those places. One did not get bruises that small on their neck and hips without being noticed. The signs were clear, and he was an idiot not to see them before. 

    Midoriya Izuku was being abused by All Might. 

    The same day as his revelation, he asked to speak with Midoriya alone. The boys met in an empty classroom thirty minutes after classes ended, when they had the greatest chance of not being interrupted. Midoriya seemed happy to be there, unaware of the bombshell that Tenya was going to spring on him. Tenya was aware that his own expression was grim, and once Izuku realized it, his smile faded into a concerned frown. “What is it, Iida-kun? Are you alright?” 

   “Are you ?” Tenya asked without thinking. Midoriya blinked at him, surprised. 

   “Why are you asking me that?” Not ‘yes, I’m fine,’ but rather ‘why would you ask?’ 

    “I know,” Iida said stubbornly, clenching his fists at his sides. “I know about you and All Might.” 

    Izuku’s face shuttered into a blank expression quicker than light. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

    “Yes, you do,” Iida snapped. “I know what he’s doing to you. I’ve seen the bruises, all over your back, your arms, your- your hips . The way you react to him, the way he looks at you like you’re a piece of meat.” Tenya felt himself get angrier and angrier with every word. “Why are you denying it?” 

    “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Midoriya said coldly. “I’m leaving.” 

    Tenya reached out and snagged Izuku’s arm, holding tight enough to keep him there, but not enough to hurt him. “Izuku, please . Just tell me the truth!” 

    “ No ,” Izuku snarled, ripping his arm away from Tenya’s hold. “You don’t know what you think you do. You’re wrong .” He stepped closer to the boy until they were toe to toe, nose to nose. “And if you ever tell anyone about your suspicions, I will tell the world the truth about the Stain Incident. Let’s see if you’ll ever become a hero then.”

    Shock tore through Tenya. He had expected crying, perhaps an admission of the situation. He had not expected to get blackmailed. His mouth opened and closed robotically, his mind frantically trying to process what he had just heard. “Why- why would you do that? I’m trying to help you!” 

   “I don’t need help from you ,” Midoriya said harshly. “Let’s say you were right. Hypothetically, if All Might was abusing me, then no one could ever know. He’s the Number One Hero, and the chances of getting dragged down with him are too high. Who would ever believe a teenager over him, huh?” Tears were pooling in the boy’s green eyes now, although he refused to let them fall. “The world needs him more than I need help. That’s just the way it is.”

   “Midoriya…” Tenya said, his voice breaking. “It doesn’t have to be that way. We can prove it! They would have to believe us-”

   “I meant what I said about the Stain Incident,” Midoriya replied, reaching to wipe at his damp eyelashes. “If you care about your future at all, about your family legacy, then you will keep your mouth shut .” With that, he turned and stalked out of the room.

    Tenya wasn’t aware he was crying until he was halfway home and his vision got too blurry to see straight. 

Chapter Text

Katsuki sat on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He’d known about his sexuality for a little over a year now, and he’d been contemplating it a lot. He was well-aware that he was in love with Deku, and while it would probably take him a while to tell him that, before he could do anything, he wanted to come out. The only problem was that he had no idea how his parents were going to take it. 

    He’d thought over a lot of ways to tell them, from making a cake that said “congratulations, you son is gay!” to sitting his parents down and having a long talk with them, but nothing really seemed right . He was sick and tired of waiting around and worrying about their reactions, so he’d decided that today was the day he was going to do it. It was a Sunday, which meant both of his parents had the day off from their big-name fashion agency, so if it was going to be any day, it would have to be now. 

    He got off of his bed and stomped down the stairs, before he lost his nerve. Both of his parents were sitting on the living room couch watching t.v., his father’s arm slung around his mother’s shoulder so they could cuddle. While outwardly he gagged at the display of affection, inwardly he liked seeing them so happy together. His mother was a spitfire and his father was tame, so it was nice to see the parallel between him and Deku. It gave him hope that one day he might be able to have the same thing. 

   “I have to tell you guys something,” he said, crossing his arms. They both looked up, and his father smiled at him. His mother picked up the remote and paused the show they were watching before she looked up at him expectantly. They both stayed quiet, knowing their son well enough to know that speaking might make him lose his nerve. He took a deep breath, clenching and unclenching his fists. He palms were sweaty, which was dangerous enough, but he didn’t dare to try and burn off the excess nitroglycerin for fear of losing control and creating an explosion. Finally, after a few moments of silence, he just blurted it out. “I- I’m gay.” 

    His parents looked at each other. His mother snorted, looking back at him. She was smiling. “We know,” she said. Katsuki raised his eyebrows, not expecting that answer. 

   “You know,” he said, not a question. “How the fuck could you know?”

   “We’ve known since you were little, son,” Masaru said gently. Katsuki sputtered indignantly, sparks flying from his palms. 

   “What the fuck? I didn’t even know until last year!” 

    Mitsuki barked out a laugh, patting her father’s hand around her shoulder. “You’ve been obsessed with little Izuku for so long now, we just figured you felt that way about him. You’ve never so much as looked at a woman the way your father looks at me. You do look at Izuku that way, though.”

   Katsuki was well aware that his face was burning bright red. “F-fuck off!” He turned around and left, and no he was not running, thank you very much. He heard his parents laughing  behind him, and just before he closed his bedroom door, his mom called after him.

   “Love you, shithead!” 

    (x)

    “Why is Iida-kun avoiding you?” Uraraka asked, glancing at Iida from across the cafeteria. The boy was sitting with a few classmates, but he glanced over at their table every few minutes. Izuku didn’t look up from his katsudon. He already knew what he would see. 

   “Don’t know,” he said casually. He saw Kacchan give him a look out of the corner of his eye, but ignored him. Somehow, Kacchan always knew when he was lying. Fortunately, the others didn’t have the same superpower, so they accepted his claim at face value. 

   “Weird,” Kirishima mumbled. “Are you going to talk to him?” 

   “Maybe,” Izuku shrugged. “I want to give him time to process the whole Stain thing. I mean, the man nearly killed his brother.”

   “Right,” Todoroki nodded. “That’s probably best.” 

   ‘ I wouldn’t hold your breath,’ Izuku thought to himself, picking up a slice of pork to eat. ‘ He’ll probably avoid me forever after what I said.’  

    Izuku somewhat regretted his threats, but not enough to take them back. He’d been thinking hard about his situation, and while every time he so much as spoke to All Might he nearly had a panic attack,  he also knew better than to tell anyone. What he had said to Iida was true- who would believe a teenager over the Number One Hero? No matter how much proof he gave, there would always be skeptics. Izuku didn’t want to live the rest of his life as ‘the boy All Might assaulted.’ He’d die first. 

    “So, we’re nearing our midterms,” Kirishima said, stabbing at his salad. “What do you guys think they’re going to be?” 

   “I have no idea,” Uraraka replied. “I mean, it’s U.A., so they’ll probably be difficult. I’m more nervous about the practical exam than the written exam!”

   “I’m the opposite,” Kirishima sighed. “I’m near the bottom in the class smarts-wise. The last thing I want is to fail and get kicked out of school or something.”

    “They’re not gonna kick you out,” Katsuki snapped. “If you’re really that worried about it, come study at my house or something.”

   “Seriously?” Kirishima asked excitedly. “You’ll really help me?”

   “Don’t sound so fucking surprised!” The blond snarled. “I’ll tutor the fuck out of you, Shitty Hair!” 

   “Oh, oh! Can I come?” Uraraka asked, raising her hand. “A study session sounds fun!” 

   “Whatever,” Katsuki sighed. He looked around the table at Izuku and Todoroki. “You in?” 

   “I’m invited?” Todoroki asked, raising an eyebrow. Katsuki scowled at him. 

   “You’re fucking here, aren’t you?” 

   “Alright, alright!” Izuku laughed, reaching over to pat Kacchan’s arm. “I’m in! Shouto, you should definitely join us.” 

   “Sure,” Todoroki shrugged. “I’ve got nothing better to do.” 

   “This weekend?” Kirishima asked. “Saturday?” 

   “Works for me,” Izuku said. “Kacchan? Will Auntie and Uncle be home?”

   “You call them Auntie and Uncle?” Uraraka squealed. “That’s so cute!” 

   Todoroki narrowed his eyes at them. “Just how long have you two known each other?” 

   Katsuki snorted. “Our moms were college roommates and best friends. I was literally in the waiting room when this little shit was born.”

    “Oh wow,” Uraraka said. “So you guys are like brothers?” 

   “ No ,” both Izuku and Katsuki snapped at the same time. Izuku wrinkled his nose. He had never thought of Kacchan like a brother before. He wasn’t entirely sure what he felt for the blond, but it definitely wasn’t familial. (Sometimes, on the good days, Izuku knew exactly what he felt for the blond, but All Might had ruined any of those feelings the first day Izuku naively went to his house.)

    “Alright, alright!” Kirishima laughed. “Geez. So should we show up about noon, Baku-bro?” 

   “Whatever,” Katsuki mumbled. “Do what you want.”

   “That’s Kacchan-ese for ‘yes,’” Izuku joked. Everyone laughed, and Izuku could swear that even Kacchan cracked a smile. His mood was instantly lifted, the same way it always was when he caught one of Katsuki’s rare smiles. 

     (x)

    Iida Tenya watched Midoriya’s lunch table with calculation. The boy’s threat had been running through his mind ever since he’d made it, and the taller boy was in a dilemma. He couldn’t very well stand-by and allow this abuse to continue- he’d already had a few nightmares about it- but at the same time, he couldn’t risk his future career as a hero. Not when his brother needed him to succeed and carry on his name. 

    If he couldn’t physically tell anyone about All Might, then the next best thing would be dropping hints whenever Izuku was out of his general vicinity. With this in mind, Iida stood up and brought his empty tray to the front of the cafeteria, putting it on the conveyor belt that led back into the kitchen. He made his way to the 1-A classroom, hoping that Aizawa would still be sleeping inside. The man would be his best bet to help Izuku. 

    Sure enough, the hero’s yellow sleeping bag was spread out in front of his desk, zipped all the way closed to block the light of day from piercing inside. He made sure to loudly close the door to get Aizawa’s attention, and the sleeping bag began to wiggle. The zipper drew down and the man poked his head out, scowling at Iida. “What do you want?”

   “I… need to tell you something,” Iida began, clearing his throat. He thought about what he wanted to say, pushing his glasses up his nose. Aizawa raised an eyebrow, but sat up, letting the sleeping bag pool around his lap. 

   “What is it?” He demanded. 

   “I have some concerns,” he said. “About Midoriya-kun. He’s been showing up to school with bruises that he can’t explain. I just thought you should know.”

   “I see,” Aizawa said, sounding not at all surprised. 

   “You can’t tell him that I told you,” Iida blurted. Aizawa raised both of his eyebrows now. 

   “And why not?” he asked. 

   “Because… because he would be angry with me,” Iida said eventually. “He asked me not to say anything. It would be better if you ‘organically’ noticed.” 

   “I understand,” Aizawa nodded. “Thank you for bringing it to my attention.” 

   “Of course, Sensei,” Iida bowed his head. The lunch bell rang signalling that it was time for class again, so Iida scurried to his seat. Aizawa climbed out of his sleeping bag and rolled it up, shoving it underneath his desk. As their classmates filed in, Iida avoided eye contact with Midoriya. He could feel the greenet’s gaze on him as he passed, but still didn’t look up. To Iida’s relief, Aizawa-sensei didn’t act any differently now that he had suspicions about Midoriya’s physical condition. Tenya let out a breath of relief. This was all he could do.

    It would have to be enough. 

     (x)

    Yagi Toshinori sat in a staff meeting, his mind wandering away from the boring concept of classes and curriculums, toward his young pupil. Midoriya had kept himself silent, much to his relief, even despite is ever-growing friendships inside of the classroom. Toshinori assumed that his thinly-veiled threats were working. He resolved to keep it up- the last thing he needed was the smaller boy to crawl out from under his thumb. 

    “Yagi-san?” A voice said, startling him out of his thoughts. He cleared his throat and focused in again, smiling brightly. 

   “Yes, I apologize!” He laughed. Nedzu smiled evenly at him, taking a sip of his tea. 

   “We were just discussing the final exams,” he hinted. “We were trying to decide what pairs should battle which teachers.”

    Yagi blinked a few times, an idea occurring to him. “Oh, I have the perfect idea for who I should battle.” It would give him a great opportunity to show Midoriya just how easy it would be to hurt Bakugou Katsuki, should he ever say anything. 

   “Oh? Do tell,” Nedzu prompted. All Might’s smile was less forced this time. ‘ Perfect.’  

     (x)

    “What the fuck do you mean you aren’t going to work today?” Katsuki spat, glaring at his mother. The woman puttered around the kitchen, preparing plates of vegetables and crackers. 

   “Exactly what I said, you fucking brat,” Mitsuki smirked, glancing at her son. “All of your little friends are coming over, and I want to meet them! Besides, I haven’t seen little Izuku-kun in so long.” 

   “You better not fucking say anything, you old hag!” Katsuki cried, pointing an accusing finger at her. “If you do, I’ll tell dad who really broke that vase in the hallway!” 

   “Oi! Watch your tone with me!” Mituski snapped back. “I’m not going to tell your little crush about your feelings. I have some decorum,” she sniffed. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to torture you a little~”

    “You’re the worst,” Katsuki groaned, looking up at the ceiling. ‘ Hey God, it’s me, Katsuki. Do me a solid and fucking strike this woman down right now.’

    “I’m the best,” Mituski said pleasantly. “I’m making you snacks!” 

   “Snacks don’t make up for shitty fucking behavior!” 

   “Glad we agree about something ,” Mitsuki said. “Be sure to remember that the next time you piss me off and make dinner to make up for it.” Before Katsuki could respond to that, there was a knock on the front door. Mitsuki beamed at him, slipping past him to walk to the front door. “Oh, that must be them! Be nice to your friends, shithead!” 

   “They’re not my friends,” Katsuki said back, although it was admittedly half-hearted. He hated to admit it, but the extras were starting to grow on him. Kirishima and Uraraka’s personalities were such big one-eighties from his own that it was kind of refreshing. Even that IcyHot bastard could be funny sometimes, simply because he didn’t seem to understand social cues or jokes. And Deku… he shook his head, pushing the thought away. He wasn’t about to put a label on that . 

    “Hello!” he heard his mother say from the door. “Come on in! It’s so great to meet Katsuki’s friends!” 

   “Hello, Bakugou-san!” a female voice said happily. ‘ Has to be Uraraka.’ “Sorry for intruding!” 

   “Hey! Great to meet you!” Kirishima said. The group appeared in the kitchen, Todoroki trailing behind the other two. Bakugou crossed his arms, scowling at his mother as she chatted up Uraraka. Todoroki nodded at Katsuki in acknowledgement, which he begrudgingly returned. At first, he’d felt a bit threatened by the half-and-half bastard because of Deku, but something told Katsuki that the boy didn’t have any feelings for the nerd. It probably had something to do with the way his two-toned eyes trailed behind Kirishima wherever the redhead went. 

   “Katsuki, say hi to your friends!” Mitsuki snapped, coming to stand by his side so she could bury her hand in his hair. He hissed and swatted her away, his scowl deepening. 

   “Get the fuck off of me, old hag!” 

   “Show some fucking respect to your mother!” Mitsuki said back, scrubbing at his hair like he was a toddler. He shoved her off of him. 

   “Oh god,” Todoroki said quietly, glancing at the other two. “There’s two of them.” 

   There was a light knock on the front door, but before anyone could move, it opened on its own. “Hello? Anyone here?” Deku asked, poking his head into the kitchen. “Oh, hi guys! Sorry if I’m late!”   

   “You just walk in without saying anything?” Uraraka asked. “Wow, you must be closer than I thought!”

    Deku blushed like a fire engine, looking at Mitsuki. “O-oh! I’m so sorry, it’s a force of habit, I didn’t mean to overstep-”

   “Nonsense!” Mitsuki said, beaming at the boy. She moved in and squeezed him into a tight hug. “I missed you so much, Izuku-kun! You’re always welcome here! Hell, you can take Katsuki’s room!”

   “He’s not even your son!” Katsuki spat. Mitsuki glared at him over her shoulder, still hugging Deku. 

   “But god, do I wish he was,” she said back. “You could learn a thing or two from him, brat!” 

   Deku laughed and pulled away from the embrace. “It’s great to see you too, Auntie.”

   “Let’s just get out of here,” Katsuki mumbled. “My room is upstairs. Follow me.”

   “Izuku-kun, be a dear and bring up the snacks?” Mitsuki asked. Izuku nodded and took the tray Mitsuki handed up. Everyone followed Katsuki upstairs to his bedroom. Katsuki had cleaned it in preparation for today, not that he had to do much work. Unlike Deku, he was a generally neat person. His room was plain, with blackout curtains over the windows, a simple bookcase, a dresser, and a queen-sized bed in the corner with orange sheets and a black comforter. What, sue him, he liked orange. He had set up a collapsible study table in the middle of the room, where he’d already set up his books and the homework that had yet to be completed. The rest of the extras sat around the table, putting their own bags down. Katsuki watched Deku closely, realizing how well the boy fit into his space. He… looked like he belonged there. The thought made Katsuki blush and look away. 

   “What’s that?” Uraraka asked, pointing to something hanging on the wall over his bed. Katsuki frowned and turned, catching sight of what she meant. There, where it definitely hadn’t been before, was a small rainbow flag. He leaped to his feet and snatched it off of the wall, crumpling it in his palm. 

   “I’m going to fucking kill that hag!” He hissed, dunking the thing in his trash can. 

   “Why would she hang that up?” Kirishima asked, cocking his head to the side. Katsuki took a deep breath, turning back to them with his hands in his pockets. Objectively, he knew why she’d done it- she knew that he would never tell the others about his sexuality without some little push, and she knew him well enough to know that he wouldn’t really be pissed about this. She was goddamn lucky that he was ready to come out to everyone else, too. 

   “Because she knows I’m gay,” he said finally, meeting everyone’s eyes. Uraraka looked surprised, Todoroki neutral, and Kirishima was smiling. Deku looked the most shocked, his mouth hanging open a bit. 

   “You are ?” He asked. “How the hell didn’t I know that?” 

   “Because I never told you?” Katsuki rolled his eyes. “Don’t make a big deal out of it.”

   “Good for you!” Uraraka smiled at him. “I’m pansexual.” She flashed a peace sign. 

   “I’m bi,” Kirishima admitted, a shy smile of his own on his face. Was it Katsuki’s imagination, or did he glance at Todoroki?

   “I’m not sure what I am,” the IcyHot bastard said, shrugging. “But definitely not straight.” 

   “Me, either,” Deku finished, a soft expression on his face. He met Katsuki’s eyes and held them for just a moment too long. Katsuki cleared his throat and looked away, ignoring the hurt burning on his cheeks. He took the empty seat at the study table, where his stuff was laid out. 

   “Whatever,” he said. “Let’s just get started, already.”

   (Later that night, he would analyze the interaction under a microscopic lens, but for now, he pushed it out of his mind.) 

    He was glad the extras that surrounded him were accepting of him, whether he would ever admit it or not. 

(x)

   “I heard from Kendou-san that the finals are going to be robots, like the entrance exam,” Ashido told the class during one of their breaks the next day. Izuku frowned. Something about that seemed a little too easy, despite the trouble he’d had with the entrance exam. Now that he had better control over his quirk, he could confidently say that he would be able to ace the exam now.

   “Really?” Kaminari asked, cocking his head. “That sounds easy! I can totally do that!” 

   “It would not be good for us to listen to rumours!” Iida cried, chopping his arm in his usual way. “We should not prepare ourselves for something that might not happen!” 

   “I agree with Iida-kun,” Izuku said pleasantly, meeting Iida’s eyes. Iida dropped his gaze to his desk immediately, his face going a little pale. Izuku kept his smile on his face even while addressing the rest of the class. He didn’t miss the concerned looks that Kirishima and Uraraka shared, but he ignored them. “Robots sound too easy.” 

   “Maybe they want to give us a break,” Ojiro shrugged, swishing his tail a bit. Kaminari immediately began playing with the tuft of hair on the end, like a magpie with something shiny. Ojiro’s smile said that he didn’t mind the treatment at all. “We’ve had a pretty tough year, after all.” 

   “Some of us more than others,” Satou said, looking at Izuku. Izuku looked away from him quickly. 

    “I’m hoping it’s robots,” Uraraka sighed. “I could use a break!”

   “Then don’t be in fucking hero school,” Katsuki snapped, facing the class. “If you can’t handle the workload, then maybe you shouldn’t be here.”

   “Kacchan,” Izuku hissed, flicking the back of the blond’s head. 

   “No, he’s right,” Uraraka said, smiling. “I’ll try harder, Bakugou-kun!”

   “Hmph,” Bakugou huffed, although Izuku could detect a hint of a smile. From the way Uraraka’s smile got brighter, she did, too. 

   It wasn’t until later that week that they found out what the finals were. The entirety of Class 1-A stood outside Ground Beta, staring at all of the first year teachers gathered in front of them. Katsuki had a good feeling about this. 

   “Welcome to your practical final exam,” Aizawa-sensei said, gesturing to the teachers. “I’m sure you’ve heard the rumour floating around about the subject of the exams.”

   “Robots!” Ashido said, pumping her fist. Aizawa smirked at her. 

   “That was the rumour,” he replied, “but it isn’t what the actual exams are going to be. Instead, you will be divided into groups of two, and you will each fight a teacher.”

   “ What ?” Kaminari and Sero cried.

  “That’s so unfair!” Mineta wailed.  

   Katsuki grinned. “ Awesome.”

   “Not to worry!” Principal Nedzu said, poking his head out of Aizawa’s scarf. ‘ How the fuck did he fit in there?’ “All of the heroes will be wearing cuffs that is equal to half of their body weight, in order to make it fair.”

    “Tch,” Katsuki clucked his tongue. “Looking down on us?”

   “Not at all,” Aizawa said. “It’s for safety caution. When I call out your names, I will also assign you a teacher to fight. Is everyone listening?” When they all nodded, he began. “Tokoyami and Asui, you will be fighting Ectoplasm. Satou and Kirishima, you will be fighting Cementos. Kaminari and Ashido, you will be fighting Principal Nedzu.”

   “Oh, shit,” Kaminari whimpered. Ashido nodded, looking just as scared. 

  “Mineta and Sero, you will be fighting Midnight,” he stated. Mineta began to drool. 

  “Maybe we’ll have a chance to rip her costume off,” he gargled. Sero wrinkled his nose at him and took a step back. 

   “Dude, you’re such a dirtbag,” he muttered. 

   “Todoroki and Yaoyorozu, you will be fighting me,” Aizawa said, glancing up from his place cards to see their reaction. The two looked at each other, nodding. Katsuki had to say, he had been hoping to battle their homeroom teacher. He had a lot of respect for the man, and would have felt like it was actually a challenge, due to the hero’s intellect. 

   “Uraraka and Aoyama, you will be fighting No. 13. Kouda and Jirou, you will be fighting Present Mic. Shouji and Hagakure, you will be fighting Snipe. Iida and Ojiro, you will be fighting Power Loader.” The man put his cards down, causing Katsuki’s guard to go up. He glanced at Deku warily. Neither of their names had been called. It was Izuku who asked the question they had both been wondering. 

   “Um, Aizawa-sensei? You missed Kacchan and I,” he raised his hand. “Who are we fighting?” 

   A booming laugh echoed from above them. They all looked up, only to see All Might’s massive form jumping down from one of the buildings near the entrance. A few kids shrieked and stepped away when All Might landed on the ground, hard enough to shake the Earth. Katsuki threw his arm up over his eyes to protect them from the dust, and when he lowered it, he saw All Might’s beaming smile. Something about it didn’t seem quite… right . 

   “You will be fighting me, ” All Might cheered. 

   Yeah, Katsuki could admit it. His heart dropped to his feet. 

    (x)

   “Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck,” Izuku muttered, pacing back and forth in the bus. He, Aizawa and Kacchan were alone on the thing, waiting for it to take them to their battle area. They were going to be in Ground Gamma, where All Might was hidden somewhere to surprise them in battle. The battles were going on two at a time, so that the other teachers could monitor the progress of the students throughout their exams and give them points based on certain criteria. Currently, Mineta and Sero were fighting Midnight. Todoroki, Yaoyorozu, Asui and Tokoyami had gone first, which left Aizawa free to guide the rest of his students to their starting points.

    Kacchan was staring at Izuku like he’d grown a second head. Izuku supposed it would be rather odd if Kacchan started saying “fudge” instead of fuck- the equivilant of Izuku’s current cursing. Even the foul language spilling from his lips wasn’t enough to stop Izuku’s downward spiral, though. “Deku, what the hell is wrong with you? Why are you freaking out so bad?”

     “We’re fighting All Might,” he whispered, more to himself than Kacchan. Flashes of All Might’s previous threats burned at the forefront of Midoriya’s mind. “He’s going to fucking kill us.” ‘ Kill you,’ he didn’t say. 

    “We can beat him,” Katsuki said as the bus jerked to a halt. “We just need to attack him and overwhelm him.”

   “Get off the bus, Problem Children,” Aizawa said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Once you get to the middle of the battleground, wait for the buzzer to sound, and then you will have fifteen minutes to either beat All Might or escape the arena.”

    Katsuki stood up and shoved Izuku out of the bus before he began leading them to the center of the city-scape. Izuku’s anxiety thrummed the entire time, imagining all the terrible things All MIght could do to them. This would be his one chance to beat up Izuku in front of everyone with no repercussions; would he really do that, or would he just focus on Kacchan? What if he maimed them? He’d made a threat against Kacchan and his family before, hadn’t he? And what had Izuku done? He’d ignored it and kept spending time with Kacchan anyway! This was really, really bad. 

    “Are you done freaking out?” Katsuki asked, and Izuku paused in his steps. When he looked around, he saw that he and Katsuki were standing on a large red ‘x’ in the middle of the city. He swallowed hard and met Katsuki’s eyes. Bakugou frowned, recognizing the sheer fear in his childhood friend’s face. “Oi, shithead. I meant what I said earlier. We just need to overwhelm him with our quirks and we’ll be home free.”

   “No,” Izuku said quickly. “No, we can’t do that. We have to run.”

   “Are you fucking kidding?” Katsuki asked incredulously. “You think we can’t take him down?” 

   “You don’t understand,” Izuku begged. “All Might- he can be terrifying when he wants to be!” 

   “What the hell are you-” Before Katsuki could finish his sentence, a loud buzzer sounded through the air. 

    The final exam had begun. 

    (x)

   Yagi cracked his knuckles, smiling to himself. The buzzer had just sounded to begin the exam, and he already had a pretty good idea of what he was going to do. The bracers on his wrists weighed him down significantly, but that didn’t matter. He was plenty strong enough to do what needed to be done. First, he would take down Izuku. He wasn’t sure how he was going to do it yet- something painful that would cause him to stay down and watch while All Might went after Bakugou. 

   Bakugou, on the other hand… Well, he was hot-headed and prideful enough that beating him should be easy. Now it was just a matter of how hard he would have to go to get it through Izuku’s head that he should never mess with Yagi again. 

    (x)

   Iida Tenya watched on the giant screen in the viewing room, checking between the two cameras that showed Midoriya and Bakugou’s progress, as well as All Might’s. When he’d heard that the two would be battling the Number One Hero, he’d been nearly as afraid as Midoriya had looked. He wondered if All Might would be so bold as to hurt Izuku too badly, as it might draw attention to the… relationship … between the two. 

    He briefly wondered if it was all worth the risk. If he should put his career and his family on the line to stop this from happening. Yet, even if he did, who would believe him? He didn’t have any proof besides Midoriya’s testimony, which he could easily take back out of fear. And if Tenya did tell, then who was to say that All Might wouldn’t go after him next? He was the freaking Number One Hero . He could kill Tenya with nothing more than his pinky finger, and could probably make it look like an accident. 

   Tenya straightened his spine and decided then and there. He wasn’t going to keep this quiet any longer than he had to, but if he was going to tell, then he was need some proof. He could only hope that the hero would slip up at some point and show his true colours. 

    (x)

   “Kacchan, please ,” Izuku begged, almost hyperventilating. Katsuki was stomping further into the city, away from the exit gate they had come through to get there. “Be reasonable!” 

   “I am being reasonable,” Katsuki snarled, looking over his shoulder to glare at Izuku. “ You’re the one being a little piss baby! What, if you come across a villain one day, you’re going to just run away? You’ll never surpass me like that!”

   “This isn’t about villains,” Izuku snapped. “This is about freaking All Might . Do you really think we can fight the Number One Hero, even with only half of his power? You have no idea what he’s capable of!”

   “Oh, and you do?” Katsuki snorted. “Newsflash Deku, whatever shitty little videos you’ve watched to study him are public knowledge. You don’t know anything about him that I don’t know, too.”

   “Yes, I do,” Izuku said quietly. Katsuki shot him an odd look, but it was too late. Within the next moment, a gust of wind worse than a hurricane shot through the entire middle of the city. Buildings crumpled around them from the sheer force of it, and Izuku immediately recognized it as one of All Might’s devastating punches. The two of them dropped to the ground on their stomachs, Katsuki cursing all the while. They were scraped along the ground for a few feet before the wind stopped, the punch ceasing as quickly as it had come. 

    “Hello, puny heroes!” All Might boomed. When Izuku looked up, he spotted his predecessor one hundred meters away or so, his hands planted on his hips. His usual smile had been twisted into an evil grimace. Izuku had only ever seen that face in his skinny form, usually when he was doing something to Izuku that the smaller boy didn’t want. The sight of it now on such a large form sent terrified shivers down his spine. “The time of your end has come!” 

    Katsuki blasted himself to his feet and began to charge at the hero, much to Izuku’s chagrin. He punched the ground before he too got to his feet, chasing after his childhood friend. Kacchan had no idea what All Might could do to him- would do to him- and like hell was he going to let the blond charge in there alone. 

     Even though he knew how this was going to end. 

Chapter Text

    Izuku went down hard from the punch to his face, smacking against the ground hard enough to rattle every bone in his body. Before he could even think about getting up again, a crushing weight pierced itself through his back, causing him to cry out. When he looked up, he found All Might standing over him, a smirk on his face. He had just pinned Izuku to the ground using a fucking gate , buried in the ground on either side of the younger boy. The edge of one of the prongs of the gate had scraped painfully against his side during the attack, ripping his costume and no doubt creating an open wound. 

    “Stay down, little hero,” All Might sneered before he turned to locate Katsuki. Izuku struggled to move once the man’s back was turned, but he found that he could hardly move. He slammed his palm against the ground in anger, falling limp once more. He was already panting and sweating up a storm from his and Katsuki’s previous attack against the man. Izuku could only hope that their beatdown would alert Katsuki to the fact that they really couldn’t beat him. 

   Bakugou stood a few feet away from All Might, one of his costume bracers pointed at him. The older boy was gritting his teeth, sweat and pain evident on his face. Izuku had no doubt that he had overused his quirk already, what with the massive blasts he had been letting off earlier. “Don’t fucking move,” the blond snarled, narrowing his ruby eyes at the villain.

   All Might let out a boisterous laugh, sounding genuinely amused. “You think you can defeat me, puny hero?” He was in front of Katsuki in a flash, one of his massive fists slamming itself into the boy’s stomach. Katsuki stumbled back a few feet, wheezing. Bile poured out of his mouth from the force of the hit, and Izuku winced. All Might had hit him much harder than necessary. “You are nothing against me.” He lurched forward and landed another hit to Bakugou’s face, causing his head to snap to the side painfully. 

    Izuku began trying to wriggle out of his bounds with greater ferver, panic clawing at his chest. Katsuki was still coughing and wheezing, trying to get his breath back, although he was glaring at All Might through wet lashes. He felt his own skin ripping against the metal of the gate, but his adrenaline was running like mad at this point. All he knew was that if he didn’t get up, there was a very real chance that All Might would kill Katsuki, exam or not. 

   “I will defeat you,” Katsuki declared, spitting out blood and lifting his arm once more. “Don’t underestimate me!” 

   Izuku was able to displace the gate around him, and he got to his feet as quietly as he could. He prided Katsuki on not even glancing at him, as it might alert the villain in front of them. All Might cackled, cracking his knuckles menacingly. “You and what army?”

   “ Me ,” Izuku snarled, launching himself at All Might. The man barely had a moment to turn around before Izuku was on him, summoning fifty percent of One for All in one single arm. He landed a punch in All Might’s face, shaking the man’s body. He stumbled back, blood spurting from his own mouth. He’d probably bitten something from the amount of it there. Izuku was suddenly filled with a blind rage at the sight of the wound. This whole time, he hadn’t been fighting back against All Might for fear of what repercussions might come from it, but here? Here he had an excuse. Here he could fuck up All Might and the man couldn’t do shit about it.

    His feet moved without thinking, and he attacked. 

    (x)

   Katsuki watched in awe as Deku leaped towards their attacker, a green glow in his emerald eyes. Sparks erupted from his body light lightning, his form nearly a blur from how quick he was moving. And then something unexpected happened. 

    What looked like long, shadowy tentacles shot out of Izuku’s chest, at least six of them. All six jetted toward All Might, wrapping the man’s limbs until he could hardly move. Izuku took the moment to attack, a sneer on his face. Katsuki could do nothing but watch as the tentacles tightened around their teacher’s limbs, circulation cutting off and turning the extremities purple from strain. Another punch landed on the older’s face, knocking his neck back hard enough to make it crack. 

   Katsuki forced himself to spring into action, moving behind All Might with one of his gauntlets at the ready. Izuku met his eyes from over All Might’s shoulder, noticing the position the explosive boy had put himself in. Just as the boy pulled the pin out of his gauntlet, Izuku jumped to the side, out of the blast zone. The resounding explosion was nearly deafening, and from the way All Might lurched forward, practically falling on his face, it was as damaging as it sounded. 

   “Fucking run! ’ Katsuki yelled to Deku, his eyes trailing down to the wound on Izuku’s side. “I’ll hold him off!”

   “No way,” Deku said, a tone of finality in his voice. “If we go, we go together.”

   “Be reasonable,” Katsuki spat, watching All Might as he began to get up. “Just go!” 

   “ No ,” Deku snapped. “I’m not leaving you alone with him!” 

   Katsuki was honestly bewildered. He’d never seen Deku act like this before, and it was confusing him. If Katsuki thought that Deku had gone apeshit at the Sports Festival, it was nothing compared to right now. There was a glint in those emerald eyes that sent a spark of intimidation down Katsuki’s spine. He looked over the black shadowy tentacles that had randomly sprung from Deku’s body and hissed, realizing that Deku was right. If one of them had the better chance of keeping All Might occupied, then it was Deku. He turned around to begin sprinting to the exit before he stopped, looking back at Deku. He took his still filled gauntlet off of his arm and left it on the ground near Deku. “Use this if you have to!”

     With that, he began making his way to the exit. 

    Izuku watched his friend run, a bit of relief pooling in his gut. With Katsuki out of the line of fire, he could focus all of his attention back on All Might. The man had struggled his way back to his feet and was now staring at Izuku, looking him up and down warily. “It’s not possible,” the man mumbled, watching the black tentacles whipping around from Deku’s chest. “It’s simply not possible!” 

   It occurred to Izuku that All Might knew what this new quirk was; he’d seen it before. Izuku inched toward Katsuki’s fallen gauntlet, keeping his gaze locked on All Might’s. “You know what this is?” He asked, although he already knew the answer. Yagi nodded, keeping his eyes fixed on the new quirk. 

   “It’s called ‘ Black Whip,’ ” he replied. “It… it was the user before Nana’s quirk. I don’t understand, you should never have been able to use it.”Izuku grabbed Katsuki’s gauntlet and slipped it onto his right arm, narrowing his eyes at his mentor. All Might seemed to snap back to reality, growling threateningly at Izuku. “Do you see now, Izuku? Do you see how easy it would be for me to hurt everyone you love?” 

    Fear raked down Izuku’s body, but he held fast, lifting the heavy gauntlet. One of the whips curled around the pin that held the explosion in, allowing Izuku to brace his arm with his free hand. He glanced around nervously. All Might seemed to know what he was looking for, because he smirked. “Oh, don’t worry little one. The cameras don’t have audio. No one can hear us.”

   Some part of Izuku was relieved, but he was surprised when the bigger part of him was distressed. He’d always thought… he’d always thought that he would be stuck like this forever, because he never wanted to tell anyone what All Might was doing. Was it really possible that… that he might want to tell? Was it because of the sudden power shift in their relationship? Now that Izuku knew he could fight All Might if he needed to, and possibly even win , were his feelings toward the situation changing? 

   “You will never be as strong as me,” All Might warned, stepping closer to Izuku. “No matter how hard you train, no matter how much you fight-” he sped forward at the speed of light, knocking the gauntlet away from Izuku so he could have unrestricted access to him. Izuku yelped as he was lifted off of his feet by his collar, All Might’s big, rough hand holding him hostage. “-you will never . Be. Me.”

    Izuku curled his lip in a very Kacchan-esque way. “Do you want to know a secret, All Might?” He leaned in closer until their noses were nearly touching. “I would never want to be like you.” 

    Rage twisted in the man’s face and he cocked back his free fist, positioning it in front of Izuku’s face. The greenet squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for a world of pain. Just before All Might let his punch go, the most beautiful sound Izuku had ever heard rang through the arena. 

    “Bakugou Katsuki has escaped the battle ground! Midoriya and Bakugou win!”

   All Might jerked his head up to the sky at the sound, and Izuku grinned like a madman. “Oops. I guess you forgot.” He grabbed All Might’s wrist and twisted, forcing the bigger man to drop him back to the ground. “It’s not just me you’re fighting anymore, All Might.” 

    (x)

   “That looked pretty intense,” Ashido said casually, gesturing to the screen. The entirety of Class 1-A had stopped watching the other fight in favour of focusing on Bakugou, Midoriya and All Might. Although there was no audio in the rooms, Tenya had a pretty good guess as to what they were talking about. 

   “I wonder what they were saying,” Hagakure said off-handedly. “But man, All Might makes a terrifying villain, doesn’t he?” 

   “Yes,” Tenya said, swallowing hard. “Yes, he really does.”

    (x)

    “Toshinori, you went too hard!” Recovery Girl scolded All Might, clucking her tongue. Katsuki winced when antiseptic touched the scrape on his cheekbone, where All Might’s knuckles had split the skin. Deku was lying on a cot next to him, his hero suit tied around his waist to expose his torso. The gate had gotten him pretty good- it was a miracle that it hadn’t punctured anything important. How Deku kept fighting with a wound like that was beyond Katsuki. 

    “Ah yes, sorry Chiyo,” All Might said bashfully, fixing his eyes on Izuku. “I suppose I got a little too into character.” 

    Katsuki looked between the two. Deku was staring up at the ceiling, not acknowledging anything. Katsuki didn’t like the haunted look in his eyes. “Yo Deku. What the fuck were those tentacle things, huh?” 

    Deku shifted his head to glance at Katsuki. “I have no idea,” he said quietly. His nose twitched like a rabbit, signaling to Katsuki that he was lying through his teeth. Katsuki bit his tongue, realizing that Deku simply may not want to get into it in front of their teachers. He knew exactly what the quirk was. The question was… how the fuck had he gotten it?

    Recovery Girl kicked All Might out of the tent before she left them to scavenge for supplies. Now that Katsuki and Izuku were alone, he tried again. “You know that I know when you’re lying, shitty nerd. So, I’ll ask again. What the hell was that quirk?” 

    “Why should I explain when you didn’t believe me before?” Deku asked, sounding exhausted. Recovery Girl’s kisses, as well as the hard fight they’d just had, must be taking its toll on him. Katsuki knew they were taking their toll on himself. 

    “Probably because I’m actually listening now,” he said quietly. Deku turned to look at him again, something calculating in his eyes. He glanced toward the entrance of the tent, then closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. 

    “I’ve already given you everything you need,” he whispered. “I’m sorry, but you’ll have to figure it out for yourself, Kacchan.” 

    Katsuki felt frustrated. He opened his mouth to argue, only to stop in place. Something about Deku’s expression… the exhaustion, the wariness, the look in his eyes when they’d still been open… he didn’t need to argue right now. The least Katsuki could do was give him a break. “Fine,” he said eventually. “But I’m going to figure it out, nerd. Count on that.”

    Deku opened his eyes again, a small, sad smile on his face. “Don’t worry Kacchan. I am.”

Chapter Text

   “You all passed your written exams,” Aizawa declared, staring at his sea of students. The teenagers all began to cheer, high-fiving each other happily. He sighed and waited for them to calm down before he continued. 

   “ However ,” he began again, glaring at them. “Some of you failed your practical exams.” The silence that filled the room was much better. “Kirishima, Satou, the two of you failed your exams due to lack of strategy. Sero, you failed your exam due to covering too much for your failure of a partner.”

  “Hey!” Mineta squeaked. Aizawa ignored him. 

  “Kaminari and Ashido, you both failed because you got too cocky going against an animal.” He looked around the room. “The five of you will still be coming to the summer training camp, but ,” he said, before they could begin cheering again. “It will be to undergo various study sessions, rather than joining the rest of your classmates in their activities.”

    The five students groaned, tossing their heads back to stare at the ceiling, like they could communicate with god that way. Aizawa smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. “The rest of you, good job on beating your teachers,” he praised. “I was especially impressed with Bakugou and Midoriya. The two of you worked together to take down All Might, and I was very impressed.” He stared at Midoriya, whose cheeks were flushing red. “I was not impressed that one of you held no regard for his own well-being, again .”

   “Yeah dude, you went ham ,” Kirishima said, twisting in his seat to look at his friend. “And what the heck happened with those tentacle thingies? I’ve never seen you do that before!” 

   “I didn’t know I could do that,” Midoriya said back, shrugging. “I was just as surprised as you.”

   “Which brings me to my next point,” Aizawa said. “Midoriya, please see me after class.” The boy nodded, staring down at his lap. Aizawa could practically hear his mind whirring with distress. He obviously knew more about this new facet to his quirk than he was letting on. “Alright then, let’s discuss summer camp, shall we?” 

    (x)

   “I was thinking, we should all go on a mall trip!” Hagakure said as the class packed up their bags at the end of the day. “I’m sure we all need a few things before camp, and it could be fun!” 

   “That’s a great idea!” Ashido agreed, bobbing her head. “I definitely need some stuff!”
  “I could use some new workout gear,” Kirishima nodded. 

  “Yeah, and I’ll need some bug spray,” Jirou said, shivering with disgust. “After what Kouda and I had to do to Present Mic, I don’t think I’ll ever look at a bug again without feeling nauseous.” Kouda nodded, reaching out to pat Jirou’s shoulder. Neither of them were too happy with the situation they’d put themselves in. 

   “I could use a mall trip,” Yaomomo said thoughtfully. “Perhaps this weekend would suffice? On Saturday?”

   The entirety of the class agreed, and Yaomomo sent the address of the Kiyashi Ward shopping mall, the biggest mall in the general area. Izuku turned to face his childhood friend, smiling. “Are you gonna come with us, Kacchan?”

   “No fucking way,” Katsuki said, sneering. “I don’t need to hang out with extras at the mall.”

   “I, too, have plans,” Shouto said, approaching the two. Kirishima and Uraraka were right on his tail, and the five of them started down the hall toward the front doors. 

   “Aw, not you too, Todoroki-kun!” Kirishima whined. Todoroki blushed a bit being under the redhead’s attention, but gave him a tiny apologetic smile. “I have plans to visit my mother that day.”

   “Really?” Izuku gasped. “That’s amazing, Shouto-kun!”

   “Wait, what? Why is that amazing?” Uraraka asked, butting in. Shouto looked at her, pressing his lips together.

   “My mother… lives in the hospital,” he said eventually. “I was banned from seeing her for a long time, but I’ve recently begun communicating with her again.”

   “Oh,” Uraraka said in a small voice. “I’m sorry. But, it’s good you’re seeing her again! That must be nice, right?”

   “Yes,” Todoroki said. “It is.”

   Kirishima wiped an imaginary tear from under his eye. “That’s so manly,” he whimpered. “We’ll miss you Todo-broki!” 

   “Todo…” Todoroki began, raising an eyebrow. Kacchan sighed heavily from Izuku’s other side, glancing over the shorter boy’s head to meet the other boy’s eyes. 

   “Don’t fucking ask,” he grumbled. 

   Izuku smiled to himself. Kacchan was warming up to their friends by the day. He had never had any real friends since Izuku, and it was nice to see him getting happier and more comfortable with people. He wondered if Kacchan watched him and thought the same thing. ‘ No use in thinking about that,’ Izuku scolded himself. ‘ Nothing can ever happen between you. Don’t turn his friendship into something else.’

    “Sure we can’t convince you to come, Bakubro?” Kirishima questioned. 

   “Yeah, please?” Uraraka begged. “It’ll be fun!”
  “Pass,” Katsuki said. “Besides, I have to go to my old hag’s workplace on Saturday.”

   Izuku nearly tripped over his own feet. “No!” 

   Katsuki nodded grimly. “Oh, yes.”

    “They’re making you do it again?” He cried. “Kacchan, why didn’t you say anything?” 

  “Becuase it’s fucking embarrassing, damn!” he cried back, throwing his hands in the air. 

  Kirishima exchanged look with Uraraka and Shouto, pushing the front door open to lead the five of them outside of the school. “Is anyone else confused?”

   “Kacchan’s parents own a fashion agency,” Izukue explained before Katsuki shouted at them to mind their own business. “They used to make us model their new lines back when we were kids.”

   “Wait,” Uraraka gaped wide-eyed at Kacchan. “Bakugou. Bakugou ? As in, the Bakugou Fashion Agency? The top rated agency of Japan ?”

   Katsuki shoved his hands in his pockets, the tips of his ears painted red. “Don’t make a big deal out of it!” 

   “Oh my GOD! ” Uraraka squealed. “Oh my god, I’m in love with your parents’ designs! And you model for them? You’re so lucky!”

   “Yeah, lucky ,” Izuku snorted. “That’s him. There’s nothing like spending an entire day changing clothes while an angry camera man shouts directions at you.”

   “They fired Tsukima,” Bakugou remarked. Izuku exhaled, relieved. 

   “ Finally ,” he breathed. “That guy was a total dick.”

   “I feel like I’m on another planet,” Shouto said. The five of them paused outside the school gates, as it was where they would split up to head home. “You two speak in code sometimes, I swear.”

   Izuku playfully stuck his tongue out at the half-and-half boy. “Kacchan and I should get going. We’ll see you tomorrow!”

    They all said their goodbyes and split up. Katsuki and Izuku walked alone to their train station platform, comfortable silence settling between them. ‘ This is nice,’ Izuku thought to himself. He glanced down, feeling his knuckles brush against Katsuki’s. ‘ I could totally hold his hand right now, couldn’t I?’ His heartbeat quickened in his chest at the thought. Before he could entertain it for long, a different blond man invaded his mind; rough, calloused hands pinning his down to the bed, another hand smothering his crying by pressing over his mouth, something hard and hot and wrong spearing itself inside of him- 

    He shook his head and took a small step away from Katsuki. Their hands didn’t brush at all the rest of the way to their neighborhood.

    (x)

    “I think everyone’s here!” Yaomomo said, scanning the small crowd of 1-A students. 

   “No Bakugou, huh?” Kaminari asked, turning to Izuku, Kirishima and Uraraka. Izuku shook his head. 

   “Couldn’t convince him,” he explained. Kaminari laughed and sidled up to Izuku, patting his shoulder. 

   “And here I thought you could get your ‘Kacchan’ to do anything,” he teased. Izuku blushed, clearing his throat. 

   “S-so, should we split up?” he asked the group. Ashido smirked, but still gave him a thumbs up.

   “Yeah!” She exclaimed. “Hagakure, Jirou and I are going to look for workout clothes!”

   “Satou and I will be trying to find bug spray,” Shouji said. Several discussions broke out, and bit by bit, groups broke off into the mall. Soon, Izuku was left with Kirishima and Uraraka.

   “What were you guys hoping to look for?” he questioned. 

   “I wanted to look for new shoes,” Kirishima said. 

   “I’m just a spectator,” Uraraka waved him off. Izuku smiled at her kindly. 

  “Can I meet you guys at the shoe store? I have to go to the bathroom first.”

  “Yeah dude, no problem!” Kirishima said, hooking his arm with Uraraka’s. 

   “Are you sure you don’t want us to wait for you?” Uraraka frowned. Izuku shook his head. 

   “No, no, it won’t take long and it’s on the other side of the mall. Just text me if you switch stores, okay?” They said their goodbyes, heading different directions. Izuku strolled through the crowds alone, weaving his way in and out of bodies like a pro. The entire time, his mind buzzed with activity. He’d been thinking about Kacchan a lot lately… about the way his heart sped up near him, about how tingly his skin felt when they touched. He’d never felt this way about anyone before, and yet every time he tried to imagine a future with Kacchan, he saw him . 

   He felt his hands crawling over his body, his lips burned to his flesh, his , his, his.  

    Izuku would never be good enough for Katsuki, and it was about time he accepted that. Katsuki deserved better than someone who wouldn’t be able to kiss him without flashbacks, someone who could love him without feeling broken. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t even realize someone was following him until it was too late. An arm swung around his neck in a friendly gesture, and yet the hand grasping at his neck was anything but friendly. Izuku gasped and froze in his tracks, causing the people around him to grumble in complaint and move around him. 

   “Did you miss me?” A familiar voice asked, tapping their first finger against Izuku’s throat. Midoriya slowly turned his head, looking Shigaraki Tomura dead in the eyes. The man grinned at him right back, clearly enjoying the fear on his face. 

   “Shigaraki,” Izuku breathed. Their bodies jostled when simeone knocked into Izuku’s shoulder trying to get past him. He didn’t dare move a muscle. Shigaraki curled his lip in annoyance,

   “Let’s do this in private,” the older man said, using the grip on Izuku’s neck to guide him through the crowd. Izuku frantically moved his eyes around the crowds, trying to see if he could spot any of his classmates, but it was too crowded. Shigaraki led them all the way to the other side of the mall, near the bathrooms that Izuku had been trying to get to, earlier. He found an empty table and sat the both of them down at it. He didn’t take his hand off of Izuku’s neck. 

   “I’ve been thinking about you, you know,” he said offhandedly. Izuku swallowed, the movement adjusting Shigaraki’s hand just a tad. 

   “Why?” he asked. He kept his voice controlled despite his fear. He had a lot of experience with that, after all. 

   “There’s something about you, Midoriya Izuku,” Shigaraki explained, tapping his first finger against his neck. His pinky stayed raised in the air, but that didn’t make Izuku’s anxiety lessen. “At the USJ, when you found out our plans to kill All Might… you didn’t seem to care. Why is that?”

   Izuku frowned, side-eyeing the man. “Why in the world should I tell you?” 

   “Because I’ll kill you if you don’t,” the villain shrugged. “And I wonder how many more civillians I could dust before Kurogiri fetched me. Twenty… maybe thirty?” He had an evil glint in his blood-red eyes, and Izuku knew that he was crazy enough to do it. He took a deep breath, briefly considering if he should lie to the man. But… some part of him wanted to tell someone so badly. To say the words. Iida had guessed on his own, but Izuku had never verbally confirmed his suspicions for fear of what might happen. Shigaraki… Shigaraki had no connections to his private life. He already hated All Might for whatever reason. He had no motivation to tell anyone, he just wanted to kill the man. 

    “Tick, tock,” Shigaraki said, humming the ‘ Jeoprady’ theme. “Time’s running out, little hero.”

   “Alright!” Izuku said, tears burning in his eyes. “Alright, okay? I… I met All Might right before I turned fifteen years old.” 

   Shigaraki nodded. “We have assumed that he passed One for All onto you.”

  Izuku nearly froze. “W-what?”

   Shigaraki raised his eyebrows, then grinned. “ Oh ? Are you telling me your precious mentor didn’t explain anything to you? Nothing about the origins of your quirk?” He leaned in closer until his hot breath fanned over Izuku’s skin. “Well, you clearly know about One for All… but do you know about All for One?”

    (x)

   Uraraka glanced down at her watch. “He should have been here by now, right?”

   Kirishima frowned, too. It had been twenty-five minutes since they separated from Midoriya, when he should have met back with them at least fifteen minutes ago. “Yeah,” he agreed, something dark and fearful sinking in his stomach. “Something’s wrong. I can feel it.” 

   “Me, too,” Uraraka said quickly. “I’m going to call him. If he doesn’t answer, we’ll text the group chat and tell everyone to spread out and look for him.”

   “Good idea,” Kirishima said, already pulling out his phone. Uraraka pressed her flip-phone to her ear, listening to the dial tones ringing. 

    (x)

   Izuku’s phone buzzed in his pocket, but he was too distracted by the news to even think about trying to use it. Shigaraki was smirking at him, knowing he’d broken his though process. “So that, Midoriya, is why you’re here. It’s why All Might passed his quirk onto you. Although clearly, he hasn’t done a very good job preparing you for your future.”

   “Clearly,” Izuku snapped, scowling at the villain. The blue-haired man barked out a laugh, the four fingers on his neck tightening enough to hurt. 

    “Watch your tone with me,” he warned. “I hold your life in my hands. Don’t you forget it.”

   Izuku tensed his muscles, but nodded stiffly anyway. “Is that why you’re here? You’re going to kill me anyway?”

   Shigaraki shrugged one shoulder. “I haven’t decided yet. I suppose it all depends on what you tell me.”

    Izuku inhaled shakily. “You really want to know why I hate All Might?” 

   “ Yes ,” Shigaraki purred. “Do, tell.”

   Midoriya fixed his eyes on Shigaraki, watching him for a few seconds. “He’s raping me. That’s why I hate him.”

    The look on the villain’s face might have been comical, had the situation not been so dire. “He’s what ?” he hissed. 

   Izuku’s smile held no humour. “That’s the big secret,” he said sarcastically. “He groomed me, raped me, and gave me One for All so I would owe him. Now I’m entirely dependant on him. I can’t escape him. Japan’s Number One Hero is nothing more than a child abuser .”

    (x)

  “He’s not picking up,” Uraraka said, lowering her phone. “I tried calling three times. It just goes to voicemail.”

  “I’ve already texted everyone,” Kirishima declared, tilting his screen to show Uraraka. “Hagakure, Ojiro, Kouda, Shouji and Satou are taking the East side, Jirou, Yaomomo, Aoyama and Ashido are taking the west, and Mineta, Asui, Tokoyami, Sero and Kaminari are taking the North. Iida is going to meet us here in a moment so we can take the South.”

   “Alright,” Uraraka said, practically vibrating out of her seat. “I’m really worried, Kirishima. With all of the villain attacks going on, and how strange he acts sometimes…”

   “I know,” Kirishima said, pressing his lips together. “I know.” 

   “I’m here!” Iida called, racing up to stop in front of them. “I believe our best course of action would be to split up, one on the first floor, and two on either side of the second floor.”

   “Perfect,” Uraraka said. “I’ll take the first floor. Let’s hurry!” 

    (x)

   Katsuki’s phone buzzed on his desk, a few inches away from where he was working on his homework. He sighed, glancing at the screen. It was that stupid class group chat that Shitty Hair had put him in. He unlocked his screen and got himself ready to remove himself, only to freeze in place when his eyes read the text that had Kirishima had sent out. 

Kirishima: guys, we can’t find Izuku. Uraraka and I have a bad feeling, we need to spread out and look for him. 

Ashido: Uh oh. I’m with Jirou, Yaomomo and Aoyama, we’ve got the west covered.

Sero: On it! Asui, Kaminari, Mineta, Tokoyami and I have the north! 

Shoji: Hagakure, Kouda, Satou, Ojiro and I have the east.

Iida: I will meet you and Uraraka on the second floor food court in a minute, and we can take the south. 

Uraraka: text if you find him!

   Katsuki felt like he was going to throw up. Deku was in trouble, again , and he wasn’t there to help him, again . He shot out of his desk chair and raced for his bedroom door. The Kiyashi Ward shopping mall was a fifteen minute train ride away. He might get there too late to help, but like hell was he going to sit on his ass and wait.

    (x)

   “You have to be lying,” Shigaraki said for the third time, a dazed expression on his face. “You have to be.”

   “Why would I lie?” Izuku asked dryly, resisting the urge to check the time. It had been nearly five minutes of him just waiting for Shigaraki to get on with it . “Especially to a villain?”

   Shigaraki shook his head. “No, no, it cannot be true. He’s All Might ! We are trying to kill him to disrupt the peace and cause chaos! If this were to get out-”

    “Don’t mind me,” Izuku yawned. “Just waiting to be killed here.”

  Shigaraki glared. “Are you trying to make me put this finger down?”

   Izuku scowled at him. “Well, it sure would speed up the process .”

  “Do you have any proof?” Shigaraki demanded. Izuku blinked at him. 

  “If I did, don’t you think he’d be in jail?”

   “You know, I was going to come here and talk about the Hero Killer,” Shigaraki said. “I wanted to know why everyone focused on him instead of our attacks, but now . Now, I think I see the full picture. You killed him because he figured it out, didn’t you?”

   Izuku flinched. “No. I killed him because he was trying to hurt my friends.”

   “Maybe that’s what you need to tell yourself,” Shigaraki said off-handedly, looking out into the crowd further away from them. “But I think I see the truth. You killed him because he knew. Does anyone else know?” Izuku clenched his jaw, and Shigaraki smiled. “Oh, someone does. Why haven’t they told, hm? Did you threaten to kill them, too?” He leaned in closer. “That’s not very hero-like, is it Midoriya?” 

   “I’m doing this for them,” Izuku spat out. “For them all . Like you said, if All Might was gone, then hero society would crumble to ashes. Japan would be thrown into chaos.”

   “Enough with the martyr bullshit,” Shigaraki snorted. “You’re afraid . You’re afraid of what he might do to you if you told.”

   “Not me,” Izuku answered. “I’m not the one I care about. If I was, I would have tried to fight you when you were distracted.” He gestured to the crowd away from them. “I care about them . All of them. I want to be the hero that All Might never was, even if they don’t know what he’s done. I want people to see me and feel safe, like I never felt with him.”

   Shigaraki nodded slowly. “I see.” He suddenly stood up, yanking at Izuku’s neck to make him stand, too. “I must say, Midoriya, you’re far more interesting than I gave you credit for.” He began to lead them back out into the throng of people. “I think I might just have to take you with me. With your help, the League of Villains could take down All Might for good . His precious successor, turning against him? It’s too good of an easter egg!” 

    “There he is!” Someone yelled. Izuku and Shigaraki both turned their heads, finding Uraraka racing toward them. From the other side, Ashido and Jirou appeared, and from the next, Shoji and Ojiro. 

    “My bad,” Shigaraki said easily, releasing Izuku’s throat. He winked at him. “I didn’t realize you were here with people.” Without another word, he slipped back into the crowd, in the only direction free of students. Izuku collapsed onto his knees moments before his friends reached them, clawing at his neck and gasping for air. He could already tell that his throat would be bruised from the tight grip Shigaraki had used. 

   “Deku-kun!” Uraraka yelped, falling to her knees in front of him. She grabbed his shoulders, studying him. “Are you alright?”

   “Who was that?” Ojiro demanded, skidding to a halt at his side. Shoji studied the heads of the crowd. 

   “I can’t see him,” he cursed. 

   “Midoriya-kun!” Jirou said, crouching next to him. Ashido stayed standing, a fierce expression on her face, like she was expecting him to come back and attack. 

   “Call-” Izuku wheezed, trying to suppress the panic in his chest. “C-call- Aizawa. It was Sh-Shigaraki.”

    (x)

   Katsuki sprinted to the front steps of the mall, only to freeze in his tracks. People milled around the outside everywhere, from paramedics, firefighters and policemen, to a few local pro-heroes. The police had built a barricade to keep the civilians out, but when Katsuki looked closer, he could see some of the extras from class talking to officials. He broke into another run, shoving past the few people who tried to stop him, straight to where he could now see Aizawa, looking grim. 

   “Where is he?” He demanded, panting. “Where the fuck is he?!”

   Aizawa frowned at him. “Bakugou, I thought you didn’t come today.”

  “I didn’t,” he snarled. “Where the fuck is Deku?” 

   “Kacchan!” 

   Katsuki whirled around, spying Deku in the middle of a circle of paramedics. He ignored Aizawa calling after him, trying to get him to stop, running to Izuku’s side. He didn’t hesitate for a moment to grab the shitty nerd in a hug, pulling his face into his chest so he could rest his chin on top of his fluffy curls. “You scared the absolute fucking shit about of me, Deku!”

   “Kacchan,” Deku said, his arms wrapping tightly around Katsuki’s midsection. “Kacchan is here…”

   “Bakugou,” Aizawa snapped, stomping up behind him. “That is a patient you’re smothering! He needs to be checked over!”

   “Hop off my dick!” Katsuki sniped right back, looking over his shoulder at Aizawa. “I just found out my best friend almost died!”

   “Kacchan…” Deku pulled away from him, looking up with amazement. “You think I’m your best friend?”   

   “F-fuck off!” He pushed the shithead away, blushing. To the paramedics, he asked, “is he okay?”

   “He’ll have some pretty serious bruising on his throat for about a week, but he should be fine,” a male declared, to both him and their teacher. “He’s free to go as soon as the police ask him a few questions.”

   “That can wait,” Aizawa said. “Bakugou, now that you’re here, I think it would be best if you took him home.”

   Katsuki nodded, pulling Izuku up by his arm. “Come on shithead, we’re going. I’m sure Auntie has seen the news by now and is flipping out.”

    Deku winced. “Yeah… we should go.” He looked over the sea of people for a moment. “Just a second, though.” He walked away, approaching the crowd of their classmates in the middle of the mess. Kirishima and Uraraka, who were talking to a few officers, noticed him emerge and broke away, running over to him. Kirishima threw his arms around the boy and squeezed him tightly. 

   “Dude!” He cried. “I’m so glad you’re okay! You scared us, man!”

   “That was really scary, Deku-kun,” Uraraka said tearfully. Then she looked at Bakugou, confused. “Bakugou-kun? What are you doing here?”

   “It doesn’t matter,” he said. “I’m just here, alright?” She looked between Bakugou and Deku, a small smile growing on her face. Katsuki knew immediately that she knew. 

   “Whatever you say,” she said. 

   “Thank you guys,” he said. “If it weren’t for you…” he trailed off, then turned to the rest of the group. He bowed at a perfect ninety degrees. “Thank you all for coming for me!”

   Just like that, Deku was enveloped in a huddle of extras, some of them tearful, some of them berating him for being careless, but all of them happy that he was okay. Katsuki watched it all happen and, for the first time, he wondered if he should stop calling them extras. 

Chapter Text

    “Was your trip successful?” Kurogiri asked Tomura the moment he stepped back into the bar. The only other person present in the room was Dabi, one of their newer additions to the crew. Tomura was still reeling from his conversation with Midoriya and hardly knew how to answer the question. 

   “Yes,” he finally said, cracking his knuckles. “I think so. I got some valuable information on All Might.”

   “That sounds successful to me,” Dabi shrugged, putting down the tumbler full of whiskey he’d been holding. “Why do you sound so unsure?”

  “Because he told me something,” Shigaraki snapped, glaring at Dabi. “Something that could change everything .”

   Dabi and Kurogiri both straightened, looking interested. “What did he tell you?” The shadowy figure demanded. 

   Shigaraki sat at one of the empty barstools at the bar, folding his hands together as he stared down at the wooden countertop. It was covered in slashes and dents, partly from the bar’s age, and partly from Toga’s knives. “He told me… he told me that All Might is nothing like we think he is, and I believe him.” He looked back up, scowling. “He told me that All Might is abusing him.”

   Dabi’s face contorted in anger, smoke curling from his fists. “He what ?”

    (x)

  Toshinori: Come to my house when the police are done with you.

   Izuku lay on his bed and stared at his phone, contemplating the text message. Kacchan had brought him home an hour ago, staying with him for a few minutes before his own parents texted him, forcing him to leave. Ever since then, Izuku had been thinking about his conversation with Shigaraki; about what exactly he had admitted to the villain. No matter how many times he thought it over, however, he couldn’t bring himself to regret what he’d done. It had felt good to finally say the words out loud, to someone that believed him, no less. There was now one more person out there who knew All Might’s secret. 

   Was it really possible… could he really tell? Tell everyone ? If Iida already knew, and Shigaraki already knew, and both of them believed him… then perhaps the situation wasn’t as hopeless as he’d thought all along. Two people with massively different ideals, two people who thought of All Might in different ways. Iida had grown up thinking of All Might as a hero, someone to look up to and strive to be. Shigaraki thought of him as a bad person, someone to destroy. And they both believed Izuku.

    Just then, a noise caught his attention, and he turned to the corner of the room, where an old television set sat. He had turned it on after Kacchan left to try and distract himself, but obviously it hadn’t worked. The news channel was on, thankfully no longer broadcasting the situation at the mall. Instead, it was following a fight with All Might that was currently going on downtown. Izuku sat up and stared at the screen, tuning back into the newscaster’s conversation. 

   “Our Number One Hero does it again!” The woman beamed, staring at the camera. “All Might has beaten the villain causing chaos in the downtown Musutafu area, once again with little property damage and no casualties! What are your thoughts, Reiko-san?”

   “It’s truly amazing,” the male newscaster replied, a matching smile on his own face. “All Might has often been called the greatest hero of all time, and in fights like this, it really shows! He works hard to protect us all, and I know that I feel safe when he’s there. I cannot imagine what sort of discord Japan would be in if it weren’t for him!”

    Izuku reached for the remote and turned the tv off, his heart pounding in his chest. ‘ Stupid, stupid, stupid! How could you ever think that you could tell anyone about this, even for a second! Japan needs All Might! It’s selfish to try and take that away from people, especially with the League of Villains around. You’re a stupid fucking idiot, Izuku.’  

   Midoriya lay back down and brought a pillow over his face, wishing for just a moment that he could suffocate himself. Everything would be so much easier for everyone if he wasn’t around. All Might would have no one to ruin his career over, Iida wouldn’t have to stress over Izuku’s threats, and Shigaraki wouldn’t have anyone to control. He wouldn’t have to feel bad about lying to Kacchan every day. 

   ‘ Don’t think like that,’ he scolded himself. ‘ You’re here for a reason. It won’t be like this forever.’  

  ‘ Won’t it?’ the other side of his brain whispered. ‘ Do you really think you will ever escape him?’

  He wasn’t sure, but he also wasn’t willing to give up his life. It would take a lot more than assault to break his will. 

   (At least, that’s what he told himself.)

    (x)

    “We’re going to have a study hall today,” Aizawa mumbled, wrapped in his sleeping bag except for his head. “Try to keep the noise down, and for the love of god, actually do some studying.” With that, he zipped himself up completely and rolled behind his desk, out of view of them all. The class looked at each other for a moment before chairs began screeching back, low chattering breaking throughout the room as people got into groups. Kirishima, Ochako and Todoroki were surrounding Bakugou and Izuku’s desks within seconds, Todoroki taking Hagakure’s vacated chair, whereas Kirishima sat on the ground, and Uraraka took Mineta’s empty chair. Izuku moved his desk sideways so that he was facing Kirishima with Todoroki and Uraraka in his peripheral vision, and Kacchan begrudgingly did the same.

    “So, I’ve been wondering,” Uraraka began, a devious spark in her eyes. “What exactly was your guys’ relationship like over the years? I could have sworn when  we first got here that you hated each other, but then Bakugou was yelling about you guys being best friends after the mall!” 

   Izuku subconsciously reached a hand up to flutter against the still-healing bruises on his neck. The incident had only been three days before, making it Wednesday. On Friday, the class was supposed to leave for their training camp, where they would stay for an entire week. He noticed Kacchan looking at him out of the corner of his eye, so he dropped his hand. 

   “We were really close when we were little,” Izuku began, thinking over what he wanted to say. “But…”

   “But I was a piece of shit to him in middle school,” Katsuki cut in, his jaw tightening at the admission. “I bullied him for the first two years.” 

   “ What ?” Kirishima asked, wide-eyed. “Bakubro, you… you were a bully ?”

   “I see,” Todoroki said, folding his hands on his desk.

   “Wow,” Uraraka breathed. 

   “It wasn’t that bad,” Izuku hurried to explain, waving his hand. “He’s being dramatic.”

  “No, I’m fucking not! Let me take responsibility, you piece of shit!” 

   “Kacchan, trust me,” Izuku said, looking at his friend. “You were nowhere near my worst bully.”

   “I said horrible things to you,” Kacchan argued. 

   “And you apologized,” Izuku shrugged one shoulder. “ You aren’t the one who pushed me down the stairs. You’re the one who saved me.”

   “Someone pushed you down the stairs in middle school?!” Uraraka shrieked, inadvertently getting the entire classroom’s attention. She looked around, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment. “Oops.”

    “Way to go, Round Face,” Katsuki hissed. Izuku sighed and buried his face in his hands. 

   “Dude,” Sero said, looking over his shoulder from his group with Kaminari, Ashido, Jirou and Tokoyami. “Someone pushed you down the stairs ? Why?”

    Izuku dropped his hands and took a deep breath, standing up to face them all. “When I was younger, my quirk was so powerful that if I used it back then, it probably would have imploded by body from the inside out.” ‘ Or at least, that’s the story I came up with.’ “It was only after I started training for the entrance exam that I realized I had a quirk. Until then, me and everyone else in my life thought I was quirkless, so… I got bullied pretty badly for it.” 

   “That’s terrible,” Yaomomo said, her gaze soft and understanding. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, Midoriya-kun.”

   “It wasn’t that bad.”  

   “Bull,” Katsuki snarled. “Everyone treated you like shit!”

   “Well, that was just my life,” Izuku shrugged, tapping the end of his pencil against his desk. “It’s all I’ve ever known, so to me, it wasn’t that bad.”

   “Dude,” Kaminari whined. “That’s so sad .” He jumped out of his chair and rushed to their group, throwing his arms around Izuku from the side. Izuku stiffened, every muscle in his body locking up. He… wasn’t used to affection from anyone but his mother. ‘ Or All Might. No, no. That is not affection.’

   “Let him go!” Bakugou snapped, holding out his hand and making a small explosion in Kaminari’s face. The blond lurched back and blinked, coughing smoke out of his lungs.
  “Harsh!” He complained. “I was just trying to show him some love!”

   “Thank you, Kaminari,” Izuku said, “but I’m fine, I promise.” He smiled at the boy to reassure him, and Kaminari nodded, going back to his desk. The rest of their class slowly went back to their own business, although Izuku was more than aware that they were still whispering about him. 

    “Don’t mind him,” Kirishima said, waving his hand. “He doesn’t have much sense of boundaries.” 

   “But on that note,” Uraraka said cheerily. “You can ask for hugs from us anytime you want!”
  “Th-thanks,” Izuku stuttered, already knowing he was never going to do that. “That means a lot, Uraraka-san.” And it did. It was nice to know there were people in the world who cared about him, other than his mother and Kacchan. Bakugou began needling them all to actually study, causing them all to get out their notebooks and various supplies. Izuku worked for the rest of the hour with a smile on his face. 

   (x)

   “Are you excited for camp?” Uraraka asked, early in the morning. Katsuki resisted the urge to gnash his teeth at her and tell her to shut up. The entirety of Class 1-A was on the bus, headed towards the camp they would be staying at. It was eight o’clock in the morning, and while Katsuki was used to waking up early to train before school, he had hardly slept last night due to nerves. He and Deku were sharing a seat, with Kirishima and Uraraka in the ones behind them, and Iida and Todoroki in the ones in front. Uraraka had leaned up over the top of their seat to talk to them.

   Deku squinted an eye open, glaring up at Uraraka. Deku was not a morning person, especially when he hadn’t had any coffee. Katsuki had dragged him out of his apartment that morning before he’d had any so they wouldn’t be late for the bus, and god was he paying for it now with glares and sass. Before Deku could open his mouth, no doubt for another scathing comment, Iida turned around and addressed Uraraka. 

    “Camp should be a good learning opportunity for us all!” He declared, chopping his arm. “But Uraraka-san, I must insist that you sit down before you hurt yourself!”

   “Party pooper,” the girl muttered, disappearing from sight. If Katsuki was less of an asshole, he might have thanked Iida. He was , however, an asshole, so he kept his mouth shut. 

   In all honesty, he had been thinking a lot about this trip. Ever since he'd come out to his friends and family, he'd felt like everything was building up to... well, to a confession. He and Deku were friends again- not just that, but they were close again. He liked Katsuki's personality enough to stick around, didn't he? Was it really that far of a stretch to think that he might feel the same way? 

  'Yes, it is,' Katsuki's inner voice whispered. 'As if the guy you bullied could ever like you.'

  'Don't be such a fucking coward,' he snapped back at the voice. 'If you don't tell him now, you never will. Training camp is the perfect opportunity! You can tell him, and then odds are you won't spend much time together while you train. It will give him a chance to think it over, and if he rejects you, then you'll have three weeks before school starts up again to lick your wounds. It's fucking perfect.'

  It was the most he could hope for, at the very least. 

   “Iida, you’re not in your seat either,” Todoroki said, tapping Iida’s arm. Indeed, the straight-laced guy was standing up in order to talk to Uraraka. He blushed and sat back down, causing Katsuki to chuckle. Deku opened one eye again and glared him into submission. 

    “Jesus, sorry,” Katsuki said, holding his hands up in surrender. “Remind me to never keep you from caffeine again.”

   “Oh, do you need coffee?” Kirishima asked, popping up in the space Uraraka had just vacated. “I have a few cold brew cans if you want one, bro!” 

   Deku stood up so fast, Katsuki wondered if he’d used his quirk. “Kirishima, I will marry you if you give me coffee.”

   The redhead grinned his shark-toothed smile, grabbing a can out of his bag to hand to Izuku. The green-haired boy took it, grabbing hold of Kirishima’s chin to smack a wet kiss on his cheek. The other boy blushed as bright as a fire engine, flopping back in his seat. Katsuki crossed his arms, scowling to himself. No, he was not jealous. He was just tired, okay? 

    “We will be making a pit stop soon in case any of you need to use the bathroom,” Aizawa announced from the front of the bus, not in his sleeping bag for once. Perhaps that should have been Katsuki’s first sign that not everything was as it seemed. Alas, it was too early for his brain to be working on all cylinders, so he took the words at face value. When the bus stopped a few minutes later, he was one of the first ones off, grabbing at the chance to stretch his legs. They’d been driving for two hours already, and those seats were cramped as hell. Everyone else filed off after him, grumbling and groaning about their own exhaustion. Twenty feet away, the second bus containing Class 1-B stopped, and all of their passengers filed off as well. 

   “Hey, this is just a random cliffside!” Kaminari complained, rubbing the ache out of his neck. “I thought this was supposed to be a rest stop!”

   Sero paled, looking back at the bus. “Unless…” 

  The doors on the vehicle closed, and Aizawa stepped in front of them, grinning. “Class, welcome to your first day of training camp!” 

    “Noooooo!” The two teenagers screamed. Class 1-B was led to the rest of them by their teacher, Vlad King. He was also grinning maniacally, like the lunatic he was. 

    “For those of you who haven’t guessed it already,” the burly man began, smirking. “This is the beginning of your training!” 

    “Starring us!” A new voice called. Everyone turned around, only to find a hero quad posing theatrically a few feet away; three girls and one boy, all dressed in cat-like attire. 

   “We’re the Wild, Wild Pussycats!” The man cried, letting off a sound like a strangled cat. Deku made a similar sound, although his eyes were wide with awe. His hands latched onto Katsuki’s right bicep, squeezing hard enough that the blond thought he might have bruises later. 

   “Kacchan, oh my god! ” He breathed, his inner fanboy rising to the surface. “It’s the Wild, Wild Pussycats!”

   “I heard,” the blond deadpanned, although he didn’t shake Deku’s touch away. What? He was going to enjoy it while it lasted, especially with his plans for a confession. For all he knew, this could be the last time Deku would willingly touch him so casually. 

    “For your first order of business, we have something planned!” One of the girls exclaimed, and the four adults broke formation. “All of you will have to make your way to camp yourselves! If you aren’t there by noon, then you don’t get lunch!” 

   “ What ?” Ojiro asked, taking a step back. In the end, it didn’t matter, because the ground beneath their feet slipped away. Forty students screamed for their lives as they fell down the mountain, slipping and sliding on the way. Those with quirks that could help them, like Katsuki and Uraraka, propelled their way down to the ground to safety. Deku and Todoroki were right behind them, using their own quirks, and Tokoyami used Dark Shadow to get himself and Satou down to safety. A few of the 1-B kids made their way down too, but the rest of their classmates simply slid to the bottom.

   “This is abuse!” Kaminari wailed, throwing his hands up in the air. 

   “This is awesome ,” Kirishima grinned, pumping his fist. “So manly!”

   “Um, guys?” Jirou asked, her head turned to the forest. “What the hell is that?” 

   And just like that, the games began. 

   It was nearing sunset by the time all forty of them trudged into the training camp, covered in grime, leaves and specks of the monsters they had defeated. Every muscle in Katsuki’s body was aching, although he enjoyed it. It meant he’d had a good workout. Most of the students had teamed up to use their quirks to help each other, but Katsuki had gone off on his own, scouting ahead to get rid of the monsters he could. He’d ended up waiting for Deku towards the end of the forest, which put him with the rest of the extras when they slogged their way to where all of the adults were waiting. 

   “Wow!” One of the pussycats said, beaming at them. “You guys made it earlier than I thought you would!” 

   “ Please tell me we can eat,” Mineta whined. 

   “You can,” the pussycat in blue said. “We made dinner for you all, but don’t get too comfortable! For the rest of camp, you guys will be feeding yourselves!”

   A few of them groaned, while the rest of them simply cheered that they could finally eat something. Deku seemed distracted, looking at the child in front of the pussycats. Katsuki hadn’t noticed him because he’d been so quiet. “Hi there,” Deku said to the boy. “What’s your name?” 

   “Who cares?” The boy snapped, crossing his arms. “You’re all stupid for being here! Heroes are dumb!” 

   “Oi,” Katsuki sneered, not appreciating the insult. Deku stepped forward and held out his hand with a smile. 

   “My name is Midoriya Izuku, but you can call me Deku,” he introduced himself. The boy moved quick at lightening, his fist outstretched to punch Deku straight in the balls. To Katsuki’s surprise, the green-eyed boy reacted even faster, launching himself backward before landing in a crouch, hands on the ground to steady himself. The child’s eyes widened in surprise, as did Katsuki’s. 

   “Those are some reflexes, kid!” The male pussycat laughed, clapping his hands. Deku frowned, standing up straight again. 

   “I don’t like things coming at my dick,” he snapped. Katsuki barked out a laugh, clapping his crush on the shoulder. 

   “And that’s our cue to eat,” he said. “C’mon Deku, let’s go before you hurt yourself.”

   Everyone separated, heading to the pavilion ahead of them where rows upon rows of benches sat. There were massive pots and bowls set up in the middle of each table, and when they all approached, Katsuki saw that there was curry, rice and vegetables in each one. They all found their places and began digging in. Katsuki found the curry to have almost no spice, which was a bit disappointing. Then again, he hadn’t really expected these extras to be able to handle as much spice as he liked in his food. 

    Halfway through the meal, one of the pussycats approached Deku with a soft smile on her face. “I’m sorry about Kouta-kun,” she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “My name is Mandalay, and Kouta Izumi is my nephew. He… had a bit of trouble with heroes.”

  “It’s alright,” Deku said, swallowing his mouthful of food. “No one got hurt in the end. Why does he have so much trouble?”

   Mandalay’s smile tilted a bit, drifting into discomfort. “That’s not important right now.” Louder, so everyone could hear her, she said, “Alright! If anyone is done, they can take their dirty dishes into the kitchen! For tonight, we will clean them for you! After that, we’ll show you all to the hot springs so you can wash up before bed!” 

   Katsuki watched out of the corner of his eyes as Deku stiffened, his fists clenching on the table hard enough to crack his knuckles. It was an odd reaction. He would have expected the boy to be excited about the luxury of hot springs, not… nervous . 

   Oh, well. Deku had always been odd. It's what Katsuki liked about him. 

Chapter Text

   Izuku felt like he was going to throw up. 

  All of the 1-A boys were gathered in the locker room, undressing and getting into towels before they would get in the hot spring. Vlad King had taken the 1-B boys somewhere else for something or other, and Izuku was glad for it. If he was going to have to expose himself, then it was best to do it in front of as few people as possible. 

    The bruises from All Might’s last “session” had yet to fade away. He had bruises on his body, from his arms to his hips and legs, and he knew how they looked. He knew what they looked like. 

   Iida sidled up next to him, taking the locker next to him. Kacchan was on his left, yelling at Kirishima about something or other, and Todoroki was across the locker room, rinsing the dirt off of his body under one of the communal showers. It allowed his and Iida’s conversation to not be overheard. 

   “I know what you’re worried about,” the blue-haired boy said in a soft voice, wrapping a towel around his waist. “You’re afraid they’re going to ask questions.”

   Izuku’s back stiffened. He wasn’t sure what he should say in this situation; if he acknowledged what Iida was saying, it would be as good as admitting what All Might was doing to him. If he ignored it, it would also be pretty telling. He glanced at the taller boy to see his expression, but found nothing there except cold indifference. ‘ Damn, he’s good.’  

   “I’m fine,” Izuku said eventually, yanking his shirt over his head. He placed it in his locker, letting it crumple to a heap. Tiger was supposed to come in while they were all in the spring to collect their dirty clothes so the pusscats could wash them. “I’m not worried about anything.”

   “I don’t understand why you won’t just let me help you,” Iida said, his voice breaking a bit. Guilt ate at Izuku’s heart, but he shoved the emotion away in favor of yanking his pants down his legs, leaving him in only his boxers. The bruises All Might had left on him were yellowing with age, although a few of them were still a deep purple. Hopefully, they didn’t look as incriminating as he thought.

   “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said smoothly. Iida sighed, taking his glasses off to place in his locker. 

   “You do,” he replied, almost sounding… sad . “You do, but I understand why you’re pretending you don’t.”
    For some reason, that made Izuku angry. He grabbed a towel and put it around his waist before he took his boxers off, shoving them into his locker before he slammed the door closed. He glared at Iida menacingly, letting his anger and pain leak into his expression. “No, you don’t . You couldn’t possibly understand, and I don’t expect you to.” 

    Unfortunately for Izuku, the sound of his locker slamming shut caught the attention of most of the locker room. Of course it was Mineta who spoke first. “Whoa, Midoriya-kun! Where’d you get those gnarly bruises?” 

    All eyes turned on his body, scanning his tan, freckled skin from head to toe. He had a few tan lines around where his shorts lay, since he tended to work out shirtless in the sun. It’s what had deepened his freckles over the years until there were so many, Izuku couldn’t possibly count them all. Kacchan spoke next, cocking his head to the side. He opened his mouth to say something, and then suddenly, Iida was speaking, closing his own locker. 

   “We were training,” he said briskly. “Midoriya was falling down, so I grabbed him and yanked him up. I suppose I used too much force.” 

   Izuku turned and stared, open-mouthed at his classmate. Kaminari snorted, shaking his head.

   “Dude, you’re so clumsy! You’re lucky your quirk is so awesome, or else I would seriously question if you were safe in this course!” 

    “Geez, Deku, you haven’t been that clumsy since we were brats,” Katsuki said, shaking his head. “Hurry up and wash the dirt off so we can go, okay?”
  “Um,” Izuku stuttered, looking between Katsuki and Iida. “Y-you go ahead, Kacchan. I’ll catch up.”

   The locker room slowly drained of bodies, until Iida and Izuku were left alone. Midoriya swallowed around the dryness in his throat. “Why did you do that?”

   “Because, whether you believe me or not, I care about you,” Iida said. He pushed off of his locker and ambled toward the exit. Just before he left, he looked over his shoulder. His eyes were filled with sadness and concern. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Midoriya-kun.” 

   Izuku stayed still in place long after Iida was out of sight. “I don’t,” he whispered, to no one but himself. 

   (x)

  Iida’s heart pounding wildly in his chest. Just outside the locker room, he lifted his phone and checked the screen. The picture was a little blurry, but the bruises on Midoriya’s body were clear. It was enough proof that the boy was being abused, at the very least. Tenya swiped his screen to the left, on pictures further back. One was taken through the glass window from the hallway of the classroom, earlier that week when All Might had asked Izuku to stay behind. It was a picture of him with his hand on Izuku’s shoulder, fingers clenched tightly enough to hurt. The few bruises on Izuku’s scarred shoulder matched with the picture. The bruises the same width and size as the fingerprint bruises littering the boy’s hips. 

    Tenya wondered to himself if it would be enough. Hopefully, during camp, he could coax a confession out of the boy. Covering for him was the first step of trust between them. 

    (x)

  “Mineta, get down from there!” Izuku yelled, climbing out of the hot springs. Mineta was using his quirk to scale the wall between the girls’ and boys’ hot springs, salivating at the mouth like an animal. By the time Izuku made it to the wall, the smaller boy was already high enough that Izuku couldn’t grab him. Iida got out of the hot spring as well, fuming at Mineta’s antics. 

   “I’m so close!” Mineta drooled, having almost made it to the top. Izuku could only watch helplessly before, suddenly, the young boy from earlier appeared, hands on his hips, glaring down at Mineta. 

   “This is what heroes have turned into?” He sneered, glowering at Mineta. The purple-balled freak scowled at Kouta. 

   “Get out of my way!” he demanded. Kouta’s sneer deepened, and he lifted a leg, kicking Mineta in the face. 

   “Pervert!” he yelled, and Mineta fell to the ground. Iida used his quirk to catch him before he could hit the ground, ignoring Mineta’s whining and crying about his new injury. Izuku kept his gaze trained on the younger boy as he turned around, apparently reacting to something one of the girls had said. A moment later he stumbled back, a violent blush on his face, only for him to trip all over himself. He began to fall down as well, and Izuku’s body moved without thinking. Full Cowling shot through his limbs and he jumped, reaching halfway up the large wall to catch Kouta as he fell. The fear of it must have caused the child to pass out, because by the time Izuku landed on the ground safely, he was already out. Luckily for him, his towel had stayed in place during the whole charade, preserving his modesty. He glanced at Iida, the both of them nodding at each other. 

   “We’d better go to Aizawa-sensei,” Iida said, leading the way back into the locker rooms. The walk there was silent, save for Mineta’s blubbering, and Izuku used the quiet time to think. Iida had covered for him earlier, with no gain for himself. It made him wonder, not for the first time, if Iida really did have his best interest in mind. Perhaps he didn’t want to tell simply because it was the noble thing to do, but rather for Izuku’s sake. Maybe… maybe he’d judged the bespectacled boy too quickly. 

    He’d resolved to deal with his thoughts at a later date by the time they made it to the adult’s cabin, where they let themselves in. Aizawa and Mandalay were chatting in the living room, and they both stood up quickly at the sight of the four of them. Mandalay clasped her mouth with one hand, rushing to Izuku in a hurry. “Oh my goodness! What happened?”

   “Mineta tried to climb the wall to look at the girls,” Izuku explained, gently handing Kouta over to his aunt. “Kouta-kun stopped him, but then he fell, too. He’s fine, I caught him. I think it just gave him a good scare.”

    “Mineta,” Aizawa said thunderously, stomping over to Iida and the other boy. Mineta whimpered again, this time out of fear rather than pain. “You and I are going to have a little chat . Come with me. Iida, you may go back to the hot springs.”

    Iida shot Izuku one last look before he left, with Aizawa and Mineta on his tail. Izuku stayed for a moment longer, watching as Mandalay carried Kouta to the couch she’d been sitting on moments ago, laying him down with a pillow underneath his head. She stayed crouched on the ground by his side, taking his hat off to smooth his hair away from his forehead. The soft look in her eyes said more about her love for him than words ever could. Izuku turned around to leave, but Mandalay’s voice stopped him in his tracks. “His parents were the Water-Hose duo. They were killed by a villain last year, so the pussycats and I had to take him in. That’s why he hates heroes so much.”

    “Oh,” Izuku said, remembering the duo in question. “Oh, wow. They were my favourite duo! It was awful what happened to them.”

    “It was,” Mandalay said softly. “Just… please don’t hold anything against him. He’s young, he doesn’t know any better.”

   “Of course,” Izuku replied, his heart aching. “I’ll leave you two alone now.”

   “Thank you,” Mandalay piped up. “For catching him. Thank you.”

   “Of course,” Izuku smiled. “Goodbye Mandalay-san.”

  “Goodnight, Midoriya-kun. Sleep well.”

Chapter Text

   Katsuki was going to do it. Today he was going to confess to Deku. They would begin their training today, and it was Katsuki’s guess that he and Deku were going to be training separately, which meant if he told him and Deku freaked out, Katsuki could give him space to think it all over. (And maybe lick his own wounds.)  It was perfect!

    Right? 

   He woke up at dawn when one of the Wild, Wild Pussycats banged on the cabin door, yelling about breakfast. He and the rest of the extras grumbled their way into training clothes, walking to the pavilion they had eaten dinner at the night before. The Pussycats were standing toward the attached building, their hands on their hips and terrible grins on their faces. Katsuki was instantly cautious, not liking the lascivious looks on their faces. It turned out that they were in charge of their own food for the rest of the trip, which meant delegating their chores for the next few days. Katsuki was put on dinner duty for that night, which he was thankful for. He was nervous enough about his plans. At least if things went bad, Katsuki would be distracted by the cooking that night. 

    He sat himself next to Deku at the breakfast table, ignoring the extras that filled the seats around them. He was working up the courage to say something other than “good morning,” when suddenly fucking Glasses sat himself down on the other side of Deku. Deku’s attention was immediately gone, one-hundred percent of his focus on Iida. They began to speak in low voices, but Katsuki was too pissed off to care to listen in. Kirishima, on his other side, patted his shoulder comfortingly. Katsuki ignored him, and Round Face for good measure. Though, from the way she was chatting up the girl with the long tongue, she had more important things to worry about than blond fireworks. 

    After the dishes were done, the Pussycats divided the students (suspiciously missing a grape-headed gnome) into groups, whose leaders then decided on the training. Katsuki, Deku, Round Face and Icyhot were all in the same group, with the big tiger guy. If he remembered correctly, the Wild, Wild Pussycats had once been a foursome of women, before the only male in the group came out of the closet. From then on, the Wild, Wild Pussycats marketed themselves as a sibling unit, and simultaneously caused the biggest uproar on Trans Rights in decades. Japan came out with new laws protecting the mental health of transgender indibividuals, regulations against transphobia, and laws instating protections for transgender youth. 

    It was fucking awesome. 

   In the end, Katsuki’s awestruck views flipped like a switch. He had sweat more that day than he ever had in his life, and ignited so many explosions that his fucking ass felt sore. Their first break was after a few hours of work, only five minutes for water and bathroom needs. Katsuki made sure to get Deku’s attention immediately before any extra could distract him, dragging him away from the class to where their water bottles could be refilled. Deku’s confusion was written all over his face when Katsuki finally looked at him, and he couldn’t blame him. He’d been acting weird ever since he’d decided to confess, and he knew it. 

    “Deku,” Katsuki said, swallowing around the Sahara Desert in his throat. “We… we need to talk.” 

    (x)

   Izuku stared into his best friend’s eyes, watching the swirling emotions flash through the crimson. Fear, determination, caution. His eyes were like a kaleidoscope into his mind, dizzying Izuku. Dazzling Izuku. 

    “Deku,” Kacchan said, his jaw flexing. “We need to talk.”

   ‘ Oh ,’ Izuku thought. ‘ That doesn’t sound good.’ “What… What about, Kacchan?”

   “Something that I’ve been thinking about for a long time,” the blond said, wetting his lips. Izuku couldn’t help but glance down, briefly distracted by the pinkness of his lips, before he met Katsuki’s eyes again. Kacchan blinked at him for a moment, then he shook his head and continued. “Ever since the slime villain, I’ve been… different.”

    “I know,” Izuku said, smiling. “You’ve said all of this already.”

   “ No ,” Katsuki spat, clearly getting frustrated. “Not in the way you’re thinking. Yes, I decided to take a fucking step back and realize everything wasn’t about me, but when I did that I found… I found something.”

    “Found something?” Izuku parroted, trying to stay on board with Katsuki’s train of thought. 

   “Yes,” Katsuki nodded his head slowly, like Izuku was a stubborn child. “I found that I’m in love with you.” 

     Izuku could and would remember this moment for the rest of his life. How the sun glinted in his eyes a bit, fuzzing out the edges of Katsuki’s sharp form like a halo. How the air smelled like sawdust and nitroglycerin, or the look on Katsuki’s face when he’d said it. The moment that changed everything. 

   “Um,” he choked out, panicking a bit. “Are you… sure?”

   Kacchan looked at him like he was stupid. “Am I sure.” It wasn’t a question, more like he was saying ‘ you fucking idiot.’  

    “Well… are you?” Izuku squeaked. Katsuki pressed his lips into a thin line, taking a deep, slow breath before he spoke again. 

    “I’m sure,” he said flatly. Something about it rang true in Izuku’s heart. It was so… so Kacchan of him. Confessing outright, basically calling him a moron, exclaiming his true feelings like they were a fact of the world. ‘ Gravity exists. We need water to live. Katsuki is in love with Izuku. “I love you, Deku.”

    “Everyone! Let’s head back to our stations!” Tiger called over the courtyard, clapping his hands loudly. Katsuki pulled back from their conversation. Izuku hadn’t realized how close they’d gotten until that moment. 

    “Think about it,” Kacchan said, stepping away. “I’ve got time.” With that, he turned and walked away, shoving his hands into the pockets of his workout joggers. Izuku stayed frozen in the spot for another long moment, before another meaningful clap from Tiger yanked him out of it. He hurried toward the dirt patch he’d been using to train on, with a few random items on the ground for Black Whip to play with. 

    Black Whip. The quirk of the user before Shimura Nana, All Might’s teacher. The woman who had spoken to him during the Sports Festival. Some way, somehow, Izuku had gotten the man’s quirk. All Might had seemed concerned when he told Izuku about it, and hadn’t even fucked him before he left that day. Izuku was beginning to wonder if Yagi was afraid of him, now. 

    Needless to say, Izuku thought about it. He thought about it throughout his punching and kicking, throughout acting out movie scenes with Black Whip, and throughout lunch, which he’d eaten surrounded by everyone but Kacchan. He thought about it through more punching, kicking and playing. By dinner that night, he had come up with two things. 

One: He was undoubtedly madly in love with Katsuki

And two: he could never, ever be with him. 

   As long as Izuku lived being manipulated by All Might, he could never fully give himself to somebody else. And even so, Izuku wasn’t sure he could ever have sex again. He couldn’t imagine enjoying something that reminded him so much of fear and despair. Katsuki was a teenage boy! He would want sex! Izuku wasn’t going to return his feelings only to have his heart broken later, when Kacchan couldn’t take it anymore. And besides… Izuku’s future was looking bleaker and bleaker. He couldn’t see an end to All Might's reign of terror in sight. As long as the man had One for All, and as long as he held the title of ‘All Might,’ he would always be untouchable. 

     (Sometimes, Izuku daydreamed about what it would be like to just end it all. How nice it would feel to drift away into unconsciousness, knowing that he would never have to wake up to pain again.)

     The bottom line was that Izuku had to reject him. He had to. No matter how much it was going to hurt them, no matter how it made his heart ache with what might have been, he had to do this. His only concern was if he could find the strength. 

     He ate next to Kacchan quietly, not conversing with anyone the entire meal. He was sure it was obvious that he wasn’t in the right headspace, and it was relieving in the end to not have to put up a front. The moment the last piece of rice was in Kacchan’s mouth, Izuku lunged forward and grabbed his wrist, yanking him out of his seat. Katsuki swallowed hard, coughing a bit from the rough treatment on his throat. Izuku ignored it all and dragged Kacchan to the connected building, where the stoves and fridges and sinks were. The building was blessedly empty; Izuku would never be able to do this with someone watching. 

    “Deku-” Katsuki coughed, his voice hoarse. Izuku interrupted him. 

   “I thought about it!” 

  Kacchan’s protests fell quiet, his eyes widening a bit. He swallowed again, clearing his throat. “Oh?” 

    “Yeah,” Izuku said, biting his lower lip. “Kacchan, I… I don’t return your feelings.” 

   Katsuki stared at him, narrowing his eyes like he was studying him. Izuku’s cheeks felt hot at the strange gaze, and he quickly looked away, down at the ground. Kacchan was wearing his favourite pair of combat boots, the ones with the orange laces. “Okay…” Katsuki finally said. Izuku met his eyes again, raising an eyebrow? 

   “Okay?” he asked. Katsuki’s mouth quirked.

   “No… I think you’d better say it again.”

   Izuku bit his lower lip, frowning a bit. “I don’t have feelings for you.”

   Katsuki’s mouth twitched again, irking Izuku. What the hell was so funny? He was trying to reject Kacchan! It was serious! “Alright, Deku. I can live with that.”

   “You can?” Izuku echoed, feeling like an idiot. “You’re… you’re fine with just being friends?”

  Katsuki shrugged one shoulder. “Sure, for now . Don’t worry, I’ll seduce you soon enough.” He stepped away from Izuku, turning around. “I guess this means you’re on dish duty!” 

    Izuku stared at his retreating back until long after the door had closed behind him, leaving Izuku alone in the kitchen. He hadn’t been expecting that. 

    (x)

   Deku was lying . 

  Katsuki always knew when Deku was lying for two reasons. Reason number one, he would always, always bite his lip before he lied. Second of all, his nostrils would flare just a bit, like he was letting out a guilty exhale. Deku had done both of those things, twice , each time he said he didn’t have feelings for Katsuki. The only thing the older boy couldn’t figure out was… why ? Why was Deku lying to him? Clearly he knew he had feelings for Katsuki, or else his tells wouldn’t have gone off. 

    There was something holding him back. Something big enough that he refused to be with Katsuki. For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out what it was. What on earth could cause Deku, the bravest boy Katsuki knew, to hold back? 

    Katsuki didn’t know. But he knew he was going to find out, if it was the last thing he did. 

Chapter Text

   On the third day of training camp, the majority of classes A and B were utterly exhausted. They’d been pushing their quirks and their bodies to the limit every day, and they were losing energy quickly. They still had four days left of training camp, and Izuku wasn’t sure that they were going to make it. 

   Aizawa and the Pussycats seemed delighted with their progress however, so perhaps it wasn’t all bad. Izuku rather liked seeing the pride in his teacher’s eyes when he realized Izuku was able to control Black Whip much better now than before. By the end of the day, Izuku could use it to grab objects and propel them like he was using a slingshot. He wasn’t able to use both it and Full Cowling at the same time yet, but that was alright. He couldn’t be expected to completely improve in only a week’s time. 

   “We know you’re all excited,” Mandalay said while the classes prepared their dinner that night. “So, we all prepared a treat for you! We’re going to host a test of courage in the woods, class versus class. While Class 1-A is paired up, Class 1-B will be hiding in the woods to scare them, and vice versa. Two representatives of the classes will play rock, paper, scissors to see who will go first. Pick your representatives everyone!”

    The two classes chattered over their meals, arguing over who would play the game. Izuku noticed Katsuki watching him during the hubbub, but he couldn’t bring himself to look at him. He was afraid that if he did, the older boy would see the longing on his face. Then, to Izuku’s surprise, Katsuki spoke up. 

    “Deku is nearly unbeatable in rock, paper, scissors,” he commented. “He used to destroy everyone on the playground when we were little. We had to ban him from playing.”

    Izuku blushed as all eyes turned to him, waving his hands a little. “W-well, it’s all about strategy, really! When you know your opponent, it’s easy to guess what they might choose, especially a moment before they throw. They tend to show signs in their hands.”

    “That’s so cool!” Kaminari yelped, leaning over the table to position his hands. “Play me, play me!” 

    The two of them played, and sure enough, Izuku’s paper counteracted Kaminari’s rock. The boy crowed that it was a lucky guess and asked to play again, only for Izuku to beat him time after time. He only lost to Kaminari one time out of ten, confirming Katsuki’s statement. From there, everyone at the table scrambled to play against the green-eyed boy, and each time, they lost against him. Izuku was a bit embarrassed at all the attention and praise he was getting, and when he looked at Katsuki suspiciously, he found the blond smirking at him. He’d planned this, that little fucker. He wanted to make Izuku uncomfortable. 

    Izuku was crowned as the representative of the class, and they all unanimously decided that they wanted Class 1-B to be the first to hide in the forest. Once everyone had finished their dinner and put the dishes away, the two classes huddled together, circling Izuku. Monoma stepped out of the crowd, a cocky expression on his face. 

    “I cannot wait to beat you!” he crooned. “Finally, a test to determine that Class 1-B is superior!” 

    “Dude, it’s rock, paper, scissors,” Sero muttered. “It isn’t that deep.”

    Izuku shook his head, a wry smile on his face. “Sure Monoma. Whoever wins is the better class. Deal?”

    “Deal!” Monoma smirked. Class 1-A looked at each other with shit-eating grins, ready for the smackdown that was about to occur. Even Aizawa, Vlad and the Pussycats were watching, no doubt interested to see who would win the showdown. After they had decided that they would throw on ‘shoot,’ the two boys prepped their hands. 

    “Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!” They chanted, throwing their decisions. Monoma picked paper, and Izuku picked scissors. The blond’s smile melted off of his face, frustration replacing it. 

   “Best two out of three!” He demanded. Izuku shrugged and put his hands up again. He won the next round, and the next, and the next. By the time Class 1-B dragged Monoma away from the circle, he was fuming, practically spitting fire. Class 1-A gathered around Izuku, cheering his victory. For the first time in a long time, Izuku felt completely, utterly safe. 

    Oh, how that would change. 

     (x)

    “Since five students have been sent to their revision testing, we have an odd number,” Aizawa explained, scanning the class. Mina, Kirishima, Sero and Kaminari were all bound in his capture weapon, sagging like sad little hostages. Satou stood off to the side of them, looking just as grumpy. Aizawa broke sticks into even patterns, creating one short stick for a person to be alone. Izuku was unsurprised when his luck ran out and he picked the short stick. 

    “I have to be with IcyHot ?” Katsuki asked incredulously. “No fucking way! Kaminari, switch with me!” 

    “Dude, you’d rather be with Mineta ?” Ojiro wrinkled his nose. Mineta began to whine about bullying, but nobody paid him any attention. Izuku was honestly surprised that the boy wasn’t tied up with the other students, given the verbal smackdown he’d no doubt been issued by Aizawa on the first night. If Midoriya remembered correctly, then the purple-balled boy had one more strike left before he was expelled. Izuku wished it would just happen already. The shorter had already had too many chances. 

    “Alright everyone, Class 1-B will have fifteen minutes to get into position!” Mandalay cheered. “After that, I’ll send the pairs into the forest at five minute intervals! Class B, go ahead! We’ve already marked out a clear path for you.”

    The 1-B students filed into the forest, whispering to each other about ways to use their quirks to their fullest potential. Class A began to chatter amongst themselves in excitement, some of them already coming up with plans on how to scare 1-B next. Izuku stayed by himself, tilting his head back to look up at the starry night sky. A gentle breeze lifted his curls off of his forehead, and he closed his eyes, inhaling the chilled, crisp air. It smelled of pine trees and the grilled fish they’d eaten for dinner. It was a strange, yet oddly comforting scent. Izuku knew he would think of this moment any time he smelled either odor from then on. The peace and content he felt wouldn’t last long once they returned home, and he wanted to savour it. 

    “Oi, Deku,” a gruff voice called, snapping him out of his thoughts. He opened his eyes and looked at Katsuki, his heart skipping a beat in his chest. The blond had shoved his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants. His tight shirt hugged his muscles chest in an utterly mouth-watering way, not that Izuku was surprised. Kacchan had always been unfairly beautiful. Under the light of the nearly full moon, his blond hair glistened nearly golden. He looked like something otherworldly and ethereal. Izuku couldn’t have ripped his eyes away if he wanted to. 

    “Yes, Kacchan?” he asked. Katsuki studied him right back. Izuku wasn’t sure what the older boy saw on his face, but whatever it was seemed to satisfy him, because his lip quirked up ever-so-slightly on one side. 

    “Nothing,” he shook his head, turning around. “It’s not important.”

   Midoriya felt like he’d missed something important, but he didn’t press the issue. He watched Katsuki amble away, back toward Todoroki, who frowned at something he’d said. Izuku could only imagine the filth Kacchan was spewing at him, and he didn’t bother to smother the smile from his face. Kacchan had a dirty mouth practically since birth, courtesy of his mother, who swore enough to make a sailor blush. 

    “Alright everyone!” Mandalay said, getting their attention yet again. “Everyone line up to head into the forest! Midoriya, you get to go in first, since you’re alone.”

    Izuku heaved a sigh, not looking forward to this. If he’d had a partner he might have felt better, but as he was going to be scared shitless while alone, he wasn’t too crazy about the idea. Then again, he’d had plenty of practice being scared shitless in his normal life… 

    ‘ big hands pinning him to the bed, salty tears streaming down his face as he muffled his screams into the pillow’

     He got to the front of the line and waited for Mandalay’s cue to go into the forest. His heart pounded with trepidation from the moment he took his first step, but he forced himself to keep going. Every noise in the woods made him jump, every cracked branch a sure sign of someone waiting to scare him. A few minutes into his trek, the mushroom-headed girl from Class 1-B jumped out at him. She’d blended in with the foliage so well that Izuku hadn’t seen her at all, and he accidentally activated Full Cowling in response, the green lightning sparking over his body and illuminating the forest around them. 

    Mushroom girl widened her eyes at his luminescence. “Whoa! That’s a neat trick! Your quirk is super weird.”

    Izuku forced a laugh, deactivating the lightning. “You’re telling me.” He passed through Mushroom girl’s area, making it somewhat deep into the forest. After the first few scares, it was easier for him to guess where other scares might take place. It calmed his anxiety down now that he had a good guess of where the others might be. He began to exaggerate his reactions so that he didn’t hurt their feelings, not wanting to be a spoilsport. 

    When he was nearly at the end of the test of courage was when it all went wrong. 

     (x)

    Todoroki Shouto side-eyed his partner, taking in his grumbling form. In some ways, Bakugou reminded him of Endeavour. His insecurity complex for one, as well as his blustery, brash attitude. Yet, in all the ways that counted, he was so… different . He had a soft side to him that Todoroki had caught more than a few times. Whether it was buying Kirishima lunch because he’d forgotten his homework, or forcing them all to study for their exams because he didn’t want them to fail, Bakugou showed his affection. Shouto liked to think that he was getting better at reading the other. 

    Bakugou noticed him watching him a few minutes into their test. They’d been a few groups behind Midoriya, the first to go in, but the forest around them was nearly silent save for a few distant shrieks of fear and laughter. Shouto had been watching Bakugou for weeks now, and recognized signs in him of something he’d never thought the boy capable of. 

    “What the fuck do you want, Half n’ Half?” the explosive boy demanded. Shouto tilted his head a bit. 

    “You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”

    Bakugou’s limbs locked up. Neither of them had to specify who they were talking about. After a few moments of tense silence, Bakugou exhaled, turning his face away. “How did you know?”

    Shouto’s lips twitched into a half smile. “The way you interact with him. The way you look at him. Take your pick.” 

   Bakugou sighed, running a hand through his messy spikes. “I confessed to him yesterday morning.” 

    Shouto wasn’t sure why he was surprised. Bakugou seemed like a very straight-forward guy when it came to his feelings. “Oh? How did it go?”

    Katsuki side-eyed him, assessing him. He must have decided he could trust him, because he answered truthfully. “He said he didn’t return my feelings.”

    Shouto was even more surprised by this. “What? That can’t be right. I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

    Bakugou nodded vigorously. “He was lying! He has tells, I know when he is. I just don’t know why .”

    Shouto shook his head. “That’s very strange. Izuku doesn’t strike me as a liar.” 

   “I know,” Bakugou said. “He’s so bad at it. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m gonna find out.” 

    Shouto opened his mouth to reply, but quickly shut it when an undeniable smell wafted to his nose. He sniffed again just to make sure, but he already knew what it was. The forest smelled of smoke. 

    The woods were burning. 

     (x)

    Yaomomo dragged Awase through the thick of the trees, creating gas mask after gas mask as they went. She’d unbuttoned her shirt to get better access to her skin, and Awase was kind enough to look away from her cleavage. She had created a wagon first thing to hold all of the gas masks, and passed them out to all of the conscious class members. They gathered those who were still able to move, enlisting them to drag those who had already been affected by the gas down the path, back to the main campground. Yaomomo wanted nothing more than to follow them to safety, to where six pro-heroes could protect her, but she forced herself to drop the idea. There were people who needed saving here, trapped in an unfamiliar forest with no way out. 

    (x)

    Uraraka glanced around, her heart pounding in her chest. She and Tsu had been paired up for the test of courage, but now that the smoke filtered through the forest, Uraraka knew something was wrong. A bad feeling ached in the pit of her stomach, but also, maybe more disturbingly, she couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched. 

    She and her friend crept down the path that led back to the campground, and Uraraka prayed that she would run into Deku on their way. Somehow, she knew that Deku wouldn’t get himself to safety first. He was too reckless and selfless for that, not when he knew there were people in the forest who needed help. All she could do was pray that she and Tsu would make it out alive. Just as her thought finished, a rustling from nearby shrubbery caught her attention. She and Tsu froze, staring as a blonde-haired girl wearing a school uniform stepped out of the trees. She had a large contraption around her neck that resembled a grinning mouth, with tubes along the sides that looked like massive syringes. Her smile showcased glinting fangs, and she had twin knives in each hand. 

    Uraraka’s heart sank. This girl was dangerous, she knew without having to say anything. Her prayers shifted from Deku’s safety to her own, and Tsu’s. Worst. Camp. Ever. 

    (x)

    Izuku sprinted silently through the woods, following the winding path that would lead back to the main area. He kept an eye out for any movement around him, whether it be from classmates, or the villains he had no doubt were here. The deeper he went into the forest, the thicker the smoke became. He had just decided to turn around and head back inside for any students who might need help when a familiar voice rang in his head. It was Mandalay, using her quirk, panicking. 

   “ Does anyone know where Kouta is?” she pleaded. “ Please, does anyone have him? Please bring him back to me!”

    Izuku stopped in his tracks, his mind whirring at a mile a minute. He glanced to his left, where he could see a mountain range peeking out through the trees. Kouta’s hiding place was up there, and he instinctively knew that was where the boy would be hiding. He also somehow knew that the child was in grave danger. He changed his course immediately, activating Full Cowling to aid his speed. He needed to get to the top of that mountain before anything- or anyone - else did. 

      (x)

    Todoroki dodged a spiked tooth, and Katsuki ground his teeth in irritation. Neither of them could use the fire sides of their quirks without risking burning the forest down quicker, and it was irritating Katsuki. The last thing he wanted to do was stay on the sidelines while IcyHot used his ice quirk to try and trap the villain, but he didn’t have a choice. He distracted the monster by heaving heavy stones at him, some of them even hitting their marks when the villain wasn’t paying attention. 

    Bakugou had heard the message Mandalay sent out, and he knew that if anyone could find the little brat, it would be Deku. They’d developed an acquaintanceship over their time at the summer camp, and because of this, Katsuki knew that Deku would stop at nothing to keep the child safe. 

    The thought terrified him. 

    (x)

   Yaomomo heard twigs snap in the near distance, her entire body freezing. The footsteps sounded louder and heavier than the average human, and all at once she was forced to remember something she’d long since tried to forget.

   ‘ the creature called ‘noumu’ stomped it’s way across the plaza toward Midoriya, an unholy screech piercing the air in the dome. From her now safe vantage point at the top of the stairs that led down to the plaza, yaomomo prayed that Midoriya would use common sense and jump away from the creature. of course it was too  much to ask.’  

    “Get down!” She hissed at Awase, yanking him to crouch beneath a tree, shielded by bushes that laced the roots of the tree. Mere seconds later, a giant, lumbering Noumu broke into the small clearing, it’s massive beak opening up to let a long, serpentine tongue slide out. It’s eyes rolled back in it’s head, causing its exposed brain to twitch. Awase opened his mouth, mostly likely to scream or speak, so but Yaomomo slapped her hand over his mouth within an instant. She had seen Noumu’s first hand, however brief their interaction had been. Although this was a different Noumu than the one from the USJ, they held striking similarities between them. She had no idea what this one’s quirks were, but judging from the tongue hanging out of the thing’s mouth, one of them had something to do with reptile senses. 

    ‘ If only there was some way to trap the thing,’ she thought helplessly. Suddenly, an idea occurred to her. She couldn’t stop the slow grint that broke out onto her face. 

    “Awase,” she whispered, so quiet that she could  barely hear herself. “Can you bind objects to flesh?”

    (x)

    Izuku scaled the mountain side with general ease, using around two percent of Full Cowling . Within minutes of Mandalay’s message, he was at Kouta’s secret hideout, panting up a storm. At first, he didn’t see anything to indicate if Kouta was up there or not; that was, until a low, cackling laugh split through the night. Izuku crept toward the corner at the edge of the rock. What he saw on the next rock platform nearly stopped his heart. 

    Kouta was cowering, sobs wracking his body. A large villain with one robotic eye laughed at the child’s years, gloating about how he had been the one to kill poor Kouta’s parents. He dared to laugh as the child cried harder, backing up until his back hit the steep mountainside behind him. His eyes looked like they were begging for help.

    Izuku’s body moved without thinking. He lungee for the villain, windiing up Full Cowling to six percent. His fist sunk into the flesh of the villain’s bare stomach, shocking Izuku. The man looked down at him, a malicious smile on his face. The muscle of the man’s body began to twist, nearly yanking Izuku off of his feet. As the smaller boy watched, the muscles of the man’s torso burst open, not only pushing Izuku’s fist out, but also blasting him backward, near where Kouta was pressed tight against the wall of the mountain. Izuku could do nothing but yelp as he hit his head against a stone, hard . 

    His vision blurred, pain exploding through his head. The villain, who introduced himself as “Muscular,” walked forward toward Kouta. The small boy was trembling in fear, and Muscular flicked at the brim of his hat teasingly. “Well, well, well. This looks familiar. You’re the brat of those people I killed last year, aren’t you?” He leaned down closer, until he was nearly nose-to-nose with the boy. “Do you know that they begged me to spare them? ‘Please, we have a son!’ They screamed.” The villain’s smile was malicious and calculating. “I enjoyed ripping them to pieces.”

    The poor boy was full-on sobbing now, water leaking from his hands as his quirk went haywire. “L-leave me alone!” He threw up his hands, sending a pathetic spurt of liquid at the villain in front of him. Muscular looked down, grinning at the wet patch in his t-shirt. 

    “What do you say I send you up to your mommy and daddy, little boy?” 

    “Get the fuck away from him!” Izuku yelled, getting to his feet. He threw himself at the villain’s back for the second time, powering up One for All in his arm at one-hundred percent, uncaring of the broken bones he was no doubt going to have to face. Muscular whirled around in time for his meaty torso to catch Izuku’s punch for the second time, gripping tightly around the broken skin of his flesh. Izuku watched with shock as Musuclar’s body trembled, absorbing the force of his impact. The bigger man had stumbled back a few inches, but hadn’t reacted nearly as intensely as every other person Izuku had used that much of his quirk on. 

    The last time someone had been that unaffected, it had been a Noumu with a shock absorption quirk. ‘ Shock absorption,’ Izuku’s pain-filled mind breathed. ‘ You’re punches aren’t going to do anything. You need a plan b.’

    “So you’re still kicking, eh?” Muscular asked, reaching out to grab Izuku’s broken wrist. He yanked the smaller boy’s limb out of his own abdomen, shoving him backward. Izuku struggled to keep his footing, ignoring the blood leaking into his eyes from the cut on his head, where it had slammed against the mountain. His body was trembling with adrenaline and unrestrained power, the yellow and pink x’s of One for All’s full abilities criss-crossing all over his body. Something in his gut began to stir as well. Black Whip was about to make an appearance. 

    “You’re Midoriya Izuku, aren’t you?” Muscular asked, cocking his head to the side. “My boss wants me to bring you and your little explosive blond friend back alive. I’m sure he won’t mind if you’re damaged goods.” 

    Izuku shifted his footing until he was sure he wouldn’t stumble back anymore. He could tell this was going to be the hardest fight of his life. 

    (x)

    Aizawa Shouta stared down the villain with the vicious burns, his eyes burning with the use of his quirk. Because he hadn’t allowed the man to use his quirk, Shouta had no idea what it could be. He’d already instructed the five students who had stayed behind to lock themselves inside of the school room, and he could only pray that they would heed his warnings. Vlad King was watching over them there, knowing full well how students of Class 1-A would react to their friends being under attack. 

    “Aizawa Shouta, aka ‘Eraserhead,’” the black-haired man whistled, grinning casually. Ten yards away, Shouta could see the Wild, Wild Pussycats fighting against more villains. Pixie Bob went down hard when the lizard-like villain struck her, but she immediately got back up, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. Shouta ached to go to them, to fight beside them, but he knew in his gut that the man in front of him was probably the most dangerous of them all. Aizawa had lived his entire career listening to his instincts, and he wasn’t about to stop now. 

    “That’s me,” he told the man. “And you are?”

   “You can call me Dabi,” Dabi replied, still with that eerie smile. “My real name isn’t important right now. I’ve heard a lot about you, Eraserhead. Apparently, you gave my boss a run for his money a few months back.”

    “Shigaraki,” Aizawa confirmed, shaking his head. “That wasn’t me who did that. My students kicked his ass. The very same students who your friends are attacking right now. I wonder how your friends will fare in this situation?”

    Dabi’s casual smile melted off of his face, turning into a hard scowl. “I would spend less time worrying about those brats, and more time worrying about yourself, old man. You’re about to be in a world of pain.” 

    Aizawa’s eyes had begun to tear up ages ago, but he knew that the moment he blinked, the fight would begin. He took a deep breath, readying himself. He had to defeat this villain quickly so he could get to his kids. They needed him. “Speak for yourself.” 

    He blinked. 

     (x)

   Izuku was thrown into the mountainside again , now with both of his arms shattered into pieces. Kouta was still standing behind Muscular, clinging to the mountain, tears streaming down his face. Izuku was growing tired very quickly, Black Whip waving around with almost no control. Muscular had found quickly that he could toss Izuku around using the quirk, which had made Midoriya more cautious to use it. The villain in front of him had some insane musculature; the kind that Black Whip couldn’t hold in. He was on his own out here, with no one to help him. 

    He was beginning to get the sinking feeling that he would die out here. 

    “Ready to give up yet?” Muscular taunted, approaching him slowly. “You’re beginning to annoy me, kid. Give up, let me kill this little brat, and I’ll let you live.”

    “ Never ,” Izuku spat, blood dripping out of his mouth. He was pretty sure Muscular had knocked one of his back molars out when he’d punched him in the face a moment ago. His entire body ached in ways frighteningly familiar to an entirely different situation, one in which he was supposed to be safe and happy. The thought of his “mentor” sparked enough anger inside of him for him to force himself to his feet again. “I will die before I let you hurt Kouta-kun.”

    Muscular watched him for a moment, an eyebrow raised. “Well, that can be arranged. It’s too bad; I kind of like your spunk.” He cocked his massive arm back, fist poised to hit Izuku in the gut with a punch strong enough that it would surely break Izuku’s ribs. The teenager positioned himself to lunge out of the way at just the right moment, readying Black Whip to activate as a distraction, when all of a sudden-

    A strong burst of water hit Muscular in the back, causing him to take an unexpected step forward. Kouta had come away from the mountain and now stood in the middle of the path, his hands raised up in the most threatening manner than a five year old could manage. His entire body shook with sheer terror, but the look on his face… It mirrored the determination that Izuku always felt in the middle of a fight. It was the look of a hero. 

   “Leave him alone !” Kouta yelled, his voice cracking on the last word. Muscular completely turned his back to Izuku, stomping forward with an arm out for Kouta. 

    “I’ll snap your fucking neck, you little-!”

   “Kouta!” Izuku yelled, powering up Full Cowling in his legs to aid with his speed. “Close your eyes! Don’t look!” 

    Kouta instinctively slammed his eyes shut, and Izuku attacked. He curled Black Whip around Muscular’s torso, using it to pull himself toward the taller man until he had wrapped his legs around his middle like a twisted koala. Muscular cursed and tried to reach out for Izuku in order to dismount him, but Izuku did something he hadn’t realized he could do before- he built up One for All’s power inside of Black Whip , forcing the shadowy tentacles to hold the villain’s arms down by his sides. 

    Izuku did the only thing he could think of to do in order to get this villain to stay down. He reached forward with his free hands and, without thinking too hard about it, he dug his fingers into the man’s eye sockets. One of them curled around the machinery attached to Muscular’s missing eye, the eye that the Water Hose Duo had taken out in their valiant effort to stop him. The other hand dug into flesh and goo, fingernails scrabbling at every purchase they could find within the organ. Muscular’s screams echoed off of the mountain, and he stumbled forward, wriggling around like an enraged bull. Izuku held on tightly with his legs and arms, curling his fists and ripping the eyes out of Muscular’s head. 

    Blood spurted from the left eye like something out of a horror movie, stringy veins and tendons hanging out of both Izuku’s fist, and the empty socket of Muscular’s eye. In the other hand, Izuku held wires and metal, with some blood that had speckled onto the edges from the forceful removal. 

    And yet still, he wouldn’t go down.

   Izuku knew what he had to do, and perhaps the most terrifying thing in that moment was that he realized he had the capacity to do it. He had killed a man once, when Stain had been after his friends and perfect strangers. This man was after a small child, a child who reminded Izuku far too much of himself. Really, what wouldn’t a person do to protect themselves?

    So, he used Black Whip, shoving two tendrils into each of the villain's vacant eye sockets, as far and as deep as they could go. A phantom sensation tickled at the edge of his senses, not quite how it felt when his fingers touched something, but also not entirely dissimilar. Black Whip had reached Muscular’s brain, and without a second thought, Izuku forced the whips to curl in like fists, ripping out large chunks of the villain’s brain matter. 

    The villain went down with a crash, his mouth gaping open in a silent scream as life left his body. Izuku went down with him, waiting until he was completely sure that the man was down for good before he climbed off of him. He was panting like he’d run a marathon, and his arms hurt like nobody’s business, but he’d done it. Kouta was safe. 

   “You can open your eyes now,” Izuku said quietly. Kouta peeked out of his lashes, snot coming out of his nose. He laid eyes on the villain, who’d landed face-down on the ground, and then at the blood coating Izuku’s forearms and hands. Izuku realized with horror that he hadn’t put down the eyes that he’d ripped out, and hurried to turn around and do so in a way that Kouta wouldn’t be able to identify what they were. 

    “Are you okay?” The young boy asked, taking a step toward Izuku. The teenager whirled back around, positioning his body to block as much of Muscular’s fallen form as he could. He pasted a beaming smile on his face. 

    “I’m alright, buddy,” he said smoothly. “Why don’t you hop on my back, and I’ll take you back to your aunt? She’ll protect you there.”

    “But your arms…” 

   Izuku shook his head, gritting his teeth into a pained smile when he held them out to Kouta. “It’s fine. Just wrap your legs tight around me and don’t let go, alright? We’re going to be moving pretty fast.” 

   Thank goodness Kouta must have believed him, because he scrambled to climb onto Izuku’s back, digging his ankles into the boy’s bruised abdomen. The black polo shirt that Izuku had once been wearing was basically rags against his skin now, more like a crop-top with an odd collar than what it once had been, but he decided to worry about it later. For now, he had a kid to get back to his family. 

    (x)

    Aizawa watched the villain disintegrate into a clay-like substance beneath his palms, shock widening his eyes. The villain… wasn’t real. He’d used a very real quirk, blue fire that he had called Cremation . Aizawa knew it was real because he had the burns on his body to prove it, so then how…? 

    He didn’t have long to dwell on it. A shout came from the edge of the forest, and he looked up. Midoriya Izuku charged into the clearing of the base camp, the little kid clinging to his back like a barnacle. As the boy came closer, deeper into the light of the campsite, Aizawa was horrified to find that not only were his arms nearly black with the tell-tale sign of bones broken multiple times, but that there was blood nearly covering his student. It coated his hands and forearms, splashing up around his abdomen. His head was bleeding, his lip was split and he had a black eye. He looked half-dead, and yet he still moved like a viper, green lightning around his figure. Aizawa and Mandalay met him halfway, both of them panicking for different reasons at the sight of the two boys. 

    “Kouta! Kouta, are you okay?” Mandalay blubbered, taking her nephew from Shouta’s student. She began to pepper the boy’s head in kisses, hushing him when he sobbed in her arms. Aizawa moved to stand in front of Midoriya, resisting the urge to cluck over him like the mother hen that Mandalay was being. 

   “Kid, what the hell happened ?” Aizawa demanded. Midoriya shook his head, clenching his jaw.

   “The villain that killed his parents went after him,” Midoriya explained. “I… I had to kill him, Sensei.”

    Aizawa wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be surprised at this, but he wasn’t. Midoriya had already proven to be a truly lethal force, and not only because he had killed Stain all of those months ago. He gave every day in training his all, he had a mind that rivalled Principal Nedzu’s, and he had the same look in his eye that war veterans and seasoned pro’s had after years of battle. He wasn’t a normal kid, and Aizawa would have to be blind to see that. 

   “You need to get inside with the others,” he commanded, reaching to grab Izuku’s shoulder. The boy maneuvered out of his way, turning his attention to Mandalay.

   “Mandalay,” he snapped, getting her attention. “They villains, I know why they’re here. They’re trying to kidnap Kacchan. You need to use your quirk to warn everybody!” 

   “Kacchan?” Mandalay said, confusion clear in her voice. Aizawa recognized the way Izuku was beginning to move, and made grabbing hands at him again. 

    “Kid, you’re hurt! You can’t go back out there!” 

   “I have to!” Izuku yelled, once again moving out of Aizawa’s reach. “I have to find Kacchan, I- I have to bring him back! I would never forgive myself if something happened to him and he thought- and he thought I didn’t-”

    “ Izuku ,” Shouta said, his desperation oozing into his voice. Midoriya closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. When he opened them again, they were glowing an iridescent green. Given the way he was covered in blood and bruises, matched with the dangerous look in his eye… Aizawa could well and truly say that he had never been more creeped out in his life. 

    “I have to go, Sensei,” he said. “I’ll send as many as I can back to you!” 

    And just like that, before Aizawa could say anything else, the boy was gone. 

   Aizawa barely had a moment to think before Mandalay’s quirk echoed in his head, and no doubt the minds of everyone in the forest who wasn’t a villain. 

   ‘ Classes 1-A and 1-B! You all have permission to use your quirks to fight back! I repeat, you have permission to use your quirks! Also, the villains are going after someone named “Kacchan!” Kacchan, whoever you are, get to safety immediately!’

     His decision was made. He had to stay here and pray that his Problem Children would make it back to safety. 

    (x)

   “What do we do?” Todoroki yelled, shooting wave after wave of ice at the villain they fought. The fucking freak kept himself above their heads, using his growing teeth a bit like stilts as he fought. He called himself “Moonfish,” and Katsuki wanted to blast him out of the sky more than anything . Unfortunately, if either he or IcyHot used their fire quirks, they risked bringing the rest of the forest down around them. They’d been on the defensive for nearly fifteen minutes now, with no end in sight. 

    They had both heard the message in their minds a few minutes earlier, and while Katsuki felt immediate relief in knowing that Deku had made it back to Mandalay at the very least, he also knew the nerd well enough to know that there was no way he was still there. He wasn’t the kind of boy who would keep himself safe when his friends and acquaintances were suffering untold horrors. 

   “ You will be delicious,” Moonfish hissed, his voice grating like knives down Katsuki’s spine. He dodged out of the way of another toothy spine, rolling on the ground until he could get to his feet again. Sweat clogged every pore of Katsuki’s body, and it was taking absolutely everything in him to focus on not combusting. Given the sidelong looks Half and Half had been sending his way, he also knew that Katsuki was literally a walking time bomb. 

    They weren’t going to make it. 

    (x)

   “Midoriya!” A voice hissed out of the shrubbery nearby. Izuku looked up from the severed hand with horror, immediately zeroing in on Shouji. Relief spilled into his chest and he ran to the boy, crouching down beside him in the bushes. The forest was eerily silent around them, save for a random piercing scream or two that echoed through the night. Izuku prayed with every scream he heard, that it was a villain going down, and not another student. 

    “Shouji! What on earth happened?” he whispered back frantically. Shouji glanced around the forest, sweat on his brow. 

   “It’s Tokoyami-kun,” he replied. “ Dark Shadow has gone crazy! He attacked me, and he’s holding ‘Yami hostage!”

    Izuku ignored the affectionate nickname in favour of weighing his options. He knew from the Sports Festival that Dark Shadow didn’t do well when it came to light. Tokoyami had even mentioned once or twice that he had to sleep with a nightlight on or else Dark Shadow could become unhinged. All they needed to do to bring the creature down was find some light. 

   Luckily for Izuku, he knew just the person who could do that for him. It was the very same boy that he was hunting for.

   “I have an idea,” Izuku said, at the very same moment that something massive and shadowy broke through the trees. 

     (x)

   “Oh, oh! You must be Tsu!” the blonde girl giggled, lurching toward Asui with her knives outstretched. The frog-girl dodged out of the way, but not before her long tongue was sliced by one of the knives the girl held. Ochako cried out for her friend, reaching down to touch as many rocks and tree branches as she could find on the ground. They began to float above her head, like a smaller scale of her fight against Bakugou in the Sports Festival, not that the blonde girl seemed to care. 

   “Only my friends can call me that,” Tsu spat at the girl, retracting her bleeding tongue back into her mouth. The blonde laughed at her, touching a finger to her cheek with an exaggerated pout. 

    “Oh, but we can be friends, can’t we?” She asked. Her yellow sperantine eyes flicked to Uraraka, trailing over her body calculatingly. “All three of us can be. I love having cute friends.”

    “Don’t come any closer,” Ochako warned, holding her hands up until her finger pads were almost touching. “We are not friends.”

    “Aww!” The blonde cried, twirling her knives expertly in her hands. “But if we’re not friends…” her brows drew down until her expression was something far more sinister than it had been before. “Then there’s nothing holding me back from bleeding you dry .”

    (x)

     Bakugou and Todoroki stood shoulder to shoulder, staring up at the monster above them. Katsuki’s hopes of getting out of the situation without either getting stabbed or literally exploding the forest were dwindling down to nothing. He glanced at Todoroki, who looked back at him knowingly. He was thinking the same thing. 

     They probably weren’t going to make it out of here. 

    And yet, when all hope seemed lost, he appeared. Through the trees, Octopus-arms carried Deku, who clung to him despite his obviously broken arms. He was absolutely covered in blood, and for a terrifying moment, Katsuki couldn’t tell if he was alive or dead. Then, he opened his mouth, and said the one thing that could comfort Katsuki no matter the life and death situation. 

   “ Kacchan!”

   And then right behind him, a hulking beast crashed through the trees, knocking a few of them down. Shouji and Deku ran to the group with Todoroki and Bakugou, and all four of them watched as Dark Shadow lunged for Moonfish. Tokoyami was screaming and crying from within Dark Shadow’s grasp, the sounds haunting to even someone as detached as Katsuki was. 

   “Kacchan, Shouto! You need to use your quirks to take down Dark Shadow !” Deku yelled over the screams of pain and dismemberment that Moonfish was letting out. 

   “I fucking can’t! I’ll blow the whole goddamn forest up!” Katsuki yelled back, anxiety thrumming in his bloodstream like a drumbeat. 

    “You can ,” Deku said earnestly, looking deep into his eyes. Those emerald pools were glowing a faint green colour, illuminating his black eye, cut forehead and split lip. Katsuki had already gathered that he’d run into a villain, given the warning he had taken to Mandalay, but Jesus Christ did he look bad. “I believe in you, Kacchan.”

     Dark Shadow dropped Moonfish’s body to the forest floor, turning to the last living creatures it could find. 

    “Run away!” Tokoyami screamed, tearing at the shadows enveloping his body. “I don’t want to hurt anybody anymore!” 

    “Can you do this?” Todoroki demanded, clasping Katsuki’s shoulder tightly. Katsuki looked at him, then looked back at Deku. The green-haired boy nodded once, his lips pressed together in a firm line. 

    Katsuki grinned at Todoroki. “Hell fucking yes.”

     (x)